cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Topical inhaled ciclesonide for treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis

Reply To the Editor: We were encouraged to read of the experience of Lee et al1 with ciclesonide and would address their concerns as follows. In our series of 4 patients, all 4 had taken topical fluticasone before successful use of ciclesonide, making steroid resistance alone unlikely. We wonder whether some of the differences in response could be from the younger age (mean, 7.75 vs 13.5 years) of our patients. Younger patients could have a shorter esophagus, making for better coverage by the swallowed preparation. In addition, there would be a higher probability that parents, as opposed to the patient himself or herself, would administer the medication, leading to higher compliance. With respect to serum IgE levels, patients reported in our letter had increased IgE levels (172–441 IU/mL) but did not have the same degree of increased serum IgE levels as the 2 nonresponders in the Rubenstein series.1 Finally, our patients were treated for an average of 3 months, whereas the exact duration of treatment in their group was not noted. Longer duration might be necessary to achieve histologic remission because one of their nonresponders had somewhat of a diminished eosinophilia. As with any disease, there might be genetically defined differences with respect to therapeutic responsiveness, and these could be addressed with future biomarker studies, as suggested previously.2,3
A comparison of high-resolution, finite-volume, adaptive-stencil schemes for simulating advective-dispersive transport

We investigate a set of adaptive‐stencil, finite-volume schemes used to capture sharp fronts and shocks in a wide range of fields. Our objective is to determine the most promising methods available from this set for solving sharp-front advective‐dispersive transport problems. Schemes are evaluated for a range of initial conditions, and for Peclet and Courant numbers. Based upon results from this work, we identify the most promising schemes based on eAciency and robustness. ” 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Evolving the INCOSE reference curriculum for a graduate program in systems engineering

This paper suggests an evolution to the graduate level systems engineering curriculum framework documented in an International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) report in October of 2007 [Jain and Verma, INCOSE-PP-2007-001-01, Seattle, WA, 2007]. This evolution leverages the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)-International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 15288 Systems and Software Engineering—System Life Cycle Processes standard [ISO-IEC 15288, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, 2008] as a guide. The evolved framework is presented and consists of six levels of course categories: prerequisite, introductory, technical system life cycle processes, project planning system life cycle processes, infrastructure processes and other broad areas, and capstone courses. Next, 18 systems engineering centric online masters degrees offered by 17 distinct universities are identified as part of a growing base of graduate level systems engineering degrees offered globally through distance education. Specific examples for applying the framework using three of the universities that provide online systems engineering masters programs globally are included. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Technology mapping algorithms for hybrid FPGAs containing lookup tables and PLAs

Programmable devices containing lookup tables (LUTs) and programmable logic arrays (PLAs) provide a heterogeneous target platform for user designs. Present commercial tools, which target these hybrid devices, require hand partitioning of user designs to isolate logic for each type of logic resource. In this paper, an automated technology mapping tool, hybridmap , is presented that identifies design logic partitions as suitable for either LUT or PLA implementation. A breadth-first search-based subgraph extraction and evaluation heuristic is integrated with product term (Pterm) count, area, and delay estimators to guide the technology mapping process. Hybridmap can be adapted to target a variety of PLA architectures and can accommodate user-provided timing constraints. It is shown that when timing constrained, hybridmap reduces LUT consumption for Apex20KE devices by 8% and when unconstrained by 14% by migrating logic from LUTs to Pterm structures. Hybridmap is shown to outperform previous mapping approaches for Apex20KE-type devices by up to 22%.
Re-inventing the academy in Ukraine: shifting paradigms

The Consortium for the Enhancement for Ukrainian Management Education (CEUME) was a three-year program funded by U.S.AID to help Ukraine move from a command to a market economy. CEUME introduced Western-style undergraduate business curricula and interactive, participatory teaching/learning strategies to faculty and administrators at Ukrainian economics universities and business schools. We intended that the content and pedagogy be adapted to Ukrainian conditions by the participants. Rogers would call this process of adaptation, "reinvention," and it most often occurs during the implementation phase of an innovation-decision.
Macro-Economic Cyber Security Models

