cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Population and energy elasticity of tornado casualties

Tornadoes are capable of catastrophic destruction and mass casualties, but there are yet no estimates of how sensitive the number of casualties are to changes in the number of people in harm's way or to changes in tornado energy. Here the relationship between tornado casualties (deaths and injuries), population, and energy dissipation is quantified using the economic concept of “elasticity.” Records of casualties from individual tornadoes over the period 2007–2015 are fit to a regression model. The coefficient on the population term (population elasticity) indicates that a doubling in population increases the casualty rate by 21% [(17, 24)%, 95% credible interval]. The coefficient on the energy term (energy elasticity) indicates that a doubling in energy dissipation leads to a 33% [(30, 35)%, 95% credible interval] increase in the casualty rate. The difference in elasticity values show that on average, changes in energy dissipation have been relatively more important in explaining tornado casualties than changes in population. Assuming no changes in warning effectiveness or mitigation efforts, these elasticity estimates can be used to project changes in casualties given the known population trends and possible trends in tornado activity.
Knowledge and Beliefs About Biospecimen Research Among Chinese Older Women in Chicago's Chinatown.

Background Enhancing the participation of Chinese older women in biobanking efforts is important for precision medicine efforts, as underrepresented groups risk benefiting less than others from medical advancements in individualized therapies. Focusing on a sample of Chinese older women in Chicago's Chinatown, this qualitative study seeks to describe attitudes toward, and barriers and facilitators of, participation in biospecimen research. Method We conducted six focus groups among Chinese-speaking adult women age 45 and above. Focus groups were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for emergent themes. Results Forty-seven women participated in focus groups, the majority (66.0%) were age 66 and over and half (50.1%) had less than a high school education. Participants expressed predominantly positive attitudes toward biospecimen research, but also identified multifaceted barriers to participation that included cultural beliefs of the body, perceived physical and privacy risks, as well as perceptions related to aging. Use of minimally invasive biospecimen collection and education to promote awareness of biospecimen research were suggested facilitators to increasing biospecimen research participation. Conclusions Culturally and linguistically isolated populations like Chinese older women are at risk of exclusion from advancements in precision medicine. Our findings provide cultural insights for tailoring interventions for Chinese older women to increase knowledge, change attitudes, and increase intention and participation in biospecimen research. We also highlight the need for individual, family, and community level interventions to promote healthy aging among Chinese older women.
Review of Alfonso Gómez-Lobo With John Keown, Bioethics and the Human Goods: An Introduction to Natural Law Bioethics

Alfonso Gomez-Lobo was, for many years, a professor of philosophy at Georgetown University specializing in ancient philosophy, but also in bioethics. He served as a member of President George W. Bu...
Primary and Secondary Antithrombotic Prophylaxis

Patients with polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET) have a thrombotic tendency which may severely impact on their morbidity and mortality.
Death and the Persistence of Basic Personality Structure Among the Lakota

A brief field survey among the Lakota on the Cheyenne River, Rosebud, and Pine Ridge reservations was made possible by a grant from the Long Beach California State College Research Foundation. The ...
Middle-Value Speech

One of the cornerstones of First Amendment doctrine is the general rule that content-based restrictions on all speech — apart from a few narrow categories of low-value speech — are evaluated under strict scrutiny. As many have observed, this rule has produced considerable strain within the doctrine because it applies the same onerous standard throughout the vast and varied expanse of all non-low-value speech, which includes not only the core, highest-value speech for which such stringent protection is clearly warranted, but also less valuable speech to which the application of strict scrutiny is often dissonant. Nevertheless, traditional accounts maintain that this blunt, highly prophylactic approach is necessary given the significant costs and risks associated with granting courts greater discretion to make value-based speech distinctions. This Article challenges these accounts. I argue that courts should more explicitly recognize a broad conceptual category of what I call “middle-value speech” — that is, speech that falls within the hazy center of the speech-value spectrum between clearly high-value speech, like political speech or truthful news reporting, and clearly low-value speech, like true threats or incitement. The scope of such speech is vast, potentially encompassing speech as diverse as public disclosures of sensitive private data, sexually explicit speech, professional advice, search engine results, and false statements of fact. Yet current First Amendment doctrine broadly fails to recognize middle-value speech as a discrete conceptual category, and this failure has produced substantial costs in the form of doctrinal distortion and a lack of analytical transparency. These costs have grown precipitously — and will continue to grow — in conjunction with the First Amendment’s broad expansion beyond the familiar precincts of core ideological expression into increasingly eclectic varieties of speech. I therefore propose an adjustment to the doctrinal framework. Rather than broadly presume that all speech outside of the low-value categories is subject to maximum First Amendment protection, courts should affirmatively designate and carve out the particular categories of high-value speech that merit such protection, in a manner similar to how courts have dealt with low-value speech. Once both low-value and high-value speech categories have been carved out, all remaining uncategorized speech is, by definition, middle-value speech, and courts should adopt intermediate scrutiny as the default rule applicable to all such speech. This approach would greatly reduce the doctrinal distortion and analytical opacity associated with the traditional default rule of strict scrutiny, and it would do so at a limited cost to doctrinal consistency and administrability.
On the role of responsiveness in rational herds

