cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two techniques of laparoscopic Burch repair for stress incontinence: a prospective, randomized study.

Abstract Study Objective. To determine if outpatient laparoscopic Burch procedure performed with mesh and staples is as effective as that done with the suture technique. Design. Prospective, randomized study. Setting. Community hospital. Patients. Sixty–nine women with genuine stress incontinence (GSI) randomly assigned to either the suture group (group 1) or the mesh-staple group (group 2). Interventions. Before surgery each patient had a complete history, physical and neurologic examinations, 24-hour urolog, urology questionnaire, urine culture and sensitivity, Q-Tip test, transperineal ultrasound, cough stress test, cystourethroscopy, and cystometrogram. Stress incontinence was diagnosed by positive Q-Tip, ultrasound, and cough stress tests and a negative cystometrogram for detrusor contraction. The laparoscopic Burch procedures were performed with either sutures for bladder neck elevation or with mesh and staples. Clinical and, if necessary, urodynamic studies were repeated at 6 weeks and 1 year postoperatively. Measurements and Main Results. The cure rate at 1 year was 91% in group 1 and 94% in group 2. Only objective cures by urologic testing are reported. The hypermobile urethra, as tested by transperineal ultrasound, was cured by both procedures. Of the 69 women, 68 were able to void spontaneously within 24 hours. Conclusions. Early results suggest that laparoscopic Burch colposuspension is effective in curing GSI. Both sutures and mesh with staples yield good outcomes.
O2insertion into a palladium(II)-hydride bond: Observation of mechanistic crossover between HX-reductive-elimination and hydrogen-atom-abstraction pathways

The reaction of molecular oxygen with palladium(II)–hydrides is a key step in Pd-catalyzed aerobic oxidation reactions, and the mechanism of such reactions has been the focus of considerable investigation and debate. Here we describe the reaction of O2 with a series of electronically varied PdII–H complexes of the type trans-(IMes)2Pd(H)(O2CAr), with different para-substituted benzoates as the ArCO2− ligand. Analysis of the oxygenation rates of these complexes revealed a non-linear Hammett plot, and further kinetic studies demonstrated that reaction of O2 with the most electron-rich para-methoxybenzoate derivative proceeds via two parallel mechanisms, one initiated by rate-limiting reductive elimination of the carboxylic acid (HXRE) and the other involving hydrogen-atom abstraction by O2 (HAA). DFT computational studies support these conclusions and reveal that the preferred mechanism for the O2insertion reaction changes from HAA to HXRE as the para substituent on the benzoate ligand shifts from electron-donating to electron-withdrawing.
A Scalable Protocol for the Regioselective Alkylation of 2-Methylcyclohexane-1,3-dione with Unactivated sp3 Electrophiles

A method for the C-selective alkylation of 2-methylcyclohexane-1,3-dione with unactivated sp3 electrophiles is accomplished via alkylation and subsequent deprotection of the derived ketodimethyl hydrazones. The present method provides a high-yielding entry to dialkyl cycloalkanones that cannot be accessed via direct alkylation of 2-methylcyclohexane-1,3-dione. The title reaction may be useful in the scalable preparation of terpene and steroidal building blocks in the arena of natural product synthesis.
Experimental and numerical studies on standing surface acoustic wave microfluidics

Standing surface acoustic waves (SSAW) are commonly used in microfluidics to manipulate cells and other micro/nano particles. However, except for a simple one-dimensional (1D) harmonic standing waves (HSW) model, a practical model that can predict particle behaviour in SSAW microfluidics is still lacking. Herein, we established a two-dimensional (2D) SSAW microfluidic model based on the basic theory in acoustophoresis and our previous modelling strategy to predict the acoustophoresis of microparticles in SSAW microfluidics. This 2D SSAW microfluidic model considers the effects of boundary vibrations, channel materials, and channel dimensions on the acoustic propagation; as an experimental validation, the acoustophoresis of microparticles under continuous flow through narrow channels made of PDMS and silicon was studied. The experimentally observed motion of the microparticles matched well with the numerical predictions, while the 1D HSW model failed to predict many of the experimental observations. Particularly, the 1D HSW model cannot account for particle aggregation on the sidewall in PDMS channels, which is well explained by our 2D SSAW microfluidic model. Our model can be used for device design and optimization in SSAW microfluidics.
Media in the New Democracies of Post-Communist Eastern Europe

Growing up in Bulgaria during the “transition” years, as a then fifteen-year old, I spent the summer of 1990 queuing up at the neighborhood newsstand waiting for the daily delivery of freshly printed newspapers. Shortages of goods, including food and gasoline, caused long lines in front of many stores, but the crowd waiting at the kiosk was eager to read about the latest political developments, and especially popular were the newspapers published by the newly established opposition parties. While there was no scarcity of political news via television and radio, there was always something special about the print media, much of which, including entertainment weeklies, were such a novelty. Twenty or so years later, I spent another summer among newspapers, in the archives of the National Library in Sofia, poring through the pages and—with no digitization of archives—collecting photographs of news articles published before each of the national legislative elections since 1990. Much has changed in the media env...
INVESTIGATION AND DISINFECTION INTERVENTION OF WATER BACTERIAL POLLUTION IN ORAL CAVITY TREATMENT

