cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnant Women via Telemedicine: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial.

Importance There are high rates of maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality associated with opioid use disorder (OUD). Integrating OUD treatment in obstetric practices for pregnant and postpartum women via telemedicine can increase access to care and reduce the consequences of OUD. Evaluation of this care delivery model, however, is needed before widespread adoption. Objective To compare maternal and newborn outcomes among pregnant women with OUD receiving care via telemedicine vs in person. Design, Setting, and Participants A nonrandomized controlled trial including 98 women receiving perinatal OUD treatment in 4 outpatient obstetric practices by telemedicine or in person and followed up until 6 to 8 weeks post partum was conducted from September 4, 2017, to December 31, 2018. Logistic regression with propensity score adjustment was applied to reduce group selection bias and control for potentially confounding variables. Interventions Participants were seen weekly for 4 weeks, every 2 weeks for 4 weeks, and monthly thereafter and provided relapse prevention therapy and buprenorphine. Main Outcomes and Measures The outcomes were retention in treatment, defined as uninterrupted addiction treatment during pregnancy through 6 to 8 weeks post partum; urine drug screen results at delivery and 6 to 8 weeks post partum; and a neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) diagnosis collected via electronic health records. Results The mean (SD) age of the 98 pregnant women was 30.23 (5.12) years. Of these, 41 of 44 women (93.2%) in the telemedicine group and 48 of 54 women (88.9%) in the in-person group chose to continue treatment in the program after an initial evaluation. After propensity score weighting and doubly robust estimation, no significant differences were found between groups in retention in treatment at 6 to 8 weeks post partum (telemedicine: 80.4% vs in person: 92.7%; treatment effect, −12.2%; 95% CI, −32.3% to −4.4%). Similarly, after propensity score weighting and doubly robust estimation, there were no significant group differences in rates of NAS (telemedicine: 45.4% vs in person: 63.2%; treatment effect, −17.8%; 95% CI, −41.0% to 8.9%). Conclusions and Relevance In this nonrandomized controlled trial, virtually integrated OUD care in obstetric practices produced similar maternal and newborn outcomes compared with in-person care. These findings may have important public health implications for combatting the opioid crisis and its consequences on pregnant women and their families. Future large randomized clinical trials are needed. Clinical Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier:NCT04049032
Board Independence and Corporate Spending

We examine the effect of board independence on spending and payout policy using the 2003 NYSE and NASDAQ board independence requirements as an exogenous shock. Non-compliant firms that are forced to raise board independence reduce the spending on acquisitions and capital expenditures and increase dividends. We conclude that greater board independence mitigates over-investment.
Characterizing temporal and spatial recruitment of systemically administered RPE65-programmed bone marrow-derived cells to the retina in a mouse model of age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose Previously, we reported that the intravenous injection of bone marrow-derived cells (BMDC) infected with lentivirus expressing the human RPE65 gene resulted in the programming of BMDC to promote visual recovery in a mouse model of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The aim of this study was to characterize the spatial and temporal recruitment of these programmed BMDC to the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) layer. Methods C57BL/6J female mice received a subretinal injection of AAV1-SOD2 ribozyme to knock down (KD) superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) and induce AMD-like pathology. BMDC were isolated from GFP+ mice and infected with a lentivirus expressing RPE65. One month after SOD2 KD, fifty thousand GFP+ RPE65-BMDC were injected in the mouse tail vein. Animals were terminated at different time points up to 60 min following cell administration, and localization of GFP+ cells was determined by fluorescence microscopy of neural retina and RPE flat mounts and tissue sections. Results GFP+ RPE65- BMDC were observed in SOD2 KD neural retina and RPE as early as 1 min following administration. With increasing time, the number of cells in the neural retina decreased, while those in the RPE increased. While the number of cells in peripheral and central retina remained similar at each time point, the number of BMDC recruited to the central RPE increased in a time-dependent manner up to a maximum by 60 min post administration. Immunohistochemistry of cross-sections of the RPE layer confirmed the incorporation of donor GFP+ BMDC into the RPE layer and that these GFP+ human RPE65 expressing cells co-localized with murine RPE65. No GFP+ cells were observed in the neural retina or RPE layer of normal uninjured control eyes. Conclusions Our study shows that systemically administered GFP+ RPE65-BMDC can reach the retina within minutes and that the majority of these BMDC are recruited to the injured RPE layer by 60 min post injection.
Community Diversity and Donor Control: An Empirical Analysis of Contributions to Donor-Advised Funds at Community Foundations:

This study examines the relationship between community ethnic-racial diversity and contributions to donor-advised funds (DAFs) held by community foundations. Unlike general contributions, DAFs allo...
Recent advances in mass spectrometry analysis of neuropeptides

