cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
External beam radiation therapy and retinoblastoma : Long-term results in the comparison of two techniques

Abstract Purpose: This study compares the long-term actuarial local control, eye conservation rate, survival, and ocular complications in children with retinoblastoma treated with two different external beam treatment techniques. Methods and Materials: From 1979–1991, 182 eyes in 123 children (104 bilateral) received primary external beam radiation therapy. An anterior lens-sparing electron beam technique delivering 38 to 50 Gy in 2.5 Gy fractions was used in 67 eyes from 1979–1984 and a modified lateral beam technique, delivering 42 to 46 Gy in 2 Gy fractions, was used in 113 eyes from 1984–1991. These groups were balanced with respect to known prognostic variables. Results: For Group I–III eyes, the 5- and 8-year local control was significantly improved using the modified lateral beam technique (84%) compared to (38%) using the anterior lens sparing technique ( p p ≤ 0.0001). For Group IV–V eyes, the 5- and 8-year local control rates were not statistically different, despite a trend favoring the modified lateral beam technique. Survival endpoints including eye survival (no enucleation), cause-specific survival, and overall survival comparing the two treatment techniques were not significantly different. Overall, 22% of eyes developed cataracts. There was no difference between the two treatment groups in terms of cataract development. No eyes required enucleation for ocular complications. Conclusion: There is a significant improvement in local control using the modified lateral beam technique compared to an anterior lens-sparing approach for Group I–III eyes. However, there was no difference in survival end points between the two treatment techniques. The incidence of ocular complications using these two external beam techniques is acceptable.
Free vibrations of a strain gradient beam by the method of initial values

We extend the application of the method of initial values (also known as the transfer matrix method) to find frequencies of free vibrations of a strain-gradient-dependent Euler–Bernoulli beam (EBB) under different boundary conditions at the two end faces of the beam. For the classical EBB, we find the exact matricant or the carry-over matrix but it is numerically evaluated for the strain-gradient-dependent EBB. For the numerically evaluated matricant, it is found that ten iterations give converged values of the first six frequencies for the classical and the strain-gradient-dependent EBB. For the strain-gradient EBB, the sixth-order ordinary differential equation for the lateral deflection and three boundary conditions at each end have been derived by using the Hamilton principle. The material characteristic length is found to noticeably affect frequencies of free vibrations. Thus, the difference between frequencies of the classical and the strain-gradient-dependent EBB can be used to determine the value of the material characteristic length for a nanobeam for which length scale effects are believed to be dominant.
Serial whole-brain magnetization transfer imaging in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis at baseline and during treatment with interferon beta-1b

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To determine whether occult disease fluctuates with macroscopic lesions during the natural history of multiple sclerosis (MS) and whether therapeutic interventions affect occult disease, we performed serial monthly magnetization transfer (MT) imaging in patients with relapsing-remitting MS in a crossover trial with interferon beta-lb. METHODS Serial whole-brain magnetization transfer ratios (MTRs) in eight patients with relapsing-remitting MS and in four control subjects were plotted as normalized histograms, and MTR parameters were compared with contrast-enhancing lesions and bulk white matter lesion load. RESULTS In patients with relapsing-remitting MS, the histographic peak of 0.25+/-0.01 and the histographic mean of 0.21+/-0.01 were statistically lower than corresponding values in control subjects, in whom the histographic peak was 0.27+/-0.01 and the histographic mean was 0.23+/-0.01. When histograms (with MTRs ranging from 0.0 to 0.5) were analyzed by quartiles (quartile 1 to quartile 4) based on histographic area, voxels with low MTRs in quartile 1 (0 to 0.12) increased during the baseline period and corresponded to bulk white matter lesion load. Interferon beta-lb reduced enhancing lesions by 91% and mean bulk white matter lesion load by 15%, but had no effect on MTR in this patient cohort. CONCLUSION Occult disease in normal-appearing white matter of patients with relapsing-remitting MS measured by MTR parallels the waxing and waning pattern of enhancing lesions and bulk white matter lesion load during the baseline period. MTR is not altered by interferon beta-lb, which raises the possibility of ongoing disease in normal-appearing white matter (not detected by conventional MR sequences).
A latent change score model of conflict resolution in couples Are negative behaviors bad, benign, or beneficial?

