cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Fuzzy Search Engine Weighted Approach to Result Merging for Metasearch

Each search engine queried by a metasearch engine returns results in the form of a result list of documents. The key issue is to combine these lists to achieve the best performance. The salient contribution of this paper is a result merging model that applies Yager's fuzzy aggregation Ordered Weight Average, OWA, operator in combination with the concept of importance guided aggregation to extend the OWA-based result merging model proposed by Diaz. Our result merging model, IGOWA, (Importance Guided OWA) improves upon the OWA model proposed by Diaz so as to allow weights to be applied to search engine result lists. To support our model we also explore a scheme for computing search engine weights. We call the weights obtained from our scheme Query-System Weights and we compare this with the scheme for computing search engine weights proposed by Aslam and Montague. We refer to Aslam's scheme as System Weights.
Unilateral Trade Liberalization and Global World Income

I. Introduction, 139. — II. Statement of results, 140. — III. The proofs, 143. — IV. Conclusion, 146.
Assessment of Young Children with Special Needs: Foundations for Tomorrow

This article begins with the state of assessment in the 1960s and traces changes through the end of the century. The birth of 20,000 children with rubella syndrome began the focus on the assessment of young children with disabilities. The author's personal challenge in this process led to an unanticipated career in the field of assessment. The strengths of multiple measures, including standardized, norm-referenced measures and informal, functional measures, were all touted as essential in the assessment process. The author recognizes the many events that contributed to her involvement in developing assessment measures and in broadening the assessment mission. The role of the past and its linkage and contributions to the future are conveyed throughout the article.
Protein translocation by the Sec61/SecY channel.

AbstractThe conserved protein-conducting channel, referred to as the Sec61 channel in eukaryotes or the SecY channel in eubacteria and archaea, translocates proteins across cellular membranes and integrates proteins containing hydrophobic transmembrane segments into lipid bilayers. Structural studies illustrate how the protein-conducting channel accomplishes these tasks. Three different mechanisms, each requiring a different set of channel binding partners, are employed to move polypeptide substrates: The ribosome feeds the polypeptide chain directly into the channel, a ratcheting mechanism is used by the eukaryotic endoplasmic reticulum chaperone BiP, and a pushing mechanism is utilized by the bacterial ATPase SecA. We review these translocation mechanisms, relating biochemical and genetic observations to the structures of the protein-conducting channel and its binding partners.
Estimating ozone and secondary PM2.5 impacts from hypothetical single source emissions in the central and eastern United States

Secondary pollutant impacts from emissions of single sources may need to be assessed to satisfy a variety of regulatory requirements including the Clean Air Act New Source Review and Prevention of Significant Deterioration programs and the National Environmental Policy Act. In this work, single source impacts on O3 and secondary PM2.5 are estimated with annual 2011 photochemical grid model simulations where new hypothetical sources are added to the central and eastern United States with varying precursor emission rates and emission release heights. Impacts from these hypothetical sources are tracked with photochemical grid model source apportionment. Single source impacts on downwind 8-hr maximum O3 tend to increase as emissions of NOX or VOC increase. Downwind impacts on PM2.5 sulfate and nitrate also tend to increase as emissions of SO2 and NOX increase. For all secondary pollutants, impacts from these hypothetical sources tend to decrease as distance from the source increases. However, peak impacts on O3 and secondary PM2.5 are not at the facility fence-line but typically within 50–100 km depending on the emissions rate, precursor pollutant, and emissions release point. Downwind impacts are not uniform directionally from these sources due to varying downwind availability of chemical reactants and prevailing meteorology. Peak impacts for O3 (∼15 ppb) and PM2.5 sulfate (∼8 μg/m3) were within 50 km of these hypothetical sources and peak impacts for PM2.5 nitrate (∼1 μg/m3) were within 125 km. The daily maximum 8-hr O3 and maximum daily average PM2.5 sulfate and nitrate ion impacts for the new hypothetical sources modeled here are generally consistent with those reported in literature. Additional assessments of single source impacts on secondary pollutants are still needed to provide a more comprehensive assessment of different source types and source environments.
Source of sustained voltage difference between the xylem of a potted Ficus benjamina tree and its soil.

