cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Study of Moisture Impact on Asphalt Before and After Oxidation Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Moisture effects on asphalt before and after oxidative aging are investigated in this paper with the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method. Density, bulk modulus, and zero shear viscosity changes of unoxidized and oxidized asphalt under different moisture contents are compared. The simulations were conducted at 25°C with 0% and 1%, to 10% moisture inclusion incremented by 2.5%. Simulation results showed that the density, bulk modulus, and zero shear viscosity of oxidized asphalt were higher than those of the unoxidized asphalt before any moisture inclusion. These results indicate that hardening happens in asphalt during oxidation. However, after moisture inclusion, the bulk modulus and the zero shear viscosity of unoxidized and oxidized asphalt decreased with an increase in moisture content. Laboratory validation of zero shear viscosity for the unoxidized asphalt showed a result consistent with MD simulation. The moisture effect on density change was not significant for unoxidized or oxidized asphalt,...
Geometric approach for kinematic analysis of a class of 2-DOF rotational parallel manipulators

Euler angles are commonly used as the orientation representation of most two degrees of freedom (2-DOF) rotational parallel mechanisms (RPMs), as a result, the coupling of two angle parameters leads to complexity of kinematic model of this family of mechanisms. While a simple analytical kinematic model with respect to those parameters representing the geometrical characteristics of the mechanism, is very helpful to improve the performance of RPMs. In this paper, a new geometric kinematic modeling approach based on the concept of instantaneous single-rotation-angle is proposed and used for the 2-DOF RPMs with symmetry in a homo-kinetic plane. To authors’ knowledge, this is a new contribution to parallel mechanisms. By means of this method, the forwards kinematics of 2-DOF RPMs is derived in a simple way, and three cases i.e. 4-4R mechanism (Omni-wrist III), spherical five-bar one, and 3-RSR&1-SS one demonstrate the validity of the proposed geometric method. In addition, a novel 2-DOF RPM architecture with virtual center-of-motion is presented by aid of the same method. The result provides a useful tool for simplifying the model and extending the application of the RPMs.
Eosinophil granule major basic protein in contact lenses of patients with giant papillary conjunctivitis

Conjunctival reaction to substances deposited on soft contact lenses is thought to be important in the development of contact lens-associated giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC). Eosinophil granule major basic protein (MBP), a potent cytotoxin released by eosinophils, has previously been demonstrated in conjunctiva from patients with GPC. We therefore evaluated soft contact lenses from ten patients with GPC for the presence of MBP by means of an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Deposition of MBP was demonstrated in lenses from one patient, the only subject with a history of atopy. The results suggest that MBP deposits on nonionic, low water content lenses are unlikely to play a role in the development of GPC, except, perhaps, in patients with atopy.
Mise au point sur les accidents vasculaires cérébraux

Resume L’AVC (Accident Vasculaire Cerebral), ou plutot les AVC, representent un enjeu de sante publique, du fait des couts annuels directs, lies aux soins et forfaits hospitaliers, et indirects, lies a aux consequences du handicap residuel. C’est une pathologie mieux comprise aujourd’hui, tant sur le plan physiopathologique qu’epidemiologique. La filiere de prise en charge globale, de plus en plus codifiee via les unites neuro-vasculaires puis les centres de reeducation, permet de diminuer la mortalite, la dependance et l’institutionnalisation, meme si des progres restent a faire. Les efforts realises sur la prevention doivent donc etre poursuivis, afin de diminuer l’incidence et le cout lies aux pathologies neuro-vasculaires.
Economic Liberalism and Its Rivals: Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine

The three Slavic states, both individually and in comparison, also provide excellent material for testing the argument that economic ideas drive international institutional choice. We should not overstate the prospects for controlled comparison of the group despite the fact that the three states were carved out of a single country and had been unified for more than 300 years. Russia's distinctiveness – its large size, its nuclear forces, its oil and gas reserves, its international presence, its absorption of the Soviet bureaucracy, elite, and economic institutions after 1991 – obviously limits its utility for isolating causal factors through paired comparisons with its Slavic neighbors. But given the undeniably idiosyncratic and practically stochastic nature of President Boris Yeltsin's personnel changes, and the high level of variation over time in the economic ideas holding sway in the government, Russia on its own provides the means for a formidable test and demonstration of the argument in action. Indeed, Russia's nearly constant turnover in officials and the resultant shifts among economic ideologies over time make the country a laboratory unto itself if we take a longitudinal approach. And whatever difficulties Russia may present in terms of its comparability with other cases are happily compensated for by Ukraine and Belarus, which provide extraordinary leverage in comparison. The similarities between the two countries are remarkable; it is as if the republics were designed specifically for the purpose of controlled experimentation for the effects of differences in economic ideas of the leadership.
Biomagnetometry in Seizure Localization

Biomeganetometry was discussed at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
Prevalence of Traditional and Reverse-Algorithm Syphilis Screening in Laboratory Practice: A Survey of Participants in the College of American Pathologists Syphilis Serology Proficiency Testing Program.

