cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Employment-Based Health Benefits: Trends in Access and Coverage, 1997-2010

Employment-based health benefits are the most common form of health insurance in the United States. The purpose of this paper is to examine the state of employment-based health benefits among workers with respect to offer rates, coverage rates, and take-up rates. It also examines how the state of employment-based health benefits has changed since the mid-1990s, reasons why workers do not have employment-based health benefits from their own employers, and how these reasons have changed since the 1990s. Both the offer rate (the percentage of workers offered a health benefit) and the coverage rate for employment-based health benefits declined between 1997 and 2010. Between 1997 and 2010, the percentage of workers offered health benefits from their employers decreased from 70.1 percent to 67.5 percent, and the percentage of workers covered by those plans decreased from 60.3 percent to 56.5 percent. The take-up rate (the percentage of workers taking coverage when offered by their employers) declined from 86 percent in 1997 to 83.6 percent in 2010. In 2010, 58.7 percent of nonelderly individuals were covered by employment-based health plans, with 68.6 percent of working adults covered, 35.3 percent of non-working adults covered, and 54.8 percent of children covered. The percentage of the population with employment-based health benefits has been declining, most recently due to the 2007-2009 recession. The percentage of individuals under age 65 with employment-based health benefits fell from 62.4 percent in 2008 to 58.7 percent in 2010, and the percentage of workers with coverage through their own employers fell from 54.2 percent in 2007 to 51.5 percent in 2010, its lowest level since 1994. In 2010, 46.7 percent of wage and salary workers ages 18-64 reported that they worked for employers that did not offer health benefits. Another 14.7 percent worked for employers that provided health benefits but were not eligible for those benefits. Among workers who were not eligible for their employers’ health plans, 38.7 percent were uninsured in 2010, and 41.1 percent had employment-based health benefits as dependents. Two-thirds of workers not eligible for their employers’ health plans reported that they worked part time in 2010, up from one-half in 1997. In 2010, one-quarter of workers reported that they were offered health benefits but they chose not to participate. Between 1997 and 2010, the percentage of workers who declined coverage because of cost increased from 23.2 percent to 29.1 percent. In 2010, two-thirds reported that they declined coverage because they had other coverage, down from 78.9 percent in 1997. The estimates presented in this paper can also serve as a baseline against which to measure the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) on employment-based health benefits in the future.
COORDINATING AND COMPETING IN ECOSYSTEMS: HOW ORGANIZATIONAL FORMS SHAPE NEW TECHNOLOGY.

We consider firms in the context of their business ecosystems and explore how governance choices with respect to complementary activities and distribution channels shape their decisions to invest i...
Career Dynamics of Congressional Legislative Staff: Preliminary Profile and Research Questions

This article explores the work experiences of congressional staff and develops a preliminary profile of the career dynamics typical of legislative staffers. Thefindings are based on data gathered during forty intensive exploratory interviews conducted during the first half of 1995, the early days of the 104th Congress. The data suggest that legislative staff careers mirror those
Study on the Photo Responsivity of InP/InGaAs Detector with the Wavelengths

In a front-illuminated InP/InGaAs detector,there are multi-layer reflections of incident light among the air,reflection reducing coating,InP capping layer and InGaAs layer.After performing experiments for analyzing its effect on the photo responsivity,we found that the photo responsivity of InP/InGaAs detector with wavelengths showed a non-flat curve.And by mathematical treatment for the peaks and valleys of the curve,we can extract the packaged device parameters that fit the experimental curve better and these parameters can match the experimental curve more closely.By this way,we can extract a packaged device's true structure parameters and material parameters simply and accurately.
A Method of Selecting DC Links Termination at AC Locations Considering Stability and Economy at Once

The main factors for planning DC links terminating at AC system locations from the point of interactions between AC and DC systems are illustrated,such as the effective short-circuit ratio(ESCR),the voltage static indicator(VSI),the power losses of the termination system,etc.A new method is proposed to select stable and economical AC buses as the locations of DC links.Based on the linear weighted summation method for multi-objective decision-making problems,the objective function is established to select the optimal placement of a commutation bus by setting the threshold values of all indices,normalizing them and using a combinatorial assigning method to rationally determine the weight coefficients.According to the objective function value of each node,the optimal one will be chosen as the commutation bus.Numerical tests show that,with stability and economy considered at once,the method presented is effective and feasible.
Effect of Salt Stress on Seed Germination of Asparagus

Using asparagus variety Apollo as the material,under the conditions of the simulated salt stress(NaCl solution and saline-alkali soil extraction solution),the effect of salinity stress on seed germination rate was studied,and after 13 days,the non-germinated seeds from all the salinity treatments were transferred to distilled water,and the recovered germination was observed.The results showed that the low concentration of salt stress increased the seed germination,with the increasing of salinity,the seed germination decreased.Under the same concentration of salt stress,the inhibition of NaCl solution was greater than that of soil extraction solution.The salt sensitive threshold to the seed germination was 4 g/L in NaCl solution and soil extract.After transferring the non-germinated seeds to distilled water,the total germination rate reached more than 60% of the control,which indicated that seeds had higher germination ability under salt stress.
C-type natriuretic peptide neuromodulates via "clearance" receptors

