cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role Identity, Organizational Experiences, and Volunteer Performance

The central focus of this research is on the development and testing of a theoretical framework to understand performance and retention of volunteers. The framework is centered on identity theory and includes both general and specific role identity as well as organizational variables. Data were obtained from two samples of volunteers for the American Cancer Society (ACS). Specific role identity as an ACS volunteer is predicted from general role identity and several factors related to perceived experiences in the organization. Specific role identity explains significant amounts of variance in the number of hours worked for ACS and other organizations as well as intent to remain an ACS volunteer. Results also suggest that volunteers may experience conflicts between the demands of their general and specific role identities. Finally, the effects of ACS role identity on volunteer behavior are compared with those of organizational commitment.
Supermode Si/III-V hybrid lasers, optical amplifiers and modulators: A proposal and analysis

We describe a hybrid laser structure which consists of an amplifying III-V waveguide proximity-coupled to a passive Si waveguide. By operating near the synchronism point (where the phase velocities of the individual waveguides are equal), we can cause the optical power to be confined to any of the two waveguides. This is accomplished by control of waveguides’ geometry. In the portion of the supermode resonator where amplification takes place, the mode is confined nearly completely to III-V guide thus realizing a near maximal gain. Near the output facet, the mode power is confined to the Si waveguide thus optimizing the output coupling. This is to be contrasted with approaches which depend on evanescent field penetration into the III-V medium to obtain gain.
Evidence for Latent Classes of IQ in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism is currently viewed as a spectrum condition that includes strikingly different severity levels; IQ is consistently described as one of the primary aspects of the heterogeneity in autism. To investigate the possibility of more than one distinct subtype of autism based on IQ both latent class analysis and taxometrics methods were used to classify Mullen IQs in a sample of 456 children with autism spectrum disorder. We found evidence for multiple IQbased subgroups using both methods. Groups differed in level of intellectual functioning and patterns of verbal versus nonverbal ability. Results support the notion of distinct subtypes of autism that differ in severity of intellectual ability, patterns of cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and severity of autism symptoms.
First Report of Powdery Mildew of Onion (Allium cepa) Caused by Leveillula taurica in the Pacific Northwest

A powdery mildew disease of onion has been observed infrequently in the Columbia Basin of Washington State since 1996, but this is the first published report of this disease in the Pacific Northwes...
Major histocompatibility complex class I gene expression in rat thyroid cells is regulated by hormones, methimazole, and iodide as well as interferon.

Autoimmune thyroid disease is associated with enhanced expression of major histocompatibility complex class I antigens on thyrocytes. To better understand this phenomenon, we have studied the normal expression of class I genes in FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells. A variety of hormones and growth factors that regulate the growth and function of these thyroid cells were found to decrease class I RNA levels: serum, insulin or insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), and hydrocortisone. Antibody preparations from Graves' patients (thyroid-stimulating antibodies), which increase cAMP levels and stimulate the thyroid, also decrease class I RNA levels. This is consistent with the fact that TSH, via its cAMP signal, reduces class I transcripts. The class I response to TSH, serum, insulin, IGF-I, or hydrocortisone is specific, in that the same agents do not similarly affect TSH receptor, thyroglobulin, thyroid peroxidase, malic enzyme, or beta-actin RNA levels. Both gamma- and alpha-interferon increase class I RNA levels in ...
STREET‐LEVEL DISCRETION IN POLICING

This article examines the consequences of a clash between police officers' expectations of street-level discretion and supervisors' constraints on such discretion. Two hypothesized consequences are examined: police officer alienation from the citizenry and police officer disaffection with the department. Both attitudinal data (from a survey of police officers) and behavioral data (from direct observation of police officers on patrol) are used. The data show some support for the hypothesis that disaffection with the department is a consequence of the discretion-constraint clash, but no support of alienation from the citizenry as a consequence. Rather, the data suggest that officers back away from discretion in situations where the public is perceived to be hostile and where supervisors reinforce that perception by active monitoring of police-citizen encounters.
RIBONUCLEOPROTEIN PARTICLES IN THE AMPHIBIAN OOCYTE NUCLEUS : Possible Intermediates in Ribosome Synthesis

Studies of the sedimentation properties of RNP1 material from the nucleus of the amphibian oocyte have indicated (1) that there are few, if any, 78S ribosomes in the nucleus, (2) that there are smaller particles sedimenting at 50-55S and 30S, and (3) that the larger of these is the precursor of the 60S subunit of the cytoplasmic ribosomes. Although the nature of the 30S material is not completely clear, it probably includes precursor particles to the 40S ribosomal subunit. Heavy (50-55S) particles are predominant in immature oocytes of Triturus viridescens, whereas in immature oocytes of Triturus and Amblystoma mexicanum they are reduced greatly in amount, but are still detectable. Double-labeling studies of RNA and protein reveal that both types of particle incorporate uridine-3H, but that the 50-55S material of immature oocytes does not incorporate 14C-labeled amino acids. However, other evidence exists that favors the RNP nature of this material. Sedimentation analyses after SDS extraction show that 50-55S particles contain 40 and 30S RNA, whereas 30S particles contain 20S RNA. These types of RNA represent at least 80% of all the extractable nuclear RNA. The 50-55S particles are probably heterogeneous, including both particles containing mostly 40S RNA and particles containing only 30S RNA.
Effects of disturbance on vegetation by sand accretion and erosion across coastal dune habitats on a barrier island

