cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cost-Utility Analysis of 1- and 2-Level Dorsal Lumbar Fusions With and Without Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenic Protein-2 at 1-Year Follow-Up.

STUDY DESIGN A retrospective 1-year cost-utility analysis. OBJECTIVE To determine the cost-effectiveness of using recombinant human bone morphogenic protein (rhBMP-2) in addition to autograft for 1- and 2-level lumbar fusions. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA rhBMP-2 has been studied extensively to identify its benefits, risks, patient outcomes, and costs relative to autograft [local bone or iliac crest bone graft (ICBG)]. This study seeks to analyze the cost-effectiveness of adding rhBMP-2 to autograft versus without rhBMP-2 in lumbar fusions. METHODS Thirty-three patients receiving rhBMP-2 in addition to either local bone autograft or ICBG (rhBMP-2 cohort) and 42 patients receiving only local bone autograft or ICBG (control cohort) for 1- or 2-level dorsal lumbar fusion were analyzed. This included posterolateral fusion, posterior lumbar interbody fusion, and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. One-year postoperative health outcomes were assessed based on Visual Analogue Scale, Pain Disability Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire, and EuroQol-5 Dimensions questionnaires. Direct medical costs were estimated using Medicare national payment amounts and indirect costs were based on patient missed work days and patient income. Postoperative 1-year cost-utility ratios and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were calculated to assess for cost-effectiveness using a threshold of $100,000/QALY gained. RESULTS The 1-year cost-utility ratio (total cost/ΔQALY) for the control cohort was significantly lower ($143,251/QALY gained) than that of the rhBMP-2 cohort ($272,414/QALY gained) (P<0.01). At 1-year follow-up, the control group dominated the ICER compared with the rhBMP-2 group. CONCLUSIONS Statistically significant and clinically relevant improvements (through minimum clinically important differences) were seen for both cohorts. In the ICER analysis, the control cohort dominated the rhBMP-2 group. Assuming durable per year gains in QALY, by 2 years fusion with autograft but without rhBMP-2 would be considered cost-effective ($71,625/QALY gained), whereas fusion with both autograft and rhBMP-2 would not be cost-effective ($136,207/QALY gained).
Dimensionless Limits for the Collection and Interpretation of Wave Propagation Data in Soils

The use of bender elements to generate and receive shear waves in soils has become a very popular technique in geotechnical engineering studies. However as with any other wave propagation technique, the interpretation of bender element-collected data is controlled by wave characteristics, boundary conditions, and properties of the medium. This paper presents experimental data and simple closed-form solutions in order to investigate and to evaluate the effects due to the near field and boundary conditions in different types of specimen geometries and boundary conditions. Results yield dimensionless limits that must be taken into account to properly monitor soil parameters and to avoid misleading results in the interpretation of wave propagation data from the bender elements.
SP0205 Igg4-Related Disease

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a multi-organ fibroinflammatory condition that has now been described to affect essentially every organ system. Rheumatologists are frequently called upon to evaluate this disease because of its propensity to involve the salivary glands, orbits, lymph nodes, lungs, kidneys, aorta, and retroperitoneum. IgG4-RD often causes mass lesions and is therefore misdiagnosed frequently as a cancer, but it can also closely mimic common rheumatologic disorders such as Sjogren9s syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, and granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly Wegener9s), and large-vessel vasculitis. Both the diagnosis and treatment of IgG4-RD are challenging. This lecture will emphasize the multiple clinical features of IgG4-RD and its characteristic pathology findings, all in the context of treatment dilemmas. IgG4-RD is an immune-mediated condition that has lent itself well to therapeutic manipulations such as B cell depletion. Treatment efforts to date have yielded much knowledge about the nature of this disease and the larger immune system that drives IgG4-RD. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.6350
Potentiating Effect of Anaphylactic and Histamine Shock upon Herpes Simplex Virus Infection in Rabbits.

Discussion and SummaryIntravenous infection of rabbits with neurotropic herpes simplex virus is only occasionally possible according to Le Fevre de Arric and Millet1 Doerr and Voctung,2 and Van Rooyen and Rhodes.3 This fact is borne out by our control series. The fact that all experimental animals in the series here reported were infected clearly reveals the potentiating effect of histamine shock on susceptibility to the virus. It would seem, from the first animal reported, that the effect is related to a common denominator of histamine and true anaphylactic shock.
From Activism to Apathy: The American People and Nuclear Weapons, 1963-1980

