cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigation of dietary behavior of adolescents in Pudong New Area of Shanghai City in 2012

[Objective]To learn the dietary behavior of middle school students in Pudong New Area of Shanghai City,and provide evidence for prevention and intervention.[Methods]A total of 5 641middle school students in Pudong New Area were selected by stratified cluster sampling method,and investigated by " Health-related Risk Behaviors questionnaire for Shanghai Adolescents".[Results]Dietary behavior reported rates of junior and senior students on daily breakfast eating were 73.85% and 72.12%,daily vegetable eating of 71.84% and 68.22%,daily fruit eating of 50.64% and 48.32%,daily milk drinking of 50.36% and 42.72%,frequently sugary beverage drinking of 2.46% and 4.33%,frequently dessert eating of 7.24% and 8.66%,daily frequently fried food eating of 7.14% and 8.59%,frequently fast food eating of 1.15% and 2.46%,roadside food eating of 2.92% and 2.89%.Dietary behavior of junior students was better than that of senior students,female was better than male,urban and suburban areas was better than rural areas.[Conclusion]]It is necessary to promote nutrition education among senior students in rural area,healthy lifestyle should be fostered to reduce risk factors of adult disease.
Pharmacological effects of methamphetamine and alpha-PVP vapor and injection

Vaporizing drugs in e-cigarettes is becoming a common method of administration for synthetic cathinones and classical stimulants. Heating during vaporization can expose the user to a cocktail of parent compound and thermolytic degradants, which could lead to different toxicological and pharmacological effects compared to ingesting the parent compound alone via injection or nasal inhalation. This study examined the in vivo toxicological and pharmacological effects of vaporized and injected methamphetamine (METH) and α-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (α-PVP). Male and female ICR mice were administered METH or α-PVP through vapor or i.p. injection. Dose-effect curves were determined for locomotor activity and a functional observational battery (FOB). METH and α-PVP vapor were also evaluated for place preference in male mice. Vapor exposure and injection led to more similarities than differences in toxicological and pharmacological effects. In the FOB, both routes of administration produced typical stimulant effects, and injection also increased some bizarre behaviors (e.g. licking, teeth chattering, darting). Both METH and α-PVP vapor exposure produced conditioned place preference. The two routes of administration had comparable efficacy in locomotor activation, with vapor producing longer lasting effects than injection. Females showed greater METH-induced locomotor activity, and greater incidence of a few somatic signs in the FOB than males. These results explore the toxicology of stimulant vapor inhalation in mice using an e-cigarette device. Despite the current technological and methodological difficulties, studying drug vapor promises to allow determination of toxicological effects of thermolytic products and flavor additives.
NSTX upgrade power supply system

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) is undergoing a significant upgrade. The upgrade increases the toroidal field and pulse length, adds three new diverter coils and a second neutral beam injection (NBI) system. The magnet coil power supply systems for the NSTX have been redesigned with many modifications to reflect NSTX upgrade needs. The NSTX power supply system includes three major parts. The first part is the DC power supplies for the magnet coils. The second is the power supply real time control system. The third is the coil and power supply protection system. In this paper, a brief overview of the power system upgrade is presented.
Segmental multi-point linearization for parameter sensitivity approximation in reliability analysis

Abstract This paper proposes an efficient method named segmental multi-point linearization for accurate approximation of the sensitivity of failure probability with respect to design parameters. The method is established based on a piecewise linear fitting of the limit state surface and the analytical integral of the gradient of the failure probability with respect to parameters in the limit state function. The proposed method presents an attractive ratio of accuracy to computational cost. The general framework is scalable such that, by adjusting its complexity, different levels of accuracy can be achieved. The method is especially suitable to be implemented in gradient-based routines for solving reliability-based design optimization problems where accuracy of the parameter sensitivity is essential for convergence to an optimal solution.
Evolution of reporting and control for churches and charities in the United States: A study of the Southern Baptist Convention Annuals, 1845–2010

From its inception in 1845, the Southern Baptist Convention has always had a theologically-based stewardship focus regarding its donated funds and developed financial controls early on that require...
The Anatomy of Retention in the U.S. Federal Government: Exit, Voice, or Money?

ABSTRACTEmployee turnover—due to retirement, moving from one work unit to another, or leaving an organization entirely—imposes considerable costs on organizations. While private organizations make use of several high-powered incentives to retain workers, public organizations typically lack comparable incentives. Fortunately, public employees frequently possess stronger intrinsic motives to stay. Our results indicate that employee voice is an especially useful tool in the U.S. federal government. Evidence is also consistent with a substantial “contagion” effect: when others in an agency seek to leave, individual employees in that agency are more likely to report turnover intentions than similar employees in agencies with more “stayers.”
Empowering Low-Power Wide Area Networks in Urban Settings

