cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diabetes screening among underserved adults with severe mental illness who take antipsychotic medications

RESEARCH LETTER Adults in the United States with severe mental illness (SMI), such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (totaling approximately 7 million), are estimated to die, on average, 25 years earlier than the general population, largely of premature cardiovascular disease.1 The Institute of Medicine2 has called for improvements in health care for this population. Severe mental illness is associated with elevated risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus.3 Treatment with antipsychotic medications contributes to risk, with most evidence focused on second-generation antipsychotic medications, but similar increases in risk are reported with older and newer medications.4 The American Diabetes Association5 recommends annual diabetes screening for patients treated with antipsychotic medications, and public health administrators have targeted this population for improved health screening.6 To our knowledge, no studies have examined screening rates in this highest-risk population of adults with SMI because of limitations in public health medical records. We examined diabetes screening among publicly insured adults with SMI taking antipsychotic medications using matched administrative data for physical and mental health care services in a large health care system. We measured diabetes screening prevalence among patients with SMI treated with antipsychotic medications and assessed characteristics predictive of screening.
Using Patient-Generated Health Data From Mobile Technologies for Diabetes Self-Management Support Provider Perspectives From an Academic Medical Center

Background: Mobile health and patient-generated health data are promising health IT tools for delivering self-management support in diabetes, but little is known about provider perspectives on how best to integrate these programs into routine care. We explored provider perceptions of a patient-generated health data report from a text-message-based diabetes selfmanagement program. The report was designed to relay clinically relevant data obtained from participants’ responses to self-assessment questions delivered over text message. Methods: Likert-type scale response surveys and in-depth interviews were conducted with primary care physicians and endocrinologists who pilot tested the patient-generated health data report in an actual clinical encounter. Interview guides were designed to assess providers’ perceptions of the feasibility and utility of patient-generated health data in routine clinical practice. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Results: Twelve providers successfully piloted the summary report in clinic. Although only a minority of providers felt the report changed the care they provided (3 of 12 or 25%), most were willing to use the summary report in a future clinical encounter (9 of 12 or 75%). Perceived benefits of patient-generated health data included agenda setting, assessment of selfcare, and identification of patient barriers. Major themes discussed included patient selection, reliability of patient-generated health information, and integration into clinical workflow. Conclusion: Providers perceived multiple benefits of patient-generated health data in overcoming common barriers to selfmanagement support in clinical practice and found the summary report feasible and usable in a clinical context.
Understanding Latino Political Participation: Exploring the Evidence from the Latino National Political Survey:

This article examines Latino political participation in several forms of nonvoting political activities (attending rallies, volunteeringfora party or candidate, contributing money, signing petitions, contacting officials, and attending public meetings). Latino groups are compared with non-Latinos and with each other, and the impact of the sociodemographic characteristics is also considered. Thefindings are complex, but they do not provide much support for the view that Latinos (as such) are systemically less likely to participate. Latinos'participation patterns regarding a number of otherforms are, on the whole, not much different from those of non-Latinos. For some forms, such as attending rallies, Latinos are more likely to participate. Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans commonly participate at levels equal to or higher than Cubans in these nonvoting activities.
Modeling and simulation the impacts of STATCOMs on distance protection

This paper provides a study on the impacts of a static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) on a transmission line distance protection. An emtp-type model has been developed to simulate the power system and the STATCOM device. A simulated distance relay model with supervisory elements is used. The effective impedance seen by the distance relay is investigated and evaluated with and without the presence of the STATCOM. The results show that the distance relay performance is affected by the fault location relative to the location of the STATCOM. During a capacitive current injection, the simulation results show that the mho relay underreaches for faults applied beyond STATCOM.
Identification of modifiable factors for reducing readmission after colectomy: A national analysis

Background Rates of hospital readmission are currently used for public reporting and pay for performance. Colectomy procedures account for a large number of readmissions among operative procedures. Our objective was to compare the importance of 3 groups of clinical variables (demographics, preoperative risk factors, and postoperative complications) in predicting readmission after colectomy procedures. Methods Patient records (2005–2008) from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) were linked to Medicare inpatient claims. Patient demographics (n = 2), preoperative risk factors (n = 23), and 30-day postoperative complications (n = 17) were identified from ACS-NSQIP, whereas 30-day postoperative readmissions and costs were determined from Medicare. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine risk-adjusted predictors of colectomy readmission. Results Among 12,981 colectomy patients, the 30-day postoperative readmission rate was 13.5%. Readmitted patients had slightly greater rates of comorbidities and indicators of clinical severity and substantially greater rates of complications than non-readmitted patients. After risk adjustment, patients with a complication were 3.3 times as likely to be readmitted as patients without a complication. Among individual complications, progressive renal failure and organ-space surgical site infection had the highest risk-adjusted relative risks of readmission (4.6 and 4.0, respectively). Demographic, preoperative risk factor, and postoperative complication variables increased the ability to discriminate readmissions (reflected by the c-statistic) by 5.3%, 23.3%, and 35.4%, respectively. Conclusion Postoperative complications after colectomy are more predictive of readmission than traditional risk factors. Focusing quality improvement efforts on preventing and managing postoperative complications may be the most important step toward reducing readmission rates.
Evaluation of Planting Date, Sorghum Hybrid, and Insecticide Treatment on Sorghum Midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) Management in Northeast Louisiana

