cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategies for cancer therapy using carcinoembryonic antigen vaccines

Advances in molecular biology and immunology have renewed interest in the development of vaccines for the treatment or prevention of cancer. Research over the past 10 years has focused on the identification of suitable tumour antigens to use as targets for a variety of vaccine strategies. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was one of the first tumour antigens described, and is commonly expressed by a wide range of adenocarcinomas. Recent studies have identified several human-leukocyte-antigen-restricted epitopes (short peptides) within the CEA protein that can be recognised by human T lymphocytes (T cells). Although CEA-expressing tumour cells are generally weakly recognised by the immune system, several new strategies have been used to enhance immune responses against CEA. This includes using antibodies directed against CEA; inserting the CEA gene into recombinant viruses and bacteria as viral and bacterial vaccines; pulsing the CEA protein, peptides, DNA or RNA onto dendritic cells (specialised antigen-presenting cells); and combining CEA vaccines with cytokines or co-stimulatory molecules to increase vaccine effectiveness. Other factors that might be important in establishing systemic immunity against CEA are the dose, route, timing, and choice of vector and adjuvants for vaccine administration. Further research in understanding the fundamental processes involved in tumour-cell recognition by the immune system, better animal models, and improved clinical trial designs will help to define the full potential of CEA as a target for cancer vaccine development.
On the algebraic complexity of inner product

Abstract The number of binary operations required to compute ∑ i=1 x i y i n is shown to be 2n − 1 even when auxiliary functions are used.
Proto‐Siouan Kinship Terminology1

male parallel cousins and a woman's female parallel cousins are classified as siblings. Teton uses the Iroquois system. Winnebago and Dhegiha, and an Ioway female Ego use the Omaha system, and the Oto and an Ioway male Ego use a modified Omaha system. Those classed as siblings are further differentiated according to the sex of Ego and the sex and relative age of the sibling, but the eight possible categories are classified in ten different ways among the various tribes. For children and sibling's children, loway and Oto, and a female Ego among the Hidatsa, Mandan, and Biloxi use the generation system. Assiniboine uses the bifurcate merging system for sons and nephews, and the lineal system for daughters and nieces. The other Siouan tribes, as well as Hidatsa, Mandan, and Biloxi for male Ego, use the bifurcate merging system. A comparison of Siouan kinship terms (Dorsey 1893b: xvii-xxiii) and a comparison of the kinship systems (Lesser 1928) have appeared, but no attempt has been made to reconstruct the Proto-Siouan kinship system. There are two procedures for reconstructing the kinship system of an extinct com
Displacement, reduction, and ligand redistribution reactivity of the cationic mono-C5Me5 Ln2+ complexes (C5Me5)Ln(BPh4) (Ln = Sm, Yb)

Abstract The reactivity of the mono(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) divalent lanthanide tetraphenylborate complexes, (C 5 Me 5 )Ln(BPh 4 ) (Ln = Sm, 1 ; Yb, 2 ), was investigated to determine how Ln 2+ and (BPh 4 ) 1− reactivity would combine in these species. The (BPh 4 ) 1− ligand in (C 5 Me 5 )Yb(BPh 4 ) can be displaced with KN(SiMe 3 ) 2 to form the heteroleptic divalent dimer, {(C 5 Me 5 )Yb[μ-N(SiMe 3 ) 2 ]} 2 ( 3) . Both 1 and 2 reduce phenazine to give the bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) ligand redistribution products, [(C 5 Me 5 ) 2 Ln] 2 (μ-C 12 H 8 N 2 ). 2,2-Bipyridine is reduced by 1 to yield the ligand redistribution product, (C 5 Me 5 ) 2 Sm(C 10 H 8 N 2 ) (4) , while 2 does not react with bipyridine. Tert -butyl chloride is reduced by 1 to form the trimetallic pentachloride complex [{(C 5 Me 5 )(THF)Sm} 3 (μ-Cl) 5 ][BPh 4 ] ( 6 ), in a reaction that appears to use the reductive capacity of both Sm 2+ and (BPh 4 ) 1− .
Segmentation of pulmonary vascular trees from thoracic 3D CT images

This paper describes an algorithm for extracting pulmonary vascular trees (arteries plus veins) from three-dimensional (3D) thoracic computed tomographic (CT) images. The algorithm integrates tube enhancement filter and traversal approaches which are based on eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a Hessian matrix to extract thin peripheral segments as well as thick vessels close to the lung hilum. The resultant algorithm was applied to a simulation data set and 44 scans from 22 human subjects imaged via multidetector-row CT (MDCT) during breath holds at 85% and 20% of their vital capacity. A quantitative validation was performed with more than 1000 manually identified points selected from inside the vessel segments to assess true positives (TPs) and 1000 points randomly placed outside of the vessels to evaluate false positives (FPs) in each case. On average, for both the high and low volume lung images, 99% of the points was properly marked as vessel and 1% of the points were assessed as FPs. Our hybrid segmentation algorithm provides a highly reliablemethod of segmenting the combined pulmonary venous and arterial trees which in turn will serve as a critical starting point for further quantitative analysis tasks and aid in our overall goal of establishing a normative atlas of the human lung.
Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-γ and Retinoid X Receptor Signaling Regulate Fatty Acid Uptake by Primary Human Placental Trophoblasts

