cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Childhood Sunscreen Use: Factors Affecting Cost-Effectiveness

Based on epidemiological data, a mathematical model predicted that a 78% reduction in lifetime risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer could be achieved if sunscreens that block 90% of ultraviolet-B radiation were used during the first 18 years of life. In spite of the effectiveness of this preventive health measure, the cost-effectiveness of this strategy is not clear. If a five percent discount rate is used, the cost per tumor prevented is approximately $10,000. This cost is far higher than the present cost of treating such tumors. Lower discount rates substantially improve the cost-effectiveness of this intervention and higher discount rates substantially lessen the intervention's cost-effectiveness.The benefits of childhood sunscreen use are not confined to the reduction in risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer. Other benefits that should be considered in evaluating this therapy's cost-effectiveness include reduction in sunburn risk and retardation of photoaging. Given the relatively low absolute cost of this inter...
CGR2 and CGR3 have critical overlapping roles in pectin methylesterification and plant growth in Arabidopsis thaliana

SUMMARY Pectins are critical polysaccharides of the cell wall that are involved in key aspects of a plant’s life, including cell-wall stiffness, cell-to-cell adhesion, and mechanical strength. Pectins undergo methylesterification, which affects their cellular roles. Pectin methyltransferases are believed to methylesterify pectins in the Golgi, but little is known about their identity. To date, there is only circumstantial evidence to support a role for QUASIMODO2 (QUA2)-like proteins and an unrelated plant-specific protein, cotton Golgi-related 3 (CGR3), in pectin methylesterification. To add to the knowledge of pectin biosynthesis, here we characterized a close homolog of CGR3, named CGR2, and evaluated the effect of loss-of-function mutants and over-expression lines of CGR2 and CGR3 in planta. Our results show that, similar to CGR3, CGR2 is a Golgi protein whose enzyme active site is located in the Golgi lumen where pectin methylesterification occurs. Through phenotypical analyses, we also established that simultaneous loss of CGR2 and CGR3 causes severe defects in plant growth and development, supporting critical but overlapping functional roles of these proteins. Qualitative and quantitative cell-wall analytical assays of the double knockout mutant demonstrated reduced levels of pectin methylesterification, coupled with decreased microsomal pectin methyltransferase activity. Conversely, CGR2 and CGR3 over-expression lines have markedly opposite phenotypes to the double knockout mutant, with increased cell-wall methylesterification levels and microsomal pectin methyltransferase activity. Based on these findings, we propose that CGR2 and CGR3 are critical proteins in plant growth and development that act redundantly in pectin methylesterification in the Golgi apparatus.
The Nature and Future of Econophysics

In discussing the nature of econophysics, a primary issue must be to understand what it is. This is a rather complicated matter, but attempts at definition have been made. As the neologizers of the term,1 Rosario Mantegna and H. Eugene Stanley have a distinct authority in this matter. They have proposed the following to define “the multidisciplinary field of econophysics ...[as] a neologism that denotes the activities of physicists who are working on economics problems to test a variety of new conceptual approaches deriving from the physical sciences” ([2] pp. viii–ix).
Development of gel permeation chromatography for polymer characterization. I. Operational variables

The effects of operational variables on calibration of GPC are reported. Variables examined include (1) temperature and solvent changes, (2) sample concentration, (3) injection time, and (4) flow rate. Each of these variables significantly affected molecular weight averages calculated from GPC data. The causes and methods of minimizing the effects produced by the individual variables are discussed.
Testing contractibility in planar rips complexes

The (Vietoris-)Rips complex of a discrete point-set P is an abstract simplicial complex in which a subset of P defines a simplex if and only if the diameter of that subset is at most 1. We describe an efficient algorithm to determine whether a given cycle in a planar Rips complex is contractible. Our algorithm requires O(m log n) time to preprocess a set of n points in the plane in which m pairs have distance at most 1; after preprocessing, deciding whether a cycle of k Rips edges is contractible requires O(k) time. We also describe an algorithm to compute the shortest non-contractible cycle in a planar Rips complex in O(n2log n + mn) time.
IMPROVING TRAFFIC SAFETY: CONCEPTUAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL ACTION

Abstract Introduction In the early stages of motorization, it did not take rigorous scientific research to achieve major improvements in traffic safety. Instead, early traffic-safety countermeasures were often based exclusively on common sense. Since then, scientific research has gradually increased in importance as the basis for developing successful interventions. This shift was not made by choice but mostly by necessity: Many of the “easy” problems have already been addressed, and the remaining problems are generally too complex for an approach based solely on common sense. Fortunately, our understanding of the complexities involved in traffic safety has recently made major gains, and common sense can now be supplemented, to some degree, by valid technical analysis. Approach This article discusses major conceptual issues that should be considered in guiding the future development of effective, science-based traffic-safety countermeasures. Impact on industry After briefly discussing the conceptual issues, the article offers a list of implications for action.
Tumor necrosis factor‐α treatment of HepG2 cells mobilizes a cytoplasmic pool of ERp57/1,25D3‐MARRS to the nucleus

