cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Larval Crowding and Adult Nutrition Effects on Longevity and Fecundity of Female Trichogramma nubilale Ertle & Davis (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)

The influence of adult feeding of Trichogramma nubilale Ertle & Davis and larval competition within an egg of European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis Hubner, on progeny fecundity and longevity was tested. The number and sex of eggs laid were determined through direct observations. Hind tibial lengths were measured on females that were solitary or had shared a host egg with another wasp. Females were separated by size and provided either honey and excess hosts, honey and no hosts, no honey and hosts, or no honey and no hosts each day for their lifetimes. The number of mature eggs at eclosion was determined for several females by dissection of their ovarioles and counting their eggs. The mean hind tibial lengths of solitary females was 0.18 mm, whereas females that had shared a host egg with a male or female had hind tibial lengths of 0.14–0.16 mm. Solitary females had 2.3 times more eggs and lived 1.2 times longer than females that had shared the host with a male or female. Honey increased fecundity by factors of 1.6 and 1.9 and longevity by 5.4 and 4.8 d for solitary females and those that had shared a host egg, respectively. Females that are not fed lay the same number of eggs as estimated from dissected females at eclosion, suggesting that females mature additional eggs only if they are fed as adults. Some implications for inundative releases of T. nubilale against European corn borer in the field are discussed.
Whose Invisible Religion? Luckmann Revisited

An analysis of Thomas Luckmann's The Invisible Religion uncoversfive meanings of the term "religion." The primary meaning refers to the process of socialization whereby man transcends his biological nature; the second and third denote universal functional meaning systems at the societal and personal levels; the fourth and fifth refer to specific substantive meaning systems at the societal and personal levels. From this schema, Luckmann proceeds to label "religion" any meaning system which in his judgment is a universal andfunctional or specific and substantive meaning system for a society or an individual. Thus, the invisible religion of modern man may befamilism, careerism, sex, mobility, etc. A critique of Luckmann's 'functional ipsative" definition of religion indicates the tenuous nature of such apriorismfor an empirical sociology of religion which needs to begin with the meanings action hasfor the actors in the society.
Effect of simulated gastric fluid and bile on survival of Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio vulnificus phage.

Bacteria and phages may be exposed to acid conditions in the stomach and to bile in the intestine. Survival of three strains of Vibrio vulnificus and three strains of its phages was examined at 37°C after exposure to simulated gastric fluid at pH 3 to 4 or to 0, 1, and 2% bile in broth or buffer. Mean D-values (decimal reduction times) at pH 4 and 3 were 3.3 and 1.3 min for V. vulnificus and 97.8 and 0.7 min for its phages. No V. vulnificus survivors were found at pH 2.0. There were few survival differences among strains of V. vulnificus or its phages. Numbers of V. vulnificus increased 1 log in tryptic soy broth containing 1 or 2% bile after 3 h. Numbers of V. vulnificus and its phages remained constant in phosphate-buffered saline regardless of bile concentrations up to 3 h. Those V. vulnificus bacteria and phages that survive stomach acidity may proliferate in the small intestine, since they are resistant to bile.
We Fought for Fairness and Won

After a morning scramble to locate a permission slip that he needed to turn in to a teacher, Maceo Bradley arrived late to school, only to be met by a police officer who issued him a ticket for tar...
A Control Process Model for Transit Marketing

In recent years, an interest in revitalizing public transportation has led to an increased awareness of the need to utilize existing resources more efficiently. Transit systems must carefully evaluate all services and be able to measure the impact of planned changes to these services. This concern closely parallels the problems of most nonprofit organizations as well as many for-profit firms. That is, managers in all of these organizations face many of the same difficulties in instituting marketing control systems. Marketing control is less precise than financial or production control. In addition, numerous judgemental issues are involved in measuring these inputs and outputs of marketing activities and in deriving acceptable bases for comparison.
Current Status of Feed Quality Breeding and Testing in North America

Although selection for improved feed quality is an important objective for many North American forage breeding programs, especially for those based in dairy regions, it is generally of secondary importance to improved forage mass, persistence, and stress tolerance. The advent of more efficient and high-throughput phenotyping and genotyping procedures will decrease the cost of feed quality analysis and increase the efficiency of trait improvement. At the FRRL, our main focus is forage mass and abiotic stress tolerance in limited precipitation regions. We also seek to develop forage cultivars with increased feed quality. Current breeding populations and molecular biological tools allow us to better dissect the genetics of these traits and incorporate them into improved cultivars.
Response of Soils and Soil Ecosystems to the Pennsylvanian–Permian Climate Transition in the Upper Fluvial Plain of the Dunkard Basin, Southeastern Ohio, USA

