cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Larval Injury and Root Compensation of 12 Maize Hybrids: an Assessment of the Economic Injury Index

A 4-yr field investigation (1993-1996) to examine the compensatory root regrowth of 12 commonly grown maize hybrids after larval injury by corn rootworms, Diabrotica spp., was conducted at 2 locations in Illinois. Root injury ratings, root volume measurements taken in July and August, and root regrowth parameters were evaluated for their usefulness in predicting yield. Root ratings were as useful as root volumes and root regrowth measurements in predicting yield. Large root systems in July and August generally were positive factors contributing to yield; however, compensatory root regrowth, particularly when soil moisture was adequate, negatively affected yield. Root regrowth after larval injury typically had a positive effect on yield when soil moisture was inadequate. Regression equations described the very dynamic nature of root injury, root volume, and root regrowth and their impact on yield in different growing seasons and at different locations. In addition, profit margins were estimated using a fixed insecticide cost, actual root injury data, and 4 market prices of maize. Results from different growing seasons and locations indicate that root ratings well below 4.0 can contribute to economic losses.
Shrinkage of Value-Added Estimates and Characteristics of Students with Hard-to-Predict Achievement Levels

ABSTRACTIt is common in the implementation of teacher accountability systems to use empirical Bayes shrinkage to adjust teacher value-added estimates by their level of precision. Because value-added estimates based on fewer students and students with “hard-to-predict” achievement will be less precise, the procedure could have differential impacts on the probability that the teachers of fewer students or students with hard-to-predict achievement will be assigned consequences. This article investigates how shrinkage affects the value-added estimates of teachers of hard-to-predict students. We found that teachers of students with low prior achievement and who receive free lunch tend to have less precise value-added estimates. However, in our sample, shrinkage had no statistically significant effect on the relative probability that teachers of hard-to-predict students received consequences.
New Inclined-shaft Automatic Braking Car

Presents a new inclined-shaft automatic braking car which is actualized by the car's moving velocity change.The structure and operational principle,technical feature and key part force analysis for the new inclinedshaft automatic braking car are developed.The new braking mechanism has the characteristic of simplicity,reliability and safety.
Effects of Three Motivationally Targeted Mobile Device Applications on Initial Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Change in Midlife and Older Adults: A Randomized Trial

Background While there has been an explosion of mobile device applications (apps) promoting healthful behaviors, including physical activity and sedentary patterns, surprisingly few have been based explicitly on strategies drawn from behavioral theory and evidence. Objective This study provided an initial 8-week evaluation of three different customized physical activity-sedentary behavior apps drawn from conceptually distinct motivational frames in comparison with a commercially available control app. Study Design and Methods Ninety-five underactive adults ages 45 years and older with no prior smartphone experience were randomized to use an analytically framed app, a socially framed app, an affectively framed app, or a diet-tracker control app. Daily physical activity and sedentary behavior were measured using the smartphone’s built-in accelerometer and daily self-report measures. Results Mixed-effects models indicated that, over the 8-week period, the social app users showed significantly greater overall increases in weekly accelerometry-derived moderate to vigorous physical activity relative to the other three arms (P values for between-arm differences = .04-.005; Social vs. Control app: d = 1.05, CI = 0.44,1.67; Social vs. Affect app: d = 0.89, CI = 0.27,1.51; Social vs. Analytic app: d = 0.89, CI = 0.27,1.51), while more variable responses were observed among users of the other two motivationally framed apps. Social app users also had significantly lower overall amounts of accelerometry-derived sedentary behavior relative to the other three arms (P values for between-arm differences = .02-.001; Social vs. Control app: d = 1.10,CI = 0.48,1.72; Social vs. Affect app: d = 0.94, CI = 0.32,1.56; Social vs. Analytic app: d = 1.24, CI = 0.59,1.89). Additionally, Social and Affect app users reported lower overall sitting time compared to the other two arms (P values for between-arm differences < .001; Social vs. Control app: d = 1.59,CI = 0.92, 2.25; Social vs. Analytic app: d = 1.89,CI = 1.17, 2.61; Affect vs. Control app: d = 1.19,CI = 0.56, 1.81; Affect vs. Analytic app: d = 1.41,CI = 0.74, 2.07). Conclusion The results provide initial support for the use of a smartphone-delivered social frame in the early induction of both physical activity and sedentary behavior changes. The information obtained also sets the stage for further investigation of subgroups that might particularly benefit from different motivationally framed apps in these two key health promotion areas. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01516411
Positive Urinary Cytology in Patients without Evident Tumor

AbstractOf 267 patients with a positive urinary cytology during a 5-year period 9 did not have a tumor identified at the initial diagnostic study, which included cystoscopy. However, a tumor was documented in 8 of these 9 patients between 1 and 61 months later.
Scenario-based programming for SDN policies