This study used latent change score models to examine how couples make progress toward resolution when they experience conflicts. It examined why negative conflict engagement might sometimes predict increased resolution, and how this process might be moderated by relationship satisfaction. A sample of 734 people in heterosexual marriages or cohabitation relationships were asked to identify an episode of relationship conflict and complete a questionnaire measuring types of negative behavior, attributions, anger, and soft emotion as well as measures of current discord, peak discord, positive behavior, and types of conflict disengagement. Negative engagement predicted peak levels of conflict discord, but for people in satisfying relationships, this effect was benign because large conflicts predicted large resolutions regardless of negative engagement levels.
Recent trends in National Institutes of Health funding for surgery: 2003 to 2013

Abstract Background The purpose of this study is to compare the compositions of federally funded surgical research between 2003 and 2013, and to assess differences in funding trends between surgery and other medical specialties. Data Sources The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool database was queried for grants within core surgical disciplines during 2003 and 2013. Funding was categorized by award type, methodology, and discipline. Application success rates for surgery and 5 nonsurgical departments were trended over time. Conclusions Inflation-adjusted NIH funding for surgical research decreased 19% from $270M in 2003 to $219M in 2013, with a shift from R-awards to U-awards. Proportional funding to outcomes research almost tripled, while translational research diminished. Nonsurgical departments have increased NIH application volume over the last 10 years; however, surgery’s application volume has been stagnant. To preserve surgery’s role in innovative research, new efforts are needed to incentivize an increase in application volume.
Preserved Microvascular Endothelial Function in Young, Obese Adults with Functional Loss of Nitric Oxide Signaling

Data indicate endothelium-dependent dilation (EDD) may be preserved in the skeletal muscle microcirculation of young, obese adults. Preserved EDD might be mediated by compensatory mechanisms, impeding insight into preclinical vascular dysfunction. We aimed to determine the functional roles of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX) toward EDD in younger obese adults. We first hypothesized EDD would be preserved in young, obese adults. Further, we hypothesized a reduced contribution of NOS in young, obese adults would be replaced by increased COX signaling. Microvascular EDD was assessed with Doppler ultrasound and brachial artery infusion of acetylcholine (ACh) in younger (27 ± 1 year) obese (n = 29) and lean (n = 46) humans. Individual and combined contributions of NOS and COX were examined with intra-arterial infusions of l-NMMA and ketorolac, respectively. Vasodilation was quantified as an increase in forearm vascular conductance (ΔFVC). Arterial endothelial cell biopsies were analyzed for protein expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). ΔFVC to ACh was similar between groups. After l-NMMA, ΔFVC to ACh was greater in obese adults (p < 0.05). There were no group differences in ΔFVC to ACh with ketorolac. With combined NOS-COX inhibition, ΔFVC was greater in obese adults at the intermediate dose of ACh. Surprisingly, arterial endothelial cell eNOS and phosphorylated eNOS were similar between groups. Younger obese adults exhibit preserved EDD and eNOS expression despite functional dissociation of NOS-mediated vasodilation and similar COX signaling. Compensatory NOS- and COX-independent vasodilatory mechanisms conceal reduced NOS contributions in otherwise healthy obese adults early in life, which may contribute to vascular dysfunction.
Studies of the rate of production and life span of erythrocytes in acute leukemia.

The rate of red cell formation and the red cell life span were determined in six adult patients with acute myelogenous leukemia by the use of Fe 59 , Cr 51 and glycine-2-C 14 . One patient with acute monocytic leukemia was studied with Fe 59 alone. Erythropoiesis was normal or increased in two patients, deficient in four patients and absent in one. The data indicate that in the cases of deficient erythropoiesis a decreased number of red cells were produced in the marrow, but that they were released at a rapid rate. The red cell life span appeared to be normal in one patient, short but finite in four patients, and short owing to random destruction in one patient. One study did not include the measurement of red cell life span. The liver removed an abnormally large proportion of the plasma iron when marrow erythropoiesis was deficient. The bone marrow examination may be an unreliable indicator of the rate of erythropoiesis.
1987: The Adam Smith Address the Effect of Government on Economic Efficiency

When a professional society names a lecture series after a great person, over the years its members are likely to learn much more about that great person than they really desire to know. You may well have reached this state, so I shall be both brief and slightly irreverent in discharging my duty of referring to our patron saint, Adam Smith.
Motivation to Communicate: A Critical Review With Suggested Alternatives

This essay argues that motivation to communicate is a central influence on competent communicative performance. Yet, research and theory related to this construct are in a state of disarray. Relevant research and theory in the communication discipline are critically reviewed and integrated along two dimensions: trait versus state and willingness versus anxiety. Additionally, current constructs relevant to communicative motivation are shown to reflect different levels of analysis. While each level contributes to a comprehensive understanding of motivation to communicate, it is suggested that the most promising perspective for understanding situated motivation to communicate is one reflecting a state willingness approach, particularly one embracing the centrality of goals in communication. The role of goals in interpersonal communication is explored, as are goals-based theories of motivation, which are viewed as having potential to explain communicative motivation.
Post-2014 Afghanistan