It has long been known that there is a sustained electrical potential (voltage) difference between the xylem of many plants and their surrounding soil, but the mechanism behind this voltage has remained controversial. After eliminating any extraneous capacitive or inductive couplings and ground-mediated electric current flows, we have measured sustained differences of 50–200 mV between the xylem region of a Faraday-caged, intact, potted Ficus benjamina tree and its soil, as well as between its cut branches and soils and ionic solutions standardized to various pH values. Using identical platinum electrodes, no correlation between the voltage and time of day, illumination, sap flow, electrode elevation, or ionic composition of soil was found, suggesting no direct connection to simple dissimilar-metal redox reactions or transpirational activity. Instead, a clear relationship between the voltage polarity and magnitude and the pH difference between xylem and soil was observed. We attribute these sustained voltages to a biological concentration cell likely set up by the homeostatic mechanisms of the tree. Potential applications of this finding are briefly explored.
A vertebrate gene, ticrr, is an essential checkpoint and replication regulator

Eukaryotes have numerous checkpoint pathways to protect genome fidelity during normal cell division and in response to DNA damage. Through a screen for G2/M checkpoint regulators in zebrafish, we identified ticrr (for TopBP1-interacting, checkpoint, and replication regulator), a previously uncharacterized gene that is required to prevent mitotic entry after treatment with ionizing radiation. Ticrr deficiency is embryonic-lethal in the absence of exogenous DNA damage because it is essential for normal cell cycle progression. Specifically, the loss of ticrr impairs DNA replication and disrupts the S/M checkpoint, leading to premature mitotic entry and mitotic catastrophe. We show that the human TICRR ortholog associates with TopBP1, a known checkpoint protein and a core component of the DNA replication preinitiation complex (pre-IC), and that the TICRR-TopBP1 interaction is stable without chromatin and requires BRCT motifs essential for TopBP1's replication and checkpoint functions. Most importantly, we find that ticrr deficiency disrupts chromatin binding of pre-IC, but not prereplication complex, components. Taken together, our data show that TICRR acts in association with TopBP1 and plays an essential role in pre-IC formation. It remains to be determined whether Ticrr represents the vertebrate ortholog of the yeast pre-IC component Sld3, or a hitherto unknown metazoan replication and checkpoint regulator.
Dioxygen & Related Ligands

Metal–dioxygen interactions are important in the activation of dioxygen by aerobic organisms and in other processes that utilize dioxygen, for instance, in catalytic oxygenation reactions. Most d-block metals have been found to interact with dioxygen and many dioxygen-containing complexes have been isolated. A number of binding modes have been found in these complexes, including the simple binding of one O2 molecule to one metal center and systems where the O2 moiety bridges two or more metal ions. Some reduction of dioxygen occurs upon binding; thus, these complexes are generally regarded as containing superoxide (one-electron reduced) or peroxide (two-electron reduced) ligands, which are typically spectroscopically distinguished. In general, superoxo complexes exhibit υ(OO) in their infrared or Raman spectra between about 960 and 1200 cm−1 and usually contain planar metal2–O2 units for dinuclear complexes, whereas peroxide complexes result in υ(OO) between about 650 and 950 cm−1 and the dinuclear complexes typically have nonplanar metal2–O2 units. Examples of superoxo and peroxo complexes for the different binding modes are discussed, including the discovery that some dinuclear metal–dioxygen complexes [M(O2)M; M = metal] are in equilibrium with bis-μ-oxo complexes [M(O)2M; i.e. the OO bond is no longer present]. Keywords: dioxygen; oxygen; peroxide; peroxo; superoxide; superoxo; oxidation
BioProspecting: novel marker discovery obtained by mining the bibleome

BioProspecting is a novel approach that enabled our team to mine data related to genetic markers from the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) utilizing SNOMED CT and the Human Gene Onotology (HUGO). The Biomedical Informatics Research Collaborative was able to link genes and disorders using the Multi-threaded Clinical Vocabulary Server (MCVS) and natural language processing engine, whose output creates an ontology-network using the semantic encodings of the literature that is organized by these two terminologies. We identified relationships between (genes or proteins) and (diseases or drugs) as linked by metabolic functions and identified potentially novel functional relationships between, for example, genes and diseases (e.g. Article #1 ([Gene - IL27] = > {Enzyme - Dipeptidyl Carboxypeptidase 1}) and Article #2 ({Enzyme - Dipeptidyl Carboxypeptidase 1} < = [Disorder - Type II DM]) showing a metabolic link between IL27 and Type II DM). In this manuscript we describe our method for developing the database and its content as well as its potential to assist in the discovery of novel markers and drugs.
Substitution of Glutamic Acids for the Conserved Lysines in the α Domain Affects Metal-Binding in Both the α Domain and β Domain of Mammalian Metallothionein

Abstract Lysine residues are highly conserved in mammalian metallothioneins(MTs). Recombinant mutant Chinese hamster MT2 in which all of the lysines (K) in the α-domain were substituted by glutamic acids (E) was assayed with, expressed in and purified from a cadmium sensitive strain of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Circular dichroism analyses of the mutated protein, mutein K43,51,56E, revealed that the overall structure remained unchanged. However, a 1-D 113Cd NMR study detected significant differences in the chemical shifts of the corresponding resonances between wild type protein and the recombinant mutein. Reduction of integrated intensity in the NMR spectra was also observed for resonances from the four-metal cluster (I and V-VII) in the α-domain of the mutein. At various temperatures, facile intermolecular exchange of metals in the β-domain of the mutein was also observed, which was unexpected and was different from wild type. Our results thus demonstrate that replacing all three lysines by glutamic acids in the α-domain changed metal-thiolate interactions in both domains of the recombinant mutein. This may explain the reduced ability of the mutein to convey cadmium resistance. We propose that while the lysine residues in the α-domain of wild type MT are not critical for maintaining protein structure, they play a role in regulating the microenvironment and stability of both metal-binding clusters, a feature critical to metal detoxification.
Make Us a Power: African-American Methodists Debate the Rights of Women, 1870-1900