This paper quantitatively addresses two issues concerning cyber security economics that prior efforts have not. The first involves cyber security and its effect on a company's reputation. In this case, we focus on the levels of investment companies make related to reputation and how they implicitly reveal their views on cyber security risks. The second involves cyber security regulations. This analysis compares different strategies for choosing companies to regulate and the corresponding levels of risk reduction. This analysis can be used by companies and government policy makers to address cyber security investments decisions. A company's reputation is fundamental to their economic future. An advertisement, or article containing a security breach, can effect their reputation. This paper assumes the rate of advertising is indicative of the value they place on their reputation; hence, this is related to the value they place on cyber security. Comparing spending practices will provide insight into the value a company places on cyber security in regard to preserving their reputation. Early results show some difference in spending among banks, as well as sharper differences between banks and retail sectors in evaluating cyber security. In addition, an expected consequence analysis is performed to compare alternative investment strategies for cyber security components focused on reputation, as measured by the likelihood of a possible cyber attack resulting in media coverage. Historical data provides the basis for results that reveal the consequences implicitly being avoided by companies as a function of their level of investment and other economic variables. The second part of our analysis involves the macroeconomic effects of cyber attacks and their relationship to government regulations. Since cyber attacks have the potential for large indirect economic effects, the need for regulation is apparent. Although cyber security regulations requiring reporting of events currently exist, most security measures are the result of private industry decision-making rather than government influence. This analysis will determine the firms that provide the most economic influence from a risk reduction viewpoint. This analysis explores alternative methods to select firms for possible regulation and compares the level of risk reduction for these choices by using input-output modeling
Vehicular Homicide in France in the Equine Era: Were Distracted Driving and Road Rage Decivilizing Consequences of the Civilizing Process in the 1840s?

Contrary to what would be expected from Norbert Elias, whose theory of the civilizing process links criminal violence to impulsivity, data from the Comptes generaux de l'administration de la justice criminelle en France show that rates of homicide due to imprudence in controlling a horse or cart increased with modernization across departements early in the nineteenth century. Drawing on work by Elias and others, we suggest an interpretation based on traffic congestion and changes in the social construction of time as Western societies became more modernized and urbanized. Language: en
Observations on the role of the Bernice coal field (Sullivan County, Pennsylvania) anthracites in the development of coalification theories in the Appalachians

Abstract The Bernice coal field, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, contains anthracite-rank coal in relatively unfolded strata. That setting, along with a misinterpretation of the significance of apparent rank anomalies, led to examples from the Bernice coal field being used in the development of coalification theories in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The evidence available was used to justify both theories of “thrust pressure” coalification and rank variation due to original differences in the peat or peat accumulation processes as opposed to thermal metamorphism.
Task-specific segmentation of remote sensing images

Presents a task-specific segmentation method that incorporates semantic knowledge into data-driven segmentation process through different region merge scores. Starting from a simple region growing algorithm which results in over-segmented regions, the authors apply a region merging method designed specifically for each task such as road extraction or vegetation area identification. Further, edge information is integrated to verify and correct region boundaries. The experimental results show that this method can reliably extract areas of interest such as roads and vegetation areas in Landsat images.
Role of Calcium in the Proton Pump of Bacteriorhodopsin. Microwave Evidence for a Cation-Gated Mechanism

Bacteriorhodopsin is the light-activated proton pump in the purple membrane of Halobacterium salinarium. One aspect of the proton pump mechanism that remains to be fully revealed is how back-translocation of the proton is eliminated despite the fact that gradients of 250 mV or more can exist in favor of reverse proton motion. This mechanistic component is examined with reference to the static and photodynamic resonances observed in the 1−40 GHz region of the microwave spectrum. The light-adapted form of bacteriorhodopsin displays strong microwave absorption with maxima near 8 and 25 GHz. We identify the origin of the microwave activity to protein-bound divalent cations by noting that (1) the ion-free blue membrane is microwave inactive, and (2) the microwave activity of the protein can be regenerated by adding calcium and/or magnesium to the protein. Initiation of the photocycle generates additional microwave activity in the low-frequency region of the spectrum. The M minus bR difference spectrum shows a ...
An algorithm for training multilayer perceptrons

Summary form only given, as follows. An algorithm for training multilayer perceptrons with hard-threshold functions was proposed. The proposed algorithm is guaranteed to classify correctly any given set of patterns, and therefore alleviates some of the drawbacks of the back-propagation algorithm, such as the frequent failure to converge to the global minimum. The network considered is a two-layer network (one hidden layer), and the algorithm is of the incremental type, which means that neurons continue to be added in some way until the training patterns are correctly classified. >
The Conjugated Plasma Proteins of the American Cockroach I. The normal state

Five protein fractions have been separated by paper electrophoresis from the plasma of the American cockroach. With the utilization of various staining procedures several of the plasma fractions were shown to be conjugated proteins. Two of these (fractions II and IV) are readily identifiable by their phospholipid, carbohydrate, and protein composition. A third conjugated protein, fraction III, is characterized by its high neutral lipid and sterol content. This lipoprotein is also sex-specific. Another fraction (I) contains neutral lipid, sterol, and protein but electrophoretically is more mobile than fraction III. Fraction V, the last and least mobile of the normally occurring proteins, possesses electrophoretic properties similar to human fibrinogen.
Influence of climate on butterfly community and population dynamics in Western Ohio.