Context: Transplacental transfer of fatty acids from the maternal to the fetal circulation is essential for fetal development. The nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) regulates fatty acid transport and storage in adipocytes and other cell types. Objective: This study tested the hypothesis that PPARγ and its heterodimeric nuclear receptor partner, retinoid X receptor (RXR), regulate fatty acid uptake by human trophoblasts. Design: Prospective basic laboratory in vitro research was conducted using primary term human trophoblasts. Setting: The study was performed in the perinatal biology laboratory of an academic medical center. Patients or Other Participants: Study materials were obtained from healthy pregnant women at a gestational age of 37–41 wk. Interventions: There were no interventions. Main Outcome Measures: Fat uptake and accumulation in human placental trophoblasts were measured. Results: We initially demonstrated that activation of PPARγ and/or RXR with selective ...
Joint circuit and system evaluation of nonlinear compensation in RF/Microwave front-ends

With the ongoing theme of software-defined-radios and the development of nonlinear theory, there is a large variety of PA architectures and predistortion techniques available. Each of the amplifier architectures responds in a unique way to the attempts at its linearization through predistortion. The traditional attempts at evaluation of linearization performance have to work with the amplifier models and enact linearization algorithms based on them. The idea of co-simulating circuits and algorithms for linearization has been picking off recently in most part due to the ever tightening specifications of communication standards. In this work, we look at the problem of co-simulating a linearization system with circuits and signal processing algorithms. The ultimate goal is to provide a full characterization system to act as a linearization test-bed with circuit level simulations and complete signal processing algorithms. This paper provides the first few steps in that direction by yoking together the two most widely used tools of circuits and systems simulation.
Influence of glyphosate on Rhizoctonia and Fusarium root rot in sugar beet

This study tests the effect of glyphosate application on disease severity in glyphosate-resistant sugar beet, and examines whether the increase in disease is fungal or plant mediated. In greenhouse studies of glyphosate-resistant sugar beet, increased disease severity was observed following glyphosate application and inoculation with certain isolates of Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn and Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht. f. sp. betae Snyd. & Hans. Significant increases in disease severity were noted for R. solani AG-2-2 isolate R-9 and moderately virulent F. oxysporum isolate FOB13 on both cultivars tested, regardless of the duration between glyphosate application and pathogen challenge, but not with highly virulent F. oxysporum isolate F-19 or an isolate of R. solani AG-4. The increase in disease does not appear to be fungal mediated, since in vitro studies showed no positive impact of glyphosate on fungal growth or overwintering structure production or germination for either pathogen. Studies of glyphosate impact on sugar beet physiology showed that shikimic acid accumulation is tissue specific and the rate of accumulation is greatly reduced in resistant cultivars when compared with a susceptible cultivar. The results indicate that precautions need to be taken when certain soil-borne diseases are present if weed management for sugar beet is to include post-emergence glyphosate treatments.
Emerging systems theory–based pathologies for governance of complex systems

The purpose of this paper is to develop a systems theory–based construct for pathologies within the context of complex system problem formulation. Problem formulation is arguably one of the most critical phases of any endeavour to improve systems. However, there is relatively little research utilising systems theory during problem formulation. A possible extension of the systems research is the introduction of systems theory (i.e., laws, principles and concepts) as a foundation for exploration, innovation, transformation, evaluation and evolution of complex systems. Specifically, this paper is concerned with how we might use systems theory to articulate pathologies - circumstances, conditions, factors, patterns and/or issues acting to impede system performance. The paper examines the importance of problem formulation for issues related to complex systems. A multidisciplinary literature review is then provided to synthesise insights on pathologies. A systems theory–based construct for pathologies is then developed. Finally, the paper provides implications for the systems theory–based pathologies construct related to complex system governance. The paper concludes with possible future research directions.
A Measurement of Carbon Black Pellet Quality and its Significance

Abstract A new instrument for measuring pellet quality is described which records the pellet strength of screened fractions of pellets. Samples large enough to be statistically representative can be measured in a relatively short period of time. The average pellet strength values, for each screened fraction, can be used to predict the incorporation time of the pellets into polymer. The maximum pellet strength values correlate with dispersion and by so doing, effect the stress—strain properties of the compounded elastomer.
Introduction to Dynamic and Stochastic Resource Economics