Context.—Syphilis serology screening in laboratory practice is evolving. Traditionally, the syphilis screening algorithm begins with a nontreponemal immunoassay, which is manually performed by a laboratory technologist. In contrast, the reverse algorithm begins with a treponemal immunoassay, which can be automated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recognized both approaches, but little is known about the current state of laboratory practice, which could impact test utilization and interpretation. Objective.—To assess the current state of laboratory practice for syphilis serologic screening. Design.—In August 2015, a voluntary questionnaire was sent to the 2360 laboratories that subscribe to the College of American Pathologists syphilis serology proficiency survey. Results.—Of the laboratories surveyed, 98% (2316 of 2360) returned the questionnaire, and about 83% (1911 of 2316) responded to at least some questions. Twenty-eight percent (378 of 1364) reported revision of their syphilis scr...
Preoperative bowel preparation before elective bowel resection or ostomy closure in the pediatric patient population has no impact on outcomes: A prospective randomized study

The role of preoperative bowel prep in the pediatric surgical population is uncertain. We performed a randomized prospective study to evaluate noninferiority between the presence or absence of a preoperative bowel prep in elective pediatric bowel surgery on postoperative outcomes. Patients aged three months to 18 years were recruited and randomized to the bowel prep group or the no bowel prep group. Patients were evaluated in-hospital and at postoperative clinic visits. Thirty-two patients were recruited; 18 in the bowel prep group and 14 in the no bowel prep group. There was no statistical difference (P > 0.05) in complications between the groups. Complications were observed in five patients in each group (27.8% and 35.7%, respectively). In the bowel prep group, two (11.1%) had wound infection (vs three, 21.4%), 0 had an intra-abdominal abscess (vs one, 7.1%), one (5.6%) had sepsis (vs one, 7.1%), one (5.6%) had an anastomotic leak (vs 0), and three (16.7%) had a bowel obstruction (vs one, 7.1%). There were no extra-abdominal complications. There were no significant differences in complications between the two groups. Further research is warranted, but may require a multi-institutional trial to recruit sufficient numbers to make conclusions about the significance of the need for bowel prep.
The Risk of Deep Venous Thrombosis and Sepsis in Cancer Patients Due to PICC Lines.

Context Upper extremity deep venous thrombosis (DVT) represents 8–10% of total DVT of the limb. Long term central venous catheters represent a major cause of upper extremity DVT, especially in cancer patients. This study looks specifically at the risk posed by peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC). Purpose of the Study: To assess the risk of DVT and sepsis due to PICC lines in cancer patients as compared to non-cancer patients. Furthermore, to assess the risk of PICC line related DVT and sepsis among different cancer types. Design, Setting, and Patients: Retrospective chart review of all 190 patients (representing n=244 procedures) who had undergone a PICC line procedure in Union Memorial Hospital (Baltimore, MD) from August 2003 to December 2003. Based on their medical records, it was determined whether or not the patient had experienced PICC line related sepsis or thrombosis. Cancer as a potential risk factor was included in the information collected. 33 of 190 patients were cancer patients. Average patient age 56.7 years. Results: Preliminary results show that from August 1, 2003 to December 5, 2003, among the non-cancer patients 6 (3.8%) patients with DVT and 6 (3.8%) patients with sepsis were identified. Among the cancer patients, 3 (9.1%) patients with DVT and 3 (9.1%) patients with sepsis were identified. Though cancer patients made up only 17.4% of the patient population, they represented 33.3% of the cases of DVT and sepsis. Conclusion: Cancer patients are at a greater risk of thromboses and sepsis due to PICC lines as compared to non-cancer patients. Cancer patients, therefore, represent a unique population of PICC line patients who may require a different protocol of prophylaxis and complication prevention. While different types of cancers may pose different levels of risk (Sorensen et al), this could not be determined with confidence with the preliminary findings due to the small population evaluated so far. Non-cancer patients Cancer patients
Ultrahigh-resolution tethered OCT endoscopic capsule at 800 nm (Conference Presentation)

Publisher’s Note: This conference presentation, originally published on 19 April 2017, was withdrawn per author request.
Previous concussion history influences neurological assessments following an acute bout of purposeful heading in women’s collegiate soccer

