cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A field test of the effects of instruction design on colorectal cancer self-screening accuracy

A field experiment testedwhether instruction design improves accurate adherence to instructions for medical do-it-yourself tests like the Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT). As part of an outreach campaign, 16 073 participants received FOBTs with instructions that were (i) human factored, (ii) motivational, (iii) human factored/motivational combined, or (iv) the standard used in the past. Among all test results returned (N 5 2483), only the human factors instructions reduced errors in filling out result cards. However, after post-validating result cards that had errors, the human-factored, motivational and merged instructionsreduced errors. The presentfindings show that medical instructions designed with human factors and persuasion principles increase accurate adherence. These design principles provide simple and cost-effective ways to increase test taking accuracy and FOBT effectiveness. Better screening instructions can improve the chances of detecting colorectal cancer early, which may help to decrease cancer mortality.
Knowing Is Half the Battle Teaching Stereotype Threat as a Means of Improving Women's Math Performance

We tested whether informing women about stereotype threat is a useful intervention to improve their performance in a threatening testing situation. Men and women completed difficult math problems described either as a problem-solving task or as a math test. In a third (teaching-intervention) condition, the test was also de- scribed as a math test, but participants were additionally informed that stereotype threat could interfere with women's math performance. Results showed that women performed worse than men when the problems were de- scribed as a math test (and stereotype threat was not discussed), but did not differ from men in the problem- solving condition or in the condition in which they learned about stereotype threat. For women, attributing anxiety to gender stereotypes was associated with lower per- formance in the math-test condition but improved per- formance in the teaching-intervention condition. The results suggest that teachingabout stereotype threat might offer a practical means of reducing its detrimental effects.
Flow compensation in MRI using a phase-corrected real reconstruction

Flow- and motion-related artifacts are problematic in clinical MR imaging. In this paper we discuss the utility of a phase-corrected real reconstruction to reduce flow artifacts. This techinique is particularly useful when flow-compensation pulse sequences may not be possible, such as when a very short echo delay or small field-of-view is desired. We will demonstrate that the phase-corrected real reconstruction provides superior results to the magnitude reconstruction either used alone or in conjunction with existing flow-compensation techniques.
MicroRNA regulation of nonmuscle myosin light chain kinase expression in human lung endothelium.

Increased lung vascular permeability, the consequence of endothelial cell (EC) barrier dysfunction, is a cardinal feature of inflammatory conditions such as acute lung injury and sepsis and leads to lethal physiological dysfunction characterized by alveolar flooding, hypoxemia, and pulmonary edema. We previously demonstrated that the nonmuscle myosin light chain kinase isoform (nmMLCK) plays a key role in agonist-induced pulmonary EC barrier regulation. The present study evaluated posttranscriptional regulation of MYLK expression, the gene encoding nmMLCK, via 3′ untranslated region (UTR) binding by microRNAs (miRNAs) with in silico analysis identifying hsa-miR-374a, hsa-miR-374b, hsa-miR-520c-3p, and hsa-miR-1290 as miRNA candidates. We identified increased MYLK gene transcription induced by TNF-α (24 h; 4.7 ± 0.45 fold increase [FI]), LPS (4 h; 2.85 ± 0.15 [FI]), and 18% cyclic stretch (24 h; 4.6 ± 0.24 FI) that was attenuated by transfection of human lung ECs with mimics of hsa-miR-374a, hsa-miR-374b, ...
Fundamental Limits on Secure Clock Synchronization and Man-In-The-Middle Detection in Fixed Wireless Networks

In this paper we present fundamental results on secure clock synchronization and man-in-the-middle detection using only timing information. Under the assumption of afflne clocks, we present a clock synchronization protocol that can operate on any channel on which data can be sent. We present a clock synchronization protocol from the literature and add verification steps on top of this protocol. These verification steps force man- in-the-middle attackers, who want to delay traffic between the endpoints and yet remain undetected, to impose only constant delays on packets. In a special case, we show that it is possible to identify and ignore attacker-delayed packets. We then show three different types of attackers: a half-duplex attacker that can always be caught using timing information alone, a double full-duplex attacker that can never be caught using only timing information, and a full-duplex attacker whose capability to perform man-in-the- middle attacks depends on its location relative to the endpoints and on the turnaround times of the endpoints. In particular, we prove that certain attackers are impossible to detect using only timing, and we construct defensive protocols that prevent all other man-in- the-middle delay attacks. A particularly noteworthy result is that a single attacker using the same radio technology as the endpoints can never successfully perform a man-in-the-middle attack to delay traffic. These results form a lightweight man-in-the-middle attack detection protocol, on top of which a wide variety of protocols can be built, including routing protocols and more sophisticated heavyweight protocols.
Cooperative motion control for multi-target observation

