cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Future of Research Methods in Work and Occupational Health Psychology

A content analysis of the two leading WOHP journals (Journal of Occupational Health Psychology and Work & Stress) from 2010 to September 2014 revealed current practices in research design, sampling, and statistics, as well as the popularity of six major topics. Five suggested future trends are discussed that we feel will move the field forward in a positive way. First, the field is too dominated by the theory-based deductive approach, and needs to make better use of exploratory/inductive methods that are more common in medical and natural sciences. Second, more explicit approaches are needed to illuminate processes, that is, the temporal sequence of events, whereby organisational conditions lead to health-related outcomes. Third, qualitative approaches should be more widely utilised, not only in the beginning stages of research, but as a means of studying process and testing hypotheses, as well. Fourth, researchers need to make more frequent use of complex research designs that go beyond cross-sectional self-reports by incorporating multiple methods and/or longitudinal structures in order to draw more definitive conclusions. Fifth, the rapid increase in the use of multilevel modeling statistics is likely to continue, having opened the door to isolating the effects of group phenomena, as well as investigating daily fluctuations in variables over time.
Genetic Disorders in Ancient Egypt

In the last three decades, there has been a considerable increase in the number of reports describing new syndromes and variants from Arab populations. Many of such reports included data related to the molecular genetic basis of the disease in question. They continue to come from countries with established genetic services including Lebanon, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman and Qatar. The number of syndromes included in this chapter is close to 160 syndromes, the majority of which are autosomal recessive. However, the list is by no means thoroughly inclusive and many others were not included for various reason.
Choroid plexus--CSF system: Recent developments and clinical correlations.

The choroid plexus is a villous epithelial–endothelial vascular structure located within the ventricular system and is primarily responsible for the production of CSF. The choroid plexus–CSF system is crucial for the development, maintenance, and function of the CNS. The choroid plexus consists of a monolayer of cuboidal epithelial cells that surrounds a stromal core of connective tissue and capillaries. The choroid epithelium has a brush border consisting of microvilli; tight junctions, forming a blood–CSF barrier, join adjacent choroid epithelial cells.
The Political Economy of Green Building

Purpose: This paper examines whether rental premiums accrue to environmentally certified class “A” office buildings, and further, to what extent such premiums vary with the political ideology of the local market area.Design/Methodology/Approach: Using standard OLS regression techniques, we model rental rates on environmentally certified structures as a function of the space market characteristics, economic environment, and political ideology within each local market area.Findings: We find significant variation in environmentally certified rental premiums across jurisdiction specific political ideology metrics. Specifically, politically liberal locations exhibit green rental premiums of nearly 6 percent, while politically conservative locations exhibit premiums of less than 2 percent.Originality/Value: This paper expands the existing literature by offering further evidence of positive rental premiums accruing to environmental certification, and by systematically exploring the fundamental determinants of these observed value differences.
On Characterizing Unary Probability Functions and Truth-Value Functions

Consider a language SL having as its primitive signs one or more atomic statements, the two connectives '~' and '&,' and the two parentheses '(' and ')'; and presume the extra connectives V and 's' defined in the customary manner. With the statements of SL substituting for sets, and the three connectives '~,' '&,' and V substituting for the complementation, intersection, and union signs, the constraints that Kolmogorov places in [1] on (unary) probability functions come to read:1
'She Loved White Men': Women Entrepreneurs and Sexual Slavery in the Borgu/Nupe Region, Nigeria

The demand and provision of sexual accesses by traders, slaves, slave-owners and free citizens was one of the noteworthy characteristics of the social organization of commerce in pre-colonial Atlantic West Africa. The availability and demand for female slaves along major trade ports for the Trans-Saharan and Atlantic slave trades such as along the Borgu-Nupe frontier of the Sokoto Caliphate in what is today central Nigeria ensued and provided opportunities for female entrepreneurs specializing in commercial sex trade. Travelers' accounts attest for the existence of brothels run by women entrepreneurs who extended the network of clients by offering the services of female slaves to travelers including Europeans. With a focus on the operations of Zuma, a Borgu "Madam" in the early nineteenth century the paper addresses the interface of slavery and prostitution. It explores a form of localized sexual labor and economic opportunity operating to reinforce, challenge and renegotiate the legitimacy of the Sokoto Caliphate that stressed an Islamic Theocracy.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) TRAP. A method to improve CSF laboratory efficiency.