Objective Do differences in neurological assessments exists in a cohort of intercollegiate soccer players with varied concussion histories after an acute bout of soccer heading? Design Pre-posttest. Setting Soccer turf field and clinic. Participants 67 female collegiate soccer athletes (age=19.1 ± 0.9 yr.; mass=60.5 ± 5.0 kg; height=165.3 ± 5.9 cm). Based on their concussion history subjects were assigned to either the control/simulated heading [G1-17], control/heading [G2-22] 1–2 previous concussion/heading [G3-19], and 3 or more concussion/heading [G4-9] groups. Interventions Concussion symptoms (SX), BESS errors, ImPACT NP test scores were derived prior to and immediately after a bout of heading (15 total headers/15 minutes @ 12 m/s). Subjects returned to the clinic for post-testing immediately after heading. Outcome measures SX, BESS and NP scores pre and post ROT and LIN heading. Main results G3 (3.9±4.4) and G4 (5.1±6.0) demonstrated higher SX pre-heading compared to G1 (1.9±2.4) and G2 (3.2±3.7). Excluding G1, all groups showed elevated SX post-heading. There was a significant (p=.05) time by group interaction for SX whereby SX in G4 (7.8±7.1; 95% CI=4.9 – 10.7) were significantly (p=0.03) higher post-heading than G1 (2.0±2.5; 95% CI=−0.02 – 4.2). Conclusions Subjects in G4 had elevated SX at baseline, and those SX appear to be greatly exaggerated immediately following an acute bout of heading. Clinicians should carefully monitor soccer players who have experienced multiple concussions and be cognizant that they may develop concussion-like symptoms, especially after acute bouts of heading. Limitations in soccer heading should also be considered for this group of soccer athletes. Competing interests None.
siRNA Immunological Fishing Training (SIFT) Experience as a Novel Research Education Tool for Students Studying Immunology

This report describes an innovative research education tool for student exposure and training in immunology. Utilizing the wealth of transcriptomics data provided through the immunological genome project, graduate and undergraduate students can engage in hands-on experimental studies to identify and rigorously characterize novel genes in immune cells using RNA interference-mediated approaches. The SIFT activities are directly aligned with cell biology and immunology courses and serve to reinforce and expand on the foundations learned. Furthermore, the student-driven studies provide a sense of ownership and largely expose students to the breadth of experimental research approaches in the biological sciences. Finally, generation of original datasets supports the greater scientific community by contributing in assembly and delineation of the regulatory networks that govern immunity.
Outcomes of Early Mitral Valve Reoperation in the Medicare Population

Background Surgical series on mitral valve reoperation are limited by small numbers and lack of national representation. Large-scale outcomes of reoperation for mitral valve surgery remain uncertain. Methods This is a descriptive analysis of 1,627 Medicare beneficiaries who underwent mitral valve reoperation within a 3-year follow-up period after an initial mitral operation (repair or replacement) that took place between 2000 and 2006. The primary outcomes were hospital mortality and long-term survival. Results The 1,627 patients included in the study comprise 1.6% of patients who underwent operation between 2000 and 2006. The initial surgery was repair in 49.9%, bioprosthetic replacement in 22.0%, and mechanical replacement in 28.1%. Re-repair was performed in 15.4%. Hospital mortality was 12.0% and was similar for repair and bioprosthetic or mechanical replacement. Reoperative mortality was similar for men and women and for patients aged 75 years or less versus more than 75 years; and was significantly higher for nonelective than for elective operations (15.6% versus 5.5%, p = 0.0001), for patients with endocarditis than without endocarditis (21.4% versus 11.0%, p = 0.0001), and for patients with heart failure than without heart failure (14.2% versus 9.9%, p = 0.0080). Cumulative long-term survival rates were 58.6% at 5 years. Conclusions The incidence of mitral valve reoperation within 3 years after initial repair or replacement is low but carries high surgical risk, which is significantly increased by certain preoperative characteristics, such as urgent status, endocarditis, and heart failure.
Tools for Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Binge Eating Among Latinos

Among Latinos, binge eating is the most prevalent across eating disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has strong empirical support in treating binge eating and is considered one of the “gold standard” treatments. However, there is limited to no research on the generalizability of CBT to Latinos. The following chapter provides a brief review of the cognitive behavioral model of binge eating and summarizes the extant literature. Where available, research pertaining to Latinos is also discussed. The CBT treatment plan for binge eating is presented, and the incorporation of culture-related issues is discussed within each section. Tools and resources for each phase of treatment are provided in both English and Spanish languages.
The Impact of Mini-Computers and e-Books on the Success of At-risk College Students

Academically underprepared college students; i.e., those identified as needing developmental (remedial) English, mathematics and reading courses in order to maximize their potential for academic success at college-level studies, were provided with the opportunity to rent, for a minimal, subsidized fee, mini-computers bundled with digital course materials (e-books). The academic aptitude of the students who participated in the study was assessed when they entered the program, and their academic performance was assessed at the conclusion of the semester in which they were provided with these resources. The aptitude, performance and retention of program participants were then compared to those of similarly underprepared students who were not provided with these resources. Analysis of Variance revealed no statistically significant differences between the academic performance or retention of the two groups.
Adoption of Electronic and Personal Health Records: An Ecconomic Analysis

