cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of Dried Distillers' Grains with Solubles in Growing-finishing Diets of Turkey Hens

Two experiments were conducted with Large White female turkeys to evaluate the effect of dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) derived from ethanol production on growth performance from about 8 to 15 wk of age. Experiment 1 consisted of inclusion levels of 0, 9, 18 or 27% DDGS to a corn-soybean meal based diet and the treatment diets were formulated with a metabolizable energy value of 2870 kcal/kg for DDGS and on a digestible amino acid basis. The grower diet was fed from 56 to 77 d of age and the finisher diet was fed from 77 to 105 d of age. Body weight was linearly decreased at 105 d as % DDGS increased in the diet. Feed conversion was increased at p = 0.100 from 77 to 105 d of age as DDG S inclusion level increased. The incidence of pendulous crops increased when high levels of DDGS were fed. In Experiment 2, dietary treatments consisted of 0, 7, or 10% DDGS in the grower period. Half of the birds fed 10% DDGS in the grower period were fed 7% DDGS in the finisher period. The mash diets were formulated with a metabolizable energy value of 2805 kcal/kg for DDGS and on a total amino acid basis. There were no significant effects on body weight or feed conversion in Experiment 2. Results indicate that ethanol-derived DDGS can be effectively included at 10% in growing/finishing diets for turkey hens if proper formulation matrix values for all nutrients are used.
Florida Panther Habitat Use: New Approach to an Old Problem

Abstract Although the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) has a history of study spanning more than 2 decades, some researchers have criticized previous habitat analyses of the panther for using daytime telemetry locations to infer 24-hour habitat use, selective use of radiotagged animals, comparison of animal locations to an inappropriate set of available resources, use of land cover maps for time periods that poorly matched some animal locations, use of locations instead of the individual animal as the sampling unit, and failure to account for telemetry error. To address all but the first of these concerns, we analyzed over 57,000 radiolocations of 100 Florida panthers and 8 introduced Texas cougars (Puma concolor stanlyana) collected from 1981 to 2003 using a Euclidean distance-based analysis (EDA), a technique that measures linear distances between telemetry locations and habitat types to determine nonrandom habitat use. We matched panther locations to 1 of 3 land cover maps reflecting cover conditi...
On the Problem of Prediction Beyond the Deterministic Range

Over the past two decades global numerical models of the atmosphere have become the primary tool used in the prediction of the weather out to ten days in advance. The success of these models as witnessed by the improvement in forecast skill in that time has encouraged researchers to investigate the utility and accuracy of forecasts of lower frequency atmospheric variability as obtained through the integration of these models beyond the limits of deterministic predictability. The problem of forecasting beyond this limit requires that the very idea of prediction be reformulated and viewed in a probabilistic sense in order to take into account the inherent loss of determinism of the physical system. In order to rationally forecast, one must redefine the goals of prediction in both a physical and mathematical sense and thereby limit the influence of the loss of determinism through the modifications of the definition of the prediction problem.
Privatization and water service provision in the United States: a recommendation for expanded oversight and the development and adoption of best practices

This paper provides an overview of privatization in the United States, with a focus on lessons learned and recommendations on how issues such as equity and sustainability should be addressed. It provides recommendations for an oversight of private operators that goes beyond financial controls and water contaminants to include environmental and social issues. It recommends that water service providers ensure that environmental and social issues are considered from the beginning in the development of contracts between municipal entities and private corporations.
Probing Intersubunit Interfaces in AMPA-subtype Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors

AMPA subtype ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) mediate the majority of fast neurotransmission across excitatory synapses in the central nervous system. Each AMPA receptor is composed of four multi-domain subunits that are organized into layers of two amino-terminal domain (ATD) dimers, two ligand-binding domain (LBD) dimers, transmembrane domains and carboxy-terminal domains. We introduced cysteine substitutions at the intersubunit interfaces of AMPA receptor subunit GluA2 and confirmed substituted cysteine crosslink formation by SDS-PAGE. The functional consequence of intersubunit crosslinks was assessed by recording GluA2-mediated currents in reducing and non-reducing conditions. Strong redox-dependent changes in GluA2-mediated currents were observed for cysteine substitutions at the LBD dimer-dimer interface but not at the ATD dimer-dimer interface. We conclude that during gating, LBD dimers undergo significant relative displacement, while ATD dimers either maintain their relative positioning, or their relative displacement has no appreciable effect on AMPA receptor function.
The Least-Squares Meshfree Finite Element Method

Most meshfree methods are based on the Galerkin principle and employ the moving least-squares approximation for construction of shape functions [1]. Although there is no need for an explicit mesh in the construction of moving least-squares shape functions, a separate background mesh is required to integrate the weak form, so they are not truly meshfree methods. Due to the non-interpolative character of the moving least-squares approximation, the enforcement of essential boundary conditions in the Galerkin formulation is quite awkward. Moreover, the moving least-squares approximation is more expensive computationally than the finite element interpolation.
Nonconvulsive Electrographic Status Epilepticus

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati, OH, examined medical records of 75 children, aged 3 months to 21 years (mean age 7.8 years), for prevalence of nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) by searching a clinical EEG database (n=18) or consecutive inpatient EEG referrals for NCSE over an 8-month period (n=57).
Hybrid promiscuous (Hypr) GGDEF enzymes produce cyclic AMP-GMP (3', 3'-cGAMP).

