cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Asthma: diagnosis and management of nocturnal symptoms

An approach to asthma evaluation and treatment that seriously considers the strong nocturnal predilection for exacerbations of asthma is necessary for proper care of most asthmatics. Appreciation of the chronopharmacology of medications that may improve nocturnal asthma is essential. Controlled-release theophylline preparations, such as Uniphyl, which achieve peak blood levels 10-12 hours after dosage, should be administered immediately after the evening meal to give greatest efficacy between 3 and 6 AM when airflow reaches its nadir. Oral corticosteroids should be administered around 3 PM to achieve peak pulmonary antiinflammatory efficacy between 3 AM and 6 AM corticosteroid-induced decreases in inflammatory cell infiltration in lungs clearly being associated with improvement in lung function. Future developments of high-potency inhaled corticosteroid medications or sustained-action inhaled anticholinergic agents may add to the therapeutic armamentarium in the battle against asthma, the nocturnal affliction.
External Actors and Regime Change How Post-Communism Transformed Comparative Politics

This article explores how the study of post-communism has transformed comparative politics by adding a substantial role for external actors to existing theories of democratization. The big, overarching finding is dramatic: external actors can, under certain conditions, tip the balance in favor of democracy by offering strong rewards to elites, conditional on complying with tough requirements. External actors can also influence the performance of the state—and how the state treats its citizens. The main causal player is the European Union. This simple finding is consequential for all three major strands of democratization theory. The article goes on to explore how the leverage of the European Union has shaped the trajectories of political change in the new and credible future EU members in East Central and South Eastern Europe. The great variation among existing and candidate members can be largely explained by different domestic conditions, even though there are many areas where the EU’s use of its levera...
Analysis of the Trypanosoma brucei EATRO 164 Bloodstream Guide RNA Transcriptome

The mitochondrial genome of Trypanosoma brucei contains many cryptogenes that must be extensively edited following transcription. The RNA editing process is directed by guide RNAs (gRNAs) that encode the information for the specific insertion and deletion of uridylates required to generate translatable mRNAs. We have deep sequenced the gRNA transcriptome from the bloodstream form of the EATRO 164 cell line. Using conventionally accepted fully edited mRNA sequences, ~1 million gRNAs were identified. In contrast, over 3 million reads were identified in our insect stage gRNA transcriptome. A comparison of the two life cycle transcriptomes show an overall ratio of procyclic to bloodstream gRNA reads of 3.5:1. This ratio varies significantly by gene and by gRNA populations within genes. The variation in the abundance of the initiating gRNAs for each gene, however, displays a trend that correlates with the developmental pattern of edited gene expression. A comparison of related major classes from each transcriptome revealed a median value of ten single nucleotide variations per gRNA. Nucleotide variations were much less likely to occur in the consecutive Watson-Crick anchor region, indicating a very strong bias against G:U base pairs in this region. This work indicates that gRNAs are expressed during both life cycle stages, and that differential editing patterns observed for the different mitochondrial mRNA transcripts are not due to the presence or absence of gRNAs. However, the abundance of certain gRNAs may be important in the developmental regulation of RNA editing.
‘Overcoming Modernity’ in Kenji Miyazawa

This chapter uses the terms 'modernity' and 'modernism' primarily to refer to 'Western modernity' and 'Western modernism'. It discusses, considering modernism, the cultural and artistic movement considered to have arisen in Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to be a kind of reaction against modernity. Reflecting the negative aspects of modernity, (Western) modernism contains many elements of modernity that often give the reader excruciatingly frustrating sensations of alienation, absurdity, disruption, incoherence, fragmentation, violence, and destruction, feelings expressed particularly in works employing imagism, cubism, fauvism, futurism, expressionism, magic realism, etc. As he lived in modern, Westernized Japan, Kenji Miyazawa (1896- 1933) inevitably was influenced by Western modernity and modernism. While deeply rooted in modernity, Miyazawa dedicated his life and literature to overcome modern problems, and by extension, his own modernism itself. Keywords: 'Western modernism'; Kenji Miyazawa
Spygoria zappania new genus and species, a Cloudina -like biohermal metazoan from the Lower Cambrian of central Nevada

A new enigmatic Lower Cambrian fossil, Spygoria zappania, is described From the Nevadella zone (Botoman) of Lander County, central Nevada. In gross morphology, Spygoria fossils consist of stacks of small (5–10 mm in diameter) irregular calcified cups that are preserved in vertical, concave-up life orientation. Stacks are linked laterally into large monospecific bioherms which flourished in a shallow turbulent marine environment. The Spygoria organism is interpreted as a metazoan which presumably inhabited the uppermost cup in each stack and periodically secreted new cups as it grew upward. Absence of holdfast structures suggest that the organism was held in place by sticky mud until opportunistically cementing to adjacent individuals. The affinity of Spygoria remains problematical, though we suggest that its stacked structure somewhat resembles the cone-in-cone structure of Cloudina, which formed similar dense thickets in shallow turbulent carbonate environments during the terminal Proterozoic.
Effect of the pharmacist-managed cardiovascular risk reduction services on diabetic retinopathy outcome measures