The combined effect of planting date, insecticide treatment, and host-plant resistance was studied in northeast Louisiana for management of the sorghum midge, Stenodiplosis sorghicola (Coquillett), during 1994 and 1995. Significantly higher numbers of sorghum midges were observed visiting flowering spikelets of the midge-susceptible sorghum hybrid (Delta and Pine Land ‘DP1552’) than those of the midge-resistant sorghum hybrid (DeKalb ‘DK-60’). Numbers of midges averaged 1.2 and 0.6 per flowering panicle in the susceptible and resistant sorghum hybrids, respectively, in 1994 and 1.8 and 1.0, respectively, in 1995. Midge densities increased significantly as the sorghum flowering season progressed. Sorghum midge reached peak densities during the first half of August in 1994 and 1995. The length of the flowering period in the early-planted (mid-March) sorghum was significantly longer compared with the flowering periods in the mid-April, mid-May, or mid-June planted sorghums. This resulted in prolonged exposure of flowering panicles to ovipositing midges and increased midge damage in the early-planted (mid-March) sorghum. Damage by sorghum midge was significantly higher in the early-planted (mid-March) sorghum hybrids than in the late-planted (mid-June) sorghum hybrids. The midge-susceptible hybrid produced highest yields when planted in mid-April and mid-May (optimum period) and lower yields when planted very early (i.e., mid-March) or late (i.e., mid-June). No significant differences were observed in yields for the resistant hybrid at any planting date in 1994. However, in 1995, significantly lower yields were recorded in resistant sorghum planted in mid-June. Levels of sorghum midge damage and sorghum seed yields in the untreated resistant hybrid were not significantly different than those observed in the insecticide-treated susceptible hybrid. Numbers of adult midges captured on sticky traps were positively correlated to numbers of visual estimates of ovipositing midge females visiting flowering spikelets.
How Might Pragmatic Language Skills Affect the Written Expression of Students with Language Learning Disabilities

This article describes ways in which pragmatic language abilities may play a role in the writing performance of children and adolescents with language learning disabilities. First, a brief overview is presented of how pragmatic language difficulties might negatively influence writing performance. Next, research on the writing performance of students with language and learning problems is reviewed. Key components based on these reviews are incorporated into a sociocognitive model of writing in which pragmatic language abilities are highlighted and illustrated as they apply to writing poetry. Finally, some suggestions are offered for scholars and practitioners to encourage attention to pragmatic issues in the writing of children and adolescents. Key words: children and adolescents, language impairment, learning disabilities, pragmatics, writing
Consistent probabilistic outputs for protein function prediction

In predicting hierarchical protein function annotations, such as terms in the Gene Ontology (GO), the simplest approach makes predictions for each term independently. However, this approach has the unfortunate consequence that the predictor may assign to a single protein a set of terms that are inconsistent with one another; for example, the predictor may assign a specific GO term to a given protein ('purine nucleotide binding') but not assign the parent term ('nucleotide binding'). Such predictions are difficult to interpret. In this work, we focus on methods for calibrating and combining independent predictions to obtain a set of probabilistic predictions that are consistent with the topology of the ontology. We call this procedure 'reconciliation'. We begin with a baseline method for predicting GO terms from a collection of data types using an ensemble of discriminative classifiers. We apply the method to a previously described benchmark data set, and we demonstrate that the resulting predictions are frequently inconsistent with the topology of the GO. We then consider 11 distinct reconciliation methods: three heuristic methods; four variants of a Bayesian network; an extension of logistic regression to the structured case; and three novel projection methods - isotonic regression and two variants of a Kullback-Leibler projection method. We evaluate each method in three different modes - per term, per protein and joint - corresponding to three types of prediction tasks. Although the principal goal of reconciliation is interpretability, it is important to assess whether interpretability comes at a cost in terms of precision and recall. Indeed, we find that many apparently reasonable reconciliation methods yield reconciled probabilities with significantly lower precision than the original, unreconciled estimates. On the other hand, we find that isotonic regression usually performs better than the underlying, unreconciled method, and almost never performs worse; isotonic regression appears to be able to use the constraints from the GO network to its advantage. An exception to this rule is the high precision regime for joint evaluation, where Kullback-Leibler projection yields the best performance.
Phosphorylated fragile X mental retardation protein at serine 499, is reduced in cerebellar vermis and superior frontal cortex of subjects with autism: implications for fragile X mental retardation protein-metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 signaling