We investigate strategic issues surrounding the adoption of electronic health records (EHR) and personal health records (PHR) using an economic framework. Through our analysis, we find evidence that health care providers do not have an incentive to implement interoperable EHR systems even though the implementation of EHR systems (interoperable or otherwise) will increase consumer surplus. In this context, we conjecture that PHR platforms can fundamentally alter the incentives of health care providers, potentially leading to increased EHR adoption under some conditions. In a pluralistic health care system like that which exists in the United States, where health care providers have varying incentives to implement interoperable electronic health records, an online PHR platform can provide an alternative means for consumers to freely exchange their health records among different providers.
Political Studies and Justice

This chapter is about the justice of the new liberalism and disputes about its content and ethical viability. It is the prevalent theory of justice in contemporary Western political thought, not only because of its compelling defense in recent philosophy but also because it captures some of the most confidently held modern-day intuitions about justice. Indeed, the social roots of the liberal conception of justice run so deep it is said that thinkers like Rawls have simply worked up their principles from preexisting attitudes and the legal and moral codes in which they are encapsulated. Allan Bloom (1975, p. 649) writes that “Rawls begins with our moral sense, develops the principles which accord with it, and then sees if we are satisfied with the results,” and Milton Fisk (1975) sees Rawls’s contractualism serving the purpose of conserving the basic institutions of our society—the market economy and liberal democracy.
Micro- and nanopatterning of biomaterial surfaces

Abstract Patterning technologies have expanded drastically over the past two decades with continual development in current and future lithography methods. Specifically, micro- and nanopatterning techniques have been widely studied in a broad range of fields, from molecular biology research to communications technology. In general, micro- and nanofabrication techniques cover a variety of patterning methods; among them, photolithography is considered powerful since all integrated circuits (ICs) are fabricated using this method. Another common patterning technology is soft lithography, which includes microcontact printing (μCP), microtransfer molding (μTM), replica molding (REM), micromolding in capillaries (MIMIC), injection molding, and many other processes. The purpose of this invited chapter is to provide a brief overview of the different lithographic techniques specifically, photolithography, soft lithography, and electron-beam lithography, where we discuss the developments, issues, and major challenges associated with these technologies. Also in this chapter, we demonstrate a simple, inexpensive method for fabricating micrometer resolution protein patterns using a soft-lithographic technique. We believe that the contents discussed in this section, along with the demonstrated soft lithography procedure, will be helpful for a broad range of readers.
Constructing a kingdom: Architectural strategies and the nature of leadership at Postclassic Xaltocan, Mexico:

This paper explores the diverse motivations, limitations, and political strategies that informed the architectural decisions made by the Postclassic (ad 900–1521) leaders of Xaltocan, Mexico. In th...
Barriers to Universal Cystoscopy After Hysterectomy

Abstract Objective: The goal of this study was to identify logistical reasons that preclude the adoption of universal cystoscopy after hysterectomy among practicing gynecologic surgeons at an acade...
Beyond the boma: A gendered approach to conceptualizing resource access in pastoral households

Abstract Studies about resource access in pastoral communities in sub-Saharan Africa have tended to focus on rangelands where livestock graze. While rangeland spaces are indeed critical to livestock production and pastoral livelihoods, the emphasis on resources in rangelands has obscured the importance of livestock-related resources and the management of such resources in other spaces; namely, the pastoral home. Moreover, given that herders who lead livestock to graze in rangelands are generally male, the focus of studies in rangelands has underemphasized women’s roles in managing livestock-related resources within the home. This article therefore demonstrates how the question of resource access for pastoralists pertains not only to forage in rangelands where livestock graze but also to resources within households and women’s spaces. Contested resources in households include livestock themselves and the milk that they produce as a principal source of food, both of which are primarily managed by women. Relying on mixed methods data (including interviews, surveys, an in-depth focal household study, and participant observation) collected over 14 months from 2014 to 2015 in a pastoral community in southern Kenya, this article uses a gendered approach to re-conceptualize resource access in pastoral households by considering the multiple, gendered spaces and levels at which livestock-related resources are managed. This article provides evidence for how alternative views of livestock management strategies based on intra-household resource access can complement existing scholarship on pastoral livelihoods.
TaskMaster: A Tool for Determining When Subjects Are on Task:

In this Tutorial, we introduce a tool that allows researchers to track subjects’ on- and off-task activity on Qualtrics’ online survey platform. Our TaskMaster tool uses JavaScript to create severa...
Cost-effectiveness of patient-specific motion management strategy in lung cancer radiation therapy planning

AbstractCost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) in medicine is a form of economic study that compares the relative value of medical technologies and health care services. It helps decision makers to form...
Liguleless1, a Conserved Gene Regulating Leaf Angle and a Target for Yield Improvement in Wheat.