Direct exposure of paleosols to the atmosphere during formation make them ideal for reconstructing paleoclimate. Paleosol and ichnofossil properties are dependently linked making it important to study them in tandem, to avoid errors in interpretation. Small scale studies (<1 km) yield high resolution data that can be used to assess allogenic processes through comparison of spatial and temporal trends. This study used field and laboratory analyses to gather data from Late Pennsylvanian to Early Permian Upper Monongahela and Lower Dunkard group paleosols on Ohio Route 33 in Meigs County, OH, USA. The physical and geochemical properties of the paleosols from the field sites indicate that channel migration was the primary control on paleosol formation in the study area, however, a clear climate signal was observed. The change in paleosol type and calculated mean annual precipitation (MAP) values indicate that the climate became more strongly seasonal and drier over the course of the Pennsylvanian–Permian transition with a temporary excursion to a more ever-wet climate with higher MAP, marked by the occurrence of the Waynesburg Coal at the Pennsylvanian–Permian boundary.
THE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF SECURITY AGENTS IN NIGERIA SEA PORTS: A CASE STUDY OF PORT HARCOURT SEA PORT

This research work presented an evaluation of Security agents and their effectiveness in the Port Harcourt sea port and how they tackle security problems arising from the day-to-day activities of the Port. The secondary source of data obtained from documented facts was used extensively for this study. The documented records was extracted and compiled from Security reports on the sea port and documents recording port reforms as well scholarly articles on sea port security, for a period of four years. And method of data analysis employed were moving averages, graphical representations, quantitative description (using operation efficiency model), and the statistical chi-square test of hypothesis. The operational efficiencies were estimated over a period of 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. The relationship between the operational efficiency and security is therefore of in verse proportionality. This means that a surge in the security challenge will adversely reduce if the security agents are given adequate equipments. From the statistical test of hypothesis estimated, it is apparent that the null hypotheses are to be rejected. The study therefore conclude that the availability of equipment is one of the factors affecting the efficiency of security officials because if the security officials have every equipment needed to carry out their duties effectively, then the rate of smuggling in the Port Harcourt sea port will be reduced.
Current Approaches to Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Therapies

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a unique lymphoma subtype, both biologically and clinically. Virtually all cases are characterized by a common genetic lesion, t(11;14), resulting in overexpression of...
Pediatric ventricular assist devices: Trends in device utilization

Abstract Ventricular assist device (VAD) utilization for advanced heart failure support in children is increasing. Both pulsatile and continuous-flow VADs are used in children with pulsatile pumps being predominately used in small children. Pediatric VAD outcomes are improving, including decreasing mortality rates and complications, but there continues to be an undesirably high rate of neurologic events. Both small children and complex congenital heart disease continue to be challenging populations for pediatric VAD management. As medical technology continues to improve, registry data on pediatric VAD recipients will be critical for assessing outcomes and improving care in this growing population.
Using SMART design to improve symptom management among cancer patients: A study protocol

In this in-progress sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART), dyads of solid tumor cancer patients and their caregivers are initially randomized to 4 weeks of reflexology or meditative (mindfulness) practices provided by/with their caregiver in the patient's home or to a control group. After 4 weeks, intervention group dyads in which patients do not show improvement in fatigue (non-responders) are re-randomized to either receive additional time with the same therapy during weeks 5-8 or to add the other therapy. The aims are (1) to compare reflexology and meditative practices groups during weeks 1-4 on patients' fatigue severity, summed symptom inventory score, depressive symptoms, and anxiety, so as to determine the relative effectiveness of these therapies and the characteristics of responders and non-responders to each therapy. (2) Among reflexology non-responders based on fatigue score at week 4, to determine patient symptom outcomes when meditative practices are added during weeks 5-8, versus continuing with reflexology alone. (3) Among meditative practices non-responders based on fatigue score at week 4, to determine patient symptom outcomes when reflexology is added during weeks 5-8, versus continuing with meditative practices alone. (4) To compare improvements in patient symptom outcomes among the three groups created by the first randomization. (5) To explore which dyadic characteristics are associated with optimal patient symptom outcomes, to determine tailoring variables for decision rules of future interventions. The trial has a target of 331 dyads post-attrition and has 150 dyads enrolled. We are overcoming challenges with dyadic recruitment and retention while maintaining fidelity.
Management of the axilla in metaplastic breast carcinoma

