cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Black Radical Consciousness and the Black Christian Experience: Toward a Critical Sociology of Afro-American Religion

This paper reviews a growing body of sociological research into the status and political-ideological implications of Catholicism versus Protestantism as modes of Black religious affiliation. An attempt is made to identify the shortcomings of this literature, and to suggest new directions for investigation that are more pertinent to the classical theoretical questions regarding religious-secular interplay as well as to the practical concerns of most Black Americans. Discussion emphasizes the need for sociologically and historically enlightened treatments of Black religion which range beyond conventional issues to examine critically the role of Christianity vis-a-vis an evolving Black radical consciousness. Ever since the classic work of Durkheim (1912), Weber (1922), and Marx (1947), there has been widespread agreement that religious concepts, values, and structures impact on a believer's view of the world and his/her activity in it. Particularly important in this regard is Weber's (1930) Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, in which he theorized that, compared with Catholicism, Protestant intellectualism, self-discipline, and asceticism were congruent with modern science and the development of competitive capitalism. Yet he, like Marx, did not deem religion a factor operating independently of its sociohistorical context. Rather than impute inherent meaning to Protestantism, he sought to trace the configuration of religious/secular interplay within a specific societal framework. In this spirit, investigators have recently turned their attention toward the relationship between religion and the worldly affairs of Black Americans. Especially interesting are a series of sociological studies concerned with the status and political-ideological implications of Black Catholicism, an affiliation representing an increasingly important alternative to traditional Protestant denominations as Blacks migrated from the rural South to large urban centers. Although these studies fail to establish conclusively whether Catholicism actually preceded the attainment of high status and conservatism, they do reveal significant Catholic-Protestant differences in mobility patterns and orientations toward civil-rights reformism among various segments of past Black cohorts (Hunt and Hunt, 1976). Moreover, they provide cumulative findings suggestive of the mechanisms through which the Catholic faith might have facilitated status enhancement and compatible ideological evolution within these groupings (Hunt and Hunt, 1975; 1977a; 1977b).
Use of a Landbird monitoring database to explore effects of partial-cut timber harvesting

We used data from the USDA Forest Service Northern Region Landbird Monitoring Program to investigate the effects of partial-cut timber harvesting on bird abundances in conifer forests within the northern Rocky Mountains. We present point-count data from four separate years of the long-term monitoring database, which included between 467 and 907 points, depending on the year. Five bird species were significantly more abundant in uncut forest stands in at least one year, and 17 species were more abundant in partially cut stands in at least one year. Four and eight species from these two groups, respectively, showed the same differences in a short-term, control/treatment comparison conducted in the same region, and no species showed contradictory treatment effects when the two studies were compared. Provided that vegetation data are coupled with bird abundance data, and provided that enough points are visited to compensate for an uncontrolled design, these results suggest that data from long-term monitoring points can be useful not only as sources of information about long-term population trends, but as sources of information about habitat relationships and the effects of land use.
Glass nanopore electrodes

Publisher Summary The truncated conical-shaped glass nanopore electrode, also known as a glass nanopore electrode (GNE) comprises a platinum (Pt) microdisk electrode sealed at the bottom of a conical-shaped pore in glass. The GNE was developed as a structurally simple platform for nanopore-based sensors and for investigating molecular transport through orifices of nanoscale dimensions. Fabrication of a GNE, involves four general steps: (1) electrochemically etching a small diameter Pt wire to produce a sharp tip with a radius of curvature of a few nanometers; (2) sealing the sharpened Pt tip into a glass capillary; (3) polishing the capillary until a Pt nanodisk is exposed; and (4) electrochemically etching the exposed Pt to produce a truncated cone-shaped nanopore in glass, the bottom of the pore defined by a Pt microdisk electrode. Owing to the conical shape of the pore, transport of redox molecules from the bulk solution to the electrode surface is largely determined by the solution resistance in vicinity of the pore orifice. This geometry-based localization of the pore resistance to the orifice suggests that transport selectivity can be achieved by chemical modification of the interior glass surface near the pore orifice. Two additional advantages are associated with the conical shape pore. First, higher ionic conductance can be achieved with conical-shaped pores relative to straight cylindrical pores, without sacrificing the ability to localize the resistance to the pore orifice. Second, the steady-state flux of molecules (or ionic conductivity) in a conical-shaped pore is independent of the pore depth for pores that have a depth larger than 20 times the orifice radii. This characteristic is advantageous in the fabrication of nanopores.
#LivingOffTips: reframing food system labor through tipped workers' narratives of subminimum wage exploitation.

