cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Short Constraints are Persistent Constraints

Short selling constraints predict negative stock returns at the monthly frequency, but is it a monthly phenomenon? We show that short selling constraints are persistent, lasting nine months on average, and therefore measured subsequent negative returns cannot be due primarily to an easing of these constraints. Instead, negative returns from short constrained stocks result primarily because stock owners sell the constrained stock. Many common measures of short selling constraints in the literature actually measure persistent short selling constraints. 43.6% of all traded firms experience a persistent short-selling constraint episode lasting at least two months. Because persistent stock overpricing is predictable over long periods of time, CEOs and other insiders may be able to exploit it more easily.
Communicator Competence in the Workplace: Model Testing and Scale Development

(1981). Communicator Competence in the Workplace: Model Testing and Scale Development. Annals of the International Communication Association: Vol. 5, Communication Yearbook 5, pp. 505-527.
The Development of Procedural Remedies

The viewpoint that the individual is a full subject is not new; in fact, it has traces in the earliest concepts of international law.1 This issue has recurred throughout the growth of world law, and a series of advances and regressions have typified the legal personality of the individual. But, most important, we must not lose sight of the fact that the object theory, namely that only sovereign States can be subjects of the law and that nongovernmental entities are merely objects of the law, is of fairly recent origin. Indeed, the object theory developed simultaneously with the rise of the modern nation-state.
Ranking and selection under input uncertainty: a budget allocation formulation

A widely acknowledged challenge in ranking and selection is how to allocate the simulation budget such that the probability of correction selection (PCS) is maximized. However, there is yet another challenge: when the input distributions are estimated using finite real-world data, simulation output is subject to input uncertainty and we may fail to identify the best system even using infinite simulation budget. We propose a new formulation that captures the tradeoff between collecting input data and running simulations. To solve the formulation, we develop an algorithm for two-stage allocation of finite budget. We use numerical experiment to demonstrate the performance of our algorithm.
Coming Attractions: Parental Mediation Responses to Transgender and Cisgender Film Trailer Content Targeting Adolescents

Adolescents increasingly rely on media for socialization and identity development, and marketing plays a prominent role in this dynamic. Film trailers are one form of advertising that children actively seek out and attend to in their exploration of media. However, little attention has been paid to these advertisements’ gendered narratives and parents’ responses to them. The present study examines parents’ mediation responses to film trailers that promote themes of gender development and are aimed at adolescents. Respondents viewed a trailer that featured either a cisgender or transgender coming-of-age story and responded to cognitive, emotional, and attitudinal survey measures. Results identified both parent and child factors that influence parents’ mediation intentions and support for censorship. Practical implications in parenting, gender development, and marketing are further discussed.
Intracardiac myxomas and thrombi: Clinical manifestations, pathology and treatment

CC ARDIAC TUMORS are relatively infrequent lesions which have assumed clinical importance as successful methods for inu'acardiac surgery have been developed . Recent reports indicate the increasing frequency of accurate preoperative diagnosis and the successful removal of such minors . ] 36 The first recorded primary cardiac tumor, described by Columbus'' in 1559, arose within the left ventricular cavity. Since that time approximately 550 priniarv tumors of the heart have been reported. Over 300 have been mvxomas. This tumor typically arises from the atrial septum in the region of the fossa oxalis . It is three time , more frequent in the left atrium than in the right .' s" In twenty-one instances the diagnosis has been made antemortem and in thirty cases Irtyxomas have been discovered during surgical exploration for mitral or tricuspid stcnosis . Intracardiac tumors may occur at any age . The majority have developed in patients between the ages of thirty and sixty veers. The incidence has been greater in women . The usual clinical manifestations arise front obstruction of the mitral or tricuspid valve . In recent years angiocardiography has resolved many of the difficulties inherent in establishing an accurate preoperative diagnosis ." 11 Until the advent of technics for stasis cardiotouiy and temporary cardiopulmonary bypass whielt permit the excision of such tumors under direct vision, attempts at removal of intracardiac tumors were crude and inexact ."2 Because an accurate preoperative diagnosis of a primary cardiac tumor or thrombus can he made if certain clinical and rocnlgenographic characteristics arc kept in mind . our experience with the following three cases is presented to elucidate the diagnostic features and characteristics of such lesions . In the first patient (Case 1), a right ventricular myxoma was suspected on clinical examination and confirmed by angiocardiography . This tumor arose within the right atrium and had prolapsed through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricular cavih . In the Second case a large left atrial thrombus, not suspected prior to death, was revealed on postmortem examination in an elderly woman with emboli in the pulmonary and mesenteric arteries and subsequent extensive infarction . In the third case, postmortem examination revealed a large mural thrombus cornpletely filling the distal two-thirds of the left ventricular cavity with multiple moral thrombi within the cardiac chambers . Chronic myocarditis was responsible for the thrombi and death resulted from low cardiac output and multiple pulmonary and systemic emboli. Peripheral emboli and a low cardiac output were responsible for gangrene of the right foot, right fourth finger and third left toe .
Immunocytochemical studies of oedema protein clearance in the rat.

