cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Leadership Development in Ghana: A New Look at an Old Concept

In this chapter we review leadership development in Ghana from both historical and contemporary perspectives. We present a critical analysis of current literature to bring to light practices used to ensure leadership effectiveness. Because of the diverse socioeconomic contexts and social systems that exist in Ghana, indigenous models for leadership development are complex and hard to adopt to organizational practices. We review work on the contributions made by the customs and traditions of Ghana, religion, and formal education to leadership development. Other contemporary views on leadership development, including political leadership, are also discussed. Furthermore, a comparison is made regarding the strengths, weaknesses, and the commonalities of the leadership development models.
O-023 The Current State of Neurointerventional Surgery Research Highlights the Need for Collaboration

Introduction No studies have sought to provide a quantitative or qualitative critique of the research produced in the field of neurointerventional (NI) surgery. We designed a pilot study to analyze recent publications from the Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery (JNIS) to understand the current state of NI research and collaboration. Methods We reviewed all JNIS Online First publications from February 25, 2015 to February 24, 2016. All publications including human or non-human research, systematic reviews, meta-analyzes or literature reviews were included; editorials and commentaries were excluded. For each publication, study design, number of patients, authors, and contributing centers and study subject were recorded. Level of evidence was defined for each study using a novel scale (Table 1). Results A total of 206 JNIS research articles met inclusion criteria. The average number of centers and authors per study was 2.1 (standard deviation 1.6, range 1–10) and 6.8 (SD 2.9, range 1–17), respectively. Only 4% of published studies were prospective studies (Table 2). Twenty-eight percent of scientific research published featured patient series of 9 or less. Forty-seven percent of publications involved individuals from a single center, with the vast majority (87%) having collaboration of individuals from 3 centers or less (Table 3). While 256 distinct institutions from all over the world were represented, 66% of centers were represented in only a single publication. The majority of publications were categorized as poor quality (level 4 or 5) evidence (91%; Table 4). Conclusions This pilot study designed to assess the quality of research and inter-institution collaboration suggests that most published NI research is of low quality with few contributing institutions. Observations from this study therefore support the need for collaborative, multicenter prospective databases of NI cases. Disclosures K. Fargen: None. J. Mocco: None. A. Rai: None. J. Hirsch: None.
Wide bandgap β-Ga 2 O 3 nanomechanical resonators for detection of middle-ultraviolet (MUV) photon radiation

This digest paper reports on the first demonstration of suspended β-Ga 2 O 3 nanostructures and nanomechanical resonators made from single-crystal β-Ga 2 O 3 nanosheets or nanomembranes grown via low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) on 3C-SiC epi-layer on Si substrate. These single-crystal β-Ga 2 O 3 drumhead nanomechanical resonators offer robust multimode resonances at frequencies in the range of ∼10 to 70MHz. The resonators exposed to middle ultraviolet (MUV) radiation exhibit shifts in resonant frequency with a responsivity of −3.8Hz/pW.
Low-dimensional dynamical characterization of human performance of cancer patients using motion data.

Abstract Background Biomechanical characterization of human performance with respect to fatigue and fitness is relevant in many settings, however is usually limited to either fully qualitative assessments or invasive methods which require a significant experimental setup consisting of numerous sensors, force plates, and motion detectors. Qualitative assessments are difficult to standardize due to their intrinsic subjective nature, on the other hand, invasive methods provide reliable metrics but are not feasible for large scale applications. Methods Presented here is a dynamical toolset for detecting performance groups using a non-invasive system based on the Microsoft Kinect motion capture sensor, and a case study of 37 cancer patients performing two clinically monitored tasks before and after therapy regimens. Dynamical features are extracted from the motion time series data and evaluated based on their ability to i) cluster patients into coherent fitness groups using unsupervised learning algorithms and to ii) predict Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status via supervised learning. Findings The unsupervised patient clustering is comparable to clustering based on physician assigned Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group status in that they both have similar concordance with change in weight before and after therapy as well as unexpected hospitalizations throughout the study. The extracted dynamical features can predict physician, coordinator, and patient Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group status with an accuracy of approximately 80%. Interpretation The non-invasive Microsoft Kinect sensor and the proposed dynamical toolset comprised of data preprocessing, feature extraction, dimensionality reduction, and machine learning offers a low-cost and general method for performance segregation and can complement existing qualitative clinical assessments.
Tachykinin-modulated anti-viral responses.