Due to their involvement in numerous biochemical pathways, neuropeptides have been the focus of many recent research studies. Unfortunately, classic analytical methods, such as western blots and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, are extremely limited in terms of global investigations, leading researchers to search for more advanced techniques capable of probing the entire neuropeptidome of an organism. With recent technological advances, mass spectrometry (MS) has provided methodology to gain global knowledge of a neuropeptidome on a spatial, temporal, and quantitative level. This review will cover key considerations for the analysis of neuropeptides by MS, including sample preparation strategies, instrumental advances for identification, structural characterization, and imaging; insightful functional studies; and newly developed absolute and relative quantitation strategies. While many discoveries have been made with MS, the methodology is still in its infancy. Many of the current challenges and areas that need development will also be highlighted in this review.
Extramedullary disease in multiple myeloma

When clonal plasma cells grow at anatomic sites distant from the bone marrow or grows contiguous from osseous lesions that break through the cortical bone, it is referred to as extramedullary multiple myeloma (EMD). EMD remains challenging from a therapeutic and biological perspective. The pathogenetic mechanisms are not completely understood and it is generally associated with high-risk cytogenetics which portends poor outcomes. There is a rising incidence of EMD in the era of novel agents, likely a reflection of longer OS, with no standard treatment approach. Patients benefit from aggressive chemotherapy-based approaches, but the OS and prognosis remains poor. RT has been used for palliative care. There is a need for large prospective trials for development of treatment approaches for treatment of EMD.
Percus-Yevick integral-equation theory for athermal hard-sphere chains

Equations for three intermolecular correlation functions for athermal hardsphere chain fluids are derived in the context of the Percus-Yevick (PY) integral equation theory. The approach employed here is based on a particle-particle description of chain molecules developed in part I of this series. Specifically, we obtained equations for the site-site total correlation function h αβ(r), the single index average total correlation function h α(r), and the average total correlation function h(r) for m-mer homonuclear hard-sphere chains. It is found that the PY theory does not yield a closed equation for the average total correlation function h(r). Solving h(r) requires additional information on the chain-end correlation functions. Two approximations (beyond the PY theory) which yield a single closed equation for h(r) are proposed and examined. Analytic expressions for these average correlation functions at contact are obtained as a function of the chain length m and hard-sphere site volume fraction η. Numeric...
Necrotizing fasciitis of the paraspinous muscles.

Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a rare and lethal soft tissue infection that requires urgent surgical intervention. It is most often found in the extremities occurring with precipitating trauma or in immunocompromised states. Signs and symptoms are often vague or missing making early diagnosis very difficult. Our patient presented with flank pain and altered mental status but no known precipitating factors. Computed Tomography showed gas within and around the right paraspinous muscle suspicious for NF. Given NF’s high lethality, early suspicion by emergency physicians of NF in patients with soft tissue infections or with systemic findings of unknown etiology is necessary.
A Simple Model for Protein Folding

We describe a simple Ising-like statistical mechanical model for folding proteins based on the α-carbon contact map of the native structure. In this model residues can adopt two microscopic states corresponding to the native and non-native conformations. In order to exactly enumerate the large number of possible configurations, structure is considered to grow as continuous sequences of native residues, with no more than two sequences in each molecule. Inter-residue contacts can only form within each sequence and between residues of the two native sequences. As structure grows there is a tradeoff between the stabilizing effect of inter-residue contacts and the entropy losses from ordering residues in their native conformation and from forming a disordered loop to connect two continuous sequences. Folding kinetics are calculated from the dynamics on the free energy profile, as in Kramers' reaction rate theory. Although non-native interactions responsible for roughness in the energy landscape are not explicitly considered in the model, they are implicitly included by determining the absolute rates for motion on the free energy profile. With the exception of α-helical proteins, the kinetic progress curves exhibit single exponential time courses, consistent with two state behavior, as observed experimentally. The calculated folding rates are in remarkably good agreement with the measured values for the 25 two-state proteins investigated, with a correlation coefficient of 0.8. With its coarse-grained description of both the energy and entropy, and only three independently adjustable parameters, the model may be regarded as the simplest possible analytical model of protein folding capable of predicting experimental properties of specific proteins.
Molecular Breeding for Herbage Quality in Forage Crops

Relatively small changes in quality of forage crops can lead to large changes in animal performance. Genetic changes in mineral elements, alkaloids, secondary metabolites, cell walls, protein, or energy availability are all possible using a combination of traditional and molecular breeding techniques. Because few major genes are known to regulate herbage quality traits, breeders have traditionally relied on quantitative trait loci (QTL) for genetic improvement of forage crops. A limited number of QTL for herbage quality traits have been mapped in maize (Zea mays L.), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), and Pennisetum spp. As more QTL are identified, marker assisted selection for herbage quality may become a useful breeding method. Transgenic technology offers the potential to create genetic variability that does not exist in nature. Antisense cDNA constructs are available for all known enzymes in the phenylpropanoid pathway. Down-regulation of most enzymes leads to reduced lignin concentration or increased syringyl:guaiacyl residue ratios, usually increasing herbage digestibility. Sense cDNA constructs for rumen-stable proteins offer the opportunity to improve protein quality in numerous forage crops. Despite its glamour and potential, transgenic technology adds complexity to a forage breeding program, demanding close collaboration between molecular biologists and field-oriented plant breeders. Transgenic plants must be carefully evaluated for numerous agronomic traits in a wide array of field environments, as well as transgene stability and expression through multiple sexual generations, increasing the time and expense required to develop new cultivars.
An introduction to Hadamard spectrometry and the multiplex advantage