Background: Metaplastic breast cancer (MBC), characterized by admixed epithelial, squamous or mesenchymal elements, constitutes Methods: We identified 41 MBC patients treated at our institution 2001–2011 who were followed for a median of 66 months. Statistical analyses evaluated axillary ultrasound (AUS), fine needle aspiration (FNA), and sentinel LN biopsy (SLNB) in association with LN status. Results: Median tumor size was 2.7 cm and 76% were triple-negative. Twenty-three patients (56%) had preoperative AUS: 9 (39%) showed ≥1 suspicious LN, 6 proceeded to LN FNA and 3 were confirmed positive. Six patients had neoadjuvant chemotherapy, including 2 FNA LN+. Ten patients were LN+ at operation. Among 19 patients undergoing AUS and axillary surgery, AUS ± FNA sensitivity was 100% and specificity was 94%. LN positivity correlated with increasing tumor size, grade and angiolymphatic invasion. 16 patients recurred, 63% with distant disease (10/16) and one with isolated axillary disease after a negative SLNB not preceded by AUS. Overall SLNB accuracy was 96% (23/24), but absent preoperative AUS, 1/7 (14%) of SLNBs were falsely negative. Conclusions: Our study is the first to specifically address the performance and utility of AUS/FNA and SLNB for MBC patients. AUS/FNA at diagnosis followed by SLN surgery provided accurate nodal staging and critical prognostic information to inform treatment recommendations. We recommend this approach for axillary management of MBC patients.
The novel sodium channel modulator GS-458967 (GS967) is an effective treatment in a mouse model of SCN8A encephalopathy.

Objective De novo mutations of SCN8A, encoding the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV 1.6, have been associated with a severe infant onset epileptic encephalopathy. Individuals with SCN8A encephalopathy have a mean age of seizure onset of 4-5 months, with multiple seizure types that are often refractory to treatment with available drugs. Anecdotal reports suggest that high-dose phenytoin is effective for some patients, but there are associated adverse effects and potential for toxicity. Functional characterization of several SCN8A encephalopathy variants has shown that elevated persistent sodium current is one of several common biophysical defects. Therefore, specifically targeting elevated persistent current may be a useful therapeutic strategy in some cases. Methods The novel sodium channel modulator GS967 has greater preference for persistent as opposed to peak current and nearly 10-fold greater potency than phenytoin. We evaluated the therapeutic effect of GS967 in the Scn8aN1768D/+ mouse model carrying an SCN8A patient mutation that results in elevated persistent sodium current. We also performed patch clamp recordings to assess the effect of GS967 on peak and persistent sodium current and excitability in hippocampal neurons from Scn8aN1768D/+ mice. Results GS967 potently blocked persistent sodium current without affecting peak current, normalized action potential morphology, and attenuated excitability in neurons from heterozygous Scn8aN1768D/+ mice. Acute treatment with GS967 provided dose-dependent protection against maximal electroshock-induced seizures in Scn8aN1768D/+ and wild-type mice. Chronic treatment of Scn8aN1768D/+ mice with GS967 resulted in lower seizure burden and complete protection from seizure-associated lethality observed in untreated Scn8aN1768D/+ mice. Protection was achieved at a chronic dose that did not cause overt behavioral toxicity or sedation. Significance Persistent sodium current modulators like GS967 may be an effective precision targeting strategy for SCN8A encephalopathy and other functionally similar channelopathies when elevated persistent sodium current is the primary dysfunction.
Validation of Transient Elastography Cut Points to Assess Advanced Liver Fibrosis in Children and Young Adults: The Boston Children's Hospital Experience

Objective To derive an optimal liver stiffness measurement cut point to discriminate METAVIR fibrosis stage F4 and to validate both METAVIR fibrosis stage F3-F4 and F4 cut points in a separate cohort. Study Design Patients at Boston Children's Hospital with liver stiffness measurement from 2006 to 2016 and liver biopsy ≤12 months before screening were eligible. Patients enrolled 2006-2011 were used to calibrate liver stiffness measurement cut points and those enrolled 2011-2016 for validation. Diagnostic performance was assessed by receiver operating curve analysis. Results In total, 267 subjects were enrolled (97 calibration, 170 validation). The cohorts were similar with 54% male, aged 0-29 years (median 13 years), and liver diseases including 21% autoimmune, 19% viral, 11% nonalcoholic fatty liver, 9% cholestatic, and 9% primary sclerosing cholangitis. Cut points to discriminate F3-F4 and F4 were >8.6 kPa and >11.5 kPa with 81% and 84% accuracy, respectively. Applied to the validation cohort, accuracy was 67% and 75%, respectively. In 44 fasted subjects, the accuracy was 73% and 80%, respectively. Conclusion This study validates previously determined liver stiffness measurement cut points of 8.6 kPa and 11.5 kPa to predict METAVIR F3-F4 and F4 fibrosis in children and young adults in separate cohorts. With increasing data on the utility and validity of liver stiffness measurement in children, transient elastography may help identify patients with greater risk of advanced fibrosis and those who need liver biopsy assessment and/or surveillance for the complications of cirrhosis in a variety of liver disorders.
Into the breach: Emergency psychiatry in the general hospital

Abstract In its position at the interface between the community and the general hospital, the emergency ward (EW) serves to reconcile the complex needs of the local population with the traditional organizational structure of the hospital. In recent years, the EW has been faced with the dilemma of managing increasing numbers of psychotic patients with chronic illness and psychosocial problems. In response to this impressive growth in the utilization of psychiatric emergency services, a variety of general hospitals have developed model programs of service delivery and methods for the evaluation of their effectiveness. This paper is an overview of utilization patterns, organization of services, and assessment of the evaluation and referral model. The issues facing general hospitals in the development of emergency care are clarified. The need for further research, program development, and clinical implementation is discussed.
Behavioral Approaches to Crime and Delinquency