Lohith et al. (Mol Autism 4:15, 2013) recently identified increased metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) expression in the frontal cortex (FC) of subjects with fragile X syndrome. These results are consistent with postmortem findings in cerebellar vermis and FC of subjects with autism (Fatemi and Folsom, Mol Autism 2:6, 2011; Fatemi et al. Anat Rec 294:1635–1645, 2011), suggesting that increased mGluR5 signaling is common to multiple autism spectrum disorders. Increased mGluR5 signaling may be associated with reduced phosphorylation of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), which could result in the inactivation of this protein. In the current study, we report on reduced expression of phosphorylated FMRP in cerebellar vermis of adults and children with autism and in FC of adults with autism.
Discovering Rare Variants by Use of Melting Temperature Shifts Seen in Melting Curve Analysis

Two reports in this issue of Clinical Chemistry describe novel mutations in thrombophilia genes (1)(2). The authors of the reports describe variants detected by the identification of a melting temperature ( T m) different from the expected T m of the target mutation and from the T m of the wild-type sequence. The variants reported in this issue are A20218G in the prothrombin (factor II) gene and C1690T in the factor V gene. These cases add to the reported variants identified by fluorescent hybridization probes and melting analysis on the LightCycler. In addition to factor II and V variants, variants have been discovered similarly in genes coding for MTHFR and HFE (3)(4). Melting analyses, as performed on the LightCycler or similar instruments, can distinguish variants that lie within the region of the target probe. Differences in base composition, nucleotide position, and nearest-neighbor environments all affect T m. These differences are detected by monitoring fluorescence during an increase in temperature. Melting is visualized by a loss of fluorescence as the probes dissociate from the template. Differences in T m from the expected T m for wild-type and target mutations are indicative of a nontarget (a variant other than the mutation the assay was designed to detect) mutation or variant. In contrast, assays that use restriction enzymes, allele-specific amplification, or hybridization probes at a single detection temperature may not detect a variant or may show an indeterminate genotype (3)(4). With these 3 types of assays, when one allele carries the variant and the opposite allele is a wild type, the variant allele may be undetected, and the genotype would be reported as wild type. If the variant is in conjunction with a target mutation on the opposite allele, the genotype could be reported as a …
Modulation of the trafficking of the human serotonin transporter by human alpha‐synuclein

alpha-Synuclein (alpha-Syn), a protein primarily localized in the presynaptic compartment of neurons, is known to regulate dopaminergic neurotransmission by negatively modulating dopamine transporter activity and regulating its trafficking to or away from the cell surface. Given the considerable homology between dopamine transporters and the serotonin (5-HT) transporter (SERT), we examined whether alpha-Syn could similarly regulate SERT function. Increasing expression levels of human alpha-Syn gradually decreased [(3)H]5-HT uptake by human SERT in cotransfected Ltk(-) cells, by diminishing its V(max) without changing its K(m), as compared to cells expressing only SERT. Biotinylation studies to label cell-surface proteins showed that alpha-Syn decreased the levels of SERT present at the plasma membrane. alpha-Syn and SERT were able to coimmunoprecipitate (co-IP), suggesting heteromeric complexes between these two proteins through direct protein-protein interactions. The negative modulation of SERT activity by alpha-Syn occurred through the non-Abeta-amyloid component (NAC) domain of alpha-Syn (aa58-107); DNA constructs encoding this region mimicked the full-length alpha-Syn protein by decreasing [(3)H]5-HT uptake by the transporter. Furthermore, only the constructs encoding the NAC domain of alpha-Syn prevented the co-IPs between full-length alpha-Syn and SERT, in both transfected cells and in rat solubilized lysates isolated from the prefrontal cortex. These studies suggest a novel physiological role for alpha-Syn in regulating SERT activity and may be of relevance in certain mental illnesses and in depression, in which SERT function is believed to be dysregulated.
Changing Land Use in the Rural Intermountain West