An important issue that arises in the automation of many security, surveillance, and reconnaissance tasks is that of monitoring the movements of targets navigating in a bounded area of interest. In this paper, we investigate the use of a cooperative team of autonomous sensor-based robots for the observation of multiple moving targets. We focus primarily on developing the distributed control strategies that allow the robot team to attempt to minimize the total time in which targets escape observation by some robed team member in the area of interest. This paper first formalizes the problem and discusses related work. We then present a distributed approximate approach to solving this problem that combines low-level multi-robot control with higher-level reasoning control based on the ALLIANCE formalism. We analyze the effectiveness of our approach by comparing it to three other feasible algorithms for cooperative control, showing the superiority of our approach for a large class of problems.
The energy efficiency of IRAM architectures

Portable systems demand energy efficiency in order to maximize battery life. IRAM architectures, which combine DRAM and a processor on the same chip in a DRAM process, are more energy efficient than conventional systems. The high density of DRAM permits a much larger amount of memory on-chip than a traditional SRAM cache design in a logic process. This allows most or all IRAM memory accesses to be satisfied on-chip. Thus there is much less need to drive high-capacitance off-chip buses, which contribute significantly to the energy consumption of a system. To quantify this advantage we apply models of energy consumption in DRAM and SRAM memories to results from cache simulations of applications reflective of personal productivity tasks on low power systems. We find that IRAM memory hierarchies consume as little as 22% of the energy consumed by a conventional memory hierarchy for memory-intensive applications, while delivering comparable performance. Furthermore, the energy consumed by a system consisting of an IRAM memory hierarchy combined with an energy efficient CPU core is as little as 40% of that of the same CPU core with a traditional memory hierarchy.
Preliminary thermomechanical results of a heater test in welded tuff

Abstract The Yucca Mountain Project is conducting a Single Heater Test (SHT) in the Exploratory Studies Facility at Yucca Mountain, NV to evaluate coupled thermal-mechanical-hydrologic-chemical processes in situ . This paper describes the thermomechanical aspects of the SHT and presents preliminary results from the test. The 5-m long heater deployed in the SHT was energized on 26 August 1996 with the heater power set at 4 kW. Thermomechanical instrumentation was installed within and on the rock mass surrounding the SHT. The thermomechanical instrumentation includes temperature measurements using thermocouples, RTDs, and thermistors; displacement measurements using multiple-point borehole extensometers (MPBXs), tape extensometers, and surface-mounted wire extensometers; load measurements from load cells on rock bolts installed both within thermally perturbed and ambient regions; and rock mass modulus measurements using the NX borehole jack. Pretest analyses of the thermomechanical response were conducted using the thermohydrologic code TOUGH2 and the thermomechanical structural code JAC3D. The test design, preliminary data, and comparisons between pretest predictions and early data from selected thermal and mechanical sensors are presented.
Restoration of shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata)-hardwood ecosystems severely impacted by the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis)

Abstract In the Southern Appalachian Mountains of eastern USA, pine-hardwood ecosystems have been severely impacted by the interactions of past land use, fire exclusion, drought, and southern pine beetle (SPB, Dendroctonus frontalis). We examined the effects of restoration treatments: burn only (BURN); cut + burn on dry sites (DC + B); cut + burn on sub-mesic sites (MC + B); and reference sites (REF; no cutting or burning) on shortleaf pine-hardwood forests. We also evaluated the effectiveness of seeding native bluestem grasses. Structural (down wood, live and dead standing trees, shrubs, herbaceous layer) and functional (forest floor mass, C, and N; soil C, N, P, and cations; and soil solution N and P) attributes were measured before and the first and second growing seasons after treatment. We used path analysis to test our conceptual model that restoration treatments will have direct and indirect effects on these ecosystems. Total aboveground mass loss ranged from 24.33 Mg ha−1 on the BURN to 74.44 Mg ha−1 on the DC + B treatment; whereas, REF gained 13.68 Mg ha−1 between pre-burn and post-burn. Only DC + B sites had increased soil NO3–N, NH4–N Ca, Mg, and PO4–P and soil solution NO3–N, NH4–N, O–PO4 for several months. We found a significant increase in the density of oak species (Quercus alba, Q. coccinea, Q. montana, Q. rubra, and Q. velutina) on all burn treatments. However, oaks accounted for a smaller proportion of the total stem density than red maple, other tree species, and shrubs. The high densities of woody species other than oaks, coupled with the fast growth rates of some of these species, suggests that oaks will continue to be at a competitive disadvantage in these pine-hardwood communities through time, without further intervention. Pine regeneration was not improved on any of our burned sites with little to no recruitment of pines into the understory after two years and the pine saplings that were present before the burns were killed by fire on all sites. We found an increase in herbaceous layer cover and richness on all fire treatments. DC + B had higher bluestem grass cover than the other treatments, and it was the only treatment with increased bluestem grass cover between the first (2.96%, SE = 0.29) and second (6.88%, SE = 0.70) growing seasons. Our path model showed that fire severity explained a large proportion of the variation in overstory response; and fire severity and overstory response partially explained soil NO3–N. These variables, directly and indirectly, explained 64% of the variation in soil solution NO3–N at 30 cm soil depth (within the rooting zone for most plants). We found a good-fit path model for herbaceous layer response in the second growing season, where fire severity had direct effects on overstory and herbaceous layer responses and indirect effects on herbaceous layer response mediated through overstory response. Our path model explained 46% and 42% of the variation in herbaceous layer cover and species richness, respectively.
A population model of prostate cancer incidence

