cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Centennial Drought Outlook Over the CONUS Using NASA-NEX Downscaled Climate Ensemble

Drought is a natural hazard developing slowly and affecting large areas which may have severe consequences on society and economy. Due to the effects of climate change, drought is expected to exacerbate in various regions in future. In this study, the impact of climate change on drought characteristics is assessed, and statistical methods are employed to analyse the significance of projections. This is the first study utilizing 21 recently available downscaled global climate models generated by NASA (NEX-GDDP) to evaluate drought projections over various regions across the United States. Drought is investigated through a multi-model dual-index dual-scenario approach to probabilistically analyse drought attributes while characterizing the uncertainty in future drought projections. Standardized Precipitation Index and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index values at the seasonal scale (3 months) are used to project and analyse meteorological drought conditions from 1950 to 2099 at 0.25° spatial resolution. Two future concentration pathways of RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 are considered for this analysis. Accounting for the combined effects of precipitation and temperature variations reveals a considerable aggravation in severity and extent of future drought in the western United States and a tendency toward more frequent and intense summer droughts across the Contiguous United States.
Smears Are Important for Adequate Cytologic Diagnosis of Kidney Lesions

Introduction Traditionally at our institution, smears with or without liquid-based cytology (LBC) and core biopsies (CBs) have been obtained by radiologists performing image-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNABs) of deep organs. Since 2015, however, there has been a shift to providing cytology with samples for LBC only when obtaining CBs. The impression among our institution's cytologists is that LBC alone is less often adequate for diagnosis compared with smears and LBC together. We examined a series of kidney FNABs pre- and post-"LBC only" to evaluate this impression. Materials and methods With institutional review board approval, we compared all kidney FNABs from 2012 to those from 2015. We recorded the type(s) of cytology preparation(s), the number of cytology slides, the cytology diagnosis, the concurrent CB diagnosis, and whether there was a subsequent excision and the excision diagnosis. We examined cytology and CB slides as needed. Results In 2012, 105 patients underwent 111 kidney biopsies, 109 with smears made. In 2015, 58 patients underwent 62 kidney biopsies, 7 with smears made. In 2012, there were 13 (12%) nondiagnostic (ND) cytology cases and 19 (17%) cases where the cytology and CB diagnoses were discrepant. By comparison, in 2015, there were 20 (32%) ND cytology cases and 21 (33%) discrepant cases. Conclusions There were more cytology slides per case and fewer ND diagnoses in 2012 compared with 2015 (12% versus 32%, respectively, P = 0.001). Concordance was also better in 2012 (83% versus 67%, P = 0.015). We believe that our metrics would improve if we returned to the procedures followed in 2012.
Distribution of load change in industrial demand: A DOE approach

Estimating distribution of load change in response to demand management programs has been targeted in many researches, mostly based on economical and business sale-price models. In this paper a bottom-up analysis approach will be considered. As the first step consumer's decision making process has been approximated using mathematical modeling. In this step a novel optimization model for production scheduling will be introduced which takes into account different energy consumption states. In the second step a design of experiment (DOE) model will be developed base on different energy and production factors. In the third step, two new distributions will be introduced based on a variable selected in DOE analysis. The proposed distributions can be obtained based on significant variables and be utilized in market analysis and more specifically, in stochastic analysis.
Phytochemistry of Cannabis sativa L.

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa, or hemp) and its constituents—in particular the cannabinoids—have been the focus of extensive chemical and biological research for almost half a century since the discovery of the chemical structure of its major active constituent, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC). The plant’s behavioral and psychotropic effects are attributed to its content of this class of compounds, the cannabinoids, primarily Δ9-THC, which is produced mainly in the leaves and flower buds of the plant. Besides Δ9-THC, there are also non-psychoactive cannabinoids with several medicinal functions, such as cannabidiol (CBD), cannabichromene (CBC), and cannabigerol (CBG), along with other non-cannabinoid constituents belonging to diverse classes of natural products. Today, more than 560 constituents have been identified in cannabis. The recent discoveries of the medicinal properties of cannabis and the cannabinoids in addition to their potential applications in the treatment of a number of serious illnesses, such as glaucoma, depression, neuralgia, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and alleviation of symptoms of HIV/AIDS and cancer, have given momentum to the quest for further understanding the chemistry, biology, and medicinal properties of this plant.
The difference-of-datasets framework: A statistical method to discover insight

In this paper, we motivate the utility of framing very common data analysis and business intelligence problems as a problem in understanding the differences between two datasets. We call this framework the Difference-of-Datasets (DoD) framework. We propose a simple and effective method to help find the root causes of changes, i.e. “Why did the observed change happen?” or “What drove the observed change?”. Our method is based on a hypothesis test to detect the difference in the distributions of two samples, and is tailored to large-scale correlated binary data. We apply our method to several interesting scenarios, and successfully get insights to approach the fundamental reasons for unexpected changes. While our method originates from the concepts in A/B testing, it could be extended to all areas related to data science and business intelligence.
The effect of nerve-root injections on the need for operative treatment of lumbar radicular pain. A prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind study.