Over 30 years ago, GGDEF domain-containing enzymes were shown to be diguanylate cyclases that produce cyclic di-GMP (cdiG), a second messenger that modulates the key bacterial lifestyle transition from a motile to sessile biofilm-forming state. Since then, the ubiquity of genes encoding GGDEF proteins in bacterial genomes has established the dominance of cdiG signaling in bacteria. However, the observation that proteobacteria encode a large number of GGDEF proteins, nearing 1% of coding sequences in some cases, raises the question of why bacteria need so many GGDEF enzymes. In this study, we reveal that a subfamily of GGDEF enzymes synthesizes the asymmetric signaling molecule cyclic AMP-GMP (cAG or 3′, 3′-cGAMP). This discovery is unexpected because GGDEF enzymes function as symmetric homodimers, with each monomer binding to one substrate NTP. Detailed analysis of the enzyme from Geobacter sulfurreducens showed it is a dinucleotide cyclase capable of switching the major cyclic dinucleotide (CDN) produced based on ATP-to-GTP ratios. We then establish through bioinformatics and activity assays that hybrid CDN-producing and promiscuous substrate-binding (Hypr) GGDEF enzymes are found in other deltaproteobacteria. Finally, we validated the predictive power of our analysis by showing that cAG is present in surface-grown Myxococcus xanthus. This study reveals that GGDEF enzymes make alternative cyclic dinucleotides to cdiG and expands the role of this widely distributed enzyme family to include regulation of cAG signaling.
A critical appraisal of a clinical clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology.

IN 1972, 0BsTET~rcs and gynecology face increasing staffing shortages and a falling prestige, both intensified by the inability of the specialty to attract quality medical student recruits. Much of the recruitment difficulty stems from the inadequate and inappropriate methods of presenting this specialty to the medical student. This, of course, would mean the presentation of scientific material as well as the approach to the sick patient.l
Distinguishing clinical and radiological features of non-traumatic convexal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Background and purpose The full spectrum of causes of convexal subarachnoid hemorrhage (cSAH) requires further investigation. Therefore, our objective was to describe the spectrum of clinical and imaging features of patients with non-traumatic cSAH. Methods A retrospective observational study of consecutive patients with non-traumatic cSAH was performed at a tertiary referral center. The underlying cause of cSAH was characterized and clinical and imaging features that predict a specific etiology were identified. The frequency of future cSAH or intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) was determined. Results In all, 88 patients [median age 64 years (range 25–85)] with non-traumatic cSAH were identified. The most common causes were reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) (26, 29.5%), cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) (23, 26.1%), indeterminate (14, 15.9%) and endocarditis (9, 10.2%). CAA patients commonly presented at an older age than RCVS patients (75 years versus 51 years, P < 0.0001). Thirteen patients (14.7%) had recurrent cSAH, and 12 patients (13.6%) had a subsequent ICH. However, the risk was high amongst those with CAA compared to those caused by RCVS, with recurrent cSAH in 39.1% and subsequent lobar ICH in 43.5% of CAA cases. Conclusions Our study demonstrates the clinical diversity of cSAH. Older age, sensorimotor dysfunction and stereotyped spells suggest CAA as the underlying cause. Younger age and thunderclap headache predict RCVS. Yet, various other causes also need to be considered in the differential diagnosis.
Selective decoration and release of His-tagged proteins from metal-assembled collagen peptide microflorettes.

Materials that mimic the extracellular matrix may serve as ideal delivery vehicles for biopolymers with biomedical applications. Herein we investigate dual His-tagged protein modification and release of metal-triggered, collagen peptide microflorettes by taking advantage of unsatisfied metal/ligands on or within the microflorette structures. Using GFP and RFP as model proteins for visualization, microflorettes were treated with His-tagged proteins either during or after particle assembly. Fluorescence microscopy confirmed the essential role of the His-tag in protein functionalization of the florettes, and confocal microscopy demonstrated distinct labeling zones either within the core or on the surface of the particles depending on their mode of synthesis. The location of the His-tagged proteins within the microflorettes was found to strongly influence the rate of release of these proteins from the particles, with the surface-localized proteins demonstrating faster release in comparison to the core-localiz...
Maternal child-rearing attitudes as antecedents of self-actualization.

