cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Incidence of and risk factors for skin cancer after heart transplant.

Objective To examine the incidence, tumor burden, and risk factors for nonmelanoma and other skin cancer types in this heart transplant cohort. Design Retrospective review of patient medical records. Setting Tertiary care center. Patients All heart transplant recipients at Mayo Clinic from 1988 to 2006. Main Outcome Measures Cumulative incidence of skin cancer and tumor burden, with Cox proportional hazards regression models used to evaluate risk factors for posttransplant primary and secondary nonmelanoma skin cancer. Results In total, 312 heart transplant patients had 1395 new skin cancers in 2097 person-years (mean, 0.43 per year per patient) with a range of 0 to 306 for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 0 to 17 for basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The cumulative incidence rates of any skin cancer were 20.4%, 37.5%, and 46.4% at 5, 10, and 15 years after heart transplant, respectively. Cumulative incidence of SCC after the first BCC was 98.1% within 7 years. Multivariate analysis showed that posttransplant nonskin cancer, increased age, and heart failure etiologic factors other than idiopathic disease were associated with increased risk of SCC. Posttransplant herpes simplex viral infection, increased age, and use of mycophenolate mofetil for immunosuppression were associated with increased risk of BCC. Conclusions With prolonged survival, many heart transplant patients have numerous skin cancers. Vigilant sun protection practices, skin cancer education, and regular skin examination are appropriate interventions in these high-risk patients.
What Do People Know About Global Climate Change? 1. Mental Models

A set of exploratory studies and mental model interviews was conducted in order to characterize public understanding of climate change. In general, respondents regarded global warming as both bad and highly likely. Many believed that warming has already occurred. They tended to confuse stratospheric ozone depletion with the greenhouse effect and weather with climate. Automobile use, heat and emissions from industrial processes, aerosol spray cans, and pollution in general were frequently perceived as primary causes of global warming. Additionally, the [open quotes]greenhouse effect[close quotes] was often interpreted literally as the cause of a hot and steamy climate. The effects attributed to climate change often included increased skin cancer and changed agricultural yields. The mitigation and control strategies proposed by interviewees typically focused on general pollution control, with few specific links to carbon dioxide and energy use. Respondents appeared to be relatively unfamiliar with such regulatory developments as the ban on CFCs for nonessential uses. These beliefs must be considered by those designing risk communications or presenting climate-related policies to the public. 20 refs., 4 tabs.
A Joint Probabilistic Data Association Smoothing Algorithm for Multitarget Tracking

This paper is concerned with the development of a joint probabilistic data association based fixed-lag smoothing algorithm for the recursive tracking of multiple targets in cluttered environment. The improvement in accuracy of track estimation achieved by introducing a time lag of one or two sampling periods for a radar tracking problem are also demonstrated by using simulation experiment.
Numerical Simulation of Laminar Flow of Yield-Power-Law Fluids in Conduits of Arbitrary Cross-Section

A numerical model has been developed to simulate laminar flow of Power-law and Yield-Power law fluids in conduits of arbitrary cross-section. The model is based on general, nonorthogonal, boundary-fitted, curvilinear coordinates, and represents a new approach to the solution of annular flow problems. The use of an effective viscosity in the governing equation of the flow allows the study of the flow behavior of any fluid for which the shear stress is a function of shear rate only. The model has been developed primarily to simulate annular flow of fluids used in drilling and completion operations of oil or gas wells. Predicted flow rates versus pressure gradient for laminar flow of Newtonian fluids in concentric and eccentric annuli, and Power-law fluids in concentric annuli compare very well with results derived from analytical expressions. Moreover, the predictions for laminar flow of Power-law and Yield-Power-law fluids in eccentric annuli are in excellent agreement with numerical and experimental data published in the literature. The model was also successfully applied to the case of laminar flow of Power-law fluids in an eccentric annulus containing a stationary bed of drilled cuttings and the results are presented herein.
Blockade of amiloride-sensitive sodium channels alters multiple components of the mammalian electroretinogram

Retinal neurons and Muller cells express amiloride-sensitive Na+ channels (ASSCs). Although all major subunits of these channels are expressed, their physiological role is relatively unknown in this system. In the present study, we used the electroretinogram (ERG) recorded from anesthetized rabbits and isolated rat and rabbit retina preparations to investigate the physiological significance of ASSCs in the retina. Based upon our previous study showing expression of α-ENaC and functional amiloride-sensitive currents in rabbit Muller cells, we expected changes in Muller cell components of the ERG. However, we observed changes in other components of the ERG as well. The presence of amiloride elicited changes in all major components of the ERG; the a-wave, b-wave, and d-wave (off response) were enhanced, while there was a reduction in the amplitude of the Muller cell response (slow PIII). These results suggest that ASSCs play an important role in retinal function including neuronal and Muller cell physiology.
A System-of-Systems Framework for Performance Assessment in Complex Construction Projects