Coastal geomorphology and vegetation are expected to be particularly sensitive to climate change, because of disturbances caused by sea-level rise and increased storm frequency. Dunes have critical reciprocal interactions with vegetation; dunes create habitats for plants, while plants help to build dunes and promote geomor- phological stability. These interactions are also greatly affected by disturbances associated with sand movement, either in accretion (dune building) or in erosion. The magnitude and intensity of disturbances are expected to vary with habitat, from the more exposed and less stable foredunes, to low-lying and flood-prone interdunes, to the protected and older backdunes. Permanent plots were established atthreedifferent spatialscales on St GeorgeIsland, FL, USA, where the vegetation and dune elevation were quantified annually from 2011 to 2013. Change in elevation, eitherthroughaccretionorerosion, wasusedasameasureofyear-to-yeardisturbanceoverthe2yearsofthestudy.At the scale of different dune habitats, foredunes were found to have the greatest disturbance, while interdunes had the least. Elevation and habitat (i.e. foredune, interdune, backdune) were significantly correlated with plant community composition. Generalized linear models conducted within each habitat show that the change in elevation (disturb- ance) is also significantly correlated with the plant community, but only within foredunes and interdunes. The import- ance of disturbance in exposed foredunes was expected and was found to be related to an increasing abundance of a dominant species (Uniola paniculata) in eroding areas. The significant effect of disturbance in the relatively stable interdunes wassurprising, and maybe due to the importance offlooding associated with small changes in elevation in these low-lying areas. Overall, this study documents changes in the plant community associated with elevation, and demonstratesthat the foredune and interdune communities are also associated with the responses of specific species to local changes in elevation due to accretion or erosion.
Population density-dependent hair cortisol concentrations in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Population density is known to influence acute measures of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity in a variety of species, including fish, deer, birds, and humans. However, the effects of population density on levels of chronic stress are unknown. Given the fact that exposure to chronically elevated levels of circulating glucocorticoids results in a host of health disparities in animals and humans alike, it is important to understand how population density may impact chronic stress. We assessed hair cortisol concentrations (HCCs), which are reliable indicators of chronic HPA axis activity, in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) to determine the influence of population density on these values. In Experiment 1, we compared HCCs of monkeys living in high-density (HD; 1 monkey/0.87m(2)) and low-density (LD; 1 monkey/63.37m(2)) environments (N=236 hair samples) and found that HD monkeys exhibited higher hair cortisol across all age categories (infant, juvenile, young adult, adult, and aged) except infancy and aged (F(5)=4.240, p=0.001), for which differences were nearly significant. HD monkeys also received more severe fight wounds than LD monkeys (χ(2)=26.053, p<0.001), though no effects of dominance status emerged. In Experiment 2, we examined how HCCs change with fluctuating population levels across 5 years in the adult LD monkeys (N=155 hair samples) and found that increased population density was significantly positively correlated with HCCs in this semi-naturalistic population (r(s)=0.975, p=0.005). These are the first findings to demonstrate that increased population density is associated with increased chronic, endogenous glucocorticoid exposure in a nonhuman primate species. We discuss the implications of these findings with respect to laboratory research, population ecology, and human epidemiology.
Amino acid derivatives that stabilize secondary structures of polypeptides—IV. Practical synthesis of 4-alkyamino-3-cyano-azabicyclo[3.2.1.]oct-3-enes (Ben derivatives) as γ-turn templates

Abstract Ben derivatives have been prepared in five steps from 4-hydroxyproline by Barton cyanoethylation, ring closure, and derivitization. Proof of absolute configuration and practical synthesis of pure Ben enantiomers are described.
The equilibrium range in the spectrum of wind-generated waves

Consideration of the structure of wind-generated waves when the duration and fetch of the wind are large suggests that the smaller-scale components of the wave field may be in a condition of statistical equilibrium determined by the requirements for attachment of the crests of the waves. A dimensional analysis, based upon the idea of an equilibrium range in the wave spectrum, shows that for large values of the frequency ω, the spectrum Φ(ω) is of the form $\Phi (\omega) \sim \alpha g^2\omega^{-5}$ where α is an absolute constant. The instantaneous spatial spectrum Ψ ( k ) is proportional to k −4 for large wave numbers k , which is consistent with the observed occurrence of sharp crests in a well-developed sea, and the loss of energy from the wave system to turbulence and heat is proportional to $\rho _w u^3_*$ , where ρ w is the water density and u the friction velocity of the wind at the surface. This prediction of the form of Φ(ω) for large ω with α = 7·4×10 −3 , agrees well with measurements made by Burling (1955).
Effectiveness of isosorbide dinitrate and nitroglycerin in relieving angina pectoris during uninterrupted exercise.