Great stress in psychological research has been placed on the antecedents of human malfunctioning, while studies of psychological health are rare (2). The present study was an attempt to discover some of the parental attitudes of mochers which are related to selfactualization in their adult offspring. The Personal Orientation Inventory (4) was completed by 52 California State University at Fresno students (29 females and 23 males) as a measure of self-actualization. Examples of the POI subscales are: "Self-regard," "Inner directed," and "Time competent." The students' mochers answered the Parental Attitude Research Instrument (3). Scores on 20 of the 32 PARI subscales (chosen a p7iori) were correlated with scores on POI subscales to yield a 12 X 20 matrix. Inter-scale reliabilities for the POI were also computed. The total number of significant correlations (25 at the p < .05 level and 13 more at p < .01) far exceeds the number one would expect by chance in such a matrix. Maternal attitude subscales which were significantly correlated (rs ranged from .28 to .50) with a number of POI subscales generally reflect parental willingness to talk to the child, to share experiences with the child, and to listen to his problems. Several examples of maternal PARI subscales which showed a relationship with a number of self-actualizing dimensions in the students are listed here. "Comradeship and sharing" correlated with "Time competent" (r = .45), "Inner-directed" (s = .40), "Self-actualizing values" (s = .46), and several other POI subscales. "Encouraging verbalization" correlated significantly (s = .41) with "Self-acrualizing values," as well as several other POI subscales. Examples of significantly negatively correlated subscales were: "Ignoring the child" (e.g., r = -.40 with "Self-actualizing values") and "Avoidance of communication" (e.g., r = -.48 with 'Time competent").
Causes and consequences of stolon regression in a colonial hydroid

SUMMARY A cnidarian colony can be idealized as a group of feeding polyps connected by tube-like stolons. Morphological variation ranges from runner-like forms with sparse polyp and stolon development to sheet-like forms with dense polyp and stolon development. These forms have typically been considered in a foraging context, consistent with a focus on rates of polyp development relative to stolon elongation. At the same time, rates of stolon regression can affect this morphological variation; several aspects of regression were investigated in this context. More sheet-like forms were produced by periodic peroxide treatment, which induced high rates of stolon regression. Caspase inhibitors altered the effects of regression induced by peroxide or vitamin C. These inhibitors generally diminished physical regression and the abundance of associated reactive oxygen species. Caspase inhibitors also altered cellular ultrastructure, resulting in features suggestive of necrosis rather than apoptosis. At the same time, caspase inhibitors had little effect on reactive nitrogen species that are also associated with regression. Although regression is most easily triggered by pharmacological perturbations related to reactive oxygen species (e.g. peroxide or vitamin C), a variety of environmental effects, particularly restricted environments and an interaction between feeding and temperature, can also induce regression. Stolon regression may thus be a factor contributing to natural variation between runners and sheets.
Psychosomatic Symptoms in Adolescence

This article provides the physician with an efficient and comprehensive method for the evaluation and management of adolescent psychosomatic symptoms in the medical care setting. The physician should make a firm statement of the nonorganic nature of the psychosomatic symptom, identify significant stressors, and provide strong recommendations for immediate action. Appropriate referrals should be arranged, and a follow-up visit to assess progress several weeks after the evaluation should be scheduled.
ABT-737 Inhibits Full Length And Cleaved Pro-Apoptotic Bcl-xL, Resulting in Differential Effects on Death And Survival

ABT-737 is a pharmacological inhibitor of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family protein, Bcl-xL. ABT-737 occupies the BH3-binding domain, supporting apoptosis of cancer cells. We have shown that ABT-737 ...
Small High Grade Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate in Radical Prostatectomy Specimens Performed for Nonpalpable Disease: Pathogenetic and Clinical Implications

AbstractIt has been suggested that poorly differentiated areas in prostatic carcinoma evolve from more well differentiated cancer with time and increasing tumor volume. However, the association of high grade tumor with increasing tumor volume may merely reflect a growth advantage of the high grade tumor, whereby most high grade tumors would be large by the time they were clinically detected. Prior reports analyzing the relationship of tumor volume and grade suffer from studying fairly advanced tumors in which the relationship of tumor volume and grade at inception of prostate cancer could not be addressed.We evaluated 720 individual tumor foci in 153 radical prostatectomy specimens removed for early prostate cancer detected by screening techniques. Although tumor volume was related to grade, the correlation was weak (r = 0.254). Of 13 peripherally located high grade tumors (Gleason score 8 to 10) 6 (46%) were less than 1 cc. Of 106 peripheral tumors with some Gleason pattern 4 or 5 component 48 (45%) were...
Determining Which Phenotypes Underlie a Pleiotropic Signal

