cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Avalanche-induced effects in polysilicon thin-film transistors

A comparison of experimental data and two-dimensional numerical simulations of polysilicon thin-film transistors (TFTs) is presented. It is shown that avalanche multiplication causes both the kink effect in the output characteristics and the reduction of threshold voltage in short-channel device. It is shown that exactly the same physical model for avalanche multiplication gives very good agreement between simulations and experimental data for both these effects. It is demonstrated that it is the presence of grain boundaries or traps in the polysilicon that causes avalanche effects to be much greater than in comparable single-crystal silicon devices. >
Metabolic Bone Disease in Alcoholic Cirrhosis: A Comparison of the Effect of Vitamin D2 25‐Hydroxyvitamin D, or Supportive Treatment

In a study of 56 alcoholics with liver cirrhosis, 18 (32%) had decreased bone density and low levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D) (less than 20 ng per ml). To compare the efficacy of vitamin D2 and 25-OH-D treatment in correcting the metabolic bone disease in alcoholic cirrhosis, the 18 patients were randomized in the following manner, in groups of six patients each: Group 1, control (received no supplemental vitamin D treatment); Group 2, given vitamin D2 (50,000 IU p.o.) two to three times weekly, and Group 3, treated with 25-OH-D (20 to 50 mg p.o.) daily as required to attain normal serum 25-OH-D levels. The study period lasted 6 to 12 months (mean, 10.7 months). Initial histomorphometric study of transiliac bone biopsy with double tetracycline labeling in nine patients in whom biopsy was feasible showed only osteoporosis without evidence of osteomalacia. By the end of the study, serum 25-OH-D levels in the control group (Group 1) raised slightly while showing marked improvement in Groups 2 and 3. Bone density results remained unchanged in control patients but demonstrated a significant increase in both treatment groups. Vitamin D2 and 25-OH-D were equally effective in increasing bone density measurements. Posttreatment biopsies were performed in three patients of Group 2 and two patients of Group 3. While the histomorphometric results in Group 3 were not conclusive, in Group 2 improvement in static measures of bone remodeling was noted. Osteoporosis is the usual form of bone disease in alcoholic cirrhosis and a response to either vitamin D2 or 25-OH-D treatment is suggested.
Urothelial cells undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition after exposure to muscle invasive bladder cancer exosomes

Bladder cancer, the fourth most common noncutaneous malignancy in the United States, is characterized by high recurrence rate, with a subset of these cancers progressing to a deadly muscle invasive form of disease. Exosomes are small secreted vesicles that contain proteins, mRNA and miRNA, thus potentially modulating signaling pathways in recipient cells. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process by which epithelial cells lose their cell polarity and cell-cell adhesion and gain migratory and invasive properties to become mesenchymal stem cells. EMT has been implicated in the initiation of metastasis for cancer progression. We investigated the ability of bladder cancer-shed exosomes to induce EMT in urothelial cells. Exosomes were isolated by ultracentrifugation from T24 or UMUC3 invasive bladder cancer cell conditioned media or from patient urine or bladder barbotage samples. Exosomes were then added to the urothelial cells and EMT was assessed. Urothelial cells treated with bladder cancer exosomes showed an increased expression in several mesenchymal markers, including α-smooth muscle actin, S100A4 and snail, as compared with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-treated cells. Moreover, treatment of urothelial cells with bladder cancer exosomes resulted in decreased expression of epithelial markers E-cadherin and β-catenin, as compared with the control, PBS-treated cells. Bladder cancer exosomes also increased the migration and invasion of urothelial cells, and this was blocked by heparin pretreatment. We further showed that exosomes isolated from patient urine and bladder barbotage samples were able to induce the expression of several mesenchymal markers in recipient urothelial cells. In conclusion, the research presented here represents both a new insight into the role of exosomes in transition of bladder cancer into invasive disease, as well as an introduction to a new platform for exosome research in urothelial cells.
Ancient Roman Munificence: The Development of the Practice and Law of Charity