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a progressive, sight-threatening long-term complication of diabetes. Diabetes disease management reduces the risk of developing or progression to a severe form of DR. However, there are no reports of the potential role of pharmacists in DR progression. Objective: For this study, we performed a retrospective data analysis of patients with diabetes seen at cardiovascular risk reduction services provided by pharmacists with an objective to determine the potential role of pharmacists in the DR progression. These services involve pharmacists working in collaborative drug therapy management (CDTM), using a collaborative practice agreement (CPA) with primary care physicians. Methods: Patient records and ophthalmological notes were collected for 317 individuals seen by the pharmacists (intervention group) and 320 individuals seen only by a physician (control). Results: Statistical analysis was performed on 148 individuals in an intervention group and 120 individuals in the control group for which complete records were available. Retinopathy progression remained stable in 89.6 % of individuals in the intervention group compared to 87.9% in the control group. Moreover, the relative risk of retinopathy progressing to a severe form was 1.17 for the control group compared the intervention group. Conclusions: Our studies provide a proof-of-concept that pharmacists-managed care possesses a potential role in protection from DR, and paves a way for future pharmacists managed care with an emphasis on reducing diabetic complications.
Mitochondria-Targeted Agents: Mitochondriotropics, Mitochondriotoxics, and Mitocans.

Mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, have been known for many years for their central role in the energy metabolism; however, extensive progress has been made and to date substantial evidence demonstrates that mitochondria play a critical role not only in the cell bioenergetics but also in the entire cell metabolome. Mitochondria are also involved in the intracellular redox poise, the regulation of calcium homeostasis, and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are crucial for the control of a variety of signaling pathways. Additionally, they are essential for the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis process. Thus, it is not surprising that disruptions of mitochondrial functions can lead or be associated with human pathologies. Because of diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer, Parkinson’s, cancer, and ischemic disease are being increasingly linked to mitochondrial dysfunctions, the interest in mitochondria as a prime pharmacological target has dramatically risen over the last decades and as a consequence a large number of agents, which could potentially impact or modulate mitochondrial functions, are currently under investigation. Based on their site of action, these agents can be classified as mitochondria-targeted and non-mitochondria-targeted agents. As a result of the continuous search for new agents and the design of potential therapeutic agents to treat mitochondrial diseases, terms like mitochondriotropics, mitochondriotoxics, mitocancerotropics, and mitocans have emerged to describe those agents with high affinity to mitochondria that exert a therapeutic or deleterious effect on these organelles. In this chapter, mitochondria-targeted agents and some strategies to deliver agents to and/or into mitochondria will be reviewed.
Coin-Operated Americans: Rebooting Boyhood at the Video Game Arcade. By Carly A. Kocurek

In Coin-Operated Americans, Carly Kocurek addresses broad questions of gender equity and technology through the classic arcade era of the 1970s and early 1980s. In addition to writing extensively a...
Moving beyond the neighborhood: Daily exposure to nature and adolescents’ mood

Abstract A growing body of literature has explored the psychological benefits associated with contact with nature. Many studies have employed experimental designs that compared various levels of nature exposure, or have used exogenous neighborhood-based measures of nature. The exact places where adolescents visit, as well as their street-level experiences with nature, remain unexplored. As a result, we know very little about the extent to which adolescents' actual exposure to nature is related to their moods. In this study, we examined the daily activities and moods of 155 adolescents from central Illinois to understand the association between exposure to varying concentrations of nature and adolescents' mood. Each participant wore a Global Positioning System (GPS) device for four consecutive days and completed an adapted Profile of Mood States questionnaire at the end of each day. We calculated the concentration of nature participants were exposed to by assessing the Google Street View images at the locations they visited throughout each day. Multi-level modeling analysis revealed significant associations between the concentration of nature and daily mood in participating adolescents, even after controlling for intra-individual and inter-individual level confounding variables. This relationship did not vary by demographic or socio-economic background. We discuss the implications for greening urban public space and resurrecting time for adolescents to engage in unstructured activities. The methods used in this study—combining GPS tracking and environmental exposure assessment—can be applied to a variety of research studies regarding human-landscape relationships.
Measuring the Interference of Pain on Daily Life in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury: A Rasch-validated Subset of Items From the Brief Pain Inventory Interference Scale