Discovering pleiotropic loci is important to understand the biological basis of seemingly distinct phenotypes. Most methods for assessing pleiotropy only test for the overall association between genetic variants and multiple phenotypes. To determine which specific traits are pleiotropic, we evaluate via simulation and application three different strategies. The first is model selection techniques based on the inverse regression of genotype on phenotypes. The second is a subset-based meta analysis ASSET [Bhattacharjee et al., 2012], which provides an optimal subset of nonnull traits. And the third is a modified Benjamini–Hochberg (B-H) procedure of controlling the expected false discovery rate [Benjamini and Hochberg, 1995] in the framework of phenome-wide association study. From our simulations we see that an inverse regression-based approach MultiPhen [O'Reilly et al., 2012] is more powerful than ASSET for detecting overall pleiotropic association, except for when all the phenotypes are associated and have genetic effects in the same direction. For determining which specific traits are pleiotropic, the modified B–H procedure performs consistently better than the other two methods. The inverse regression-based selection methods perform competitively with the modified B–H procedure only when the phenotypes are weakly correlated. The efficiency of ASSET is observed to lie below and in between the efficiency of the other two methods when the traits are weakly and strongly correlated, respectively. In our application to a large GWAS, we find that the modified B–H procedure also performs well, indicating that this may be an optimal approach for determining the traits underlying a pleiotropic signal.
The Evolving Neural and Genetic Architecture of Vertebrate Olfaction

Evolution sculpts the olfactory nervous system in response to the unique sensory challenges facing each species. In vertebrates, dramatic and diverse adaptations to the chemical environment are possible because of the hierarchical structure of the olfactory receptor (OR) gene superfamily: expansion or contraction of OR subfamilies accompanies major changes in habitat and lifestyle; independent selection on OR subfamilies can permit local adaptation or conserved chemical communication; and genetic variation in single OR genes can alter odor percepts and behaviors driven by precise chemical cues. However, this genetic flexibility contrasts with the relatively fixed neural architecture of the vertebrate olfactory system, which requires that new olfactory receptors integrate into segregated and functionally distinct neural pathways. This organization allows evolution to couple critical chemical signals with selectively advantageous responses, but also constrains relationships between olfactory receptors and behavior. The coevolution of the OR repertoire and the olfactory system therefore reveals general principles of how the brain solves specific sensory problems and how it adapts to new ones.
Cyberbullying: A review of the literature

Cyberbullying is been defined as the repeated use of technology (internet) to cause intentional distress (discomfort) or to threaten others. The aim of our study is to better understand the impact of cyber bullying on students at school and the possible need for intervention messages targeting adolescents, educators, and parents. Adolescents in school are currently vulnerable of experiencing the majority of cyberbullying instances outside of the school environment; however there is some kind of impact at school. Students were able to suggest some basic approach for dealing with cyber bullying, but were less likely to be aware of approaches to request the removal of objectionable websites, as well as how to respond as a helpful bystander when witnessing cruel online behavior. We believe that school communities should address cyber bullying through a combination of police and educational information that are shared with students and parents. Schools should include cyberbullying as part of their bullying prevention strategies and include classroom lessons that address reporting and bystander behavior.
Twenty-five years after “Wingspread” – Environmental endocrine disruptors (EDCs) and human health

Abstract The aim of this paper is to provide the reader with a view of the Endocrine Disruptor Chemical (EDC) research field and its relevance to human health. My perspective is from working on the effects of EDCs that act via the androgen (A) or estrogen (E) signaling pathways in a regulatory agency for the last four decades with the objective of producing data that risk assessors could use to reduce the uncertainty in risk assessment. In vitro and in vivo data from our studies has contributed to regulatory agencies decision-making since the 1990s ( https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/cleared_reviews/csr_PC-113201_7-Apr-98_238.pdf ). From the start, we were evaluating the utility of in vitro and short-term in vivo effects to predict the adverse effects in developing animals 1 , 2 . This approach has expanded greatly to include what is now known as Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOP) and networks (AOPn) 3 , 4 . The AOP framework for the effects of chemicals that disrupt androgen signaling during sexual differentiation of the fetal male rat provides biological context for extrapolating mechanistic information from in vitro and in vivo assays in rodents to other species including humans. Such an approach has biological validity because the E and A pathways are highly conserved in vertebrates, including humans and laboratory animals.
A special issue of the journal of forestry— tribal forest management: Innovations for sustainable forest management

Native American forests and tribal forest management practices have sustained indigenous communities, economies, and resources for millennia. These systems provide a wealth of knowledge and successful applications of long-term environmental stewardship and integrated, sustainable forest management. Tribal forestry has received an increasing amount of attention from forest managers, academics, and tribal communities in recent years. Tribal forestry is seen as a way to provide approaches for solving our most complex social, economic, and environmental issues facing natural resource managers today. It is also considered as an important approach to build landscape- level partnerships and leverage funding for landscape- scale management. Tribal forest management provides numerous examples of balancing complex, multiple objectives in an era of shrinking budgets, novel ecologic interactions, and increasing human demands on our natural resources. This special issue of the Journal of Forestry seeks to capture a broad range of forest management practices occurring in Indian Country and beyond; to increase general recognition of the role that tribal forest plays in the greater landscape; and to engage broad audiences regarding the value of tribal forests and how they can serve as models for sustainability, integrated management, resilience, and restoration.
Trust and Risk in E-Commerce: A Re-examination and Theoretical Integration

