cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influences on creativity in asynchronous virtual teams: a qualitative analysis of experimental teams

As virtual teams constitute an important and pervasive organizational structure, research with the aim of improving the effectiveness of these teams is vital. Although critical topics such as conflict, coordination and trust are being addressed, research on creativity in virtual teams has been quite limited. Given that creative solutions to complex problems create and sustain a firm's competitive advantage, an investigation of creativity in virtual teams is warranted. The goal of the current study is to explore the influences on creativity in asynchronous virtual teams. Predicated upon grounded theory, this exploration is accomplished through an in-depth qualitative analysis of the team communication transcripts of ten virtual teams. Teams were composed of graduate students who interacted solely via an asynchronous, computer conferencing system to develop the high-level requirements and design for a new innovative product. Significant inhibitors to the creative performance of virtual teams included dominance, domain knowledge, downward norm setting, lack of shared understanding, time pressure, and technical difficulties. Significant enhancers to creativity included stimulating colleagues, the existence of a variety of social influences, a collaborative team climate, and both the surfacing and reduction of equivocality.
Evaluation of Growth Selected Quail Lines under Different Nutritional Environments

Abstract THERE is a range of environmental conditions to which animals are subjected and under which they are expected to perform well. Falconer (1960) suggested that the best all-round performance would be obtained when animals undergoing selection were subjected to environmental conditions corresponding to the worst, rather than the best environment under which the improved stock will be required to perform. Hardin and Bell (1967) reported that for maximum performance in a single environment, selection should be practiced in that environment. They further reported, that selection of Tribolium for high 13-day larval weight in a poor environment gave 25 percent greater gain in the mean performance than selection in a good environment. Obviously the range of environmental conditions (or extremes) is a major consideration as to the practicability of selection under adverse environments. Of interest from a practical standpoint is not only the performance of selected lines under the reciprocal good…
HIV-1 Tat membrane interactions probed using X-ray and neutron scattering, CD spectroscopy and MD simulations

We report the effect on lipid bilayers of the Tat peptide Y47GRKKRRQRRR57 from the HIV-1 virus transactivator of translation (Tat) protein. Synergistic use of low-angle X-ray scattering (LAXS) and atomistic molecular dynamic simulations (MD) indicate Tat peptide binding to neutral dioleoylphosphocholine (DOPC) lipid headgroups. This binding induced the local lipid phosphate groups to move 3 A closer to the center of the bilayer. Many of the positively charged guanidinium components of the arginines were as close to the center of the bilayer as the locally thinned lipid phosphate groups. LAXS data for DOPC, DOPC/dioleoylphosphoethanolamine (DOPE), DOPC/dioleoylphosphoserine (DOPS), and a mimic of the nuclear membrane gave similar results. Generally, the Tat peptide decreased the bilayer bending modulus KC and increased the area/lipid. Further indications that Tat softens a membrane, thereby facilitating translocation, were provided by wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and neutron scattering. CD spectroscopy was also applied to further characterize Tat/membrane interactions. Although a mechanism for translation remains obscure, this study suggests that the peptide/lipid interaction makes the Tat peptide poised to translocate from the headgroup region.
The Relationship between Psychological Strain, Self-Regulation, and Informal Accountability for Others

This research examines the relationship between psychological strain, self-regulation, and informal accountability for others (IAFO). Our study attempts to enhance organizational research by demonstrating the moderating effect of self-regulation, a form of attention control, on the strain and IAFO relationship. We test hypotheses using data collected in an organizational sample of 105 working adults. Findings indicate that self-regulation moderates the strain – IAFO relationship for those who are not able to focus well on specific job tasks. The paper concludes with a discussion of managerial implications, the study’s relevant strengths, limitations and directions for future research.
Reflections on Life Changes Resulting From a Parent’s Losing Independence

If we are lucky, we will have the opportunity to enjoy our parents as they age, but there are challenges that come with the blessings. This article provides insights and recommendations regarding the personal responsibilities of a caregiver, the rehabilitation and case-management requirements of ensuring effective care, and a parent’s struggle when she can no longer live independently.
Multiscale Modeling of Cancer

Breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. Specifically, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the worst prognosis, as it is more invasive and lacks estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors that can be targeted with therapies. Due to the need for effective therapies for this type of breast cancer, it is critical to develop methods to (1) understand how TNBC progresses and (2) facilitate development of effective therapies. Here, we describe a multiscale model focusing on tumor formation. Our approach uses multiple scales to investigate the progression and possible treatments of tumors.
Abstract 2932: Sipuleucel-T generates robust and persistent cellular and humoral immune responses - Results from the IMPACT trial