The western United States has long captured the imagination of the American people. As the last frontier for settlement and development in the 19th century (Turner, 1920), the dominant image most people have of the American West is of traditional resource-extractive industries (logging, mining, and ranching) taking place in a largely wild, undeveloped, and sometimes dangerous landscape. Rurality also means something special in the West. Unlike typical small Midwestern farming towns with close community ties, egalitarian property ownership, and a reverent connection between farmers and their land (Berry, 1977), the rural West evokes a picture of isolated ranches, fiercely rugged and independent individuals, and a dominating, extractive relationship between rural residents and their environment (Malone & Etulain, 1989). Although this stereotypical view of the rural American West has probably never been very accurate, it was remarkably durable through the later half of the 20th century (Athearn, 1986). Moreover, this imagery has permeated much of the recent sociological and geographical academic writing on this region. For example, most analysts utilize a dichotomous framework to make sense of patterns of development and change in the Intermountain West—characterizing these changes as a conflict between the “Old West” of cowboys, extractive industries, and property rights zealots and an emergent “New West” defined by lifestyle inmigrants, high-technology and amenity-oriented industries, and environmentalists (Nelson, 2001; Power, 1996; Shumway & Otterstrom, 2001). This chapter provides an overview of the changing social, economic, and biophysical landscape of the Intermountain West during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It critically examines the “New vs. Old West” approach to explaining the trends in the West, and demonstrates the complexity of the relationship between demographic changes and rural land use. Specifically, the results suggest
Mapping the Ottomans: Sovereignty, Territory, and Identity in the Early Modern Mediterranean

Simple paradigms of Muslim-Christian confrontation and the rise of Europe in the seventeenth century do not suffice to explain the ways in which European mapping envisioned the 'Turks' in image and narrative. Rather, maps, travel accounts, compendia of knowledge, and other texts created a picture of the Ottoman Empire through a complex layering of history, ethnography, and eyewitness testimony, which juxtaposed current events to classical and biblical history; counted space in terms of peoples, routes, and fortresses; and used the land and seascapes of the map to assert ownership, declare victory, and embody imperial power's reach. Enriched throughout by examples of Ottoman self-mapping, this book examines how Ottomans and their empire were mapped in the narrative and visual imagination of early modern Europe's Christian kingdoms. The maps serve as centerpieces for discussions of early modern space, time, borders, stages of travel, information flows, invocations of authority, and cross-cultural relations.
Cryptic species differentiated in Conus ebraeus, a widespread tropical marine gastropod.

Anomalous mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences in individuals of the widely distributed tropical marine gastropod Conus ebraeus that were not distinguishable by shell shape and color pattern characters suggested the presence of a second, cryptic species. We tested this hypothesis by genetic, morphological, and ecological comparisons of additional individuals from the site in Okinawa where the two forms co-occurred. Radular tooth size and shape, prey type in nature, and microhabitats utilized differed markedly between the two forms. Adults with typical C. ebraeus DNA and radular teeth preyed primarily on errant polychaetes (Eunicidae); those with anomalous DNA and teeth ate mainly sedentary capitellids. Juveniles (shell length <13 mm) had more similar teeth and ate primarily syllids. Radular teeth of the anomalous form agreed with those of Conus judaeus, distinguished from C. ebraeus by Rudolph Bergh in 1895 solely on tooth characters of one specimen from the Philippines. Samples from other widely scat...
Growth Hormone Treatment of the Short Child Born Small for Gestational Age

Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is a pathologic condition where fetal growth is restrained by either extrinsic (maternal) factors or a disorder intrinsic to the fetus itself. This is a significant problem because of the morbidity that accompanies IUGR, which includes persistent short stature. Although the majority of children born small for gestational age (SGA) have accelerated growth following birth and reached a height in normal range, about one in ten remain short. The explanation for the lack of catch-up growth in these individuals remains unclear. Nevertheless, when treated with exogenous growth hormone at supraphysiologic doses, accelerated growth is observed, and adult height is increased. These data led both US and European regulatory agencies to approve growth hormone (GH) for the treatment of short stature in children born to SGA. The effect of IUGR on subsequent growth, its amelioration by growth hormone, and the approach for the evaluation and treatment of the individual patient are the focus of this chapter.
Clinical outcome of atypical uterine smooth muscle tumors

15028 Background: Smooth muscle tumors of uncertain malignant potential (STUMP) and atypical leiomyomas have increased mitotic activity, cellular atypia and necrosis but the degree is less than tha...
Seek-n-Tag: a game for labeling and classifying virtual world objects

We identified that virtual worlds that rely on user generated content often lack accurate metadata for their objects. The apparent lack of metadata is a problem for users who are visually impaired, as they rely upon textual descriptions of objects to be present for accessing virtual worlds using assistive technology, such as a screen reader or tactile display. This paper presents a scavenger-hunt game for the virtual world of Second Life -called SEEK-N-TAG- that allows sighted users to label objects as well as collaboratively develop a taxonomy for objects. SEEK-N-TAG aims to build a set of objects with accurate metadata that can be used as training data for an automatic object classifier. Our approach is novel due to its internal approach where the game is implemented in the virtual world itself as to improve its own accessibility. A user study with 10 participants revealed that labeling objects with a game is more effective and accurate than manually naming objects.
Differential Gene Expression of Endothelial Cells Under High Wall Shear Stress and Spatial Gradients

