cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shared relationship analysis: ranking set cohesion and commonalities within a literature-derived relationship network

Motivation: There is a general scientific need to be able to identify and evaluate what any given set of 'objects' (e.g. genes, phenotypes, chemicals, diseases) has in common. Whether it is to classify, expand upon or identify commonalities and functional groupings, informational needs can be diverse and the best source to identify relationships among a potentially heterogeneous set of objects is the scientific literature. Results: We first establish a network of related objects by their co-occurrence within MEDLINE records. A set of objects within this network can then be queried to identify shared relationships, and a method is presented to score their statistical relevance by comparing observed frequencies with what would be expected in a random network model. Using Gene Ontology (GO) categories, we demonstrate that this method enables a quantitative ranking of the 'cohesiveness' of a set of objects and, importantly, allows other objects related to this set to be identified and evaluated for their 'cohesion' to it. Supplemental information: A list of ranked genes related to each GO category analyzed can be found at http://innovation.swmed.edu/IRIDESCENT/GO_relationships.htm
Lepton Flavour Violation via the K\"ahler Potential in Compactified M-Theory

We use lepton-flavour violating (LFV) processes as a probe of higher-order corrections to the K\"ahler potential in compactified M-theory. We consider a generic K\"ahler potential with higher-order terms coupling visible sector fields to fields in the hidden sector of the compactified theory. Such terms generally give rise to potentially large flavour-violating effects. Unless there are suppressions, the size of the resulting off-diagonal terms in the K\"ahler potential may be at odds with experimental results. The rare decay $\mu \to e \gamma$ and $\mu \to e$ conversion in nuclei probe the size of the potential flavour non-diagonality of the higher-order terms for realistic spectra in the M-theory compactification. We consider a parameterisation of the higher-order corrections in terms of a small parameter $\epsilon$. By analysing various textures for the higher-order corrections, we find current bounds on $\epsilon$ from the LFV processes. The constraint from the neutral kaon mass difference $\Delta m_K$ is currently similar to that from $\mu \to e \gamma$. Measurement or new limits on the process $\mu \to e \gamma$ and, in the future, $\mu \to e$ conversion in Aluminium, will be an effective probe of the form of the higher-order K\"ahler potential terms. For the preferred range of gravitino masses, unless the K\"ahler potential is strikingly flavour-diagonal, improvement in experimental sensitivity of LFV processes should give a non-zero signal.
Guest editorial: bites, bits, and video games: the changes ahead by James M. Matarazzo

Abstract Special and research libraries are experiencing growing and conflicting pressures in a rapidly changing environment. At the same time that organizations are increasingly viewing information as central to their competitive position in the marketplace, there has been a veritable explosion in the amount of information available for review and analysis. The result is that today and even more so tomorrow, it will be more—not less—difficult to find and utilize information for effective decision making, research, and publications. In many respects, the special and research libraries have been the unwitting recipients of this apparent paradox. Caught between the demand for delivering better, faster, and more information and knowledge on the one hand, and the difficulty of identifying, retrieving, and synthesizing information and knowledge on the other hand, the role and place of these information centers of tomorrow are undergoing considerable debate. At one extreme, some would argue that traditional library functions should be largely outsourced and many services transferred to the end-user. Others would view the core library functions as providing the springboard for enterprise-wide policies and procedures regarding information and knowledge management. In light of the above discussion, we conducted a study in 1997 and again in 2000. We selected a number of U.S. corporations and research libraries as grappling with this underlying dilemma. More specifically, this research was concerned with the direction in which special and research librarians and information managers saw their own libraries moving in the future. The subject libraries were selected largely because of their presence in industry and the academy, and because they were large organizations with at least some global presence. Structured interviews were conducted with the head of information and library sciences within each organization. To insure candid responses those in the survey were assured of confidentiality.
Low-frequency fast inhomogeneous plane-wave algorithm (LF-FIPWA)

A new method, the low-frequency fast inhomogeneous plane-wave algorithm (LF-FIPWA) is presented to extend the traditional multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA) and fast inhomogeneous plane-wave algorithm (FIPWA) seamlessly into the low-frequency range. It uses evanescent-wave extrapolation and translation techniques to overcome the low-frequency breakdown problem. The accuracy can be well controlled over a broad frequency range. Numerical examples show the effectiveness of this new algorithm. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 40: 117–122, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.11302
Non-thermal Dark Matter and the Moduli Problem in String Frameworks

We address the cosmological moduli/gravitino problems and the issue of too little thermal but excessive non-thermal dark matter from the decays of moduli. The main examples we study are the G2-MSSM models arising from M theory compactifications, which allow for a precise calculation of moduli decay rates and widths. We find that the late decaying moduli satisfy both BBN constraints and avoid the gravitino problem. The non-thermal production of Wino LSPs, which is a prediction of G2-MSSM models, gives a relic density of about the right order of magnitude.
Analytic Quantization of the QCD String

