cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Capacitor free phase locked loop design in 45nm

The paper describes the design of a capacitor-free phased locked loop realized using 45 nm technology. Phase locked loops (PLL) find widespread application in electronic circuits, especially in generating high speed clocks for digital chips. Traditional analog PLL designs use capacitors and resistors in the charge pump and the filter circuits. These components occupy large area, adding to the circuit cost; in addition to consuming more power. These limitations can be removed by building a completely digital PLL. But fully digital PLLs have their own drawbacks, especially inaccuracies due to the quantization errors, coarser-grain control of the output frequency generation and errors at higher frequencies. As a result, completely digital PLLs are not suited for generating high frequency signals. In this paper, we present the design of a capacitor-free PLL. It retains the analog Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) in order to run accurately at high frequencies, but replaces all other analog components with their digital counterparts. Incorporation of the digital components eliminates the capacitors and resistors in the circuit and reduces the circuit area and power consumption, while also making the design independent of thermal noise, aging, mismatch and leakage due to the charge pump.
Organizational context for project management

Summary form only given as follows. There is little debate concerning the utility of project management tools and methods for the planning, scheduling and control of temporary initiatives to produce a unique product or service. This paper develops a framework for understanding the assumptions necessary for effective deployment of the project management approach. Understanding the degree to which an organization is compatible with these assumptions may determine the readiness to effectively deploy project management methods.
Police Officers' Perceptions of Rape: Is There Consistency Between State Law and Individual Beliefs?

This study examined how police officers (N = 91) define rape. In the past decade, most states have dramatically reformed their rape laws, shifting the emphasis from the behavior of the victim to that of the assailant. This study provides an exploratory picture of how such reforms have affected police by examining the degree to which there was consistency between officers' personal definitions of rape and state law. Officers were asked to define rape/sexual assault in their own words. These definitions were content analyzed, and hierarchical cluster analysis was performed. Three clusters of definitions emerged. Nineteen percent of the sample described many of the reformed legal factors when defining rape, such as the use or threat of force (Force Definition of Rape). Thirty-one percent focused primarily on penetration and consent (Consent Definition of Rape). Fifty-one percent of the officers provided definitions that mixed old legal definitions with some victim blaming views (Mixed Definition of Rape).
LANGUAGE FUNCTION AND LANGUAGE VARIATION: ANALYTIC MODELS FOR THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT

This article presents two typologies (or those interested in the study of language in its social context, focusing first on the functions of language and second on the nature and analysis of language variation. In the discussion of the functions or uses of language, six distinct language functions are identified. Language variation is presented in terms of phonological, syntactic and lexical variation as a consequence of such variables as geography, social class and education, gender, ethnicity and age. Examples from the South African context are given throughout the article.
Twombly e Iqbal: Il Ruolo Della Civil Procedure Nello Scontro Politico-Ideologico Della Società Statunitense (Twombly and Iqbal: The Role of Civil Procedure in the Political and Ideological Battle in American Society)

L’autore indaga le sentenze “Twombly” (2007) e “Iqbal” (2009) della Suprema Corte federale degli Stati Uniti sotto un angolo visuale socio-politico, mettendo in evidenza il pericolo di una loro lettura strettamente tecnico-processuale e storico-comparata.Con il conoscimento della struttura processual-giudiziaria e anche della sua complessita sociale e politica dell’ordinamento statunitense, si puo mettere in risalto da un lato, la prevedibilita delle due sentenze “Twombly” e “Iqbal” nel quadro politico attuale degli Stati Uniti e dall’altro, le significative e preoccupanti conseguenze del nuovo orientamento della suprema giurisprudenza federale statunitense sulla tutela, nel processo, delle parti meno abbienti e socialmente piu deboli.The author analyses the “Twombly” (2007) and “Iqbal” (2009) decisions from a socio-political perspective, highlighting the danger of a merely technical-procedural and historical-comparative analysis.Only an in-depth knowledge of U. S. procedural and judiciary system as well as of its social and political complexity, highlights on the one hand, the foreseeability of the “Twombly” and “Iqbal” decisions in the present U. S. political situation and on the other hand, the meaningful and worrisome consequences of the U. S. Supreme Court’s new trend on the judicial protection of the poor and the weak.
Modeling Within-Day Activity Rescheduling Decisions under Time-Varying Network Conditions

The within-day activity rescheduling decision process is an integral part of the travel choices when a traveler fulfills his/her daily travel activities. The within-day activity rescheduling decision takes place when the currently executed activity schedule is being interrupted and time pressure or time surplus is being created by traffic condition and/or activity attribute changes. Adjustment may also be triggered by changes that reduce time pressure and create time surplus. It is postulated in this research that a traveler aims to maximize his/her utility while rescheduling the remaining activities. A utility maximization activity rescheduling model is proposed to depict this decision process. Moreover, time-varying travel times between activity locations are explicitly incorporated in the proposed activity adjustment model and solution algorithm, establishing consistency between the adjusted activities, schedules and the time-varying traffic conditions. Numerical studies demonstrate the solution properties of the proposed activity rescheduling model.
A Comparison of Photon Densitometry and Computed Tomography Parameters of Bone Density in Ungulate Body Part Profiles