This article traces Roman charity from its incipient meager beginnings during Rome’s infancy to the mature legal formula it assumed after intersecting with the Roman emperors and Christianity. During this evolution, charity went from being a haphazard and often accidental private event, to a broad undertaking of public, religious, and legal commitment. Charitable giving within ancient Rome was quite extensive and longstanding, with some obvious differences from the modern definition and practice of the activity. The main differences can be broken into four key aspects. First, as regards the republican period, Roman charity was invariably given with either political or ego-driven motives, connected to ambitions for friendship, political power or lasting reputation. Second, charity was almost never earmarked for the most needy. Third, Roman largesse was not religiously derived, but rather drawn from personal, or civic impetus. Last, Roman charity tended to avoid any set doctrine, but was hit and miss in application. It was not till the imperium’s grain dole, or cura annonae, and the support of select Italian children, or alimenta were established in the later Empire that the approach became more or less fixed in some basic areas. It was also in the later Empire that Christianity made an enormous impact, helping motivate Constantine – who made Christianity the state religion – and Justinian to develop legal doctrines of charity.This study of Roman charitable activities will concern itself with several streams of enquiry, one side being the historical, societal, and religious, versus the legal. From another angle, it will follow the pagan versus Christian developments. The first part is a reckoning of Roman largesse in its many expressions, with explanations of what appeared to motivate Roman benefactors. This will be buttressed by a description of the Roman view of society and how charity fit within it. The second part will deal with the specific legal expressions of euegertism (or ‘private munificence for public benefit’ ) that typify and reveal the particular genius that Romans had for casting their activities in a legal framework. This is important because Rome is the starting point of much of charity as we understand the term, both legally and institutionally in the modern world. So studying Roman giving brings into highlight and contrast the beginnings of Charity itself – arguably one of the most important developments of the civilized world, and the linchpin of the Liberal ethos.
Structured Term Recognition in Medical Text

In this work we present a novel approach to bootstrap domain specific terminology, namely Structured Term Recognition, and we apply it to the medical domain. In contrast to previous approaches, based on observing distributional properties of terminology with respect to their contexts, our method analyzes the “internal structure” of multi-word terms by learning patterns of word clusters. Evaluation shows that our method can be used to boost the performances of term recognition systems based on dictionary lookup while extending the coverage of large ontologies like UMLS.
Permutation Correction in Blind Source Separation Using Sliding Subband Likelihood Function

Proportional variance dependency among the frequency components is characteristic of natural signals and has been utilized in frequency-domain blind source separation to solve the permutation problem. In order to increase robustness in such methods, overall measures have been preferred to the measures between directly neighboring frequency components. The overall variance dependency pattern in the fullband, however, can vary by signals and is difficult to be modeled, whereas in smaller subbands the proportional variance dependency is more definite. Here, a novel permutation correction method that utilizes the proportional variance dependency in small subbands is proposed. A windowed likelihood function that uses source priors with internal variance dependency is employed as the measure of permutation correction. This method not only shows robust separation performance but also is computation-wise very efficient.
The Cambridge Introduction to British Poetry, 1945–2010

The Cambridge Introduction to British Poetry, 1945–2010 provides a broad overview of an important body of poetry from England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland from the postwar period through to the twenty-first century. It offers a comprehensive view of the historical context surrounding the poetry and provides in-depth readings of many of the period's central poets. British poetry after 1945 has been given much less attention than both earlier British and American poetry, as well as postwar American poetry. There are very few single-author studies that present the entirety of the period's poetry. This book is unique for the comprehensive richness with which it presents the historical and literary-historical scene, as well as for its close-up focus on a wide range of major poets and poems.
Determination, recovery, identification and renal clearance of conjugated adrenal corticoids in human peripheral blood.

Summary1. An alternative method for the extraction and quantitation of free and conjugated corticosteroids in human plasma has been described. 2. With the use of the relatively pure monoglucuronide of tetrahy-dro-E, it has been possible to show that the recovery of conjugated corticosteroids is satisfactory within a broad range of concentrations. 3. Following the administration of large oral doses of free tetrahydro-E, very high levels of conjugated corticosteroids, in excess of 3 mg/100 ml of plasma, have resulted. The material has been definitively identified as tetrahydro-E. A second component, possibly the 20-reduced derivative has been detected. 4. The renal clearances of the free and conjugated steroids in human plasma have been determined.
Glenoid version and size: does gender, ethnicity, or body size play a role?

Variations in glenoid morphology among patients of different gender, body habitus, and ethnicity have been of interest for surgeons. Understanding these anatomical variations is a critical step in restoring normal glenohumeral structure during shoulder reconstruction surgery. Retrospective review of 108 patient shoulder CT scans was performed and glenoid version, AP diameter and height were measured. Statistical multiple regression models were used to investigate the ability of gender and ethnicity to predict glenoid AP diameter, height, and version independently of patient weight and height. The mean glenoid AP diameter was 24.7 ± 3.5, the mean glenoid height was 31.7 ± 3.7, and the mean glenoid version was 0.05 ± 9.05. According to our regression models, males would be expected to exhibit 8.4° more glenoid retroversion than females (p = 0.003) and have 2.9 mm larger glenoid height compared to females (p = 0.002). The predicted male glenoid AP diameter was 3.4 mm higher than that in females (p < 0.001). Hispanics demonstrated 6.4° more glenoid anteversion compared to African-Americans (p = 0.04). Asians exhibited 4.1 mm smaller glenoid AP diameters than African-Americans (p = 0.002). An increase of 25 kg in patient weight resulted in 1 mm increase in AP diameter (p = 0.01). Gender is the strongest independent predictor of glenoid size and version. Males exhibited a larger size and more retroverted glenoid. Patient height was found to be predictive of glenoid size only in patients of the same gender. Although variations in glenoid size and version are observed among ethnicities, larger sample size ethnic groups will be necessary to explore the precise relations. Surgeons should consider gender and ethnic variations in the pre-operative planning and surgical restoration of the native glenohumeral relationship. Level of Evidence: Anatomic Study
Diagnostic procedures for evaluating pulpally involved teeth.