Recent emergence of software-defined networks offers an opportunity to design domain-specific programming abstractions aimed at network operators. In this paper, we propose scenario-based programming, a framework that allows network operators to program network policies by describing representative example behaviors. Given these scenarios, our synthesis algorithm automatically infers the controller state that needs to be maintained along with the rules to process network events and update state. We have developed the NetEgg scenario-based programming tool, which can execute the generated policy implementation on top of a centralized controller, but also automatically infers flow-table rules that can be pushed to switches to improve throughput. We study a range of policies considered in the literature and report our experience regarding specifying these policies using scenarios. We evaluate NetEgg based on the computational requirements of our synthesis algorithm as well as the overhead introduced by the generated policy implementation. Our results show that our synthesis algorithm can generate policy implementations in seconds, and the automatically generated policy implementations have performance comparable to their hand-crafted implementations.
TNFα-stimulated gene-6 (TSG6) activates macrophage phenotype transition to prevent inflammatory lung injury

TNFα-stimulated gene-6 (TSG6), a 30-kDa protein generated by activated macrophages, modulates inflammation; however, its mechanism of action and role in the activation of macrophages are not fully understood. Here we observed markedly augmented LPS-induced inflammatory lung injury and mortality in TSG6-/- mice compared with WT (TSG6+/+) mice. Treatment of mice with intratracheal instillation of TSG6 prevented LPS-induced lung injury and neutrophil sequestration, and increased survival in mice. We found that TSG6 inhibited the association of TLR4 with MyD88, thereby suppressing NF-κB activation. TSG6 also prevented the expression of proinflammatory proteins (iNOS, IL-6, TNFα, IL-1β, and CXCL1) while increasing the expression of anti-inflammatory proteins (CD206, Chi3l3, IL-4, and IL-10) in macrophages. This shift was associated with suppressed activation of proinflammatory transcription factors STAT1 and STAT3. In addition, we observed that LPS itself up-regulated the expression of TSG6 in TSG6+/+ mice, suggesting an autocrine role for TSG6 in transitioning macrophages. Thus, TSG6 functions by converting macrophages from a proinflammatory to an anti-inflammatory phenotype secondary to suppression of TLR4/NF-κB signaling and STAT1 and STAT3 activation.
6BIO Enhances Oligonucleotide Activity in Cells: A Potential Combinatorial Anti-androgen Receptor Therapy in Prostate Cancer Cells

Approximately 15%–25% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not survive their disease. The American Cancer Society estimated that for the year 2016 the number of prostate cancer deaths will be 26,120. Thus, there is a critical need for novel approaches to treat this deadly disease. Using high-throughput small-molecule screening, we found that the small molecule 6-bromo-indirubin-3′-oxime (6BIO) significantly improves the targeting of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) delivered by gymnosis (i.e., in the absence of any transfection reagents) in both the cell cytoplasm and the nucleus. Furthermore, as a single agent, 6BIO had the unexpected ability to simultaneously downregulate androgen receptor (AR) expression and AR signaling in prostate cancer cells. This includes downregulating levels of the AR-V7, a drug-resistance-related AR splice variant that is important in the progression of prostate cancer. Combining 6BIO and an anti-AR oligonucleotide (AR-ASO) can augment the downregulation of AR expression. We also demonstrated that 6BIO enhances ASO function and represses AR expression through the inhibition of the two main glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) isoforms: GSK-3α and GSK-3β activity. Our findings provide a rationale for the use of 6BIO as a single agent or as part of a combinatorial ASO-based therapy in the treatment of human prostate cancer.
The Influence of Plan Demographics on Contribution Behavior of 401(k) Participants

This article examines the influence of plan demographics, which is defined as the salary and tenure composition of a plan, on contribution behavior of 401(k) participants. Results using a large sample of 401(k) plans show that plan demographics influence participant contribution rates directly or through interaction with individual demographic characteristics. A participant's contribution rate can be varied by 1.6–3.0 percentage points for each age between 25 and 64, depending on what plan demographics she is exposed to. In addition, for the decision to contribute the maximum allowed amount, plan demographics significantly interact with individual demographic characteristics.
Effect of pH on selective decomposition of target water contaminants onto porous TiO2 photocatalyst

Non-selectivity of TiO 2 -based photocatalysis is a known drawback of this technology for full scale water treatment applications. It results in significant decline in decomposition of toxic target contaminants when other non-toxic organic compounds such as natural organic matter (NOM) compete in the reaction. Previously, size exclusion of large NOM onto the mesoporous structure of TiO 2 photocatalyst was proven to improve the selective decomposition of small size target chemicals. In this study, manipulation of reaction pH as a crucial parameter in governing the adsorption and decomposition of organic chemicals was combined with the size exclusion of NOM. The effects of size-based adsorption/exclusion and pH-dependent electrostatic attraction/repulsion were investigated by using humic acid as model NOM and ibuprofen and methylene blue as model target contaminants. Adsorption and decomposition of the targets were dependent on their hydrodynamic size and ionization state. Mesoporous TiO 2 suppressed physical access of large NOM onto its surface while reaction pH influenced the surface charge of TiO 2 and the speciation of the chemicals and thus controlled their adsorption and decomposition. The results imply that selecting a proper pH can significantly improve selective decomposition of a target onto porous TiO 2 in the presence of NOM.
The Epidemiology and Clinical Associations of Stroke in Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Review of 10,972 Admissions From the 2012 National Inpatient Sample

