cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Analysis of Neutralizing Immune Responses to Human Parvovirus B19 Using a Novel Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Assay

Infection with human parvovirus B19 causes fifth disease, acute and chronic red cell aplasia, fetal hydrops, arthropathy, and other disorders. Antiviral antibodies limit B19 infection in vivo; however, the identification of serologic markers of protection has been hampered by the lack of a quantitative assay for parvovirus neutralization. A novel in vitro test for parvovirus neutralization has been developed using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to detect viral transcripts in a B19-permissive cell line. Parvovirus neutralizing activity was measured in sera from naturally infected individuals, and common features of sera with high neutralizing capacity were identified as protection correlates. Sera that suppressed B19 replication in vitro demonstrated IgG reactivity with capsid proteins VP1 and VP2, but no linear relationship between antibody titer and neutralizing capacity was observed. Sera from experimental animals and human volunteers immunized with a virus-like particle vaccine candidate exhibited B19 neutralizing titers equal to or greater than those observed in natural infections.
Fractal-based Automatic Localization and Segmentation of Optic Disc in Retinal Images

In this paper, we proposed a novel algorithm to detect optic disc location in retinal images. Optic disc is a bright disk area and all major blood vessels and nerves originate from it. With its high fractal dimension of blood vessel, optic disc can be easily differentiated from other bright regions such as hard exudates and artifacts. Compared with existing algorithms, ours has much lower computational cost and is more robust. With its location known, segmentation of optic disc can be done with simple local histogram analysis. The algorithm can be valuable for automated processing for early stage retinal disease.
Two Components of Transducer Adaptation in Auditory Hair Cells

Mechanoelectrical transducer currents in turtle auditory hair cells adapted to maintained stimuli via a Ca2+-dependent mechanism characterized by two time constants of ∼1 and 15 ms. The time course...
Vibrational spectra and normal coordinate analysis of difluorophosphine‐d0 and ‐d1

The Raman and infrared spectra of difluorophosphine and difluorophosphine-d1 in the gaseous and solid phases from 100 to 3000 cm−1 have been recorded. The six fundamental frequencies have been assigned on the basis of group frequencies, depolarization ratios, band types and isotopic shifts. A normal coordinate analysis was carried out. Very little mixing was found to occur between the normal modes. Thermodynamic functions were calculated from the observed frequencies and previously reported moments of inertia.
Ultrasensitive, Room Temperature Detection of THz Radiation Using Nonlinear Parametric Conversion

We demonstrate ultrasensitive, room temperature optical detection of terahertz by using nonlinear parametric upconversion. Terahertz radiation is mixed with pump light at 1550 nm in quasi-phase-matched GaAs crystal to generate an optical sideband or idler wave that is coupled into optical fiber and detected using a Geiger-mode APD. The resulting terahertz detector has a noise equivalent power of 78 fW/Hz1/2 with a timing resolution of 1 ns.
Design of Algorithm-Based Fault Tolerant Systems with In-System Checks

To improve the reliability of computeintensive applications run on multiprocessor architec tures, fault tolerance is introduced into the system with on-line detection and location of faults. This can be achieved by a low-cost scheme, called Algorithm-based fault tolerance (ABFT), which encodes data at the system level and modifies the algorithm to operate on the encoded data. The resultant encoded output data is checked for correctness by some checks. In this pa per we present an extended model for representing and designing ABFT systems. The model takes into con sideration the processors evaluating the checks. We propose a design method which considers the proces sors computing the checks to be a part of the ABFT system and guarantees concurrent error detection even in the presence of faults in these processors, unlike most methods presented earlier.
Evidence for a relationship between abnormal static torque synergies and disturbances of planar arm movements in hemiparetic subjects: preliminary results

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between abnormal static torque synergies and disturbances of planar arm movements in stroke subjects (n=3). Abnormal static torque synergies (e.g. coupling between shoulder abduction-external rotation and elbow flexion torques) were identified in the impaired arm of all three subjects using 6 degree of freedom load cell measurements. As a result, the ability of subjects to produce static elbow extension and shoulder abduction torques simultaneously was severely compromised. Based on comparisons of actively and passively supported arm movements, similar manifestations of these abnormal synergies were present under dynamic conditions. Disturbances of actively supported reaching movements (which required shoulder abduction and external rotation torques) were associated with a reduction in the elbow extension torque, relative to the passively supported condition. The scientific and clinical implications of these preliminary findings will be discussed.
MECHANISMS OF LOW LEVEL LIGHT THERAPY