Twenty patients with ischemic heart disease documented by coronary angiograms or ST segment depression in the ECG during treadmill walking, were administered sublingual nitroglycerin 0.3 to 0.6 mg on one occasion and a chewable form of isosorbide dinitrate 5 mg on another occasion during treadmill walking when anginal discomfort was definitely present at a mild degree of intensity. Despite continued walking at constant speed and grade, angina was relieved in all patients, completely in most patients, partially in a few. The average time from administration of the medication to onset of relief was 74.7 seconds for nitroglycerin and 107.6 seconds for chewable isosorbide dinitrate. Average time to complete relief or maximal incomplete relief was 190.3 seconds for nitroglycerin and 315.1 seconds for chewable isosorbide dinitrate. Ischemic electrocardiographic changes were reverted toward normal by nitroglycerin in 13 subjects and by isosorbide dinitrate in 15. The differences in onset of relief time, time to maximal relief, and time from onset to complete relief were all statistically significant indicating that nitroglycerin is more rapid in its action than is chewable isosorbide dinitrate.
Mechanisms of adsorption of s-triazines by clay colloids and factors affecting plant availability.

Many new organic agricultural chemicals have been developed which offer great potential in the production and preservation of food and fiber (Weber 1969). In the process of developing and utilizing these chemicals we must come to understand how they affect the target organisms and what becomes of them after they have done their job. The purpose of this review is to discuss1 the behavior of one family of these organic compounds, the s-triazines, at the molecular level, in systems in which the chemicals are associated with clay minerals. Factors affecting the adsorption and release of s-triazines by clay colloids and the availability of the compounds to plant roots will also be included. The literature citations are limited to those studies in which s-triazines and clays were directly associated and situations in which other compounds behaved in a manner similar to the s-triazines.
Mediation and moderation: Testing relationships between symptom status, functional health, and quality of life in HIV patients.

We extended Wilson and Cleary's (1995) health-related quality of life model to examine the relationships among symptom status (Symptoms), functional health (Disability), and quality of life (QOL). Using a community sample (N = 956) of male HIV positive patients, we tested a mediation model in which the relationship between Symptoms and QOL is partially mediated by Disability. Common and unique ideas from 3 approaches to examining moderation of effects in mediational models (Edwards & Lambert, 2007; MacKinnon, 2008; Preacher, Rucker, & Hayes, 2007) were used to test whether (a) the direct relationship of Symptoms to QOL and (b) the relationship of Disability to QOL are moderated by age. In the mediation model, both the direct and the indirect (mediated) effects were significant. The direct relationship of Symptoms to QOL was significantly moderated by age, but the relationship of Disability to QOL was not. High Symptoms were associated with lower QOL at all ages, but this relationship became stronger at ol...
The effects of diet and lovastatin on regression of fatty streak lesions and on hepatic and intestinal mRNA levels for the LDL receptor and HMG CoA reductase in F1B hamsters

This study examined the effects of lovastatin supplementation (25 mg/kg per day) in conjunction with an atherogenic diet (10% coconut oil (w/w), 0.05% cholesterol) on regression of pre-existing foam cells and on hepatic and intestinal LDL receptor and HMG CoA reductase mRNA levels. F1B hamsters fed the atherogenic diet had significantly greater (p < 0.0002) foam cell accumulation (10078 +/- 1452 (S.E.M.) micron2) compared to those fed a low fat, no cholesterol chow diet (64 +/- 10 micron2) or the atherogenic diet supplemented with lovastatin (1621 +/- 132 micron2). Regression of fatty streak lesions was achieved by feeding either a chow diet or supplementing the atherogenic diet with lovastatin as evidenced by the significant (p < 0.0002) reduction in foam cell accumulation in the chow regression (94 +/- 55 micron2) and lovastatin regression (48 +/- 18 micron2) groups compared to the atherogenic diet group (10078 +/- 1452 micron2). Lovastatin supplementation of the atherogenic diet induced significant upregulation of both LDL receptor and HMG CoA reductase message levels in liver and intestine compared to the chow and atherogenic diet fed groups. These data demonstrate that lovastatin supplementation of an atherogenic diet decreases foam cell accumulation and induces upregulation of hepatic and intestinal LDL receptor and HMG CoA reductase mRNA levels. Furthermore, regression of pre-existing, diet-induced fatty streak lesions can be achieved by lovastatin supplementation of an atherogenic diet or by feeding a low fat, low cholesterol chow diet. The specific effects of lovastatin on foam cell accumulation and regression and messenger RNA levels are secondary to reductions in plasma total cholesterol concentrations and do not demonstrate a direct effect of lovastatin on atherosclerotic lesions.
A Prospective, Multi-Year Analysis of Illness and Injury During Summer Travel to Arid Environments