Climate influences butterflies both directly and through impacts on their food plants and habitat. We look at the relationship between climate and butterflies in the Aullwood Audubon Center, west central Ohio, using the weekly Long-Term Butterfly Monitoring (LTBM) surveys (April through October 2000–2006) and the annual fourth of July counts (1989–2006). The 18 annual Fourth of July surveys yielded 20,709 butterflies and 59 species. The number of individuals though not species decreased over time. Most but not all of that decrease was from a large drop in Pieris rapae L. (Pieridae). The number of individuals was greatest when the previous and current growing seasons were cool and winter precipitation high. Individual species varied in their response to climate. Recent years have been warmer (all seasons) and have had drier winters than earlier years. The 7 yr of weekly LTBM surveys recorded 5,784 butterflies and 58 species. The total number of individuals has not changed significantly over time. The weather of the day of sampling had some effect: the total number of species was highest on clear days with some wind. The results over the 18 yr are compatible with the hypothesis that global warming has led to a decrease in the number of butterflies. Habitat changes cannot be excluded as an alternate hypothesis, but these effects seem minor. The value of a large, environmentally heterogeneous natural area like Aullwood is that it buffers short-term climatic and weather conditions to provide long-term stability for a diverse butterfly community.
Christianity, Social Class, and the Catholic Bishops' Economic Policy*

The recent American Catholic bishops' pastoral letter on the economy made clear that significant changes have occurred in the way Christianity views the economy. At the present time Catholic and liberal Protestant leaders are calling for basic economic changes, while some Fundamentalist leaders are actively defending capitalism. The question studied is whether these religious traditions and their spokespersons are affecting popular opinion on economic matters. Data came from a random sample of Middletown residents (N=3 79). A factor analysis of items based on the pastoral letter resulted in five factors being extracted. This study focused on the two factors accounting for the greatest amount of variance. One factor contained items relating to economic restructuring. 7he other seemed to express the classical view that a community should aid the poor and helpless. Social class indicators were positively related to the Classical Scale and negatively related to the Economic Restructuring Scale. The relations among these scales, religious affiliation, and Fundamentalism were complex. A noteworthy finding is that support for economic restructuring may be found among non-Fundamentalist Catholics and Fundamentalist Protestants. This and other findings are discussed in the paper. The nineteen-eighties may be a watershed in the development of Christianity. Although by the seventies the thesis that modernization meant secularization had come under increasingly critical analysis, the privatization argument, to wit, that in modern societies religion may retain some influence mainly in private life (Luckmann, 1967; Berger, 1969), remained a standard argument. Indeed, there is empirical support for the privatization appraisal of modern religion (Tarnney and Johnson, 1985a). It is obvious, however, that some contemporary religious leaders have decided to make an extraordinary effort to negate the privatization process by attempting to influence events in public life. Leaders as different as Jerry Falwell and the Catholic bishops are making serious efforts to influence government policies. Prompted by the Catholic bishops' pastoral letter on the economy (National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1986), this paper is concerned with the relation between Christianity and economic policy. Max Weber's classic argument about the Protestant Ethic suggested that religious change was partially responsible for the emergence of capitalism. It is possible that current changes in Christianity are part of a process that will result in the establishment of another form of economy in the Western world. In this paper, we first discuss the changes that have occurred in Christian economic thought and the current controversy within Christianity concerning the economy. Second, we report a study of the relation between Christian beliefs and economic values.
A Unique Treatment for Talar Osteonecrosis: Placement of an Internal Bone Stimulator

Case: There are many treatment options for talar osteonecrosis without collapse, ranging from restricted weight-bearing to arthrodesis. We present a patient with talar osteonecrosis without evidence of collapse. After conservative treatment had failed, she was treated successfully with arthroscopic drilling, bone-grafting, and placement of an internal bone stimulator. Conclusion: Talar osteonecrosis is a challenging entity to treat. Despite our increased knowledge of the complex talar vascular anatomy, etiologies, and treatment options, poor outcomes remain all too common. A combination of bone-grafting and an internal bone stimulator was effective for relief of symptoms in our patient in the short-term.
Laser-Induced Fluorescence Study of the S1 State of Doubly-Substituted 13C Acetylene and Harmonic Force Field Determination

In the first half of this study, rotational and vibrational constants of six Franck–Condon bright vibrational levels of S1 doubly-substituted 13C acetylene are determined from laser-induced fluorescence spectra and an updated geometry of the trans conformer of S1 acetylene is obtained. In the second half, we determine the quadratic force field of S1 acetylene on the basis of the harmonic frequencies of four isotopologues of acetylene. The effects of both diagonal and off-diagonal xij anharmonicities are removed from the input harmonic frequencies. Results from both experimental and theoretical studies of various isotopologues of acetylene (including those from the first half of this paper) are used to obtain a set of force constants that agrees well with ab initio calculations. Our set of force constants for S1 acetylene is an improvement over previous work by Tobiason et al., which did not include off-diagonal anharmonicities.
Adenovirus neutralizing antibody determination by colorimetric assay.