Biases in ungulate body part representation in archaeofaunas potentially reflect human foraging decisions. However, the signatures of density-mediated attrition of body parts and human selectivity in response to nutritional content can overlap to a significant extent. Zooarchaeologists' techniques for analyzing skeletal representation for density-dependent biases must either address differential resistance among distinct skeletal macro-tissue classes, or compare skeletal representation within a narrower density range that is widely distributed in the skeleton. This presentation examines the potential comparability of bone density parameters obtained by photon densitometry (PD) and computed tomography (CT) within limb elements and across regions of the whole skeleton. "Unadjusted" parameters obtained by PD and CT techniques are in reasonably good agreement, and these parameters yield similar results when applied to patterns of skeletal representation in Mediterranean faunas generated by Paleolithic humans and Pleistocene spotted hyenas. More significant than the technique for measuring density in modern mammal skeletons is whether the density parameter values have been adjusted, arguably to compensate for problems of shape and the presence of large internal voids in limb bone tubes. The results of systematic comparison of density parameter variation among published sources, and their application to prehistoric cases accumulated by diverse agents, contradict the great preservation differential between spongy and compact bone specimens suggested by certain captive hyena experiments and the Mousterian fauna from Kobeh Cave (Iran). Only the adjustments made to the CT parameters for limb shafts (BMD2) accommodate the latter cases.
The Trigonometry of Hyperspace

(1929). The Trigonometry of Hyperspace. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 36, No. 10, pp. 517-523.
Regulation of erythropoiesis XIX. Effect of hypoxia on erythropoiesis in the newborn animal.

SummaryThe erythropoietic response of the newborn rat exposed to 0.4 atmosphere 6 hours/day for a period of 7 days was measured. Exposure prior to the 16th day of life failed to influence the rate of erythropoiesis. Thereafter there was a gradual transition to the adult type of response in which polycythemia is induced and is characterized by the production of macrocytic red cells.
Contribution to the morphology and descriptive biology of Caurinella idahoensis (Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae)

Reared specimens from Bridge Creek, Idaho County, Idaho, provide the bases for the first descriptions of Caurinella idahoensis egg and alate stages and redescription of the larval stage. Larvae are distinguished from other Nearctic Ephemerellinae species by the distinctive posterolateral projections on abdominal segment 9. Male adults have a unique combination of characters associated with their genitalia. Larvae were associated with the colonial bluegreen alga Nostoc parmelioides in a clear, cold headwater stream. Several other Diptera, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera also were found in cohabitation with C. idahoensis . Amorphous detritus appears to be a major component of the diet of C. idahoensis , and larvae may defend small territories on rock surfaces. Larvae exhibited prolonged preemergence behavior in the laboratory rearing apparatus.
SUPPURATIVE LUNG DISEASE: OLD PROBLEMS REVISITED

SUMMARY Suppurative lung infections and the basic rules for their treatment have been recognized since antiquity. Currently a majority of these diseases are due to pneumonias associated with aspiration. When properly managed, these infections carry an excellent prognosis. In the debilitated host, nosocomial infections may lead to intractable suppuration with a high mortality and, therefore, the emphasis in these situations must be on prevention. The bacteriology of these diseases is often polymicrobial. Care must be taken in the collection of samples for culture not to contaminate them with material from the upper airways. Currently transtracheal collection of specimens offers the best method for obtaining tracheobronchial specimens. Finally, in the evaluation of pulmonary suppuration, the localization of infected material may be greatly enhanced by a careful study of the chest roentgenogram, the use of ultrasound, and possibly by CAT scanning.
Tracing Bad Products in Supply Chains: The Roles of Temporality, Supply Chain Permeation, and Product Information Ambiguity

To minimize negative consequences, bad products must be removed quickly once found within supply chains. This makes traceability—the ability to track the flow of a product—a key issue. Unfortunately, firms struggle to create traceability and little interdisciplinary research has been conducted in this area. Accordingly, we conducted a grounded theory investigation that transcends functional and organizational boundaries. Although past literature tends to consider a firm's ability to trace products as one-dimensional and inherently good or bad, we find that a firm's ability to trace products varies based on contextual factors. Specifically, our study reveals that traceability is hindered by temporality (i.e., time pressures that strain a firm's ability to track products), supply chain permeation (i.e., supply chain flow characteristics that represent the degree of bad product infiltration), and product information ambiguity (i.e., product characteristics that create vagueness about what to trace). We provide prescriptive advice about how firms can overcome these traceability barriers and thus enhance their ability to identify and recall tainted products. Broadly, our findings support the need to manage traceability from a nuanced approach and to seek boundary-spanning supply chain solutions.
Stability Analysis for Linear Systems