We begin by pointing out that the rise in popular concern about the judicious management of natural and environmental resources has been matched by increasing scholarship by economists on several issues concerning the efficient use and management of these same resources. Second, we note that this book’s primary objective is to provide a representative account of where the literature in five specific areas of natural resource and environmental economics, presently stands. These five areas are natural resource management, biological diversity, ecological economics, invasive species management, and environmental regulation. Finally, following this introductory chapter, the 16 chapters of this book show how dynamic and stochastic modeling techniques can be effectively used to construct and analyze theoretical models that shed valuable light on salient research questions in the literature.
Understanding Spatial Genome Organization: Methods and Insights

The manner by which eukaryotic genomes are packaged into nuclei while maintaining crucial nuclear functions remains one of the fundamental mysteries in biology. Over the last ten years, we have witnessed rapid advances in both microscopic and nucleic acid-based approaches to map genome architecture, and the application of these approaches to the dissection of higher-order chromosomal structures has yielded much new information. It is becoming increasingly clear, for example, that interphase chromosomes form stable, multilevel hierarchical structures. Among them, self-associating domains like so-called topologically associating domains (TADs) appear to be building blocks for large-scale genomic organization. This review describes features of these broadly-defined hierarchical structures, insights into the mechanisms underlying their formation, our current understanding of how interactions in the nuclear space are linked to gene regulation, and important future directions for the field.
Abstract IA-14: Molecular alterations that predict premalignancy in breast cancer

Approximately 15–30% of women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) develop a subsequent tumor event within 10 years after surgical lumpectomy. To date, little is known about the molecular pathways that confer this differential risk for developing subsequent disease. Since DCIS is non‐obligate precursor of invasive carcinoma, the majority of DCIS lesions are not associated with subsequent invasive tumors. Likely, many women diagnosed with DCIS who opt for surgery, with or without adjuvant treatment, are being overtreated. Identification of characteristics of DCIS that predict subsequent tumor development would advance our understanding of breast cancer and allow us to stratify a woman9s individual risk for subsequent invasive tumors and avoid over‐ and undertreatment of women with DCIS. To address this clinical problem, we have recently identified biomarkers in DCIS biopsies that accurately predict future formation of tumors, years before it actually occurs. The overexpression of biological markers of stress activation, p16 and COX‐2, reflect two biologically different processes that predict women with a better or worse prognosis. In the absence of proliferation, expression of these markers indicates activation of a senescence response and a low probability of tumor formation. In the presence of proliferation, these markers indicate abrogation of the pRb tumor suppressor pathway and are associated with a high likelihood of future tumor formation. We initially tested these markers in a pilot set of DCIS samples (32 cases and 38 controls) obtained from an extensively annotated population‐based cohort of women diagnosed with DCIS, treated by lumpectomy alone, and followed for twenty years. These markers identified a highly aggressive subtype of DCIS that shares characteristics with basal‐like invasive tumors. We have extended these studies to a larger retrospective cohort, 162 samples from the DCIS cohort (75 cases and 87 controls) and find that the prediction markers faithfully identify women at high and low risk for future tumor formation. Independent validation in a large retrospective cohort is ongoing. The finding that DCIS lesions with basal‐like molecular characteristics have an increased risk of developing subsequent cancers suggest this phenotype can be assayed far in advance of the development of invasive disease and present clinical opportunities. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(23 Suppl):IA-14.
Investigation and analysis on an outbreak of mumps in a primary school in Liping County

Objective To understand the epidemiological features of primary outbreaks of mumps, and to provide a basis for prevention,control of mumps outbreaks in the future. Methods According to the initial report, progress report, final report and relevant information,the whole report was materials to complemented and completed, and the descriptive epidemiology methods were used for analysis. Results The outbreak, which occurred in May-June, the caseand lasted for 32 days. Tthere were 43 cases, of which12.32% were students. the rate was 12.32%. There were two peaks of onset,and the peak period is was shorter. The cases were mainly concentrated in the 301 and the 502 classes, accounting for 72.09% of the total cases. The ages of the infected students were8-14 years old. 31 cases were male, 12 cases were female, and the sex ratio was 2.58: 1. 20.92% of the students had the immunization history. Conclusion The reporting of mumps should be timely, and the patients should be treated in isolation. The observation of close contacts should be strengthened. The emergency vaccination should be carried out soon after the outbreak to improve immunity and reduce the incidence of mumps.
SU‐D‐204‐01: A Methodology Based On Machine Learning and Quantum Clustering to Predict Lung SBRT Dosimetric Endpoints From Patient Specific Anatomic Features