A recently discovered endogenous autacoid, C-type natriuretic peptide, was tested in a pheochromocytoma (PC12) cell line for effects on 1) catecholamine release induced by a depolarizing stimulus, ...
“How It’s Done”: The Role of Mentoring and Advice in Preparing the Next Generation of Historically Black College and University Presidents

The college and university presidency is one of the most coveted positions in academe. Due to the projected retirements of current Historically Black College and University (HBCU) presidents, the researchers interviewed 21 current presidents, institutional board members, and presidential search firm personnel to explore what current HBCU leadership identifies as important mentoring/mentee practices, mentoring/mentee opportunities, and professional advice for HBCU presidential aspirants to consider. The findings, based on the coding and analysis of semi-structured qualitative interviews, revealed that self-awareness, focusing on the essential aspects of the job and not merely the perks, openness to being mentored and willingness to shadow a successful leader, experience in serving in various administrative capacities, participating in professional leadership development activities, earning of a terminal degree, displaying humility, understanding academic politics, and learning how to present oneself as an executive is important in the preparation of a leader of an HBCU.
Candida dubliniensis Pneumonia: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Candida dubliniensis is an uncommon species of Candida which has been implicated in fungal pneumonia only very rarely. We present the case of a 75-year-old man with laryngeal cancer undergoing chemotherapy on broad-spectrum antibiotics and tuberculosis therapy with blood and endotracheal cultures positive for C. dubliniensis. Subsequent autopsy was performed with postmortem lung cultures positive for C. dubliniensis and lung histopathology demonstrating an invasive fungal infection. Molecular analysis of the lung tissue confirmed the identity of the fungi as C. dubliniensis. Since its discovery as a pathogen in the oral cavities of HIV-positive patients, C. dubliniensis has been identified in a wide spectrum of clinical scenarios and anatomic locations but manifests only rarely as pneumonia. This report represents a novel case of C. dubliniensis pneumonia confirmed by culture, histopathology, and molecular identification.
Towards an International Capital Market

This paper discusses the growth and development of the international capital market during the past decade, considers whether it can be said that a genuine international capital market now exists, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of one integrated capital market transcending national economies. ‘Capital markets’ involve the mobilisation of savings by those who want or are willing to accept financial claims, for investment (or consumption) by others who are willing to accept financial liabilities or share their equity. Capital markets are usually distinguished from ‘money markets’ by the maturity of the claims that are traded there, the capital market referring to transactions in claims with maturities in excess (definitionally) of one year, and usually in excess of five years, although any clear distinction between the two must be arbitrary, for these markets may be, and typically are, closely related. Medium-term bank lending, for example, involves maturities in excess of one year but ordinarily does not give rise to marketable securities.
Optical coherence tomography of outer retinal holes in senile retinoschisis and schisis-detachment

Purpose On clinical examination, it can be challenging to differentiate retinoschisis with outer retinal hole from schisis-detachment. This study examined the role of outer retinal hole spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging in conjunction with imaging of the posterior schisis cavity edge in differentiating between these conditions. Methods This is a retrospective case series. Out of 500 subjects with ICD-9 diagnoses of senile retinoschisis (361.10, 361.11, 361.12, 361.19) from January 2004 to December 2014, 62 had evidence of retinoschisis on fundus photography or optical coherence tomography (OCT). Six eyes of five patients had outer retinal holes documented by fundus photography (Optos, Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA) and SD-OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, California, USA). The OCT morphology of outer retinal holes, subjects9 symptomology, visual acuity, fundus examination, diagnosis and progression of the disease were analysed. Results All five patients were women; the mean age was 67.4 years. The correct diagnosis was recorded in the chart in 50% of cases. All, but one, were asymptomatic with visual acuity ranging from 20/20 to 20/200. Three types of outer retinal hole OCT morphology in conjunction with imaging of the posterior schisis cavity edge were established. (1) Outer retinal hole with both edges down and attached to retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the edge of the cavity showing a split in neurosensory retina corresponded to isolated retinoschisis. The outer retinal hole with (2) one or (3) both edges detached from the RPE and the edge of the cavity showing complete separation of retina from RPE corresponded to schisis-detachment. One patient underwent scleral buckle surgery for schisis-detachment. Otherwise, no treatment was performed and no progression was noted with the longest OCT-documented follow-up of 26 months. Conclusions The OCT morphology of outer retinal holes in conjunction with imaging of the posterior schisis cavity edge aids in the diagnosis of retinoschisis and schisis-detachment.
A Crouching Village: Ebola and the Empty Gestures of Quarantine in Monrovia