Introduction of screening for prostate cancer using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) marker of the disease led to remarkable dynamics of the incidence of the disease observed in the last two decades. A statistical model is used to provide a link between dissemination of PSA and the observed transient population responses. The model is used to estimate lead time, overdiagnosis and other relevant characteristics of prostate cancer screening.
A relaxed mutual exclusion problem with application to channel allocation in mobile cellular networks

Distributed channel allocation is a fundamental resource management problem in mobile cellular networks. It has a flavor of distributed mutual exclusion but is not exactly a mutual exclusion problem (because a channel may be reused in different cells). However it is still not clear what is the relationship between the two problems. We establish the exact relationship between the two. Specifically, we introduce the problem of relaxed mutual exclusion to model the problem of distributed channel allocation. We develop a general algorithm that guarantees relaxed mutual exclusion for a single resource, prove a necessary and sufficient condition for the information structure, and address the issues that arise in relaxed mutual exclusion, including deadlock resolution, dealing with multiple resources, and design of efficient information structure.
A computer-aided prototyping system

A description is given of an approach to rapid prototyping that uses a specification language (the Prototype-System Description Language, PSDL) integrated with a set of software tools. including an execution support system, a rewrite system, a syntax-directed editor with graphics capabilities, a software base, a design database, and a design-management system. The prototyping language lets the designer use dataflow diagrams with nonprocedural control constraints as part of the specification of a hierarchically structured prototype. The resulting description is free from programming-level details, in contrast to prototypes constructed with a programming language. The discussion covers the language and method, rewrite subsystem, design manager, software base, and execution support. >
Effects of exercise on in vivo reflectance from the skin surface

The effect of exercise on optical properties of the limb is of interest when the optical properties can be related to changes at depth within the limb. Such information may suggest ways in which noninvasive optical methods can be used to monitor exercise. In the present study, a source-detector arrangement was connected to a computer for collection of data at approximately 7-s intervals during sitting, standing, walking, and jogging. Repeatable changes with exercise were observed, and an oxygen index was calculated for subdermal optical data. The data obtained were consistent with a flow-limited system in which exercise had the effect of increasing oxygen availability at the measurement site. >
Matched affine joint subspace detection in remote hyperspectral reconnaissance

The GLR (generalized likelihood ratio) test has been invoked for several decades as a prescription for generating target detection algorithms, when limited prior knowledge makes a theoretically ideal test inapplicable. Many popular HSI (hyperspectral imaging) detection algorithms rely ultimately on a GLR justification. However, experience with real-time remotely deployed detection systems indicates that certain heuristic modifications to the classic algorithm suite consistently produce better performance. A new target detection test, based on a Bayesian likelihood ratio (BLR) principle, has been used to explain these results and to define a broader class of detection algorithms. The more general approach facilitates the incorporation of prior beliefs, such as that gleaned from experience in measurement programs. A BLR test has been used to generate a new family of HSI algorithms, called matched affine joint subspace detection (MAJSD). Several examples from this class are described, and their utility is validated by detection comparisons.
Variability of the depth of supraclavicular and axillary lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer: is a posterior axillary boost field necessary?

Abstract Purpose: To determine the variability of the depth of supraclavicular (SC) and axillary (AX) lymph nodes in patients undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer and to relate this variability with the patient's anterior/posterior (A/P) diameter. The dosimetric consequences of the variability in depth are explored and related to the need for a posterior axillary boost field. Method and Materials: In 49 patients undergoing treatment-planning computed tomography (CT) scanning in the treatment position, the maximum depth of the SC and AX lymph nodes was measured on CT images. The A/P diameter was measured at the location of the SC and AX, respectively. The relationship between the SC/AX lymph node depth and patient diameter was determined using linear regression. For an anterior SC and AX field, the relative dose to the SC and AX lymph nodes were calculated for a 6 MV photon beam. Results: The maximum depth of the SC lymph nodes ranged from 2.4 to 9.5 cm (median, 4.3 cm). The depth was less than 3 cm in 4 patients, 3–6 cm in 39 (80%), and greater than 6 cm in 6 patients. There was a linear relationship between the SC lymph node depth and the A/P diameter. The depth of the SC lymph nodes in cm equals approximately one-half of the A/P diameter minus 3.5 ( r 2 = 0.69). In 94% (46 of 49) of patients, the SC lymph node depth was between one-fifth and one-half of the A/P diameter. The depth of the axillary lymph nodes ranged from 1.4 to 8 cm (median, 4.3 cm). The depth was less than 3 cm in 8 patients, 3–6 cm in 32 (65%), and greater than 6 cm in 9 patients. The AX lymph node depth in cm equals approximately one-half of the A/P diameter minus 3 ( r 2 = 0.81). In all patients, the AX lymph nodes were shallower than mid-depth. The depth of the SC and AX lymph nodes was within ± 1 cm in 53% (26 of 49) of patients. The AX lymph nodes were located at ≥ 1 cm shallower or greater depth than the SC in 24.5% (12 of 49) and 22.5% (11 of 49) of patients, respectively. If an anterior 6-MV beam only is used to treat the SC and AX lymph nodes in these 49 patients, the dose to the AX is within ± 5% of the SC dose in 53% (26 of 49) patients and is 90% or more of the dose delivered in the SC in 90% (44 of 49) of patients. Conclusion: The maximum depth of the SC and AX lymph nodes varies widely and is related to the patient's size represented by the A/P diameter. In most patients, the AX lymph nodes lie at approximately the same depth or shallower than the SC. Therefore, the rationale for a posterior axillary boost field needs to be further assessed. When the AX and SC lymph nodes are deep, opposed supraclavicular and axillary fields and/or the use of a higher energy beam might be reasonable.
Renal failure and rhabdomyolysis associated with sitagliptin and simvastatin use

