cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneity of the blood pressure distribution among Solomon Islands societies with increasing acculturation.

Anthropometric survey, Genetic differences, Gene- ABSTRACT This study illustrates the very complex nature of gene by environmental interactions influencing the blood pressure (BPI distribution in a series of genetically distinctive populations undergoing rapid acculturation. We report the results of two BP and anthropometric surveys on Solomon Islands societies separated by an interval of 14 to 19 years. While differences in acculturation existed at the time of the initial survey, the interval between surveys was marked by rapid acculturation in almost all societies. Seven of the eight societies originally covered were included in the resurvey, and a large but variable proportion of the original sample subjects was recovered in the follow-up. Because the genetic relationships of the societies have been described, we were able to establish the following points concerning the role of genetic differences in determining the distribution of BP among these populations and, more important, the interaction of these genetic differences with changes associated with increasing acculturation: 1) In the initial survey, mean ad- justed systolic and diastolic BPs were significantly heterogeneous among societies within and among genetically related clusters of societies (genetic clusters) and sexes. At the same time, rank differences in these means were not associated with rank differences in acculturation status among societies ignoring cluster membership. 2) Importantly, in the follow-up survey increas- ing acculturation resulted in the disappearance of significant differences in mean systolic and diastolic BP among genetic clusters in males, despite continued significant heterogeneity among societies within genetic clusters. In females, differences among genetic clusters persisted, but the degree of significance was substantially less with increasing acculturation. We inter- pret these changes as evidence for genotype by environment interaction. 3) There were significant differences in interindividual variances of both systolic and diastolic BPs among genetic clusters in the first survey. Ranks of these variances were not significantly associated with acculturation rank. In the follow-up survey, however, most societies showed striking increases in the variance of both systolic and diastolic BPs with increased acculturation. These increases in variance of both systolic and diastolic BPs may be related to a) shifts in demography andor anthropometry of some societies; b) increased range and intensity of environmental factors affecting BP and associated with increased acculturation; andor c) genotype by environmental interactions. 4) The correlation between systolic and diastolic BP decreased over the interval for all societies within and among genetic clusters. This trend was partly the result of larger changes in variances for systolic than diastolic BP in the resurveys. This study illustrates the enormous heterogeneity in the BP distribution- that can occur even among populations with Felatiiely similar ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
Mouse Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Is Not a Functional Receptor for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection

Human dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (hDPP4) was recently identified as the receptor for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, suggesting that other mammalian DPP4 orthologs may also support infection. We demonstrate that mouse DPP4 cannot support MERS-CoV infection. However, employing mouse DPP4 as a scaffold, we identified two critical amino acids (A288L and T330R) that regulate species specificity in the mouse. This knowledge can support the rational design of a mouse-adapted MERS-CoV for rapid assessment of therapeutics.
Influenza A Virus Exacerbates Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia in Mice by Attenuating Antimicrobial Peptide Production

Influenza A represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Bacterial complications of influenza A confer the greatest risk to patients. TH17 pathway inhibition has been implicated as a mechanism by which influenza A alters bacterial host defense. Here we show that preceding influenza causes persistent Staphylococcus aureus infection and suppression of TH17 pathway activation in mice. Influenza does not inhibit S. aureus binding and uptake by phagocytic cells but instead attenuates S. aureus induced TH17 related antimicrobial peptides necessary for bacterial clearance in the lung. Importantly, exogenous lipocalin 2 rescued viral exacerbation of S. aureus infection and decreased free iron levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage from mice coinfected with S. aureus and influenza. These findings indicate a novel mechanism by which influenza A inhibits TH17 immunity and increases susceptibility to secondary bacterial pneumonia. Identification of new mechanisms in the pathogenesis of bacterial pneumonia could lead to future therapeutic targets.
Molecular Methods for Diagnosis of Viral Encephalitis

Hundreds of viruses cause central nervous system (CNS) disease, including meningoencephalitis and postinfectious encephalomyelitis, in humans. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is abnormal in >90% of cases; however, routine CSF studies only rarely lead to identification of a specific etiologic agent. Diagnosis of viral infections of the CNS has been revolutionized by the advent of new molecular diagnostic technologies to amplify viral nucleic acid from CSF, including PCR, nucleic acid sequence-based amplification, and branched-DNA assay. PCR is ideally suited for identifying fastidious organisms that may be difficult or impossible to culture and has been widely applied for detection of both DNA and RNA viruses in CSF. The technique can be performed rapidly and inexpensively and has become an integral component of diagnostic medical practice in the United States and other developed countries. In addition to its use for identification of etiologic agents of CNS disease in the clinical setting, PCR has also been used to quantitate viral load and monitor duration and adequacy of antiviral drug therapy. PCR has also been applied in the research setting to help discriminate active versus postinfectious immune-mediate disease, identify determinants of drug resistance, and investigate the etiology of neurologic disease of uncertain cause. This review discusses general principles of PCR and reverse transcription-PCR, including qualitative, quantitative, and multiplex techniques, with comment on issues of sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values. The application of molecular diagnostic methods for diagnosis of specific infectious entities is reviewed in detail, including viruses for which PCR is of proven efficacy and is widely available, viruses for which PCR is less widely available or for which PCR has unproven sensitivity and specificity, and nonviral entities which can mimic viral CNS disease.
Rotational symmetry in the relativistic constituent quark model.