Agrifood movement literature largely represents food system labor through images, descriptions, and depictions of farm workers and other agriculture-related labor, such as slaughtering and meatpacking. Although engaging in a holistic dialogue that considers the continuum of labor abuse across the food system may be a difficult task, privileging production-oriented food system labor reinforces what Guthman (2014) calls an "agrarian imaginary." Such narrow representations can marginalize the food system workers whom modern consumers are most likely to encounter: restaurant staff that prepare and serve food. Tipped workers' subminimum wage is subsidized by the good graces customers; staff have little access to health benefits or sick days; female restaurant staff are subject to sexual harassment, abuse, and even assault. Through the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC), tipped workers are engaging in active resistance through advocacy and online/social media campaigns. Stories of tipped worker exploitation submitted to the ROC #LivingOffTips online forum are examined through qualitative analysis. Tipped workers' narratives frame the risks of tipped labor exploitation, define tips as an issue of wage inequality, and characterize the essential role played by wait staff, thereby encouraging a reconsideration of food system labor by the alternative food movement. By narrativizing their experience of the subminimum wage, tipped workers not only make restaurant labor abuse more visible, they strategically frame their work as legitimate food system labor.
Abstract IA03: Regulation of K-Ras function by lysine acetylation

Activating point mutations in K-Ras are common in cancers of the lung, colon, and pancreas and are highly predictive of poor therapeutic response. To date, there are no effective therapies to combat the extreme oncogenicity of mutant K-Ras. One potential strategy for overcoming the deleterious effects of mutant K-Ras is to alter its post-translational modification. While therapies targeting farnesylation have been explored, and ultimately failed, the therapeutic potential of targeting other modifications remains to be seen. In this regard, we have found that K-Ras is acetylated on lysine 104 (K104), a residue that is conserved in all Ras homologs from humans to budding yeast. Acetylation on K104 does not affect K-Ras localization, like many of the post-translational modifications of Ras, but instead confers resistance to GEF-induced nucleotide exchange by destabilizes the alpha helical structure of the Switch II domain. Mutation of K104 to glutamine, which mimics constitutive acetylation, attenuates GTP-loading and the transforming activity of K-Ras. These results indicate that acetylation is a negative regulatory modification on K-Ras and provide a new angle in the search for cancer therapies that target K-Ras post-translational modification. In order to translate this knowledge into a therapeutic strategy, however, we must identify the enzymes that regulate K-Ras acetylation. Ideally, we would identify the deacetylases, as inhibiting these enzymes would lock K-Ras into its hyper-acetylated, inactive state. Recently, we identified HDAC6 and SIRT2 as deacetylases that regulate the acetylation state of K-Ras in cancer cells. Genetic or chemical inhibition of either of these enzymes dramatically affects the growth properties of cancer cell lines expressing mutationally activated K-Ras, suggest that therapeutic targeting of HDAC6 and/or SIRT2 may represent a new way to treat cancers expressing mutant forms of K-Ras. Citation Format: Kevin M. Haigis. Regulation of K-Ras function by lysine acetylation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on RAS Oncogenes: From Biology to Therapy; Feb 24-27, 2014; Lake Buena Vista, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2014;12(12 Suppl):Abstract nr IA03. doi: 10.1158/1557-3125.RASONC14-IA03
Palliative Radiotherapy for Advanced and Metastatic Head and Neck Cancers and Skin Metastases

This chapter outlines a practical approach to palliative radiotherapy in the patient with advanced cancer involving the head and neck region and overlying skin, including primary tumors of the head and neck. Evaluation begins with a thorough history and physical examination aimed at identifying and characterizing tumor burden, acute concerns like airway patency, pain, and symptomatic impairments, such as dysphagia. Goals of care are determined with the patient based on realistic near- and long-term hopes and expectations. If palliative radiotherapy is indicated, selection of dose and fractionation should be grounded in evidence relevant to the clinical scenario. Validated regimens for the head and neck differ in terms of treatment time and toxicity, as well as expected degree of local control. Acute effects of radiation in the head and neck may be especially detrimental to quality of life, prompting the need for early recognition and proactive, multidisciplinary treatment management.
Finding "truth" across different data sources.

The proliferation of new technology platforms and tools is dramatically advancing our ability to capture, integrate and use clinical and other health related data for research and care. Another critical and increasingly common source of data comes directly from patients – often in the form of Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO). As more providers and payers recognize that patient experiences reflect a critical dimension of the value proposition, these data are informing broader strategies to achieve performance improvement and accountability in health systems. Combined with other traditional (e.g., claims) and more recent (e.g., Electronic Health Record) data assets, PROs can help to examine experiences and outcomes that convey a more complete picture of both individual and population health. One of the areas of research where this is most evident is cancer survivorship, including long-term adverse effects, as the population of survivors is increasing given advances in detection and treatment. Key questions remain as to how and under what conditions these new data resources can be used for research, and which are the best “sources of truth” for specific types of information. A recent IJHPR validation study by Hamood et al. reflects important progress in this regard, and establishes the necessary groundwork for a larger planned study. There are some important limitations worth noting, such as a small sample size (which does not support adequate subgroup analysis); a relatively narrow focus on women with only early stage or regionally advanced breast cancer; and a limited focus on outcomes that are primarily clinical and relatively severe in nature (e.g., cardiovascular disease). Finally, as use of EHRs becomes ubiquitous, as patient perspectives and outcome measures are considered, and as more types of data are systematically collected via electronic systems, further comparison and validation of non-clinical data elements captured via such tools will become increasingly possible and important. This will further enhance the capacity of cancer survivorship researchers to address a broader range of important questions to many more types of patients.
Some recent results on complex powers and zeta distribution