ERp57/PDIA3/1,25-MARRS has diverse functions and multiple cellular locations in various cell types. While classically described as an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident protein, ERp57 has a nuclear location sequence (NLS) and can enter the nucleus from the cytosol to alter transcription of target genes. Dysregulation and variable expression of ERp57 is associated with a variety of cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We investigated the dynamic mobility of ERp57 in an HCC cell line, HepG2, to better understand the movement and function of the non-ER resident pool of ERp57. Subcellular fractionation indicated ERp57 is highly expressed in the ER with a smaller cytoplasmic pool in HepG2 cells. Utilizing an ERp57 green fluorescent protein fusion construct created with and without a secretory signal sequence, we found that cytoplasmic ERp57 translocated to the nucleus within 15 min after tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) treatment. Protein kinase C activators including 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and phorbol myristate acetate did not trigger nuclear translocation of ERp57, indicating translocation is PKC independent. To determine if an interaction between the rel homology binding domain in ERp57 and the nuclear factor-kB subunit, p65, occurred after TNF-a treatment and could account for nuclear movement, co-immunoprecipitation was performed under control and conditions that stabilized labile disulfide bonds. No support for a functional interaction between p65 and ERp57 after TNF-a treatment was found in either case. Immunostaining for both ERp57-GFP and p65 after TNF-a treatment indicated that nuclear translocation of these two proteins occurs independently in HepG2 cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 112: 2606–2615, 2011. 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Run-length variability of two-stage multiple comparisons with the best for steady-state simulations and its implications for choosing first-stage run lengths

We analyze the asymptotic behavior of two-stage procedures for multiple comparisons with the best (MCB) for comparing the steady-state means of alternative systems using simulation. The two procedures we consider differ in how they estimate the variance parameters of the alternatives in the first stage. One procedure uses a consistent estimator, and the other employs an estimator based on one of Schruben?s standardized time series (STS) methods. While both methods lead to mean total run lengths that are of the same asymptotic order of magnitude, the limiting variability of the run lengths is strictly smaller for the method based on a consistent variance estimator. We also provide some analysis showing how to choose the first-stage run length.
Improving accuracy of cell and chromophore concentration measurements using optical density

Background: UV–vis spectrophotometric optical density (OD) is the most commonly-used technique for estimating chromophore formation and cell concentration in liquid culture. OD wavelength is often chosen with little thought given to its effect on the quality of the measurement. Analysis of the contributions of absorption and scattering to the measured optical density provides a basis for understanding variability among spectrophotometers and enables a quantitative evaluation of the applicability of the Beer-Lambert law. This provides a rational approach for improving the accuracy of OD measurements used as a proxy for direct dry weight (DW), cell count, and pigment levels. Results: For pigmented organisms, the choice of OD wavelength presents a tradeoff between the robustness and the sensitivity of the measurement. The OD at a robust wavelength is primarily the result of light scattering and does not vary with culture conditions; whereas, the OD at a sensitive wavelength is additionally dependent on light absorption by the organism’s pigments. Suitably robust and sensitive wavelengths are identified for a wide range of organisms by comparing their spectra to the true absorption spectra of dyes. The relative scattering contribution can be reduced either by measurement at higher OD, or by the addition of bovine serum albumin. Reduction of scattering or correlation with off-peak light attenuation provides for more accurate assessment of chromophore levels within cells. Conversion factors between DW, OD, and colony-forming unit density are tabulated for 17 diverse organisms to illustrate the scope of variability of these correlations. Finally, an inexpensive short pathlength LED-based flow cell is demonstrated for the online monitoring of growth in a bioreactor at culture concentrations greater than 5 grams dry weight per liter which would otherwise require off-line dilutions to obtain non-saturated OD measurements. Conclusions: OD is most accurate as a time-saving proxy measurement for biomass concentration when light attenuation is dominated by scattering. However, the applicability of OD-based correlations is highly dependent on the measurement specifications (spectrophotometer model and wavelength) and culture conditions (media type; growth stage; culture stress; cell/colony geometry; presence and concentration of secreted compounds). These variations highlight the importance of treating literature conversion factors as rough approximations as opposed to concrete constants. There is an opportunity to optimize measurements of cell pigment levels by considering scattering and absorption-dependent wavelengths of the OD spectrum.
Best practice guidelines for the molecular genetic diagnosis of Type 1 (HFE-related) hereditary haemochromatosis

