cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Liberty, Substantive Due Process, and Personal Jurisdiction

This article defends-against numerous critics-the view that constitutional limits on personal jurisdiction arise from basic substantive due process principles. It first demonstrates the parallel historical development of personal jurisdiction and substantive due process, beginning in the antebellum era when both doctrines were viewed as stemming from foundational precepts of natural rights and justice. After the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Supreme Court slowly transformed these foundational concepts into enforceable federal law as part of the liberty guaranteed by due process. While the post-New Deal Court retreated from these limits, later Courts thereafter rekindled substantive due process doctrine.The minimum contacts standard is part of modern substantive due process. The jurisdictional contacts analysis establishes the scope of the defendant's liberty interest-if the defendant has not committed the necessary purposeful acts, the state cannot intrude upon that defendant's fundamental liberty interest in the absence of a compelling government interest. On the other hand, if the nonresident defendant has committed the purposeful acts establishing the required forum ties, the jurisdictional assertion is reasonable unless the defendant can make a compelling case that the fair play factors would render jurisdiction unreasonable. While this provides more protection for the defendant than the traditional rational basis test, it is similar to a balancing standard employed in other substantive due process cases involving analogous concerns. This substantive due process understanding of personal jurisdiction helps clarify the various articulations of the policies underlying the minimum contacts test. It also provides a cogent framework for the Court's prior jurisdictional decisions and a guide for litigants and courts to use in resolving personal jurisdiction queries.
Cell Membrane Receptors for Polypeptide Hormones: Applications to the Study of Disease States in Mice and Men

Recent studies have suggested that the first step in the action of polypeptide hormones and catecholamines is binding to surface membrane receptor sites. This interaction can be studied directly using radioactively labeled hormones and a variety of receptor preparations. With these radioreceptor assay technics, it has been possible to define structure-activity relationships and to assay plasma hormones. These studies have also been used to define alterations in the hormone receptors in disease that lead to peripheral resistance to hormonal action and to characterize the factors that regulate receptor concentrations.
Power Generation From Thermal Transpiration Based Pumping Devices

This study examines the successful development of a combustion-driven thermal transpiration-based combustor and a self-sustaining gas pump system having no moving parts and using readily storable hydrocarbon fuel. A stacked configuration was then integrated into the combustor creating a self-sustaining power generation system. In recent years, power generation devices employing hydrocarbon fuels rather than electrochemical storage as energy feedstock have been studied extensively due to the much higher energy densities of hydrocarbon fuels than the best available batteries. While many devices have been proposed including internal combustion engines and gas turbines, they all require the use of air to obtain a higher energy density so that only one reactant (fuel) need be carried. Thermal transpiration was accomplished by meeting two essential conditions: (1) gas flow in the transitional or molecular regime using glass microfiber filters as transpiration membranes and (2) a temperature gradient through the membrane using catalytic combustion downstream of the membrane. A cubic combustor was designed to house the thermal transpiration membrane and develop into a self-sustaining gas pump system. Fuel/Air would feed through an inlet into a mixing chamber that would flow into the thermal guard containing the thermal transpiration membrane. The thermal guard was developed from a high thermal conductivity stainless steel made into a cubic formation by using a 3D printing process. This configuration allowed both fuel and air to be transpired through the membrane meaning it was not possible for any reactant flow to occur as a result of the fuel supply pressure and only the membrane could draw reactants into the device.In addition to pumping, a single-chamber solid-oxide fuel cell (SC-SOFC) was incorporated into combustion driven thermal transpiration pumps to convert chemical or thermal energy into electrical energy for a self-contained portable power generation system. Experiments showed that transpiration pumps with larger porosity and larger overall size exhibited better performance, though membrane pore size had little effect. These results were quantitatively consistent with theoretical predictions. By exploiting the temperature and fuel/oxygen concentrations within the transpiration pump, the SOFC achieved a maximum power density of 40 mW/cm2. Despite being far lower than necessary for a power source to be competitive with batteries, this preliminary study signifies an on-going positive efficiency that has potential for improvement through optimizing SOFC technology.© 2014 ASME
K-6 outreach using Computer Science Unplugged