Models of rational herding typically involve a finite action space. An intuition for herding is that this coarseness of the action space relative to the space of potential beliefs is responsible for herding, and were the action space sufficiently rich, learning would be complete. That intuition is false: simple examples illustrate that learning may be incomplete even if the action space is isomorphic to the space of beliefs. What then distinguishes models with ”coarse” versus ”rich” action spaces? This paper develops the language of responsiveness to formalize this distinction. Responsiveness assesses the sensitivity of optimal actions with respect to their rationalizing beliefs. If the optimal action always changes with beliefs, then complete learning is guaranteed regardless of the information structure. By contrast, if the action that is optimal at certainty remains optimal near-certainty, then complete learning is guaranteed if and only if information can induce unbounded likelihood ratios. The lens of responsiveness unifies results across coarse and rich action spaces.
Spray droplet size and carrier volume effect on dicamba and glufosinate efficacy.

Background Pesticide applications using a specific droplet size and carrier volume could maximize herbicide efficacy while mitigating particle drift in a precise and efficient manner. The objectives of this study were to investigate the influence of spray droplet size and carrier volume on dicamba and glufosinate efficacy, and to determine the plausibility of droplet-size based site-specific weed management strategies. Results Generally, across herbicides and carrier volumes, as droplet size increased, weed control decreased. Increased carrier volume (187 L ha-1 ) buffered this droplet size effect, thus greater droplet sizes could be used to mitigate drift potential while maintaining sufficient levels of weed control. To mitigate drift potential and achieve satisfactory weed control (≥ 90% of maximum observed control), a 900 µm (Ultra Coarse) droplet size paired with 187 L ha-1 carrier volume is recommended for dicamba applications and a 605 µm (Extremely Coarse) droplet size across carrier volumes is recommended for glufosinate applications. Although general droplet size recommendations were created, optimum droplet sizes for weed control varied significantly across site-years. Conclusion Convoluted interactions occur between droplet size, carrier volume, and other application parameters. Recommendations for optimizing herbicide applications based on droplet size should be based on a site-specific management approach to better account for these interactions. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.
The relative importance among anthropogenic forcings of land use/land cover change in affecting temperature extremes

Land use/land cover change (LULCC) exerts significant influence on regional climate extremes, but its relative importance compared with other anthropogenic climate forcings has not been thoroughly investigated. This study compares land use forcing with other forcing agents in explaining the simulated historical temperature extreme changes since preindustrial times in the CESM-Last Millennium Ensemble (LME) project. CESM-LME suggests that the land use forcing has caused an overall cooling in both warm and cold extremes, and has significantly decreased diurnal temperature range (DTR). Due to the competing effects of the GHG and aerosol forcings, the spatial pattern of changes in 1850–2005 climatology of temperature extremes in CESM-LME can be largely explained by the land use forcing, especially for hot extremes and DTR. The dominance of land use forcing is particularly evident over Europe, eastern China, and the central and eastern US. Temporally, the land-use cooling is relatively stable throughout the historical period, while the warming of temperature extremes is mainly influenced by the enhanced GHG forcing, which has gradually dampened the local dominance of the land use effects. Results from the suite of CMIP5 experiments partially agree with the local dominance of the land use forcing in CESM-LME, but inter-model discrepancies exist in the distribution and sign of the LULCC-induced temperature changes. Our results underline the overall importance of LULCC in historical temperature extreme changes, implying land use forcing should be highlighted in future climate projections.
Complications of Facelifting Procedures

Surgical facelifting procedures remain popular despite the recent introduction of laser, light source, and radiofrequency devices as facial rejuvenation alternatives. In recent years, facelift surgery has remained one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the United States.1 Its popularity persists because of the reproducible surgical rejuvenation with many years duration and minimal risk in experienced hands. Recent innovations with shorter scars, supra-SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system) dissection, the addition of liposuction as a concomitant procedure, and less undermining provide comparable surgical outcomes to traditional techniques with less risk and downtime.2, 3, 4 While other specialties have contributed novel ideas,5 cutaneous surgeons have been innovators of a number of less aggressive lifting procedures that can be performed under local anesthesia and consequently eliminate the complications associated with general anesthesia and minimize the complications associated with deep plane or composite lifts.6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 Ongoing innovations in less aggressive techniques will allow facelifting procedures to continue to rise in popularity as patients seek facial rejuvenation with less risk, scarring, and downtime.
Ammonia decomposition on Ir(100): from ultrahigh vacuum to elevated pressures