Understanding and controlling juvenile delinquency and adult crime remain elusive goals. This does not reflect disinterest of either the public, elected and appointed officials, or scholars and scientists. In the United States, as elsewhere, considerable activity pertains to preventing crime and intervening with those who commit it. At federal, state, and local levels, illegal behavior is the impetus for voluminous legislation, policymaking, and judicial deliberation as well as concentrated effort by those involved in preventive, law-enforcement, and correctional endeavors. Furthermore, criminal behavior is the object of intense study in such traditional areas of research and scholarship as psychology, sociology, political science, law, history, anthropology, and philosophy.
Generalizations from Meta-analysis

This chapter discusses the kinds of inferences and generalizations we can make from a meta-analysis. The chapter reviews the framework outlined by Shadish et al. (2002) for meta-analysis, and provides examples from two recent syntheses that had an influence on policy.
Assessment for Learning: An Endangered Species?.

W. James Popham Classroom assessment for learning is a marvelous, cost-effective way of enhancing student learning. Solid research evidence confirms that it works, assessment experts endorse it, and teachers adore it. Nevertheless, I fear for its survival. To explain, let me wind back the clock. In October 1998, two British researchers, Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam, reported on the work of their colleagues in the United Kingdom's Assessment Reform Group. Black and Wiliam described a powerful distinction between two approaches to classroom testing. They characterized the traditional approach to assessment, in which a teacher tests students chiefly to determine what those students know, as assessment of learning. In contrast, they referred to a more instructionally oriented approach, in which testing plays a pivotal role in helping students learn, as assessment for learning (see the November 2005 issue of Educational Leadership on "Assessment to Promote Learning" for a variety of viewpoints on the topic). By adroitly juggling a pair of prepositions, the Assessment Reform Group succinctly highlighted the difference between these two approaches to assessment. In their 1998 article, Black and Wiliam drove home the significance of this assessment distinction by presenting a meta-analysis of previously reported empirical research regarding the effects of classroom assessment for learning. Their analysis indicated striking testscore improvements for students, not only on classroom assessments but on external examinations as well. Subsequent meta-analyses by other researchers have confirmed the idea that classroom assessment for learning can be a wonderful way of boosting students' scores on external achievement tests. Assessment for learning involves the frequent, continual use of both formal and informal classroom assessments. It can be as simple as requiring students to respond to a lesson embedded, one-item quiz as a way of gauging student understanding of what's being taught. Ideally, this innovative approach to classroom assessment is based on a careful analysis of the enabling knowledge and subskills that students must first acquire to master a higher curricular aim. Unlike assessment of learning, which attempts to get a fix on what students know for the purposes of giving grades or evaluating schools, the array of test-like events in assessment for learning is always linked to the question "What’s next instructionally?" Students are key players in this endeavor because one aim of this assessment approach is to empower students to monitor their own progress toward clearly understood curricular goals. Moreover, prominent assessment specialists, such as Rick Stiggins and Lorrie Shepard, have given ringing endorsements to this classroom-testing strategy. There's lots to love and little to hate about classroom assessment for learning. Why, then, am I fearful for the longterm survival of classroom assessment for learning? In the United W. James Popham is Emeritus Professor in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies; wpopham@ucla.edu.
Clinical analysis of bronchoscopic electrocoagulation in pediatric patients.

This study is to explore the efficacy and safety of bronchoscopic electrocoagulation treatment for pediatric disease of poor ventilation. Seventy pediatric patients of airway stenosis and obstruction as well as pharyngeal and laryngeal cysts received bronchoscopic electrocoagulation treatment, including 15 cases of epiglottic cyst, 13 cases of cicatricial hyperplasia of fibrous tissue after trachea intubation, 5 cases of foreign body in bronchus and 37 cases of endobronchial tuberculosis. Before and after the last electrocoagulation treatment, treatment efficacy was evaluated by examining the patients’ clinical presentations and lesions in airway under bronchoscope, examining chest CT and pulmonary function, and estimating pulmonary atelectasis and ventilation function. Seventy cases of pediatric patients were treated by bronchoscopic electrocoagulation, with the total treatment number of 106 times. Among them, 66 cases were treated with marked efficacy and 4 cases were with effective treatment. There was no invalid treatment. The treatment efficacy was 100% without complications. Bronchoscopic electrocoagulation treatment is a fast, effective and safe therapeutic method in treating airway stenosis and obstruction, such as foreign body in bronchus, granulation tissue hyperplasia, and epiglottic cysts. It is worthy of being widely applied in clinic.
DNA REPLICATION IN ULTRAVIOLET-IRRADIATED MAMMALIAN CELLS

ABSTRACT Data presently available support the hypothesis that inhibition of DNA replication in ultraviolet-irradiated mammalian cells is due to long pauses when replication forks encounter pyrimidine dimers in the template DNA.
New Interdisciplinary Possibilities: Learning Together in an Early Childhood Lab School.