Background: The purpose of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of selective nerve-root injections in obviating the need for an operation in patients with lumbar radicular pain who were otherwise considered to be operative candidates. Although selective nerve-root injections are used widely, we are not aware of any prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind studies demonstrating their efficacy. Methods: Fifty-five patients who were referred to four spine surgeons because of lumbar radicular pain and who had radiographic confirmation of nerve-root compression were prospectively randomized into the study. All of the patients had to have requested operative intervention and had to be considered operative candidates by the treating surgeon. They then were randomized and referred to a radiologist who performed a selective nerve-root injection with either bupivacaine alone or bupivacaine with betamethasone. The treating physicians and the patients were blinded to the medication. The patients were allowed to choose to receive as many as four injections. The treatment was considered to have failed if the patient proceeded to have the operation, which he or she could opt to do at any point in the study. Results: Twenty-nine of the fifty-five patients, all of whom had initially requested operative treatment, decided not to have the operation during the follow-up period (range, thirteen to twenty-eight months) after the nerve-root injections. Of the twenty-seven patients who had received bupivacaine alone, nine elected not to have the operation. Of the twenty-eight patients who had received bupivacaine and betamethasone, twenty decided not to have the operation. The difference in the operative rates between the two groups was highly significant (p < 0.004). Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that selective nerve-root injections of corticosteroids are significantly more effective than those of bupivacaine alone in obviating the need for a decompression for up to thirteen to twenty-eight months following the injections in operative candidates. This finding suggests that patients who have lumbar radicular pain at one or two levels should be considered for treatment with selective nerve-root injections of corticosteroids prior to being considered for operative intervention.
Polarizable Force Field for DNA Based on the Classical Drude Oscillator: I. Refinement Using Quantum Mechanical Base Stacking and Conformational Energetics

Empirical force fields seek to relate the configuration of a set of atoms to its energy, thus yielding the forces governing its dynamics, using classical physics rather than more expensive quantum mechanical calculations that are computationally intractable for large systems. Most force fields used to simulate biomolecular systems use fixed atomic partial charges, neglecting the influence of electronic polarization, instead making use of a mean-field approximation that may not be transferable across environments. Recent hardware and software developments make polarizable simulations feasible, and to this end, polarizable force fields represent the next generation of molecular dynamics simulation technology. In this work, we describe the refinement of a polarizable force field for DNA based on the classical Drude oscillator model by targeting quantum mechanical interaction energies and conformational energy profiles of model compounds necessary to build a complete DNA force field. The parametrization strat...
Childcare Quality and Child Development

Development in early childhood predicts schooling and labor market outcomes in adulthood. Many young children are in some form of nonparental childcare, but the quality of this care, in particular the quality of caregiver–child interactions, is often low. In this paper, we use data from Peru to show that infants and toddlers with caregivers who demonstrate higher quality interactions have significantly better communication, problem-solving, and fine motor skills. We also find evidence that the association between the quality ofcare and child outcomes is significant throughout most of the distribution of child development, and largest at the bottom of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Pressure Drop and Fluid Flow Characteristics in a Packed Pebble Bed Reactor

AbstractIn the dynamic core of nuclear pebble bed reactors, the prediction of the fluid flow within the packing determines the heat transfer characteristics and, hence, the performance of these reactors.The fluid flow of the gas phase can be characterized and quantified in terms of the pressure drop coefficient. Therefore, in this work, the pressure drop in a packed pebble bed having different aspect ratios (ratio of the diameter of the bed to the diameter of the pebbles) has been measured experimentally in a separate-effects pilot-plant scale and cold-flow experimental setup of 0.3 m in diameter using a differential pressure transducer technique. The effects of superficial gas velocity have been investigated using a range of velocities from 0.01 to 2 m/s covering both the laminar and turbulent flow regimes. In addition, the effect of bed structure (aspect ratio) on the pressure drop coefficient has been investigated for the studied packed pebble bed. The results show the strong dependence of the pressure...
Is Intravenous Immunoglobulin More Cost Effective Than Plasmapheresis in the Treatment of Pediatric Myasthenia Gravis.Data from Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID) 1997-2009