Background/aim Up to 60% of individuals report chronic pain after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Measurement of the degree to which pain interferes with activities and emotions can provide valuable clinical insights with implications for pain management interventions. One questionnaire that can be used to quantify the impact of pain is the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) interference scale, a seven-item self-report assessment. Our objective was to examine the Rasch measurement properties of the BPI interference scale for measuring pain interference in persons with SCI. Methods A secondary analysis of cross-sectional, population-based, self-report data was conducted. Participants were adults with traumatic SCI with residual effects who were at least one year post-injury and 18 years of age (n = 876). Rasch analysis was used to evaluate the measurement properties of the BPI interference items for persons with SCI. Results Two BPI interference scale items were excluded from analysis due to high rates of missing data. Of the remaining five items, four items demonstrated acceptable measurement properties in the SCI population. Conclusion Four of the original seven BPI interference items provide acceptable measurements of pain interference in the SCI population.
Mapping sociocultural values of visitors on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington

i Acknowledgements iii List of Tables vii List of Figures viii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1 Purpose 2 1.2 Research Objectives 3 1.3 Thesis Structure 4 Chapter 2: Geography of the Olympic Peninsula, WA 6 Chapter 3: A History of Conflicting Interests 10 3.1 Logging in the Olympic Peninsula 10 3.2 Recreation in the Olympic Peninsula 13 3.3 Wilderness in the Olympic Peninsula 16 3.4 Wild Olympics 20 3.5 Summary 23 Chapter 4: Literature Review 24 4.1 Environmental Cognition 24 4.2 Values Mapping 27 4.3 Human Ecology Mapping Project 31 4.4 Summary 32 Chapter 5: Methodology 34 5.1 Field Data Collection 34
Literacies in Adolescence: An Analysis of Policies from the United States and Queensland, Australia

Look outside of the school walls in nearly every community and you will find examples of adolescents deeply engaged in literacy practices. In Australia, a young man composes a flyer for a lawn-mowing service (Knobel, 1999). Teenagers in Nepal exchange love letters mixing home and school languages (Ahearn, 2001). In the U.S. suburbs, youth race home to read and respond to each other’s web logs (or blogs), public journals that are proliferating among adolescents (Nussbaum, 2004). Shivering in his car, waiting to make a drug deal, a young man writes poetry to express his critique of the societal and institutional structures that constrain his life choices. Across town, his high school classmate composes a play in an afterschool club in order to make sense of her cousin’s untimely death (Schultz, 2003). In a range of settings, responding to a multitude of purposes and audiences, youth gather to document their lives through film, music, photographs, poetry, and political posters posted on the Internet, played out in public performances and written in private spaces they alone occupy. They offer critique and celebration, despair and optimism, unity and diversity
Vision in Monkeys with Lesion of the Striate Cortex

Recent studies have made major advances in the methods and techniques for determination of sensory capacities of animals. Our confidence in the results of such studies is strengthened by the replicability of thresholds from animal to animal, and the frequent similarity between measures of animal and human sensory functions. One natural application of animal psychophysics is to use the same methods for evaluation of sensory capacities in animals with lesions, in the expectation that such studies may help towards understanding the nature of sensory processing by the brain. For example, if a sense organ projects independently to two or more places in the brain, we might learn more about possible differential functions of these central structures by ablating one or the other, and testing residual sensory capacity. In the case of vision, we might destroy the striate cortex or the superior colliculus and attempt to determine the nature of the visual loss. Along with anatomic and physiologic data, behavioral study of lesion effects would help in analysis of the functional capacity of these two parallel visual pathways. We might determine the effects of such lesions on photopic and scotopic brightness thresholds, visual acuity, and the ability of the animals to discriminate form, color, and movement, and thus evaluate the capacity of the surviving visual structures. We must recognize, of course, that in the example given, the geniculocortical and collicular circuits are not completely independent.
Theoretical study of bromine halocarbons: Accurate enthalpies of formation

Abstract The gas phase enthalpies of formation of sixty-five C1 and C2 bromine compounds have been calculated using G3, G4, the correlation consistent Composite Approach (ccCA) and CCSD(T)/CBS. Several compounds investigated have importance in atmospheric chemistry due to their global warming potentials. Compounds investigated include chlorine and fluorine containing bromine compounds, and bromine hydrocarbons. Computational methods have been compared to experimental and theoretical values when available. All methods investigated calculate enthalpies of formation that are in agreement with available ATcT, each with a greater than 0.999 R2 value and mean absolute deviations (MADs) of 1.2 kcal/mol, 0.6 kcal/mol, 0.7 kcal/mol, and 0.6 kcal/mol for G3, G4, ccCA, and CCSD(T), respectively. The importance of molecular spin-orbit corrections is noted. The molecular spin-orbit correction for tetrabromomethane increased the enthalpy of formation by 2.7 kcal/mol to an enthalpy of formation of 27.5 kcal/mol when using CCSD(T)/CBS.
A Euro-Mediterranean tree-ring reconstruction of the winter NAO index since 910 C.E.

