cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Sample Selection Bias on the Accuracy of Population Structure and Ancestry Inference

Population stratification is an important task in genetic analyses. It provides information about the ancestry of individuals and can be an important confounder in genome-wide association studies. Public genotyping projects have made a large number of datasets available for study. However, practical constraints dictate that of a geographical/ethnic population, only a small number of individuals are genotyped. The resulting data are a sample from the entire population. If the distribution of sample sizes is not representative of the populations being sampled, the accuracy of population stratification analyses of the data could be affected. We attempt to understand the effect of biased sampling on the accuracy of population structure analysis and individual ancestry recovery. We examined two commonly used methods for analyses of such datasets, ADMIXTURE and EIGENSOFT, and found that the accuracy of recovery of population structure is affected to a large extent by the sample used for analysis and how representative it is of the underlying populations. Using simulated data and real genotype data from cattle, we show that sample selection bias can affect the results of population structure analyses. We develop a mathematical framework for sample selection bias in models for population structure and also proposed a correction for sample selection bias using auxiliary information about the sample. We demonstrate that such a correction is effective in practice using simulated and real data.
Structural studies of hydrogen bonds in the high-affinity streptavidin–biotin complex: mutations of amino acids interacting with the ureido oxygen of biotin

An elaborate hydrogen-bonding network contributes to the tight binding of biotin to streptavidin. The specific energetic contributions of hydrogen bonds to the biotin ureido oxygen have previously been investigated by mapping the equilibrium and activation thermodynamic signatures of N23A, N23E, S27A, Y43A and Y43F site-directed mutants [Klumb et al. (1998), Biochemistry, 37, 7657–7663]. The crystal structures of these variants in the unbound and biotin-bound states provide structural insight into the energetic alterations and are described here. High (1.5–2.2 A) to atomic resolution (1.14 A) structures were obtained and structural models were refined to R values ranging from 0.12 to 0.20. The overall folding of streptavidin as described previously has not changed in any of the mutant structures. Major deviations such as side-chain shifts of residues in the binding site are observed only for the N23A and Y43A mutations. In none of the mutants is a systematic shift of biotin observed when one of the hydrogen-bonding partners to the ureido oxygen of biotin is removed. Recent thermodynamic studies report increases of ΔΔG° of 5.0–14.6 kJ mol−1 for these mutants with respect to the wild-type protein. The decreasing stabilities of the complexes of the mutants are discussed in terms of their structures.
Reflections on Conventional Portrayals of the African American Experience during the Progressive Era or “the Nadir”

This essay, a slightly revised version of the distinguished historian address presented to SHGAPE in April 2013, suggests that millennial learners are oftentimes inadequately introduced to the African American experience during the Progressive Era, a period that historians of the black past, sampling from Rayford W. Logan's 1954 opus, customarily call “the Nadir” or “the lowest point” in the African American struggle for social justice. When discussing the Progressive Era, normative U.S. history textbooks at high school and college and university levels tend to relegate blacks to the margins of cultural and historical change, minimize lynching and other forms of anti-black violence that characterized the period, and endorse the archaic W. E. B. Du Bois–Booker T. Washington dichotomy of black leadership at the expense of oversimplifying and even denigrating Washington's accomplishments and legacy. On the other hand, specialized African American history textbooks and monographs equip their readers with critical interpretations that challenge what historian Manning Marable called the “master narrative of American history.” In this essay, I offer my thoughts on these subjects and propose some basic suggestions for more effectively teaching, problematizing, and thinking about the African American experience during the complex Progressive Era.
Trichomonas vaginalis infection in men who submit self-collected penile swabs after internet recruitment.

Background Submission of self-collected penile samples collected at home could remove barriers that men face in getting tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Methods From December 2006 to July 2012, sexually active men aged ≥14 years were recruited by an educational internet program (http://www.iwantthekit. org) which offered free testing for Trichomonas vaginalis infection. Kits were ordered online and swabs were sent via US mail to the laboratory and tested by nucleic acid amplification tests. Demographics and sexual risk factors were accessed by questionnaires. Men called or were contacted to receive their results. Risk factors for trichomonas infection were determined by multivariate logistic regression Results Of 4398 men requesting kits, 1699 (38.6%) returned swabs by mail (55.4% returned in 2012). Fortyone percent of men were aged 40 years (OR 5.31). Conclusions A fairly high prevalence of trichomonas and sexual risk factors were demonstrated from internet recruitment of men. This method of engaging men to get screened for trichomonas may augment screening in STI clinics.
Displacement of Territorial Aggression by Male Red-Backed Salamanders