Afghanistan, besides being Pakistan’s next door neighbor, is linked to it through close historical, cultural, ethnic, and economic ties. Major developments affecting peace and stability in Afghanistan, therefore, have direct consequences for Pakistan. In the post-2014 scenario, one should expect a full-blown Afghan Taliban-led insurgency posing a serious threat to the survival of the present Afghan government and to regional peace and stability, in the absence of a political settlement and an agreed power-sharing formula. Therefore, national reconciliation and a political settlement in Afghanistan, freely negotiated among the Afghan parties, are a must for durable peace and stability in the country. Pakistan together with Iran, other regional countries, and major powers must encourage intra-Afghan dialogue leading to such a settlement.
Examination of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Construct in Youth With Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a dispositional characteristic reflecting negative cognitive, behavioral, and emotional reactivity in response to events or situations that are uncertain. Although closely associated with a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) diagnosis in adulthood, IU has received little attention in youth. The goal of this study was to examine the construct in children with GAD and nonanxious children, including its incremental validity in predicting GAD severity and worry beyond anxiety. Ninety-eight children 6 to 11 years of age (51% male; 57% Caucasian) were assessed. The sample included 24 with a GAD diagnosis only (i.e., pure GAD), 36 with GAD plus at least one other disorder (i.e., comorbid GAD), and 38 healthy control children. Clinician, parent, and child reports of IU, anxiety, worry, and GAD severity were collected. Significant differences in levels of IU were found across all three groups; the highest levels in children with comorbid GAD, followed by children with pure GAD, a...
Moving the goalposts

A new book about string theory offers a surprising way to explain philosophy of science, says Robert P Crease.
Adolescents’ Prescription Stimulant Use and Adult Functional Outcomes: A National Prospective Study

Objective To assess the prospective 17-year relationship between the medical and nonmedical use of prescription stimulants during adolescence (age 18 years) and educational attainment and substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms in adulthood (age 35 years). Method A survey was self-administered by nationally representative probability samples of US high school seniors from the Monitoring the Future study; 8,362 of these individuals were followed longitudinally from adolescence (age 18, high school senior years 1976−1996) to adulthood (age 35, 1993−2013). Results An estimated 8.1% reported medical use of prescription stimulants, and 16.7% reported nonmedical use of prescription stimulants by age 18 years. Approximately 43% of adolescent medical users of prescription stimulants had also engaged in nonmedical use of prescription stimulants during adolescence. Among past-year adolescent nonmedical users of prescription stimulants, 97.3% had used at least one other substance during the past year. Medical users of prescription stimulants without any history of nonmedical use during adolescence did not differ significantly from population controls (i.e., non−attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] and non−stimulant-medicated ADHD during adolescence) in educational attainment and SUD symptoms in adulthood. In contrast, adolescent nonmedical users of prescription stimulants (with or without medical use) had lower educational attainment and more SUD symptoms in adulthood, compared to population controls and medical users of prescription stimulants without nonmedical use during adolescence. Conclusion Nonmedical use of prescription stimulants is common among adolescents prescribed these medications. The findings indicate youth should be carefully monitored for nonmedical use because this behavior is associated with lower educational attainment and more SUD symptoms in adulthood.
General Overview of the Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

The laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) is both a restrictive and malabsorptive procedure. Patients are placed under general anesthesia for the procedure. During the procedure, the stomach is made into a very small pouch. This is the restrictive part of the procedure by reducing the amount of food that can be consumed during meals. Once the stomach is stapled into a small pouch, the antrum, pylorus, duodenum, and 40 cm of the jejunum are divided. The jejunum at this point is attached to the stomach. The bypassed duodenum is then attached to the jejunum 80–150 cm from its site of attachment to the stomach. This is where Roux-en-Y gastric bypass got its name [1]. This is the malabsorptive part of the procedure.
Model for Interaction of EMC Formulation with Operating Current and Reliability of Cu-Al Wirebonds Operating in Harsh Environments

The migration of high-reliability applications requiring sustained operation in harsh environments needs a better understanding of the acceleration factors under the stresses of operation. Prolonged exposure of the copper wire to elevated temperatures results in growth of excessive intermetallics and degradation of the interface. Behavior of Copper wirebond under high current-temperature conditions is not yet fully understood. Exposure to high current may induce Joule heating and electromigration, and thus significantly increase the degradation rate in comparison with low current operating conditions. Further, the accelerated test results of unbiased conditions cannot be used for life prediction of such high powered parts. EMCs used for encapsulation of the chip and the interconnects may vary widely in their formulation including pH, porosity, diffusion rates, levels and composition of the contaminants. Selection of different materials, such as EMC used in the molding process plays key role in defining lifetime for wirebond system. There is need for predictive models which can account for the exposure to environmental conditions, operating conditions and the EMC formulation in order to be realistically representative of the expected reliability. In this paper, a set of parts, molded with different EMCs were subjected to high temperature-current environment (temperature range of 150°C-200°C, 0.2A-1A). An artificial neural network (ANN) driven predictive model for estimation of the beta-sensitivities of the input variables has been developed for computation of the acceleration factor for the Cu-Al WB under high voltage and high temperature.
Assessment of a channel catfish population in a large open river system