In both human and animal models, cerebral aneurysms tend to develop at the apices of bifurcations in the cerebral vasculature. Due to the focal nature of aneurysm development it has long been speculated that hemodynamics are an important factor in aneurysm susceptibility. The local hemodynamics of bifurcations are complex, being characterized by flow impingement causing a high frictional force on the vessel wall known as wall shear stress (WSS) and significant flow acceleration or deceleration, manifested as the positive or negative spatial gradient of WSS (WSSG). In vivo studies have recently identified that aneurysm initiation occurs at areas of the vessel wall that experience a combination of both high WSS and positive WSSG [1,2]© 2010 ASME
New Crystalline Forms of Tomato Bushy Stunt Virus

From the first report on the crystallization of tobacco mosaic virus1 until recently, only 2 additional crystalline forms of purified viruses have been reported, the non-birefringent dodecahedra2, 3 of tomato bushy stunt virus (TBS) and the faintly birefringent plates of tobacco necrosis virus.4 These were obtained by means of crystallization with electrolytes such as ammonium sulfate. A new crystallization technic for large proteins employing hydrophilic colloidal materials such as heparin, starch, etc., has resulted in the crystallization of a hitherto uncrystallized hemocyanin, the usual crystalline form of the anisotropic viruses such as tobacco mosaic virus, and new crystalline forms of TBS5 and of a tobacco necrosis virus.6In continuing studies on the crystallization of TBS by means of heparin and other substances, two previously unobserved crystalline forms of this virus were obtained. One form was obtained using heparin under conditions somewhat different from those reported previously. To a solut...
Influence of Carbon Dioxide upon Blood Pressure Reaction to Oxygen Deficiency

SummaryThe rise of blood pressure caused by oxygen deficiency is greatly augmented or potentiated by small amounts of CO, which in themselves have no effect upon blood pressure. This potentiation is present not only in the animal capable of respiratory adjustments, but also when the minute volume of ventilation is kept constant by means of artificial respiration. These conditions indicate that the circulatory system, per se, does play a major part in the adjustment to oxygen deficiency brought about by small amounts of CO2.
Audible-noise and heat-dissipation controlling technology of indoor substation

The residents around the substation are much affected for the acoustic noise problem. Considering the influence of noise controlling measures on the heat dissipation of transformer room,an optimized noise controlling scheme is put forward in this paper.In the scheme,the noise insulation door and the sound eliminator is installed,the ventilation area is enlarged,and the fun of large output power is adopted.The implementation result shows that the effect of noise cancellation is satisfactory,the heat dissipation of the transformer is not affected and the safety operation of the transformer is ensured.
The microbiome-immune-host defense barrier complex (microimmunosome) and developmental programming of noncommunicable diseases

Through its role as gatekeeper and filter to the external world, the microbiome affects developmental programming of physiological systems including the immune system. In turn, the immune system must tolerate, personalize, and prune the microbiome. Immune and host barrier status in early life significantly effects everything from embryo viability and pregnancy duration to the likelihood of misregulated inflammation, and risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Since the programming of and interactions among the microbiome, the host defense barrier, and the immune system can affect inflammation-driven health risks across the lifespan, a systems biology-type understanding of these three biological components may be useful. Here, I consider the potential utility of focusing on programming of a newly-defined systems biology unit termed the "microimmunosome."
Accuracy and Validity of Methods for Identifying Learning Disabilities in a Response-to-Intervention Service Delivery Framework

This chapter addresses the accuracy and validity of methods of learning disabilities (LD) identification, particularly methods based on a response-to-intervention (RTI) service delivery framework. Recently, classification frameworks have shifted from cognitive discrepancy models towards instructional models utilizing low achievement and instructional response criteria. All actuarial methods for LD identification, including methods based on RTI, demonstrate limited reliability for individual decisions, because they: (a) apply strict cut points that dichotomize a dimensional attribute and (b) rely on tests with imperfect reliability and validity. The resulting group membership is inherently unstable. However, methods based on RTI demonstrate good validity, because emergent groups can be differentiated on attributes not utilized to form groups, a critical test of validity. In contrast, methods based on identifying cognitive discrepancies fail because resulting groups cannot be differentiated reliably on variables not used to form groups. The authors suggest that instructional models for LD identification can be improved by limiting use of rigid cut points on single tests. Instead, identification processes should incorporate multiple academic measures, utilize confidence intervals, and move towards a system focused on ongoing assessments of risk or probability of academic difficulty and timely intervention, rather than issues of identification and entitlement.
Exploring the optimal learning technique for IBM TrueNorth platform to overcome quantization loss