We perform an analytic semiclassical quantization of the straight QCD string with one end fixed and a massless quark on the other, in the limits of orbital and radial dominant motion. We compare our results to the exact numerical semiclassical quantization. We observe that the numerical semiclassical quantization agrees well with our exact numerical canonical quantization.
Incentive-Compatible, Energy-Optimal, and Efficient Ad Hoc Networking in a Selfish Milieu

We propose SARP, a provably incentive-compatible and energy-efficient routing protocol for ad hoc networks. The key distinguishing factor when compared to previous proposals is the practicality and (relative) scalability of SARP due to a small communication complexity (analytically and practically), which is achieved by computing routing paths in a novel manner that borrows techniques from geometric routing. We also propose a solution on how to deliver payments (rather than only computing them). We support our claim that SARP works in realistic settings through comparative simulation results obtained from an implementation of SARP in GloMoSim
Role of interleukin-1 (IL-1) in the pathogenesis of systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis and clinical response to IL-1 blockade

Systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SoJIA) encompasses ∼10% of cases of arthritis that begin in childhood. The disease is unique in terms of clinical manifestations, severity of joint involvement, and lack of response to tumor necrosis factor blockade. Here, we show that serum from SoJIA patients induces the transcription of innate immunity genes, including interleukin (IL)-1 in healthy peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Upon activation, SoJIA PBMCs release large amounts of IL-1β. We administered recombinant IL-1 receptor antagonist to nine SoJIA patients who were refractory to other therapies. Complete remission was obtained in seven out of nine patients and a partial response was obtained in the other two patients. We conclude that IL-1 is a major mediator of the inflammatory cascade that underlies SoJIA and that this cytokine represents a target for therapy in this disease.
The nigrostriatal dopamine system of aging GFRα‐1 heterozygous mice: neurochemistry, morphology and behavior

Given the established importance of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in maintaining dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems, the nigrostriatal system and associated behaviors of mice with genetic reduction of its high-affinity receptor, GDNF receptor (GFR)a-1 (GFRa-1 + ⁄ ) ), were compared with wild-type controls. Motor activity and the stimulatory effects of a dopamine (DA) D1 receptor agonist (SKF 82958) were assessed longitudinally at 8 and 18 months of age. Monoamine concentrations and dopaminergic nerve terminals in the striatum and the number of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) were assessed. The results support the importance of GFRa-1 in maintaining normal function of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system, with deficits being observed for GFRa-1 + ⁄ ) mice at both ages. Motor activity was lower and the stimulatory effects of the DA agonist were enhanced for the older GFRa-1 + ⁄ ) mice. DA in the striatum was reduced in the GFRa-1 + ⁄ ) mice at both ages, and tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cell numbers in the SN were reduced most substantially in the older GFRa-1 + ⁄ ) mice. The combined behavioral, pharmacological probe, neurochemical and morphological measures provide evidence of abnormalities in GFRa-1 + ⁄ ) mice that are indicative of an exacerbated aging-related decline in dopaminergic system function. The noted deficiencies, in turn, suggest that GFRa-1 is necessary for GDNF to maintain normal function of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system. Although the precise mechanism(s) for the aging-related changes in the dopaminergic system remain to be established, the present study clearly establishes that genetic reductions in GFRa-1 can contribute to the degenerative changes observed in this system during the aging process.
Resisting Charters A Comparative Policy Development Analysis of Washington and Kentucky, 2002–2012

Over the past two decades, most states have adopted laws enabling charter schools, as charter advocates successfully presented charters as the solution to core problems in urban public education. Y...
A Proposed Stem Cell Research Policy

The aspirations of scientists and patients for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research in the U.S. motivate attention to the nitty-gritty of law and regulation and its confluence with such moral consensus as lies within our reach. Federal law and regulation form a tangle. Analysis yields several conclusions not widely appreciated. A legislative enactment is the rate-limiting step of federally funded research, the restriction of research imposed by the previous administration's policy as reprised in current proposals fails to achieve its objective of avoiding complicity in embryo sacrifice, the current administration's policy is another failed noncomplicity scheme under which research cannot be expanded without demolishing its putative justification, and the Food and Drug Administration has already effectively interdicted procreative cloning. While it is not plausible to deny complicity in embryo sacrifice when performing or funding hESC research, one can justify sacrifice of some embryos by an argument whose premises are consistent with a wide range of moral and religious views. This paper proposes a rule of public policy providing for the use of donated embryos barred from the womb. This rule would optimize research while manifesting its moral justification. The rule is suitable for implementation by any government that funds hESC research. The rule's justification provides a cogent argument for such incremental steps toward its implementation as become politically feasible from time to time.
Traveling waves for a model of gravity-driven film flows in cylindrical domains