Abstract Previous studies have shown that territorial Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) react aggressively toward intruding Eurycea cirrigera. Our study tested the hypotheses that male and female Red-Backed Salamanders have short-term memory of such territorial intrusions. We allowed focal males and females of P. cinereus to establish territories in laboratory chambers and then presented them with a caged E. cirrigera (treatment 1) or a caged surrogate control (treatment 2). When the cages were removed, the focal salamanders were alone for 5 min and then exposed to an intruding conspecific of the opposite sex. Males (but not females) exhibited significantly more time in threat displays toward the conspecifics in treatment 1 (displacement of territorial aggression) than in treatment 2. We infer, then, that at least males have short-term memory of a past “event” of territorial intrusion.
Genetic evidence for functional dependency of p18Ink4c on Cdk4

The INK4 family of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors negatively regulates cyclin D-dependent CDK4 and CDK6 and induces the growth-suppressive function of Rb family proteins. Mutations in the Cdk4 gene conferring INK4 resistance are associated with familial and sporadic melanoma in humans and result in a wide spectrum of tumors in mice, suggesting that INK4 is a major regulator of CDK4. Mice lacking the Cdk4 gene exhibit various defects in many organs associated with hypocellularity, whereas loss of the p18(Ink4c) gene results in widespread hyperplasia and organomegaly. To genetically test the notion that the function of INK4 is dependent on CDK4, we generated p18; Cdk4 double-mutant mice and examined the organs and tissues which developed abnormalities when either gene is deleted. We show here that, in all organs we have examined, including pituitary, testis, pancreas, kidney, and adrenal gland, hyperproliferative phenotypes associated with p18 loss were canceled. The double-mutant mice exhibited phenotypes very close to or indistinguishable from that of Cdk4 single-mutant mice. Mice lacking p27(Kip1) develop widespread hyperplasia and organomegaly similar to those developed by p18-deficient mice. The p27; Cdk4 double-mutant mice, however, displayed phenotypes intermediate between those of p27 and Cdk4 single-mutant mice. These results provide genetic evidence that in mice p18(Ink4c) and p27(Kip1) mediate the transduction of different cell growth and proliferation signals to CDK4 and that p18(Ink4c) is functionally dependent on CDK4.
Numerical problem solving for undergraduate core courses

Today, students often have computers in their dormitory rooms and backpacks that have the power of a typical 1970s university mainframe. It would be helpful if we could use computing power for explicit problem-solving and to develop students' intuition. In this article, the author explains a method that uses the Java programming language's built-in class structure to do this. The author also supplies a Java class library that can assist instructors in writing programs of this type.
Surviving at a Distance: Organ-Specific Metastasis

The clinical manifestation of metastasis in a vital organ is the final stage of cancer progression and the main culprit of cancer-related mortality. Once established, metastasis is devastating, but only a small proportion of the cancer cells that leave a tumor succeed at infiltrating, surviving, and ultimately overtaking a distant organ. The bottlenecks that challenge cancer cells in newly invaded microenvironments are organ-specific and consequently demand distinct mechanisms for metastatic colonization. We review the metastatic traits that allow cancer cells to colonize distinct organ sites.
NATURAL FREQUENCIES OF A BODY OF REVOLUTION VIBRATING TRANSVERSELY IN A FLUID

A previously developed procedure, in which the natural frequencies of a body vibrating in a fluid are given by the eigenvalues of the potential energy matrix of an elastic body with respect to the combined kinetic energy matrix of the body and fluid, is applied to a body of revolution. Integral relations between the velocity potential on the body and the vibration velocity and the expression for the kinetic energy of the fluid as a surface integral are discretized to obtain a quadratic form for the fluid energy. Integrals for the kinetic and potential energies of the elastic body, taking both bending and shear into account, are also discretized. The method is illustrated by application to a form with assumed inertial and elastic characteristics.
How we treat: management of life‐threatening primary postpartum hemorrhage with a standardized massive transfusion protocol

Management of massive, life-threatening primary postpartum hemorrhage in the labor and delivery service is a challenge for the clinical team and hospital transfusion service. Because severe postpartum obstetrical hemorrhage is uncommon, its occurrence can result in emergent but variable and nonstandard requests for blood products. The implementation of a standardized massive transfusion protocol for the labor and delivery department at our institution after a maternal death caused by amniotic fluid embolism is described. This guideline was modeled on a existing protocol used by the trauma service mandating emergency release of 6 units of group O D- red cells (RBCs), 4 units of fresh frozen or liquid plasma, and 1 apheresis unit of platelets (PLTs). The 6:4:1 fixed ratio of uncrossmatched RBCs, plasma, and PLTs allows the transfusion service to quickly provide blood products during the acute phase of resuscitation and allows the clinical team to anticipate and prevent dilutional coagulopathy. The successful management of three cases of massive primary postpartum hemorrhage after the implementation of our new massive transfusion protocol in the maternal and fetal medicine service is described.
Darier's sign associated with a cutaneous mast cell tumour in a cat with multiple neoplasms