Abstract Background Acute leukemia is known to confer an elevated risk of both hemorrhagic and thrombotic complications, but the development of stroke in this population is poorly characterized. This study assesses clinical and epidemiologic factors in a population of inpatients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and stroke. Methods Using the 2012 National Inpatient Sample, demographic and clinical data including age, gender, race, length of stay, in-hospital procedures, discharge diagnosis, disposition, and mortality incidence were extracted. Results Of 7,296,968 admissions, 10,984 patients with active AML were analyzed. Of these, 65 patients had a concomitant cerebrovascular accident (CVA) (hemorrhagic or ischemic). There was a 50-fold increase in the risk of stroke in patients with active AML compared with all admissions. Patients with AML and CVAs were found to have significantly higher inpatient mortality than for all admitted patients with stroke (36.9% vs. 6.7%; odds ratio, 5.5; 95% confidence interval, 2.3-8.8; P Conclusions Patients with AML have an elevated risk of CVA compared with all inpatients, and mortality in this population is high. Better characterization of risk factors of stroke in this vulnerable population is still needed.
First Journeys, First Writings

Like almost all the students whose families lived in Paris, as well as the few married students, I was not a boarder at the Ecole. Most of the students were, however, and they lived in Spartan conditions at which today’s Normaliens would balk. They slept in large dormitory rooms, their beds separated from one another by thin screens which afforded the merest semblance of privacy: most horses are better off in their stables. The boarding students received room and board as well as a little pocket money, barely enough to buy themselves coffee from “the Baroness” — this was our nickname for the owner of the bar we used to frequent on the Rue Claude-Bernard, where more often than not we could be seen wearing our “bonvoust” attire — that is, the dungarees (the term “blue-jeans” was not yet in our vocabulary) that were issued to us for military training sessions. (The term bonvoust came from the name of a Captain who had conducted these sessions for a time.) Those students who wished to supplement their meager resources did so by tutoring “tapirs”, our slang word for lycee students seeking private tutoring; fortunately, they were in good supply. It has been said that, since those days, some Normaliens have made money in less conventional ways.
Pediatric Supracondylar Humerus Fractures: AAOS Appropriate Use Criteria Versus Actual Management at a Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center

Objectives:The purpose of this study was to characterize management of supracondylar humerus fractures (SCHFs) at a level 1 trauma center and identify factors contributing to divergence in management from American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) the Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) recommendatio
Risks of Giving Uncrossmatched Red Cells

Safe transfusion practice dictates that crossmatched red cells should be transfused if the patient is stable enough to wait for the crossmatch testing to be completed. In patients who lack red cell alloantibodies (outside of the ABO blood group system), a fast crossmatch can be performed once the antibody identification is known. Patients with red cell alloantibodies will require a slower, full serologic crossmatch. For those situations where the patient cannot wait for crossmatched blood, ABO compatible but uncrossmatched blood can be transfused. The risk of hemolysis in a patient without red cell alloantibodies is very small; the risk in a patient with red cell alloantibodies is higher, yet transfusion should be undertaken in an actively bleeding patient. Uncrossmatched red cells pose no higher risk of sensitization to “minor” blood group antigens compared with crossmatched red cells.
Incentives Boost Model-Based Control Across a Range of Severity on Several Psychiatric Constructs

Abstract Background Human decision making exhibits a mixture of model-based and model-free control. Recent evidence indicates that arbitration between these two modes of control (“metacontrol”) is based on their relative costs and benefits. While model-based control may increase accuracy, it requires greater computational resources, so people invoke model-based control only when potential rewards exceed those of model-free control. We used a sequential decision task, while concurrently manipulating performance incentives, to ask if symptoms and traits of psychopathology decrease or increase model-based control in response to incentives. Methods We recruited a nonpatient population of 839 online participants using Amazon Mechanical Turk who completed transdiagnostic self-report measures encompassing symptoms, traits, and factors. We fit a dual-controller reinforcement learning model and obtained a computational measure of model-based control separately for small incentives and large incentives. Results None of the constructs were related to a failure of large incentives to boost model-based control. In fact, for the sensation seeking trait and anxious-depression factor, higher scores were associated with a larger incentive effect, whereby greater levels of these constructs were associated with larger increases in model-based control. Many constructs showed decreases in model-based control as a function of severity, but a social withdrawal factor was positively correlated; alcohol use and social anxiety were unrelated to model-based control. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that model-based control can reliably be improved independent of construct severity for most measures. This suggests that incentives may be a useful intervention for boosting model-based control across a range of symptom and trait severity.
The Natural History of Interstitial Cystitis: A Survey of 374 Patients