The authors consider a special class of problems in which the dominant noise source in the spectrum measurements is the noise generated in the detector itself. In this case, the signal-to-noise ratio of the spectrum estimates can be improved by a multiplexing technique known as Hadamard spectrometry. Specifically, if the MSE (mean-square error) of a single-slit spectrometer is sigma /sup 2/, the MSE of a Hadamard system will be approximately 4/ sigma /sup 2//N. In this expression, N is the number of spectral components to be estimated and the number of measurements to be taken. >
Cell mixtures of different species and strains of cellular slime moulds.

The cellular slime moulds have, in their life history, a period of feeding of separate independent amoebae which subsequently stream together (by a process involving chemotaxis) to central collection points. Each of the resulting cell-masses differentiates into a fruiting body; in most species there is a delicate tapering celluose stalk which surrounds the large vacuolate stalk-cells, and an apical sorus containing a considerable quantity of individually encapsulated spore-cells. There are a number of distinct and easily recognizable species and, moreover, it is a common observation (see Raper, 1951) that different isolates from the soil of any one species may have small but identifiable characteristics. It was found, for instance, in a previous study (Bonner & Shaw, 1957) that some strains under given environmental conditions formed a very long stalk, that is, delayed the process of spore differentiation, while others show rapid spore differentiation and correspondingly short stalks.
The impact of transoral robotic surgery on the overall treatment of oropharyngeal cancer patients.

Objectives/Hypothesis To assess adjuvant therapy in patients undergoing surgical management of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCCA) with transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and neck dissection. Study Design A prospective, nonrandomized, consecutive patient series from two separate protocols in a tertiary academic medical center. Methods Patients undergoing treatment for OPSCCA were selected from a prospective protocol evaluating functional and oncologic outcomes following TORS with a comparator group of OPSCCA patients receiving definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) participating in a separate prospective protocol. Results Forty-two patients represented the TORS group and 38 the CRT group. Twenty (48%) of the TORS patients received surgery only, whereas nine (21%) underwent adjuvant radiotherapy and 13 (31%) adjuvant CRT. Adjuvant therapy patients had a higher overall T (P =.0007) and N (P < .0001) stage than the TORS-only group. Surgery resulted in stage changes in 18 (43%) patients, leading to alteration in therapy for nine (21%) patients. The 3-year overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and locoregional control was 74% versus 90% (P = .30), 94% versus 94% (P = .91), and 72% versus 91% (P = .19) for the TORS-alone versus TORS plus adjuvant therapy groups, respectively. Comparison with the CRT group revealed a survival benefit in the TORS group approaching significance, with a 3-year OS of 83% versus 57% (P = .06) and DSS of 94% versus 85% (P = .08), respectively. Conclusions Primary surgical management of OPSCCA with TORS and neck dissection provides accurate staging information, which can lead to the appropriate selection of subsequent therapy. This approach does not compromise survival and warrants additional investigation. Level of Evidence 3b. Laryngoscope, 125:S1–S15, 2015
Cancellations of surface loop basis functions

To capture the fine details of integrated circuits and small antennas, the mesh size is usually much smaller than the wavelength. When the traditional RWG-type bases are used, the electric field integral equation suffers from low-frequency breakdown. This problem can be solved by using the loop-star/tree basis. We have developed a code which uses the loop-tree basis and the low-frequency multi-level fast multipole algorithm to solve a large linear system with small size mesh. The fine details are simulated accurately and efficiently from very low frequencies to very high frequencies. To validate the code, some canonical problems which have closed form solutions are simulated. One of the canonical problems is the scattering from a conducting sphere. We found that the cancellation exists in not only for the excitation on a loop basis function, but also the calculation of the far electric field. We discuss how the cancellation is removed analytically in calculating the far field from a loop basis function. The cancellation also exists in the interaction associated with a loop basis function when it is far away from the other basis function.
Natural Selection and Y-Linked Polymorphism

Several population genetic models allowing natural selection to act on Y-linked polymorphism are examined. The first incorporates pleiotropic effects of a Y-linked locus, such that viability, segregation distortion, fecundity and sexual selection can all be determined by one locus. It is shown that no set of selection parameters can maintain a stable Y-linked polymorphism. Interaction with the X chromosome is allowed in the next model, with viabilities determined by both X- and Y-linked factors. This model allows four fixation equilibria, two equilibria with X polymorphism and a unique point with both X- and Y-linked polymorphism. Stability analysis shows that the complete polymorphism is never stable. When X- and Y-linked loci influence meiotic drive, it is possible to have all fixation equilibria simultaneously unstable, and yet there is no stable interior equilibrium. Only when viability and meiotic drive are jointly affected by both X- and Y-linked genes can a Y-linked polymorphism be maintained. Unusual dynamics, including stable limit cycles, are generated by this model. Numerical simulations show that only a very small portion of the parameter space admits Y polymorphism, a result that is relevant to the interpretation of levels of Y-DNA sequence variation in natural populations.
Cell Cycle-dependent Accumulation in Vivo of Transposition-competent Complexes between Recombination Signal Ends and Full-length RAG Proteins