Since the late 1800s, laboratory schools are dedicated to research and furthering innovation in education. They are also an excellent place for various disciplines to come together in search of bes...
Strategy of Pharmacological Regulation of Intracellular Signal Transduction in Regeneration-Competent Cells.

The study focuses on the development of principally novel priority-oriented healthcare strategy — targeted therapy in regenerative medicine known as Strategy of Pharmacological Control over Intracellular Signal Transduction in Regeneration-Competent Cells. It implies selective action of promising drugs on specific key elements in the signaling cascade responsible for functional activity of various progenitor cells (including stem cells) and elements of tissue microenvironment. The results of pioneer studies are described that were aimed on revealing the peculiarities in signal transduction and the role of distinct signaling molecules (the potential targets) in the control of cell cycle and other functions of progenitor elements and regulatory cells of different types. The models of some pathological states were employed to demonstrate the possibility of effective implementation of the advanced pharmacotherapeutic concept. The developed theoretical and applied platform can be used to launch synthesis of principally novel preparations with regenerative activity.
Against Tanglewood by Focus Movement: A Reply to Erlewine and Kotek 2018

We reply to Erlewine and Kotek’s (2018) claim that the phenomenon of covariation under focus (Tanglewood sentences; Kratzer 1991) is subject to syntactic islands and that it should therefore be handled by a focus movement theory (contra Kratzer’s view). We present novel data that are at odds with Erlewine and Kotek’s conclusions and demonstrate the necessity of an island-insensitive mechanism to capture focus covariation. We revisit Erlewine and Kotek’s main arguments against such a system and show that they are systematically confounded. Moreover, removing the confounds cancels the force of the arguments, corroborating the central point of this article.
Analytical Modeling of White Space Utilization for a Dynamic Spectrum Access System

Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) promises to be a shared spectrum technology that can alleviate the artificial spectrum crunch created by the static allocation of spectrum. There have been many studies on DSA systems in the literature. However, most of them are analyzed using simulation studies rather than analytical modeling. Analytical models are useful in evaluating performance of such systems quickly and easily. In this paper, we present an analytical model of an opportunistic DSA system. Using an alternating renewal process to represent primary user traffic of the DSA system and applying theory from survival analysis and stochastic process, we derive an expression to compute the white space utilization (WSU) of a DSA system for a general distribution of idle durations of primary traffic. Taking the exponential distribution as an example, we validate our analytical model by comparing its results to results obtained from two simulation experiments. One experiment uses idle durations generated from pseudorandom variates and the other uses data collected from a real Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system whose idle duration distribution is approximately exponential. Our analytical WSU results match closely with those from the first experiment and match reasonably well with those obtained from the second experiment.
Tennessee Senate Race: Call It What You Want, but Tennessee Is a Red Wall to the South

Republican U.S. Senator Bob Corker announced his retirement in 2017, adding Tennessee’s 2018 Senate race to the list of significant midterm contests. For Democrats, it offered an opportunity to flip a seat, to increase the odds of a Senate majority, and to test the geographical dominance of the Republican Party in the South. For Republicans, the open contest gave hardline conservatives a chance to win a state that had been a holdout against the tea party wave that had swept other southern states, and for the party to maintain its majority status in the U.S. Senate. Democrats ran former Governor Phil Bredesen—the only Democrat to win a statewide contest in Tennessee since 1996. Republicans countered with “congressman” Marsha Blackburn, an eight-term conservative and Trump loyalist. Blackburn’s victory further cemented the Volunteer State’s status as a southern Republican stronghold.
Stability analysis of model-free control under constrained inputs for control of building HVAC systems

Recently introduced model-free control method has witnessed successful applications in various domains. While the framework of model-free control renders it simple and efficient, it imposes difficulties in implementing the method for complex applications under external constraints. Moreover, there is a lack of literature on the study and application of model-free control under constrained environments. This paper attempts to further the study of model-free control by employing it for monitoring indoor temperature of buildings through the control of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, and studying the control design stability conditions under constrained inputs. Two kinds of constraints on the control input are considered and their stability conditions are investigated. The developed framework aims to highlight a potential path to analyze the stability under a given set of constraints. Accordingly, the developed framework is applied to a previously developed methodology that aimed to control the indoor temperatures of buildings with locally generated solar photovoltaic (PV) energy, by structuring the constraints therein. The results of employing model-free control on building HVAC systems under unconstrained and constrained inputs are presented. The role of the model estimation error on the stability is also discussed.
The evaluation of lymphopenia in infants exposed to opioids in-utero.