Performance inefficiency is a critical challenge facing the construction industry. Despite the efforts made in the existing body of literature, an integrated theory of performance assessment facilitating a bottom-up understanding of the dynamic behaviors, uncertainties, and interdependencies between the constituents in construction projects is still missing. The traditional paradigm for performance assessment is mainly based on a reductionism perspective, in which construction projects are identified as monolithic systems. However, complex construction projects are systems-of-systems. Systems-of-systems have unique traits that are different from those of monolithic systems. Failure to investigate construction projects as systems-of-systems has led to theoretical and methodological limitations in the creation of integrated tools and techniques for better assessment of performance in complex construction projects. To address these theoretical and methodological limitations, a system-of-systems framework is proposed as a theoretical lens and methodological structure toward creation of tools and techniques for integrated performance assessment of complex construction projects. Two principles (i.e., base-level abstraction and multi-level aggregation) are used to develop the proposed framework. The proposed framework facilitates a bottom-up evaluation of the dynamic behaviors, uncertainties, and interdependencies between the constituents in construction projects. The capabilities of the proposed framework show its potential in addressing the limitations pertaining to the traditional frameworks for performance assessment. Hence, it can be adopted and tested by researchers to advance the body of knowledge and create integrated theories of performance assessment in complex construction projects. A System-of-Systems Framework for Performance Assessment in Complex Construction Projects
Applications of Systems Engineering to Urban Utilities

Urban utilities are the technologies by which are provided life support services, resource distribution, and information transfers to the individuals and institutions in the city. These utilities now require about one third of the budgets of all major cities and are rapidly increasing in cost. Technological innovation in these systems has been minor, yet they are the aspects of urban function most sensitive to technological change. Systems engineering, using criteria based upon urban development needs, and large scale demonstration programs affords the best opportunity for development of utility technologies that satisfy rather than limit urban development and social organization.
Meta‐analysis of clinical trials as a scientific discipline. II: Replicate variability and comparison of studies that agree and disagree

The replicate variability of meta-analyses of controlled clinical trials has been assessed as a measure of scientific precision. 46 of 91 known meta-analysis papers were divided into 20 cohorts of studies of the same therapies. Ten cohorts contained meta-analyses with different statistical conclusions; 14 contained differing clinical conclusions with a wider spread than the statistically differing studies. Possible causes of variability, such as different trials included, different policies regarding the inclusion of non-randomized and unpublished trials, and different statistical methodologies, were not obvious causes of differing conclusions. Further work in this area should include multivariate analyses in order to explore possible interactions in the factors accounting for the variability found in replicate meta-analyses.
SNR-WPA: an adaptive protocol for mobile 802.11 wireless LANs

This paper presents a method for dynamically setting 802.11 wireless LAN waveforms and transmission power levels based on the wireless channel's signal to noise ratio. Our method, known as the signal-to-noise ratio-waveform power adaptation (SNR-WPA), changes the power in discrete steps matched to each of the 802.11 data rate-waveform steps. By matching the power to the spreading symbol rate, our technique maximizes the network throughput while minimizing the MAC layer contention. Unlike the other power adaptation methods, this method does not increase the wireless LAN (WLAN) station's overall effective operational range and does not change the minimum-spanning tree used to calculate routing. We found through experimentation that the power adaptation in SNR-WPA yields up to a 30% increase in throughput in a mobile wireless LAN network.
Coulometric titration of acids in non-aqueous solvents.

Abstract Coulometric titrations of mineral acids, sulphonic acids, carboxylic acids, enols, imides and phenols have been carried out in t-butanol or in acetone with electrically generated tetrabutylammonium hydroxide. Either a potentiometric titration or a visual indicator end-point may be used. The amount of acid titrated ranges from 10 to 60 μequiv, and the precision and accuracy of the method are excellent.
Icy relations: the emergence of South American Antarctica during the Second World War

During the Second World War, both Chile and Argentina advanced sovereignty claims to the Antarctic Peninsula and surrounding sub-Antarctic islands that overlapped substantially with claims that the United Kingdom had made in 1908 and 1917. This article explores the emergence of the concept of a South American Antarctica during this period. Although, at one level, the two South American countries attempted to create a united front against the British, they actually decided to press their claims to Antarctica for different and sometimes conflicting reasons. In Argentina, nationalists connected the question of sovereignty in Antarctica with their claims to the Malvinas and with a broader struggle against a supposed British economic imperialism. In Chile, patriotic officials were less concerned with British claims to the Antarctic Peninsula and more worried about Argentina's growing interest in the region. The article concludes that a better understanding of the complex and contradictory history of the emergence of the idea of South American Antarctica during the Second World War leads to an enhanced appreciation of the subsequent development of the so-called ‘Antarctic Problem’ as it developed over the next 15 years. In order to avoid the artificiality of the term ‘Falklands (Malvinas)’, the British terms ‘Falklands’ and ‘Falkland Islands’ have been used when discussing the United Kingdom's position, and the Argentine term ‘Malvinas’ when discussing that of Argentina.
Mechanism of Helix Induction by Trifluoroethanol: A Framework for Extrapolating the Helix-Forming Properties of Peptides from Trifluoroethanol/Water Mixtures Back to Water†

