cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Latent Variable Regression for Multiple Discrete Outcomes

Abstract Quantifying human health and functioning poses significant challenges in many research areas. Commonly in the social and behavioral sciences and increasingly in epidemiologic research, multiple indicators are utilized as responses in lieu of an obvious single measure for an outcome of interest. In this article we study the concomitant latent class model for analyzing such multivariate categorical outcome data. We develop practical theory for reducing and identifying such models. We detail parameter and standard error fitting that parallels standard latent class methodology, thus supplementing the approach proposed by Dayton and Macready. We propose and study diagnostic strategies, exemplifying our methods using physical disability data from an ongoing gerontologic study. Throughout, the focus of our work is on applications for which a primary goal is to study the association between health or functioning and covariates.
Wallace and Darwin

Summary The scientific friendship between Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin has become one of the most famous relationships in the history of science. It could so easily have degenerated into an ugly priority dispute after Wallace's surprising letter to Darwin from Ternate in 1858, in which Wallace outlined his own theory of evolution by natural selection; yet, the relationship was characterized throughout by personal generosity and high scientific esteem. No two authors thrown together in such a fashion tried harder than Darwin and Wallace to treat each other fairly. Wallace greatly admired On the Origin of Species . In turn, Darwin regarded Wallace as the one man who truly understood the idea of evolution by natural selection.
Historic and prehistoric earthquake-induced liquefaction in Newbury, Massachusetts

Sand dikes and sills in glaciomarine sediments record two liquefaction events in Newbury, Massachusetts, the meizoseismal area of the A.D. 1727, felt-area magnitude 5.0, earthquake. During the 1727 earthquake, Newbury experienced ground shaking on the order of modified Mercalli intensity VII and underwent ground failure typical of liquefaction. According to accounts of the earthquake, ground cracks with separations of up to 0.6 m formed; sand and water vented through at least ten ground cracks; land was locally elevated; and firm ground was changed to quagmire. Crosscutting relations and radiocarbon dating of woody material associated with liquefaction features exposed by trenching indicate that at least two moderate to large earthquakes have occurred in the Newbury area in the past 4 ka. The relatively unweathered, younger features are consistent in style and location with ground failure described for the 1727 earthquake. The more weathered, older features probably formed during a prehistoric earthquake. Glaciomarine and other deposits that may be prone to liquefaction are widely distributed in northeastern North America; they provide the opportunity to develop criteria for identifying paleoliquefaction events and to better determine earthquake hazard in the region.
Structure sensitivity of ethylene adsorption on Pt(100): Evidence for vinylidene formation on (1×1) Pt(100)

Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) is used to study ethylene adsorption on the (5×20) and (1×1) reconstructions of Pt(100). It is found that the ethylene adsorbs molecularly on the Pt(100) sample at 120 K independent of whether the sample is in a (5×20) or (1×1) configuration. However, upon heating, the ethylene rearranges to form an ethylidyne intermediate when the sample starts in the (5×20) configuration and a mixture of vinylidene and an acetylenic intermediate when the sample starts in the (1×1) configuration. These results show that the nature of the intermediates which form when ethylene adsorbs on platinum is largely determined by the symmetry of the orbitals available for reaction, as predicted in a related paper.
Psychology and Experimental Economics A Gap in Abstraction

Experimental economics and social psychology share an interest in a widening subset of topics, relying on similar lab-based methods to address similar questions about human behavior, yet dialogue between the two fields remains in its infancy. We propose a framework for understanding this disconnect: The different approaches the disciplines take to translating real-world behavior into the laboratory create a “gap in abstraction,” which contributes to crucial differences in philosophy about the roles of deception and incentives in experiments and limits cross-pollination. We review two areas of common interest—altruism and group-based discrimination—which demonstrate this gap yet also reveal ways in which the two approaches might be seen as complementary rather than contradictory.
Talking to TAD: Animating an Everyday Object for Use in Augmented Workspaces

Workspaces augmented by multitouch and gesture-sensing systems are quickly becoming a reality, but studies appear to limit themselves to interacting with displays. With the continued progress of the ubiquitous computing movement, everyday objects are coming to life and will soon enter these augmented spaces. Little has been studied regarding gestural control of everyday objects capable of movement in three-dimensional space. In the present study, we augment an office lamp for gestural interaction and use it toward finding more natural gestures for augmented workspace interaction with physical objects. We begin by surveying the current literature on user-defined gesture sets and digital augmentation of lamps to determine features desirable in the design of an actuated desk lamp. A prototypical Tabletop Assistive Droid (TAD) is then used in a study conducted to determine and analyze a feasible user-defined gesture set.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Argillization in the Cochiti Mining District, New Mexico