Objective To know the present status of water bacterial pollution and explore effective ways to improve water quality. Methods Field sampling was used to investigate the present status of water channel pollution in oral cavity treatment of 40 medical facilities in Xuzhou City,and disinfection intervention was carried out in machines with separate water origin. Results The investigated bacterial amount in water of the tank,high-speed spread and triple-purpose water gun were 56.52%,76.09% and 89.13% respectively,which exceeds the creteria required by National Drinking Water Qulity Standards.All the water samples are qualified after being disinfected with disinfection agent containing chlorine in the tank and water channel. Conclusion The water bacterial pollution is quite serious in the local area.However,disinfection measures can effectively improve the water quality in oral treatment.
Relationship between genetic susceptibility to lead toxicity and single nucleotide polymorphisms in XRCC1 gene

Objective To explore the relationship between gene polymorphisms of XRCC1 and susceptibility to lead toxicity.Methods 326 blood samples of lead-exposed workers from a storage battery factory in Fuzhou were taken,lead and ZPP levels in blood were analyzed.An assay based on the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP)technique of restriction enzyrne was used to determine the genotype of the XRCC1 gene,then the relationship between XRCC1 polymorphisms and the susceptibility to lead toxicity was studied by genotypes.Results The distribution frequencies of alleles and genotypes of XRCC1 in 326 lead-exposed workers accorded with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium(P0.05),the differences of blood ZPP levels among different genetypes(XRCC1-194CC/CT+TT,XRCC1-280GG/GA+AA,XRCC1-399GG/GA+AA)showed no significant significance(P0.05),the blood lead level of XRCC1-194CT+TT genotype was higher than that of XRCC1-194CC genotype(P0.05),however,the differences of blood lead levels between the genetypes XRCC1-280GG/GA+AA and XRCC1-399GG/GA+AA was no statistical significance(P0.05),while in high blood lead group(1.90 μmol/L)the proportion of XRCC1-194CT+TT genotype was higher than that of XRCC1-194CC(P0.05),and the workers with XRCC1-194CT+TT genotype had an increased risk of high blood lead(OR=2.78,95%CI=1.49～5.28).Conclusion The results showed that there is some correlation between XRCC1Arg194Trp polymorphisms and blood lead level,and the polymorphism of C changes to T increase the risk of susceptivity to lead toxicity,and the XRCC1-194CT/TT genotype may be the susceptible genotype to lead toxicity,while the XRCC1Arg280His and XRCC1Arg399Gln polymorphisms is probably not the susceptible factor to lead toxicity.
STUDY ON THE ANALYTICAL METHOD OF UNIT COST OF OIL RECOVERY PLANT

In the change analysis of total average index, the traditional method is to analyze the inference of the change of group average on that of total average, and the inference of the structural change in the groups on the change of total average. Combining the compound grouping with index analysis, the inference of unit cost of the blocks or single well cost and crude productivity on the change of unit cost of oil recovery plant is analyzed, as to figure out the cause of the change of unit cost of oil recovery plant, and provide proof for cost controlling of oil recovery plant.
Chronic Effect of KCl on Black – White Differences in Plasma Renin Activity, Differences in Plasma Renin Activity

In a 10-week trial of the effect of 80 mEq KCl/day on blood pressure, the following biochemical changes were noted: plasma renin activity (PRA), originally significantly lower in blacks than whites, increased to the same level as whites after K supplementation. A similar trend was noted with aldosterone. KCl increased creatinine excretion in blacks and whites, and lowered Ca excretion in blacks. These results suggest that the low PRA found in blacks is due, at least in part, to low K intake, and not to genetic causes.
The Ghir earthquake of April 10, 1972 in the Zagros Mountains of southern Iran: seismotectonic aspects and some results of a field reconnaissance

The southern Iran earthquake of April 10, 1972 ( Ms = 6.9) killed more than 5,000 people in the region of Ghir, Fars Province, in the folded belt of the Zagros Mountains. Aftershocks of the earthquake, relocated with respect to the hypocenter of the main shock by the method of joint hypocenter determination, and the radiation pattern of P and S waves suggest that the earthquake occurred on a west-northwest-striking reverse fault. This fault had a moderate dip and a strike that was parallel to the local trend of the folds and thrust faults of the Zagros folded belt, which are of latest Cenozoic (Pliocene and Quaternary) age. The inferred fault rupture of the main shock propagated approximately 35 km east-southeast from its epicenter, terminating in the epicentral region of a Ms = 5.6 earthquake that occurred on September 14, 1968. The zone of heaviest damage to adobe structures follows closely the trend indicated by the relocated epicenters of the main shock and principal aftershocks. Beyond 25 km from this trend, damage to adobe structures was negligible.
HPA axis in major depression: cortisol, clinical symptomatology and genetic variation predict cognition