Writing in 1981, George F. Kennan described Americans' response to the threat of nuclear war thus: "We have gone on piling weapon upon weapon, missile upon missile, new levels of destructiveness upon old ones. We have done this helplessly, almost involuntarily, like the victims of some sort of hypnotism, like men in a dream, like lemmings headed for the sea. " 1 Eloquent as it is, Kennan's generalization is not wholly applicable. Americans have not always behaved like lemmings in confronting the nuclear danger; their engagement with that threat has gone through several distinct cycles of activism and apparent passivity. When directed to the years from 1963 to the late 1970s, however, Kennan's observations seem chillingly accurate. In those years public involvement with the nuclear weapons issue sank to a low level indeed. This article explores some of the sources of nuclear apathy during that protracted interval. Our starting point is September 24, 1963, when the Senate ratified with overwhelming approval the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty agreed on earlier in Moscow. The treaty also won enthusiastic public and journalistic support. David Lawrence, of the conservative United States News and World Report, wrote: "There's a new word in the vocabulary of the day-or at least a more noticeable use of an old word-euphoria." Even I. F. Stone, a skeptical, leftwing Washington journalist not easily given to flights of enthusiasm, observed: "Peace has broken out, and hope leaps up again." The treaty did not halt all tests; underground nuclear explosions were still permitted. Nevertheless, it was welcomed as the beginning of a process that would ultimately free the world of the nuclear menace. Expressing the prevailing view, the New York Times hailed the agreement in a front-page banner headline as a "Major Step toward Easing Tension. ' 2
The Relationship Between Esophageal Motility Disorders and Microvascular Angina

Patients with unexplained chest pain have caused investigators in cardiology, gastroenterology, and psychiatry to find abnormalities with overlap among the three specialties. This article reviews the data concerning the potential interrelation of chest pain of cardiac or esophageal origin.
Loss of Drosophila nucleostemin 2 (NS2) blocks nucleolar release of the 60S subunit leading to ribosome stress

Four nucleostemin-like proteins (nucleostemin (NS) 1–4) were identified previously in Drosophila melanogaster. NS1 and NS2 are nucleolar proteins, while NS3 and NS4 are cytoplasmic proteins. We showed earlier that NS1 (homologous to human GNL3) enriches within the granular components (GCs) of Drosophila nucleoli and is required for efficient maturation or nucleolar release of the 60S subunit. Here, we show that NS2 is homologous to the human nucleostemin-like protein, Ngp1 (GNL2), and that endogenous NS2 is expressed in both progenitor and terminally differentiated cell types. Exogenous GFP-NS2 enriched within nucleolar GCs versus endogenous fibrillarin that marked the dense fibrillar components (DFCs). Like NS1, depletion of NS2 in midgut cells blocked the release of the 60S subunit as detected by the accumulation of GFP-RpL11 within nucleoli, and this likely led to the general loss of 60S subunits as shown by immunoblot analyses of RpL23a and RpL34. At the ultrastructural level, nucleoli in midgut cells depleted of NS2 displayed enlarged GCs not only on the nucleolar periphery but interspersed within the DFCs. Depletion of NS2 caused ribosome stress: larval midgut cells displayed prominent autophagy marked by the appearance of autolysosomes containing mCherry-ATG8a and the appearance of rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER)-derived isolation membranes. Larval imaginal wing disc cells depleted of NS2 induced apoptosis as marked by anti-caspase 3 labeling; loss of these progenitor cells resulted in defective adult wings. We conclude that nucleolar proteins NS1 and NS2 have similar but non-overlapping roles in the final maturation or nucleolar release of 60S ribosomal subunits.
Hepatic and splenic blush on computed tomography in children following blunt abdominal trauma: Is intervention necessary?

BACKGROUNDThere are no widely accepted guidelines for management of pediatric patients who have evidence of solid organ contrast extravasation (“blush”) on computed tomography (CT) scans following blunt abdominal trauma. We report our experience as a Level 1 pediatric trauma center in managing cases
Development of a novel synthetic material to close abdominal wall defects.

To compare the efficacy of a novel synthetic material (TMS-2) with polytetrafluoroethylene, polypropylene (Marlex), and primary closure of experimentally fashioned clean and contaminated abdominal wounds, 1-cm 2 abdominal wall defects were created in each of the four abdominal quadrants of rats (n = 10). Patches of each material were used to repair three of these defects, the fourth being primarily closed. A second group of rats (n = 7) underwent the same operative protocol; however, peritonitis was induced at the time of surgery using a fecal inoculation technique. Animals were killed 2 weeks later, and surface area and severity of formed adhesions were assessed by a blinded observer. All closure techniques were successful insofar as none demonstrated fascial dehiscence. Compared with each synthetic material, the surface area of formed adhesions was smaller after primary closure in clean and in contaminated conditions; however, the three synthetic materials were equally matched regarding surface area of adhesions under both conditions. In the face of fecal contamination, TMS-2 proved identical to primary closure, each generating significantly (P < 0.02) milder adhesions than the other prosthetic materials. It is concluded that the TMS-2 may prove of clinical benefit to repair abdominal wall defects.
Lorenzo Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise: Humanism, History, and Artistic Philosophy in the Italian Renaissance