Abstract Following viral infection, the expression of substance P and its receptor can contribute significantly to the resulting host response. For gammaherpesvirus infection of mice, the presence of this tachykinin and its receptor contributes to the protective host response. It is likely that this augmentation of the immune response is directed toward the developing T helper type 1 response and cytotoxic T lymphocyte activation. However it has also been shown that the presence of substance P and its receptor may contribute to viral diseases by facilitating viral replication or by contributing to a destructive inflammatory response. Specifically, the presence of substance P can augment replication of HIV in cultured macrophages, which is especially significant since levels of this tachykinin are elevated in patients with this viral disease. Furthermore, rodent models of paramyxovirus infection have demonstrated that the presence of neurokinin receptors and their ligands contributes to the destructive inflammatory response in airways. Taken together, these studies demonstrate a surprising role for substance P and the neurokinin-1 receptor in the host response following these viral infections.
Getting More Involved

Since my area of expertise is vegetable crop culture, I applied the same array of production strategies I would use for any high-value vegetable crop on sweetgrass. The sweetgrass I inherited from Keith received copious nitrogen fertilizations throughout 1989 and 1990 and three applications in 1991. The resulting plants were gloriously huge and looked wonderful to the eye. Little did I know back then, that was NOT what the sweetgrass needed for high-quality fiber strength for the basketmaking tradition. In hindsight, the way sweetgrass will be used eventually dictates how it should be grown. If it is to be used as an ornamental, copious fertilization is appropriate. If it is to be used for sweetgrass basketry, fertilizer absence after the first year is a cardinal rule of culture.
The Chicken as a Model Organism

Selection of appropriate animal models is essential to the advancement of basic and clinical research. This chapter provides an overview of the reproductive biology of the chicken (Gallus domesticus), also known as the domestic hen, and then introduces the chicken as a model for investigations of mechanisms controlling ovarian follicular growth and maturation, ovulation, and changes in ovarian function with aging. The chicken is currently the only animal model available to probe the etiology and progression of human ovarian cancer as well as to test chemotherapy agents. Finally the chicken is an ideal model for toxicology studies because of its sensitivity and rapid response to environmental toxicants and expression of external indicators, e.g., number of eggs laid, thickness of shell, as a mark of toxic exposure.
Traversing the Quagmire that is Privacy in your Smart Home

Voice has become an increasingly popular User Interaction (UI) channel, with voice-activated devices becoming regular fixtures in our homes. The popularity of voice-based assistants (VAs), however, have brought along significant privacy and security threats to their users. Recent revelations have indicated that some VAs record user's private conversations continuously and innocuously. With the VAs being connected to the Internet, they can leak the recorded content without the user's authorization. Moreover, these devices often do not pack authentication mechanisms to check if the voice commands are issued by authorized users. To address both shortcomings, we propose a framework to impose a security and privacy perimeter around the user's VA. Our proposed framework continuously jams the VA to prevent it from innocuously recording the user's speech, unless the user issues a voice command. To prevent unauthorized voice commands, our framework provides a scheme similar to two-factor authentication to only grant access when the authorized user is in its vicinity. Our proposed framework achieves both objectives through a combination of several techniques to (a) continuously jam one (or many) VA's microphones in a manner inaudible to the user, and (b) provide only authenticated users easy access to VAs.
Structural basis for cooperative regulation of KIX-mediated transcription pathways by the HTLV-1 HBZ activation domain

The human T cell leukemia virus I basic leucine zipper protein (HTLV-1 HBZ) maintains chronic viral infection and promotes leukemogenesis through poorly understood mechanisms involving interactions with the KIX domain of the transcriptional coactivator CBP and its paralog p300. The KIX domain binds regulatory proteins at the distinct MLL and c-Myb/pKID sites to form binary or ternary complexes. The intrinsically disordered N-terminal activation domain of HBZ (HBZ AD) deregulates cellular signaling pathways by competing directly with cellular and viral transcription factors for binding to the MLL site and by allosterically perturbing binding of the transactivation domain of the hematopoietic transcription factor c-Myb. Crystal structures of the ternary KIX:c-Myb:HBZ complex show that the HBZ AD recruits two KIX:c-Myb entities through tandem amphipathic motifs (L/V)(V/L)DGLL and folds into a long α-helix upon binding. Isothermal titration calorimetry reveals strong cooperativity in binding of the c-Myb activation domain to the KIX:HBZ complex and in binding of HBZ to the KIX:c-Myb complex. In addition, binding of KIX to the two HBZ (V/L)DGLL motifs is cooperative; the structures suggest that this cooperativity is achieved through propagation of the HBZ α-helix beyond the first binding motif. Our study suggests that the unique structural flexibility and the multiple interaction motifs of the intrinsically disordered HBZ AD are responsible for its potency in hijacking KIX-mediated transcription pathways. The KIX:c-Myb:HBZ complex provides an example of cooperative stabilization in a transcription factor:coactivator network and gives insights into potential mechanisms through which HBZ dysregulates hematopoietic transcriptional programs and promotes T cell proliferation.
Defining the proton radius: A unified treatment

An analysis of the proton radius puzzle helps to define what the proton radius really means.
A TEM study of microstructural changes during retrogression and reaging in 7075 aluminum

Microstructural changes occurring during retrogression, and during retrogression plus reaging in 7075-T6 aluminum alloy have been investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy, and related to mechanical properties. TEM results indicate that the drop in strength during the initial stage of retrogression was due to the partial dissolution of G.P. zones while the growth of the semi-coherentη ′ was responsible for the rapid recovery of strength. It is suggested that the retrogression and reaging treatment resulted in the increase in volume fraction of G.P. zones and especially η′ precipitates over both the T6 and retrogressed conditions, therefore significantly improving the strength of the alloy.
Using parental active travel behavior and beliefs to predict active travel to school among children

AbstractActive travel (AT) is associated with improved health in adults and children, and children’s AT to school has steadily declined in recent years. Understanding influences on AT will inform i...
Hyperlipidemia and Allograft Rejection.