Background Sitagliptin is a new oral glucose-lowering medication that acts via the incretin hormone system. The most common side-effects are headache and pharyngitis, and few serious adverse events were observed during clinical trials. Dose adjustment is recommended in renal insufficiency, but long-term safety experience is limited. Case report We present a patient with chronic renal insufficiency who developed leg pain, weakness and tenderness after starting treatment with high-dose sitagliptin while on simvastatin. The patient had acute renal failure and rhabdomyolysis that resolved with cessation of sitagliptin, simvastatin, ezetimibe, diuretics and olmesartan. All drugs except sitagliptin, ezetimibe and simvastatin were resumed, and the patient was subsequently started on lovastatin without recurrence of rhabdomyolysis. Conclusions High doses of sitagliptin may have worsened this patient's renal failure and precipitated rhabdomyolysis by increasing circulating levels of simvastatin. Given the high likelihood that sitagliptin will be co-administered with statins and renally active medications, further study of long-term safety of sitagliptin in renal sufficiency may be warranted.
Vanadyl Bis(acetylacetonate)–Azobisisobutyronitrile

(VO(acac)2) [3153-26-2] C10H14O5V (MW 265.18) InChI = 1S/C5H9O2.C5H8O2.O.V/c2*1-4(6)3-5(2)7;;/h4H,3H2,1-2H3;3,6H,1-2H3;;/q-1;;;+2/p-1/b;4-3-;; InChIKey = ORZWNTQEHUKQLB-MECAPONASA-M (AIBN) [78-67-1] C8H12N4 (MW 164.24) InChI = 1S/C8H12N4/c1-7(2,5-9)11-12-8(3,4)6-10/h1-4H3 InChIKey = OZAIFHULBGXAKX-UHFFFAOYSA-N (catalyst for oxygen-promoted allylic oxidation coupled with hydroxyl-directed epoxidation of CC double bonds1) Physical Data: AIBN: solid, mp 100 °C (dec). VO(acac)2: solid, mp 250 °C (dec). Solubility: see Azobisisobutyronitrile and Vanadyl Bis(acetylacetonate). The combination may be used in 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, acetonitrile, benzene, 1,4-dioxane, or n-hexane. Form Supplied in: AIBN is sold as a white solid; VO(acac)2 is sold as a green powder. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: see the individual entries for AIBN and VO(acac)2. AIBN causes convulsions.
Twenty-eight-day bed rest with hypercortisolemia induces peripheral insulin resistance and increases intramuscular triglycerides

Spaceflight represents a unique physiologic challenge to humans, altering hormonal profiles and tissue insulin sensitivity. Among these hormonal alterations, hypercortisolemia and insulin insensitivity are thought to negatively affect muscle mass and function with spaceflight. As insulin sensitivity influences the accumulation of muscle triglycerides, we examined this relationship during hypercortisolemia and inactivity. Six young healthy volunteers were confined to bed rest for 28 days. To mimic the stress response observed during spaceflight, hypercortisolemia (20-24 mg/dL) was induced and maintained by oral ingestion of hydrocortisone. On days 1 and 28 of bed rest, insulin sensitivity across the leg was assessed with a local (femoral arterial insulin infusion) 2-stage hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (stage 1, 35 microU/min per milliliter of leg; stage 2, 70 microU/min per milliliter of leg). Intramuscular lipid was measured with magnetic resonance spectroscopy. After bed rest, there was a decrease in insulin sensitivity, as assessed by glucose uptake during hyperinsulinemia (from 9.1 +/- 1.3 [mean +/- SEM] to 5.2 +/- 0.7 mg/kg of leg per minute [P = .015]). Intramuscular triglyceride increased from 0.077 +/- 0.011 to 0.136 +/- 0.018 (signal area of fat/signal area of standard, P = .009). Intramuscular lipid content correlated with the glucose uptake at day 28 (R = -0.85, P = .035). These data demonstrate that muscular inactivity and hypercortisolemia are associated with an increase in intramuscular triglyceride and skeletal muscle insulin resistance in previously healthy subjects.
Observation, analysis and prediction of fretting fatigue in 2024-T351 aluminum alloy