A survey directed at determining the natural history of interstitial cystitis was conducted at our clinic. Information on demographics, risk factors, symptoms, pain and psychosocial factors was elicited from 374 patients who satisfied the National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases criteria for interstitial cystitis and had all been diagnosed as having interstitial cystitis by a urologist. With regard to demographics, patients were predominantly female (89.8%) and white (94.1%), with a mean age of 53.8 +/- 0.7 years (standard error) and age at the first symptoms of 42.5 +/- 0.8 years. Information on 25 potential risk factors included 44.4% of the women reporting hysterectomy, 38.2% of the patients having strong sensitivities or allergic reactions to medication and only 2.7% being diabetic. With regard to interstitial cystitis symptoms, frequency and urgency were reported by 91.7% and 89.3% of the patients, respectively, while pelvic pain, pelvic pressure and bladder spasms were reported by more than 60% of respondents and burning by 56%. Location and degree of pain were also reported. Urination relieved or lessened interstitial cystitis pain for 73.6% of the patients and medication was effective for 46.8%. Other behaviors (for example hot baths, heating pads, lying down or sitting) were less effective. Conversely, stress, constrictive clothing and intercourse increased interstitial cystitis pain in more than 50% of the patients. In addition, acidic, alcoholic or carbonated beverages, and coffee or tea increased interstitial cystitis pain in more than 50% of the patients. More than 60% of the patients were unable to enjoy usual activities or were excessively fatigued and 53.7% reported depression. Travel, employment, leisure activities and sleeping were adversely affected in more than 80% of the patients. Pain location and degree differed significantly between patients with and without ulcers in the bladder. In addition, there was an apparent plateau in the frequency and urgency among patients after approximately 5 years with symptoms.
Computational aspects of kinetic analysis.: Part D: The ICTAC kinetics project — multi-thermal–history model-fitting methods and their relation to isoconversional methods

This paper is Part D of a discussion of the computational stage of solid-state reactions as applied to the data sets of the ICTAC Kinetic Analysis Project. This Part critically evaluates the results from the various participants and finds that kinetic analysis programs used by Burnham, Roduit, and Opfermann give very similar results. Isoconversional methods give kinetic parameters that agree qualitatively with those from subsequent nonlinear regression to appropriate models. Single-heating-rate methods work poorly and should not be used or published.
Genomics of aggressive B-cell lymphoma

The growing body of genomic information collected and applied to mature aggressive B-cell lymphoma diagnosis and management has exploded over the last few years due to improved technologies with high-throughput capacity, suitable for use on routine formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue biopsies, and decreasing costs. These techniques have made evaluation of complete DNA sequences, RNA-expression patterns, translocations, copy-number alterations, loss of heterozygosity, and DNA-methylation patterns possible on a genome-wide level. This chapter will present a case of aggressive B-cell lymphoma and discuss the most important genomic abnormalities that characterize this group of entities in the recent update to the fourth edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) lymphoma classification system. Genomic abnormalities discussed will include those necessary for certain diagnoses such as translocations of MYC, BCL2, or BCL6; gene-expression-profiling categorization; the newly defined Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q abnormalities; prognostic and predictive mutations, as well as tumor heterogeneity. Finally, our current practices for clinical triage of specimens with a potential diagnosis of aggressive B-cell lymphomas are also described. Options for treatment at relapse, in light of these genomic features, will be discussed in the third presentation from this session.
Factors influencing fish mercury concentrations in Iowa rivers

Fish mercury concentrations have received considerable attention due to human health implications. Fish mercury concentrations are variable within and among systems due to a suite of biotic and abiotic influences that vary among regions and are difficult to predict. Understanding factors associated with variability in fish mercury concentrations would help guide consumption advisories. Mercury concentrations in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus, n = 205), flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris, n = 123), northern pike (Esox lucius, n = 60), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu, n = 176), and walleye (Sander vitreus, n = 176) were assessed in ten Iowa rivers and relationships with land use, water chemistry, and fish characteristics were explored. Mercury concentrations were generally low (mean among all species = 0.17 mg/kg, n = 740) but higher in flathead catfish, northern pike, smallmouth bass, and walleye than channel catfish and were positively related to fish length, age, trophic position, and δ13C signatures. Phosphorus, sulfate, and percent open water and grassland were negatively related to fish mercury concentrations, whereas water hardness, nitrogen-ammonia, Human Threat Index, and percent wetland and forest were positively related to fish mercury concentrations. Fish collected from the Paleozoic Plateau ecoregion in northeast Iowa had higher mercury concentrations than other ecoregions in Iowa. Combined, these factors explained 70% of the variation in fish mercury concentrations. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of abiotic and biotic factors influencing fish mercury concentrations in lotic ecosystems at the individual and system scale that will help guide fish consumption advisories.
Utilization Review of Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndrome Antibody Screening Panels: Experience at a Tertiary Academic Health Center.