In its scale, its virulence, and, most significantly, its urbanity, the 2014-2015 outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD or simply Ebola) in the Mano River region of West Africa seemed to challenge the basic tools of modern public health. As a result, the government of Liberia took the extraordinary step of implementing a cordon sanitaire around one of the poorest neighborhoods in the capital city, Monrovia. Observers labeled both the quarantine and the ensuing riots as barbaric acts not seen since the plagues of the Middle Ages. This characterization masked the real history of racial separation that defines many African cities, and cast Monrovia's poorest residents as morally bankrupt, primitive savages. In this article I instead explore the quarantine as an instance of the repetition of a familiar urban form, and read the ensuing violence in Monrovia's West Point neighborhood not as an ethical problem but as an “empty” political gesture. [Liberia; Ebola; Quarantine; Urban Planning; Urban Violence; Monrovia]
Modeling Heavy-Ion Impairment of Hippocampal Neurogenesis after Acute and Fractionated Irradiation

Radiation-induced impairment of neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus is a concern due to its reported association with cognitive detriments after radiotherapy for brain cancers and the possible risks to astronauts chronically exposed to space radiation. Here, we have extended our recent work in a mouse model of impaired neurogenesis after exposure to low-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation to heavy ion irradiation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a predictive mathematical model of radiation-induced changes to neurogenesis for a variety of radiation types after acute or fractionated irradiation. We used a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) to represent age, time after exposure and dose-dependent changes to several cell populations participating in neurogenesis, as reported in mouse experiments. We considered four compartments to model hippocampal neurogenesis and, consequently, the effects of radiation in altering neurogenesis: 1. neural stem cells (NSCs); 2. neuronal progenitor cells or neuroblasts (NB); 3. immature neurons (ImN); and 4. glioblasts (GB), with additional consideration of microglial activation. The model describes the negative feedback regulation on early and late neuronal proliferation after irradiation, and the dynamics of the age dependence of neurogenesis. We compared our model to experimental data for X rays, and protons, carbon and iron particles, including data for fractionated iron-particle irradiation. Heavy-ion irradiation is predicted to lead to poor recovery or no recovery from impaired neurogenesis at doses as low as 0.5 Gy in mice. This is only partially ameliorated by dose fractionation, which suggests important implications for Hardon therapy near the Bragg peak, and possibly for space radiation exposures as well. Predictions of the threshold doses where neurogenesis recovery fails for given radiation types are described, and the role of subthreshold transient impairments are briefly discussed.
Central Forces and Angular Momentum

I have been dealing mainly with problems involving one dimensional motion. Since nature is three-dimensional, I want to look at solutions of Schrodinger’s equation in three dimensions. I consider only problems having spherical symmetry, that is, potentials that are a function of r only. These correspond to central forces. Moreover, for the most part, I restrict the discussion to bound state problems, such as the important problem of determining the bound states of the hydrogen atom. Problems related to continuum states will be discussed in the context of scattering theory in Chap. 18. Since angular momentum is conserved for central forces, we are led naturally to the quantum theory of angular momentum. It is important to remember, however, that the results to be derived for the angular momentum operator are valid independent of the specific nature of the interaction potential, spherically symmetric or not.
Cross-linked networks that selectively and controllably disassemble on-demand via cascading bond cleavage

Cross-linked polymeric networks are found in numerous consumer, medical, and industrial materials. However, these materials require harsh chemical treatments to degrade their covalently bonded and tangled matrix of chains, often leading to environmental and safety issues. Herein, we describe the first networks, silyl-containing polyurethanes, which are highly cross-linked, rigid, and possess good thermal stability, yet will disassemble in multiple directions via cascading bond cleavage upon exposure to a selective chemical stimulus. These materials are formed from aliphatic polyisocyanates and synthesized silyl-diols with varying electrophilicity and chain lengths, and disassembly is initiated by reaction with mild fluoride ion to release small molecules via slightly different mechanisms, which enables the time of disassembly to be controlled. These silyl-containing polyurethanes are resistant to disassembly with strong acid and base, which demonstrates their selectivity and robustness compared to other degradable cross-linked materials.
Tailoring Usability into Agile Software Development Projects