Nucleon matrix elements at zero momentum transfer of the relativistic constituent quark model on the light cone, where rotational symmetry is only approximate, are shown to reproduce the characteristic ratios 3, 1, and 5/3 of the Wigner-Eckart theorem based on rotational isospin invariance.
A Look at Arginine in Membranes

Here, we review the current knowledge about the energetics of arginine insertion into the bilayer hydrocarbon core, and we discuss discrepancies between experimental and computational studies of the insertion process. While simulations suggest that it should be very costly to place arginine into the hydrocarbon core, experiments show that arginine is found there. Both types of studies suggest that arginine insertion into the bilayer involves substantial bilayer deformation, with multiple hydrogen bonds between the arginine guanidinium group and lipid polar groups. It is possible that the discrepancies concerning the insertion cost of arginine arise because simulations overestimate the cost associated with bilayer deformation and underestimate the ability of the bilayer to adapt to charged and polar groups. This is an active area of research, and there is no doubt that a consensus view of arginine in membranes will soon emerge.
Shape-directional growth of Pt and Pd nanoparticles

The design and synthesis of shape-directed nanoscale noble metal particles have attracted much attention due to their enhanced catalytic properties and the opportunities to study fundamental aspects of nanoscale systems. As such, numerous methods have been developed to synthesize crystals with tunable shapes, sizes, and facets by adding foreign species that promote or restrict growth on specific sites. Many hypotheses regarding how and why certain species direct growth have been put forward, however there has been no consensus on a unifying mechanism of nanocrystal growth. Herein, we develop and demonstrate the capabilities of a mathematical growth model for predicting metal nanoparticle shapes by studying a well known procedure that employs AgNO3 to produce {111} faceted Pt nanocrystals. The insight gained about the role of auxiliary species is then utilized to predict the shape of Pd nanocrystals and to corroborate other shape-directing syntheses reported in literature. The fundamental understanding obtained herein by combining modeling with experimentation is a step toward computationally guided syntheses and, in principle, applicable to predictive design of the growth of crystalline solids at all length scales (nano to bulk).
Ships of the 13th‐century Catalan Navy

For the Crown of Aragon the 13th century ushered in a period of expansion and the acquisition of overseas possessions. The spearhead of this rise in naval power was the Catalan navy, whose ships varied considerably in both size and style of construction. Unfortunately, to date very little headway has been made in defining the differences between the types of vessels used by 13th-century navies beyond generalizations about size and use. The problem is compounded by the evolution of ship design during this period and by a complete change in the method of rowing at the end of the century. All the ships at the Palau Nadal have their oars arranged on one level, this was not the case for the warships which had immediately preceded them. Despite the problems and limitations, the Catalans seem to have experimented with the limited use of a third oar or tarsol during the second half of the 13th century.
Credentialing of emergency physicians: support for delineation of privileges in invasive procedures.

The American College of Emergency Physicians states in its “Guidelines for Delineation of Clinical Privileges in Emergency Medicine” that a qualified emergency physician “performs such definitive treatment as falls within the physician’s competence.“’ The exact definition as to what treatments or procedures an emergency physician is competent to perform, though, remains nebulous. The resuscitation and stabilization of critical patients is one of the hallmarks of the emergency physician; yet in many institutions emergency physicians are granted very restricted clinical privileges. New emergency physicians or even entire groups of physicians may meet severe resistance from the hospital staff when requesting privileges for invasive procedures. Personal experience has shown this problem of credentialing to be most evident in institutions in which the style of emergency medicine changes abruptly from passive to active with the introduction of newer career emergency physicians. Why emergency physicians should undergo a different credentialing process from the remainder of the medical staff is unclear. Other generalists or specialists need only cite their completion of a residency or special course to be granted specific privileges, whereas emergency physicians may have to petition specific department chairmen for permission to perform invasive procedures. In other situations emer-
The inflammatory microenvironment of the aging prostate facilitates cellular proliferation and hypertrophy

