cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of debris-flow hazards in warm deserts through analyzing past occurrences: Case study in South Mountain, Sonoran Desert, USA

Abstract After recognition that debris flows co-occur with human activities, the next step in a hazards analysis involves estimating debris-flow probability. Prior research published in this journal in 2010 used varnish microlamination (VML) dating to determine a minimum occurrence of 5 flows per century over the last 8100 years in a small mountain range of South Mountain adjacent to neighborhoods of Phoenix, Arizona. This analysis led to the conclusion that debris flows originating in small mountain ranges in arid regions like the Sonoran Desert could pose a hazard. Two major precipitation events in the summer of 2014 generated 35 debris flows in the same study area of South Mountain—providing support for the importance of probability analysis as a key step in a hazards analysis in warm desert settings. Two distinct mechanisms generated the 2014 debris flows: intense precipitation on steep slopes in the first storm; and a firehose effect whereby runoff from the second storm was funneled rapidly by cleaned-out debris-flow chutes to remobilize Pleistocene debris-flow deposits. When compared to a global database on debris flows, the 2014 storms were among the most intense to generate desert debris flows — indicating that storms of lesser intensity are capable of generating debris flows in warm desert settings. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr analyses of fines and clasts in South Mountain debris flows of different ages reveal that desert dust supplies the fines. Thus, wetter climatic periods of intense rock decay are not needed to resupply desert slopes with fines; instead, a combination of dust deposition supplying fines and dirt cracking generating coarse clasts can re-arm chutes in a warm desert setting with abundant dust.
Percutaneous Epidural and Nerve Root Block

This section provides a comprehensive procedural report for percutaneous epidural and nerve root block procedure with up-to-date explanatory notes, synopsis of the indications and contraindications, and potential complications in an organized and practical format.
Choroidal concentration of interferon after retrobulbar injection.

PURPOSE To determine whether recombinant human interferon alpha-2a (IFN alpha-2a) would diffuse into the choroid in significant amounts from a retrobulbar depot. METHODS One million international units of IFN alpha-2a were injected into the retrobulbar space of the eyes of 17 rabbits, and choroidal and serum concentrations were measured at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours. The same dose of IFN alpha-2a was injected subcutaneously into 10 rabbits, and choroidal and serum concentrations were measured at the same intervals for comparison. Parabulbar and ocular tissues were studied by light microscopy for evidence of local toxicity. RESULTS Peak concentration IFN alpha-2a in the choroid after retrobulbar injection occurred at 2 hours and averaged 32,000 IU/mg. Peak concentration in the serum occurred at 4 hours and averaged 227 IU/ml. Concentrations in choroid and serum fell rapidly, and IFN alpha-2a was not detectible at 24 hours. No IFN alpha-2a was detected in the choroid of the paired eye, and only a trace (< 50 IU/mg) was found in either eye after subcutaneous injection. Light microscopy revealed some lymphocytes in the fat adjacent to the retrobulbar depot after six daily injections of IFN alpha-2a or saline. Sclera, choroid, and retina appeared unaffected. CONCLUSIONS IFN alpha-2a diffuses into the choroid from a retrobulbar depot in significant amounts. The serum concentration from a retrobulbar injection is < 1% of the choroidal concentration. The retrobulbar route to the choroid may be optimal for testing the effect of IFN alpha-2a on choroidal neovascularization.
IV Valproate in Refractory Status Epilepticus

The results of treatment of refractory status epilepticus (SE) with IV valproate (VPA) in 41 children are reported from University Hospital for Children, Erlangen, Germany.
An Alternative Measure of the Degree of Inequity in Assessed Values for Individual Properties: A Theoretical Perspective

The Coefficient of Intra-Area Dispersion of assessed value/sale price ratios (COD) is frequently used as a measure of the degree of inequity in assessed values for individual properties. However, to the extent that property tax liabilities are capitalized in the sale prices of individual properties, the COD can be shown to be inconsistent as a measure of the degree of inequity with respect to (1) alternative but a priori reasonable choices for the definition of equity and (2) changes in the nominal property tax rate on assessed value. This second conclusion is valid under each choice for the definition of equity. The Measure of Intra-Area Dispersion of assessed value/market value ratios (MOD) is presented in this article as an alternative measure of the degree of inequity in assessed values. The MOD compares assessed values to hedonic market values based on attributes rather than sale prices. Depending on the choice for the definition of equity, the MOD is preferable. Unlike a distribution of assessed values consistent with the existence of equity with respect to sale price after assessment, the distribution of assessed values consistent with the existence of equity with respect to market value is unique. As such, unlike the COD, the MOD is shown to be insensitive to changes in the nominal property tax rate on assessed value. Therefore, the MOD is reliable.
Anterior Incision Offloading for Primary and Revision Total Ankle Replacement: A Comparative Analysis of Two Techniques.