Usability, user interface, and interaction design are among the group of vital, yet mostly overlooked, skills that all software developers require, yet few seem to have. This is just as true of agile developers as it is of traditional developers. This chapter examines both user experience (UEX) and agile software development (ASD) approaches, comparing and contrasting the underlying philosophies and practices of each. Using agile model-driven development (AMDD) as the foundation, it then describes strategies for tailoring UEX into agile methods. It is possible to address UEX concerns on agile projects, but it requires flexibility and a willingness to work together on the part of both UEX and ASD practitioners.
Luminescence spectroscopy of solids: delocalized systems

call delocalized. This designation derives from the fact that radiative processes that take place in these systems are associated with quantum states of the entire solid. The first section consists of a classification and characterization of these systems divided into “intrinsic” and “doped” semiconductors. Models are presented for each type of them. The doped semiconductors are separated into p-type and n-type. The second section deals with the radiative processes that take place in delocalized systems, starting with excitations yielding excitons and including absorption and emission for both pure and doped systems. Nonradiative processes are then examined. Finally, p-n junctions are considered and their properties examined; particular attention is given to radiative processes in such junctions.
Looking Beyond the Gesture: Vocabulary Acceptability Criteria for Gesture Elicitation Studies:

The choice of what gestures should be part of a gesture language is a critical step in the design of gesturebased interfaces. This step is especially important when time and accuracy are key factor...
Personalized risk messaging can reduce climate concerns

Abstract One potential barrier to climate policy action is that individuals view climate change as a problem for people in other parts of the world or for future generations. As some scholars argue, risk messaging strategies that make climate change personally relevant may help overcome this barrier. In this article, we report a large-n survey experiment on San Francisco Bay Area residents to investigate how providing spatially-resolved risk information to individuals shapes their climate risk perceptions in the context of sea-level rise. Our results suggest that personalized risk messaging can sometimes reduce concern about sea-level rise. These experimental effects are limited to respondents who believe that climate change is happening. Further, we do not find an effect of providing local risk messages on an individual's willingness to pay for regional climate adaptation measures. Our results emphasize that local messaging strategies around sea-level rise risks may not have the clear impacts that some advocates and scholars presume.
PolyBall: A new adsorbent for the efficient removal of endotoxin from biopharmaceuticals.

The presence of endotoxin, also known as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), as a side product appears to be a major drawback for the production of certain biomolecules that are essential for research, pharmaceutical, and industrial applications. In the biotechnology industry, gram-negative bacteria (e.g., Escherichia coli) are widely used to produce recombinant products such as proteins, plasmid DNAs and vaccines. These products are contaminated with LPS, which may cause side effects when administered to animals or humans. Purification of LPS often suffers from product loss. For this reason, special attention must be paid when purifying proteins aiming a product as free as possible of LPS with high product recovery. Although there are a number of methods for removing LPS, the question about how LPS removal can be carried out in an efficient and economical way is still one of the most intriguing issues and has no satisfactory solution yet. In this work, polymeric poly-e-caprolactone (PCL) nanoparticles (NPs) (dP = 780 ± 285 nm) were synthesized at a relatively low cost and demonstrated to possess sufficient binding sites for LPS adsorption and removal with ~100% protein recovery. The PCL NPs removed greater than 90% LPS from protein solutions suspended in water using only one milligram (mg) of NPs, which was equivalent to ~1.5 × 106 endotoxin units (EU) per mg of particle. The LPS removal efficacy increased to a higher level (~100%) when phosphate buffered saline (PBS containing 137 mM NaCl) was used as a protein suspending medium in place of water, reflecting positive effects of increasing ionic strength on LPS binding interactions and adsorption. The results further showed that the PCL NPs not only achieved 100% LPS removal but also ~100% protein recovery for a wide concentration range from 20–1000 μg/ml of protein solutions. The NPs were highly effective in different buffers and pHs. To scale up the process further, PCL NPs were incorporated into a supporting cellulose membrane which promoted LPS adsorption further up to ~100% just by running the LPS-containing water through the membrane under gravity. Its adsorption capacity was 2.8 × 106 mg of PCL NPs, approximately 2 -fold higher than that of NPs alone. This is the first demonstration of endotoxin separation with high protein recovery using polymer NPs and the NP-based portable filters, which provide strong adsorptive interactions for LPS removal from protein solutions. Additional features of these NPs and membranes are biocompatible (environment friendly) recyclable after repeated elution and adsorption with no significant changes in LPS removal efficiencies. The results indicate that PCL NPs are an effective LPS adsorbent in powder and membrane forms, which have great potential to be employed in large-scale applications.
Sleeve Gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Attenuate Pro-inflammatory Small Intestinal Cytokine Signatures.