Abstract Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia or benign prostatic enlargement), is one of the most common benign proliferative conditions associated with aging in men and is pathologically characterized by the proliferation of fibroblast/myofibroblast and epithelial cell types in the prostate. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that the CXC-type chemokines, CXCL5 and CXCL12, are secreted by aging prostate stroma and promote both proliferative and transcriptional responses from prostate epithelial cells. Using array-based gene expression profiling and quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, we now show that the transcriptome of the aging prostate stroma is characterized by the up-regulation of several genes that encode secreted inflammatory mediators, including secreted CXC-type chemokines (CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL5, CXCL6, CXCL12), interleukins (IL11, IL33), and transcripts with cytokine homology (CYTL1). At the protein level, ELISA experiments demonstrated that CXCL1, CXCL5, and CXCL6 were secreted by primary prostate stromal fibroblasts explanted from aging prostate stroma. Dose–response assays confirmed that, like CXCL5 and CXCL12, CXCL1 and CXCL6 promote low-level proliferative responses from both prostate stromal fibroblasts and epithelial cells. Taken together, these data suggest that inflammatory mediators are secreted by prostatic stroma consequent to aging, that the levels of these mediators are sufficient to promote low-level increases in the proliferative rate of both epithelial and stromal fibroblast cell types. Moreover, these processes may account for the low-level, but cumulative, proliferation of both epithelial and fibroblastic/myofibroblastic cell types that characterizes the aging-associated development of benign prostatic hypertophy.
A novel transcellular transport pathway for non-bile salt cholephilic organic anions

Non-bile salt cholephilic organic anions comprise a single class of nonhomologous ligands having a range of hydrophobicity. Hydrophobicity enhances the hepatic extraction of cholephiles as well as their partitioning into secreted biliary lipid particles. When hydrophobicity is correlated with patterns of biliary excretion for studying transcellular transport, however, the more hydrophobic probes are unsuitable. Specifically, with the isolated perfused rat liver technique, the excretory times for sulfobromophthalein and rose bengal were significantly longer compared with that for the much more hydrophilic analogue phenol red (PR), which showed only a single, nearly symmetrical excretory peak at 10 min. Colchicine affected the apparently well-defined PR pathway only at a saturation dose (10,000 times the tracer dose). In contrast, the effect of a different perturbant, monensin, was striking at a tracer dose of PR, but was less evident at a saturation dose. The combined administration of colchicine and monensin had no additive inhibitory effect on PR excretion at tracer doses. At a saturation dose of PR, where monensin is less inhibiting, however, a significant additive inhibitory effect was observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Phosphorylated RPA recruits PALB2 to stalled DNA replication forks to facilitate fork recovery

Phosphorylation of replication protein A (RPA) by Cdk2 and the checkpoint kinase ATR (ATM and Rad3 related) during replication fork stalling stabilizes the replisome, but how these modifications safeguard the fork is not understood. To address this question, we used single-molecule fiber analysis in cells expressing a phosphorylation-defective RPA2 subunit or lacking phosphatase activity toward RPA2. Deregulation of RPA phosphorylation reduced synthesis at forks both during replication stress and recovery from stress. The ability of phosphorylated RPA to stimulate fork recovery is mediated through the PALB2 tumor suppressor protein. RPA phosphorylation increased localization of PALB2 and BRCA2 to RPA-bound nuclear foci in cells experiencing replication stress. Phosphorylated RPA also stimulated recruitment of PALB2 to single-strand deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in a cell-free system. Expression of mutant RPA2 or loss of PALB2 expression led to significant DNA damage after replication stress, a defect accentuated by poly-ADP (adenosine diphosphate) ribose polymerase inhibitors. These data demonstrate that phosphorylated RPA recruits repair factors to stalled forks, thereby enhancing fork integrity during replication stress.
Generation of high-intensity coherent radiation in the soft-x-ray and vacuum-ultraviolet region

An electron beam can be made to interact with an undulator magnet so that a collective unstable mode is excited. In this mode, the beam generates coherent radiation whose wavelength is determined by the undulator period and the electron energy. By proper choice of the electron-beam energy, energy dispersion, and density, one can obtain coherent radiation in the soft-x-ray region with peak and average power of the order of hundreds of megawatts and hundreds of milliwatts, respectively. Larger peak powers, of the order of a gigawatt, can be expected for UV radiation with λ in the range of 500–2000 A. We discuss the physical principles of these systems and give examples of how they might be built.
Does Racial Redistricting Cause Conservative Policy Outcomes? Policy Preferences of Southern Representatives in the 1980s and 1990s

This research note uses a median legislator model to assess the claim that racial redistricting leads to conservative policy outcomes. I examine policy preferences of southern representatives to the U.S. House in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Surprisingly, the fraction of southern representatives who were liberal, that is, to the left of the House median, increased after racial redistricting. To explain this empirical pattern, I develop a simple formal model of redistricting's electoral effects. In the model, racial redistricting in a conservative state increases the number of members of that state's delegation to the left of the U.S. House median, thereby moving national policy outcomes to the left.
Scale Analysis of Marine Winds in Straits and along Mountainous Coasts