Abstract Fretting is associated with microslip at the interface of contacts experiencing oscillatory loads. One consequence of fretting is the formation and subsequent growth of cracks at the edge of contact, a phenomenon known as fretting fatigue. Fretting fatigue is an important fatigue failure mechanism in aircraft structural lap joints and turbine blade/disk contacts. A well-characterized, integrated fretting test system has been developed in which both normal and cyclic tangential fretting loads are applied and monitored in conjunction with a bulk load on the specimen. The experimental data includes histories of the three applied forces and a detailed record of the evolution of interfacial friction coefficient, an evolution driven by surface microslip. The experimental system has been exercised to observe fretting crack nucleation and growth under a wide range of loading conditions in the context of a statistically-designed test matrix. An extensive multiaxial fatigue analysis based on the stress–strain cycle experienced by each point of the bodies subjected to the fretting loads reveals that the critical location for crack formation is the trailing edge of contact, consistent with observations made in the laboratory. The resulting stress–strain cycles are coupled with strain-life theory and literature values of uniaxial fatigue constants to predict fretting fatigue crack nucleation. The data collected for 2024-T351 aluminum alloy correlates very well with this prediction.
Stress and Reproduction in Birds

SUMMARY There is intrinsic conflict between survival and reproduction. This conflict can be viewed from the perspective of the pace-of-life framework (an ultimate view), trading off many offspring per year over a short life against few offspring per year over a longer life; it can also be viewed from a resource-utilization perspective (a proximate view), increasing current reproductive effort vs. selfmaintenance. The hypothalamicepituitaryeadrenal (HPA) axis controls the production of glucocorticoids (GCs) primarily responsible for mediating this proximate decision-making process. In field studies, GCs tend to decrease performance measures associated with reproduction, and increase measures associated with immediate survival. This chapter investigates the role of GCs in regulating reproductive effort (the proportion of available energy expended on reproductionda proximate query), approaching this question from an ultimate pace-of-life framework.
Oxygen Radical Formation Due to the Effect of Varying Hydrogen Ion Concentrations on Cytochrome P450-Catalyzed Cyclosporine Metabolism in Rat and Human Liver Microsomes

Cyclosporin A (CyA) is a hydrophobic cyclic undecapeptide whose potent immunosuppressive effects have resulted in its widespread usage for suppressive allograft rejection. However, its metabolism by the cytochrome P450 mixed-function oxidase (MFO) system frequently results in hepatotoxicity as seen by jaundice and altered serum enzyme in hepatic transplant recipients, hyperbilirubinemia, hypoproteinemia, and albuminemia in rats (Whiting et al., 1983). In previous experiments, the sources of the hepatotoxicity associated with CyA metabolism was implicated as being oxygen radicals (Ahmed et al., 1993). Xenobiotics, like CyA or FK-506, lead to the production of free radicals by a redox cycle involving one-electron reductions by oxidoreductase that reduce molecular oxygen to superoxide. Not only can superoxide result in the observed toxicity, but it may, in the presence of transition metals such as iron, generate reactive hydroxy radicals by the Haber-Weiss or the Fenton reaction. Oxidoreductase is a vital element of the cytochrome P450 system which catalyzes the biotransformation of xenobiotics by either oxidation or reduction. Oxidoreductase usually transfers two reducing equivalents from NADPH to the cytochrome P450-substrate complex resulting in substrate oxidation and subsequent product release. This reductase-mediated transfer of electrons is characterized as an electron flux. Certain investigators have measured metabolite ratios of different substrates at varying pH (Grogan et al., 1993 and Hille et al., 1981) and have reported differences in the electron transfer from oxidoreductase to cytochrome P450. These results have prompted us to investigate the possible role of pH in either uncoupling the electron-flux at the level of oxidoreductase and P450 or that of P450 and CyA with the generation of hydroxy radicals as seen by lipid peroxidation.
Hope, Symptoms, and Palliative Care: Do Symptoms Influence Hope?

Background:Hope is important to patients with cancer. Identifying factors that influence hope is important. Anxiety, depression, fatigue, and pain are reported to impair hope. The objective of this...
Sonography for Diagnosis of Cervical Ribs in Children

Objective The purpose of this series was to describe the use of sonography for diagnosis of cervical ribs in children. Methods Two children had hard nonmobile supraclavicular masses that were of clinical concern for malignancy. Both children were first evaluated by sonography. Results Sonography showed each mass to be a tubular bony structure with a cartilaginous end. They were thought to represent cervical ribs. This anatomic variant was subsequently confirmed with radiography in 1 case and computed tomography in the other. Conclusions Musculoskeletal sonography may offer a reliable method for diagnosing cervical ribs without the need for ionizing radiation.
Experimental Realization of a Multi-Player Quantum Game