Purpose of review Advances in the development of immunosuppressive drug regimens have led to impressive survival rates in the year following organ transplantation. However rates of long-term graft dysfunction remain undesirably high. Recently it has been shown that co-morbidities in the patient population may affect graft survival. In mouse models, hyperlipidemia, a co-morbidity present in the majority of cardiac transplant patients, can significantly alter T cell responses to cardiac and skin allografts, and accelerate graft rejection. Here we review recent advances in our understanding of how alterations in lipids affect immune function and graft survival. Recent findings Recent work in humans has highlighted the importance of controlling low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in transplant recipients to reduce the development of chronic allograft vasculopathy (CAV). High serum levels of cholesterol containing particles leads to extensive immune system changes to T cell proliferation, differentiation and suppression. Changes in B cell subsets, and the ability of antigen presenting cells to stimulate T cells in hyperlipidemic animals may also contribute to increased organ allograft rejection. Summary Cholesterol metabolism is a critical cellular pathway for proper control of immune cell homeostasis and activation. Increasing evidence in both human, and in mouse models shows that elevated levels of serum cholesterol can have profound impact on the immune system. Hyperlipidemia has been shown to increase T cell activation, alter the development of T helper subsets, increase the inflammatory capacity of antigen presenting cells (APC) and significantly accelerate graft rejection in several models.
Characterization of a monoclonal antibody that probes the functional domains of the glucocorticoid receptor

Monoclonal antibodies to the rat hepatic glucocorticoid receptor (GR) were produced by using 4000-fold-purified unactivated rat hepatic GR as the immunogen in an immunization in vitro. Hybridomas were screened for anti-GR antibody production by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The antibody, 3A6, described here, is an IgM (lambda). The interaction of 3A6 with the purified GR was explored by sedimentation analysis, where a shift of the 9 S GR to a form with a higher s20,w value was demonstrated. Binding specificity and sensitivity were demonstrated by protein immunoblotting. 3A6 cross-reacted with all rat tissue glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) examined, except those of the brain. Species cross-reactivity was observed with other mammalian GRs (from human CEM-C7 cells and from pig and mouse liver). Immunocytochemical localization of the GR was assessed by indirect immunofluorescence in intact fixed cells, which demonstrated intense cytoplasmic staining in the absence of pretreatment with glucocorticoids and nuclear localization when cells were pretreated with glucocorticoids. This monoclonal antibody significantly inhibited steroid binding to unoccupied receptor and DNA binding of activated steroid-receptor complexes. Furthermore, preincubation of the purified activated GR complex with 3A6 prevented phosphorylation of the GR in vitro. Thus 3A6 differs from previous monoclonal antibodies to the GR in its capacity to cross-react with the human GR and by its specificity for an epitope on or near a functional domain of the GR.
Mental imagery in animals: Learning, memory, and decision-making in the face of missing information

When we open our eyes, we see a world filled with objects and events. Yet, due to occlusion of some objects by others, we only have partial perceptual access to the events that transpire around us. I discuss the body of research on mental imagery in animals. I first cover prior studies of mental rotation in pigeons and imagery using working memory procedures first developed for human studies. Next, I discuss the seminal work on a type of learning called mediated conditioning in rats. I then provide more in-depth coverage of work from my lab suggesting that rats can use imagery to fill in missing details of the world that are expected but hidden from perception. We have found that rats make use of an active expectation (i.e., an image) of a hidden visual event. I describe the behavioral and neurobiological studies investigating the use of a mental image, its theoretical basis, and its connections to current human cognitive neuroscience research on episodic memory, imagination, and mental simulations. Collectively, the reviewed literature provides insight into the mechanisms that mediate the flexible use of an image during ambiguous situations. I position this work in the broader scientific and philosophical context surrounding the concept of mental imagery in human and nonhuman animals.
Venous thromboembolism risk with contemporary lenalidomide-based regimes for multiple myeloma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

e19503Background: The risk of venous thromboembolic events (VTE) despite mandatory thromboprophylaxis (TPx) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) receiving contemporary lenalidomide (Len)-based re...
Discipline-specific use of language patterns in engineering: A comparison of published pedagogical materials