Abstract Traveling wave solutions are studied for a recently-derived model of a falling viscous film on the interior of a vertical rigid tube. By identifying a Hopf bifurcation and using numerical continuation software, families of non-trivial traveling wave solutions may be traced out in parameter space. These families all contain a single solution at a ‘turnaround point’ with larger film thickness than all others in the family. In an earlier paper, it was conjectured that this turnaround point may represent a critical thickness separating two distinct flow regimes observed in physical experiments as well as two distinct types of behavior in transient solutions to the model. Here, these hypotheses are verified over a range of parameter values using a combination of numerical and analytical techniques. The linear stability of these solutions is also discussed; both large- and small-amplitude solutions are shown to be unstable, though the instability mechanisms are different for each wave type. Specifically, for small-amplitude waves, the region of relatively flat film away from the localized wave crest is subject to the same instability that makes the trivial flat-film solution unstable; for large-amplitude waves, this mechanism is present but dwarfed by a much stronger tendency to relax to a regime close to that followed by small-amplitude waves.
Jumpy Stumps and Phantom Dyskinesias

At variable time periods following amputation, some patients develop a ‘jumpy stump’ characterized by sudden jerking of the stump, often associated with severe pain. Jerking is usually precipitated by voluntary movement or sometimes by cutaneous stimuli. These movements can resolve or persist. The etiology is unknown and treatment of both the movements and the sensory discomfort is unsatisfactory.
Detection of circulating tumor cells in high-risk endometrial cancer.

AIM To evaluate the presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with high-risk endometrial cancer (EC). PATIENTS AND METHODS We prospectively included 28 patients with a preoperative diagnosis of grade 3 EC undergoing surgery from June 2010 to December 2011. Their preoperative blood samples were tested for the presence of CTCs using an immunomagnetic and immunofluorescence assay technique. RESULTS Overall, 2 out of 28 patients (7%) were positive for CTCs. The presence of positive CTCs was significantly associated with myometrial invasion (MI) (33% vs. 0% for MI>50% vs. ≤50%; p=0.04) and lymph node positivity (40% vs. 0% for positive vs. negative nodes; p=0.03). Only patients with endometrioid histology had positive CTCs (29% in endometrioid vs. 0% in nonendometrioid; p=0.06). CONCLUSION The presence of positive CTCs was associated with deep MI and lymph node positivity. The absence of CTCs in patients with type II histology suggests the need to find other markers in this sub-group of patients.
A Reduced Model Approximation Approach Using Model Updating Methodologies

Model reduction has been performed for several decades as an approach to allow for correlation of an analytical model to experimental data at a reduced number of points. Traditional reduction techniques have utilized static equations in order to obtain the transformation matrix while more recent techniques have utilized the mode shapes of the model. This paper presents an alternate methodology to model reduction using a traditional reduction technique to reduce the model and then improving the reduced model with the model mode shapes and frequencies from the full space finite element model. An analytical study on a cantilevered beam and general plate type structure shows that this approach contains advantages from both types of reduction techniques while minimizing the limitations.
The cost-effectiveness of hiv prevention from a managed care perspective

This article offers a preliminary examination of the intersection of managed care, HIV prevention, and economic considerations. After introducing a basic framework for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of HIV prevention interventions, it reviews the cost-effectiveness literature. The article also examines how the concerns of managed care organizations impact the cost-effectiveness of HIV prevention efforts, including counseling and HIV antibody testing, small group cognitive-behavioral interventions, and community-level interventions. The article closes with a discussion of non-financial incentives for promoting HIV prevention within a managed care framework.
Somatosensory enrichment of a deaf, blind, retarded adolescent through vibration.

2.1, O3 = 0.0, Eaff = 5.8 As a Large number of zero scores were found, Friedman's test was consequently used to evaluate the results. A significant x/ of 13.37 (df = 4, p < .01) was found becween sums of ranks, indicating chat length of smiling behavior was different between the observation and experimental periods. Further analysis of the four control sessions alone gave no significant differences (x,' = 2.95, df = 3). The hypothesis that vibration would have a significant effect on smiling was, therefore, supported. The absolute magnitude of the effect of the experimental manipulation on smiling behavior was small, averaging only 14.9 of 120 sec. Though stronger vibration may have increased smile time, the data do indicate that, at no cost in equipment, the restricted environmental input to a blind, deaf, profoundly retarded person can be expanded with a new experience.
Prediction of severity of disease in homozygous β thalassemia (β thal)