Volcanic and intrusive rocks (mainly andesite and monzonite) of Tertiary age are associated with gold- and silver-bearing quartz veins. Hydrothermal alteration took place in two stages. The first and less intense alteration stage is associated with economic mineralization; metallization during the second and more intense stage is limited to pyrite. Alteration zones from the vein outward include: (1) dickite, (2) illite—kaolinite, (3) vermiculite—halloysite, and (4) chlorite—montmorillonite. Mixed-layer associations of 2:1 clay minerals are abundant and represent transitions between discrete clay minerals. Apparent occurrence of allophane in the illite-kaolinite zone indicates that amorphous aluminum silicates are intermediate phases in transitions from 2: 1 to 1: 1 clay minerals. Alteration of ferromagnesian minerals and plagioclase resulted largely in the formation of 2: 1 clay mineral types. Orthoclase is altered chiefly to illite and kaolinite. Dickite and quartz are end products of the most intense alteration in the area. Chemical analyses of the altered rocks in general show a decrease in basic ions toward the vein. Less significant changes are shown by acidic ions. Analyses of illites indicate that substitution of K by Na, Fe, Ca and Mg has taken place near the vein as shown by an overall decrease in $$\frac{K}{Na}, \frac{K}{Fe}, \frac{K}{Ca}$$ and $$\frac{K}{Mg}$$ ratios. Both sodium and potassium seem to be instrumental in the formation of well-developed illite crystals. Alteration stages operative in the Cochiti district were developed by the action of solutions probably ranging in pH from 4 to 10. Alteration zones were formed penecontemporaneously with gradual outward migration of the least intense zones.
Wagner-Meissner neurilemmoma of the right cheek

We report a very rare case of Wagner-Meissner neurilemmoma in the cheek of a 10-year-old boy. The tumor presented as a slowly growing soft tissue swelling. Magnetic resonance imaging disclosed a very infiltrative, 9-cm mass involving the subcutis and deep soft tissues of the right cheek. Microscopically, the tumor was unencapsulated and composed almost entirely of well-formed Wagner-Meissner corpuscles that formed confluent sheets, perivascular cuffs, and individual corpuscles percolating through adipose tissue. Compared with the 3 previous reports, which describe circumscribed, encapsulated tumors in adult patients, this case had distinctive clinicopathologic features never reported: presentation in a pediatric patient, location in the head and neck region, and an infiltrative growth pattern.
Application of a model for grain boundary sliding to high temperature flow of carrara marble

Abstract It has been demonstrated that grain boundary sliding may contribute up to 50 percent of the total strain during experimental, high temperature deformation of Carrara Marble (Schmid, Paterson and Boland, 1980), yet the creep behavior was characterized by a high stress exponent and an apparent thermal dependence related to volume diffusion of carbon in calcite. By adopting the model of Gifkins (1976, 1977) for dislocation accommodated grain boundary sliding, incorporating Nabarro's model of creep by climbing edge dislocations (Weertman, 1975) and using the experimentally determined relationship between stress and subgrain (recrystallized grain) size, a model is developed which fits the high temperature creep data very well. In effect, the model assumes that deformation occurs by a combination of climb of edge dislocations and dislocation accommodated grain boundary sliding. It is shown that the model can be easily and reasonably extended to include creep by climb-controlled dislocation glide.
Criterion for antibunching according to population monitoring of cavity radiation.

A simple difference-differential equation derived by Scully and Lamb [Phys. Rev. 179, 368 (1969)] is used to describe the photoelectric detection of the radiation in a cavity totally isolated except for its interaction with the detector. As results of the solution, the expressions for the distributions of unconditional and conditional waiting times are obtained. Based on the definition that we have antibunching whenever the conditional waiting time is greater than the unconditional waiting time, the criterion for the occurrence of antibunching is established.
Development of a direct education workshop for cervical cancer prevention in high risk women: the Forsyth County project.

Abstract With funding from the National Cancer Institute, a public health education program was developed with the primary objective of increasing the proportion of black women in Forsyth County, North Carolina, who receive Pap smears on a regular basis. This paper reports on the development and implementation of the direct education component of the program. The content of the workshop was based on community analysis of current knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in the target population, and a review of relevant literature on cervical cancer and the Pap smear. Methods for presentation of the content were refined through three pilot tests. Audiovisual materials were also developed to illustrate key points. The direct education component of the program was designed to function as a short workshop and includes an overview of healthy lifestyles, coverage of the importance of early detection of cancer, a description and discussion of the pelvic exam and the Pap smear, and a discussion of common barriers to o...
Changing Burma From Without: Political Activism Among the Burmese Diaspora