Abstract Objective.—There exist no prospectively generated analyses of the type and frequency of medical incidents in desert settings. We created a database of every illness and injury during 6 field seasons in the Gobi Desert in order to optimize expedition medical and safety planning. Methods.—Every incident presenting to the expeditions' physicians, regardless of type, magnitude, treatment, or outcome, was recorded. Incidents ranged from headache, insomnia, and diarrhea to lacerations, infection, fights, psychosis, and foreign body extraction and were thus categorized, segregating urban travel-related complaints from illness and injury occurring in the desert setting. The chronology of incidents and illnesses was observed. The incidence of categorized illness and injury was analyzed using descriptive statistics and was presented in terms of person-days in the field. Results.—There were 412 incidents recorded during 2689 person-days from 6 field seasons in the Gobi Desert from 2003 through 2007. The exp...
Parallelized Variational EM for Latent Dirichlet Allocation: An Experimental Evaluation of Speed and Scalability

Statistical topic models such as the Latent Dirichlet Al- location (LDA) have emerged as an attractive framework to model, visualize and summarize large document collec- tions in a completely unsupervised fashion. Considering the enormous sizes of the modern electronic document col- lections, it is very important that these models are fast and scalable. In this work, we build parallel implementations of the variational EM algorithm for LDA in a multiproces- sor architecture as well as a distributed setting. Our ex- periments on various sized document collections indicate that while both the implementations achieve speed-ups, the distributed version achieves dramatic improvements in both speed and scalability. We also analyze the costs associated with various stages of the EM algorithm and suggest ways to further improve the performance.
Stochastic Modeling of Hurricane Damage

Abstract A compound Poisson process is proposed as a stochastic model for the total economic damage associated with hurricanes. This model consists of two components, one governing the occurrence of events and another specifying the damages associated with individual events. In this way, damage totals are represented as a “random sum,” with variations in total damage being decomposed into two sources, one attributable to variations in the frequency of events and another to variations in the damage from individual events. The model is applied to the economic damage, adjusted for societal vulnerability, caused by North Atlantic hurricanes making landfall in the continental United States. The total number of damaging storms per year is fitted reasonably well by a Poisson distribution, and the monetary damage for individual storms is fitted by the lognormal. The fraction of the variation in annual damage totals associated with fluctuations in the number of storms, although smaller than the corresponding fract...
A Two-Dimensional Microfluidic-Based Tactile Sensor for Tissue Palpation Under the Influence of Misalignment

This paper reports on a proof-of-concept study of applying a two-dimensional (2D) microfluidic-based tactile sensor for tissue palpation under the influence of misalignment. Two unavoidable misalignment issues, uncertainty in contact point and non-ideal normal contact, severely distort the genuine elasticity distribution of a tissue region, yielding false identification of abnormality. The core of the 2D tactile sensor is one whole microstructure embedded with an electrolyte-enabled 2D resistive transducer array underneath. This unique configuration allows the tactile sensor to interact with a tissue region in a continuous manner that mimics manual palpation: the whole microstructure (fingertip) presses a tissue region and the corresponding deflection distribution is captured concurrently by the embedded transducer array (distributed sensors under the skin). This continuous manner tackles the misalignment issues encountered by an individual sensor or a sensor array, in that any misalignment encountered by the 2D sensor is manifested as an increasing trend of the distributed deflection-depth relations along the tilt direction. Tissue phantoms with embedded nodules and extrusions are prepared and are measured using the 2D tactile sensor, validating the capability of the tactile sensor to identify abnormalities in soft tissue under the influence of misalignment.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Mechanical Design and Initial Performance Testing of an Apple-Picking End-Effector

The fresh market apple industry currently relies on manual labor for all harvesting activities. The lack of mechanical harvesting technologies is a serious concern because of rising labor costs and increasingly uncertain labor availability. Researchers have been working for several decades to develop mechanical harvesters for tree fruit. The two fruit removal methods considered include mass mechanical harvesters and selective harvesting with robotics technology. Whereas mass mechanical harvesters have demonstrated unacceptable damage rates, robotic systems have been limited by insufficient speed and robustness. This paper describes the design and analysis of a novel underactuated end-effector fabricated for the robotic harvesting of tree fruit. The device has been optimized around a set of target tasks, the most critical being speed, low complexity, suitability for a highly variable field environment, and the replication of hand picking so as to minimize fruit damage. Development of the end-effector has been facilitated by a thorough study of the dynamic forces involved during the manual harvesting of apples. The end-effector produces a spherical power grasp with a normal force distribution and picking sequence replicating selected human patterns. An underactuated, tendon-driven device with compliant flexure joints has been adopted to improve system performance in the presence of position errors as well as enhance robustness to variable fruit size, shape, and orientation. The prototype end-effector also uses minimal sensors and incorporates open-loop control to reduce complexity and improve picking speed. This paper presents the theoretical analysis of the end-effector kinematics and discusses the selection of key geometric parameters. Experiments have been conducted to determine the normal forces developed during grasping of the apple. Results indicate that open-loop, feedforward control can be used to produce optimal normal force patterns.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Quality of Life After Radiation Therapy for Base of Tongue Cancer