The use of low levels of visible or near infrared light for reducing pain, inflammation and edema, promoting healing of wounds, deeper tissues and nerves, and preventing tissue damage has been known for almost forty years since the invention of lasers. Originally thought to be a peculiar property of laser light (soft or cold lasers), the subject has now broadened to include photobiomodulation and photobiostimulation using non-coherent light. Despite many reports of positive findings from experiments conducted in vitro, in animal models and in randomized controlled clinical trials, LLLT remains controversial. This likely is due to two main reasons; firstly the biochemical mechanisms underlying the positive effects are incompletely understood, and secondly the complexity of rationally choosing amongst a large number of illumination parameters such as wavelength, fluence, power density, pulse structure and treatment timing has led to the publication of a number of negative studies as well as many positive ones. In particular a biphasic dose response has been frequently observed where low levels of light have a much better effect than higher levels. This introductory review will cover some of the proposed cellular chromophores responsible for the effect of visible light on mammalian cells, including cytochrome c oxidase (with absorption peaks in the near infrared) and photoactive porphyrins. Mitochondria are thought to be a likely site for the initial effects of light, leading to increased ATP production, modulation of reactive oxygen species and induction of transcription factors. These effects in turn lead to increased cell proliferation and migration (particularly by fibroblasts), modulation in levels of cytokines, growth factors and inflammatory mediators, and increased tissue oxygenation. The results of these biochemical and cellular changes in animals and patients include such benefits as increased healing in chronic wounds, improvements in sports injuries and carpal tunnel syndrome, pain reduction in arthritis and neuropathies, and amelioration of damage after heart attacks, stroke, nerve injury and retinal toxicity.
Comparison of Blue Dye Visualization and Glucose Oxidase Test Strip Methods for Detecting Pulmonary Aspiration of Enteral Feedings in Intubated Adults

Study objective To compare the relative utility of blue dye visualization with a glucose oxidase test strip method for detecting aspiration of enteral feedings. Design Tracheally intubated adults were prospectively monitored for aspiration of enteral feedings. Setting Intensive care units of two community hospitals in Michigan. Interventions None. Patients The experimental group consisted of 15 patients receiving enteral feedings. The control group included 14 patients not enterally fed. Measurements and results Blue food coloring was added to feeding formulas to obtain a visible blue color. At 8-h intervals, tracheal secretions were examined for blue discoloration, followed by measurement of glucose concentration using a calibrated glucose meter. Clinically significant aspiration was defined to require the following: (1) a bloodless positive glucose reading (≥20 mg/dl); (2) one or more signs of systemic inflammation; and (3) one or more signs of respiratory deterioration. Eight (53 percent) of 15 patients in the experimental group experienced at least one episode of presumptive aspiration as defined by either a bloodless positive glucose reading or visible blue discoloration of tracheal secretions. Clinically significant aspiration occurred in 5 (33 percent) of 15 patients in whom bloodless glucose readings were positive in 13 (19 percent) of 67 samples; among patients not developing this complication, glucose was found in only 3 (5 percent) of 60 samples; (p = 0.005). Inspecting tracheal secretions for blue dye usually failed to detect aspiration episodes identifiable by the glucose oxidase test strip method (relative sensitivity, 13 percent). Blue dye visualization performed no better among patients developing clinically significant aspiration (relative sensitivity, 15 percent). Patients who developed clinically significant aspiration received more of their enteral feedings in the supine position than patients without this complication (98 percent vs 21 percent; p Conclusions : Inspecting tracheal secretions for blue discoloration failed to detect most episodes of enteral feeding aspiration. Glucose oxidase test strip methods should replace blue dye visualization for detecting aspiration of enteral feedings in intubated adults.
Outlet glacier response to the 2012 collapse of the Matusevich Ice Shelf, Severnaya Zemlya, Russian Arctic

The Matusevich Ice Shelf (MIS), located within the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago in the Russian Arctic, rapidly broke apart between 10 August and 7 September 2012. We examine the response of the outlet glaciers that fed the MIS from local ice caps to the removal of the ice shelf. We use spaceborne laser altimetry and multiple optically derived digital elevation models to track ice surface elevation change rates (dh/dt) between 1984 and 2014. Glacier speeds are measured by pixel-tracking from optical and RADAR imagery between 2010 and 2014 and interferometric synthetic aperture radar in 1995 to compare precollapse and postcollapse velocities. We find that the three main outlet glaciers that fed the MIS are thinning an order of magnitude more rapidly than most of the rest of Severnaya Zemyla, based upon ICESat data from 2003 to 2009. Recent, 2012 to 2014 thinning rates are three to four times faster than the 30 year average thinning rate, calculated between 1984 and 2014. The springtime speeds of the largest outlet glacier (Issledovateley) have increased more than 200% at the terminus between April 2010 and April 2014. To date, changes in surface elevation (dh/dt) and velocity at the outlet glaciers near MIS are smaller than glacier responses to ice shelf collapse in Antarctica. It is possible that the MIS was already very weak prior to the 2012 collapse and unable to support back stress. Further observations are required to assess whether the thinning and nonmelt season glacier speeds are continuing to accelerate.
10E-2 A Topology to Ameliorate Insertion Loss and Large Signal Capture Effects in Tunable SAW Filters