Purpose: To develop a data-mining methodology based on quantum clustering and machine learning to predict expected dosimetric endpoints for lung SBRT applications based on patient-specific anatomic features. Methods: Ninety-three patients who received lung SBRT at our clinic from 2011–2013 were retrospectively identified. Planning information was acquired for each patient, from which various features were extracted using in-house semi-automatic software. Anatomic features included tumor-to-OAR distances, tumor location, total-lung-volume, GTV and ITV. Dosimetric endpoints were adopted from RTOG-0195 recommendations, and consisted of various OAR-specific partial-volume doses and maximum point-doses. First, PCA analysis and unsupervised quantum-clustering was used to explore the feature-space to identify potentially strong classifiers. Secondly, a multi-class logistic regression algorithm was developed and trained to predict dose-volume endpoints based on patient-specific anatomic features. Classes were defined by discretizing the dose-volume data, and the feature-space was zero-mean normalized. Fitting parameters were determined by minimizing a regularized cost function, and optimization was performed via gradient descent. As a pilot study, the model was tested on two esophageal dosimetric planning endpoints (maximum point-dose, dose-to-5cc), and its generalizability was evaluated with leave-one-out cross-validation. Results: Quantum-Clustering demonstrated a strong separation of feature-space at 15Gy across the first-and-second Principle Components of the data when the dosimetric endpoints were retrospectively identified. Maximum point dose prediction to the esophagus demonstrated a cross-validation accuracy of 87%, and the maximum dose to 5cc demonstrated a respective value of 79%. The largest optimized weighting factor was placed on GTV-to-esophagus distance (a factor of 10 greater than the second largest weighting factor), indicating an intuitively strong correlation between this feature and both endpoints. Conclusion: This pilot study shows that it is feasible to predict dose-volume endpoints based on patient-specific anatomic features. The developed methodology can potentially help to identify patients at risk for higher OAR doses, thus improving the efficiency of treatment planning. R01-184173
Assessing DNS privacy under partial deployment of special-use Domain Names

Domain Name System (DNS) leakage occurs when queries for names within a private namespace are propagated in the public DNS infrastructure, which has various privacy implications. To reduce this leakage and improve Tor's privacy, Appelbaum and Muffet suggested in RFC 7686 the special-use of .onion domain name. They recommended how stub, recursive, and authority name servers should behave when encountering .onion domains: they should not attempt to resolve such domains and return NXDOMAIN responses (i.e., blocking the query from propagating in the public DNS). Without any form of analysis of those recommendations in practice, it is hard to tell how much privacy is provided by following such recommendations. We initiate for the study of those recommendations by analyzing them under different contexts and conclude that while the unlikely universal implementation will certainly improve privacy by preventing leakage, partial deployment, which is the likely case with early adoption, will degrade the privacy of individuals not adopting the recommendations.
Comparing Outcomes Across Different Contexts in CS1

Context-based CS1 courses focusing on Media Computation, Robotics, Games, or Art have been shown to improve outcomes such as retention and gender balance, both important factors in CS education. Colby College has offered a Visual Media focused CS1 course since 2008, and in response to faculty and student feedback, we expanded our curriculum to include a second context-based CS1 course focused on Science applications. Our goal was to have completely different projects but teach the same fundamental concepts. In order to measure whether students in each version were learning the same concepts, and to reduce confounding factors, the same professors co-taught both versions of CS1 and students completed the same homework, quizzes, and final exam. Our analysis of the quiz, final exam, and final overall performance showed no statistically significant difference by context or by gender. There was also no difference by context or gender in whether students took additional CS courses in the following two semesters. Furthermore, as a percentage of the students eligible to take the next offering of CS2, Data Structures and Algorithms, 48% of the students in these two offerings of CS1 registered for CS2, with no significant difference between contexts. Our conclusion is that we were successful in achieving similar outcomes, and the benefits of context-based CS1 courses, in both the Visual Media and Science versions of the course.
Magnetic localization and magnetoresistance in mixed-valence manganites and related ferromagnetic oxides

The electronic structure and properties of ferromagnetic mixedvalence manganites with the perovskite structure are briefly reviewed. The importance of disorderinduced localization is emphasized, an...
Education in nephrology fellowship: A survey-based needs assessment

Educational needs assessments for nephrology fellowship training are limited. This study assessed fellows' perceptions of current educational needs and interest in novel modalities that may improve their educational experience and quantified educational resources used by programs and fellows. We distributed a seven-question electronic survey to all United States-based fellows receiving complimentary American Society of Nephrology (ASN) membership at the end of the 2015-2016 academic year in conjunction with the ASN Nephrology Fellows Survey. One third (320 of 863; 37%) of fellows in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited positions responded. Most respondents rated overall quality of teaching in fellowship as either "good" (37%) or "excellent" (44%), and most (55%) second-year fellows felt "fully prepared" for independent practice. Common educational resources used by fellows included UpToDate, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology/Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, and Nephrology Self-Assessment Program; others-including ASN's online curricula-were used less often. Fellows indicated interest in additional instruction in several core topics, including home dialysis modalities, ultrasonography, and pathology. Respondents strongly supported interventions to improve pathology instruction and increase time for physiology and clinical review. In conclusion, current nephrology fellows perceive several gaps in training. Innovation in education and training is needed to better prepare future nephrologists for the growing challenges of kidney care.
Health resource utilization and costs during the first 90 days following robot-assisted hysterectomy.