Abstract In an effort to provide college students with exposure to authentic language patterns specific to their area of study, empirical research on discipline-specific discourse has targeted a plethora of features, including vocabulary, academic literacy conventions, and structural features of academic genres in a number of disciplines (e.g., Hyland, 2008; Kanoksilapatham, 2015; Ward, 2007; Wood & Appel, 2014). To contribute to the line of research that investigates discourse practices in engineering, the present study examined a unique type of language construction – a phrase-frame – a recurrent multiword construction with a variable slot, by addressing the following research question: What are the structural and functional characteristics of phrase-frames identified in published pedagogical materials used in undergraduate lower-division engineering courses? The results indicated that there was considerable overlap among the corpora of teaching materials from five engineering disciplines in terms of the position of the variable slot in a phrase-frame, the general structural characteristics of the phrase-frames, as well as the primary discourse functions performed by these constructions. At the same time, the phrase-frames employed across the five corpora varied in terms of slot productivity, with the majority of frames showing high levels of variability.
Globin Synthesis in Erythroid Bursts That Mature Sequentially in Culture. I. Studies in Cultures of Adult Peripheral Blood BFU-Es

To study whether the culture time at which the burst populations mature influences the expression of fetal hemoglobin in bursts, we measured hemoglobin synthesis in cohorts of fully hemoglobinized erythroid bursts maturing sequentially in cultures of adult peripheral blood BFU- Es. In 13 of 15 experiments, a decline in gamma/gamma + beta ratio was noted as the culture time advanced. On the average, erythroid bursts that mature during the third culture week showed lower levels of fetal Hb synthesis compared to bursts that are already mature in the second culture week. The decline of gamma/gamma + beta ratio with culture time was also noted in erythroid bursts composed of immature erythroblasts. The enhanced HbF formation in peripheral blood BFU-E cultures is thus most pronounced among the bursts that become hemoglobinized early, and there is a tendency for normalization of HbF synthesis in bursts that mature in late culture days. These results can be interpreted by several alternatives, including the possibility that the expression of high HbF levels in the early days of adult BFU-E cultures is a reflection of premature commitment to terminal differentiation of progenitors that possess an active HbF program. The present data indicate that the variation of HbF synthesis with culture time should be taken into consideration when the influence of various culture conditions of HbF synthesis is studied in BFU-E cultures.
Coupling of the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic Code Neutrino and the Risk Analysis Virtual Environment for Particle Spacing Optimization

Flooding is a hazard for nuclear power plants (NPPs) and has caused extensive damage and economic impact. Improved NPP flooding risk characterization starts with improving scenario realism by using...
Host–Guest Interactions and Redox Activity in Layered Conductive Metal–Organic Frameworks

This paper describes the identification of specific host–guest interactions between basic gases (NH3, CD3CN, and pyridine) and four topologically similar 2-dimensional (2D) metal–organic frameworks...
Using event reports in real-time to identify and mitigate patient safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic:

In the midst of a crisis, monitoring patient safety and quality concerns is of utmost importance, particularly if attention paid to monitoring is diverted by other operational needs. The emergence ...
Sport Specialization and Low Bone Mineral Density in Female High School Distance Runners.

CONTEXT Sport specialization may contribute to sport injury and menstrual dysfunction in female high school distance runners. Despite the recent growth in sport specialization, including among high school-aged runners, the association of sport specialization with bone mineral density (BMD) remains poorly described. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether sport specialization was associated with BMD in female high school distance runners. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Six high schools. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Sixty-four female runners (age = 15.6 ± 1.4 years) who competed in cross-country or track distance events and were not currently on birth control medication. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Each runner completed a survey on menstrual history and sport participation. Height and weight were measured, and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry was used to measure whole-body, spine, and hip BMD. Each runner was assigned a sport specialization status: low (participation in ≥1 nonrunning sport and distance-running sport(s) for ≤8 mo/y); moderate (participation in both distance-running sport(s) ≥9 mo/y and ≥1 nonrunning sport(s) or limited to distance-running sport(s) for ≤8 mo/y); or high (participation only in distance-running sport(s) for ≥9 mo/y). Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine the adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval for sport specialization to BMD values, adjusting for body mass index and gynecological age. RESULTS Overall, 21.9%, 37.5%, and 40.6% of participants were high, moderate, or low sport specializers, respectively. Low BMD (spine or whole-body BMD z score < -1.0 [standardized by age and sex normative values]) was present in 23 (35.9%) runners. Compared with low sport specializers, high sport specializers were 5 times more likely (adjusted odds ratio = 5.42, 95% confidence interval = 1.3, 23.3; P = .02) to have low BMD. CONCLUSIONS A high level of sport specialization in high school female distance runners may be associated with a heightened risk for low BMD. Further investigation of this association is warranted due to the health concerns about low BMD in adolescent female runners.
A Good Start: Incubator Program Helps New Lawyers Learn the Basics of Running a Successful Practice