This Article examines the role that the Burmese diaspora plays from afar in influencing reform inside the country. It offers a brief history of the crisis in Burma as background for identifying the various elements of the diaspora: those on the run from the military; those in camps for internally displaced persons and refugees; migrant workers; leaders of the democracy movement active on Burma's borders; asylees; and professional activists with influence on the international community. The different groups use the different strategies available to them. The leadership on the borders is helping to lead the democracy movement inside the country; leaders outside the country, by contrast, try to lobby the United Nations and foreign governments. Unfortunately, these strategies sometimes conflict because the different groups must serve different agendas: the leaders outside the country must be especially responsive to the international community, and the leaders on the borders must be especially responsive to their followers inside Burma. The result is that the movement is often disunited at a time when unity is critical for dealing with the Burmese government. The Article ends with a call for the international community to change the incentives that it gives to the various diasporic groups so as to promote unity within the democracy movement.
Heterosexual Allies? Understanding Heterosexuals’ Alliance with the Gay Community

Prevailing wisdom is that increased visibility of gay men and lesbians reduces levels of sexual prejudice, but less is known about who is more likely to ally with the gay community and how interaction with the gay community influences attitudes toward gay men and lesbians. Using data from 873 heterosexual college students in the US, we examine how alliance with the gay community, a typology which combines measures of personal contact and community contact, relates to attitudes towards gay men and lesbians. Membership in each alliance category differed by gender, race/ethnicity, size of place, traditional gender role and authoritarian attitudes, religiosity, and political conservatism. Approximately one-third of the sample are allies of the gay community with both personal contact and community contact and lower levels of sexual prejudice. By contrast, another 30 % of the sample has no contact (personal or community) and higher levels of sexual prejudice toward the gay community. We conclude that more complex models of heterosexual contact with gay community are more useful than dichotomous models for understanding differences in attitudes towards gay men and lesbians.
Galvanomagnetic properties of glassy carbon

Abstract The Hall coefficient, magnetoresistance and electrical resistivity of an extremely hard carbon, namely glassy carbon developed by the Tokai Electrode Mfg. Company, were investigated as function of heat-treatment temperature from 1000 to 3200°C at three ambient temperatures 20, 77 and 300°K. The relationships found show the extreme hardness and resistance to graphitization of this material, which even after high heat treatments (3200°C), shows neither graphitic properties nor evidence of two carrier mechanism of conduction.
Global and Domain-Specific Changes in Cognition throughout Adulthood

Normative adult age-related decrements are well documented for many diverse forms of effortful cognitive processing. However, it is currently unclear whether each of these decrements reflects a distinct and independent developmental phenomenon, or, in part, a more global phenomenon. A number of studies have recently been published that show moderate to large magnitudes of positive relations among individual differences in rates of changes in different cognitive variables during adulthood. This suggests that a small number of common dimensions or even a single common dimension may underlie substantial proportions of individual differences in aging-related cognitive declines. This possibility was directly examined using data from 1,281 adults 18-95 years of age who were followed longitudinally over up to 7 years on 12 different measures of effortful processing. Multivariate growth curve models were applied to examine the dimensionality of individual differences in longitudinal changes. Results supported a hierarchical structure of aging-related changes, with an average of 39% of individual differences in change in a given variable attributable to global (domain-general) developmental processes, 33% attributable to domain-specific developmental processes (abstract reasoning, spatial visualization, episodic memory, and processing speed), and 28% attributable to test-specific developmental processes. Although it is often assumed that systematic and pervasive sources of cognitive decline only emerge in later adulthood, domain-general influences on change were apparent for younger (18-49 years), middle aged (50-69 years), and older (70-95 years) adults.
Self-reported Memory Problems in Multiple Sclerosis: Influence of Psychiatric Status and Normative Dissociative Experiences

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients' self-reported cognitive difficulties do not typically correlate well with objective neuropsychological assessment. The relationship between self-reported memory, dissociation, emotional problems, and objective cognitive functioning was examined in 79 MS patients. Increased self-reported memory problems were significantly associated with higher levels of normative dissociation. Self-reported memory problems were also associated with more reports of depression, anxiety, and neuroticism. Consistent with expectations, self-reported memory was not significantly associated with performance on any of the neuropsychological variables. The present study then evaluated a theoretical causal model with normative dissociation mediating the relationship between emotional problems and perceived cognitive problems. Increased depression, anxiety, and neuroticism were all significantly correlated with more dissociative cognitive failures, which, in turn, were strongly associated with perceived memory problems. Findings have significant theoretical implications for understanding the relationship between perceived and objective cognitive difficulties. Findings are also clinically relevant and suggest that dissociative experiences should be evaluated when MS patients report memory problems.
Backpropagation learning for a fuzzy controller with partitioned membership functions

A backpropagation learning method is developed for partitioned, triangular, fuzzy input membership functions to account for the coupled nature of the function parameters. Partitioned, triangular input membership functions are common in industrial fuzzy applications. The resulting algorithm is applied to a Mamdani fuzzy logic system with product-sum inference and weighted-average defuzzification. The algorithm is developed from the standard backpropagation method with the complete impact of each input parameter change included in the partial derivative expansion of the system. The algorithm is applied to tune the input parameters of a controller for a two-link, planar robot. The system response is demonstrated for a set of commands which create cross-coupling through both centrifugal and Coriolis forces.
A microfluid test-bed with nanopore membranes for in-vitro simulation of flow characteristics of glaucoma drainage devices