A cutaneous mast cell tumour associated with Darier's sign in a cat with multiple neoplasms is described. A 14-year-old cat with multiple neoplasms, one of which was a mast cell tumour developed marked subcutaneous oedema and erythema following palpation. The phenomenon is similar to Darier's sign described in people with mast cell tumours. The pathology of the Darier's sign is discussed.
Reopening the Quarrel between the Ancients and the Moderns: Leo Strauss's Critique of Hobbes's “New Political Science”

Leo Strauss's greatest project was his attempt to resurrect classical political philosophy by reawakening the quarrel between the ancients and the moderns. This essay illuminates Strauss's view of that quarrel by considering a crucial stage in the development of his understanding of the most important differences between ancient and modern political philosophy. Strauss's critique of Hobbes in The Political Philosophy of Hobbes culminates in a striking comparison of Hobbes's distinctively modern approach to political philosophy with the approach of Plato and Aristotle. By examining Strauss's critique of Hobbes's “new political science,” this essay brings out the view of the deficiencies in modern political philosophy that led Strauss to conceive of the possibility of a genuine return to classical thought.
Speech recognition using speaker adaptation by system parameter transformation

Presents a speaker adaptation scheme which transforms the prototype speaker's Hidden Markov word models to those of a new speaker. Transformations are applied to both the state transition matrix and the probability distribution functions of a hidden Markov word model. These transformations are optimized through maximizing the joint probability of a set of input pronunciations of the new speaker. Details of these parameter transformations and experimental verification are presented. The test uses a 210-word vocabulary with each having a four-state Hidden Markov word model. The test speaker consists of three males and two females with one male heavily accented. By having the system retrained up to a four-minute adaptation speech, a subset of the 210-word vocabulary, the performance shows an improvement of recognition accuracy from 22.5% to 92.1%. >
Minimally invasive corpectomy and posterior stabilization for lumbar burst fracture

Abstract Background context Surgical indications for lumbar burst fracture remain controversial. Potential indications for surgery include 50% canal compromise, 50% loss of vertebral height, 30° of kyphosis, and posterior element fracture or disruption of the posterior ligamentous complex. Different surgical approaches are available depending on fracture characteristics. It is possible that a minimally invasive approach could allow for a safe and effective treatment with fewer comorbidities than the traditional open technique. Purpose This is a report of an L3 burst fracture treated with a minimally invasive approach for anterior corpectomy and posterior pedicle screw fixation. Study design Case report. Patient sample Patient with L3 burst fracture. Outcome measures Radiographs and computed tomography scans to evaluate for fusion and evaluation of pain and neurologic function. Methods A 30-year-old male was involved in a head-on motor vehicle collision. Initial imaging revealed an L3 burst fracture with 60% canal compromise, 50% loss of vertebral body height, a large anteriorly displaced fragment consisting of 40% of the vertebral body depth, and a facet fracture. Surgical decompression and stabilization were recommended for this patient because of radiographic signs of instability. After medical clearance and consent, the patient underwent a minimally invasive L3 corpectomy and L2–L4 interbody fusion through a direct lateral approach with placement of a titanium mesh cage filled with local autograft and allograft bone matrix. The patient then underwent a percutaneous stabilization with pedicle screw fixation from L2 to L4. Results The patient was ambulating on the first postoperative day, and pain was controlled with oral analgesics. Intraoperative blood loss was less than 100 cc. He was discharged to a rehabilitation facility on the second postoperative day. Postoperatively, he complained of some left lower extremity pain and numbness. The pain completely resolved by the 6-month follow-up visit. The numbness in the anterolateral left thigh was improved but not completely resolved at 12 months. He continued to have full strength in all extremities. Conclusion The traditional approach to an anterior lumbar corpectomy and posterior pedicle screw fixation involves significant postoperative pain and frequent ileus. This minimally invasive approach allowed for early mobilization, resumption of diet, and discharge from the hospital on postoperative day two.
University Women's Acknowledgment of Rape Individual, Situational, and Social Factors

An ecological framework was used to examine individual, situational, and social predictors of university women's acknowledgment of rape experiences. Only individual and situational factors uniquely predicted acknowledgment. Women were more likely to acknowledge a rape if they experienced higher levels of violence during the rape, possessed factors congruent with an acquaintance rape script rather than a blitz rape script, and blamed their behavior for the rape. All women experienced a generally low amount of self-blame and blamed the perpetrator more than themselves. Implications for rape awareness programs are discussed.
Managed Health Care and the Quality of Health Care: A Misguided Debate?