Background Chronic use of opioids is associated with hematologic and immunologic effects, including lymphopenia. Despite an increase in opioid use during pregnancy, little is known about the potential immunologic effects on the neonate after exposure to opioids in-utero. We aimed to evaluate the presence of lymphopenia among neonates exposed to opioids in-utero. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a single institution after exposure to opioids in-utero. We compared the lymphocyte counts of this population to a control NICU population. Results A higher percentage of neonates exposed to opioids in-utero were lymphopenic compared to our control population (44% vs 24%, p = 0.035). Conclusions This is the first study we are aware of, that investigated an association between neonatal lymphopenia and opioid exposure in-utero. Further studies to explore clinical implications of this finding are needed.
Inaccuracies in the Use of the Majeed Pelvic Outcome Score: A Systematic Literature Review.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the accuracy with which the Majeed Pelvic Score has been reported in the English literature. DATA SOURCES Databases used to search for literature were PubMed, Embase, and Ovid, restricted to English language from inception to October 2, 2018. STUDY SELECTION Search words used were: Majeed, pelvis, and outcome. DATA EXTRACTION Articles were assessed for descriptions of scoring and proper reporting of Majeed Pelvic Outcome Score. DATA SYNTHESIS Descriptive statistics were used to report the outcome of our findings. CONCLUSIONS Ninty-two English articles were identified. Twenty-four (26%) articles were identified as including methodology related to the use and scoring of the Majeed Pelvic score. The remaining 68 presented mean Majeed scores with no methodological information. None (0/92) discussed how the range of possible scores for the most severe function was applied. Six (7%) reported adjusted scores for patients not working. Three (3%) included a discussion of the scores as adjusted for patients working before injury compared with those not working. Ten (11%) addressed the categorization of scores by excellent to poor describing what raw scores defined those categories. We observed poor accuracy and notable inconsistency in the use and reporting of the Majeed Pelvic Outcome Score in the literature. These data demonstrate that interpretation and comparison of research reporting this score should be done cautiously. Future studies should include specific information as to how the Majeed instrument calculated to allow for verification of the presented scores and subsequent conclusions.
Analysis of fibroblast migration dynamics in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis using image-based scaffolds of the lung extracellular matrix.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by a profound remodeling of the collagen in the extracellular matrix (ECM), where the fibers become both denser and more highly aligned. However...
Studying a Not-so-Secret “Secret Code”

Martin Duberman and other social historians claim that the “series of riots” that took place at the Stonewall Inn (Manhattan’s West Village) in late June 1969 have become “the emblematic events in modern lesbian and gay history” (Duberman 2002). The emblematic status of those events has also created an emblematic narrative, under whose terms the Stonewall moment dispelled darkness, secrecy and silence and inspired liberation, visibility, public, political engagement. The emblematic narrative also equates language before Stonewall with secret codes, private messages, and in-group argot. This book argues that secrecy and concealment were a small part of the connections linking language and sexuality before Stonewall. And this book uses a Queer Historical Linguistics (QHL) rather than the assumptions of the emblematic narrative to examine what language and sexuality before Stonewall entailed. This chapter introduces the method and theory associated with QHL and demonstrates QHL’s usefulness for studies of language before Stonewall. QHL builds on the idea that queerness is a “mesh of possibilities” (Sedgwick in Tendencies, Duke University Press, Durham, 1993) and a messy formation (Manalansan in Radical History Review 120:94–106, 2014), and refers to practices and subject positions located “on the edges of logics of labor and production …” (Halberstam 2010). QHL depends on an assemblage of data (an archive) gathered through a scavenger methodology (Halberstam in Female Masculinity, Duke University Press, Durham, 1998), and analyzed through the work of close reading (Freeman in Time Binds: Queer Temporalities, Queer Histories, Duke University Press, Durham, 2010; Levine in Forms: Whole, Rhythm, Hierarchy, Network, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2015), and through the framework of homohistory (Menon in Unhistorical Shakespeare: Queer Theory in Shakespearean Literature and Film, Palgrave, London, 2008). Unlike in historical studies where “meaning succeeds as replacing itself-as itself- through time” (Edelman in No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive, Duke University Press, Durham, 2004), QHL refuses to “…take the object of queering for granted” (Goldberg and Menon in PMLA 120(5):1608–1617, 2005). Several examples conclude the chapter to illustrate what QHL-oriented inquiry entails.
Outcomes of Capecitabine and Temozolomide (CAPTEM) in Advanced Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (NENs).