This is an expanded and updated version of our talk given on Dec. 2, 1985 in the Seminaire de Theorie des Nombres de Paris under the title, “Complex powers and their functional equations”. We have tried to state definitions precisely and results concisely. We have included some remarks not stated elsewhere. As we emphasized in the talk, a problem of Weil is the underlying theme.
Creative Process and Magic: Artists on Screen in the 1940s

When the French poet Paul Valery died in July 1945, the film critic Charles Spaak lamented that his face and voice had not been preserved on film. Spaak claimed not to have spared any effort in attempting to make a film about the poet when he was alive, and described scenes he had imagined: “A pilgrimage to Sete, a visit to the maritime cemetery were planned, with Valery alive.
Depression and Physical Illness in Older Primary Care Patients

Depression in older primary care patients often co-occurs with physical illness and thereby creates diagnostic and treatment complexities for the clinician managing such morbidity. Thus, discerning the etiology of co-occurring mood disturbance and physical illness for purposes of differential diagnosis has been the subject of much attention. Various strategies can be employed in this assessment process and include ever more sophisticated laboratory procedures and psychiatric rating scales of the self-administered and objective-rater types. Simultaneous with the refinement of assessment tools for differential diagnostic purposes has been a growing sense that affective distress requires treatment regardless of whether its etiology is psychiatric or organic in nature. This perspective has merit given the present availability of efficacious antide-pressant medications and psychotherapeutic interventions that can be feasibly delivered in the primary care setting. Monotherapies or combined therapy have been shown to produce better clinical and functional outcomes than placebo; and it is lamentable, therefore, that these interventions are utilized infrequently rather than routinely. The challenge of the new millennium, therefore, is to continue perfecting treatments for the depressed older primary care patient with co-occurring physical illnesses but also to overcome the patient, provider, and system barriers constraining their delivery in routine ambulatory medical practice.
A high-precision, variable-pressure magnetic float densimeter

A simple, versatile, magnetic float densimeter that can be used at high pressures (1200 bars) to measure the density of liquids is described. The system has been calibrated with water at 25°C from 1 to 1200 bars, demonstrating a sensitivity of 0.5 ppm and a precision of 11 ppm. The accuracy of the densimeter has been verified by measuring the densities of NaCl solutions at 25°C and from 1 to 1200 bars. Excellent agreement with previously published data was achieved.
Effect of stress ratio and overload ratio on fatigue crack delay and arrest behavior due to single peak overloads

In this investigation stress interaction effects on fatigue crack propagation following single peak overloads in 2024-T3 aluminum alloy were studied. The two parameters investigated were the overload stress ratio, R O L =K m i n /K O L , and the overload ratio, K O L /K m a x . Tests were run with quasi-constant stress intensity fatigue loading following the overload. The effect of overload on the crack growth rate through the overload plastic zone was observed. Additional tests were run to determine only whether or not crack arrest would occur. The delay effect due to single peak overloads was found to increase with overload stress ratio, R O L , and overload ratio, K O L /K m a x . The higher values of both R O L and K O L /K m a x produced nonpropagating fatigue cracks, and the delay/arrest boundary was defined.
Tropopause Evolution in a Rapidly Intensifying Tropical Cyclone: A Static Stability Budget Analysis in an Idealized Axisymmetric Framework

AbstractUpper-level static stability (N2) variations can influence the evolution of the transverse circulation and potential vorticity in intensifying tropical cyclones (TCs). This paper examines t...
Formant priority channel selection for an “n-of-m” sound processing strategy for cochlear implants

The Advanced Combination Encoder (ACE) signal processing strategy is used in the majority of cochlear implant (CI) sound processors manufactured by Cochlear Corporation. This “n-of-m” strategy selects “n” out of “m” available frequency channels with the highest spectral energy in each stimulation cycle. It is hypothesized that at low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions, noise–dominant frequency channels are susceptible for selection, neglecting channels containing target speech cues. In order to improve speech segregation in noise, explicit encoding of formant frequency locations within the standard channel selection framework of ACE is suggested. Two strategies using the direct formant estimation algorithms are developed within this study, FACE (formant-ACE) and VFACE (voiced-activated-formant-ACE). Speech intelligibility from eight CI users is compared across 11 acoustic conditions, including mixtures of noise and reverberation at multiple SNRs. Significant intelligibility gains were observed with VFACE over ACE in 5 dB babble noise; however, results with FACE/VFACE in all other conditions were comparable to standard ACE. An increased selection of channels associated with the second formant frequency is observed for FACE and VFACE. Both proposed methods may serve as potential supplementary channel selection techniques for the ACE sound processing strategy for cochlear implants.
Radome Enhancement Technique for High-Power Wideband Millimeter Wave Antennas