As authors note, the growth of managed care has prompted numerous questions about its impact on the quality of health care. After first reviewing some of the evidence on the impacts of managed care on quality, the paper goes on to estimate quality effects using different methods than previously used. The evidence of the existing literature summarized lends one to believe that most comparisons of care for patients in different plans within similar markets suggest that there is little systematic difference in quality between different types of managed care plans and non-managed-care plans. But, the paper argues that the previous empirical literature ignores important effects of managed care on the "structure and functioning of the health care system" that would only be evident across markets. The paper documents evidence for cancer patients showing that across market effects may be important although it is not clear what the exact content of "the structure and functioning of the health care system" to which insight has been gained from the analysis. Lastly, the paper ends with a discussion of how debates about managed care regulation can be conducted better if it considered existing results in the research literature, and suggests ways in which these discussions could be improved. I will divide my comments into two parts that differ in their order from how the paper considered them. First I will argue that the current research debate is misguided and that although the results of the present paper may be interesting, the implications of them seem misguided. My focus will be on the regulatory debate as I and the second discussant, John Crawley, decided to divide up our comments on different aspects of the paper; John focusing on the substantive findings addressed in the first part of the paper and I focusing on the regulatory debate surrounding HMOs addressed in the second part of the paper.
Updates in Psychopharmacology for PTSD and Related Conditions: Focus on the Active Duty Service Member

Many medications are useful for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), although only two are FDA approved. However, active duty service members have restrictions as to which medications they may deploy. If a service member cannot deploy, their career is effectively ended. Medications also have significant sexual side effects, which impair their acceptance by service members. Weight gain can also be a problem, which in itself can threaten a career. Strategies to minimize these side effects are emphasized.
LIFE EXPECTANCY OF ELITE LONG AND SHORT DISTANCE RUNNERS

While studies have found that endurance and strength training have health benefits, some studies have found better cardiovascular and lipid profiles with endurance training. We sought to determine if survival differed between short and long-distance runners. We chose to examine Olympians because all
Estimates of age changes on the Benton Visual Retention Test.

Performances on the Benton Visual Retention Test were collected for 894 men 17 to 96 years of age between 1960 and 1976 and were analyzed using slopes to estimate time-of-measurement effects. For each of the nine birth cohorts and eight age groups, performance (errors) was plotted on calendar time. Comparisons of the within-birth-cohort slopes showed an increase in slope with age (rho = 0.92); earlier born (older) cohorts had larger slopes indicating increased errors per year. Comparisons of within-age-group slopes showed no difference among age groups. Slopes of four of the five oldest cohorts were larger (p less than .05) than the common age-group slope. Whether the common age-group slope was a secular effect, a cohort effect, or some combination of the two, the data were consistent with age changes in performance late in life confirming longitudinal results of direct measures of change previously reported.
Comparison of Gate Oxide Processing Techniques for Thin Dielectric Films

This paper focuses on establishing a baseline for thin dielectric processes including: low temperature, dilute, stacked (TEOS), oxynitride, and high temperature annealed (grow‐anneal‐grow) oxidation. 105A (total thickness) gate dielectrics were grown or deposited for this study. The stack oxide showed the highest V bd yields for both large‐area and edge‐intensive capacitors, but the poorest Q bd. The N 2 O oxide yielded mediocre V bd and Q bd . The low temperature and dilute oxides showed early breakdowns, but acceptable Q bd . 900°C thermal gate oxide showed slightly better average V bd than low temperature and dilute oxides but comparable Q bd . The high temperature annealed oxide appears to have the best electrical performance, but the worst uniformity.
A Geometric Modulus Principle for Polynomials

We characterize the ascent and descent directions for the modulus of a complex polynomial p(z) at an arbitrary point z0 in the complex plane. We prove that when p(z0) ≠ 0, the cones of ascent and d...
Prisoner’s and Samaritan’s Dilemmas in South Africa: The Case of Coke Versus Pepsi

Prisoner’s dilemma and Samaritan’s dilemma have been used to explain duopolistic competitive behavior within the context of game theory. This paper combines both dilemmas to present a dominant marketing strategy for firms who must face a tradeoff between revenues and socially responsible behavior.
The Benefits of Emergency Reserves: Greater Preference and Persistence for Goals That Have Slack with a Cost

AbstractMarketers of programs that are designed to help consumers reach goals face dual challenges of making the program attractive enough to encourage consumer signup while still motivating consumers to reach desirable goals and thus stay satisfied with the program. The authors offer a possible solution to this challenge: the emergency reserve, or slack with a cost. They demonstrate how an explicitly defined emergency reserve not only is preferred over other options for goal-related programs but can also lead to increased persistence. Study 1 demonstrates that consumers prefer programs with emergency reserves to programs that do not have them, and Study 2 further clarifies that consumers’ preference for an emergency reserve depends on the presence of a superordinate goal. Study 3 reveals that consumers prefer goals with emergency reserves because they perceive them to have both higher attainability and value than other goals. Study 4 demonstrates that reserves can lead to increased goal persistence in a ...
Breast and gynecological cancers

Breast and gynecological cancers : , Breast and gynecological cancers : , کتابخانه مرکزی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تهران
The Impact of Fatigue on Satisfaction of Search in Chest Radiography