Establishment of a procedure termed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) TRAP (“Transport and Rapid Accessioning for Additional Procedures”) allows clinicians to appropriately store, at −75 °C, and rapidly access CSF specimens. The CSF TRAP enhances patient care by decreasing the need for repeat lumbar punctures and providing reserve fluid for the following: (1) further CSF testing; (2) repeating questionable test results; and (3) laboratory accidents. The CSF TRAP has been approved for third-party payment because it promotes efficient laboratory utilization by encouraging clinicians to review initial CSF findings before ordering low-yield CSF assays such as the venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) and cryptococcal antigen latex agglutination tests. Currently, CSF TRAP samples are being obtained with 40% of all CSF acquisitions at the Duke University Medical Center. The availability of the CSF TRAP was associated with a significant decrease in the ordering of CSF VDRL and cryptococcal antigen assays ( P < 0.05); however, there was no significant change in the proportion of those studies being performed on normal CSF. The CSF TRAP procedure provides the framework for an overall restructuring of CSF testing that is being investigated.
Interplay between weak localization and quantized conductance

The interplay between weak localization and conductance quantization through a narrow channel is considered. The “electrodes” are essentially two half planes with slight disorder. In this system weak localization results from a coherent echo in the electrodes towards the channel. Therefore one has an interesting mixture of dimensions, the channel being quasi-one dimensional and the electrodes being two dimensional. As a consequence the quantum interference correction to the conductance is non-universal.
BREAK EVEN POINT AND CAPACITY UTILIZATION OF SUGAR FACTORIES IN MARATHWADA REGION OF MAHARASHTRA STATE

Agro-processing industries assume great significance in the context of a developing country like India where agriculture still accounts for over 30 per cent of our national income and about two-third of our working population. Sugarcane is one of the most important cash crop grown in India and Maharashtra State. Maharashtra State occupied a well recognized place of pride on the sugarcane map of the country. Sugar industry is the second largest amongst the agro-based processing industries in the country, next only to the textile industry. In Marathwada there are about 33 sugar factories of which Aurangabad, Nanded and Beed having (6) factories each, followed by Parbhani and Latur (5) each, Jalna(3) and Osmanabad (2). Time series data were collected for the period 2004-05 to 2014-15 of all districts of Marathwada including region as a whole and Maharashtra State from season and crop report and Epitome of Agriculture in Maharashtra and annual reports of sugar factories. On the basis of total cost per quintal of sugar and total cane crushed it will be observed that, as the total cane crushed increased, per quintal cost of sugar decreased. The total cane crushed and per quintal cost of sugar were inversely proportional to each other to the point of 50.50(5.05 lakhs tones) of total cane crushed. At this point per quintal cost of sugar was minimum. This was the break even point of sugar industry. After this level even though the total cane crushed increased, per quintal cost of sugar also goes on increasing. It was the point 50.50 (5.05 lakh tones) which gave the minimum per quintal cost of sugar production. The internal economics put weight on internal diseconomies i.e. as the scale of production increases the cost per quintal of sugar production decreases. But it was not true after the break-even point because the scale of production increased the cost of production also increases. This was true because after the break even point the internal diseconomies suppressed the internal economics. Keywords : Sugar industry, break even, scale of production, internal diseconomies .
Profiling Long Noncoding RNA Expression Using Custom-Designed Microarray.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are an important class of pervasive genes involved in a variety of biological functions. The abnormal expression of lncRNAs has been implicated in a range of many human diseases, including cancer. To date, a small number of functional lncRNAs have been well characterized. lncRNA expression profiling may help to identify useful molecular biomarkers and targets for novel therapeutic approaches. In this chapter, we describe a highly efficient lncRNA expression profiling method using a custom-designed microarray.
4-methylideneimidazole-5-one-containing aminomutases in enediyne biosynthesis.

Abstract Many natural products contain unusual aromatic β-amino acids or moieties derived therefrom. The biosynthesis of these β-amino acids was first elucidated during a biosynthetic study of the enediyne antitumor antibiotic C-1027, when an enzyme, SgcC4, was discovered to convert l -tyrosine to ( S )-β-tyrosine. SgcC4 is similar in sequence and structure to 4-methylideneimidazole-5-one (MIO)-containing ammonia lyases. Whereas the ammonia lyases use the electrophilic power of the MIO group to catalyze the release of ammonia from aromatic amino acids to generate α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acids as final products, SgcC4 retains the α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid and amine as intermediates and reappends the amino group to the β-carbon, affording a β-amino acid as the final product. The study of SgcC4 led to the subsequent discovery of other MIO-containing aminomutases with altered substrate specificity and product stereochemistry, including MdpC4 from the biosynthetic pathway of the enediyne antitumor antibiotic maduropeptin. This chapter describes protocols for the enzymatic and structural characterization of these MIO-containing aminomutases as exemplified by SgcC4 and MdpC4. These protocols are applicable to the study of other aminomutases.
Lanthanides: New life metals?