To compare health resource utilization, costs and readmission rates between robot-assisted and non-robot-assisted hysterectomy during the 90 days following surgery. The study used 2008–2012 Truven Health MarketScan data. All patients admitted as inpatients with a CPT code for hysterectomy between January 2008 and September 2012 were identified and the first hysterectomy-related admission in each patient was included. Patients were categorized based on the route of their hysterectomy and the use of laparoscopy as: total abdominal hysterectomy, vaginal hysterectomy (VH), laparoscopy-assisted supracervical hysterectomy, laparoscopy-assisted vaginal hysterectomy’ and total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH). Hospitalization costs, including hospital, physician, pharmacy and facility costs, were calculated for the index admissions and for the 90-day follow-up periods. Health resource utilization was determined in terms of inpatient readmissions, outpatient visits, and emergency room visits, There were 302,923 hysterectomies performed over 5 years for benign indications in the inpatient setting (55% abdominal, 17% vaginal, and 28% laparoscopic). Concurrent use of robot assistance steadily increased and was reported in 50% of TLH procedures in 2012. The rates of readmission overall were 4.9% for robot-assisted procedures and 4.3% for procedures without robot assistance (OR 0.89, CI 0.82–0.97). Readmission rates were lowest for VH (3.2%) and highest for TLH (5.6%). Following robot-assisted hysterectomy and VH, 8.3% and 4.6% of patients, respectively, had more than ten outpatient visits in the 90-day follow-up period. The average total cost for 90 days was $16,820 for robot-assisted hysterectomy and $13,031 for procedures without robot assistance. Of the additional costs for robot-assisted surgery, 25% were incurred in the 90-day follow-up period. The study using private insurance data found that robot-assisted hysterectomy was associated with higher health resource utilization and costs than other minimally invasive approaches. Given the high costs associated with robot-assisted hysterectomy, it is important to understand the specific indications for this approach and to identify the patients who may benefit.
Association of State Access Standards With Accessibility to Specialists for Medicaid Managed Care Enrollees.

Importance Medicaid recipients have consistently reported less timely access to specialists than patients with other types of coverage. By 2018, state Medicaid agencies will be required by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to enact time and distance standards for managed care organizations to ensure an adequate supply of specialist physicians for enrollees; however, there have been no published studies of whether these policies have significant effects on access to specialty care. Objective To compare ratings of access to specialists for adult Medicaid and commercial enrollees before and after the implementation of specialty access standards. Design, Setting, and Participants We used Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey data to conduct a quasiexperimental difference-in-differences (DID) analysis of 20 163 nonelderly adult Medicaid managed care (MMC) enrollees and 54 465 commercially insured enrollees in 5 states adopting access standards, and 37 290 MMC enrollees in 5 matched states that previously adopted access standards. Main Outcomes and Measures Reported access to specialty care in the previous 6 months. Results Seven thousand six hundred ninety-eight (69%) Medicaid enrollees and 28 423 (75%) commercial enrollees reported that it was always or usually easy to get an appointment with a specialist before the policy implementation (or at baseline) compared with 11 889 (67%) of Medicaid enrollees in states that had previously implemented access standards. Overall, there was no significant improvement in timely access to specialty services for MMC enrollees in the period following implementation of standard(s) (adjusted difference-in-differences, −1.2 percentage points; 95% CI, −2.7 to 0.1), nor was there any impact of access standards on insurance-based disparities in access (0.6 percentage points; 95% CI, −4.3 to 5.4). There was heterogeneity across states, with 1 state that implemented both time and distance standards demonstrating significant improvements in access and reductions in disparities. Conclusions and Relevance Specialty access standards did not lead to widespread improvements in access to specialist physicians. Meaningful improvements in access to specialty care for Medicaid recipients may require additional interventions.
Clinical characteristics of recessive retinal degeneration due to mutations in the CDHR1 gene and a review of the literature.

Background: The clinical phenotype of patients presenting with autosomal recessive CDHR1-related retinopathy has not been well described.Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective case series of patients presenting to a single institution. Clinical data, including age, visual acuity, dilated fundus exam, fundus photos, fundus autofluorescence (FAF), optical coherence tomography, full-field electroretinograms (ERGs), and results of genetic testing, were collected.Results: Four patients were identified to have biallelic mutations in the CDHR1 gene. All four patients were found to have at least one c.783G>A (p.Pro261 = ) mutation. A novel splice site mutation, c.152-2A>G, was identified in two patients. Patients became symptomatic between the fourth and sixth decades of life. Three patients presented initially with nyctalopia and peripheral visual field constriction, and one patient presented with simultaneous onset of photophobia and nyctalopia. The fundus appearance was characterized by macular...
Image of the Month: Clinical Features in a Newborn with Covered Cloacal Exstrophy.