The Computer Science discipline continues to struggle with low enrollment. To reverse this trend we need to engage students in the excitement of this field as early as possible in their educational careers. To this end, a series of activities aimed towards grade school children has been developed by Tim Bell, et al. of the University of Christchurch, New Zealand. Known collectively as "Computer Science Unplugged" (csunplugged.org), these activities illustrate the fundamentals of computer science without requiring a computer or any other equipment beyond paper, pencils, cards, string, chalk, whiteboard markers, balls or similar common-place items. By eliminating the details of particular computer systems, the great ideas behind computer science can be brought into the open. These activities demonstrate some of the key concepts of computing such as data encoding, data compression, error detection, sorting, routing and deadlock, intractability, cryptography and artificial intelligence. The activities are structured to allow students to discover answers for themselves, rather than just being given solutions or algorithms to follow. These modules can be freely downloaded and have been used and refined over 15 years around the world. The activities are stand-alone modules, so they can be used independently for enrichment in curricula, or as a series. This tutorial will describe the basic philosophy of Computer Science Unplugged. We will briefly outline several of these activities and then the participants will actually perform several other activities so that they can actually engage in the active learning process. Finally, the tutorial will conclude with a summary of the presenter's experience bringing these activities into an elementary school and some of the implementation issues that arise.
Alpha-Fetoprotein and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin the Management of Testicular Tumors

AbstractAlpha-fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotropin levels were measured by radioimmunoassays in 260 patients with genitourinary diseases, including 93 patients with testicular tumors. Elevations of alpha-fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotropin were associated only with nonseminomatous germ cell testicular tumors. Our 32-month experience with serial measurements of the 2 markers in patients with these tumors shows that alpha-fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotropin must be determined and that together they serve as accurate and sensitive indicators of metastases and are helpful in determining the effectiveness of therapy. However, they have limited value in the differential diagnosis of scrotal masses.
Di-μ-bromido-bis­[bromido­(4,4′-dihy­droxy-2,2′-bi­pyridine-κ2N,N′)copper(II)]

The mol­ecules of the title compound, [Cu2Br4(C10H8N2O2)2], are centrosymmetric dimers. The CuII atom exhibits a distorted square-pyramidal coordination geometry, with two bridging bromide ligands and the N atoms of the 4,4′-dihy­droxy-2,2′-bi­pyridine chelate in the equatorial plane. π–π stacking and hydrogen-bonding inter­actions of the O—H⋯Br, C—H⋯·Br and C—H⋯O types consolidate the crystal packing.
Evaluation of sunflower meal as a feed ingredient in broiler chicken diets: the effect of using supplemental fat or pelleting

A factorial arrangement of six Isonitrogenous diets involving three levels (0, 10, or 20%) of sunflower meal (32.6% crude protein, 18.4% crude fiber) and two levels (0 or 6%) of animal-vegetable fat were fed ad-libitum to broiler chickens from 1 day to 6 weeks of age. Body weight gain of chicks fed diets containing 10% sunflower meal was the same as that of the controls. However, when sunflower meal level was increased from 10 to 20% of the diet, a growth depression was observed (P of feed consumed/kg of weight gain) was impaired (P inclusion of sunflower meal at 10 or 20% of the diet. The use of 6% supplemental fat resulted in increased body weight gain (P improved feed efficiency (P irrespective of the sunflower meal level in the diet. The inclusion of up to 20% sunflower meal in the diet increased (P weights of proventriculus, gizzard, jejunum and ileum but had no effect on the weights of duodenum and ceca. Energy efficiency (kcal of metabolizable energy consumed/kg of body weight gain) was improved (P weight gain) was impaired (P the diet. The use of 6% supplemental fat improved protein efficiency, irrespective of the level of sunflower meal. Results show that sunflower meal can be used up to 10% of the diet with no adverse effect on growth. However, if supplemental fat is used to increase the energy concentration
Location Fundamentals, Agglomeration Economies, and The Geography of Multinational Firms

Multinationals exhibit distinct agglomeration patterns which have transformed the global landscape of industrial production (Alfaro and Chen, 2014). Using a unique worldwide plant-level dataset that reports detailed location, ownership, and operation information for plants in over 100 countries, we construct a spatially continuous index of pairwise-industry agglomeration and investigate the patterns and determinants underlying the global economic geography of multinational firms. In particular, we run a horse-race between two distinct economic forces: location fundamentals and agglomeration economies. We find that location fundamentals including market access and comparative advantage and agglomeration economies including capital-good market externality and technology diffusion play a particularly important role in multinationalsâ€™ economic geography. These findings remain robust when we use alternative measures of trade costs, address potential reverse causality, and explore regional patterns.
Contrasting upper and lower atmospheric metrics of tropical expansion in the Southern Hemisphere

Observational studies suggest that the tropics are expanding, but a wide range of expansion rates have been reported (from 0.2∘ to 2∘ of latitude per decade). This is due, in part, to the great variety of metrics used to define the tropical width. Here we ask whether these metrics are measuring tropical width consistently, focusing on the Southern Hemisphere, where the circulation is better approximated by the zonally symmetric component. Analyzing output from the CESM Large Ensemble Project, we show that tropical expansion robustly occurs in the model in response to forcings. In addition, we find that whereas the width of the Hadley circulation is strongly correlated with the midlatitude jet, from inter-annual to decadal time-scales, it is essentially uncorrelated with upper atmospheric metrics, e.g. the maximum gradient of tropopause height, both in terms of variability and of response to forcings.
High-resolution velocity modeling by seismic-airborne TEM joint inversion: A new perspective for near-surface characterization