Lanthanides (Ln3+) that are Rare Earth Elements, until recently thought to be biologically inert, have recently emerged as essential metals for activity and expression of a special type of methanol dehydrogenase, XoxF. As XoxF enzyme homologs are encoded in a wide variety of microbes, including microbes active in important environmental processes such as methane and methanol metabolism, Ln3+ may represent some of the key biogeochemical drivers in cycling of carbon and other elements. However, significant gaps in understanding the role of Ln3+ in biological systems remain as the functions of most of the proteins potentially dependent of Ln3+ and their roles in specific metabolic networks/respective biogeochemical cycles remain unknown. Moreover, enzymes dependent on Ln3+ but not related to XoxF enzymes may exist, and these so far have not been recognized. Through connecting the recently uncovered genetic divergence and phylogenetic distribution of XoxF-like enzymes and through elucidation of their activities, metal and substrate specificities, along with the biological contexts of respective biochemical pathways, most parsimonious scenarios for their evolution could be uncovered. Generation of such data will firmly establish the role of Ln3+ in the biochemistry of Life inhabiting this planet.
Receptor Induction by Thyroid Hormones in Tadpole Erythrocytes in Vivo and in Vitro

This paper describes the continuation of studies of the binding of the thyroid hormone (TH) or triiodothyronine (T3) to nuclei of red blood cells (ABCs) of Rana catesbeiana tadpoles (1–4). Nuclei of tadpole liver and tail contain specific binding sites for TH which may affect the dramatic changes in these tissues during metamorphic climax. Moriya et al. (4) have detected saturable, high affinity binding of T3 in tadpole RBC nuclei. They also found that the number of binding sites per nucleus increased four to five times during the approach to metamorphic climax or in response to an injection of T3. Similar results were reported independently by Galton et al. (5,6). Suggestions that the nuclear binding sites in tadpole RBCs are TH receptors have been based primarily on their binding characteristics and the presumption that the receptor increase is of physiological significance. Therefore, we have investigated receptor induction, the proposal that the increase in T3 binding sites is a direct response of the RBCs to T3, and that the binding sites are T3 receptors (1–6).
Canadian reactor delays add to agency's troubles

A plan to replace two aging nuclear reactors in Ontario, Canada, with Advanced CANDU Reactors (ACR) has been rejected by the provincial government due to concerns over ballooning costs. The rejected bid, which was made by the state-owned Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), adds to the woes of an agency that is already facing rumoured privatization of its business to build and maintain nuclear reactors.
A New Argument for the Irrelevance of Equality for Intrinsic Value

This paper introduces a novel approach to evaluating theories of the good. It proposes evaluating these theories on the basis of their compatibility with the most plausible ways of calculating overall intrinsic value of a world. The paper evaluates the plausibility of egalitarianism using this approach, arguing that egalitarianism runs afoul of the more plausible ways of calculating the overall intrinsic value of a world. Egalitarianism conflicts with the general motivation for totalism and critical-level totalism, which is that independent contributions of each individual’s life should be counted separately. It conflicts with the most plausible version of averagism (momentary stage averagism) because only the highly implausible simultaneous life-segment version of egalitarianism can make sense of inequality being disvaluable at a time. Egalitarianism combined with a diminishing marginal value theory also fails because it holds that, other things equal, the world is a better place when we reduce inequality by adding many people whose lives go very badly but whose sheer numbers lessen inequality. The discussion moves the debate about egalitarianism forward by circumventing the oft-discussed, but intractable, debate concerning the leveling down objection. It also reveals a promising new approach to critiquing theories of the good.
Madaz Publications: Polyphonic Identity and Existential Literacy Transactions

In this article, Bob Fecho and Aaron Green discuss issues of identity, existence, and literacy, drawing primarily upon three pieces of writing—a rap, an essay, and an op-ed piece —written by Green in Fecho's high school classes and during his first year of college. Building on the work of Bakhtin, Delpit, Gordon, and Rosenblatt, Fecho and Green examine the ways in which Green uses his writing to explore his identities as provocateur, mainstream writer, and outsider. Green's writing and his ongoing conversation with Fecho, his teacher and mentor, are used to show the polyphonic nature of identity construction, the ways identity transactions are connected to literacy, and the importance of such transactions for teachers and students.
Incretin secretion in humans is under the influence of cannabinoid receptors

The mechanisms regulating incretin secretion are not fully known. Human obesity is associated with altered incretin secretion and elevated endocannabinoid levels. Since cannabinoid receptors (CBRs)...
Diagnostic Assessments of Service Quality in a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC): an Exploratory Study

This study assesses service quality and suggests customized strategies for improvement of the service quality in a continuing care retirement community (CCRC). Questionnaires based on the SERVQUAL ...
Transformation of Structure, Electrical Conductivity, and Magnetism in AA'Fe2O6-δ, A = Sr, Ca and A' = Sr.