Abstract The complicated wind regimes in straits which develop in response to difFerent large-scale pressure fields are investigated by scale analysis of the equations of motion. Adjustment of the mass and motion fields in straits O(lOs km) in width is governed by four nondimensional numbers: separate along- and cross-strait Rossby numbers, a strait drag coefficient, and a stratification parameter, which relates the internal Rossby radius of deformation to the width of the strait. The wind field is in approximate geostrophic balance with an imposed cross-channel pressure gradient. An along-channel pressure gradient is primarily balanced by ageostrophic acceleration of the wind field down the axis of the strait (the gap wind). Vertical motion and the accompanying horizontal divergence in the near-surface wind field can be large even for moderately stable stratification; as a consequence, there may be particularly abrupt transitions of the surface wind field at the exits of straits, where there is a rapid c...
Fruit and Vegetable Products: Whole, Fresh-Cut, and Fermented

The microbial biota of land-grown vegetables may be expected to reflect that of the soils in which they are grown, although exceptions occur. In Table 2-1 are listed bacteria and protozoa that are common in agricultural soils, along with another list of those that attach to plants and become part of the biota of fresh plant products. The actinomycetes (gram-positive branching forms) are the most abundant bacteria in stable soils, yet they are rarely reported on vegetable products. On the other hand, the lactic acid bacteria are rarely found in soil per se, but they are significant parts of the bacterial biota of plants and plant products.42 The overall exposure of plant products to the environment provide many opportunities for contamination by microorganisms. The protective cover of many fruits and vegetables and the possession by some of pH values below which many organisms cannot grow are important factors in the microbiology of these products.
Rate Accelerated Organocatalytic Ring-Opening Polymerization of l-Lactide via the Application of a Bis(thiourea) H-bond Donating Cocatalyst

A cocatalyst system consisting of an alkylamine base and a bis(thiourea) featuring a linear alkane tether is shown to dramatically increase the rate of ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of l-lactide versus previously disclosed monothiourea H-bond donors. Rate acceleration occurs regardless of the identity of the alkylamine cocatalyst, and the ROP remains controlled yielding poly(lactide) with narrow molecular weight distributions, predictable molecular weights and high selectivity for monomer. This H-bond mediated ROP of l-lactide constitutes a rare, clear example of rate acceleration with bis(thiourea) H-bond donors versus monothioureas, and the bis(thiourea) is shown to remain highly active for ROP at fractional percent catalyst loadings. Activation at a single monomer ester by both thiourea moieties is implicated as the source of rate acceleration.
Nitrogen Availability from Liquid Organic Fertilizers

Limited soil nitrogen (N) availability is a common problem in organic vegetable production that often necessitates additional N fertilization. The increasing use of drip irrigation has created a demand for liquid organic fertilizers that can be applied with irrigation. The N availability of three liquid organic fertilizers was evaluated in an incubation study and a greenhouse bioassay. Phytamin 801 contained fishery wastes and seabird guano, while Phytamin 421 and Biolyzer were formulated from plant materials. The fertilizers ranged from 26 to 60 g kg N, 8% to 21% of which was associated with particulate matter large enough to potentially be removed by drip irrigation system filtration. The fertilizers were incubated aerobically in two organically managed soils at constant moisture at 15 and 25 C, and sampled for mineral N concentration after 1, 2, and 4 weeks. In the greenhouse study, these fertilizers and an inorganic fertilizer (ammonium sulfate) were applied to pots of the two organically managed soils with established fescue (Festuca arundinacea) turf; the N content of clippings was compared with that from unfertilized pots after 2 and 4 weeks of growth. Across soils and incubation temperatures, the N availability from Phytamin 801 ranged from 79% to 93% of the initial N content after 1 week, and 83% to 99% after 4 weeks. The plant-based fertilizers had significantly lower N availability, but after 4 weeks, had 48% to 92% of initial N in mineral form. Soil and incubation temperature had modest but significant effects on fertilizer N availability. Nitrification was rapid, with >90% of mineral N in nitrate form after 1 week of incubation at 25 C, or 2 weeks at 15 C. N recovery in fescue clippings 4 weeks after application averaged 60%, 38%, and 36% of initial N content for Phytamin 801, Phytamin 421, and Biolyzer, respectively, equivalent to or better than the N recovery from ammonium sulfate.
Effect of cortisol on nuclear RNA-synthesis in vitro.