Twenty μl of rat albumin solution was infused into the caudate nucleus of anaesthetized rats and the distribution of the albumin was followed using immunocytochemical methods with LM and EM at 15 min, 24 hr, and 48 hr post-infusion. Fifteen min post-infusion, the albumin was distributed in the extracellular space of the white matter and in the overlying deep cortical layers. At 24 hr post-infusion, the albumin was detected in the extracellular space around the glia limitans. At the surface of the ventricular wall of the 48 hr post-infusion animals, most of the albumin had been cleared from the extracellular space (ECS) of the subependymal white matter and the ependymal clefts, although a large amount of albumin had been observed in these areas at 15 min after infusion. At the temporobasal area of the cortex, there was continuity of the labelled perivascular space of the venous vessel from the deep oedematous area to the cortical surface not only immediately after infusion but also during the chronic phase. In conclusion, oedema fluid and protein migrate not only to the ventricle but upward toward the cortical surfaces to reach the subarachnoid spaces for eventual clearance into CSF. This seemingly occurs in the absence of significant pressure gradients.
A Three-Dimensional Turbulent Energy Model for Nonhomogeneous Estuaries and Coastal Sea Systems

Abstract Three-dimensional flows in water bodies with nonhomogeneous density can be computed effectively by use of a finite difference model which contains an equation of continuity, equations describing conservation of momentum, salinity, temperature, subgridscale energy, and an equation of state. In the model, vertical accelerations are neglected, but not the vertical velocities. The vertical exchange coefficients are computed from the subgridscale energy intensity. The introduction of turbulence closure by computing vertical exchange coefficients in the transport equations eliminates the necessity of evaluating exchange coefficients in the whole computation field, but rather requires the evaluation of only a few characteristic parameters. Experiments made with the model produced velocity distributions which typically occur in coastal areas.
Rape of the Adolescent

Rape is sex without consent. It may take the form of either an assault or sex with one who is legally unable to consent. Rape is legally considered to be carnal knowledge by force and against the victim’s will.1 The patterns of rape vary according to age with the term sexual abuse being used more frequently for instances where a child unable to consent is enticed or has sex with older individuals. Sexual assault, whether it takes the form of a violent attack or sexual abuse of a minor, concerns the adolescent either directly or indirectly. As adolescence approaches, the incidence of violent attack by strangers increases significantly as does the frequency of sexual abuse where the assailant is known to the victim.2 Adolescence also is the period during which the child must resolve the emotional effects of incest.
Reversibility of Extensive Liver Damage in Galactosemia

An infant with galactosemia is reported in whom extensive liver damage developed by 1 month of age. Liver biopsy obtained prior to treatment indicated extensive periportal and intralobular fibrosis, ductular cysplasia. "pseudoglandular" transformation, and distortion of periportal vasculature. Three months after institution of a galactose-free diet, clinical and biological evidence of liver disease disappeared, and follow-up biopsy at 5 months of age showed normal hepatic histology. These findings demonstrate that functional and histological abnormalities consistent with cirrhosis can be completely reversed by dietary management in galactosemia.
Human factors in aircraft incidents - Results of a 7-year study (Andre Allard Memorial Lecture)

It is pointed out that nearly all fatal aircraft accidents are preventable, and that most such accidents are due to human error. The present discussion is concerned with the results of a seven-year study of the data collected by the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). The Aviation Safety Reporting System was designed to stimulate as large a flow as possible of information regarding errors and operational problems in the conduct of air operations. It was implemented in April, 1976. In the following 7.5 years, 35,000 reports have been received from pilots, controllers, and the armed forces. Human errors are found in more than 80 percent of these reports. Attention is given to the types of events reported, possible causal factors in incidents, the relationship of incidents and accidents, and sources of error in the data. ASRS reports include sufficient detail to permit authorities to institute changes in the national aviation system designed to minimize the likelihood of human error, and to insulate the system against the effects of errors.
Early Antibiotic Exposure and Adverse Outcomes in Preterm, Very Low Birth Weight Infants.

Objectives To determine whether antibiotic use in the first 14 postnatal days in preterm, very low birth weight (birth weight of ≤1500 g) infants is associated with risk after 14 days of age for late-onset sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), or death after controlling for severity of illness using the Clinical Risk Index in Babies II score, and determine whether duration of antibiotic exposure was associated with risk of adverse outcomes. Study design This retrospective cohort study included very low birth weight infants born at ≤326/7 weeks of gestation admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit from September 2010 to June 2014. Infants were excluded if they had major congenital anomalies or culture-proven sepsis, NEC, or death during the first 14 days of life. Antibiotic exposure was recorded as days of therapy and length of therapy in days. Results Of 374 infants, 70 (19%) had late-onset sepsis, NEC, or death after 14 days of age. The median number of antibiotic days of therapy and length of therapy were 5.5 and 3.0, respectively. In multivariate analysis after controlling for severity of illness, each antibiotic day of therapy was associated with a 1.24 times increased risk of sepsis, NEC, or death (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.17-1.31). Risk was similar when length of therapy was used (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.32-1.64). Conclusions After controlling for severity of illness, each day of antibiotic therapy provided to preterm, very low birth weight infants in the first 2 weeks of age is associated with an increased risk of late-onset sepsis, NEC, or death.
All-electrodeposited p-Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 /n-In 2 S 3 Heterojunction Formation for Solar Cell Applications