Feedback system plays an important role in E-commerce as decision support for buyers. In this paper we examine the role of feedback system in building trust towards unknown E-vendors when buyers are making purchase for the first time. We adopted Signaling theory from marketing literature to breakdown the cognitive process of buyers when they face a mixture of true and fake advertisements and guarantees from the E-vendor, and how they perceive the signals to be honest and true. We posit that Social Presence signals from reviewers in the feedback system possess the bonding ability that makes the cost/difficulty in sending fake signals prohibitively high in given feedback system. This perceived credibility in feedback system then positively influence the perceived credibility of trust-building signals, as the cost for sending fake signal without being exposed by the feedback system is extremely high. Finally, the perceived level of trust in the E-vendor positively influence the perceived credibility of risk-reducing signals, because the potential loss of sending out fake signals will jeopardise established consumer trust, which is highly sought after and valuable. By identifying the reinforcing effect between these constructs rather than parallel constructs, we hypothesize that interpersonal signals serve as a "primer" that can trigger this chain reaction, and feedback system has a much broader implication in the formation of online trust than previously recognized. For practitioners of e-commerce, this study provides an alternative source of trust-building tools apart from costly traditional signaling behaviors.
Redox-Responsive Artificial Molecular Muscles: Reversible Radical-Based Self-Assembly for Actuating Hydrogels

Interest in the design and development of artificial molecular muscles has inspired scientists to pursue new stimuli-responsive systems capable of exhibiting a physical and mechanical change in a material in response to one or more external environmental cues. Over the past few decades, many different types of stimuli have been investigated as a means to actuate materials. In particular, materials that respond to reduction and oxidation of their constituent molecular components have shown great promise on account of their ability to be activated either chemically or electrochemically. Here, we introduce a novel redox-responsive mechanism of actuation in hydrogels by describing a systematic investigation into the radical-based self-assembly of a series of unimolecular viologen-based oligomeric links, present at only 5 mol % of the polymer linkers in a three-dimensional network. The actuation process results in an overall reversible contraction of a family of hydrogels, down to 35% of their original volume ...
Sophisticated lessons from simple organisms: appreciating the value of curiosity-driven research

For hundreds of years, biologists have studied accessible organisms such as garden peas, sea urchins collected at low tide, newt eggs, and flies circling rotten fruit. These organisms help us to understand the world around us, attracting and inspiring each new generation of biologists with the promise of mystery and discovery. Time and time again, what we learn from such simple organisms has emphasized our common biological origins by proving to be applicable to more complex organisms, including humans. Yet, biologists are increasingly being tasked with developing applications from the known, rather than being allowed to follow a path to discovery of the as yet unknown. Here, we provide examples of important lessons learned from research using selected non-vertebrate organisms. We argue that, for the purpose of understanding human disease, simple organisms cannot and should not be replaced solely by human cell-based culture systems. Rather, these organisms serve as powerful discovery tools for new knowledge that could subsequently be tested for conservation in human cell-based culture systems. In this way, curiosity-driven biological research in simple organisms has and will continue to pay huge dividends in both the short and long run for improving the human condition.
Effects of eliminating routine use of oral contrast for computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis: A pilot study.

Abstract Introduction Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis using only intravenous contrast has been shown to have a high degree of accuracy in evaluating abdominal pain. The aim of this study was to determine the effect on time to completion of study, time to radiologist read, and length of stay in the emergency department (ED) of implementing a protocol that stopped the routine use of oral contrast for CT of the abdomen and pelvis. Methods This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study. All patients ≥18 years of age who presented to the ED and required a CT of the abdomen and pelvis during the hours 0700–1500 were included. There were two one-month study periods, before and after implementing a protocol that specified oral contrast should only be used for CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis if body mass index Results During the pre- and post-implementation periods, there were 93 and 83 patients, respectively, with mean times to CT completion of 158 min and 135 min, representing a reduction of 23 min (15%). The mean lengths of stay in the pre- and post-implementation periods were 365 min and 336 min, a decrease of 29 min (8%). Conclusion A protocol without the routine use of oral contrast for CT of the abdomen and pelvis can result in improved time to completion and ED length of stay.
Water-Impermeable Seed Coverings as Barriers to Germination

Some seeds have water-impermeable coverings that prevent water entry into seeds and thereby prevent germination until the impermeability breaks down. Historically, such seeds have been termed “hard” because they do not imbibe water after a day or two and remain hard to the touch whereas nonhard seeds rapidly imbibe and become soft (Assoc. Off. Seed Anal., 1978). This type of physical “coat-imposed dormancy” prevents germination even though water is externally available.
An evaluation and update of methods for estimating the number of influenza cases averted by vaccination in the United States.