Background: Pathology departments play a pivotal role in managing laboratory test utilization in healthcare, and inappropriate resource deployment can contribute to unnecessary healthcare costs. Here we share our experience reviewing a send-out test and implementing a utilization strategy. Antibody testing is often considered in the workup for patients with unexplained paraneoplastic syndrome–like neurological presentations. It has been unclear how helpful these antibody tests are. The goal of study is to evaluate diagnostic utility of antibody screening panel results in patients suspicious for paraneoplastic neurological syndrome and possibly underlying occult malignancy. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the paraneoplastic neurological syndrome antibody test results. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated. The proportion of the antibody screening results were compared between groups with and without tumor with 2-sided χ2 test statistics. Results: In total 348 panels were sent to 2 reference laboratories. From ARUP (Associated Regional and University Pathologists; Salt Lake City, Utah), 2 out of 232 screening panels yielded positive results (0.86%) and from the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota), 26 out of 116 screening panels yielded positive results (22.4%). The overall positive predictive value was 3.57% (1/28) and the overall negative predictive value was 91.2% (292/320). There were no statistically significant differences between the antibody screening test results between the 2 groups with and without tumor. Conclusion: We found the diagnostic utility and yield for the paraneoplastic antibody panel to be low. Following a multidisciplinary team review of the study results, the pathology department has implemented several new utilization strategies.
The Possible Role of the Angiotensin System in the Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia: Implications for Pharmacotherapy

A growing body of literature has elucidated the involvement of the central renin–angiotensin system (RAS) in various neuropsychiatric diseases. While consensus on the exact mechanism of the central RAS in schizophrenia pathophysiology does not currently exist, increasing evidence reveals promise in harnessing the therapeutic potential of RAS modulation in the treatment of schizophrenia. In this review, we examine how the central RAS affects inflammation, glutamate, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ, all of which are associated with schizophrenia etiology. In addition, a recent study has demonstrated the therapeutic potential of RAS modulators, especially angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs), as adjunctive therapy to the currently available antipsychotic medications for schizophrenia treatment. With a greater understanding of how RAS inhibition directly modulates neurotransmitter balance in the brain, it is possible that compounds with RAS-inhibiting properties could be used to optimize physiological levels of glutamate, dopamine, and GABA, and the balance among the three neurotransmitters, analogously to how antipsychotic medications mediate the dopaminergic pathways. It can be hoped that a novel approach based on this concept, such as adjunctive telmisartan therapy, may offer practical interventional strategies to address currently unmet therapeutic needs in patients with schizophrenia, especially those with treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
Whale HUB: Museum Collections and Contemporary Art to Promote Sustainability Among Higher Education Students

The project Whale HUB is dedicated to the recently-created permanent exhibition entitled “Tales of a Whale” at the Museum of Natural History of the University of Florence, centered around a fossilized whale skeleton. The exhibition, balanced between scientific research and dissemination of knowledge for non-expert audiences, deals with the themes of environmental sustainability, cross-cutting different fields of knowledge, such as palaeontology, zoology and ethnography, and promoting pro-environmental concern and behavior. Aiming to develop the Museum public and engage higher education students through new media strategies and non-canonical approaches, Whale HUB involves a selection of creative students from some of the major educational institutions in Florence to conduct an analysis on their perception of the themes dealt with by the exhibition. By means of a competition, the students create a communication prototype which popularizes the fragile stability of marine ecosystems, affected by plastic pollution. The project involves also three young contemporary artists who participate to an expedition in the marine protected area of Pelagos Sanctuary, hosting the largest population of large mammals of the Mediterranean and a problematic environmental site, highly impacted by marine plastic pollution. They produce artistic research in dialogue with scientists and biologists, sharing it with creative students of the university and of other important higher education institutions of Florence, fostering their engagement in sustainability through informal education or free-choice learning.
LVAD as Bridge to Transplant Leads to Better Outcomes When Compared to Transplant-Only Strategy