This paper discusses a circuit topology which ameliorates insertion loss and large signal capture effects in tunable SAW filters. The topology is developed as an extension of recent work on fully-programmable SAW transversal filters and centers upon the use of the SAW filter as a tunable impedance element in a flexible frequency selective amplifier module.
Spatial and temporal characteristics of wildfires in Mississippi, USA

Forests constitute a large percentage of the total land area in Mississippi and are a vital element of the state economy. Although wildfire occurrences have been considerably reduced since the 1920s, there are still about 4000 wildfires each year in Mississippi burning over 24 000 ha (60 000 acres). This study focusses on recent history and various characteristics of Mississippi wildfires to provide better understanding of spatial and temporal characteristics of wildfires in the state. Geographic information systems and Mississippi Forestry Commission wildfire occurrence data were used to examine relationships between climatic and anthropogenic factors, the incidence, burned area, wildfire cause, and socioeconomic factors. The analysis indicated that wildfires are more frequent in southern Mississippi, in counties covered mostly by pine forest, and are most prominent in the winter–spring season. Proximity to roads and cities were two anthropogenic factors that had the most statistically significant correlation with wildfire occurrence and size. In addition, the validity of the Palmer Drought Severity Index as a measure of fire activity was tested for climatic districts in Mississippi. Analysis indicated that drought influences fire numbers and size during summer and fall (autumn). The strongest relationship between the Palmer Drought Severity Index and burned area was found for the southern climatic districts for the summer–fall season.
Synthesis and properties of bulk graphene nanoplatelets consolidated by spark plasma sintering

Abstract Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) are consolidated as a bulk structure by spark plasma sintering (SPS) to study the feasibility of its structure retention at extreme processing conditions. Structural characterization of the sintered GNP pellet is performed using Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Mechanical and tribological properties are evaluated through nanoindentation and ball-on-disk tribometer. GNPs survived the SPS processing at an extreme temperature of 1850 °C and a pressure of 80 MPa with minimal damage to the structure. Energy dissipation mechanisms are observed in the form of multiple bending at sharp angles and sliding of the platelets, which could provide effective toughening mechanisms to ceramic matrices. Tribological studies suggest that GNP shear off and weld at higher load and provides a lubricating effect. Our study shows the potential for GNPs to be successfully used as a reinforcing and lubricating phase in ceramic matrix composites synthesized by SPS.
Modeling wildcard-free MPI programs for verification

We give several theorems that can be used to substantially reduce the state space that must be considered in applying finite-state verification techniques, such as model checking, to parallel programs written using a subset of MPI. We illustrate the utility of these theorems by applying them to a small but realistic example.
Psychosocial Factors Predict Pain and Physical Health After Lower Extremity Trauma.

Background There has been increasing evidence to support the importance of psychosocial factors to poor outcomes after trauma. However, little is known about the contribution of pain catastrophizing and fear of movement to persistent pain and disability.
Crossing the Valley of Death: Transitioning Research into Commercial Products: A Personal Perspective

Many researchers with innovative ideas just never seem to be able to bring those ideas to market. One of the biggest problems with the cyber security research community is transitioning technology into commercial product. This paper discusses these technology transition activities from the view of a program manager and offers several examples of successful transition for consideration.
Steam Valve or Accelerant? Elections and Contention in Authoritarian Regimes

Why are some elections marked by civil unrest and others not? This paper sheds light on how national elections in various types of authoritarian systems influence the potential for domestic political contention. The appropriation of the ballot in dictatorships serves many functions for regime preservation, but elections are politicizing events that involve significant risks as well. I use cross-national time-series analysis of all elections in authoritarian regimes from 1950 to 2012 to analyze the election-contention relationship across non-democratic regimes. The analysis highlights the importance of electoral competitiveness, as well as the need to disaggregate election type (executive and legislative) and authoritarian regime type.
Tax Rates and Tax Collections: The Basic Analytics of Khaldun-Laffer Curves:

This article describes the relation between tax rates and tax collections for three different types of taxes: unit excises, ad valorem excises, and general income taxes. The tax rate-tax collections relationship is currently the subject of widespread discussion, but the determinants of the shape of the function have not been clearly specified. This article presents mathematical and graphical expositions of the linkage between supply and demand for taxed commodities and the tax rate-tax collections relationship. The tax collections function will often, but not always, be shaped as it is commonly drawn; its shape is uniquely determined by the underlying supply and demand functions in the taxed market. Whether a tax rate change will increase or reduce tax collections is always an empirical issue which depends on the values of items identified by the theoretical analysis in this article.
Curricular response to increase recall and transfer of anatomical knowledge into the obstetrics/gynecology clerkship.