INTRODUCTION To evaluate the public health benefit of yearly influenza vaccinations, CDC estimates the number of influenza cases and hospitalizations averted by vaccine. Available input data on cases and vaccinations is aggregated by month and the estimation model is intentionally simple, raising concerns about the accuracy of estimates. METHODS We created a synthetic dataset with daily counts of influenza cases and vaccinations, calculated "true" averted cases using a reference model applied to the daily data, aggregated the data by month to simulate data that would actually be available, and evaluated the month-level data with seven test methods (including the current method). Methods with averted case estimates closest to the reference model were considered most accurate. To examine their performance under varying conditions, we re-evaluated the test methods when synthetic data parameters (timing of vaccination relative to cases, vaccination coverage, infection rate, and vaccine effectiveness) were varied over wide ranges. Finally, we analyzed real (i.e., collected by surveillance) data from 2010 to 2017 comparing the current method used by CDC with the best-performing test methods. RESULTS In the synthetic dataset (population 1 million persons, vaccination uptake 55%, seasonal infection risk without vaccination 12%, vaccine effectiveness 48%) the reference model estimated 28,768 averted cases. The current method underestimated averted cases by 9%. The two best test methods estimated averted cases with <1% error. These two methods also worked well when synthetic data parameters were varied over wide ranges (≤6.2% error). With the real data, these two methods estimated numbers of averted cases that are a median 8% higher than the currently-used method. CONCLUSIONS We identified two methods for estimating numbers of influenza cases averted by vaccine that are more accurate than the currently-used algorithm. These methods will help us to better assess the benefits of influenza vaccination.
“Charaxus Arrived with a Full Ship!” The Poetics of Welcome in Sappho's Brothers Song and the Charaxus Song Cycle

By analyzing the parallels between Sappho9s Brothers Song and archaic Greek songs of welcome, especially Archilochus fr. 24 West, this essay offers a new interpretation of the Brothers Song. It clarifies that ἔλθην in the first preserved stanza represents an original aorist indicative. The chatterer repeats over and over a welcome song that begins, “Charaxus arrived with a full ship.” The rest of the song continues to engage with the welcome song tradition, anticipating the welcome song that will celebrate Charaxus9 return to Mytilene, when and if that occurs. By pointing beyond itself to other, real or notional, songs about Charaxus, the Brothers Song also demonstrates Sappho9s nonlinear method of storytelling that relies on her audiences9 imaginations.
Diagnosis and Remedial Procedure of Transformer Insulation Resistance Decline Induced by Deteriorated Oil

As core equipment to the power grid network, transformers’ safety operation is essential to the reliable power supply. Insulating mineral oil is widely used in power transformers as a dielectric and cooling medium. And the quality of insulating oil is critical to ensure the stable operation of power transformers. Recently, many exceptional examples of the transformer’s insulation resistance decline of the high and low winding are reported, which are probably induced by deteriorated oil. Firstly, hot oil circulation and vacuum oil filtering methods were employed to deal with the insulation resistance decline of the transformer, as the problem may derive from humidity. However, the magnitude of insulation resistance was still lower than that of the standard. It is interesting to note that the insulation resistance was improved after oil draining, which suggested that the insulating oil was deteriorated and caused harmful effects to the oil-paper insulating system. Subsequently, the quantitative determination method of copper content was developed according to the ASTM D 7151 standard — standard test method for determination of elements in insulating oils by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). We performed a general survey of 495 transformers all around Guangdong Province in southern China that may suffer from insulating resistance decline problem. The results show that higher concentration of copper content is highly correlated to this problem. And the influence of copper content on the dielectric loss factor of transformer oil was also studied, coming up similar results. Then, the chemisorption method using modified activated clay was developed to efficiently remove the copper complex aging product from transformer oil, delivering restoration of insulation resistance. Transformers’ surveillance was also conducted to ensure effective following treatment with chemisorption procedure for 2 years.
How schools work: an inside account of failure and success from one of the nation’s longest-serving secretaries of education

Described in the subtitle as “one of the nation’s longest-serving secretaries of education” (2009–2015), former U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan has finally provided, in 2018, a piece of writing ...
600.19 Invasive Versus Doppler-Derived Gradients After TAVR

In patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), prosthesis gradients are employed for surveillance of valve function and durability. The reliability of these gradients is important as they often drive clinical decision making. Although theoretical limitations of Doppler and
The Classic: Integration of Deoxyribonucleic Acid Specific for Rous Sarcoma Virus after Infection of Permissive and Nonpermissive Hosts

A relatively simple but stringent technique was developed to detect the integration of virus-specific DNA into the genomes of higher organisms. In both permissive (duck) and nonpermissive (mammalian) cells which normally contain no nucleotide sequences specific for Rous sarcoma virus, transformation by the virus results in the appearance of DNA specific for Rous sarcoma virus covalently integrated into strands of host-cell DNA containing reiterated sequences. Early after infection of mouse or duck cells by Rous sarcoma virus, unintegrated DNA specific for the virus can be demonstrated.
Patient Satisfaction With Diabetes Care in a Student-Run Free Medical Clinic: A Quality Improvement Study.