One of the most crucial design requirements for any feedback control system is stability . Stability means that a system has a bounded output signal for any bounded input signal. This chapter presents simple tools to quickly determine whether a given system is stable, and to determine the value range of coefficients (such as the controller gain) required to keep the feedback control system operating in a stable manner. For continuous systems, this algorithmic method is the Routh-Hurwitz scheme , and for time-discrete systems, the analogous method is the Jury test .
Hematopoietic cell transplantation in Fanconi anemia: current evidence, challenges and recommendations.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Hematopoietic cell transplantation for Fanconi Anemia (FA) has improved dramatically over the past 40 years. With an enhanced understanding of the intrinsic DNA-repair defect ...
Integrated Optical Implementation Of The Hopfield Neural Network Model

An integrated optics implementation of content addressable associative memory based on the Hopfield Neural Network Model is proposed. The device uses frequency multiplexed surface acoustic waves (FM-SAW) to input the synaptic matrix, which may be stored as a volume hologram using photorefractive memory. Stored information may then be recovered in real time by applying a partial or distorted input to the system. This input is presented in the form of coherent optical pulses, which may be modulated by an external CCD camera. Phase conjugate mirrors are used to obtain the nonlinear thresholding inherent in the Hopfield model, and to provide feedback and gain.
How large should a complex system be? An application in organizational teams: Research Articles

This article investigates when a growing team benefits from being divided and how complex interactions among workers and management impact this decision. The proposed model—a modification of Kauffman's NK model—has the property that team performance decreases as the size of the team increases. Analytical results and computer simulations show how team size, the amount of supervision, worker performance, interaction among employees, relationships between management and labor, and leadership skill affect when a team should be split. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 12: 54–70, 2007 This paper was submitted as an invited paper resulting from the “Understanding Complex Systems” conference held at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, May 2005.
Control of Vicinal Stereocenters through Nickel-Catalyzed Alkyl-Alkyl Cross-Coupling.

Vicinal stereocenters are found in many natural and unnatural compounds. Although metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of unactivated alkyl electrophiles are emerging as a powerful tool in organic synthesis, there have been virtually no reports of processes that generate, much less control, vicinal stereocenters. In this investigation, we establish that a chiral nickel catalyst can mediate doubly stereoconvergent alkyl–alkyl cross-coupling, specifically, reactions of a racemic pyrrolidine-derived nucleophile with cyclic alkyl halides (as mixtures of stereoisomers) to produce vicinal stereocenters with very good stereoselectivity.
Glycosidase Inhibition by Multivalent Presentation of Heparan Sulfate Saccharides on Bottlebrush Polymers

We report herein the first-time exploration of the attachment of well-defined saccharide units onto a synthetic polymer backbone for the inhibition of a glycosidase. More specifically, glycopolymers endowed with heparan sulfate (HS) disaccharides were established to inhibit the glycosidase, heparanase, with an IC50 value in the low nanomolar range (1.05 ± 0.02 nm), a thousand-fold amplification over its monovalent counterpart. The monomeric moieties of these glycopolymers were designed in silico to manipulate the well-established glycotope of heparanase into an inhitope. Studies concluded that (1) the glycopolymers are hydrolytic stable toward heparanase, (2) longer polymer length provides greater inhibition, and (3) increased local saccharide density (monoantennary vs diantennary) is negligible due to hindered active site of heparanase. Furthermore, HS oligosaccharide and polysaccharide controls illustrate the enhanced potency of a multivalent scaffold. Overall, the results on these studies of the multiv...
Controlling Polymorphism in Pharmaceutical Compounds Using Solution Shearing

In this work, two model pharmaceutical compounds, glycine and acetaminophen, were crystallized using a flow coating technique termed solution shearing to create thin films with controllable polymorphism. Controlling polymorphism in pharmaceutical compounds can provide optimized solubility and bioavailability. Thin films of glycine and acetaminophen were obtained using a simple flow coating method, and these films were characterized using cross polarized optical microscopy and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction. Films crystallized as different polymorphs (α and β for glycine and form I and form II for acetaminophen) by controlling processing temperature and shearing speed. The amorphous phase of acetaminophen was also stabilized, and the kinetic transformation to the metastable form II was studied. We show that one-dimensional confinement plays a significant role in stabilizing metastable polymorphs and amorphous phases. Solution shearing has the potential to be used as a high throughput technique to scre...
EUV photolithography mask inspection using Fourier ptychography

Fourier ptychography is a computational imaging techniques that combines various full-field coherent images acquired under varied illumination angles and combined to yield a angular spectrum with a large synthetic numerical aperture and non-interferometric phase information. We present here the implementation of this technique in a full-field soft x-ray microscope designed to emulate modern EUV lithography tools imaging conditions, and we show that this technique can be used for the study of EUV photomasks. The technique allows us to quantitatively characterize phase defects (predominant in EUV lithography), to study new mask designs made of phase structures, to study sub-resolution assist features and extend the resolution of the microscope down to 26-nm, correspond to the N1 technology node.
A Unified Theory

