cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reduced oviposition by Diaprepes abbreviatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and growth enhancement of citrus by Surround particle film.

Regularly applied sprays of a particle film, Surround WP, greatly enhanced the growth of citrus trees on a poorly drained Winder soil at Fort Pierce, FL. After 3 yr of applications every 3 or 4 wk, Surround-treated trees had at least 5 times the mass, 6 times the canopy volume, and ≈4 times the cross-sectional area of the tree stems at the graft union compared with untreated trees. The larger Surround-treated trees attracted a higher number of adult weevil Diaprepes abbreviatus (L.) and to a lesser extent citrus root weevil, Pachnaeus litus (Germar), per tree, but there was an equivalent number of egg masses per tree compared with the control trees. The number of egg masses per female weevil oviposited on Surround-treated trees was significantly less than either the control trees or trees treated biannually with an entomopathogenic nematode, BioVector. The number of larvae per tree recovered from the roots of excavated trees was greater from trees treated with Surround once every 3 wk compared with control trees. The data suggest that Surround particle film greatly enhanced the growth of citrus trees grown in a poorly drained soil. The reduction in oviposition by D. abbreviatus was insufficient to significantly reduce the number of root weevil larvae per tree feeding on the roots. However, the more vigorous trees resulting from Surround applications may be more resistant or tolerant to root weevil feeding.
TRILOBITES, BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, AND LITHOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE CREPICEPHALUS AND APHELASPIS ZONES, LOWER DEADWOOD FORMATION (MARJUMAN AND STEPTOEAN STAGES, UPPER CAMBRIAN), BLACK HILLS, SOUTH DAKOTA

Abstract Trilobites assigned to 25 genera and 39 species are reported from the Crepicephalus Zone (Marjuman Stage) and Aphelaspis Zone (Steptoean Stage) in the lower part of the Deadwood Formation in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Six taxa are left in open nomenclature, and one new species, Glaphyraspis newtoni, is described. Analysis of the lithologies for this interval from the best exposed measured sections on a southeast-northwest transect reveal a nearshore, shallow subtidal, siliciclastic dominated environment to the southeast, succeeded offshore by a shallow subtidal to lowest intertidal carbonate shoal environment, and then a transitional shaly limestone interval into a more shaly distal intrashelf basin to the northwest. Specimens of species of Coosia, Crepicephalus, Tricrepicephalus, Kingstonia, Pseudagnostina, and Coosina comprise more than 75 percent of the fauna of the Crepicephalus Zone. Coosina ariston, Crepicephalus snowyensis, Tricrepicephalus tripunctatus, Arcuolimbus convexus, and som...
Teaching Accounting Online: Dealing With Challenging Situations

This paper chronicles the issues and concerns of teaching an online accounting course. The issues discussed in this paper constitute the barest minimum that online instructors should address as they contemplate offering an online accounting course. Analysis of the following crucial factors that impact online teaching such as, knowledge of the online process; technical skills of online teaching; online communication and moderation skills; confidence and motivation are presented. This paper will present an analysis of teaching and learning issues, which may provide the basis of guidelines for best practice. It is further noted in this paper that effective institutional support is equally instrumental in successful implementation of online teaching.
Against Counterfactual Miracles

This essay considers how counterfactuals should be evaluated on the assumption that determinism is true. It argues against Lewis's influential view that if anything had happened that did not actually happen, the actual laws of nature would have been false, and defends the competing view that history would have been different—but only microscopically different—all the way back.
Urban navigation beyond shortest route

Advancements in mobile technology and computing have fostered the collection of a large number of civic datasets that capture the pulse of urban life. Furthermore, the open government and data initiative has led many local authorities to make these datasets publicly available, hoping to drive innovation that will further improve the quality of life for the city-dwellers. In this paper, we develop a novel application that utilizes crime data to provide safe urban navigation. Specifically, using crime data from Chicago and Philadelphia we develop a risk model for their street urban network, which allows us to estimate the relative probability of a crime on any road segment. Given such model we define two variants of the SafePaths problem where the goal is to find a short and low-risk path between a source and a destination location. Since both the length and the risk of the path are equally important but cannot be combined into a single objective, we approach the urban-navigation problem as a biobjective shortest path problem. Our algorithms aim to output a small set of paths that provide tradeoffs between distance and safety. Our experiments demonstrate the efficacy of our algorithms and their practical applicability.
Optimization of a Dicarboxylic Series for in Vivo Inhibition of Citrate Transport by the Solute Carrier 13 (SLC13) Family.