The clinical consequences of homozygous β thal are variable. We have studied globin chain synthesis in the peripheral blood reticulocytes of the parents of patients with homozygous β thal to determine the likelihood of mild and sever β thal in families in which both parents have thal trait. Peripheral blood was incubated with U 14C leucine. The ratio of the specific activities of β and α chain separated by urea CMC chromatography (β/α ratio) was determined. The β/α ratios of 14 parents of patients with severe disease was compared to those of 10 parents of patients with mild disease. The mean β/α ratio in the former group of parents was 0.49 with a narrow standatrd deviation of 0.06. The mean ratio in the group of parents of patients with mild disease was 0.68 with a wider standard deviation of 0.21. Two patterns were observed in the milder group: (1) the ratio in one parent was close to 0.50, while the other parent had a significantly higher ratio (0.71 to 1.09), and (2) both parents had moderately elevated ratios (0.65). The higher ratios in the milder group may represent a milder β thal gene or the co-inheritance of an α thal gene, either one of which reduces the severity of homozygous β thal. We conclude that the study of peripheral blood globin chain synthesis in prospective parents with β thal trait may be extremely useful for estimating the potential severity of homozygous β thal in their offspring.
Transient shale gas flow model

Abstract This paper develops a new transient shale gas flow (TSGF) model specifically tuned for typical hydraulically-fractured horizontal gas wells and addresses the role of fracture-network conductivity in the evaluation of unconventional reservoir performance. This flow model includes the desorption effect and is analytically developed to derive the dimensionless pressure response to the primary depletion phase in shale gas reservoirs. The TSGF model captures the linear flow in the hydraulic fracture and the stimulated reservoir volume under the effects of well geometry, multiple reservoir and hydraulic-fracture properties, and well operating conditions. The unique feature of the unconventional shale gas wells is the simultaneous decline of average reservoir pressure, production rate, and bottomhole flowing pressure with an ultimate bottomhole pressure constraint. This important feature is analytically investigated with the TSGF model. Other pressure-dependent reservoir characteristics such as gas compressibility, viscosity, formation volume factor, and adsorbed gas density are included in the TSGF model. The TSGF model is validated through the history-matching and predictions of Haynesville and Marcellus monthly flowrate data for about 20 wells. The model yields appropriate estimations of well and reservoir properties and predicts the estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) in the multiple hydraulically-fractured horizontal wells. Compared to the empirical stretched exponential production decline (SEPD) and power-law exponential (PLE) models, the TSGF model shows similar flowrate predictions at late-production times. The results also show that given a minimum 12 months of production data, the TSGF model robustly predicts the well performance and the EUR for typical shale gas reservoirs.
Intrawound Vancomycin Powder for Spine Tumor Surgery

Study Design Retrospective evaluation of prospectively collected data. Objective To evaluate infection rates following intrawound vancomycin powder application during spine tumor surgery. Methods Patients ≥18 years old undergoing spine tumor surgery and receiving intrawound vancomycin powder at a single center between January 2008 and January 2015 were enrolled. Patient demographics (age, sex, body mass index [BMI]), tumor type (metastatic, primary) and location, surgical data (estimated blood loss [EBL], levels fused, type of decompression, length of surgery and hospitalization, discharge status from hospital), radiation therapy use, and infection rates (surgery to a minimum of 30 days postoperative) were evaluated. Results Forty patients (46 procedures) undergoing spine tumor surgery and intrawound vancomycin powder application were identified. Five were excluded because of death less than 30 days postoperatively, and 35 patients (41 procedures) were enrolled: 11 women and 24 men with an average age of 61.4 years (range 19 to 92) and average BMI of 27.3 (range 17.4 to 36.8). Three cases were primary spine tumors. Five were hematologic malignancies, and 27 were metastatic cancers. Twenty-one tumors were in the thoracic spine, 12 in the lumbar spine, and 8 in the cervical spine. Average EBL was 899 mL (range 25 to 3,500), average length of surgery was 241 minutes (range 78 to 495), and average hospital stay was 15.1 days (range 3 to 49). Two culture-proven infections ( Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter cloacae ) were noted in 41 procedures (4.9%). Ten patients (28.6%) had preoperative radiation only; 14 (40%) had postoperative radiation only, 5 (14.3%) had both preoperative and postoperative radiation, and 6 (17.1%) had no radiation. There were no associations between radiation treatment and postsurgical infections ( p = 0.19). Conclusion In this first study evaluating intrawound vancomycin powder for spine tumor surgery, we report an infection rate of 4.9%. We found no correlations between radiation treatment and postsurgical infections.
Blacklining Editorial Privileges

This essay attempts to unravel the mysteries of “editorial privileges” – a process whereby Commission staff is granted permission to continue editing Commission Orders subsequent to their adoption, such that the text of the Order voted on by the Commission is not necessarily the same as that ultimately published in the Federal Register or otherwise released to the public. It considers the practice’s history, its purpose, its current practice, and, most important, its legal meaning. While mystery surrounds editorial privileges, there is little mystery as to my conclusions about them: the Commission must take immediate action to reform its use of this process – and ideally should abandon it entirely. As currently practiced, editorial privileges conceivably open a large number of Commission Orders to judicial challenge on both procedural and substantive grounds. To the extent the practice is worth saving, a simple procedural change in how items are voted on at open meetings could save the practice: instead of voting to approve items on which staff would request editorial privileges, commissioners should vote to place those items on circulation. This would effectively preserve the practice as currently used in a procedurally-defensible way. But “editorial privileges” are not a thing worth saving. The practice is an unwarranted deviation from standard administrative practice, and in its current form is overtly used by the current Commission and other recent Commissions to subvert basic principles of administrative law.
Use of a Stockinette to Minimize Warm Ischemia During Renal Transplant Vascular Anastomoses