Background: Hereditary haemochromatosis (HH) is a recessively-inherited disorder of iron over-absorption prevalent in Caucasian populations. Affected individuals for Type 1 HH are usually either homozygous for a cysteine to tyrosine amino acid substitution at position 282 (C282Y) of the HFE gene, or compound heterozygotes for C282Y and for a histidine to aspartic acid change at position 63 (H63D). Molecular genetic testing for these two mutations has become widespread in recent years. With diverse testing methods and reporting practices in use, there was a clear need for agreed guidelines for haemochromatosis genetic testing. The UK Clinical Molecular Genetics Society has elaborated a consensus process for the development of disease-specific best practice guidelines for genetic testing. Methods: A survey of current practice in the molecular diagnosis of haemochromatosis was conducted. Based on the results of this survey, draft guidelines were prepared using the template developed by UK Clinical Molecular Genetics Society. A workshop was held to develop the draft into a consensus document. The consensus document was then posted on the Clinical Molecular Genetics Society website for broader consultation and amendment. Results: Consensus or near-consensus was achieved on all points in the draft guidelines. The consensus and consultation processes worked well, and outstanding issues were documented in an appendix to the guidelines. Conclusion: An agreed set of best practice guidelines were developed for diagnostic, predictive and carrier testing for hereditary haemochromatosis and for reporting the results of such testing.
Comparative Susceptibilities of Diamondback Moth (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) and Cabbage Looper (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from Minnesota and South Texas to λ-Cyhalothrin and Indoxacarb

The susceptibility of early instars of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), and early (first and second) and late instars (third and fourth) of cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hubner), from Minnesota and south Texas, to indoxacarb and λ-cyhalothrin was determined in the laboratory. Susceptibilities of the two species from the two geographical locations to indoxacarb and λ-cyhalothrin varied greatly. P. xylostella from Minnesota was as susceptible to indoxacarb as those from south Texas, whereas both early and late instar T. ni from south Texas were significantly more tolerant to indoxacarb than those from Minnesota. The LC50 values of indoxacarb for early and later instar T. ni at 48 h from south Texas were 4.3- and 34.0-fold greater than those from Minnesota, respectively. Similarly, early instar P. xylostella and late instar T. ni from south Texas were significantly less susceptible to λ-cyhalothrin than those from Minnesota. Percentage mortality of the two insect species caused by the two insecticides varied with time of exposure and generally exhibited similar patterns of responses to different concentrations for each insecticide.
Bacterial Colonization of Implants: Biofilms and Urinary Catheters

The development and use of biomaterials is one of the most important advances of modern medicine. The replacement of diseased or damaged body parts by artificial implants, e.g., joint or vascular prostheses, has restored the health of enormous numbers of individuals. Many more temporary devices, e.g., urinary catheters, intravascular catheters, endotrachael tubes, are inserted into patients for various lengths of time. A numbers of materials are used for such devices, including titanium alloy, cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy, and organic polymers (e.g., polytetrafluoroethylenes, polyethylene) (Dickinson and Bisno, 1989), and all of these can serve as substrata for bacterial biofilms. If bacteria reach these surfaces in vivo, either through the blood stream, via a conduit to the outside of the body (e.g., as with a catheter), or by original contamination of the device, then attachment to the surface and biofilm development can occur. Indeed, the major complication of use of implants and prosthetic devices is bacterial infection (Dickinson and Bisno, 1989).
Geostatistical Modeling and Mapping of Sediment Contaminant Concentrations

This paper demonstrates the application of geostatistical modeling techniques to the quantification of Aroclors and heavy metals in Hudson and Duwamish river sediments, respectively. The objective was to compare models and modeling parameters between contaminants and sites, as well as to investigate a modeling modification that may accomodate curved river segments. Gaussian, exponential and spherical variograms were used to model micro-scale spatial correlations, and ordinary kriging and simple kriging were used as interpolation techniques. The major macro -anisotropy direction paralleled the river flow at both sites. The macro-anisotropy ratio was comparable between Aroclors, but varied between the metals. Comparable results for Aroclors could be due to similar physico - chemical properties governing fate and transport processes. Generally, spherical and exponential variograms fitted the data better than Gaussian variograms at both sites. With the exception of comparable micro-anisotropy parameters between the Aroclors, variogram parameters varied between contaminants and sites. Subdividing curved river segments and modeling the reaches separately did not improve predictions. Expanding the study to other types of water bodies and research into the use of co -kriging promises further insights.
Phylogenetic relationships of cantharelloid and clavarioid Homobasidiomycetes based on mitochondrial and nuclear rDNA sequences