Capecitabine and temozolomide (CAPTEM) have shown promising results in the treatment of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN). The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome and role for CAPTEM in malignant neuroendocrine neoplasms. Data were obtained from NEN patients who received at least one cycle of CAPTEM between November 2010 and June 2018. The average number of cycles was 9.5. For analysis, 116 patients were included, of which 105 patients (91%) underwent prior treatment. Median progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 13 and 38 months, respectively. Overall response rate (ORR) was 21%. Disease control rate (DCR) was 73% in all patients. PFS, median OS, ORR, and DCR for pancreatic NENs (pNEN) vs. non-pNEN was 29 vs. 11 months, 35 vs. 38 months, 38% vs. 9%, and 77% vs. 71%, respectively. Patients with pNEN had a 50% lower hazard of disease progression compared to those with non-pNEN (adjusted Hazard Ratio: 0.498, p = 0.0100). A significant difference in PFS was found between Ki-67 20–54%, and Ki-67 ≥ 55% (29 vs. 12 vs. 7 vs. 5 months; p = 0.0287). Adverse events occurred in 74 patients (64%). Our results indicate that CAPTEM is associated with encouraging PFS, OS, and ORR data in patients with NENs.
Helicopter Parenting, Authenticity, and Depressive Symptoms: A Mediation Model.

Helicopter parenting is an overinvolved, overcontrolling parenting style that likely interferes with children’s healthy development of authenticity. Authenticity refers to self-awareness and a genu...
Safety and activity of selinexor in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes or oligoblastic acute myeloid leukaemia refractory to hypomethylating agents: a single-centre, single-arm, phase 2 trial

Summary Background The median overall survival of patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes refractory to hypomethylating agents is less than 6 months. Currently, no standard therapy for such patients exists. Preclinical studies have shown that inhibition of the nuclear export protein exportin 1 (XPO1) causes nuclear accumulation of p53 and disruption of NF-κB signalling, both relevant targets for myelodysplastic syndromes. We therefore aimed to assess the safety and activity of selinexor in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes or oligoblastic acute myeloid leukaemia refractory to hypomethylating agents. Methods We did a single-centre, single-arm, phase 2 trial at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the USA. We included patients 18 years or older with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes or oligoblastic acute myeloid leukaemia (defined as blasts ≥20% but ≤30%) refractory to hypomethylating agents and with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 0–2. Eligible patients received 3-week long cycles of oral selinexor (60 mg twice per week for 2 weeks, followed by 1 week off). The primary outcome was overall response rate. Complete remission, partial remission, marrow complete remission, or haematological improvement were included in the response categories for assessing the primary endpoint. The activity analysis included all patients who completed at least one full-scheduled post-treatment disease assessment. All patients who were given selinexor were included in the safety analysis. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02228525. Findings Between Sept 23, 2014, and March 13, 2018, 25 patients were enrolled on this study. The median follow-up was 8·5 months (IQR 3·1–12·2). Two patients did not meet the full eligibility criteria after baseline assessment; therefore, 23 patients were evaluable for activity assessment. In the 23 evaluable patients, overall response rate was 26% (95% CI 10–48) in six patients with marrow complete remission, with an additional 12 patients (52%, 95% CI 31–73) achieving stable disease. The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events were thrombocytopenia (eight [32%] of 25 patients) and hyponatraemia (five [20%]). There were no drug-related serious adverse events and no treatment-related deaths. Interpretation Selinexor showed responses in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes or oligoblastic acute myeloid leukaemia refractory to hypomethylating agents. Adverse events were manageable with supportive care implementation. Further studies are needed to compare selinexor with supportive care alone, and to identify patient subgroups that might benefit the most from selinexor treatment. Funding Karyopharm Therapeutics.
Effect of micron-scale manufacturing flaws on the tensile response of centimeter sized two-photon polymerization microlattices

Two-photon polymerization (TPP) is a unique fabrication technique that enables sub-micron scale resolution. Herein, we report on uniaxial tensile tests on millimeter-sized TPP log-pile structures that were fabricated using a recently developed interdigitated stitching strategy. As expected, the Young’s modulus increased with laser intensity, however elastic modulus, ultimate strength and strain-at-failure varied widely, even for nominally identical samples. Post-mortem analysis revealed a series of print defects resulting from various sources including misalignments, resin shrinkage, laser beam shadowing, and local depletion of the oxygen inhibitor. While some of the defects can be eliminated, such as misalignments due to insufficient precision of the mechanical stage, others are more intrinsic to TPP and thus more difficult to address.
Shareholder Activism and Stakeholder Engagement Strategies: Promoting Environmental Justice, Human Rights, and Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an ambitious “plan of action for people, planet and prosperity” which seeks to promote peace and eradicate poverty. The Agenda’s goals cannot be reached without private sector participation and changes to certain business practices that contribute to adverse environmental and human rights impacts. When natural resources are managed responsibly the resulting economic development can help to eradicate poverty. However, when natural resources are managed poorly, certain extractives industry sector practices can generate or exacerbate human rights abuses, environmental degradation, corruption, and conflict. Fossil fuels are connected to the changing climate. The practices of the extractives industry sector and our patterns of consumption are implicated in the expected adverse social impacts and environmental injustices associated with the changing climate such as displacement and forced migration. For the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth in the Agenda for Sustainable Development to be reached by 2030, action on climate change and patterns of corruption will require pressure from the public as well as partnership with the private sector. This paper explores the role of economic actors and public/private multi-stakeholder initiatives as partners in promoting action on climate and curbing corruption to protect human rights. It plots points of convergence between the SDGs and the priorities of socially responsible investors, the efforts of human rights and transparency initiatives regulating the extractives industry sector, and global principles intended to guide responsible business conduct. It explains how certain complementary points of convergence could create opportunities for business enterprises to address environmental and social challenges through aligning business incentives with the aims of the SDGs. First, the paper will provide an analysis of selected international law, policy, and governance instruments relevant to achieving the SDGs with reference to the role of the extractive industry sector in posing risks to human rights and environmental quality. The human right to a healthy environment and the responsibility of business enterprises to respect human rights is also addressed. Next, the paper will present examples of increasing investor interest in environmental and social issues examining shareholder proposals put forward by institutional investors seeking information about the financial implications of these issues for firms. The paper will then offer an overview of multi-stakeholder and extractive industry initiatives that provide an institutional framework for managing corruption and conflict. Finally, the paper concludes with a call for a consideration of shared values solutions to challenges and an increased appreciation of a range of ways to advance the SDGs by creating aligned incentives for economic actors.
Insulation or Irradiance: Exploring Why Bifacial Photovoltaics Run Hot