Quality-of-life (QOL) research in patients treated for head and neck cancer is in its infancy. Early research focused on psychosocial issues related to extensive surgical resection and its consequences. Many advances have been made in both radiotherapy and surgical management. Nevertheless, individuals with head and neck cancer are at risk for significant treatment-related morbidity, which can have a substantial impact on the quality of their life. This article provides an overview of the evolution of QOL research in this population, and presents a series of studies using the Performance Status Scale (PSS) to measure functional QOL in patients with base of tongue cancer who are treated with radiation therapy.
The National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry

The Anesthesia Quality Institute (AQI) was chartered in 2008 by the American Society of Anesthesiologists to develop the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry (NACOR). In this Technical Communication, we will describe how data enter NACOR, how they are authenticated, and how they are analyzed and reported. NACOR accepts case-level administrative, clinical, and quality capture data from voluntarily participating anesthesia practices and health care facilities in the United States. All data are transmitted to the AQI in summary electronic files generated by billing, quality capture, and electronic health care record software, typically on a monthly basis. All data elements are mapped to fields in the NACOR schema in accordance with a publicly available data dictionary. Incoming data are loaded into NACOR by AQI technologists and are subject to both manual and automated review to identify systematically missing elements, miscoding, and inadvertent corruption. Data are deidentified in compliance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations. The database server of AQI, which houses the NACOR database, is protected by 2 firewalls within the American Society of Anesthesiologists' network infrastructure; this system has not been breached. The NACOR Participant User File, a deidentified case-level dataset of information from NACOR, is available to researchers at participating institutions. NACOR architecture and the nature of the Participant User File include both strengths and weaknesses.
Evaluation and management of the acute scrotum.

SUMMARY The application of an orderly diagnostic protocol to the conditions causing the acute scrotum will allow all cases to be classified rapidly, with either a presumptive diagnosis of torsion or other surgical conditions that require surgery or exclusion of torsion with confidence. It is imperative, however, in those cases in which the acute scrotum is not operated on that sufficiently long follow-up be done to prove that in each and every case the testis and scrotal contents return to normal, so that an occult neoplasm will not be innocently neglected.
Biliary Tract Disease in the Aged

Gallstone disease in the elderly is very common, usually silent, and rarely fatal. Symptomatic gallstone disease can often be managed successfully in different ways, the choice depending largely on physician experience and patient preference. Biliary obstruction, whether benign or malignant, is common in the elderly and is usually managed endoscopically or surgically.
Different roles of ROS and Nrf2 in Cr(VI)-induced inflammatory responses in normal and Cr(VI)-transformed cells

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is classified as a human carcinogen. Cr(VI) has been associated with adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. The present study shows that acute Cr(VI) treatment in human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) increased inflammatory responses (TNF-α, COX-2, and NF-кB/p65) and expression of Nrf2. Cr(VI)-induced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are responsible for increased inflammation. Despite the fact that Nrf2 is a master regulator of response to oxidative stress, silencing of Nrf2 in the acute Cr(VI) treatment had no effect on Cr(VI)-induced inflammation. In contrast, in Cr(VI)-transformed (CrT) cells, Nrf2 is constitutively activated. Knock-down of this protein resulted in decreased inflammation, while silencing of SOD2 and CAT had no effect in the expression of these inflammatory proteins. Results obtained from the knock-down of Nrf2 in CrT cells are very different from the results obtained in the acute Cr(VI) treatment. In BEAS-2B cells, knock-down of Nrf2 had no effect in the inflammation levels, while in CrT cells a decrease in the expression of inflammation markers was observed. These results indicate that before transformation, ROS plays a critical role while Nrf2 not in Cr(VI)-induced inflammation, whereas after transformation (CrT cells), Nrf2 is constitutively activated and this protein maintains inflammation while ROS not. Constitutively high levels of Nrf2 in CrT binds to the promoter regions of COX-2 and TNF-α, leading to increased inflammation. Collectively, our results demonstrate that before cell transformation ROS are important in Cr(VI)-induced inflammation and after transformation a constitutively high level of Nrf2 is important.
Police officers' attitudes toward citizens in China