The development of a vaccine against dental caries involves identification of appropriate antigens of mutans streptococci against which protective immune responses can be mounted, and the selection of a method of immunization that will generate sustained levels of salivary antibodies. Antigens receiving most attention include streptococcal surface proteins that are involved in attachment to tooth surfaces and glucosyltransferases that synthesize adhesive glucans from sucrose. Recent advances in mucosal immunology and the introduction of novel strategies for inducing mucosal immune responses now raise the possibility of constructing an effective and safe vaccine. Passive immunization by the oral application of performed antibodies against selected antigens of mutans streptococci has also shown promise and may facilitate understanding of the mechanisms of protective immunity against caries.
Mutualism, the Evolutionary Ecology of

Mutualisms are interactions among species in which the participants receive a fitness benefit. Almost all organisms are engaged in at least one mutualistic interaction and mutualisms forms the basis of many, if not all, communities and ecosystems. This article provides an overview of how these important interactions originate, remain stable, and are influenced by the presence of other species.
Mapping the potential mycorrhizal associations of the conterminous United States of America

Abstract Mycorrhizal associations are recognized as key symbioses in a changing world, yet our understanding of their geographic distribution and temporal dynamics remains limited. We combined data on mycorrhizal associations and historical dominant vegetation to map the pre-European Settlement mycorrhizal associations of the conterminous United States of America (USA). As a demonstration of the map's utility, we estimated changes in mycorrhizal associations due to urbanization, agriculture and the establishment of non-native species in two regions. We found that the conterminous USA was dominated by vegetation associated with arbuscular mycorrhizas, but that ∼40% of vegetation types included multiple mycorrhizal associations. Shifting land use to agriculture and the introduction of non-native species has disproportionately affected ectomycorrhizas, as did urbanization. These preliminary results set a baseline for mycorrhizal biogeography of the USA and illustrate how synthesis of available data can help us understand the impact of anthropogenic changes on an important mutualism.
Elastoplastic damage micromechanics for continuous fiber-reinforced ductile matrix composites with progressive fiber breakage

An elastoplastic damage micromechanical framework considering evolutionary fiber breakage is proposed to predict the overall material behaviors of continuous fiber-reinforced composites with ductile matrix under external loading. In the present work, we assume that the overall nonlinear behavior of a composite is primarily attributed to the plastic deformation in the matrix as well as the damage evolution due to fiber breakage. The effective elastoplastic deformations are governed by means of the effective yield surface derived from a representative microstructure with elastic fibers embedded in an elastoplastic matrix material. The matrix behaves elastically or plastically depending on the local stress, and the effective elastoplastic deformation obeys the associative plastic flow rule and isotropic hardening law. In addition, taking advantage of the eigenstrain due to fiber breakage together with a Weibull statistic model, the evolutionary fiber breakage mechanism is effectively predicted. Finally, the ...
Challenges faced in long term ventricular assist device support.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The development of ventricular assist device (VAD) has been one of the revolutionary advancements in end-stage heart failure management. Although the device has developed and improved significantly over the last few decades, we still face multiple challenges.Areas covered: This review will discuss quality of life, survival, and clinically encountered complications in patients with VAD support. The literature was extensively reviewed for studies describing the above topic area. We describe the impact of major challenges faced in VAD support and discuss their future and expectations.Expert commentary: The technological advancement of VADs has contributed to major improvement of overall survival, enhancement of quality of life and decrease of incidence of complications. It is expected that technologies will continue to evolve. At the same time, the indications for and timing of device implantation, and selection of device type are continuously important in clinical practice setting.
“The movement moves against you”: Coercive spoiler management in the Northern Ireland peace process

ABSTRACTMore than a decade on, the Northern Ireland peace process can largely be considered a success. Despite the failure of the Provisional Republican Movement to achieve a united Ireland free of British control, the large-scale violence of “The Troubles” has been relegated to the past. Applying the logic of coercive diplomacy, this study examines the role of threats and the use of selective and limited violence by the Provisional Movement to manage real and potential opponents and challengers that have emerged within its own ideological ranks to maintain its position of dominance and prevent a spoiling of the peace process. This study shows that the Provisional Movement retained the capability to employ violence and demonstrated the credibility of coercive threat through a willingness to use force against its opponents on the Republican spectrum, and was able to do so with a high degree of impunity.
Hierarchical winner-take-all particle swarm optimization social network for neural model fitting