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been implicated in the pathophysiology of a variety of mood and cognitive disorders. Neuroendocrine studies have demonstrated HPA axis overactivity in major depression, a relationship of HPA axis activity to cognitive performance and a potential role of HPA axis genetic variation in cognition. The present study investigated the simultaneous roles HPA axis activity, clinical symptomatology and HPA genetic variation play in cognitive performance. Patients with major depression with psychotic major depression (PMD) and with nonpsychotic major depression (NPMD) and healthy controls (HC) were studied. All participants underwent a diagnostic interview and psychiatric ratings, a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, overnight hourly blood sampling for cortisol and genetic assessment. Cognitive performance differed as a function of depression subtype. Across all subjects, cognitive performance was negatively correlated with higher cortisol, and PMD patients had higher cortisol than did NPMDs and HCs. Cortisol, clinical symptoms and variation in genes, NR3C1 (glucocorticoid receptor; GR) and NR3C2 (mineralocorticoid receptor; MR) that encode for GRs and MRs, predicted cognitive performance. Beyond the effects of cortisol, demographics and clinical symptoms, NR3C1 variation predicted attention and working memory, whereas NR3C2 polymorphisms predicted memory performance. These findings parallel the distribution of GR and MR in primate brain and their putative roles in specific cognitive tasks. HPA axis genetic variation and activity were important predictors of cognition across the entire sample of depressed subjects and HR. GR and MR genetic variation predicted unique cognitive functions, beyond the influence of cortisol and clinical symptoms. GR genetic variation was implicated in attention and working memory, whereas MR was implicated in verbal memory.
Social Influence Analysis Using Mobile Phone Dataset

In this paper, we perform social influence analysis using a massive mobile phone dataset with two applications that are salient to the success of Mobile Network Operators (MNO). More specifically, we identify the role of social influence in subscriber churn and smartphone adoption, by applying robust identification strategies to separate social influence from confounding factors such as homophily. We also leverage network structures and position of each individual to account for heterogeneous social influence.
Building a Better Prelims An Exam to Remember

During the fall of 2015, the Human Factors and Applied Cognition Area at North Carolina State University entirely revised the preliminary exam for Ph.D. candidacy to match human factors pedagogical goals and the real-world needs of the students. Emphasis in the new preliminary exam is on transparency, objectivity, and productivity, particularly the re-use of materials. The new exam assesses depth and breadth of knowledge, requires demonstration of research and teaching skills, and is preparation for work in either academia or industry. The following paper details the process and products relating to the new “portfolio” preliminary exam.
A Simple Grammar Defines Activating and Repressing cis-Regulatory Elements in Photoreceptors

Transcription factors often activate and repress different target genes in the same cell. How activation and repression are encoded by different arrangements of transcription factor binding sites in cis-regulatory elements is poorly understood. We investigated how sites for the transcription factor CRX encode both activation and repression in photoreceptors by assaying thousands of genomic and synthetic cis-regulatory elements in wild-type and Crx-/- retinas. We found that sequences with high affinity for CRX repress transcription, whereas sequences with lower affinity activate. This rule is modified by a cooperative interaction between CRX sites and sites for the transcription factor NRL, which overrides the repressive effect of high affinity for CRX. Our results show how simple rearrangements of transcription factor binding sites encode qualitatively different responses to a single transcription factor and explain how CRX plays multiple cis-regulatory roles in the same cell.
New results on large sample performance of counting rules

We consider a decentralized detection problem where a set of n identical sensors send binary information to a fusion center for deciding one of two possible hypotheses, based on Neyman-Pearson criterion. Sensor observations are identical and independent, conditioned on a hypothesis. For a counting rule at the fusion center, we provide new results on the miss error probability, as n increases without bound. The asymptotic error rate of a proportional threshold counting rule is derived. For two detection problems, estimates of asymptotic errors of OR and AND rules are also derived.
Influence of P‐glycoprotein on the disposition of fexofenadine and its enantiomers

Objectives P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is responsible for the efflux of a broad variety of human and veterinary drugs. Canine P-gp polymorphisms alter drug disposition and toxicity, but their impact on the disposition of enantiomeric drugs is unknown. Using fexofenadine as a model compound, we developed and validated HPLC–fluorescence methods to determine the effect of P-gp on the disposition of fexofenadine and its enantiomers. Methods A chiral CD-Ph column was used for the separation of (R) and (S)-fexofenadine. Determination of racemic fexofenadine was achieved on an XDB-CN column. Fexofenadine and its enantiomers were detected by fluorescence at the excitation wavelength of 220 nm and emission wavelength of 300 nm. These methods were used to measure concentrations of fexofenadine and its enantiomers in Collie plasma after oral administration. Key findings This study demonstrates that P-gp prefers to transport (S)-fexofenadine, and P-gp deficiency causes the increase in both (R)-fexofenadine and (S)-fexofenadine in plasma. Racemic fexofenadine, (R)-fexofenadine and (S)-fexofenadine were increased in ABCB1-1Δ Collies (118.7, 72.0 and 48.3 ng/ml) compared to wild-type Collies (25.0, 16.5 and 7.7 ng/ml) at 1 h postadministration. The results demonstrate that the stereoselectivity of P-gp plays a key role in the disposition of fexofenadine enantiomers. Conclusions The information derived from this drug model will be used to determine whether additional safety or efficacy requirements are necessary for enantiomeric drugs that would be used in dogs or humans.
The Calculus of Variations