The ability to control electrical properties and magnetism by varying the crystal structure using the effect of the A-site cation in oxygen-deficient perovskites has been studied in AA′Fe2O6−δ, where A = Sr, Ca and A′ = Sr. The structure of Sr2Fe2O6−δ, synthesized at 1250 °C in air, contains dimeric units of FeO5 square pyramids separated by FeO6 octahedra. Here we show that this ordering scheme can be transformed by changing the A-site cations from Sr to Ca. This leads to a structure where layers of corner-sharing FeO6 octahedra are separated by chains of FeO4 tetrahedra. Through systematic variation of the A-site cations, we have determined the average ionic radius required for this conversion to be ∼1.41 A. We have demonstrated that the magnetic structure is also transformed. The Sr2 compound has an incommensurate magnetic structure, where magnetic moments are in spin-density wave state, aligning perpendicular to the body diagonal of the unit cell. With the aid of neutron diffraction experiments at 10 ...
Expansion of C9ORF72 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis correlates with brain-computer interface performance

Abnormal expansion of hexanucleotide GGGGCC (G4C2) in the C9ORF72 gene has been associated with multiple neurodegenerative disorders, with particularly high prevalence in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Repeat expansions of this type have been associated with altered pathology, symptom rate and severity, as well as psychological changes. In this study, we enrolled twenty-five patients with ALS and fifteen neurologically healthy controls in a P300 brain-computer interface (BCI) training procedure. Four of the patients were found to possess an expanded allele, which was associated with a reduction in the quality of evoked potentials that led to reduced performance on the BCI task. Our findings warrant further exploration of the relationship between brain function and G4C2 repeat length. Such a relationship suggests that personalized assessment of suitability of BCI as a communication device in patients with ALS may be feasible.
Performing Family Identity, Memory and Hybridity in the Works of Eva Menasse

This essay examines family identity, memory and hybridity in Eva Menasse’s novels Vienna (2005) and Quasikristalle (2013). The question of identity―an individual’s age, ethnic background, gender, nationality, qualities, beliefs and values―presents as the key issue in all Menasse’s literary works, including the short stories in Lassliche Todsunden (2009) and most recently, the essay collection Lieber aufgeregt als abgeklart (2016). Another recurring theme is the memory of the Shoah, its effects on families and relationships between Jews and non-Jews, which always seems to linger in the background. Thirdly, the author often focuses on differences between Austrians and Germans, as well as the way each treats their Jewish minorities. Finally, hybridity, i.e. the existence between two or more poles, as well as shedding light on a character’s story and a character’s circumstances through other characters’ perspectives are central to Menasse’s approach to writing: Thus, the author examines the hybrid nature of (1) (Jewish) family identity; (2) Jewishness in general; (3) after-effects of Nazi policies on post-war (family) life in Austria―the ‘Alltagsfaschismus’―and Germany; (4) differences between Germany and Austria and encounters between Austrians and Germans; and (5) gender, i.e. the way female family members are often overlooked in family narratives, as well as conditions of woman/motherhood in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Summary and Advanced Topics

The finite element method is a huge field of study. This set of notes was designed to give students only a brief introduction to the fundamentals of the method.
The role of RyR2 oxidation in the blunted frequency-dependent facilitation of Ca 2+ transient amplitude in rabbit failing myocytes

Defective Ca2+ regulation plays a key role in the blunted force-frequency response in heart failure (HF). Since HF is commonly associated with oxidative stress, we studied whether oxidation of ryanodine receptor (RyR2) contributes to this defect. In control ventricular myocytes, oxidative stress induced formation of disulfide bonds between RyR2 subunits: intersubunit cross-linking (XL). Western blot analysis and Ca2+ imaging revealed a strong positive correlation between RyR2 XL and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ leak. These results illustrate that RyR2 XL can be used as a sensitive indicator of RyR2 dysfunction during oxidative stress. HF myocytes were in a state of oxidative stress since they exhibited an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, a decrease in ROS defense and an overall protein oxidation. These myocytes were also characterized by RyR2 XL and increased SR Ca2+ leak. Moreover, the frequency-dependent increase of Ca2+ transient amplitude was suppressed due to the inability of the SR to maintain Ca2+ load at high pacing rates. Because SR Ca2+ load is determined by the balance between SR Ca2+ uptake and leak, the blunted frequency-dependent inotropy in HF can be mediated by ROS-induced SR Ca2+ leak. Preventing RyR2 XL in HF myocytes decreased SR Ca2+ leak and increased Ca2+ transients at high pacing rate. We also studied whether RyR2 oxidation alone can cause the blunted frequency-dependent facilitation of Ca2+ transient amplitude in control myocytes. When RyR2 XL was induced in control myocytes to a similar level seen in HF, an increase of Ca2+ transient amplitude at high pacing rate was significantly suppressed. These results suggest that SR Ca2+ leak induced by RyR2 oxidation can play an important role in the blunted frequency-dependent inotropy of HF.
Fluvial to torrential phase transition in open canals

Network flows and specifically water flow in open canals can be modeled bysystems of balance laws defined ongraphs.The shallow water or Saint-Venant system of balance laws is one of the most used modeland present two phases: fluvial or sub-critical and torrential or super-critical.Phase transitions may occur within the same canal but transitions relatedto networks are less investigated.In this paper we provide a complete characterization of possible phase transitionsfor a case study of a simple scenariowith two canals and one junction.However, our analysis allows the study of more complicate networks.Moreover, we provide some numerical simulations to show the theory at work.
Scattering in Quantum Field Theories With Supergroup Invariance