Estimates of dynamic rate functions for riverine channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque), populations are limited. The open nature and inherent difficulty in sampling riverine environments and the propensity for dispersal of channel catfish impede estimation of population variables. However, contemporary population models (i.e. robust design models) can incorporate the open nature of these systems. The purpose of this study was to determine channel catfish population abundance, survival and size structure and to characterise growth in the lower Platte River, Nebraska, USA. Annual survival estimates of adult channel catfish were 13%–49%, and channel catfish abundance estimates ranged from 8,281 to 24,261 fish within a 10-km sampling reach. Channel catfish were predominantly (90%) <age 5 and <400 mm total length, and adult growth was similar to other populations across the species’ range. The channel catfish population characteristics in the lower Platte River are likely a result of a combination of factors including recreational harvest and potential shifts in habitat during different life stages. A multifaceted sampling and analytical approach provided additional information such as movement and abundance estimates and may also help to decipher abiotic and biotic factors that interact when managing fish populations in riverine environments.
Quality of life of children and adolescents with visual impairment

The conceptual framework of quality of life (QOL) have received considerable attention within students with visual impairment. The main purpose of this study was to analyse the QOL of children and ...
Multiple Pathways and Time Scales for Conformational Transitions in apo-Adenylate Kinase

The open/close transition in adenylate kinase (AK) is regarded as a representative example for large-scale conformational transition in proteins, yet its mechanism remains unclear despite numerous experimental and computational studies. Using extensive (∼50 μs) explicit solvent atomistic simulations and Markov state analysis, we shed new lights on the mechanism of this transition in the apo form of AK. The closed basin of apo AK features an open NMP domain while the LID domain closes and rotates toward it. Therefore, although the computed structural properties of the closed ensemble are consistent with previously reported FRET and PRE measurements, our simulations suggest that NMP closure is likely to follow AMP binding, in contrast to the previous interpretation of FRET and PRE data that the apo state was able to sample the fully closed conformation for “ligand selection”. The closed state ensemble is found to be kinetically heterogeneous; multiple pathways and time scales are associated with the open/cl...
Vertically migrating phytoplankton drive seasonal formation of subsurface negative preformed nitrate anomalies in the subtropical North Pacific and North Atlantic

Abstract. Summertime drawdown of dissolved inorganic carbon in the absence of measurable nutrients from the mixed layer and subsurface negative preformed nitrate (preNO 3 ) anomalies observed for the ocean's subtropical gyres are two biogeochemical phenomena that have thus far eluded complete description. Many processes are thought to contribute including biological nitrogen fixation, lateral nutrient transport, carbon overconsumption or non-Redfield C : N : P organic matter cycling, heterotrophic nutrient uptake, and the actions of vertically migrating phytoplankton. Here we investigate the seasonal formation rates and potential contributing mechanisms for negative preformed nitrate anomalies (oxygen consumption without stoichiometric nitrate release) in the subsurface and positive preformed nitrate anomalies (oxygen production without stoichiometric nitrate drawdown) in the euphotic zone at the subtropical ocean time series stations ALOHA in the North Pacific and BATS in the North Atlantic. Non-Redfield −O 2 : N stoichiometry for dissolved organic matter (DOM) remineralization is found to account for up to ~ 15 mmol N m −2 yr −1 of negative preNO 3 anomaly formation at both stations. Residual negative preNO 3 anomalies in excess of that which can be accounted for by non-Redfield DOM cycling are found to accumulate at a rate of ~ 32–46 mmol N m −2 yr −1 at station ALOHA and ~ 46–87 mmol N m −2 yr −1 at the BATS station. These negative anomaly formation rates are in approximate balance with positive preNO 3 anomaly formation rates from the euphotic zone located immediately above the nutricline in the water column. Cycling of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) and heterotrophic nitrate uptake can contribute to the formation of these preNO 3 anomalies, however a significant fraction, estimated at ~ 50–95 %, is unexplained by the sum of these processes. Vertically migrating phytoplankton possess the necessary nutrient acquisition strategy and biogeochemical signature to quantitatively explain both the residual negative and positive preNO 3 anomalies as well as the mixed layer dissolved inorganic carbon drawdown at stations ALOHA and BATS. TEP production by the model Rhizosolenia mat system could provide accelerated vertical transport of TEP as well as link the three processes together. Phytoplankton vertical migrators, although rare and easily overlooked, may play a large role in subtropical ocean nutrient cycling and the biological pump.
The Drug Overdose Epidemic and Deceased-Donor Transplantation in the United States: A National Registry Study.