This book examines the heretofore unsuspected complexity of Lorenzo Ghiberti's sculpted representations of Old Testament narratives in his Gates of Paradise (1425–52), the second set of doors he made for the Florence Baptistery and a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance sculpture. One of the most intellectually engaged and well-read artists of his age, Ghiberti found inspiration in ancient and medieval texts, many of which he and his contacts in Florence's humanist community shared, read, and discussed. He was fascinated by the science of vision, by the functioning of nature, and, above all, by the origins and history of art. These unusually well-defined intellectual interests, reflected in his famous Commentaries, shaped his approach in the Gates. Through the selection, imaginative interpretation, and arrangement of biblical episodes, Ghiberti fashioned multi-textured narratives that explore the human condition and express his ideas on a range of social, political, artistic, and philosophical issues.
Inventing an American Language and Literature

In the afternoon of September 25, 1771, two young graduates of the College of New Jersey (later called Princeton) delivered a stirring commencement poem titled “On the Rising Glory of America.” The authors were Philip Freneau (soon to win fame as the “Poet of the Revolution” and later a central figure in the Jeffersonian Republican Party) and Hugh Henry Brackenridge (a lawyer, legislator, justice of Pennsylvania’s supreme court, and author in later years). Their appreciative audience included John Witherspoon, the president of the college and a future signer of the Declaration of Independence; their classmate James Madison missed commencement due to poor health. The poem was so well received that it was published the following year in Philadelphia.1 Its bold prediction that an American culture would soon arise to eclipse past European glories resonated with listeners at the commencement and readers at other colleges and in other colonies.
Phosphatidylethanol and Alcohol Use in Liver Disease Patients

Alcohol use can potentiate liver diseases such as hepatitis C and in sufficient quantities can itself cause significant liver disease over time. This chapter will briefly review the importance of alcohol use in liver diseases and difficulties that S.H. Stewart (*) Department of Medicine, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA e-mail: ss243@buffalo.edu # Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016 V.R. Preedy (ed.), Biomarkers in Liver Disease, Biomarkers in Disease: Methods, Discoveries and Applications, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-7742-2_18-1 1 can arise when clinicians attempt to gather an accurate drinking history in patients with liver disease. The bulk of the chapter focuses on the use of blood phosphatidylethanol (PEth) as an alcohol consumption biomarker in liver disease patients, including validation in this population, potential uses in clinical care and research, and current limitations to its use for these purposes.
An extensive study of static regression test selection in modern software evolution

Regression test selection (RTS) aims to reduce regression testing time by only re-running the tests affected by code changes. Prior research on RTS can be broadly split into dy namic and static techniques. A recently developed dynamic RTS technique called Ekstazi is gaining some adoption in practice, and its evaluation shows that selecting tests at a coarser, class-level granularity provides better results than selecting tests at a finer, method-level granularity. As dynamic RTS is gaining adoption, it is timely to also evaluate static RTS techniques, some of which were proposed over three decades ago but not extensively evaluated on modern software projects. This paper presents the first extensive study that evaluates the performance benefits of static RTS techniques and their safety; a technique is safe if it selects to run all tests that may be affected by code changes. We implemented two static RTS techniques, one class-level and one method-level, and compare several variants of these techniques. We also compare these static RTS techniques against Ekstazi, a state-of-the-art, class-level, dynamic RTS technique. The experimental results on 985 revisions of 22 open-source projects show that the class-level static RTS technique is comparable to Ekstazi, with similar performance benefits, but at the risk of being unsafe sometimes. In contrast, the method-level static RTS technique performs rather poorly.
The Fourth Amendment: Policing the Police and the Warrantless Search

Withdrawing blood of a driver to determine the alcohol content in an arrest for drinking and driving constitutes a search of the driver’s person, and as such, it must be conducted with regard to search and seizure requirements of the Fourth Amendment. The purpose of the Fourth Amendment is to protect citizens from unwarranted searches and seizures by the state. As a measure of protection, law enforcement officers are generally required to secure a warrant prior to performing a search. This requirement encourages inferences to be drawn by neutral and detached judges to support searches instead of allowing officers to be the judge while fighting crime. A key exception to the warrant requirement is the exigency exception. Under this exception, an officer may conduct a warrantless search when compellingly sufficient exigencies of a situation make the search objectively reasonable. Without a compelling exigency, a search warrant must be granted before any intrusion can be made into the human body.In this case note, the author will first address the legal concepts underlying the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court case McNeely v. Missouri, which held that natural dissipation of alcohol in the bloodstream alone is not sufficient in every DWI case to evade the search warrant requirement. Next, the author will analyze the Court’s decision. Then, the author will address how the Court’s decision will affect subsequent cases. Finally, the author will provide an overview of the issue presented in McNeely, the importance of the Court’s ruling, and the dangers an alternative ruling could present.
Adapting for Scalability: Automating the Video Assessment of Instructional Learning

Although scalable programs, such as online courses, have the potential to reach broad audiences, they may pose challenges to evaluating learners’ knowledge and skills. Automated scoring offers a possible solution. In the current paper, we describe the process of creating and testing an automated means of scoring a validated measure of teachers’ observational skills, known as the Video Assessment of Instructional Learning (VAIL). Findings show that automated VAIL scores were consistently correlated with scores assigned by the hand scoring system. In addition, the automated VAIL replicated intervention effects found in the hand scoring system. The automated scoring technique appears to offer an efficient and reliable assessment. This study may offer additional insight into how to utilize similar techniques in other large-scale programs and interventions.
Osteocutaneous radial forearm free flap in nonmandible head and neck reconstruction.