SummaryNuclei isolated from rat liver cells can incorporate H3-cytidine triphosphate into RNA in vitro. Cortisol added to the incubation medium is taken up by the nuclei in small amounts, but does not stimulate nuclear RNA synthesis. Administration of the hormone in vivo, however, results in a marked increase in incorporation of H3-cytidine triphosphate incubated in vitro with nuclei isolated from 20 to 180 minutes after the injection. Synthesis of RNA in vitro is accompanied by a simultaneous partial degradation of RNA which affects the yields of RNA ex-tractable from nuclei even after very short periods of incubation.
THE DETECTION OF PLASTICITY GENES IN HETEROGENEOUS ENVIRONMENTS.

The molecular genetic mechanisms for phenotypic plasticity across heterogeneous macro- and microenvironments were examined using the Populus genomic map constructed by DNA-based markers. Three hypotheses have been suggested to explain genetic variation in phenotypic response to varying environments (i.e., reaction norm): Lerner's homeostasis, allelic sensitivity, and gene regulation. The homeostasis hypothesis, which predicts that heterozygotes are less sensitive to the environment than homozygotes, was supported for phenotypic plasticity to unpredictable environments (microenvironmental plasticity) at the whole-genome level, but for phenotypic plasticity to predictable environments (macroenvironmental plasticity) the hypothesis was supported only at functioning quantitative trait loci (QTLs). For all growth traits studied, gene regulation was suggested to play a prevailing role in determining the norms of reaction to environments. Indirect evidence for gene regulation is that there tend to be more QTLs with larger effects on the phenotype in optimal growing conditions than suboptimal growing conditions because the expression of these QTLs identified is mediated by regulatory genes. Direct evidence for gene regulation is the identification of some loci that differ from QTLs for trait values within environments and exert an environmentally dependent control over structural gene expression. In this study, fewer environmentally sensitive QTLs were detected that display unparalleled allelic effects across environments. For stem height, there were more regulatory loci and more structural loci (whose expression is determined by gene regulation) affecting phenotypic plasticity than for basal area. It was found that microenvironmental plasticity was likely controlled by different genetic systems than those for macroenvironmental plasticity.
Perceptions of Femaleness

This chapter elaborates on the self-understandings of Odia Hindu women who live in the temple town, especially their notions about femininity and domesticity. It presents a female-oriented origin myth, familiar in this neighborhood, which portrays Devi, the Great Goddess of Hinduism, as the source of all creation and Siva as her partner, secondary to her in terms of energy and power yet essential to the process of creation. It also discusses the meanings that Odia Hindus in the temple town attach to the process of becoming a woman and the great significance that marriage has as a ritual of refinement for women. The chapter addresses in some detail the complexity that characterizes relations between wives and husbands in the temple town—relations that cannot be described in a straightforward manner as men being dominant and women subordinate because although women may be the “naturally” inferior to men, they hold the lives, health, and material prosperity of their menfolk and their families in the palms of their hands.
Mississippi Medical Reserve Corps: Moving Mississippi From Emergency Planning to Response Ready.

Objective The purpose of this study was to identify factors that might impact a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteer's decision to respond to an emergency event. The 2 primary goals of this survey were to (1) establish realistic planning assumptions regarding the use of volunteers in health care emergency responses, and (2) determine whether barriers to volunteer participation could be addressed by MRC units to improve volunteer response rates. Design An anonymous online survey instrument was made available via Qualtrics through a customized URL. For the purpose of distribution, the Mississippi State Department of Health sent an electronic message that included the survey link to all MRC volunteers who were registered with the Mississippi Responder Management System (MRMS) as of September 2014. Results Approximately 15% of those surveyed indicated they would be available and able to deploy within 24 hours. The most common factors reported in terms of respondent decisions to deploy included risk to personal health (61.2%), length of deployment (58.8%), and the security of the deployment area (55.3%). In addition, 67% of respondents indicated that extended periods of deployment would have a negative financial impact on their lives. Respondents who have had training or previous deployment experience reported having greater knowledge of potential response roles, increased comfort in their ability to respond with the MRC, and increased confidence in responding to differing public health emergencies. Conclusions Barriers to MRC volunteers being able to deploy should be addressed by each MRC unit. Issues such as risk to personal safety while on deployment, site security, and length of deployment should be considered by planners and those solutions communicated to MRC members during trainings. Emergency plans utilizing MRC volunteers will require significant evaluation to assess the risk of relying on an expected resource that could be severely limited during an actual emergency.
Management scheme for parallel connected hybrid energy storage in electric vehicles