OBJECTIVE: To analyze and compare the impact of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and plasmapheresis on outcome and cost of hospitalization of pediatric patients with Myasthenia Gravis (MG). BACKGROUND: Both IVIg and plasmapheresis have been extensively used in treatment of moderate to severe MG. As per AAN guidelines IVIg is probably effective (Level B), while there is insufficient evidence to support the use of plasmapheresis for MG (Level U). DESIGN/METHODS: We analyzed the Kid9s Inpatient Database (KID) for age, length of stay, and hospitalization cost for pediatric patients hospitalized with MG between 1997 and 2009. We compared these variables when patients were treated with IVIg versus plasmapheresis. RESULTS: Among 30, 49, 45, 78, 128 pediatric patients admitted to hospitals for MG on 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009 respectively, 5/25, 12/37, 24/21, 36/42, 76/52 were treated with IVIg/ plasmapheresis respectively. The average age of patients treated with IVIg was significantly lower than the average age of patients treated with plasmapheresis from 1997 to 2006. The mean length of stay was significantly longer in patients treated with plasmapheresis except for the year 2003: for IVIG patients the average length of stay varied between 2.63 and 7.2 days, whereas for plasmapheresis, it varied between 6.73 and 10.38 days. The vast majority of patients were discharged to home in all studied time periods. The mean hospitalization charges was higher in the plasmapheresis group compared to IVIG group in all time periods, however it reached statistical significance on 2003. It varied from $ 37,426 in 1997 and $90,619 in 2009 in the plasmapheresis group. In the IVIg group the mean hospitalization charges varied between $18,960 in 1997 and $ 77,299 in 2009. CONCLUSIONS: The mean hospitalization charges and length of stay of pediatric patients with MG treated with plasmapheresis were higher than in group treated with IVIg from 1997 to 2009. Disclosure: Dr. Elenein has nothing to disclose. Dr. He has nothing to disclose. Dr. Souayah has received personal compensation for activities with Walgreens and Grifols. Dr. Souayah has received research support from Talecris.
Specification and Differentiation of the Heart in Amphibia

Publisher Summary Historically, the amphibian has been an attractive model system for the investigation of cardiac development. This chapter discusses the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular specification and differentiation and examines the large body of embryological data. The ability to combine experimental embryological manipulations with the modern tools of molecular biology makes the Xenopus embryo an extremely valuable model system for investigating the mechanisms underlying embryonic development. The molecular and cellular events leading to organ development are extremely complex, and it is increasingly apparent that it will be necessary to study a number of different model systems to fully understand the rules governing the growth and differentiation of organs in the embryo. In the case of embryonic heart development, for example, genetic studies in Drosophila have pointed to a critical role for the tinman homeobox gene in cardiac development. Based on these observations, gene ablation studies in the mouse have confirmed that the tinman family of genes is required for development of the vertebrate heart, although in these studies, mice lacking Nkx2-5 function only exhibit abnormalities during the later stages of heart development. Overexpression experiments and dominant negative expression studies in the frog embryo have provided evidence that the tinman- related genes are essential for heart development in vertebrates. Ultimately, therefore, a combination of approaches, each exploiting the specific advantages of the different model systems, will contribute to a clear understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying embryonic heart development.
World Population Prospects and the Global Economic Outlook:The Shape of Things to Come

This paper examines global demographic prospects to the year 2030 and assesses the influence that impending population trends may have upon economic performance in coming years for the world as a whole and the major regional economies. A reasonably reliable assessment of prospective global trends to 2030 is feasible today because the overwhelming majority of people who will be living in that future world are already here, alive today. This includes all of that future world‘s senior citizens and almost its entire workforce. Major changes in global population trends are in the offing — among these, a sharp slowdown in the growth of available manpower, with impending declines of manpower for some regions, and pervasive population aging. Furthermore, in many of today‘s important ― emerging markets‖ demographic pressures may constrain economic growth more significantly than is currently appreciated. Coping with these looming demographic realities will require far-reaching reforms and innovations if we hope to maintain the pre-crisis tempo of global economic growth (much less accelerate it).
Promoter IV‐BDNF deficiency disturbs cholinergic gene expression of CHRNA5, CHRM2, and CHRM5: effects of drug and environmental treatments

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promotes maturation of cholinergic neurons. However, how activity-dependent BDNF expression affects specific cholinergic gene expression remains unclear. This study addressed this question by determining mRNA levels of 22 acetylcholine receptor subunits, the choline transporter (CHT), and the choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in mice deficient in activity-dependent BDNF via promoter IV (KIV) and control wild-type mice. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed significant reductions in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha 5 (CHRNA5) in the frontal cortex and hippocampus and M5 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (CHRM5) in the hippocampus, but significant increases in M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (CHRM2) in the frontal cortex of KIV mice compared to wild-type mice. Three-week treatments with fluoxetine, phenelzine, duloxetine, imipramine, or an enriched environment treatment (EET) did not affect the altered expression of these genes except that EET increased CHRNA5 levels only in KIV frontal cortex. EET also increased levels of CHRNA7, CHT, and ChAT, again only in the KIV frontal cortex. The imipramine treatment was most prominent among the four antidepressants; it up-regulated hippocampal CHRM2 and frontal cortex CHRM5 in both genotypes, and frontal cortex CHRNA7 only in KIV mice. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evidence that BDNF deficiency disturbs expression of CHRNA5, CHRM2, and CHRM5. Our results suggest that promoter IV-BDNF deficiency - which occurs under chronic stress - causes cholinergic dysfunctions via these receptors. EET is effective on CHRNA5, while its compensatory induction of other cholinergic genes or drugs targeting CHRNA5, CHRM2, and CHRM5 may become an alternative strategy to reverse these BDNF-linked cholinergic dysfunctions.
Arp2/3 Complex Is Required for Macrophage Integrin Functions but Is Dispensable for FcR Phagocytosis and In Vivo Motility