Bifacial photovoltaics are predicted to become the dominant device architecture over the next couple of years, but their thermal performance is not yet well understood. In this study, we model the thermal effects of different backside lamination materials on the performance of bifacial PERC cells. Glass-glass laminated cells were found to operate hotter than equivalent glass-polymer backsheet packed cells. This was solely due to the increased absorption of rear side incident light.
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Spinoza

Aimed at those new to studying Spinoza, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to his thought, placing it in its historical and philosophical contexts, and assessing its critical reception. In addition to providing an analysis of Spinoza's metaphysical, epistemological, psychological, and ethical views in the Ethics, Henry Allison also explores his political theory and revolutionary views on the Bible, as well as his account of Judaism, which led to the excommunication of the young Spinoza from the Jewish community in Amsterdam. Although the book's main focus is on the analysis of Spinoza's views, including a close reading of the central arguments of the Ethics, it also considers many of the standard objections to these arguments as well as possible responses to them. This completely revised and updated new edition of Allison's classic book, with two new chapters, will help a new generation of students to understand and value Spinoza's work.
Convergent evolution of genome guardian functions in a parasite-specific p53 homolog

SignificanceP53 is a widely studied tumor suppressor that is found throughout metazoans, including invertebrates that do not develop malignancies. The prevailing theory for why this is the case is that P53 originally evolved to protect the germline of early metazoans from genotoxic stress such as UV radiation. In this study, we examine the function of two P53 homologs in the parasitic flatworm Schistosoma mansoni. The first is orthologous to canonical P53, and regulates stem cell maintenance and differentiation. The second P53 gene is a parasite-specific paralog that is required for the normal response to genotoxic stress. This implies that the ability to respond to genotoxic stress in parasitic flatworms may have arisen from convergent evolution.
Execution Time Support for Scientific Programs on Distributed Memory Machines

Optimizations are considered that are required for efficient execution of code segments that consists of loops over distributed data structures. The PARTI (Parallel Automated Runtime Toolkit at ICASE) execution time primitives are designed to carry out these optimizations and can be used to implement a wide range of scientific algorithms on distributed memory machines. These primitives allow the user to control array mappings in a way that gives an appearance of shared memory. Computations can be based on a global index set. Primitives are used to carry out gather and scatter operations on distributed arrays. Communications patterns are derived at runtime, and the appropriate send and receive messages are automatically generated.
Contingency Pricing for Information Goods and Services Under Industrywide Performance Standard

This paper demonstrates that quality-contingent pricing is a useful mechanism for mitigating the negative effects of quality uncertainty in e-commerce and information technology services. Under contingency pricing of an information good or service, the firm preannounces a rebate for poor performance. Consumers determine performance probabilities using publicly available historical performance data, and the firm may have additional private information with respect to its future probability distribution. Examining the monopoly case, we explicate the critical role of private information and differences in belief between the firm and market in the choice of pricing scheme. Contingent pricing is useful when the market underestimates the firm's performance; then it is optimal for the firm to offer a full-price rebate for mis-performance, with a correspondingly higher price for meeting the performance standard. We study the competitive value of contingency pricing in a duopoly setting where the firms differ in their probabilities of meeting the performance standard, but are identical in other respects. Contingency pricing is a dominant strategy for a firm when the market underestimates the firm's performance. Whereas both firms would earn equal profits if they were constrained to standard pricing, the superior firm earns greater profits under contingency pricing by setting lower expected prices. We show that contingency pricing is efficient as well, and consumer surplus increases because more consumers buy from the superior firm.