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) has gained widespread use as a general mathematical programming paradigm and seen use in a wide variety of optimization and machine learning problems. In this work, we introduce a new variant on the PSO social network and apply this method to the inverse problem of input parameter selection from recorded auditory neuron tuning curves. The topology of a PSO social network is a major contributor to optimization success. Here we propose a new social network which draws influence from winner-take-all coding found in visual cortical neurons. We show that the winner-take-all network performs exceptionally well on optimization problems with greater than 5 dimensions and runs at a lower iteration count as compared to other PSO topologies. Finally we show that this variant of PSO is able to recreate auditory frequency tuning curves and modulation transfer functions, making it a potentially useful tool for computational neuroscience models.
Development of a Game Engine for Accessible Web-Based Games

The Web is rapidly shifting towards more dynamic and interactive content. One clear example is the increasing use of web-based digital games. However, the more interactive a piece of content is, the more difficult it is to make it universally accessible. Besides, users are increasingly demanding ubiquitous access to the content and applications they use (including games), resulting in a need for ensuring that Web content is also multiplatform. These trends are adding an extra technology challenge for ensuring content accessibility. In this paper we describe our technical approach to create an accessible multiplatform game engine for the new version of the eAdventure educational game authoring platform (eAdventure 2.0). This approach integrates accessibility as a core design principle instead of adding accessibility features a posteriori. We expect this to facilitate the creation of web-based digital games that are accessible regardless of the context (device, assistive tools available, situation, etc.) in which they are being used. In this work we describe the general architecture, as well as some specific examples of accessibility adaptation plug-ins already available.
Community-Based Mental Health Treatment Preceding Jail Detention among Adults with Serious Mental Illness.

ABSTRACTThis study examined the lifetime and past-year community mental health treatment use of 282 male and 149 female jail detainees with SMI. Although most participants reported high lifetime rates of mental health treatment they believed effective, only a minority accessed treatment in the year and month before arrest. Women were less likely to receive treatment than men and more often left treatment against medical advice. Both substance use and post-traumatic stress disorder were significantly undertreated and care was provided predominantly by psychiatrists. The implications for expanding treatment availability and access to critical services such as housing and employment are discussed.
Pathogenesis of AAA Rupture

Mechanisms of abdominal aortic aneurysm degeneration have been the subject of intense investigation over the last 20 years. As noted in Fig. 4.1, the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm disease involves a symphony of interactions between genetic risk, environmental exposures, and interplay between aortic mural inflammation, angiogenesis, smooth muscle cell and elastin depletion, wall strain, and dysfunctional and insufficient regenerative responses of the extracellular matrix [1–10] (Table 4.1).
Stay well at home: Examining changes in planning and social influences

Falls are a major health concern for older adults and both single and multifactorial fall risk reduction programs are effective in reducing falls (Gillespie et al., 2012). As long-term adherence to such programs is a challenge (Simek et al., 2012), a theory guided approach that promotes regulatory behaviours (i.e., action and coping planning) as well as increasing the social influences may be beneficial. This study examined changes in regulatory behaviours and social influences (social support and control) in response to participation in a multifactorial fall risk reduction program. Participants (N=22) were older adults who completed the Stay Well at Home (SWAH) program. SWAH includes progressive exercises, home assessment and modifications, and discussions led by a lay facilitator. Guided by the Health Action Process Approach, discussion topics included action and coping planning and social influences. This 16-week program involved an 8-week in home intensive phase followed by 8 weeks of reduced phone contact with assessments at baseline, weeks 8, and 16. Measures included assessment of action and coping planning (Sniehotta et al., 2005), social support (Cohen et al., 1985), and social control (Kahn et al., 2013). Repeated measures ANOVAs were performed to assess change. Increases were seen for tangible (p=.001) and appraisal support (p=.044) as well as positive social control (p=.001). The change in action planning approached significance (p=.09). Coping planning, belonging support, and negative social control showed no change. These findings suggest some targeted constructs changed (action planning and social influences) but more work is needed to enhance coping planning in SWAH. Acknowledgments: Research funded by California Wellness Foundation
Great Expectations: HIV Risk Behaviors and Misperceptions of Low HIV Risk among Incarcerated Men

Incarcerated populations have relatively high HIV prevalence but little has been reported about their aggregate HIV risk behaviors or perceptions of risk. A random selection of HIV-negative men (n = 855) entering a US state prison system were surveyed to assess five risk behaviors and his self-perceived HIV risk. Using multivariate logistic regression, we identified factors associated with having elevated actual but low perceived risk (EALPR). Of the 826 men with complete data, 88% were at elevated risk. While 64% of the sample had risk perceptions concordant with their actual risk, 14% had EALPR (with the remainder at low actual but high perceived risk). EALPR rates were lower in those with a pre-incarceration HIV test but higher for those with a negative prison entry HIV test. HIV testing counseling should assess for discordance between actual and perceived risk and communicate the continued risk of HIV despite a negative result.
Remarks About the Dantzig-Wolfe Scheme