The calculus of variations deals with infinite dimensional optimization problems. Seventeenth century mathematicians and physicists such as Newton, Galileo, Huygens, John and James Bernoulli, L’Hopital, and Leibniz posed and solved many variational problems. In the eighteenth century Euler made more definitive strides that were clarified and extended by Lagrange.
The Neurological Manifestations of Sjögren’s Syndrome: Diagnosis and Treatment

This chapter addresses the following: (a) clinical neurological presentation, (b) laboratory investigation, and (c) treatment of peripheral and central nervous system diseases associated with Sjogren’s syndrome.
Rh-D antibody titer in amniotic fluids

Abstract A study was made of Rh antibody titers in the amniotic fluids from 42 Rh-sensitized pregnancies. It was learned that the antibody titer of such fluid can be used as a reliable index of the severity of kemolytic disease in the fetus.
Atezolizumab (atezo) and subsequent therapies in patients (Pts) with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) outside clinical trials.

432Background: The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) has revolutionized treatment of mUC. Little is known about the outcomes and safety profile of pts treated with ICI outside of clinical t...
Translational approaches to investigation of solid tumor malignancies: shifting landscapes, smarter strategies and tactics for therapeutic design, improving patient outcomes.

“ It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle .”
Building a social media digital library: collection, management, and analytics

In this talk I will present the University of Arizona Artificial Intelligence Lab's recent research in Dark Web, Geopolitical Web, and Business Analytics. Based on funding from the NSF and several other US agencies, the AI Lab has developed techniques for collecting, managing and analyzing largescale multilingual and multimedia social media contents of relevance to social, geopolitical, and business applications. Our projects aim to study and understand critical social and business phenomena in the cyber world and real world via a computational, data-centric approach. We aim to collect critical social media content generated by various political and business groups, including web sites, forums, chat rooms, blogs, social networking sites, videos, virtual worlds, etc. A social media digital library and portal system has been developed to manage and access these critical multilingual and multimedia contents. We have also developed advanced multilingual data mining, text mining, and web mining techniques to perform link analysis, content analysis, web metrics (technical sophistication) analysis, sentiment analysis, authorship analysis, and video analysis in our research. Selected case studies in geopolitical domains and business intelligence applications will be discussed.
A literature review of protective factors associated with homophobic bullying and its consequences among children & adolescents

Abstract Research has consistently linked homophobic bullying (e.g., teasing, name-calling, use of slurs) with an array of negative outcomes for children and adolescents. While most of the extant research covers risk factors related to homophobic bullying perpetration and victimization, there is a budding literature surrounding protective factors of these behaviors and their associated consequences. This article reviews 32 studies that focused on protective factors associated with homophobic bullying perpetration and victimization among children and adolescents. The review examines homophobic bullying as it applies to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth and their heterosexual and cisgender peers. Using the social-ecological framework, this paper highlights protections at the individual level (e.g., sexual identity, self-esteem), the family level (e.g., social support at home), the peer level (e.g., positive friendships) and the school level (e.g., school policies against homophobic bullying, positive school climate). With the aim of contributing to the development of the field, directions for future research are also discussed.
Abstract WP316: Submaximal Exercise Test to Predict VO2 Peak in Subacute Stroke

Purpose: Submaximal exercise testing can be an attractive alternative to peak testing especially in clinical environments where a metabolic cart and adequately trained medical staff may not be readily available. We examined the relationship between peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak) and a predicted VO2 peak value obtained from a submaximal exercise test that we developed for a total body recumbent stepper (TBRS). We hypothesized that in people with subacute stroke, the actual VO2 peak and predicted VO2 peak would have a moderate (r > 0.75) relationship. Methods: Ten individuals in the subacute stage of stroke recovery (68.6+40.1 days post-stroke) and 61.2+ 5.0 years of age participated in the study. Exercise testing using a metabolic cart and the TBRS for the exercise modality was performed on the first day to obtain VO2 peak. We used the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) protocol for the TBRS. The step rate was maintained between 95-100 steps per minute (spm). Participants started the test at 30 watts and resistance was increased every 3 minutes according to the protocol until volitional fatigue, or 85% of age-predicted HR max was achieved. HR was recorded ten seconds prior to the end of the second and third minute of each stage. If the two HR measures were within 5 bpm of each other, participants progressed to the next stage. However, if the difference was greater than 5 bpm, an additional minute was performed to ensure a steady-state. The participants completed the submaximal exercise test within one to two days after the peak exercise test. The workload in watts and HR at the end of the submaximal exercise test along with age, sex and weight (kg) were used in the equation to predict VO2 peak. Results: We found that predicted VO2 peak generated from the submaximal exercise test equation had a strong correlation to the actual VO2 peak (r = 0.80, p = 0.006). Mean peakVO2 (ml*kg-1*min-1) from the exercise test was 22.9 + 7.3 ml*kg-1*min-1 and the predicted mean value was 17.6 + 6.1 ml*kg-1*min-1. Paired t-test revealed a statistically significant difference between these two values (p = 0.005). Conclusion: This preliminary data demonstrates the TBRS submaximal exercise test shows promise for assessing VO2 peak in sub-acute stroke.
Micropropagation of Mussaenda Cultivars