Thin film solar cell technology is currently facing challenges related to improvement in the performance parameters such as efficiency, fill factor, etc. primarily linked with poor heterojunction interface formation, and the use of toxic materials. CdTe/CIGS and CdS dominate the TFSC industry as the typical absorber and buffer layer materials. The expensive and hazardous nature of these materials, and their fabrication method demands for proper alternatives with potential for similar or better performance. Recent findings indicated the potential of using Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) and In 2 S 3 as the absorber and buffer layers respectively. Several publications focus upon synthesizing CZTS and In 2 S 3 films using solution deposition techniques (electrodeposition, chemical spray pyrolysis, etc.) and characterizing materials to study the impact of various deposition parameters. However, limited work has been performed on synthesizing both materials to form a heterojunction device for solar cell applications using one particular method. The presented work illustrates electrochemical synthesis of p-CZTS/n-In 2 S 3 based photovoltaic device using a basic three-electrode electrochemical cell-setup. The experimental results reveal good stoichiometry, crystalline structure, and morphology for In 2 S 3 and CZTS films to eventually fabricate a desired heterojunction device.
Risk of Unplanned Hospital Encounters in Patients Treated With Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Abstract Context Radiotherapy is highly effective for treating squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck but is often associated with significant toxicities and severe morbidity. Unplanned emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations are common during treatment and come with a substantial financial and health burden as well as the potential for impaired long-term outcomes due to treatment disruption. Objectives The objective of this study was to identify patient, disease, and treatment characteristics that were associated with ED encounters and admissions. Methods A cohort of 462 patients with cancer of the head and neck treated with radiotherapy at UT Southwestern between 2010 and 2015 was retrospectively analyzed. The risks of ED visits, admissions, multiple admissions, and extended admissions were determined. Risk factors for an unplanned hospital encounter were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results Overall, 36% of patients had an unplanned hospital encounter during the treatment window. Patients with advanced disease, those with high comorbidity score, and those treated with concurrent chemotherapy were more likely to have unplanned admissions/ED visits. Social factors such as marital status, smoking status, and registration in the public hospital system were also strongly associated with admissions and multiple encounters. Conclusion The high rate of admissions and ED visits emphasizes the importance of anticipating and managing toxicities during treatment. Social factors have a strong association with unplanned encounters and may present opportunities for targeted interventions to reduce admissions for patients at highest risk.
Set screw homogenization of murine ocular tissue, including the whole eye

Purpose To compare methods for homogenizing the mouse whole eye or retina for RNA extraction. Methods We tested five homogenization techniques for the whole eye and the retina. Two established shearing techniques were a version of the Potter-Elvehjem homogenizer, which uses a plastic pellet pestle in a microfuge tube, and a Dounce homogenizer. Two modern bead-beating methods used commercially manufactured devices, the Next Advance Bullet Blender and the Qiagen TissueLyser LT. The last method involved vortex mixing multiple samples simultaneously in a buffer containing a stainless-steel set screw, a novel approach. RNA was extracted from the tissue after each technique was used. Degradation of RNA was measured with the RNA integrity number (RIN score) after electrophoresis on an Agilent BioAnalyzer RNA LabChip. Nucleic acid yields were measured with ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy in a BioTek Synergy H1 Hybrid plate reader. The purity of the nucleic acids was assessed with the mean absorbance ratio (A260/A280). The preparation time per sample was measured with a digital stopwatch. Costs of necessary consumables were calculated per ten samples. Results The RIN scores for all homogenization methods and both tissue types ranged from 7.75±0.64 to 8.78±0.18; none were statistically significantly different. The total RNA yield per whole eye from the bead-based methods ranged from 7,700 to 9,800 ng and from 3,000 to 4,600 ng for the pellet pestle and Dounce shearing methods, respectively. The total RNA yield per retina from the bead-based methods ranged from 4,600 to 8,400 ng and from 2,200 to 7,400 ng for the pellet pestle and Dounce shearing methods, respectively. Homogenization was faster using the bead-based methods (about 15 min for ten samples) because multiple samples could be run simultaneously compared to the shearing methods that require samples be homogenized individually (about 45-60 min per ten samples). The costs in consumables for the methods tested ranged from $2.60 to $14.70 per ten samples. The major differences in overall costs come in the form of one-time equipment purchases, which can range from one hundred to thousands of dollars. The bead-based methods required less technician involvement and had less potential for sample contamination than the shearing methods. Conclusions The purity and quality of RNA were similar across all methods for both tissue types. The novel set screw method and the two bead-based methods (bullet blender and TissueLyser) outperformed the two shearing methods (the pellet pestle and Dounce techniques) in total RNA yields for the whole eye. Although the bullet blender, TissueLyser, and set screw methods produced comparable levels of RNA yield, purity, and quality, the set screw method was less expensive. Researchers seeking the efficiency of sophisticated bead homogenization equipment without the high equipment costs might consider this novel method.
“You Can't Dance to It”: Jazz Music and Its Choreographies of Listening