Low-Power Wide Area Networks (LP-WANs) are an attractive emerging platform to connect the Internet-of-things. LP-WANs enable low-cost devices with a 10-year battery to communicate at few kbps to a base station, kilometers away. But deploying LP-WANs in large urban environments is challenging, given the sheer density of nodes that causes interference, coupled with attenuation from buildings that limits signal range. Yet, state-of-the-art techniques to address these limitations demand inordinate hardware complexity at the base stations or clients, increasing their size and cost.This paper presents Choir, a system that overcomes challenges pertaining to density and range of urban LP-WANs despite the limited capabilities of base station and client hardware. First, Choir proposes a novel technique that aims to disentangle and decode large numbers of interfering transmissions at a simple, single-antenna LP-WAN base station. It does so, perhaps counter-intuitively, by taking the hardware imperfections of low-cost LP-WAN clients to its advantage. Second, Choir exploits the correlation of sensed data collected by LP-WAN nodes to collaboratively reach a faraway base station, even if individual clients are beyond its range. We implement and evaluate Choir on USRP N210 base stations serving a 10 square kilometer area surrounding Carnegie Mellon University campus. Our results reveal that Choir improves network throughput of commodity LP-WAN clients by 6.84 x and expands communication range by 2.65 x.
Abstract 16116: Drug Eluting vs. Bare Metal Stents in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease and Coronary Artery Disease: Insight From a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Trials

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) and is associated with an exponential increase in adverse outcomes. Most large clinical trials of drug eluting stents (DES) have excluded patients with impaired renal function. The efficacy of DES in patients with CKD is therefore not known. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL were searched for studies including at least 100 patients with CKD or with a creatinine clearance of ≤ 60 mL/min and CAD treated with DES or bare metal stents (BMS) and followed for at least 1 month and reporting outcomes of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular (CV) mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), target lesion and target vessel revascularizations. Results: 27 studies with 83,332 participants (47,073 DES and 36,259 BMS) fulfilled the criteria and were included in the analysis. DES was associated with significant reduction in all-cause mortality (OR 0.70; 95% CI 0.61-0.80), CV mortality (OR 0.39; 95% CI 0.25-0.60), MI (OR 0.90; 95% CI 0.85-0.95), TLR (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.48-0.77) and TVR (OR 0.49; 95% CI 0.35-0.69) when compared with BMS alone (Figure). Conclusions: In CAD patients with CKD undergoing PCI, the current data from non-randomized studies indicate a significant benefit of DES when compared with BMS alone. These associations should be tested in future randomized controlled trials.
Silent cerebral infarction: Not so silent after all

The occurrence of large cerebral infarctions due to sickle cell disease (SCD) has been known for many years, but it was not until 1988 that brain MRI documented 7 lesions consistent with subclinical infarction in 6 children with SCD who had experienced no prior signs or symptoms of stroke.1 Five of these 6 children had T2 hyperintensity abnormalities located in border zone regions. Such lesions were eventually characterized as a silent cerebral infarction (SCI). The presence of SCIs predicts both future SCIs and overt stroke.2
Public Service, Struggle, and Existenz : Mapping the Individual

Understanding and conceptualizing what it means to be an "individual" remains a critical yet understudied area for public administration. The existential perspective of Karl Jaspers can provide a dynamic, broader philosophical map to organize, under-stand, and discuss the often implicit assumptions that have existed and continue to exist regarding individuals and their relation to governance. Considering Jaspers's work creates the possibility to recognize, order, and reconcile issues of perspective that tend to fracture contemporary scholarship in the profession.
The Global Historical Climatology Network Monthly Temperature Dataset, Version 4

AbstractWe describe a fourth version of the Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN)-monthly (GHCNm) temperature dataset. Version 4 (v4) fulfills the goal of aligning GHCNm temperature values w...
Every Species Is an Insect (or Nearly So): On Insects, Climate Change, Extinction, and the Biological Unknown

Any estimate of the number of species on Earth at risk from climate change must begin with the question of how many species can be found on Earth, and because most species are insects, how many insect species in particular. The question of how many species of insects live on Earth and where they can be found is an old one. Linnaeus was aware of variation from place to place in the diversity of insects but believed that most insect species could be named in his lifetime. One of Linnaeus’s students (he called them apostles), Daniel Rolander, traveled to Surinam, however, and encountered there a diversity of insect life that he found overwhelming. Rolander began to wonder in confronting such diversity whether the species he saw would ever all be collected (the task he had been given) and named (the task Linnaeus would take for himself when Rolander returned) (Dunn, 2009c). Rolander’s experience was a hint of what was to come.
Minimal Residual Disease in Prostate Cancer

Detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) in prostate cancer over several decades has greatly informed our understanding of dissemination and recurrence, but has not yet been routinely used in clinical care. Investigators have detected MRD by identification of prostate cancer cells in the bone marrow; termed disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) and blood; termed circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Various techniques including PSA-RT PCR, PSA immunocytochemistry, cytokeratin immunocytochemistry, and immune-magnetic depletion of hematopoietic cells followed by EPCAM based positive selection, have been used. Importantly, detection of DTCs correlates with recurrence. Research into prostate cancer CTCs has intensified recently, but their use in MRD evaluation has been more limited. Investigators are using semi-automated platforms to detect and begin to study prostate cancer CTCs in patients with no evidence of disease. PSA immunocytochemistry also detects CTCs and correlates with recurrence. Emerging technologies have the potential to greatly aid research in this exciting field.
Toward Dynamic Monitoring and Suppressing Uncertainty in Wildfire by Multiple Unmanned Air Vehicle System

Containing a wildfire requires an efficient response and persistent monitoring. A crucial aspect is the ability to search for the boundaries of the wildfire by exploring a wide area. However, even as wildfires are increasing today, the number of available monitoring systems that can provide support is decreasing, creating an operational gap and slow response in such urgent situations. The objective of this work is to estimate a propagating boundary and create an autonomous system that works in real time. It proposes a coordination strategy with a new methodology for estimating the periphery of a propagating phenomenon using limited observations. The complete system design, tested on the high-fidelity simulation, demonstrates that steering the vehicles toward the highest perpendicular uncertainty generates the effective predictions. The results indicate that the new coordination scheme has a large beneficial impact on uncertainty suppression. This study thus suggests that an efficient solution for suppressing uncertainty in monitoring a wildfire is to use a fleet of low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles that can be deployed quickly. Further research is needed on other deployment schemes that work in different natural disaster case studies.
Increased charge transfer state separation via reduced mixed phase interface in polymer solar cells

Investigations into bulk heterojunction organic solar cells have demonstrated that molecular mixing within domains and at interfaces significantly impacts device performance. However, these studies often use broad performance metrics that blur fundamental structure–function mechanisms – in particular the role of the mixed phase in charge generation versus charge extraction. Here, we present a new analysis based on time-delayed collection field that separately quantifies each fundamental step in the charge generation process. Additionally, we present a novel resonant X-ray scattering analysis to quantify the state of the three-phase nanostructure (phase volumes and their compositions) as it exists in the devices. We find that in a model semicrystalline system, decreasing the mixed phase interface between pure donor and pure acceptor domains has little effect on the efficiency of charge transfer (CT) state formation but instead dramatically increases the efficiency of CT state separation. While charge extraction efficiencies are affected as well, this has only a minor impact on device performance. With both structure and properties quantitatively resolved for the first time on the exact same devices, we determine a simultaneous >99% (anti)correlation between (mixed)pure phase volume and charge separation efficiency, with values fitting well to an exponential saturation model. This result plus our ability to eliminate other possible contributing factors provides strong evidence of a causal relationship that reducing interfacial mixed phases to establish a steep energy gradient between pure phases aids in charge generation and extraction in organic solar cells.
Female Urethral Diverticula: Diagnosis, Pathology, and Surgical Outcomes at an Academic, Urban Medical Center.

Abstract Objective To describe the outcomes of a series of women diagnosed with a urethral diverticulum at an urban tertiary care center. Methods An Institutional Review Board-approved review of a series of 78 women with a diagnosis of urethral diverticulum from 2009 to 2015 was performed. Clinical, radiographic, and pathologic data was collected by retrospective review of patient medical records. Data regarding treatment selection and postoperative outcomes were collected. A multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify preoperative variables that were associated with undergoing surgical resection. Results Of the 78 patients reviewed, the median age was 45.5 years (interquartile range (IQR) 36.0-53.8), median body mass index was 30.4 (IQR 24.8-34.4). The most common presenting symptoms included: incontinence (39%), recurrent urinary tract infections (23%), dysuria (18%), discharge (13%), dyspareunia (12%), and hematuria (9%). Additionally, 16 (21%) women were asymptomatic. Of these 78 cases, 40 underwent surgical excision (51%). Of the remaining 38, 13 were symptomatic and lost to follow-up, 23 were managed expectantly, and 2 underwent surgery after the study period. Review of the pathology results revealed that the most common finding was squamous metaplasia (31%). There was 1 adenocarcinoma in the series (2.5%). Of the 40 patients who had surgery, 3 (7.5%) had a diverticular recurrence and 5 (12.5%) developed stress urinary incontinence. The median follow-up was 7.5 months (IQR 1-20.25 months). Conclusion A variety of presenting symptoms existed for women with a urethral diverticulum seeking medical care at an urban medical center. When controlling for age, body mass index, and race, the presence of preoperative symptoms was associated with undergoing surgical resection.
Soft Tissue Anchoring Performance, Biomechanical Properties, and Tissue Reaction of a New Hernia Mesh Engineered to Address Hernia Occurrence and Recurrence.