Deficits in retention of anatomy knowledge from the preclinical years to clinical application on the wards have been well documented in the medical education literature. We developed and evaluated a web and laboratory-based curriculum to address deficits in anatomy knowledge retention and to increase anatomy knowledge recall through repetition and application of clinical concepts during the obstetrics and gynecology (Ob/Gyn) core clinical clerkship. Using principles of adult learning and instructional design, a curriculum was designed consisting of (1) interactive, case-based e-modules reviewing clinically relevant anatomical topics and (2) a hands-on laboratory session reinforcing the content of the e-modules, with the practice of clinical techniques using anatomical cadaveric dissections. The curriculum's effectiveness was evaluated by using multiple choice testing and comparing baseline and final test scores. For questions testing content directly covered in this curriculum, mean final scores increased by 14.3% (P < 0.001). In contrast, for questions not directly addressed in this curriculum, mean final scores did not increase significantly, only by 6.0% (P = 0.31). Questions related to the uterus showed the greatest gains in final scores (30.3% improvement, P = 0.002). A curriculum with web-based preparatory material and a hands-on gross anatomy laboratory session effectively addresses deficits in anatomy retention and improves anatomical knowledge recall for medical students on a clinical clerkship. In the future, the authors plan to conduct a multicenter study to further evaluate the ability of this curriculum to improve clinically relevant anatomical knowledge. Anat Sci Educ 9: 337-343. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.
Spatial Demand Models in an Intrabrand Context

The rise in vertical marketing systems (VMS) has had a profound impact on the nature of retail competition. The increase in intrasystem competition between outlets of the same VMS points to the need for increased sophistication in market area analysis models to aid in strategy development. This article develops a set of models to address critical managerial issues concerning retail locational strategy in an intrabrand competitive setting. Findings demonstrate the need to evaluate outlet-specific determinants of patronage behavior, in addition to those of a generic nature, in analyzing intrabrand competition.
Are patients' office visits with physicians getting shorter?

Background Many believe that managed care creates pressure on physicians to increase productivity, see more patients, and spend less time with each patient. Methods We used nationally representative data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) of the National Center for Health Statistics and the American Medical Association's Socioeconomic Monitoring System (SMS) to examine the length of office visits with physicians from 1989 through 1998. We assessed the trends for visits covered by a managed-care or other prepaid health plan (prepaid visits) and non-prepaid visits for primary and specialty care, for new and established patients, and for common and serious diagnoses. Results Between 1989 and 1998 the number of visits to physicians' offices increased significantly from 677 million to 797 million, although the rate of visits per 100 population did not change significantly. The average duration of office visits in 1989 was 16.3 minutes according to the NAMCS and 20.4 minutes according to t...
Idiopathic acute pancreatitis

SUMMARY In most patients presenting with acute pancreatitis, the cause can be established on the basis of initial history, physical examination, laboratory studies, and abdominal sonography. Patients with unexplained pancreatitis at that point are often considered to have idiopathic disease. However, a cause and, often, effective treatment to prevent recurrent pancreatitis are possible in many of these patients if an aggressive diagnostic approach (Table 1) is taken to discover undiagnosed hyperlipidemia, occult gallstones, abnormalities of the bile and pancreatic ducts, sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, pancreatic cancer and other tumors, and cystic fibrosis (in children and young adults).
Internal Lymphedema Correlates with Subjective and Objective Measures of Dysphagia in Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Abstract Background: Tumor/treatment-related internal lymphedema (IL) and/or external lymphedema (EL) are associated with functional deficits and increased symptom burden in head and neck cancer patients (HNCP). Previously, we noted association between EL/IL and patient-reported dysphagia using the Vanderbilt Head and Neck Symptom Survey (VHNSS) version 1.0. Objective: To determine the relationship between IL/EL and subjective and objective measures of swallowing function. Methods: Eighty-one HNCP completed: (1) VHNSS version 2.0, including 13 swallowing/nutrition-related questions grouped into three clusters: swallow solids (ss), swallow liquids (sl), and nutrition(nt); (2) physical assessment of EL using Foldi scale; (3) endoscopic assessment of IL using Patterson scale (n = 56); and (4) modified barium swallow study rated by dysphagia outcome and severity scale (DOSS) and in conjunction with a swallow evaluation by National Outcomes Measurement System (NOMS). Examinations were performed at varied time ...
Laryngopharyngeal Repair in Salvage Laryngectomy