The relationship between black Methodists and broader publics is this essay’s central concern. While these religious activists were bound together as Methodists, their considerations of the woman question were also animated by ideas and innovations generated in the realm of politics. Thus, while there is evidence of what Wallace Best, in his examination of Pentecostal female preachers of the 1940s, has characterized as a “culture of resistance” to women’s religious authority, we also find that deliberations in black Methodist circles turned on broader shifts in the public culture of which churches were but one part. During Reconstruction, a time of optimism and openness to change when the national Methodist denominations were reorganizing themselves, revisions of law and practice made women visible members of formal decision making bodies as conference delegates and officers, explicitly recognizing women’s position in the churches and extending their power within them However, the collapse of Reconstruction ushered in the degradations of the Jim Crow era, and efforts to extend women’s religious authority took on controversial meanings. As male leaders struggled to maintain their public footing in the face of an increasingly aggressive political program of white supremacy, they moved within churches to oppose female control of missionary societies and access to ordination. As black Methodist missionary aspirations became linked to U.S. imperial endeavors in the 1890s, it was men who forged new ties with diasporic people of African descent throughout the world.
Pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenases

The existence of enzymes which catalyze the direct transfer of hydrogen between TPNH and DPN was adumbrated by Ball 2 in 1941. 11 years later, Kaplan, Colowick and their collaborators1, 2 discovered such an enzyme in Pseudomonas fluorescens which they designated pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase. Enzymes of this class have since been found in some animal3–9 and plant10 tissues, and in various micro-organisms1, 11. The pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenases of Pseudomonas fluorescens 1 and of spinach10 are soluble enzymes, while the animal transhydrogenases appear to be confined to the mitochondria and microsomes4, 5, 8, 9. The highest levels of transhydrogenase in animal tissues are located in the mitochondria of heart, kidney and liver4, 8.
Quack Corporate Governance

An extensive empirical literature suggests that mandates passed as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are not likely to improve audit quality or otherwise enhance firm performance and thereby benefit investors as Congress intended. This suggests that the mandates should be rescinded or at least made voluntary. More broadly, these analyses caution that legislating in the immediate aftermath of a public scandal or crisis is a formula for poor public policymaking.
Referent-Models of Loving: A Philosophical and Theological analysis of Love in Ethical Theory and Moral Practice

Love as a moral norm has a very prominent place within the discussions of contemporary Christian ethics. There are three definite trends especially evident in the most popular of these discussions of love. In the first instance, there is a tendency to make love serve as the sole norm in ethics. There is a second tendency to equate love with beneficence. This means, among other things, that love tends to be put into a utilitarian type of calculus and that specific norms such as the Ten Commandments are either played down or dropped entirely. Both of these views of love, by themselves or held in concert, collapse the traditional distinction between love and justice. There is yet a third ten-1 dency to drop any distinction between love for God and love for/the neighbor. Love for God is simply to be understood as love for the neighbor and, as such, it is not something to pursue or cultivate for its own sake. That all three of these tendencies are significantly related to one another should become evident from our further discussion of them.
Nematode Management in Residential Lawns

A well-maintained lawn can help beautify our environment, reduce water runoff and reduce water and air pollution. In 1991-92 there were 3.3 million acres of grass grown in home lawns in Florida, making home lawns the largest agricultural crop in the sunshine state. Just like any other crop, pest management is a key for growing healthy grass in a home lawn. Plant-parasitic nematodes are probably the least understood and most difficult to manage of the turfgrass pests in Florida (Figure 1).
Re-evaluation of the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl Free Radical (DPPH) Assay for Antioxidant Activity

Kinetics and stoichiometry of reactions between the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) stable radical and 25 antioxidant compounds with different structure, molecular weight, number of −OH groups, and redox potential were investigated by recording the loss of DPPH• absorbance at 515 nm continuously for 10 min. A series of antioxidant concentrations was tested to determine linear response ranges and reaction saturation points. The primary feature distinguishing antioxidant activity—rate of initial reaction (<30 s)—was controlled by whether the dominant antioxidant mechanism was electron (very fast) or hydrogen atom (slow) transfer and by impairment of steric accessibility to the DPPH radical site by bulky ring adducts and multiple phenolic rings. Results raise serious questions regarding application of the DPPH assay for ranking antioxidants and natural extracts and suggest possible redirection of this assay to distinguish active reaction mechanisms by comparing reactions rates and patterns in different ...
Application of rRT-PCR Method in Intratypic Identification of Poliovirus in a Polio Laboratory