We discuss the use of helicopter-borne transient electromagnetic (HTEM) for a high-resolution spatial and vertical characterization of the near surface in a structure-controlled wadi in central Saudi Arabia. In this area, seismic data quality is poor, and seismic imaging suffers from a combination of scattering effects — due to swarms of faults reaching the surface — and large velocity variations occurring along subvertical boundaries between the wadi sediment infill and the surrounding carbonate plateaus. HTEM was selected from a suite of nonseismic methods for multiparameter velocity-model building to enhance the velocity estimation for the wadi and surrounding areas. HTEM data were modeled by performing spatially constrained 1D resistivity inversion to obtain a high-resolution image of the near surface with sensitivity to a depth of 400–500 m from the surface. Sharp boundaries of the wadi and fine vertical layering, obtained from the HTEM inversion, provide detailed information about the parameter variations in the near surface. A seismic-HTEM joint-inversion approach is developed using a cross-gradient structural operator to constrain the velocity inversion with the higher resolution HTEM data. Joint-inversion results provide sharp velocity reconstruction across the wadi boundaries and increase the dynamic range of the velocity variations when compared to a single-domain tomographic approach in which the HTEM contribution is ignored. Superior imaging results in both time and depth are derived from velocities estimated by the seismic-TEM joint-inversion approach.
Nature Selects the Horla: How the Concept of Natural Selection Influences Guy de Maupassant’s Horror Tale

The Gothic is repeatedly characterized as bringing the dark, the uncanny, the unheimlich into everyday reality. In consequence, Pasi Nyyssonen writes, “the characters of Gothic fiction are gradually led to acknowledge the unreliability of their perceptions and finally to accept the existence of the entities and aspects of reality of which they have been previously unaware” (194). This illumination leaves them horrified, alienated, robbed of their natural, social, and personal identities. So, holy men and women, as well as venerable elders and relations, are revealed as lustful, vicious, predatory, even demonic. The boundaries between life and death, sanity and madness, safe and dangerous are erased by the invasion and predation of ghosts, vampires, werewolves, demons, and sorcerers, or (in later work) scientists on a supernatural plane or insanity on a personal one. More relevant to the theme of this collection, in Gothic landscapes nothing is as it seems, either reflecting, embodying, or even acting out threats of disorientation, dismemberment, disillusionment. Eldritch castles and monasteries, crumbling mansions, and jagged mountains are riddled with secret passages and tunnels, caverns, or sealed rooms (often dungeons, attics, or crypts) that threaten to burst free the terrible or seal us up in eternal pain and terror. The characters of Gothic fiction are caught in the terror of finding themselves adrift, unanchored from a world map of security and hope. Kelly Hurley takes this proposition one step further, explaining how Gothic’s incarnations of terror evolve to reflect the changing circumstances of human anxieties across time and culture: “the Gothic can serve as a sort of historical or sociological index: if the genre serves to manage a culture’s disturbances and traumatic changes, its thematic preoccupations will allow us to track social anxieties at one remove, in the register of supernaturalism.” (197).1 Not surprisingly, The Origin of Species, one of what Freud called the greatest psychic wounds to humanity (186–87), became a powerful influence on late nineteenth-century Gothic literature.
Do cultures influence abnormal market reactions before official sovereign debt rating downgrade announcements

Abstract We investigate whether cultural norms influence the way market information is incorporated into overall market prices. We examine whether cultures influence abnormal market reactions before official sovereign debt rating downgrade announcements across 46 countries. Michaelides et al. (2015) find that institutional quality is significantly associated with less negative abnormal market reactions prior to downgrades. Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions (Hofstede and Bond, 1988) are used to measure cultural differences. We show that high masculinity and high individualism are significantly associated with less negative abnormal market reactions. Masculinity remains significant when the model includes institutional quality and other key variables.
Dynamic, Privacy-Preserving Decentralized Reputation Systems

Reputation systems provide an important basis for judging whether to interact with others in a networked system. Designing such systems is especially interesting in decentralized environments such as mobile ad-hoc networks, as there is no trusted authority to manage reputation feedback information. Such systems also come with significant privacy concerns, further complicating the issue. Researchers have proposed privacy-preserving decentralized reputation systems (PDRS) which ensure individual reputation information is not leaked. Instead, aggregate information is exposed. Unfortunately, in existing PDRS, when a party leaves the network, all of the reputation information they possess about other parties in the network leaves too. This is a significant problem when applying such systems to the kind of dynamic networks we see in mobile computing. In this article, we introduce dynamic, privacy-preserving reputation systems (Dyn-PDRS) to solve the problem. We enumerate the features that a reputation system must support in order to be considered a Dyn-PDRS. Furthermore, we present protocols to enable these features and describe how our protocols are composed to form a Dyn-PDRS. We present simulations of our ideas to understand how a Dyn-PDRS impacts information availability in the network, and report on an implementation of our protocols, including timing experiments.
Pornography of place: Location, leaks and obscenity in the Indian MMS porn video