SummaryA colorimetric assay method for measuring neutralizing antibodies against adenovirus in HeLa cell tissue culture in plastic panel cups is described. Advantage is taken of the fact that adenovirus growth in HeLa cell cultures lowers the pH of the medium below that of uninfected cultures. The reaction is standardized so that in 3 days the phenol red indicator has turned yellow by unneutralized virus while the indicator has turned only to red orange by the metabolism of the HeLa cells when the virus antigen is neutralized. It has been shown that this colorimetric test gives titers in paired serums from human adenovirus infections with antigen types 1 through 10 which are similar or slightly higher than those obtained with a test tube method depending for reading on microscopic observation of cytopathogenesis. This method has also been found suitable for typing adenoviruses.
Defining the Interchange of a Loop

(1970). Defining the Interchange of a Loop. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 141-143.
Using a Student Self-Assessment Template to Gauge Student Learning

Too often I have seen the blank stare from many of my upper-class undergraduate students in my courses on teaching methods when I ask, “Does anyone have any questions?” I then discover in later cla...
CO_2 Reduction Target Scenario Simulation Based on the Structural Adjustment of CO_2 Emission Sectors——A Case of Guangdong Province

This paper presents a new method of modeling carbon reduction targets based on sector structural adjustment and applied to a low-carbon development practice in Guangdong Province. Basing on the features of CO2emissions from energy consumption of total or that of each sector, the basic framework of the scenario analysis is built up. Three scenarios including inertia development scenario, relative decoupling scenario and absolute decoupling scenario, are set to simulate the overall carbon reduction. Another three scenarios including baseline scenario, industry restructuring scenario and comprehensive carbon reduction adjustment scenario, are set to simulate the allocation of the overall carbon reduction goal into each sector. The result shows that the state-assigned carbon reduction target of 2015 of Guangdong is a realistic carbon reduction target between the inertia development scenario and relative decoupling scenario and its realization lies in improving energy efficiency. However, it is impossible to improve energy efficiency to complete the carbon reduction goal unless there is a substantial structural adjustment. Despite industrial restructuring is significant to carbon reduction, it alone is not enough to achieve carbon reduction goal. Only when the industrial restructuring is combined with the synthetic carbon reduction measures such as manufacturing industry structural adjustment, technological innovation, energy restructuring and life energy saving, can the goal be realized.It has proved that the method distribute the target to each sector, thus is conducive to decomposition and realization of the carbon reduction goal.
Structural Variation in Subtelomeres

Subtelomeres are an incredibly dynamic part of the human genome located at the ends of chromosomes just proximal to telomere repeats. Although subtelomeric variation contributes to normal polymorphism in the human genome and is a by-product of rapid evolution in these regions, rearrangements in subtelomeres can also cause intellectual disabilities and birth defects, making robust methods of detecting copy number variation in chromosome ends a must for cytogenetics labs. In recent years, methods for detecting structural variation in subtelomeres have moved from fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to array technology; however, FISH is still necessary to determine the chromosomal structure of subtelomeric gains and losses identified by arrays.
Modulation of Body Mass Composition using Vestibular Nerve Stimulation

There is increasing evidence of a set-point for body weight in the brain, that is regulated by the hypothalamus. This system modifies feeding behavior and metabolic rate, to keep body fat within predetermined parameters. It is also known that animals subjected to chronic centrifugation show a reduction in body fat. Experiments with mutant mice found that this loss of fat appears to be mediated by a vestibulo-hypothalamic pathway. Vestibular nerve stimulation (VeNS), also known as galvanic vestibular stimulation, involves non-invasively stimulating the vestibular system by applying a small electrical current between two electrodes placed over the mastoid processes. We suggest that any means of repeatedly stimulating the otolith organs in humans would cause a reduction in total body fat, and that VeNS would be a useful technique to use in this regard. Below we provide pilot data to support this idea.
DEVELOPMENT OF STYLE COOPERATIVE LEARNING LEARNING WITH A PROBLEM POSING APPROACH TO GEOMETRY MATERIAL FOR STUDENT CLASS X SMA