Bariatric surgery rapidly induces improvements in type 2 diabetes (T2D) in concert with reduction in systemic markers of inflammation. The impact of bariatric surgery on local intestinal immunity is not known. We hypothesize that sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and gastric bypass (RYGB) surgeries resolve obesity-induced intestinal inflammation, thereby promoting T2D resolution. SG and RYGB, or control surgery was performed in SD rats (n = 4–6/group). Key cytokines involved in insulin resistance (TNF-α, IFN-γ), inflammasome activation (IL-1β, IL-18), inflammation resolution (IL-10, IL-33), and Th17 cell responses (IL-17, IL-23) were measured by qPCR in mucosal scrapings of jejunum at 4 weeks post-surgery. Intestinal cytokine expressions were correlated with weight change, systemic and portal glucose, and insulin levels in response to an enteral glucose load. SG downregulated IL-17 and IL-23 in both proximal and distal jejunum, and IFN-γ was reduced only in distal jejunum (p < 0.05). Jejunal IL-17 and IL-23 expression correlated positively with weight changes after SG (0.93 and 0.98, respectively; p < 0.05). Changes in IFN-γ correlated strongly with insulin levels in portal and systemic circulation (0.99 and 0.95, respectively, p < 0.05). As with SG, IFN-γ, IL-17, and IL-23 were significantly reduced by RYGB. RYGB also reduced TNF-α and IL-18 and increased IL-33 levels (p < 0.05). RYGB and SG reduce expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-17, IL-23, and IFN-γ in the jejunum. RYGB showed attenuation of additional pro-inflammatory cytokines and enhanced expression of IL-33. Post-surgical changes in intestinal IL-17, IL-23, and IFN-γ correlate strongly with changes in weight and glucose-triggered insulin responses.
Abstract TP487: Data Dashboard: Making the Electronic Medical Record Work for You

Background: Stroke care is becoming increasingly complex in the 21st century. In order to assure optimal patient outcomes, our health network developed a stroke care pathway based on evidence-based...
Combination of Local Ablative Therapy and Continuation of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor (ICI) Therapy Provides Durable Treatment Response Past Oligometastatic Progression in NSCLC: A Case Report

Adenosquamous carcinoma is a rare type of non-small cell lung cancer associated with advanced disease and poor prognosis. There is limited data for the management of mixed histology disease in elderly or frail patients. A 79-year-old woman with no smoking history presented with a right upper lobe lung mass on chest x-ray. Biopsy of the mass demonstrated an EGFR-amplified, PD-L1 positive adenosquamous lung cancer. The mass was surgically resected but the patient was not a candidate for adjuvant chemotherapy. The patient later developed a metastatic paraspinal lesion that was successfully managed with SBRT. Approximately six months later, the patient developed adrenal metastases and pembrolizumab was initiated. After three cycles of systemic therapy, she developed subcutaneous lesions in her back and chest wall, which were managed with palliative resection. Scans demonstrate stable disease and continued responsiveness to pembrolizumab over one year from the most recent local ablative therapy. This case illustrates the potential role of local ablative therapy for oligometastatic progression, as it may confer significant benefit in elderly patients or those with a more indolent disease course. Additionally, we have demonstrated that continuing immunotherapy past progression is reasonable in patients with no viable alternate therapy options, as delayed responses may occur.
Rated X for Mathematical Minors.

In the relaxed ambience of a lovely fall day, a colleague from another department commented on the high quality of mathe matical texts nowadays, as compared to the crude, culinary-like books on which he had been brought up thirty years before. And he was certainly one to know, since his undergraduate major was in the pure sci ences, even though his main emphasis now is on English literature. As he pointed out, calculus texts today are a joy to behold. The proofs are there in most cases; the pres entation of material (notation, vocabulary, style, etc.) is polished. Many of the prob lems are good. Yes indeed! We have made much progress, and we are proud of it! Our texts in calculus are infinitely superior now to what they were thirty or forty years ago. This is not to say that we have no quarrel with them. Some are too long; others are brief to the point of flippancy; still more are so smooth as to impart the dullness of slow motion. But the fact is that a calculus text taken at random off the shelf represents a quality that was simply nonexistent two generations ago. The credit for this cer tainly goes, in part, to the scientific ex plosion, the nervous competition with Rus sia, and the plentiful federal funds that begat SMSG, SSMCIS, and other writing groups. If one considers the number of text book authors who acknowledge in their preface the firm guiding hand of one of these groups, their influence was indeed ex tensive. NSF can be happy about the money spent on these projects, for the ulti mate outcome of their considerations at the
Characterizing aggregate growth and morphology of alanine-rich polypeptides as a function of sequence chemistry and solution temperature from scattering, spectroscopy, and microscopy.

Abstract The aggregation behavior and stability of a series of alanine-rich peptides, which are included as components of peptide-polymer conjugates, were characterized using a combination of biophysical techniques. Light scattering techniques were used to monitor changes in peptide morphology and size distributions as a function of time and temperature. The results show large particles immediately upon dissolution in buffer. At room temperature, these particles relaxed to reach a mostly monomeric peptide state, while at higher temperatures, they grew to form aggregates. Circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD) was used to monitor temperature- and time-dependent conformational changes as a function of peptide sequence and incubation time. CD measurements reveal that all of the sequences are helical at low temperatures with transitions to non-helical conformation with increased temperature. Samples incubated at room temperature were able to recover their original helicity. At increased temperature, the shorter and longer peptide sequences showed notable changes in conformation, and were not able to recover their original helicity after 72 h. After incubation for up to one week, β-sheet conformations were observed in these two cases, while only α-helical conformation loss was observed for the peptide of intermediate molecular weight. Transmission electron microscopy measurements reveal the formation of fibrils after 72 h of incubation at 60 °C for all samples, in agreement with the scattering measurements. Additional quenching experiments show that peptide aggregation can be stalled when solutions are cooled to room temperature.
Bus Ridership and Service Reliability: The Case of Public Transportation in Western Massachusetts