A technique to enhance the mechanical and thermal properties of a radome configuration for a wideband, high power millimeter wave horn antenna is presented. Using reinforcing metallic strips across the aperture of the antenna enclosed by a radome, the ability of that radome to withstand certain pressure and heat loading is enhanced. The design is presented and validated in the electrical, thermal and mechanical domains.
Fraud detection

Fraud is the deliberate use of deception to conduct illicit activities. Automatic fraud detection involves scanning large volumes of data to uncover patterns of fradulent usage, and as such it is well suited to data mining techniques. We present three general types of fraud that have been addressed in data mining research, and we summarize the approaches taken. We also discuss general characteristics of fraud detection problems that make them difficult, as well as system integration issues for automatic fraud detection systems.
Native American patients' perception and attitude about kidney transplant: a qualitative assessment of patients presenting for kidney transplant evaluation.

Objective Native Americans suffer from lower rates of kidney transplantation compared with whites. Our goal was to elicit patients’ perceptions of and attitudes about kidney transplant and the impact of financial burden and cultural taboos. Design This is an exploratory qualitative interview study of 12 Native American patients recruited after completion of the kidney transplant evaluation. Setting Semistructured interviews were conducted. Interviews were coded using inductive methods, followed by interpretive coding by the investigators. Results Thematic analysis revealed the following themes: (1) experience with kidney transplant education by the healthcare team; (2) cultural beliefs regarding kidney transplant; (3) personal motivation and attitude towards kidney transplant; (4) financial burden of kidney transplant and post-transplant care and (5) attitude about living donation. Most participants were educated about transplant as a treatment option after dialysis initiation. All patients in this study recognised that some taboos exist about the process of organ procurement and transplantation; however, the traditional views did not negatively impact their decision to pursue kidney transplant evaluation. Patients shared the common theme of preferring an organ from a living rather than a deceased person; however, the majority did not have a living donor and preferred not to receive an organ from a family member. Most patients did not perceive transplant-related cost as negatively impacting their attitude about receiving a transplant even for patients with below poverty level income. Conclusions Native American patients presenting for kidney transplant were less likely to be educated about transplant before dialysis initiation; did not perceive financial burden and cultural beliefs were not discussed as obstacles to transplant. While a living donor was the preferred option, enthusiasm for living donation from family members was limited.
Regulating for Happiness: A Global Appraisal of Labor Market Regulations and Life Satisfaction

A large literature examines the connection between the size and scope of government in the industrial democracies and human well-being, and generally demonstrates that greater government intervention into the market economy promotes higher levels of life satisfaction. In this paper, we extend this inquiry to a global sample of countries. We first develop a theoretical argument for why labor market regulations (rather than social welfare spending or the size of government) are the appropriate locus of attention outside of the industrial democracies. We then empirically evaluate the impact of such regulations on several different measures of subjective well-being. Examining both individual and aggregate-level data from the Gallup World Poll and the World Values Survey, we find robust evidence that people live more satisfying lives in countries that more stringently regulate their labor market. The implications for labor policy and the study of well-being are discussed.
Symmetry and reliability of the anterior distal tibial angle and plafond radius of curvature.

Introduction Using the radiographs of uninjured extremities as a template for reduction of articular fractures may be beneficial. While there is a significant amount of radiographic data about the relationship of bony landmarks in the hip and knee, there is minimal data investigating the symmetry of lateral measurements in ankles side to side. The aim of this study was to determine if radiographic anatomic differences were evident when comparing bilateral lateral radiographs of uninjured patient ankles. Patients and Methods A retrospective review of patients with bilateral lateral ankle radiographs for mid- or fore-foot related complaints was performed. Patient demographics and radiographic measurements relating to the anterior distal tibial angle (ADTA) and plafond radius of curvature (ROC) were collected. Paired student's t-test was used to determine similarities. Results 478 patient radiographs were evaluated and 215 met inclusion criteria. The average ADTA was 84.0° (76°-92°, σ=3.03°) and plafond ROC was 20.4 mm (11.3–37.1 mm, σ=4.01 mm). There was no significant difference between left and right ankles in ADTA (p = 0.08) and ROC (p = 0.06). Females had a significantly smaller ROC and larger ADTA (p 0.9) and good for the ROC (>0.75). Conclusion This study demonstrates that the ADTA and plafond ROC measurements are reliable and symmetrical in patients. Furthermore, females are more like to have a flatter ADTA (closer to 90°) and a smaller ROC of their plafond. These findings confirm that the lateral radiograph of the uninjured ankle may be used as a template for reduction when treating articular injuries of the distal tibia.
Characterization of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5Nx viruses in the ferret model