People who have been educated in the Western educational system have been taught to accept that science offers them irrefutable facts about the world in which they live, and that those facts confirm and build upon already established knowledge.
Anemia in heart failure time to rethink its etiology and treatment

The occurrence of anemia (hemoglobin concentration <13.0 g/dl in men and <12.0 g/dl in women) in patients with chronic heart failure has recently received increased attention. Its prevalence ranges from <10% among patients with mild heart failure to more than 50% for those with advanced disease ([1
Modulation of Ocular Eicosanoid Biosynthesis by Oxidants and Anti-oxidants

The association betwen oxidative damage and inflammation is well documented (Bragt et al. 1980), and arachidonate metabolites are important modulators of the inflammatory response in animal and human tissues including the eye (Eakins et al. 1972; Masuda et al. 1973). Ocular tissues generate eicosanoids by both cyclo-oxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways (Bhattacherjee et al. 1979; Kass and Holmberg 1979; Kulkarni et al. 1984). Since it has been suggested that arachidonate metabolism is regulated by the endogenous peroxide concentration metabolism is regulated by the endogenous peroxide concentration (Hemler and Lands 1980) we proposed to investigate the effect of changing the oxidative environment in vitro upon arachidonate metabolism in the iris-ciliary body and cornea; for comparison lung, spleen and platelet were also examined. The oxidant studied was hydrogen peroxide and the anti-oxidants employed were ascorbate, glutathione and ebselen, a seleno-organic compound with established glutathione peroxidase-like activity (Wendel et al. 1984). Much of the data to be given here has been previously presented (Hurst et al. 1987b) and has been submitted for publication in detail elsewhere.
Do "Days of Service" Meet Institutional Service-Learning Goals? A Case Study in Assessment of the MLK Day of Service.

The current study pilots a survey tool for assessing participant experiences in the MLK Day of Service at a public university. Student, faculty, staff, community volunteer and community partner participants (N=344) reflected upon service, learning, and university-community connections as part of a multi-method evaluation process. Quantitative analysis of unidimensional and summed variables finds significant variation by instructional site and participant affiliation. Such instruments may clarify the role of Days of Service in meeting institutional service-learning goals.
Comparison of 3 Pediatric Pelvic Osteotomies for Acetabular Dysplasia Using Patient-specific 3D-printed Models.

BACKGROUND Children with developmental dysplasia of the hip may require a pelvic osteotomy to treat acetabular dysplasia. Three osteotomies are commonly performed in these patients (Pemberton, Dega, and San Diego), though comparative studies of each are limited. The purpose of this study was to compare changes in acetabular morphology (acetabular version, volume, and octant coverage angles) created by these 3 osteotomies using matched patient-specific 3D-printed pelvic models. METHODS Fourteen patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip and preoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging were retrospectively included. For each patient CT, bone and cartilage tissues were independently segmented, and 3 identical pelvises were 3D-printed using a dual material printer. Bone was printed with rigid material and cartilage with flexible material to simulate the flexibility of the triradiate cartilage and pubic symphysis. Pemberton, Dega, and San Diego acetabular osteotomies were performed on the triplicate set of 3D prints. Acetabular version, volume, and octant coverage angles (posterior, superior-posterior, superior, superior-anterior, and anterior) were determined before and after each mock surgery by morphologic assessment using preoperative and postoperative CT images. RESULTS San Diego osteotomy yielded a small increase (+3.34±1.71 degrees) in version, compared with decreases with Pemberton (-5.47±1.54 degrees) and Dega (-8.57±1.21 degrees, P<0.05). Acetabular volume decreased similarly for Pemberton (-13.36%±2.88%), Dega (-19.21%±2.73%), and San Diego (-19.29%±2.44%; P=0.215) osteotomies. San Diego osteotomy tended to have a larger postoperative increase in the posterior regions, and the Dega and Pemberton osteotomies tended to have larger postoperative increases in the anterior coverage regions. CONCLUSIONS Quantifiable differences were identified in acetabular octant coverage angles and version between the 3 pelvic osteotomies. San Diego osteotomy increased acetabular coverage posteriorly resulting in acetabular anteversion, whereas Pemberton and Dega had greater superior-anterior coverage resulting in relative acetabular retroversion. This study is the first known to utilize 3D-printed models for comparison of surgical approaches in pediatric pelvic osteotomies.
Enhanced Productivity in Forest Product Industries with Lockout/Tagout Alternatives

Lockout/tagout (LOTO) unquestionably saves lives in forest products manufacturing and processing segments, but it can also be a drain on productivity. Additionally, some types of diagnostic and setup work require active power sources, which can lead to workers bypassing LOTO procedures. LOTO alternative protective measures (APM) that are compliant with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Minor Servicing Exception (MSE), present an opportunity to enhance productivity and help reduce the incentive for workers attempting to bypass critical safety procedures. This paper will explore the use of LOTO APMs, how they can improve productivity, their safety and financial benefits, and the consideration of appropriate locations for their use.
Current peri-operative imaging concepts surrounding shoulder arthroplasty