Background Patient who are bridged to transplantation with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) when compared to primary heart transplantation have had mixed outcomes. Methods Single-center study of patients who underwent cardiac transplantation or LVAD implantation. Baseline demographics and outcomes were compared between 3 groups: patients bridged with a LVAD (BTT-LVAD group), patients who underwent primary cardiac transplantation (TXP group), and patients who underwent LVAD as destination therapy (DT-LVAD group). For the TXP group, survival was defined as days alive since cardiac transplantation. For the BTT-LVAD group, survival was defined from time of LVAD implantation and included days alive after cardiac transplantation. In the DT-LVAD group, survival was defined as days alive since LVAD implantation. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to analyze survival between the groups. Results A total of 380 patients were included (BTT-LVAD group: 36.3.%; TXP group: 26%; DT-LVAD group: 37.6%). At baseline, no significant differences with regards to age and BMI were noted. Male gender and blood type O were more common in the BTT-LVAD group. The DT-LVAD group had a higher proportion of black patients. During the study period, 76% of LVAD-BTT group underwent cardiac transplantation. A high survival rate was observed is the study population at 1-year (92.1%). Non-statistically significant differences in 1-year survival were noted between groups with higher trends of survival observed in the BTT-LVAD group (BTT-LVAD group: 95.7%; TXP group: 90.9%; DT-LVAD group: 89.5%, p=0.14). By 2 years, survival rates remained high in all groups with statistically significant differences noted among the groups (BTT-LVAD group: 94.6%; TXP group: 85.9%; DT-LVAD group: 81.4%, p=0.01). 3-year survival remained high for both the BTT-LVAD and TXP groups however, a decline in survival was noted in the DT-LVAD group (BTT-LVAD group: 93.5%; TXP group: 81.6%; DT-LVAD group: 60.8%, p=0.00). While 5-year survival remained high for the LVAD-BTT group (figure), a further survival decrease was observed in both the TXP and DT-LVAD groups (BTT-LVAD group:8 4.2%; TXP group: 63%; DT-LVAD group: 29.8%, p=0.00). Conclusions Our study showed an exceptionally high survival rate in patients bridged to cardiac transplantation with LVAD implantation. These findings also suggest that the use of a LVAD as a BTT may be a better strategy than primary cardiac transplantation as it may add an additional survival benefit (total support time).
Algerian Captivity and State Autoimmunity

Focusing on fiction about U.S. conflicts with North African regencies, this chapter explores American literature’s critique of the state’s reaction to its inability to safeguard neither the welfare of its citizens nor the nation’s economic interests. The centralized state that emerges as an immunitary solution to these problems was seen by some as posing a direct threat to local sovereignty and freedom.
Differences in self-reported character strengths across adolescence.

Abstract Introduction Although typically considered a stable trait, character strengths may be subject to temporal changes. Whereas research has investigated these changes across adulthood, the pivotal period of adolescence remains relatively understudied. Method To identify potential developmental differences in character strengths, we conducted a cross-sectional exploratory analysis of 24 Character strengths, assessed by the VIA-Youth, across youth between ages 10 and 17 from four highly represented countries (N = 12,871). Results The general pattern was for older adolescents to generate lower scores in many traits compared to younger adolescents. When considering gender as a potential moderator, girls, on average, scored higher on most strengths, but also showed more consistently lower scores across ages. Conclusion Findings provide a nuanced understanding of developmental differences in character across adolescence in a large-scale study. We frame these findings in the context of recent work investigating how character strengths develop throughout adolescence and offer suggestions for future research and interventions.
Two-flavor staggered-fermion thermodynamics at Nt = 12

We present new results in an ongoing study of the nature of the high temperature crossover in QCD with two light fermion flavors. These results are obtained with the conventional staggered fermion action at the smallest lattice spacing to date—approximately 0.1 fm. Of particular interest are a study of the temperature of the crossover, an important indicator of continuum scaling, a determination of the induced baryon charge and baryon susceptibility, used to study the dissolution of hadrons at the crossover, the scalar susceptibility, a signal for the appearance of soft modes, and the chiral order parameter, used to test models of critical behavior.
Fast and easy quantitative characterization of methanotroph–photoautotroph cocultures

Recent research has demonstrated that synthetic methanotroph-photoautotroph cocultures offer a highly promising route to convert biogas into value-added products. However, there is a lack of techniques for fast and accurate characterization of cocultures, such as determining the individual biomass concentration of each organism in real-time. To address this unsolved challenge, we propose an experimental-computational protocol for fast, easy, and accurate quantitative characterization of the methanotroph-photoautotroph cocultures. Besides determining the individual biomass concentration of each organism in the coculture, the protocol can also obtain the individual consumption and production rates of O2 and CO2 for the methanotroph and photoautotroph, respectively. The accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed protocol was demonstrated using two model coculture pairs, Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum 20ZR-Synechococcus sp. PCC7002 that prefers high pH high salt condition, and Methylococcus capsulatus-Chlorella sorokiniana that prefers low salt and neutral pH medium. The performance of the proposed protocol was compared with a flow cytometry-based cell counting approach. The experimental results show that the proposed protocol is much easier to carry out and delivers faster and more accurate results in measuring individual biomass concentration than the cell counting approach without requiring any special equipment.
The Dual Nature of Hard X-Ray Outbursts from the Superluminal X-Ray Transient Source GRO J1655–40