A joint effort of Widener Law Commonwealth and the Dauphin County Bar Association (DCBA), the incubator project kicked off in 2015 as the first based entirely in Pennsylvania. It provides new legal professionals with Harrisburg office space, computer and printing equipment, training in the work of building a law practice, mentoring, and networking support.
Economic capital and RAROC in a dynamic model

Abstract We revisit the foundations of economic capital and RAROC calculations prevalent in the insurance industry by extending the canonical static setting to a dynamic model with different ways of raising capital. The dynamic results suggest two important modifications to the conventional approach to risk measurement and capital allocation. First, “capital” should be defined broadly to include the continuation value of the firm. Second, cash flow valuations must reflect risk adjustments to account for company effective risk aversion. We illustrate these results in a calibrated version of our model using data from a catastrophe reinsurer. We find that the dynamic modifications are practically significant—although static approximations with a properly calibrated company risk aversion are quite accurate.
Chandra grating spectroscopy of embedded wind shock X-ray emission from O stars shows low plasma temperatures and significant wind absorption

We present a uniform analysis of six examples of embedded wind shock (EWS) O star X-ray sources observed at high resolution with the Chandra grating spectrometers. By modeling both the hot plasma emission and the continuum absorption of the soft X-rays by the cool, partially ionized bulk of the wind we derive the temperature distribution of the shock-heated plasma and the wind mass-loss rate of each star. We find a similar temperature distribution for each star's hot wind plasma, consistent with a power-law differential emission measure, $\frac{d\log EM}{d\log T}$, with a slope a little steeper than -2, up to temperatures of only about $10^7$ K. The wind mass-loss rates, which are derived from the broadband X-ray absorption signatures in the spectra, are consistent with those found from other diagnostics. The most notable conclusion of this study is that wind absorption is a very important effect, especially at longer wavelengths. More than 90 per cent of the X-rays between 18 and 25 Angstrom units produced by shocks in the wind of $\zeta$ Puppis are absorbed, for example. It appears that the empirical trend of X-ray hardness with spectral subtype among O stars is primarily an absorption effect.
Characterizing Particulate Generation During Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Classes With Patients Wearing Procedural Masks.

BACKGROUND: The clinical benefits of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation are extensive, including improvements in health-related quality of life, emotional condition, physical function, and overall mortality. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a negative impact on center-based cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. Justifiable concern exists that the exercise-related increase in pulmonary ventilation within the rehabilitation classes may lead to the generation of infectious respiratory particles. RESEARCH QUESTION: Is cardiopulmonary rehabilitation while wearing a procedural mask a particle-generating procedure? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Data were collected prospectively at a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation facility with all patients wearing a procedural mask. Small (0.3-4.9 µm) and large (5-10 µm) particle generation was quantified using a light-scattering particle counter. Data were analyzed by time, exertion level, and number of participants. RESULTS: A total of 24 distinct patients attended two or more of the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation classes tested. Most of the patients were men (n = 16 [67%]) and were in rehabilitation because of cardiac disease. During the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation class, small and large micrometer-size particles increased with increasing class size. In classes with four patients or more, a significant increase was found from ambient levels in both small (four patients, P < .01; and five patients, P < .01) and large (four patients, P < .01; and five patients, P < .01) particle count that peaked at about 35 to 40 min during each class. INTERPRETATION: Using an airborne particle counter, we found significant exercise-related increases in both small and large micrometer-size particle generation during cardiopulmonary rehabilitation classes, with larger class sizes (ie, more patients), despite participants wearing a procedural mask.
Development of Range-Corrected Deep Learning Potentials for Fast, Accurate Quantum Mechanical/Molecular Mechanical Simulations of Chemical Reactions in Solution.

We develop a new deep potential─range correction (DPRc) machine learning potential for combined quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) simulations of chemical reactions in the condensed phase. The new range correction enables short-ranged QM/MM interactions to be tuned for higher accuracy, and the correction smoothly vanishes within a specified cutoff. We further develop an active learning procedure for robust neural network training. We test the DPRc model and training procedure against a series of six nonenzymatic phosphoryl transfer reactions in solution that are important in mechanistic studies of RNA-cleaving enzymes. Specifically, we apply DPRc corrections to a base QM model and test its ability to reproduce free-energy profiles generated from a target QM model. We perform these comparisons using the MNDO/d and DFTB2 semiempirical models because they differ in the way they treat orbital orthogonalization and electrostatics and produce free-energy profiles which differ significantly from each other, thereby providing us a rigorous stress test for the DPRc model and training procedure. The comparisons show that accurate reproduction of the free-energy profiles requires correction of the QM/MM interactions out to 6 A. We further find that the model's initial training benefits from generating data from temperature replica exchange simulations and including high-temperature configurations into the fitting procedure, so the resulting models are trained to properly avoid high-energy regions. A single DPRc model was trained to reproduce four different reactions and yielded good agreement with the free-energy profiles made from the target QM/MM simulations. The DPRc model was further demonstrated to be transferable to 2D free-energy surfaces and 1D free-energy profiles that were not explicitly considered in the training. Examination of the computational performance of the DPRc model showed that it was fairly slow when run on CPUs but was sped up almost 100-fold when using NVIDIA V100 GPUs, resulting in almost negligible overhead. The new DPRc model and training procedure provide a potentially powerful new tool for the creation of next-generation QM/MM potentials for a wide spectrum of free-energy applications ranging from drug discovery to enzyme design.
Trends in personal and family member opioid prescriptions prior to a diagnosis of an opioid-related problem among adolescents and young adults.