Background: The epidemic of drug overdose deaths in the United States has led to an increase in organ donors.
Frameworks to Develop Integrated STEM Curricula

Research-based frameworks can help K-12 schools develop integrated STEM curricula. Two frameworks are presented that describe the characteristics of effective integrated STEM lessons and effective engineering education. The second framework is a modification of the first. Modifications were made to align the framework to a school that was new to integrated STEM. The frameworks have promise for K-12 schools who wish to develop and implement an integrated STEM curriculum that may have different levels of experience and different types of support.
Cell wall Biosynthetic Genes of Maize and their Potential for Bioenergy Production

The maize cell wall is a complex composite of cellulose, hemicellulosic polysaccharides pectin, proteins, and lignin, and representative of the unique Type II cell wall architecture common among the Poales. The genetic control of cell wall biosynthesis in maize is being actively pursued, using a combination of comparative genomics, forward and reverse genetics, and expression profiling. This has revealed the existence of many multi-gene families with individual members that are dif- ferentially expressed. While the precise function of most of the individual genes is yet to be established, it is clear that the existence of multi-gene families enables the synthesis of cell walls that are tailored to the specific needs of individual tissues throughout the life of the plant. A better understanding of cell wall biosynthesis will be of great value for the development of dedicated bioenergy crops used for the production of cellulosic ethanol, especially if cell wall traits are combined with morphological variants with increased biomass production.
Letters to Sucre on Federation of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia

Bolivar was asked by Bolivia (Upper Peru) to prepare a constitution for that country. His message to the Congress of Bolivia describing that document follows these two letters, although one letter was written before the message and the second was written after it. They are combined here because they demonstrate that Bolivar had now begun to think in terms of an Andean Federation or Union to consist of Colombia (Venezuela, New Granada, and Ecuador), Peru, and Bolivia.
Dividing loyalties: caring for individuals and populations.

Are health maintenance organization (HMO) physicians obligated to act exclusively in the interest of the individual patient? Does the mere existence of financial incentives to limit patient care violate this obligation? To what extent are doctors responsible for the population of patients served by a health plan, or for promoting a fair distribution of health care among society as a whole? These questions come to the fore in the recent U.S. Supreme Court case, Pegram v. Herdrich. In Pegram, Herdrich claimed that the terms of the Carle HMO organization, rewarding its physician owners for limiting medical care, entailed an inherent or anticipatory breach of the physician’s fiduciary duty under ERISA. Specifically, the terms of the HMO created “an incentive to make decisions in the physician’s self-interest, rather than the exclusive interests of plan participants.” Her claim rested on showing first, that treatment decisions made by the HMO, acting through its physician employees, were fiduciary acts under ERISA. Second, her claim required showing that the terms of the HMO violated fiduciary obligations under ERISA to act “solely in the interest of” plan participants and beneficiaries when providing benefits and defraying the reasonable expenses of administering the plan. It is important to underscore that the breach of duty Herdrich alleges is neither the decision to delay care, nor the harm resulting from this decision. Thus, “Herdrich does not point to a particular act by any Carle physician owner as a breach. She does not complain about Pegram’s actions, and. . .the ERISA count could have been brought, and would have been no different, if Herdrich had never had a sick day in her life.” The alleged breach of fiduciary duty consists instead in the HMO’s scheme of awarding physicians a year-end distribution consisting of the profit derived from the spread between subscription income and expenses of care and administration. In short, Herdrich alleges that it was wrong for Carle physicians to care for patients under the influence of incentives that
Outcomes in patients with marginal zone lymphomas undergoing transformation to high-grade lymphomas.

7559Background: Marginal zone lymphomas (MZLs) are characterized by a long overall survival (OS). High-grade transformation (HGT) to aggressive lymphoma negatively impacts OS. Thus, identifying pat...
Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome

Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is a rare vascular malformation overgrowth syndrome that is characterized by the triad of (1) capillary malformation, (2) venous malformation or varicosities +/− lymphatic malformation, and (3) bony or soft tissue overgrowth. Recent advances have confirmed it to be caused by a somatic activating mutation in PIK3CA. While no cure exists, treatment is supportive and aimed at alleviating and preventing complications such as chronic venous insufficiency, thrombosis, and pain.
Implementation and Impact of Results-Based Accountability Learning: Successes and Challenges With Human Service Professionals of Color in Urban Agencies

A foundation–university partnership was developed to expand the bench of human service professionals (HSPs) of color trained in performance management with the results-based accountability (RBA) fr...
Diversification, Relatedness, and the New Logic of Co-Creation

This article is a revision of the previous edition article by R.A. Lowe and D.J. Teece, volume 6, pp. 3574–3578, © 2001, Elsevier Ltd.
Multicriteria Decision Making

While most of us have practiced multicriteria decision making (MCDM) in our business and personal life, it is relatively recent that the knowledge base for such a procedure has been organized and quantified into a formal set of methodologies. In some ways, it represents the amalgamation of descriptive and prescriptive models in the context of behavioral sciences. Descriptive models were defined in Chapter 3 to include such techniques as the conventional use of simulation and statistics that replicate the real world scenario. Prescriptive models, on the other hand, refer to procedures, such as optimization, which go one step further to arrive at a desirable course of action. We will show in this chapter that through the integration of both descriptive and prescriptive procedures, the role of quantitative analysis becomes clear in a pluralistic society with many interests and aspirations.
Beyond SmartNICs: Towards a Fully Programmable Cloud: Invited Paper