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Introduction. Sipuleucel-T is a patient-specific autologous cell product consisting of antigen presenting cells (APCs) loaded with a recombinant fusion protein (PA2024) comprising prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) linked to GM-CSF. Reported here are immune response data from a randomized Phase 3 trial, D9902B (IMPACT). Methods. 512 subjects with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer were randomized (2:1) to receive sipuleucel-T or placebo intravenously every 2 Wks x 3. Serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained at Baseline and at Wks 6, 14, and 26 and cryopreserved; all samples from a single subject were evaluated in the same assay. Humoral responses in cryopreserved subject serum were assessed by ELISA. Cellular responses were assessed by IFNγ ELISPOT and 3H-thymidine T cell proliferation assays. Results. The median CD54 upregulation ratio increased after culture at all 3 treatment weeks in the sipuleucel-T, but not the placebo, arm. The magnitude of APC activation was significantly greater at Wk 2 (10.8-fold) and Wk 4 (11.0-fold) compared to Wk 0 (both P 400) increased after treatment with sipuleucel T, rising from 2.0% at baseline to 73.9% at Wk 14. Titers for anti-PA2024 and anti-PAP increased significantly from Wk 0 to Wk 6 after treatment with sipuleucel-T (both P 10 spots) increased after treatment with sipuleucel-T. The maximal value observed was 50.8% of subjects at Wk 6 compared with 5.7% at baseline, and specific responses were present at Wk 26. There was little increase in the proportion of subjects with PAP-specific IFNγ ELISPOT responses from Wk 0 to Wk 6. 78.6% of sipuleucel-T subjects mounted anti-PA2024 proliferative responses (stimulation index [SI] > 5). T cell proliferative responses increased significantly from Wk 0 to Wk 6 (P < 0.001) and remained above Wk 0 levels at Wk 26 (SI = 61.5). The PAP-specific proliferative response rose from Wk 0 to Wk 6 (P = 0.071), and remained above Wk 0 levels at Wk 26 (SI = 30.5). Conclusion. Immunogen and PAP-specific responses were observed after treatment with sipuleucel-T but not placebo. The majority of subjects treated with sipuleucel-T had persistent cellular and humoral responses (26 Wks). In addition the humoral class switching data suggest the establishment of a memory response. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2932.
Sperm storage and sperm precedence in the milkweed beetle Tetraopes tetraophthalmus (Forster) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Both sexes of the milkweed beetle, Tetraopes tetraophthalmus (Forster), mate many times over the course of a 6-week adult life span. In laboratory experiments, the lifetime fertility of females allowed to mate several times in a 24-h period but never again was the same as that of females allowed continual access to males. Females mating only once showed reduced lifetime fertility. In the laboratory the most recent male to mate with a female fertilizes about 72% of the eggs deposited in the next egg clutch. Mixing of the sperm of multiple fathers in the fertilization of a given clutch of eggs was also demonstrated in the field.
Performance limits for GaAs-based nanowire photovoltaics

The performance limits of GaAs-based nanowire photovoltaics are explored under various configurations. Their connection to the traditional Shockley-Queisser limit and recent experimental results reported in the literature is discussed.
Effects of Nanoparticle Morphology and Acyl Chain Length on Spontaneous Lipid Transfer Rates

We report on studies of lipid transfer rates between different morphology nanoparticles and lipids with different length acyl chains. The lipid transfer rate of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (di-C14, DMPC) in discoidal “bicelles” (0.156 h–1) is 2 orders of magnitude greater than that of DMPC vesicles (ULVs) (1.1 × 10–3 h–1). For both bicellar and ULV morphologies, increasing the acyl chain length by two carbons [going from di-C14 DMPC to di-C16, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)] causes lipid transfer rates to decrease by more than 2 orders of magnitude. Results from small angle neutron scattering (SANS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) are in good agreement. The present studies highlight the importance of lipid dynamic processes taking place in different morphology biomimetic membranes.
The redwoods of california—largest of economic plants

Redwood forests, like other forests, produce materials of great economic importance, lumber primarily, and a number of byproducts. Technology is involved in every step from road building, logging, transportation, saw milling and to the ultimate product. Biology enters into the conversion of the old, miscellaneous primeval forest to one that can be managed in perpetuity for successive crops, including seeding and planting. The wood itself calls for chemical and physical techniques to prepare it for use—from seasoning, through tests of its propertics and to derived chemicals and paper pulp. It is a fascinating job and never without its problems, surprises, and rewards. Forest management is a wedding of engineering and botany. Redwood forestry has made great strides, hut there still remains much pioneering, particularly in reforestation and in management for continued production.
Pollution of Lead,Cadmium in Main Food of Futian District,2011

