cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An argument for limited human cloning.

news from the sheep yards of Scotland of Dolly's creation has reinvigorated the cloning debate.1 For the first time a clone, a genetic duplicate, has been made from an adult somatic cell. Until this experiment of Wilmut and his colleagues, it was commonly held that the genetic matter of an adult differentiated somatic cell could not be reactivated so as to allow for the development to term of a viable mammal. Wilmut' s technical success means that the prospect of cloning an adult human being is no longer just idle speculation. It is now a real pressing moral dilemma. Most discussions of cloning tend to dwell on the most awful imaginable scenarios rather than the more attractive ones. Admittedly, it is a lot easier to imagine the former than the latter. Dan Brock probably speaks for the majority when he says "I believe it is reasonable to conclude at this time that human cloning doesn't seem to promise great benefits or meet great human needs."2 However, I disagree with this assessment because there seem to be cases in which the human needs are quite compelling and, as a result of this, it would be quite callous to deny certain infertile couples the option of cloning. In addition, I believe a rather useful principle can be found for distinguishing legitimate from illegitimate cases of cloning. After surveying the different types of cases, I will present this principle as a guideline for legislative and institutional policy. My hope is that this guideline will be received by most of the opponents of cloning as a welcome compromise because it rules out the more repugnant cases while allowing the few that are more appealing. We do not have to accept Leon Kass's claim that "the only safe trench we can dig across the slippery slope ... is to insist upon the inviolable distinction between animal and human cloning."3 The opponents of cloning can also take some consolation in the fact that a principled line in the
Reproducibility of Search Strategies Is Poor in Systematic Reviews Published in High-Impact Pediatrics, Cardiology and Surgery Journals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background A high-quality search strategy is considered an essential component of systematic reviews but many do not contain reproducible search strategies. It is unclear if low reproducibility spans medical disciplines, is affected by librarian/search specialist involvement or has improved with increased awareness of reporting guidelines. Objectives To examine the reporting of search strategies in systematic reviews published in Pediatrics, Surgery or Cardiology journals in 2012 and determine rates and predictors of including a reproducible search strategy. Methods We identified all systematic reviews published in 2012 in the ten highest impact factor journals in Pediatrics, Surgery and Cardiology. Each search strategy was coded to indicate what elements were reported and whether the overall search was reproducible. Reporting and reproducibility rates were compared across disciplines and we measured the influence of librarian/search specialist involvement, discipline or endorsement of a reporting guideline on search reproducibility. Results 272 articles from 25 journals were included. Reporting of search elements ranged widely from 91% of articles naming search terms to 33% providing a full search strategy and 22% indicating the date the search was executed. Only 22% of articles provided at least one reproducible search strategy and 13% provided a reproducible strategy for all databases searched in the article. Librarians or search specialists were reported as involved in 17% of articles. There were strong disciplinary differences on the reporting of search elements. In the multivariable analysis, only discipline (Pediatrics) was a significant predictor of the inclusion of a reproducible search strategy. Conclusions Despite recommendations to report full, reproducible search strategies, many articles still do not. In addition, authors often report a single strategy as covering all databases searched, further decreasing reproducibility. Further research is needed to determine how disciplinary culture may encourage reproducibility and the role that journal editors and peer reviewers could play.
Teen Preferences for Clinic-Based Behavior Screens: Who, Where, When, and How?

Abstract Purpose Previous research examining computer-based adolescent risk behavior screening was done before widespread adoption of smartphones and merits updating. Methods This is a cross-sectional survey among 115 adolescents seeking primary care age 12–18 years. It is a diverse sample with 59% female, 51% white, 18% African-American, and 27% Latino. Respondents were asked level of comfort and honesty (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) when answering health behavior questions by paper, interview, or electronic device. Differences in the level of agreement were tested using a Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results Adolescents reported a higher level of comfort and honesty for screening conducted via electronic device versus paper (90% vs. 57%, p p Conclusions Electronic same-day risk behavior screening is the preferred method for adolescents and should be incorporated into preventive services.
Adaptive techniques for intra-user variability in keystroke dynamics

Conventional machine learning algorithms based on keystroke dynamics build a classifier from labeled data in one or more sessions but assume that the dataset at the time of verification exhibits the same distribution. A user's typing characteristics may gradually change over time and space. Therefore, a traditional classifier may perform poorly on another dataset that is acquired under different environmental conditions. In this paper, we investigate the applicability of transfer learning to update a classifier according to the changing environmental conditions with minimum amount of re-training. We show that by using adaptive techniques, it is possible to identify an individual at a different time by acquiring only a few samples from another session, and at the same time obtain up to 13% higher accuracy. We make a comparative analysis among the proposed algorithms and conclude that adaptive classifiers exhibit a higher start by a good approximation and perform better than the classifier trained from start-over.
Ultrasonic Imaging and Identification of Metastases in Cervical Lymph Nodes