We implement a multi-player quantum public-goods game using only bipartite entanglement and two-qubit logic. Within measurement error, the expectation per player follows predicted values as the number of players is increased.
How the West Was One: Representational Politics of NATO

Contemporary discussions about the West having “won' the Cold War are framed within a conventional strategic discourse in which one political-military alliance, NATO, demonstrated its staying power and integrity in the face of its rival alliance, the Warsaw Pact. NATO's strategic practices, long the object of criticism on the part of revisionist historians and critical peace researchers, have apparently been vindicated. This paper draws upon a variety of post-realist approaches to global politics to examine NATO as a set of practices by which the West has constituted itself as a political and cultural identity. By turning our attention from the external, foreign, and defense policies of NATO and its member states to the domestic social and cultural dimensions of Western security politics, we can illuminate a side of security policy overlooked in conventional debates. NATO's success resides in having provided a network of intertextual representations for the articulation of global political space. Traditional security concerns, including the nature of the Soviet/Warsaw Pact “threat,” can thereby be seen not as existing externally out there on their own, but as circulating within a broader set of social practices. In the wake of recent developments within the Warsaw Pact and between the two alliance systems, the critical perspective outlined here enables us to analyze contemporary security issues in ways that transcend prevailing strategic discourse. Theoretically, we can see the outlines of a post-realist approach to security. For Europe, such an approach accords dignity to alternative, post-statist, post-modern security arrangements.
Extreme ultraviolet transient absorption of solids from femtosecond to attosecond timescales [Invited]

High-harmonic generation (HHG) produces ultrashort pulses of extreme ultraviolet radiation (XUV), which can be used for pump–probe transient absorption spectroscopy in metal oxides, semiconductors, and dielectrics. Femtosecond transient absorption on iron and cobalt oxides identifies ligand-to-metal charge transfer as the main spectroscopic transition, rather than metal-to-metal charge transfer or d–d transitions, upon photoexcitation in the visible. In silicon, attosecond transient absorption reveals that electrons tunnel into the conduction band from the valence band under strong-field excitation, to energies as high as 6 eV above the conduction band minimum. Extensions of these experiments to other semiconductors, such as germanium, and other transition metal oxides, such as vanadium dioxide, are discussed. Germanium is of particular interest because it should be possible to follow both electron and hole dynamics in a single measurement using transient XUV absorption.
Response of rat inner medullary collecting duct to epidermal growth factor

Urine is an abundant source of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and prepro-EGF has been localized to the thick ascending limb and distal convoluted tubule of the kidney. However, the functional role of EGF in the kidney is poorly understood. Determination of EGF receptors and functional responses to EGF in intrarenal structures distal to the site of renal EGF production may prove critical to our understanding of the role of this peptide. These studies were designed to investigate the response to EGF of rat inner medullary collecting duct cells in culture and in freshly isolated suspensions. Primary cultures of inner medullary collecting duct cells demonstrated equilibrium binding of 125I-labeled EGF at 4 and 23 degrees C. At 23 degrees C, there was 89 +/- 1% specific binding (n = 30). Scatchard analysis of 125I-EGF binding suggested the presence of both high-affinity binding with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 5 X 10(-10) M and maximal binding sites (Ro) of 2.7 X 10(3) binding sites/cell and low-affinity binding, with Kd of 8.3 X 10(-9) M and Ro of 1.8 X 10(4) binding sites/cell. Bound EGF, 68 +/- 3%, was internalized by 45 min. EGF binding was not inhibited by antidiuretic hormone, atrial natriuretic peptide or bradykinin at 23 degrees C, but there was concentration-dependent inhibition of binding by transforming growth factor-alpha. Incubation with phorbol myristate acetate decreased 125I-EGF binding in a concentration-dependent manner. 125I-EGF binding was also demonstrated in freshly isolated suspensions of rat inner medullary collecting duct cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients With Breast Cancer With Leptomeningeal Metastasis

Abstract Background Disease presentation, prognostic factors, and treatment patterns for patients with breast cancer with leptomeningeal metastasis are not well characterized. In this study, we examined patient characteristics and prognostic factors for survival after a diagnosis of leptomeningeal metastasis. Patients and Methods Three hundred eighteen consecutive patients with breast cancer diagnosed with leptomeningeal metastasis from January 1998 to December 2013 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center were identified. Clinicopathologic and treatment information were obtained in a retrospective review. Associations with time from leptomeningeal diagnosis to death were evaluated according to Kaplan–Meier curves, log rank tests, and Cox proportional hazard models. Results Of the 318 patients, 44% were hormone receptor-positive (HR+) HER2 − , 18% were HR + HER2 + , 8.5% were HR − HER2 + , 25.5% were triple-negative; and 4% had missing information. The median survival was 3.5 months (95% confidence interval, 3.0-4.0) with 63 patients (20%) surviving >1 year. Recent diagnosis (after 2006), HER2 + subtype, higher performance status, cranial-only involvement, and no evidence of noncentral nervous system disease were independently associated with improved survival in multivariate analysis. Conclusion Despite the improvement noted with the more recent years of diagnosis, survival after a diagnosis of leptomeningeal metastasis remains poor. Similar to patients with parenchymal brain metastasis only, the survival differs among different receptor subtypes. A closer examination to identify factors, such as introduction of new systemic therapies that might contribute to longer-term survival might provide insight to improve management of these patients. In addition, factors we identified that are associated with survival might be considered as stratification variables in the design of future randomized clinical trials in this population.
Radiation-Induced Meningioma