AbstractThis paper examines the phenomenon of MMS pornography in India. ‘MMS’ or Multimedia Messaging Service refers to a communication technology that allows the sharing of multimedia files over cellphone networks. In India however, the term ‘MMS’ has become attached to pornographic clips that are shared over mobile phone networks or the Internet. Through an examination of two limit cases, ‘The Mysore-Mallige Scandal’ (2001) and the ‘Delhi Metro MMS Scandal’ (2014) this paper argues that the negotiation of space and place is integral to the production, circulation and ultimately the affective impact of such videos. In particular, I seek to extend the definition of the MMS clip by examining the play between place and affect. In doing so, I argue that MMS pornography is a symptom of a larger spatial problem of the digital age – the problem of the ‘leak’.
Suicide risk assessment in the emergency department: Are there any tools in the pipeline?

Abstract Background It is estimated that as many as 1 in 10 individuals who complete suicide had been seen in emergency departments within the prior 2 months. However, very little evidence underlies the current recommendations on managing patients with suicidal ideation presenting to the emergency department. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense (VA/DoD) have developed clinical practice guidelines for the screening and treatment of patients with suicidal ideation who present to emergency departments. In this study we investigated the extent to which new and ongoing studies are being conducted to address the current limitations in suicide screening in emergency departments. Methods We identified low-level recommendations in clinical practice guidelines that have been set forth by the ACEP and VA/DoD. PICO questions were then created to help identify relevant studies pertaining to screening patients with suicidal ideation in the emergency department. PICO questions were used to develop search strings, which were then used to locate studies from ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. Results Seventeen PICO questions were created for this study. We found 11 studies addressing gaps identified in the clinical practice guidelines. Of the 17 PICO questions created, 10 were being addressed by 11 studies. Conclusions Little research is being done to improve suicide risk assessment tools in the emergency department. Further research in this area may decrease health care costs, improve patient care, and save the lives of those at risk of dying by suicide.
The Power of Hmm…: Bringing Life (Back) to Words in the Classroom.

Structured academic discussions can focus too much on academic language to the detriment of actual discussion, disempowering students with the very tools intended to enhance student voice. The auth...
Performance among Individuals and Groups: The Implications of Parallel Research Traditions for Social Loafing

Research on social loafing began with a simple question: Why are individual effort and productivity less when people work in groups compared with when they work individually? That is, a common consequence of collective effort tasks is that the combined effort of group members falls short of the sum of the efforts of an equivalent number of people working individually. Although nonpsychological factors such as poor coordination of efforts (Kravitz & Martin, 1986) may account for some of the decline in effort productivity, the decline persists even when poor coordination of effort is eliminated. Indeed, one of the most striking findings from the social loafing literature is that the mere belief that individual efforts will be combined to produce a group product can lead to lower productivity. Chapter 1 places the phenomenon squarely within an expectancy-value framework. Accordingly, people will work provided three conditions hold. First, they must perceive a relationship between their efforts and their performance (e.g., high effort will lead to a good performance). Second, they must perceive a relationship between performance and the outcome (e.g., a good performance will be rewarded). Third, they must value the outcome such that the value must exceed the costs associated with contributing.
Study on Early Fire Behavior Detection Method for Cable Tunnel Detection Robot

With the increase of cable tunnels and improvement of inspection requirements, different types of inspection robots have been designed and applied to the inspection and fire protection of cable tunnels. Due to the complex environment of the cable tunnel, it is difficult for existing robots to conduct fire detection and diagnosis effectively. Therefore, a fire detection method of cable tunnel robot based on support vector machine (SVM) is proposed. According to the actual tunnel size, a simulation model is established to calculate the smoke concentration and temperature variation of tunnels under different fire power. Considering the dynamic detection of robot, the characteristics of the measured data are analyzed. The SVM model is trained by using the sample characteristic data, and then the test data is used for testing. The accuracy of the test is up to 95%.
Rho Kinase Inhibition Blunts Lesion Development and Hemorrhage in Murine Models of Aggressive Pdcd10/Ccm3 Disease

Background and Purpose— Previously, murine models Krit1+/−Msh2−/− and Ccm2+/−Trp53−/− showed a reduction or no effect on cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM) burden and favorable effects on lesion...
Proceedings of the 9th annual ACM workshop on Privacy in the electronic society