BACKGROUND There exists a high risk of post-operative complications with primary and revision total ankle replacement surgery. Delayed wound healing of the anterior incision is common. The reason for this is multi-factorial and, to date, most of the research has focused on predisposing factors involving the patients themselves. Only recently have researchers begun to look at the post-operative dressing as a possible consideration when trying to prevent incision wound healing complications. Currently, no standard post-operative dressing for primary or revision total ankle replacement exists. However, the principles of post-operative edema reduction to improve healing, as advocated by Sir Robert Jones and demonstrated in his compressive dressing, have been known for decades. We have been using a modified Sir Robert Jones compressive dressing for both primary and revision total ankle replacements. Recently, we have added an aperture pad made of cotton cast padding over the anterior incision in order to protect the area from pressure necrosis. METHODS This is a comparison study of the post-operative wound complications involving 35 patients that received the original dressing and 33 patients that received the addition of the aperture pad. RESULTS With no significant difference in the patient populations, the results demonstrate a 3-fold decrease in the number of anterior incision wound healing complications with the use of the aperture pad. CONCLUSION This dressing represents a simple, reproducible, easy to apply and inexpensive way to prevent post-operative edema and anterior incision wound healing complications.
Twenty-Seven Years of Tracking Undergraduate Science Knowledge and Beliefs.

The past generation has seen major advances in science and technology, and in the preparation of high school students for college. This study investigates changes in the science knowledge of college students, and in their attitudes and belief systems regarding science and technology. Over 12,600 non-science majors at the University of Arizona were surveyed using the same instrument over a period of 27 years. The knowledge-based component of the survey overlaps with questions used by the National Science Foundation over the same interval to measure science literacy in the adult U.S. population. The instrument measuring beliefs and attitudes is original to this study. The central result of this work is that student knowledge shows almost no change, in the aggregate or measured by individual items, over this span of time. This is in contrast to a significant gain in science literacy among the U.S. adults. In terms of beliefs, student susceptibility to pseudoscience ideas is relatively high and stable over time. College students have a positive attitude towards science and technology that is constant over time, except for changes on a few issues of societal importance. Responses for several items indicate the appearance of a strong gender effect in the past decade. This long-term study suggests there is still substantial work to be done in giving non-science undergraduates basic scientific knowledge and in training them how to think critically in world increasingly dominated by science and technology.
A trivalent subunit antigen glycoprotein vaccine as immunotherapy for genital herpes in the guinea pig genital infection model

An estimated 417 million people worldwide ages 15 to 49 are infected with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), the most common cause of genital ulcer disease. Some individuals experience frequent r...
Targeting SRC coactivators blocks the tumor-initiating capacity of cancer stem-like cells

Tumor-initiating cells (TIC) represent cancer stem-like cell (CSC) subpopulations within tumors that are thought to give rise to recurrent cancer after therapy. Identifying key regulators of TIC/CSC maintenance is essential for the development of therapeutics designed to limit recurrence. The steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC-3) is overexpressed in a wide range of cancers, driving tumor initiation, cell proliferation, and metastasis. Here we report that SRC-3 supports the TIC/CSC state and induces an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by driving expression of the master EMT regulators and stem cell markers. We also show that inhibition of SRC-3 and SRC-1 with SI-2, a second-generation SRC-3/SRC-1 small-molecule inhibitor, targets the CSC/TIC population both in vitro and in vivo Collectively, these results identify SRC coactivators as regulators of stem-like capacity in cancer cells and that these coactivators can serve as potential therapeutic targets to prevent the recurrence of cancer. Cancer Res; 77(16); 4293-304. ©2017 AACR.
Maternal Household Services and Children

Abstract Forensic economists in wrongful death cases are often asked to calculate the present value of household services a decedent otherwise would have provided. In this paper, we calculate the amount of time mothers allocate to provide household services on average by the age of the youngest child and by the number of children using 2003-2013 American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data. We separately examine household production and time caring and helping others. Our results show that mothers with younger children and more children generally allocate more time for household services. However, while maternal caring and helping time decreases with the age of the youngest child, maternal household production increases with the age of the youngest child. In contrast to other published sources, the information we provide will allow economists to adjust for the number of children, and to better adjust for the age of the youngest household child, when calculating the present value of lost household production in wr...
Vestibular short-latency evoked potential abolished by low-frequency noise exposure in rats

This is the first study to explore the effects of low-frequency high-intensity noise on vestibular short-latency evoked potential (VsEP) responses, which shows a linkage between attenuated noise-in...
Random versus targeted biopsies for colorectal cancer surveillance in inflammatory bowel disease

For many years, cancer surveillance colonoscopy in ulcerative colitis patients has involved obtaining at least 30 biopsies of flat and abnormal-appearing mucosa. With the advent of better imaging techniques, biopsies can be better targeted to abnormal-appearing mucosa, thereby increasing the sensitivity of testing. Use of chromoendoscopy, narrow-band imaging, autofluorescence, or confocal endomicroscopy to target biopsies is likely to improve detection of dysplasia and identification of patients at high risk for developing cancer.
Jewish Social Memory and the Augmented Stages of Genocide