Inhibition of the sodium-coupled citrate transporter (NaCT or SLC13A5) has been proposed as a new therapeutic approach for prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases. In a previous report, we discovered dicarboxylate 1a (PF-06649298) which inhibits the transport of citrate in in vitro and in vivo settings via a specific interaction with NaCT. Herein, we report the optimization of this series leading to 4a (PF-06761281), a more potent inhibitor with suitable in vivo pharmacokinetic profile for assessment of in vivo pharmacodynamics. Compound 4a was used to demonstrate dose-dependent inhibition of radioactive [14C]citrate uptake in liver and kidney in vivo, resulting in modest reductions in plasma glucose concentrations.
Computerized Conferencing: A Review and Statement of Issues

A computer mediated communication system for dispersed human groups was first designed and implemented in 1970, at the Office of Emergency Preparedness at the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Since that time, a variety of computerized conferencing and related systems have been designed and implemented, and we have begun to understand the opportunities, limitations, and issues which are raised when one uses the computer to facilitate and structure complex human communication processes. In this paper, we will review the nature of computerized conferencing systems, past, present and future, and then focus on a few key policy, research and evaluation issues which are raised by this new form of telecommunication. In treating these issues, we will give our own, often controversial views. Because of space limitations, we will not attempt to present opposing points of view.
Orthopedic Conditions of Small Ruminants: Llama, Sheep, Goat, and Deer

Diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the foot, infectious arthritis, angular limb deformities, patellar luxation, tendon contracture and injuries, and fractures encountered in sheep, goats, llamas, and deer are reviewed. These species share similar orthopedic problems to cattle, but management conditions, particularly for pet animals, may place special demands on the veterinarian treating these disease conditions. The mild temperament and relatively small body size of these animals make them excellent candidates for treatment of orthopedic problems often not amenable to practical treatment in larger or more fractious animals.
Nematodes Associated with the Genus Musca (Diptera: Muscidae)

Eleven years ago at a joint meeting of entomologists and nematologists, J. R. Christie discussed research areas of mutual interest to both groups and pointed up the lack of information on insect-nematode parasites (Christie 1960). Since then a considerable amount of research on entomophilic nematodes has been done by both groups; however, some nematode groups have been greatly neglected. An attempt has been made here to bring together the literature concerning the nematodes parasitizing and associated with the insect genus Musca , to inform the entomologists of what is already known, and to point up some of the unsolved problems concerning these associations.
Design and evaluation of a rotating variable conductance heat pipe system

Analysis of the Dynamics Explorer high orbiter spacecraft showed that the proposed louver system, along with existing radiator heat rejection areas on the S/C surface were insufficient to safely control the S/C's thermal excursions caused by highly varying internal power levels and solar input angles. A variable conductance heat pipe system in conjunction with a conventional radial heat pipe system was designed, built, tested, and shown to resolve this problem. The conventional pipes, radial, spinning at 10 rpm were required to carry 35 watts each after experiencing despin from 80 rpm. The VCHPs attached to the radial pipes at the S/C perimeter distributed the excess energy via a finned radiator attached around the S/C's center.
An example of application of process control charts to feed management on dairy farms

ABSTRACT Control charts are used daily in manufacturing facilities to monitor process control but have rarely been used in dairy herd management. Limited experimental applications of control charts have focused on estrus detection, protein nutrition, and mastitis control. Feed management software was implemented on 8 dairy farms to monitor accuracy and precision of loading TMR. Control charts were created to monitor process control variation using data for loading corn silage from one Virginia dairy farm for 1 mo. With 3 SD chart, 2 data points for the individual-ingredient X-bar chart were located outside of the control limits. Standard control limits used in manufacturing processes may not be relevant to dairy farm feeding management because adding too much of an ingredient is more common than adding too little. Uneven control limits were applied including 3 SD above the centerline and only 1 SD below the centerline. With this test, 7 additional data points fell outside of the control limits. Control charts with non-traditional control limits may be useful to monitor feed management on dairy farms and assist producers in making management decisions.
Outdoor pedestrian navigation assistance with a shape-changing haptic interface and comparison with a vibrotactile device

By targeting haptic sensory channels when walking, pedestrian navigation systems (as found in smartphone apps) have the potential to allow both visually impaired and sighted users to pay greater attention to their surroundings, compared to typical audio or visual based feedback. In line with this idea, we have proposed mechanotactile shape-changing interfaces as an alternative to the more commonly used haptic modality of vibrotactile feedback. In this paper, we evaluate the potential for haptic guidance in a realistic outdoor navigation task. Participants were guided along pre-determined footpath routes in a ∼3,500m2 outdoor public environment, via ‘equivalent’ handheld shape-changing and vibrotactile feedback devices, capable of providing heading and proximity information. Localization was based on real-time GPS data provided by a smartphone. Many other pedestrians (not part of the study) shared the space and had to be avoided, as in typical urban settings. All participants located all waypoints with both devices, walking between 270m–600m per trial. Walking efficiency was similar for both devices, though participants took over twice as long (on average) to complete the routes with the vibrotactile device. In a questionnaire, participants preferred the shape-changing interface, considering it more intuitive and pleasant to use than the vibrotactile system. Though haptics can certainly be used for practical navigation, the relatively low resolution of unprocessed GPS positioning can lead to erroneous instructions that are harder for a (sighted) user to notice and correct than in screen based systems utilizing visual maps.
Chinese cassava industry price supply elasticity