Although a substantial number of studies have examined public attitudes toward the police, a relatively thin line of research has assessed police attitudes toward the citizenry in China. Using surv...
Dirty bombs spark war of words

On 10 June US authorities announced that federal agents had arrested a man who was said to be planning to build and detonate a so-called dirty bomb, consisting of a conventional explosive designed to scatter radioactive material. The news coverage of the announcement illustrated the difficulty of discussing volatile issues with a physics dimension in a public forum.
Laboratory Studies of the Interactions of Environmental Conditions on the Susceptibility of Green June Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Grubs to Entomopathogenic Nematodes

In the laboratory, four nematode species differed significantly in the percentage mortality that each caused in second-instar green June beetles (grubs), Cotinis nitida (L.). Water suspensions of 1,000 infective juveniles (IJ)/one grub/Petri dish each of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, Steinernema glaseri, and S. feltiae caused 34, 22 and 18% grub mortality, respectively. These values were significantly (P = 0.05) greater than the grub mortality caused by either S. carpocapsae (12%) or the water check (0%) that were similar. Several factors affected third- and fourth-instar susceptibility in the laboratory when exposed to 10,000 S. carpocapsae or H. bacteriophora IJ in 75 g of soil (133 IJ/cm3 soil)/plastic cup. Soil at 30% moisture by weight resulted in significantly more (P= 0.006) dead grubs (6.6%) than at 10% soil moisture (2.8%). Significantly more (P = 0.03) grubs died when at a grub density of 2 grubs/plastic cup (5.6%) than at 1 grub/plastic cup (3.8%). Significantly more (P = 0.01) grubs were kill...
Dissecting Population Substructure in India via Correlation Optimization of Genetics and Geodemographics

India represents an intricate tapestry of population substructure shaped by geography, language, culture and social stratification operating in concert. To date, no study has attempted to model and evaluate how these evolutionary forces have interacted to shape the patterns of genetic diversity within India. Geography has been shown to closely correlate with genetic structure in other parts of the world. However, the strict endogamy imposed by the Indian caste system, and the large number of spoken languages add further levels of complexity. We merged all publicly available data from the Indian subcontinent into a data set of 835 individuals across 48,373 SNPs from 84 well-defined groups. Bringing together geography, sociolinguistics and genetics, we developed COGG (Correlation Optimization of Genetics and Geodemographics) in order to build a model that optimally explains the observed population genetic sub-structure. We find that shared language rather than geography or social structure has been the most powerful force in creating paths of gene flow within India. Further investigating the origins of Indian substructure, we create population genetic networks across Eurasia. We observe two major corridors towards mainland India; one through the Northwestern and another through the Northeastern frontier with the Uygur population acting as a bridge across the two routes. Importantly, network, ADMIXTURE analysis and f3 statistics support a far northern path connecting Europe to Siberia and gene flow from Siberia and Mongolia towards Central Asia and India.
Retrospective analysis to describe associations between tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors and COPD-related hospitalizations.

Background Limited information exists on the impact of tumor necrosis factor inhibition on COPD exacerbations. This retrospective study characterized this impact among COPD patients with underlying autoimmune conditions, exposed to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) and/or non-biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Patients and methods Adult COPD patients with ≥1 diagnosis for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), or ankylosing spondylitis (AS) before or within 6 months following the index COPD diagnosis were identified from the Truven Health MarketScan® databases. Patients were required to have a second claim for RA, PsO, PsA, AS, or DMARD use (biologic or non-biologic) prior to or up to 6 months following the index date. Incidence of COPD-related hospitalizations and emergency room (ER) visits was evaluated in relation to treatment with TNFi and/or DMARDs and other potential risk factors. Results The study cohort included 40,687 patients (untreated, 37.7%; non-biologic DMARD, 35.4%; TNFi + non-biologic DMARD, 18%; TNFi, 8.8%). The proportion of patients with a COPD-related hospitalization and the incidence of COPD-related hospitalization (per 100 person-years) were lowest in the TNFi cohort (8.6%; 3.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.16-3.95) and the TNFi + non-biologic DMARD cohort (8.4%; 2.85, 95% CI: 2.63-3.08). In multivariate models, treatment with TNFi + non-biologic DMARD reduced the risk of COPD-related hospitalization or ER visits by 32% relative to non-biologic DMARDs (hazard ratio: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.61-0.75). Conclusion In real-world settings, TNFi monotherapy confers similar risk for COPD-related hospitalization or ER visits as a non-biologic DMARD. Decreased risk was found among those treated with both TNFi and a non-biologic DMARD.
Immuno-Oncology Integrative Networks: Elucidating the Influences of Osteosarcoma Phenotypes.