This chapter has several parts: Social Memory of Genocide as a Jewish Responsibility; Genocide as a Continuing Phenomenon; Genocide as an Area of Research; Genocide Stage Theory; Three Innovations for Genocide Stage Theory; Augmenting Stanton’s 10 Stages; and a brief Conclusion. Religious texts and annual holidays within Jewish life reinforce the importance of remembering Jewish history. The Holocaust is the focus of much, but not all, of this memory work. Remembering the Holocaust assiduously, however, has not prevented the occurrence of numerous genocides since the end of World War II. Genocide analyst, Gregory Stanton’s stage theory describes how genocide unfolds. This chapter augments his model with three additional ideas: silencing dissent, forming alliances, and apologizing publicly.
Fracture Toughening Mechanisms in the SiCw/AI2O3 Composite System

Crack growth resistance studies of a SiC whisker reinforced Al2O3 matrix composite have been correlated with the composite microstructure to determine the active fracture toughening mechanism, at each of three test temperatures through 1400°C. Evidence of cumulative toughening at all temperatures, as reported in the literature, was validated by R-curves, however, isolation of the following wake zone effects from that of the frontal process zone elicit a departure from published assumptions. A frontal zone mechanism, presumably microcrack toughening, dominates at room temperature, while a following wake zone mechanism of crack face whisker-bridging controls at temperatures near 1200°C. Fracture data obtained from composites with substantially increased whisker/matrix interphase demonstrates the influence of the interphase thickness, where microcracking and pullout are both suppressed at room temperature, while pullout at reduced loads persists at elevated temperatures.
Performance of marrow stromal cell-seeded small-caliber multilayered vascular graft in a senescent sheep model

Failure of small-caliber grafts, used as bypass or reconstructive grafts in cardiovascular treatments, is often caused by thrombosis and stenosis. We have developed a multilayered, compliant graft with an electrospun heparin-encapsulated core and collagen-chitosan shell. Herein, the performances of acellular and cell-seeded grafts were evaluated in adult sheep for preclinical assessment. Allogeneic ovine marrow stroma cells (MSCs) were uniformly attached to the lumen of cell-seeded grafts. Interposition grafts were used for carotid arteries. Four grafts were tested for each type. Upon implantation, all grafts successfully restored perfusion and rhythmically deformed under pulsatile arterial flow. Weekly ultrasonography and Doppler revealed that all grafts remained patent for perfusion during the course of one-month study. No formation of blood clots or other complications were found. The diameter of graft lumen did not vary significantly over the time or with the graft type, while narrowing at anastomosis and significant thickening of graft wall were found in both types of grafts. More significant neotissue formation was found at anastomotic sections of acellular controls compared to cell-seeded grafts. Results from histological and immunofluorescent analyses revealed moderate intimal hyperplasia (IH) at anastomosis. When compared to cell-seeded grafts, acellular controls presented thicker IH composed of α-smooth muscle actin positive cells and ground substances, which correlated with reduced and more disturbing flow. IH was thickest at anastomosis and tapered off to a minimum in the mid-section. Few PECAM-positive cells appeared on cell-seeded grafts but not acellular controls. Additionally, lesser graft thickening was found in cell-seed grafts, which might be associated with the function of stromal cells in altering the fibrotic process during tissue repair. Results suggest that MSCs held the potential to reduce hyperplasia and improve healing in an aged, large animal model for vascular grafting.
Isolation of Ribosome Stalling Motifs from Random Libraries

Although we tend to think that the ribosome can link together amino acids in any order, we have found that certain sequences interfere with protein synthesis. Characterization of stalling peptides found in bacteria has revealed multiple mechanisms of translational inhibition. Given that natural motifs differ in sequence and contain only three or four essential residues, peptide-mediated stalling may be quite widespread. To examine the scope of this phenomenon, we performed genetic selections in Escherichia coli to identify additional stalling motifs from random libraries. We characterized the mechanism of stalling with purified components using pre-steady-state kinetic methods. Some motifs block termination by inhibiting catalysis by release factors. In others, peptidyl transfer to certain aminoacyl-tRNAs is inhibited. Residues upstream of a stalling motif can either enhance or suppress these effects. One theme that emerges from these studies is the poor reactivity of proline, both as a peptidyl donor, at the C-terminus of the nascent peptide, and as a peptidyl acceptor, as prolyl-tRNA. This effect is compounded at three or more consecutive Pro codons. The translation factor EF-P alleviates stalling at polyproline sequences but has little or no effect on the motifs identified in our selections. Although our stalling motifs are in some sense artificial, several are underrepresented in bacterial proteomes, suggesting that they have been selected against, and analysis of ribosome profiling datasets reveals evidence of stalling where they occur in endogenous E. coli proteins.
Three-dimensional analysis of regional right ventricular shape and function in repaired tetralogy of Fallot using cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Abstract Background Patients with surgically repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF) often have residual pulmonic valve regurgitation, leading to abnormal remodeling and dysfunction of the right ventricle often requiring pulmonic valve replacement. We tested the hypothesis that 3D analysis of right ventricular (RV) shape and function may reveal differences in regional adaptive remodeling that occurs in patients with rTOF, depending on whether a transannular patch (TAP) was utilized. Methods Forty patients with rTOF who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (1.5 T), including 20 with and 20 without TAP, and 10 normal controls were studied. Images were analyzed to measure RV endocardial curvature and global and regional volume and function. Results RV ejection fraction (EF) was 42 ± 11% in TAP and 38 ± 9% in no-TAP (p = 0.19), both lower than 54 ± 3% in controls (p Conclusions This is the first study to comprehensively describe the influence of TAP on changes in regional RV shape in patients with rTOF. Understanding these differences may help guide therapeutic options for residual pulmonary valve regurgitation in rTOF patients.
Beam-forming applications of polynomials with restricted coefficients