Ammonia decomposition on Ir(100) has been studied over the pressure range from ultrahigh vacuum to 1.5 Torr and at temperatures ranging from 200 to 800 K. The kinetics of the ammonia decomposition reaction was monitored by total pressure change. The apparent activation energy obtained in this study (84 kJ/mol) is in excellent agreement with our previous studies using supported Ir catalysts (Ir/Al2O3 82 kJ/mol). Partial pressure dependence studies of the reaction rate yielded a positive order (0.9±0.1) with respect to ammonia and negative order (−0.7 ±0.1) with respect to hydrogen. Temperature-programmed desorption data from clean and hydrogen co-adsorbed Ir(100) surfaces indicate that ammonia undergoes facile decomposition on both these surfaces. Recombinative desorption of N2 is the rate-determining step with a desorption activation energy of ∼63 kJ/mol. Co-adsorption data also indicate that the observed negative order with respect to hydrogen pressure is due to enhancement of the reverse reaction (NHx + H → NHx+1, x=0–2) in the presence of excess H atoms on the surface.
Integrating Treatments for HD and PTSD: A Clinical Report:

This report details the course of psychotherapy methods and outcomes for a 57-year-old White man who sought services for hoarding disorder (HD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Over 14 mon...
Building the Third Rome: Italy, the Vatican, and the new district in Prati di Castello, 1870–1895

When the Italian army breached the Aurelian walls at Porta Pia in 1870 and Rome was seized from the pope, the city could not have been more unlike a contemporary European capital city. In the years after it became Italy’s capital, Rome underwent a process of radical urban renewal. This article, focusing on the creation of a new neighbourhood in Prati di Castello – the area north-east of the Vatican – frames Rome’s transformation as part of the ‘culture wars’ between the Church and the new Italian state. The decision to postpone the creation of the new district in Prati until the 1880s and the way it was then carried out reflect the wider shift of Italian politics from Cavour’s notion of ‘a free Church in a free State’ to the more combative anticlericalism of the Left after 1876. Against this background, Prati emerged as a political landscape in which competing powers articulated their aspirations and values, negotiated their respective authorities, and transmitted political ideas.
Quantum Mechanical Study of Impact of Surface Roughness on Electron Transport in Ultra- Thin Body Silicon FETs

We present a theoretical study - based on the effective-mass approximation - of scattering of electrons with microscopic roughness at the oxide-semiconductor interface for ultra-thin body (UTB) double gate (DG) and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFETs. Discrete edge roughness is introduced along the oxide-semiconductor interface by locally adding or removing 1–2 Silicon atomic layers. The random nature of the interface roughness is characterized by an exponential autocovariance. The dissipative impact of surface roughness scattering is obtained by averaging over a sample space of devices with identical structure but with different random interface-roughness patterns. Our results show significant variations in the ON current among the ‘roughened’ samples along with the introduction and impact of quantum confinement effects caused by interface roughness. Finally, we report the dependence of these results on the semiconductor/channel thickness.
Synthesis and Characterization of Metal–Carbide Clusters in the Gas Phase

Transition metal carbide clusters are produced in the gas phase with a laser vaporization cluster source and characterized by various mass spectrometry and laser techniques. Two related classes of clusters are studied, those with an M8C12 stoichiometry and those with an M14C13 stoichiometry. This review describes the conditions necessary to produce these clusters and experiments undertaken to measure their properties, including the measurement of mass spectral distributions, laser and collisional dissociation experiments, gas phase chemisorption, and photoionization experiments. Theoretical descriptions of the bonding in these systems are also discussed as are the comparisons of the results of theory to experimental measurements. The promise for isolation of metal carbide clusters in macroscopic quantities is explored.
Bacterial cell envelope and extracellular sulfhydryl binding sites: Their roles in metal binding and bioavailability

Abstract Although carboxyl and phosphoryl functional groups within the bacterial cell envelope and on bacterial extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) molecules are the most abundant metal binding sites, recent studies suggest that sulfhydryl sites control the binding of chalcophile and similar elements under environmentally-relevant metal loading conditions. The role of cell surface sulfhydryl sites in metal binding has been demonstrated unambiguously for Zn, Cd, Hg, Cu, Au, and Se. This review article summarizes our current understanding of the nature, concentration, and reactivity of these important metal binding sites, their distribution between the cell envelope and extractable EPS molecules, and their possible role in controlling bacterial bioavailability of some elements. The objective of the review is to summarize the relatively few studies that have focussed on bacterial sulfhydryl sites, and to identify areas in which future research may be most productive. Sulfhydryl sites comprise only approximately 5–10% of the total binding site concentration of bacterial cell envelopes, but exhibit such a high affinity for some metals that under low metal loading conditions, sulfhydryl binding of metals is responsible for nearly 100% of the adsorbed metal budget. Recent experimental results have revealed that the concentration and distribution of sulfhydryl sites between cell envelope macromolecules and cell-produced EPS are dependent on the bacterial species, growth phase, and growth conditions. For example, the cell envelope sulfhydryl site concentrations of Bacillus subtilis increase with increasing glucose concentration in the growth medium. Shewanella oneidensis cells contain high concentrations of sulfhydryl sites within their cell envelopes with much lower concentrations present on EPS molecules, while Pseudomonas putida cells exhibit the opposite. We apply a proteomics approach to explain the observed differences in sulfhydryl distributions for S. oneidensis and P. putida. The proteomics analysis indicates that the outer membrane proteins of S. oneidensis contains a high concentration of cysteine residues, while the cell surface proteins of P. putida are relatively cysteine-poor, with cysteine-rich proteins of P. putida associated predominately with EPS materials. The results of this proteomics analysis demonstrate the potential to identify the range of possible protein hosts for metal binding sulfhydryl sites, and the approach represents a means for predicting the concentration and distribution of sulfhydryl metal binding sites on bacterial cells and EPS molecules.
Potential of Prebiotic Butyrogenic Fibers in Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Recent evidence supports the involvement of the gastrointestinal tract in PD pathogenesis, including alterations in microbiota and intestinal permeability. Apart from being the preferred energy source for colonic epithelial cells, butyrate is involved in anti-inflammatory, enteroendocrine and epigenetic mechanisms that influence colonic and systemic health, including brain function. A few studies using oral administration of sodium butyrate indicate beneficial effects in PD animal models; however, prebiotic fibers that generate butyrate locally in the gut may be more effective. The design and selection of butyrogenic prebiotic fibers would allow preclinical studies to evaluate how gut-derived butyrate could affect PD pathophysiology. This review describes potential benefits of increasing gut butyrate production in PD through a prebiotic approach. Moreover, physico-chemical features of prebiotic fibers that target butyrogenic colonic bacteria are discussed.
Qualitative Assessment of Key Beliefs in Regards to Consumers’ Food Truck Visits