Objective To understand the pollution situation of lead,cadmium in food in Futian district.Methods A total of 161 food samples collected from grain,livestock,vegetables and seafood were tested concerning contents of lead and cadmium.Results The detection rates of lead,cadmium were 27.95 % and 64.60% respectively,which exceeded the national hygienic standard by 1.86 % and 5.59 % respectively.The detection rate of cadmium in the aquatic products was 63.64%,which exceeded the national hygienic standard by as high as 21.21%.Conclusion The pollution of lead,cadmium in main food in Futian district exists in 2011,especially cadmium in the aquatic products,calling for enforced surveillance to ensure the population health.
Integration of UMLS and MEDLINE in Unsupervised Word Sense Disambiguation

Scarcity of training data for word sense disambiguation argues for the use of knowledge-based disambiguation methods, which rely on information available in terminological resources. Unfortunately, these resources are not generally optimized to perform word sense disambiguation. On the other hand, there are many examples of ambiguous biomedical words with context in MEDLINE. However, these examples of ambiguity are not labeled with their proper sense. We propose the integration of the UMLS and MEDLINE to create concept profiles which are used to perform knowledge-based word sense disambiguation. Our results show an accuracy of 0.8770 on a biomedical word sense disambiguation data set; this represents a statistically significant improvement over other knowledge-based methods based on the UMLS on this data set.
Disorders of spinal cord, nerve, and muscle.

This article addresses possible causal associations between abused substances and disorders of the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system. Causality is important for medicolegal and nosologic purposes, but more so for insights into mechanisms of disease. MPTP-induced parkinsonism is a good example of a causal relationship that is informative about pathogenesis of a neurologic disorder. None of the associations in this article are as definite, as strong, or as illuminating as MPTP-induced parkinsonism, but they are far more common.
Imaging network level language recovery after left PCA stroke.

Purpose: The neural mechanisms that support aphasia recovery are not yet fully understood. Our goal was to evaluate longitudinal changes in naming recovery in participants with posterior cerebral artery (PCA) stroke using a case-by-case analysis. Methods: Using task based and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and detailed language testing, we longitudinally studied the recovery of the naming network in four participants with PCA stroke with naming deficits at the acute (0 week), sub acute (3–5 weeks), and chronic time point (5–7 months) post stroke. Behavioral and imaging analyses (task related and resting state functional connectivity) were carried out to elucidate longitudinal changes in naming recovery. Results: Behavioral and imaging analysis revealed that an improvement in naming accuracy from the acute to the chronic stage was reflected by increased connectivity within and between left and right hemisphere “language” regions. One participant who had persistent moderate naming deficit showed weak and decreasing connectivity longitudinally within and between left and right hemisphere language regions. Conclusions: These findings emphasize a network view of aphasia recovery, and show that the degree of inter- and intra- hemispheric balance between the language-specific regions is necessary for optimal recovery of naming, at least in participants with PCA stroke.
In Vitro Precipitation of Calcium Oxalate in the Presence of Whole Matrix or Lipid Components of the Urinary Stones

Abstract Organic matrix of human calcium oxalate urinary stones was obtained by demineralizing with EDTA. Lipids were extracted from the EDTA-insoluble matrix by chloroform methanol treatment. The whole matrix and its total lipid extract were then incubated in a metastable solution of calcium oxalate and depletion of calcium and oxalate ions from the calcifying solution was determined. Results of our studies described here show that urinary calcium oxalate stone matrix and its total lipid contents were capable of binding calcium and oxalate ions and of catalysing calcium oxalate crystal formation from a metastable calcium oxalate solution.
Non-Coding Ribonucleic Acid: A New Anticancer Drug Target

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) plays a central role in the pathway from DNA to proteins and acts as central dogma of molecular biology. It is a polymeric molecule, found usually in a single-stranded form and comprised of one or more nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of a ribose sugar, a phosphate and a base (adenine/cytosine/guanine/ uracil). RNA plays a vital role in gene expression as well as protein synthesis. The genetic information of an organism is encoded as a linear series of bases in the Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of the cell. During the process of gene expression, DNA is copied into messenger Ribonucleic acid (mRNA), which is further translated by ribosomes to form proteins. However, in the cell, there are some other kinds of RNAs as well, which are referred to as non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). These ncRNAs are not translated into protein but perform other significant roles which lead to attain substantial focus as a remarkable target for therapeutic intervention.
Immune complexes in viral infection.