One opportunity to reduce hernia occurrence and recurrence rates (currently estimated to be 30% at 10 years postoperatively) is by enhancing the ability of hernia meshes to anchor into tissue to prevent mesh migration, mesh contraction, and mesh tearing away from tissue. To address this, we developed a novel moderate-weight, macroporous, polypropylene mesh (termed the T-line mesh) with mesh extensions to optimize anchoring. We examined the physical properties, biomechanical performance, and biocompatibility of this novel mesh versus a predicate mesh anchored with #0-suture. The physical properties of the T-line mesh and predicate mesh were measured using American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. Meshes were implanted into a swine hernia model and harvested after one day to determine anchoring strength of the meshes in the perioperative period. A separate group was implanted into a swine hernia model and harvested at 30 days and 90 days for semiquantitative histological analysis of biocompatibility. T-line mesh physical properties were similar to commonly used moderate-weight meshes in thickness and areal density. The T-line mesh outperformed the predicate mesh in all mechanical testing (P 0.05). The T-line mesh is a novel hernia mesh that outperforms a predicate mesh in mechanical and biomechanical performance testing while exhibiting similar biocompatibility. The T-line mesh has the potential to reduce hernia occurrence and recurrence caused by mechanical failure.
Comparing benign laparoscopic and abdominal hysterectomy outcomes by time.

While laparoscopic hysterectomy has benefits compared to abdominal hysterectomy, the operative times are longer. Longer operative times have been associated with negative outcomes. This study’s purpose was to elucidate if there is an operative time at which 30-day outcomes for laparoscopic hysterectomy become inferior to a more expeditiously completed abdominal hysterectomy. This was a retrospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2) using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database to identify women undergoing hysterectomy for benign indications from 2010 to 2016 by current procedural terminology code. Hysterectomy cases were stratified by approach and 60-min intervals. 30-day post-operative outcomes were analyzed by operative time and approach. 109,821 hysterectomies were included in our analysis, of which 66,560 (61%) were laparoscopic, and 43,261 (39%) were abdominal. In a multivariable logistic regression analysis comparing outcomes by surgical approach and operative time, there was no time combination in which patients who had a abdominal hysterectomy had significantly lower odds of the composite complications variable. This was true even in laparoscopic hysterectomies greater than 240 min compared to abdominal hysterectomies completed between 20 and 60 min. When compared to laparoscopic hysterectomies greater than 240 min, abdominal hysterectomies between 20 and 60 min had lower odds of sepsis and abdominal hysterectomies less than 180 min had lower odds of urinary tract infection. Given that benefits persist even in prolonged cases, a laparoscopic approach should be offered to most patients undergoing benign hysterectomy. Surgical efficiency should be prioritized for any surgical approach.
Resolving the effects of 2-D versus 3-D grain measurements on apatite (U–Th) ∕ He age data and reproducibility

Abstract. (U–Th) ∕ He thermochronometry relies on the accurate and precise quantification of individual grain volume and surface area, which are used to calculate mass, alpha ejection ( FT ) correction, equivalent sphere radius (ESR), and ultimately isotope concentrations and age. The vast majority of studies use 2-D or 3-D microscope dimension measurements and an idealized grain shape to calculate these parameters, and a long-standing question is how much uncertainty these assumptions contribute to observed intra-sample age dispersion and accuracy. Here we compare the results for volume, surface area, grain mass, ESR, and FT correction derived from 2-D microscope and 3-D X-ray computed tomography (CT) length and width data for > 100 apatite grains. We analyzed apatite grains from two samples that exhibited a variety of crystal habits, some with inclusions. We also present 83 new apatite (U–Th) ∕ He ages to assess the influence of 2-D versus 3-D FT correction on sample age precision and effective uranium (eU). The data illustrate that the 2-D approach systematically overestimates grain volumes and surface areas by 20 %–25 %, impacting the estimates for mass, eU, and ESR – important parameters with implications for interpreting age scatter and inverse modeling. FT factors calculated from 2-D and 3-D measurements differ by ∼2 %. This variation, however, has effectively no impact on reducing intra-sample age reproducibility, even on small aliquot samples (e.g., four grains). We also present a grain-mounting procedure for X-ray CT scanning that can allow hundreds of grains to be scanned in a single session and new software capabilities for 3-D FT and FT -based ESR calculations that are robust for relatively low-resolution CT data, which together enable efficient and cost-effective CT-based characterization.
A Biomedical Motif for Teaching Applied Deep Learning

Deep Learning, the revival of artificial neural networks, is having a significant impact in computing, engineering, and medicine among other fields. In an effort to expose students to domain-specific knowledge outside their discipline, and to focus attention on real-world, socially relevant projects, this work in progress describes the background and infrastructure for embedding an Applied Deep Learning class in a medical motif or context.
Room Temperature Synthesis of Lead-Free Sn/Ge-Based Perovskite Quantum Dots