Despite the recent booming of the food truck industry, no research has identified consumers’ underlying beliefs in regards to their food truck visits. To discover underlying cognitive structure abo...
Machine learning for self-tuning optical systems

We demonstrate that emerging innovations in machine learning and adaptive control provides an ideal integration platform for self-tuning optics. We show they can achieve self-tuning and near-optimal performance in mode-locked lasers.
Long-Term Declining Trends in Chihuahuan Desert Forage Production in Relation to Precipitation and Ambient Temperature

Abstract Rising temperatures and more frequent droughts are posing new challenges to range livestock producers in the southwestern United States and many other parts of the world. We analyzed a 52-yr time series (1967 − 2018) of precipitation, ambient temperature, and perennial grass production (PGP), as well as 14 yr (2001 − 2014) of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS)-derived vegetation phenometrics at a site in the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico. PGP was positively associated with December through September precipitation (r = 0.69; P
The Future of Lasers in Endovascular Surgery.

The potential for precise tissue ablation via a miniaturised delivery system (i.e. fibre optics) makes laser angioplasty a promising alternative for treatment of atherosclerotic occlusions which are not amenable to current forms of therapy. This is a particularly relevant consideration since the majority of developing angioplasty devices aside from balloons are difficult to miniaturise in a cost-effective manner. The utility of contemporary devices is restricted to stenotic or short occlusive lesions, with a high rate of early recurrence of lesions being a significant limiting factor in most locations. In order to address and resolve the current deficiencies and define the potential of lasers as an angioplasty device, it is first appropriate to overview the current status and define unresolved issues.
Critical Theory and the Problem of Authority

There are three main types of authority—religious, secular, and scientific. When all trust in authority vanishes, people become disenchanted, highly suggestible, and vulnerable to conspiracy theories of various kinds. This is chiefly due to the ways in which authority is exercised or wielded. Erich Fromm identified three different modes of authority, or specific modes of relatedness between those possessing authority (of different types) and those subject to them. Rational authority promotes equality and personal autonomy, fostering democratic norms and values. Irrational authority defends or deepens existing inequalities, eroding the person’s conscience and critical faculties, fostering authoritarianism. Anonymous authority fosters mediocrity and conformity. Critical theory focused on the harmful impact of irrational and anonymous authority on human development from its inception. These ideas also help us understand the politics of psychoanalysis, the Freud wars, the perils of postmodernism, and the current crisis in the Liberal Arts.
Investigating Researchers’ Motivations and Identities through Convergent Learning from Divergent Perspectives

This Research Work-in-Progress paper explores how motivation and identity can evolve when faculty from different disciplines (arts, engineering, medicine, etc.) collaborate to present on a central theme or topic (e.g. color) across multiple community settings. Sharing research findings beyond the academic community is essential for systemic change and wide spread enhancements to our everyday lives. Through this work, we explore how faculty researchers’ motivations to share their work and their identities as researchers develop through collaborative experiences with other faculty that aim at sharing research findings with the public. In this study, faculty from divergent academic fields are working together to present convergent presentations as one coherent theme across three different informal learning sessions as well as a control setting. These presentations intend to increase public engagement with scientific research and broaden the scope of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) learning by approaching the themes through the faculty’s different academic backgrounds. Through collaboration and engagement with the public, we will track how faculty’s identities as researchers and motivations to share their work develop over this experience through the use of the Longitudinal Model of Motivation and Identity (LMMI). Over the course of this study, we hope to see gains in faculty motivation and researcher identities who engage with the public through this experience. For this paper, we focus on framing the overall study and provide initial findings from our recruitment survey.
Pathways to empathy in mental health care providers