FPGA-based SmartNICs and programmable switches have been recently introduced to leverage hardware acceleration and custom pipelines inside the cloud infrastructure. These devices are capable of handling the per-packet processing needs at line rate, including load balancing, encapsulation, congestion management, and security. We argue, however, that the benefits provided by these new devices could extend beyond software-defined networking use cases and they prompt a shift towards a fully programmable cloud, which would enable hardware-software co-design across all layers, ranging from application to hardware and networks. In this paper, we focus on the potential of FPGA-based SmartNICs and programmable switches to realize this vision and illustrate some of the research challenges that need to be addressed to fully unleash its benefits.
How Should Global Health Security Priorities Be Set in the Global North and West

Epidemics threaten all countries, yet epidemic responses are not implemented in all countries. One reason why is that transnational disease containment efforts (to keep diseases from spreading across borders) differ in important ways from efforts to protect those in countries where an epidemic is active. This article explores these 2 approaches to global health security and suggests reasons to reconsider prioritizing the former first.
Software Configuration Management

Abstract : Software configuration management encompasses the disciplines and techniques of initiating, evaluating, and controlling change to software products during and after the development process. It emphasizes the importance of configuration control in managing software production. Configuration management is an integral part of the software development process across all phases of the life cycle. It functions as a controlling discipline, enabling changes to be made to existing documentation and products in such a way as not to destroy the integrity of the software. Since configuration management extends over the life of the product, and since tools, techniques, and standard exist solely aimed at its proper execution, configuration management can stand alone as a module within a graduate curriculum. The module presented here is intended to be an indepth consideration of configuration management, including configuration item identification, change reporting and evaluation change, execution, tool evaluation and use, version control, and management principles related to configuration control.
Non-conscious Effect of Moral Identity Prime on Perceived Reasonableness and Affective Account on Customer Satisfaction: An Abstract

A service provider may manage its service personnel through service regulations and policies. Alternatively, a service provider may empower them and delegate more authority by relying on morals of service personnel. The latter approach may enable service providers to accommodate degree of latitude in meeting service specifications and allow them to better prepare themselves for service recovery in the event of unexpected service failure. Such discretion in service encounters has been the object of study employing the construct of “reasonableness” (Fukawa and Erevelles 2014). In allowing for a certain amount of discretion in service encounters, a service provider must rely on the judgment and moral values of service personnel and customers instead of immutable standardized service specifications. During service recovery, a customer assesses the reasonableness of the recovery experience. In this process, a “reasonable” customer would consider not only his/her own welfare but the welfare of others (e.g., the service provider, others customers and society) (Lydenberg 2014).
Enhancing Profits & Reducing Losses by Managing Material Environmental, Social & Governance Factors

In this study, we extend the academic debate on the materiality of corporate social performance from the question of whether a relationship exists between corporate social performance and corporate...
Linear solvation energy relationship development for adsorption of synthetic organic compounds by carbon nanomaterials: an overview of the last decade

The production of carbon nanomaterials has been increasing due to their outstanding properties and innovation potential in various industrial applications. Hence, their discharge into the aquatic environment from point and non-point sources is inevitable. Therefore, the natural and built aquatic environments that contain thousands of synthetic organic contaminants, would facilitate adsorptive interaction between synthetic organic molecules and carbon nanomaterial surfaces. Today's literature rapidly developed to contain a great number of adsorption data for synthetic organic compounds onto carbon nanomaterials. The availability of adsorption data enables generation of structure–activity relationships by utilizing adsorbate and adsorbent characteristics in simple/controlled aquatic solutions. These models not only create practical predictive tools but also provide mechanistic insights about intermolecular interactions between organic molecules and carbon nanomaterials. This review analyzes 86 linear solvation energy relationship models published in the last decade. Our work summarizes and compares key independent variables associated with adsorbate properties (e.g., molecular size, H-bonding ability, polarizability) and identifies critical factors for selecting dependent variables (e.g., adsorbent characteristics, saturation concentration). The study also discusses intermolecular interactions unraveled by the modeling efforts at different adsorbate concentrations. This work aims to provide an analysis of literature to identify key gaps in today's model training efforts and list guiding principles for ongoing and future linear solvation energy relationship studies.
Service dog handlers in STEM: diversity and inclusion efforts need work to remove barriers

Diversity strengthens science, but current policies need to do more to explicitly address inclusion of the growing population of people with disabilities who rely on service dogs. Here, I discuss my personal experiences of attempting to access laboratories with a service dog.
A phosphorylation-regulated eIF3d translation switch mediates cellular adaptation to metabolic stress