A partial adjustment-adaptive expectation model was developed to analyze Chinese farmers' cultivation behavior relative to the cassava price.The short and long term supply elasticities of cassva price to crop area were analyzed using the model.The results show that both short and long term cassava price supply elasticities are small;thus,development of cassava ethanol production will not encourage farmers to increase crop area and will not encourage upgrade of the cassava industry.Since there is little advantage in the well-to-wheel fossil energy efficiency and the greenhouse gas emission of cassava ethanol relative to gasoline,there is little reason for China to promote cassava fuel ethanol.
Prevalence and Phylogenetic Characterization of Escherichia coli and Hygiene Indicator Bacteria Isolated from Leafy Green Produce, Beef, and Pork Obtained from Farmers' Markets in Pennsylvania

ABSTRACT The popularity of farmers' markets in the United States has led to over 8,400 farmers' markets being in operation in 2015. As farmers' markets have increased in size and complexity in the kinds of foods sold at these venues, so have the potential food safety risks. Since 2008, seven major foodborne illness outbreaks and two recalls associated with food products from farmers' markets have occurred, causing 80 known reported illnesses and one death. Various researchers also have observed vendors performing high-risk food safety retail behaviors, and others have identified microbiological hazards in foods sold at farmers' markets. In this study, the presence of hygiene indicators (coliforms, fecal coliforms, Listeria spp., and Escherichia coli) was assessed in select samples of leafy green produce and meat obtained from farmers' markets in Pennsylvania. E. coli isolates were further characterized by phylogenetic profile and virulence potential. E. coli was present in 40% (20 of 50) and 18% (9 of 50)...
Transcranial stimulation parameters to elicit motor evoked potentials.

Purpose We studied effectiveness of single, paired, and repetitive transcranial electrical stimulation to activate motor cortex in patients during spine surgery. Methods In ten consented patients, the latency and amplitude of the muscle action potential from abductor pollicis brevis muscle after cortical stimulation was measured. Results The number of responses evoked by double (pair) pulse stimulation was significantly higher than that evoked by single pulse (p = 0.0191). A similar finding was obtained between the repetitive and single pulse stimulation (p = 0.0001). The repetitive stimulation was more effective than the double pulse stimulation (p = 0.0253). An increase of interstimulus interval (ISI), between pulses, from 1-3 msec did not significantly alter latency (p > 0.05) or amplitude (p > 0.05) with the double pulse or repetitive stimulations. The latency or amplitude did not significantly change with varying number of electrical pulses from 3-9. Conclusions This study shows that the intraoperative repetitive transcranial stimulation is the most effective method to activate descending motor tracts under anesthesia.
Does Lung Donation by Heart Donors Have an Impact on Survival in Heart Transplant Recipients

Lung procurement is increasing during multiorgan recovery and substantially alters the explant process. This study evaluated whether lung donation by a heart donor affects survival in heart transplant recipients. Retrospective analysis of United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) adult heart transplantation data from 1998 to 2012 was performed. Lung donors (LDs) were defined as those having at least one lung procured and transplanted. Non-LDs had neither lung transplanted. Heart transplant recipients who had previous transplants, who had heterotopic transplants, who were waitlisted for other organs or who were temporarily delisted were excluded from the analysis. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression were performed. Of 23 590 heart transplant recipients meeting criteria during the study period, 8638 (36.6%) transplants were from LDs. Donors in the LD group had less history of cigarette use (15.5% vs. 29.5%, p < 0.001). On univariate analysis, LDs were associated with improved patient survival (p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, LDs were not significantly associated with patient survival (adjusted hazard ratio 0.98, 95% confidence interval 0.94-1.03). Analysis of the UNOS registry suggested that donor pulmonary status and lung procurement had no detrimental effect on survival in heart transplant recipients, supporting the present practice of using donor lungs whenever possible.
Self-operated auditory prompting systems for individuals with intellectual disability: A meta-analysis of single-subject research

ABSTRACTBackground Self-operated auditory prompting systems deliver auditory prompts through technology to support users with task completion and behaviour management. A meta-analysis of single-subject research was conducted, assessing the quality of studies and examining the use of this intervention for individuals with intellectual disability.Method An assessment of study quality was conducted on studies meeting inclusion criteria using the What Works Clearinghouse guidelines. Treatment effectiveness of studies that met standards or met standards with reservation was calculated using percentage of nonoverlapping data (PND). Variables of interest such as participant demographics and intervention characteristics (e.g., voice used in recording, setting of intervention) were explored.Results Overall, self-operated auditory prompting interventions were highly effective (PND = 93.6%). This intervention was effective or highly effective across all participant and intervention characteristics.Conclusion The fin...
Recent study on on-state breakdown modeling of pHEMTs