Stigmatization contributes to morbidity associated with mental illness, impeding treatment - from recognition and help-seeking, to recovery and resocialization. In contrast, empathy in mental health clinical practice is associated with less stigmatization and better outcomes. Among providers, empathy may be under-utilized as a positive therapeutic tool, and levels of empathy may be diminished by heavy clinical workloads. Strategies for “teaching empathy” have been proposed, and different forms of empathy training for medical and mental health professionals have been evaluated. This review summarizes the effectiveness of the most studied forms of formal empathy training - communication skills, simulation, audiotape analyses, perspective-taking and mindfulness training - as well as informal empathy training achieved by increased exposure to relevant populations. Effectiveness, assessed by a variety of metrics, was detected for several training approaches, applied to different cohorts of clinical providers and trainees, with effect sizes ranging from smaller to large. Despite the substantial variations in designs and target cohorts, the evidence suggests that empathy can be taught effectively to mental health providers, in a manner that should enhance clinician awareness and utilization of empathy as a tool to reduce stigmatization and improve life quality among patients with mental illness.
Challenging H-1B Denials in Federal Courts: Trends and Strategies

The denial rate for H-1B petitions has quadrupled over the past few years, increasing from six percent in fiscal year (FY) 2015 to twenty-four percent in FY 2018. After President Trump issued his ‘‘Buy American and Hire American’’ executive order in April 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has effectively raised the standard of proof on H-1B petitions. USCIS has used several reasons to deny H-1B petitions, including claims that the employer failed to show that a position qualifies as a ‘‘specialty occupation,’’ impermissibly assigned employees to third-party worksites, or failed to pay the required wage. Under USCIS’s recent approach, many H-1B petitioners are virtually faced with a ‘‘preordained denial’’ regardless of how well they respond to requests for evidence (RFEs) or appeal their denial to the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office (AAO). More and more H-1B petitioners have challenged the legality of H-1B denials by filing complaints in federal court. Many have succeeded in getting their H-1B denials reversed. We have compiled a spreadsheet of over fifty federal court cases brought against USCIS in the last two years concerning H-1B denials. This article presents the litigation trends we have observed and offers strategies for immigration attorneys considering litigation to challenge an H-1B denial. The bottom line: sue!
Réponse de l’endothélium microvasculaire à l’inflammation aiguë

Resume Les cellules endotheliales (CE) microvasculaires sont des cellules immunitaires non conventionnelles qui jouent un role majeur dans la reponse immunitaire systemique et locale lors d’une infection et d’une inflammation aigue non septique. Suite a une exposition a des agents pathogenes, a des toxines microbiennes ou a des signaux de danger endogenes, les reponses de la CE sont polymorphes, heterogenes et multiformes. Dans la majorite des situations rencontrees en reanimation (choc septique, polytraumatise, brule grave ou ischemie-reperfusion), les CE perdent leur phenotype d’homeostasie et developpent un etat pro-apoptotique, pro-inflammatoire, pro-adhesif, pro-coagulant et perdent leur permeabilite hyperselective, favorisant la fuite capillaire et precipitant les dysfonctions d’organes. Aussi, la presence et l’intensite de l’endotheliopathie sont associees a un pronostic pejoratif dans les etats critiques et sa correction est etudiee comme potentiel facteur d’amelioration du pronostic au cours du sepsis. Au sein du laboratoire du Professeur Judith Hellman et au sein du departement d’anesthesie et de medecine perioperatoire de l’UCSF, nous etudions les mecanismes declencheurs des differentes facettes de la reponse adaptative ou inadaptee de la CE a l’inflammation aigue et leur mecanismes specifiques de regulation, afin d’evaluer l’effet des therapeutiques actuelles et d’identifier de nouvelles cibles.
Study on the Microstructure and Compression of Composite Metal Foam Core Sandwich Panels

Stainless steel composite metal foam core sandwich panels (SS-CMF-CSP) were manufactured in large-scale panels and tested under quasi-static compression. Stainless steel face sheets were attached to the SS-CMF core using two methods: diffusion and adhesive bonding. Scanning electron microscope imaging revealed grain growth in both the matrix and sphere wall for the diffusion-bonded sandwich panels. The face sheets were found to not greatly affect the deformation of the SS-CMF core under compression. However, the diffusion-bonded SS-CMF-CSP yielded a stronger product primarily due to microstructural changes that occur during the diffusion bonding heat cycle within the SS-CMF core. The diffusion-bonded SS-CMF-CSP had a plateaus stress and densification stress 17 and 10 pct higher than its baseline SS-CMF, respectively. The large-scale manufacturing was improved, and additional samples were tested with a yield and plateau strength 75 to 80 pct higher than the initial SS-CMF samples. The improved diffusion-bonded SS-CMF-CSP showed similar strengthening, with a plateau stress 16 pct higher than its base SS-CMF. Finite element analysis was completed using IMPETUS Afea that advances the current modeling of SS-CMF and was found to be in good agreement with the experimental findings.
Abstract IA10: Colorectal cancer mortality along the U.S.-Mexico border

Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality have changed strikingly in the U.S. over the past three decades. Incidence and mortality rates have decreased among older adults since the early 1990s, largely due to improvements in average-risk screening. By contrast, incidence rates have rapidly increased in younger (age Citation Format: Caitlin C. Murphy. Colorectal cancer mortality along the U.S.-Mexico border [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr IA10.
CRISPR-Cas Toxin–Antitoxin Systems: Selfishness as a Constructive Evolutionary Force

A recent paper (Li et al.) reports a novel RNA-based Cas-dependent toxin-antitoxin system with the effect of 'addicting' cells to the cassette. Broadly-defined addiction systems could stabilize diverse genomic features, raising the question of the role of selfish elements and intragenomic conflict in the evolution of biological complexity.
Mutual Funds' Competition for Investment Flows based on Relative Performance

N mutual funds compete for fund flows based on relative performance over their average returns, by choosing between an idiosyncratic and a common risky investment opportunities. The unique constant equilibrium is derived in closed form, which imply that most funds decrease the investments in their idiosyncratic risky assets under competition, in order to lower the risk of the relative performance. It pushes all funds to herd and hurts their after-fee Sharp ratios. If a fund is sufficiently disadvantaged in the competition with poor investment opportunities, its investment can be excessively risky, and pushes all funds further away from their average. However, the performance of the disadvantaged funds can improve comparing to the case without competition and benefits the investors.
Intramedullary cervical spinal cord abscess. Case report.

✓ A case of spontaneous intramedullary cervical spinal cord abscess is presented. The clinical and laboratory findings in cases of spinal cord abscess vary. Prompt diagnosis and drainage are stressed as critical factors in effectively managing the disease.
Automatic Differentiation in Intelligent Tutoring Systems

The automatic differentiation is widely used with the decision of a wide class of problems. The expansion of languages C/C++, Fortran-77 and Pascal for these purposes and its realisation as system Diff are described. The application of the offered approach is shown by development several tutoring systems: Graph — for drawing of the graphs, Autopracticum — for automation tutoring works on numerical analysis and mathematical modelling and data analysis. The system Diff is realised on IBM PCs under supervising of Windows 95/97/98.
DNA -- Intimate Information or Trash for Public Consumption?

This essay discusses the increasingly popular police practice of covertly collecting DNA samples from people who inadvertently leave saliva, hair or other biological matter in public places. The essay contends that although the United States Supreme Court has yet to decide whether the practice is constitutional, well-established Fourth Amendment principles of “abandonment” supply the necessary framework to permit the practice and simultaneously protect citizen privacy.
Credit scoring for billions of financing decisions

When you apply for credit, whether it is for a new credit card, a car, a student loan, a mortgage, or financing, about forty pieces of information from your credit card report are fed into a statistical model. That model provides a numerical score designed to predict your risk as a borrower. We introduce fuzzy query and ranking as an alternative to predict the risk in an ever-changing world and an imprecise environment which includes subjective considerations for credit scoring. Fuzzy query and ranking is robust, provides better insight and a bigger picture, contains more intelligence about an underlying pattern in data and provides the ability of flexible querying and intelligent searching. This greater insight makes it easy for users to evaluate the results related to the stated criterion and make a decision faster with improved confidence. A fuzzy query is very useful for multiple criteria and when users want to vary each criterion independently with different degrees of confidence or weighting factor.
Characterization of an unusual strain of proteus rettgeri associated with an outbreak of nosocomial urinary-tract infection.

An outbreak of nosocomial urinary-tract infection was caused by a strain of Proteus rettgeri that fermented lactose overnight and was resistant to all antimicrobial drugs tested. The nonmotile isolates shared an O (somatic) antigen that differed from those of wild-type P. rettgeri. The organisms proved markedly serum-sensitive. In rats, the isolates elicited an acute interstitial nephritis with associated transient bacteriuria. Attempts to transfer the lac+ trait and drug-resistance markers to recipient strains of Escherichia coli K-12 failed; exposure of the isolates to acridine orange yielded small numbers of non-lactose-fermenting variants which, however, were still as drug-resistant as before. Epidemiological studies failed to uncover the source of this unique strain and appeared to indicate exogenous spread of infection.
An isotopic study of soils in chronological sequences of alluvial deposits, Providence Mountains, California