Rationale and Objectives To assess the nature of the satisfaction of search (SOS) effect in chest radiography when observers are fatigued; determine if we could replicate recent findings that have documented the nature of the SOS effect to be due to a threshold shift rather than a change in diagnostic accuracy as in earlier film-based studies. Materials and Methods Nearing or at the end of a clinical workday, 20 radiologists read 64 chest images twice, once with and once without the addition of a simulated pulmonary nodule. Half of the images had different types of “test” abnormalities. Decision thresholds were analyzed using the center of the range of false-positive (FP) and true-positive (TP) fractions associated with each receiver operating characteristic (ROC) point for reporting test abnormalities. Detection accuracy was assessed with ROC technique and inspection time was recorded. Results The SOS effect was confirmed to be a reduction in willingness to respond (threshold shift). The center of the FP range was significantly reduced (FP = 0.10 without added nodules, FP = 0.05 with added nodules, F(1,18) = 19.85, P = 0.0003). The center of the TP range was significantly reduced (TP = 0.39 without added nodules, TP = 0.33 with added nodules, F(1,18) = 10.81, P = 0.004). Conclusions This study suggests that fatigue does not change the nature of the SOS effect, but rather may be additive with the SOS effect. SOS reduces both TP and FP responses, whereas fatigue reduces TPs more than FPs.
Fures trifuresque: a case study of class-wide academic fraud in online education

Academic fraud is widespread in secondary education. While several studies have focused on the causes of cheating within the traditional, face-to-face learning environment, few studies examine academic fraud in online learning. Those few studies of online academic fraud focus on plagiarism detection and prevention. This paper presents a case study of academic fraud in an online Latin class. Subjects were interviewed in an attempt to identify the factors which encourage cheating within online learning environments, the methods by which students commit academic fraud, and student attitudes towards cheating. A clearer understanding of academic fraud in distance programs will allow educators to better design their courses.
Adaptive Traffic Modelling for Network Anomaly Detection

With the rapid expansion of computer networks, security has become a crucial issue, either for small home networks or large corporate intranets. A standard way to detect illegitimate use of a network is through traffic monitoring. Consistent modelling of typical network activity can help separate the normal use of the network from an intruder activity or an unusual user activity. In this work an adaptive traffic modelling and estimation method for detecting network unusual activity, network anomaly or intrusion is presented. The proposed method uses simple and widely collected sets of traffic data, such as bandwidth utilization. The advantage of the method is that it builds the traffic patterns using data found easily by polling a network node MIB. The method was tested using real traffic data from various network segments in our university campus. The method performed equally well either offline or in real time, running at a fraction of the smallest sampling interval set by the network monitoring programs. The implemented adaptive multi-model partitioning algorithm was able to identify successfully all typical or unusual activities contained in the test datasets.
A single-point mutation in the RNA-binding protein 6 generates Trypanosoma brucei metacyclics that are able to progress to bloodstream forms in vitro

We previously established an in vitro differentiation system based on the inducible expression of the RNA binding protein 6 (RBP6), which initiated differentiation of Trypanosoma brucei non-infectious procyclics to infectious metacyclics (MFs). However, further differentiation to bloodstream forms (BFs) required infection of mice. Here we report the serendipitous isolation of a single point mutation in RBP6 (Q109K), whose expression not only generated MFs, but purified MFs continued the developmental cycle in vitro to BFs expressing variant surface glycoprotein-2 (VSG-2), formerly known as VSG 221. This transition occurred over a period of 11 days and by RNA-Seq, VSG-2 was first measureable on day 1, whereas metacyclic VSGs were detected up to 8 days. We further showed that inducible expression of mutant RBP6 appeared to skip the intermediate epimastigote stage and we highlight the potential involvement of RBP33 in the establishment of metacyclics and in particular in the generation of metacyclics uncharacteristically arrested at the G2/M checkpoint.
Uses of Panel Study of Income Dynamics Data in Research on Aging.

The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) has, over its 50-year history, proven to be a useful source of data for research on virtually all the major topics in the area of social gerontology. This ...
22 Rural Demography

The world is becoming more urban, so what makes the study of rural demography relevant today? In this chapter, we argue that more than population numbers and percentages are involved in understanding rural demography. Local economies, the organization of institutions, and distinctions in norms, values, and lifestyles can result in divergent demographic dynamics and patterns in migration, family formation, and aging across the rural-urban gradient. As a first task, we consider how to best conceptualize rural populations. We then focus on theoretical and substantive issues confronting rural populations in the United States, highlighting compelling demographic research already pursued and identifying several emerging topics that require critical attention by demographers in the years ahead.
Preliminary Understanding of Hypertensive Clinics and Hypertensive Patients Attending Hypertensive Clinics in Malawi