In this paper, we report on a microfluidic test-bed for in-vitro simulation of flow characteristics of valved-glaucoma drainage devices. A nanopore membrane is used to mimic the fibrous tissue encapsulation of the sub-conjunctival plate following surgery. Pressure measurements with and without the valve clearly demonstrated the persisting effect of the microvalve in regulating the intraocular pressure subsequent to the fibrous capsule formation.
Hardiness and Support at Work as Predictors of Work Stress and Job Satisfaction

Abstract Purpose. To test a theoretically and empirically based model linking potential protective resources (hardiness, coworker and supervisor support) to the outcomes of work stress and job satisfaction and replicating the relationship of work stress to job satisfaction while accounting for the potential influence of negative affectivity. Design. A cross-sectional research design using survey data collected from two convenience samples. Setting. Two worksites: (1) a high-tech company and (2) a government agency. Subjects. High-tech employees (N = 310; response rate, 73.8%) and government agency employees (N = 745; response rate, 49.7%). Measures. The Dispositional Resilience Scale measured hardiness and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule measured negative affectivity. Coworker and supervisor support were measured using the Coworker Support Scale and the Supervisor Support Scale, respectively. The Perceived Work Stress Scale measured work stress, and a single item from the Job Satisfaction Scale ...
Transient knockdown and overexpression reveal a developmental role for the zebrafish enosf1b gene

Despite detailed in vivo knowledge of glycolytic enolases and many bacterial non-enolase members of the superfamily, little is known about the in vivo function of vertebrate non-enolase enolase superfamily members (ENOSF1s). Results of previous studies suggest involvement of the β splice form of ENOSF1 in breast and colon cancers. This study used the zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a vertebrate model of ENOSF1β function. Whole mount in situ hybridization (WISH) showed that zebrafish ENOSF1β (enosf1b) is zygotic and expressed ubiquitously through the first 24 hours post fertilization (hpf). After 24 hpf, enosf1b expression is restricted to the notochord. Embryos injected with enosf1b-EGFP mRNA grew slower than EGFP mRNA-injected embryos but caught up to the EGFP-injected embryos by 48 hpf. Embryos injected with ATG or exon 10 enosf1b mRNA-targeting morpholinos had kinked notochords, shortened anterior-posterior axes, and circulatory edema. WISH for ntl or pax2a expression showed that embryos injected with either morpholino have deformed notochord and pronephros. TUNEL staining revealed increased apoptosis in the peri-notochord region. This study is the first report of ENOSF1 function in a vertebrate and shows that ENOSF1 is required for embryonic development. Increased apoptosis following enosf1b knockdown suggests a potential survival advantage for increased ENOSF1β expression in human cancers.
African Labor History

For centuries, African workers have contributed fundamentally to the growth of the West's economy, yet the cost to the African continent has too often been conflict and immiseration. Between the midfifteenth and midnineteenth centuries, approximately twelve million slaves were exported across the Atlantic. Their labors transformed the American landscape and their productivity fueled the expansion of European capitalism. But for the slave-exporting regions of Africa that is, all of the continent with the exception of the northernmost and south ernmost parts the combined loss of people through emigration, slavery-related mortality, and generally high death rates relative to the rest of the world meant that by 1850 tropical Africa had, according to one historian, a "population little more than half what it would have been in the absence of slavery and the slave trade."1 Paradoxically, the end of the Atlantic slave trade in the first half of the nineteenth century led not to freedom but to new forms of labor exploitation to produce goods for the West. Immediately following the end of the slave trade, African slave-exporting regions, their economies long geared to the production of a commodity for an outside market, put their now devalued slaves to work within the continent to meet the newly industrializing West's insatia ble demand for vegetable oils and other lubricants.2 Although the European conquerors of Africa at the end of the nineteenth century campaigned against domestic slavery and finally brought the practice to an end through a long, fitful, and uneven process, they substituted new forms of labor control in efforts to direct African production toward goods for European consumption rather than local food needs.3 By the twentieth century the combined impact of such experiences, as another historian has argued, was the transformation of poverty from an
Application of the Inventory of Biodiversity Information and Social Networking Based Collaboration: An Implementation of Software Framework at Web Application Level