A case of radiation-induced meningioma that appeared in a 27-year-old woman, 12 years after treatment of a childhood-onset posterior fossa medulloblastoma, is reported from the Department of Neurosurgery, Bretonneau Hospital, Tours, France.
Finding the innovation in green chemistry/engineering

O quest to design chemical processes and products aimed at the reduction or elimination of hazardous substance (chemical) use has bourn considerable fruit in the field of green chemistry/engineering. Complementary sets of green chemistry and green engineering principles have provided the directions involved in this paradigm shift. The principles used to design green processes can be employed in the assessment of the new technology involved. Green process innovation exemplifies the strength and direction of new process development.
Realizing the fault-tolerance promise of cloud storage using locks with intent

Cloud computing promises easy development and deployment of large-scale, fault tolerant, and highly available applications. Cloud storage services are a key enabler of this, because they provide reliability, availability, and fault tolerance via internal mechanisms that developers need not reason about. Despite this, challenges remain for distributed cloud applications developers. They still need to make their code robust against failures of the machines running the code, and to reason about concurrent access to cloud storage by multiple machines.We address this problem with a new abstraction, called locks with intent, which we implement in a client library called Olive. Olive makes minimal assumptions about the underlying cloud storage, enabling it to operate on a variety of platforms including Amazon DynamoDB and Microsoft Azure Storage. Leveraging the underlying cloud storage, Olive's locks with intent offer strong exactly-once semantics for a snippet of code despite failures and concurrent duplicate executions.To ensure exactly-once semantics, Olive incurs the unavoidable overhead of additional logging writes. However, by decoupling isolation from atomicity, it supports consistency levels ranging from eventual to transactional. This flexibility allows applications to avoid costly transactional mechanisms when weaker semantics suffice. We apply Olive's locks with intent to build several advanced storage functionalities, including snapshots, transactions via optimistic concurrency control, secondary indices, and live table re-partitioning. Our experience demonstrates that Olive eases the burden of creating correct, fault-tolerant distributed cloud applications.
The Chemistry of Separations Ligand Degradation by Organic Radical Cations

Abstract Solvent based extractions of used nuclear fuel use designer ligands in an organic phase extracting ligand complexed metal ions from an acidic aqueous phase. These extractions will be performed in highly radioactive environments, and the radiation chemistry of all these complexants and their diluents will play a major role in determining extraction efficiency, separation factors, and solvent-recycle longevity. Although there has been considerable effort in investigating ligand damage occurring in acidic water radiolysis conditions, only minimal fundamental kinetic and mechanistic data has been reported for the degradation of extraction ligands in the organic phase. Extraction solvent phases typically use normal alkanes such as dodecane, TPH, and kerosene as diluents. The radiolysis of such diluents produce a mixture of radical cations (R•+), carbon-centered radicals (R•), solvated electrons, and molecular products such as hydrogen. Typically, the radical species will preferentially react with the dissolved oxygen present to produce relatively inert peroxyl radicals. This isolates the alkane radical cation species, R•+ as the major radiolytically-induced organic species that can react with, and degrade, extraction agents in this phase. Here we report on our recent studies of organic radical cation reactions with various ligands. Elucidating these parameters, and combining them with the known acidic aqueous phase chemistry, will allow a full, fundamental, understanding of the impact of radiation on solvent extraction based separation processes to be achieved.
Abortion Incidence and Service Availability In the United States, 2014

CONTEXT National and state-level information about abortion incidence can help inform policies and programs intended to reduce levels of unintended pregnancy. METHODS In 2015–2016, all U.S. facilities known or expected to have provided abortion services in 2013 or 2014 were surveyed. Data on the number of abortions were combined with population data to estimate national and state-level abortion rates. The number of abortion-providing facilities and changes since a similar 2011 survey were also assessed. The number and type of new abortion restrictions were examined in the states that had experienced the largest proportionate changes in clinics providing abortion services. RESULTS In 2014, an estimated 926,200 abortions were performed in the United States, 12% fewer than in 2011; the 2014 abortion rate was 14.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44, representing a 14% decline over this period. The number of clinics providing abortions declined 6% between 2011 and 2014, and declines were steepest in the Midwest (22%) and the South (13%). Early medication abortions accounted for 31% of nonhospital abortions, up from 24% in 2011. Most states that experienced the largest proportionate declines in the number of clinics providing abortions had enacted one or more new restrictions during the study period, but reductions were not always associated with declines in abortion incidence. CONCLUSIONS The relationship between abortion access, as measured by the number of clinics, and abortion rates is not straightforward. Further research is needed to understand the decline in abortion incidence.
Gene therapy restores auditory and vestibular function in a mouse model of Usher syndrome type 1c