The low result of the assessment of math learning is the impact of teaching and learning process, copy and paste learning tools and also influenced by very limited facilities and infrastructure. To respond to these challenges, the development of STAD type cooperative learning tools is done. The formulation of the problem in this research is how the process and outcomes of STAD type cooperative learning learning tools with a valid, practical, and effective posing problem approach. The purpose of this research is To produce STAD type cooperative learning tool with problem posing approach which valid, practical, and effective. This research is a development research that refers to four D models (Model 4-D). The development process in the first and second phases leads to learning tools (textbooks, learners' activity sheets, lesson plans, and mathematics learning appraisals), development in the third phase of validation and device testing. For the purposes of testing the device is done by following the syntax model of STAD cooperative learning model with problem posing approach. While the fourth phase of socialization to friends of teachers in schools in order to refine the device developed. The subjects of the study were students of SMA Negeri 2 Bantaeng class X1 as many as 34 people. The instruments used include device validation sheet, observation sheet instrument (learning device implementation, student activity, student response questionnaire to learning and mathematics learning appraisal). The instrument, excepting the test, is an instrument that has been used in previous research by Fitriani (2005) but has been modified as an adjustment to the geometric material in this study. The result of the research shows that learning tools developed include Learning Implementation Plan (RPP), Textbook Lesson, Student Activity Sheet, and Mathematics Learning Appraisal after validation and testing are valid, practical, effective and efficient. Used in mathematics learning. Analysis of the assessment of mathematics learning obtained the average score of 81.7 students and 88% of students have achieved the value of KKM in classical. Mathematics learning outcomes of pesetas increased significantly after being taught using STAD type cooperative learning tool with problem posing approach
FPGA modeling techniques for detecting and demodulating multiple wireless protocols

In an increasingly interconnected world, the rising number of wireless devices in the Internet of Things has caused heavy congestion on particular bandwidths (BWs). Due to spectrum scarcity, the need has arisen for these devices to operate on the same BWs. However, existing wireless devices are inflexible and have no capabilities to coexist with devices using other protocols. In this work, we propose new FPGA-based design techniques to receive multiple protocols on the same computing platform. Our methods incorporate tunable parameters, such as FIR filter length and number of bits per fixed-point word, to explore design tradeoffs regarding clock cycle, resource utilization, power consumption, and detection accuracy. We separate the physical (PHY) layer receive chains into a set of building blocks, including rate transition, pattern detection, and OFDM demodulation. We investigate implementation of the LTE physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and 802.11a protocols to test our techniques. LTE is the standard for high-speed wireless communication for mobile phones and data terminals; Wi-Fi uses variants of IEEE 802.11a. To ease the system development process, we develop our models using MathWorks Simulink, which supports auto-generation of HDL code for the non-critical sections and incorporation of hand-tuned HDL code as part of its black box interface. Our building blocks can be used by the wireless system modeling community to meet the needs of modern evolving wireless standards. In the future, our framework will allow researchers to achieve high-performance transceiver implementations on FPGA fabric for multiple cutting edge protocols.
Burnout: Why Doctors Need Music

Burnout does not just plague high-consequence industries such as healthcare, aviation, and nuclear power; but only recently has there been shift in focus to the concept of burnout among healthcare providers, particularly physicians. In the recent past, there has not been a good mechanism for ameliorating burnout in the healthcare workplace. The symptomatology of burnout is exacerbated by excessive work hours and responsibility compounded with a loud and noisy workplace. The detrimental occupational acoustic environment can be harmful for patients and clinicians. The recent scholarship in music and medicine can be integrated to robustly study and combat this problem. Music therapists lead this charge, and large academic medical centers can adopt these research principles to provide a safe and supportive infrastructure for patients and clinicians.
Student Evaluations of Teaching: How You Teach and Who You Are

Student evaluations of teaching (SETs) have become an important measure of the quality of teaching in higher education institutions in the United States. Some research indicates that SETs may be sy...
COMPLEXITY OF CHROMOSOMAL REPLICATION ORIGINS IN SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE

ABSTRACT We have isolated a number of chromosomal replication origins from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae based on the differential transforming ability of autonomously replicating plasmids and non-replicating Plasmids. Autonomously replicating plasmids transform yeast spheroplasts at about 1,000-fold higher frequency than non-replicating plasmids. The isolated replication origins permitted the non-replicating plasmid pSZ58 carrying the yeast LEU2 gene to transform Leu spheroplasts to Leu at a high frequency and to self-replicate in yeast. The DNA segments which carry these replication origins were shown to belong to two classes: those that are unique, and those that are repeated in the yeast genome.
Glycosylphosphatidylinositol Ceramide Lipid Anchor on Rose Arabinogalactan-Proteins

Arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs) are cell-surface proteoglycans that are widely found throughout the plant kingdom and are present in leaves, roots, floral parts, and seeds. The functions of AGPs are unknown but appear to involve fundamental processes in plant development including cell proliferation, cell expansion, cell wall assembly, cell identity marking, and cell death. Characterization of AGPs from the plasma membrane, cell wall, and culture medium of suspension-cultured rose cells has revealed structural similarities between certain AGPs found in these cell surface domains. The present investigation focused on the question: What is the mechanism through which some AGPs associate with the plasma membrane while other AGPs with very similar aminoacyl and glycosyl compositions are soluble molecules in the aqueous phases of the cell wall and extracellular spaces? The results show that some plasma membrane AGPs, as well as a small proportion of culture medium AGPs, carry a ceramide-class glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) lipid anchor (Svetek et al 1999). The evidence supporting this conclusion includes: (a) the release of AGPs from plasma membrane vesicles in vitro by treatment with exogenous phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC); (b) the shifting of elution characteristics from hydrophobic to hydrophilic when certain AGPs are treated with exogenous PI-PLC and analyzed by reverse-phase chromatography; (c) the presence of characteristic GPI-linker oligosaccharide components including inositol, glucosamine, and mannose; and (d) the presence of ceramide components, i.e. long-chain fatty acid and long-chain base, in hydrophobic AGPs that are sensitive to PI-PLC. The predominant lipid components are tetracosanoic acid and phytosphingosine. Plasma membrane vesicles readily shed AGPs by an inherent mechanism that appears to involve a phospholipase. The presence of GPI lipid anchors may be a common feature of rose AGPs. This finding has important implications towards understanding the biosynthesis, the subcellular localization, and the biological functions of AGPs, and towards stimulating searches for other GPI-linked proteins in higher plants.
Intense Hedge Fund Activists

Using a sample of 272 hedge fund activist events from 1994 to 2008, we find that targets of intense hedge fund activism (57 events) show strong improvements in operating performance for up to three years following activism, while the remaining targets (215 events) do not. Activist events are classified as “intense” if the hedge fund obtains all or a portion of its target firm stake in a venue other than the open market and one of the following conditions holds: either the hedge fund’s filing with the SEC states a specific purpose of activism or the hedge fund obtains more than one type of security in the target firm. Notably, intense hedge fund activists choose targets most likely to benefit from intervention: they have worse operating performance, larger cash positions, lower sales, smaller size, and higher expenses in the year prior to being targeted than either a matched sample of firms not targeted by hedge funds or targets of less intense activism. In the years following activism, improvements in operating performance are associated with reduced cash positions, growth in sales, somewhat reduced expenses and an increase in leverage. Targets of intense activism also have better short-term stock performance following the announcement of hedge fund involvement than either a matched sample or targets of less intense activism. Finally, an analysis of holding period returns indicates that all hedge fund activists, both intense and nonintense, benefit from improved target firm stock performance during the activism period, with somewhat weaker evidence that an investor attempting to mimic the portfolio of a hedge fund activist would also profit.
sp ↔ d charge transfer at transition- and noble-metal surfaces: A reply

Published results of fully self-consistent calculations refute the conclusions of the preceding Comment, which are based on a faulty analogy between Ni and Cu. The behavior of the $d$ band at the surface of transition metals is dominated by physical effects very different from those encountered in noble metals.
Atezolizumab for the First-Line Treatment of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): Current Status and Future Prospects.

Purpose: Atezolizumab is a programmed death ligand 1 (PDL-1) blocking antibody that was approved for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients with disease progression. Various studies have been initiated to explore the effectiveness of atezolizumab among different patient cohorts and disease statuses, including as first-line therapy. The purpose of this paper is to identify and summarize the trials that use atezolizumab as a first-line agent in chemotherapy-naive patients with NSCLC. Methods: A database search was performed on Pubmed, Embase, and Wiley Cochrane Library-Central Register of Controlled Trials to identify clinical trials using atezolizumab as first-line therapy in NSCLC. Additionally, ClinicalTrials.gov and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) were searched to identify relevant clinical trials. Conference abstracts from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the European Society for Medical Oncology, and the American Association for Cancer Research were hand-searched. Any trial in which atezolizumab was used as first-line therapy in chemotherapy-naive patients with NSCLC was included. Results: Fifteen studies were ultimately included, all of which are current and ongoing. Of the 15 studies, 5 have reported results. When given in the first-line setting, atezolizumab had higher rates of objective response, progression-free survival, and overall survival, compared to the second and third-line settings. Among the 15 studies, atezolizumab is used as monotherapy (n = 5), in combination with chemotherapy (n = 6), in combination with targeted therapy such as bevacizumab (n = 1), as neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapy (n = 3), in combination with stereotactic body radiation therapy (n = 1), and in combination with or following chemoradiation (n = 1). Conclusion: Available evidence shows promising safety and efficacy with the use of atezolizumab as first-line therapy in NSCLC. Atezolizumab is currently being studied in a variety of treatment settings. If clinical benefits are shown, atezolizumab may deem to be a useful first-line agent in NSCLC.
On the unification of classical, intuitionistic and affine logics