Objective To identify the polioviruses firstly using real time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(rRT- PCR)method in Hebei Provincial Polio Laboratory, to evaluate the assay and provide a basis for performing intratypic differentiation by conventional rRT- PCR in the polio laboratory. Methods According to rRT- PCR recommended by WHO, poliovirus isolates from the polio laboratory were tested for intratypic differentiation and vaccine derived polioviruses(VDPVs)screening. Results The results of intratypic differentiation of polioviruses using rRT- PCR were completely consistent with those of VP1 region sequencing. But the results of VDPV rRT- PCR for poliovirus did not completely consist with those of VP1 region sequencing. Two strains of type 2 poliovirus were misidentified as non- Sabin- like viruses,with the false positive rate of 6.9%(2/29). Conclusions The rRT- PCR method can be used for routine surveillance of poliovirus in Hebei Provincial Polio Laboratory.
Some Open Problems on Asymptotics of m-Coefficients

Some open questions concerning asymptotic expansions of Weyl-Titchmarsh m-coefficients for second order equations on rays and lines in the complex λ-plane are described for problems which involve the eigen-parameter linearly in one boundary condition.
Antimicrobial prophylaxis during high dose cytarabine consolidation in acute myeloid leukemia.

e17644 Background: Given the paucity of data and concern over fostering antibiotic resistance we examined the practice of prophylactic antimicrobial use in AML patients during high dose cytarabine ...
Identification and Determination of Four β-Lactam Antibiotics in Milk

A coordinated three-phase method was developed to determine residues of penicillin G, ampicillin, cephapirin and cloxacillin, the four β-lactam antibiotics most frequently used in mastitis preparations, in milk. An agar well diffusion technique in bioassay trays with Bacillus stearothermophilus as the test organism was used for preliminary screening. Positive samples were subjected to thin-layer chromatography followed by bioautography, and the residues were identified. An agar well diffusion method with standard levels of the specific β-lactam antibiotics was used for quantitation.
Structure-Function Network Mapping and Its Assessment via Persistent Homology

Understanding the relationship between brain structure and function is a fundamental problem in network neuroscience. This work deals with the general method of structure-function mapping at the whole-brain level. We formulate the problem as a topological mapping of structure-function connectivity via matrix function, and find a stable solution by exploiting a regularization procedure to cope with large matrices. We introduce a novel measure of network similarity based on persistent homology for assessing the quality of the network mapping, which enables a detailed comparison of network topological changes across all possible thresholds, rather than just at a single, arbitrary threshold that may not be optimal. We demonstrate that our approach can uncover the direct and indirect structural paths for predicting functional connectivity, and our network similarity measure outperforms other currently available methods. We systematically validate our approach with (1) a comparison of regularized vs. non-regularized procedures, (2) a null model of the degree-preserving random rewired structural matrix, (3) different network types (binary vs. weighted matrices), and (4) different brain parcellation schemes (low vs. high resolutions). Finally, we evaluate the scalability of our method with relatively large matrices (2514x2514) of structural and functional connectivity obtained from 12 healthy human subjects measured non-invasively while at rest. Our results reveal a nonlinear structure-function relationship, suggesting that the resting-state functional connectivity depends on direct structural connections, as well as relatively parsimonious indirect connections via polysynaptic pathways.
Test Modification for Reduced Volumes of Fail Data

As part of a yield improvement process, fail data is collected from faulty units. Several approaches exist for reducing the tester time and the volume of fail data that needs to be collected based on the observation that a subset of the fail data is sufficient for accurate defect diagnosis. This article addresses the volume of fail data by considering the test set that is used for collecting fail data. It observes that certain faults from a set of target faults produce significantly larger numbers of faulty output values (and therefore significantly larger volumes of fail data) than other faults under a given test set. Based on this observation, it describes a procedure for modifying the test set to reduce the maximum number of faulty output values that a target fault produces. When defects are considered in a simulation experiment, and a defect diagnosis procedure is applied to the fail data that they produce, two effects are observed: the maximum and average numbers of faulty output values per defect are reduced significantly with the modified test set, and the quality of diagnosis is similar or even improved with the modified test set.
Ethics Versus Outcomes: Managerial Responses to Incentive-Driven and Goal-Induced Employee Behavior

Management plays an important role in reinforcing ethics in organizations. To support this aim, managers must use incentive and goal programs in ethical ways. This study examines experimentally the potential ethical costs associated with incentive-driven and goal-induced employee behavior from a managerial perspective. In a quasi-experimental setting, 243 MBA students with significant professional work experience evaluated a hypothetical employee’s ethical behavior under incentive pay systems modeled on a business case. In the role of the employee’s manager, participants evaluated the ethicality of the employee’s incentive-driven and goal-induced ethical/unethical behavior and the outcomes of behavior, with consequences that were either favorable or unfavorable to the organization. The results indicated that participants discounted the ethical considerations of incentive-driven and goal-induced behavior when consequences were favorable to the organization. Participants’ morals and outcome orientations were also significantly related to their ethical judgments and intentions to intervene. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.
An MPI-accelerated multi-solver algorithm for electromagnetic modeling of complex objects