Malawi is a developing country that is experiencing significant nutrition transition. There is an increase in consumption of foods that are high in salt, sugar and fatty acids due to changes in peo...
Usurping the contract: the Geneva campaign (1923–1924) and the refusal of settler sovereignty

ABSTRACTI extend analyses of refusal by arguing that it is an orientation toward the contract of recognition that contextualizes Indigenous peoples' engagement with the discursive economies and ins...
Heterogeneity in Census Identification of Parent-Child Relationships Within Same-Sex Households

Prior research utilizing Census Bureau data on same-sex partners has typically examined the predictors of children being in same-sex households, but has paid little attention to how characteristics of parents might vary across different types of parent-child relationships. In this chapter, we draw upon the 2009–2011 American Community Surveys to examine the degree to which individual- and state-level characteristics actually vary across same-sex households containing different types of relationships between the householder and child(ren) in the home. Our results indicate that both individual characteristics, as well as state-level laws on second parent adoption and same-sex marriage, affect the odds of identifying particular parent-child relationships. Findings emphasize the need to pay closer attention to the variation within the reported household structures of same-sex parents to improve understandings of the manner in which children come to be in the household and how parents choose to identify their relationships on surveys. In addition, these results have important implications for survey construction given the ways in which complex families identify relationships on survey instruments and current survey limitations for capturing non-heteronormative relationship structures.
A mother-centered evaluation of breast pumps

Existing literature outlines mothers' negative experiences with breast pumps, yet a gap exists of which breast pump characteristics are important to mothers. Identifying which breast pump characteristics are important to breast pumping mothers, and any variation between mothers who do or do not work outside of the home, will help identify user needs. A survey collected information on mothers' experiences with breast pumps and impressions of their characteristics. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to determine whether there were possible groupings of impressions of these characteristics. The LCA identified a two-class model with mothers' age as a significant covariate. Portability, ease of use, low-weight, fast milk extraction, comfortability, low-noise, and discreet were all found to be important to one group of mothers, while only portability, ease of use, fast milk extraction, and comfortability were found to be important to another group of mothers. Mothers' work status was not a significant covariate but did predict class membership when considered as a grouping variable in conjunction with age. Breast pumping mothers' needs were found to differ based on their work status and age together, and collecting and considering these different needs is vital to creating redesigns that improve mothers' breast pumping experience.
Serious infections in people with systemic sclerosis: a national US study

To study incidence, time trends, and outcomes of serious infections in systemic sclerosis (SSc). We used the 1998–2016 US National Inpatient Sample data. We examined the epidemiology, time trends, and outcomes of five serious infections (opportunistic infections (OI), skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), urinary tract infection (UTI), pneumonia, and sepsis/bacteremia) in hospitalized people with SSc. We performed multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analyses to analyze independent association of factors with healthcare utilization (hospital charges, length of hospital stay, discharge to non-home setting) and in-hospital mortality. There were 49,904,955 hospitalizations with serious infections in people without SSc and 61,615 in those with SSc. During 1998–2016, the most common serious infections in SSc were pneumonia (45%), sepsis (32%), SSTI (19%), UTI (3%), and OI (3%). In 2013–2014, sepsis surpassed pneumonia as the most common serious infection; by 2015–2016, sepsis was 1.8 times more common than pneumonia. Over the study period, hospital charges increased, while length of hospital stay and in-hospital mortality decreased, overall and for each serious infection. Multivariable-adjusted analyses showed that sepsis, age ≥ 80 years, and Deyo-Charlson score ≥ 2 were associated with significantly higher odds of healthcare utilization and in-hospital mortality, and Medicare or Medicaid insurance payer, Northeast location, urban teaching or non-teaching hospital, and medium or large hospital bed size with significantly higher odds of healthcare utilization. Outcomes in people with SSc hospitalized with serious infections have improved over time, except higher hospital charges. Identification of factors associated with higher healthcare utilization and in-hospital mortality allows for developing interventions to improve outcomes.
Fans as transcultural gatekeepers: The hierarchy of BTS’ Anglophone Reddit fandom and the digital East-West media flow:

This article describes how fandom organization on visibly hierarchical social media platforms differs from rhizomatic social media platforms. It discusses how Reddit’s hierarchical structure contro...
The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History: New York: Oxford University Press, 960, $39.95, ISBN 978-0-1999-5106-2, Publication Date: February 2020

Tens of thousands of books have been written about the French Wars—the combination of the revolutionary and Napoleonic conflicts—that afflicted Europe from 1792 to 1815. The vast majority of them p...
How Retroviruses and Retrotransposons in Our Genome May Contribute to Autoimmunity in Rheumatological Conditions