This article presents a unified logic that combines classical logic, intuitionistic logic and affine linear logic (restricting contraction but not weakening). We show that this unification can be achieved semantically, syntactically and in the computational interpretation of proofs. It extends our previous work in combining classical and intuitionistic logics. Compared to linear logic, classical fragments of proofs are better isolated from non-classical fragments. We define a phase semantics for this logic that naturally extends the Kripke semantics of intuitionistic logic. We present a sequent calculus with novel structural rules, which entail a more elaborate procedure for cut elimination. Computationally, this system allows affine-linear interpretations of proofs to be combined with classical interpretations, such as the λμ calculus. We show how cut elimination must respect the boundaries between classical and non-classical modes of proof that correspond to delimited control effects.
Discovery of Blocking Terrain in a Millimeter- Wave Network by On-the-Fly Incoherent Tomography

Future mm-wave mobile communications networks will likely employ beamforming arrays. A principal difficulty in such networks is initiating and maintaining beam alignment. This problem is exacerbated by intermittent blockage along the line of sight (LOS), and is particularly acute in peer-to-peer links between mobiles operating among buildings and vehicles. In this paper we demonstrate a simple technique for unaided discovery of blocking objects in such networks. This technique uses histories of path loss accumulated “on the fly” between pairs of mobiles to construct a map indicating the likely locations and geometry of blocking objects. Information obtained using this technique can be used to improve beam pointing initialization and tracking, as well as to anticipate outages and proactively set up multi-hop links.
Instrumental Internationalism: The American Origins of the United Nations, 1940–3:

Why did the United States want to create the United Nations Organization, or any international political organization with universal membership? This question has received superficial historiograph...
Association between statin use and perioperative mortality after aortobifemoral bypass in patients with aortoiliac occlusive disease

Abstract Objective The benefit of statins in reducing perioperative cardiovascular events in patients undergoing suprainguinal bypass is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between statin use and perioperative mortality in patients undergoing aortobifemoral bypass (ABFB) for aortoiliac occlusive disease. Methods We retrospectively analyzed all patients who had ABFB in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data set from 2011 to 2016. Univariable (t-test, χ2 test, or Fisher exact test) and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to compare patients' characteristics and the primary outcome (30-day mortality) between statin users and nonstatin users. Propensity score matching between statin users and nonusers was also performed on the basis of variables that were different between the two groups. Results A total of 4445 patients underwent ABFB. Of those, 3032 (68.2%) were taking statins. Compared with nonstatin users, statins users were older (median [interquartile range], 67 years [59-74 years] vs 63 years [56-72 years]; P Conclusions This is the largest study to date demonstrating an association between preoperative statin use and lower 30-day mortality after ABFB for aortoiliac occlusive disease. This study highlights an area of potential quality improvement as one-third of the patients undergoing this procedure are not receiving statins.
Defending an Under-21 Firearm Ban under the Second Amendment Two Step

Any proposed legislation to implement an absolute, under-21 ban on firearm purchasing and possession will be met with vehement resistance. The Second Amendment guarantee, the NRA will say, vests at 18, and prohibiting 18-to-20-year-olds from purchasing or possessing firearms impermissibly impinges on — indeed, snuffs out — their individual rights. Yet the constitutional basis to counter the NRA’s inevitable Second Amendment challenge is readily available. It can be gleaned from a trilogy of settled circuit precedents: Rene E. from the First Circuit; BATFE from the Fifth; and Horsley from the Seventh. Although no absolute, under-21 firearm ban was at issue in those decisions, an advocate for such a ban should avail herself of the premises underlying their holdings. The decisions present historical evidence that, according to the framers, only those with adequate “civic virtue” are worthy of wielding lethal weapons, and one’s capacity for virtue grows with age. The decisions also translate the framers’ intuition into modern terms of criminology and neuropsychology, presenting evidence that 18-to-20-year-olds are disproportionately responsible for violent gun crimes, and that their minds house immature impulse control structures. All those premises, old and new, can bear a heavier load than they did in Rene E., BATFE, and Horsley. So a lawyer defending an under-21 ban should impress upon the court the importance of taking those premises seriously. Taken to their logical conclusion, they entail the ban’s constitutionality.
Lymph node yield from neck dissection in HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer.

OBJECTIVES To determine the influence of nodal yield during neck dissection on survival in surgically managed human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal cancer. METHODS The National Cancer Database was used to identify patients with HPV-associated tumor T1 to T2 oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent upfront surgery with or without adjuvant therapy. Patients were stratified by lymph node yield (<26 vs. ≥26 nodes). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with overall survival. Models were stratified by pathologically positive node number. RESULTS There were 2,554 patients identified with previously untreated T1 to T2 oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent resection of the primary tumor and neck dissection between 2010 and 2015. Fifty-two percent had zero to one pathologically involved lymph node. Among all study patients, lymph node harvest of ≥26 was not associated with survival when adjusted for relevant covariates (hazard ratio [HR] 0.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.49-1.00). However, in patients with zero to one pathologically involved node, lymph node harvest of ≥26 was significantly associated with improved overall survival (HR 0.29, 95% CI 0.20-0.78). This survival benefit was lost in patients with two or more positive nodes (2-4 positive nodes: HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.52-1.51; 5 or more positive nodes: HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.47-2.20). CONCLUSION For patients with surgically managed early T-stage HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, lymph node yield was not associated with survival outcomes for patients with multiple positive lymph nodes. Those with a more limited burden of regional metastatic disease, however, may benefit harvest of at least 26 nodes during neck dissection. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 130:666-671, 2020.
Atypical femur fracture incidence in women increases with duration of bisphosphonate exposure.