A multi-solver (MS) algorithm is accelerated on distributed computing systems to simulate the electromagnetic scattering from large and complex objects. In this algorithm, the targeted object with its background is decomposed into multiple subdomains which are modeled by either the finite element method or the method of moments. Different from conventional parallelized domain decomposition methods, where the subdomains are handled in parallel, the MS algorithm is parallelized by applying the parallelization to individual subdomains. The employed multilevel fast multipole algorithm is also parallelized to enable computation on many processors. Numerical examples are given to show the parallel efficiency of the proposed strategy.
Checkpoint blockade in Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is characterized by nearly universal genetic alterations in 9p24.1, resulting in constitutive expression of PD-1 ligands. This likely underlies the unique sensitivity of cHL to PD-1 blockade, with response rates of ∼70% in relapsed/refractory disease. There are now numerous clinical trials testing PD-1 inhibitors in earlier stages of treatment and in combination with many other therapies. In general, non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) do not display a high frequency of 9p24.1 alterations and do not share cHL’s vulnerability to PD-1 blockade. However, a few entities have genetic or immunologic features that may predict sensitivity to immune checkpoint blockade. These include primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma, primary central nervous system lymphoma, and primary testicular lymphoma, which harbor frequent alterations in 9p24.1, as well as Epstein Barr virus (EBV)–infected lymphomas, where EBV infection leads to increased PD-L1 expression. Although these subtypes may be specifically vulnerable to PD-1 blockade, the majority of NHLs appear to be minimally sensitive to PD-1 blockade monotherapy. Current investigations in NHL are therefore focusing on targeting other checkpoints or studying PD-1–based combination therapy. Looking forward, additional insight into the most common mechanisms of resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors will be important to guide rational clinical trial design. In this review, we describe the biological basis for checkpoint blockade in cHL and NHL and summarize the clinical data generated to date. Guided by our rapidly evolving understanding of the pathobiology of various lymphoma subtypes, we are hopeful that the role of checkpoint inhibitors in lymphoma treatment will continue to grow.
Abstract 16981: Impact of Economic Recession on PCI Trends

Background: The incidence of myocardial infarctions has steadily declined over the past decade. PCI rates peaked in 2004-2005 and have then declined. Practice and patient related factors have contributed to the decline of PCI. Our purpose is to examine the impact of the economic recession on PCI trends from 2001-2010 for New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. Methods: The PCI were obtained through Dartmouth dynamic registry, which has a catchment area that encompasses New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Regional and National unemployment data were obtained through the Department of Labor and Statistic. National and State specific insurance rates were obtained through the US Census data for 2001-2010. State specific cardiovascular prevalence rates were obtained by through individual state specific CDC epidemiology department’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFS) questionnaire. Results: The overall prevalence of cardiovascular disease remained stable in the last 5 years (2005-2010) but remained higher than the national average. The national unemployment rate increased from 4.7% in 2001 to high of 9.6% in 2010 while New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine followed the overall national trends however, had on average 15%-30% less unemployment. National medical uninsured rate increased from 13.5% in 2001 to a high of 16.3% in 2010, while all three state’s medical uninsured rates stayed relatively stable between 8.8% and 10.8 and did not follow the national trend. DHMC catheterization lab showed steady increase in PCI volume 935 cases in 2001 to high of 1477 in 2005 but steadily declined to 1029 PCIs in 2010. During the same time STEMI cases have steadily increased from 10% to 28% of total volume. During the same time the PCIs due to NSTEMI/UA and stable angina percentage remained between 25%-30% of the total PCI volume but overall numbers declined. The New Hampshire unemployment rate was highly correlated with the STEMI rate (correlation coefficient 0.87, p-value 0.001). However, overall PCI volume trends did not correlate with state specific unemployment. Conclusions: STEMI cases have increased steadily, while PCI for other indications have declined since peaking in 2005. This trend does not seem to match the overall economic trends in the region.
Clinical decision making in the emergency department setting using rapid PCR: Results of the CLADE study group.