We conjecture the factorized scattering description for OSP(m/2n)/ OSP(m- 1/2n) supersphere sigma models and OSP(m/2n) Gross-Neveu models. The non unitarity of these field theories, which translates into a lack of “physical unitarity” of the S matrices, is a sticky issue, but we find that formal thermodynamic Bethe ansatz calculations appear meaningful, reproduce the correct central charges, and agree with perturbative calculations. This hopefully paves the way to a more thorough study of these and other models with supergroup symmetries using the S matrix approach.
What does it mean when a child is diagnosed with pneumonia

Pneumonia is a frequent diagnosis without adequate consideration of the etiology. Pneumonia implies the presence of inflammation of the lung parenchyma with consolidation. That inflammation may be from infectious or noninfectious causes. Radiologic diagnosis of pneumonia is subject to interobserver interpretation and may misdiagnose noninflammatory radiological opacifications as pneumonia. The common diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia in children most commonly has a viral rather than bacterial etiology. Antibiotics should be reserved for those where the clinical course, laboratory measure of biomarkers, and radiology are consistent with the diagnosis of pyogenic bacterial pneumonia.
Elevated Expression of a Functional Suf Pathway in the E.coli BL21(DE3) Cell Line Enhances Recombinant Production of an Iron-Sulfur Cluster Containing Protein

ABSTRACT Structural and spectroscopic analysis of iron-sulfur [Fe-S] cluster-containing proteins is often limited by the occupancy and yield of recombinantly produced proteins. Here we report that Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), a strain routinely used to overexpress [Fe-S] cluster-containing proteins, has a nonfunctional Suf pathway, one of two E. coli [Fe-S] cluster biogenesis pathways. We confirmed that BL21(DE3) and commercially available derivatives carry a deletion that results in an inframe fusion of sufA and sufB genes within the sufABCDSE operon. We show that this fusion protein accumulates in cells but is - inactive in [Fe-S] biogenesis. Restoration of an intact Suf pathway combined with enhanced suf operon expression led to a remarkable (~3-fold) increase in the production of the [4Fe-4S] cluster-containing BchL protein, a key component of the dark-operative protochlorophyllide oxido-reductase complex. These results show that this engineered ‘SufFeScient’ derivative of BL21(DE3) is suitable for enhanced large-scale synthesis of an [Fe-S] cluster-containing protein. IMPORTANCE Large quantities of recombinantly overexpressed iron-sulfur cluster-containing proteins are necessary for their in-depth biochemical characterization. Commercially available E. coli strain BL21(DE3) and its derivatives have a mutation that inactivates the function of one of the two native pathways (Suf pathway) responsible for cluster biogenesis. Correction of the mutation, combined with sequence changes that increase Suf expression can increase yield and cluster occupancy of [Fe-S] cluster-containing enzymes, facilitating the biochemical analysis of this fascinating group of proteins.
Military Discipline and the Incarcerated Veteran

A primary reason for the success of Veterans Treatment Courts is their ability to link justice-involved veterans to countless benefits provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans who were discharged under honorable conditions may enjoy healthcare, disability compensation, vouchers for rent, the G.I. Bill, or vocational rehabilitation that includes college tuition. However, veterans who have other-than honorable or punitive discharges based upon offenses while in the military have far fewer options. Many times, military offenses are linked to untreated symptoms related to honest and faithful military service. The comparative lack of federal resources for “bad paper” veterans is particularly concerning in the criminal justice system because research is increasingly demonstrating that these veterans are at far greater risk of arrest, incarceration, and the other factors that contribute to criminal involvement, such as homelessness and substance dependence. This chapter describes recent developments in the Department of Defense (DoD) that offer new hope to incarcerated bad paper veterans. Beginning in 2014, the DoD took a bold and long overdue step of explicitly recognizing the connection between military trauma and military misconduct. By 2017, DoD articulated factors to consider in evaluating a “bad paper” discharge with allowances for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, other mental health conditions, military sexual assault, and sexual harassment. These new standards apply equally to veterans who have never requested discharge upgrades and those denied upgrades in years prior. With knowledge of these new standards, corrections professionals can offer new opportunities for veterans to improve their lives upon release.
Early warning signs in complex systems: the study of transitions in psychotherapy

Psychotherapy research has a long history, ranging from qualitative descriptions of its processes, to clinical trials, to more recent analyses of symptoms and processes in individual time course data. As Goldfried (2018) laments, however, this research has been conducted for over a century and there is still no clear consensus on the core principles of therapeutic change. A number of barriers have slowed progress, including an overemphasis on treatment outcomes, theoretical orientations, and specific treatments and diagnoses.
Biomembrane organic electronic devices

Cell membranes localize and orchestrate the critical cellular processes, reactions, and sensing that give rise to life. The variety of lipids and proteins comprising these biomembranes enables fine-tuned control of the biological processes happening within them. However, to discover how such a complex system of myriad components gives rise to membrane properties and functions, we reduce the system to minimal components and in a step-wise and controlled manner, increase the complexity. The interface that delivers information about the processes under study is critical. We turn to organic electronics for its known compatibility with biological materials and their sensitive and convenient read out of information. I describe the advances in building the interface between cell membranes and organic electronics as well as the types of measurements and information that can be garnered from these devices. I highlight examples in ion channel biophysics, pathogen interactions, and biosensing.
Estimating discount rates using referendum-style choice experiments: An analysis of multiple methodologies