Gene therapy in the inner ear achieves unprecedented recovery of hearing and balance behavior in Usher syndrome mice. Because there are currently no biological treatments for hearing loss, we sought to advance gene therapy approaches to treat genetic deafness. We focused on Usher syndrome, a devastating genetic disorder that causes blindness, balance disorders and profound deafness, and studied a knock-in mouse model, Ush1c c.216G>A, for Usher syndrome type IC (USH1C). As restoration of complex auditory and balance function is likely to require gene delivery systems that target auditory and vestibular sensory cells with high efficiency, we delivered wild-type Ush1c into the inner ear of Ush1c c.216G>A mice using a synthetic adeno-associated viral vector, Anc80L65, shown to transduce 80–90% of sensory hair cells. We demonstrate recovery of gene and protein expression, restoration of sensory cell function, rescue of complex auditory function and recovery of hearing and balance behavior to near wild-type levels. The data represent unprecedented recovery of inner ear function and suggest that biological therapies to treat deafness may be suitable for translation to humans with genetic inner ear disorders.
The effects of high intensity interval training on muscle size and quality in overweight and obese adults.

Objectives Despite growing popularity of high intensity interval training (HIIT) for improving health and fitness, limited data exist identifying the effects of HIIT on muscle characteristics. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of a 3-week HIIT intervention on muscle size and quality in overweight and obese men and women.
Atezolizumab in invasive and metastatic urothelial carcinoma.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Until recently, there has been little advancement in the management of invasive and metastatic urothelial cancer in over 30 years, and outcomes with cisplatin-based chemotherapy remain unchanged. Inhibitors targeting PD-1 signaling on cytotoxic T-cells have revolutionized bladder cancer therapy leading to durable responses. Atezolizumab is an engineered humanized anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody that inhibits PD-L1 binding to PD-1 and B7.1, enhancing immune-mediated tumor killing and is currently approved as second-line treatment after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy as well as first-line in cisplatin-ineligible patients.Areas covered: This article summarizes all reported phase I, II and III clinical trials that assessed the safety and efficacy of atezolizumab in the treatment of locally advanced and metastatic urothelial carcinoma.Expert commentary: Treatment with atezolizumab showed durable response and a toxicity profile that appears favorable to cytotoxic chemotherapy histor...
You say you want A revolution

Confidence in government continues to plague our field. Based on a dissertation inquiry, this essay offers a theoretical critique of public service through the lens of democratic legitimacy, suggesting many role conceptualizations promoted in the field conflict with powerful characteristics of the U.S. political economy. Beyond the traditional bureaucrat accountable to the Executive as dictated by the Constitution, role conceptualizations call for a variety of reinterpretations that contest our system of separated powers and representation through election. Furthermore, roles that promote social and economic justice conflict with many capitalist interests. While concurring that a facilitative role in pursuit of democratic social and economic justice is appropriate, this transformation must be undertaken using methods appropriate to what it actually represents: a revolution.
A gente não mergulha no mundo do outro impunemente: uma conversa com Eliane Brum

O trabalho jornalistico de Eliane Brum e considerado hoje—por periodistas,academicos e por um vasto publico leitor—uma referencia para acompanhar odebate sobre direitos humanos no Brasil. Ao longo dos ultimos trinta anos, Brumtem publicado um corpus coerente e instigante de reportagens, colunas e cronicasem jornais (Zero Hora, El Pais, The Guardian) e revistas (Revista Epoca) degrande difusao e prestigio.
Useful References in Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care: The 2017 Update.

Objectives:Pediatric cardiac intensive care continues to evolve, with rapid advances in knowledge and improvement in clinical outcomes. In the past, the Board of Directors of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society created and subsequently updated a list of sentinel references focused on the ca
Coronavirus Transcription: A Perspective

At the VIth International Symposium on Corona and Related Viruses held in Quebec, Canada in 1994 we presented a new model for coronavirus transcription to explain how subgenome-length minus strands, which are used as templates for the synthesis of subgenomic mRNAs, might arise by a process involving discontinuous RNA synthesis. The old model explaining subgenomic mRNA synthesis, which was called leader-primed transcription, was based on erroneous evidence that only genome-length negative strands were present in replicative intermediates. To explain the discovery of subgenome-length minus strands, a related model, called the replicon model, was proposed: The subgenomic mRNAs would be produced initially by leader-primed transcription and then replicated into minus-strand templates that would in turn be transcribed into subgenomic mRNAs. We review the experimental evidence that led us to formulate a third model proposing that the discontinuous event in coronavirus RNA synthesis occurs during minus strand synthesis. With our model the genome is copied both continuously to produce minus-strand templates for genome RNA synthesis and discontinuously to produce minus-strand templates for subgenomic mRNA synthesis, and the subgenomic mRNAs do not function as templates for minus strand synthesis, only the genome does.