A major challenge in modern agriculture is to increase crop yield with diminishing agricultural land to feed the fast-growing global population. The erect leaf phenotype is a highly desirable trait that allows for higher planting density and maximizes light interception capacity and thus increases
The management of chance in renaissance florence

The idea of chance, and more specifically, distinctive ways of managing chance, played a decisive role in shaping Renaissance Florentine culture, humanist philosophy, everyday Florentine practices, and Florentine social institutions. Humanist discourse around the notion of fortuna labored to reconcile the evident existence of fortuitous events with Christian understandings of the orderliness and goodness of the world. With Alberti and Machiavelli, chance becomes more capricious and less embedded within a specifically Christian cosmology, pointing the way to more modern understandings of the interplay of contingency and agency. Meanwhile, we see significant management of risk in commercial life, modifications to the rule of selecting office-holders by lot in political life, and techniques for managing the fatefulness of social interaction within Florence’s patronage-based social system, all of which suggest the importance of chance in structuring key Florentine social institutions. Overall, Florence exhibited neither primitive nor fully modern methods of theorizing chance, complicating simplistic binary understandings of what was in fact a complex cognitive shift across historical epochs.
Religion & Transitional Justice

Transitional justice refers to the process of dealing with human rights abuses committed during the course of ongoing conflict or repression, where such processes are established as a society aims ...
Practical Aspects of Cognitive Radar

In this paper we examine some of the practical aspects of implementing cognitive radar (CR) techniques onto software defined radar (SDRadar) platforms. These aspects include: 1) the response time (RT) of algorithms and components to determine latency bottlenecks, 2) autonomous regulation of the perception-action cycle (PAC) to determine “how fast the CR can interact with the environment” as well as “how fast the CR should interact with the environment,” and 3) regulation of the cognition level to understand how to select a particular CR technique appropriately for a given dynamically-changing environment. To provide concrete examples of these three implementation aspects for CR, we will focus on the specific application of target tracking in a congested spectral environment.
Race, Race-Based Discrimination, and Health Outcomes Among African Americans

Persistent and vexing health disadvantages accrue to African Americans despite decades of work to erase the effects of race discrimination in this country. Participating in these efforts, psychologists and other social scientists have hypothesized that African Americans' continuing experiences with racism and discrimination may lie at the root of the many well-documented race-based physical health disparities that affect this population. With newly emerging methodologies in both measurement of contextual factors and functional neuroscience, an opportunity now exists to cleave together a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which discrimination has harmful effects on health. In this article, we review emerging work that locates the cause of race-based health disparities in the external effects of the contextual social space on the internal world of brain functioning and physiologic response. These approaches reflect the growing interdisciplinary nature of psychology in general, and the field of race relations in particular.
Development, implementation, and evaluation of a health outcomes and research program at an integrated health-system specialty pharmacy

PURPOSE Health-system specialty pharmacies (HSSPs) provide high-quality, efficient, and collaborative care to patients receiving specialty therapy. Despite proven benefits of the integrated model, manufacturer and payer restrictions challenge the viability and utility of HSSPs. Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy developed a health outcomes and research program to measure and communicate the value of this model, drive improvement in patient care delivery, and advocate for recognition of HSSP pharmacists' role in patient care. The purpose of this descriptive report is to describe the development and results of this program. SUMMARY The health outcomes and research program began as an initiative for pharmacists to evaluate and convey the benefits they provide to patients, providers, and the health system. Early outcomes data proved useful in communicating the value of an integrated model to key stakeholders and highlighted the need to further develop research efforts. The department leadership invested resources to build a research program with dedicated personnel, engaged research experts to train pharmacists, and fostered internal and external collaborations to facilitate research efforts. As of March 2021, the health outcomes and research program team has published 33 peer-reviewed manuscripts, presented 88 posters and 7 podium presentations at national conferences, and received 4 monetary research awards. Further, the program team engages other HSSP teams to initiate and expand their own health outcomes research in an effort to empower all HSSPs in demonstrating their value. CONCLUSIONS The health outcomes and research program described has pioneered outcomes research among HSSPs nationwide and has proven valuable to specialty pharmacists, the health system, and key specialty pharmacy stakeholders.
Safety of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients with Cancer and Hepatitis C Virus Infection.