Traditionally, the on-state breakdown of pHEMTs is attributed to impact ionization and thermal breakdown under high Vd stress. Nonetheless, neither of these hypotheses perfectly explains all observations, including but not limited to when on-state breakdown happens and how it happens in devices with various structures. A systematic study on the on-state breakdown of pHEMTS carried out by our group recently reveals strong correlation between the adjusted input power and the burnout locus of devices. We further conclude that on-state breakdown happens mainly because the temperature of a certain spot in the channel exceeds a critical value, and that this hot pot, usually emerging beneath the drain-side end of the gate electrode, is the result of the unevenly distributed electric field in the channel of the pHEMT. We thereby developed a simple model which sheds some light on the physics mechanism behind on-state breakdown of pHEMTs and is capable of accurately predicting the corresponding burnout voltage for different devices under operating various operation conditions.
High Diastolic Sodium Influx in Heart Failure has Drug-Sensitivities Like Late Sodium Current, but Produces Inward Current at Diastolic Potentials

Heart failure (HF) affects over 6 million people, enhances arrhythmogenesis and is associated with elevated intracellular [Na] ([Na]i), which impacts Ca handling via Na/Ca exchange. HF myocytes exhibit increased late Na current (INaL), typically insufficient to explain the rise in [Na]i. However, in HF there is also an increase in diastolic Na influx (INaDiast) that is tetrodotoxin (TTX) sensitive. INaL is known to be activated by CaMKII and blocked by the selective INaL inhibitors ranolazine and GS967. To test whether the elevated INaDiast in HF has the same sensitivities to CaMKII and INaL inhibitors, we studied freshly isolated ventricular myocytes from HF and control rabbits. We measured [Na]i and unidirectional Na-influx rate upon acute Na/K-ATPase blockade. Ranolazine (10 µM) inhibited INaDiast in HF myocytes (by 58.5%), consistent with INaDiast in HF being mediated via an INaL-like current. GS967, tested in control myocytes, also inhibited INaDiast. Application of CaMKII blocker, KN-93 (1 µM) reduced INaDiast in HF, but not control myocytes. We also measured INaDiast under voltage clamp, as shifts in holding current (Ihold) at diastolic Vm upon acute addition of INaL blockers. In control myocytes TTX induced −7.5pA IHold, but in HF myocytes the TTX-sensitive IHold was −25.4 pA at −80mV. This agrees with INaDiast measured using Na dyes. INaDiast could be via a window INa. However, the V1/2 of the INa steady state activation and inactivation curves were shifted in HF by −3.8mV and −7.2mV, respectively, and intermediate INa inactivation was also enhanced in HF. Both of these effects make window INa current unlikely to mediate INaDiast. INaL measured in AP-clamp was increased by ∼50% in HF. We suggest that INaDiast in HF has drug sensitivities like INaL during the AP, but produces inward current at diastolic potentials that can explain the rise in [Na]i.
Constituents Before Assembly: Participation, Deliberation, and Representation in the Crafting of New Constitutions

Under what circumstances do new constitutions improve a nation's level of democracy? Between 1974 and 2014, democracy increased in seventy-seven countries following the adoption of a new constitution, but it decreased or stayed the same in forty-seven others. This book demonstrates that increased participation in the forming of constitutions positively impacts levels of democracy. It is discovered that the degree of citizen participation at the 'convening stage' of constitution-making has a strong effect on levels of democracy. This finding defies the common theory that levels of democracy result from the content of constitutions, and instead lends support to 'deliberative' theories of democracy. Patterns of constitutions are then compared, differentiating imposed and popular constitution-making processes, using case studies from Chile, Nigeria, Gambia, and Venezuela to illustrate the dynamics specific to imposed constitution-making, and case studies from Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, and Tunisia to illustrate the specific dynamics of popular constitution-making.
Contemporary Pharmacotherapy for Allergic Rhinitis and Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and allergic rhinitis (AR) are chronic conditions causing nasal inflammation. CRS is increasingly recognized as a chronic inflammatory process rather than a chronic infection. Although the primary initiating factors in CRS remain unclear, AR is driven by IgE-mediated hypersensitivity to environmental allergens. Understanding the underlying inflammatory pathways and disease endotypes are driving innovation toward novel pharmacotherapies targeting critical mediators implicated in CRS and AR, including IL-4, IL-13, IL-5, IgE, and epithelial initiators IL-33 and TSLP. Extensive investigations are needed to determine the role, timing, predictive prognostic factors and long-term safety and efficacy of these agents.
Generating and solving imperfect information games