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 9th annual ACM Workshop on Privacy in the Electronic Society -- WPES 2010. The purpose of this workshop is to discuss problems of privacy in the global interconnected societies and to propose solutions to these problems. This year WPES continues to be a workshop at the ACM CCS conference. The call for papers attracted 48 submissions from Asia, Europe, and North America. The program committee accepted 10 full papers and 5 short papers that cover a variety of topics, including social network privacy, cloud privacy, privacy policies, anonymity systems, privacy preferences, privacy in voting, and location privacy. We hope that these proceedings will serve as a valuable reference for privacy researchers and developers.
High pressure measurement of mud density and flow rate for oil and gas well construction: Making the case for X-Ray metering

Abstract With a myriad of flow and density sensors available, it can be difficult to decide on the right metering technology to make density and mass flow rate measurements, that suits both application and cost requirements. Operational specifications listed in product brochures typically apply to tests done under highly controlled conditions and generally fail to account for the extreme variability in flow conditions of drilling and completions fluids in the real world. Thus, time and other resources can be wasted by the end users in trying to validate the various meters. Even when right metering technology is selected the measured values often have low accuracy and low measurement frequency. The intent of this paper is to provide a high level overview of the working principles of some of the mainstream metering technologies, identify applications they are well suited for, clarify their limitations, and provide an overview into current research to address these limitations. The paper will allow the reader to narrow down options for appropriate density and flow metering solutions for particular applications, and at the same time highlight the gaps and needs that need to be addressed by further research and development. The paper also discusses an X-ray based metering technology that overcomes some of the disadvantages and deficiencies of established meters. Recent work on characterizing the drilling fluid density and flow rate at the high pressure well inlet using X-rays has shown that these measurements can now be made with greater than 99% accuracy and at 1 Hz measurement frequency. Such level of accuracy and measurement frequency is not offered by any of the mainstream metering technologies. It is expected that the X-ray based technology when implemented will lead to a step-change improvement in current density and delta flow (flow in – flow out) assessment, and will thereby positively contribute to improved hydraulics management, better and earlier kick detection, and further enhanced managed pressure drilling control. In this paper we build upon the existing work on X-ray based density and flow rate measurements of drilling fluids. Specifically, we discuss preliminary work towards development of a new flow measurement technique which can measure flow rate using an X-ray flat panel detector. Using a flat panel detector offers a cheaper alternative to the existing high speed imaging based flow measurement methods. We also share results from a method developed for real-time calibration of the X-ray detectors. Using the calibration method X-ray measurements are shown to have a repeatability of greater than 99%. A section is also dedicated to characterizing the intensity output from the X-ray source. Finally, we show that X-ray density measurements conducted with static fluids in existing literature remain unaffected when the same density fluid flows through a pipe.
Factors related to perceived burden among caregivers of service members/veterans following TBI

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE To examine factors related to perceived caregiving burden in a sample of caregivers assisting service members and veterans (SMVs) across four areas: SMV injury and health status; caregiver life circumstances; caregiver duty and responsibilities; and caregiver needs. Research Method/Design: Participants were 214 caregivers (95.8% female; 86.0% spouse/partner; Age: M = 38.6 years [SD = 10.4]) of SMVs who sustained a mild, moderate, severe, or penetrating traumatic brain injury (TBI). Caregivers were recruited from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and via community outreach. Participants completed the Caregiver Appraisal Scale, Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory-4, and Caregiver Questionnaire. The sample was divided into 2 Caregiver Burden groups: High (n = 138) and Low Burden (n = 76). RESULTS Factors significantly related to higher levels of perceived burden were (a) experiencing a greater caregiving time commitment now and over time, (b) caring for activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living, (c) experiencing an impact of caregiving on employment, income, and out of pocket expenses, (d) parenting more than 1 child, (e) having less time to devote to one's self now and over time, (f) having caregiver needs, and/or (g) assisting a SMV who had incurred a mild TBI; was experiencing greater functional disability; had a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis; received mental health and rehabilitation treatment; and/or used an assistive device (all p < .05; odds ratios [ORs] = 1.13 to 14.57; ds = .02 to 1.30). CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS Providing care for a SMV after a TBI can impose a heavy burden, particularly for caregivers who provide support to SMVs with comorbid mental health problems, such as PTSD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Child Sexual Abuse

An estimated one in six boys and one in four girls have been sexually abused before the age of 18 in the United States. The Catholic Church is in a position to pursue advocacy for children because of its awareness of their vulnerability to sexual abuse and its devotion to serving their interests. Significantly, the sexual abuse of adult women has gained national attention and action plans more than sexual abuse of children because they are able to complain more effectively.
The Seed Tends to the Soil: Hair Follicle Stem Cells Remodel Their Lymphatic Niche.