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 viruses, of the A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 lineage, have exhibited substantial geographic spread worldwide since the first detection of H5N1 virus in 1996. Accumulation of mutations in the HA gene has resulted in several phylogenetic clades, while reassortment with other avian influenza viruses has led to the emergence of new virus subtypes (H5Nx), notably H5N2, H5N6, and H5N8. H5Nx viruses represent a threat to both the poultry industry and human health and can cause lethal human disease following virus exposure. Here, HPAI H5N6 and H5N2 viruses (isolated between 2014 and 2017) of the 2.3.4.4 clade were assessed for their capacity to replicate in human respiratory tract cells, and to cause disease and transmit in the ferret model. All H5N6 viruses possessed increased virulence in ferrets compared to the H5N2 virus; however, pathogenicity profiles varied among the H5N6 viruses tested, from mild infection with sporadic virus dissemination beyond the respiratory tract, to severe disease with fatal outcome. Limited transmission between co-housed ferrets was observed with the H5N6 viruses but not with the H5N2 virus. In vitro evaluation of H5Nx virus replication in Calu-3 cells and the identification of mammalian adaptation markers in key genes associated with pathogenesis supports these findings.
A Duplicated ESCRT-III Factor Blocks Enveloped Virus Budding Without Inhibiting Cellular ESCRT Functions

Many enveloped viruses require the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) pathway to exit infected cells. This highly conserved pathway mediates essential cellular membrane fission events and therefore has limited potential to acquire adaptive mutations to counteract this co-option by viruses. Here, we describe duplicated and truncated copies of the ESCRT-III factor CHMP3 that arose independently in New World monkeys and mice and that block ESCRT-dependent virus budding. When expressed in human cells, these retroCHMP3 proteins potently inhibit the release of retroviruses, paramyxoviruses and filoviruses. RetroCHMP3 proteins have evolved to reduce interactions with other ESCRT-III factors, and to have little effect on cellular ESCRT processes, revealing routes for decoupling cellular ESCRT functions from exploitation by viruses. The repurposing of duplicated ESCRT-III proteins thus provides a mechanism to generate broad-spectrum viral budding inhibitors without disrupting highly conserved essential cellular ESCRT functions.
A cell-centric view of lung alveologenesis.

Lung alveologenesis, formation of the alveolar region, allows sufficient gas exchange surface to be packed inside the chest cavity yet with orderly connection to the trachea. The real-life alveolar region, however, bears little resemblance to idealized cartoons owing to its three-dimensional nature, non-uniform shape, and mostly air-filled void. This morphological complexity is matched by its cellular complexity - comprised of intermixed and often tangled cells of the epithelial, mesenchymal, endothelial, and immune lineages. Modern imaging, genetics, and genomics are shedding light on and updating traditional views of alveologenesis. Accordingly, this review describes a cell-centric 3-phase definition of alveologenesis and discusses its failure in diseases and possible reactivation during regeneration. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
An Examination of Positive and Negative Dementia Caregiving Experiences.

Objectives: We examined associations among three measures of caregiver experiences (i.e., positive aspects of caring [PAC], caregiver burden, and mutuality) in 228 dyads involving persons with dementia (PWD) and their informal caregivers. The associations between predisposing, enabling, and need factors and each of these three measures of caregiver experiences were also examined.Methods: We used baseline data from a randomized controlled trial of a psychosocial intervention aimed at preventing aggression in PWD. Associations among PAC, caregiver burden, and mutuality were examined. The Behavioral Model of Health Services Utilization guided the selection of predisposing, enabling, and need components.Results: Enabling characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, caregiver education and employment and PWD education) and most predisposing characteristics (e.g., caregiver age, PWD age, relationship type) were not associated with any caregiving experience measures. Need characteristics (e.g., levels of memory and functional impairment, behavioral problems, depression, pleasant events) were associated with the caregiving experience.Conclusions: Bivariate correlations between PAC, caregiver burden, and mutuality were between -0.20 and -0.58. Predisposing, enabling, and need factors were differentially associated with outcomes, with need characteristics being most frequently associated with various aspects of caregiving.Clinical implications: Assessment of both positive and negative aspects of caregiving is important. Particular attention to depression and interventions that improve depressive symptoms may increase PAC and mutuality and reduce caregiver burden.
Salvaging the Value of Textile Waste through Scratchboard Etching