The basic mathematical question to consider in electronic beam steering with a discrete array consisting of omnidirectional elements spaced at equal increments along a line is how coefficients of a polynomial may be chosen so as to arrive at a desired beam pattern. In numerous applications, these coefficients are required to satisfy certain restrictions, such as a bound on their dynamic range. Here, dynamic range refers to the ratio of the largest to the smallest magnitude. Thus, particularly in null steering, it is often advantageous, or even necessary, for the shading coefficients to all have the same magnitude.
Contributors to Adult Education: Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Alain L. Locke, and Ambrose Caliver.

Very little has been written about the contributions and participation of African Americans in adult education. In The Education of the Negro in the United States Prior to 1861, Woodson (1968) discussed the limited evidence that African Americans did participate in adult education programs. In contrast, Knowles (1962) completely overlooked the contributions and participation of African Americans in adult education activities that provided for their intellectual growth. This article will provide a discussion of the contributions to adult education made by four African American educators-Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Alain L. Locke, and Ambrose Caliver. The goal is to introduce an appreciation of the role, contributions, and participation African Americans have played in adult education. Although these four African Americans represented different ideologies, they shared a common concern for making the lives of all people, especially African Americans, better. They were also in-
Balancing Confidentiality and Sharing of Genomic and Phenotypic Data in a Clinical Research System

We recently developed the Genomics Research Integration System (GRIS) to help NIAID investigators at the NIH leverage both phenotypic and genotypic patient data to identify causal variants for rare diseases. The project is a bioinformatics compliment to an initiative to sequence exomes for all NIAID patients visiting the NIH Clinical Center. The system is designed to serve as a valuable resource for clinical genomic data annotated with standardized phenotypic terms using the Human Phenotype Ontology \citeKohler2013. GRIS uses PhenoTips® \citeGirdea2013 to capture clinical records and family pedigrees which are linked to genomic records stored in a genetic analysis tool,seqr, developed at the Broad Institute (\urlseqr.broadinstitute.org ) to enable causal variant identification. We have customized both programs in novel ways to meet NIH encryption requirements, to link patient records across programs in a controlled manner, and to provide "tiers" of access so that individual research groups can customize users' ability to edit their patient records and view personally identifiable information (PII). A challenge faced by shared clinical data repositories is to facilitate maximal collective research value of data through open sharing, while respecting the needs of researchers to adjust access to patient data in accordance with research goals and subject to clinical sharing guidelines. We devised a technical approach to meet the needs of sharing policies, formulated collectively by researchers and clinicians, to promote wider acceptance and usage of the system. Accordingly, we implemented a patient identifier mapping system in conjunction with automated notifications to enable transparent sharing. Our approach may prove helpful to other hospital or clinical support systems seeking to respect the confidentiality of patient PII and early findings of individual researchers, while recognizing that data repositories are most primed for discovery (and can significantly increase return on investment) if they are open and accessible to a larger research community.
Microbeads in Sediment, Dreissenid Mussels, and Anurans in the Littoral Zone of the Upper St. Lawrence River, New York

Global plastic production has exceeded 300 million tons per year (Plastics Europe, 2015). In the marine and freshwater environments, larger plastics abrade and photo-degrade resulting in persistent environmental microplastics that are not effectively removed by existing wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The ecological effects of microplastics on the marine environment are poorly understood, with even less attention to freshwater systems. To assess whether microplastics have infiltrated food webs of shallow nearshore ecosystems of the St. Lawrence River, we sampled four sites along the international section of the St. Lawrence River, from Alexandria Bay to Waddington, NY. Twelve sediment samples along with one hundred and forty-nine Dreissenid mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and D. bugensis) were collected from the littoral zone, and forty one road-killed anuran amphibian specimens were collected adjacent to the river. Sediment subsamples at two of four sediment sampling sites contained plastic micro-particles. No microbeads were detected within any of the Dreissenid mussels or anuran digestive tract samples. The Dreissenids were likely too small to ingest microbeads greater than 35 microns. Microplastics congregating in the littoral zone may pose a threat within the food web through potential ingestion, requiring further methodological development.
Retail liver juices enhance the survivability of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli at low temperatures