As the electric vehicle (EV) gains traction in the modern automotive market, a focus has been placed on the development of efficient and long-lasting methods to store energy. In order to exploit the advantages of a hybrid energy storage system (HESS), new management schemes are needed which understand the mechanics of each energy storage device. Many EVs have introduced regenerative braking as a method to recharge the battery bank while in operation. Unfortunately, the combination of long duration discharge drive currents and short, high powered charging currents from regenerative breaking place batteries under enormous stress resulting in shorter lifetimes. Moreover, when the battery bank is at a high state of charge, electrochemical constraints will limit current injection during regenerative braking thus some energy is left to waste. In this work, a parallel-connected lithium ion battery bank and supercapacitor HESS demonstrates a new multi-state EV control and management scheme. Unnecessary cycling of the lithium ion battery array is reduced while the efficiency of a regenerative braking pulse is increased. The scheme is demonstrated experimentally using the DOE Hybrid Pulsed Power Characterization test profile procedure.
The Central Role of Ocean Dynamics in Connecting the North Atlantic Oscillation to the Extratropical Component of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation

AbstractThe relationship between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) variability is investigated using models and observations. Coupled climate models are used in which the ocean component is either a fully dynamic ocean or a slab ocean with no resolved ocean heat transport. On time scales less than 10 yr, NAO variations drive a tripole pattern of SST anomalies in both observations and models. This SST pattern is a direct response of the ocean mixed layer to turbulent surface heat flux anomalies associated with the NAO. On time scales longer than 10 yr, a similar relationship exists between the NAO and the tripole pattern of SST anomalies in models with a slab ocean. A different relationship exists both for the observations and for models with a dynamic ocean. In these models, a positive (negative) NAO anomaly leads, after a decadal-scale lag, to a monopole pattern of warming (cooling) that resembles the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO), although with sma...
Self-tracking for Mental Wellness: Understanding Expert Perspectives and Student Experiences

Previous research suggests an important role for self-tracking in promoting mental wellness. Recent studies with college student populations have examined the feasibility of collecting everyday mood, activity, and social data. However, these studies do not account for students' experiences and challenges adopting self-tracking technologies to support mental wellness goals. We present two studies conducted to better understand self-tracking for stress management and mental wellness in student populations. First, focus groups and card sorting activities with 14 student health professionals reveal expert perspectives on the usefulness of tracking for three scenarios. Second, an online survey of 297 students examines personal experiences with self-tracking and attitudes toward sharing self-tracked data with others. We draw on findings from these studies to characterize students' motivations, challenges and preferences in collecting and viewing self-tracked data related to mental wellness, and we compare findings between students with diagnosed mental illnesses and those without. We conclude with a discussion of challenges and opportunities in leveraging self-tracking for mental wellness, highlighting several design considerations.
Research Note: A Career-Stage Analysis of Correctional Staff Outcomes:

Correctional research has just begun to explore the effects of variables and their differences over the course of a career within the field. This study examined several correctional staff outcomes and how they varied over three identified career stages (initial, establishment, and maintenance) at a state-government operated prison. Results indicated that job involvement, job satisfaction, affective commitment, moral commitment, and turnover intent were highest during the initial stage of employment, which is contrary to other occupations. Job stress and continuance commitment remained equal across all three career stages. Findings suggest that the effects on career stages are contextual and vary across different types of organizations. Furthermore, the strains and stresses of working in a correctional institution may not be cumulative but remain steady across a career.
The use of CA-125 in the diagnosis and management of endometriosis

CA-125, a cell-surface antigen, was measured by a radioimmunoassay in the serum of 414 women to determine its potential usefulness in the diagnosis and management of endometriosis. In women with minimal, mild, moderate, and severe endometriosis, the mean levels (± standard deviation) were 13.6±6.8, 22.8±15.5, 27±17, and 50±28 U/ml, respectively, and were significantly higher than mean levels (7.8±4.1) in 46 women with a normal laparoscopic examination. Higher mean CA-125 values also were observed in acute pelvic inflammatory disease, unexplained fertility, and pregnancy and during menstruation. The mean CA-125 value in women with treated endometriosis and a negative second-look laparoscopy was significantly lower than in women with untreated endometriosis. With the use of the 95% upper limit of 16 U/ml, the test had a sensitivity of 53% and specificity of 93%. The frequencies of elevated levels in minimal, mild, moderate, and severe endometriosis were 27%, 68%, 73%, and 100%, respectively. Changes in the CA-125 levels correlated with the clinical course of endometriosis in 37 of 44 (84%) women ( P
Politics of Knowledge in Community-Based Work

In community-based projects, dialogue allows for different kinds of knowledge to come into view and be considered equally within a community’s frame for collective interpretation. All initiatives, however, involve a variety of knowledge bases that may be incompatible with one another. So, the issue is what knowledge should shape the planning process? The purpose of this chapter is to offer insight into how community-based planners may address this question in their projects by exposing traditional assumptions and rethinking them, so that their work may be consistent with a community-based approach. At the outset, issues that preclude a community’s perspective from being seen as worthy of consideration are identified. An examination of the barriers to understanding local logics is then provided, followed by a discussion of how projects may be democratized. In conclusion, the power that is released from adhering to a community-based orientation is emphasized.
Public unawareness of physician reimbursement