To establish a framework for extrapolating the helix-forming properties of peptides from TFE/H2O mixtures (TFE = 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol) back to water, the thermal unfolding curves have been measured by circular dichroism for four repeating-sequence peptides, with chain lengths from 7 to 22 residues. The unfolding curves were measured between 0 and 50 volume percent TFE and were fitted to the modified Lifson−Roig theory. A single set of helix−coil parameters fits the results for the four peptides at each TFE concentration; only two of the basic helix−coil parameters, , the mean helix propagation parameter of residues in the sequence repeat, and ΔH, the enthalpy change per residue on unfolding the helix, are allowed to vary with TFE molarity. The success in fitting these curves over a wide range of experimental variables shows that helix formation is basically the same in TFE/H2O mixtures as in water. Moreover, a simple model based on a linear dependence of ln and ΔH on TFE molarity can be used to e...
An analysis and efficient implementation of half-pel motion estimation

Subpixel motion compensation has become a main ingredient in many modern video compression standards due to its ability to provide accurate motion prediction. To obtain fine motion vector accuracy, video encoders incorporate a motion estimation process at the subpixel level. This process is generally limited to a small area around the integer pixel motion vector in order to keep complexity small. This paper proposes an efficient motion estimation method for video encoders to generate 8/spl times/8 half-pel motion vectors. By reusing the matching costs from a previous motion estimation task, the proposed method selectively ignores redundant candidate vectors that have already been searched, thereby reducing complexity without sacrificing search quality. An analysis of the redundancy is presented and simulation results are reported which show promising reductions in the number of 8/spl times/8 search point positions. Although this paper focuses on a specific problem of half-pel motion estimation for 8/spl times/8 blocks, the approach can be generalized for efficient motion estimation for other block sizes, pixel resolutions and search ranges.
CACHE MANAGEMENT BY SMALL MAMMALS: EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE FOR THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ACORN-EMBRYO EXCISION

We conducted 2 field experiments to assess relative importance of acorn-embryo excision in the caching decisions of small mammals. In the 1st, we selectively provisioned small mammals with metal-tagged acorns of red oak (Quercus rubra) and white oak (Q. alba) at 40 point locations in 8 sites in an oak forest in northeastern Pennsylvania. We then followed the fate of cached seeds by relocating acorns with metal detectors soon after they were cached and again in spring after seeds began to germinate. At least 1 species of small mammal excised embryos of .70% of the cached acorns of white oak and ,4% of those of red oak. Animals also were observed to revisit caches in spring and excise embryos of germinating acorns. More excised acorns of white oak were found intact in spring than those of red oak, indicating that the behavior is important for long-term storage of these seeds. In a 2nd experiment, we presented free-ranging Mexican gray squirrels (Sciurus aureogaster) with pairs of acorns of 5 native white oak and 5 native red oak species and recorded caching events and whether or not cached seeds had their embryos removed. Squirrels cached significantly more acorns of white oak species, frequently excised embryos of these seeds, and only excised embryos of red oaks when they were germinating. These results support our previous hypothesis that the behavior of embryo excision is geographically widespread and has important implications for cache-management strategies of some diurnal tree squirrels and their effect on dispersal of oaks.
Commentary: Children's minds and adult statutes.

In “Competency to Stand Trial in Preadjudicated and Petitioned Juvenile Defendants,” Baerger et al. report the results of their investigation of competency to stand trial of juveniles charged with various offenses. The findings support the expected positive correlations between age and competency and cognitive ability and competency. The importance of the paper, however, lies in its contribution to the sparsely investigated area of juvenile competency. As the authors conclude, their finding that the significant frequency of cognitive impairment in juvenile offenders, particularly in those involved in sexual offenses, suggests that criminal justice involvement itself may suffice as a reason to evaluate juveniles. The concept of juvenile competency to stand trial is a challenging concept. Although the legal standard for competency is Dusky, the question when applied to children or adolescents takes on dimensions beyond those encountered in dealing with adults. What is the legal assumption underlying competency in children? Why is the issue raised, particularly when the case remains in juvenile court? What are the difficulties in assessing child competency? And finally, what are the competing interests in determining the competency of juveniles? The Peculiar Assumption of Competency
Intramolecular Arene C-H to C-P Functionalization Mediated by Ni(II) and Pd(II).