The high prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in retail liver products was previously reported and has been linked to several outbreaks of campylobacteriosis. The main objective of this study was to investigate the influence of retail liver juices on the survivability of several strains of C. jejuni and C. coli, which were previously isolated from various retail meats at 4 °C. All tested Campylobacter strains showed higher survival in beef liver juice (BLJ) and chicken liver juice (CLJ) as compared to beef and chicken juices (BJ and CJ) or Mueller Hinton broth (MHB) at 4 °C. Overall, C. jejuni strains showed greater survival in retail liver and meat juices as compared to C. coli. CLJ enhanced biofilm formation of most C. coli strains and supported growth in favorable conditions. When diluted, retail liver and meat juices enhanced survival of Campylobacter strains at low temperatures and increased aerotolerance. In conclusion, beef and chicken liver juices enhanced the survival of C. jejuni and C. coli strains at low temperatures, which helps explain the high prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in retail liver products.
Genital self-mutilation

AbstractWe report a series of 14 patients with 19 self-inflicted genital injuries during a period of 10 years. Of the patients 65% were psychotic and 35% were not psychotic. Repeated attempts at genital self-mutilation occurred in 31% of the cases, mainly in the psychotic group. A history of alcohol and/or drug abuse was present in 55% of the cases. Injuries varied from simple laceration of penile or scrotal skin to actual amputation of the penis or testis. The degree of injury did not differ between the psychotic and nonpsychotic patients. Surgical management and outcome varied according to the severity of the injury, the delay in presentation for treatment, and the degree of alteration in the mental status and behavior.Followup of 9 patients showed good cosmetic results with no immediate or delayed complications related to the injury. The functional results in patients with penile replantation were satisfactory. In 1 patient a urethral stricture developed that was successfully managed endoscopically. Er...
A Family Training Program for Adventitiously Blinded and Low Vision Veterans

The family training program at the Western Blind Rehabilitation Center is an integral part of the rehabilitation process for adventitiously blinded and low vision adults. An exploratory study was c...
Rethinking gut microbiome residency and the Enterobacteriaceae in healthy human adults.

Longitudinal human gut microbiome datasets generated using community-level, sequence-based approaches often report a sub-set of long-lived “resident” taxa that rarely, if ever, are lost. This result contrasts with population-level turnover of resident clones on the order of months to years. We hypothesized that the disconnect between these results is due to a relative lack of simultaneous discrimination of the human gut microbiome at both the community and population-levels. Here, we present results of a small, longitudinal cohort study (n = 8 participants) of healthy human adults that identifies static and dynamic members of the gut microbiome at the clone level based on cultivation/genetic discrimination and at the operational taxonomic unit/amplified sequence variant levels based on 16S rRNA sequencing. We provide evidence that there is little “stability” within resident clonal populations of the common gut microbiome bacterial family, Enterobacteriaceae. Given that clones can vary substantially in genome content and that evolutionary processes operate on the population level, these results question the biological relevance of apparent stability at higher taxonomic levels.
Convergence and Validation in ParaPower: A Design Tool for Phase Change Materials in Electronics Packaging

Integration of solid-liquid phase change materials (PCMs) into electronics packaging has demonstrated the potential to reduce the transient temperature rise of components that experience pulsed thermal loads. However, the impact on local temperature histories resulting from incorporating PCMs in different locations and configurations within an electronics package is not easy to analytically determine, due in large part to the non-linear response of PCMs to a transient heat load. ParaPower is a new parametric design tool to facilitate the design of electronics packages. The tool has the capability of easily incorporating arbitrarily located PCM volumes and evaluating their effect on temperature distributions within the electronics package as a function of time. This paper determines the spatial and temporal order of convergence for the reduced order phase-change thermal model which underlies ParaPower. The results are compared and validated against both an analytical solution and a higher-fidelity commercial finite element analysis (FEA) tool. This paper has shown the fast-solving methods used in the ParaPower tool give results with comparable accuracy to those obtained using high-fidelity commercial software. Reasonably good accuracy can be obtained with fairly large time steps and grid spacing allowing fast-solving design space exploration with this option to increase fidelity within the tool to obtain higher accuracy when necessary. This research quantifies the trade-off between time steps, grid size, and accuracy such that a useful balance can be obtained. Design tools, such as ParaPower, have the potential to significantly advance design theory to reduce size and cost as well as minimize the prevalence of overdesign.
Abstract P3052: A Muscadine Grape Extract Improves Hypertension-Induced Aortic Damage in Conjunction With a Reduction in Fibrosis, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation

Hypertension-induced arterial stiffness contributes to both reduced vascular and cardiac function. While the pathophysiology of aortic stiffness is not completely understood, significant vascular r...
An indexed modeling and experimental strategy for biosignatures of pathogen and host

Summary form only given. In information theory, a signature is characterized by the information content as well as noise statistics of the communication channel. Biosignatures have analogous properties. A biosignature can be associated with a particular attribute of a pathogen or a host. However, the signature may be lost in backgrounds of similar or even identical signals from other sources. In this paper, we highlight statistical and signal processing challenges associated with identifying good biosignatures for pathogens in host and other environments. In some cases it may be possible to identify useful signatures of pathogens through indirect but amplified signals from the host. Discovery of these signatures requires new approaches to modeling and data interpretation. For environmental biosignal collections, it is possible to use signal processing techniques from other applications (e.g., synthetic aperture radar) to track the natural progression of microbes over large areas. We also present a computer-assisted approach to identify unique nucleic-acid based microbial signatures. Finally, an understanding of host-host-pathogen interactions would result in better detectors as well as opportunities in vaccines and therapeutics.
An Examination of the Effects of Employee Words in Organizational Crisis: Public Forgiveness and Behavioral Intentions:

This study examines how employees’ messages about a corporate crisis affect external publics’ attitudes and behaviors toward an organization. Specifically, the study investigates whether the valenc...
Christianity and Inequality in the Modern United States

Christianity has been deeply implicated in American attitudes toward inequality. This chapter offers a sweeping survey of the last one hundred and fifty years, arguing that if one wants to understand our New Gilded Age, one must attend to its spiritual origins. In the original Gilded Age, a series of grassroots movements sent a shock wave through complacent churches and denominations. But the rise of the welfare state catalyzed a mighty backlash and so in the mid-twentieth century the energy for Christian fights against inequality returned once more to the grassroots. In the decades following, a surging Christian libertarianism would overtake it. A New Gilded Age was not far behind.
A Systems Approach for Evaluating a Warhead Monitoring System

Future agreements that limit and reduce total warhead stockpiles may require monitoring nuclear warheads, potentially necessitating new monitoring approaches, technologies, and procedures. A systems approach for evaluating a warhead monitoring system can help ensure that it is evaluated against all requirements, and that the evaluation is objective, standardized, transparent, and reproducible (not analyst dependent). All engineered systems are designed to meet a set of requirements based on inputs and assumptions about the environment and processes. For arms control monitoring, identifying requirements is challenging because treaty objectives are often strategic or political, and must be translated into technical monitoring objectives that are agreed upon by multiple stakeholders. The monitoring objectives are the foundation of the evaluation framework, which also includes evaluation scenarios that reflect strategic concerns, performance metrics based on detection goals, and a functional architecture of how objectives are achieved by system components. This framework embodies the system requirements against which the monitoring system can be evaluated. Computational simulations, when validated by experimental activities and field exercises, can help characterize monitoring system performance. One such class of simulations is the discrete-event simulation, which can cohesively model weapons enterprise processes and monitoring and inspection activities. In conjunction with analysis algorithms that correlate inspection outcomes with declarations and other information streams, these simulation results can be used to quantify the confidence with which a monitoring system can detect and differentiate scenarios. The capability to evaluate the effectiveness of monitoring options and explore tradeoffs is essential in supporting technical design activities, guiding future R&D investments and supporting future treaty negotiations.
Impact of depressive symptoms on self-perceived severity of autonomic dysfunction in multiple system atrophy: relevance for patient-reported outcomes in clinical trials

To assess the relationship between depressive symptoms and self-perceived severity of autonomic dysfunction in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA). Cross-sectional evaluation of patients with MSA who underwent autonomic testing, Unified MSA Rating Scale (UMSARS)-1 and -2, rating of the presence and severity of depressive symptoms (Zung scale), quality of life (SF-36), body vigilance, anxiety (Spielberger’s anxiety scale), severity of autonomic dysfunction with the Composite Autonomic Symptoms Score (COMPASS-31), and severity of orthostatic hypotension (OH) symptoms with the Orthostatic Hypotension Questionnaire (OHQ). Fifty-eight patients (32 women) with probable MSA (aged 61.8 ± 8.6 years; disease duration 4.3 ± 2.1 years) were studied. Forty patients (69%) had symptoms of depression in the Zung scale. Age, disease duration, and motor disability were similar in those with and without symptoms of depression. Despite a similar orthostatic blood pressure fall, the severity of orthostatic symptoms was higher in patients with symptoms of depression (p = 0.004). Depression scores were associated with higher burden of autonomic symptoms (R = 0.401, p = 0.02), specifically with the COMPASS-31 items related to orthostatic intolerance (R = 0.337, p = 0.045), and with the OHQ (R = 0.529; p < 0.001). A multivariable regression model including age, sex, UMSARS, and drop in systolic blood pressure upon head-up tilt as covariates showed that the burden of depressive symptoms was independently associated with the OHQ score: for every 1-unit increase in the Zung depression score, there was a 1.181-point increase in the total OHQ score. In patients with MSA, depressive symptoms worsen the perceived severity of autonomic symptoms in general and orthostatic hypotension in particular. Our findings have implications for clinical trial design.
An Exploration of Health Behaviors in a Mind-Body Resilience Intervention for Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities.