Efforts to reduce the risk of opioid misuse are often focused on reducing unnecessary prescriptions for opioid medications or reducing the dose prescribed; however, not all misuse occurs in individ...
Chemical interactions and mixtures in public health risk assessment: An analysis of ATSDR's interaction profile database.

Abstract The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) develops interaction profiles using binary weight of evidence (BINWOE) methodology to determine interaction directions of common environmental mixtures. We collected direction of interactions, BINWOE score determination, and BINWOE score confidence rating from 13 interaction profiles along with toxicodynamic and toxicokinetic influences on interaction direction. By doing so, we quantified the 1) direction of interaction and indeterminate evaluations; 2) characterized confidence in the BINWOE determinations; and 3) quantified toxicokinetic/toxicodynamic, and other influences on projected BINWOE interaction directions. Thirty-nine percent (130/336) of the attempts to make a BINWOE were indeterminate due to no interaction data or inadequate or conflicting evidence. Out of remaining BINWOEs, 25% were additive, 9% were greater-than-additive, and 27% were less-than-additive interactions. Fifty-five percent of BINWOEs were explained by toxicokinetic interactions, 12% and 5% were explained by toxicodynamic and other explanations, respectively. High quality mixture toxicology in vivo studies along with mixture in vitro and in silico studies will lead to greater confidence in interaction directions and influences. Limitations for interpretation of the data were also included.
Longitudinal associations of tobacco-related social media involvement with cigarette and e-cigarette initiation among US adolescents.

Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the USA. Evidence suggests adolescents are particularly vulnerable to online tobacco marketing. This study examined longitudinal associations of following or liking of tobacco brands with subsequent cigarette and e-cigarette initiation among US adolescents. We used Wave 1–Wave 4 Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study data (n = 6997) and discrete-time survival regression models to examine associations of past-year tobacco-related social media interactions with the initiation of cigarettes and e-cigarettes among US adolescents. About 4.8% (n = 280) of adolescent never cigarette users and 4.9% (n = 288) of never e-cigarette users followed or liked tobacco brands on social media between Wave 1 and Wave 2. By Wave 4, 8.8% of all cigarettes never users had initiated cigarette use, and 18.7% of never e-cigarette users initiated e-cigarette use. The following or liking tobacco brands on social media was significantly associated with increased odds of cigarette initiation (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.12, 95% CI 1.56–2.88) and e-cigarette initiation (aOR 2.11, 95% CI 1.66–2.69). Also, the initiation of cigarettes and e-cigarettes differed significantly among race/ethnicity, school performance, and other tobacco and substance use. Conclusion: Adolescents who followed or liked tobacco products on social media were more likely to initiate cigarette or e-cigarette use subsequently. Increasing anti-tobacco efforts on social media sites could be beneficial.
The “Pet Effect”

The “pet effect,” whereby interaction with a companion animal reduces the physiological indices of stress, varies with respect to fear of animals, companion animal guardianship, type of companion animal, or types of stress. In this study, a non-clinical sample of 223 undergraduates underwent the Trier Social Stress Test ( TSST ) in order to investigate how interaction with a companion animal affected stress levels for people with different levels of trait anxiety, a variable not yet investigated in this paradigm. An index of trait anxiety was taken along with repeated measures of state anxiety, blood pressure, and heart rate. Overall results indicated that interaction with a companion dog reduced stress for all participants, with the effect being more pronounced for those high in trait anxiety.
Structure and Biology of Scrapie Prions

Scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) are caused by prions which appear to be different from both viruses and viroids. Prions contain protein which is required for infectivity, but no nucleic acid has been found within them. Prion proteins are encoded by a cellular gene and not by a nucleic acid within the infectious prion particle. A cellular homologue of the prion protein has been identified. The role of this homologue in metabolism is unknown. Prion proteins, but not the cellular homologue, aggregate into rod-shaped particles that are histochemically and ultrastructurally identical to amyloid. Extracellular collections of prion proteins form amyloid plaques in scrapie- and CJD-infected rodent brains. Within the plaques, prion proteins assemble to form amyloid filaments. Elucidating the molecular differences between the prion protein and its cellular homologue should lead to an understanding of the chemical structure of prions.
Evaluation of the South African Dorper as a terminal sire breed for growth, carcass, and palatability characteristics