Biodiversity information is inherently complex and is highly distributed in collaborations from all over the world. The application of inventory of Biodiversity Information is a content management system and an end-user may have a technical threshold in maintaining this kind of application. We apply the idea of a software framework at the web application level and implement it as practical web application: Cypriniformes Commons (CypsCom), one inventory solution to store related biodiversity information for the fish Order Cypriniformes. In CypsCom, a biologist can provide multiple layers of information on a taxon through this web-based application and other biologists can review these contributions in an orderly scientific process built in CypsCom. Deploying this kind of software framework at the web application level makes it possible to implement this framework in different programming languages and be applied by different biodiversity research communities.
Development of a model of complete heart block in rats

Atrioventricular (AV) block is a useful substrate for the study of cardiac physiology. The objective of this investigation was to develop a straightforward and reproducible model of permanent AV bl...
Analysis of Forages by Infrared Reflectance

Abstract Infrared reflectance is a rapid accurate procedure for measuring nutrients in grains and forages. Factors that affect prediction of forage quality include plant species, method of preservation, and constituents in the forage other than those being measured. Selection of wavelengths for prediction is the key. Statistical procedures are being studied to improve selection of wavelength and to lower prediction errors. Commercial instruments recently introduced have greater data processing capabilities and greater wavelength (filter) selection than earlier models, but more research is needed to determine the appropriate wavelengths for each type of forage and feedstuff. An alternative to the filter instrument would be a small monochromator-based instrument similar to the prototype we have developed. This instrument can collect, process, and select a set of wavelengths to use for prediction for each different type of forage or feedstuff. New applications of infrared reflectance include identification of the sample from the spectra, prediction of percent legume ±10% in grass-legume mixtures, heat damaged protein (acid detergent fiber insoluble nitrogen ±.01%), phosphorous ±.04%, calcium ±.14%, calcium to phosphorous ratio ±.68%, potassium .41%, and boron ±5.4ppm. Other minerals evaluated having low predictability are aluminum, iron, zinc, sodium, manganese, magnesium, and copper.
Short Communication: Renal Tubular Vacuolation in Animals Treated with Polyethylene-Glycol-Conjugated Proteins

During toxicologic evaluation of a dimeric PEG-linked protein, tumor necrosis factor binding protein (TNF-bp), vacuolation of renal cortical tubular epithelium was seen in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (200-300 g) given i.v. doses of 40, 20, or 10 mg/kg every other day for 3 months. Tubular lesions in rats treated with 20 or 40 mg/kg for 3 months were only partially reversible after a 2-month recovery period. Despite the presence of marked vacuolation, there were no changes in BUN, creatinine, urinalysis parameters, urinary NAG, urinary B2-microglobulin, or fractional sodium excretion. Single i.v. doses > or = 20 mg/kg TNF-bp caused similar but milder changes. However, equivalent doses of PEG alone or the non-PEG-linked TNF-bp did not cause light microscopic evidence of vacuolation. Treatment of rats with another PEG-linked protein of similar molecular weight resulted in similar changes. Immunostaining for TNF-bp revealed positivity in the apical cytoplasm of renal tubular epithelium within 1 h of i.v. dosing. Immunostaining of kidneys from chronically dosed rats indicated that protein was present in some vacuoles as long as dosing continued; however, kidneys from animals on a reversibility study had vacuoles but no immunostaining for TNF-bp. These results, along with a study that showed more severe lesions with PEG-linked proteins of lower molecular weight and minimal if any lesions with PEG-linked proteins > 70 kDa, suggest that TNF-bp is filtered through the glomerulus and that the protein with attached PEG is reabsorbed by the proximal tubules. Vacuolation may be a result of fluid distension of lysosomes due to the hygroscopic nature of PEG. These studies demonstrated that PEG-linked proteins have the capacity to induce renal tubular vacuolation at high doses. However, the change was not associated with alteration of clinical pathology or functional markers.
Characterizing process variation (NIER track)

A process model, namely a formal definition of the coordination of agents performing activities using resources and artifacts, can aid understanding of the real-world process it models. Moreover, analysis of the model can suggest improvements to the real-world process. Complex real-world processes, however, exhibit considerable amounts of variation that can be difficult or impossible to represent with a single process model. Such processes can often be modeled better, within the restrictions of a given modeling notation, by a family of models. This paper presents an approach to the formal characterization of some of these process families. A variety of needs for process variation are identified, and suggestions are made about how to meet some of these needs using different approaches. Some mappings of different needs for variability to approaches for meeting them are presented as case studies.
Quality-of-life assessment after palliative interventions to manage malignant ureteral obstruction.