Abstract The linkage between crowding and service quality in transit systems is an issue of major concern among city planners, transportation managers and passengers. This article analyzes over 1.3 million readings on daily bus service running every 15 minutes across eleven routes in Western Massachusetts to investigate the relationship between ridership and the reliability of a bus service. Results indicate that an additional unit increase in the number of passengers results in a 0.9% reduction in the reliability of bus services. Estimates suggest that high volumes of bus ridership cause a significant increase in the variance of bus service reliability. Results also show that the bus service is more reliable during the weekends and in the summer session when relatively fewer students need public transportation. These findings have policy implications for quantifying the economic cost of unreliable bus services associated with large volumes of passengers.
The role of insect diapause in the divergence of social female castes: Insights from primitively eusocial bumble bee workers

Abstract A key question in social evolution is how worker and queen castes diverged to give rise to social insect societies. The Diapause Ground Plan hypothesis (DGPH) proposes that caste differences are driven by ancestral genetic and physiological signatures that are triggered during larval development. This has been demonstrated in Polistes wasps, but the applicability of this theory to other species remained unexplored. Primitively eusocial bumble bees are excellent models to examine the DGPH since they originated in seasonal environments, where the ability to survive diapause may have played an important role in the evolution of female castes. In bumble bees, differences between female castes are limited to body size, with larger females (queens) that undergo a winter-diapause and found a colony the next year, and smaller, short lived workers, that attempt to produce males. The bumble bee worker caste is an excellent system to examine a seasonal signature in females since they are all morphologically identical and are produced in various body sizes throughout the colony lifecycle. Here, we compared the physiology and gene expression of early- and late-season Bombus impatiens workers across the colony lifecycle. We hypothesized that if seasonality has played an important role in the divergence of castes in Bombus, workers should maintain a seasonal signature, with early-season workers exhibiting a reproductive signature and late-season workers exhibiting a diapause signature. We found that late- but not early-season workers exhibit a diapause-like phenotype, characterized by lower reproductive potential, greater cold tolerance, increased size and fat-body lipid reserves and a diapause-like gene expression profile. These findings suggest that diapause may have played a critical role in the divergence of castes in social insects that evolved under seasonal conditions.
Control-Sensitive Feature Selection for Lazy Learners

High sensitivity to irrelevant features is arguably the main shortcoming of simple lazy learners. In response to it, many feature selection methods have been proposed, including forward sequential selection (FSS) and backward sequential selection (BSS). Although they often produce substantial improvements in accuracy, these methods select the same set of relevant features everywhere in the instance space, and thus represent only a partial solution to the problem. In general, some features will be relevant only in some parts of the space; deleting them may hurt accuracy in those parts, but selecting them will have the same effect in parts where they are irrelevant. This article introduces RC, a new feature selection algorithm that uses a clustering-like approach to select sets of locally relevant features (i.e., the features it selects may vary from one instance to another). Experiments in a large number of domains from the UCI repository show that RC almost always improves accuracy with respect to FSS and BSS, often with high significance. A study using artificial domains confirms the hypothesis that this difference in performance is due to RC‘s context sensitivity, and also suggests conditions where this sensitivity will and will not be an advantage. Another feature of RC is that it is faster than FSS and BSS, often by an order of magnitude or more.
Application of Maclaurin Series to Beams Under Simultaneous Transverse and Axial Loading

The method of determining the elastic line of columns and struts is, to start with, the fundamental equation (dy/dx) = — M/EI, and by two quadratures the deflection curve y — f(x) is obtained. Most of the current methods carry this procedure through in some manner or other. While these methods are practical, it can be shown that in many cases other methods are shorter. As an illustration, application of the Maclaurin formula in solving for the deflection curve of beams was shown by Hetenyi. In this paper the writer extends the Maclaurin formula, which developed a function of real variable, say x, into a polynomial plus a remainder, to an infinite series known as the Maclaurin series, which expresses the function as a power series provided the remainder after n terms converges toward 0 as n become infinite. Use of the Maclaurin series simplifies the solution of many problems and therefore should be of interest to engineers. There is no approximation involved in this procedure since all terms are included, as will be evident from the expansion in the illustrative examples.
The environmental implications of soil erosion in the United States.