The South African Dorper is an important terminal meat sire breed in Africa that was recently imported into the United States. The objective of this study was to evaluate the Dorper as a terminal meat sire breed for U.S. production. Semen from purebred Dorper sires was used to artificially inseminate Columbia ewes to produce F1 crossbred lambs. Growth and carcass characteristics of F1 Dorper-Columbia lambs (n = 165), F1 Suffolk-Columbia (n = 89), and purebred Columbia lambs (n = 207) were compared based on subsets of the total number of animals. The F1 Dorper lambs grew significantly slower (313 g x d(-1)) and weighed less (29.8 kg) than F1 Suffolk- (357 g x d(-1), 33.5 kg) and Columbia-sired lambs (328 g x d(-1), 31 kg) at 77 d of age. However, at a weaning age of 118 d weaning weight and ADG did not differ (P > 0.20) among sire breed groups. Postweaning growth of F1 Dorper(239 g xd(-1)) wether lambs did not differ from that of purebred Columbia wethers (230 g x d(-1)) but was less than that of F1 Suffolk lambs (259 g x d(-1); P= 0.09). Feed efficiency did not differ among breed types. Breed types had similar dressing percentages (53%), shoulder fat depth (2.8 mm), body wall thickness (3 cm), leg conformation score (Choice), Yield grade (2.4), and Quality grade (Choice). Weight of wholesale shoulders and racks made up approximately 38% of the carcass weight in the Columbia and F1 Suffolk-Columbia type but only 33% in the F1 Dorper-Columbia lambs. However, the more expensive wholesale loins from F1 Dorpers were heavier (P 0.10). Chemical composition of the carcass did not differ significantly between breed types with a mean composition of 52% moisture, 30% lipid (ether extract), 17% protein, and 0.76% ash. Warner-Bratzler shear force values were less (P < 0.05) and sensory panel ratings for tenderness were significantly more favorable for lamb chops from Dorper sired lambs. Dorper rams can be used as terminal meat sires to produce lambs whose growth rate to 118 d of weaning age, postweaning ADG and feed efficiency, and carcass characteristics are similar to that of Suffolk crossbred lambs and purebred Columbia lambs but with a slight improvement in tenderness.
Neural Network Models for the Study of Post-Tonal Music

Neural networks are used to study two issues pertaining to atonal music. In the first part of the paper, feed-forward neural networks, using a variant of the backpropagation learning algorithm, try to learn a variety of abstract theoretical constructs from pitch-class set theory. First, learning the properties of individual sets is studied. Then a network's ability to learn various relationships between sets is examined. Based on the behavior of the network during learning, conclusions are drawn with regard to perceptual issues relating to pcset theory. In the second part of the paper, an interactive activation and competition (IAC) network is used to parse a musical passage into analytical objects. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research.
It's not easy to make the Moon

Theory has it that the Moon grew within a disk of material splashed out of the Earth by a body the size of Mars. According to new calculations, however, the impacting body was at least twice that size. There are probably very many terrestrial planets in our Galaxy, yet the implication of this and other simulations is that fewer of them than previously expected have Moon-sized satellites.
Acceleration of energetic particles

Acceleration of some particles from the background plasma to highly superthermal energies is a common feature of collisionless shocks in interplanetary space. The complete in situ measurements of bulk flows, thermal plasma, electromagnetic waves and energetic particles available for interplanetary shocks both suggest and test the models of shock acceleration in the solar system and the rest of the universe. This tutorial will review the present state of shock acceleration theory. Scatter-free acceleration by grad B drift in the plasma electric field E = -V x B/c, and diffusive acceleration resulting from scattering by Alfven waves in the plasma on both sides of the shock are discussed. The diffusive theory in simple steady state gives power-law spectra, but also shows the effects of time-dependent shocks and injection rates, escape and other losses, the self-consistent Alfven wave spectra, and plasma flow fields affected by diffusive energetic particle acceleration.
Bilateral algorithms for symbolic abstraction

Given a concrete domain $\mathcal{C}$, a concrete operation $\tau: \mathcal{C} \to \mathcal{C}$, and an abstract domain $\mathcal{A}$, a fundamental problem in abstract interpretation is to find the best abstract transformer$\tau^{\#}: \mathcal{A} \to \mathcal{A}$ that over-approximates τ. This problem, as well as several other operations needed by an abstract interpreter, can be reduced to the problem of symbolic abstraction: the symbolic abstraction of a formula ϕ in logic $\mathcal{L}$, denoted by $\widehat{\alpha}(\varphi)$, is the best value in $\mathcal{A}$ that over-approximates the meaning of ϕ. When the concrete semantics of τ is defined in $\mathcal{L}$ using a formula ϕτ that specifies the relation between input and output states, the best abstract transformer τ# can be computed as $\widehat{\alpha}(\varphi_\tau)$. In this paper, we present a new framework for performing symbolic abstraction, discuss its properties, and present several instantiations for various logics and abstract domains. The key innovation is to use a bilateral successive-approximation algorithm, which maintains both an over-approximation and an under-approximation of the desired answer.
An Evaluation of Crop Forecast Accuracy for Corn and Soybeans: USDA and Private Information Agencies