Summary The Arp2/3 complex nucleates branched actin, forming networks involved in lamellipodial protrusion, phagocytosis, and cell adhesion. We derived primary bone marrow macrophages lacking Arp2/3 complex ( Arpc2 −/− ) and directly tested its role in macrophage functions. Despite protrusion and actin assembly defects, Arpc2 −/− macrophages competently phagocytose via FcR and chemotax toward CSF and CX3CL1. However, CR3 phagocytosis and fibronectin haptotaxis, both integrin-dependent processes, are disrupted. Integrin-responsive actin assembly and αM/β2 integrin localization are compromised in Arpc2 −/− cells. Using an in vivo system to observe endogenous monocytes migrating toward full-thickness ear wounds we found that Arpc2 −/− monocytes maintain cell speeds and directionality similar to control. Our work reveals that the Arp2/3 complex is not a general requirement for phagocytosis or chemotaxis but is a critical driver of integrin-dependent processes. We demonstrate further that cells lacking Arp2/3 complex function in vivo remain capable of executing important physiological responses that require rapid directional motility.
Types of Renewable Energy

The United States currently relies heavily on coal, oil, and natural gas for its energy. Fossil fuels are nonrenewable, that is, they draw on finite resources that will eventually dwindle, becoming too expensive or too environmentally damaging to retrieve. In contrast, many types of renewable energy resources—such as wind and solar energy—are constantly replenished and will never run out. Most renewable energy comes either directly or indirectly from the sun. Sunlight, or solar energy, can be used directly for heating and lighting homes and other buildings, for generating electricity, and for hot water heating, solar cooling, and a variety of commercial and industrial uses. The sun’s heat also drives the winds, whose energy is captured with wind turbines. Then, the winds and the sun’s heat cause water to evaporate. When this water vapor turns into rain or snow and flows downhill into rivers or streams, its energy can be captured using hydroelectric power. Along with the rain and snow, sunlight causes plants to grow. The organic matter that makes up those plants is known as biomass. Biomass can be used to produce electricity, transportation fuels, or chemicals. The use of biomass for any of these purposes is called bioenergy.
Antimicrobials and Male Reproduction

Antibiotics have long been suspected of contributing to male infertility; however, there are remarkably limited data to support this premise. A major challenge for evaluating antibiotic effects is that the diseases they treat often have negative impacts on male reproduction, so treatment with the antimicrobial can improve reproductive endpoints. This is particularly true for diseases of the male reproductive tract. As a class, anti-parasitic drugs are toxic to eukaryotic cells and have significant potential for reproductive toxicity. A variety of these medications are also used in companion and food animal species; in this chapter we review the literature on anti-parasitic drugs on male reproduction in these species. In humans, only niridazole has been shown to cause reversible spermatogenic arrest in 20 men with schistosomiasis. Of the antifungal medications, ketoconazole has been shown in some studies to transiently decrease testosterone levels in men, but work is lacking for semen quality or fertility. We review studies of antibacterial medications in the chapter, with some minimal human data available for decreased semen quality in men taking nitrofurantoin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, or sulfamethoxazole. These and some other antibacterials have been studied in other species with results suggestive of negative impacts on male fertility endpoints. In light of the common assumption of reproductive toxicity for antimicrobial medications, and the decided lack of supporting evidence, there is a substantial need for well-designed clinical trials in this area.
Detection of the onset of delamination in a post-tensioned curved concrete structure using hidden Markov modeling of acoustic emissions

This paper presents acoustic emission (AE) monitoring of a large-scale curved, post-tensioned concrete wall under monotonically increasing prestressing loads. This structural system, which is commonly used in water storage tanks, silos, bins, and nuclear containment structures, is subject to hidden delamination defeats that may develop during posttensioning and lead to a premature brittle failure. To detect the onset of such defects, this study uses a network of AE sensors mounted on the outer surface of the wall and identifies common patterns in AE signals. Specifically, AE signals are clustered using k-mean clustering, and their sequence is modeled with a hidden Markov model. The comparison of the results with accurate through-thickness expansion measurements of the wall shows that certain patterns in AE signals are correlated with the onset of delamination, and thus can be used to detect it. This early detection of such delamination defects provides decision makers with sufficient time to take remedial and preventive action.
Interactions Between Quizalofop-p-ethyl and Acetolactate Synthase–Inhibiting Herbicides in Acetyl-coA Carboxylase Inhibitor–Resistant Rice Production