A tris(phosphine) ligand with a triarylbenzene backbone was employed to support mono-nickel(II) and -palladium(II) complexes. Two phosphine arms coordinated to the metal center, while the third phosphine was found to form a C–P bond with dearomatization of the central arene. Deprotonation effected the rearomatization of the central ring and metal reduction from M(II) to M(0). The overall conversion corresponds to a functionalization of an unactivated arene C–H bond to a C–P bond. This transformation represents a rare type of mechanism of C–H functionalization, facilitated by the interactions of the group 10 metal with the arene π system. This conversion is reminiscent of and expands the scope of recently reported intramolecular rearrangements of biaryl phosphine ligands common in group 10 catalysis.
A high speed and low power content-addressable memory(CAM) using pipelined scheme

This paper presents a novel technique to design high performance Content-addressable memories(CAMs), with lower power and latency as compared to other similar structures. The first technique is to pipeline the search operation by distributing single matching operation into several segments for different search-line registers. Speed is improved significantly since four search-line registers are comparing in parallel. Meanwhile, by disabling the subsequent segments, the power consumption is also reduced. The second technique is to improve the speed further by using multi-bank search data registers structure. The experimental results show that up to 37.32% power savings can be obtained and 90.79% time can be shrieked as compared to conventional NOR-type CAM design.
Art, auto-mechanics, and supramolecular chemistry. A merging of hobbies and career

While the strict definition of supramolecular chemistry is "chemistry beyond the molecule", meaning having a focus on non-covalent interactions, the field is primarily associated with the creation of synthetic receptors and self-assembly. For synthetic ease, the receptors and assemblies routinely possess a high degree of symmetry, which lends them an aspect of aesthetic beauty. Pictures of electron orbitals similarly can be seen as akin to works of art. This similarity was an early draw for me to the fields of supramolecular chemistry and molecular orbital theory, because I grew up in a household filled with art. In addition to art, my childhood was filled with repairing and constructing mechanical entities, such as internal combustion motors, where many components work together to achieve a function. Analogously, the field of supramolecular chemistry creates systems of high complexity that achieve functions or perform tasks. Therefore, in retrospect a career in supramolecular chemistry appears to be simply an extension of childhood hobbies involving art and auto-mechanics.
Cell cycle genes as targets of retinoid induced ovarian tumor cell growth suppression

We have examined the effect of all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) on cell cycle gene expression in RA sensitive CA-OV3 and RA resistant SK-OV3 ovarian carcinoma cell lines. Gene expression was analysed by multiprobe RNAse protection, Western blotting and in vitro kinase assays. No differences were observed between RA sensitive and RA resistant ovarian carcinoma cells in the levels of expression of many cell cycle genes including cyclin A, B and E, cdk 2,4 and 6, E2F-1, E2F-2, E2F-3, E2F-4, E2F-5, DP-1 and DP-2. However, RA sensitive CA-OV3 cells expressed higher levels of p53, p27, p21, and p16 compared to RA resistant SK-OV3 cells. In addition, RA treatment of CA-OV3 cells resulted in a significant decrease in hyperphosphorylated RB and RB-2/p130 and corresponding significant increases in the levels of hypophosphorylated and/or partially phosphorylated RB-2/p130 protein and hypophosphorylated RB. Also, RA treatment increased expression of the cdk inhibitor p27 and decreased activity of cdk 2, cdk 4 and cdk 6. Finally, amounts of p27-cyclin E and RB-2/p130-E2F4 complexes were found to increase in CA-OV3 cells growth arrested by RA. These results suggest that the pocket protein pathways are critical targets for retinoid suppression of ovarian carcinoma cell growth.
The Caliphate of Adam: Theological Politics of the Qurʾānic Term Ḫalīfa

This paper studies how medieval Sunnite Muslim exegetes from al-Ṭabarī (d. 310/923) to Ibn Kaṯīr (d. 774/1373) understood the Qurʾānic term ḫalīfa and other Ḫ.L.F-derived terms. While previous scholarship has examined how exegetes generally understood the term, this paper scrutinizes the exegetical commentaries (tafsīr) chronologically in order to discern the semantic and terminological shifts accompanying different commentaries over time. It demonstrates the importance of an intertextual approach in placing tafsīr literature in dialogue with writings on the caliphate in works of theology (kalām) and law ( fiqh). Overall, the paper argues that the legal and theological development of the Sunnite theory of the caliphate provided exegetes with new clusters of terminology associated with the caliphate to enrich their commentaries on the Ḫ.L.F verses. This process was in turn catalyzed by the systematization of the caliphate discourse and the canonization of the four-caliphs thesis during the Sunnite Revival.Cet article etudie comment les exegetes medievaux musulmans sunnites, d’al-Ṭabarī (m. 310/923) jusqu’a Ibn Kaṯīr (m. 774/1373), comprenaient le terme coranique ḫalīfa et les autres termes derives de Ḫ.L.F. Alors que les etudes precedentes ont examine la facon dont les exegetes comprenaient generalement le terme, cet article examine les commentaires exegetiques (tafsīr) selon l’ordre chronologique pour discerner les changements semantiques et terminologiques qui accompagnaient les differents commentaires au fil du temps. Il demontre l’importance d’une approche intertextuelle en placant la litterature tafsīr en dialogue avec les ecrits sur le califat dans les œuvres de theologie (kalām) et de droit ( fiqh). L’article fait valoir que le developpement juridique et theologique de la theorie du califat sunnite fournissait aux exegetes de nouvelles terminologies, liees au califat, qui leur permettaient d’enrichir leurs commentaires sur les versets Ḫ.L.F. Ce processus a ete a son tour catalyse par la systematisation du discours califal et la canonisation du concept des califes « bien guides » pendant la renaissance sunnite.
LIMITED DISPERSAL AND PROXIMITY-DEPENDENT MATING SUCCESS IN THE COLONIAL ASCIDIAN BOTRYLLUS SCHLOSSERI.