We develop a new reconstruction of the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index using a network of 97 Euro-Mediterranean tree-ring series. The reconstruction covers the period 910–2018 C.E., making it the longest annually resolved estimate of winter NAO variability available. We use nested correlation-weighted principal components regression and the Maximum Entropy Bootstrap method to generate a 2400-member ensemble of reconstructions for estimating the final reconstruction and its quantile uncertainties. Extensive validation testing of the new reconstruction against data withheld from the calibration exercise demonstrates its skill. The skill level of the new reconstruction is also an improvement over two NAO reconstructions published earlier. Spectral analyses indicate that the new reconstruction behaves like a ‘white noise’ process with intermittent band-limited power, suggesting that the winter NAO is stochastically forced. The ‘white noise’ properties of our reconstruction are also shown to be consistent with the spectral properties of long instrumental NAO indices extending back to 1781 and NAO indices extracted from a large number of forced climate model runs covering the last millennium. In contrast, an annually resolved multi-proxy NAO reconstruction of comparable length, based in part on speleothem data, behaves more like externally forced ‘red noise’ process, which is inconsistent with our reconstruction, long observations, and forced model runs.
Multispecies genome-wide analysis defines the MAP3K gene family in Gossypium hirsutum and reveals conserved family expansions.

Background Gene families are sets of structurally and evolutionarily related genes – in one or multiple species – that typically share a conserved biological function. As such, the identification and subsequent analyses of entire gene families are widely employed in the fields of evolutionary and functional genomics of both well established and newly sequenced plant genomes. Currently, plant gene families are typically identified using one of two major ways: 1) HMM-profile based searches using models built on Arabidopsis thaliana genes or 2) coding sequence homology searches using curated databases. Integrated databases containing functionally annotated genes and gene families have been developed for model organisms and several important crops; however, a comprehensive methodology for gene family annotation is currently lacking, preventing automated annotation of newly sequenced genomes.
Optimal Harvest from Fisheries

Issues of optimal use of renewable resources are typically complicated because the resource owners need to take into consideration not only the size and quality of the resource, as well as the technology and opportunity cost when extracting from a stock, but also the growth dynamics characteristic of the biological populations they deal with. Additional problems are incurred in the case of free access, as we have seen in the context of common property resources. Management issues are still relatively tractable when dealing with resources that are easily monitored and “cultivated,” as in the case of forests or sheep. Significant additional problems arise, however, when the resources are mobile, common property, and fluctuating in size considerably from year to year. This is the case for marine fisheries modeled in this and the following chapters.
Infinite horizon model predictive control tracking application to helicopters

Abstract A novel formulation for infinite horizon model predictive control that is general and can accurately approximate and minimize the control cost is proposed. This method allows output tracking over a finite horizon when constraints are considered and equilibrium tracking in the linearized dynamics after that for the infinite horizon when constraints are not considered. The method allows prescribing weights simultaneously on the output tracking error, control rates, and control energy. Methods of weight selection are discussed to ensure strong cost convexity for reliable optimization. The control method is used to bring a helicopter that is far from a ship to a stable flight condition that is much closer to the ship. This is very important for helicopter ship landing automation.
Effect of micropillars with varying geometry and density on the efficiency of impaction-based quartz crystal microbalance aerosol sensors

Inertial impaction is frequently used for the collection and subsequent measurement of aerosol particles in resonator-based airborne particulate matter (PM) sensors. However, particle bounce is known to significantly reduce particle collection efficiency (CE) on surfaces exhibiting low roughness, such as those present in quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) PM sensors. This paper shows that the addition of micropillars to impaction surfaces can significantly enhance their particle collection. Similarities in particle capture mechanisms between fibrous filters and pillar-enhanced surfaces are explained, and we show the adaptability of fibrous filter theory to pillared surface collection efficiency. Experiments confirm that the micropillar cross section and spacing have a significant role in particle capture. Pillars with circular, rectangular, and cross-shaped horizontal cross sections with 15 μm height and 12 μm (dense), 20 μm (nominal), and 27 μm (sparse) center-to-center spacings were printed using two-photon micro stereolithography. The efficiency increased by 35%–52% in the dense case, while the effect of the pillar shape was negligible. At nominal spacing, CE depended heavily on the pillar shape. The cross-shaped and circular pillars improved the CE by 26%–29%, although the rectangular pillars were as efficient as the bare surface. No significant difference between the bare and pillar-enhanced surfaces was visible in sparse spacing. We further show that, upon addition of a nominal distribution of micropillars to the surface of a QCM sensor for real-time mass measurements, the sensor response improved significantly (approximately 2.5 times) compared to a QCM with a bare surface.
Survey of epidemic status of paragonimiasis in western mountainous areas in Hubei Province