Using 1971-2000 data, we examine the accuracy of corn and soybean production forecasts provided by the USD A and two private agencies. All agencies improved their forecasts as the harvest progressed, and forecast errors were highly correlated and unbiased. The relative forecast accuracy of the agencies varied by crop and month. For corn, USDA's forecasts ranked as most accurate of the three agencies in all periods except for August during the recent period and improved most markedly as harvest progressed. For soybeans, forecast errors were very similar, with the private agencies ranking as most accurate for August and September and making largest relative improvements for August during the recent period. The USDA forecasts were dominant for October and November. Our findings identify several patterns of relative forecast accuracy that have implications for private and public decision makers.
Evaluating changes in season length, onset, and end dates across the United States (1948–2012)

Discussed in a global context, the issue of scale is important to consider as it relates to climate change. As climatological studies utilize temporally and spatially static definitions of seasonal definitions, the understanding of seasonal change may be limited by the way in which seasons are defined. This research serves as a challenge to this perspective by examining the changes in seasons by incorporating variability into the way in which seasons are defined. Temporally and spatially variable seasons were defined based on thresholds of apparent temperature and upper-level circulation patterns for the period 1948–2012. Using 60 US surface stations, two apparent air temperature metrics were used to define seasons that vary spatially and temporally. Stations represented major cities found in the contiguous United States. A large-scale circulation approach utilized synoptic categorizations based on 250-mb geopotential heights from the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis (NNR) as a metric of seasonal delineation. In this method, seasons varied temporally but not spatially. Despite the different methodological approaches, consistent trends were found. Since 1948, late starts of autumn and winter have been observed while earlier onsets of spring and summer have taken place. For the individual stations, the largest shifts occurred along coasts and in larger, more urbanized environments. Individual locations also showed increased variability in start date, and significant changes were found for all four seasons in the circulation approach. Seasons have been shown to be important for a variety of processes including phenological responses and human adaptation to extreme temperature environments; therefore, the consideration of season variability may be appropriate for future climatological research.
Spiritual Practices in Psychotherapy: Thirteen Tools for Enhancing Psychological Health

Simply put, I found this to be nothing less than a great book: a well-organized, easy read, grounded in science, practical in its applications, enhanced by liberal case examples and vignettes, and ...
Failure mode and mechanism in cermets under stress-wave loading

ABSTRACT Some preliminary results of a series of plate impact recovery experiments on boron carbide-aluminum cermets are reported. The experimental procedure is discussed, and the possible mechanisms of microcracking during loading and unloading of the specimen are explored.
Comparative Analgesic Efficacy of Oxycodone/Acetaminophen Versus Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen for Short-term Pain Management in Adults Following ED Discharge.

Objectives The objective was to test the hypothesis that oxycodone/acetaminophen provides superior analgesia to hydrocodone/acetaminophen for the treatment of acute extremity pain following emergency department (ED) discharge. Methods This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial of nonelderly adult ED patients with acute musculoskeletal extremity pain, randomly allocated at discharge to receive oxycodone/acetaminophen (5 mg/325 mg) or hydrocodone/acetaminophen (5 mg/325 mg). The primary outcome was the between-group difference in improvement in numerical rating scale (NRS) pain scores over a 2-hour period following the most recent ingestion of study drug, obtained during telephone contact 24 hours after ED discharge. Secondary outcomes included proportionate decrease in pain, comparative side-effect profiles, and patient satisfaction. Results A total of 240 patients were enrolled. The final sample consisted of 220 patients, 107 randomly allocated to oxycodone/acetaminophen and 113 to hydrocodone/acetaminophen. At 24 hours after ED discharge, the mean NRS pain scores prior to the most recent dose of outpatient pain medication were 7.8 and 7.9 in the oxycodone/acetaminophen and hydrocodone/acetaminophen groups, respectively. The mean decreases in pain scores over 2 hours were 4.4 NRS units in the oxycodone/acetaminophen group versus 4.0 NRS units in the hydrocodone/acetaminophen group, for a difference of 0.4 NRS units (95% confidence interval = −0.2 to 1.1 NRS units). Satisfaction with the analgesics was similar. Conclusions This study design could not detect a clinically or statistically significant difference in analgesic efficacy between oxycodone/acetaminophen (5 mg/325 mg) and hydrocodone/acetaminophen (5 mg/325 mg) for treatment of acute musculoskeletal extremity pain in adults following ED discharge. Both opioids reduced pain scores by approximately 50%.