Metal halide perovskites have received remarkable attention as photovoltaic (PV) devices. These have already achieved power conversion efficiency higher than 23% rivaling that of silicon-based PV. However, these outstanding efficiencies can only be acquired with lead-based perovskites and the devices are chemically unstable in air and moisture. Therefore, the key to the widespread deployment of perovskite-based solar cell will come down to address their "toxicity" and instability problems. We have taken the challenge to replace lead with other nontoxic or less toxic elements, e.g., Sn, and Ge. We have synthesized Cs(Sn,Ge)X 3 (X=I, Br, and Cl) quantum dots (QDs) using room temperature process. The XRD data showed that the synthesized QDs were yellow hexagonal phase, which was further confirmed by the hexagonal shape of the TEM images of the crystals.
Excess histone H3 is a Chk1 inhibitor that controls embryonic cell cycle progression

The early embryos of many species undergo a switch from rapid, reductive cleavage divisions to slower, cell fate-specific division patterns at the Mid-Blastula Transition (MBT). The maternally loaded histone pool is used to measure the increasing ratio of nuclei to cytoplasm (N/C ratio) to control MBT onset, but the molecular mechanism of how histones regulate the cell cycle has remained elusive. Here, we show that excess histone H3 inhibits the DNA damage checkpoint kinase Chk1 to promote cell cycle progression in the Drosophila embryo. We find that excess H3-tail that cannot be incorporated into chromatin is sufficient to shorten the embryonic cell cycle and reduce the activity of Chk1 in vitro and in vivo. Removal of the Chk1 phosphosite in H3 abolishes its ability to regulate the cell cycle. Mathematical modeling quantitatively supports a mechanism where changes in H3 nuclear concentrations over the final cell cycles leading up to the MBT regulate Chk1-dependent cell cycle slowing. We provide a novel mechanism for Chk1 regulation by H3, which is crucial for proper cell cycle remodeling during early embryogenesis.
Comparison of environmental chemical results for split samples analyzed in different laboratories.

Data comparisons were made for split or co-located samples analyzed in contract laboratories and quality assurance (QA) laboratories during environmental studies directed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Archived results were analyzed statistically as concentration ratios (contract laboratory/QA laboratory). Concentration ratios were found to be lognormally distributed, and this was the model used for comparisons. For metals in soils and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in groundwater, 10.2% of metal ratios in soils and 5.6% of VOC ratios in groundwater exceeded limits of 0.40-2.50. Considering that both methods are multianalyte, we find that only 4.0% of the metal samples and 2.0% of the VOC samples had more than one outlier ratio per sample. More recent data produced very similar results. For VOCs, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), and explosives in soils, limits of 0.25-4.00 are suggested with the understanding that large improvements are badly needed. Even with these wide limits, approximately 42% of VOCs, 14% of TPHs, and 11% of explosives contract laboratory/QA laboratory ratios were outside these limits. Here, too, the most recent data yielded very comparable results. Sampling and preparation procedures for VOCs in soils requires immediate attention, but all methods can and should be capable of producing improved agreement between laboratories.
Revisiting a Long-Lasting Legacy: Influences of Mandarin Chinese Characters on the Reading Development of English

This review of literature will address the influences of knowledge of Chinese characters on the reading development of English. This question stems from an increasing number of children of Chinese heritage enrolling in school in the U.S. who wish to gain biliteracy in English and Chinese. On the one hand, bilingualism is acknowledged to be beneficial to young readers’ language and cognitive development. However, on the other hand, the logographic nature of Mandarin Chinese makes it difficult for many educators in the country who only know alphabetic languages like English and Spanish to understand how Chinese-English bilingual readers reconcile two different systems and envision what support they may need. This review will primarily focus on the basics of Mandarin Chinese and developmental models of the two languages to examine how proficiency in Chinese can transfer to and facilitate the reading development of English. Departing from the comparison and contrast between linguistic features and developmental models of the two languages, this review will investigate contributions of Chinee characters to English word reading at the levels of cognition, morphology, and phonology. While Chinese characters as logograms demand predominantly morphological knowledge than phonological awareness from readers, it is phonological awareness that contributes most to reading English words among beginning readers in kindergarten and first grade.
Forgotten by the Fair Sentencing Act and the First Step Act: Federal Methamphetamine Sentencing Reform

This paper explores the issue of sentencing guidelines based on outdated premises and unfair treatment and the potential impacts of drug sentencing laws and enhancements not based on empirical data. To address this problem, this paper proposes a bill, similar to the First Step Act, to both retroactively and prospectively lessen the effect of these capricious drug sentencing guidelines.
Genomic Applications in Brain Tumors

Advances in genetics research have expanded our ability to diagnose brain tumors and provide necessary information for clinical management. Understanding of mutations and pathways involved in the development of brain tumors helps to distinguish clinically distinct subgroups and adjust therapy to reflect the biology of the disease. Furthermore, discovery of driving mechanisms and pathways will help provide potential therapeutic targets. Several molecular tests have been used in clinical practice. Whereas current assays are mostly focused at one target or a few targets, future molecular testing will provide information about the whole genome. We discuss the practical utility of molecular tests for diagnosis and clinical management of patients with brain tumors, as well as the recent discoveries in brain tumor genetics.
Predictors of five-year survival among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States: an analysis of SEER-Medicare