OBJECTIVE To understand the current status of paragonimiasis epidemic in western mountain areas in Hubei Province. METHODS Four counties (cities) of Western Hubei Province (Xingshan, Enshi, Yunxi, Baokang) were selected as the investigation sites for active surveillance. Crabs were captured and the metacercariae of Paragonimus were detected. Meanwhile, the blood samples were collected from the residents in the surveillance sites and the unique IgG and IgM antibodies against Paragonimus in the sera were detected by ELISA. In addition, a questionnaire survey about knowledge and behavior of prevention and control of paragonimiasis was taken among the residents. RESULTS A total of 1 143 residents were investigated in the active surveillance, the total positive rate of the serology test was 1.84% (21/1 143), while the rates of the male and the female were 1.78% (10/562) and 1.89% (11/581), respectively, with no statistical significance between them ( χ2 = 0.002, P > 0.05). The average weight of 161 fresh-water crabs captured was 11.72 g, with the positive rate of 9.32% (15/161) and the infective density of 7.07 metacercariae per positive crab. The positive rates of the male and female crabs were 11.54% (9/78) and 7.23% (6/83), respectively ( χ2 = 0.884, P > 0.05), and the infective densities were 6.67 and 7.67 metacercariae per positive crab, respectively. Totally 1 143 residents were investigated by questionnaires, and 0.44% of them had the behavior of eating raw or half-done fresh-water crab, and 0.87% of them had the behavior of drinking un-boiled stream water. CONCLUSIONS The transmission chain of paragonimiasis still exists in the nature environment of mountain area in Western Hubei Province. The positive rate of the second intermediate host rebounds in some investigation sites. Therefore, the measures of continuous surveillance and health education should be taken to avoid the appearance of the prevalence or outbreak.
Workshop 14 – Nucleic Acids as Antigens

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the importance of nucleic acids as antigens. Naturally occurring antibodies to DNA with recognition for the double-strand form of DNA are found in a few sera of patients with SLE and all NZB mice. It is reasonable to assume however, that the antibody synthesizing cells are not being presented with the same double-strand nucleic acid conformation in the two models, natural and experimental. Indeed, it is not known whether such antibody-producing cells are absent in the experimental models. A clue to the apparent paradox concerning the naturally occurring anti-double-strand DNA may be sought from an examination of the serologie specificities of natural antibodies reactive with ribonucleic acids (RNA) and multistrand synthetic polyribonucleotides. The latter antibodies react more effectively with double-strand viral RNA than with the synthetic double-strand synthetic polymers. This finding might be significant in view of the known correlation of autoimmune phenomena in NZB mice with a viral etiology.
Influence of acute hyperglycemia on the assessment of cardiac function with N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide

Objective To investigate the relationship between N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) derived cardiac function index (Tei index) in patients with acute coronary syndrome under different plasma glucose levels and to evaluate the influence of hyperglycemia on the preciseness of cardiac function assessment with NT-proBNP.Methods Consecutive patients with acute coronary syndrome admitted to the department of cardiology in Guangdong General Hospital were prospectively enrolled.Based on their plasma fasting glucose level,patients were divided into hyperglycemia group (fasting plasma glucose ≥ 6.1 mmol/L) and euglycemia group (fasting plasma glucose ＜ 6.1 mmol/L).All the patients underwent transthoracic echocardiagraphy and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) investigations.Blood samples were obtained within 24 hours of hospitalization for measurment of NT-proBNP level.Relationship between TDI-Tei index and the level of NT-proBNP in the two groups were analyzed respectively.Results The TDI-Tei index,the systolic index and the diastolic index were all significant higher in the hyperglycemia group (n =27) than those in the euglycemia group (n =35)(0.68±0.14) vs.(0.61 ±0.10),P =0.03; (0.29±0.07) vs.(0.26±0.05),P =0.045; (0.38±0.08) vs.(0.35 ±0.050,P =0.03,respectively.In both groups,TDI-Tei and In NT-proBNP showed significant linear regression.In the hyperglycemia group,TDI-Tei =0.175 + 0.068 In NT-proBNP,R2 =0.702,P ＜ 0.01.In the euglycemia group,TDI-Tei =0.185 + 0.060 In NT-proBNP,R2 =0.405,P ＜ 0.01.Conclusions (1) Compared with patients suffering from an acute coronary syndrome with euglycemia,the global cardiac function of patients with hyperglycemia is poorer; (2) NT-proBNP correlates significantly with TDI-Tei in both hyperglycemia and euglycemia patients with acute heart syndrome.It is appropriate to assess global cardiac function with NT-proBNP in patients suffering from ACS complicated with hyperglycemia. Key words: Hyperglycemia; Stress; Acute coronary syndrome; Natriuretic peptide, brain; Ventricular function; Echocardiography; Tissue Doppler imaging; Tei index
Bond strength and chloride resistance of epoxy and concrete overlays on bridge decks