Central to dominant jazz history narratives is a midcentury rupture where jazz transitions from popular dance music to art music. Fundamental to this trope is the idea that faster tempos and comple...
Evaluation of aerodynamic damping in full-scale rain-wind-induced stay cable vibration

Abstract Rain-wind-induced vibration of stay cables has been a long-standing problem for cable-stayed bridges. Despite the numerous full-scale and laboratory studies conducted to understand this phenomenon, a consensus on the excitation mechanism that causes the vibration has not been reached. As a result, although many types of formulation have been used to develop models for rain-wind-induced vibration, the capability of these models to effectively predict full-scale vibrations has not been definitively validated. Motivated by the qualitative similarities between the rain-wind-induced vibration and vortex-induced vibration observed in the field, this study proposes to model rain-wind-induced vibration as a Van der Pol oscillator in a manner similar to that used in the modeling of vortex-induced vibration by some previous studies. The model is used as a basis to evaluate the aerodynamic damping resulting from the interaction between the vibration of full-scale stay cables and wind as well as rain, which is the fundamental mechanism that causes large-amplitude vibrations. The dependence of the generalized coefficients representing the linear and nonlinear components of the aerodynamic damping on the characteristics of both the vibration and the wind is interpreted.
Modeling Universal Globally Adaptive Load-Balanced Routing

Universal globally adaptive load-balanced (UGAL) routing has been proposed for various interconnection networks and has been deployed in a number of current-generation supercomputers. Although UGAL-based schemes have been extensively studied, most existing results are based on either simulation or measurement. Without a theoretical understanding of UGAL, multiple questions remain: For which traffic patterns is UGAL most suited? In addition, what determines the performance of the UGAL-based scheme on a particular network configuration? In this work, we develop a set of throughput models for UGALbased on linear programming. We show that the throughput models are valid across the torus, Dragonfly, and Slim Fly network topologies. Finally, we identify a robust model that can accurately and efficiently predict UGAL throughput for a set of representative traffic patterns across different topologies. Our models not only provide a mechanism to predict UGAL performance on large-scale interconnection networks but also reveal the inner working of UGAL and further our understanding of this type of routing.
Novel cis-regulatory regions in ecdysone responsive genes are sufficient to promote gene expression in Drosophila ovarian cells

The insect steroid hormone ecdysone is a key regulator of oogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster and many other species. Despite the diversity of cellular functions of ecdysone in oogenesis, the molecular regulation of most ecdysone-responsive genes in ovarian cells remains largely unexplored. We performed a functional screen using the UAS/Gal4 system to identify non-coding cis-regulatory elements within well-characterized ecdysone-response genes capable of driving transcription of an indelible reporter in ovarian cells. Using two publicly available transgenic collections (the FlyLight and Vienna Tiles resources), we tested 62 Gal4 drivers corresponding to ecdysone-response genes EcR, usp, E75, br, ftz-f1 and Hr3. We observed 31 lines that were sufficient to drive a UAS-lacZ reporter in discrete cell populations in the ovary. Reporter expression was reproducibly observed in both somatic and germ cells at distinct stages of oogenesis, including those previously characterized as critical points of ecdysone regulation. Our studies identified several useful new reagents, adding to the UAS/Gal4 toolkit available for genetic analysis of oogenesis in Drosophila. Further, our study provides novel insight into the molecular regulation of ecdysone signaling in oogenesis.
Using Fundamental Analysis to Assess Earnings Quality: Evidence from the Center for Financial Research and Analysis:

We document postevent negative abnormal returns to the (implicit) sell recommendations of a group of fundamental analysts. We also find statistically significant deterioration in the financial perf...
Abstract A07: The involvement of a type VII secretion system in the interactions between Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies gallolyticus and colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the 2nd-3rd most common cancer worldwide and is a leading cause of cancer-related death. Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiome plays an important role in the development of CRC. One such organism of the gut microbiome that plays an important role in CRC is Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies gallolyticus (Sgg). Previously, we reported that Sgg stimulates CRC cell proliferation in a β-catenin dependent manner. Using an azoxymethane-induced mouse model of CRC, we have also shown that Sgg-treated mice had significantly higher tumor burden in the colon compared to mice treated with saline or negative control bacteria, suggesting that Sgg actively promotes the development of CRC. The mechanism underlying Sgg’s role in CRC development, however, has yet to be elucidated. The type VII secretion system (T7SS), also called the Esx secretion system, is a specialized secretion system found primarily in Firmicutes and Actinobacteria and has been shown to play an important role in virulence in Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Here, we examined the genome of Sgg and found that it encodes a putative T7SS (SggT7SS) highly similar to the T7SS in S. aureus with respect to sequence identity and gene organization. We further showed that the SggT7SS is functional. To investigate if the SggT7SS is involved in the connection between Sgg and CRC, we generated an Sgg mutant lacking the core components of the T7SS secretion machinery. Functional characterization of the mutant indicates that SggT7SS is intimately involved in the interactions between Sgg and CRC cells. Taken together, our results suggest that a T7SS system may be important in inducing specific host responses to Sgg in the context of CRC. Studies to further elucidate the activities of T7SS and its role in Sgg’s contribution to CRC are currently under way. Citation Format: John Culver Taylor, Jacob Rutherford, Maria Nunez, Yi Xu. The involvement of a type VII secretion system in the interactions between Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies gallolyticus and colorectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Microbiome, Viruses, and Cancer; 2020 Feb 21-24; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(8 Suppl):Abstract nr A07.
Costly teeth? Gestation length in primates suggests that neonate dentition is not expensive to produce

Variation in the relationship between gestation length and body mass can arise because different types of tissue require varying amounts of energy to build, and not all species build such tissues in the same proportions. Given that a pregnant female has a finite amount of energy, trade-offs between investment in different tissues may occur. Here we examine if dental precocity accounts for variation in primate gestation length. If true, this could explain why folivorous species with precocial dentition have longer gestation lengths than predicted by neonatal brain and body mass. We compiled data on gestation length, neonate and adult female body and brain mass from the literature. We used published postcanine eruption schedules at 4 months of age and measured the total occlusal area as dental endowment to approximate dental precocity at birth. Species with embryonic delay in growth or altricial neonates were not considered because they represent grade shifts regarding gestation length. Consequently, our data were biased toward Simiiformes and Old World monkeys, specifically. We performed a phylogenetic generalized least squares regression (pGLS) of neonate brain mass in relation to neonate body mass, and a second pGLS with dental endowment as an additional predictor variable. Including dental endowment in the pGLS did not improve the model. Dental endowment did not systematically impact primate gestation length. Concordant with results from previous studies, this indicates that the energetically expensive period of tooth mineralization may occur postnatally. More data are required to examine if the results are typical across primates.
Ernest Moody: Galileo and Nominalism

The death of Ernest A. Moody in December of 1975 deprived the academic world of one of its foremost medievalists and intellectual historians, a person to be ranked surely with Pierre Duhem and Anneliese Maier for the many difficult texts he made available to scholars and for the novelty of the insights with which he continually stimulated them. Fortunate it was that just six months before his death the University of California Press saw fit to publish his collected papers, together with an autobiographical preface that explained his intellectual odyssey, why and when he wrote what he did from beginning to end, and how he finally evaluated the results of all his labors.1 This series of papers, together with Moody’s three books,2 stand as a monument to the man’s impressive scholarship; they also afford those of us who knew and admired his work the opportunity to reflect on his achievement and to offer a critique of his central theses.
In-Cell Detection of Conformational Substates of a G Protein-Coupled Receptor Quaternary Structure: Modulation of Substate Probability by Cognate Ligand Binding.

While the notion that G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) associate into homo- and hetero-oligomers has gained more recognition in recent years, a lack of consensus remains among researchers regard...
Coronavirus 2019: clinical and neuropathological aspects.

Purpose of review To understand the role of postinfectious autoimmune vascular inflammation in the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019-related neurological illness caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus and its effects on the brain in children and adults. Recent findings There are a very small number of postmortem neuropathological series of coronavirus disease 2019-related cerebrovascular and parenchymal disease. However, they fall into at least three major categories, with the majority manifesting those of terminal hypoxia, and others demonstrating inflammatory vascular leptomeningeal, cerebral and brainstem interstitial changes suspicious for encephalitis in a minority of cases. It remains uncertain whether these histopathological features have a relationship to post-infectious inflammatory immune mechanisms and microscopic vasculitis in adults as it appears to be in affected children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Summary The reasons for this dichotomy are unclear but may related to inherent and epigenetic factors that remain poorly understood. Treatment addressing postinfectious mechanisms of pulmonary, systemic, and nervous system injury may avert early mortality.
Malignancy Risk in Lung Transplant Recipients with Short Telomere Length