Background: Diabetes prevalence continues to be a concern and the management of diabetes is important but costly. The prevalence of diabetes is greater among persons with a low income, including th...
Avoiding Us versus Them: How Schools’ Dependence on Privileged “Helicopter” Parents Influences Enforcement of Rules:

As privilege-dependent organizations, U.S. public schools have an interest in catering to higher-SES White families. But, what happens when privileged families’ interests conflict with schools’ sta...
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: An Overview of a Complex, Heterogenous Genetic Condition

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogenous, complex, genetic trait of unclear etiology, comprising of ovarian hyperandrogenism and hyperinsulinemia. It is the most common endocrine abnormality in women of reproductive age and the most common cause of anovulatory infertility. PCOS has been shown to be associated with certain autoimmune diseases like Autoimmune Thyroid Disease (AITD) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Furthermore, over a hundred candidate genes have been linked to PCOS and Genome Wide Association Studies on these are ongoing. Two among these, are the most promising chromosome 9p33.3 DENND1A (DENN/MADD domain-containing protein 1A) and 2–21 THADA (Thyroid adenoma-associated) susceptibility loci. In the majority of PCOS patients, the fundamental defect is intrinsic androgenic dysfunction termed Primary Ovarian Hyperandrogenism. Primary Ovarian Hyperandrogenism is believed to be due to the rapid, high-amplitude pulsation of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus, which causes preferential release of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) over Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) from the anterior pituitary gland. Hyperandrogenemia may present as hirsutism, acne or alopecia. The pathophysiology of PCOS is multifactorial but is related to insulin resistance in many cases. Hyperinsulinemia may manifest as obesity, difficulty losing weight, prediabetes or Diabetes Mellitus Type II. Many PCOS women also have irregular and anovulatory cycles, and some have polycystic ovaries on transvaginal ultrasound. Overall, PCOS encompasses a wide range of metabolic and reproductive disorders ranging from prediabetes, to infertility, endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer. Treatment of PCOS is multifaceted and aims at targeting the underlying hyperinsulinemia, hyperandrogenemia and menstrual irregularity. Biguanides (i.e., Metformin) and Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are insulin sensitizers that have been studied in the treatment of PCOS.
Performance Improvement With Implementation of a Surgical Skills Curriculum.

Objective To assess the efficacy of an intern surgical skills curriculum involving a boot camp for core open and laparoscopic skills, self-guided practice with positive and negative incentives, and semiannual performance evaluations. Design Longitudinal cohort study. Setting Academic tertiary care center. Participants Intervention group (n = 15): residents who completed the intern surgical skills curriculum and had performance evaluations in fall of intern year, spring of intern year, and fall of second year. Control group (n = 8): second-year residents who were 1 year ahead of the intervention group in the same residency program, did not participate in the curriculum, and had performance evaluations in fall of second year. Results In fall of second year of residency, the intervention group had better performance (presented as median values with interquartile ranges) than the control group on one-hand ties (left hand: 9.1 [6.3-10.1] vs 14.6 [13.5-15.4] seconds, p = 0.007; right hand: 8.7 [8.5-9.6] vs 11.5 [9.9-16.8] seconds, p = 0.039). The intervention group also had better performance on all open suturing skills, including mattress suturing (vertical: 33.4 [30.0-40.0] vs 55.8 [50.0-67.6] seconds, p = 0.001; horizontal: 28.7 [27.3-39.9] vs 52.7 [40.7-57.8] seconds, p = 0.003), and a water-filled glove clamp, divide, and ligate task (28.0 [25.0-31.0] vs 59.1 [53.0-93.0] seconds, p Conclusions Implementation of a comprehensive surgical skills curriculum was associated with improved performance on core open and laparoscopic skills. Further research is needed to understand and optimize motivational factors for deliberate practice and surgical skill acquisition.
PCI Express 6.0 Specification: A Low-Latency, High-Bandwidth, High-Reliability, and Cost-Effective Interconnect With 64.0 GT/s PAM-4 Signaling

PCI Express (PCIe) specification has been doubling the data rate every generation in a backward compatible manner every two to three years. PCIe 6.0 specification will adopt PAM-4 signaling at 64.0 GT/s for maintaining the same channel reach of prior generations. A forward error correction (FEC) mechanism will offset the high BER of PAM-4. We propose a new flit-based approach with a lightweight, low-latency FEC coupled with a strong cyclic redundancy check (CRC) and a low-latency link-level retry mechanism to meet the stringent low-latency, high-bandwidth, and high-reliability goals. We also present a new low-power state that ensures power consumption is proportional to bandwidth usage without impacting the traffic flow.
High-Accuracy Localization in Joint Radar and Communications Systems Using Multi-Tone Waveform Modulation