Objective Parents of children with special needs such as learning and attentional disabilities (LADs) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at high risk for stress-related disorders. The demands of parenting may compete with time for self-care behaviors such as physical activity, healthy eating, and adequate sleep. The objective was to describe health behaviors among this understudied population and assess the changes after a resilience intervention. Methods This was a secondary data analysis of a randomized controlled pilot virtual mind-body resilience intervention (Stress Management and Resiliency Training: A Relaxation Response Resiliency Program) trial for parents of children with LADs (n = 52) and ASD (n = 47). Parents completed self-report questionnaires about their weekly physical activity, eating behaviors, sleep duration, and fatigue before and after the 8-week intervention. Descriptive statistics and pre-post intervention effect sizes (Cohen's d) were calculated. Results Both parent groups reported suboptimal levels of health behaviors at baseline, but ASD parents reported lower health behaviors than LAD parents. LAD parents improved more on physical activity, with a higher percentage meeting recommendations at postintervention follow-up (d = 0.71) than ASD parents (d = 0.01). Eating behaviors showed small effect size improvements for both groups. Although sleep duration improved only with small or medium effect sizes for both groups, ASD parents rated their fatigue lower after the intervention (d = 0.81). Conclusion Parents of children with special needs who participated in a virtual resilience intervention demonstrated suboptimal health behaviors. There is a need for targeted interventions for health behaviors that can promote resilience in these high-stress populations.
The Invisible Rise of AL Qaeda

This chapter traces the pre-9/11 historical background of Islamic violent extremism and the rise of al Qaeda. Prior to 9/11, the threat of al Qaeda was largely disregarded in the U.S. and considered insignificant, even though attacks occurred against a U.S. embassy and a U.S. naval ship. This chapter highlights the contrast in U.S. perceptions of violent extremism then and now, clarifying the extent and extremity of Islamophobia in the present climate. This chapter’s close examination of the run-up to the 9/11 attacks and the launch of the War on Terror provides essential background on the U.S.’s invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, its shift in national security strategy toward countering violent extremism, and the surge in Islamophobia that followed 9/11. When 9/11-associated violent extremism became the focus of national security, Muslims across the globe, especially in the U.S., began to experience a heightened form of discrimination from racial profiling and invasive searches by state agencies. By describing various events and policies in the U.S. of the 1990s up to the attacks of September 11, 2001, this chapter sets the stage for better understanding the context of the 9/11 attacks, the unfolding of the War on Terror, and the Islamophobic climate it has fostered.
Thermo-optical switches

Abstract: In this chapter, we first introduce the physical principles of thermo-optic effect, providing also some basic details on the thermodynamic operation of an integrated optic device. Then, in the third section, we present a wide review of the most common materials utilized for the fabrication of thermo-optical switches, providing for each material an updated literature reporting the value of the thermo-optic coefficient. Finally, in the fourth section, recent proposals of thermo-optic-based switches are reviewed and their performances compared.
Consumption of Dried Fruits Is Associated with Greater Intakes of Underconsumed Nutrients, Higher Total Energy Intakes, and Better Diet Quality in US Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2016

Abstract Background Dried fruits are shelf-stable alternatives to fresh fruit that avert common barriers to consuming fruit. Consumption of dried fruits may facilitate greater fruit consumption and contribute to better diet quality and nutrient intakes. Objective Our aims were to assess differences in diet quality and cardiometabolic health between dried fruit consumers and nonconsumers, and evaluate differences in nutrient intakes on days when dried fruits were consumed vs not consumed. Design This is a cross-sectional analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2016. Participants/setting Mean dried fruit intakes were estimated in adults 20 years and older (n = 25,590) who completed a dietary recall. Dried fruit consumers (one-quarter cup-equivalent/day or more) were defined in respondents with 2 complete dietary recalls (n = 22,311). Within-person differences in nutrient intakes were assessed in respondents who consumed dried fruit on 1 of 2 dietary recalls (n = 1,233). Main outcome measures Cardiometabolic risk factors, diet quality scored using the Healthy Eating Index 2015, and nutrient intakes were assessed. Statistical analyses Diet quality and cardiometabolic health were compared in consumers vs nonconsumers using multivariate linear regression, adjusted for demographic and lifestyle factors. Within-person differences in nutrient intakes on days when dried fruits were consumed vs not were assessed using multivariate linear regression. Results Mean ± standard error dried fruit intake was 0.04 ± 0.001 cup-equivalents and represented 3.7% of total fruit consumed. Consumers (7.2% of adults) had higher quality diets than nonconsumers (mean ± standard error Healthy Eating Index 2015 score = 60.6 ± 0.5 vs 52.6 ± 0.3; P Conclusions Dried fruit consumption is associated with higher diet quality and greater intakes of underconsumed nutrients. However, dried fruits do not appear to displace other calorie sources on days when consumed.
Impact of climate change on greenhouse gas emissions and water balance in a dryland-cropping region with variable precipitation.