Ultrasonography may offer diagnostic insights that improve the management of patients who have lymphadenopathy and are suspected to have thyroid cancer or who have had a thyroidectomy for cancer. This examination is valuable to assess the nature of palpable lymph nodes, detect and characterize impalpable lymphadenopathy, and also to facilitate their percutaneous aspiration biopsy. Benign nodes are common. They tend to be elliptical and have a narrow central hilum. The sonographic features of a cervical lymph node that should be regarded with high suspicion for malignancy include a plump round shape, narrowing of the hilum that is associated with widening of the cortex, inability to identify a hilum, and chaotic blood vessels, especially if they do not emanate solely from the hilum.
Impact of Menthol Smoking on Nicotine Dependence for Diverse Racial/Ethnic Groups of Daily Smokers

Introduction: The aims of this study were to evaluate whether menthol smoking and race/ethnicity are associated with nicotine dependence in daily smokers. Methods: The study used two subsamples of U.S. daily smokers who responded to the 2010–2011 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey. The larger subsample consisted of 18,849 non-Hispanic White (NHW), non-Hispanic Black (NHB), and Hispanic (HISP) smokers. The smaller subsample consisted of 1112 non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN), non-Hispanic Asian (ASIAN), non-Hispanic Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (HPI), and non-Hispanic Multiracial (MULT) smokers. Results: For larger (smaller) groups the rates were 45% (33%) for heavy smoking (16+ cig/day), 59% (51%) for smoking within 30 min of awakening (Sw30), and 14% (14%) for night-smoking. Overall, the highest prevalence of menthol smoking corresponded to NHB and HPI (≥65%), followed by MULT and HISP (31%–37%), and then by AIAN, NHW, and ASIAN (22%–27%) smokers. For larger racial/ethnic groups, menthol smoking was negatively associated with heavy smoking, not associated with Sw30, and positively associated with night-smoking. For smaller groups, menthol smoking was not associated with any measure, but the rates of heavy smoking, Sw30, and night-smoking varied across the groups. Conclusions: The diverse associations between menthol smoking and nicotine dependence maybe due to distinction among the nicotine dependence measures, i.e., individually, each measure assesses a specific smoking behavior. Menthol smoking may be associated with promoting smoking behaviors.
Performance of Automated Speech Scoring on Different Low‐ to Medium‐Entropy Item Types for Low‐Proficiency English Learners

This report presents an overview of the SpeechRaterSM automated scoring engine model building and evaluation process for several item types with a focus on a low-English-proficiency test-taker population. We discuss each stage of speech scoring, including automatic speech recognition, filtering models for nonscorable responses, and scoring model building and evaluation and compare how the performance at each step differs between different item types. We conclude by discussing the effect of item type on automated scoring performance. We also give recommendations about what considerations should be taken into account when developing tests for low-proficiency English speakers to obtain reliable scores from an automatic scoring engine.
Influence of Age and Eosinophilic Esophagitis on Esophageal Distensibility in a Pediatric Cohort

Influence of Age and Eosinophilic Esophagitis on Esophageal Distensibility in a Pediatric Cohort
A weevil sex pheromone serves as an attractant for its entomopathogenic nematode predators

Diaprepes abbreviatus is an invasive pest of citrus in the USA from the Caribbean. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are used as biological control agents in citrus agroecosystems against D. abbreviatus. EPNs respond to herbivore-induced volatiles from citrus roots to assist in the location of insect hosts. Here, we investigated EPN response to the male-produced sex pheromone of D. abbreviatus. In the laboratory, we used two-choice tests to investigate the behavioral response of Steinernema diaprepesi, Heterorhabditis indica, Steinernema riobrave, and the plant parasitic nematode, Tylenchulus semipenetrans, to the synthetic sex pheromone of D. abbreviatus, as well as its natural source, beetle frass. Nematodes were not attracted by volatiles of citrus plant origin or carvacrol, a non-pheromone volatile associated with beetle frass. S. diaprepesi and H. indica were attracted to the frass and the pheromone of D. abbreviatus. The response of S. diaprepesi to the pheromone was greater than that of H. indica at all doses tested; the greatest response from both species occurred at 0.12 and 1.2 ng of pheromone/μL of solvent. Deploying the pheromone in a citrus grove increased the mortality of caged Diaprepes larvae as compared to control larvae deployed with solvent alone. Also, more EPNs were found in the soil surrounding the pheromone-baited larvae than the surrounding controls.
Neurological Complications of Cancer and Cancer Therapies in Long-Term Survivors

The advent of improved cancer therapies has increased patient survivorship and with it the need to better understand the long-term sequelae of cancer and cancer therapies. As the number of survivors increases, so does our awareness of the long-term neurological complications of cancer treatments. Neurotoxicity can be particularly severe and impact quality of life and overall functioning. This chapter will focus on several common long-term neurological side effects of cancer and cancer treatments, with some emphasis on CNS toxicity in long-term survivors of pediatric cancers. Some of the most common CNS complications to be discussed below include impaired cognition, seizures, cerebrovascular events, and peripheral neuropathy.
Strategic Narratives and Alliances: The Cases of Intervention in Libya (2011) and Economic Sanctions against Russia (2014)