Although associated with significant morbidity including fistula, stricture, poor voice rehabilitation, and even death, salvage laryngectomy and laryngopharyngectomy will remain as important surgical procedures as long as transoral surgery and chemoradiation therapy continue to be employed primarily in the treatment of laryngeal malignancy. Multi-institutional retrospective analyses indicate that onlay pectoralis myofascial flaps may reduce the incidence of post-operative fistula to 10–15 % compared to 30 % associated with primary closure alone. Regional and distant fasciocutaneous flaps have limited morbidity and their use may minimize the rates of stricture. Employment of salivary bypass tubes appears to reduce the incidence of fistula to less than 10 %. Voice rehabilitation outcomes with tracheoesophageal puncture are equivalent between fasciocutaneous flaps and primary closure, and better than the voice quality attained with enteric flaps or pectoralis flaps. Pectoralis onlay flaps are a viable option in select patients undergoing primary closure who are aware of the associated morbidity and voice outcomes. Free tissue transfer, in particular the anterolateral thigh flap, used in conjunction with salivary bypass tubes offers an ideal balance of donor site morbidity, post-operative fistula, and voice rehabilitation, and should be considered for appropriate patients.
A Systematic Review of HIV Serostatus Disclosure Among African Immigrants in Europe

As the human immunodeficiency virus continues to devastate large parts of Africa, particularly the Sub-Saharan region, the number of immigrants migrating from these areas to European nations continues to grow. African men and women leave their countries for Europe because of armed conflicts, unemployment, or poverty. Thus, these migration patterns combined with newly contracted infections have resulted in a large and growing number of HIV-positive diagnoses among African immigrants living in Europe. Using the disclosure process model, this systematic review examines the reasons for HIV status disclosure and nondisclosure among African immigrants residing in Europe. PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, Global Health, and Web of Science were searched. Bibliographies of retrieved studies were also reviewed for other relevant citations. Studies were eligible if they: (1) focused on HIV-positive immigrants from SSA residing in Europe; and (2) described or measured HIV status disclosure. Out of 166 articles found, a total of 17 articles and 1 brief report met the inclusion criteria. Factors such as stigma and social implications of disclosure contribute to avoidance goals leading to nondisclosure while approach goals or disclosure reasons were found to include health status and behaviors such as seeking support, and helping others. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the avoidance and approach goals involved in HIV status disclosure among African immigrants in Europe. Interventions and future research directed at increasing HIV disclosure among African immigrants in Europe should move beyond individual-level to consider multilevel factors including country-specific social behaviors.
Developing Medical Condition Management Applications Using Manage My Condition

Given the increasing availability and accessibility of mobile devices, there is enormous potential to transform how healthcare is administered through the creation of highly customized smartphone-based applications for effective medical condition management. Such platforms can offer improvements for both patients and healthcare systems. However, a critical barrier to achieving these tantalizing benefits in healthcare management is the current paradigm of medical software design. Development and deployment of enterprise-wide applications is generally slow and expensive. Furthermore, each application is developed independently, even if several functionalities overlap between different applications. In this demonstration, we present our experience in the development of three mobile applications for medical condition management, namely ManageMyAsthma, ManageMyMedications and ManageMyPatients, which led to the creation of ManageMyCondition, a standard framework for the development of medical condition management applications.
Predicting multiple target tracking performance for applications on video sequences

This paper presents a framework to predict the performance of multiple target tracking (MTT) techniques. The framework is based on the mathematical descriptors of point processes, the probability generating functional (p.g.fl). It is shown that conceptually the p.g.fls of MTT techniques can be interpreted as a transform that can be marginalized to an expression that encodes all the information regarding the likelihood model as well as the underlying assumptions present in a given tracking technique. In order to use this approach for tracker performance prediction in video sequences, a framework that combines video quality assessment concepts and the marginalized transform is introduced. The multiple hypothesis tracker and Markov Chain Monte Carlo data association methods are used as test cases. We introduce their transforms and perform a numerical comparison to predict their performance under identical conditions.
Disaggregating the evidence linking biodiversity and ecosystem services

Ecosystem services (ES) are an increasingly popular policy framework for connecting biodiversity with human well-being. These efforts typically assume that biodiversity and ES covary, but the relationship between them remains remarkably unclear. Here we analyse >500 recent papers and show that reported relationships differ among ES, methods of measuring biodiversity and ES, and three different approaches to linking them (spatial correlations, management comparisons and functional experiments). For spatial correlations, biodiversity relates more strongly to measures of ES supply than to resulting human benefits. For management comparisons, biodiversity of ‘service providers’ predicts ES more often than biodiversity of functionally unrelated taxa, but the opposite is true for spatial correlations. Functional experiments occur at smaller spatial scales than management and spatial studies, which show contrasting responses to scale. Our results illuminate the varying dynamics relating biodiversity to ES, and show the importance of matching management efforts to the most relevant scientific evidence. Biodiversity can enhance ecosystem services such as crop pollination. Here, Ricketts et al. synthesize 14 years of literature to show that biodiversity-ecosystem services relationships depend on the service, how services and biodiversity are each measured, and the approach used to link them.
FIDDLE: An integrative deep learning framework for functional genomic data inference