Background The safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has not been studied in many cancers, as these patients were excluded from most ICI trials. This poses a degree of uncertainty when a patient with HCV is being considered for ICIs in the absence of data to inform potential adverse events (AEs). Materials and methods This was a single-institution retrospective chart review of patients with active or resolved HCV who were treated with ICIs for cancer of any type and stage from January 2012 to December 2019, with emphasis on AE rates. Results We identified 40 patients, 30 men and 10 women. Median age was 64 years. Cancer types were non-small cell lung cancer (18; 45%), hepatocellular carcinoma (12; 30%), head and neck cancer (4; 10%), small cell lung cancer (3; 7.5%), renal cell carcinoma (1; 2.5%), colon cancer (1; 2.5%), and melanoma (12.5%). Hepatitis C was untreated in 17 patients (42.5%), treated in 14 (35%), and spontaneously resolved in 9 (22.5%). AEs observed were grade 3 pneumonitis in one patient (2.5%) on pembrolizumab; grade 3 colitis in one patient (2.5%) on nivolumab; hepatotoxicity in two patients (5%) on nivolumab: one patient with grade 1 and the other with grade 2; grade 1-2 fatigue in three patients (7.5%); and hypothyroidism in one patient (2.5%). Conclusion Adverse events rates in patients with untreated and resolved HCV treated with ICI for a variety of cancers were comparable with AEs rates reported in clinical trials for patients without HCV. Implications for practice The safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with cancer with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major concern because of the lack of prospective safety data for most cancers. HCV is prevalent worldwide, and the occurrence of cancer where ICI is indicated is not uncommon. This study was a retrospective review of all patients with HCV who received ICI for a variety of cancers in the authors' institution over 8 years, and the results are presented in this article. The results may help inform clinical decisions and the design of future clinical trials.
Regulatory Forbearance in the Supervision of Property-Casualty Insurers in the U.S.: Implications for and the Effects on Outcomes for 'Distressed' Companies

In this paper, we discuss our research on the effects of regulatory forbearance on the outcomes for high-risk and distressed property-casualty insurance companies. A fundamental question that has been examined in the extant literature is whether greater regulatory forbearance tends to increase or decrease the costs of insurer insolvencies. This literature has also examined whether regulatory management of insurer receiverships increases the costs of insolvencies under certain conditions. We intend to extend this literature by examining additional measures of regulatory forbearance as well as by employing more current data. Our measures of forbearance will include both formal/public and informal/non-public regulatory actions. Our intent is to estimate how regulatory forbearance and other factors affect outcomes for distressed insurers (i.e., does greater forbearance increase or decrease the likelihood that an insurer will be liquidated?). A review of the data indicates that there are a large number of instances where companies appear to be in financial trouble (e.g., they fall below one or more Risk Based Capital action thresholds) but there is no record of formal/public regulatory interventions with these companies. We surmise that, in many (if not most) cases, these firms are subject to non-public regulatory intervention, but unless the insurer subsequently becomes subject to public regulatory intervention, the non-public regulatory intervention never becomes part of the public record. Therefore, the traditional criteria for classifying “impaired” insurers understates the number of potential impairments and masks the full impact of regulatory intervention. In this paper we provide statistics on impaired and inactive insurance companies for the period 1996-2017. We also present the results of logistic regressions using principal components factors that identify risk factors (latent traits) for impaired insurers in relation to when they were first subject to formal regulatory action for the same data period.
Expand Intermediary Liability to Protect Reality Itself

It may sound like a bit of a stretch to say that intermediary liability law will shake the foundations of reality. However, consider the nature of what an intermediary is, and what intermediaries do. Currently, the internet intermediaries of the present act as venues and hosts, inter-mediating between people and information. Intermediaries are search engines, social media apps, web hosting providers, and the like. These online intermediaries seem clearly separable from our offline, “real” lives in the physical world. Yet, as our world grows increasingly digitized, it is all but inevitable that human beings will live more of their lives online than offline. In an increasingly online world, in which we interact with each other through an ever increasing number of new intermediaries, the concept of intermediary liability must be re-calibrated to adapt to new technologies. New intermediaries will include the engines for virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) environments, as well as smart cities and Internet of Things (IoT) environments. Intermediary liability doctrine should expand to include these new technological intermediaries.
COVID-19 Infection among People with HIV/AIDS in Africa: Knowledge Gaps, Public Health Preparedness and Research Priorities

The emergence of novel virus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 has complicated Africa's public health challenges, especially with the pre-existing epidemics such as HIV/AIDS. We highlight the known evidence related to COVID-19 infections among people with HIV (PWH) with specific reference to Africa. The knowledge gaps, level of public health preparedness and the potential research priorities are also outlined. Although the epidemiology and clinical course of COVID-19 in HIV patients are evolving, existing evidence indicate that the disease outcomes are comparable to that of the general population. However, PWH with low CD4 cell counts may have worse outcomes than individuals with restored immunity, whereas old age and co-morbidities such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes can further increase their overall risk. While there may be slight disruption of HIV service delivery in selected African countries, the resilience and resourcefulness of others have helped to sustain HIV service delivery and enhanced the level of public health preparedness and fight against the pandemic. The paucity of data and research studies on HIV-COVID-19 coinfection in Africa, call for concerted efforts to address these limitations.
A General Panel Model for Unobserved Time Heterogeneity with Application to the Politics of Mass Incarceration