We report the results of multiwavelength observations of the superluminal X-ray transient GRO J1655-40 during and following the prominent hard X-ray outburst of 1995 March-April. GRO J1655-40 was monitored continuously by BATSE on board the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory and observed repeatedly in the radio and optical bands from the ground. About a month after the onset of the hard X-ray outburst, GRO J1655-40 was observed twice by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995 April 25 and 27, with the aim of detecting faint optical emission from ejected plasmoids. Despite the similarity of the hard X-ray emission in 1995 April with previous events in 1994, no radio or optical emission from GRO J1655-40 related to plasmoids was detected. We conclude that GRO J1655-40 is subject to complex behavior showing radio-loud hard X-ray outbursts with strong radio emission (of flux fr 100 mJy), both from a "core" source and from propagating plasmoids (as those in 1994), and radio-quiet hard X-ray outbursts with no detectable radio emission and plasmoid activity (fr 0.5 mJy) (as those in 1995). Our results can constrain models of particle acceleration and radiation of relativistic plasmoids.
Amazon as a Seller of Marketplace Goods Under Article 2

You have probably purchased goods on Amazon. Did you know that if the goods you purchased on Amazon turn out to be defective and cause serious personal injury, Amazon is probably not liable for them? Did you know that even though you placed an order on Amazon, gave payment to Amazon, and received the goods in an Amazon box, there is a good chance that the goods are not “sold by” Amazon—but are instead sold by a third party seller? Did you know that Amazon tries to avoid liability for goods sold on its platform on the technicality that it does not hold “title” to third party vendor goods, even though it promotes those goods online using Amazon branding, warehouses those goods in Amazon facilities, and delivers those goods in Amazon trucks? And did you know that the reason Amazon does not have title to those goods is because it unilaterally sets the title terms in its 68-page contract with third party sellers? In this Article, I look at Amazon’s liability as a “seller” of unmerchantable goods under Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code. Thus far, litigants and courts have almost exclusively focused on Amazon’s liability in tort. I argue that there is a compelling argument that Amazon is liable for defective third party goods because it is a merchant seller under § 2-314 of the Uniform Commercial Code. The biggest stumbling block to recovery under Article 2 is Amazon’s title argument. I deconstruct the title argument in detail, positing that Article 2 may not require the seller to hold title to ground liability, and even if it does, it is not clear that Amazon does not have title to third party goods in its possession. I also look specifically at a completely under-the-radar provision that should have a huge impact on Amazon’s title defense: the commingling clause in its Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement. I maintain that this clause seriously undermines Amazon’s title argument and opens the door to Article 2 liability. This could be a game-changer in terms of future litigation. I also broaden the lens beyond title to argue that Amazon casts itself in the role of seller with respect to all transactions on its platform. It does everything it can to convince buyers that they are purchasing from Amazon, not through Amazon. This is deliberately designed to capitalize on the trust that buyers place in the Amazon brand. Based on its degree of control over sales transactions and its efforts to hide the identity of the supposed “true seller,” Amazon should be equitably estopped from arguing that it is not a seller of third party goods sold on its website.
A Delphi technique study to understand nurses' knowledge and concerns regarding surgical smoke

Abstract Background Surgical smoke (SS) occurs when heat-generating devices are used to cut and coagulate tissue and is an occupational health hazard about which leaders and legislators need to be informed. The purpose of this study was to determine expert consensus in relation to perioperative nurses’ (as a first group of operating room [OR] professionals) exposure to SS, mitigation practices, and health concerns from exposure in the United States. Methods A two-round Delphi technique study via e-mail correspondence was conducted surveying perioperative nurses from a national nursing association. Perioperative nursing experts were queried with open-ended questions during Round 1. Round 2 consisted of surveying a larger sample of perioperative nurses about issues identified in Round 1. Results Consensus was reached by perioperative nurses that surgical smoke exposure was a major concern in their work environment. Nurses were concerned with their personal long-term health risks, as well as their surgical team members’ health. Conclusions Evacuation devices for surgical smoke are readily available but not always used, which may put the health of surgical team members at risk, which many fear. Further research and education on using smoke evacuation devices and the health risks of SS may provide an opportunity for increased usage.
Releasing Work’s Hostages

Speaking of the "emerging British underclass" in the late 1980s, Charles Murray declared that "Britain has a growing population ofworkingaged, healthy people who live in a different world from other Britons, who are raising their children to live in it, and whose values are now contaminating the life of entire neighborhoods." In one sense, this statement embodies the exportation of American-style discourse on poverty. But in another, this statement is a rehearsal of underclass stereotypes that industrialized societies have contained throughout their histories.2 These stereotypes claim to describe the "world" occupied by many poor people through reference to a series of 'dysfunctions': childbearing outside of the marriage relation, a resistance to or ambivalence towards marriage as such, dependency on government support, criminality, and a resistance to work, or, a failure of the 'work ethic.' Murray's work has been an aggressive and unapologetic defense of 'basic American values' like marriage, hard work, individualism, and the nuclear family; his ideological position has been quite clear. That of the left, on the other hand, has lacked a level of coherency which could lead to what could be called an effective anti-poverty politics. I think this has been related to a hesitancy about the lives many poor people lead; in other words,
PCR Random Mutagenesis of draTG from Rhodospirillum rubrum and the Characterization of Some Mutants That Have Altered the Regulation of DRAT and DRAG Activities