As the first large-scale commercial spiking-based neuromorphic computing platform, IBM TrueNorth chip received tremendous attentions in society. However, one of the known issues in TrueNorth design is the limited precision of synaptic weights, each of which can be selected from only four integers. The current workaround is running multiple neural network copies of which the average value of each synaptic weight is close to that in the original network. To improve the computation accuracy and reduce the incurred hardware cost, in this work, we investigate seven different regularization functions in the cost function of the learning process on TrueNorth platform. The hypothesis is that the quantization loss in the mapping from the trained network in floating-point data format to TrueNorth chip with limited integer values shall be minimized if the discrepancy between the trained weight and the quantized weights by optimizing the training process. Our experimental results proved that the proposed techniques considerably improve the computation accuracy of TrueNorth platform and reduce the incurred hardware and performance overheads. Among all the tested methods, L1TEA regularization achieved the best result, say, up to 2.74% accuracy enhancement when deploying MNIST application onto TrueNorth platform.
Methods for Investigating DNA Accessibility with Single Nucleosomes

Nucleosomes are the fundamental organizing unit of all eukaryotic genomes. Understanding how proteins gain access to DNA-binding sites located within nucleosomes is important for understanding DNA processing including transcription, replication, and repair. Single-molecule total internal reflection fluorescence (smTIRF) microscopy measurements can provide key insight into how proteins gain and maintain access to DNA sites within nucleosomes. Here, we describe methods for smTIRF experiments including the preparation of fluorophore-labeled nucleosomes, the smTIRF system, data acquisition, analysis, and controls. These methods are presented for investigating transcription factor binding within nucleosomes. However, they are applicable for investigating the binding of any site-specific DNA-binding protein within nucleosomes.
When belief precedes being: How attitudes and motivation before matriculation lead to fit and academic performance

Abstract In academic settings, recent work has shown that feelings of connectedness among students are associated with attrition intentions and retention. However, research has not examined how perceptions of connectedness and motivation to succeed prior to matriculation relate to early attrition intentions. Via moderated regression analyses, we find embeddedness and motivational constructs play unique predictive roles, and that ethnicity moderates the relationship between embeddedness and attrition intentions. Additionally, mediation analyses indicate that embeddedness and aspects of motivation can have an indirect effect on attrition intentions through perceptions of complementary and supplementary fit. Finally, moderated mediation analyses reveal that the indirect effect of embeddedness on attrition intentions through Complementary Fit is stronger for ethnic minorities. These findings demonstrate the broad range of consequences embeddedness and other attitudinal constructs held by students prior to matriculation can have on subsequent behavior and attitudes.
Dose Unit Establishment for a New Basal Insulin Using Joint Modeling of Insulin Dose and Glycemic Response.

Background:For new insulin analogs with properties that vary from human insulin, defining activity in units of human insulin based on glycemic lowering efficacy may be challenging. Here we present ...
‘Can You Fix It?’ Using Variance-Based Sensitivity Analysis to Reduce the Input Space of an Agent-Based Model of Land Use Change

The growing body of knowledge on agent-based modeling (ABM) points to statistical and systematic uncertainty as the most challenging obstacles to developing parsimonious models. To decrease ABM dimensionality, a comprehensive uncertainty analysis (UA) and sensitivity analysis (SA) are employed, where input uncertainty is propagated through the model using Monte Carlo simulations, resulting in probability distributions (PDs) of outputs. The PDs are further summarized using variance—a simple yet succinct measure of result variability. The variance is apportioned to model inputs using decomposition, in order to quantify which of them and to what extent affect the variability of ABM results. The calculated sensitivity indices represent fractional contributions of each input to output variance. To simplify the model, inputs with low sensitivity values can be set to constants (e.g. mean), effectively decreasing model input space.
Framework for Deriving Macroscopic Demand Functions from Microscopic Acceleration Models

Vehicle acceleration plays an integral role in determining the operational capacity of roadway sections. Traditional first-order macroscopic models of traffic do not capture the boundedness of vehicle acceleration. In a recent study, it was shown that the cell transmission model could capture critical macroscopic effects of bounded acceleration if one modified the demand function such that traffic demand (sending flow) decreased in density for congested traffic. However, such a modified demand function was calibrated only with data. This paper introduces a framework for deriving such macroscopic demand functions corresponding to well-known microscopic acceleration models. Two mechanisms are explored for deriving the demand function with varying assumptions on how vehicles accelerate within a single discretized cell. The first mechanism is based on the assumption that vehicles within a single cell begin accelerating at the same time and that this information of the trigger of acceleration propagates instan...
Anatomy and Biomechanics of the Thumb Carpometacarpal Joint