Purpose: Malignancies may cause urinary tract obstruction, which is often relieved with placement of a percutaneous nephrostomy tube, an internal double J nephro-ureteric stent (double J), or an internal external nephroureteral stent (NUS). We evaluated the affect of these palliative interventions on quality of life (QoL) using previously validated surveys.
The Occasional Fallibility of in Vitro Compatibility Tests

A patient is described in whom rapid destruction of transfused red cells occurred repeatedly despite entirely compatible cross-match results by a wide variety of dependable laboratory procedures. The report includes detailed serologic investigations of these phenomena, as well as the results of 17 measurements of in vivo red cell survival. A striking clinical observation was the regular onset of typical sickle cell “crisis” coincident with the rapid destruction of large volumes of donor erythrocytes. The occasional fallibility of compatibility tests is emphasized.
Comparative genomics of Pseudomonas fluorescens subclade III strains from human lungs

While the taxonomy and genomics of environmental strains from the P. fluorescens species-complex has been reported, little is known about P. fluorescens strains from clinical samples. In this report, we provide the first genomic analysis of P. fluorescens strains in which human vs. environmental isolates are compared. Seven P. fluorescens strains were isolated from respiratory samples from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. The clinical strains could grow at a higher temperature (>34 °C) than has been reported for environmental strains. Draft genomes were generated for all of the clinical strains, and multi-locus sequence analysis placed them within subclade III of the P. fluorescens species-complex. All strains encoded type- II, −III, −IV, and -VI secretion systems, as well as the widespread colonization island (WCI). This is the first description of a WCI in P. fluorescens strains. All strains also encoded a complete I2/PfiT locus and showed evidence of horizontal gene transfer. The clinical strains were found to differ from the environmental strains in the number of genes involved in metal resistance, which may be a possible adaptation to chronic antibiotic exposure in the CF lung. This is the largest comparative genomics analysis of P. fluorescens subclade III strains to date and includes the first clinical isolates. At a global level, the clinical P. fluorescens subclade III strains were largely indistinguishable from environmental P. fluorescens subclade III strains, supporting the idea that identifying strains as ‘environmental’ vs ‘clinical’ is not a phenotypic trait. Rather, strains within P. fluorescens subclade III will colonize and persist in any niche that provides the requirements necessary for growth.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids stimulate hepatic UCP-2 expression via a PPARα-mediated pathway

The discovery of homologs of the brown fat uncoupling protein(s) (UCP) UCP-2 and UCP-3 revived the hypothesis of uncoupling protein involvement in the regulation of energy metabolism. Thus we hypot...
Evaluating the Community Land Model in a pine stand with shading manipulations and 13 CO 2 labeling

Abstract. Carbon allocation and flow through ecosystems regulates land surface–atmosphere CO2 exchange and thus is a key, albeit uncertain, component of mechanistic models. The Partitioning in Trees and Soil (PiTS) experiment–model project tracked carbon allocation through a young Pinus taeda stand following pulse labeling with 13CO2 and two levels of shading. The field component of this project provided process-oriented data that were used to evaluate terrestrial biosphere model simulations of rapid shifts in carbon allocation and hydrological dynamics under varying environmental conditions. Here we tested the performance of the Community Land Model version 4 (CLM4) in capturing short-term carbon and water dynamics in relation to manipulative shading treatments and the timing and magnitude of carbon fluxes through various compartments of the ecosystem. When calibrated with pretreatment observations, CLM4 was capable of closely simulating stand-level biomass, transpiration, leaf-level photosynthesis, and pre-labeling 13C values. Over the 3-week treatment period, CLM4 generally reproduced the impacts of shading on soil moisture changes, relative change in stem carbon, and soil CO2 efflux rate. Transpiration under moderate shading was also simulated well by the model, but even with optimization we were not able to simulate the high levels of transpiration observed in the heavy shading treatment, suggesting that the Ball–Berry conductance model is inadequate for these conditions. The calibrated version of CLM4 gave reasonable estimates of label concentration in phloem and in soil surface CO2 after 3 weeks of shade treatment, but it lacks the mechanisms needed to track the labeling pulse through plant tissues on shorter timescales. We developed a conceptual model for photosynthate transport based on the experimental observations, and we discussed conditions under which the hypothesized mechanisms could have an important influence on model behavior in larger-scale applications. Implications for future experimental studies are described, some of which are already being implemented in follow-on studies.
Increased Pleiotrophin Concentrations in Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Background Thyroid nodules are common, and approximately 5% of these nodules are malignant. Pleiotrophin (PTN) is a heparin-binding growth factor which is overexpressed in many cancers. The expression of PTN in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is unknown.
Third-Party Recommendation Systems Industry: Current Trends and Future Directions

Over the past two decades, recommender systems have become ubiquitous -- we use recommendation technology whenever we shop at Amazon, watch movies on Netflix or browse any social networking website. We analyze the history, current trends, threats and the future potential of recommender technology. We start by studying the birth and evolution of the recommendation technology and describe the two major domains in which it has been commercially successful: online content and e-commerce. We focus on third-party recommendation companies, which contribute to most of the recommendation systems in the e-commerce domain. These third-party recommender providers seem to be thriving; however, they face threats from the commoditization of the technology, and from privacy concerns about the data they collect. For the future, we propose new domains and markets where recommender systems can be applied to. We also discuss the opportunities for recommendation in emerging markets of developing countries.
On the Dating of the Folsom Complex and its Correlation with the Younger Dryas, the End of Clovis, and Megafaunal Extinction