Background The osteocutaneous radial forearm free flap (RFFF) is a versatile flap primarily used to reconstruct composite defects involving the mandible. The purpose of this study was to describe our experience with this flap for nonmandible reconstruction. Methods All patients undergoing nonmandible osseous reconstruction with free-tissue transfer were reviewed. Patients with osteocutaneous RFFF reconstructions were evaluated. The retrospective review of all osteocutaneous RFFFs was performed from 1998 to 2014. Results One hundred forty-two nonmandible osseous reconstructions were performed. Twenty-five patients underwent nonmandible osteocutaneous RFFF reconstruction. Eleven patients failed previous nonmicrovascular reconstruction. Reconstruction was for defects of the: palatomaxillary complex (n = 15), orbitomaxillary complex (n = 4), nasomaxillary complex (n = 4), larynx (n = 1), and clavicle (n = 1). There were no flap compromises. Postoperative complications included: 2 partial intraoral dehiscences; 1 recipient-site infection; and 1 seroma. Eight reconstructions required secondary procedures to improve functional and/or cosmetic outcomes. Conclusion The osteocutaneous RFFF is a robust flap that can be used to reconstruct composite defects involving bone and soft-tissue beyond the mandible.
Abstract 14775: Current Results of Open Repair of Descending Thoracic and Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Introduction: Open repair of thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (DTA and TAAA respectively) constitutes a benchmark for comparison with endovascular techniques. Hypothesis. To evaluate the current results of the open repair of DTA and TAAA. Methods. Open DTA and TAAA repair was performed on 675 consecutive patients (210 TAA and 465 TAAA). Three surgical techniques were used based on the type of the aneurysm and the risk profile of the patient: clamp and saw, partial bypass or hypothermic circulatory arrest. Spinal drain was used in 82.7% of patients. Regression analysis was performed to identify independent determinants of in-hospital and late outcomes and individual major postoperative complications. Propensity matching (PPM) was used to compare results of the different surgical techniques Results. Operative mortality was 5.6% (38/675); incidence of postoperative spinal cord injury, stroke, need for tracheostomy, myocardial infarction and dialysis were 2.8%, 0.7%, 7.7%, 0.6% and 5.2% respectively. Kaplan Mayer survival at five-year was 57.8%. Female gender, urgent operation and preoperative dialysis were independent predictors of adverse in-hospital adverse events. Preoperative renal and respiratory failure were associated with follow-up death. Female gender and preoperative chronic pulmonary disease were associated with postoperative need for tracheostomy, whereas preoperative renal failure, urgent operation and peripheral vascular disease predicted the need for postoperative dialysis. Due to the low number of events, logistic regression analysis was not possible for predictors of spinal cord injury. In the PPM groups no difference was found in the early and late outcome between patients treated with different techniques (see table). Conclusion: In the current era open TAA and TAAA repair allows excellent outcomes.
Biofilm reactors configuration for advanced nutrient removal

Characterization of a new biofilm reactors configuration was carried out on a pilot plant performing nitrification, pre- and post-denitrification. Thereby, degradation rate limitations - whether there are related to mass transfer resistances, kinetic or stoichiometry - were determined for the different stages. The experimental results showed that under certain conditions moderate aeration of the predenitrification stage enhances both denitrification and organic carbon removal due to an acceleration of diffusion rates. Post-denitrification was limited by the addition of C-source exclusively, whereas nitrification was inhibited by elevated organic loadings as well as low temperatures. The described system offers a certain flexibility concerning BOD removal in the predenitrification stage because of the potentiality of aeration, as well as the possibility of recirculating nitrate very economically enabled by the small head losses in the systems. Furthermore, combination of pre- and post-denitrification with biofilm systems leads to economic and safe processes for advanced elimination of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus.
Impaired Lexical Selection and Fluency in Post-Stroke Aphasia.