Sequence data from mitochondrial and nuclear small subunit rDNA were used to estimate phylogenetic relationships of cantharelloid and cla- varioid Homobasidiomycetes. Sixty-five diverse Homobasidiomycete species were investigated, in- cluding 23 cantharelloid and clavarioid species. Al- though nodes deep in the tree could not be resolved, four lineages containing cantharelloid and clavarioid fungi were identified. (i) Cantharellaceae (Canthar- ellus, Craterellus) is closely related to Hydnum, which is toothed, Stichoclavaria, which is a simple club, and Clavulina, which is coralloid. These taxa all have stichic nuclear division, which is a synapomorphy supporting this clade. (ii) Clavariadelphus is closely related to Gomphus and Ramaria. This relationship is supported by green reactions of sporocarps treated with iron salts, which is reflective of the presence of the compound pistillarin. The nearest relatives of these cantharelloid and clavarioid fungi are gastero- mycetes, including the earth star Geastrum, the stink- horn Pseudocolus, and the "cannon-ball fungus" Sphaerobolus. (iii) The clavarioid fungi Clavaria, Cla- vulinopsis, Pterula, and Typhula appear to be derived from the lineage that contains most of the gilled fun- gi. (iv) Clavicorona is closely related to Auriscalpium, which is toothed, and Lentinellus, which is gilled. This lineage is united by amyloid spore ornamenta- tion. Although these results suggest that there has been extensive convergence in fruiting body mor- phology, certain anatomical and biochemical features appear to be phylogenetically informative, notably stichic nuclear division, presence of pistillarin, and cyanophily or amyloidity of spore ornamentation.
Radial localization of toroidicity-induced Alfvén eigenmodes.

Linear gyrokinetic simulation of fusion plasmas finds a radial localization of the toroidal Alfven eigenmodes (TAEs) due to the nonperturbative energetic particle (EP) contribution. The EP-driven TAE has a radial mode width much smaller than that predicted by the magnetohydrodynamic theory. The TAE radial position stays around the strongest EP pressure gradients when the EP profile evolves. The nonperturbative EP contribution is also the main cause for the breaking of the radial symmetry of the ballooning mode structure and for the dependence of the TAE frequency on the toroidal mode number. These phenomena are beyond the picture of the conventional magnetohydrodynamic theory.
Heart transplantation: no longer an experiment.

In this article, DeBakey reflected on the history of cardiac transplant efforts, noting how knowledge had improved and how obstacles were overcome.
Prevention of unplanned pregnancy in U.S. women. Current status.

There is an inexplicably and unjustifiably high rate of unplanned pregnancy in the United States despite the widespread availability of highly effective and safe methods of birth control.
Role of Radiation Therapy in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell cancer is an increasingly common tumor involving mostly adults. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice and recently surgical innovation has resulted in excellent outcomes for nephron sparing surgery. Energy based ablative procedures are being increasingly explored as an alternative to surgery to minimize morbidity. Radiation therapy has had relatively little role in the management of patients with renal cell cancer. Advances in the imaging, treatment planning and treatment delivery has made radiation treatments safer now than ever before. In advanced renal cell cancer, radiation therapy can play a role in the management of extensive disease in patient’s with poor overall condition, adjuvant to surgical or other ablative procedures and in patients with metastatic disease.
The use of bone scanning for the diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal trauma.

Bone scanning provides a unique way of monitoring early metabolic changes in bone and its adjacent soft tissues after trauma. Dynamic imaging along with static imaging can be used to evaluate fracture healing and to predict delayed union and nonunion; thus, bone scanning is becoming an increasingly useful adjunctive procedure for diagnosing and managing musculoskeletal trauma.
SU-F-T-423: Automating Treatment Planning for Cervical Cancer in Low- and Middle- Income Countries

Purpose: To develop and test two independent algorithms that automatically create the photon treatment fields for a four-field box beam arrangement, a common treatment technique for cervical cancer in low- and middle-income countries. Methods: Two algorithms were developed and integrated into Eclipse using its Advanced Programming Interface:3D Method: We automatically segment bony anatomy on CT using an in-house multi-atlas contouring tool and project the structures into the beam's-eye-view. We identify anatomical landmarks on the projections to define the field apertures. 2D Method: We generate DRRs for all four beams. An atlas of DRRs for six standard patients with corresponding field apertures are deformably registered to the test patient DRRs. The set of deformed atlas apertures are fitted to an expected shape to define the final apertures. Both algorithms were tested on 39 patient CTs, and the resulting treatment fields were scored by a radiation oncologist. We also investigated the feasibility of using one algorithm as an independent check of the other algorithm. Results: 96% of the 3D-Method-generated fields and 79% of the 2D-method-generated fields were scored acceptable for treatment (“Per Protocol” or “Acceptable Variation”). The 3D Method generated more fields scored “Per Protocol” than the 2D Method (62% versus 17%). The 4% of the 3D-Method-generated fields that were scored “Unacceptable Deviation” were all due to an improper L5 vertebra contour resulting in an unacceptable superior jaw position. When these same patients were planned with the 2D method, the superior jaw was acceptable, suggesting that the 2D method can be used to independently check the 3D method. Conclusion: Our results show that our 3D Method is feasible for automatically generating cervical treatment fields. Furthermore, the 2D Method can serve as an automatic, independent check of the automatically-generated treatment fields. These algorithms will be implemented for fully automated cervical treatment planning.
Court–President Clashes: The Cases of Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton

Over the course of U.S. history, there have been a number of significant clashes between presidents and Courts. Three of the most important were the challenges posed by the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and William Jefferson Clinton. Although each poses a different set of circumstances and issues, each is an exemplar of how interactions between the president and the judiciary have shaped these presidencies. Most of the cases mentioned in this chapter are reprinted in the chapters to come. We offer these three accounts to provide an instructive narrative underscoring the interplay of law, politics, and interbranch jockeying.
Assessing the Potential Cost-Effectiveness of Microneedle Patches in Childhood Measles Vaccination Programs: The Case for Further Research and Development

Objective Currently available measles vaccines are administered by subcutaneous injections and require reconstitution with a diluent and a cold chain, which is resource intensive and challenging to maintain. To overcome these challenges and potentially increase vaccination coverage, microneedle patches are being developed to deliver the measles vaccine. This study compares the cost-effectiveness of using microneedle patches with traditional vaccine delivery by syringe-and-needle (subcutaneous vaccination) in children’s measles vaccination programs.
Journalism after Trump

The 2016 presidential election has precipitated a significant crisis in the world of journalism, prompting journalists and media critics to consider the shifts that have taken place in the media ecosystem. Journalists have had to narrate their sense of failure in order to understand it, and to integrate it within their larger worldview and their normative professional commitments. They have had to think about why they failed to see the Alt-Right as an independent and alternative public sphere. They have had to think about how the new media environment has challenged the taken-for-granted epistemological privileges of traditional journalism. They have had to confront the rise of populist discourse, and consider how it challenges journalists’ authority by equating them with elites. In their self-reflection after the election, journalists have sought to update the sacred discourse of journalism and to justify their central position in a democratic society. In order to do this, they have mobilized around a new battle narrative, which foregrounds the collective memory of Watergate and encourages a reconsideration of alliances that might be formed with new media.
From Structural Analysis to Pragmatic Action: The Meso-level Modifiable Social Determinants of HIV Vulnerability for Labor Migrants

Despite current enthusiasm for biomedical approaches to HIV prevention, many populations at heightened risk have limited access to preventive health services of any kind. This situation is particularly true for labor migrants. This chapter reviews the factors that produce HIV vulnerability for migrant populations, in all their diversity, and develop further the notion of the meso-level as the focus of structural analysis and collective action. It does this via brief case studies focused on labor migrants from three countries from distinct geographic and sociocultural regions of the world, including Mexico, Nigeria, and Vietnam, which examine the ways in which policies including those related to mobility, access to housing, labor rights, and access to health care could be modified to enhance the HIV vulnerability-producing circumstances in which many migrants live and work. These case studies illustrate that the inequalities faced by migrants reside not in one policy but in many, and thus offer multiple strategies to addressing these inequalities. Thus, intervening on meso-level policies that are specific, modifiable, and shape HIV vulnerability offers a concrete and promising structural approach to HIV prevention.
Electrochemical polarization and impedance of reinforced concrete and hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete under cracked matrix conditions

Abstract In this paper, we investigate the influence of cementitious matrix cracking on the electrochemical polarization and impedance behaviors of corroding reinforced concrete and crack-resistant reinforced hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete (HyFRC). Samples were exposed to a chloride environment for 2.5 years while in either a continuous tensile stress state or in a nonloaded condition, and were periodically monitored for Tafel polarization responses. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was additionally performed at the conclusion of the test program. Greater severity of corrosion-induced matrix splitting cracks along the length of embedded steel reinforcing bars and subsequent formation of anodic surfaces were found to affect several electrochemical parameters, including increase of the corrosion current and decrease of the ohmic resistance of concrete. Cathodic and anodic Tafel coefficients and Stern-Geary coefficients for passive and active samples are also reported, highlighted by a Stern-Geary coefficient of B = 28.1 mV for active corrosion.
The ASGE grading system for ERCP can predict success and complication rates in a tertiary referral hospital.