Abstract V(D)J recombination is initiated by a specialized transposase consisting of RAG-1 and RAG-2. Because full-length RAG proteins are insoluble under physiologic conditions, most previous analyses of RAG activity in vitro have used truncated core RAG-1 and RAG-2 fragments. These studies identified an intermediate in V(D)J recombination, the signal end complex (SEC), in which core RAG proteins remain associated with recombination signal sequences at the cleaved signal ends. From transfected cells expressing affinity-tagged RAG proteins, we have isolated in vivo assembled SECs containing full-length RAG proteins and cleaved recombination substrates. SEC formation in vivo did not require the repair proteins DNA-dependent protein kinase, Ku80, or XRCC4. In the presence of full-length RAG-2, SEC formation in vivo was cell cycle-regulated and restricted to the G0/G1 phases. In contrast, complexes accumulated throughout cell cycle in cells expressing a RAG-2 CDK2 phosphorylation site mutant. Both core and full-length SECs supported transposition in vitro with similar efficiencies. Intracellular SECs, which are likely to persist in the absence of coding ends, represent potential donors whose transposition is not suppressed by the non-core regions of the RAG proteins.
EXPERIMENTAL ANAPLASMOSIS IN AMERICAN BISON: PERSISTENCE OF INFECTIONS OF ANAPLASMA MARGINALE AND NON-SUSCEPTIBILITY TO A. OVIS

Blood collected 314 and 496 days after experimentally infecting splenectomized and spleen-intact American bison (Bison bison) with Anaplasma marginale was infective for splenectomized bovine steers. The pathogenesis was identical to that seen in bovine studies using bovine blood inoculations. A splenectomized bison remained normal clinically, hematologically and serologically for 10 mo after repeated inoculation of ovine blood infected with A. ovis.
Humic acids stimulate growth and activity of in vitro tested axenic cultures of soil autotrophic nitrifying bacteria

In the present study, the effect of humic acids on activity and growth of Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrobacter agilis was investigated in vitro under axenic conditions. Humates from compost-stabilized vegetable waste or leonardite were added to the chemolithotrophic culturing medium at concentrations of 0, 5, 50 and 100 mg l–1. It was found that both types of humic acids increased either NH4+ or NO2– oxidation and cell growth of nitrifying bacteria in a dose-independent manner. By combining these results with data from a comparative growth evaluation of N. agilis based on possible utilization of humates or pyruvate in heterotrophic conditions, evidence was obtained that nitrifiers cannot use humic acids as an alternative carbon and energy source. Thus, the stimulating effect of this fraction of soil organic matter on chemolithotrophic ammonia and nitrite oxidizers might be attributed to an increase in microbial membrane permeability favouring a better utilization of nutrients.
Dynamical Feedbacks of the Southern Annular Mode in Winter and Summer

Abstract The persistence of the southern annular mode (SAM) is studied during austral winter (June–September) and summer (December–March) using observations of the three-dimensional vorticity budget. Analysis of the relative vorticity tendency equation shows that convergence of eddy vorticity flux in the upper troposphere, coupled with a secondary circulation, constitutes a positive eddy feedback that acts to sustain the vorticity anomaly associated with the jet shift against drag. The feedback exhibits a strong seasonality, with summer months revealing a positive feedback through much of the hemisphere and winter months showing a positive feedback over the Indian Ocean but not over the western Pacific. Results suggest that the lack of wintertime feedback over the western Pacific is due to the weakness of the eddy-driven midlatitude jet in that region.
Evidence for a stimulating effect of prolactin on teleostean hatching enzyme secretion

Homogenates of whole medakas and of trout prolactin lobes contain a factor that stimulates hatching enzyme secretion from medaka hatching gland explants. The elution volume in gel filtration indicates that the stimulating factor is a protein with a molecular weight of 19,000–20,000. Both its localization in the prolactin lobe and its apparent molecular weight suggest that this factor is prolactin. This is confirmed by an electrophoretic analysis of the biomajor products of the prolactin lobe, which demonstrates that prolactin is the major product found in the molecular mass range from 15,000 to 30,000 daltons. Since it is known that the pituitary gland of teleostean embryos has functional prolactin cells and that prolactin is an activator of integumentary glandular cells, we conclude that prolactin might be the primary stimulus in the activation of hatching gland cells leading to hatching enzyme secretion.
What does 'fun' mean in physical education?