This article describes the anatomy and biomechanics of the thumb CMC joint, which is also often referred as the thumb trapeziometacarpal joint. The complexity of its anatomy, function, kinesiology, and stability allows humans to obtain the unique prehensile ability of thumb opposition with stable pinch. The biconcavoconvex saddle shape joints with offset mechanical axes allows a motion in 3 planes with only 2 axes of control. It is important to appreciate the unique oseous anatomy of the thumb CMC joint and role of supporting ligaments. Although many previous articles reported on the anterior oblique ligament as a primary stabilizer of the thumb CMC joint, increasing evidence has supported the dorsal ligament complex is its primary stabilizer. Understanding those key features of the thumb CMC joint is essential to adequately treat its pathology, such as fracture dislocation, ligamentous injury, and degenerative osteoarthritis.
Uncertainty and Context in Geography and GIScience: Reflections on Spatial Autocorrelation, Spatial Sampling, and Health Data

One of the conference themes for the 2017 American Association of Geographers (AAG) annual meeting was “Uncertainty and Context in Geography and GIScience.” It included a triplet of special session...
Informed Gatekeepers and Transnational Violence: Using Perceptions of Safety of Latino/a Youth in Determining Legal Cases:

From 2013 to 2017, thousands of unaccompanied children (UCs) arrived in Louisiana from Latin America. This research aims to increase understanding of experiences of Latino/a youth who came to New O...
Patient predictors of substance use disorder treatment initiation in primary care.

Abstract Introduction Primary care clinics are opportune settings in which to deliver substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, but little is known about which patients initiate treatment in these settings. Methods Using secondary data from a RCT that aimed to integrate SUD treatment into a federally qualified health center (FQHC) using an organizational readiness and collaborative care (CC) intervention, we examined patient-level predictors of initiation of evidence-based practices for opioid and/or alcohol use disorders (OAUDs): a brief behavioral treatment (BT) based on motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) (extended-release injectable naltrexone (XR-NTX) for patients with an alcohol use disorder or opioid use disorder and buprenorphine/naloxone (BUP/NX) for patients with an opioid use disorder). Using the Andersen model of health care access, we tested bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models to assess associations between patient factors and initiation of BT and MAT. Results Twenty-three percent of all participants (N = 392) received BT and 13% received MAT. In the multivariate model examining factors associated with initiation of BT, being of “other” or “multiple” races compared with being White (OR = 0.45, CI = 0.22, 0.92), being homeless (OR = 0.45, CI = 0.21, 0.97) and having been arrested within 90 days of baseline (OR = 0.21 CI = 0.63, 0.69) were associated with significantly lower odds of initiating BT. Greater self-stigma (OR = 1.60, CI = 1.06, 2.42), receiving MAT (OR = 5.52, CI = 2.34, 12.98), and having received the CC study intervention (OR = 12.95, CI = 5.91, 28.37) were associated with higher odds of initiating BT. In the multivariate model examining patient factors associated with initiating MAT, older age (OR = 1.07, CI = 1.03, 1.11), female gender (OR = 3.05, CI = 1.25, 7.46), having a diagnosis of heroin abuse or dependence (with or without alcohol abuse or dependence compared with have a diagnosis of alcohol dependence only (OR = 3.03, CI = 1.17, 7.86), and having received at least one session of BT (OR = 6.42, CI = 2.59, 15.94), were associated with higher odds of initiating MAT. Conclusions Individuals who initiate BT for OAUDs in a FQHC are less likely to be homeless and more likely to have greater self-stigma. Those who receive MAT are more likely to be of older age, female, and to have a diagnosis of heroin abuse or dependence, with or without concomitant alcohol abuse or dependence, rather than alcohol abuse or dependence alone. Receiving collaborative care (e.g., a warm handoff, and follow-up by a care coordinator) may be critical to initiating BT. Receiving at least one session of BT is associated with higher odds of receiving MAT, and receiving MAT is associated with higher odds of receiving BT. The Andersen model of health care access provides some insight into who initiates BT and MAT for OAUD treatment in FQHC-based primary care; further research is needed to explore system-level factors that may also influence treatment initiation.
CICS/ESA 3.1 Experiences

The paper describes the use of the Z notation and method throughout the development cycle of IBM’s CICS/ESA 3.1 1 software product. Included is a description of IBM Hursley’s experiences with the Z notation in terms of educational requirements and changes to the development process. There is a description of development benefits achieved from using Z specifications, including a comparison of components specified with Z and those developed without Z. The paper also describes measurements made during development in terms of lines of code produced per schema, number of schemas produced, and number of schema variables used. The final section in the paper describes plans for the use of the Z notation and methods in future CICS products and releases.
Doubled haploid production in barley using the Hordeum bulbosum (L.) technique