The environmental impact of textile waste has urged the need for sustainable alternatives to landfill disposal and increased the interest in reuse and recycling. In attempts to respond to these demands, a sustainable design using textile waste was created by combining art techniques and textile embellishment techniques from the sixteenth and nineteenth-century to salvage the values of the materials through reverse logistics. The inspiration for the design came from scratchboard etching which is an art technique shown through slashing, a textile embellishment technique in apparel design. This type of technique is often used in apparel design because of its unique texture and visual impact. However, the execution of this technique may generate more textile waste due to the multilayers used for its purpose. Hence the approach to use existing textile waste would be valuable to reduce the concerns in using this technique as well as address sustainability issues in the apparel industry.
Contrasting the experiences for high- and low-income Asian Americans during COVID-19

There is a lack of quantitative research examining how the pandemic has affected individuals at different income levels. The Asian American population has the highest level of income inequality and serves as an excellent case study for examining differences in experience between income groups. A non-probability sample of 3,084 Asian American adults living in the US was surveyed in June 2020, examining health-related behaviors and outcomes. Descriptive analyses and chi-squared statistics were conducted to identify differences in income groups (low, medium, high) among Asian Americans across regional subgroups (East, South, Southeast, Multiethnic) and disaggregated ethnicities (Chinese, Asian Indian, Japanese, and Filipino). In bivariable analyses, a significantly (p < .05) greater percentage of high-income individuals during the pandemic reported having enough money to buy the food they needed, a away to get to the store for food, and reported stores where they get food had everything they needed. High-income Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino individual also noted that, since the COVID-19 crisis, they are now working partially or fully from home. In the total sample, multivariable adjusted logistic regressions revealed medium- and low-income individuals to have low odds of working partially or fully from home (AOR:0.55, 95%CI:0.42-0.72), higher odds of not having enough money to buy the food they needed (AOR:3.54, 95%CI:1.43-11.81), and higher odds of eating less (AOR:1.58, 95%CI:1.14-2.22). These results highlight the importance of considering income distribution when characterizing disparities in health behaviors within racial/ethnic minority groups and underscore the need to bolster the infrastructure supporting low-income Asian Americans.
Cholesterol lowering drug use and breast cancer survival: the Multiethnic Cohort Study.

Prior studies conducted primarily in white populations have suggested that pre-diagnostic cholesterol lowering drugs (CLDs) improved survival among women with breast cancer (BC). However, this association had not been well characterized in diverse racial/ethnic populations. We investigated whether pre-diagnostic CLD use is associated with all-cause and BC-specific mortality among female BC cases of the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC). CLD use was ascertained through questionnaires administered in 2003–2008. A total of 1448 incident BC cases were identified by linkage to SEER cancer registries in Hawaii and California from 2003 to 2014. Multivariable Cox regression was conducted to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the associations of pre-diagnostic CLD use with all-cause and BC-specific mortality, adjusting for tumor characteristics, first course of treatment, health behaviors, co-morbidities, and demographics. Subgroup analyses by stage and hormone receptor status were conducted for all-cause mortality. There were 224 all-cause and 87 BC-specific deaths among the 1448 BC cases during a median follow-up of 4.5 years after diagnosis. Women with BC who ever used CLDs had a 27% lower hazard of all-cause mortality (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.54–0.98) and 17% lower hazard of BC-specific mortality (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.49–1.39) compared to never users. CLD use reduced mortality among women with advanced-stage tumors and hormone receptor-positive breast tumors (HR 0.54 95% CI 0.33–0.90; HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.48–0.99, respectively). These findings demonstrate an improved survival associated with CLD use prior to diagnosis in a multiethnic population of women with BC.
Older Adults' Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) Engagement Following COVID-19 and Its Impact on Access to Community, Information, and Resource Exchange: A Longitudinal, Qualitative Study.

Following COVID-19, the CDC asked individuals to social distance and state and local authorities nationwide began issuing curfews and recommendations to “shelter-in-place.” Known to be more suscept...
Canine Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-Mediated Bone Regeneration is Enhanced in the Presence of Sub-Therapeutic Concentrations of BMP-2 in a Murine Calvarial Defect Model