(1993). What Does “Fun” Mean in Physical Education? Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 64, No. 9, pp. 63-68.
A phase-field model for fracture in piezoelectric ceramics

A phase-field model is presented for modeling the fracture of piezoelectric ceramics. The implementation of several different crack face boundary conditions, including conducting, permeable, and insulating or impermeable, as well as energetically consistent is described. The approach to the latter involves a finite deformation framework for piezoelectricity. In addition, a new function that governs material degradation is proposed to eliminate the presence of high phase-field values in the vicinity of large electric fields. The new function is found to lead to improved brittle material behavior as well. Results are presented that demonstrate the capability of the model to capture complicated phenemona that arise in piezoelectric fracture, including crack retardation, acceleration, and turning.
Bidding behaviour in the multi-unit Vickrey and uniform price auctions

Theory provides limited understanding of auctions in complex, multi-unit settings. This absence became apparent when performance concerns were raised over wholesale electric power auctions in England and California. This research used experiments involving 234 subjects to partially bridge the gap in knowledge with regard to bidding behaviour. Using a complex procurement setting motivated by power markets, bidding in the last accepted and first rejected uniform price auctions and the multi-unit Vickrey were examined across group sizes of 2, 4, and 6. To allow opportunity for tacit collusion, constant cost and demand conditions were maintained for 75 periods. Group size and experience were found to be most significant in explaining the differences between bids and costs. For groups of 2, this difference was significantly higher than with the other sizes, suggesting market power. Across sizes, after experience there was no significant difference in bidding behaviour between the uniform price auctions, with s...
Two eyes are better than one: binocular enhancement in the contrast domain

Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare the improvement in visual acuity (VA) with the improvement in contrast sensitivity (CS) with two eyes as compared with one. Computer generated letter charts were used to measure VA and small letter CS ( 20 25 Snellen equivalent) in 13 emmetropic subjects. Letter size (for VA) and contrast (for CS) were varied in equal log steps making the task comparable for the two types of measurement. VA improved by an average of 10% (2–3 letters), while CS improved by an average of 40% (1 1 2 lines) when tested with two eyes as compared with one. Greater sensitivity in the contrast domain prevailed even when expressed relative to variability. Using this approach, binocular enhancement was identified in 8 13 subjects with CS, but in only 4 13 subjects with VA. Binocular enhancement of letter recognition occurs in both size and contrast domains. However, the effect is 4 × greater when small letters are varied in contrast rather than size. Potential applications are considered.
Experimental optimization of the neuronlike network applied for the processing of moving images

Recognition of images moving with respect to a constant background (possibly contaminated by a noise) may be considerably improved if a Neuronlike Network (NN) with specific dynamic properties is applied for preliminary data processing. Optimal design of a dynamic network containing thousands of interconnected, nonlinear elements requires development of special tools and algorithms. In our system, the optimization of the NN parameters for preliminary processing of moving images is performed using a model of the dynamic processes in the retina called ARTINA. A compromise between satisfactory contrasting and noise elimination defines a "quasi-optimal" structure of local connections in the NN. In this paper we present an experimental procedure (using ARTINA) for partial optimization of a NN performing contrasting and local features detection for images moving with velocities within a given range of values. A performance index for contrasting and edge enhancement is first selected. It is then shown that through appropriate selection of dynamic properties of the NN elements, it is possible to achieve a considerable (up to 10 times) improvement of the performance index. Proper selection of time constants, delays, and connection ranges results in a "cumulation" process. This process enhances contours of moving objects and improves detection of local features. A special optimization algorithm, using a selected performance index, permits the optimization both of the neuron time constants and of the structure of local connections defining the central and peripheral receptive fields. Relations between object speed, time constants describing the dynamics of the neuron, and dimensions of receptive fields are investigated. Results of the optimization and a discussion of possible methods for improving the preliminary dynamic image processing is presented.
On the solutions of (ry′)′+qy=f

A number of mathematicians have focused attention on conditions involvingq andr which guarantee the boundedness of the solutionsy, and its derivativey′, of the equation (ry′)′+qy=f. Others, because of Sturm-Liouville theory, have focused attention on solutions which are inL2 (0, ∞). This article employs the assumption ofL2-ness to show the boundedness ofy and its derivativey′.
Energetic constraints and parental care: Is corticosterone indicative of energetic costs of incubation in a precocial bird?