Scholars of international communication recognize that strategic narratives are important for policymaking (Miskimmon, O’Loughlin, & Roselle, 2013) and scholars studying alliances suggest that communication is central to the formation and maintenance of alliances (Weitsman, 2010). This essay addresses how strategic narratives affect US alliance behavior—and hence international order—in two specific ways. First, alliance behavior can be affected by other allies’ narratives as demonstrated in the case of military intervention in Libya in 2011. Here the evidence suggests that the UK and France were able to use strategic narratives to influence the decision of the US to agree to military intervention in Libya by using narratives that could evoke a fear of abandonment. Second, alliance cohesion can be affected by narrative contestation by non-allies as demonstrated in the case of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014. Russia has used strategic narratives in a new media environment in an attempt to elicit a fear of entrapment to counter the US attempts to coordinate alliance support for economic sanctions. In both cases, distinguishing between system, identity, and policy narratives give us a deeper understanding of narrative contestation today. This analysis adds to our understanding of the factors that affect alliances set within a new media environment characterized by a proliferation of sources and outlets and thus a more horizontal structure of information exchange.
Technique-associated outcomes in horses following large colon resection.

Objective To compare survival and complications in horses undergoing large colon resection with either sutured end-to-end or stapled functional end-to-end anastomoses. Study design Retrospective cohort study. Animals Twenty-six client-owned horses with gastrointestinal disease. Methods Retrospective data were retrieved from the medical records of 26 horses undergoing colectomy, including 14 horses with sutured end-to-end and 12 horses with stapled functional end-to-end anastomoses, between 2003 and 2016. Records were evaluated for signalment, medical and surgical treatments, and survival to hospital discharge. Long-term follow-up was obtained through owner contact. Continuous variables were compared with Mann-Whitney tests. Fisher's exact testing was used to compare survival to hospital discharge. Survival time was compared by constructing Kaplan-Meier survival curves and performing log-rank curve comparison testing. Results Mean age of horses undergoing colectomy was 13 years. Reason for colectomy was prophylaxis (12) or salvage (14). Mean surgical time was 169 minutes. Mean hospitalization time was 9 days, which did not differ with anastomosis type (P = .62). Nine of 12 horses undergoing stapled functional end-to-end anastomosis and 12 of 14 horses undergoing sutured end-to-end anastomosis survived to hospital discharge (P = .63). Survival time did not differ with anastomosis technique (P = .35). Conclusion Short- and long-term survival outcomes are not different between sutured end-to-end or stapled functional end-to-end anastomoses in horses undergoing colectomy.
Thomson's Trolley Problem

No one has done more over the past four decades to draw attention to the importance of, and attempt to solve, a particularly vexing problem in ethics—the Trolley Problem—than Judith Jarvis Thomson. Though the problem is originally due to Philippa Foot (“The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of Double Effect”), Thomson showed how Foot’s simple solution would not do and offered some solutions of her own. No solution is uncontroversial and the problem remains a thorn in the side of non-consequentialist moral theory. Recently, however, Thomson has changed her mind about the problem. She no longer thinks she was right to reject Foot’s solution to it. I argue that, though illuminating, Thomson’s current take on the Trolley Problem is mistaken. I end with a solution to the problem that I find promising.
Battery identification based on real-world data

In this paper, system identification is carried out for a 20 kWh battery using real-world measurements data. State-of-charge (SOC) and the open-circuit voltage (V oc ) relationship will be obtained using least square estimation (LSE) non-linear regression. In addition, how to estimate SOC using current measurements and how to estimate the equivalent circuit's RC parameters are carried out using autoregressive exogenous (ARX) models. The respective ARX models are first derived. Estimation of the ARX coefficients is then carried out. Finally, parameter recovery is conducted to find out parameters with physical meanings, e.g., RC values. With the identified Voc and SOC relationship and RC parameters, we built a simulation model in MATLAB/Simpowersystems. With the measured current data from the real-world as the input, the simulation model gives the terminal DC voltage as the output. This output is compared with the real-world DC voltage measurements data and the matching degree is satisfactory.
Life-Cycle Optimization Methods for Enhancing the Sustainability of Design and Policy Decisions