Most patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are ≥ 65 years old at diagnosis and ~ 20% present with disease amenable to curative intent surgical therapy. The aim of this study was to examine whether treatment, the demographic variables, and clinical factors could predict 5-year survival among HCC patients. We included patients, 66 years or older, diagnosed with a first primary HCC from 1994 through 2007 in the SEER-Medicare database, and followed up until death or 31 December 2012. Curative intent treatment was defined as liver transplantation, surgery resection, or ablation. We estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations with 5-year survival using logistic regression. We identified 10,826 patients with HCC with mean age 75.3 (standard deviation, 6.4) years. Most were male (62.2%) and non-Hispanic white (59.7%). Overall, only 8.1% of patients were alive 5 years post-HCC diagnosis date. Among all patients that survived ≥ 5 years, 69.8% received potentially curative treatment. Conversely, patients who received potentially curative treatment represented only 15.7% of patients who survived < 5 years. Curative intent treatment was the strongest predictor for surviving ≥ 5 years (vs. none/palliative treatment; adjusted OR 8.12, 95% CI 6.90–9.64). While stage at diagnosis and comorbidities were also independently associated with ≥ 5-year survival in HCC patients, these factors did not improve discrimination between short- and long-term survivors. Curative intent treatment was the strongest predictor for survival ≥ 5 years among HCC patients. Given the limited availability of liver transplant and limited eligibility for surgical resection, finding curative intent HCC therapies remain critically important.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in COVID-19 Outcomes, Stressors, Fear, and Prevention Behaviors Among US Women: Web-Based Cross-sectional Study.

Background: In the United States, racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, with persistent social and structural factors contributing to these disparities. At the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender, women of color may be disadvantaged in terms of COVID-19 outcomes due to their role as essential workers, their higher prevalence of pre-existing conditions, their increased stress and anxiety from the loss of wages and caregiving, and domestic violence. Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine racial and ethnic differences in the prevalence of COVID-19 outcomes, stressors, fear, and prevention behaviors among adult women residing in the United States. Methods: Between May and June 2020, women were recruited into the Capturing Women’s Experiences in Outbreak and Pandemic Environments (COPE) Study, a web-based cross-sectional study, using advertisements on Facebook; 491 eligible women completed a self-administered internet-based cross-sectional survey. Descriptive statistics were used to examine racial and ethnic differences (White; Asian; Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; Black; Hispanic, Latina, or Spanish Origin; American Indian or Alaskan Native; multiracial or some other race, ethnicity, or origin) on COVID-19 outcomes, stressors, fear, and prevention behaviors. Results: Among our sample of women, 16% (73/470) reported COVID-19 symptoms, 22% (18/82) were concerned about possible exposure from the people they knew who tested positive for COVID-19, and 51.4% (227/442) knew where to get tested; yet, only 5.8% (27/469) had been tested. Racial/ethnic differences were observed, with racial/ethnic minority women being less likely to know where to get tested. Significant differences in race/ethnicity were observed for select stressors (food insecurity, not enough money, homeschooling children, unable to have a doctor or telemedicine appointment) and prevention behaviors (handwashing with soap, self-isolation if sick, public glove use, not leaving home for any activities). Although no racial/ethnic differences emerged from the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, significant racial/ethnic differences were observed for some of the individual scale items (eg, being afraid of getting COVID-19, sleep loss, and heart racing due to worrying about COVID-19). Conclusions: The low prevalence of COVID-19 testing and knowledge of where to get tested indicate a critical need to expand testing for women in the United States, particularly among racial/ethnic minority women. Although the overall prevalence of engagement in prevention behaviors was high, targeted education and promotion of prevention activities are warranted in communities of color, particularly with consideration for stressors and adverse mental health.
Monitoring the Pediatric Clinical Trials Enterprise.

* Abbreviation: CTE — : clinical trials enterprise A series of policies and laws coupled with improved awareness of the importance of evidence to inform practice have led to a significant increase in the number of pediatric clinical trials. In a report in this month’s Pediatrics , Cho and colleagues1 raise a host of important questions. Cho et al used ClinicalTrials.gov to examine the landscape of nonvaccine pediatric trials with an enrollment >1000. Unsurprisingly, they found an imperfect relationship between burden of disease and number of clinical trials. They also found that the vast majority of investigators were from high-income countries as opposed to low- or middle-income countries. The majority of trials in their sample were funded by nonprofit and public organizations. As best they could ascertain, less than two-thirds of completed trials were published within 12 months of completion. Most investigators were from high-income countries. The analysis is focused on large trials with an emphasis on whether the trials assessed mortality as an outcome. Although diseases with a high mortality might best be addressed by large trials, many diseases of children are … Address correspondence to Robert M Califf MD, 269 E Grand Ave, South San Francisco CA 94080. E-mail: robertcaliff{at}duke.edu
ECNet is an evolutionary context-integrated deep learning framework for protein engineering.