Using a set of high-quality radiocarbon dates, including three new dates from the Hanson site and one from the Folsom component of Hell Gap, we provide a revised estimate of the duration of the Folsom period. Limiting our sample to bone collagen samples pretreated using the XAD resin chromatographic or ultrafiltration techniques, calcined bone, and charcoal from hearth features, we show that Folsom sites fall within a limited range from 12,610 to 12,170 BP, or 440 years. This duration is considerably shorter than previous estimates. Additionally, we show that there is little correlation between the onset and termination of the Younger Dryas and the start and end of the Folsom complex. Finally, the youngest Clovis sites and the last of the Pleistocene megafauna correlate well in time, but are followed by a 100-year gap until the earliest Folsom sites, most likely a result of small sample size.
Exposure to Microorganisms and Aeroallergens among Greenhouse Workers Worldwide and Associated Respiratory Diseases

Greenhouse operations are an important sector of the horticulture industry also known as the Green Industry accounting for nearly million US jobs and about billion in output It is a work environment that can result in increased exposure to respiratory hazards because of its fundamentally enclosed nature In addition high concentrations of bioaerosols may be aerosolized by work activities in greenhouses Thus this is a large industry with potential for exposure to high concentrations of bioaerosols and associated respiratory diseases among workers Our recently completed CDC NIOSH project revealed that workers in some US greenhouses were exposed to elevated levels of airborne microbial contaminants The prevalence of self reported respiratory symptoms was generally higher among greenhouse workers than among controls Studies from some European countries also reported significant associations between bioaerosol exposures and respiratory diseases among workers including occupational asthma Bioaerosol exposure levels in greenhouses of different countries and associated allergic rhinitis and asthmatic disorders have been discussed in this review article Large scale studies are warranted to gain a better understanding of the associations between exposures in greenhouses and the development of rhinitis and lower respiratory symptoms particularly in the United States and many other countries This review article will provide vital information on the current data and data gaps in exposure levels of airborne microorganisms and aeroallergens in greenhouses associated rhinitis and other respiratory disorders and future research directions
Ethanol enhances [3H]diazepam binding at the benzodiazepine-gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor-ionophore complex.

Ethanol, which has a pharmacological profile similar to those of barbiturates and benzodiazepines, enhances [3H]diazepam binding to the crude Lubrol-solubilized fraction. This fraction had specific binding sites for [3H]diazepam, [3H]muscimol, and [α-3H]dihydropicrotoxinin (DHP). Ethanol enhanced [3H]diazepam to this fraction in a dose-dependent manner with a maximal enhancement of 90 ± 8.5% occurring at 100 mM and a half-maximal effect occurring at 30 mM. Ethanol (100 mM) changed the KD from a control value of 9.36 ± 126 to 4.40 ± 0.33 nM (p > 0.005). The Bmax of [3H]diazepam binding was not significantly altered. The enhancing effect of ethanol was blocked by picrotoxinin and (+)-bicuculline. Ethanol, while enhancing [3H]diazepam binding to the crude Lubrol fraction, inhibited partially the binding of [3H]DHP and had no effect on [3H]muscimol binding. The rank order of enhancement of [3H]diazepam binding with various alcohols (ethanol > methanol > isopropyl alcohol > propanol-1 = t-butyl alcohol = butanol-1) did not agree with their partition coefficients. These results suggest that ethanol, like pentobarbital, enhances [3H]diazepam binding at the benzodiazepine-γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor-ionophore complex. This interaction will result in facilitation of GABAergic transmission and may be responsible for some of the central effects of alcohol, such as antianxiety, muscle relaxant, and sedative. We also provide evidence that ethanol does not enhance [3H]diazepam directly at the benzodiazepine binding site, but, rather, indirectly via the picrotoxinin-sensitive site of the benzodiazepine-GABA receptor-ionophore complex.
From Leaders, For Leaders: Advice From the Lived Experience of Leaders in Community Health Sector Disaster Recovery After Hurricanes Irene and Sandy

Objective Hurricanes Sandy and Irene damaged and destroyed homes, businesses, and infrastructure, and recovery after these storms took years. The goal of this article was to learn from the lived experience of local-level decision-makers actively involved in the long-term disaster recovery process after Hurricanes Irene and Sandy. Respondents provided professional recommendations, based on their experience, to assist other organizations in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals actively involved in recovery from Hurricane Irene or Hurricane Sandy in 5 different communities. Transcripts were qualitatively analyzed. Results Respondents’ advice fell into 5 main categories: planning and evaluation, education and training, fundraising and donations management, building relationships, and disaster behavioral health. Conclusions The lived experience of those in disaster recovery can provide guidance for planning, education, and training both within and outside their communities in order to better respond to and recover from future disasters. These data help to facilitate a community of practice by compiling and sharing the lived experience of leaders who experienced large-scale disasters, and the outcomes of this analysis help to show what areas of planning require special attention in the phases of preparedness, response, and recovery. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:623–630)
Evidence for Use of Teriparatide in Spinal Fusion Surgery in Osteoporotic Patients