A critical question regarding the life-cycle design and management of any product system is, “What is its optimal service life?” The Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan has developed life-cycle optimization (LCO) methods and models to evaluate optimal service life and asset management decisions from energy, emissions, cost, and policy perspectives. This LCO model is based on a dynamic programming method with inputs derived from life-cycle assessment and life-cycle cost analysis. From an environmental perspective, this is a particularly complex question to resolve for product systems with nonlinear use phase burdens and uncertain technology improvement trajectories. This chapter presents the basic LCO methodology and demonstrates its application to automobiles and household refrigerators. In both cases, there exist multiple tradeoffs between utilizing an existing product model and replacing it with one that is more efficient. The operational efficiency gain from model replacement should exceed the additional resource investments required to produce the new model. LCO simulations indicate that optimal replacement schedules are strongly influenced by technology improvement rates, product deterioration rates, production versus use phase impact ratios, and consumer use patterns. Results from replacement case studies of automobiles, refrigerators, air conditioners, and highway infrastructure will be highlighted and general principles for enhancing sustainability will be presented. Life-cycle optimization is expected to become another important technique to add to the life-cycle modeling toolkit for informing design and policy decisions.
An assessment of the threats to the aquatic resources due to rapid growth in the extraction of Shale gas in the US: An application to the Kurdistan region of Iraq

As of 2015 only four countries in the world are producing Shale gas on a commercial scale. These are Argentina, China, Canada and the US, with the latter producing approximately 90% of the total share. Even though for the case of US, the economic benefits of Shale gas extraction have been substantial, there exists considerably uncertainty in determining its environmental sustainability which is the main motivation behind this work. This effort is accomplished in three steps. In the first step, based on the literature available in the US, a comprehensive assessment of the threats to aquatic resources due to rapid growth in the extraction of Shale gas is carried out. Secondly, to address those identified risks recommendations are proposed to mitigate the adverse impacts. And in the third step, its applicability to Kurdistan region is assessed. Although at present Kurdistan is not producing any Shale gas commercially, the environmental impact studies conducted in the US will aid the Kurdistan government in shaping the future energy policies pertaining to sustainable Shale gas development.
Facilitating Postsecondary Transition and Promoting Academic Success Through Language/Literacy-Based Self-Determination Strategies.

Purpose As noted by Powell (2018), speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are an integral part of the overarching curriculum for all students in schools, and this holds true for adolescents who requir...
The therapeutic value of communicating a diagnosis

Shortly after 9/11, I became the in-house psychiatrist for the New York City Fire Department. Besides the obvious challenge of helping an acutely and severely traumatized population, this role has ...
Installation Strategies and Options

Methods for installing offshore wind turbines developed in Europe from techniques used for offshore civil engineering and oil and gas development; however, as specialized equipment for foundation and turbine installation became available, differences between offshore wind and other offshore industries emerged. Installation methods in Europe and the U.S. are expected to be largely similar due to similar technical requirements, but differences may arise due to differing vessel markets and a lack of specialized equipment in the U.S. In this chapter we describe the installation strategies of European offshore wind projects and quantify activity statistics and correlations to inform and baseline U.S. development pathways. Three primary installation stages are identified (foundation, turbine and cable installation) and the processes involved across each stage and options available are described. Factors impacting each stage are reviewed and we describe proposed techniques in the most advanced U.S. development, Cape Wind. We conclude with European installation time statistics which are used in later chapters to verify the parameterization of installation cost estimates.
How To Combine Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy

The use of breast-conserving treatment (combining breast-conserving surgery and irradiation, RT) had been well established based on the results of clinical trials demonstrating equivalent survival for patients with early-stage breast cancer treated by this approach or by mastectomy [1–5]. Breast- conserving treatment results in important gains in body image and sexuality for many patients and is now widely used in both the United States and Europe. Over a similar time frame, clinical trials have also demonstrated the effectiveness of adjuvant systemic therapies in prolonging survival [6] (reprinted in part in this volume). Therefore clinicians are now commonly faced with the necessity of combining RT and systemic therapy in patients following conservative surgery. In this chapter we review the available information regarding the integration of RT and chemotherapy (CT) following conservative surgery. We do not address issues related to the combination of RT and tamoxifen or the use of initial CT (discussed elsewhere in this volume).
Utilization and effectiveness of multidisciplinary teams in educating special needs students

35 Introduction 36 Methodology 39 Ins trument ati on 39 Data collection 40 Sample 40 Data analysis 41 Findings and Discussion 42 MOT effectiveness factors 42 Influence of demographic variables on factor scores 45 Implications 46 References 52 SUMMARY .AND RECOMMEITOATIONS 54 Phase I. Utilization of MDTs 55 Phase II. Effectiveness of MDTs 57 Recommendations for Further Study 60 REFERENCES 61 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 64 APPENDIX A. MOT UTILIZATION QUESTIONNAIRE 65 APPENDIX B. CORRESPONDENCE MDT UTILIZATION 67 APPENDIX C. MDT EFFECTIVENESS QUESTIONNAIRE 70 APPENDIX D. CORRESPONDENCE MDT EFFECTIVENESS 75 APPENDIX E. MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM EFFECTIVENESS FACTORS 78
Sociocultural Factors and Prevention Programs Affecting the Health of Ethnic Minorities