AbstractProlonged warm ischemia during renal transplant vascular anastomosis may have a deleterious impact upon allograft function in the immediate post-transplant period. Placing the donor kidney and sterile ice slush in a cotton stockinette obviates renal rewarming during vascular anastomoses. We successfully used this technique in nearly 1,000 patients undergoing renal transplantation. The stockinette facilitates transplant vascular anastomoses by permitting easier handling of the kidney and eliminating warm ischemia during revascularization as documented by continuous core temperature monitoring.
May we engineer the climate

Not only is the science of climate engineering uncertain; the legal issues are also highly uncertain. Although existing international law does not specifically limit the freedom of states to undertake climate engineering, the international community would likely demand a say should climate engineering move from the realm of speculation to concrete proposals. The experience of other environmental regimes, however, suggests that developing an international decision-making mechanism would be difficult, and that the international community might opt for a simple prohibition on climate engineering on grounds of ‘precaution’.
Recent NMR Studies of Ionic Liquids

Abstract This review presents recent developments in the application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to study ionic liquids. In addition to routine structural characterization of synthesized ionic liquids, availability of multitude of advanced NMR techniques enables researchers to probe the structure and dynamics of these materials. Also most of the ionic liquids contain a host of NMR-active nuclei that are perfectly suitable for multinuclear NMR experiments. This review focuses on the application of NMR techniques, such as pulsed field gradient, relaxometry, nuclear Overhauser effect, electrophoretic NMR, and other novel experiments designed to investigate pure ionic liquids and the interaction of ionic liquids with various salts and solutes.
Prediction of Mass Evaporation of \(\mathrm{Fe}_{50}\mathrm{Co} _{50}\) During Measurements of Thermophysical Properties Using an Electrostatic Levitator

This paper describes the prediction of mass evaporation of $$\mathrm{Fe}_{50}\mathrm{Co} _{50}$$ at% alloys during thermophysical property measurements using the electrostatic levitator at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. The final mass, final composition, and activity of individual component are considered in the calculation of mass evaporation. The predicted reduction in mass and variation in composition are validated with six ESL samples which underwent different thermal cycles. The predicted mass evaporation and composition shift show good agreement with experiments with the maximum relative errors of 4.8 % and 1.7 %, respectively.
Abstract 1736: Physical activity, sitting time and prostate cancer specific mortality: The Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort

Objective: To investigate the associations of pre- and post-diagnostic recreational physical activity, and sitting time with prostate cancer specific mortality (PCSM) among men diagnosed with non-metastatic prostate cancer in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort. Methods: 10,067 men were diagnosed with non-metastatic prostate cancer between enrollment in 1992 or 1993 and June 2011, of whom 600 died of prostate cancer during follow-up through 2012. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations of self-reported pre-diagnostic and post-diagnostic physical activity and sitting time with PCSM. Results: Compared with engaging in fewer than 3.5 metabolic equivalent (MET) hours per week of recreational physical activity, 17.5 or more MET hours (equivalent to 5 hours of walking) per week was associated with 30% lower risk of PCSM (HR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.54-0.92) for pre-diagnostic, and with 34% lower risk (HR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.46-0.93) for post-diagnostic recreational physical activity. Among men with walking as the only form of leisure time physical activity, walking 4 hours or more per week before diagnosis was associated with lower risk of PCSM (for 4-6 hours, HR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.46-0.91; for 7+ hours, HR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.41-0.88), while no statistically significant association was observed with walking after diagnosis. Sitting time was not associated with PCSM. Conclusion: Higher recreational physical activity levels before and after diagnosis may improve prognosis in men diagnosed with non-metastatic prostate cancer. These results additional support that prostate cancer survivors should adhere to physical activity guidelines and that physicians should promote adopting a physically active lifestyle to prostate cancer survivors. Citation Format: Ying Wang, Eric J. Jacobs, Ted Gansler, Marjorie L. McCullough, Victoria L. Stevens, Susan M. Gapstur, Alpa V. Patel. Physical activity, sitting time and prostate cancer specific mortality: The Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1736.
A 4-week study assessing the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety, and tolerability of the glucagon receptor antagonist PF-06291874 administered as monotherapy in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract Aims The glucagon receptor antagonist PF-06291874 has demonstrated robust glucose reductions in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on background metformin. This study assessed the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety, and tolerability of PF-06291874 administered as monotherapy in subjects with T2DM. Methods After a ≥4-week antidiabetic therapy washout period, 172 subjects were randomized to placebo or PF-06291874 15, 35, 75, or 150 mg once daily for 28 days. Mean daily glucose (MDG), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and predefined safety endpoints were assessed at baseline and day 28. Results Dose-dependent reductions (placebo-adjusted) from baseline in MDG ranged from 40.3 to 68.8 mg/dL and in FPG from 27.1 to 57.2 mg/dL after 28 days of dosing with PF-06291874. There were no significant changes in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol at doses ≤75 mg relative to placebo. Small, dose-dependent increases in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were observed; however, the incidence of these values >3 × upper limit of normal was similar across doses. PF-06291874 exposures were consistent with previous studies and PF-06291874 was well tolerated, with minimal incidence of hypoglycemia. Conclusions PF-06291874 as monotherapy was well tolerated and produced robust reductions in plasma glucose following 4 weeks of dosing in subjects with T2DM.
Dead on Time: Valerius Maximus 9.13 and Stoicism *