A distributed linear-programming model has been created, developed, implemented, and tested. Two standard IEEE bus systems are modeled and successfully decomposed, in multiple ways, into sub-problems. The problem is solved iteratively in each case and directly supports resource allocation in a Smart-grid environment. I have shown that the LP-based design using the Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition can execute and can quickly determine the primary resource scheduling and allocation issues if a failure occurs in the grid. The decomposition procedure can easily be managed by system operators. In the study using the 4-bus, 14-bus, and 30-bus systems, the results indicate that the computational benefits of the Dantzig-Wolfe approach enable fast responses on the order of a millisecond to a few seconds as network size increases. Although the 30-bus system is not a large bus network, the results clearly indicate a faster computation time if an appropriate Dantzig-Wolfe structure is formulated. This approach can enable system operators in the electric grid to respond to any allocation request for resources in the event of outages or line failures. The book’s key contribution is the design, development, and testing of a procedure that successfully decomposes an optimization problem that is defined over a large grid but can be solved in regional pieces.
Systolic blood pressure variability in patients with early severe sepsis or septic shock: a prospective cohort study.

Severe sepsis and septic shock are often lethal syndromes, in which the autonomic nervous system may fail to maintain adequate blood pressure. Heart rate variability has been associated with outcomes in sepsis. Whether systolic blood pressure (SBP) variability is associated with clinical outcomes in septic patients is unknown. The propose of this study is to determine whether variability in SBP correlates with vasopressor independence and mortality among septic patients. We prospectively studied patients with severe sepsis or septic shock, admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) with an arterial catheter. We analyzed SBP variability on the first 5-min window immediately following ICU admission. We performed principal component analysis of multidimensional complexity, and used the first principal component (PC1) as input for Firth logistic regression, controlling for mean systolic pressure (SBP) in the primary analyses, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score or NEE dose in the ancillary analyses. Prespecified outcomes were vasopressor independence at 24 h (primary), and 28-day mortality (secondary). We studied 51 patients, 51% of whom achieved vasopressor independence at 24 h. Ten percent died at 28 days. PC1 represented 26% of the variance in complexity measures. PC1 was not associated with vasopressor independence on Firth logistic regression (OR 1.04; 95% CI: 0.93–1.16; p = 0.54), but was associated with 28-day mortality (OR 1.16, 95% CI: 1.01–1.35, p = 0.040). Early SBP variability appears to be associated with 28-day mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.
Sports Hernia—Anatomy: What Is a Sports Hernia?

Groin injuries are a common problem in elite athletes and may result in a significant loss in playing time. While most groin injuries are muscular strains that heal with conservative treatment measures, a subset of athletes may develop a chronic condition termed sports hernia or athletic pubalgia in which there is chronic exertional lower abdominal or inguinal pain that fails to respond to conservative treatment measures. In this chapter, the normal anatomy of the groin and pubic region is reviewed and the definition of sports hernia and its anatomic basis are discussed. The etiology and pathophysiology of this condition are also reviewed in detail.
Impaired Bone Mineral Density in Pediatric Patients with Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease

Abstract Pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) recipients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) are at high risk for endocrinopathies, particularly impaired bone mineral density (BMD). However, rates of BMD impairment in pediatric AHSCT recipients with cGVHD have not been well documented. We report 33 patients with cGVHD who were referred to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the Natural History of Clinical and Biological Factors Determining Outcomes in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease Study (NCT 0092235) and underwent formal BMD assessment via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Not surprisingly, we found much higher rates of BMD impairment than previously reported for pediatric AHSCT recipients who were not stratified by the presence or absence of cGVHD. Most of these patients (73%) had a z-score ≤−2 in at least 1 anatomic site. Although we expected the rate to be higher than that observed for pediatric AHSCT recipients in studies that did not analyze patients with cGVHD separately, this rate is nonetheless extremely high. Furthermore, the overall rate of occult vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) in our cohort was 17%, and the rate was 23% in patients with at least 1 z-score of ≤−2. The rates of BMD impairment and VCF in our pediatric cohort were significantly higher than those seen in the adult AHSCT recipients who were concurrently enrolled on the same study at the NIH and had similar cGVHD severity. We found that older age at cGVHD diagnosis and a greater number of systemic therapies were associated with occult VCF. Moreover, the intensity of current immunosuppression negatively impacted lumbar spine and total hip BMD in this cohort. Our study, although limited by small patient numbers and lack of a control AHSCT recipient group without cGVHD, indicates that children with cGVHD are at a greater risk for BMD impairment than previously appreciated. Given the rising incidence of cGVHD in AHSCT recipients and our findings, we recommend that pre-AHSCT DEXA be incorporated into routine pediatric pretransplantation screening studies. A baseline DEXA study could facilitate longitudinal monitoring of BMD in children, who may be more susceptible than adults to the negative effects of AHSCT on BMD. In addition, given the high risk of BMD impairment in pediatric AHSCT recipients with cGVHD, such patients should undergo BMD evaluation upon developing cGVHD, with continued monitoring thereafter to allow intervention before progression of the BMD impairment to its severe manifestation, VCF.
Atomized fuel combustion in the reflected-shock region