Work on game playing in AI has typically ignored games of imperfect information such as poker. In this paper we present a framework for dealing with such games. We point out several important issues that arise only in the context of imperfect information games particularly the insufficiency of a simple game tree model to represent the players information state and the need for randomization in the players optimal strategies. We describe Gala an implemented system that provides the user with a very natural and expressive language for describing games. From a game description Gala creates an augmented game tree with information sets which can be used by various algorithms in order to find optimal strategies for that game. In particular Gala implements the first practical algorithm for finding optimal randomized strategies in two player imperfect information competitive games [Koller et al 1994]. The running time of this algorithm is palinomial in the size of the game tree whereas previous algorithms were exponential. We present experimental results showing that this algorithm is also efficient in practice and can therefore form the basis for a game playing system.
Ideology and the ‘Liberation of Theology’: The Role of Critique in Juan Luis Segundo and Slavoj Žižek

The turn to religion within critical theory has brought the critique of ideology back into theological view. This essay examines the relation of theology to ideology in the liberation theology of J...
How to construct an optimal interim report: What the data monitoring committee does and doesn't need to know.

Background:Data monitoring committees for randomized clinical trials have the responsibility of safeguarding interests of trial participants. To do so, the data monitoring committee must receive reports on safety and efficacy to assess risk/benefit and on trial conduct to ensure that the study can achieve its goals. This article outlines the key components of reports to the data monitoring committee and the important role of the unblinded statistician in preparing those reports.Methods:Most data monitoring committee meetings include open and closed sessions. For each session, there is a report of interim results. The open session is attended by the sponsor and lead investigators, including the statistician(s) responsible for the trial design. These investigators are blinded to the interim treatment comparisons. The closed session is attended by the data monitoring committee members and by the statistician(s) who prepared the closed report. These individuals are unblinded to interim treatment comparisons a...
Reliance on Faith-Based Organizations for Tangible Assistance in Times of Disaster: Exploring the Influence of Bonding Social Capital

Although there is a growing amount of research on the role that faith-based organizations play in disaster recovery, there is currently no research that has investigated the influence that social c...
Mixed Race Asian American Identity on Display

As communities from colonial Latin America in the seventeenth century to the U.S. in the twentieth century began to diversify in terms of race and ethnicity, racial mixing was a reminder that those communities were on a course of change. Edward Said's concept of Orientalism is evoked when theorizing mixed-race identity—that identity is developed as a result of the interaction between the self and the other. This article examines several heritage museum exhibitions that focused on exhibitions on the topic of multiracial people, in particular the multiracial Japanese American history exhibition, Visible and Invisible: A Hapa Japanese American History. Ethnic arts institutions function to legitimize marginalized stories by providing the gallery space to support public history, and create memory for displaced communities.
Intentional Access Delays, Market Quality, and Price Discovery: Evidence from IEX Becoming an Exchange

This paper exploits the staggered securities phase-in when the Investors Exchange (IEX) becomes a national securities exchange to study the effects of intentional access delays on market quality including price discovery. IEX introduces exchange trading---and therefore its 350-microsecond speed bump---alphabetically by stock symbol name. Using first-differences and difference-in-differences regressions I show that trading costs decline on average, with larger decreases for stocks with higher historical average trading activity on IEX. Adverse selection decreases, consistent with theory on speed and "quote sniping." Results on price discovery are mixed---price discovery improves on average, but return autocorrelations increase for stocks with high historical IEX trading activity. I find plausible evidence that these changes may be related to a reduction in "sweep risk" after IEX becomes an exchange.
Ethical issues in emergency preparedness and response for health professionals.

Health care policy changes are needed to minimize the risk to physicians responding to public health emergencies and aid in their longer-term responsibility of protecting and promoting the nation's health. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Observation of internucleotide NH...N hydrogen bonds in the absence of directly detectable protons.

Several structural motifs found in nucleic acids involve N-H ... N hydrogen bonds in which the donor hydrogens are broadened to extinction due to chemical or conformational exchange. In such situations, it is impossible to use the well-established HNN-COSY or soft HNN-COSY experiments, which report the presence of the hydrogen bond directly on the donor proton(s). We present a pulse sequence, H(CN)N(H), for alleviating this problem in hydrogen bonds of the type NdH ... Na-CH, in which the donor Nd nitrogen is correlated with the corresponding non-exchangeable C-H proton associated with the acceptor Na nitrogen. In this way, missing NdH ... Na correlations in an HNN-COSY spectrum may be recovered from CH-Nd correlations in the H(CN)N(H) spectrum. By correlating a different set of nuclei relative to the HNN-COSY class of experiments, the H(CN)N(H) experiment also serves to remove ambiguities associated with degeneracies in HNN-COSY spectra. The technique is demonstrated on d(GGAGGAG)4,a quadruplex containing a novel A ⋅ (G ⋅ G ⋅ G ⋅ G) ⋅ A hexad and on d(GGGCAGGT)4, containing a G ⋅ C ⋅ G ⋅ C tetrad, in which missing NH2 ... N7 correlations are retrieved via H8-(N2,N6) correlations in the H(CN)N(H) spectrum.
11 – Sperm Competition in Fishes