Hair follicle stem cells may themselves regulate the niche environment for hair follicle regrowth. A recent Science paper from Elaine Fuchs and colleagues (Gur-Cohen et al., 2019) suggests that this involves regulation of the lymphatic system and may have implications in understanding tissue regeneration.
Impact of Operative Management on Recurrence of Adhesive Small Bowel Obstruction: A Longitudinal Analysis of a Statewide Database.

Background Recurrence of adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) can lead to multiple admissions. There is limited knowledge of the role of operative and nonoperative treatment in the long-term recurrence risk for ASBO. We sought to determine the effect of operative and nonoperative management on future ASBO recurrences. Methods This is a retrospective study of administrative discharge data from the Tennessee Hospital Association. Adult discharges from 2007 to 2009 with ASBO and all subsequent readmission within any hospital in the state were included; patients with earlier ASBO from 2003 to 2007 and out-of-state residents were excluded. ASBO recurrence was compared between operative and nonoperative approaches using the Andersen-Gill approach for modeling recurrent time-to-event data. Secondary outcomes included mortality, complication, and time to recurrence. Results We analyzed 6,191 records; 30.0% were initially treated operatively. Patients initially managed surgically had lower overall recurrence rates (19.0% vs 25.6%; p Conclusions Operative management for the most recent ASBO is associated with fewer recurrences. Subsequent cumulative recurrences of ASBO predispose to recurrence regardless of operative or nonoperative management. When considering ASBO management, subsequent recurrence should be considered.
Autonomous Ion-Sensitive Field Effect Transistor-Based Total Alkalinity and pH Measurements on a Barrier Reef of Ka̅ne’ohe Bay

Here we present first of its kind high frequency Total Alkalinity (AT) and pH data from a single solid-state autonomous sensor collected during a 6-day deployment at a barrier reef in Kāneʻohe Bay on the CRIMP-2 buoy. This dual parameter sensor is capable of rapid (<60 s), near simultaneous measurement of the preferred seawater carbonate system parameters, pH and AT without requiring any external reagents or moving parts inherent to the sensor. Its solid state construction, low power consumption, and low titrated volume (nanoliters) requirement make this sensor ideal for in situ monitoring of the aqueous carbon dioxide system. Through signal averaging, we estimate the pH-AT sensor is capable of achieving 2-10 μmol kg-1 precision in AT and 0.005 for pH. The CRIMP-2 site in Hawaiʻi provided an excellent means of validation of the prototype pH-AT sensor due to the extensive observations routinely collected at this site and large daily fluctuations in AT (~116 μmol kg-1) driven primarily by high calcification...
Solar thermal wastewater evaporation for brine management and low pressure steam using the XCPC

Abstract In this manuscript, the performance of a commercial thermal evaporator powered using solar energy is described. The solar collector, known as the external compound parabolic concentrator (XCPC), is an emerging technology which combines nonimaging optics and metal-glass vacuum tube technology to provide high operating temperatures from a stationary collector. Paired with a commercial thermal evaporator, it provides a renewable heat alternative to fossil fuels for wastewater volume reductions. To assess performance, the team at UC Merced installed a 10 gallon-per-hour (0.037 m3/hr) thermal evaporator and connected it to a 30 kW solar thermal collector field. The solar array operates between 130 and 150 °C, providing thermal energy to drive evaporation for 8 h each day. The single-stage thermal evaporator has a specific energy consumption of 776 kWh/m3. Performance of the array was then used to develop an annual performance model to extrapolate performance for different locations and thermal loads (e.g. other commercial and emerging water treatment and desalination technologies). Extrapolating performance yields an annual thermal generation of ~500 kWhth useable heat delivered to the process load at 150 °C per square meter of solar field, although the team estimates a commercial installation can generate closer to 625 kWh/m2/year. Thus a commercial installation could process 2.5–3 m3 of product water per square meter each year. At these temperatures the thermal energy can also be used to decarbonize a number of other industrial processes such as evaporation, desalination, drying, and more.
Hospital Characteristics Associated with Palliative Care Program Prevalence.

Background: Over the past two decades, the number of hospitals with palliative care has increased significantly. Objective: This study analyzes the availability of palliative care in U.S. hospitals and examines the variation by hospital characteristics, community-level socioeconomic demographics, health care markets, and geographic characteristics. Methods: Data were obtained from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database for 2017 and supplemented with 2016 for nonresponders, the United States Census Bureau's 2017 American Community Survey, the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care's 2016 Spending and 2011 Hospital and Physician Capacity datasets, the National Palliative Care Registry™, state-level directories on palliative care, and web-based searches. Multivariable logistic regression and average marginal effects were used to examine predictors of hospital palliative care programs. Results: Seventy-two percent of hospitals with 50 or more beds had palliative care programs. Hospital and geographic characteristics were significantly associated with the presence of palliative care. Most notably, nonprofit hospitals were 24.5 percentage points more likely than for-profit hospitals to have palliative care, and metropolitan areas were 15.4 percentage points more likely than rural areas, controlling for other variables. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that availability of palliative care in U.S. hospitals is determined by where patients live and the type of hospital to which they are admitted. Equitable and reliable availability to quality palliative care must improve across the nation.
Probiotic Properties of Escherichia coli Nissle in Human Intestinal Organoids