Background Osteoporosis is defined as bone mineral density. Methods A PubMed literature review was performed to review preclinical and clinical evidence for the use of teriparatide in osteoporotic patients undergoing spine fusion surgery. Results Preclinical studies in animal models show that teriparatide increases spinal fusion rates. Early clinical studies show that teriparatide both increases spinal fusion rates and decreases hardware loosening in the setting of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Conclusion Ongoing additional trials will help formulate preoperative screening recommendations, determine the optimal duration of preoperative and postoperative teriparatide treatment, and investigate its utility in men.
Hydrocortisone and/or desiccated thyroid in physiologic dosage: XIX. Desiccated thyroid in the therapy of obesity☆

Abstract Therapy of obesity with desiccated thyroid, averaging 9 grains/day for 4 to 41 months, was associated with an increase in the percentage of patients who lost weight during caloric restriction on an ambulant basis. However, such treatment may have aided weight reduction in only a minority of patients. Though these dosages of desiccated thyroid were well tolerated the possibility of cardiovascular side effects was always kept in mind. Survey of the endocrine and metabolic status of this group of 93 patients prior to any therapy revealed deviations from normal in some of them, including Cushing-like manifestations but normal urinary Porter-Silber chromogens (expressed in terms of body surface), thyroid dysfunction, and glucose intolerance. A pretherapy increase in urinary 17-ketosteroids was associated with a greater probability of weight loss in those treated by diet only. On the other hand, glucose intolerance before treatment seemed to be associated with a lesser frequency of weight loss in those on caloric restriction and thyroid supplementation.
My Quest, an Intervention Using Text Messaging to Improve Dietary and Physical Activity Behaviors and Promote Weight Loss in Low-Income Women.

Abstract Objective To evaluate changes in dietary and physical activity behaviors and weight after implementation of a 12-week text messaging initiative (My Quest). Design The researchers conducted a 1-group, pre- to posttest study design to determine changes after implementation of a text messaging initiative developed using the tenets of the Social Cognitive Theory. Setting A total of 55 Alabama counties (84% rural) with high rates of poverty, overweight/obesity, and chronic diseases. Participants Convenience sample of low-income, primarily overweight/obese women (n = 104). Intervention Short texts (n = 2–3/d) provided health tips, reminders, and goal-setting prompts. Weekly electronic newsletters provided tips and recipes. Participant self-monitored body weight weekly. Main Outcome Measure Outcomes included goal setting, self-efficacy, behavioral and environmental factors, self-monitoring, and body weight; data collection occurred through text message response and online surveys. Analysis Analyses were conducted using McNemar test (dichotomous data), Wilcoxon signed rank test (ordinal data), or paired t test (continuous data). Results Participants significantly (P Conclusions and Implications A low-cost, text messaging initiative particularly targeting women residing in rural communities with high rates of poverty and obesity can promote weight loss and improve dietary and physical activity behaviors. Future studies may include a control group and social support component such as group text messaging.
Understanding the factors that effect maximal fat oxidation.

Lipids as a fuel source for energy supply during submaximal exercise originate from subcutaneous adipose tissue derived fatty acids (FA), intramuscular triacylglycerides (IMTG), cholesterol and dietary fat. These sources of fat contribute to fatty acid oxidation (FAox) in various ways. The regulation and utilization of FAs in a maximal capacity occur primarily at exercise intensities between 45 and 65% VO2max, is known as maximal fat oxidation (MFO), and is measured in g/min. Fatty acid oxidation occurs during submaximal exercise intensities, but is also complimentary to carbohydrate oxidation (CHOox). Due to limitations within FA transport across the cell and mitochondrial membranes, FAox is limited at higher exercise intensities. The point at which FAox reaches maximum and begins to decline is referred to as the crossover point. Exercise intensities that exceed the crossover point (~65% VO2max) utilize CHO as the predominant fuel source for energy supply. Training status, exercise intensity, exercise duration, sex differences, and nutrition have all been shown to affect cellular expression responsible for FAox rate. Each stimulus affects the process of FAox differently, resulting in specific adaptions that influence endurance exercise performance. Endurance training, specifically long duration (>2 h) facilitate adaptations that alter both the origin of FAs and FAox rate. Additionally, the influence of sex and nutrition on FAox are discussed. Finally, the role of FAox in the improvement of performance during endurance training is discussed.