Machine learning has been increasingly used for protein engineering. However, because the general sequence contexts they capture are not specific to the protein being engineered, the accuracy of existing machine learning algorithms is rather limited. Here, we report ECNet (evolutionary context-integrated neural network), a deep-learning algorithm that exploits evolutionary contexts to predict functional fitness for protein engineering. This algorithm integrates local evolutionary context from homologous sequences that explicitly model residue-residue epistasis for the protein of interest with the global evolutionary context that encodes rich semantic and structural features from the enormous protein sequence universe. As such, it enables accurate mapping from sequence to function and provides generalization from low-order mutants to higher-order mutants. We show that ECNet predicts the sequence-function relationship more accurately as compared to existing machine learning algorithms by using ~50 deep mutational scanning and random mutagenesis datasets. Moreover, we used ECNet to guide the engineering of TEM-1 β-lactamase and identified variants with improved ampicillin resistance with high success rates. Protein engineering is an active area of research in which machine learning has proven quite powerful. Here, the authors present a deep learning method that integrates both general and protein-specific sequence representations to improve the engineering of one’s protein of interest.
The retrospective chart review: important methodological considerations

In this paper, we review and discuss ten common methodological mistakes found in retrospective chart reviews. The retrospective chart review is a widely applicable research methodology that can be used by healthcare disciplines as a means to direct subsequent prospective investigations. In many cases in this review, we have also provided suggestions or accessible resources that researchers can apply as a "best practices" guide when planning, conducting, or reviewing this investigative method.
The Harmless Thoughts of Meir Dan-Cohen

The publication of Meir Dan-Cohen's collected essays provides a welcome opportunity to reflect on a career of innovative and influential scholarship in criminal law and legal philosophy. By addressing his works collectively I hope to unearth creative tensions between arguments framed at different times and in response to different concerns, tensions not visible when the arguments are taken one at a time. Part I of this Review discusses the essays Harmful Thoughts and Defending Dignity; Part II centers on Decision Rules and Conduct Rules: On Acoustic Separation in Criminal Law and Responsibility and the Boundaries of the Self; Part III turns to In Defense of Defiance and Conceptions of Choice and Conceptions of Autonomy. Each pair of essays reveals a tension within Dan-Cohen's ideas surrounding the purposes and limits of the criminal law and the meaning and value of human autonomy. I will attempt through an exploration of his ideas to sketch some of my own, ideas which preserve and synthesize his many insights while avoiding many of their conflicting implications. I only hope my discussion will be helpful and not merely harmless.
Ku Affects the Ataxia and Rad 3-related/CHK1-dependent S Phase Checkpoint Response after Camptothecin Treatment

Camptothecin (CPT) that targets DNA topoisomerase I is one of the most promising broad-spectrumanticancer drugs in development today. The cytotoxicity of CPT is S phase (S)-specific because the collision of advancing replication forks with CPT-topoisomerase I-DNA complexes results in DNA damage. After DNA damage, proliferating cells could actively slow down the DNA replication through an S checkpoint to provide time for repair. We report now that there is an activated S checkpoint response in CPT-treated mammalian cells. This response is regulated by Ataxia and Rad3-related (ATR)/CHK1 pathway. Compared with their wild-type counterparts, CPT-treated Ku80−/− cells showed stronger inhibition of DNA replication. This stronger inhibition had no relationship with DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) activity but correlated with the higher activities of ATR and the higher activities of CHK1 in such cells. Not only caffeine, the nonspecific inhibitor of ATR, or UCN-01, the nonspecific inhibitor of CHK1, but also the specific CHK1 antisense oligonucleotide abolished the stronger inhibition of DNA replication in CPT-treated Ku80−/− cells. These results in aggregate indicated that the stronger S checkpoint in CPT-treated Ku80−/− cells is regulated through the highly activated ATR/CHK1 pathway.
ENGINEERING GEOLOGY OF STRAIGHT CREEK TUNNEL SITE, COLORADO

The U.S. Geological Survey, as part of a research program on geologic and geophysical methods of predicting geologic conditions at depth for the construction of underground openings, is conducting in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Highways a study of the site of the pilot bore for the Straight Creek Interstate Highway tunnel under the Continential Divide in Colorado. A statistical model of the geology at the depth of the tunnel was developed as a result of the field and laboratory research. From this model, predictions have been made as to probable rock load, spacing of sets, areas to be tested by feeler holes, the amount of grout required, average flow of water as the heading is advanced, and the maximum initial flow of water that might be expected from broken ground within any interval of the tunnel. During construction of the pilot bore, the accuracy of the predictions can be evaluated, which will lead to better methods of predicting geologic conditions and making engineering estimates for other proposed underground openings.
Plasma heating with multi-MeV neutral atom beams