One of the most persistent and pressing public health problems in the United States today is the disparity in health between white and ethnic minority populations. Higher rates of disease, disability, and death for ethnic minorities compared to white populations have been documented for over a century. Epidemiological data have been informative with respect to quantifying the differential risk of disease conditions for ethnic minorities compared to whites; however, it provides less insight into the pervasive socioeconomic and cultural factors that are key determinants of health behavior. When conducting research with ethnic minority populations, it is important to understand the diversity of cultures and social forces that may differentially exert considerable influence on their health. Clearly, understanding the influences that shape health behavior is critical to the development and implementation of tailored and more efficacious programs designed to reinforce the adoption and maintenance of health preventive behaviors among ethnic minority populations.
The non-covalently bound SO⋯H2O system, including an interpretation of the differences between SO⋯H2O and O2⋯H2O

Despite the interest in sulfur monoxide (SO) among astrochemists, spectroscopists, inorganic chemists, and organic chemists, its interaction with water remains largely unexplored. We report the first high level theoretical geometries for the two minimum energy complexes formed by sulfur monoxide and water, and we report energies using basis sets as large as aug-cc-pV(Q+d)Z and correlation effects through perturbative quadruple excitations. One structure of SO⋯H2O is hydrogen bonded and the other chalcogen bonded. The hydrogen bonded complex has an electronic energy of −2.71 kcal mol−1 and a zero kelvin enthalpy of −1.67 kcal mol−1, while the chalcogen bonded complex has an electronic energy of −2.64 kcal mol−1 and a zero kelvin enthalpy of −2.00 kcal mol−1. We also report the transition state between the two structures, which lies below the SO⋯H2O dissociation limit, with an electronic energy of −1.26 kcal mol−1 and an enthalpy of −0.81 kcal mol−1. These features are much sharper than for the isovalent complex of O2 and H2O, which only possesses one weakly bound minimum, so we further analyze the structures with open-shell SAPT0. We find that the interactions between O2 and H2O are uniformly weak, but the SO⋯H2O complex surface is governed by the superior polarity and polarizability of SO, as well as the diffuse electron density provided by sulfur's extra valence shell.
Fitzmaurice Voicework Pilot Study with fMRI

ABSTRACTFitzmaurice Voicework (FV) is a voice training methodology used by performing artists and in corporate and clinical settings. Although little quantitative research has been done on FV, repo...
Recent advancement of light‐based single‐molecule approaches for studying biomolecules

Recent advances in single-molecule techniques have led to new discoveries in analytical chemistry, biophysics, and medicine. Understanding the structure and behavior of single biomolecules provides a wealth of information compared to studying large ensembles. However, developing single-molecule techniques is challenging and requires advances in optics, engineering, biology, and chemistry. In this paper, we will review the state of the art in single-molecule applications with a focus over the last few years of development. The advancements covered will mainly include light-based in vitro methods, and we will discuss the fundamentals of each with a focus on the platforms themselves. We will also summarize their limitations and current and future applications to the wider biological and chemical fields. This article is categorized under: Laboratory Methods and Technologies > Imaging Laboratory Methods and Technologies > Macromolecular Interactions, Methods Analytical and Computational Methods > Analytical Methods.
Need, Creed and Greed in Intrastate Conflict

One does not have to be a Marxist or an economist to recognize that all conflicts are about resources. But one does not have to be a pastor or a psychologist to also recognize that all conflicts are about identity. Nor does one have to be a humanist or a political scientist to see that all conflicts are about basic needs. Thus to claim that conflicts are matters of greed, or rights, or grievances is profoundly uninteresting. If the claim is exclusionary, it is simply wrong; if the claim is contributory, it is banal. The interesting questions are how these factors relate to each other in causing and sustaining conflict, and how, not whether, conflict is related to these three factors. Are they sequential or phasal, or always concomitant, and under what conditions? These questions are important not only for the analytical understanding of the nature of conflict but also for devising appropriate policies to reduce conflict. This inquiry, then, seeks to balance the table of analysis toward a better reflection of reality in the understanding of the etiology of violent intrastate conflict. Beyond its substantive findings are some deeper questions of social science methodology, epistemology, and ontology.
Longitudinal assessment of the platelet transcriptome in advanced heart failure patients following mechanical unloading.