Valerius Maximus’ collection of exempla has received attention from modern scholars as a window into the morality of the early imperial period at Rome: for example, the recent work of Rebecca Langlands has drawn out the ethical complexities of the text. Little has been said, however, about the possible formal philosophical context of Valerius’ work since the suggestion of Franz Romer in 1990 that the Facta et Dicta Memorabilia was deliberately structured to represent the Stoic cardinal virtues. This paper argues that there is a place for further study of the language and ideology of Stoicism in the Facta et Dicta Memorabilia . To illustrate this point, chapter 9.13: De Cupiditate Vitae and its accompanying series of three exempla under the title Quam Exquisita Custodia Vsi Sint Quibus Suspecti Domestici Fuerunt are examined in detail. It is argued that Valerius’ selection and framing of his exempla are in close sympathy with Stoic ideas of rational death, the passions, and the importance of self-control.
Health Literacy and Child Health Outcomes: Parental Health Literacy and Medication Errors

Parents frequently take on the task of dosing medications for their children. More than half of children in the US take one or more medications in a given week.1 Unfortunately, every eight minutes, a child experiences an outpatient medication error, and this estimate is based only on those errors that lead to U.S. Poison Control Center calls.2 Parental medication administration errors are thought to account for 70% of preventable pediatric outpatient adverse events.3,4 Errors with medications range in type and can include quantitative dosing errors, in which a different amount is given than was intended, errors in frequency or duration, administration of an incorrect medication or formulation, use of an incorrect administration route, or incorrect preparation or storage.5-9.
Upgrading pyrolysis bio-oil through hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) using non-sulfided Fe-Co/SiO2 catalyst

Abstract Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is an effective route to upgrade bio-oil to hydrocarbon bio-oil, but the development of efficient catalysts for bio-oil HDO still remains a challenge. In this study, non-sulfided Fe-Co/SiO 2 catalysts were used to upgrade bio-oil using HDO. A series of Fe-Co/SiO 2 catalysts with different Fe/Co mole ratios were prepared, characterized and evaluated. The Fe and/or Co loading did not change SiO 2 crystalline structure. The Fe and/or Co metals increased the amount and strength of Fe-Co/SiO 2 catalyst acidity. Physicochemical properties of upgraded bio-oils produced using Fe-Co/SiO 2 catalysts such as water content, total acid number, viscosity and higher heating values improved in comparison to raw bio-oil. Bimetallic Fe-Co/SiO 2 catalysts resulted in better HDO performance than monometallic Fe/SiO 2 or Co/SiO 2 catalysts. This was due to the synergistic effect of Fe and Co occurring on the SiO 2 support. Fe-Co/SiO 2 catalyst having medium amount of acidity was more effective for bio-oil upgrading. The highest hydrocarbons content produced using Fe-Co(1)/SiO 2 catalyst was 22.44%. The mechanism of bio-oil HDO on Fe-Co/SiO 2 catalysts is proposed.
Sooty blotch and flyspeck of apple: Assessment of an RFLP-based identification technique and adaptation of a warning system for the Upper Midwest

Sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS) of apple, a disease caused by more than 30 species of fungi, reduces crop value by blemishing the fruit surface. This study investigated two research tools designed to improve identification of SBFS fungi and management of the disease. The first objective was to validate a PCR-based method to identify SBFS pathogens. Members of the sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS) disease complex are challenging to identify by traditional mycological methods that rely on agar-plate isolation and morphological description. Identification using a PCR-RFLP assay was investigated as an alternative to culturing. The method involved amplification of the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA using a Capnodiales order-specific reverse primer paired with a universal forward primer, followed by digestion using the HaeIII restriction enzyme. When applied to 24 SBFS species from a survey in the Midwest U.S., the PCR-RFLP assay produced 14 unique band patterns, all specific to genus. The technique also identified SBFS fungi from DNA extracted directly from colonies on apples. The PCR-RFLP assay streamlined the identification process by circumventing the requirement for culturing, and should be a valuable tool for further ecological studies of the SBFS disease complex. The second objective was to adapt a SBFS warning system for the Upper Midwest. The Sutton-Hartman warning system, developed in the Southeast U.S., uses cumulative hours of leaf wetness duration (LWD) to predict the timing of the first appearance of SBFS signs. In the Upper Midwest, however, this warning system experienced sporadic control failures. To determine if other weather variables were useful predictors of SBFS appearance, hourly LWD, rainfall, relative humidity (RH), and temperature data were collected from orchards in
Human development and climate affect hibernation in a large carnivore with implications for human–carnivore conflicts