Numerous advances in sequencing technologies have revolutionized genomics through generating many types of genomic functional data. Statistical tools have been developed to analyze individual data types, but there lack strategies to integrate disparate datasets under a unified framework. Moreover, most analysis techniques heavily rely on feature selection and data preprocessing which increase the difficulty of addressing biological questions through the integration of multiple datasets. Here, we introduce FIDDLE (Flexible Integration of Data with Deep LEarning) an open source data-agnostic flexible integrative framework that learns a unified representation from multiple data types to infer another data type. As a case study, we use multiple Saccharomyces cerevisiae genomic datasets to predict global transcription start sites (TSS) through the simulation of TSS-seq data. We demonstrate that a type of data can be inferred from other sources of data types without manually specifying the relevant features and preprocessing. We show that models built from multiple genome-wide datasets perform profoundly better than models built from individual datasets. Thus FIDDLE learns the complex synergistic relationship within individual datasets and, importantly, across datasets.
Most ‘global’ reviews of species’ responses to climate change are not truly global

It is critical that we understand the effects of climate change on natural systems if we ever hope to predict or mitigate consequent changes in diversity and ecosystem function. In order to identify coherent ‘fingerprints’ of climate change across Earth's terrestrial and marine ecosystems, various reviews have been conducted to synthesize studies of climate change impacts on individual species, assemblages and systems. These reviews help to make information about climate change impacts accessible for researchers as well as for the general public and policymakers. As such, these reviews can be highly influential in setting the direction of policy and research. Unfortunately, due to limited data availability, the majority of reviews of climate change impacts suffer from severe taxonomic and geographic biases. In particular, tropical and marine systems are grossly underrepresented, as are plants and endothermic animals. These biases may preclude a comprehensive understanding of how climate change is affecting Earth's natural systems at a global scale. In order to advance our understanding of climate change impacts on species and ecosystems, we need to first assess the types of data that are and are not available and then correct these biases through directed studies and initiatives.
Spreading depolarization monitoring in neurocritical care of acute brain injury.

Purpose of reviewSpreading depolarizations are unique in being discrete pathologic entities that are well characterized experimentally and also occur commonly in patients with substantial acute brain injury. Here, we review essential concepts in depolarization monitoring, highlighting its clinical s
Neurological Disease in Women: Stroke, Cognition, and Headache.

Abstract In this clinical update, we selected recent publications relevant to common neurological concerns in women, with specific attention to stroke, cognition, and headache. We have chosen to highlight articles on sex differences in stroke and stroke treatment, the effect of hormone therapy on stroke risk and on cognition, and symptoms of the migraine postdrome.
A phase 2 study of the PARP inhibitor veliparib plus temozolomide in patients with heavily pretreated metastatic colorectal cancer

Background Poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors such as veliparib are potent sensitizing agents and have been safely combined with DNA-damaging agents such as temozolomide. The sensitizing effects of PARP inhibitors are magnified when cells harbor DNA repair defects. Methods A single-arm, open-label, phase 2 study was performed to investigate the disease control rate (DCR) after 2 cycles of veliparib plus temozolomide in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) refractory to all standard therapies. Fifty patients received temozolomide (150 mg/m2 /d) on days 1 to 5 and veliparib (40 mg twice daily) on days 1 to 7 of each 28-day cycle. Another 5 patients with mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) tumors were also enrolled. Twenty additional patients were then treated with temozolomide at 200 mg/m2 /d. Archived tumor specimens were used for immunohistochemistry to assess mismatch repair, phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), and O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) protein expression levels. Results The combination was well tolerated, although some patients required dose reductions for myelosuppression. The primary endpoint was successfully met with a DCR of 24% and 2 confirmed partial responses. The median progression-free survival was 1.8 months, and the median overall survival was 6.6 months. PTEN protein expression and MGMT protein expression were not predictors of DCR. There was also a suggestion of worse outcomes for patients with dMMR tumors. Conclusions In this heavily pretreated mCRC population, a combination of veliparib and temozolomide was well tolerated with temozolomide doses up to 200 mg/m2 /d, and it was clinically active. PARP inhibitor-based therapy merits further exploration in patients with mCRC. Cancer 2018;124:2337-46. © 2018 American Cancer Society.
Customary International Law Adjudication as Common Law Adjudication