In response to changes in energy or nitrogen status, dinitrogenase reductase in Rhodospirillum rubrum is reversibly regulated by the ADP-ribosylation, catalyzed by dinitrogenase reductase ADP-ribosyl transferase (referred as DRAT) and dinitrogenase reductase activating glycohydrolase (referred as DRAG). Through biochemical and genetic analysis, it has become clear that both DRAT and DRAG activities themselves are subject to the posttranslational regulation. Under nitrogen-fixing conditions, DRAG is active and DRAT is completely inactive, which results in active nitrogenase. Upon the addition of fixed nitrogen or shifts of cells from light to dark, DRAG becomes inactive and DRAT becomes active, resulting in the ADP-ribosylation of dinitrogenase reductase. After a short time, a steady-state is reached in which both DRAT and DRAG are inactive. Exhaustion of the nitrogen source or the restoration of energy causes the reactivation of DRAG, thus rapidly removes the ADP-ribose and completely reactivates the nitrogenase activity. Despite a number of efforts, no small molecules or proteins have been identified as a direct effector for this regulation.
Multiple Service Classes for Rate Adaptive Streams

Our previous work [19–21] investigated optimal support of rate adaptive multimedia streams. In particular, we identified the optimal distribution of network bandwidth among competing streams, i.e., the optimal adaptation policy, which maximized our Quality of Service (QoS) metric, defined as the client average normalized time-average subscription level. The optimal adaptation policy (for a single link) was identified as granting the maximum subscription level to as many small volume streams as possible and granting the minimum subscription level to the remaining large volume streams, where stream volume is the product of the stream duration and the maximum subscription level, i.e., the number of bits associated with the stream at its finest resolution encoding. This type of volume discrimination may prove unsatisfactory to clients of large volume streams with heterogeneous QoS requirements.
Effects of Magnetic Fields on Martensite Transformations and Mechanical Properties of Steels at Low Temperatures

Most existing or planned high field superconducting magnets use austenitic stainless steels for the magnet structure because these materials are available, paramagnetic, and tough at 4K. Many common austenitic (γ-phase) stainless steels are, however, structurally metastable at 4K. They prefer the bcc (α-phase),and will undergo spontaneous martensite transformations under appropriate conditions. Metastable austenite also appears in other classes of cryogenic structural steel. Some of the promising new high-Mn steels are metastable with respect to the indirect transformation γ→e→α ,where e-martensite is a hexagonal phase. Ferritic steels are commonly toughened for low temperature service by the precipitation of metastable austenite within the ferritic matrix. The martensite transformation is promoted both by high magnetic fields [1] and mechanical loads [2] in ways which are imperfectly understood, but which may affect structural performance or reliability in the high stress, high field regions of the large and powerful superconducting magnets now being developed. This paper briefly reviews the combined effects of magnetic fields and mechanical loading on this transformation, reports two initial experiments with a pulsed magnetic field, and describes a new testing facility which has been established to measure cryogenic mechanical properties in steady 8T magnetic fields.
The Chapman Dialogues: Same Sex Marriage - Response to Professor Eskridge

This essay, a revision of remarks originally delivered as part of the Chapman Dialogues series at Chapman University School of Law, is a response to the remarks of Professor William Eskridge of Yale Law School making the case for the recognition of a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. The essay argues that the judicial establishment of a right in the face of deeply entrenched social norms, prior to the time at which the political groundwork necessary for the enforcement of the right has been laid, risks a powerful and ultimately counterproductive backlash.
OVERFLOW Analysis of the DLR-F11 High-Lift Configuration Including Transition Modeling

The OVERFLOW Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes solver has been used to predict the aerodynamic characteristics of the DLR-F11 high-lift configuration for the conditions prescribed for the second AIAA Computational Fluid Dynamics High-Lift Prediction Workshop. A grid-convergence study is performed for the geometry with the slat and flap brackets excluded. The influence of including the brackets in the computational geometry is considered, and the effects of varying Reynolds number are analyzed for the brackets-on configuration. An optional case for the workshop, but a focus of this paper, is the inclusion of laminar–turbulent transition in the solutions. Two computational-fluid-dynamics-compatible transition models are used for the analysis, and their behaviors are discussed. A turbulence-model-verification study, which was also an optional case for the workshop, is included.