Expanding human development and climate change are dramatically altering habitat conditions for wildlife. While the initial response of wildlife to changing environmental conditions is typically a shift in behaviour, little is known about the effects of these stressors on hibernation behaviour, an important life-history trait that can subsequently affect animal physiology, demography, interspecific interactions and human-wildlife interactions. Given future trajectories of land use and climate change, it is important that wildlife professionals understand how animals that hibernate are adapting to altered landscape conditions so that management activities can be appropriately tailored. We investigated the influence of human development and weather on hibernation in black bears (Ursus americanus), a species of high management concern, whose behaviour is strongly tied to natural food availability, anthropogenic foods around development and variation in annual weather conditions. Using GPS collar data from 131 den events of adult female bears (n = 51), we employed fine-scale, animal-specific habitat information to evaluate the relative and cumulative influence of natural food availability, anthropogenic food and weather on the start, duration and end of hibernation. We found that weather and food availability (both natural and human) additively shaped black bear hibernation behaviour. Of the habitat variables we examined, warmer temperatures were most strongly associated with denning chronology, reducing the duration of hibernation and expediting emergence in the spring. Bears appeared to respond to natural and anthropogenic foods similarly, as more natural foods, and greater use of human foods around development, both postponed hibernation in the fall and decreased its duration. Synthesis and applications. Warmer temperatures and use of anthropogenic food subsides additively reduced black bear hibernation, suggesting that future changes in climate and land use may further alter bear behaviour and increase the length of their active season. We speculate that longer active periods for bears will result in subsequent increases in human–bear conflicts and human-caused bear mortalities. These metrics are commonly used by wildlife agencies to index trends in bear populations, but have the potential to be misleading when bear behaviour dynamically adapts to changing environmental conditions, and should be substituted with reliable demographic methods.
DamGate: Dynamic Adaptive Multi-feature Gating in Program Binaries

Feature creep has emerged as a serious threat due to the growing number of utilities and capabilities crammed into modern software systems. While feature elimination and de-bloating techniques can produce slimmer executables, a complete elimination of all unnecessary or unwanted features is often not possible, not only due to the tight coupling of feature-related functions/codes, but also because the usefulness/necessity of program features is often difficult to determine statically and can vary during runtime. This paper presents DamGate, a framework for dynamic feature customization, allowing vigilant management of program features at runtime to prevent violation of privacy and security policies. At the heart of this technique is the selective placement of checker functions(known as gates) into feature-constituent functions that need to be protected. Through execution gating and feature validation on the fly, DamGate provides differentiated control policy for program features and enables flexible runtime reconfiguration. The proposed framework is prototyped and evaluated using LibreOffice, a large-scale office suit. The evaluation results show that it can achieve desired feature customization with negligible gating overhead.
Speculation-Led Development in the Third World

This chapter presents a post-Keynesian interpretation of the consequences of financial liberalization (FL) programs in less developed countries (LDCs). It is argued that FL can lead to a particular kind of development, “speculation-led economic development,” which is characterized by a preponderance of risky investment practices and shaky financial structures. In addition, FL is likely to induce an increase in directly unproductive profit-seeking activities, a greater likelihood of financial crises, a misallocation of credit and, ultimately, diminished rates of real sector economic growth. Given the likelihood of these outcomes (as well as their realization in LDCs that have implemented FL), FL programs are argued to be a poor foundation for stable and sustained real-sector economic growth, especially in the context of resource-scarce LDCs.
Improving a Full Range of Advance Care Planning Behavior Change and Action Domains: The PREPARE Randomized Trial