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli strain Nissle has been used as a probiotic and therapeutic agent for over a century. Reports suggest that Nissle protects mice from enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) O157:H7 strains; however, mice are not very susceptible to O157:H7 and are not accurate models for O157:H7 infection in humans. Also, Nissle is closely related to uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) strain CFT073, suggesting that Nissle could have pathogenic potential. To assess the safety of and protection conferred by Nissle, we modeled infection in stem cell-derived human intestinal organoids (HIOs). HIOs replicate the structure and function of human intestinal tissue. HIOs have a lumen enclosed by a single cell layer of differentiated epithelium, which is surrounded by a diffuse mesenchymal layer. An epithelial barrier which excludes the luminal contents from the surrounding cell layers and medium develops. Nissle appeared to be nonpathogenic; 103 CFU were microinjected into the lumen, and after 3 days, 107 CFU were recovered and the epithelial barrier remained intact. In contrast, microinjected EHEC and UPEC bacteria destroyed the epithelial barrier. To assess the protection conferred by Nissle, HIOs microinjected with Nissle were challenged after 18 to 24 h with EHEC or UPEC. Preincubation with Nissle prevented the loss of the epithelial barrier function, the loss of E-cadherin expression, the increased production of reactive oxygen species, and apoptosis. Nissle did not replicate in the HIO coculture, while the pathogenic strains did replicate, suggesting that Nissle conferred protection via activation of host defenses and not by eliminating competing strains. Nissle was shown to be susceptible to some Shiga toxin phage, and Nissle lysogens could produce Shiga toxin. IMPORTANCE Probiotic, or beneficial, bacteria, such as E. coli Nissle, hold promise for the treatment of human disease. More study is needed to fully realize the potential of probiotics. Safety and efficacy studies are critically important; however, mice are poor models for many human intestinal diseases. We used stem cell-derived human intestinal organoid tissues to evaluate the safety of Nissle and its ability to protect from pathogenic E. coli bacteria. Nissle was found to be safe. Human intestinal tissues were not harmed by the Nissle bacteria introduced into the digestive tract. In contrast, pathogenic E. coli bacteria destroyed the intestinal tissues, and importantly, Nissle conferred protection from the pathogenic E. coli bacteria. Nissle did not kill the pathogenic E. coli bacteria, and protection likely occurred via the activation of human defenses. Human intestinal tissues provide a powerful way to study complex host-microbe interactions.
Multi-environment gene interactions linked to the interplay between polysubstance dependence and suicidality.

Substance dependence diagnoses (SDs) are important risk factors for suicidality. We investigated the associations of multiple SDs with different suicidality outcomes, testing how genetic background moderates these associations. The Yale-Penn cohort (N = 15,557) was recruited to investigate the genetics of SDs. The Army STARRS (Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers) cohort (N = 11,236) was recruited to evaluate mental health risk and resilience among Army personnel. We applied multivariate logistic regression to investigate the associations of SDs with suicidality and, in the Yale-Penn cohort, we used the structured linear mixed model (StructLMM) to study multivariate gene-environment interactions. In Yale-Penn, lifetime polysubstance dependence was strongly associated with lifetime suicidality: having five SDs showed an association with suicidality, from odds ratio (OR) = 6.77 (95% confidence interval, CI = 5.74-7.99) for suicidal ideation (SI) to OR = 3.61 (95% CI = 2.7-4.86) for suicide attempt (SA). In Army STARRS, having multiple substance use disorders for alcohol and/or drugs was associated with increased suicidality ranging from OR = 2.88 (95% CI = 2.6-3.19) for SI to OR = 3.92 (95% CI = 3.19-4.81) for SA. In Yale-Penn, we identified multivariate gene-environment interactions (Bayes factors, BF > 0) of SI with respect to a gene cluster on chromosome 16 (LCAT, p = 1.82 × 10-7; TSNAXIP1, p = 2.13 × 10-7; CENPT, p = 2.32 × 10-7; PARD6A, p = 5.57 × 10-7) for opioid dependence (BF = 12.2), cocaine dependence (BF = 12.1), nicotine dependence (BF = 9.2), and polysubstance dependence (BF = 2.1). Comorbidity of multiple SDs is a significant associated with suicidality and heritability of suicidality is partially moderated by multivariate gene interactions.
Reviewing Redwater: An Analysis of the U.S. and Canadian Approaches to Environmental Obligations in Bankruptcy