Background: Deficits in fluent language production are a hallmark of aphasia and may arise from impairments at different levels in the language system. It has been proposed that difficulty resolvin...
Reconciling molecules and morphology in North American Martes

Molecular investigations recently resurrected the Pacific marten (Martes caurina) as a species distinct from the American pine marten (M. americana). Previously, 2 hybrid zones for these species were identified, 1 in the northern Rocky Mountains and another on Kuiu Island off the coast of Southeast Alaska. We test the molecular perspectives on species status and hybridization using geometric morphometrics to characterize size and shape differences between North American marten species from 6 genetically defined populations: M. americana from interior Alaska, insular M. caurina from Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska, M. caurina from Colorado, the 2 previously identified hybrid populations, and a third suspected hybrid population on neighboring Kupreanof Island. We found significant differences in shape supporting the designation of 2 morphological species, with M. caurina exhibiting a broader cranial shape and shorter rostrum. We also found significant size differences between species, and also between insular and mainland populations of M. caurina. Morphological intergradation of M. americana and M. caurina in both insular and mainland hybrid zones identified potentially admixed individuals in 2 of the 3 examined contact zones. Under the general lineage concept, our results support specieslevel classification of both M. americana and M. caurina and suggest that hybridization is geographically limited in scope or may not be effectively detected with morphometrics.
To Dissemination... And Beyond!: Building Better Propagation Plans for Computer Science Education Innovations

In computer science, educational innovation is constant, but many great ideas never achieve the type of widespread adoption necessary to make lasting and effective change to the way we teach and learn. Research across STEM education has shown that propagation planning is often an overlooked or undervalued part of educational innovation. Whether promoting our own projects or an outside innovation, barriers to success are more difficult to overcome when encountered without sufficient preparation. Plans for adoption and scaling of innovations are not one-size-fits-all, but there are lessons we can learn from both successful and unsuccessful previous projects. We will present a summary of these lessons based on our recent ITiCSE working group research experience on the topic. This writing workshop will focus on building propagation plans informed by best practices, within the context of individual project definitions of success. We will work in small groups to identify potential barriers to the success of our projects, learn about best practices for overcoming those barriers, and put in place a measurable and actionable plan for adoption and propagation. Participants will work toward a better plan for propagation while garnering advice from their peers, learning and generating new ideas about and methods for dissemination and adoption, and building a community of resources for future collaboration, champions for change, and peer feedback. Bringing a laptop is recommended.
Evaporative cooling provides a major metabolic energy sink.

Abstract Objective Elimination of food calories as heat could help redress the excess accumulation of metabolic energy exhibited as obesity. Prior studies have focused on the induction of thermogenesis in beige and brown adipose tissues as the application of this principle, particularly because the β-adrenergic environment associated with thermogenic activation has been shown to have positive health implications. The counterpoint to this strategy is the regulation of heat loss; we propose that mammals with inefficient heat conservation will require more thermogenesis to maintain body temperature. Methods Surface temperature thermography and rates of trans-epidermal water loss were integrated to profile the total heat transfer of genetically-engineered and genetically variable mice. Results These data were incorporated with energy expenditure data to generate a biophysical profile to test the significance of increased rates of evaporative cooling. Conclusions We show that mouse skins vary considerably in their heat retention properties, whether because of naturally occurring variation (SKH-1 mice), or genetic modification of the heat-retaining lipid lamellae (SCD1, DGAT1 or Agouti Ay obese mice). In particular, we turn attention to widely different rates of evaporative cooling as the result of trans-epidermal water loss; higher rates of heat loss by evaporative cooling leads to increased demand for thermogenesis. We speculate that this physiology could be harnessed to create an energy sink to assist with strategies aimed at treating metabolic diseases.
CHAPTER 5 – Trees

Publisher Summary This chapter presents trees as grammatical markers and decision trees. A sort tree is a labeled binary tree. The labels make up a table of types. If a node is labeled, then it is called filled, but if it is not labeled, then it is called free. The chapter discusses a decision table that is set up in a computer as a matrix of bits and a vector of addresses called table matrix and transfer vector. In the table given in the chapter, matrix 1 stands for Y and 0 for N or a ”don't care“ condition. The chapter explains that an interrupted rule mask technique should be used if the cost of setting up a data vector is high. It presents a concise representation of the sequence of interruptions that is provided by a 2 × (c + r) sequencing matrix, where c is the number of conditions and r the number of rules.
Resistance to Bispecific T-Cell Engagers and Bispecific Antibodies

Bispecific antibodies are an emerging novel therapeutic construct used to treat a variety of cancers. These drugs utilize a small fusion protein to link two single-chain antibodies, allowing for simultaneous binding of two different epitopes. Bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTE) are a subset of bispecific antibodies that bind the target antigen on the cancer cell while simultaneously binding a patient’s endogenous T-cell. By bringing these two cells in close proximity, the patient’s own immune system can be redirected to attack the cancer cell. Several mechanisms of resistance to these drugs exist, including extramedullary escape, loss of the target antigen, and inadequate endogenous immune response.
Allele specific expression and gene regulation explain transgressive thermal tolerance in non-native hybrids of the endangered California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense)