Abstract Context Advance care planning (ACP) engagement includes a wide range of behaviors and actions related to discussions and documentation, yet few ACP intervention studies measure the full process. Objectives The objective of the study was to compare the effects of an easy-to-read advance directive (AD) versus an ACP web site plus the AD (PREPARE + AD) on Behavior Change Processes and Actions, including discussions and documentation. Methods Secondary data were from a completed ACP trial. Participants were primary care patients, ≥60 years old, with two comorbidities. We used the validated ACP Engagement Survey to examine six-month change in subscales measuring Behavior Change Processes (knowledge, contemplation, self-efficacy, readiness) and Actions (decision makers, quality of life, flexibility for decision makers, asking clinicians questions), specifically related to discussions and documentation. We used adjusted mixed-effects linear models to compare mean change and engagement over time. Results Compared to the AD-only, PREPARE + AD resulted in greater increases in all Behavior Change Processes subscales and Actions related to decision makers, quality of life, and flexibility (all P-values ≤0.005). Both interventions significantly increased the proportion of participants who engaged in ACP discussions (PREPARE + AD, 99.5%; AD-only, 93.3%) and documentation (PREPARE + AD, 99.5%; AD-only, 90.4%), with greater increases for PREPARE + AD (all P-values Conclusion Both PREPARE plus an easy-to-read AD and an AD-only markedly increased ACP engagement in a full range of ACP behaviors, including discussions and documentation, and engagement was nearly 100% with PREPARE + AD. Future ACP studies should examine a full range of ACP behaviors beyond ADs and the impact of PREPARE and easy-to-read AD implementation on health care systems.
Auditory Aspects of Auditory Imagery

Empirical findings from studies on imagery of auditory features (pitch, timbre, loudness, duration, tempo, rhythm) and imagery of auditory objects (musical contour and melody, musical key and harmony, notational ­audiation, speech and text, environmental stimuli) are reviewed. Potential individual differences in auditory imagery (involving vividness, auditory hallucination, development, musical ability, training) are considered. It is concluded that auditory imagery (a) preserves many of the structural and temporal properties of auditory information present in auditory (or multisensory or crossmodal) stimuli, (b) can impact subsequent responding by influencing perception or by influencing expectancies regarding subsequent stimuli, (c) involves mechanisms similar to many of those used in auditory perception, and (d) is subserved by many of the same cortical structures as is auditory perception.
Overriding the Immune System's Sweet Tooth: Fatty Acids Rile Up Innate Immunity.

Mogilenko et al. dissect mechanisms by which fatty acids lead to a state of heightened innate immunity and inflammation. They reveal a metabolic adaptation to elevated fatty acids that involves a shift in the balance between glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation and activation of the unfolded protein response, linking the high-fat Western diet to systemic inflammatory disease.
Utility of Patient-reported Symptoms and Health Conditions for Predicting Surgical Candidacy and Utilization of Surgery via an Outpatient Spine Clinic Nomogram.

STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort. OBJECTIVE Identify the nonradiographic predictors of a patient's decision to undergo elective spine surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Up to 132 million people seek elective evaluation by spine surgeons annually, though 55%-82% of specialty referrals may be inappropriate. We sought to determine which clinical and psychosocial factors are associated with surgical utilization by patients seeking surgical evaluation for degenerative spine pathologies. MATERIALS AND METHODS Consecutive elective outpatient visits seen in a single clinic between May 2016 and April 2017 for degenerative spine pathologies were reviewed. Data were collected on presenting symptoms, baseline medical illness, demographics, and previous spine care. Multivariable logistic regressions were performed to determine which factors were associated with surgical candidacy and surgical utilization. RESULTS A total of 353 patients were seen during the period reviewed, of which 144 had complete medical records. Our cohort included 90 nonsurgical candidates, 25 surgical candidates who declined surgery, and 29 patients who underwent surgery. In multivariable analysis, factors negatively associated with surgical candidacy were age, a history of smoking, and osteoporosis, where those positively associated with surgical candidacy were reports of spine-specific pain, higher Charlson Comorbidity Index, pain medication use, number of neurological symptoms, and being myelopathic. Factors positively associated with surgical utilization included proportion of all complaints that were neurological in nature, being myelopathic, higher Charlson Comorbidity Index, and report of pain as chronic, whereas being osteoporotic was negatively associated with surgical use. A receiver operating curve constructed for these models produced c-statistics of 0.75 and 0.80, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the results of standard clinic intake questions, such as review of systems, medical history, and chief complaints, may be predictive of surgical candidacy before evaluation by a surgeon. The present pilot study suggests a preliminary algorithm that can be further validated and expanded upon to help decide on optimal patient referrals to spine surgery specialists.
Traumatic Exit, Identity Narratives, and the Ethics of Hospitality:

The argument of this essay is that migrants, especially refugees, in the contemporary globalized world are inevitably second-class citizens because their stories do not fit the narrative requiremen...
Power, Wealth, and Morality: A Tale of Two Davids

On his best days, he was a leader who valued honor, discipline, and justice. On his best days, he was an exemplar of servant leadership. However, on his worst days, he was vengeful, quick-tempered, and self-seeking. How does one go from being a man “after God’s own heart” to a man of “much bloodshed” (1 Sam. 13:14, 16:18; 1 Chr. 28:3)? This chapter looks at the paradoxes of Israel’s greatest king and how leadership fatigue eventually led to the downfall of United Israel. This chapter also discusses how leadership failure does not have to be the final chapter in a leader’s legacy.