The standard view today of customary international law (CIL) is that it arises from the widespread and consistent practice of states followed out of a sense of legal obligation. Although commonly recited, this account is plagued by evidentiary, normative, and conceptual difficulties, and it has been subjected to increasing criticism in recent years. This chapter suggests that these difficulties stem in part from the effort to formulate one conception of CIL that applies across all institutional contexts. This chapter posits a particular account of CIL, considered from the perspective of international adjudication. The application of CIL by an international adjudicator, this chapter suggests, is best understood in terms similar to the judicial development of the common law: that is, as an approach whereby adjudicators look to past practice but necessarily make choices about how to describe it, which baselines to apply in evaluating it, and whether and when to extend or analogize it to new situations. These choices, moreover, are shaped by assessments of both state preferences and the likely consequences of adopting a particular formulation of the relevant international rule, as well as moral and ethical considerations. Unlike the standard view of CIL, this common law account recognizes a significant element of judgment and creativity in determining the content of CIL. Understanding the adjudication of CIL in this way, the chapter contends, avoids many of the difficulties surrounding the standard view of CIL. PROBLEMS WITH THE STANDARD VIEW OF CIL As noted, the generally accepted view among international lawyers and scholars today is that CIL arises from the consistent practices of states that are followed out of a sense of legal obligation, an account that this chapter will refer to as the “standard view.” Under this standard view, CIL is conceived of as having two components: an objective, state practice component, and a subjective, sense of legal obligation component. The second component is sometimes referred to by the Latin phrase opinio juris sive necessitatis , which translates as “a belief that something is required by law or necessity,” although commentators and courts often shorten the phrase simply to opinio juris . This account of CIL has been endorsed by international tribunals, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and it is often recited by representatives of states.
What Psychiatry, Developmental Psychology,and Neuroscience Can Teach Us About At-Risk Students

I am usually asked to speak on the topic of psychosocial development and brain immaturity in the context of adolescent culpability, particularly around the issue of adolescents charged as adults for serious crimes. I am very happy to be discussing these important issues as they may relate to youth suicide, and appreciate Professor Massie’s attention to the convergence of psychiatric illness, developmental maturity, and suicidal behavior in youth. Let me begin by acknowledging that functional neuroimaging and neuroscience is in its infancy. Much of the developmental psychology literature on adolescent immaturity and culpability appears to have been a
Constructivism, Social Psychology, and Elite Attitude Change: Lessons from an Exhausted Research Program

Over the past decade, constructivist students of international relations have argued that national preferences are shaped at least in part by socially constructed norms and understandings at the international level. Students of the European Union in particular have argued that national officials may be socialized in the EU’s deeply institutionalized setting into new understandings of their own preferences and identities, and EU scholars have begun to test these claims empirically. The aim of this paper is simply to serve as a sort of prologue - and a warning - to this new generation of empirical researchers. More specifically, I demonstrate how, four decades before constructivist analyses became well known in international relations, students of social psychology predicted that participants in international organizations like the United Nations and the European Community would become socialized into new international roles, and as a result would experience cognitive and affective attitude changes making them more 'international' or “European” in outlook. In the 1960s and 1970s, these social psychologists and integration theorists undertook a collective, decades-long research program, extensively surveying participants in both global and regional organizations. Yet these scholars, in spite of the range and sophistication of their empirical research methods, found little or no evidence of the predicted attitude changes, and the generally positive attitudes toward international organizations found among many such participants could be attributed to self-selection rather than socialization in those organizations.
Kenneth Arrow and nonequilibrium economics

On 6 November 2014, Kenneth Arrow gave an evening keynote talk at the Santa Fe Institute’s Annual Trustees Symposium. The meeting’s topic that year was Complexity Economics and Ken spoke about gene...
Oral dysesthesia in cancer patients (Pts) treated with multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (MT-TKI).

e20626 Background: MT-TKIs are anti-neoplastic drugs associated with a variety of clinically relevant toxicities, many due to VEGFR2 inhibition. This retrospective study characterized the incidence...
Longitudinal Macular Structure-Function Relationships in Glaucoma and Their Sources of Variability.

Purpose To review central structure-function (SF) relationships in glaucoma; to compare contributions of within-session and between-session variability to total variability of macular optical coherence tomography (OCT) thickness measurements; and to test the hypothesis that longitudinal within-eye variability of central SF relationships is smaller than between-individual variability. Methods We reviewed the pertinent literature on central SF relationships in glaucoma. Thirty-eight eyes (20 normal or glaucoma subjects) had ×3 macular images per session over 3 sessions, and superpixels thickness measurements for ganglion cell layer (GCL), ganglion cell/inner plexiform layer (GCIPL), ganglion cell complex (GCC), and full macular thickness (FMT) were exported. Linear mixed models were used for estimating contributions of between- and within-session variability to total thickness variability. One hundred twenty eyes with ≥3 10° visual fields (VFs)/OCT images were enrolled for the longitudinal study. We investigated within-eye longitudinal SF relationships (GCIPL thickness vs VF total deviations) with a change-point regression model and compared within-eye to between-individual variabilities with components-of-variance models. Results In the cross-sectional study, the between-session component contributed 8%, 11%, 11%, and 36% of total variability for GCL, GCIPL, GCC, and FMT, respectively. In the longitudinal study, between-individual variability explained 78%, 77%, and 67% of total SF variability at 3.4°, 5.6°, and 6.8° eccentricities, respectively (P Conclusions Within-session variability accounts for most of macular thickness variability over time. Longitudinal within-eye SF variability is smaller than between-individual variability. Study of within-eye SF relationships could help clinicians better understand SF linking in glaucoma and help refine progression algorithms. NOTE: Publication of this article is sponsored by the American Ophthalmological Society.
Comparing low-dose bupivacaine with epidural volume extension to standard bupivacaine dosing for short obstetric procedures: a prospective, randomized study.