Soil erosion has both on-farm and off-farm impacts. Reductionof soil depth can impair the land’s productivity, and thetransport of sediments can degrade streams, lakes, and estuaries. Since 1933, soil conservation policies have existedin the United States. Originally they focused on the on-farmbenefits of keeping soil on the land and increasing net farmincome. Beginning in the 1980s, however, policy goalsincreasingly included reductions in off-site impacts of erosion.As a consequence of conservation efforts associated withexplicit U.S. government policies, total soil erosion between1982 and 1992 was reduced by 32% and the sheet and rillerosion rate fell from an average of 4.1 tons per acre per yearin 1982 to 3.1 tons per acre in 1992 while the wind erosion ratefell from an average of 3.3 tons per acre per year to 2.4 tonsper acre per year over the same period. Still, soil erosion isimposing substantial social costs. These costs are estimated tobe about $37.6 billion annually. To further reduce soil erosionand thereby mitigate its social costs, there are a number ofpolicy options available to induce farmers to adopt conservationpractices including education and technical assistance, financial assistance, research and development, land retirement, andregulation and taxes.
Privacy, confidentiality and computers

Abstract The author assesses what the USA has been doing or not doing in recent years to develop information policies for personal record information to deal with the rapidly changing record-keeping world of public and private organizations. He reviews how well these policies have been implemented and enforced in the context of the US system of government, and compares the experience of European countries with US efforts, especially in the light of the serious debate which is emerging over restraints placed on transborder data flows by the privacy protection efforts of various countries.
Does Liberal Procedure Cause Punitive Substance? Preliminary Evidence from Some Natural Experiments

The late, and justly celebrated, William Stuntz made many contributions to the literature on criminal procedure. Among these is the arrestingly counter-intuitive thesis that the Warren Court’s pro-defense procedural rulings made a causal contribution to the “punitive turn” in the substantive criminal law. This article, contributed to a symposium on Criminal Justice at the Crossroads held at USC on June 7, 2013, and forthcoming in the Southern California Law Review, aims to test this thesis empirically. Before the Warren Court, criminal procedure was not uniform across the states. Some were more liberal and some more conservative. The article argues that these differences set up natural experiments. We would expect the Warren Court’s decisions to provoke more powerful reactions in jurisdictions where local practice was more radically transformed. We can assess whether conservative jurisdictions increased the severity of the substantive law faster than counterpart jurisdictions with more liberal baseline procedures. The article measures punitiveness according to an index of prisoners per homicide. It codes eight US jurisdictions as liberal or conservative in their pre-Warren Court criminal procedure. Generally similar jurisdictions with marked differences in their criminal procedure are then compared: liberal California with conservative New York, liberal Illinois with conservative Ohio, liberal Kentucky with conservative Maryland, and liberal DC with conservative Virginia. The data in general do not support Professor Stuntz’s claim that liberal procedural rulings encouraged more punitive substance. Further study is warranted. The available evidence, however, does not suggest the existence of a general substance-procedure feedback loop that should cause judges, legislators, or law enforcement officials to hesitate to adopt otherwise justified reforms.
Functional analysis of the Tat trans activator of human immunodeficiency virus type 2.

The trans-activator (Tat) proteins of the related but distinct type 1 and type 2 human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV-1 and HIV-2) display incomplete functional reciprocity. One possible explanation of this observation, suggested by computer analysis of potential RNA secondary structures within the viral trans-activation response (TAR) elements, is that HIV-2 Tat requires the presentation of two viral RNA stem-loop sequences for full activity whereas HIV-1 Tat is maximally active upon presentation of a single stem-loop structure. Here, we demonstrate that the HIV-2 long terminal repeat indeed contains two functionally independent TAR elements. However, the second (39) TAR element of HIV-2 is significantly less active than the 59 TAR element and is functionally masked in the context of an intact HIV-2 long terminal repeat. Evidence is presented suggesting that the activities of these two HIV-2 TAR elements reflect, at least in part, their relative distances from the site of transcription initiation. Although the HIV-2 TAR element proximal to the viral mRNA cap site appears to be sufficient for effective trans activation by HIV-2 Tat in vitro, this functional redundancy may nevertheless serve to enhance HIV-2 replication in infected cells in vivo. Images
Regional variations in volatile composition: Isotopic evidence for carbonate recycling in the Central American volcanic arc