Abstract Background Emergency Departments (ED) are challenged during influenza season by patients who present acutely during sporadic ED visits. ED management is largely empiric, often occurring without reliable diagnostics needed for targeted therapies, safe outpatient discharge, or hospital admissions. Objective To evaluate the impact of the influenza diagnosis on physician decision making during ED visits using the Cobas Liat® influenza A + B assay. Study design Prospective study assessing the impact of rapid ( Results An influenza diagnosis changed patient management courses, relative to empiric, pre-diagnosis plans, in in 61% of the cases resulting in cost savings of $49,420-to-$42,270 over 143 patients and 104 days during influenza season resulting in a cost savings of $200.40/ED visit. Evaluation over 2000 ED patient visits projects cost savings > $578,000 due to deferred admissions, and reduction in antiviral prescribing. Sensitivity of ED-based influenza testing using the Cobas Liat® assay was equivalent to centralized lab testing at 98.8% sensitivity and 98.5% specificity respectively. Conclusion Providing rapid, RT-PCR influenza testing to ED settings is actionable and used to guide patient care decisions. Understanding the cascade of events linked to the influenza diagnosis in the ED provides overall cost savings which offset the cost of providing ED-based testing.
Reproduction and potential range expansion of walnut twig beetle across the Juglandaceae

Biological invasions by insects that vector plant pathogens have altered the composition of natural and urban forests. Thousand cankers disease is a new, recent example and is caused by the complex of walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis, and the fungus, Geosmithia morbida, on susceptible hosts, notably some Juglans spp. and Pterocarya spp. Host colonization by P. juglandis may be particularly important for disease development, but the beetle’s host range is not known. In the United States and Italy, this insect has expanded its geographic range by colonizing naive hosts. The objective of this study was to characterize limits to, and variation within, the host range of P. juglandis and infer the extent to which hosts might constrain the geographic distribution of the insect. We examined colonization and reproduction by P. juglandis in no-choice laboratory experiments with 11 Juglans spp., one Pterocarya sp., and two Carya spp. over 2 years and found that all but the Carya spp. were hosts. Reproduction was generally greater on Juglans californica, J. hindsii, and J. nigra, than on J. ailantifolia, J. cathayensis, J. cinerea, J. major, J. mandshurica, J. microcarpa, or J. regia. Escape of an insect vector into populations of evolutionary-naive hosts can facilitate rapid range expansion by the pest and massive mortality to hosts. Multi-continental plantings of suitable species may facilitate geographic range expansion of P. juglandis and place other, native Juglans spp. at risk.
A study of knowledge retention in introductory programming courses

In this paper, we explore knowledge retention of students across introductory programming courses. Specifically, we focus on how much knowledge is retained from a CS1 course when entering a CS2 course. As part of this project, we assess students' knowledge of CS1 topics at the end of CS1 and at the beginning of CS2. We find a significant lack of retention of core concepts. We also discuss how lapse in time between taking CS1 and CS2 affects knowledge retention. Not surprisingly, we find that students taking a larger hiatus between courses retain significantly less knowledge than those with a shorter one. We believe our findings are valuable in developing computer science programs whose course sequences and course prerequisites position students for success, thus improving the overall engagement, learning, and retention of students.
Don't Lose Control: How Partisanship and the Political Landscape Shape Religious Beliefs

In the United States, religion and politics are tightly intertwined. While the emphasis to date has been on how religious beliefs shape political leanings, political scientists have started to look at how political attitudes – like partisanship – shape religious beliefs and practices. I build on this latter strand of research by exploring how the political landscape shapes partisans’ experiences with religion. Drawing on the psychological theory of compensatory control, I show that partisans’ reported religious behaviors fluctuate in systematic ways with the political fortunes of their party. Across two distinct samples and analytic strategies, I find that Democrats (Republicans) are more likely to report attending religious services and praying when the Republicans (Democrats) control the White House, and these rates of participation drop when a copartisan is president. Elections do not just produce shifts in the political landscape; they also reverberate in the religious sphere.
Depression in Children and Adolescents: Linking Risk Research and Prevention