The utility of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) grading scale assessing complexity of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has not been evaluated in clinical practice. Patients that underwent ERCP between January 2015 and December 2015 were included. Procedural difficulty was graded according to the grading system proposed by the ASGE workshop. Technical success rates and complications were recorded. A total of 1355 ERCPs were performed on 934 patients. Patients were equally divided with respect to gender and had a mean age of 58 years (range 29–86). 391 cases were grade 1, 2 (29%), 695 were grade 3 (51%), and 269 were grade 4 (20%). Altered anatomy was observed in 88% of grade 4 patients. Cannulation was achieved in 98% of cases graded 1–3 and in 88% of cases graded 4 (p < 0.05). Complications were recorded in 10% of all cases with post-ERCP pancreatitis (5.4%) and procedure-related bleeding (1.5%) being the more common ones. No statistically significant difference was noted between the groups with regard to complications. Three perforations were seen in grade 1–3 cases (0.3%) compared to 4 cases in grade 4 cases (1.5%), (p = 0.01). The grading system proposed by the ASGE workshop can aid in predicting cannulation success and perforation rates in ERCP. Based on this retrospective study, the most complex ERCP procedures can be achieved with encouraging rates of success. There is a need to validate our study with prospective ones performed in other high-volume centers.
Caves, Collections, Classics: Displacement in Wilhelm Raabe’s Das Odfeld

This essay uses Raabe’s novel to explore the relations between the cultural discourses of Altertumskunde and Altertumswissenschaft and the roles they played in the formation of German identity, bot...
The Administration of Consent: An Exploration of How Consent Education is Understood and Implemented at a Small Private University

In recent years, sexual consent has become a central element in both the prevention and the resolution of sexual assault on American college campuses. Due to these developments, sexual consent has become a catchall term that appears in multiple programs from freshman orientations to student organization events, from human resources meetings to sexual assault investigations. While the word is omnipresent, its meaning remains ambiguous to many. To understand the root of this ambiguity, we use qualitative interviews and observations to investigate how administrators, educators, and staff of a small private university understand and implement consent education. From our analysis, we find that administrators, faculty and staff hold a great deal of influence in shaping the culture of consent. However, in the process of translating concept into practice, this influence, far from delivering a coherent and well-developed educational platform, splinters into a multiplicity of often contradictory messages. Ultimately, this leaves students and the community at large to draw from individual pre-existing understandings of gender and sexuality to form their own definitions or seek answers from campus community members who are trusted or aligned in worldviews.
Use of immunotherapy and surgery for stage IV melanoma

Background Immunotherapy for stage IV melanoma has dramatically changed the overall prognosis and treatment strategies. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether changes in systemic immunotherapy options have significantly altered surgical resection rates for patients with stage IV melanoma. Methods The National Cancer Database (2004-2015) was used to perform a difference-in-difference analysis to evaluate whether the rate of surgical resection of metastatic disease for stage IV melanoma differed with the use of immunotherapy in the checkpoint inhibitor era in comparison with the use of immunotherapy in the pre-checkpoint inhibitor era. An adjusted difference-in-difference analysis stratified by facility type was performed. An adjusted Poisson regression analysis evaluated predictors of surgical resection in patients with stage IV melanoma who received immunotherapy. Results There were 14,433 patients with stage IV melanoma (median age, 66 years [interquartile range, 56-76 years]; female, 31.7%), and of all patients in the checkpoint inhibitor era (n = 7,524), 25% (n = 1,879) received immunotherapy. Patients with stage IV disease who received immunotherapy in the checkpoint inhibitor era were more likely to be younger, be healthier, have private insurance, come from upper income quartiles, and be treated at academic programs. A difference-in-difference analysis revealed similar rates of surgical resection of metastatic disease with the use of immunotherapy in the checkpoint inhibitor era and the pre-checkpoint inhibitor era, regardless of facility type. Conclusions The distribution of immunotherapy was unequal among patients with stage IV melanoma. Across all facilities, the rates of surgical resection of metastatic disease for stage IV melanoma did not differ with the use of immunotherapy between the checkpoint inhibitor era and the pre-checkpoint inhibitor era.
Systematic CHAAOS: Teaching Vocabulary in English/Language Arts Special Education Classes in Middle School:

In this multi-year study, we taught English/Language Arts teachers of students with learning disabilities in middle school to incorporate 15 min of daily vocabulary activities with students in their intact special education English/Language Arts classes. During Year 1, teachers taught 48 words to their sixth grade students, who learned and retained the words significantly better than the students in business-as-usual (BAU) control classes. In the current study, we report the second year results, as the sixth grade students entered seventh grade. Students (n = 42) in treatment classes again learned 48 new vocabulary words significantly better than similar students in BAU (n = 21) special education classes. In seventh grade, students also outperformed BAU students on maintenance of these age-appropriate words (p < .001) and on a standardized measure of vocabulary (p = .04).
Pushing the Envelope in Obstetric Care: A Case Report of Cesarean Delivery in a Parturient with a BMI >100 kg m-2.