Shutoff of global protein synthesis is a conserved response to cellular stresses. This general phenomenon is accompanied by the induction of distinct gene programs tailored to each stress. Although the mechanisms driving repression of general protein synthesis are well characterized, how cells reprogram the translation machinery for selective gene expression remains poorly understood. Here, we found that the noncanonical 5' cap-binding protein eIF3d was activated in response to metabolic stress in human cells. Activation required reduced CK2-mediated phosphorylation near the eIF3d cap-binding pocket. eIF3d controls a gene program enriched in factors important for glucose homeostasis, including members of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. eIF3d-directed translation adaptation was essential for cell survival during chronic glucose deprivation. Thus, this mechanism of translation reprogramming regulates the cellular response to metabolic stress.
Werkgruppe XII: Kirchenmusik

Alma Redemptoris Mater in F-Dur fur Soli (S/T), Chor (S/A/T/B), 2 Oboen, Fagott, 2 Horner, 2 Violinen, Viola, Bass.
Healthy Places for Children: The Critical Role of Engagement, Common Vision, and Collaboration

Planning plays a critical role in promoting healthy communities for children. We conducted a national survey of United States (US) cities and counties in 2019 and found only half of the 1312 responding communities report they give attention to the needs of children in their community plans. Those that do, provide more services and have more child-friendly zoning codes. We use a human ecological framework to build structural equation models of child-friendly zoning and services. We find communities with more engagement of families with children and youth and a common vision across generational, race, and ethnic lines report higher levels of child-friendly zoning and services. Collaboration between health providers and schools builds trust and leads to more services. However, child-friendly zoning is lower in communities with higher child poverty, and in suburbs and rural areas. Our results support a dynamic human ecological model where the processes of collaboration, inclusion, and engagement are key to creating healthy places for children. These processes may be especially important in addressing the unique challenges of suburban and rural communities.
Patient- and tumor-level risk factors for MRI-invisible prostate cancer

Multiparametric MRI is highly sensitive for detection of clinically significant prostate cancer, but has a 10–20% false negative rate. It is unknown if there are clinical factors that predict MRI invisibility. We sought to identify predictors of MRI-invisible (MRI(−)) disease. Men undergoing MRI/US-fusion targeted + systematic biopsy by two surgeons at our institution from 2015 to 2018 were reviewed. Patient demographics, clinical data, MRI metrics, and biopsy pathology results were obtained by chart review. An MRI(−) tumor was defined as a positive systematic biopsy in a zone without an MRI lesion. Factors associated with presence of MRI(−) tumors were identified using stepwise multivariable logistic regression. Of 194 men included in the analysis, 79 (41%) and 25 (13%) men had GG1+ and GG2+ MRI(−) tumors, respectively. On multivariable analysis, only Black race was associated with presence of GG1+ MRI(−) tumors (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.02–4.96). Black race (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.24–9.87) and higher PSA density (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.34–3.20) were associated with presence of GG2+ MRI(−) tumors. In non-Black and Black men, detection of MRI(−) tumors on systematic biopsy upgraded patients from no disease to GG2+ disease 1% and 11% of the time, respectively, and from GG1 to GG2+ disease 42% and 60% of the time, respectively. Black race and PSA density were associated with presence of MRI(−) prostate cancer. Further study on racial differences is warranted based on these results. Surgeons should consider pre-biopsy risk factors before deciding to omit systematic prostate biopsy regardless of mpMRI results.
A proteome-wide screen uncovers diverse roles for sequence context surrounding proline-rich motifs in Ena/VASP molecular recognition

Protein interactions between intrinsically disordered, short linear motifs (SLiMs) and modular recognition domains are critical elements in many signal transduction pathways. Yet for most interactions, it is still unclear how low-complexity SLiMs discriminate between highly conserved but biologically distinct SLiM-binding proteins. The Ena/VASP family of proteins pose one such specificity problem. Paralogs ENAH, VASP, and EVL bind to a 5-residue SLiM prevalent in the proteome and perform distinct cellular functions despite sharing high sequence and structural similarity. To interrogate how the sequence context of SLiMs impacts Ena/VASP interactions, we performed an unbiased proteomic screen against the ENAH EVH1 domain. We discovered unexpected ways in which local and distal sequence elements flanking native SLiMs modulate binding. Particularly notable is a peptide from PCARE that achieves paralog specificity by stabilizing a unique conformation adopted only by ENAH. A PCARE-derived peptide can selectively recruit ENAH and block its activity in cells, establishing it as a valuable reagent to disentangle the roles of Ena/VASP paralogs and a potential agent for modulating ENAH function in breast cancer. Guided by our analyses of native interactions, we designed the tightest known ENAH EVH1 binder with a dissociation constant of 50 nM and 400-600-fold selectivity over EVL and VASP. Our work demonstrates that sequence context plays a prominent role in dictating SLiM interactions and can inform the design of custom molecules that target SLiM-based interactions.
A morphological study of unipolar magnetic fields and the relationship with sunspots