Although the propagules of many sessile organisms have the capacity to disperse over large distances, dispersal is often spatially restricted. In this paper, I document, using a combination of mark/recapture techniques and histocompatibility assays, dispersal distance of the planktonic larvae of the sessile, colonial sea squirt Botryllus schlosseri. Both of these methods indicate that most larvae remain within a meter of their birthplace. Such limited dispersal should lead to increased matings among relatives, and the potential for inbreeding depression. However, the success of: 1) fertilization, 2) embryogenesis, and 3) larval metamorphosis all decrease as distance between mated colonies increases. The spatial scale over which this decrease in mating success occurs is concordant with the estimates of dispersal distance based on the larval mark/recapture data and histocompatibility assays. Taken together, these results imply that inbreeding depression is not a necessary consequence of limited dispersal and consanguineous matings in B. schlosseri.
The Effect of Layer Thickness on the Reaction Kinetics of Nickel/Silicon Multilayer Films

Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Debye-Scherrer X-ray diffraction have been used to characterize silicide formation in nickel/amorphous-silicon multilayer films. Two different Ni:Si layer thickness ratios were investigated, 3:11 and 1:1. Films with layer thickness ratio of 3:11 first formed Ni2Si followed by NiSi at a temperature 25°C higher. Multilayer films with 1:1 thickness ratios formed only Ni2Si. Activation energies for these reaction were determined and found to be in agreement with previous results on bilayer films. The temperature at which Ni 2Si formation was complete in the 1:1 films was found to decrease with decreasing layer thickness. Analysis of this phenomenon allowed determination of the interdiffusivity during silicide formation, also in agreement with previous results. Films with 1:1 layer thickness ratios and layer thickness of 125 A or less were found to sometimes undergo explosive silicidation. This presumably occurs because the rate of heat generation at the reacting interfaces exceeds the rate of heat dissipation.
Clinical study on acute Endosulfan poisoning

Endosulfan is a highly toxic chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide,facilitative absorption from gastrointestinal tract,respiratory tract and skin.The poisoning mechanism is still not clarified.The major clinical manifestation of acute poisoning is central nervous system symptoms complicated with multi-organ injury.No specific antidote is available,yet.Allopathy is the major treatment,such as clearing poison,controlling cerebral and lung edema etc.
Individual differences in cognitive reappraisal use and emotion regulatory brain function in combat-exposed veterans with and without PTSD

Background Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit marked deficits in emotion regulation. Past research has demonstrated underengagement of the prefrontal cortex during regulation of negative affect in those with PTSD, but has been unable to find evidence of impaired downregulation of the amygdala. One possibility is that there exists variability in amygdala reactivity that cuts across diagnostic status and which can be characterized using a continuous measure of individual differences. In healthy/nontraumatized volunteers, individual variability in amygdala engagement during emotion processing and regulation has been shown to relate to habitual use of regulation strategies. Methods The current study examined whether self-reported use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression regulation strategies correlated with brain activation during cognitive reappraisal in combat-exposed veterans with (n = 28) and without PTSD (combat-exposed controls, CEC; n = 20). Results Results showed that greater self-reported use of cognitive reappraisal was associated with less activation in the right amygdala during volitional attempts to attenuate negative affect using reappraisal, irrespective of PTSD diagnosis. Conclusions This finding is in line with prior work and extends evidence of an association between habitual use of regulation strategies and amygdala engagement during emotion regulation to a trauma-exposed sample of individuals both with and without PTSD. Furthermore, by providing evidence of individual differences in regulation-related amygdala response in a traumatized sample, this result may increase understanding of the neural mechanisms that support variability in symptom manifestation observed across individuals with PTSD.
Advancements in multi-objective and surrogate-assisted GRIN lens design and optimization

While historically limited by a lack of suitable materials, rapid advancements in manufacturing techniques, including 3D printing, have caused renewed interest in gradient-index (GRIN) optics in recent years. Further increasing the desire for GRIN devices has been the advent of Transformation Optics (TO) which provides the mathematical framework for representing the behavior of electromagnetic radiation in a given geometry by “transforming” it to an alternative, usually more desirable, geometry through an appropriate mapping of the constituent material parameters. These transformations generally result in 3D GRIN lenses which often possess better performances than traditional radial GRINs. By decomposing TO-GRIN solutions into a 2D-polynomial basis to analyze their behavior, it can be determined which terms govern their performance improvements. However, TO is a computationally intensive evaluation and a comprehensive study of this sort could take weeks to perform. But, by training a surrogate model to approximate the TO calculation, the procedure can be greatly accelerated, dramatically reducing the time of this study from weeks to hours. Moreover, the obscure GRIN terms present in the TO solutions can be mapped to specific aberrations by decomposing the resulting wavefronts into a Zernike polynomial basis and performing multivariate regression analyses. This yields a surrogate model which approximates the full numerical ray-trace and offers an avenue for rapid GRIN lens design and optimization. Meanwhile, to aid in the GRIN construction, we employ advanced multi-objective optimization algorithms which allow the designer to explicitly view the trade-offs between all design objectives such as spot size, field-of-view, and Δn.
Prospective evaluation of the molecular effects of metformin on the endometrium in women with newly diagnosed endometrial cancer: A window of opportunity study