This chapter discusses the theory and data on sperm competition in fishes. It also compares the data with predictions from sperm competition theory, and discusses the evolutionary consequences of sperm competition in this diverse group of vertebrates. However, the sperm competition occurs when sperm from different males compete for fertilization. The degree of sperm competition ranges widely in fishes, both interspecifically and intraspecifically, from males that never experience sperm competition, to males that are in frequent competition with several other males. Fertilization can occur in the environment by either the release of gametes into the water column or the deposition of eggs on the substrate. In internal fertilizers, sperm are introduced into the female's body with subsequent events ranging from internal development and viviparity to cases where fertilization and development are delayed until the eggs are released. Therefore, external fertilization provides an opportunity that is exploited by several males simultaneously, resulting in high levels of sperm competition. Thus, in addition to its effect on intrasexual competition, some forms of external fertilization also limit the extent to which females can choose among potential mates. Finally, sperm competition can potentially reduce the direct benefits that a female might receive from a male for choosing her.
Offenses against the Laws of Humanity: International Action

This article discusses the evolution of the concept of the laws of humanity, and of the offences associated with it in the modern era. This evolution is examined in light of key turning points in the understanding of the term ‘crimes against humanity’, which encapsulates the range of offenses associated with the laws of humanity. These critical junctures were marked by considerable action on the part of the international community; yet, very often, the modalities of the international community's responses did not fully address the challenges posed by the enormity of the humanitarian issues at stake. The term laws of humanity, drawn from natural law, is indicative of international law's incorporation of transcendental humanitarian norms rooted in the natural reasoning process. During the last two hundred years, there has been a concerted effort to identify and then codify these humanitarian norms. The first substantive endeavors in that direction focused on efforts to alleviate the worst excesses of armed conflict. In this context, the article takes a closer look at the Martens Clause, and at the term ‘crimes against humanity.’ The latter term, used by the Entente Powers to denounce the Ottoman Turkish Government's massacre of its Armenian population as ‘crimes against humanity and civilization,’ constituted the precursor to the crimes against humanity provisions of the London and Tokyo Charters. According to the United Nations War Crimes Commission, the term includes both crimes of the murder-type (murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, etc.), and persecutions on (among others) political, racial, or religious grounds. In recent years, the concept of crimes against humanity is being reassessed as a result of the growing intersections between international humanitarian law (the laws and customs of war) and international human rights law, and of the evolving jurisprudence of the two ad hoc tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ITR).
Regional Differences in Palliative Care Utilization Among Geriatric Colorectal Cancer Patients Needing Emergent Surgery

The benefits of palliative care (PC) in critical illness are validated across a range of diseases, yet it remains underutilized in surgical patients. This study analyzed patient and hospital factors predictive of PC utilization for elderly patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) requiring emergent surgery. The National Inpatient Sample was queried for patients aged ≥ 65 years admitted emergently with CRC from 2009 to 2014. Patients undergoing colectomy, enterectomy, or ostomy formation were included and stratified according to documentation of PC consultation during admission. Chi-squared testing identified unadjusted group differences, and multivariable logistic regression identified predictors of PC. Of 86,573 discharges meeting inclusion criteria, only 3598 (4.2%) had PC consultation. Colectomy (86.6%) and ostomy formation (30.4%) accounted for the operative majority. PC frequency increased over time (2.9% in 2009 to 6.2% in 2014, P < 0.001) and was nearly twice as likely to occur in the West compared with the Northeast (5.7 vs. 3.3%, P < 0.001) and in not-for-profit compared with proprietary hospitals (4.5 vs. 2.3%, P < 0.001). PC patients were more likely to have metastases (60.1 vs. 39.9%, P < 0.001) and die during admission (41.5 vs. 6.4%, P < 0.001). On multivariable logistic regression, PC predictors (P < 0.05) included region outside the Northeast, increasing age, more recent year, and metastatic disease. In the USA, PC consultation for geriatric patients with surgically managed complicated CRC is low. Regional variation appears to play an important role. With mounting evidence that PC improves quality of life and outcomes, understanding the barriers associated with its provision to surgical patients is paramount.
Reciprocity within patient-physician and patient-spouse/caregiver dyads: insights into patient-centered care.