Abstract Suppression of the adrenocortical response (e.g., corticosterone release) to an acute stressor is a physiological adjustment thought to decrease the likelihood of avian parents abandoning their nests. However, some periods of parental care, like incubation, are energetically costly, thus corticosterone could increase during these stages to allow incubating parents to utilize energy reserves. Wood ducks (Aix sponsa) have ~ 30 day incubation periods and only the female incubates the eggs. We hypothesized that corticosterone would be important in regulating energy availability during incubation in this species. Because resources invested in reproduction increase with clutch size, we also hypothesized that clutch size would influence plasma corticosterone during incubation. We measured baseline and stress-induced corticosterone in incubating females during early and late stages of incubation. At both stages of incubation all hens had low baseline corticosterone levels. However, we found that stress-induced corticosterone was 105% greater late in incubation than early in incubation. We also detected a significant negative correlation between female body mass and stress-induced corticosterone late in incubation, but not during the early stages of incubation. Furthermore, we found a significant positive relationship between stress-induced corticosterone and clutch size. These lines of evidence support the hypothesis that incubation in wood ducks is energetically costly and corticosterone is important in supporting the energetic demands of incubating hens. Our findings suggest that corticosterone's role in supporting parental care behaviors are dynamic and are influenced by several factors and that there is a greater physiological cost associated with incubating larger clutches.
Mediation analysis of a school-based drug prevention program: effects of Project ALERT.

This study used mediation analyses, implemented in a longitudinal structural equation modeling framework, to examine the mechanisms by which a social-influence-based school drug use prevention program (Project ALERT) achieved its effects on past month cigarette use and alcohol misuse. Participants were 4,277 South Dakotan middle-school students (2,554 treatment and 1,723 control) measured at baseline and 1 year later on past month cigarette use and alcohol misuse, as well as cigarette- and alcohol-related mediating variables targeted by the Project ALERT curriculum (i.e., resistance self-efficacy, positive and negative beliefs about use, and peer influence). Results for cigarettes showed that all hypothesized mediating variables were significant mediators of ALERT’s effect on intentions to smoke and past month cigarette use, with peer influence being the strongest. Results for alcohol point to positive beliefs about the consequences of drinking as an important mediator for alcohol misuse. Taken together, the findings highlight an avenue for program improvement through increased impact on peer influence to use alcohol and drugs.
The effects of slow infusion of a low dosage of endotoxin in healthy horses.

Summary The effects of slow intravenous (iv) infusion of a very low dosage of endotoxin (a cumulative dosage of 0.03 μg/kg bodyweight [bwt] infused over 60 mins) were evaluated in six conscious healthy horses. Duodenal, right ventral colon, and caecal contractions were detected with strain gauge force transducers. Lateral caecal arterial blood flow was measured using transit time ultrasonic blood flow probes. Duodenal contractile activity was not significantly altered by infusion of endotoxin. In contrast, the contractile activity of the right ventral colon 90 and 270 mins after infusion of endotoxin was less than after infusion of saline solution (control). The contractile activity of the caecal body 30, 60, 90, 120 and 240 mins after infusion of endotoxin was significantly less than control. The contractile activity of the caecal apex 60, 90, 120, 240 and 270 mins after termination of endotoxin infusion was significantly less than control. Lateral caecal arterial blood flow was significantly less than control at the end of endotoxin infusion and at 30, 45, 60, 90, 105 and 120 mins afterwards. Average carotid arterial pressure was significantly greater than control at 210, 225, 240, 255 and 270 mins after endotoxin infusion. Infusion of endotoxin increased heart rate, respiratory rate and body temperature significantly. The decrease in caecal contractile activity occurred before the increase in body temperature. All horses became depressed and developed injected mucous membranes. Signs of abdominal pain (including stretching, pawing, kicking at abdomen) were seen in four of the six horses.
Doorway mechanism for dissociative electron attachment to fructose

Recently, the three sugars ribose, deoxyribose, and fructose have been shown to undergo dissociative electron attachment at threshold, that is, to fragment upon capture of a zero-energy electron. Here the electron acceptor properties of three fructose isomers are investigated in view of a doorway mechanism. Two key ingredients for a doorway mechanism, a weakly bound state able to support a vibrational Feshbach resonance, and a valence anion more stable than neutral fructose are characterized. Moreover, possible structures for the observed fragment anion (fructose-H2O)− are suggested.
Flue gas desulfurization gypsum: implication for runoff and nutrient losses associated with broiler litter use on pastures on ultisols.

Gypsum has been shown to reduce runoff on soils prone to crust formation in the southeastern United States. Increased infiltration from gypsum applications could therefore help reduce runoff P and other nutrient losses from application of broiler litter (BL), a nutrient-rich fertilizer. In rainfall simulation experiments in June 2009 and May 2011, runoff and nutrient (N, P, Ca, Mg) losses in runoff were compared among treatments consisting of 0, 2.2, 4.5, and 9.0 Mg ha⁻¹ flue gas desulfurization gypsum (FGDG) combined with 13.5 Mg ha⁻¹ of BL and two control treatments of (0–0) and (9.0–0.0) Mg ha⁻¹ (FGDG-BL). A randomized block design with three replications was set up on a Cecil (Typic Kanhapludult) soil growing Coastal bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) for hay near Watkinsville, Georgia. Amendments were applied each April from 2009 to 2011. A reduction in runoff of 30% each year from the (9.0–13.5) compared with the (0–0) treatment was not statistically significant. Gypsum was effective in reducing concentration and load in one of the two study years: P and NH₄–N in 2009 (up to 83%) and NO₃–N in 2011 (up to 73%). A combination of factors related to weather extremes, timing of FGDG and BL applications, and their implication on soil and vegetation responses at different landscape positions might have caused the different responses between years. Additional studies focused on isolating the impacts of such factors would be helpful to ascertain the effectiveness of multiyear applications of FGDG as a best management practice to reduce P and other nutrient losses in soils of the southeastern United States.
From Adultescents to Zoomers: An Examination of Age and Gender in Prime-Time Television