Purpose Short telomere lengths (TL) are seen in 10% of lung transplant recipients (LTRs) with interstitial lung disease (ILD). Short TL and immunosuppression predispose to carcinogenesis. We assess whether LTRs with short TLs have a compounded malignancy risk. Methods This is a single-center retrospective analysis from 1/2012 - 1/2017. LTR records were queried for TL, malignancy, and cancer risk factors. TL was assayed in ILD candidates with cytopenias, abnormal liver function and coagulation, splenomegaly, premature graying, or ILD family history. Lymphocyte TL was assessed via flow-FISH (Repeat Dx) and was age-adjusted; values Results 19/233 (8.2%) LTRs had short TLs. There were no inter-cohort differences in baseline traits (Table 1). Five (26.3%) LTRs with short TLs developed malignancy, compared to 45 (21%) patients with presumed normal TLs. There was a significant difference in hematologic malignancy rate in those with short TLs (40% vs. 0%, p=0.009). There was no difference in time to cancer diagnosis or survival (Table 3). Conclusion LTRs with short TLs may be predisposed to hematologic malignancy. Study limitations include size, the single-center, retrospective design, and that only a sub-set of patients had TL measured.
Circulating Protein Disulfide Isomerase Is Associated with Increased Risk of Thrombosis in JAK2-Mutated Myeloproliferative Neoplasms.

Purpose: Thromboembolic events (TE) are the most common complications of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Clinical parameters, including patient age and mutation status, are used to risk-stratify patients with MPN, but a true biomarker of TE risk is lacking. Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), an endoplasmic reticulum protein vital for protein folding, also possesses essential extracellular functions, including regulation of thrombus formation. Pharmacologic PDI inhibition prevents thrombus formation, but whether pathologic increases in PDI increase TE risk remains unknown. Experimental Design: We evaluated the association of plasma PDI levels and risk of TE in a cohort of patients with MPN with established diagnosis of polycythemia vera (PV) or essential thrombocythemia (ET), compared with healthy controls. Plasma PDI was measured at enrollment and subjects followed prospectively for development of TE. Results: A subset of patients, primarily those with JAK2-mutated MPN, had significantly elevated plasma PDI levels as compared with controls. Plasma PDI was functionally active. There was no association between PDI levels and clinical parameters typically used to risk-stratify patients with MPN. The risk of TE was 8-fold greater in those with PDI levels above 2.5 ng/mL. Circulating endothelial cells from JAK2-mutated MPN patients, but not platelets, demonstrated augmented PDI release, suggesting endothelial activation as a source of increased plasma PDI in MPN. Conclusions: The observed association between plasma PDI levels and increased risk of TE in patients with JAK2-mutated MPN has both prognostic and therapeutic implications.
Modernism, Feminism and the Culture of Boredom

Bored women populate many of the most celebrated works of British modernist literature. Whether in popular offerings such as Robert Hitchens's The Garden of Allah, the esteemed middlebrow novels of May Sinclair or H. G. Wells, or now-canonized works such as Virginia Woolf's The Voyage Out, women's boredom frequently serves as narrative impetus, antagonist and climax. In this book, Allison Pease explains how the changing meaning of boredom reshapes our understanding of modernist narrative techniques, feminism's struggle to define women as individuals and male modernists' preoccupation with female sexuality. To this end, Pease characterizes boredom as an important category of critique against the constraints of women's lives, arguing that such critique surfaces in modernist fiction in an undeniably gendered way. Engaging with a wide variety of well- and lesser-known modernist writers, Pease's study will appeal especially to researchers and graduates in modernist studies and British literature.
Active Pot Control using Alcoa STARprobe

To run an aluminum smelting cell, routine bath sampling and subsequent chemistry analysis are required along with pot temperature measurement. The sampling and analytical process is lengthy, tedious, and very often results are delayed as long as 24 hours. In addition the results are not coupled to other critical information (e.g. noise, automatic resistance adjustments, etc) at the time of the sample. Alcoa STARprobe™, which was previously described (1), corrects these deficiencies while providing a means to more efficiently and effectively control a smelting pot. This paper presents the background philosophy for an advanced control that has been enabled by the new measurement technique. The control method has been applied in multiple plants and demonstration of improved performance will be shown.
Immunomodulation of volatile anesthetics (IRM9P.726)

Introduction: The impact of anesthetic exposure on the immune system is relatively unknown at both mechanistic and clinical levels. In this in vitro study, we employ immunological assays and understanding of immune cell function to evaluate the effect of volatile anesthetic (VA) exposure on bone marrow dendritic cells (BMDCs). BMDCc play a critical role in antigen presentation and link the innate and adaptive arms of the immune response. Hypothesis: We believe that VA exposure may modulate immune responses, specifically BMDC function. Methods: Bone marrow cells were harvested from C57BL/6 mice and cultured for six days to generate BMDCs. They were stimulated with low and high dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Simultaneously, the cells were exposed to 1.5% isoflurane and incubated for 5 hours. Upon completion of VA exposure, the BMDCs were lysed with Trizol, RNA extracted, and reverse transcript PCR used to generate cDNA. RT-qPCR was performed to evaluate gene expression of common BMDC cytokines. Results: BMDC exposure to isoflurane resulted in decreased gene expression of IL-10, IL-6, and IL-1β. RT-qPCR data indicated 2-4 fold decreases in gene expression of these cytokines. Conclusions: BMDCs exposed to VA in vitro displayed decreased gene expression of inflammatory cytokines. Significance: Better understanding of immunomodulation by anesthetics is critical for optimizing patient outcomes and improved perioperative management.
Differential Factors Affecting Male and Female Academic Performance in High School.