Novel bone regeneration strategies often show promise in rodent models yet are unable to successfully translate to clinical therapy. Sheep, goats, and dogs are used as translational models in preparation for human clinical trials. While human MSCs (hMSCs) undergo osteogenesis in response to well-defined protocols, canine MSCs (cMSCs) are more incompletely characterized. Prior work suggests that cMSCs require additional agonists such as IGF-1, NELL-1, or BMP-2 to undergo robust osteogenic differentiation in vitro. When compared directly to hMSCs, cMSCs perform poorly in vivo. Thus, from both mechanistic and clinical perspectives, cMSC and hMSC-mediated bone regeneration may differ. The objectives of this study were twofold. The first was to determine if previous in vitro findings regarding cMSC osteogenesis were substantiated in vivo using an established murine calvarial defect model. The second was to assess in vitro ALP activity and endogenous BMP-2 gene expression in both canine and human MSCs. Calvarial defects (4 mm) were treated with cMSCs, sub-therapeutic BMP-2, or the combination of cMSCs and sub-therapeutic BMP-2. At 28 days, while there was increased healing in defects treated with cMSCs, defects treated with cMSCs and BMP-2 exhibited the greatest degree of bone healing as determined by quantitative μCT and histology. Using species-specific qPCR, cMSCs were not detected in relevant numbers 10 days after implantation, suggesting that bone healing was mediated by anabolic cMSC or ECM-driven cues and not via engraftment of cMSCs. In support of this finding, defects treated with cMSC + BMP-2 exhibited robust deposition of Collagens I, III, and VI using immunofluorescence. Importantly, cMSCs exhibited minimal ALP activity unless cultured in the presence of BMP-2 and did not express endogenous canine BMP-2 under any condition. In contrast, human MSCs exhibited robust ALP activity in all conditions and expressed human BMP-2 when cultured in control and osteoinduction media. This is the first in vivo study in support of previous in vitro findings regarding cMSC osteogenesis, namely that cMSCs require additional agonists to initiate robust osteogenesis. These findings are highly relevant to translational cell-based bone healing studies and represent an important finding for the field of canine MSC-mediated bone regeneration.
Human-Autonomy Teaming for the Tactical Edge: The Importance of Humans in Artificial Intelligence Research and Development

The U.S. Army is currently working to integrate artificial intelligence, or AI-enabled systems, into military working teams in the form of both embodied (i.e., robotic) and embedded (i.e., computer or software) intelligent agents with the express purpose of improving performance during all phases of the mission. However, this is largely uncharted territory, making it unclear how to do this integration effectively for human-AI teams. This chapter provides an overview of the Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory’s effort to address the human as a critical gap with associated implications on effective teaming. This chapter articulates four major research thrusts critical to integrating AI-enabled systems into military operations, giving examples within these broader thrusts that are currently addressing specific research gaps. The four major research thrusts include: (1) Enabling Soldiers to predict AI; (2) Quantifying Soldier understanding for AI; (3) Soldier-guided AI adaptation; and (4) Characterizing Soldier-AI performance. These research thrusts are the organizing basis for explaining a path toward integration and effective human-autonomy teaming at the tactical edge.
The decline of the traditional pension : a comparative study of threats to retirement security

Introduction Part I: 1. The development of employer-provided pensions 2. The economics of occupational/employer-provided pension plans 3. Issues in funding and investing 4. Regulatory issues 5. Public sector employer-provided pensions and recent innovations in the first tier Part II: 6. The causes of decline 7. Policies to address the decline of the traditional pension 8. Summary and conclusions Appendix 1. Ten country profiles Appendix 2. Mathematical treatments and derivations.
The Impact of Mental Challenge on Indicators of Endothelial Function in Obese Individuals

The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in heart rate (HR), catecholamines (norepinephrine [NE] and epinephrine [EPI]), pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-2 [IL-2] and interleukin-6 [IL-6]), and lymphocytes (CD8+ and CD56+) in firefighters exposed to a decision-making challenge (firefighting strategies and tactics drill) while participating in moderate intensity exercise. Nine professional male firefighters participated in two counterbalanced exercise conditions on a cycle ergometer: (1) 37 min of cycle ergometry at 60% VO2max (exercise alone condition; EAC) and (2) 37 min of cycle ergometry at 60% VO2max along with 20 min of a computerized firefighting strategies and tactics decision-making challenge (firefighting strategies condition; FSC). FSC elicited significantly greater HR, NE, EPI, and IL-2 when compared to EAC. These elevations may suggest that the addition of a mental challenge to physical stress can alter the hormonal and immunological responses during
New Towns Intown in a National New-Communities Program

Given the predominant attitudes in the United States today—largely those of resistance to racial and class mixing—a major movement of new-community building could easily become the 1970s counterpart of the FHA-encouraged segregated suburban building of the post-World War II years. A further polarization of our society would be a high price to pay for the improvement in life styles that new communities could conceivably bring about for their residents. It is possible that those new communities that have been reliant upon federal government subsidies could be forced to provide a certain amount of racial and income-class mixing as the price for the subsidies, but a little arithmetic—combined with the logic of modern United States politics—suggests that the number of minority and poor families that are likely to gain in this way would be quite small.
The role of circulation and heat fluxes in the formation of stratification leading to hypoxia in Green Bay, Lake Michigan