In a northern California population of older women who were treated with oral bisphosphonate drugs, the incidence of atypical femur fracture, a rare complication of treatment, increased with longer duration of bisphosphonate exposure. These findings align with those previously reported in an independent southern California population. The age-adjusted incidence of atypical femur fracture (AFF) reported in southern California increased with bisphosphonate (BP) exposure, ranging up to 113 per 100,000 person-years for 8–10-year exposure. This study examines the incidence of AFF in a northern California population. Women age 45–89 years who initiated oral BP during 2002–2014 in Kaiser Permanente Northern California were followed for AFF outcome, defined by a primarily transverse diaphyseal femur fracture through both cortices, with focal periosteal/endosteal hypertrophy, minimal trauma, and minimal/no comminution. Total BP exposure was determined from dispensed prescriptions. The incidence of AFF, calculated for 2-year BP categories ranging from 10 years, was age-adjusted using the 2000 US Census. Among 94,542 women, 107 experienced an AFF during or < 1 year after BP cessation (mean exposure 6.6 ± 3.0 years and total days’ supply 5.7 ± 2.8 years at AFF). A strong relationship between AFF incidence and increasing BP exposure was seen, more than doubling for each 2-year category until 8–10 years. Among women with 2- to < 4-year BP, the crude and age-adjusted incidence was 18 and 9 per 100,000 person-years but increased over 2- and 5-fold for women with 4- to < 6- and 6- to < 8-year BP, respectively. For those receiving ≥ 8-year BP, the crude and age-adjusted incidence peaked at 196 and 112 per 100,000 person-years exposure. Incidence of AFF increases markedly after 4–6 years of BP. These trends align with southern California and confirm a strong BP duration-related risk of this rare but serious event.
Freire and the US Reconceptualization: Remembering Curriculum as International Conversation

This paper draws on the internationalization of Curriculum Studies as an underway process since the very beginning of the reconceptualization of the field in the United States. In that context, the work focused on the inspiring influence of Paulo Freire found in the seminal writings and main scholars who conducted that process. Freire’s concept such as conscientizacao, humanizing education, liberating education are important concepts in which these scholars elaborate to talk back to the mainstream of the field conceived exclusively as curriculum development. Freire’s work was also a taking back to that rationale that had arrived in Latin America in the 1960’s as a new educational technology. Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed appeared strongly influencing the US reconceptualization of the field. The reconceptualized field of curriculum was also international from the start.
A novel reconstruction technique of a tracheal defect in the emergent setting using a thymus flap in a patient with tracheoinnominate artery fistula.

There is a very high mortality associated with a tracheoinnominate artery fistula; however, when patients survive, they often require reconstruction of the eroded tracheal defect after the bleeding has been controlled. This is the case of an 83-year-old male with a tracheoinnominate artery fistula who was stabilized in the operating room and underwent repair of his trachea. A novel technique of using the thymus gland as a pedicled flap to repair a large tracheal defect was executed after achieving hemostasis. The patient’s defect was repaired successfully following control of the fistula. We have shown that the thymus gland can be used successfully as a pedicled flap for repair of a tracheal defect in the setting of a tracheoinnominate artery fistula.
Effect of the background absorption in achieving a radiation-balanced ZBLAN fiber laser (Conference Presentation)

The modal instability due to heating has been a limiting factor in the ongoing progress towards power scaling in fiber lasers and amplifiers. Radiation balancing has been suggested as a feasible approach for heat mitigation, for which Yb-doped ZBLAN is a recommended gain medium. In this study, we introduce a non-destructive and non-contact method to characterize Yb-doped ZBLAN fibers and show that it is suitable for designing a radiation-balanced fiber laser. Numerical simulations based on measured values indicate that background absorption is the main hindrance to be overcome in such designs.
SYSTEMIC ALTEPLASE THERAPY FOR ACUTE ISCHEMIC STROKE IN A LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE PATIENT

A scarcity of data is available to guide pharmacologic management of acute ischemic stroke in patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVAD). LVAD patients who present with acute ischemic stroke can be challenging to manage, due to the presence of therapeutic anticoagulation and the limited