Abstract There is a growing literature that uses stated preference surveys to estimate discount rates. A review of the literature reveals large variation both in the discount rate estimates coming from different stated preference surveys and in the specific empirical methodologies used to estimate discount rates. While most use similar theory and logic in deriving discount rate estimates, it remains an open question how much of the variation seen in the literature is due to differences in empirical methodology. Using a single data set, we estimate annual discount rates using six different methodologies, including endogenous and ex-post estimation techniques as well as a variety of parametric and nonparametric choice models. We find that most of our estimates are tightly clustered between 14.5 and 31% while one methodology yields an outlier value of 200%. We also use multiple metrics to determine which methodology yields the “right” discount rate and find that the methodology with the best “goodness-of-fit” using information statistics does not always yield the highest predictive accuracy. Our findings suggest that, while methods grounded in similar theory often produce comparable methods, caution and robustness checks are critical.
Asymptotic expansions of Lambert series and related q-series

We study the Lambert series ℒq(s,x) =∑k=1∞ksqkx/(1 − qk), for all s ∈ ℂ. We obtain the complete asymptotic expansion of ℒq(s,x) near q = 1. Our analysis of the Lambert series yields the asymptotic forms for several related q-series: the q-gamma and q-polygamma functions, the q-Pochhammer symbol and the Jacobi theta functions. Some typical results include Γ2(1 4)Γ2(3 4) ≈ 213/32π log 2 and &#x1d717;4(0,e−1/π) ≈ 2πe−π3/4, with relative errors of order 10−25 and 10−27 respectively.
General Factor Mean Difference Estimation in Bifactor Models with Ordinal Data

A simulation study was conducted to explore robustness of general factor mean difference estimation in bifactor measurement models with ordered-categorical measures. Common analysis misspecificatio...
Machiavelli’s Critique of Classical Philosophy and His Case for The Political Life

This article illuminates how Machiavelli’s critique of classical philosophy is fundamental to his teaching. It will argue that Machiavelli criticized classical philosophy for its ineffectiveness an...
Elementary General Music Performances and Teachers’ Perceptions of Stress

The purpose of investigation was to examine the perceptions of elementary music teachers concerning the preparation of elementary music performances and the impact on their perceived stress. Partic...
Visualizing Injustice or Reifying Racism? Images in the Digital Media Coverage of the Killing of Michael Brown:

The explosion of Black Lives Matter protests in the mid-2010s rendered visible state violence against Black Americans, producing a barrage of images and videos of lethal police violence and the pro...
Adaptive Day-Ahead Prediction of Resilient Power Distribution Network Partitions

The conventional power distribution network is being transformed drastically due to high penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) and energy storage. The optimal scheduling and dispatch is important to better harness the energy from intermittent RES. Traditional centralized optimization techniques limit the size of the problem and hence distributed techniques are adopted. The distributed optimization technique partitions the power distribution network into sub-networks which solves the local sub problem and exchanges information with the neighboring sub-networks for the global update. This paper presents an adaptive spectral graph partitioning algorithm based on vertex migration while maintaining computational load balanced for synchronization, active power balance and sub-network resiliency. The parameters that define the resiliency metrics of power distribution networks are discussed and leveraged for better operation of sub-networks in grid connected mode as well as islanded mode. The adaptive partition of the IEEE 123-bus network into resilient sub-networks is demonstrated in this paper.
Difference Sets: Connecting Algebra, Combinatorics, and Geometry

Table of Contents:* Introduction * Designs * Automorphisms of designs * Introducing difference sets * Bruck-Ryser-Chowla theorem * Multipliers * Necessary group conditions * Difference sets from geometry * Families from Hadamard matrices * Representation theory * Group characters * Using algebraic number theory * Applications * Background * Notation * Hints and solutions to selected exercises * Bibliography * Index * Index of parameters
Impact Response of Polymer-Matrix Composite Materials

The more significant of the many prior investigations of the title problem have been organized into a brief summary of past achievements and an appraisal of the current state of the art with emphasis on the impact of beamspecimens such as those used in the Charpy test. An extensive list of references are catagorized into general directions that prior research has taken with representative experimental results being included to emphasize the conclusions presented. These form the basis for suggestions for additional research, both experimental and analytical.
Host Factors in Retroviral Integration and the Selection of Integration Target Sites