Panel data analysis is common in the social sciences. Fixed effects models are a favorite among sociologists because they control for unobserved heterogeneity (unexplained variation) among cross-se...
During and Post COVID-19 Practices of a Regional Academic Library

In the column below, the author discusses the process of developing a COVID-19 pandemic protocol in a regional academic library setting. This study examines the year-long process of creating a flex...
A seven-year analysis of the role and impact of a free community eye clinic.

BACKGROUND The Indiana University Student Outreach Clinic (IUSOC) Eye Clinic is a monthly student-run eye clinic that provides free visual screening to the Near East Side community of Indianapolis, IN, USA. Screening includes assessments of visual acuity, intraocular pressure, peripheral visual fields, refraction, and non-mydriatic fundus photography. METHODS This is a retrospective chart review of 875 patients seen at the IUSOC Eye Clinic from October 2013 to February 2020. Data on demographics, insurance coverage, ocular history, physical examination, suspected diagnosis, referral status, and glasses provided were collected and analyzed. RESULTS 875 patients were seen at the IUSOC Eye Clinic from October 2013 to February 2020. 39.2% of the patients seen at the clinic reported being uninsured. 61.4% of patients were found to have visual acuity of 20/40 or worse, while 51.3% of patients were found to have a near visual acuity of 20/40 or worse. 20.3% of patients were referred to the local county hospital for further evaluation by an ophthalmologist, 14.4% of patients received free glasses prescriptions, and 27.9% of patients received free reading glasses. Common reasons for referral for further ophthalmology evaluation included glaucoma, decreased visual acuity, and diabetic retinopathy. An estimated value of services provided over the seven years of the clinic was 1271 relative value units. CONCLUSION The IUSOC Eye Clinic fills an important role in advancing ocular health and preventing irreversible blindness in an underserved Indianapolis community. Additionally, the clinic demonstrates an educational model for involving medical student volunteers.
Racial Defamation as Free Speech: Abusing the First Amendment

The traditional view of the first amendment's free speech guarantee as absolute, allowing few and narrow exceptions, reflects the Constitution's dedication to an open and unfettered exchange of ideas. Those thoughts that are abhorrent to a free society, the argument goes, will wither when aired but fester if suppressed. Moreover, who is to decide which ideas are offensive? The interests of the state may well be inferior to those of the people, the wisdom of public servants often suspect in quality and motivation. But freedom of speech is so precious and delicate a liberty it must be preserved at great cost: thus the depth of conviction of Voltaire's oft-quoted declaration, "I disapprove of what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it."One may not justify a rule of absolute construction merely by asserting that it is difficult to draw a line between acceptable and nonacceptable expression or to allocate responsibility for deciding what speech requires restriction. The carefully delineated exceptions to the rule of free speech, such as obscenity, libel and fighting words, as well as the recognition of legitimate time, place and manner restrictions are all based on the premise that the first amendment was not intended to protect certain utterances. In recent years there has been growing support for yet another exception: the destructive attack on a target group of people by stimulating hatred or fear in others, i.e., racial defamation.Does such a restriction pass constitutional muster? Thirty years ago in Beauharnais v. Illinois, the Court answered that question in the affirmative. Although Beauharnais has not been overruled, recent opinions have questioned its vitality. Subsequent changes to the law of libel have led some to believe that group libel statutes would not survive constitutional challenge today. In Collin v. Smith, furthermore, the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit rejected the enforceability of a similar ordinance enacted to prevent the American Nazi Party from demonstrating in Skokie, Illinois. The Court denied certiorari, thereby preserving, presumably, the sanctity of freedom of speech.Do ugly ideas wither when aired, or is this reasoning naive? This article will examine the relationship between racial defamation and freedom of speech. It will compare American libel law with that of several countries where restrictive statutes have long been in place, and will draw conclusions as to the moral, social and practical value of laws that allow the state to punish racial defamation and permit the courts to limit that form of speech.
Write-optimized B-trees