Objectives To assess subjects' perception of healthcare costs and physician reimbursement. Background The lack of transparency in healthcare reimbursement leaves patients and physicians unaware of the distribution of health care dollars. Methods Anonymous survey-based study by means of convenience sampling. Participants were asked to estimate the total hospital cost and physician fee for one of the six medical procedures (n = 250). Results On the average for all 6 procedures, patients estimated the total cost was $36,177, ∼1,540% more than the actual Medicare rate of $7,333. Similarly, patients estimated the physician fee was $7,694, 1,474% more the actual Medicare rate of $589. Conclusion Patients' perception of the total cost and physician fee are significantly higher than Medicare rates for all 6 procedures. This lack of insight may have widespread negative implications on the patient-physician relationship, on political trends to reduce physician reimbursement, and on a physician's desire to continue practicing medicine.
Analyzing the gamma-ray sky with wavelets

We analyze the gamma-ray sky at energies of 0.5 to 50 GeV using the undecimated wavelet transform on the sphere. Focusing on the inner $60\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}60\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ of the sky, we identify and characterize four separate residuals beyond the expected Milky Way diffuse emission. We detect the Fermi bubbles, finding compelling evidence that they are diffuse in nature and contain very little small-scale structure. We detect the ``cocoon'' inside the southern bubble, and we also identify its northern counterpart above 2 GeV. The northern cocoon lies along the same axis but is $\ensuremath{\sim}30%$ dimmer than the southern one. We characterize the Galactic center excess, which we find extends up to 20\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} in $|b|$. At latitudes $|b|\ensuremath{\le}5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ we find evidence for power in small angular scales that could be the result of point-source contributions, but for $|b|\ensuremath{\ge}5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ the Galactic center excess is dominantly diffuse in its nature. Our findings show either that the Galactic center excess and Fermi bubbles connect smoothly or that the bubbles brighten significantly below 15\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} in latitude. We find that the Galactic center excess appears off-center toward negative $\ensuremath{\ell}$. Additionally, we find and characterize two emissions along the Galactic disk centered at $\ensuremath{\ell}\ensuremath{\simeq}+25\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ and $\ensuremath{-}20\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$. These emissions are significantly more elongated along the Galactic disk than the Galactic center excess.
Evaluating Photoexcitation Experiments Using Monte Carlo Simulations

This chapter focuses on nonequilibrium carrier dynamics in semiconductors through the evaluation of time dependent optical experiments. Using ensemble Monte Carlo simulations coupled with detailed band structure calculations, we show how the evolution of photoexcited distribution functions are determined. Evaluating photoexcitation experiments with simple models (i.e., without Monte Carlo) poses severe approximations and leads to misunderstandings. We show that Monte Carlo simulations are essential to modeling photoexcitation experiments, but that calculating the distribution functions alone is not enough to fully understand the optical measurements. To relate to the experimental quantities of interest, the distribution functions must weighted by the optical matrix elements and joint density of states and summed over all allowed transitions. With complete calculations including Monte Carlo simulations, the optical experiments are shown to provide reliable details on scattering rates, relaxation channels, and band structure — valuable information for characterizing materials and carrier dynamics.
Strategies to Prevent Cardiotoxicity

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death among cancer survivors. While the field of cardiology as a whole is driven by evidence generated through robust clinical trials, data in cardio-oncology is limited to a relatively small number of prospective clinical trials with heterogeneous groups of cancer patients. In addition, many pharmaceutical trials in oncology are flawed from a cardiovascular perspective because they exclude patients with significant cardiovascular (CV) history and have wide variation in the definitions of CV events and cardiotoxicity. Ultimately, oncology trials often underrepresent the possibility of cardiovascular events in a “real world” population. Thus, the signal for CV toxicity from a cancer treatment is often not manifested until phase IV studies; where we are often caught trying to mitigate the CV effects rather than preventing them. Most of the data about cardiotoxicity from cancer therapy and cardioprotective strategies has been developed from our experience in using anthracyclines for over 50 years with dramatic improvement in cancer survivorship. However, as we are in an era where cancer drug discovery is moving at lightning pace with increasing survival rates, it is imperative to move beyond anthracyclines and commit to research on the cardiovascular side effects of all aspects of cancer therapy with a focus on prevention. We emphasize the role of pre-cancer treatment CV assessment to anticipate cardiac issues and ultimately optimizing CV risk prior to cancer therapy as an opportunity to mitigate cardiovascular risk from cancer therapy.
Lipolytic and proteolytic activity of enterococci and lactic group streptococci isolated from young Cheddar cheese.