In 1989 we reported modifications of the Hordeum bulbosum technique that, in our lab, led to greater efficiencies and less germplasm specificity (Chen and Hayes, 1989). Over the years, we continued to refine these extra steps (tiller culture, floret culture, and in vitro vernalization of haploid plantlets, regardless of growth habit) because they gave us better results. When the H. bulbosum system is operating well, we can predict with relative certainty that about half of our emasculations will lead to fertile green plants. We offer the following protocols to the barley research community with the caveat that they worked well for us, but that additional modifications will probably be necessary in other environments. A simple factor such as ambient relative humidity — which is greater than 80% for seven months of the year in western Oregon — can have a profound effect on DH production and could emerge as a principal constraint in drier environments.
3D Tongue Motion from Tagged and Cine MR Images

Understanding the deformation of the tongue during human speech is important for head and neck surgeons and speech and language scientists. Tagged magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can be used to image 2D motion, and data from multiple image planes can be combined via post-processing to yield estimates of 3D motion. However, lacking boundary information, this approach suffers from inaccurate estimates near the tongue surface. This paper describes a method that combines two sources of information to yield improved estimation of 3D tongue motion. The method uses the harmonic phase (HARP) algorithm to extract motion from tags and diffeomorphic demons to provide surface deformation. It then uses an incompressible deformation estimation algorithm to incorporate both sources of displacement information to form an estimate of the 3D whole tongue motion. Experimental results show that use of combined information improves motion estimation near the tongue surface, a problem that has previously been reported as problematic in HARP analysis, while preserving accurate internal motion estimates. Results on both normal and abnormal tongue motions are shown.
Attenuation of oxidative damage to DNA by taurine and taurine analogs.

Taurine has been suggested to have cytoprotective actions via a number of different mechanisms. The role of taurine in protecting DNA from oxidative damage has received only limited attention. The aim of the present studies was to test the hypothesis that taurine might act to attenuate oxidative damage to DNA caused by free radicals generated by iron-stimulated catecholamine oxidation in the presence of H2O2. Calf thymus DNA (100 μg/tube) was exposed to a reaction mixture containing: ferric chloride (60 μM), H2O2 (2.8 mM) and L-dopa (100 μM).Taurine and taurine analogs were added simultaneously to determine their effects to prevent oxidative damage to DNA. The reaction was carried out for 1 hour at 37° C and terminated by rapid freezing in an ethanol/dry ice bath. The DNA was precipitated with ethanol and subsequently hydrolyzed with formic acid under vacuum. The hydroxylated bases were separated by HPLC and detected electrochemically. All experiments were replicated a minimum of 5 times. Taurine (20 mM) was found to reduce (p〈0.05) damage to DNA as indexed by reductions in the formation of 5-OH-uracil (49%↓)8-OH adenine (37%↓)and 8-OH guanine (21%↓)Taurine had minimal effects to reduce the formation of 5-OH cytosine (〈7%↓) Taurine (20 mM) also increased total DNA recovery after damage 3640% and increased total undamaged guanine -32%. 5-OH Uracil formation could be reduced (p〈0.05) by 1 mM taurine and 8-OH-adenine formation was reduced (p〈0.05) by 5 mM taurine. Studies were conducted with various amino acid analogs and total base adduct formation was reduced by 20 mM β-alanine (30%↓) lysine (58%↓) and glutathione (88%↓) When tested at 20 mM, both hypotaurine and homotaurine provided greater protection against DNA damage than taurine, whereas isethionic acid provided a similar level of protection as taurine. Using identical conditions as the assays for base hydroxylation, we tested whether inhibition of quinone formation could account for taurine's mechanism of action. Taurine (49%↓) homotaurine (24%↓) and hypotaurine (79%↓) all reduced quinone formation. Thus, inhibition of quinone formation could account for part of taurines mechanism of action to inhibit oxidative damage, but it could not account for homotaurine's greater efficacy in preventing DNA damage. Overall, these studies show that taurine at concentrations normally found in cells can inhibit oxidative damage to DNA.
Genetic Engineering of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Using PiggyBac Transposon System.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) emerged as an important tool to investigate human development and disease. These studies often require genetically engineering hPSCs to stably express a transgene, which remains functional in various hPSC progeny. PiggyBac transposon is a highly effective and technically simple vector system with large cargo space available for permanent gene delivery. This unit describes the use of PiggyBac transposons to genetically engineer hPSCs to introduce conditionally expressed transgene or reporter to effectively monitor gene expression during differentiation. Both methods enable robust generation of stable hPSC lines within 1 month. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A model for level induced conditional heteroskedasticity

Abstract A class of conditional heteroskedasticity models is introduced and analyzed. This class of models is motivated by the desire to allow the level of a GARCH process to influence the volatility. We show the existence of a unique strictly stationary solution which is β -mixing. The analysis of this model does not rely upon Markov chain methods.