An attempt was made to explain the combined effect of several factors on academic performance and to explore whether this effect was different for males and females. The independent variables were ...
Ethics in geriatrics

Ethik ist ein fundamentaler Teil der Geriatrie. Ethische Fragen sind in jedem Bereich der Medizin wichtig, sie haben aber in der Geriatrie eine spezielle Bedeutung, denn Geriatrie beschaftigt sich oft mit gesundheitlichen Problemen hochaltriger Menschen am Ende ihres Lebens. Diese Menschen sind korperlich, psychisch und sozial vulnerabel, multimorbid, gebrechlich und „frail“. Sie erleiden Defizite ihrer korperlichen und kognitiven Funktionen und brauchen zunehmend Hilfe und Betreuung durch andere Menschen. Eine Entscheidungssituation ist eindeutiger und klarer, wenn der Arzt es mit gut informierten, entscheidungskompetenten Patienten zu tun hat; schwieriger ist sie bei multimorbiden, oft kognitiv beeintrachtigten, hochaltrigen Patienten. In der Ethik geht es um das systematische und strukturierte Stellen von Fragen. Der Frageprozess soll logisch strukturiert werden, Fragen durfen auch offen bleiben. Es geht um das Hinterfragen von Vorurteilen und Handlungsweisen, um Darlegung von Begriffen, um Einforderung von Fakten, um genaue Definitionen, um Hilfe beim logischen Durchdenken des Problems. Gute Ethik beginnt mit guten Fakten, nicht mit grundlosen Annahmen.
Adjuvant Active Specific Immunotherapy for Stage II and III Colon Cancer With an Autologous Tumor Cell Vaccine: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Study E5283

PURPOSE: A randomized phase III clinical trial of adjuvant active specific immunotherapy (ASI) with an autologous tumor cell–bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine was conducted to determine whether surgical resection plus ASI was more beneficial than resection alone in stage II and III colon cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients (n = 412) with colon cancer (297 with stage II disease, 115 with stage III disease) were randomly allocated to an observation arm or to a treatment arm in which they received three weekly intradermal vaccine injections of 107 irradiated autologous tumor cells beginning approximately 4 weeks after surgery. The first two weekly injections also contained 107 BCG organisms. Patients were observed for determination of time to recurrence and disease-free and overall survival. RESULTS: This was a negative study in that after a 7.6-year median follow-up period, there were no statistically significant differences in clinical outcomes between the treatment arms. However, there we...
Outcomes of Global Service-Learning: A Content Analysis of Student Reflection Essays in Camp Adventure^(TM) Child and Youth Services

The purpose of this study was to determine common outcomes of participation in a global service-learning program. More specifically, a content analysis was conducted on the culminating reflection essays of college and university students participating as staff members in Camp Adventure™ Child and Youth Services (CACYS) service-learning program to determine if outcomes identified by the students reflect Derek Bok’s Eight Core Competencies in higher education. The study focused on the students’ overall comments offered in reflection papers, which provide information regarding student learning outcomes, derived benefits, and ways in which challenges were addressed. Such reflections offer enhancements to personal growth as well as enabling one to gain knowledge and understanding of the program’s impact on future educational and professional endeavors. It was found that students discussed diversity, career and vocational development and global understanding most often in their reflections essays.
Late Tertiary tectonic evolution of northern Iran: A case for simple crustal folding

Abstract Here we present a crustal folding or buckling mechanism to explain the rootless 3–5 km high Alborz Mountains in northern Iran as well as ∼ 10 km of Late Miocene to recent subsidence in the south Caspian basin and ∼ 3–6 km of subsidence in the central Iranian basin in the context of the middle Miocene to recent Arabia–Eurasia collision. A key element of the mechanism is the presence of lateral and vertical lithospheric strength contrasts between the north Iranian continental and south Caspian oceanic crusts: when compression from the collision is applied across the region, the strong south Caspian oceanic crust, buried under > 10 km of premiddle Miocene sediment, interacts with the bottom of the mechanically strong continental upper crust of northern Iran, resulting in upward buckling of the continental crust and downward buckling of the oceanic crust. We test this mechanism using a finite-element numerical model with a Maxwell rheology and obtain results that are consistent with the geological and geophysical observations. The observations compiled here and the model results demonstrate the potential for using this region as a natural laboratory for studying the early stages of continent–oceanic collision, including processes like basin inversion, fault localization and, potentially, subduction initiation.
Complex Infrastructure-vehicle-Consumer Considerations for Enabling Increased Consumption of Fuel Ethanol