Cloacal exstrophy is the most severe type of anorectal malformations that belongs to the bladder–exstrophy–epispadias complex of genitourinary malformations. Interestingly, its variant, the covered cloacal exstrophy, is often missed. The clinical findings of this variant may include an imperforate anus, low lying umbilicus, thick pubic bone, and pubic diastasis but with an intact abdominal wall. We present an interesting case of covered cloacal exstrophy with a side-by-side duplicated bladder and discuss important considerations for the time of colostomy creation in the newborn period.
On Trigonometric Polynomials Satisfying Differential Equations

It is shown that the classical set {cos nx, sin nx} is the only real trigonometric polynomial set that satisfies a linear differential equation of the form Σ a k (x)y (k) n (x) = λ n y n (x) where λ n is a parameter and the i coefficients {a k (x)} are independent of n.
Penile Length: Measurement Technique and Applications.

Abstract Introduction Penile size has long been an important fixation in men’s lives. On the one hand, a smaller penis has been associated with anxiety and apprehension; on the other hand, a larger penis has generally been related to virility and strength. These perceptions predominate during an erection, when penile size is representative of a man’s masculinity. Aim To assess adult penile length and summarize average penile length assessments from the literature; analyze how various urologic diseases and therapies affect penile length and volume; and review how surgical treatments for Peyronie’s disease, penile prosthesis implantation, and radical prostatectomy can affect penile size to appropriately counsel patients seeking such therapies and set realistic goals for patients. Methods To achieve the aim of this review, we analyzed the literature on penile size and volume and how these can be affected by various urologic diagnoses and therapies. We summarize common diagnoses and therapies that can affect penile size. Main Outcome Measure We thoroughly discuss how the aforementioned diagnoses and therapies can negatively affect penile size. In doing so, we allow readers to understand the intricacies of penile size when faced with such diagnoses and therapies in their patients. Results Surgical treatments for Peyronie’s disease, penile prosthesis implantation for refractory erectile dysfunction, and radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer can lead to a decrease in penile size. Conclusion Urologists must recognize that the different therapies they offer can affect a man’s penile size, often negatively. This in turn can lead to poorer satisfaction outcomes in patients. Davoudzadeh EP, Davoudzadeh NP, Margolin E, et al. Penile Length: Measurement Technique and Applications. Sex Med Rev 2018;6:261–271.
Optimal Use of Harvested Solar, Hybrid Storage and Base Station Resources for Green Cellular Networks

Renewable energy (RE) is a promising solution to reduce grid energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions of cellular networks. However, the benefit of utilizing RE is limited by its highly intermittent and unreliable nature, resulting in low savings in grid energy. To minimize the grid energy cost, we propose to utilize data buffer of user equipments as well as energy storage at the base station (BS) to better adapt the BS resource allocation and hence its energy consumption to the dynamic nature of RE. We consider the scenario of downlink orthogonal frequency division multiple access networks with non-ideal hybrid energy supply. To jointly optimize the energy consumption and the quality of service (QoS) of users, we adopt the weighted sum of users’ utility of data rates and grid energy consumption as our performance metric. We propose a low-complexity online control scheme based on Lyapunov optimization framework. The proposed technique can provide asymptotically optimal performance bound without requiring the stochastic distribution information of RE arrival and channel state condition. The experimental results demonstrate the ability of the proposed approach to significantly improve the performance in terms of grid power consumption and user QoS compared with the existing schemes.
Algorithmic Fairness and the Social Welfare Function

Social scientists have long been interested in discrimination and other inherent social inequities; and as such have developed models to evaluate policies through the dual lenses of efficiency and equity. More recently, computer scientists have illustrated show algorithms in many domains inherit and (sometimes inadvertently) bake in these same human biases and inequities. In this talk, I attempt to bring these two strands together: I embed concerns about algorithmic bias within a broader welfare economics framework. Instead of viewing the data as given, it begins with a model of the underlying social phenomena and their accompanying inequities. It then posits a social welfare function, where the social planner cares both about efficiency and equity. In particular, she places greater weight on equity than individual algorithm designers (firms or citizens) do. Intrinsic to this approach is that the social planner's preferences imply desired properties of algorithm: the fairness of a given algorithm is not a primitive; instead, it is derived from the welfare of the outcomes it engenders. Several pieces of conventional wisdom do not hold true in this framework. For example, "blinding the algorithm" to variables such as race generally reduces welfare, even for the disadvantaged group. At the other extreme, I characterize situations where apparently fair algorithms can drastically increase inequities. Overall, I argue that it would be beneficial to model fairness and algorithmic bias more holistically, including both a generative model of the underlying social phenomena and a description of a global welfare function.
Psychobiological Approaches to Personality and Their Applications to Child Psychopathology