Abstract Wheat covers a significant fraction of the US Pacific Northwest (PNW) dryland agriculture. Past studies have suggested that management practices can differentially affect productivity and emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) across the different agro-ecological Zones (AEZs) in PNW. In this study we used CropSyst, a biophysically-based cropping systems model that simulates crop processes and water and nitrogen cycles, with the purpose of evaluating relevant scenarios and contributing analyses to inform adaptation and mitigation strategies aimed at reducing and managing the risks of climate change. We compared the baseline historical period of 1980–2010 with three future periods: 2015–2045 (2030s), 2035–2065 (2050s), and 2055–2085 (2070s). The uncertainty of the future climate was captured using 12 general circulation models (GCMs) forced with two representative carbon dioxide concentration pathways (RCP 4.5 and 8.5). The study region was divided into three AEZs: crop-fallow (CF), continuous cropping to fallow transition (CCF), and continuous cropping (CC). The results indicated that areas with higher precipitation, N fertilization, and mineralization produced more N2O emissions during both baseline and future periods. The average annual N2O emission during the baseline period was between 1.8 and 4.1 kg ha−1 depending on AEZ. The overall N2O emission showed decreasing future trends from 2030s to 2070s which resulted from a higher proportion of N used by crops. From 2015 to 2085 under RCP 4.5, the average N2O emission was between 1.8 and 4.4 kg ha−1 year−1. They are slightly higher under RCP 8.5 since it is a warmer scenario. The soil organic carbon (SOC) content decreased during the baseline period while SOC did not reach equilibrium with the cropping systems considered in the study. SOC decreased during the future periods as well, with rate of change ranging from −146 to −352 kg ha−1year−1 depending on AEZ and RCP. Warming increased SOC oxidation in future scenarios, but after an initial increase of SOC losses during the 2030s period, the rate of SOC losses decreased in the 2050s, and more so in the 2070s as SOC and carbon input reached equilibrium with losses. Higher carbon input resulted from higher biomass production under elevated CO2 scenarios. The total GHG emissions were 1.95, 3.16 and 4.84 Mg CO2-equivalent ha−1year−1 under RCP 4.5, and 1.99, 3.43 and 5.49 Mg CO2-equivalent ha−1year−1 under RCP 8.5 during 2070s in CF, CCF and CC respectively, with N2O accounting for about 81% of total GHG emissions.
Hepatocellular carcinoma arising within a β-catenin mutated inflammatory hepatic adenoma

Abstract Hepatic adenomas are benign but carry risk of hemorrhage and malignant transformation, the latter complication being more common in those with β-catenin mutations. We report a case of hepatocellular carcinoma arising in a large inflammatory hepatic adenoma (9.2 cm) with β-catenin mutation. Gross pathology, radiology, and histopathology are shown. This case highlights the risk of malignant transformation that accompanies large tumor size, β-catenin activation, and reinforces the need for surgical intervention in such cases.
Social Identity: Clarifying its Dimensions across Cultures

Social identity has been linked to a number of work-relevant constructs. Specifically, researchers have investigated the role of social identity in cross-function teams, its impact on team performance and willingness to engage in OCBs, just to name a few. Furthermore, this construct has been cited as one of the most relevant constructs when understanding inter-group relations (Sohrabi, Gholipour, & Amiri, 2011). Given the theoretical and empirical importance of this construct, this paper reviews the construct of social identity and theorizes about how this construct may differ across cultures. First, we review social identity dimensions and propose how they may have different meanings and be perceived differently across cultures. Next, we delineate ways to pursue the measurement of social identity when conducting cross-cultural research. We conclude by providing insight for future research that compares social identity across cultures.
Dynamic prioritization of complex agents in distributed constraint satisfaction problems

Cooperative distributed problem solving (CDPS) loosely-coupled agents can be effectively modeled as a distributed constraint satisfaction problem (DCSP) where each agent has multiple local variables. DCSP protocols typically impose (partial) orders on agents ensure systematic exploration of the search space, but the ordering decisions can have a dramatic effect on the overall problem-solving effort. In this paper, we examine several heuristics for ordering agents, and conclude that the best heuristics attempt to order agents based on the cumulative difficulty of finding assignments to their local variables. Less costly heuristics are sometimes also effective depending on the structure of the variables’ constraints, and we describe the tradeoffs between heuristic cost and quality. Finally, we also show that a combined heuristic, with weightings determined through a genetic algorithm, can lead to the best performance.