The genus Mussaenda (family Rubiaceae) consists of ornamental shrubs or small trees grown in the subtropical and tropical regions of the world for the one to many colorful, large petaloid sepals of scarlet, pink, picotee, or white (Fig. 1). According to Rosario (1984), the development of the Mussaenda cultivars is the greatest contribution from the Philippines to the field of ornamentals. Current cultivars were developed through a breeding program at the University of the Philippines at Los Banos (Rosario 1987). The cultivars were named after important women in Filipino history (Rosario 1984).
Inhibition of human liver β-galactosidase and β-glucosidase by N-bromoacetyl-β-d-galactosylamine

N-Bromoacetyl-beta-D-galactosylamine is an irreversible inhibitor of the 'acid' and the 'neutral' beta-galactosidases (beta-D-galactoside galactohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.23) of human liver. The inactivation of acid beta-galactosidase appears to involve a group with a pKa = 4.5. The inhibition of neutral beta-galactosidase only occurs above pH 8.0. Both enzymes are protected against inhibition by the presence of substrates, suggesting that the inhibitor reacts with the active site of the enzymes. Other lysosomal hydrolases are not inhibited by N-bromoacetyl-beta-D-galactosylamine, with the exception of 'neutral' beta-glucosidase (beta-D-glucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.21). The pH dependence of neutral beta-glucosidase inactivation is essentially identical to that of the neutral beta-galactosidase. Inhibition of beta-glucosidase by this galactose derivative suggests that the same enzyme may bind glucosides and galactosides. Furthermore, both neutral beta-galactosidase and beta-glucosidase are inactivated at 52 degrees C with a half-life of 7.5 min. The presence of a single enzyme with both beta-glucosidase and beta-galactosidase activities is also supported by mixed-substrate experiments.
Differentially- and non-differentially-private random decision trees

We consider supervised learning with random decision trees, where the tree construction is completely random. The method is popularly used and works well in practice despite the simplicity of the setting, but its statistical mechanism is not yet well-understood. In this paper we provide strong theoretical guarantees regarding learning with random decision trees. We analyze and compare three different variants of the algorithm that have minimal memory requirements: majority voting, threshold averaging and probabilistic averaging. The random structure of the tree enables us to adapt these methods to a differentially-private setting thus we also propose differentially-private versions of all three schemes. We give upper-bounds on the generalization error and mathematically explain how the accuracy depends on the number of random decision trees. Furthermore, we prove that only logarithmic (in the size of the dataset) number of independently selected random decision trees suffice to correctly classify most of the data, even when differential-privacy guarantees must be maintained. We empirically show that majority voting and threshold averaging give the best accuracy, also for conservative users requiring high privacy guarantees. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a simple majority voting rule is an especially good candidate for the differentially-private classifier since it is much less sensitive to the choice of forest parameters than other methods.
Use of Squirrel Monkeys in Cardiovascular Research

Squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) have been the most widely used of the New World monkeys in cardiovascular research. The majority of the cardiovascular research done with squirrel monkeys has concerned atherosclerosis both as it occurs naturally in these animals and with regard to the effect of diet on the progression of atherosclerotic lesions. Of the several subspecies of squirrel monkeys, Brazilian-type squirrel monkeys have been used almost exclusively in the research on atherosclerosis. To a somewhat lesser extent, squirrel monkeys have been used to study behavioral influences on hypertension, myocardial necrosis, and cholelithiasis as a complication of unsaturated fat diets. In this review, we summarize naturally occurring atherosclerosis, the effects of dietary manipulations on atherosclerosis progression, the effects of physiological and psychological manipulations on diet-induced atherosclerosis, the complications of atherosclerosis, stress-induced myocardial disease, behaviorally induced hypertension, and, finally, some of the diseases that complicate the use of squirrel monkeys in cardiovascular research.
The sexual use of slaves: a response to Kyle Harper on Jewish and Christian porneia