Patients with heart failure (HF) and left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) have dysregulated thrombo-inflammatory responses, mediated in part by platelets. While studies of platelet activation hav...
Towards Effective Identification and Rating of Automotive Vulnerabilities

Cybersecurity is a paramount concern in automobiles since deficiencies in security controls put human lives at risk. Some security vulnerabilities are more critical than others and demand immediate attention. Therefore, it is imperative to quantify associated risks by means of rating security vulnerabilities on a scale of severity which has proven to be a useful tool for traditional IT security in comprehending the real risk associated with a vulnerability. In this paper, we present a methodology for adapting the proven CVSS scoring system to automobiles and illustrate the notion with several examples of real-world automotive security vulnerabilities. We also propose a CVV naming system, that is based on the existing CVE system by MITRE, to assign unique identifiers to these vulnerabilities which permits efficient tracking and analysis of automotive vulnerabilities.
Chatting with glue: cognitive tools for augmented conversation

Conversation is a creative process. When we converse, we engage rich networks of meaning, forming conceptual connections within and among ourselves. To prevent these connections from fading, we take notes or work together through other external media. Sufficiently rich conversation is a multimedia activity. The recording media we use for conversations (audio, video, text) are immutable, linear, and one-dimensional. As conversation has become computationally-mediated, it has inherited the limitations of these recording media. Both recording and chat media coerce conversation into a structure that contradicts how its content came about in the first place. I propose tools for a more principled chat that embraces the capabilities of our minds and the computational medium. These tools augment conversation, remote or in-person, into a creative activity for knowledge-making.
DNA in a Progressive Era, 1945–1980

Postwar systems analysis shaped many fields; new knowledge in geology reshaped study of biological evolution. DNA and its processes were documented in detail, opening many new perspectives in biology: epigenetics, coevolution, sociobiology, and living systems. Epigenetics (studies of life-course development) showed that DNA processes could be switched on and off in ways that changed phenotypes. Discovery of Homo habilis expanded paleontology. Psychologist Campbell articulated models for social evolution; anthropologists debated the issue; linguists Greenberg and Chomsky opened new research in language classification and language origins (99).
An Analysis of Exchange Traded Funds: Performance and Competition

We study the universe of exchange traded funds (ETFs) from their inception to the end of 2005. Domestic equity and fixed income ETFs trade at prices very close to their net asset values. Although international equity ETFs often trade at premiums, predictable reversals are not exploitable. Almost 80 percent of ETFs are not redundant securities; they cannot be replicated with existing retail or institutional index funds. These ETFs underperform the indices that they track by over 0.6 percent per year. In contrast, the performance of ETFs that compete directly with existing index funds is significantly better than retail index funds but statistically indistinguishable from institutional index funds. We find that the introduction of competing ETFs significantly reduces flows to index funds and that new ETF entry also reduces demand for incumbent ETFs in the same investment style.
Mortgage credit growth for lower-income borrowers during the 2000s housing boom: Evidence and implications

Abstract I examine the relationship between mortgage credit and borrower income from 1993 to 2009. I find that the relationship was positive throughout this period. However, it became significantly flatter (i.e. less positive) from 1998 to 2006, implying that growth in mortgage credit was most substantial for lower-income borrowers during this time. The evidence suggests that a disproportionate share of credit growth during the boom accrued to borrowers that previously would have had the most limited access to mortgage credit. This is consistent with the view that the housing crisis of the mid-2000s was precipitated by a dramatic expansion in the supply, or availability, of mortgage credit and that this expansion began as early as the late 1990s.
Nonoperative Management of Femoroacetabular Impingement in Adolescents: Clinical Outcomes at a Mean of 5 Years: A Prospective Study.

Background:There is a lack of midterm or long-term outcome data on nonoperative management of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome in adolescents despite expanding research mostly focused on...
Comparison of Flea Sampling Methods and Yersinia pestis Detection on Prairie Dog Colonies

Scientists collect fleas (Siphonaptera) to survey for Yersinia pestis, the bacterial agent of plague. When studying fleas parasitizing prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), two primary methods are used: (1)...
Exploring the outcomes and experiences of Black and White athletes following a sport-related concussion: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective Young American athletes, at risk of sport-related concussion (SRC), represent many races; however, it is unknown how race may influence the experience and outcome of SRC. The authors' objective was to compare White and Black athletes' recovery and subjective experiences after SRC. Methods A retrospective study was performed using the Vanderbilt Sports Concussion registry. Self-reported White and Black young athletes (ages 12-23 years) who had been treated for SRC between 2012 and 2015 were included. Athletes with learning disabilities or psychiatric conditions were excluded. Data were collected by electronic medical record review and phone calls to athletes and parents or guardians. The primary outcomes were as follows: 1) days to symptom resolution (SR), 2) days to return to school, and changes in 3) any daily activity (binary) and 4) sport behavior (binary). Secondary outcomes were changes (more, unchanged, or less) in specific activities such as sleep, schoolwork, and television time, as well as equipment (binary) or playing style (more reckless, unchanged, or less reckless) and whether the athlete retired from sport. Descriptive analyses, multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, and logistic regression were performed. Results The final cohort included 247 student-athletes (36 Black, 211 White). Black athletes were male (78% vs 58%) more often than White athletes, but both races were similar in age, sport, and medical/family histories. Black athletes more frequently had public insurance (33.3% vs 5.7%) and lived in areas with a low median income (41.2% vs 26.6%). After adjusting for age, sex, concussion history, insurance status, and zip code median income, Black athletes reached an asymptomatic status (HR 1.497, 95% CI 1.014-2.209, p = 0.042) and returned to school earlier (HR 1.522, 95% CI 1.020-2.270, p = 0.040). Black athletes were less likely to report a change in any daily activity than White athletes (OR 0.368, 95% CI 0.136-0.996, p = 0.049). Changes in sport behavior were comparable between the groups. Conclusions Racial differences appear to exist in the outcomes and experience of SRC for young athletes, as Black athletes reached SR and return to school sooner than White athletes. Race should be considered as an important social determinant in SRC treatment.
Health Professionals' Perceptions of the Contributions of Palliative Care Consultation for Patients with COVID-19.