Large writes are beneficial both on individual disks and on disk arrays, e.g., RAID-5. The presented design enables large writes of internal B-tree nodes and leaves. It supports both in-place updates and large append-only ("log-structured") write operations within the same storage volume, within the same B-tree, and even at the same time. The essence of the proposal is to make page migration inexpensive, to migrate pages while writing them, and to make such migration optional rather than mandatory as in log-structured file systems. The inexpensive page migration also aids traditional defragmentation as well as consolidation of free space needed for future large writes. These advantages are achieved with a very limited modification to conventional B-trees that also simplifies other B-tree operations, e.g., key range locking and compression. Prior proposals and prototypes implemented transacted B-tree on top of log-structured file systems and added transaction support to log-structured file systems. Instead, the presented design adds techniques and performance characteristics of log-structured file systems to traditional B-trees and their standard transaction support, notably without adding a layer of indirection for locating B-tree nodes on disk. The result retains fine-granularity locking, full transactional ACID guarantees, fast search performance, etc. expected of a modern B-tree implementation, yet adds efficient transacted page relocation and large, high-bandwidth writes.
Active suspension control design for optimal road roughness isolation and ride comfort

An active suspension control design for a half-car two-dimensional model using LQ optimal control with regional pole constraints is investigated. A new successive approximation algorithm is used to design the static state feedback control law which guarantees a reasonable trade-off between the value of the performance index for which the system is designed and the design requirement that the closed-loop poles reside within the prescribed stability region. By carefully choosing the initial stabilising gain for the algorithm, considerable improvement in the transient properties of the closed-loop system can be obtained to achieve a reasonable tradeoff between ride comfort and road roughness isolation.
AGING AND FAMILY POLICY: A SOCIOLOGICAL EXCURSION

The contemporary focus on family policy and old age has become increasingly important in social discourses on aging both within the discipline of Sociology and social policy practices of welfare institutions that attempt to define later life. Using the United Kingdom as a case study, sheds light on wider current trends associated with aging in United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. Social welfare is a pivotal domain where social discourses on aging have become located. Narratives are 'played out' with regard to the raw material supplied by family policy for identity performance of older people. Therefore, grounding developments in 'narrativity' provides a sociological framework to assess the changing discourses associated with family policy and older people as advanced through different policy positions.
A Private Caregiver ListServ: Maximum Benefit for Minimum Cost

A private ListServ was created as a psychosocial intervention for the caregivers of the brain tumor patients in a large metropolitan cancer center. Caring for someone with a brain tumor can be quite challenging, and the day-to-day responsibilities restrict the amount of discretionary time allotted the caregiver. Consequently, they can become isolated and overwhelmed. It was conceived that, for convenience sake, a ListServ might be the solution to best serve this population. The hope being that sharing with their peers would lessen the isolation and validate their own experience, decreasing their fear and anxiety. This was all possible for less than a dollar a day.
Vector spaces spanned by the angle sums of polytopes

This paper describe the spaces spanned by the angle sums of certain classes of polytopes, as recorded in the -vector. Families of polytopes are constructed whose angle sums span the spaces of poly- topes defined by the Gram and Perles equations, analogs of the Euler and Dehn-Sommerville equations. This shows that the dimension of the ane span of the space of angle sums of simplices is d 1 2 , and that of the combined angle sums and face numbers of simplicial polytopes and general polytopes are d 1 and 2d 3, respectively. A tool used in proving these results is the -vector, an angle analog to the h-vector.
Transsphenoidal Surgery for Cushing’s Disease

Transsphenoidal resection of an adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenoma has the potential to cure most patients with Cushing’s disease (CD). Cure rates following surgery range from 20–90%, depending upon the institution, the accuracy of the pro-operative diagnosis, and the experience of the surgeon. Although diagnostic methods for defining a pituitary adenoma have improved in the past several decades, there remain challenges in the surgical management of these tumors. This chapter will focus on the indications for surgery, preoperative and intraoperative evaluation and surgical management of these tumors, outcome of surgery in the microsurgical era, potential complications, management of persistent or recurrent tumor, and long-term outcome with surgery.
Hox Genes Promote Neuronal Subtype Diversification through Posterior Induction in Caenorhabditis elegans

Although Hox genes specify the differentiation of neuronal subtypes along the anterior-posterior axis, their mode of action is not entirely understood. Using two subtypes of the touch receptor neurons (TRNs) in C. elegans, we found that a "posterior induction" mechanism underlies the Hox control of terminal neuronal differentiation. The anterior subtype maintains a default TRN state, whereas the posterior subtype undergoes further morphological and transcriptional specification induced by the posterior Hox proteins, mainly EGL-5/Abd-B. Misexpression of the posterior Hox proteins transformed the anterior TRN subtype toward a posterior identity both morphologically and genetically. The specification of the posterior subtype requires EGL-5-induced repression of TALE cofactors, which antagonize EGL-5 functions, and the activation of rfip-1, a component of recycling endosomes, which mediates Hox activities by promoting subtype-specific neurite outgrowth. Finally, EGL-5 is required for subtype-specific circuit formation by acting in both the sensory neuron and downstream interneuron to promote functional connectivity.