Kyle Harper has argued that by the first century CE, porneia “was the chief vice in a [Jewish] system of sexual morality rooted in conjugal sexuality. For Hellenistic Jews, in a culture where sex with dishonored women, especially prostitutes and slaves, was legal and expected, the term condensed the cultural differences between the observers of the Torah and Gentile depravity” (“ Porneia : The Making of a Christian Sexual Norm,” JBL 131 [2012]: 374). Harper argues that for Paul, as for other first-century Jews, porneia encompassed “that wide subset of extramarital sexual activity that was tolerated in Greek culture, the sexual use of dishonored women” (p. 378). I demonstrate, however, that Hellenistic Jewish writers did not use the word porneia to refer to a man’s exploitation of slaves he owned. Moreover, while Jewish writers promoted conjugal sexuality, they were tolerant of extramarital sexual relationships between slaveholders and enslaved women. We have no evidence that Paul challenged that sexual norm. This article thus (1) clarifies the parameters of the contested term porneia ; (2) contributes to an understanding of the logic of Jewish sexual ethics during the Second Temple period; and (3) locates Paul’s silence on the sexual exploitation in the context of first-century Jewish teaching.
Evaluation of two web-based interventions in reducing the stigma of suicide.

Abstract Suicide is more highly stigmatized than most mental health conditions; however, no interventions have aimed to modify the stigma of suicide in the general population. This study tested the efficacy of two brief web-based interventions—psychoeducation and interpersonal exposure—in reducing suicide-related stigma in a student/community sample. A sample of 266 adults completed baseline measures of suicide-related stigma, were randomized into one of three conditions (psychoeducation, interpersonal exposure, control), in which they browsed an assigned website for twenty minutes, and completed post-intervention and one-month follow-up stigma measures. Results indicated that the two interventions were more efficacious than the control in reducing suicide-related stigma; this effect was accentuated for individuals without prior exposure to suicide. Although future research is needed to understand the mechanisms of change and the generalizability of these findings, it is possible that web-based interventions could be a cost- and time-effective avenue of targeting the widespread stigma of suicide.
Prospective phase II trial in patients with first relapse of high-grade astrocytoma using TVB-2640 in combination with bevacizumab versus bevacizumab alone.

2064Background: Recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) following chemoradiation is associated with a poor prognosis. While bevacizumab is the most common salvage therapy, responses remain brief and without ...
Vertical selection for nuclear and mitochondrial genomes shapes gut microbiota and modifies risks for complex diseases

Here we postulate that the heritability of complex disease traits previously ascribed solely to the inheritance of the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes is broadened to encompass a third component ...
Summary: Interpretive Methods

This is the summary of Qualitative Transparency Deliberations Final Report on Interpretive Methods, Working Group number III.2.
Small fish, large river: Surprisingly minimal genetic structure in a dispersal-limited, habitat specialist fish.

Genetic connectivity is expected to be lower in species with limited dispersal ability and a high degree of habitat specialization (intrinsic factors). Also, gene flow is predicted to be limited by habitat conditions such as physical barriers and geographic distance (extrinsic factors). We investigated the effects of distance, intervening pools, and rapids on gene flow in a species, the Tuxedo Darter (Etheostoma lemniscatum), a habitat specialist that is presumed to be dispersal-limited. We predicted that the interplay between these intrinsic and extrinsic factors would limit dispersal and lead to genetic structure even at the small spatial scale of the species range (a 38.6 km river reach). The simple linear distribution of E. lemniscatum allowed for an ideal test of how these factors acted on gene flow and allowed us to test expectations (e.g., isolation-by-distance) of linearly distributed species. Using 20 microsatellites from 163 individuals collected from 18 habitat patches, we observed low levels of genetic structure that were related to geographic distance and rapids, though these factors were not barriers to gene flow. Pools separating habitat patches did not contribute to any observed genetic structure. Overall, E. lemniscatum maintains gene flow across its range and is comprised of a single population. Due to the linear distribution of the species, a stepping-stone model of dispersal best explains the maintenance of gene flow across its small range. In general, our observation of higher-than-expected connectivity likely stems from an adaptation to disperse due to temporally unstable and patchy habitat.
Fit for the Presidency? Winners, Losers, What-Ifs and Also-Rans

This book looks retrospectively at fifteen potential presidents, some who were nominated by their party, some who were both nominated and elected to the office, and some who seemed to be likely can...
A Pilot Study of Monotherapy with a Non-Vitamin K-Antagonist Oral Anticoagulant following Watchman Left Atrial Appendage Closure in Patients with Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation

The optimal medical therapy early after left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) is not well defined. A regimen that prevents thromboembolic events and device-related thrombus (DRT) while minimizing bl...
Biomechanical Analysis of Patellar Tendon Repair With Knotless Suture Anchor Tape Versus Transosseous Suture

Background:Patellar tendon ruptures have routinely been repaired with transosseous suture tunnels. The use of knotless suture anchors for repair has been suggested as an alternative.Purpose:To comp...
Historical discourse on the development of the live attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate TV003/TV005