In order to replicate, a retrovirus must integrate a DNA copy of the viral RNA genome into a chromosome of the host cell. The study of retroviral integration has advanced considerably in the past few years. Here we focus on host factor interactions and the linked area of integration targeting. Genome-wide screens for cellular factors affecting HIV replication have identified a series of host cell proteins that may mediate subcellular trafficking for preintegration complexes, nuclear import, and integration target site selection. The cell transcriptional co-activator protein LEDGF/p75 has been identified as a tethering factor important for HIV integration, and recently, BET proteins (Brd2, 4, and 4) have been identified as tethering factors for the gammaretroviruses. A new class of HIV inhibitors has been developed targeting the HIV-1 IN-LEDGF binding site, though surprisingly these inhibitors appear to block assembly late during replication and do not act at the integration step. Going forward, genome-wide studies of HIV–host interactions offer many new starting points to investigate HIV replication and identify potential new inhibitor targets.
Complex fibroadenoma and breast cancer risk: a Mayo Clinic Benign Breast Disease Cohort Study

The purpose of this study is to examine the breast cancer risk overall among women with simple fibroadenoma or complex fibroadenoma and to examine the association of complex fibroadenoma with breast cancer through stratification of other breast cancer risks. The study included women aged 18-85 years from the Mayo Clinic Benign Breast Disease Cohort who underwent excisional breast biopsy from 1967 through 1991. Within this cohort, women who had fibroadenoma were compared to women who did not have fibroadenoma. Breast cancer risk (observed versus expected) across fibroadenoma levels was assessed through standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) by using age- and calendar-stratified incidence rates from the Iowa Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry. Analyses were performed overall, within subgroups of involution status, with other demographic characteristics (age, year of biopsy, indication for biopsy, and family history), and with histologic characteristics, including overall impression [nonproliferative disease, proliferative disease without atypia (PDWA), or atypical hyperplasia]. Fibroadenoma was identified in 2136 women [noncomplex, 1835 (85.9%); complex, 301 (14.1%)]. SIR for noncomplex fibroadenoma was 1.49 (95% CI 1.26-1.74); for complex fibroadenoma, it was 2.27 (95% CI 1.63-3.10) (test for heterogeneity in SIR, P = .02). However, women with complex fibroadenoma were more likely to have other, concomitant high-risk histologic characteristics (e.g., incomplete involution and PDWA). In analyses stratified by involution status and PDWA, complex fibroadenoma was not an independent risk marker for breast cancer. Complex fibroadenoma does not confer increased breast cancer risk beyond other established histologic characteristics.
Effects of Viral Eradication With Ledipasvir and Sofosbuvir, With or Without Ribavirin, on Measures of Fatigue in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Background & Aims Fatigue is a disturbing symptom of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We assessed the effects of sustained virologic response 12 weeks after the end of therapy (SVR12) on fatigue. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 100 patients with chronic HCV infection who achieved an SVR12 after treatment with ledipasvir and sofosbuvir, with or without ribavirin. Data were collected on fatigue-related patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and assessed by using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue scoring system and the Vitality subscale of Short Form 36. We measured levels of cytokines and growth factors in frozen serum samples collected at baseline, week 12 of treatment, and 4 weeks after treatment. Central fatigue and peripheral or muscle fatigue (PF) were determined by using items from PROs. Serum levels of cytokines, growth factors, serotonin, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase were measured by using the Bio-Plex, enzyme-linked immunosorbent, and enzymatic assays. Results Compared with baseline, 4 weeks after the end of treatment, all fatigue-associated PROs improved significantly. Baseline PROs correlated inversely with serum level of interferon-γ; level of platelet-derived growth factor correlated with PF, central fatigue, and total fatigue score. Only PF correlated with serum level of serotonin. At baseline, high PF scores correlated with high serum levels of serotonin and low levels of interleukin-10 and tumor necrosis factor-α. In multivariate analysis, serum level of interleukin-8 was associated with greater fatigue ( P P = .0165). Conclusions In an analysis of data from patients with chronic HCV infection participating in a clinical trial of ledipasvir and sofosbuvir, SVR12 was associated with reduced fatigue, compared with baseline. High baseline serum levels of interferon-γ were associated with fatigue. Reductions in levels of chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 were associated with persistent fatigue after SVR12. Central and peripheral fatigue each associated with different biomarkers, suggesting different pathogenic pathways.
Inactivation of tryptophan oxygenase in vivo and in vitro.

Abstract The loss of tryptophan oxygenase from rat livers after induction by hydrocortisone treatment was studied in living rats, isolated perfused livers, liver slices and cell-free preparations of these livers. Measurements of the enzyme by its activity and as an antigen were parallel except for apparently nonspecific inactivations in some incubations of cell-free preparations and the temporary, early appearance of a catalytically inactive antigen during accumulation of the enzyme after hydrocortisone treatment. The enzyme was lost at similar rates in all of the systems studied, including cell-free soluble fractions of liver. In all systems, the antigen was preserved by the substrate analog, α-methyltryptophan. The rate of loss was proportional to the concentration of the enzyme and was the same for added or endogenous enzyme and the same in noninduced or induced liver preparations. Labeled, purified enzyme added to cell-free preparations was used to demonstrate that the loss of antigenic material was not significantly associated with its proteolysis to small fragments. The results are compatible with an initial step in the degradation of this enzyme that is akin to a denaturation, and which can be prevented by combination of the protein with its substrate.
Appendix B: Broadband Matching