The development of disease during viral infection may result from at least two major mechanisms, which are often combined. First, viruses can cause cell damage, directly or through the release of toxic products. Second, the cellular and humoral branches of the immune response directed against antigen(s) related to the infectious agent can also result in tissue injury. Although the production of antibody and its subsequent binding to antigen during the course of an immune response lead, in most cases, to antigen elimination, in vivo formation of immune complexes represents a major pathway for the pathological expression of the immune response. Indeed, immune complexes are formed when antibodies are produced and react with antigen molecule(s) persisting in the host or which are released from cells into extracellular fluids. In addition, some viruses are known to induce a polyclonal B cell proliferation resulting in the production of antibodies with a broad spectrum of specificity, including autoantibodies, and possibly lead to the formation of immune complexes involving self antigens or modified self antigens.
Mutant analysis by rescue gene excision: New tools for mosaic studies in Drosophila

A host of classical and molecular genetic tools make Drosophila a tremendous model for the dissection of gene activity. In particular, the FLP-FRT technique for mitotic recombination has greatly enhanced gene loss-of-function analysis. This technique efficiently induces formation of homozygous mutant clones in tissues of heterozygous organisms. However, the dependence of the FLP-FRT method on cell division, and other constraints, also impose limits on its effectiveness. We describe here the generation and testing of tools for Mutant Analysis by Rescue Gene Excision (MARGE), an approach whereby mutant cells are formed by loss of a rescue transgene in a homozygous mutant organism. Rescue-transgene loss can be induced in any tissue or cell-type and at any time during development or in the adult using available heat-shock-induced or tissue-specific flippases, or combinations of UAS-FLP with Gal4 and Gal80ts reagents. The simultaneous loss of a constitutive fluorescence marker (GFP or RFP) identifies the mutant cells. We demonstrate the efficacy of the MARGE technique by flip-out (clonal and disc-wide) of a Ubi-GFP-carrying construct in imaginal discs, and by inducing a known yki mutant phenotype in the Drosophila ovary.
Does health information technology dehumanize health care

Health information technology, like prior technological advances in medicine, can improve patient care and enhance the patient-physician relationship if used properly and thoughtfully. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Evidence for Narrow Transfer after Short-Term Cognitive Training in Older Adults.

The degree to which “brain training” can improve general cognition, resulting in improved performance on tasks dissimilar from the trained tasks (transfer of training), is a controversial topic. Here we tested the degree to which cognitive training, in the form of gamified training activities that have demonstrated some degree of success in the past, might result in broad transfer. Sixty older adults were randomly assigned to a gamified cognitive training intervention or to an active control condition that involved playing word and number puzzle games. Participants were provided with tablet computers and asked to engage in their assigned training for thirty 45-minute training sessions over the course of one month. Although intervention adherence was acceptable, little evidence for transfer was observed except for the performance of one task that most resembled the gamified cognitive training: There was a trend for greater improvement on a version of the corsi block tapping task for the cognitive training group relative to the control group. This task was very similar to one of the training games. Results suggest that participants were learning specific skills and strategies from game training that influenced their performance on a similar task. However, even this near-transfer effect was weak. Although the results were not positive with respect to broad transfer of training, longer duration studies with larger samples and the addition of a retention period are necessary before the benefit of this specific intervention can be ruled out.
The case for adaptive SATCOMM systems — An ITU propagation modelling approach

This work shows that satellite communication (SATCOMM) systems achieve higher spectral efficiencies, on average, if an adaptive algorithm tracks the signal to noise ratio (SNR) as propagation conditions degrade during a storm event. The ITU recommendations for calculating propagation loss in a geostationary SATCOMM system were implemented. The spectral efficiency improvement factor — which relates the average spectral efficiency of an adaptive system to that of a non-adaptive, or, fixed system is introduced. Data are presented to show how the improvement factor changes as system parameters and climate conditions are varied.
High resolution vs conventional esophageal manometry in the assessment of esophageal motor disorders in patients with non-cardiac chest pain.

BACKGROUND High-resolution esophageal manometry (HREM) has become a leading tool in the assessment of esophageal motor disorders, replacing conventional manometry. However, there is limited data about the contribution of HREM as compared with conventional manometry to the assessment of esophageal motor disorders in patients with non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP). The aim of the study was to compare the distribution of esophageal motor disorders in patients with NCCP using HREM as compared with conventional manometry and to determine if HREM improved diagnosis of these disorders. METHODS In this study, we included 300 consecutive patients with NCCP who underwent either HREM or conventional manometry over a period of 10 years. A total of 150 patients had conventional manometry and the other 150 patients HREM. The Chicago 3.0 classification and the Castell and Spechler classification were used to determine the esophageal motor disorder of NCCP patients undergoing HREM and conventional manometry, respectively. KEY RESULTS In both HREM and the conventional manometry groups, normal esophageal motility was the most frequent finding (47% and 36%; respectively, P = .054). Hypotensive lower esophageal sphincter was the most common motility disorder identified by conventional manometry (27.3%), while ineffective esophageal motility was the most common esophageal motor disorder identified by HREM (25.3%). CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES There is a discrepancy in the type of esophageal motor disorders identified by HREM as compared with conventional manometry in NCCP patients. Hypotensive motility disorders are the most commonly diagnosed by both manometric techniques.
A Survey of Smartwatches in Remote Health Monitoring