Abstract Objective Metformin reduces cancer incidence and improves overall survival in diabetic patients. In preclinical studies, metformin decreases endometrial cancer (EC) cell growth by activation of AMPK/mTOR inhibition. We sought to determine the effects of metformin on serum/tumor biomarkers in women with EC. Methods In this prospective trial, newly diagnosed EC patients underwent pre-treatment blood draw/endometrial biopsy, were administered oral metformin 850mg daily for ≥7days, and underwent post-treatment blood draw/definitive surgery. Pre- and post- serum analyses were performed. Tumor samples were evaluated for changes in AMPK, PI3K/AKT pathway, proliferation, and apoptosis by immunohistochemistry. Results Twenty patients completed the trial. Median age and BMI were 57years (range: 27–67) and 34.5kg/m 2 (range: 21.9–50.0). Median duration of metformin was 9.5days (range: 7–24). A majority of women had endometrioid adenocarcinomas (90%) and were early stage (85%). After metformin, there were significant decreases in serum IGF-1 ( p =0.046), omentin ( p =0.007), insulin ( p =0.012), C-peptide ( p =0.018), and leptin ( p =0.0035). Compared to baseline, post-treatment tissue showed decreased phospho-AKT in 18/20 patients (90%, p =0.0002), decreased phospho-S6rp in 14/20 patients (70%, p =0.057), and decreased phospho-p44/42MAPK in 15/18 patients (83.3%, p =0.0038). There was no difference in Ki67, phospho-ACC, or caspase 3. Changes did not correlate with BMI, grade, or KRAS mutation. Conclusion In this prospective window of opportunity study, we demonstrated that relevant serum and molecular changes occur in patients with newly diagnosed EC after a short course of metformin. Ongoing clinical trials will help determine the appropriate role for metformin in the treatment of women with EC.
The Possibility and Consequences of the Recognition of Prescriptive Avigation Easements by State Courts

As an increasingly greater number of Americans travel by air, the amount of flights required to accommodate this greater demand must necessarily increase. To cope with the greater number of flights, either new airports must be built or existing airports must expand their operations. Neighboring residents of these new or expanded airports will be burdened by the noise associated with the increased air traffic. This Note takes a state by state look at the ability of airports to acquire prescriptive avigation easements that shield the airports from lawsuits by those neighboring residents affected by airport operations. The Note analyzes the status of prescriptive avigation easements in several states that have already addressed the issue of their recognition, examines the consequences of the recognition of prescriptive avigation easements, and studies the trend toward the recognition of prescriptive avigation easements that may be influential to the large majority of states that have not yet addressed this issue.
MIP-nets: enabling information sharing in loosely-coupled teamwork

People collaborate in carrying out such complex activities as treating patients, co-authoring documents and developing software. While technologies such as Dropbox and Github enable groups to work in a distributed manner, coordinating team members' individual activities poses significant challenges. In this paper, we formalize the problem of "information sharing in loosely-coupled extended-duration teamwork". We develop a new representation, Mutual Influence Potential Networks (MIP-Nets), to model collaboration patterns and dependencies among activities, and an algorithm, MIP-DOI, that uses this representation to reason about information sharing.
Porphyrin Frameworks: Network Crystals

Many biological systems use porphyrin molecules for important processes and are similarly used by scientists to improve the properties of their materials. Porphyrin molecules used as building units to construct porphyrinic frameworks (PFs) are discussed in this article. Several examples which have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction are described and include metal-metalloporphyrinic frameworks that are assembled using coordinate–covalent bonds or by directional supramolecular interactions (noncovalent and noncoordinative interaction, NCMPFs). Introductions and applications are discussed to provide a guide for future PF research to improve upon properties such as molecular sorption, light harvesting, and heterogeneous catalysis. The discussion is limited and will not include porphyrin molecules that have been trapped as guests in porous materials such as metal-organic frameworks. Further perspectives on PF applications will come with more research and are envisioned to replicate naturally occurring phenomena.
Grounding topic models with knowledge bases

Topic models represent latent topics as probability distributions over words which can be hard to interpret due to the lack of grounded semantics. In this paper, we propose a structured topic representation based on an entity taxonomy from a knowledge base. A probabilistic model is developed to infer both hidden topics and entities from text corpora. Each topic is equipped with a random walk over the entity hierarchy to extract semantically grounded and coherent themes. Accurate entity modeling is achieved by leveraging rich textual features from the knowledge base. Experiments show significant superiority of our approach in topic perplexity and key entity identification, indicating potentials of the grounded modeling for semantic extraction and language understanding applications.
Acinar cell cystadenoma: A challenging cytology diagnosis, facilitated by moray® micro-forceps biopsy