An increasing number of women with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 60 kg m-2, referred to as super-super obesity, are requiring anesthetic care for labor and delivery. Management of these patients presents obstetric, anesthetic, and logistical challenges. We report our experience in the management of cesarean delivery in a parturient with a BMI of 112 kg m-2. Use of epidural anesthesia and performance of a supraumbilical transverse surgical incision with caudal placement of the panniculus resulted in optimal hemodynamic and ventilatory parameters. Effective multidisciplinary planning and communication is key. We present this case to highlight decision-making strategies and elucidate our approach in the management of this complex obstetric case.
EMPOWERING CARE’S EFFECTIVENESS FROM HIGH SCHOOL MATH TO COLLEGE ENGLISH

Building upon the prior success of a rookie high school math teacher, a veteran English professor also successfully implemented empowering care at a private university in that same urban setting in Southern California. The aforementioned empowering care that contributed to better student learning as measured by district wide tests at the high school level now demonstrated pedagogical success as assessed by student evaluations in the university setting. The purpose of this paper, chronicled from a practitioner’s point of view, examines how teacher beliefs that “all students are capable of learning,” operationalized concretely in terms of empowering care, enabled students to achieve impressive academic performances on the aforementioned measures in their respective settings over two consecutive school years (D. Walker & S. Walker, 2019). ***In this paper, Sunnyside High School, Inland Empire University (IEU) and Desert Valley, California will serve as pseudonyms to maintain the anonymity of the high school, university, district and city. Ms. Jasmine Espinoza and Dr. J. D. Hyde will represent the pseudonyms for the teacher-participants who taught the classes examined in this study.
Homing tactics of Weddell seals in the Antarctic fast-ice environment

Most activities of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) occur during under-ice dives that extend hundreds to thousands of meters and require the seals to hold their breath for 15 min or more. In the fast-ice environment of Antarctica, holes in the ice where seals can surface to breathe are scarce. Consequently, seals must return to a previous breathing hole or locate a new one to avoid drowning; how they navigate underwater with such precision is not known. This study individually displaced ten seals, each fitted with an archival data logger, to unfamiliar locations and analyzed the three dimensional paths of voluntary dives to test eight predictions under four hypothesized way-finding tactics: geomagnetic sensitivity, path integration, pilotage, and hydrodynamic trail following. Analyses of dive tracks provided strong evidence that Weddell seals primarily used pilotage via visible, overhead features to return home during individual dives under ice cover. Upon release at an unfamiliar location, long-distance diving began only after a period of short-distance diving. Outbound paths of dives progressively increased in distance from home. Homeward paths were remarkably straight and oriented directly toward home, or they traveled to a frequented route then turned toward home. Seventy-five percent of the frequented routes were directly below known linear disturbances in the snow on the top of the sea ice. There was little evidence that seals used geomagnetic or hydrodynamic cues, nor that homing ability was hindered by low light levels (twilight). These results contribute to a growing body of literature indicating that animals can learn to use artificial, and sometimes ephemeral landmarks to guide their movements. How Weddell seals are able to dive during polar winter, with only starlight and moonlight to illuminate landmarks, remains unknown.
Allergic Contact Dermatitis and Concomitant Dermatologic Diseases: A Retrospective Study.

Background Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) can exist in the setting of other dermatologic conditions. It is known that the treatment of these conditions can cause ACD, increasing both diagnostic and treatment difficulty. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of common dermatologic conditions in the setting of ACD and in specific patient populations. Methods A retrospective database study was completed using Truven Health to collect information on patch-tested ACD patients. Demographics and diagnostic information were retrieved. Of those with ACD, the presence of 15 dermatologic diagnoses was investigated. Subanalyses were conducted for each condition, including International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision code specificity, demographics, and diagnostic information. Results A total of 6380 patients (76.83% female) were given a diagnosis of ACD via patch testing. Of those with concomitant disease, those most common include atopic dermatitis (23.98%), urticaria (16.69%), and acne (11.51%). Eight of the concomitant conditions were found to have statistical significance in comparing the average age of ACD diagnosis with the selected diagnoses (α = 0.05). Conclusions Common dermatologic diseases can exist concomitantly with ACD, many of which can be treated by compounds that precipitate or worsen preexisting ACD. The average age of the diagnosis varies from concomitant diagnoses, which can contribute to difficulty in ACD diagnosis and treatment.
Symbiotic HW Cache and SW DTLB Prefetching for DRAM/NVM Hybrid Memory