This appendix contains sections titled: Introduction Matching Tools Example: The Single Series Stub Tuner (Not Recommended for Broadband Applications) Example: Broadband Matching The ?>TRICKS ?> Discussion On the Load Impedance Z L Example of a Practical Execution Common Misconceptions Concluding Remarks Problems
He II Reionization and Sources of Metagalactic Ionization

Intergalactic Ly-alpha opacity suggests that H I was reionized at z ~ 6, while He II reionization was delayed to z ~ 3. Both epochs are in conflict with inferences from CMB optical depth (WMAP) which suggest early reionization at z = 10-20. One of the major contributions of FUSE to cosmological studies has been the detection of He II Ly-alpha (Gunn-Peterson) absorption in the spectra of AGN at redshifts z > 2.03. Spectra of He II absorbers, taken in concert with corresponding H I (Ly-alpha) lines, allow us to fix the epoch of helium reionization at z(HeII) ~ 2.8 +/- 0.2. Here, I review FUSE observations of He II absorption, together with their implications for the sources and transport of ionizing radiation over 30-50 Mpc distances through the IGM. FUSE observations of He II absorption toward HE 2347-4342, combined with Keck and VLT observations of H I, are consistent with photoionization by QSOs, with a wide range of intrinsic spectral indices, and modified by filtering and reprocessing in the IGM. The He II/H I ratio (eta) exhibits variations over 1 Mpc distance scales (Delta z ~ 0.001). Intriguingly, this eta-ratio is also correlated with Ly-alpha filaments and voids. The ionizing radiation field appears to be softer (higher He II/H I) in the voids. These void regions may be ionized by local soft sources (dwarf starburst galaxies), or the QSO radiation may softened by escape from AGN cores and transport through denser regions in the cosmic web. The differences in ionizing spectra may explain the 1.4 Gyr lag between H I and He II reionization epochs.
Real-time re-planning in high-dimensional configuration spaces using sets of homotopic paths

Real-time replanning is a prerequisite for motion execution in unpredictably changing environments. This paper presents a framework that allows real-time replanning in high-dimensional configuration spaces. Initially, a planning operation generates a path. The path is augmented by a set of paths homotopic to it. This set is represented implicitly by a volume of free space in the work space. Effectively, this corresponds to delaying part of the planning operation for the homotopic paths until motion execution. During execution reactive control algorithms are used to select a valid path from the set of homotopic paths, using proximity to the environment as a simple and effective heuristic and thereby significantly pruning the search in the configuration space. Experimental results are presented to validate the real-time performance of this framework in high-dimensional configuration spaces.
Making Sense of Violence in the “Badlands” of Kenya

SUMMARY In this article, I situate violent conflict affecting pastoralists in northern Kenya in the context of media representations of violent incidents and the relationship that many Kenyans perceive between such incidents and election politics. I argue that media representations are implicated in cycles of violent conflict through erasure and misrecognition. Most crucially, media representations tend to focus on cultural stereotypes that tacitly legitimate ongoing violence by explaining it away as timeless and cultural. These unidimensional representations can distract from the culpability of political elites and from the role of economic and political disenfranchisement in sustaining violence. They can also mask the ways in which some elites benefit from the propagation of cultural stereotypes even while deliberately engaging in manipulation of ethnic fault lines. Finally, I argue that these already ubiquitous representations hinging on cultural stereotypes contribute to a global politics of marginalization, within which so-called indigenous violence is simultaneously politically expedient, routine, and forgettable.
Orienting Internal Standard Method for Clay Mineral X-Ray Analysis

Use of a platy internal standard that will orient to the same degree as clay minerals preserves the relative diffraction intensities between the basal reflections from the platy components, regardless of degree of orientation. The method is illustrated with basic zinc chloride and pyrophyllite as the internal standards for quantitative clay mineral analysis in the systems kaolinite-1Md illite and 2 M1 muscovite-montmorillonite. Ulite does not orient to the same degree as kaolinite at high illite concentrations. In such nonlinear systems empirical working curves are more reliable than fixed ratios of the scattering powers of the clay minerals present. Random interstratification of 10/15.4A layers causes a minimum in 001/001 peak height at about 33% of the 15.4A component. Peak width varies in a similar but inverse pattern, so that the integrated intensity increases in a smooth curve from muscovite to montmorillonite. The major error in application of this quantitative method arises from uncertainty as to the correct allocation of peak areas in cases of overlap of the mixed-layer peak with those of discrete 10 A and 14 A clays also present.
Platelet phagocytosis by neutrophils.

![Figure][1] A 96-year-old woman with a past medical history of hypertension, medication noncompliance, and lack of medical follow-up was brought to the emergency room with altered mental status. She was to found to have malignant hypertension with concomitant acute pontine hemorrhage. Her