Acinar cell cystadenoma is a rare, benign cystic lesion of the pancreas. There have been only a few retrospective reports on its cytological features. We present the first case of acinar cell cystadenoma in a 65-year-old woman, diagnosed pre-operatively by pancreatic cyst fluid cytology and Moray® micro-forceps biopsy. We emphasize possible diagnostic pitfalls of acinar cell cystadenoma cyst fluid cytology and suggest useful morphologic, immunohistochemical, and other clues to aid in diagnosis. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2017;45:557-560. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Modified Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Depressed Adolescents: A Pilot Study

Objective/Background: The purpose of the study was to pilot a five-week insomnia treatment in adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) and insomnia. This was an open-label trial of a modified-group cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI). Participants: Adolescents with MDD (n = 16; mean age = 17.3 +/- 1.7), characterized by the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised T-score ≥ 55 and insomnia, characterized by > 30 min to fall or return to sleep and an Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score of ≥ 7 participated. Methods: Sleep diaries, actigraphy, weekly ISI, Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS), and Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) were completed. Results: Paired t-tests comparing pre- and posttreatment revealed a decrease in sleep onset latency from 41 min +/- 14 min to 18 min +/- 8.9 min (t = 5.9, p = .004). Linear mixed modeling across sessions revealed that ISI (B = 11.0, SE = 0.94, p < .001), QIDS (B = 11.3, SE = 0.96, p < .001), and MFI (B = 30.0, SE = 4.4, p < .001) improved across treatment. Daily sleep diaries showed decreased wake during the night (B = 22.8, SE = 7.19, p = .008), increased sleep time (B = 382.4, SE = 71.89, p < .001), and increased quality of sleep (B = 3.7, SE = 0.37, p < .001). When asked whether group members would recommend this group, 27% responded "yes" and 73% responded "definitely yes." Conclusions: Additional controlled studies utilizing sleep-focused therapy in depressed adolescents with insomnia are warranted.
Hotel design, guest satisfaction, and behavioural intentions

AbstractThis study presents a method to measure hotel design quality and its relationships with guest satisfaction and with behavioural intentions. Hotel design quality is measured using the Design Quality Indicator (DQI). A partial least squares analysis reveals that the DQI predicts guest satisfaction with both statistical and practical significance. In addition, satisfaction is shown to predict guest behavioural intentions. This study extends theory by providing a means of measuring beliefs about a service environment’s design and provides practical implications by developing a means of measuring guest satisfaction with a hotel’s design.
Ionic conductivity of mixed silver halide crystals

Abstract To evaluate the effects of mixed halides on the lattice defect parameters of the silver halides, we have measured the ionic conductivity both of the entire range of mixed AgBr-AgCl single crystals, aftd also of several iodide-doped crystals. For the AgBr-AgCl system, the intrinsic conductivity at a given temperature decreases monotonically from pure AgBr to pure AgCl. The deduced Frenkel defect formation energy varies only a little from 0 to 50 mole % AgCl, and then increases rapidly with further increase in AgCl content, closely paralleling the ratio of bulk modulus to dielectric constant. The defect formation energy in these crystals hence reflects the average macroscopic properties of the solid solution. For the iodide-doped crystals, however, the results are quite different. Small amounts-of iodide cause large increases in the conductivity of AgBr andiAgCl, especially in the latter. These results suggest that the elastic strain introduced by the oversized iodide ion exerts an appreciable local effect on the Frenkel defect formation, in contrast to the crystal-averaged response found for the AgBr-AgCl solid solutions. Furthermore, the Arrhenius plots for the conductivitiei of the AgBr: I specimens show curvature which suggests a temperature-dependent pairing of the solute.
Role of ultrasonography in the management of twin gestation.

Twins represent 1%-2% of all pregnancies, yet continue to account for a disproportionate share of neonatal adverse events including neonatal intensive care admission, morbidity, and mortality. Ultrasonography is central to the proper diagnosis of the type of twinning. Ideally, ultrasonography is performed before 14 weeks of gestation to determine chorionicity and amnionicity. Correct identification of the chorionicity in a twin pregnancy facilitates proper counseling and management of the gestation, including ultrasonography follow-up. Herein, the different types of twinning are reviewed, together with the implications for ultrasonography monitoring of each specific type of twin gestation.
Rapid Progression of Adult T-Cell Leukemia–Lymphoma after PD-1 Inhibitor Therapy

Progression of T-Cell Leukemia with Nivolumab Three patients with chronic, smoldering, and acute subtypes of adult T-cell leukemia–lymphoma had rapid disease progression and increased viral replica...
Hyperglycemia-Initiated Mechanisms in Diabetic Neuropathy