Hybridization between native and non-native species is an ongoing global conservation threat. Hybrids that exhibit traits and tolerances that surpass parental values are of particular concern, given their ability to outcompete the native parent. It is crucial to understand the mechanisms that drive these transgressive hybrid traits to diagnose and develop strategies to manage hybrid populations. Here, we explore several aspects of the hybridization between the endangered California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense; CTS) and the introduced barred tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium; BTS). We assayed critical thermal maximum (CTMax) to compare the ability of CTS, BTS and hybrids to tolerate acute thermal stress, and found that hybrids exhibit a wide range of CTMax values, with 40% (6/15) able to tolerate temperatures greater than either parent. We quantified the genomic response of each individual to discover and compare thermal abatement strategies. We found that CTS and BTS have strikingly different numbers and tissue-specific patterns of overall gene expression, with hybrids expressing intermediate values. We evaluated transgressive and variable phenotypes by uncovering regulatory mechanisms that give rise to these unique traits. F1 hybrids display abundant and variable degrees of allele specific expression (ASE), likely arising from extensive compensatory evolution in gene regulatory mechanisms of the parental lineages. We found that the proportion of genes with allelic imbalance in individual hybrids correlates with their CTMax, suggesting that BTS biased expression confers improved thermal tolerance. We discuss the implications of these findings with respect to ongoing management of CTS in the face of future climate change.
Impact of biaxial and uniaxial strain on V 2 O 3

Using first-principles calculations, we determine the role of compressive and tensile uniaxial and equibiaxial strain on the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of ${\mathrm{V}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$. We find that compressive strain increases the energy to transition from the high-temperature paramagnetic metallic phase to the low-temperature antiferromagnetic insulating phase. This shift in the energy difference can be explained by changes in the V-V bond lengths that are antiferromagnetically aligned in the low-temperature structure. The insights that we have obtained provide a microscopic explanation for the shifts in the metal-insulator transition temperature that have been observed in experiments of ${\mathrm{V}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ films grown on different substrates.
Critical Reroute: A Practical Approach to Network Flow Prioritization using Segment Routing

It is widely recognized that reliable communications are a key element of a successful response to a disaster situation. To address this need, local and regional governments in all parts of the world have deployed dedicated communications networks for first responders. These systems are often prohibitively expensive, voice-only, and are needed only on rare occasions. It would be more cost-effective to use already-existing networks or to deploy networks for shared use. However, due to the sudden increase in demand or physical failure caused by the disaster, shared networks may become overloaded. In such situations, it would be desirable to prioritize traffic flows belonging to public safety applications over others. Solutions such as priority queuing and differentiated services provide partial answers to that goal but leave other problems unsolved. This work presents a novel solution using Segment Routing and a Genetic Algorithm optimizer to minimize the impact of network overload on critical traffic flows. The results show that these methods can reroute flows using a single midpoint such that the total network overload is reduced compared to traditional shortest-path routing while avoiding unnecessarily long paths and taking priority of flows into account.
Body Politics in Cyberspace: When the Physical Body of the Subject Under Review Matters in Online Evaluations

This chapter highlights how certain external status characteristics shape student evaluations of college teaching, through the performance expectations that students form and apply to college faculty that are based on the students’ perceptions of said external status indicators. Analyzing RateMyProfessors.com reviews of 1106 full-time tenure-track and tenured faculty in nine disciplines at six different universities, this chapter examines how race, sex, age, and physical attractiveness shape student evaluations of college teaching. Findings from the study indicate that three physical characteristics of the college professor figure prominently in student evaluations of college teaching. That is to say, students’ perceptions of professors, and their ensuing treatment of them (through overall quality rating scores on student evaluations of teaching), are shaped by factors other than academic merit. This chapter also discusses the validity issues that arise in student evaluations of teaching. The proliferation of anonymous, web-based evaluation sites raises additional validity concerns.
Potential for Use of Erythritol as a Socially Transferrable Ingested Insecticide for Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

Ants are significant structural and agricultural pests, generating a need for human-safe and effective insecticides for ant control. Erythritol, a sugar alcohol used in many commercial food products, reduces survival in diverse insect taxa including fruit flies, termites, and mosquitos. Erythritol also decreases longevity in red imported fire ants; however, its effects on other ant species and its ability to be transferred to naive colony members at toxic doses have not been explored. Here, we show that erythritol decreases survival in Tetramorium immigrans Santschi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a concentration-dependent manner. Access to ad-libitum water reduced the toxic effects of erythritol, but worker mortality was still increased over controls with ad-lib water. Foraging T. immigrans workers transferred erythritol at lethal levels to nest mates that had not directly ingested erythritol. Similar patterns of mortality following erythritol ingestion were observed in Formica glacialis Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Camponotus subarbatus Emery (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and Camponotus chromaiodes Bolton (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). These findings suggest that erythritol may be a highly effective insecticide for several genera of ants. Erythritol's potential effectiveness in social insect control is augmented by its spread at lethal levels through ant colonies via social transfer (trophallaxis) between workers.
Incidence and impact of acute urinary retention after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