In sampling situation comedies and dramas airing on the six broadcast networks during the 2003–2004 prime-time season, this study examined the characterization of age and gender. Findings indicated that prime time over-represented individuals in their 30s and 40s and under-represented individuals 60 and older. Characters in their 20s enjoyed an extended adolescence, participating in more leisure and sexual activities than any other adult cohort. When characters 60 and older were seen at all, they wielded less occupational power, were less likely to be leaders, were less sexually active, and engaged in fewer leisure activities than younger characters. The authors concluded that prime-time offers a truncated view of adulthood.
Risk Based Mobile Access Control (RiBMAC) policy framework

Mobile devices are increasingly being deployed by enterprises, governments, and the military. Protecting sensitive data that will invariably reside on them is critical. Mobile devices cannot be protected by physical security the same way as stationary systems. Therefore, they must deploy strong internal protection mechanisms for access control. Policies for access control must be driven by context and risk in the environmental in which they operate. This is inherently different from traditional policy models that focus on the multi-user access control. We propose the Risk Based Mobile Access Control (RiBMAC) policy framework for mobile device access control. It uses risk factor abstractions to break down the complexity in the specification, management and evaluation of risk based policies. Its agent-centric approach can effectively integrate a large number of onboard sensors and risk assessment components in different hardware and operational configurations. RiBMAC is a simple yet powerful policy framework that is expressive, practical and scalable. RiBMAC, in conjunction with the appropriate enforcement mechanisms, can greatly improve security for tactical mobile devices.
Psoriatic uveitis: a distinct clinical entity?

Purpose To describe the clinical characteristics of uveitis occurring in patients with psoriasis and to compare them with patients with idiopathic anterior uveitis and HLA-B27-associated anterior uveitis. Design Case-control study. Methods The charts of 36 patients with a diagnosis of uveitis and psoriasis visiting the Immunology and Uveitis Service at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary between January 2000 and December 2001 were reviewed. Clinical characteristics, therapy, and outcomes of uveitis were compared with 30 randomly selected patients with either idiopathic anterior uveitis or with HLA-B27-associated anterior uveitis. Results The mean age at presentation for uveitis was significantly higher in patients with psoriasis compared with nonpsoriatic groups (44.6 years in HLA-B27-psoriatic patients vs 35.9 years in HLA-B27− nonpsoriatic patients, P = .034; 52.7 years in HLA-B27+ psoriatic vs 35.7 years in HLA-B27+ nonpsoriatic patients, P = .001). Uveitis in patients with psoriasis also tended to be bilateral (62%) and prolonged (11.2 weeks). HLA-B27+ patients with psoriasis required supplemental therapy with oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.41 to 5.36, P = .003) for anterior uveitis more often than did the HLA-B27+ nonpsoriatic group. Patients with psoriasis and uveitis who were HLA-B27+ required oral NSAIDs (95% CI 1.51 to 9.79, P = .001) for anterior uveitis more often than did HLA-B27− psoriatic patients. Conclusion Uveitis in patients with psoriasis may have distinguishing clinical features. Further epidemiologic studies are required to determine the strength of association between psoriasis without arthritis but with uveitis.
Reappraisal in the eighth life cycle stage: A theoretical psychoeducational intervention in elderly patients with cancer

Elderly patients with cancer face unique physical and psychiatric challenges in coping with their illness. Optimal psychosocial therapy for older cancer patients requires recognizing certain enhanced psychological capacities such as coping better with illness, which is associated with older age. This strength can be combined with the most appropriate cognitive coping strategies to develop a model intervention. This paper describes such a model, which integrates Erik Erikson's eighth and final psychosocial developmental life stage, in which the task is to achieve ego integrity (equanimity) or to experience despair (sadness, regrets), with Susan Folkman's cognitive coping paradigm, which utilizes reappraisal. This theoretical model addresses older cancer patients who are struggling with depression, isolation, and despair related to aging and illness, and utilizes cognitive reappraisal in a group setting to foster relatedness, acceptance of illness, and a sense of meaningful integration.
Grades and Graduation: A Longitudinal Risk Perspective to Identify Student Dropouts

ABSTRACT Studies of student risk of school dropout have shown that present predictors of at-risk status do not accurately identify a large percentage of students who eventually drop out. Through the analysis of the entire Grade 1–12 longitudinal cohort-based grading histories of the class of 2006 for two school districts in the United States, the author extends past longitudinal conceptions of dropout to a longitudinal risk perspective, using survival analysis, life tables, and discrete-time hazard modeling to appropriately account for student graduation, transfer, or dropout. The risk of dropout began in Grade 7, with the most hazardous years at Grades 8 and 11. A novel calculation of teacher-assigned grades, noncumulative GPA, is identified as a strong predictor of student dropout.
Utilization of dietary carbohydrate by fish