BACKGROUND Intrathecal bupivacaine's long duration of action can unnecessarily increase the time to meet Postanesthesia Care Unit (PACU) discharge criteria for patients undergoing short obstetric procedures. We sought to use a technique known as epidural volume extension (EVE) to determine if we could provide an adequate surgical block while significantly decreasing the time required to meet PACU discharge criteria for patients undergoing short obstetric procedures. METHODS Fifty participants were randomized into two groups. The control group received a 10 mg of 0.5% isobaric bupivacaine plus 15 µg of fentanyl injection in the intrathecal space via a combined spinal-epidural technique. The EVE group received a 5 mg of 0.5% isobaric bupivacaine plus 15 µg of fentanyl injection in the intrathecal space followed immediately by a 10 mL injection of sterile saline through the epidural needle for the EVE. RESULTS Data were analyzed on 45 of the 50 patients. Time to meet PACU discharge criteria was significantly reduced in the EVE group when compared to the control group (50 vs. 135 minutes, P<0.001). The EVE group had a faster time to complete motor recovery when compared to the control group (66 vs. 181 minutes, P<0.001). Peak block height was similar in both groups at the time of surgery start (T5 vs. T5, P=0.44). CONCLUSIONS The use of low-dose isobaric bupivacaine in combination with 10 mL of saline EVE allows for faster motor recovery and time to meet PACU discharge criteria in patients undergoing short obstetric procedures.
Diacylglycerol lipase and pituitary prolactin release in vitro: studies employing RHC 80267.

Abstract We studied the possible involvement of diacylglycerol lipase in the regulatory mechanisms governing the release of prolactin by primary cultures of anterior pituitary cells. This was accomplished by studying the effect of a selective inhibitior of diacylglycerol lipase activity, RHC 80267, on basal prolactin release and that stimulated by TRH and elevated potassium concentrations. RHC 80267 produced a concentration-dependent reduction in basal prolactin release and abolished its increase produced by TRH and potassium. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the production of arachidonate from lipids via the diacylglycerol lipase pathway is an important event in the governance of prolactin release.
High T </i? Identified Particles in PHENIX: Data vs. Theory

Two of the most interesting experimental results of heavy-ion reactions at RHIC collider energies are in the hard scattering sector where central Au+Au data show a very different behaviour compared to p+p and peripheral Au+Au collisions. The so-called “high p T π 0 suppression” and the “anomalous” baryon/meson ratio observed by PHENIX in central Au+Au collisions at $$\sqrt {s_{NN} } = 200$$ GeV are reviewed and compared to various theoretical calculations based on different strongly interacting medium scenarios.
Civil War Logistics: A Study of Military Transportation by Earl J. Hess

Review of: Civil War Logistics: A Study of Military Transportation by Earl J. Hess. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2017 (280 pages; cloth).
Structure refinement of (NH4)3Al2(PO4)3 prepared by ionothermal synthesis in phospho-nium based ionic liquids - a redetermination.

After crystallization during ionothermal syntheses in phospho­nium-containing ionic liquids, the structure of (NH4)3Al2(PO4)3 [tri­ammonium dialuminum tris­(phosphate)] was refined on the basis of powder X-ray diffraction data from a synchrotron source. (NH4)3Al2(PO4)3 is a member of the structural family with formula A3Al2(PO4)3, where A is a group 1 element, and of which the NH4, K, and Rb forms were previously known. The NH4 form is isostructural with the K form, and was previously solved from single-crystal X-ray data when the material (SIZ-2) crystallized from a choline-containing eutectic mixture [Cooper et al. (2004). Nature, 430, 1012–1017]. Our independent refinement incorporates NH4 groups and shows that these NH4 groups are hydrogen bonded to framework O atoms present in rings containing 12 T sites in a channel along the c-axis direction. We describe structural details of (NH4)3Al2(PO4)3 and discuss differences with respect to isostructural forms.