Glenohumeral osteoarthritis is a prevalent degenerative disease that can lead to excruciating pain and debility. End-stage osteoarthritis can be treated by both conservative and surgical interventions. Along with a comprehensive history and physical exam, pre-operative imaging with plain radiographs, computerized tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging plays an essential role in the decision-making process guiding whether the patient undergoes a shoulder hemiarthroplasty, anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty, or a reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. The most important pre-operative imaging factors are the integrity of the rotator cuff and presence of significant glenoid erosion. Imaging is also critical postoperatively, as signs of prosthetic loosening, rotator cuff failure (especially involving the subscapularis), periprosthetic fracture, and stress fractures are important entities to recognize. This article will review pertinent imaging findings related to the pre- and post-operative management of patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis.
Replication Research, Publication Bias, and Applied Behavior Analysis.

The “replication crisis” describes recent difficulties in replicating studies in various scientific fields, most notably psychology. The available evidence primarily documents replication failures for group research designs. However, we argue that contingencies of publication bias that led to the “replication crisis” also operate on applied behavior analysis (ABA) researchers who use single-case research designs (SCRD). This bias strongly favors publication of SCRD studies that show strong experimental effect, and disfavors publication of studies that show less robust effect. The resulting research literature may unjustifiably inflate confidence about intervention effects, limit researchers’ ability to delineate intervention boundary conditions, and diminish the credibility of our science. To counter problems of publication bias in ABA, we recommend that journals that publish SCRD research establish journal standards for publication of noneffect studies; that our research community adopt open sharing of SCRD protocols and data; and that members of our community routinely publish systematic literature reviews that include gray (i.e., unpublished) research.
Empathy Beyond US Borders: The Challenges of Transnational Civic Engagement

How do middle-class Americans become aware of distant social problems and act against them? US colleges, congregations, and seminaries increasingly promote immersion travel as a way to bridge global distance, produce empathy, and increase global awareness. But does it? Drawing from a mixed methods study of a progressive, religious immersion travel organization at the US-Mexico border, Empathy Beyond US Borders provides a broad sociological context for the rise of immersion travel as a form of transnational civic engagement. Gary J. Adler, Jr follows alongside immersion travelers as they meet undocumented immigrants, walk desert trails, and witness deportations. His close observations combine with interviews and surveys to evaluate the potential of this civic action, while developing theory about culture, empathy, and progressive religion in transnational civic life. This timely book describes the moralization of travel, the organizational challenges of transnational engagement, and the difficulty of feeling transformed but not knowing how to help.
Towards Effective Foraging by Data Scientists to Find Past Analysis Choices

Data scientists are responsible for the analysis decisions they make, but it is hard for them to track the process by which they achieved a result. Even when data scientists keep logs, it is onerous to make sense of the resulting large number of history records full of overlapping variants of code, output, plots, etc. We developed algorithmic and visualization techniques for notebook code environments to help data scientists forage for information in their history. To test these interventions, we conducted a think-aloud evaluation with 15 data scientists, where participants were asked to find specific information from the history of another person's data science project. The participants succeed on a median of 80% of the tasks they performed. The quantitative results suggest promising aspects of our design, while qualitative results motivated a number of design improvements. The resulting system, called Verdant, is released as an open-source extension for JupyterLab.
Customer Value-Based Management: Competitive Implications

Many firms today quantify the value of individual customers and serve them differentially; providing better service, prices and other inducements to high value customers. We refer to this practice as Customer Value-based Management (CVM). While previous research and popular press has strongly advocated CVM, firms have often met with mixed results. One possible reason why actual outcomes differ from anticipated results could be that firms often implement CVM in a competitive environment. Our objective is to study CVM explicitly in a competitive setting. We find that while some recommendations and prescriptions from past research continue to apply in a competitive environment, some others do not. For example, we find that one of the benefits of CVM in a competitive setting is that it can discourage the rival from competing intensely, by increasing the rival’s chances of acquiring unprofitable customers. In this context, low-value customers can play an important strategic role by limiting the intensity of rival’s poaching. Consequently, firing low value customers or even increasing their value may prove counter-productive.
8 versus 12 weeks of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation and response predictors for overactive bladder