In vivo and in vitro functional phenotyping characterization was recently obtained with reference to an experimental pan-cancer study of 22 osteosarcoma (OS) cell lines. Here, differentially expressed gene (DEG) profiles were recomputed from the publicly available data to conduct network inference on the immune system regulatory activity across the characterized OS phenotypes. Based on such DEG profiles, and for each phenotype that was analyzed, we obtained coexpression networks and bio-annotations for them. Then, we described the immune-modulated influences in phenotype-specific networks’ integrating pathway, transcription factor, and microRNA regulations. Overall, this approach seems suitable for representing heterogeneity in OS tumorigenesis.
Evaluating Variance Estimators for Respondent-Driven Sampling.

Author(s): Spiller, Michael W; Gile, Krista J; Handcock, Mark S; Mar, Corinne M; Wejnert, Cyprian
State of Perpetual Emergency: Law, Militarization and State Preservation in the United States

This project scrutinizes the law and its relation to violence. It reassesses the parameters for discerning a state of emergency. It investigates state violence, crisis production and enemy designation, to elucidate implicit and coded state violence enacted in African American communities in the contemporary US. Specifically, this text considers states of emergency that are not exceptions to the rule, but rather integral to the ideology behind, and the formation of, the rule (i.e. the legal, economic, educational and political institutions of the nation).
Obesity and Pediatric Psoriatic Arthritis.

Objective Studies in adults have shown a significant association between obesity and psoriatic arthritis, however the association of obesity with pediatric psoriatic arthritis is unknown. We aimed to evaluate obesity in pediatric psoriatic arthritis. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of children with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis evaluated at a single center between 6/2010 and 9/2014. Two healthy reference populations were utilized: 1) local reference population from the surrounding community and 2) a national reference population derived from NHANES. Age and sex-specific z-scores for weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were calculated. Differences in clinical and demographic characteristics between groups were assessed. Results During the study period, 48 children with psoriatic arthritis and 231 patients with psoriasis were evaluated. Three (6.2%) and 5 (10.4%) of the children with psoriatic arthritis were overweight or obese, respectively. In comparison to the reference healthy groups and psoriasis patients, the mean BMI z-score of children with psoriatic arthritis was not statistically different. However, patients with psoriasis were more likely to be obese than the community reference population (p-value <0.001). Conclusions Children with psoriasis were more obese than the healthy reference population, however there was no statistically significant difference in obesity between children with psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis and the reference population. This lack of association may be reflective of true differences in pediatric and adult-onset disease and warrants further investigation.
Aircraft Drag Analysis

Abstract A detailed treatise on the estimation of the aerodynamic drag of aircraft is presented. Starting with a discussion about the nature of drag, what contributes to it, how it is modeled, and a number ways drag can be evaluated. Various limitations of methodologies is presented as well. Then, an introduction to the estimation of selected drag coefficients is given, including the basic drag coefficient, CD0, skin friction drag coefficient, CDf, and lift-induced drag coefficient, CDi. A step-by-step evaluation of an actual aircraft (SR22) is given, which is compared to flight test data at the end of the chapter. The next section discusses the drag characteristics of the airplane as a whole and presents methods to estimate the total drag of aircraft. Two drag estimation methods for complete aircraft are presented; the Rapid Drag Estimation Method and the Component Drag Buildup Method. This is followed by the presentation of methods to estimate the drag caused by the addition of necessary imperfections to aircraft, such as antennas, fairings, landing gear, and so on. Additionally, methods to estimate trim drag and cooling drag. Then methods to estimate the drag of existing aircraft from published data such as performance Information are provided. Finally, the drag characteristics of selected aircraft are tabulated. The data is accumulated from various sources and probably represents the largest collection of such data in an aircraft design book to date.
A Conceptual Scheme for Assessing Treatment Outcome in Suicidality

This chapter provides a simpIe framework for conceptualizing treatment outcome, distinguishing between direct and indirect markers of treatment success. Additionally, normative comparisons and the need for a core assessment battery are discussed.
Human sperm hyperactivation and acrosome reaction and their relationships to human in vitro fertilization

Objective To determine the relationships between human sperm hyperactivation (HA) and acrosome reaction with fertilization of human oocytes in vitro. Design Prospective analysis of infertile patients undergoing IVF. Setting Tertiary center for infertility and assisted reproductive technology. Patients Fifty-two couples who underwent IVF or GIFT were studied. The male partners had normal semen parameters on routine analyses. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measures Sperm HA in seminal fluid and after 1 and 6 hours incubation in capacitation media; sperm acrosome reaction after 0, 6, and 24 hours’ incubation in capacitation media; and fertilization rate of human oocytes. Results The percent spermatozoa with transitional HA after 6 hours of incubation correlated significantly with the fertilization rate of human oocytes. Multivariate discriminant analyses selected six sperm HA and acrosome reaction variables of predictive value in classifying semen samples that achieved fertilization rates above and below 70% threshold. Combination of the selected sperm HA and acrosome reaction variables in seminal fluid and after different times of incubation in capacitation medium classified the samples achieving good or poor fertilization rate with > 80% accuracy. Conclusions Assessment of sperm HA and acrosome reaction may be of prognostic value in prediction of human oocyte fertilization rates.
ProPheno 1.0: An Online Dataset for Accelerating the Complete Characterization of the Human Protein-Phenotype Landscape in Biomedical Literature