The deteriorating condition of infrastructure, combined with fiscal limitations experienced by many agencies, necessitates increased service life of bridges. Maintenance and preservation methods su...
The moral of torts

Tort theory is an anxious field, trying either to explain the body of tort law through a unified account or surrendering to the view that torts is just an accumulation of ad hoc “policy” judgments without a consistent explanatory basis. In this chapter, we argue that the natural law theory in the Christian tradition breaks through this impasse in tort theory by showing how the basic outlines of tort law are properly derived from principles of morality, while the details within that framework are left open for choice among a wide range of reasonable arrangements. In our view, central aspects of natural law theory such as its account of the relation of law and morality and the manner in which positive law is derived from the natural law explain and justify tort doctrine.
Influence of a Pre-throwing Protocol on Range of Motion and Strength in Baseball Athletes.

Though chronic overhand throwing is known to result in range of motion and strength adaptations, there is limited research regarding interventions for maintenance of these characteristics. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to explore the use of a pre-throwing protocol focusing on lumbopelvic-hip complex musculature in high school baseball players and examine its effects on shoulder and hip range of motion and isometric strength over the course of a season. Four exercises were added to the intervention team’s warm-up routine. The control and intervention teams’ passive bilateral hip and shoulder range of motion and isometric strength were assessed pre/post-season. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant differences in delta scores between the teams for multiple shoulder and hip range of motion and isometric strength variables. Key results were the intervention team lost significantly more stride hip external rotation but gained more isometric strength than the control team. The intervention team was also able to better maintain shoulder range of motion than the control team. Practitioners should use the results of this study and consider incorporating exercises that target lumbopelvic-hip complex musculature into their current training program.
Using social media data for assessing children’s exposure to violence during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic brought unforeseen challenges that could forever change the way societies prioritize and deal with public health issues. The approaches to contain the spread of the virus have entailed governments issuing recommendations on social distancing, lockdowns to restrict movements, and suspension of services. Objective There are concerns that the COVID-19 crisis and the measures adopted by countries in response to the pandemic may have led to an upsurge in violence against children. Added stressors placed on caregivers, economic uncertainty, job loss or disruption to livelihoods and social isolation may have led to a rise in children’s experience of violence in the home. Extended online presence by children may have resulted in increased exposure to abusive content and cyberbullying. Participants and setting This study uses testimonial-based and conversational-based data collected from social media users. Methods Conversations on Twitter were reviewed to measure increases in abusive or hateful content, and cyberbullying, while testimonials from Reddit forums were examined to monitor changes in references to family violence before and after the start of the stay-at-home restrictions. Results Violence-related subreddits were among the topics with the highest growth after the COVID-19 outbreak. The analysis of Twitter data shows a significant increase in abusive content generated during the stay-at-home restrictions. Conclusions The collective experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and related containment measures offers insights into the wide-ranging risks that children are exposed to in times of crisis. As societies shift towards a new normal, which places emerging technology, remote working and online learning at its center, and in anticipation of similar future threats, governments and other stakeholders need to put in place measures to protect children from violence.
implementing Student Pharmacist- Led Health Outreach Events at Long-term Care Facilities in a Medically Underserved Community.

OBJECTIVE To describe the process of creating precepted, student pharmacist-led health outreach events at long-term care facilities and to describe the lessons learned during the implementation process. SETTING Yakima, Washington, a medically underserved area. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION Pharmacy students, supervised by pharmacist preceptors, conducted health outreach events at local long-term care facilities on a rotating monthly basis. These students provided comprehensive medication reviews, blood pressure screenings, and blood glucose screenings. PRACTICE INNOVATION Pharmacists providing medication reviews at long-term care facilities where residents manage their medications can address polypharmacy by identifying medication discrepancies, determining the effectiveness of treatment, and improving patient outcomes. Conducting health outreach events with pharmacy-student involvement includes the added benefit of providing students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience before beginning their clinical Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations and practice skills described in the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Geriatric Pharmacy Curriculum Guide and Pharmacist's Patient Care Process. RESULTS Nineteen health outreach events at long-term care facilities were held, and more than 100 residents participated annually. Students coordinated events successfully after developing a standardized set of questions, which was necessary for planning, and identifying someone to act as an event coordinator, recruiting students and ensuring they were appropriately trained, and creating a monitoring form to be filled in and shared with the participant. Students learned key lessons including naming the events appropriately to avoid confusion, understanding that not all long-term care facilities are alike, deciding how many students to recruit from each cohort to participate in events, optimizing the preceptor-to- student ratio, and ensuring preceptors were thorough in their oversight of students. CONCLUSION This work described the implementation of health outreach events conducted by supervised student pharmacists at long-term care facilities. Health outreach events could be conducted by other colleges or facilities to provide important medication review and health screening services for long-term care facilities' residents, as well as providing student pharmacists with opportunities to learn and practice patient-care related skills.
Alternate Cultural Paradigms in Psychology: Long Overdue Recognition and Further Articulations