This chapter will survey some theoretical advances in understanding personality differences, and the extension of these models to psycho-pathology that is related to extremes of personality dimensions. These theories have important implications for the study and treatment of child psychopathology, as will be shown. If we can predict individual differences in learning, cognition, attention, and motivation on the basis of differences in psychobiological personality dimensions, we can better describe and understand child disorders and ultimately gain precision in matching them with appropriate treatment. Although he was writing in a different context, Eysenck (1982) pointed out the perils of ignoring individual differences in personality dimensions: Extraverted and introverted children behave differently in their reactions to different methods of teaching, and to average them all simply loses the important information that the experiment can provide. To design the experiment on the old-fashioned formula A = (f) B in fact ensures that we have a nonsignificant main effect and a very large error variance term. Instead, we should write: A = (f) B, P, where B is the method of teaching used, and P is the personality variable extraversion-introversion; when this is done the looked-for effect comes out as an interaction between method of teaching and personality.
Policy Seminars for State and Community Leaders

Spanning the campus-community boundary is one of the most challenging tasks for academia, and it is crucial over the long run to the evolving role of the professoriate in the scholarship of application, the financial health of academia, and the contribution of higher education to a broadly defined vision of societal well-being (Feller, 1986; Wolshok, 1995). One form of this campus-community connection is the policy seminar in which research findings are brought to bear on issues of immediate concern to legislative and agency audiences (Lewis & Ellefson, 1996). This chapter tells a story in progress about a policy seminar sponsored by Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology that is building a sustained partnership among academia, government and community participants at state and local levels. The story has important successes to date as well as unmet challenges.
Historiography and Historical Thought: Modern History (Since the Eighteenth Century)

The eighteenth century marks the emergence of a new ‘modern’ style in historical writing. Two characteristics distinguish it from older patterns. The first is the secularization of historical thought and the commitment to a realistic approach to the past. The second is the belief in the coherence of history seen as a linear process, the culmination of which is modern Western civilization. In the nineteenth century, professionalization sought to reduce history to a strict science committed to the ideal of objectivity. A strict separation was to be maintained between professional history and literature. The stress on objectivity, however, did not prevent historians from using historical research to buttress political, most often nationalistic, agendas. The focus on political events and statesmen gave way in the twentieth century to the investigation of social structures and processes by means of social science concepts and methodologies. Increasingly in the second half of the twentieth century the ideal of scientific objectivity and the master narrative of Western progress were subjected to criticism.
The Types of Airmasses in Which North American Tornadoes Form

Three types of airmasses in which tornadoes form are identified from consideration of 286 representative soundings and a median sounding for each type presented and discussed. Previously published ...
Training and validation cohort analysis for predicting radiation therapy response in human glioblastoma.

e13018 Background: Glioblastomas comprise 50% of primary brain tumors and are the most fatal, with a median survival time of 14 months despite aggressive treatment. Due to disease heterogeneity and the presence of subclinical disease, there is a large variability in treatment response among patients, making it difficult to assess treatment efficacy and confounding clinical decision making. Methods: A patient-specific, mathematical model of glioblastoma has been shown to predict untreated growth as well as the effect of radiation therapy. We expand on the technique presented in Rockne 2010 to determine patient-specific radiosensitivity and post therapy radial growth using only pretreatment data. From a potential cohort of 44 patients we randomly chose a training set of 30 to compute the relationship for the radiosensitivity parameter (alpha) versus the net proliferation rate. We then used that relationship to compute an individualized alpha for the remaining 14 test patients based only on pretreatment info...
The Effect of Evaluator Masculinity on Dyadic Hiring Decisions

Research examining gender disparities in the workplace tends to focus on individual behavior rather than the behavior of teams or dyads, yet important workplace decisions such as hiring and promotion decisions are often made by more than one person. The primary aim of the current study was to determine the role of the evaluator masculinity in collaborative, dyadic hiring decisions. Participants were recruited in pairs and given measures to assess their self-agreement with masculine characteristics before evaluating the resumes of two candidates for a student government position. Path analyses revealed that the opinion of each dyad member was predictive of the group decision, but the more masculine member of the dyad had more influence on both the evaluation of the candidates and the hiring decision. Results are discussed in terms of practical considerations for ensuring gender and gender role balance for those engaging in evaluating others for hiring and promotion decisions.
Small Tract Owners and Shale Gas Drilling in Texas: Sanctity of Property, Holdout Power or Compulsory Pooling?