Abstract The nutritional value of carbohydrates varies among fish with warmwater fish being able to utilize much higher levels of dietary carbohydrate than coldwater and marine fish. No dietary requirement for carbohydrate has been demonstrated in fish; however, if carbohydrates are not provided in the diet, other nutrients such as protein and lipids are catabolized for energy and to provide metabolic intermediates for the synthesis of other biologically important compounds. Thus, it is important to provide the appropriate level of carbohydrate in the diet of the fish species being cultured. The relative use of dietary carbohydrates by fish varies and appears to be associated with the complexity of the carbohydrate. For example, certain species have been shown to utilize simple sugars as well as, or better than, complex carbohydrates whereas other species do not utilize simple sugars as an energy source. Most species utilize cooked starch better than raw starch. Oral glucose tolerance tests result in persistent hyperglycemia in fish. This prolonged hyperglycemia and the relative inability of fish to utilize high levels of dietary carbohydrates has been assumed to be the result of low levels of endogenous insulin. However, recent studies have shown that insulin levels in fish are similar to or often higher than those observed in mammals, thus indicating that fish are not diabetic as previously thought.
Effects of Age, Gender, Disease, and Multisystem Involvement on Oxygen Saturation Levels in Dysphagic Persons

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of age, gender, disease, and multisystem involvement on SpO2 levels of 104 dysphagic patients and 77 nondysphagic persons. Results indicated that solid aspirators had lower SpO2 levels than liquid aspirators, penetrators, and nondysphagics. In addition, SpO2 levels varied by age, with older persons having lower levels than younger persons among dysphagics but not among nondysphagics. Patients with COPD had lower SpO2 levels than dysphagics with other disorders. Significant interactions were found among age, gender, and disease. Multisystem involvement was found not to be a factor in SpO2 levels. It was concluded that although normal aging processes reduce swallowing and pulmonary functioning, it became a significant factor only when combined with an assault to the system, such as CVA or COPD.
Ovipositional preferences and functional response of parasitoids of euonymus scale, Unaspis euonymi (Comstock) and San Jose scale, Quadraspidiotus perniciosus (Comstock) (Homoptera: Diaspididae)

Abstract Laboratory studies were carried out to investigate the ovipositional preference for host species and host age, and the functional response of parasitoids of euonymus scale, Unaspis euonymi (Comstock) and San Jose scale, Quadraspidiotus perniciosus (Comstock) (Homoptera: Diaspididae) on San Jose scale in temperature controlled cabinets at 25 °C and 16L:8D photoperiod. The introduced parasitoids, Encarsia sp.nr. diaspidicola (Silvestri) and Aphytis proclia (Walker) (Aphelinidae: Hymenoptera) which have been reared continuously on San Jose scale for augmentative release programs against euonymus scale were evaluated for host scale preference between euonymus and San Jose scales to determine if their rearing history had changed their host preference. Recently collected field strains of Encarsia citrina Craw (Aphelinidae: Hymenoptera) and E . sp.nr. diaspidicola were also evaluated for host scale preference. Both laboratory strains of E . sp.nr. diaspidicola and A. proclia have lost the ability to parasitize euonymus scale and developed a preference for San Jose scale. We attribute this variation in preference to genetic changes resulting from long term rearing of the parasitoids on the alternate host. In contrast, the field strains of E. citrina and E . sp.nr. diaspidicola successfully parasitized both euonymus and San Jose scales. The host age preference for oviposition by E. citrina , E . sp.nr. diaspidicola (lab strain) and A. proclia was examined by exposing them to 5–45-day-old San Jose scales. E. citrina significantly preferred 11-day-old scales, E . sp.nr. diaspidicola (lab strain) preferred 5–9-day-old scales and A. proclia preferred scales aged between 23 and 25 days old. To compare potential efficiency of each species we studied the functional responses of females exposed to 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 or 128 scales for 24 h. E. citrina exhibited a type I response and E . sp.nr. diaspidicola (lab strain) and A. proclia exhibited type II responses to host density. E. sp.nr. diaspidicola (lab strain) attacked greater number of scales per day compared to E. citrina and A. proclia .
Trauma-Informed Leadership

Over the past half-decade, an increasing recognition has developed that trauma is a major risk factor for the onset of mental and substance-use conditions. Clearly, disasters can inflict severe trauma on a large number of people simultaneously. The purpose of this article is to explore the leadership needed to respond to such potentially catastrophic events. This is done by examining the steps that will be required to respond effectively to pandemic avian influenza and to respond to the mental health needs of the large number of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The principal conclusion is that effective trauma-informed leadership will require both excellent managerial skills and detailed substantive knowledge about the required response.