Many ethnic-acknowledging psychology researchers, practitioners, and their allies have expressed dissatisfaction with Eurowestern, mainstream psychology in the United States as it shows serious sho...
Climate Change Concerns Meet Return-Chasing: Evidence from Energy ETFs

Decarbonizing the global economy is a challenge requiring massive funding and coordination across all economic sectors. Energy ETFs play an important role in this transition. We find that investment flows into alternative energy ETFs (A-ETFs) increase with climate change risk. After the Paris Agreement, A-ETFs experience significantly stronger net flows than traditional energy ETFs (T-ETFs): A one-standard-deviation increase in fund return results in about 8-12% higher net flows per year to A-ETFs compared with T-ETFs. Return-sensitive investors appear to have joined the early climate-concerned investors after the global investment community made public its determination to take climate action post 2015.
Tenancy and African American Marriage in the Postbellum South.

The pervasiveness of tenancy in the postbellum South had countervailing effects on marriage between African Americans. Tenancy placed severe constraints on African American women’s ability to find independent agricultural work. Freedwomen confronted not only planters’ reluctance to contract directly with women but also whites’ refusal to sell land to African Americans. Marriage consequently became one of African American women’s few viable routes into the agricultural labor market. We find that the more counties relied on tenant farming, the more common was marriage among their youngest and oldest African American residents. However, many freedwomen resented their subordinate status within tenant marriages. Thus, we find that tenancy contributed to union dissolution as well as union formation among freedpeople. Microdata tracing individuals’ marital transitions are consistent with these county-level results.
Quantity and characteristics of microorganisms associated with ruminal fluid or particles.

An experiment was conducted to 1) determine quantity of microbial CP and DM associated with undigested feed particles, 2) quantify the amount of microorganisms removed from ruminally incubated forages and 3) compare forage disappearances (D) corrected for microbial contamination, using diaminopimelic acid (DAPA) ratios obtained from particle-associated or fluid-associated microorganisms. Samples of alfalfa hay, bermudagrass hay and orchardgrass hay placed in dacron bags were incubated via ruminal cannula for 6 and 12 h. Whole ruminal contents (WRC) were sampled at the time of bag removal and partitioned into fluid- and particle-associated microorganisms. Particle-associated microorganisms were further divided into loosely-associated (LA) and firmly associated (FA) microorganisms. Percentage microbial CP and DAPA, quantities of OM, CP (mg) and DAPA (micrograms), microbial contamination and microbial contribution to ruminal contents were not affected by time (P greater than .05). The highest concentrations of CP and DAPA were found in fluid and LA, respectively (P less than .01). The total amount (content) of OM, CP and DAPA were highest in FA and lowest in microbes in the fluid fraction. Firmly-associated microorganisms constituted 54.1% of the particle-associated population. Corrected DMD were higher (P less than .01) based on FA than on fluid and LA microbe compositions. Corrected CPD were similar (P greater than .10) between populations except at 6 h, when LA corrected CPD were lower. Theoretically, using FA microorganisms should give the most accurate correction for microbial contamination. However, results indicate that, although the three populations differed in composition, fluid and FA corrected CPD were similar. Corrections based on composition of any of these three populations will yield higher estimates of disappearance compared with uncorrected values.
Privacy and Security Policy Choices in an NII Environment

For national information structures — the “NII” of a country — that are being or will be built, the country will need an overall security policy architecture that: a. Honors the social policies expected from or levied on the NII; b. Protects against vulnerabilities of the NII; c. Guards against perceived threats to the NII; d. Supports privacy obligations wherever they exist; e. Assures continuity of NII operation and reliability of its performance; f. Enforces dissemination control; g. Enforces a payments mechanism for use of intellectual property; and h. Enforces access control to NII system assets, data, and other services.
SPATIAL, SYNOPTIC, AND SEASONAL PATTERNS OF HEAVY RAINFALL IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

This paper examines the synoptic climatology and seasonality of heavy rainfall across the southeastern United States. Frontal systems (particularly cold fronts) were found to be the dominant mechanism that induces heavy rainfall across the study area, but tropical disturbances and air-mass storms also contribute, especially at the more coastal locations. Annual regimes were found to vary dramatically from one site to another, and seven of the eight sites investigated exhibited statistically significant seasonality. Generally, peaks in heavy rainfall are bimodal in the western portion of the region, occurring in the transitional seasons. The central portion of the region peaks in late winter and spring, whereas the area east of the Appalachians (including Florida) has summer peaks. This spatial pattern is likely related to patterns of mid-tropospheric air flow and positions of the Bermuda High in summer, and the seasonality of cyclogenesis in North America. [Key words: synoptic climatology, seasonality, he...
Racial Bias in Policing: Why We Know Less Than We Should