The National Institute of Mental Health has called for translational research linking basic knowledge about vulnerabilities that underlie mood disorders to the development of effective preventive interventions. This paper highlights research about risk factors for depression in children and adolescents and links it to current knowledge about interventions aimed at preventing depression in youth. Basic epidemiologic and clinical research indicates that increased risk for depression is associated with being female; a family history of depression, particularly in a parent; subclinical depressive symptoms; anxiety; stressful life events; neurobiological dysregulation; temperament/personality (e.g., neuroticism); negative cognitions; problems in self-regulation and coping; and interpersonal dysfunction. These vulnerabilities both increase individuals' chances of encountering stress and decrease their ability to deal with the stress once it occurs. Although several existing depression-prevention studies have targeted one or more of these risk factors, the efficacy of these various prevention programs for youth with different combinations of these risk factors needs to be investigated further. Most existing depression-prevention programs in youth have used cognitive-behavioral techniques, with some success. Other depression-prevention strategies have included training in coping, social problem solving, social skills, communication skills, and parenting. A comprehensive prevention program is recommended that includes multiple intervention components, each of which addresses risk and protective factors across different domains and levels of analysis.
Survey on Wireless Charging and Placement of Stations for Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles(EVs) is a candidate to be the future of world transportation. The idea of changing fuel charged transportation services to electrically charged systems is a breakthrough for efficient energy harnessing, conservation, and smooth energy transformation. Also, it is an effort to reduce detrimental emissions which have corresponding ramifications on a global scale. This directly impacts the present weather conditions plummeting the effects of global warming. In the current age of advanced technologies, there are many organizations which host the manufacturing of these vehicles. However, charging is a well-known problem for EVs. Therefore, several methods have been proposed to charge EVs. One of the conventional way is to charge a vehicle at a stop or a “station.” The significant limitations are the time required for charging EVs and shorter traveling distances. Therefore, wireless charging has been proposed. There are several factors which affect the wireless charging. This paper surveyed the works which have been introduced by researchers. Numerous techniques are developed where the EV is charged based on the electromagnetic induction or inductive power transfer. Even though the passive wireless charging is implemented, the main issue which arises is the placements of wireless charging pads as well as the placement of the charging stations. Therefore, the paper introduces implementations and simulations from several research papers that focus on placements of wireless charging sections. Also, the paper describes several challenges to implement these systems. The factors affecting the charging methods and placements of the charging pads and stations are listed in the form of the parameters. The discussion and literature reviews will help the researcher and the general audience to understand the deployment of wireless charging pads or providing eco-routing of electric vehicles.
Longitudinal Findings from a Randomized Clinical Trial of Varenicline for Alcohol Use Disorder with Comorbid Cigarette Smoking.

BACKGROUND This study is the first to examine longitudinal posttreatment outcomes of a placebo-controlled trial of varenicline for alcohol use disorder (AUD) with comorbid cigarette smoking. METHODS Participants were 131 adults (n = 39 female) seeking alcohol treatment in a randomized, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled, 16-week multisite trial of varenicline combined with medical management (MM). Timeline follow-back assessments of alcohol and smoking behavior were conducted at the end of treatment (4 months), with follow-ups at 6, 9, and 12 months. Outcomes were percentage of heavy drinking days (PHDD), percent of participants with no heavy drinking days (NHDD), cotinine-confirmed prolonged smoking abstinence (PA), and good clinical outcome on either NHDD or PA. RESULTS Treatment improvements were maintained posttreatment. For the sample overall, PHDD or NHDD did not differ significantly by treatment condition (ps > 0.13), but varenicline produced higher rates of PA versus placebo at 4, 9, and 12 months (p < 0.05). Significant differences were observed by sex: Males had higher rates of NHDD with varenicline (28.9%) versus placebo (6.4%) at the end of treatment (p = 0.004), and these effects were maintained at 12 months (varenicline: 40.0% vs. placebo: 19.2%, p = 0.03). Higher rates of PA were seen for varenicline in both males (8.9%) and females (21.1%) versus placebo (males/females: 0%) at the end of treatment (p = 0.05), and this effect was maintained at 12 months for females (varenicline: 21.1% vs. placebo, 0.0%, p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Varenicline treatment combined with MM appears to have enduring benefits for patients with co-occurring AUD and cigarette smoking, and these effects may differ by sex.
Characterization of a potent dominant negative mutant variant of Rad51 in Ustilago maydis

Rad51 serves to maintain and protect integrity of the genome through its actions in DNA repair and replication fork protection. The active form of Rad51 is a nucleoprotein filament consisting of chains of protomer units arranged linearly along single-stranded DNA. In a mutant screen using Ustilago maydis as an experimental system we identified a novel variant of Rad51, in which an amino acid change near the protomer-protomer interaction interface confers a strong trans dominant inhibitory effect on resistance to DNA damaging agents and proficiency in homologous recombination. Modeling studies of the mutated residue D161Y suggested that steric interference with surrounding residues was the likely cause of the inhibitory effect. Changes of two nearby residues, predicted from the modeling to minimize steric clashes, mitigated the inhibition of DNA repair. Direct testing of purified Rad51D161Y protein in defined biochemical reactions revealed it to be devoid of DNA-binding activity itself, but capable of interfering with Rad51WT in formation and maintenance of nucleoprotein filaments on single-stranded DNA and in DNA strand exchange. Rad51D161Y protein appears to be unable to self-associate in solution and defective in forming complexes with the U. maydis BRCA2 ortholog.
A National Longitudinal Study of Partnered Sex, Relationship Quality, and Mental Health Among Older Adults.