The carbon ({sup 14}C and {sup 13}C) and oxygen isotopic composition of pedogenic carbonate was determined for two soil chronosequences on limestone and granitic alluvium in the Providence Mountains area in the Mojave Desert, California. The measured {sup 14}C ages of pedogenic carbonate coating on clasts were interpreted in the light of a diffusion-reaction model developed in our recent studies. Model ages of soil formation calculated from the measured {sup 14}C ages of pedogenic carbonate are in correct relative order as determined by geomorphic evidence, and are also consistent with model ages from the measured {sup 14}C ages of soil organic matter. {sup 14}C model ages suggest that the order geomorphic surfaces we studied are of late Pleistocene age (ca. 47-17 ka) and the younger surfaces formed during the Holocene (ca. 11-4 ka). These age estimates of the geomorphic surfaces are older than the previously assigned ages based on a combination of soil development, geomorphic relationships, and several infrared-stimulated luminescence dates, but they are within a few thousand years of these other age estimates. Stable carbon isotopic composition of the soil carbonate indicates either a slight increase in C{sub 4} or CAM (crassulacean acid metabolism) plants or a decrease inmore » plant density in this area during the Holocene. Both the carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of soil carbonates suggests that the climate in the eastern Mojave Desert has, in general, become warmer and drier during the Holocene. 57 refs., 9 figs., 5 tabs.« less
Audio visual person authentication by multiple nearest neighbor classifiers

We propose a low-complexity audio-visual person authentication framework based on multiple features and multiple nearest-neighbor classifiers, which instead of a single template uses a set of codebooks or collection of templates. Several novel highly-discriminatory speech and face image features are introduced along with a novel "text-conditioned" speaker recognition approach. Powered by discriminative scoring and a novel fusion method, the proposed MCCN method delivers not only excellent performance (0% EER) but also a significant separation between the scores of client and imposters as observed on trials run on a unique multilingual 120-user audio-visual biometric database created for this research.
Are the left and right proximal femurs symmetric

Background The contralateral femur frequently is used for preoperative templating for THA or hemiarthroplasty when the proximal femur is deformed by degenerative changes or fracture. Although femoral symmetry is assumed in these situations, it is unclear to what degree the contralateral femur is symmetrical.
The dilemma of adolescent varicocele.

Adolescent varicocele is associated with ipsilateral testicular hypotrophy and the concern for future infertility. A testicular size discrepancy greater than 15–20 % between left and right testicle is an indication for treatment to allow catch-up growth in the hope of preventing a future decline in fertility. Some authors advocate for a period of watchful waiting, as normal testicular growth may occur asymmetrically. We review the current literature to highlight some controversies and challenges in management.
1-Alkylcarbonyl-5-fluorouracil Prodrugs: Synthesis, Thermal and Hydrolytic Stability

AbstractSix homologous 1 -alkylcarbonyl derivatives of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) have been synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR, infrared and UV spectroscopy. The derivatives were found to hydrolyze rapidly in pH 7.1 buffer at 32°C (t1/2 = 3-5 min). Although the hydrolysis was found to be catalyzed by hydrated formaldehyde, only 5-FU was observed as a product of the hydrolysis: no 1- or 3-alkylcarbonyloxymethyl products were observed. The 1 -alkylcarbonyl derivatives were recovered intact upon heating at 145°C for 1 h, but, upon heating at 205°C for 1 h, 25% of the sample decomposed to 5-FU with the assumed loss of ketene. The 1-alkylcarbonyl derivatives were stable when stored in a desiccator but decomposed to carboxylic acid and 5-FU upon exposure to atmospheric moisture.
FASTING HYPERGLYCEMIA IN NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS - CONTRIBUTIONS OF EXCESSIVE HEPATIC GLUCOSE-PRODUCTION AND IMPAIRED TISSUE GLUCOSE-UPTAKE

The factors responsible for fasting hyperglycemia were investigated in 77 normal weight non-insulin-dependent diabetic (NIDD) and 72 age-, sex-, and weight-matched control individuals. In diabetic subjects with mild fasting hyperglycemia (less than 140 mg/dL) hepatic glucose production (1.85 +/- 0.03 mg/kg.min) was similar to controls (1.84 +/- 0.02); the major factor responsible for the elevated basal glucose level in the diabetic group was a decreased efficiency in the tissue uptake of glucose, as reflected by a 30% decline in the rate of glucose clearance (1.56 +/- 0.03 v 2.00 +/- 0.03 mL/kg.min, P less than .001). In contrast, in diabetic subjects with fasting plasma glucose concentrations above 140 mg/dL, basal hepatic glucose production was significantly elevated (2.42 +/- 0.08 mg/kg.min, P less than .001) and correlated closely with the increase in fasting plasma glucose concentration (r = .796, P less than .001). The basal rate of whole body glucose clearance reached a plateau value at fasting glucose levels of 160 to 180 mg/dL and did not contribute to the further rise in fasting plasma glucose concentrations above 160 to 180 mg/dL. Decreased efficiency of tissue glucose uptake is responsible the development of fasting hyperglycemia in patients with mild NIDDM (fasting plasma glucose less than 140 mg/dL). As the diabetic state worsens, an increase in basal hepatic glucose production is the major factor responsible for the progressive rise in fasting glucose levels.
The fate of ehrlich cells injected into the portal system.