Peripheral diabetic neuropathy (PDN) is one of the most devastating complications of diabetes mellitus. The pathogenesis of PDN involves hyperglycemia-initiated mechanisms as well as other factors, i.e., impaired insulin signaling, hypertension, disturbances of fatty acid and lipid metabolism. This review describes new findings in animal and cell culture models: 1. Supporting the importance of previously established hyperglycemia-initiated mechanisms, such as increased aldose reductase activity, nonenzymatic glycation/glycoxidation, activation of protein kinase-C, and enhanced oxidative stress; 2. Addressing the role of nitrosative stress and downstream effectors of oxidative-nitrosative injury, such as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activation, mitogen-activated protein kinase activation, cyclooxygenase-2 activation, activation of nuclear factor-κB, and impaired Ca2+ homeostasis and signaling; and 3. Suggesting the contribution of two newly discovered mechanisms, such as 12/15-lipoxygenase activation and Na+/H+-exchanger-1 activation, in PDN.
Centrality and pseudorapidity dependence of the transverse energy flow in pPb collisions at s NN = 5.02 TeV

Abstract The almost hermetic coverage of CMS is used to measure the distribution of transverse energy as a function of pseudo-rapidity for pPb collisions at s NN = 5.02 TeV . For minimum bias collisions ( 1 / N ) d E T / d η reaches 23 GeV which implies an E T per participant pair comparable to that of peripheral PbPb collisions at s N N = 2.76 TeV . The centrality dependence of transverse energy production has been studied using centrality measures defined in three different angular regions. There is a strong auto-correlation between ( 1 / N ) d E T / d η and the η range used to define centrality for data and the EPOS-LHC and HIJING event generators. The centrality dependence of the data is much stronger for η values on the lead side than the proton side and shows significant differences from that predicted by either event generator.
Impact of Lipid Partitioning on the Design, Analysis, and Interpretation of Microsomal Time-Dependent Inactivation.

Nonspecific drug partitioning into microsomal membranes must be considered for in vitro-in vivo correlations. This work evaluated the effect of including lipid partitioning in the analysis of complex TDI kinetics with numerical methods. The covariance between lipid partitioning and multiple inhibitor binding was evaluated. Simulations were performed to test the impact of lipid partitioning on the interpretation of TDI kinetics, and experimental TDI datasets for paroxetine (PAR) and itraconazole (ITZ) were modeled. For most kinetic schemes, modeling lipid partitioning results in statistically better fits. For MM-IL simulations (K I,u = 0.1 µ M, k inact = 0.1 minute −1 ), concurrent modeling of lipid partitioning for an f umic range (0.01, 0.1, and 0.5) resulted in better fits compared with post hoc correction (AICc: −526 vs. −496, −579 vs. −499, and −636 vs. −579, respectively). Similar results were obtained with EII-IL. Lipid partitioning may be misinterpreted as double binding, leading to incorrect parameter estimates. For the MM-IL datasets, when f umic = 0.02, MM-IL, and EII model fits were indistinguishable ( δ AICc = 3). For less partitioned datasets (f umic = 0.1 or 0.5), the inclusion of partitioning resulted in better models. The inclusion of lipid partitioning can lead to markedly different estimates of K I,u and k inact . A reasonable alternate experimental design is nondilution TDI assays, with post hoc f umic incorporation. The best fit models for PAR (MIC-M-IL) and ITZ (MIC-EII-M-IL and MIC-EII-M-Seq-IL) were consistent with their reported mechanism and kinetics. Overall, experimental f umic values should be concurrently incorporated into TDI models with complex kinetics, when dilution protocols are used.
Behavior Analytic Approaches to Assessment and Intervention for Sex Offenders with Intellectual Disabilities

Our culture is challenged by the ethics and practicality of assessing and intervening with sex offenders in general, and these challenges are compounded when the offender has an intellectually disability (ID). Most commonly, offenders with ID are adjudicated incompetent to stand trial and, therefore, are not convicted of the crime (in a sense, then, offender may not even be the correct term, but it is used here to conform with common usage). The treatment of offenders with ID presents a unique challenge because on the one hand it is incumbent upon professionals to protect members of the community at large but on the other hand the individual with ID is afforded basic human rights, which may include freedom of movement within the community at large. In this chapter we focus primarily on individuals with ID who are presumed (or known) to have offended toward children. We will first cover historical and contemporary approaches to assessment and treatment. Next, we will describe specific ethical issues that arise in working with the ID population. Finally, we will present some proposed future directions for work in the area of sex offenders with ID.
The scales of (algorithmic) justice: tradeoffs and remedies

Every day, governmental and federally funded agencies --- including criminal courts, welfare agencies, and educational institutions --- make decisions about resource allocation using automated decision-making tools (Lecher, 2018; Fishel, Flack, & DeMatteo, 2018). Important factors surrounding the use of these tools are embedded both in their design and in the policies and practices of the various agencies that implement them. As the use of such tools is becoming more common, a number of questions have arisen about whether using these tools is fair, or in some cases, even legal (K.W. v. Armstrong, 2015; ACLU, Outten & Golden LLP, and the Communications Workers of America, 2019).