A liquid-spray injection system was implemented to conduct measurements of fundamental, heterogeneous combustion phenomena including activation energy, ignition delay time, and soot production of hydrocarbon fuels. The study of liquid-spray combustion holds significance in a wide range of industries and applications including combustor design and analysis in power generation gas turbines, in addition to efficiency and emission studies of developmental automotive and aviation fuels. Details on the design and implementation of the technique are provided. Repeatability of the autonomous liquid-spray system has been qualified, and measurements of the ignition delay times of 1.0-μm kerosene droplets at low pressures have been obtained.
Family Classes: Rethinking Contraceptive Choice

The political attention paid to moral values - in the context of the high profile fights over abortion, homosexuality, and abstinence education - has developed over the past quarter century in ideological terms as though race and class no longer existed. In fact, the changing understandings that attend family formation reflect a long term shift in the pathways to middle class life which has created a new technocratic elite - an elite that invests heavily in both men and women’s advanced degrees, and has remade family life to its advantage. The success of the new model, which we call the “blue family paradigm,” and the sexual revolution at its core undermines what had once been consensus support for traditional values (which we will call “the red family paradigm”), and for the structure of family life following from abstinence to courtship to marriage. The result of the tensions between these family ideals has been a moral backlash. In this Article, we highlight the tensions between the two family models, focusing on contraception, and critique the class-based nature of the results. We argue that the politicization of family issues has produced its own “vicious cycle” of moral concern, draconian changes that disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable Americans, and a new round of moral panic justifying further punitive measures, as the initial restrictions (such as closing abortion clinics and slashing family planning funds) make matters worse. We conclude that the “culture wars” are very much about class, and yet they are framed as a fight between two relatively privileged groups, in which class implications of the struggle disappear from sight. This Article argues that only by making these class implications visible - for low income, middle class, and wealthy individuals - can we design more effective interventions that can break the cycle.
Abstract 3881: Formulating a cell membrane lipid-extracted nanoliposome (CLENS) drug platform for the treatment of prostate cancer

Background: Liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin has proven to be an effective drug delivery method to cancer cells. Lipid extracts derived from human prostate cancer cells along with conventional components were employed to develop cell membrane lipid-extracted nanoliposomes (CLENs) for prostate cancer treatment. In an effort to balance efficiency of drug loading with cellular targeting efficiency we report on physicochemical characteristics (i.e., particle size, zeta potential, drug loading efficiency) and cellular uptake studies. Methods: Five preparations of CLENS were prepared consisting of variable concentrations of DOPC and CRL-1740 lipid extract material varying as a function of optimized fixed ratios of conventional components (Cholesterol and DSPE-PEG5000). The controls used to investigate the effect of the different components on drug incorporation efficiency were preparations of DOPC (100%) and CRL-1740 (100%). Doxorubicin hydrochloride (5 mol%) was employed during the preparation of all formulations. Samples were readily prepared by thin film evaporation. For cellular uptake studies CRL-1740 cells were seeded at 1 x 104 mL in 48-well plate and incubated for 24 hours prior to use. The cells were next exposed to various amounts of rhodamine labeled CLENS for 24 hrs. Cellular uptake was determined using fluorescence intensity values determined by a fluorescence microplate reader. Fluorescence microscopy supplement cellular uptake studies. Results: The DOPC drug-loaded liposome preparation consistently achieved the lowest percent of drug incorporation. Likewise, 100% CRL-1740 CLENs demonstrated a significant degree of formulation instability, resulting in a relatively low percent of drug incorporation compared to preparations that consisted of lipid extract and conventional components. The finding were supported by values determined for zeta potential and particle size. Cellular uptake studies also favored the preparations that consisted of lipid extract material and conventional components compared to each alone. The results collectively support the importance of balancing lipid extract material derived from prostate cancer target cells with cholesterol and DSPE-PEG5000 for formulation development and cellular uptake. Conclusion: We formulated seven preparations of CLENS as part of the drug platform. The most promising candidates were determined following completion of the study. Future studies should evaluate the cytotoxicity and safety profile of the most promising formulations vivo. Citation Format: Abubker Omaer, Ali Alqarni, Carlos Randulfe, Hanan Alharbi, Robert Campbell. Formulating a cell membrane lipid-extracted nanoliposome (CLENS) drug platform for the treatment of prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3881.
The Effect of Teachers’ Unions on Student Achievement in the Short Run: Evidence from Wisconsin’s Act 10