Abstract A morphological examination of the Kitt Peak photospheric magnetic maps has been made over three sunspot cycles in order to study the morphology of unipolar magnetic regions and sunspots. Unipolar magnetic regions (positive and negative) are a series of weak, large-scale longitudinal bands, extending from 0° to 60° in latitude and alternatively aligned in longitude. The first finding is that unipolar regions grow and decay with the sunspot cycle and thus are likely to be a part of the basic solar (dipolar) magnetism, not old active regions located below 30° in latitude (as have long been considered). The second finding is that positive pores and single spots (coalesced pores, often called ‘isolated’ spots or ‘independent’ spots) occur in a positive unipolar region (vice vera). Thus, the unipolar regions could be the source of single spots. The third finding is that a pair (positive and negative) of dense clusters of pores, single spots and large spots (a coalesced single spots) occur at each side of the boundary of neighboring (positive and negative) unipolar regions, forming pairs of spots across the boundary; in fact, pairs of spots do not occur in the middle of a unipolar region. The boundaries of unipolar regions are tentatively identified as the Hale boundary, where solar activities (including solar flares) occur). Thus, it is suggested that the presently accepted magnetic tube theory may need a new consideration.
Embryology of the lower limb demonstrates that congenital absent fibula is a radiologic misnomer

The congenitally shortened limb (CSL) with fibular deficiency or absence has historically been graded by plain radiography, while associated cartilaginous and arterial soft tissue anomalies have been comparatively neglected. Consistent pathological evidence of remnant cartilaginous bodies in place of the fibula presupposes earlier existence of a preformed cartilaginous template of the fibula. In complete fibular radiographic absences, often associated with midline metatarsal deficiencies, the two usual nutrient arteries to the fibula fail to form, as they normally would have, around the (16-18 mm stage) sixth embryonic week. The histopathology of fallow persisting fibular anlagen, in association with missing arteries and retained primitive arteries, suggests the anlage is a dystrophic, but otherwise normally prefigured, cartilaginous scaffold of the fibula. Thus, the widely employed term absent fibula, which has been grounded in plain radiography, is a misnomer. Additionally, since the metatarsals missing in congenitally shortened limb are midline, the related term, fibular hemimelia, is similarly inaccurate. A new taxonomy, based on embryological principles rather than radiographic appearance alone, will promote limb dystrophism as a more accurate term combining arrested embryonic vascular development and congenitally shortened limb of the lower extremity.
Large and small field inflation from hyperbolic sigma models

Long standing themes in inflation include the issue of large field vs. small field inflation as well as the question what fraction of phase space leads to sufficient inflation, and furthermore is compatible with the experimental data. In the present paper these issues are discussed in the context of modular inflation, a specialization of the framework of automorphic nonlinear $\sigma$-models associated to homogeneous spaces $G/K$ in which the continuous shift symmetry group $G$ is weakly broken to discrete subgroups $\Gamma$. The target spaces of these theories inherit a curved structure from the group $G$, which in the case of modular invariant inflation leads to a hyperbolic field space geometry. It is shown that in this class of models the symmetry structure leads to both large and small field inflationary trajectories within a single modular inflation model. The present paper analyzes the concrete model of $j$-inflation, a hyperbolic model with nontrivial inflaton interactions. It describes in some detail the structure of the initial conditions, including a systematic analysis of several phenomenological functions on the target space, leading to constraints on the curvature scalar of the field space by upcoming experiments, as well as a discussion of the scaling behavior of the spectral index, the finite volume fraction of the field space leading to sufficient inflation, the attractor behavior of $j$-inflation, and a comparison of inflaton trajectories vs. target space geodesics. The tensor-ratio analysis shows that $j$-inflation is an interesting target for upcoming ground and satellite experiments.
Tocopherol-responsive anemias in man.

Publisher Summary The experimental deficiency of tocopherols in animals indicates that vitamin E is essential for hemopoiesis in the monkey, pig, trout, and rat. The chapter reviews the biochemical defect in the synthesis of RNA and DNA, the evidence for shortened red blood cells life span, and the increased in vitro hemolysis associated with a defect in the erythrocyte of the deficient monkey. These phenomena are associated with the tissue depletion of tocopherols and a pronounced lowering of the level in the blood serum. In anemic animals, the bone marrow exhibits an erythrocytic hyperplasia with an unusual number of multinucleated forms. There is evidence for defective synthesis of hemoglobin, and other biochemical and clinical signs of vitamin E deficiency occur. The experimental hematologic defects are promptly reversible by tocopherol. The human infant is born with relatively low body stores of tocopherols, and conventional artificial feeding does not result in as rapid enhancement of these stores as does breast-feeding. Body stores of the premature infant are low, and this is associated with an increased susceptibility to in vitro hemolysis, which can be reversed by feeding α -tocopherol.