Abstract Objective To explore the incidence of and potential risk factors for acute urine retention (AUR) after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) and its effect on early urine continence. Methods A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent RARP by a single surgeon between July 2016 and June 2017 was performed to assess the incidence of AUR and its effect on early continence. Continence was assessed through self-reported questionnaires completed approximately three months after surgery. Early urine continence was defined as using zero pads per day at the time of the three-month follow-up. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were used to assess independent predictor of AUR. Results Of 379 patients, 19 (5%) developed AUR after RARP. No significant difference in baseline characteristics between those who developed AUR post-RARP and those who did not. There was no statistically significant difference in the reported early continence and number of pads used per day between patients with AUR and patients without AUR (31.6% vs. 23.1%, P = 0.39), (1.6 vs. 1.4, P = 0.913), respectively. Conclusion AUR post-RARP is an infrequent postoperative complication with no impact on early continence rate. No patient-related factors were associated with the development of AUR.
Developing a methodology to predict the adoption rate of Connected Autonomous Trucks in transportation organizations using peer effects

Abstract This paper presents a methodology for predicting the adoption rate of Connected Autonomous Trucks (CATs) in transportation organizations using peer effects. There are a number of different factors that must be considered when developing innovation adoption models for organizations. This paper briefly describes each of the relevant variables and combines them into a discrete choice model for predicting the adoption rate of CATs by a hypothetical sample of transportation organizations. The model incorporates new peer effect modeling techniques to simulate the competition and informal communication network. Preliminary results suggest that organizations which are larger are less likely to change their decisions due to the decisions of other, competing organizations, whereas smaller organizations are more easily influenced by the decisions of larger organizations. The methodology developed in this paper produces reasonable results using a hypothetical dataset, and the methodology has been designed to be transferrable to any number of organizational innovations.
Branched aramid nanofiber-polyaniline electrodes for structural energy storage.

Strong electrodes with good energy storage capabilities are necessary to accommodate the current needs for structural and flexible electronics. To this end, conjugated polymers such as polyaniline (PANI) have attracted much attention due to their exceptional energy storage performance. However, PANI is typically brittle and requires the use of substrates for structural support. Here, we report a strategy for developing free-standing structural supercapacitor and battery electrodes based on PANI. More specifically, aniline is polymerized in the presence of branched aramid nanofibers (BANFs) and single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). This results in a network morphology that allows for efficient load transfer and electron transport, leading to electrodes with capacity values up to 128 ± 5 mA h g−1 (vs. a theoretical capacity of 147 mA h g−1), Young's modulus of 4 ± 0.5 GPa, and tensile strength of 40 ± 4 MPa. Furthermore, the charge storage mechanism is investigated, in which both Faradaic and non-Faradaic contributions are observed. This work demonstrates an efficient strategy for designing structural electrodes based on conjugated polymers.
Therapeutic vaccines for aggressive B-cell lymphoma

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common aggressive B-cell lymphoma and highly heterogeneous disease. With the standard immunochemotherapy, anti-CD20 antibody rituximab (R-) plus CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) chemotherapy, 30-40% of DLBCLs are refractory to initial immunochemotherapy or experience relapse post-therapy with poor clinical outcomes despite salvage therapies. Mechanisms underlying chemoresistance and relapse are heterogeneous across DLBCL and within individual patients, representing hurdles for targeted therapies targeting a specific oncogenic signaling pathway. In recent years, paradigm-shifting immunotherapies have shown impressive efficacy in various cancer types regardless of underlying oncogenic mechanisms. Vaccines are being developed for DLBCL to build protective immunity against relapse after first complete remission and to promote antitumor immune responses synergizing with immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat refractory/relapsed patients. This article provides a brief review of current progress in vaccine development in DLBCL and discussion on immunologic mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effectiveness and resistance.
Bounds on Sectional Curvature and Interactions with Topology

In this survey article we exemplarily illustrate implications of curvature assumptions on the topology of the underlying manifold. We shall mainly focus on sectional curvature and three different kinds of restrictions, namely on non-negative respectively on positive sectional curvature, as well as on two-sided curvature bounds. We shall see that there are various implications on the side of topology, namely, for example, geometry having an impact on elementary invariants like the Euler characteristic or Betti numbers as well as on concepts from rational homotopy theory or index theory, and that there are connections to K-theory. On our way of making these connections we shall draw on certain simplifications and tools like group actions or metrics with additional properties like geometric formality.
On Assuaging Positive Bias in Environmental Value Elicitation