The United States and Canada have both seen significant litigation over the treatment of environmental obligations in bankruptcy proceedings. Both countries also have robust regulatory and statutory frameworks with respect to bankruptcy and environmental law, making the two jurisdictions ripe for comparison. Although the U.S. legal landscape differs somewhat from Canada’s, courts in both countries have struggled to sort out the treatment of environmental obligations in bankruptcy. However, in 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada decided Orphan Well Association v. Grant Thornton Limited, which characterized environmental obligations, not as claims, but as duties owed to the public that could not be compromised in bankruptcy. The purpose of this article is to analyze the impact of the Redwater decision and to highlight issues U.S. scholars and policymakers should watch for as they press for changes to U.S. law. In particular, the article uses three questions to focus its analysis: (1) What is the role of the legislature as compared to the judiciary? (2) What is the role of federal law, as compared to provincial or state law? and (3) What is the role of the public interest?
Validation of home visual acuity tests for telehealth in the COVID-19 era

Purpose : One of the most important clinical data points in evaluating ophthalmology patients is visual acuity (VA). During the COVID-19 pandemic, eye health providers are utilizing telehealth to decrease patient and provider risk related to in-person clinic visits, while still providing high-quality care. This study sought to compare at-home VA tests with in-office clinical VA measurements to determine the validity of at-home VA testing for telehealth visits. Methods : Patients from 1 comprehensive and 3 subspecialty ophthalmology clinics had VA greater than or equal to 20/200 in the study eye. The patients were prospectively randomized to perform 2 of 3 at-home VA tests (printed chart - University of Arizona/Banner Eye Care Letter Distance Chart;mobile phone app - Verana Vision Test;website test - Farsight.care) within 3 days of their standard of care clinic visit. Patients also completed a survey to assess usability of home tests. At the clinic visit, best corrected Snellen distance acuity was measured to serve as the reference standard. Results : Of the 44 patients (84 eyes) enrolled, 60% were female and the mean age was 66 years (range 22 to 80). The mean difference between printed chart and Snellen, website test and Snellen, and mobile app and Snellen acuity data was 0.10 (95% CI: 0.09-0.11), 0.13 (95% CI: 0.12-0.14), and 0.12 (95% CI: 0.11-0.13) LogMAR, respectively. The highest degree of correlation was between the website and Snellen tests (0.74, 95% CI: 0.59-0.84) (Table 1). Patients found the tests easy to perform at home and were neutral regarding confidence in their results and desire to continue with home testing. In the survey, there was no significant difference for between the 3 tests regarding any of the 4 questions (P = 0.32- 0.62), although there was a trend toward a more positive response with the printed chart (Table 2). Conclusions : These data suggest that some at-home visual acuity tests are comparable in accuracy to in-clinic Snellen visual acuity tests (within 1 line of difference). Patient surveys indicated the tests were easy to understand and complete at home. Further development and validation of at-home vision testing modalities are needed to provide accurate and accessible tele-ophthalmology care.
Decoding John Cage - The Ultimate Symbol of the 20th Century Revolution in Music

There are clues in American composer, John Cage’s history that explain his confident obscurantism. The unexplained riddle is why it brought him acclaim from the intellectual and cultural establishment.
Heat Transfer from Horizontal Cylinders to a Saturated Helium-I Bath

Helium, unlike any other substance, has two known liquid phases. Helium II, the phase which occurs at temperatures below approximately 2.17°K, has many unusual properties which have resulted in its being referred to as a superfluid. The heat-transfer characteristics of this phase have been examined by many investigators [1–4].
Hypodontia and nail dysplasia syndrome: Report of a case

The ectodermal dysplasias are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of more than 120 syndromes involving ectodermally derived structures. The syndrome that is autosomal dominantly inherited and characterized by hypodontia, dysplastic nails, and normal hair is known as hypodontia-nail dysplasia syndrome, or tooth-and-nail syndrome. Because of the minimal manifestations, this syndrome may be difficult to diagnose. Patients with hypodontia should be examined for dysplastic nails of the hands and feet and referred to medical and dental genetic specialists for verification of the diagnosis and counseling. We report a case of tooth-and-nail syndrome in a young woman.
Mercenene, a tumor inhibitor from Mercenaria: Purification and characterization studies

Abstract Preparations from the tissue of Mercenaria mercenaria and certain other marine invertebrates possess demonstrated in vivo antitumor activity, ascribed to the presence of a biologically-active principle named mercenene. In purified preparations mercenene is shown to be slowly dialyzable, heat stable, and highly active in tissue culture against human HeLa cancer cells. Chemical characterization studies on mercenene are described.