To explore the reciprocal process of decisional conflict within the patient-physician dyad, and its relationship with patient general health and patient-perceived physician helpfulness. Among the subset of participants who were in a committed relationship, we examined the congruence in reciprocal processes between patient-spouse/caregiver and patient-physician dyads. An online retrospective survey of cancer patients was conducted in the USA. The reciprocal process of decisional conflict within the patient-physician dyad was measured using the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS). The Perception of Spousal Reciprocity Scale (POSRS) was used to measure reciprocity in the patient-spouse/caregiver dyad. The final analytic cohort consisted of 116 participants. The average age of participants was 58.4 years, the majority were female (66.7%), and the most common diagnosis was breast cancer (27.9%). Participants who perceived their physician as more helpful were more likely to report lower levels of decisional conflict on the DCS total scale and subscales (r range = 0.24–0.46, p < 0.05). Higher scores on the PSORS were associated with lower levels of decisional conflict (r = − 0.37, p < 0.01). Participants not in a relationship had higher levels of decisional conflict about their treatment decisions (M = 21.69) than participants in a relationship (M = 9.69, t(26.95) = − 2.26, p = 0.032). Physicians are an important resource for both the patient and caregiver during the cancer journey. Understanding reciprocal processes within the patient-physician relationship related to patient-centered care and including the caregiver in the medical decision-making process can decrease the threat of decisional conflict and subsequent adverse outcomes.
For generations to come? The privatization paradigm and shifting social baselines in Kodiak, Alaska's commercial fisheries

Abstract This paper presents results from a study that explored a key threat to fisheries sustainability in Alaska – the graying of the commercial fishing fleet. In the Kodiak Archipelago region this research utilized a political ecology framework and mixed methods ethnography, including 70 semi-structured interviews and participant observation, to further understand this problem. Study results suggest that opportunities for young rural fishermen are increasingly constrained by interrelated socioeconomic and cultural barriers, which have created systemic equity and sustainability concerns. Furthermore, research indicates that the privatization paradigm of fisheries access is a major catalyst of change that has created and amplified barriers, transformed opportunity, and generated lasting inequities and social conflict. Foucault's concept of governmentality is used to describe how some fishermen are internalizing and normalizing privatization discourses to advance further regulatory change. Pauly's concept of shifting baseline syndrome is evoked to argue that current structures of degraded access and equity in the human fishery system are mistakenly assumed to be a natural state, rather than a result of a specific history of public policy choices. Due to the suite of challenges facing fishing people and communities, it is increasingly important to acknowledge the privatization of access as a key threat to sustainable coastal fishing futures.
A novel confidence interval for a single proportion in the presence of clustered binary outcome data

Estimating the precision of a single proportion via a 100(1-α)% confidence interval in the presence of clustered data is an important statistical problem. It is necessary to account for possible over-dispersion, for instance, in animal-based teratology studies with within-litter correlation, epidemiological studies that involve clustered sampling, and clinical trial designs with multiple measurements per subject. Several asymptotic confidence interval methods have been developed, which have been found to have inadequate coverage of the true proportion for small-to-moderate sample sizes. In addition, many of the best-performing of these intervals have not been directly compared with regard to the operational characteristics of coverage probability and empirical length. This study uses Monte Carlo simulations to calculate coverage probabilities and empirical lengths of five existing confidence intervals for clustered data across various true correlations, true probabilities of interest, and sample sizes. In addition, we introduce a new score-based confidence interval method, which we find to have better coverage than existing intervals for small sample sizes under a wide range of scenarios.
Reply to Schellenberg: Is there more to auditory plasticity than meets the ear?

In our article (1) on nature-vs.-nurture effects of auditory plasticity, we challenge long-held assumptions on the neural benefits of musical training by showing that inherent auditory skills might account for de novo enhancements in speech processing. Our study revealed that formal music experience is unnecessary to enhance the brain’s encoding and perception of complex sounds. Although Schellenberg (2) commends our approach to unravel innate vs. environmental mechanisms, he criticizes claims that music training engenders additional benefits to speech perception. His chief complaint stems from our comparison of neural advantages in nonmusicians to (previously collected) data from a group of musicians, which implied that training boosts speech processing beyond preexisting differences in auditory function. We argue this criticism misses the primary objective of our study, which was not … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: gmbdlman{at}memphis.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Coastal barriers - fresh look at origins, nomenclature and classification issues