Research has consistently shown that the process of eliciting environmental values is fraught with potential pitfalls that can produce biased estimates. The present research focused on how to preclude one such pitfall, overvaluation of a focal environmental entity, in light of the psychological processes that have been recently shown to underlie this bias. Analysis of a survey of respondents’ valuations of environmental entities demonstrated focal entity overvaluation, and that specifying alternatives to a focal entity was not sufficient to preclude positive bias. Only when respondents were required to provide valuations of multiple entities were much more moderate, less biased, valuations obtained. The implication of this research is that when the value of an environmental entity is assessed, respondents should be asked to provide valuations of the target entity as well as other intra-category alternatives so that positive bias is ameliorated.
Modeling and Simulation of an Ultra-Fast Resonant DC Circuit Breaker Based on Current Source Module

A novel hybrid circuit breaker is proposed that utilizes a fast-ramping resonant current source and an ultra-fast vacuum interrupter (VI) for medium voltage dc (MVDC) applications. The design offers a compromise between mechanical and purely solid-state dc circuit breakers with high efficiency and fast fault interruption speed. The breaker consists of 3 parallel branches: the resonant current source (RCS) module, vacuum interrupter, and energy absorption branch. In normal operation, the vacuum interrupter is closed and conducts load current, resulting in high efficiency. During fault operation, the resonant current source ramps up to oppose the fault current in the vacuum interrupter to force a zero current crossing. In post-fault operation, the metal oxide varistor in the energy absorption branch clamps overvoltages and dissipates residual line current and energy. Gallium Nitride switching devices are used to configure the RCS modules to achieve higher frequencies and lower switching losses than the conventional silicon counterparts. Modeling and simulation results from PLECS software are presented to prove the functionality of this design in a 2.4 kV MVDC propulsion system for electric aircraft.
Parent-Child Role Confusion: Exploring the Role of Family Processes in the Context of Parental Depression.

Objective: Parent-child role confusion has been shown to influence developmental outcomes for children whose parents have a history of depression; however, more research is needed to understand the...
Coupling of regional geophysics and local soil-structure models in the EQSIM fault-to-structure earthquake simulation framework:

Accurate understanding and quantification of the risk to critical infrastructure posed by future large earthquakes continues to be a very challenging problem. Earthquake phenomena are quite complex...
Wirtinger Flow Meets Constant Modulus Algorithm: Revisiting Signal Recovery for Grant-Free Access

In this work, we analyze the convergence of constant modulus algorithm (CMA) in blindly recovering multiple signals to facilitate grant-free wireless access. The CMA typically solves a non-convex problem by utilizing stochastic gradient descent. The iterative convergence of CMA can be affected by additive channel noise and finite number of samples, which is a problem not fully investigated previously. We point out the strong similarity between CMA and the Wirtinger Flow (WF) algorithm originally proposed for Phase retrieval. In light of the convergence proof of WF under limited data samples, we adopt the WF algorithm to implement CMA-based blind signal recovery. We generalize the convergence analysis of WF in the context of CMA-based blind signal recovery. Numerical simulation results also corroborate the analysis.
Recurrence again

Kit Fine has replied to my criticism of a technical objection he had given to the version of Millianism that I advocate. Fine evidently objects to my use of classical existential instantiation (EI) in an object-theoretic rendering of his meta-proof. Fine’s reply appears to involve both an egregious misreading of my criticism and a significant logical error. I argue that my rendering is unimpeachable, that the issue over my use of classical EI is a red herring, and that Fine’s original argument commits the straw-man fallacy. I argue further that contrary to Fine’s gratuitous attribution, what Kripke’s Pierre lacks and a typical bilingual has is not knowledge (“possession”) of a “manifest-making” (in fact, spectacularly false) premise, but the capacity to recognize London when it is differently designated. Fine’s argument refutes a preposterous theory no one advocates while leaving standard Millianism unscathed. The failure of his argument threatens to render Fine’s central notion of “coordination” redundant or empty.
Role of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Imaging in Patients with Diabetes.

Purpose of review Ocular manifestations in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) can present as microvascular changes. These microvascular changes can be challenging to identify on exams, and imaging technologies have commonly aided in the diagnosis and management of patients with DM. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) provides noninvasive image segmentation of various layers of the retina and choroid. Also, post-processing of images and associated quantitative measurements offer potential clinical enhancements. Our aim is to review the current evidence on the utility of OCTA for patients with DM. Recent findings Research suggests OCTA to potentially provide potential clinical enhancements and alternative methods in detecting subclinical manifestation of diabetic retinopathy, staging diabetic retinopathy, management of diabetic macular edema, and monitoring of systemic markers in patients with diabetes mellitus. OCTA is a promising but relatively new modality, and differences in terminology, research designs, and image processing techniques provide a difficult landscape to navigate. Standardization within further validation is needed to determine the extent of OCTA's clinical utility, but the current literature suggests the potential for earlier detection of ocular manifestations in patients with DM, additional objective measurements for grading and management, and opportunity for additional biomarkers for treatment outcomes.