A field study was conducted in 2015 and 2016 at the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station (RRS) to evaluate antagonistic, synergistic, or neutral interactions of quizalofop when mixed with ALS-inhibiting herbicides labeled in rice production. Quizalofop was applied at 120 g ai ha-1. Mixture herbicides included penoxsulam at 40 g ai ha-1, penoxsulam triclopyr at 352 g ai ha-1, halosulfuron at 53 g ai ha-1, bispyribac at 34 g ai ha-1, orthosulfamuron halosulfuron at 94 g ai ha-1, orthosulfamuron quinclorac at 491 g ai ha-1, imazosulfuron at 211 g ai ha-1, and bensulfuron at 43 g ai ha-1. All ALS herbicides mixed with quizalofop indicated antagonistic responses for red rice, CL-111, CLXL 745, or barnyardgrass control at either 14 or 28 days after treatment (DAT). At 28 DAT, quizalofop mixed with penoxsulam or bispyribac controlled barnyardgrass 34 to 38%, compared with an expected control of 97%. In addition, these same mixtures controlled red rice, CL-111, and CLXL-745 61 to 67% at 28 DAT compared with an expected control of 96 to 97%. A second application of quizalofop at 120 g ha-1 was applied at 28 DAT. At 42 DAT, neutral responses were indicated for all mixtures except with quizalofop mixed with penoxsulam containing products.Nomenclature: bensulfuron; bispyribac; halosulfuron; imazosulfuron; orthosulfamuron; penoxsulam; quizalofop-p-ethyl; barnyardgrass, Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.; rice, Oryza sativa L.
Parkin mediates mitophagy during beige-to-white fat conversion

In this issue of Science Signaling , Lu et al . reveal a role for Parkin-mediated mitophagy in beige-to-white adipocyte transition. In the absence of Parkin, mitochondria in thermogenic beige adipocytes are preserved even after the elimination of cold mimetic stimuli—in contrast to their typical elimination during the white transition.
Statistics as Service to Democracy: Experimental Design and the Dutiful American Scientist

Through the middle decades of the twentieth century, prominent American statisticians established new channels to carry their experimental field around the nation and the globe. Two figures, Henry A. Wallace and Gertrude M. Cox, emerging from the land-grant Iowa State University, achieved particular influence. Their efforts, which included involvement with federal and international state affairs from the 1930s onward and on United Nations initiatives after the Second World War, embodied not only a rigorous empiricism directed at social problems but a service rationale associated with their white, (Mid)Western, Methodist identity; lines between private ethics and public conduct, between scientific study and intervention, dissolved. The statisticians paired generous impulses with an ambivalent approach towards equity, however, bringing robust ideas of innate human differences – gender, race, sexuality and ethnic distinctions in particular – to a wide range of post-colonial development efforts. In both their taxonomic understanding of individual identity (their own and others’) and their ideas of optimized statistical labor as clearly divided between routine data handling and advanced theoretical work, Wallace, Cox and their audiences embedded American particular ideas of human welfare in technical expertise. As US statistical methods shaped worldwide economic, agricultural, health and educational planning, a complex and constrained model of democracy sought and often found global footholds.
Transmission-error frequency-domain-behavior of failing gears

Abstract Failing gear teeth, either by working-surface-damage (pitting, spalling, scuffing, etc.) or by bending fatigue, causes tooth-to-tooth variations in the loaded tooth working surfaces. Such variations cause changes (generally increases) in the non-tooth-meshing rotational-harmonic amplitudes of the transmission-error contribution from the affected gear. Simple models of missing working-surface material caused by damage are used to show where transmission-error rotational-harmonic spectrum changes will take place. Bending fatigue damage is shown to initially cause maximum changes in rotational-harmonic amplitudes well below the tooth-meshing fundamental harmonic, whereas small pits are shown to cause changes in higher-frequency rotational-harmonic amplitudes. Good agreement is shown between an experimentally obtained rotational-harmonic spectrum caused by tooth-surface damage and that predicted from damage measured on the failing teeth. Substantial increases in high-frequency rotational-harmonic amplitudes are shown to be expected from gear teeth undergoing significant plastic deformation in late stages of bending-fatigue failure. Accurate assessment of damage contributions using before-damage non-negligible rotational-harmonic amplitudes (sideband harmonics, etc.) are shown to suggest use of complex rotational-harmonic amplitudes.
All-Red Clearance Intervals for Use in the Left-Turn Application of Flashing Yellow Arrows

AbstractIn recent years, agencies across the United States have embraced the implementation of the flashing yellow arrow (FYA) for permissive left turns. Previous research determined that the FYA i...
Human Behavioral Modeling Using Fuzzy and Dempster–Shafer Theory