Background: Palliative care (PC) programs worldwide are involved in caring for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with other professionals. Objectives: To determine health professionals' perceptions of the contributions of PC in COVID-19 care, and describe its effect on professionals' psychological distress. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting/Subjects: Physicians, advance practice providers, nurses, and case managers at two hospitals. Measurements: Seventeen-item questionnaire on demographics, contributions of PC, and psychological distress. Results: Of 427 health professionals invited to participate, 76 responded (18%). Among 64 eligible respondents, 72% were female, 56% were under the age 40, 40.6% were nurses, 28.1% were physicians, and 66% worked in the intensive care unit. The PC team was perceived as helpful in managing pain and other symptoms, coordinating care among providers, discussing end-of-life preferences, communicating with patients and families and supporting the care team. Median self-reported psychological distress was 7 (range 2-10). Twenty-five (39%) participants agreed that PC eased distress by communicating with patients, families, and other professionals, providing guidance in difficult conversations and offering companionship. Among respondents, 84% would likely work with PC in the future. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, health professionals perceived PC as helpful in caring for patients and families, and in easing their own psychological distress.
Biochemistry of Halogenated Aldehydes and Ketones

The susceptibility of a halogen situated at the α position of an aldehyde or ketone to nucleophilic displacement plays a central role in much of the biochemical behavior of these compounds. Examples to be reviewed in this chapter include the reaction of α-chloro- and α-bromoaldehydes with nucleic acid components and the use of α-halocarbonyl compounds as affinity labels. The presence of halogen also affects the chemistry of the neighboring carbonyl group, making the carbonyl carbon more electrophilic, an effect especially pronounced with α-fluorine substitution. This has been used to advantage in the design of several transition state analogue enzyme inhibitors, based on the ready formation of tetrahedral intermediates from such halogen-substituted analogues.
Bayesian Prediction Under Asymmetric Linear Loss: Forecasting State Tax Revenues in Iowa

For the past five years, forecasts of regional economic conditions and state tax revenues under the Iowa Economic Forecasting Project have been produced using a Bayesian approach to multivariate time series analysis. This paper provides an assessment of that effort and addresses issues which have arisen in the specification of the time series models, collection of data, specification of prior distributions, and the production and interpretation of forecasts under symmetric and asymmetric loss.
Enzyme function of copper, zinc superoxide dismutase as a free radical generator.

The peroxidative activity of Cu,Zn-containing superoxide dismutase (Cu, Zn-SOD) was studied by using a chromogen, 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) which reacts with .OH radicals to form ABTS+, and the spin traps, N-tert-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone (PBN) and 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO). The formation of ABTS+. in this study required both active Cu,Zn-SOD and H2O2 and followed first order kinetics with respect to SOD and H2O2. However, it showed a binding isotherm with ABTS that yielded a dissociation constant of ABTS-enzyme as Kd = 7.1 +/- 0.5 microM. The Kd values for DMPO and PBN were obtained as 0.63 and 11 mM, respectively, by competition reactions. A radical scavenger, formate anion, inhibits the formation of ABTS+., whereas ethanol does not. The results together indicate that DMPO and anionic scavengers have easy access inside the positively charged active channel of Cu,Zn-SOD and are thus in a position to intercept the newly formed .OH radicals. PBN and ethanol, however, stay outside of the channel and are not able to compete with ABTS for .OH radicals. We trapped free radicals, which were produced in the presence of free radical scavengers, with PBN. The formation curve of PBN-hydroxyethyl radical adduct observed in the presence of ethanol indicated that the enzyme became inactivated in a relatively short period. In contrast, in the presence of anionic scavenger formate, formyl radicals were produced catalytically, and the enzyme activity was protected by the formate against H2O2 inactivation. Thus Cu,Zn-SOD behaves as an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of free radicals using anionic scavengers and H2O2 as substrates.
T-Cell Depletion to Prevent Graft-vs-Host Disease

The development of moderate to severe graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) has a negative impact upon the survival of patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) (1–4). Patients may die as a direct result of organ damage produced by GVHD or from opportunistic infections associated with the administration of immune suppressive medications. Acute and chronic GVHD can also produce substantial morbidity among survivors, severely compromising quality of life. Donor T cells have clearly been implicated in the pathogenesis of GVHD. Although traditional pharmacologic prophylaxis with calcineurin inhibitors and methotrexate limits T-cell function, GVHD can still occur in 25–50% of matched sibling transplants and at even higher frequencies in recipients of unrelated or mismatched transplants. Clearly, the most effective means of preventing GVHD has been the actual removal of T lymphocytes from the
Schedule UTP - Two Major Issues