This systematic review classifies smartwatch-based healthcare applications in the literature according to their application and summarizes what has led to feasible systems. To this end, we conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed smartwatch studies related to health care by searching PubMed, EBSCOHost, Springer, Elsevier, Pro-Quest, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library databases to find articles between 1998 and 2016. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) a smartwatch was used, (2) the study was related to a healthcare application, (3) the study was a randomized controlled trial or pilot study, and (4) the study included human participant testing. Each article was evaluated in terms of its application, population type, setting, study size, study type, and features relevant to the smartwatch technology. After screening 1119 articles, 27 articles were chosen that were directly related to health care. Classified applications included activity monitoring, chronic disease self-management, nursing or home-based care, and healthcare education. All studies were considered feasibility or usability studies, and had limited sample sizes. No randomized clinical trials were found. Also, most studies utilized Android-based smartwatches over Tizen, custom-built, or iOS-based smartwatches, and many relied on the use of the accelerometer and inertial sensors to elucidate physical activities. The results show that most research on smartwatches has been conducted only as feasibility studies for chronic disease self-management. Specifically, these applications targeted various disease conditions whose symptoms can easily be measured by inertial sensors, such as seizures or gait disturbances. In conclusion, although smartwatches show promise in health care, significant research on much larger populations is necessary to determine their acceptability and effectiveness in these applications.
Interactive effect of CCM between the relationship of workplace bullying, burnout, and turnover intentions

The key motive of this particular research was to elaborate the function of conflict climate management in the banking sector of Punjab, Pakistan. In this regard, survey method is used to collect d...
Probing Phenazine Electron Transfer and Retention in Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilms

The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa forms metabolically stratified biofilms. Redox-active phenazine metabolites shuttle metabolic electrons from the oxygen depleted biofilm interior to the oxygen saturated exterior, facilitating anoxic survival. We are testing the hypothesis that phenazine retention and/or charge transfer through the biofilm matrix are mediated by extracellular DNA (eDNA), which is the most abundant polymer in the P. aeruginosa matrix and is known to provide structural integrity to the biofilm. Specifically, we are growing biofilms on electrode arrays and performing in vitro studies of phenazine interactions with DNA. Biofilm experiments show that conductivity through the matrix is mediated by sequential electron transfer between phenazine molecules. Transferring electrode grown biofilms to fresh liquid medium demonstrates that some phenazines are retained tightly in the biofilm matrix, while others rapidly diffuse away. The retention of different phenazines corresponds to their affinity for DNA in vitro, consistent with the idea that some phenazines might bind the eDNA in the biofilm. We are testing whether phenazines bound to DNA can also mediate charge transfer. Collectively, these experiments are helping us better understand how P. aeruginosa utilizes its self-produced extracellular electron shuttles to survive biofilm oxidant limitation, and are opening up new perspectives on the role(s) that eDNA may play in the biofilm matrix.
DL-CHI: a dictionary learning-based contemporaneous health index for degenerative disease monitoring

Effective monitoring of degenerative patient conditions is crucial for many clinical decision-making problems. Leveraging the nowadays data-rich environments in many clinical settings, in this paper, we propose a novel clinical data fusion framework that can build a contemporaneous health index (CHI) for degenerative disease monitoring to quantify the severity of deterioration process over time. Our framework specifically exploits the monotonic progression patterns of the target degenerative disease conditions such as the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and articulate these patterns with a systematic optimization formulation. Further, to address the patient heterogeneity, we integrate CHI with dictionary learning to build sets of overcomplete bases to represent the personalized models efficiently. Numerical performances on two real-world applications show the promising capability of the proposed DL-CHI model.
Diverse Legionella-Like Bacteria Associated with Testate Amoebae of the Genus Arcella (Arcellinida: Amoebozoa).

Diverse species of Legionella and Legionella-like amoebal pathogens (LLAPs) have been identified as intracellular bacteria in many amoeboid protists. There are, however, other amoeboid groups such as testate amoeba for which we know little about their potential to host such bacteria. In this study, we assessed the occurrence and diversity of Legionella spp. in cultures and environmental isolates of freshwater arcellinid testate amoebae species, Arcella hemispherica, Arcella intermedia, and Arcella vulgaris, via 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that A. hemispherica, A. intermedia, and A. vulgaris host Legionella-like bacteria with 94-98% identity to other Legionella spp. based on NCBI BLAST search. Phylogenetic analysis placed Legionella-like Arcella-associated bacteria (LLAB) in three different clusters within a tree containing all other members of Legionella and LLAPs. The intracellular localization of the Legionella within Arcella hosts was confirmed using FISH with a Legionella-specific probe. This study demonstrates that the host range of Legionella and Legionella-like bacteria in the Amoebozoa extends beyond members of "naked" amoebae species, with members of the testate amoebae potentially serving an ecological role in the dispersal, protection, and replication of Legionella spp. in natural environments.
Economics of orthodox tea production: a case of Ilam, Nepal