Human behavioral modeling requires an ability to represent and manipulate imprecise cognitive concepts. It also needs to include the uncertainty and unpredictability of human action. We discuss the appropriateness of fuzzy sets for representing human centered cognitive concepts. We describe the technology of fuzzy systems modeling and indicate its the role in human behavioral modeling. We next introduce some ideas from the Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence. We use the Dempster-Shafer theory to provide a machinery for including randomness in the fuzzy systems modeling process. This combined methodology provides a framework with which we can construct models that can include both the complex cognitive concepts and unpredictability needed to model human behavior.
BHP Performance on Medical Teams

Through redesigning curricula to meet the demands of integrated team-based care, we will successfully prepare our behavioral health workforce to meet the quadruple aims of health care. It is essential for trainers to consider the priorities in team-based skill development to optimize care delivery. Refocusing behavioral health providers to broaden from a siloed practice approach to a team-based approach takes skill development. As behavioral health providers develop these unique multidisciplinary skills, they will demonstrate their worth, role, and responsibility on the integrated medical team.
Heuristic Understanding as a Component of Collaborative, Interdisciplinary, Social Justice Advocacy Research

This article describes the experiences of three university colleagues with a common interest in, and commitment to, the retention of students from traditionally underserved populations including those who are racial/ethnic minorities or first-generation college. Using Moustaka’s (1990) phases of heuristic understanding as an organizational framework, we discuss our use of autoethnography to arrive at new understandings of ourselves as researchers and our area of inquiry. Consistent with social justice advocacy research, this research collaboration has the potential to inform efforts to empower traditionally underserved college students and to facilitate transformational change in an institution of higher education.
Quantitative analysis of Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) cytokines and TLR expression to eyeworm (Oxyspirura petrowi) and caecal worm (Aulonocephalus pennula) glycoproteins

Helminth parasites have been a popular research topic due to their global prevalence and adverse effects on livestock and game species. The Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), a popular game bird in the USA, is one species subject to helminth infection and has been experiencing a decline of > 4% annually over recent decades. In the Rolling Plains Ecoregion of Texas, the eyeworm (Oxyspirura petrowi) and caecal worm (Aulonocephalus pennula) helminths are found to be highly prevalent in bobwhite. While there have been increasing studies on the prevalence, pathology, and phylogeny of the eyeworm and caecal worm, there is still a need to investigate the bobwhite immune response to infection. This study utilizes previously sequenced bobwhite cytokines and toll-like receptors to develop and optimize qPCR primers and measure gene expression in bobwhite intramuscularly challenged with eyeworm and caecal worm glycoproteins. For the challenge experiments, separate treatments of eyeworm and caecal worm glycoproteins were administered to bobwhite on day 1 and day 21. Measurements of primary and secondary immune responses were taken at day 7 and day 28, respectively. Using the successfully optimized qPCR primers for TLR7, IL1β, IL6, IFNα, IFNγ, IL10, and β-actin, the gene expression analysis from the challenge experiments revealed that there was a measurable immune reaction in bobwhite in response to the intramuscular challenge of eyeworm and caecal worm glycoproteins.
Physical therapy and pharmacy interprofessional education in the context of a university pro bono physical therapy setting

Interprofessional care is the standard for quality in healthcare. Interprofessional education (IPE) is an accreditation requirement in many health-care fields. This qualitative study evaluated the benefits of an interprofessional education program for Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students in the context of a pro bono physical therapy setting focused on reducing fall risk among older adults. For each pro bono participant, PharmD and DPT students worked together to analyze fall risk of the participating older adults. PharmD students completed a medication review while the DPT students completed balance assessments. Each profession recommended adjustments to care and presented their findings to peers, faculty, and participants. Following completion of the IPE program, students completed a voluntary evaluation with seven questions requiring semi-structured written reflection regarding their IPE experience. Student reflective responses from 2014-2016 were coded by IPE faculty using a coding guide collaboratively developed by the study team. Descriptive analysis included a summary of code frequency by year, discipline and Interprofessional Education Collaborative core competency: Values and Ethics, Communication, Teams and Teamwork, and Roles and Responsibilities. Values and Ethics were the most frequently coded core competency. Students consistently noted the importance of valuing the other profession, understanding each other's roles, having good interprofessional communication, and working within a health-care team. Additional codes emerged during the analysis process. Written reflective findings suggest that hands-on collaboration, focused on a real-world problem (fall risk) relevant to both PharmD and DPT students, enabled interprofessional care that benefited students through real-world practice of skills learned during coursework, and benefited clinical participants through increased awareness of physical function and medication factors that could affect fall risk. Findings indicate that a pro bono physical therapy setting can provide hands-on learning that meets IPE accreditation requirements and student learning needs while addressing a public health concern.
Cahn-Hilliard mobility of fluid-fluid interfaces from molecular dynamics