Dengue is the most important arboviral disease world-wide with an estimated 400 million annual infections. Dengvaxia™ is a live attenuated tetravalent vaccine recently licensed for dengue seropositive individuals aged 9-45 years. There is great need for a dengue vaccine that could be given to dengue-naive individuals and very young children. To that end, the U.S. NIH developed a live attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine using an iterative approach evaluating the safety, infectivity, and immunogenicity of different candidates. This approach identified poor candidates who were then discarded from further evaluation. Each of the components of the tetravalent vaccine formulation is able to replicate to very low titer, inducing a homotypic immune response to each. The immune response elicited by the tetravalent vaccine is balanced, without immunodominance of one component. The vaccine was licensed by several manufacturers for development, including the Instituto Butantan which initiated a Phase 3 efficacy trial.
The Impact of Depression on Health Care Utilization in Patients with Cancer

Background: Depression is common in the oncology patient population. Little data exist on the impact of depression on health care utilization. Objectives: We evaluated the prevalence of depression and the relationship between depression and health care utilization in patients with cancer. Design: This cross-sectional study utilized patient-reported outcome data from predominately Medicare beneficiaries with cancer. We examined the emergency department visits and inpatient admissions within 3 months from survey. The relationship between depression and hospital visits was assessed using generalized linear models. Results: Of 1038 patients included in the study, 13% had moderate to severe depression. In adjusted models, patients with moderate or severe depression trended toward increased risk of hospitalizations compared with patients without depression (risk ratio: 1.25, 95% confidence interval: 0.97-1.62). Conclusions: Clinically significant depression is not uncommon in cancer patients. Further research is needed evaluating the relationship between depression, health care utilization, and early psychiatric intervention in oncology.
Nutritional status and outcomes of veterans undergoing curative surgery for colorectal cancer.

e18585Background: Malnutrition is highly prevalent within the cancer population. Malnourishment has various negative surgical and oncologic impacts. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) provide...
Treadmilling and dynamic protrusions in fire ant rafts.

Fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) are exemplary for their formation of cohered, buoyant and dynamic structures composed entirely of their own bodies when exposed to flooded environments. Here, we obse...
Monocytes, Macrophages and Joint Inflammation in Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly specific joint disease characterized by cartilage degeneration as well as subchondral bone remodelling, stiffness, pain and synovitis. The early stages of osteoarthritis are defined by an increase in inflammation, evidence of subchondral bone loss and early stages of cartilage degradation. Cells of the myeloid lineage play important roles in the progression of OA, including activation of inflammatory pathways and production of pro-resorptive cytokines by macrophages, which in turn stimulates osteoclasts and bone resorption. This chapter will describe what is known about how these cells contribute to the early stages of OA. The literature describing these cells in animal models of both naturally occurring OA and surgically induced OA, including models which mimic the progression of OA after post-traumatic injury, is reviewed. We describe the monocyte–macrophage populations detected in human biopsies, and their potential to regulate inflammation and bone resorption as well as influencing pain and stiffness. This chapter will also discuss clinical therapies which target the pathways activated by myeloid cells, including specific antibodies to inflammatory cytokines and anti-resorptive therapies which are either in development or approved for clinical use.
Structure of Defective-Interfering RNAs of Influenza Viruses and Their Role in Interference

When viruses are passaged at high multiplicity, defective interfering (DI) particles are produced. von Magnus (1947, 1951a-c, 1952, 1954) first observed this phenomenon when he serially passaged undiluted influenza viruses in embryonated chicken eggs. He noted that although both the total amount of virus particles as assayed by hemagglutination units (HAU) and the amount of infectious particles as assayed by egg infectivity titer (EID50) decreased, the ratio of infectivity to total particles (EID50/HAU) decreased much more precipitously during the passages at high multiplicity of infection (MOI). Clearly, during the undiluted passages, many particles were produced that were noninfectious. Subsequently, this phenomenon of multiplicity-dependent production of noninfectious virus particles has been reported with almost all animal viruses studied to date. Indeed, formation of such particles has also been observed for plant, yeast, and bacterial viruses (Kane et al., 1979; Mills et al., 1967) and probably represents a general phenomenon for all viruses. Later these noninfectious particles were called defective interfering (DI) particles in order to describe their proper phenotypic characteristics (Huang and Baltimore, 1970).
SURGEM: A solid modeling tool for planning and optimizing pediatric heart surgeries ☆

Abstract Approximately 1% of children are born with a moderate to severe congenital heart defect, and half of them undergo one or more surgeries to fix it. SURGEM, a solid modeling environment, is used to improve surgical outcome by allowing the surgeon to design the geometry for several possible surgical options before the operation and to evaluate their relative merits using computational fluid simulation. We describe here the solid modeling and graphical user interface challenges that we have encountered while developing support for three surgeries: (1) repair of double-outlet right ventricle, which adds a graft wall within the cardiac chambers to split the solid model of the unique ventricle, (2) the Fontan procedure, which routes a graft tube to connect the inferior vena cava to the pulmonary arteries, and (3) stenosis repair, which adds a stent to expand a constricted artery. We describe several solutions that we have developed to address these challenges and to improve the performance, reliability, and usability of SURGEM for these tasks.
Natural and induced human antibody response to cancer.