Identifying protein-phenotype relations is of paramount importance for biomedical applications such as uncovering rare and complex diseases. One of the best resources that capture protein-phenotype relationships is the biomedical literature. In this work, we introduce ProPheno 1.0, a comprehensive online dataset composed of human protein/phenotype mentions extracted from the complete corpora of Medline and PubMed Central Open Access. Moreover, it includes co-occurrences of protein-phenotype pairs within different spans of text, such as sentences and paragraphs. We use ProPheno for completely characterizing the human protein-phenotype landscape in biomedical literature. The ProPheno dataset, the reported findings, and the gained insight have implications for (1) biocurators for expediting their curation efforts, (2) researches for quickly finding relevant articles, and (3) text mining tool developers for training their predictive models.
Frequency of Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption Post-Endovascular Therapy and Multiple Thrombectomy Passes in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients.

Background and Purpose— The high prevalence of hyperintense acute reperfusion marker (HARM) seen after endovascular therapy is suggestive of blood-brain barrier disruption and hemorrhage risk and m...
The beadex locus in Drosophila melanogaster: genetic analysis of the mutant Bxr49k.

1. A genetic analysis of the mutant Bxr49k (herein designated as Bxr2) in D. melanogaster is reported. 2. Crossing-over occurs between Bxr2 and Bx1. From the analysis of the crossover types recovered, it is concluded that Bxr2 is associated with a tandem duplication in which the Bx+ locus as well as unknown gene loci to the right and left of Bx+ are duplicated. The sy+ and fu+ loci are not duplicated in Bxr2 as previously reported for Bxr. 3. The duplication nature of Bxr2 has been confirmed by a salivary gland chromosome analysis. 4. In ♀ ♀ homozygous Bxr2 unequal crossing over occurs by which means triplications of the Bx+ locus have been recovered. This occurrence of unequal crossing over is in sharp contrast to the absence of unequal crossing over previously reported for ♀ ♀ homozygous Bxr. 5. Unequal crossing over also occurs in ♀ ♀ homozygous for the Bx+ triplication and as a consequence quadruplications of the Bx+ locus have been recovered. 6. It is concluded that the phenotypes associated with duplication, triplication and quadruplication of the Bx+ locus are the result of position effect.
Regional-scale Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Impacts of Weather on Traffic Speed in Chicago using Probe Data

Abstract Understanding a regional-scale impact of the weather on the transportation system and how that impact varies geographically, is important from a sustainability standpoint. In this work, we have performed a city-scale analysis on the impact of weather on the traffic speed for the City of Chicago. We have found that there is a significant variation in the average hourly speed due to different weather patterns which also varies geographically. We have also observed that the rainfall has an evident impact on the average hourly speed on the freeways that are influenced by urbanized residential and commercial areas, and non-urbanized areas. Also, low visibility has shown a significant reduction in the average hourly traffic speed during the congested hours on the freeways that are influenced by non urbanized areas. We anticipate the contributions of this work in estimating emission and fuel economy at a regional scale which are important sustainability measures for transportation.
The Scholarship Circle: an introduction to writing for publication for nursing faculty.

Background: This case report describes a collaborative effort between a health sciences librarian and an instructional designer to create and implement a writing professional development experience called the Scholarship Circle. It was aimed at increasing scholarly productivity by junior and nontenure-track faculty in a college of nursing. Case Presentation: The Scholarship Circle activities were carried out in a synchronous and an asynchronous online environment over ten weeks and included weekly lectures from nurse-scholars, discussions and peer reviews, and writing support from the librarian. The Scholarship Circle designers surveyed participants before and after the course to explore faculty perceptions and conducted a bibliographic analysis to gauge increases in scholarly productivity. Conclusions: While both tenure-track and nontenure-track faculty perceived lack of time as a significant barrier to publication, only nontenure-track faculty perceived lack of writing experience and getting started as significant obstacles. In the two years following the Scholarship Circle, faculty with doctor of philosophy and doctor of education degrees produced the greatest number of scholarly publications, whereas faculty with other degrees demonstrated a modest increase in scholarship. Online writing support programs have the potential to positively impact scholarly productivity for junior and nontenure-track faculty, especially if they emphasize time management for writing, confidence-building strategies, and a flexible format that allows peer review and collaboration as well as participation by seasoned scholars and remote participants. Partnership between health sciences librarians and instructional designers is key to the successful design and implementation of writing support programs.