Research on economic analysis of conventional orthodox tea in Ilam district of Nepal was conducted by selecting Fikkal and Kanyam area of Suryodaya Municipality purposely. The average area under tea cultivation was 0.67 hectares per household in Fikkal area and 0.57 hectares per household in Kanyam area. The average productivity of green leaf in Fikkal area was found slightly higher than Kanyam area. The average cost of green leaf production per ropani in Fikkal area was found higher than Kanyam area. It was more in small category compared to large category in both study area. This signified the principle of economies of scale. Gross margin per hectares was positively correlated with increased farm size in both the study areas. Overall benefit-cost ratio was greater than one in both the study areas. The study revealed the scarcity of quality inputs and inadequate technical knowhow, quick perishability of green leaf, price instability, and unavailability of auction market, weak horizontal coordination and vertical coordination at the different stages of tea value chains were the major problems in the study area.
Honest and Uncomfortable: A Loving Look at My Exclusive Campus

Ableism is alive and well on my campus and, I suspect, on your campuses, too. Assumptions about, desirability of, and privileging of able-bodiedness are the norms in US society, and campuses tend to reflect societal constructs, at least in part. So ableism is probably where you are, as well. This chapter calls out the exclusion borne of ableism I regularly experience as a person with a dis/ability who works on a highly able-bodied campus. I highlight that it is past time we change our exclusive ways with several narratives that explain and illustrate my experiences here. Finally, I make three “simple” suggestions for ways to interrupt and change exclusion grounded in ableism, they are: (1) ensure safety, (2) own that inclusion is everyone’s work, and (3) be willing to change.
The Genetic Basis for the Cooperative Bioactivation of Plant Lignans by a Human Gut Bacterial Consortium

Plant-derived lignans, consumed daily by most individuals, are inversely associated with breast cancer; however, their bioactivity is only exerted following gut bacterial conversion to enterolignans. Here, we dissect a four-species bacterial consortium sufficient for all four chemical reactions in this pathway. Comparative genomics and heterologous expression experiments identified the first enzyme in the pathway. Transcriptional profiling (RNAseq) independently identified the same gene and linked a single genomic locus to each of the remaining biotransformations. Remarkably, we detected the complete bacterial lignan metabolism pathway in the majority of human gut microbiomes. Together, these results are an important step towards a molecular genetic understanding of the gut bacterial bioactivation of lignans and other plant secondary metabolites to downstream metabolites relevant to human disease.
Phase III: Coach

Based on your strong performance, you are now being approached to move up to more influential leadership positions, in your organization or outside it. Phase III jobs give you a chance to recruit and develop talented personnel and to provide a greater level of strategic leadership within a larger organization. While you have been able to pick your closest associates in Phase II, now you have the opportunity to actually create a working environment for others consonant with your ideals. While these opportunities are clearly a validation of your professional work to date, it is equally likely that the interest reflects your personal reputation as someone who interacts well with others. In your career to date, you have matured in your ability to relate productively to others, while establishing yourself as an authority in your field. To achieve success in this next phase, the elements collectively called “emotional intelligence” will require the same serious attention that you mustered to refine your laboratory or clinical skills .
Visually Impaired Users can Locate and Grasp Objects Under the Guidance of Computer Vision and Non-Visual Feedback

The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of blind individuals to reach and grasp for objects, under the guidance of auditory (verbal) or vibrotactile cues controlled by real time computer vision algorithms. For these experiments, we created the Object Localization and Tracking System (OLTS). The OLTS utilized a head mounted wide-angle (diagonal 92° degrees) monocular camera, a central processing unit and two types of physical feedback: auditory bone conduction headphones or cranially positioned vibration motors. A computer vision algorithm, the Context Tracker, processed live video to track objects in front of the visually impaired subject. Physical feedback was then generated based on the object position. The feedback guided the user to move the camera until the desired object was in the central region of the camera, defined by an angle of the camera field of view. The central region was varied between 3.9 and 39.6 degrees. Experiments consisted of localizing and grasping for an object based on feedback provided. On average, subjects were able to locate the correct object within 20 seconds. For auditory feedback, using a central angle of 7.8° led to poor performance compared to the other angles. Performance using vibrotactile feedback worsened when using a central angle of 3.9°. No consistent performance trends were evident based on age of blindness onset.
Compressibility of random walker trajectories on growing networks