More than 200 human disorders include various manifestations of autoimmunity. The molecular events that lead to these diseases are still incompletely understood and their causes remain largely unknown. Numerous potential triggers of autoimmunity have been proposed over the years, but very few of them have been conclusively confirmed or firmly refuted. Viruses have topped the lists of suspects for decades, and it seems that many viruses, including those of the Herpesviridae family, indeed can influence disease initiation and/or promote exacerbations by a number of mechanisms that include prolonged anti-viral immunity, immune subverting factors, and mechanisms, and perhaps "molecular mimicry". However, no specific virus has yet been established as being truly causative. Here, we discuss a different, but perhaps mechanistically related possibility, namely that retrotransposons or retroviruses that infected us in the past and left a lasting copy of themselves in our genome still can provoke an escalating immune response that leads to autoimmune disease. Many of these loci still encode for retroviral proteins that have retained some, or all, of their original functions. Importantly, these endogenous proviruses cannot be eliminated by the immune system the way it can eliminate exogenous viruses. Hence, if not properly controlled, they may drive a frustrated and escalating chronic, or episodic, immune response to the point of a frank autoimmune disorder. Here, we discuss the evidence and the proposed mechanisms, and assess the therapeutic options that emerge from the current understanding of this field.
Supported Communication Video Training for the Nursing Department in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to develop a valid educational intervention to improve knowledge and confidence using communication strategies when interacting with a person with aphasia. DESIGN A quantitative, nonrandomized pretest/posttest research study was performed. METHODS Pre- and postcourse assessments were completed with learning participants. This educational intervention was developed using the underlying theoretical concepts of the integrated behavioral model. RESULTS Forty-nine new employees from the nursing department participated in this study, with 61% reporting less than 1 year of experience. Pre- to posttraining assessments on the Test of Knowledge of Aphasia improved from 3.7 to 5.8 (p ≤ .0001) for direct knowledge, from 5.5 to 8.2 (p ≤ .0001) for confidence self-efficacy, and from 5.3 to 7.6 (p ≤ .0001) for knowledge self-efficacy. CONCLUSION Results indicated this theory-driven educational training was effective in training employees from the nursing department working in an inpatient rehabilitation environment. CLINICAL RELEVANCY Improving communication effectiveness is critical for overall quality of care and patient safety.
Short-term high temperature with shear produces tomato suspensions with desirable rheological properties

Abstract This research introduced a modified technology processing whole tomatoes for producing superior tomato suspensions using a twin-screw continue processor at a high temperature with shear for a short period of time (manually feeding rate of 1 kg/min, rotating speed 120 rpm). The effect of temperature (100, 90, and 75 °C) with the presence of shear on rheological properties of tomato suspensions was analyzed. High temperature (100 °C) sheared tomato suspension had desirable viscosity and yield stress, which were significantly higher than the suspensions processed at 90 and 75 °C. The desirable rheological properties of high temperature sheared tomato suspension can be explained by high volume of suspended particles and high viscosity of continuous serum phase. Upon heat treatment with shear at 100 °C, the heat-induced hydration and swelling of tomato cell wall resulted in large particle sizes and promoted the release of solutes to the serum.
Abraham model description of the solubilising properties of the isopropyl acetate organic mono-solvent

Experimental mole fraction solubilities are reported for acenaphthene, o-acetoacetanisidide, acetylsalicylic acid, anthracene, benzil, benzoic acid, benzoin, 4-tert-butylbenzoic acid, 3-chlorobenzo...
Effects of a creative yoga intervention on the joint attention and social communication skills, as well as affective states of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Abstract Background Yoga is gaining popularity as a multisystem intervention due to its impact on both the physical and mental well-being of children with typical development. However, there is limited empirical evidence to support the use of this approach in school-aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The current pilot study evaluated the impact of a creative yoga intervention on the joint attention and social communication skills, as well as affective states of children with ASD. Methods 24 school-aged children with ASD received eight weeks of yoga (e.g., breathing, poses, relaxation) or tabletop play/academic intervention (e.g., reading, arts-crafts, building activities). Children were tested before and after the intervention using a standardized measure of responsive joint attention. Additionally, changes in socially directed verbal communication and affective states of children were assessed three times during the intervention period, i.e. during early, mid, and late intervention sessions. Results Children with ASD showed improvements in responsive joint attention in both groups in the posttest vs. the pretest. Furthermore, children in the yoga group showed improvements in socially directed verbal communication skills across the intervention sessions, i.e. greater spontaneous and responsive communication from early/mid to late intervention sessions compared to the academic group. There were no changes in affective states with the intervention, however, the yoga group showed greater interested and less negative affect compared to the academic group. Conclusions Creative yoga intervention is a promising tool as it led to improvements in intervention-related social communication skills and generalized joint attention skills of children with ASD.
Bivalve carrying capacity in coastal ecosystems