There is a shocking dearth of scientific certainty about how to assess racial bias in policing. Specifically lacking is an examination of the causal relationship between officer psychological attitudes and their interactions with minority suspects. Do officer racial attitudes lead to more racially biased police behavior? Why do we, as psychologists and scientists, know less than we should about psychological attitudes and their effects on police behavior in the field? To answer this question, we first review what researchers have learned given the available types of existing data: crime data, officer data, and public opinion data. Next, we discuss how insufficient access and lack of rigorous design have detracted from thorough research on racial bias in policing. Finally, we detail how new opportunities for social scientists have the potential to overcome these barriers and conduct rigorous psychological research on equity in policing.
An analysis of prospective teachers’ knowledge for constructing concept maps

Background: Literature contends that a teacher’s knowledge of concept map-based tasks influence how their students perceive the task and execute the creation of acceptable concept maps. Teachers who are skilled concept mappers are able to (1) understand and apply the operational terms to construct a hierarchical/non-hierarchical concept map; (2) identify the legitimacy of the constructed concept map by verifying its graphical structure and its educational utility; and (3) determine the inherent ‘good’ and ‘poor’ qualities of the resulting graphical structure to reiterate the ‘good’ qualities and to coach and provide feedback to alleviate ‘poor’ qualities.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of prospective teachers’ knowledge underpinning the technique used to construct concept maps and thus, explicate their facility to construct concept maps.Sample, Design and Methods: Data consisted of 200 concept maps constructed by prospective teachers in an elementary science methods course...
Evidence of Sexual Reproduction in the Protozoan Parasite Leishmania (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae)

Parasitic protozoa of the genus Leishmania (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) are generally thought to multiply by binary fission; however, data from quantitative microspectrophotometry indicate that nuclear fusion or sexual reproduction takes place in the intracellular amastigote form. Among several different Leishmania species, the mean +/- SD nuclear DNA content of all promastigotes (extracellular form) and of some amastigotes (intracellular form) in macrophages was 0.098 +/- 0.032 relative units; in contrast, other amastigotes within the same macrophage had a mean +/- SD nuclear DNA content of 0.219 +/- 0.050. The latter population of amastigotes are apparently produced when the nuclei of a pair of 0.098 amastigotes fuse. These 0.219 amastigotes later go through what is probably the typical meiotic cycle to reform the 0.098 condition we observed among promastigotes. The demonstration of sexual reproduction in Leishmania has important implications for the future direction of research on this medically important parasite.
Mobile Videoconferencing Apps for Telemedicine

Abstract Introduction: The quality and performance of several videoconferencing applications (apps) tested on iOS (Apple, Cupertino, CA) and Android™ (Google, Mountain View, CA) mobile platforms using Wi-Fi (802.11), third-generation (3G), and fourth-generation (4G) cellular networks are described. Materials and Methods: The tests were done to determine how well apps perform compared with videoconferencing software installed on computers or with more traditional videoconferencing using dedicated hardware. The rationale for app assessment and the testing methodology are described. Results: Findings are discussed in relation to operating system platform (iOS or Android) for which the apps were designed and the type of network (Wi-Fi, 3G, or 4G) used. The platform, network, and apps interact, and it is impossible to discuss videoconferencing experienced on mobile devices in relation to one of these factors without referencing the others. Conclusions: Apps for mobile devices can vary significantly from other ...
Synthetic staggered architecture composites

Abstract Structural biocomposites (for example, nacre in seashells, bone, etc.) are designed according to the functional role they are delegated for. For instance, bone is primarily designed for withstanding time-dependent loading (for example, withstanding stresses while running, jumping, accidental fall) and hence the microstructure is designed primarily from enhanced toughness and moderate stiffness point of view. On the contrary, seashells (which lie in the abyss of oceans) apart from providing defense to the organism (it is hosting) against predatory attacks, are subjected to static loading (for example, enormous hydrostatic pressure). Hence, emphasis on the shell structure evolution is directed primarily towards providing enhanced stiffness. In order to conform between stiffness and toughness, nature precisely employs a staggered arrangement of inorganic bricks in a biopolymer matrix (at its most elementary level of architecture). Aspect ratio and content of ceramic bricks are meticulously used by nature to synthesize composites having varying degrees of stiffness, strength and toughness. Such an amazing capability of structure–property correlationship has rarely been demonstrated in synthetic composites. Therefore, in order to better understand the mechanical behavior of synthetic staggered composites, the problem becomes two-pronged: (a) synthesize composites with varying brick size and contents and (b) experimental investigation of the material response. In this article, an attempt has been made to synthesize and characterize staggered ceramic–polymer composites having varying aspect ratio and ceramic content using freeze-casting technique. This will in-turn help us in custom-design manufacture of hybrid bio-inspired composite materials.