Abstract Despite the rapid growth of the U.S. biofuels industry over the last two decades, the United States is struggling to meet Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) targets. In addition to the challenge of producing biofuels at cost that is competitive with petroleum gasoline, an additional expense for ethanol emanates from enabling its consumption as the US fuel market encounters the E10 ‘blend wall’—the maximum blend acceptable for use in existing gasoline infrastructure and vehicles. Without 1) rapid technological innovation in drop-in biofuel production, 2) increased tolerance of ethanol blends in existing infrastructure and vehicle standards, or 3) revision of the RFS2 to become production-focused instead of consumption-focused, options for increasing the average blend beyond E10 must come from a) increased consumption of mid- to high- level ethanol-gasoline blends such as E30 or E85, and/or b) increased E15 consumption among operators of vehicles manufactured in 2001 or later. We highlight research, deployment, and policy considerations to improve national and global alternative fuel system energy and GHG efficiency, and evaluate economic and emissions trade-offs associated with technically feasible strategies to increase ethanol consumption.
Revealing the hidden structure of our genome.

Two methods give genetics researchers new ways to uncover different forms of genomic structural variation. Based on a novel application of existing PCR technologies, they promise to make the study of DNA rearrangements accessible to a wider field.
Synthesis of (+)-CP-99,994 via Pd(0)-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic and Homoallylic C−H Diamination of Terminal Olefin

This paper describes an asymmetric synthesis of the potent substance P receptor antagonist (+)-CP-99,994 from 4-phenyl-1-butene via Pd(0)-catalyzed asymmetric allylic and homoallylic C−H diamination.
Finite automata play repeated prisoner's dilemma with information processing costs

Abstract We study the finitely repeated Prisoner's Dilemma game. Our players are modeled as finite automata. A population of boundedly rational players compete in a ‘survival of the fittest’ evolution contest simulated using Holland's genetic algorithm. Starting from a hostile population which plays defection frequently, our simulation results show that players converge to play cooperatively. This emergence of cooperative behavior breaks down when we penalize a complex strategy based on the size of the machine. On the other hand, a penalty cost that increases with the frequency an automaton switches states will not hurt the development of cooperative behavior.
Development of a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor following treatment for testicular seminoma.

Abstract A novel case is reported in which an S2 nerve root malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor was diagnosed approximately 8 years after treatment for Stage I testicular seminoma. This patient underwent right orchiectomy and subsequent irradiation therapy to the periaortic region, including the sacrum. Postoperative radiation therapy likely played a role in the development of this second malignancy. UROLOGY 50: 292-294, 1997.
Bringing ecotourism into focus: applying a hierarchical perspective to ecotourism research

Ecotourism is a complex phenomenon that has grown rapidly in the last three decades. The emerging field of inquiry based on this phenomenon has followed a similar trajectory of growth. Understanding the dimensions of its impacts can pose great challenges to researchers. As a result, ecotourism literature is characterised by continued debates of definitions, bias towards small-scale, one-shot case studies, and overall lack of coherence, and a dearth of explanatory theory. We discuss how hierarchy theory may be used to address these issues. Hierarchy theory has been applied in other disciplines to organise research inquiries, characterise the conclusions drawn from them, and reconcile competing definitions and theories. We explain how key concepts from hierarchy theory are of relevance to levels of analyses of ecotourism whether conducted on individual people or destinations or on the global phenomenon as a whole.
Rate of bacterial eradication by ophthalmic solutions of fourth-generation fluoroquinolones

Introduction Antibacterial activity of ophthalmic fourth-generation fluoroquinolones has traditionally been evaluated by comparing only their active ingredients, gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin. However, ophthalmic formulations of fourth-generation fluoroquinolones differ in terms of the inclusion of preservatives. While gatifloxacin ophthalmic solution 0.3% (Zymar®; Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA, USA) contains 0.005% benzalkonium chloride (BAK), moxifloxacin ophthalmic solution 0.5% (Vigamox®; Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Fort Worth, TX, USA) is preservative-free. Recent studies have demonstrated that the presence of BAK dramatically affects the antibacterial activity of the ophthalmic formulation of gatifloxacin. This study was designed to compare the kill rates of ophthalmic solutions of fourth-generation fluoroquinolones against isolates of common ocular bacterial pathogens.
EXAFS analysis of the active site of the nonmetalloenzyme human prostatic acid phosphatase by means of Cu2+ inactivation

The enzyme human prostatic acid phosphatase is normally metal-free in its native state but can be stoichiometrically inactivated with cupric acetate. Direct structural evidence is reported for the participation of two histidine residues in the Cu2+ binding site. X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) data taken of the CuK-edge reveal that copper is coordinated to five nitrogen or oxygen ligands at 1.99 A. Two of these first shell ligands are part of two histidine amino acid residues with outer shell CuC/N distances of 2.96 and 4.08 A. Empirical phase and amplitude functions were successfully used for outer shell fittings. The results are confirmed by comparison with reference structures including L-histidinato-D-histidinato diaquo Cu(II) tetrahydrate. The influence of Cu-imidazole coordination on absorption edge and EXAFS data is discussed. A model of the copper binding site is proposed which involves two histidines present at the active site of enzyme. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biospect 3: 85–96, 1997