Objectives We worked from a life course perspective to examine the relationship between partnered sex and older adults' trajectories of mental health as well as the potential mediating role of relationship quality in this association. Method We analyzed nationally representative data from three waves of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (2005/2006 to 2015/2016). The sample included 1,911 married and cohabiting respondents aged 57 to 85 at the baseline survey. We examined four factors related to partnered sex: being sexually active, sexual frequency, feeling okay with sexual frequency, and sexual quality. Mental health was measured by self-rated poor mental health, unhappiness, and psychological distress. The relationship quality measures considered both relationship support and relationship strain. Results Results from mixed-effects models suggest that being sexually active, having sex more frequently, feeling okay with sexual frequency, and reporting better sexual quality were all related to better mental health outcomes. Relationship quality partially explained the effects of sex on mental health. Discussion This study highlights the importance of sex for mental health and relationship quality among older adults. The findings have implications for health policy and programs that seek to promote healthy aging.
Cardiac Stem and Progenitor Cells

Since the early days of cardiovascular biology, it has been believed that mammalian adult cardiomyocytes exit from the cell cycle soon after birth, with the total number of cardiomyocytes being pre-determined. Recently, the identification of resident cardiac stem/progenitor cells by several independent laboratories has challenged this long-held paradigm and has provoked an exponential increase in the number of investigations. As a consequence, emerging evidence now supports a new theory in which the mammalian heart represents an organ at a dynamic cellular steady rate, with a constant, albeit low, rate of cellular turnover and the intrinsic ability to regenerate lost cells. If this is indeed the case, not only does it re-define myocardial biology, but it also suggests the potential to regenerate lost or diseased myocardium. To date, there is general agreement that adult hearts contain a population(s) of primitive cells that are capable of differentiating into functional myocytes, smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells; however, what remains to be determined is the number, distribution, and origin of these cells. What also needs to be addressed is the relationship and/or overlap among cardiac stem/progenitor cell populations published thus far. Hopefully, a consensus in these regards will be reached with continued investigation. Note that this is an emerging field of investigation that is evolving at a rapid pace. Herein, we discuss the current views and up-to-date literature describing cardiac stem/progenitor cells with the understanding that this knowledge base will continue to advance and be refined in the days to come.
Charlson comorbidity score is associated with readmission to the index operative hospital after radical cystectomy and correlates with 90-day mortality risk

Our objective was to determine perioperative variables associated with 30-day readmission to the index operative hospital after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer and subsequent survival outcomes. Retrospective cohort study utilizing the United States National Cancer Database from 2004–2015. All clinical stages undergoing radical cystectomy were analyzed. Exclusion criteria included clinical suspicion of nodal disease, metastasis, or preoperative radiation therapy. Multivariable logistic regression was used for 30-day readmission risk to the index hospital. Kaplan–Meier analysis and multivariable Cox regressions were used for survival outcomes. 31,147 patients were identified and stratified by 30-day readmission (n = 2628) or no readmission (n = 28,519). Thirty-day readmission to the index surgery hospital was 8.4%. Groups were comparable in terms of age, gender, race, income, facility type, insurance, length of hospital stay, and pathologic stage. There were significantly more patients with higher Charlson comorbidity score in the readmission cohort. On logistic regression analysis, increasing Charlson score was the only predictor of 30-day readmission (OR 1.39–1.73, p < 0.001). The 90-day mortality rate was 7.2% overall (7.0% no readmission vs 9.9% 30-day readmission, p < 0.001). Cox regression analysis for mortality revealed increasing age (HR 1.04), higher Charlson score (HR 1.42–1.85), readmission within 30 days (HR 1.38) and pathologic stage pT ≥ 2 (HR 1.88–7.09, all p < 0.001) as independent predictors of 90-day mortality. Increasing comorbidity is a strong predictor of readmission to the index surgery hospital after radical cystectomy. Readmission is associated with worsened mortality at 90 days.
Relationship between T cells and microbiota in health and disease

In the past decades, the fields of microbiology and immunology have largely advanced by using germ-free animals and next-generation sequencing. Many studies revealed the relationship among gut microbiota, activation of immune system, and various diseases. Especially, some gut commensals can generate their antigen-specific T cells. It is becoming clear that commensal bacteria have important roles in various autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, such as autism, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Recently, it was reported that commensals contribute to the cancer immune therapy. However, how commensal-specific T cells contribute to the disease development and cancer treatment are not fully understood yet. In this chapter, we will summarize the decade history of the studies associated with commensal-induced T cells and commensal-causing diseases.
Collateral Lethal Effects of Complementary Oncolytic Viruses.

Virus-infected cells release type 1 interferons, which induce an antiviral state in neighboring cells. Naturally occurring viruses are therefore equipped with stealth replication strategies to limit virus sensing and/or with combat strategies to prevent or reverse the antiviral state. Here we show that oncolytic viruses with simple RNA genomes whose spread was suppressed in tumor cells pretreated with interferon were able to replicate efficiently when the cells were coinfected with a poxvirus known to encode a diversity of innate immune combat proteins. In vivo the poxvirus was shown to reverse the intratumoral antiviral state, rescuing RNA virus replication in an otherwise restrictive syngeneic mouse tumor model leading to antitumor efficacy. Pairing of complementary oncolytic viruses is a promising strategy to enhance the antitumor activity of this novel class of anticancer drugs.