(2000). Natural and Induced Human Antibody Response to Cancer. Cancer Investigation: Vol. 18, No. 5, pp. 480-489.
A comparison of electrode manufacturing techniques for aerospace alkaline cells

At the beginning of the space program electrodes for alkaline batteries used in space exploration were derivatives from industrial processes. Later on, electrodes were developed which were specific to space applications and had improved performance in terms of longer life, higher rate performance and lighter weight. Some of the electrode developments have been spun-off into aircraft and specialized industrial applications. Since this time the industrial processes have improved to the point of being somewhat comparable to the ones developed for aerospace. Development of new alkaline battery electrodes is continuing, but overall development priorities have been shifted toward electrodes for nonaqueous lithium-ion systems because of their high specific energy, smaller volume and higher voltage per cell. The following electrodes are discussed: nickel oxide electrodes, cadmium electrodes, hydrogen catalyst electrodes and zinc electrodes.
Compare and Contrast Military vs. Commercial Ground Vehicle Supportability

Abstract : The Army is actively and forcefully engaged in over 80 countries with approximately 180,000 soldiers operating in various environments with diverse equipment. Approximately 135,000 soldiers are currently operating in Iraq and that number will be sustained through 2005. In order for our soldiers to be effective in their missions, equipment must operate effectively and accurately. However, with current operations our fleets are at a pace ten times that of normal operations (causing entire fleets of trucks and aircrafts need for replacement). The question becomes how does the Army keep up with the demand? The current supply network, although it is operating at 70% of capacity due to attacks on convoys in Iraq, is keeping pace with the demand. General Kern stated, "We're meeting the requirements but we don't have a lot of slack. If you're in the supply business, you'd like to say you have six months of supplies on the shelf. Right now, we are delivering to meet demands. We are not building any significant reserves. The focus should be how to improve our network to account for the increase demand. This issues falls within the supportability aspect of military operations. Supportability consists of the reliability, training, logistics, and the "Pit Stop Mentality" of a system. This is comparable to the commercial industry that includes manufacturing requirements, training, logistics and ease of maintenance. The following paper will compare and contrast the military and commercial aspects of supportability, concentrating on the logistic side of supplying parts with respect to contractors and subcontractors. A case study of an M1A2SEP road arms will be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the current supply system and suggestions for future improvements.
Commonwealth Principles: Republican Writing of the English Revolution

Preface Introduction: English republicanism Part I. Contexts: 1. Classical republicanism 2. The cause of God 3. Discourses of a commonwealth 4. Old worlds and new Part II. Analysis: 5. The political theory of rebellion 6. Constitutions 7. Liberty 8. Virtue 9. The politics of time 10. Empire Part III. Chronology: 11. Republicans and Levellers, 1603-49 12. The English republic, 1649-53 13. Healing and settling, 1653-8 14. The good old cause, 1658-60 15. Anatomies of tyranny, 1660-83 16. Republicans and Whigs, 1680-1725 Appendix: 'a pretty story of horses' (May 1654) Bibliography Index.
PAYOFFS TO POWER AMONG MALES IN THE MIDDLE CLASS: Has Race Declined in its Significance?

This article specifies the parameters of William Wilson's "declining significance of race" thesis and within the context of the debate about it uses data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to examine racial differences among a cohort of males in the earnings returns to two separate dimensions of job authority in middle-class jobs between 1976 and 1985. Findings do not support the Wilson thesis. Specifically, the gap in returns has increased for both authority dimensions over the approximately tenyear period. In addition, the racial gap is greater at higher than at lower hierarchical levels across both authority dimensions. Specific employment practices that explain the increase in the earnings gap over the work-career are identified and the overall implications of the findings for the Wilson thesis are discussed. Since its formulation almost twenty years ago, William Wilson's "declining significance of race" thesis has emerged as the predominant theoretical perspective that attempts to explain the complex interplay between race and social class in the "life chances" of African Americans in the United States. The controversial thesis was elaborated by Wilson to assess the extent to which race and social class determine the labor market opportunities of an increasingly polarized and heterogeneous African American population. However, because of the "rediscovery" of poverty by social scientists in recent years as well as the notoriety of Wilson's subsequent books, When Work Disappears (1996) and The Truly Disadvantaged (1987), much of the debate about Wilson's thesis has been directed toward understanding the plight of the economically marginalized, so-called "underclass" segment of the African American population (Bane and Ellwood 1994; Peterson and Jencks 1991; Gans 1990; Ricketts and Sawhill 1986). Fortunately, in the last few years, an increasing number of studies have also included elements of the African American population other than the underclass in their assessment of the declining significance of race thesis. Significantly, these studies have brought much needed additional evidence to bear on this debate in sociology. These non underclass elements of the African American population have been loosely referred to by Wilson and other scholars as constituting the African American "middle class." In this article, this terminology is adopted.