In some sense, oil and gas law in Texas simultaneously strips small mineral owners of their property freedom while affording protection from uncompensated drainage. In another sense, owners of small mineral interests are left at the mercy of oil and gas producers who can drain their resources without compensation. This article proposes the resolution of these conflicts pertaining to property protection and rights evisceration by arguing that in the midst of imperfect options, small tract owners are better off with a strong compulsory pooling regime that further diminishes their property freedom but assures greater protection from loss of their oil and gas deposits. In essence, the loss of a measure of property rights would translate to a gain of actual property.
Functionally Fitted Block Method for Solving the General Oscillatory Second-Order Initial Value Problems and Hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations

We present a block hybrid functionally fitted Runge–Kutta–Nystrom method (BHFNM) which is dependent on the stepsize and a fixed frequency. Since the method is implemented in a block-by-block fashion, the method does not require starting values and predictors inherent to other predictor-corrector methods. Upon deriving our method, stability is illustrated, and it is used to numerically solve the general second-order initial value problems as well as hyperbolic partial differential equations. In doing so, we demonstrate the method’s relative accuracy and efficiency.
Corner and Statistical SPICE Model Generation for Shielded-Gate Trench Power MOSFETs Based on Backward Propagation of Variance

This paper proposes a novel physical approach to corner and statistical SPICE model generation for Shielded-Gate Trench Power MOSFETs. The technique is derived from the mature IC industry standard approach known as Backward Propagation of Variance. Physically based, scalable SPICE models for the device are required to implement the technique. The methodologies presented are applicable to other power discrete devices such as super-junction MOSFETs, SiC MOSFETs, GaN HEMTs, and Trench IGBTs.
Effect of nanoparticles on the nucleation and agglomeration rates of hydrate growth using THF–water clathrates

Four types of nanoparticles, amorphous carbon, iron III oxide, SiO2, and amino-coated SiO2, were tested to determine changes in tetrahydrofuran–water (THF–water) clathrate hydrate nucleation and agglomeration. Rates were experimentally found to determine their viability for preventing natural gas hydrates from developing during offshore drilling operations. THF–water clathrates were chosen as a model to represent gas hydrate growth at atmospheric pressure. Concentrations of each nanoparticle between 0.15% and 1.0% by weight were tested as a kinetic inhibitor to hydrate formation. Tests were repeated at various temperatures below the formation temperature of 4.4 °C for THF–water clathrate hydrates. Measurements were made to identify how the concentration of THF affects the clathrate hydrates forming under static conditions between 20% and 30% by mole of THF. The primary tests in this study were performed using a 20:80 THF/water ratio. Temperature increases during hydrate nucleation for THF–water were measured between − 5 and 3 °C. The range of ideal nanoparticle concentrations was found to be between 0.15% and 0.45% by weight for optimal static, kinetic inhibition of hydrate nucleation. At approximately 0.3% by weight, the most significant inhibition was observed under static conditions for all four types of nanoparticles tested. We found that functionalized amino-coated SiO2 nanoparticles, across all tests, significantly increased the time required for the formation of THF–water clathrate hydrates compared to the other three non-functionalized nanoparticles. The amorphous carbon and iron III oxide nanoparticles performed similarly across each test and were both the least effective in their inhibition of the clathrate hydrates of the four nanoparticles studied compared to a control.
Family Matters: The Nurse's Role in Assessing Family Health History in Ocular Disease.

The emergence of genetically-influenced medicine is becoming substantially more relevant to clinical practice. Research shows that the public is very optimistic about the promise of genetic research in health promotion (Etchegary et al., 2013). Massive research undertakings, such as the Human Genome Project (Keleher, 1993) and the National Cancer Institute’s Precision Medicine Initiative (Coyne, Takebe, & Chen, 2017), have increased the public’s knowledge of how genetics can influence health outcomes and future treatment options. While these large-scale efforts are undoubtedly useful, the utilization of a simple family health history (FHH) in nursing practice can be an incredibly easy, cost-effective way to identify an individual’s personalized risk for disease development and to promote effective health promotion strategies to the public (Claassen et al., 2010; Lushniak, 2015). In some cases, the value of FHH can be increased beyond laboratory testing because it considers both genetic predisposition and the inclusion of environmental influences that are common within families (such as diet or smoking) that can impact health outcomes. FHH collection tools are readily available online and can be saved for future use and distribution (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). Nurses are uniquely positioned to empower patients to not only understand the importance of collecting FHH, but also to encourage them to utilize this information to prevent or delay morbidity. Many ocular conditions, including age-related macular degeneration (Fritsche et al., 2014; Liu, Chan, & Tuo, 2012; Sardell et al., 2016), glaucoma (Klein, Klein, & Lee, 2004; Loomis et al., 2014; Yi et al., 2013; Zhou et al., 2015), keratoconus (Bykhovskaya et al., 2012; Li et al., 2013; Yi et al., 2013), Fuchs Dystrophy (Foja, Luther, Hoffmann, Rupprecht, & Gruenauer-Kloevekorn, 2017; Khuc et al., 2017; Kuot et al., 2017; Lau et al., 2014), epithelial basement membrane dystrophy/anterior basement membrane dystrophy (Boutboul et al., 2006; Evans et al., 2016), and diabetic retinopathy(Burdon et al., 2015; Simoes et al., 2014), are influenced by genetics, and incorporating this information in patient assessment may be clinically relevant. By becoming familiar with some of the main ocular conditions that are more prevalent in families and subsequently educating patients about the role of FHH in ocular disease risk, the ophthalmic nurse can be a powerful advocate in the optimization of patient health outcomes.