Lipolytic and proteolytic screening techniques were applied to cultures isolated from young Cheddar cheese manufactured in 10 Iowa cheese plants. Twenty-one cultures were selected for study. These ...
Emerging drugs for the treatment of chronic pruritic diseases.

Chronic pruritus is non-histaminergic and mediated through a complex interplay of peripheral and central immune and neural pathways. Significant developments in the understanding of chronic pruritu...
Hybridization, polyploidy and clonality influence geographic patterns of diversity and salt tolerance in the model halophyte seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum).

In plant species, variation in levels of clonality, ploidy and interspecific hybridization can interact to influence geographic patterns of genetic diversity. These factors commonly vary in plants that specialize on saline habitats (halophytes) and may play a role in how they adapt to salinity variation across their range. One such halophyte is the turfgrass and emerging genomic model system seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum Swartz). To investigate how clonal propagation, ploidy variation, and interspecific hybridization vary across ecotypes and local salinity levels in wild P. vaginatum, we employed genotyping-by-sequencing, cpDNA sequencing and flow cytometry in 218 accessions representing > 170 wild collections from throughout the coastal southern United States plus USDA germplasm. We found that the two morphologically distinct ecotypes of P. vaginatum differ in their adaptive strategies. The fine-textured ecotype is diploid and appears to reproduce in the wild both sexually and by clonal propagation; in contrast, the coarse-textured ecotype consists largely of clonally-propagating triploid and diploid genotypes. The coarse-textured ecotype appears to be derived from hybridization between fine-textured P. vaginatum and an unidentified Paspalum species. These clonally propagating hybrid genotypes are more broadly distributed than clonal fine-textured genotypes and may represent a transition to a more generalist adaptive strategy. Additionally, the triploid genotypes vary in whether they carry one or two copies of the P. vaginatum subgenome, indicating multiple evolutionary origins. This variation in subgenome composition shows associations with local ocean salinity levels across the sampled populations and may play a role in local adaptation.
Axial slip-friction connections for cross-laminated timber

Abstract Cross-laminated timber (CLT) rocking walls limit internal building forces and dissipate seismic energy mostly through severe connection damage and related wood crushing. While collapse-prevention and life-safety performance can be achieved, the connections and CLT walls are permanently damaged and may be unreliable for resisting aftershocks. Slip-friction connections (SFCs), also known as slotted-bolted connections, are highly resilient passive dampers originally developed for steel structures. As part of a thorough research program to apply SFCs to CLT rocking walls, connection tests were conducted to better understand a novel application of multiple modern timber technologies. The research objectives were to design and test a slip-friction connection connected to cross-laminated timber with inclined self-tapping screws (STS) to determine the stiffness and passive damping properties of the assembly. The SFC system was designed for use as a slip-friction hold-down in a self-centering CLT rocking wall system. A series of quasi-static, cyclic axial tests with slip-friction connections was shown to impart ductile and elastic–plastic characteristics to an otherwise non-ductile CLT connection. Because the timber connection forces were limited below the STS yield strength by the slip-friction connectors, no wood damage was observed during SFC sliding. Compared to other sources, passive damping was found to be excellent and close to typical idealized friction hysteresis models. The slip-friction connections are a unique design using an efficient CLT to SFC connection, with no slack, that performs consistently after consecutive tests. Additionally, cursory equivalent-viscous-damping ratios were extracted for the elastic range of the STS to steel connection for small amplitude excitations below the slip force threshold.
Cybersecurity of Onboard Charging Systems for Electric Vehicles—Review, Challenges and Countermeasures

In this paper, the impacts of various data integrity attacks on the power electronic hardware present in an EV charger are comprehensively analyzed in order to provide necessary recommendations to defend against cyberattacks on electric vehicles and their onboard charging (OBC) systems. The adverse scenarios arising due to cyberattacks are carefully reviewed in this study, which includes (a) interfering with the main charger controller (FPGA) logic and its data, (b) establishing fake communication between the charging controller and other electronic control units (ECUs) connected over same controller area network (CAN) bus, and (c) interfering with the battery management system functionalities. A 6.6kW interleaved totem-pole PFC front-end followed by a high frequency DC-DC converter is used as our OBC representative system in this analysis. Possibilities and ways of potential cyberattacks on this model are investigated in detail. Effort is made towards providing software as well as hardware design-level protection mechanisms to mitigate the malicious effects of such cyberattacks on the OBC hardware. This system is simulated in MATLAB/Simulink to verify the fault occurrences under various data integrity attacks as well as to validate the effectiveness of our proposed countermeasure approaches. Quantitative analyses of the obtained results clearly demonstrate that if adequate precautionary measures are properly taken while designing the charging architecture (e.g., implementing intelligence to the main controller), any electrical hazard or deterioration of health of the components can be avoided to the maximum extent under the circumstances of a malicious cyberattack.