Abstract We find that the simple coupling of network growth to the position of a random walker on the network generates a traveling wave in the probability distribution of nodes visited by the walker. We argue that the entropy of this probability distribution is bounded as the network size tends to infinity. This means that the growth of a space coupled to a random walker situated in it constrains its dynamics to a set of typical random walker trajectories, and walker trajectories inside the growing space are compressible.
Disordered Eating Behaviors in Youth and Young Adults With Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes Receiving Insulin Therapy: The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study

OBJECTIVE This study examines the prevalence of disordered eating behaviors (DEB) and its associations with glycemic control, insulin sensitivity (IS), and psychosocial functioning in a large, diverse cohort of youth and young adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study, 2,156 youth and young adults with type 1 diabetes (mean ± SD age 17.7 ± 4.3 years; 50.0% female) and 149 youth and young adults with type 2 diabetes (age 21.8 years ± 3.5; 64.4% female) who were receiving insulin therapy completed the Diabetes Eating Problem Survey–Revised (DEPS-R), a self-reported measure for identifying disordered eating. DEB was defined as a DEPS-R score ≥20. Demographic characteristics, clinical measures, and health behaviors of participants with DEB and those without DEB were compared by using t tests. RESULTS DEB were observed in 21.2% of participants with type 1 diabetes and 50.3% of participants with type 2 diabetes. Participants encountered challenges in maintaining a healthy weight while controlling their diabetes. For both types of diabetes, individuals with DEB had a significantly higher BMI z score, lower insulin sensitivity, more depressive symptoms, and poorer quality of life than those without DEB. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) episodes occurred more frequently in youth with type 1 diabetes with DEB compared to those without DEB. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight that DEB are prevalent among youth and young adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and who are receiving insulin therapy, and DEB are associated with poorer clinical outcomes and psychosocial well-being. Heightened awareness and early interventions are needed to address DEB for this at-risk population, as are longitudinal studies evaluating the course of DEB and diabetes outcomes.
Approaches and Processes for Recovering Reverse Osmosis Discharges from Desalination Plants

The management of concentrated brine waste is the main challenge of seawater desalination by reverse osmosis (RO) because of its negative impacts on the contamination of soil, ground water, and the marine eco-system. Consequently, it is necessary to develop alternative methods for brine treatment that allow the reducing of the negative effect on the marine environment. This paper investigates also diverse environmental impacts associated with brine and its disposal methods; it highlights also the desalination process in Algeria by presenting some statistics about RO brine. According to the experts, the desalination of seawater in Algeria passed from 2.26 million m3 per day in 2011 to 2,580,000 in 2020, with the optimum recovery ratio of 45%, which indicate that the discharged brine quantity is important than the desalted water. In that sense and according to the brine management analyses, the brine recovering methods are depending to many parameters, which make the choice of such method as a big challenge in order to protect the marine environment.
Language ideology and practice among Judeo-Spanish-speaking Sephardim in Seattle and South Florida

Abstract This study explores language ideologies among Judeo-Spanish-speaking Sephardim in Seattle (n = 22) and South Florida (n = 20). Speakers responded to a five-point Likert scale survey containing fifteen questions, which collected data about informants' use of Judeo-Spanish, metalinguistic awareness, and personal attitudes regarding contact with other languages. Some of the most significant between-group differences include feeling integrated into a community of Judeo-Spanish speakers, communicative proficiency in Modern Spanish, knowledge of which elements in Judeo-Spanish come from other languages, as well as evaluative statements concerning the use of Turkish and English throughout one's Judeo-Spanish. An examination of these groups and their individual members highlights the social structure of each population and demonstrates how such organization factors into the linguistic and ideological stance of each community.
Unsupervised Object Segmentation with Explicit Localization Module.

In this paper, we propose a novel architecture that iteratively discovers and segments out the objects of a scene based on the image reconstruction quality. Different from other approaches, our model uses an explicit localization module that localizes objects of the scene based on the pixel-level reconstruction qualities at each iteration, where simpler objects tend to be reconstructed better at earlier iterations and thus are segmented out first. We show that our localization module improves the quality of the segmentation, especially on a challenging background.
An introduction to coaster

coaster is a project that teaches a semester-long introductory computer graphics class by means often programming assignments. The assignments are incremental - each one building on the previous ones - and ultimately require implementation of most of the course content in the final one: a first-person rollercoaster simulation. Briefly described, the assignments (and their course contents) are: circles (2D graphics, applying trigonometry), wire track (3D graphics, parametric curves), wire car (meshes), "hedgehog" car (face and vertex normals), shaded car (lighting models and vertex shaders), shaded track (extrusion, model transforms), surfaces (Bezier surfaces, height maps), first person (viewing transforms, animation, splines), dynamics (physics-based modeling), and textures (textures, pixel shaders). Figure 1 shows the result of the last of these assignments.
The national costs of supported employment to Vocational Rehabilitation: 2002 to 2006