The Cahn-Hilliard equation is often used to model the temporospatial evolution of multiphase fluid systems including droplets, bubbles, aerosols, and liquid films. This equation requires knowledge of the fluid-fluid interfacial mobility γ, a parameter that can be difficult to obtain experimentally. In this work, a method to obtain γ from nonequilibrium molecular dynamics is presented. γ is obtained for liquid-liquid and liquid-vapor interfaces by perturbing them from their equilibrium phase fraction spatial distributions, using molecular dynamics simulations to observe their relaxation toward equilibrium, and fitting the Cahn-Hilliard model to the transient molecular simulations at each time step. γ is then compared to a different measure of interfacial mobility, the molecular interfacial mobility M. It is found that γ is proportional to the product of M, the interface thickness, and the ratio of thermal energy to interfacial energy.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Radical Humanism, Critical Consciousness, and Social Change:

This special issue engages in exploring challenges faced by those involved in research, teaching, and practice within psychology, particularly humanistic psychology, with a commitment to social jus...
Dimension and Mechanical Structure Design of Low-Cost Heliostats in Concentrated Solar Power Plants

This paper presents the dimension selection of the reflective mirror and the mechanical support structure design of heliostats in concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. To start with, a flowchart for designing a heliostat is presented, followed by a detailed wind load analysis to determine its mirror dimension and electric drive ratings. Specifically, the validity of the employed analytical equations developed by the Sandia National Lab are verified with a computational fluid dynamics simulation of wind pressure on the mirror surface. In addition, three mechanical support structures, with two selected from the recent literature and one proposed in this paper, are presented to assess their mechanical robustness and perform a cost comparison. The result demonstrates all of the mechanical designs are able to withstand the expected maximum wind load during solar tracking, and the rim drive is the most cost-effective structure of the three under the same comparison guidelines and principles.
Validation and Implementation of an Ordering Alert to Improve the Efficiency of Monoclonal Gammopathy Evaluation.

Objectives To evaluate the use of a provider ordering alert to improve laboratory efficiency and reduce costs. Methods We conducted a retrospective study to assess the use of an institutional reflex panel for monoclonal gammopathy evaluation. We then created a clinical decision support (CDS) alert to educate and encourage providers to change their less-efficient orders to the reflex panel. Results Our retrospective analysis demonstrated that an institutional reflex panel could be safely substituted for a less-efficient and higher-cost panel. The implemented CDS alert resulted in 79% of providers changing their high-cost order panel to an order panel based on the reflex algorithm. Conclusions The validated decision support alert demonstrated high levels of provider acceptance and directly led to operational and cost savings within the laboratory. Furthermore, these studies highlight the value of laboratory involvement with CDS efforts to provide agile and targeted provider ordering assistance.
Posar como marginal

espanolEste trabajo propone que el escritor brasileno Ferrez y sus personajes sean vistos como poseur. Para reflexionar sobre la pose del marginal este trabajo usa como base teorica la propuesta de Sylvia Molloy en su libro Poses de fin de siglo, donde Molloy, entre otras cosas, argumenta que los autores usan los cuerpos para representar declaraciones culturales y testimonios. El analisis principal de este trabajo sera basado en las primeras dos novelas de Ferrez, Capao Pecado (2002) y Manual Pratico do Odio (2003). Asimismo, planteamos que posar es una tactica mucho mas adecuada como proyecto para negociar, reclamar y articular una identidad individual o colectiva por aquellos que son marginados. Este trabajo examina las poses para comprender mejor el mundo del marginal. En el trabajo se mostrara como los personajes de la Literatura Marginal de Ferrez conversan en mayor parte mediante su apariencia, vestimenta, gesticulaciones. El cuerpo del marginal se entendera como una manifestacion visible del autogobierno. EnglishABSTRACT: This work proposes that the Brazilian writer Ferrez and his characters should be seen as poseur. To reflect on the pose of the marginal, this work uses the proposal of Sylvia Molloy in her book Poses de fin de siglo, where Molloy, among other things, argues that the authors use the bodies to represent cultural statements and testimonies. The main analysis of this work will be based on the first two novels by Ferrez, Capao Pecado(2002) and Manual Pratico do Odio (2003). Likewise, this work proposes that posing is a much more appropriate tactic as a project to negotiate, claim and articulate an individual or collective identity for those who are marginalized. This work examines the poses to better understand the marginal’s world. In the work it will be shown how the characters of the Literatura Marginal of Ferrez talk mostly through their appearance, dress, gestures. The body of the marginal will be understood as a visible manifestation of self-government
PERCEIVED STRATEGIC UNCERTAINTY AND STRATEGY FORMATION IN EMERGING MARKETS

We investigate the relationships between perceived strategic uncertainty and strategy formation mode using a sample of 286 small and medium sized enterprises in the emerging markets of the Philippines, Vietnam, and China. Our results highlight the importance of the relationships between strategy development and entrepreneurial perceptions of the dynamism and complexity of environments in emerging markets and underscore the difficulties SMEs in emerging markets face when considering planned versus emergent strategy decisions.
Digital health for assessment and intervention targeting tobacco and cannabis co-use.