The primary objective is to compare weekly success rates after 8 vs 12 weekly percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) sessions for treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) in women and the secondary objective is to identify treatment response predictors. A retrospective study of 470 women was performed with the primary definition of success a Patient Global Impression-Improvement (PGI-I) score of 1 (“very much better”) or 2 (“much better”) and a ≥ 10-point improvement in both subscales of the Overactive Bladder Questionnaire-Short Form (OABq-SF). Additional analyses were performed to include a success definition of a PGI-I score of 3 (“a little better”). Categorical variables were compared using the Chi-squared test. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with response. One hundred and thirty-six out of 470 (29%) discontinued treatment before 12 weeks. One hundred out of 334 (29.9%) were successes at 8 weeks vs 138 out of 334 (41.3%) at 12 weeks (p = 0.002). Including a PGI-I score of 3 as an indicator of success, 181 out of 334 (54.2%) at 8 weeks and 202 out of 334 (60.5%) at 12 weeks were successes (p = 0.10). Factors associated with treatment response were neurological disorder (OR 4.32 [1.10–16.04]), prolapse surgery history (OR 3.89 [1.12–14.49]), and vaginal estrogen use (OR 1.76 [1.01–3.08]). Recurrent UTI was associated with failure (OR 0.42 [0.21–0.86]). The PTNS treatment success rate for OAB in women is greater at 12 weeks than at 8 weeks based on two validated questionnaires, the PGI-I and the OABq-SF. However, the success rates were equivalent if women who are “a little better” are also considered successes; with this definition, clinicians may consider shortening treatment duration to 8 weeks. Four clinical factors were significantly associated with response and may help to guide patient selection.
Abstract LB-053: VPS4A is a synthetic lethal target in VPS4B-deficient cancers due to co-deletion with SMAD4

Somatic copy number alterations that result in loss of tumor suppressor gene function are important drivers of tumorigenesis. However, few existing therapeutic options to target oncogenic processes evoked by tumor suppressor gene inactivation exist. The discovery of synthetic lethal interactions with genetic drivers of cancer may yield new therapeutic strategies with cancer selective potential. We examined genome-scale CRISPR-SpCas9 and RNA interference screens to uncover new synthetic lethal vulnerabilities associated with the loss of common tumor suppressor genes (TSGs). Vacuolar protein sorting 4 homolog A (VPS4A) scored as a strong, selective dependency in cancer cells with genomic loss of the SMAD4 tumor suppressor due to co-deletion of VPS4A9s paralog gene, VPS4B. VPS4B resides 12.3 Mb away from the SMAD4 TSG on chromosome 18q and is lost in approximately 33% of all cancers, suggesting broad clinical applicability. VPS4A and VPS4B function as AAA ATPases forming a multimeric protein complex within the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) pathway to regulate membrane remodeling in a range of cellular processes. VPS4A suppression in cells with VPS4B/SMAD4 loss led to accumulation of ESCRT-III filaments, cytokinesis defects, nuclear deformation and micronucleation, which ultimately resulted in G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Furthermore, upon VPS4A suppression, we observerd potent in vivo tumor regression, which led to extended survival, in mouse subcutaneous xenograft models with human cancer cell lines harboring VPS4B loss. Finally, genome-scale CRISPR-SpCas9 loss-of-function screening revealed other ESCRT pathway members and regulators of cellular abscission as modifiers of VPS4A dependency. Using the most comprehensive available CRISPR-SpCas9 and RNA-interference screening datasets to date, we provide a compendium of synthetic lethal vulnerabilities with TSG loss and credential VPS4A as a new and promising therapeutic target in cancers with VPS4B/SMAD4 deletion. Citation Format: Jasper E. Neggers, Brenton R. Paolella, Adhana Asfaw, Michael V. Rothberg, Thomas A. Skipper, Radha L. Kalekar, John M. Krill-Burger, Andrew L. Hong, Guillaume Kugener, Jeremie Kalfon, Annan Yang, Chen Yuan, Nancy Dumont, Alfredo Gonzalez, Mai Abdusamad, Yvonne Y. Li, Liam F. Spurr, Westley W. Wu, Federica Piccioni, Brian M. Wolpin, David E. Root, Jesse S. Boehm, Andrew D. Cherniack, Aviad Tsherniak, Todd R. Golub, Francisca Vazquez, Andrew J. Aguirre. VPS4A is a synthetic lethal target in VPS4B-deficient cancers due to co-deletion with SMAD4 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-053.
Robot Health Estimation through Unsupervised Anomaly Detection using Gaussian Mixture Models

Autonomous robots in complex environments are usually forced to act very conservatively, greatly limiting their potential. Taking more risky actions confidently requires the robot to have a deep understanding of its abilities, especially in its current state. The foundation for such a self-awareness is knowledge about current damages and the stress the different components of the robot are under. While the skills of a robot can be modeled in advance, the potential errors that might occur cannot easily be predicted exhaustively. Due to this, the robot is required to notice unforeseen changes in itself and judge their severity. This work presents a solution for this in the form of a Gaussian Mixture Model based framework for anomaly detection. The model requires only training data for a healthy robot, with no samples needed for expected problems and is able to correctly notice, localize and quantity various introduced damages and impairments. Transfer to new robots requires a user to only specify available sensor data for the robot’s different components. It was implemented and tested on two different robots sharing no hardware, with different problems introduced into both systems. This approach lays the foundation for a general framework for adaptive self-aware robot decision making and planning.
Contact With Persons With Mental Illness and Willingness to Live Next Door to Them: Two Waves of a California Survey of Adults