Abstract This study examines the short-run impact of a weakening of teachers’ unions on student achievement. In 2011, Wisconsin enacted the Budget Repair Bill, or Act 10, which significantly limited the power of teachers’ unions in the state by restricting their fundraising abilities and limiting the scope of collective bargaining. Exploiting plausibly exogenous variation in the timing of exposure to Act 10 due to differences in the expiration dates of pre-existing collective bargaining agreements across school districts, I find that the law reduced average test scores on the state’s standardized exam by approximately 20% of a standard deviation. Results from quantile regressions indicate that this effect was largely driven by declines in the lower half of the student achievement distribution. Lastly, the study explores plausible mechanisms behind the observed decline in achievement, and presents evidence that the law led to a significant increase in teacher turnover and a large reduction in teacher salaries.
Plasma Induced by a Carbon Nanotube (CNT) Generated Electron Beam

A device using an energetic electron beam from a carbonnanotube electron emitter was developed to generate an atmospheric pressure plasma. The low-pressure electron source region $( 10 ^{-6}$ mbar) and the higher pressure (up to 1 atm) plasma generation region were separated by a 300 nm SiN x window/membrane. The energy of the electron beam was of the order of 10 kV with a current of 10 μA prior to passing through the window with nearly 85% of the beam passing through the window to the plasma generation region with a 10% loss in energy. The device could be operated in one of two modes, closed or opened. Closed mode operation was used to generate excimer emissions from XeI* and XeCl* at 253 nm and 308nm, respectively, at pressures below atmospheric. Open mode operation was with ambient air and with a gas flow of Ar or He across the SiN x window. Optical emission spectroscopy revealed that the open mode operation yielded a variation of excited state species that was found to be dependent on the electron beam energy and the neutral gas flow in the reaction region. Identified in the spectra were the N 2 Second Positive System and the First Negative System, along with OH emission at 310 nm. The emission from the OH radical at 310 nm was found only with an Argon gas flow, whereas, the Helium flow produced an $\mathrm {{N}_{2}}^{+}$ emission at 391 nm. The excimer emission, produced in the closed mode operation, was also observed using optical emission spectroscopy. The Xenon pressure was varied between 100 and 500 Torr inside the closed reaction cell in which iodine crystals with a vapor pressure, at room temperature, of 0.2 Torr were placed. The maximum intensity of the excimer emission at 253 nm occurred at a pressure of 150 Torr. Production of the XeCl* excimer was facilitated by placing a chloride compound in the closed gas cell. Coatings with multilayers of Aluminum/Aluminum Oxide were necessary to protect the SiN x window from reactive etching produced by the halogen species. The closed system was also studied with N 2 gas where the resulting spectrum was dominated by the Second Positive System between 300 to 425 nm with the 0–0 transition at 337 nm as the most intense feature.
Subventricular zone neural precursor cell responses after traumatic brain injury and binge alcohol in male rats.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability worldwide. Additionally, many TBI patients are intoxicated with alcohol at the time of injury, but the impact of acute intoxication on recovery from brain injury is not well understood. We have previously found that binge alcohol prior to TBI impairs spontaneous functional sensorimotor recovery. However, whether alcohol administration in this setting affects reactive neurogenesis after TBI is not known. This study therefore sought to determine the short and long term effects of pre-TBI binge alcohol on neural precursor cell responses in the subventricular zone (SVZ) following brain injury in male rats. We found that TBI alone significantly increased proliferation in the SVZ as early as 24 hours after injury. Surprisingly, binge alcohol alone also significantly increased proliferation in the SVZ after 24 hours. However, a combined binge alcohol and TBI regimen resulted in decreased TBI-induced proliferation in the SVZ at 24 hours and 1 week post-TBI. Furthermore, at 6 weeks after TBI, binge alcohol administered at the time of TBI significantly decreased the TBI-induced neuroblast response in the SVZ and the rostral migratory stream (RMS). The results from this study suggest that pre-TBI binge alcohol negatively impacts reparative processes in the brain by decreasing short-term neural precursor cell proliferative responses as well as long-term neuroblasts in the SVZ and RMS.
Routing Sets and Hint-Based Routing

The number of addresses on the Internet grows rapidly, and thus there may be a point at which the state requirements for routing become unwieldy. The intent of this research is twofold. First to draw on compact routing theory with landmark routing, thus reducing router state requirements, but also to make the the implementation of theoretical routing protocols with low state requirements more feasible in a policy constrained network. To that end, conceptual organizational scheme called routing sets is presented, which would allow flexibility in the choice of routing policy. Furthermore, an IPv6 extension and algorithm is presented for routing using hints, which moves some of the routing responsibility onto the end hosts, potentially freeing routers of a great deal of the routing state burden.
Antitumor Responses in the Absence of Toxicity in Solid Tumors by Targeting B7-H3 via Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells

Summary The high expression across multiple tumor types and restricted expression in normal tissues make B7-H3 an attractive target for immunotherapy. We generated chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting B7-H3 (B7-H3.CAR-Ts) and found that B7-H3.CAR-Ts controlled the growth of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, ovarian cancer and neuroblastoma in vitro and in orthotopic and metastatic xenograft mouse models, which included patient-derived xenograft. We also found that 4-1BB co-stimulation promotes lower PD-1 expression in B7-H3.CAR-Ts, and superior antitumor activity when targeting tumor cells that constitutively expressed PD-L1. We took advantage of the cross-reactivity of the B7-H3.CAR with murine B7-H3, and found that B7-H3.CAR-Ts significantly controlled tumor growth in a syngeneic tumor model without evident toxicity. These findings support the clinical development of B7-H3.CAR-Ts.
Enhancing MapReduce Fault Recovery Through Binocular Speculation

MapReduce speculation plays an important role in finding potential task stragglers and failures. But a tacit dichotomy exists in MapReduce due to its inherent two-phase (map and reduce) management scheme in which map tasks and reduce tasks have distinctly different execution behaviors, yet reduce tasks are dependent on the results of map tasks. We reveal that speculation policies for fault handling in MapReduce do not recognize this dichotomy between map and reduce tasks, which leads to an issue of speculation myopia for MapReduce fault recovery. These issues cause significant performance degradation upon network and node failures. To address the speculation myopia caused by MapReduce dichotomy, we introduce a new scheme called binocular speculation to help MapReduce increase its assessment scope for speculation. As part of the scheme, we also design three component techniques including neighborhood glance, collective speculation and speculative rollback. Our evaluation shows that, with these techniques, binocular speculation can increase the coordination of map and reduce phases, and enhance the efficiency of MapReduce fault recovery.
Performance of Nondestructive Parallel Seismic Testing Method in Determining Depth of Shallow Foundations

AbstractParallel Seismic (PS) is considered a versatile method capable of determining the specifications of unknown bridge foundations made of common materials such as wood, steel, and reinforced c...
A comparison of pediatric ocular injuries based on intention in patients admitted with trauma

Pediatric ocular trauma is a major source of morbidity and blindness and the number of epidemiological studies is incommensurate with its significance. We sought to determine differences in epidemiologic patterns of pediatric ocular injuries based on intention. A retrospective review of the National Trauma Data Bank (2008–2014) was performed and patients < 21 years old, admitted with trauma and ocular injury, were identified using ICD-9CM codes. Demographic data, types of injury and external circumstances including intention were tabulated and analyzed with students’ t and chi-squared tests and logistic regression. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Fifty-eight thousand seven hundred sixty-five pediatric patients were admitted for trauma and ocular injuries. The mean(SD) age was 11.9(6.9) years. Most patients were male (68.7%) and White (59.1%). Unintentional injuries (76.3%) were mostly associated with falls (OR = 13.4, p < 0.001), assault (16.3%) with firearms (OR = 9.15, p < 0.001) and self-inflicted trauma (0.7%) also with firearms (OR = 44.66, p < 0.001). There was increasing mean(SD) age from unintentional, 12.9(6.6) years and assault 12.3(8.1) years to self-inflicted trauma, 17(3.4) years. The 0-3 year age group had highest odds of open adnexa wounds (OR = 30.45, p < 0.001) from unintentional trauma, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) (OR = 5.77, p < 0.001) and mortality (OR = 8.52, p < 0.001) from assault. The oldest 19-21 year group, had highest odds visual pathway injuries (OR = 8.34, p < 0.001) and TBI (OR = 1.54, p = 0.048) from self-inflicted trauma and mortality (OR = 2.08, p < 0.001) from unintentional trauma. Sight-threatening injuries were mostly associated with unintentional trauma in the youngest group and self-inflicted trauma in the oldest group. Patterns emerged of associations between demographic groups, mechanisms, types of injury and associated TBI with intention of trauma.
Molecular foundations of primary spinal tumors—implications for surgical management

Primary spinal tumors are rare lesions that require careful clinical management due to their intimate relationship with critical neurovascular structures and the significant associated risk of morbidity. While the advent of molecular and genomic profiling is beginning to impact the management of the cranial counterparts, translation for spinal tumors has lagged behind. Maximal safe surgical resection remains the mainstay of patients with primary spinal tumors, with extent of resection and histology the only consistently identified independent predictors of survival. Adjuvant therapy has had limited impact. To develop targeted neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies, improve prognostication, and enhance patient selection in spinal oncology, a thorough understanding of the current molecular and genomic landscape of spinal tumors is required. In this review, we detail the epidemiology, current standard-of-care, and molecular features of the most commonly encountered intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCT), intradural extramedullary (IDEM) tumors, and primary spinal column malignancies (PSCM). We further discuss current efforts and future opportunities for integrating molecular advances in spinal oncology with clinical management.