[1] Gas data were collected from geothermal production fields, fumaroles, and hot springs in Central America in order to investigate the relation between volatile output and spatial distribution of volcanic systems. The 3He/4He ratios are 6.5 ± 0.7 Ra throughout the region, indicating that helium is predominantly of mantle origin and is largely independent of variations in the characteristics of the arc. Lower ratios produced by radiogenic production within the Chortis Block are restricted to the Berlin geothermal field and the region behind the volcanic front. Ratios of CO2/3He are inversely related to the distance between the volcanic system and the trench. In the southwestern portion of the arc, where the arc-trench gap is short and the subduction angle is shallow (Miravalles, Costa Rica), decarbonation is enhanced relative to the mantle helium flux resulting in higher CO2/3He. In the northwest, where the gap is greater and the subduction angle steeper (Ahuachapan, El Salvador), decarbonation decreases relative to the helium flux. While variations in the carbon isotopic signature have traditionally been linked to the composition of the subducted sediments, the Central American data provide evidence that other factors within the convergent plate boundary such as arc-trench gap, crustal thickness, and subduction angle play an important role in controlling the flux of CO2 from the subducting slab. The Central American Volcanic Arc gases show no apparent contribution of carbon dioxide derived from subducted organic sediments. Shallow crustal processes, including partitioning and isotopic fractionation, account for the minor deviations from direct mixing of mantle and carbonate-derived end-members. Given that the Central American arc system is not unique in terms of the composition of the subducted sediments or the volcanic output, previous interpretations of global volcanic flux in terms of carbonate and sediment output should be reconsidered. Carbon-helium relationships in Central America require that only 0.3–3.3% of the subducted carbon is released in volcanic eruptions, while the rest is presumably reintroduced into the deeper mantle. This is generally an order of magnitude lower than global averages and is limited by the availability flux of mineral-bound water and the temperature of release. The δ13C and CO2/3He ratios suggest that even though the amount of carbon that is released from the slab and subducted sediments is relatively low in Central America, it still makes up 86–98% of the total carbon released from arc volcanics.
A Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare data analysis of elderly patients with glioblastoma multiforme: Treatment patterns, outcomes and cost

The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database was used to determine the treatment patterns, outcomes and cost of therapy in elderly patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The SEER-Medicare linked database was used to identify patients aged >66 years with GBM diagnosed between 1997 and 2009. The patients were stratified by initial treatment following diagnostic surgery (resection or biopsy) into 6 groups as follows: No treatment, standard radiation therapy (SRT) with and without concurrent temozolomide (TMZ), hypofractionated RT (HRT) with and without concurrent TMZ, or TMZ alone. The 3,759 patients identified had a median age of 74 years (range, 66-97 years). A total of ~48% of the patients received SRT without TMZ; ~10% received SRT with concurrent TMZ; ~29% received no treatment; ~10% received HRT without TMZ; ~1% received HRT with TMZ; and 75 years. HRT with and without concurrent TMZ and TMZ alone improved survival compared to the no treatment group. Therefore, in certain cases, HRT or TMZ alone may be more cost-effective, with similar survival outcomes. The various treatment options highlight the need for geriatric assessment tools to aid in therapeutic decision making.
Applications of population pharmacokinetics in current drug labelling

Summary Background and Objective: The application of population pharmacokinetics (PopPK) appears increasingly in drug labelling. The current study was to examine the use of PopPK in dose recommendation in drug-product labels. Method: PopPK information was identified in the data sheets included in the physician desk reference (PDR). Electronic key word searches were conducted in the electronic library of PDR. The use of PopPK in the prescribing information, including the determination of dosing regimen, dosing in special populations and dose-adjustments was summarized and evaluated. The reliability and criteria for integrating the information derived from PopPK studies into the product labelling were discussed. Results and Discussion: Among more than 2500 items listed in the PDR, 88 listings were found to have PopPK information in the labelling. The information included general data (Gen) on pharmacokinetics (PK) and the effects of gender (sex), age, race, drug–drug interactions (DDI), smoking (Smk), alcohol consumption (Alc), disease state (Dis), renal impairment (Ren) and metabolic status (Met) on the PK parameters (Table). Whether there was an effect (+) or not (−) is also shown. Appendix 1 lists the products included in each category. Gen Sex Age Race DDI Smk Alc Dis Ren Met Total 23 27 34 20 19 9 1 4 7 1 + − 8 12 0 9 4 0 0 3 1 − − 19 22 20 10 5 1 4 4 0 Searches conducted at different times suggest an increase in both quantity and quality of PopPK data in drug development. PopPK is widely used in paediatric studies and the sample sizes in these studies are sometimes too small. The application of PopPK to protein drugs is increasing rapidly (Appendix 2). Several precautions should be exercised when PopPK is applied to protein drugs. When considering gender effects, different normalization methods for body weight have been used. The number of subjects included in the PopPK analysis should be given and the influence of the imbalance in any covariate should be investigated. PopPK-DDI results are particularly difficult to evaluate unless details about potentially influential factors such as dosing and sampling information for both drug and interacting drugs are given. Conclusions: The use of PopPK to aid optimal dosing is increasing. Several noticeable problems raised usually avoid the acceptability of PopPK studies. More investigations are needed to inform the development of consensuses on these issues. There is an accelerating shift from PopPK to PopPK/PD. The limitations of such modelling should be recognized.