The introduction of NVDIMM memory devices has encouraged the use of DRAM/NVM based hybrid memory systems to increase the memory-per-core ratio in compute nodes and obtain possible energy and cost benefits. However, Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) is slower than DRAM in terms of read/write latency. This difference in performance will adversely affect memory-bound applications. Traditionally, data prefetching at the hardware level has been used to increase the number of cache hits to mitigate performance degradation. However, software (SW) prefetching has not been used effectively to reduce the effects of high memory access latencies. Also, the current cache hierarchy and hardware (HW) prefetching are not optimized for a hybrid memory system. We hypothesize that HW and SW prefetching can complement each other in placing data in caches and the Data Translation Look-aside Buffer (DTLB) prior to their references, and by doing so adaptively, highly varying access latencies in a DRAM/NVM hybrid memory system are taken into account. This work contributes an adaptive SW prefetch method based on the characterization of read/write/unroll prefetch distances for NVM and DRAM. Prefetch performance is characterized via custom benchmarks based on STREAM2 specifications in a multicore MPI runtime environment and compared to the performance of the standard SW prefetch pass in GCC. Furthermore, the effects of HW prefetching on kernels executing on hybrid memory system are evaluated. Experimental results indicate that SW prefetching targeted to populate the DTLB results in up to 26% performance improvement when symbiotically used in conjunction with HW prefetching, as opposed to only HW prefetching. Based on our findings, changes to GCC's prefetch-loop-arrays compiler pass are proposed to take advantage of DTLB prefetching in a hybrid memory system for kernels that are frequently used in HPC applications.
How Student Surveys Drive Change: Using the Data Buddies Department Report from the Computing Research Association

This panel provides examples of how faculty refine, expand, and evaluate initiatives to broaden participation in computing using the Data Buddies Survey (https://cra.org/cerp/data-buddies). The Computing Research Association administers the survey annually and prepares summary reports for over 140 member institutions. Participation is free, and the survey gathers information about students' educational experiences, confidence, attitudes, and career goals. Faculty and staff from prospective and participating institutions can benefit from the panelists' discussion of aligning department initiatives for broadening participation with data about students' experiences.
HIV-1 Vpr Induces Degradation of Nucleolar Protein CCDC137 as a Consequence of Cell Cycle Arrest

Abstract Expression of HIV-1 accessory proteins Vif and Vpr results in G2/M cell cycle arrest by hijacking the host ubiquitin-proteasome system. Vif directs cell cycle arrest by targeting protein phosphatase 2, regulatory subunit B alpha (PP2AB56) for degradation. However, the ubiquitination target(s) of Vpr that is directly responsible for G2/M arrest has remained elusive. Recently, Vpr directed degradation of nucleolar protein coiled-coil domain containing 137 (CCDC137), also known as retinoic acid resistance factor (RaRF), has been implicated as the proximal event leading to G2/M cell cycle arrest. In this study we aimed to further investigate this finding. We confirm that CCDC137 is targeted for degradation in the presence of Vpr with a requirement for the CUL4ADDB1.DCAF1 E3 ligase complex. However, degradation of CCDC137 is a general consequence, rather than a trigger, of G2/M arrest. Thus, whether induced by Vpr expression or pharmacologically via CDK1 inhibition, G2/M blockade results in degradation of CCDC137. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated depletion of CCDC137 failed to induce G2/M arrest.
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in urban stormwater: An environmental reservoir and potential interface between human and animal sources.

While wastewater has been found to harbor SARS-CoV-2, the persistence of SARSCoV-2 in stormwater and potential transmission is poorly understood. It is plausible that the virus is detectable in stormwater samples where human-originated fecal contamination may have occurred from sources like sanitary sewer overflows, leaky wastewater pipes, and non-human animal waste. Because of these potential contamination pathways, it is possible that stormwater could serve as an environmental reservoir and transmission pathway for SARS-CoV-2. The objectives of this study are: 1) determine whether the presence of SARS-CoV-2 could be detected in stormwater via RT-ddPCR (reverse transcription-digital droplet PCR); 2) quantify human-specific fecal contamination using microbial source tracking; and 3) examine whether rainfall characteristics influence virus concentrations. To accomplish these objectives, we investigated whether SARS-CoV-2 could be detected from 10 storm sewer outfalls each draining a single, dominant land use in Columbus, Xenia, and Springboro, Ohio. Of the 25 samples collected in 2020, at minimum one SARS-CoV-2 target gene (N2 [US-CDC and CN-CDC], and E) was detected in 22 samples (88%). A single significant correlation (p = 0.001), between antecedent dry period and the USCDC N2 gene, was found between target gene concentrations and rainfall characteristics. Grouped by city, two significant relationships emerged showing cities had different levels of the SARS-CoV-2 E gene. Given the differences in scale, the county-level COVID-19 confirmed cases COVID-19 rates were not significantly correlated with stormwater outfall-scale SARS-CoV-2 gene concentrations. Countywide COVID-19 data did not accurately portray neighborhood-scale confirmed COVID-19 case rates. Potential hazards may arise when human fecal contamination is present in stormwater and facilitates future investigation on the threat of viral outbreaks via surfaces waters where fecal contamination may have occurred. Future studies should investigate whether humans are able to contract SARS-CoV-2 from surface waters and the factors that may affect viral longevity and transmission.