This study investigated the costs accrued by all supported employees (i.e., 192,756) funded by Vocational Rehabilitation from 2002 to 2006 throughout the entire United States and its territories. Costs were examined in relation to the number of hours supported employees worked, and total wages that they earned, per week. The impact of disability, presence of secondary disabilities, the supported employee's level of education and employment history were also examined.
Targets of T Cell Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus in Humans with COVID-19 Disease and Unexposed Individuals.

Understanding adaptive immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is important for vaccine development, interpreting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pathogenesis, and calibration of pandemic control measures. Using HLA class I and II predicted peptide "megapools," circulating SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells were identified in ∼70% and 100% of COVID-19 convalescent patients, respectively. CD4+ T cell responses to spike, the main target of most vaccine efforts, were robust and correlated with the magnitude of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgA titers. The M, spike, and N proteins each accounted for 11%-27% of the total CD4+ response, with additional responses commonly targeting nsp3, nsp4, ORF3a, and ORF8, among others. For CD8+ T cells, spike and M were recognized, with at least eight SARS-CoV-2 ORFs targeted. Importantly, we detected SARS-CoV-2-reactive CD4+ T cells in ∼40%-60% of unexposed individuals, suggesting cross-reactive T cell recognition between circulating "common cold" coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2.
Helicity maximization in a planar array of achiral high-density dielectric nanoparticles

We investigate how a periodic array composed of achiral isotropic high-refractive index dielectric nanospheres generates nearfield over the array surface reaching helicity density very close to its upper bound. The required condition for an array of nanospheres to generate “optimally chiral” nearfield, which represents the upper bound of helicity density, is derived in terms of array effective electric and magnetic polarizabilities that almost satisfy the effective Kerker condition for arrays. The discussed concepts find applications in improving chirality detection based on circular dichroism (CD) at the surface level instead of in the bulk. Importantly, the array would not contribute to the generated CD signal when used as a substrate for detecting chirality of a thin layer of chiral molecules. This eliminates the need to separate the CD signal generated by the array from that of the chiral sample.
Pain Experiences and Their Relation to Opioid Misuse Risk and Emotion Dysregulation.

Pain is a complex, multidimensional experience but often is measured as a unidimensional experience. This study aimed to separately assess the sensory and affective components of pain and identify their relations to important pain-related outcomes, particularly in terms of opioid misuse risk and emotion dysregulation among patients with chronic pain receiving treatment in Appalachia. Two hundred and twelve patients presenting to a multidisciplinary pain center completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-18), Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain—Revised (SOAPP-R), and short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ). The sensory experience of pain was unrelated to emotion dysregulation (r = 0.06, ) and weakly related to opioid misuse risk (r = 0.182, ). In contrast, the affective experience of pain was moderately related to emotion dysregulation (r = 0.217, ) and strongly related to opioid misuse risk (r = 0.37, ). In addition, emotion dysregulation predicted variance in opioid misuse risk above and beyond the affective and sensory experiences of pain ((b = 0.693, ). The results suggest patients with a strong affective experience versus sensory experience of pain and challenges with emotion regulation may require a more comprehensive intervention to address these underlying components in order to reduce their risk of misusing opioid medications.
Autonomous Exploration of a Small Near-Earth Asteroid

Asteroid exploration missions must deal with large uncertainties in a target body’s gravity and shape as well as ephemeris errors upon rendezvous. Navigation and guidance are typically performed us...
Prison and Torture as False but Well-Founded Myths

This essay discusses two common myths about the Inquisition trial of Galileo: that he was tortured during the proceedings, and that he was imprisoned as punishment for his alleged crime. The truth is that although Galileo underwent an interrogation with the verbal threat of torture, he did not undergo actual torture; and although he was under house arrest during the 1633 trial and for the subsequent 9 years of his life, he was never held in an actual prison. However, it would be a historical and philosophical error to think that these myths are, or have always been, without foundation. On the contrary, for 150 years after the 1633 trial, the publicly available evidence indicated that Galileo had been imprisoned, and so it was then plausible and reasonable to hold the prison thesis. Similarly, for an even longer period (250 years), the available evidence indicated that he had been tortured, and so the torture thesis was then rationally defensible.
Automatic first-arrival picking workflow by global path tracing

ABSTRACTIt can be challenging to pick high-quality first arrivals on noisy seismic data sets. The stability and smoothness criteria of the picked first arrival are not satisfied for data sets with ...