Objective:This study sought to extend findings from previous studies of the association between having had interpersonal contact with individuals with mental illness and the desire to avoid contact...
Economic and Production Considerations of Common Feedlot Procedures

Certain procedures routinely carried out on calves have negative performance effects. The first step in evaluating each procedure is to determine if it has a significant effect on performance and, if so, estimate the magnitude, so its economic value can be quantified.
Globalization and Executive Compensation: An Analysis of Pay Practices in U.K. Companies

This paper examines the impact that interactions with the United States market have on the compensation practices of non-US firms. We find strong evidence that the total compensation of UK executives is positively related to the extent of the firm’s interaction with the US market, as captured by the percentage of total sales generated in the US, the presence of prior US acquisition activity and the presence of a US exchange listing. Further tests reveal that UK firms with higher levels of US sales utilize greater levels of bonus pay and are more likely to issue option grants, while UK firms listed on a US exchange offer their executives higher average salaries than their non-listed peers. Executives of UK firms engaging in a US exchange listing experience a significant increase in total cash and salary-based compensation in the year following the listing event. Executives of firms engaging in their first acquisition of a US business experience a significant increase in the relative use of equity-based compensation in the year following the acquisition. Together, this evidence is consistent with US market interactions impacting UK compensation practices through two sets of incentives: (1) to alleviate internal and external pay disparities arising from the presence of US operations and businesses (proxied by percent US Sales and US acquisitions) and (2) to compensate executives for bearing the additional risk associated with exposure to US securities laws and legal environment (proxied by a US exchange listing).
Bariatric Surgery Improves Renal Function in Patients With Obesity.

Background Obesity affects 93.3 million adults in the United States and is a predisposing factor for the development and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The objective of this study is to examine the association between weight loss and renal function in participants undergoing bariatric surgery following a 12-week multidisciplinary, community-based weight loss program. Methodology This is a retrospective chart review of participants who voluntarily enrolled in a 12-week multidisciplinary weight loss program prior to bariatric surgery from 2009 to 2018. The primary outcome was to assess the association between weight loss and renal function in participants undergoing bariatric surgery. Secondary outcomes included changes in hemoglobin A1c, lipids, fasting glucose, and blood pressure. Results Among the 55 participants, baseline glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was 49 mL/min/m2, 80% were female, and the average baseline weight was 131 kg. At one-year post-intervention, 69% of patients improved in the CKD stage, with 45% of the participants improving from stage 3A to stage 2. GFR improved to 15 mL/min/1.73m2 (p = 0.025), and there was a negative correlation (rs = -0.3556) between weight and GFR (p = 0.013). Participants with hyperlipidemia had a 12 mL/min/1.73m2 rise in GFR, while participants without the diagnosis at one year had a 24 mL/min/1.73m2 rise in GFR (p = 0.007). Conclusions This study demonstrated improved renal function and reduced progression of CKD following a combined lifestyle and surgical intervention, indicating the importance of a comprehensive approach for the management of the chronic disease.
Courts and Constitutional Transition: Lessons from the Turkish Case

Judicial independence is understood as a cornerstone of rule-of-law and, as such, an essential component of democratic transitions. But in contexts of democratization, the definition of judicial independence may require refinement to take account of the special challenges of moving from the rule of the few to the rule of the many. In particular, an independent judiciary may stall legislative and constitutional reform by engaging in a form of constitutional review designed to shield elite preferences from democratic reversal. This article explores this problem through a detailed examination of a recent set of controversial constitutional cases in Turkey to illustrate the risks of a narrow definition of judicial independence and explore the appropriate balance between autonomy and accountability of the judiciary in periods of democratic transition or democratic consolidation.
The homeodomain protein Six1 regulates Ezrin gene transcription through recruitment of the CREB-binding protein.

5141 Ezrin is a member of the ERM family (Ezrin-Radixin-Moesin) and serves as a physical and functional linker between the plasma membrane and the actin cytoskeleton. By organizing membrane-cytoskeleton - associated complexes, Ezrin mediates cellular activities such as survival, adhesion, migration and invasiveness, thereby influencing tumor development and progression. Ezrin expression is enhanced in metastases of mammary and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, osteosarcoma and melanoma. Previously, we identified Ezrin as a critical regulator of metastasis in a mouse model of the pediatric cancer rhabdomyosarcoma (Yu, et al., Nature Medicine, 2004). Although many studies highlight the important role of Ezrin in tumorigenesis, little is known about the regulation of Ezrin expression. We have found that Six1, a homeodomain-containing transcription factor required for skeletal muscle development, can bind to the Ezrin gene (VIL2) promoter and regulate its transcription. Recently, we discovered that epigenetic covalent modifications to histones within nucleosomes of the Ezrin gene promoter are linked to Ezrin expression. Moreover, Six1 regulates Ezrin gene transcription through recruitment of the CREB-binding protein (CBP).
Control of CD8 T-Cell Infiltration into Tumors by Vasculature and Microenvironment.