Although Corporate America is not happy about Schedule UTP, most corporations seem resigned to the schedule’s existence and are now attempting to comply. In the process, Corporations have been addressing many technical questions, but two seem to be receiving the most attention: the definition of a “tax reserve”, and the application of the transition rule to pre-2010 NOL carryforwards. The current definition of tax reserve is circular and it is not clear whether it includes certain scenarios (e.g., deferred tax reserves). The application of the transition rule is of significant importance to corporations that incurred NOL carryforwards during the recession from 2007 to 2009 and expect to utilize those carryforwards in 2010 and later years. The author addresses these two issues in depth and offers various alternative approaches.
Contextual variation in young children's observed disruptive behavior on the DB‐DOS: implications for early identification

Background Contextual variation in child disruptive behavior is well documented but remains poorly understood. We first examine how variation in observed disruptive behavior across interactional contexts is associated with maternal reports of contextual variation in oppositional-defiant behavior and functional impairment. Second, we test whether child inhibitory control explains the magnitude of contextual variation in observed disruptive behavior. Methods Participants are 497 young children (mean age = 4 years, 11 months) from a subsample of the MAPS, a sociodemographically diverse pediatric sample, enriched for risk of disruptive behavior. Observed anger modulation and behavioral regulation problems were coded on the Disruptive Behavior Diagnostic Observation Schedule (DB-DOS) during interactions with parent and examiner. Oppositional-defiant behavior, and impairment in relationships, with parents and nonparental adults, were measured with the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment (PAPA) interview with the mother. Functional impairment in the home and out-and-about was assessed with the Family Life Impairment Scale (FLIS), and expulsion from child care/school was measured with the baseline survey and FLIS. Results Observed disruptive behavior on the DB-DOS Parent Context was associated with oppositional-defiant behavior with parents, and with impairment at home and out-and-about. Observed disruptive behavior with the Examiner was associated with oppositional-defiant behavior with both parents and nonparental adults, impairment in relationships with nonparental adults, and child care/school expulsion. Differences in observed disruptive behavior in the Parent versus Examiner Contexts was related to the differences in maternal reports of oppositional-defiant behavior with parents versus nonparental adults. Children with larger decreases in disruptive behavior from Parent to Examiner Context had better inhibitory control and fewer attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms. Conclusions The DB-DOS showed clinical utility in a community sample for identifying contextual variation that maps onto reported oppositional-defiant behavior and functioning across contexts. Elucidating the implications of contextual variation for early identification and targeted prevention is an important area for future research.
Portaprival collaterals following distal splenorenal shunt: Incidence, magnitude and associated portal perfusion changes

Summary Collateral venous pathways develop between the high pressure portal vein and low pressure splenic vein following distal splenorenal shunt. This review of angiography in 50 patients with cirrhosis prior to and 1 year after DSRS shows that 98% developed collaterals: 72% transpancreatic, 48% transgastric, and 46% colonic. Multiple pathways developed in 64% of patients. Grading of the size of the size of these collaterals showed that in 74% these exceeded the size of the portal and/or superior mesenteric vein. The effect of these collaterals on portal perfusion showed that 32% lost perfusion at 1 year, but significantly ( P
Late postpartum hemorrhage

Abstract As defined in this paper, late postpartum hemorrhage indicates prolonged or excessive uterine bleeding beginning after the first day following delivery. The attempts of other authors (Roberton and Kleinwachter 1 ) to extend the interval to reach from the first to the twenty-eighth day postpartum, and to subgroup an early and later type, offer no advantages. The frequency of l.p.p.h. † †Late postpartum hemorrhage, elsewhere designated by l.p.p.h. is difficult to ascertain because of the paucity of reports. Williams 13 and DeLee 14 make only brief mention of the subject, while Davis and Schuman omit any reference to its occurrence. In American literature only one report by N. H. Williams appeared on this subject since 1939. 12 Chiare and Roberton 1 record an incidence of 1:250 to 1:300 for the late group of postpartum hemorrhage from all causes. This paper, however, excludes cases of l.p.p.h. from ruptured varicies or atheromatous vessels, from coincidental tumors (fibroids or carcinoma), from lacerations (cervical, perineal, and vulval), and from uterine inversion. It deals with late postpartum bleeding due to: (1) Retained placental fragments. Focal placental accreta is not recorded in this group, but there is one case of a retained succenturiate lobe. The remaining cases are fragments derived from normal placentas. (2) Uterine abnormalities in involution of the placental site. (3) Uterine abnormalities in retention and separation of the decidua vera.