Abstract Summertime bottom water hypoxia has been a recurring water quality issue in Green Bay for decades. Evidence suggests that the magnitude and duration of hypoxia is highly variable from year to year, despite the fact that nutrient loading has been relatively constant for at least 20 years. The bay's size, orientation, and morphology (~ 20 × 200 km) with high riverine inflow and restricted mixing at the southern end, combined with extensive water mass exchange with Lake Michigan at the northern end, results in a changing hydrodynamic structure that plays a key role in the set up and persistence of stratification that leads to hypoxic conditions. Using both observed and modeled data, this study represents the first attempt to examine the spatial and temporal characteristics of the interactions among the atmospheric heat flux across the water surface, the advective heat flux driven by the circulation, and the intrusion of cold Lake Michigan bottom water into the hypolimnion. With the onset of positive solar heat fluxes in April, stratification generally exists continuously between late June and early September in regions deeper than 15–20 m, and develops discontinuously at depths less than 15 m. Critical improvements in developing realistic simulations of stratification in the bay were obtained via consideration of water clarity conditions that impact heat adsorption and varying default parameters, particularly in the vertical diffusivity, in the Lake Michigan model framework.
Improvisational Media Space: Architecture and Strategies for Evolution

This paper presents the current state in an ongoing development of the Emonic Environment (EE): a real-time improvisational system employing evolutionary principles for the mutation of media space. We position the associated problems in the context of user interaction, provide eight principles essential for creating an improvisational media environment, follow with a description of how the EE implements these principles, and conclude with a description of the evolutionary algorithms’ functionality.
Evaluation of student performance in a multi-site clinical clerkship

A method for examining the equivalency of student performance in multi-site clinical clerkships is presented. Six student performance variables within the clerkship are explored: pretest, posttest, oral examination, presentation of a subject review, general clinical performance, and patient write-ups. Student achievement on two external examinations (a University of Washington School of Medicine third-year comprehensive examination and the Part II examination of the National Board of Medical Examiners) is reviewed and compared. This method applied to an obstetrics and gynecology clerkship at the University of Washington reveals no significant differences in student performance among sites on the pretest, oral examination, and both external examinations, but there were differences on four internal measures (posttest, presentations, write-ups, and clinical ratings). The use of this information for clerkship improvement and faculty development is described.
Investigation of retroviral integration preference via high-throughput sequencing

The integration of retroviral DNA into the host genome is a key step of the retrovirus lifecycle. The positions of such integrations are non-random and are characteristic to the virus in question. Retroviral vectors have been useful in gene therapy, but the approach carries with it the danger of host gene misregulation by viral integration, potentially contributing to cancer. An understanding of how integration sites are determined is critical for any approach seeking to avoid such consequences. To better understand the factors influencing retroviral integration site selection, we are generating integrations of murine leukemia virus (MLV) in human K562 cells. We use massively parallel Illumina technology to sequence the cellular genome and have developed a bioinformatic pipeline to efficiently identify sites of integration. Our aim is to create a high-resolution, high-density integration map with 1 million unique integrations mapped to single-nucleotide resolution. This map will identify regions prone or refractory to MLV integration. We plan to compare this map with data from the ENCODE Consortium, looking for significant associations with characteristics of the local genomic environment, to enhance our understanding of MLV integration site selection.
Silicon assembler design of a DCT/IDCT ASIC for real-time JPEG/MPEG compression

A single multiplier skewed pipeline architecture is presented for real time computation of the 1D discrete cosine transform (DCT)/IDCT in a 2- mu m process. This architecture is extended to the 2-D case using a single 1-D DCT module by an appropriate choice of algorithm. Silicon compilation techniques are used, and the design of three module generators is examined. >
The proteomic dataset for bone marrow derived human mesenchymal stromal cells: Effect of in vitro passaging

Bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) have been in clinical trials for therapy. One major bottleneck in the advancement of BMSC-based products is the challenge associated with cell isolation, characterization, and ensuring cell fitness over the course of in vitro cell propagation steps. The data in this report is part of publications that explored the proteomic changes following in vitro passaging of BMSCs [4] and the molecular heterogeneity in cultures obtained from different human donors [5], [6].The methodological details involving cell manufacturing, proteome harvesting, protein identification and quantification as well as the bioinformatic analyses were described to ensure reproducibility of the results.
A DSL for Explaining Probabilistic Reasoning

We propose a new focus in language design where languages provide constructs that not only describe the computation of results, but also produce explanations of how and why those results were obtained. We posit that if users are to understand computations produced by a language, that language should provide explanations to the user. As an example of such an explanation-oriented language we present a domain-specific language for explaining probabilistic reasoning, a domain that is not well understood by non-experts. We show the design of the DSL in several steps. Based on a story-telling metaphor of explanations, we identify generic constructs for building stories out of events, and obtaining explanations by applying stories to specific examples. These generic constructs are then adapted to the particular explanation domain of probabilistic reasoning. Finally, we develop a visual notation for explaining probabilistic reasoning.