The fate of Ehrlich ascites tumor ceils injected into the portal system in mice was studied. A majority of the cells lodged in the liver. When 10/sup 5/ Ehrlich cells were injected, one-third of the mice developed liver metastases. The greater the number of tumor cells injected, the greater the extent to which the mice developed liver metastases. Apparently no viable latent tumor cells remained after the seventh day following tumor-cell inoculation in this particular system. Many of the tumor cells that lodged in the liver seemed to be inactivated within 4 days after cell inoculation. Treatment with cortisone, x radiation, carbon tetrachloride, or Thorotrast promoted the development of liver metastases. There is some evidence that these agents interfere with the activity of a tumor-inhibitory factor in the liver. (auth)
Regulation of the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin α- and β-Subunit Promoters by AP-2

Production of the placental hormone, chorionic gonadotropin (CG), increases dramatically as cytotrophoblasts fuse to form syncytiotrophoblasts. The CG α- and β-promoters are both responsive to cAMP, although the kinetics of cAMP stimulation are different. In an effort to understand the mechanisms of coordinate induction of these genes, AP-2 binding sites were identified in the promoter regions of the α and CGβ genes. AP-2 bound to the upstream regulatory element (−186 to −156 base pairs (bp)) in the α-promoter and to several different regions of the CGβ promoter, including footprints 2 and 4B (FP2, −311 to −279 bp; FP4B, 221 to −200 bp). AP-2 antibodies induced supershifts of these complexes, confirming the identity of the protein-DNA complex. In JEG-3 cells, which contain abundant AP-2, mutations in these CGβ AP-2 sites reduced basal activity and decreased cAMP stimulation. In AP-2-deficient Hep-G2 cells, co-transfection of AP-2 stimulated expression of the CGβ promoter 10–20-fold, and the α-promoter was induced by 3–6-fold. Mutations that eliminate AP-2 binding to CGβ FP4B reduced AP-2 stimulation by more than 80%, whereas mutations in FP2 reduced AP-2 stimulation by less than 50%. Analyses of AP-2 mutants revealed a requirement for the DNA binding/dimerization domain and the amino-terminal proline-rich and acid-rich transactivation domains for stimulation of the CGβ promoter. Primary cultures of placental cytotrophoblasts were differentiated into syncytiotrophoblasts in vitro to examine AP-2 expression by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. AP-2 mRNA levels increased by day 2 and continued to rise in parallel with a marked increase in α and CGβ gene expression. We conclude that both the α and CGβ promoters contain binding sites for AP-2 and suggest that this transcription factor provides a mechanism for coordinating the induction of these genes during placental cell differentiation.
The bee genus Ischnomelissa in Peru, with a key to the species (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)

A new species of the rare augochlorine bee genus Ischnomelissa Engel (Augochlorini: Augochlorina) is described and figured from cloud forests of the Abra Patricia Reserve, Amazonas, Peru. Ischnomelissa lignopteryx Engel, new species, is distinguished from its congeners by the darkly infumate wing membranes, dark green and non-shining integument of the head and mesosoma, dark brown legs and metasoma (except basal patch of amber on the first metasomal tergum), and integumental sculpturing. A revised key to the species of the genus is provided.
Alpha tocopherol control of sexuality and polymorphism in the rotifer Asplanchna.

A dietary component that initiates both the tranisition from parthenogenetic to sexual reproduction and the production of lateral, posterodorsal, and posterior outgrowths of the body wall of females was isolated from the neutral lipids of dried grass and identified as α-tocopherol. The smallest concentrations eliciting both responses were below 100 nanograms per milliliter. Relative activities of α-, β3-, and γ-tocopherol and α-tocopheryl-quinone were roughly 100 : 100 : 20 : 0.4. The synthetic antioxidants tested were without activity.
Medullary thyrotropin-releasing hormone mediates vagal-dependent adaptive gastric protection induced by mild acid in rats.

Abstract Background & Aims: Adaptive gastric protection is dependent on vagal pathways in rats. It is hypothesized that medullary thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), known to regulate vagal function, is part of the brain mechanisms mediating adaptive gastric protection. Methods: Urethane-anesthetized rats were pretreated with either acute bilateral subdiaphragmatic vagotomy, sham operation, or intracisternal injection of purified control, TRH, or peptide YY antibody. Gastric lesions were assessed 75 minutes after orogastric administration of 1 mL of either vehicle or 0.35N HCI followed 15 minutes later by 0.6N or 1.0N HCI. Results: Injection of 0.6N and 1.0N HCI induced gastric lesions covering 23.1% ± 2.7% and 37.8% ± 3.3% of the corpus mucosa, respectively. Pretreatment with 0.35N HCI resulted in 67.3% and 50.5% reductions in gastric lesions induced by 0.6N and 1.0N HCI, respectively. Subdiaphragmatic vagotomy or intracisternal injection of TRH antibody increased gastric lesions induced by 0.6N HCI to 32.2% ± 2.2% and 42.9% ± 5.6%, respectively, and completely abolished the protective effect of 0.35N HCI pretreatment. Control or peptide YY antibody injected intracisternally did not alter the gastric protection induced by mild acid. Conclusions: These results indicate that medullary TRH plays a role in the vagally mediated adaptive gastric protection induced by mild acid.