The authors explore the utility and feasibility of neutral beams of A greater than or equal to 6 amu formed from negative ions, and also of D/sup 0/ formed from D/sup -/. The negative ions would be accelerated to about 1 to 2 MeV/amu and neutralized, whereupon the neutral atoms would be used to heat and perhaps to drive current in magnetically confined plasmas. Such beams appear feasible and offer the promise of significant advantages relative to conventional neutral beams based on positive deuterium ions at about 150 keV.
Plant Defences against Herbivore Attack

Plants deploy a number of defences against attack by insects and other herbivores. Direct defence is conferred by plant products and structures that deter or kill the herbivores. Chemical toxins and deterrents vary widely among plant species, and some typical toxins include alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, phenylpropanoids and precursor compounds that, on damage of the plant tissue, can be degraded to cyanide or other toxic molecules. Physical defences include thorns, barbs and unpalatable tissues. Other defences are indirect, such as defensive symbioses with microbes, harbouring protective ants or recruitment of parasitoids and predators that attack the herbivores. Recent experiments, and deployment of transgenic plants with Bt toxins, demonstrate the potential for novel plant defences in agriculture. Key Concepts: Plants employ various direct and indirect mechanisms to defend against herbivores. Direct defences include chemical defences and physical defences such as tissue toughness, thorns and barbs. Chemical defences against herbivores are numerous and diverse. Direct chemical defences can be toxic or deterrent to herbivores, or reduce nutritive value of the plant tissues. Some chemical defences act indirectly, for example, by attracting wasps that are parasitic to the herbivores. According to optimal defence theory, young tissues of high value to plant fitness tend to be chemically defended, whereas older tissues have relatively strong physical defences. Chemical defences, especially induced chemical defences, are tightly regulated mainly through the jasmonate signalling pathway. Keywords: plant–herbivore interactions; plant secondary chemistry; chemical defences; coevolution; biotechnology
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is associated with increased impedance measures of reflux compared to non-fibrotic disease among pre-lung transplant patients

Background Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) has been associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), although the mechanism remains unclear. Gastroesophageal reflux/microaspiration may lead to lung fibrosis, while increased pulmonary workload may also worsen GER. Comparing the GER profile of IPF patients to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with similar lung function may help delineate the role of GER in IPF pathogenesis. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of IPF and COPD patients undergoing pre-lung transplant multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH study (MII-pH) off acid suppression at a tertiary center in 2008–2014. Patients with prior fundoplication were excluded. Baseline demographics, pulmonary function test, and MII-pH results were recorded. Univariate analyses were performed using Fisher's exact (binary variables) and Student's t (continuous variables) tests. Logistic regression was performed to adjust for potential confounders. Key Results A total of 90 subjects (54 IPF, 36 COPD) met inclusion criteria. Compared to COPD, IPF patients had increased total reflux episodes (65.9 vs 46.1, p = 0.02), proximal reflux episodes (30.3 vs 20.3, p = 0.04), and prevalence of abnormal total reflux episodes (38.9% vs 16.7%, p = 0.02). On multivariate analyses, abnormal total reflux episodes (OR: 4.9, p = 0.05) and bolus reflux exposure time (OR: 4, p = 0.04) remained significantly associated with IPF. Conclusions & Inferences Abnormal reflux was significantly more prevalent among IPF patients after controlling for lung disease severity. Gastroesophageal reflux/microaspiration likely plays a role in fibrosis in IPF. A significant portion of IPF patients had increased non-acid reflux. Therapies aiming to prevent reflux of gastric contents may be more beneficial than antisecretory medications alone in these patients.
Diagnosis of myocardial ischemia during ventricular pacing

Discordant ST elevation > 5 mm was recently described as an electrocardiographic sign with good specificity and moderate sensitivity for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction during right ventricular pacing. This report shows that the same sign may occur transiently during myocardial ischemia and also serve as a diagnostic marker.
High Throughput Landsat Imagery Film Recorder

The Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Data Center is responsible for processing, archiving, reproducing, and distributing satellite and aircraft remotely-sensed Earth imagery data in both film and digital format. Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) and Return Beam Vidicon (RBV) sensor data alone represents a daily recording requirement of 23 billion pixels on 1000 feet of film. New satellites and sensors may double this amount of data within two years. To handle these requirements, the EROS Data Center installed an operational, multi-mode, programmable, high throughput, high resolution laser-beam film recording system directly on-line to the primary digital image processing computer. This system employs an Argon-Ion laser light source, electro-optic modulator, and rotating mirror to expose film in a flat-field line-scanned format at rates up to 400 lines per second. Laboratory-type requirements, such as a geometric fidelity of ± 0.05% and density repeatability within ± 0.05D, are maintained in a high-throughput production environment. To provide for future sensor formats, the scan rate, scanning spot size, film velocity, laser power, and number of overscans are firmware programmable for up to 16 on-line, auto-matically selectable configurations.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.