We present a multi-tone modulated waveform for high-accuracy localization in joint radar-communications systems for the Internet of Things, human computer interaction, and other connected device applications. By modifying a preamble channel-estimation signal with linear-frequency modulation, high-accuracy localization can be obtained without modification of the hardware. We present the waveform design and theoretical lower bound on delay estimation. Experimental results demonstrate range estimation accuracy of 5.2 mm using a four-tone LFM over a total bandwidth of 100 MHz and duration of $\mathbf{2.5} \mu \mathbf{s}$ ·
Quantifying predator functional responses under field conditions reveals interactive effects of temperature and interference with sex and stage.

O_LIPredator functional responses describe predator feeding rates and are a core component of predator-prey theory. Although originally defined as the relationship between predator feeding rates and prey densities, it is now well known that predator functional responses are shaped by a multitude of factors. Unfortunately, how these factors interact with one another remains unclear, as widely used laboratory methods for measuring functional responses are generally logistically constrained to examining a few factors simultaneously. Furthermore, it is also often unclear whether laboratory derived functional responses translate to field conditions. C_LIO_LIOur goal was to apply an observational approach for measuring functional responses to understand how sex/stage differences, temperature, and predator interference interact to influence the functional response of zebra jumping spiders on midges under natural conditions. C_LIO_LIWe used field feeding surveys of jumping spiders to infer spider functional responses. We applied a Bayesian model averaging approach to estimate differences among sexes and stages of jumping spiders in their feeding rates and their dependencies on midge densities, temperature, and predator interference. C_LIO_LIWe find that females exhibit the steepest functional responses on midges, followed by juveniles, and then males, despite males being larger than juveniles. We also find that sexes and stages differ in the temperature dependence of their space clearance (aka attack) rates. We find little evidence of temperature dependence in females, whereas we find some evidence for an increase in space clearance rate at high temperatures in males and juveniles. Interference effects on feeding rates were asymmetric with little effect of interference on male feeding rates, and effects of interference on females and juveniles depending on the stage/sex from which the interference originates. C_LIO_LIOur results illustrate the multidimensional nature of functional responses in natural settings and reveal how factors influencing functional responses can interact with one another through behavior and morphology. Further studies investigating the influence of multiple mechanisms on predator functional responses under field conditions will provide an increased understanding of the drivers of predator-prey interaction strengths and their consequences for communities and ecosystems. C_LI
Gruppenbildungen in Industriebetrieben

Die Geschehnisse der letzten Jahre, in deren Mittelpunkt die Frage der Entfremdung steht, haben zu einem erneuten Interesse an der Lage des Industriearbeiters gefuhrt. Haben die bestehenden technologischen und sozialen Arbeitsbedingungen eine Klassenstruktur geschaffen, in der die unteren Schichten keinen Anteil am Leben der Gesellschaft haben?
Addressing the Needs of Military Children Through Family-Based Play Therapy

Ongoing foreign conflicts have exposed military-connected children to stressors not generally faced by the general child population. Although many children of service members and veterans are resilient and successfully adapt to these changes, frequent relocation, fluid family structure, and ambiguous loss can become too overwhelming for many children of military families and lead to pathological symptoms that require them to receive treatment. This paper discusses the use of family-based play therapy interventions with military children. It will focus on the following areas: (1) risks to the psychological and emotional health of children of service members, (2) adverse effects of combat stress reactions of military parents on their children, (3) traumatic grief of children whose family member has died or been grievously wounded, (4) family-based therapies currently in the treatment of childhood grief and trauma, and (5) play therapy as a means of treating bereavement and traumatization of military-connected children and their families. A case example demonstrating a couple and family therapist’s use of family-based play therapy to deal with traumatic grief of a military child is provided. Recommendations for future research are presented.
When Words Have Power: What Makes Statements of Resolve Effective in International Conflict

This paper examines under which conditions public statements of resolve are effective at influencing international conflict outcomes. I argue that a key factor which is likely to influence the effectiveness of statements of resolve is the observable ability to follow through on them. When there is too much political risk or too many domestic obstacles to carrying out threats, statements of resolve will be less effective. However, certain conditions, including hawkish domestic veto players and security in office, can mitigate these risks and obstacles and make it clear to adversaries that a leader has the ability to follow through. I test the importance of these conditions as well as conditions associated with other existing explanations for the effectiveness of statements by interacting them with a quantitative measure of resolved statements in regressions predicting conflict outcome. The results cast doubt on the importance of many existing theories, but the new theory I offer on the importance of the observable ability to follow through on statements is strongly supported.