Abstract Based on numerous publications and field work on the northern Gulf of Mexico coast, U.S. and other coastal areas, the present objective is to meet the need for an improved system of the definition and classification of barriers and their components. This topic includes morphological and functional interrelationships between beach ridges, barriers, and similar landforms. The term “beach ridge” was applied to a plethora of sub- and supratidal ridge types. In contrast, the presently proposed definition restricts the term to relict berm and foredune ridges, composed of sand or gravel and stabilized after isolation from shore zone of active processes. Barriers sustain paralic hydrology, sediment, biotic and nutrient condition in the coastal realm. In combination with adjacent lagoons and river deltas, these landforms represent physical barriers that lessen marine and related influences in brackish paralic-coastal environments. Benefiting from historic evolution of concepts and nomenclature, the task also involves the correction of misattributions rooted in early publications. Island, spit, and mainland barriers thus maintain lower salinities, reduce wave erosion, protect nutrient-rich paralic deposits and mitigate storm-induced inundation. “Fetch-limited lagoonal barrier islands” are considered valid barriers only in lagoons where they face inlet-transmitted full-marine conditions. “Mainland barriers” of several subcategories often are important sediment archives of past sea levels, hydroclimate, climate and tectonic-isostatic changes. They consist mostly of ridgeplains, at the start firmly attached or later migrated and welded to the mainland shore. In addition to local hydrodynamic and topographic influences, formation conditions may reflect overall paleogeographic conditions, including fluvial impact. In progradational (regressive) island settings, barriers consist mainly of strandplains that laterally may alternate with narrow spit-like sectors. They include only single, marine, respectively, lagoon-side shore ridges, with secondary dune fields sandwiched between them. Field observations and drillcore studies of microfossil- and sediment-based depositional facies suggest that most barrier islands originated by the often underestimated shoal-aggradation mode. Two additional genetic models are recognizable; a fourth remains hypothetical. Remotely-sensed images indicate that post-hurricane regeneration of the largest deltaic barrier chain in the Gulf of Mexico stalled in recent years. Late Pleistocene barriers significantly influenced present coastal landforms in two extensive regions. Dramatic changes in past decades indicate that sea-level rise and stormier future hydroclimate may likely accelerate the degradation of deltaic and non-deltaic barrier islands.
Diseases of the Parathyroid Gland

Abstract Parathyroid disorders include hyperparathyroidism, hypoparathyroidism, and parathyroid resistance. Hyperparathyroidism is primarily caused by neoplasia of the parathyroid gland or abnormal calcium sensing system. Hypocalcemia can cause secondary hyperparathyroidism and eventually tertiary hyperparathyroidism. Hypoparathyroidism is caused by deficient parathyroid development, altered calcium sensing system, or the destruction of parathyroid gland. Abnormality in PTH signaling leads to parathyroid resistance.
HIV Vpr Modulates the Host DNA Damage Response at Two Independent Steps to Damage DNA and Repress Double-Strand DNA Break Repair

The DNA damage response (DDR) is a signaling cascade that is vital to ensuring the fidelity of the host genome in the presence of genotoxic stress. Growing evidence has emphasized the importance of both activation and repression of the host DDR by diverse DNA and RNA viruses. Previous work has shown that HIV-1 is also capable of engaging the host DDR, primarily through the conserved accessory protein Vpr. However, the extent of this engagement has remained unclear. Here, we show that HIV-1 and HIV-2 Vpr directly induce DNA damage and stall DNA replication, leading to the activation of several markers of double- and single-strand DNA breaks. Despite causing damage and activating the DDR, we found that Vpr represses the repair of double-strand breaks (DSB) by inhibiting homologous recombination (HR) and nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ). Mutational analyses of Vpr revealed that DNA damage and DDR activation are independent from repression of HR and Vpr-mediated cell cycle arrest. Moreover, we show that repression of HR does not require cell cycle arrest but instead may precede this long-standing enigmatic Vpr phenotype. Together, our data uncover that Vpr globally modulates the host DDR at at least two independent steps, offering novel insight into the primary functions of lentiviral Vpr and the roles of the DNA damage response in lentiviral replication.IMPORTANCE The DNA damage response (DDR) is a signaling cascade that safeguards the genome from genotoxic agents, including human pathogens. However, the DDR has also been utilized by many pathogens, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), to enhance infection. To properly treat HIV-positive individuals, we must understand how the virus usurps our own cellular processes. Here, we have found that an important yet poorly understood gene in HIV, Vpr, targets the DDR at two unique steps: it causes damage and activates DDR signaling, and it represses the ability of cells to repair this damage, which we hypothesize is central to the primary function of Vpr. In clarifying these important functions of Vpr, our work highlights the multiple ways human pathogens engage the DDR and further suggests that modulation of the DDR is a novel way to help in the fight against HIV.
Pseudospin modulation in coupled graphene systems

The authors show the onset of an asymmetrically coupled cavity-waveguide system to enable pseudospin modulation in graphene through the mechanism of chaos-assisted tunneling.
Reassessment of Home Oxygen Prescription after Hospitalization for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. A Potential Target for Deimplementation.

Rationale: Hypoxemia associated with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often resolves with time. Current guidelines recommend that patients recently discharged wit...
Geographic Trends in the Otolaryngology Match (2016-2020)

ObjectivePresenting geographic matching trends over 5 match cycles (2016-2020) to serve as a context for changes in residency match outcomes due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic....
Advancing Research on Undocumented College Students in California through a UC and CSU Collaboration

Bienvenidos,Welcome to Volume 20, Number 3 of the Journal of Latinos and Education. Throughout this volume, we continue to celebrate the journal’s 20-Year Anniversary.With your support, the JLE has...