This article aims to summarize current research on digital health for assessment and intervention targeting tobacco and cannabis co-use and to answer the following questions: Which digital tools have been used? Which populations have been targeted? And what are the implications for future research? Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) via text messages or interactive voice response calls has been used to capture co-use patterns within a time window or co-administration of both substances via blunts among young adults. Feasibility of multicomponent interventions targeting dual cessation of both substances among adult co-users with cannabis use disorder, delivered via smartphone apps, online, and computer modules, has been demonstrated. Digital tools, particularly those using EMAs and mobile sensors, should be expanded to assess co-use of emerging tobacco and cannabis products. Digital cessation interventions should be tailored to different groups of co-users and address specific mechanisms underlying different co-use patterns.
Refolding hydrogels self-assembled from N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide graft copolymers by antiparallel coiled-coil formation.

A novel hybrid hydrogel system based on N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide copolymers was proposed. It consisted of the hydrophilic polymer backbone and a pair of oppositely charged peptide grafts. Two distinct pentaheptad peptides (CCE and CCK) were anticipated to create a dimerization motif and serve as physical cross-linkers. Consequently, the graft copolymers CCE−P and CCK−P self-assembled into hybrid hydrogels in situ; the process was modulated by the formation of antiparallel heterodimeric coiled-coils. This approach possesses an advantage to decrease the steric hindrance of the polymer backbone on the “in-register” alignment of peptide grafts. Indeed, equimolar mixtures of the graft copolymers, CCE−P/CCK−P, have been observed to self-assemble into hydrogels in PBS solution at neutral pH at concentrations as low as 0.1 wt %. Circular dichroism spectroscopy, sedimentation equilibrium experiments, and microrheology revealed that the self-assembly process corresponded to the two-stranded α-helical coile...
A New Genus and Fourteen New Species of Anopidiina (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Diaperinae: Gnathidiini) from the West Indies

A new genus and 14 new species of Anopidiina are described from the West Indies. Prototyrtaeus Spiessberger and Ivie, new genus (type species: Prototyrtaeus darlingtoni Spiessberger and Ivie, new species) is described from the Greater Antillean islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico, with 14 new species: Prototyrtaeus duartei Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus neiba Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus unomas Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus obrieni Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus pecki Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus gracilicornis Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus howdeni Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus sandersoni Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus beckeri Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus darlingtoni, new species; Prototyrtaeus maestrensis Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus felis Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus turquinensis Spiessberger and Ivie, new species; Prototyrtaeus auranticornis Spiessberger and Ivie, new species. The enigmatic single record of the family Byrrhidae from the West Indies (Puerto Rico) is resolved as a misidentification of Prototyrtaeus.
Host-virus chimeric events in SARS-CoV2 infected cells are infrequent and artifactual

Pathogenic mechanisms underlying severe SARS-CoV2 infection remain largely unelucidated. High throughput sequencing technologies that capture genome and transcriptome information are key approaches to gain detailed mechanistic insights from infected cells. These techniques readily detect both pathogen and host-derived sequences, providing a means of studying host-pathogen interactions. Recent studies have reported the presence of host-virus chimeric (HVC) RNA in RNA-seq data from SARS-CoV2 infected cells and interpreted these findings as evidence of viral integration in the human genome as a potential pathogenic mechanism. Since SARS-CoV2 is a positive sense RNA virus that replicates in the cytoplasm it does not have a nuclear phase in its life cycle, it is biologically unlikely to be in a location where splicing events could result in genome integration. Here, we investigated the biological authenticity of HVC events. In contrast to true biological events such as mRNA splicing and genome rearrangement events, which generate reproducible chimeric sequencing fragments across different biological isolates, we found that HVC events across >100 RNA-seq libraries from patients with COVID-19 and infected cell lines, were highly irreproducible. RNA-seq library preparation is inherently error-prone due to random template switching during reverse transcription of RNA to cDNA. By counting chimeric events observed when constructing an RNA-seq library from human RNA and spike-in RNA from an unrelated species, such as fruit-fly, we estimated that ~1% of RNA-seq reads are artifactually chimeric. In SARS-CoV2 RNA-seq we found that the frequency of HVC events was, in fact, not greater than this background "noise". Finally, we developed a novel experimental approach to enrich SARS-CoV2 sequences from bulk RNA of infected cells. This method enriched viral sequences but did not enrich for HVC events, suggesting that the majority of HVC events are, in all likelihood, artifacts of library construction. In conclusion, our findings indicate that HVC events observed in RNA-sequencing libraries from SARS-CoV2 infected cells are extremely rare and are likely artifacts arising from either random template switching of reverse-transcriptase and/or sequence alignment errors. Therefore, the observed HVC events do not support SARS-CoV2 fusion to cellular genes and/or integration into human genomes.