CD8 T-cells are a critical brake on the initial development of tumors. In established tumors, the presence of CD8 T-cells is correlated with a positive patient prognosis, although immunosuppressive mechanisms limit their effectiveness and they are rarely curative without manipulation. Cancer immunotherapies aim to shift the balance back to dominant antitumor immunity through antibody blockade of immunosuppressive signaling pathways, vaccination, and adoptive transfer of activated or engineered T-cells. These approaches have yielded striking responses in small subsets of patients with solid tumors, most notably those with melanoma. Importantly, the subset of patients who respond to vaccination or immunosuppression blockade therapies are those with CD8 T-cells present in the tumor prior to initiating therapy. While current adoptive cell therapy approaches can be dramatically effective, they require infusion of extremely large numbers of T-cells, but the number that actually infiltrates the tumor is very small. Thus, poor representation of CD8 T-cells in tumors is a fundamental hurdle to successful immunotherapy, over and above the well-established barrier of immunosuppression. In this review, we discuss the factors that determine whether immune cells are present in tumors, with a focus on the representation of cytotoxic CD8 T-cells. We emphasize the critically important role of tumor-associated vasculature as a gateway that enables the active infiltration of both effector and naive CD8 T-cells that exert antitumor activity. We also discuss strategies to enhance the gateway function and extend the effectiveness of immunotherapies to a broader set of cancer patients.
Development and validation of a rapid LC-MS/MS method for the determination of JCC76, a novel antitumor agent for breast cancer, in rat plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetics study.

JCC76 is a novel nimesulide analog that selectively inhibits the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpressing breast cancer cell proliferation and tumor progression. To support further pharmacological and toxicological studies of JCC76, a novel and rapid method using liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) has been developed and validated for the quantification of the compound in rat plasma. A C18 column was used for chromatographic separation, and the mobile phase was aqueous ammonium formate (pH 3.7; 5 mm)–methanol (1:9, v/v) with an isocratic elution. With a simple liquid–liquid extraction procedure using the mixture of methyl tert-butyl ether–hexane (1:2, v/v), the mean extraction efficiency of JCC76 in rat plasma was determined as 89.5–97.3% and no obvious matrix effect was observed. This method demonstrated a linear calibration range from 0.3 to 100 ng/mL for JCC76 in rat plasma and a small volume of sample consumption. The intra- and inter-assay accuracy and precision were within ±10%. The pharmacokinetics of JCC76 was also profiled using this validated method in rats. In conclusion, this rapid and sensitive method has been proven to effectively quantify JCC76 for pharmacokinetics study. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Staircase voltammetry with varied current sampling times: Theory for diffusion controlled, rate controlled, and mixed rate and diffusion controlled electrode reactions

Summary The theory for staircase voltammetry with a varied current sampling time has been derived for the cases of reversible, irreversible, and quasireversible electrode reactions. The equations derived have been used to calculate theoretical voltammograms employing several different values of the electrode reaction parameters k s and α n a and several values of the experimentally controllable step time, step size and current sampling time. The current sampling time is shown to be an important parameter in the application of staircase voltammetry to analytical and kinetic studies.
Postnatal injection of homocysteic acid leads to the development of behaviors consistent with major-depressive disorder in female, but not male, Sprague Dawley rats (803.11)

Recent evidence suggests that hyperfunction of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDA) may be an important factor in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). The NMDA receptor agonist,...
Greek Tragedy in Vergil's “Aeneid”: Ritual Violence and the Failure of Sacrifice

et quisquam numen Iunonis adorat praeterea aut supplex aris imponet honorem? ( Aen . 1.48–49) And will anyone still worship Juno's deity or as a suppliant lay sacrifice upon her altars? juno's anger fuels the action of the aeneid , and sacrifice is at the root of this anger. The performance of sacrifices in her honor validates her deity; it is a tangible form of worship, the basis of exchange between gods and humans, and a locus where the power differential between them is played out. Recent scholarship has amply demonstrated the importance of the role of ritual sacrifice in the Aeneid . The work of Bandera (1981), Hardie (1993), and Dyson (2001) has shown that representations of ritual sacrifice, sacrificial symbolism and metaphor, as well as the depiction of various characters as scapegoats, abound in the epic. One thus may speak of the existence of a ritual intertext (Dyson 2001: 13) operative in the poem. Building on the insights of these scholars, I offer an analysis of the Aeneid 's ritual intertext, which I examine along with the poem's allusive intertext. I argue that the poem's ritual representations, metaphors, and symbols are inextricably linked with the deployment of its rich allusive program. Throughout the Aeneid , Vergil manipulates a pattern of ritual representations, sacrifice being the most salient among them, absent in the Homeric epics and specific to Greek tragedy.