The carrying capacity of suspension feeding bivalves in 11 coastal and estuarine ecosystems is examined. Bivalve carrying capacity is defined in terms of water mass residence time, primary production time and bivalve clearance time. Turnover times for the 11 ecosystems are compared both two and three dimensionally. Fast systems, e.g., Sylt and North Inlet, have turnover times of days or less, while, slow systems, e.g., Delaware Bay, have turnover times of months and years. Some systems, Marennes-OlSouth San Francisco Bay and North Inlet, require a net influx of phytoplankton in order to support their bivalve populations. Three systems, Carlingford Lough, Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay, have very long bivalve clearance times due to small or reduced bivalve filter feeder populations. Carlingford Lough stands out because it is a naturally planktonic system now being converted to bivalve culture with an adherently stronger benthic-pelagic coupling. Existing models of bivalve carrying capacity are reviewed. The Herman model is utilized as an appropriate ecosystem level model to examine carrying capacity because it includes the three major turnover time elements of water mass residence time, primary production time and bivalve filter feeder clearance time. The graphical analysis suggests that massive and successful bivalve filter feeder populations are found in systems with relatively short residence times ( 40 days) and short primary production times ( 4 days) in order to sustain a high bivalve biomass with its associated rapid clearance times. Outlier systems are constrained by long water mass residence times, extended primary production times, and long clearance times.
English Faculty and the Postmodern Library

This paper argues that the revolution taking place in the discipline of English, from New Criticism to ''Theory'' requires a new approach to the library. First, instead of doing conventional author/title searches, English faculty need to begin their articles grounded in a theory--so a different kind of indexing is needed instead of the usual MLA Bibliography. Second, the change in the canon of literature is also forcing new approaches to research upon the English faculty, simply working up the most basic freshman courses. Finally, listservs on the Internet are becoming the means by which faculty ask for help, search the literature, and communicate with colleagues. The result is a change in the view of the role of the librarian in helping faculty do these new kinds of searches. The library itself changes from a repository of old texts to a point of inter-disciplinary interconnection.
A Usability Analysis of Company Websites

Web usability advocates stress the importance of clarity, simplicity, and consistency in web design so that users can perform desired operations efficiently and effectively. If a website lacks these characteristics, users may become confused or frustrated and “take their business” to competing sites. Usability advocates have made anecdotal observations about the extent to which websites follow “good” design practices. However, there have been few attempts to address this issue from a research perspective. This study presents an analysis of INC. 500 company websites using eleven measures, grouped into three categories: avoidance of web design errors, adherence to web design conventions, and inclusion of features to promote usability. These measures were derived from usability guidelines proposed in the literature. The results revealed that while a few design guidelines are commonly followed, most showed a high degree of variation. The mean number of guidelines followed per website was 5.5 out of a possible...
METHODS FOR ISOLATING AND ANALYZING MITOTIC MUTANTS IN ASPERGILLUS NIDULANS

Publisher Summary This chapter overviews the process of isolating and studying mitotic mutants in Aspergillus nidulans. The three approaches used to isolate mitotic mutants in A. nidulans are: (i) the isolation of randomly mutagenized temperature-sensitive mutants, which are subsequently screened microscopically for mitotic blockage, (ii) the isolation of tubulin mutations that block microtubule function and mitosis by isolating antimicrotubule drug-resistant mutants and screening for temperature sensitivity, and (iii) the isolation of conditionally lethal revertants of existing mitotic or tubulin mutants. In addition, mutant alleles of cloned genes that are essential for mitosis can be created at will in A. nidulans . To understand how mutations are generated and studied in A. nidulans, it is important to understand the life cycle and cell cycle of this organism. A. nidulans can reproduce both asexually (vegetatively) and sexually. Vegetative reproduction occurs through asexual spores called conidospores or conidia. Conidia are quite small (3–3.5 pm) in size and each contains a single nucleus. The cell cycle of A. nidulans is similar to that of higher organisms.
Accelerated development of liver fibrosis in CCl4-treated rats by the weekly induction of acute phase response episodes: upregulation of alpha1(I) procollagen and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 mRNAs.

Abstract Patients with alcoholic hepatitis have several manifestations of the acute phase response (APR) and have elevated blood levels of interleukin-1, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor- α . We have previously shown that liver stellate cells express interleukin-6 mRNA and protein and respond to this cytokine with increased expression of α 1(I) procollagen mRNA. We further showed that the production of an APR episode stimulates a transient expression of α 1(I) procollagen mRNA in the liver. In this communication we demonstrate that the concomitant induction of a weekly APR episode in rats with a schedule of CCl 4 to produce cirrhosis, accelerates the development of liver fibrosis. We show that the enhancement of liver fibrosis is due, in part, to further upregulation in the expression of α 1(I) procollagen and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 mRNAs above values observed in control rats receiving only CCl 4 . The effect of the APR appears to have specificity since not all the mRNAs measured were equally affected. Altogether, these results suggest that increased blood or liver levels of APR cytokines, whether induced by APR episodes, endotoxin or other unrelated causes, may contribute to the development of liver fibrosis by enhancing the expression of type I collagen and of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 mRNAs.