cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of therapeutic plasma exchange on angiotensin II type‐1 receptor antibodies on two kidney transplant recipients

Background Angiotensin II type-1 receptor antibody (AT1RAb) has been reported to cause antibody mediated rejection (AMR) in kidney transplant recipients possibly by contraction of renal arteries. We here report 2 kidney transplant recipients with elevated AT1RAbs and negative HLA donor specific antibodies (DSA) and anti-major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related gene A (MICA) Abs who received therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) treatment followed by IVIG. CASE 1: Thirty-eight-year-old patient received second kidney transplant for end stage renal disease (ESRD) with chronic rejection. Three years post-transplant, she developed AMR with AT1RAb level >40 U/mL. She received 5 TPE and AT1RAb decreased by 20%, and biopsy showed improvement of AMR. She received another 3 TPE and AT1RAb decreased by 60%. Her creatinine (Cr) was stabilized at around 1.4 mg/dL. CASE 2: Twenty-four-year-old patient received kidney transplant for ESRD with unclear etiology. Two weeks post-transplant, her Cr rose with AT1RAb level at 18 U/mL and biopsy showed possible AMR. She received 6 TPE treatments and AT1RAb decreased by 55% and biopsy showed improvement of AMR. She received weekly TPE for subsequently rising AT1RAb but TPE was discontinued because of unsuccessful decrease of AT1RAb. Her Cr was stabilized at around 1.7 mL/dL. Conclusion We reported 2 patients who received TPE treatments to decrease AT1RAbs. A course of TPE treatment successfully decreased AT1RAb. Histological improvement was observed quickly and Cr was also stabilized following the TPE treatment. Further study is necessary to determine the optimal use of TPE in renal transplant recipients with AT1RAbs.
Canidae, ursidae, and ailuridae

Abstract A wide variety of diseases affect the diverse species included in the families Canidae, Ursidae, and Ailuridae. A variety of infectious agents (e.g., canine distemper virus, adenoviruses, parvoviruses, and various bacterial and fungal pathogens) pose a realized or potential threat to both captive and free-ranging individuals. Those animals maintained in captivity are more prone to age-related diseases, neoplasms, or management related issues (e.g., dietary concerns and contraceptive administration). Although there can be considerable overlap in the nature of diseases in captive and in free-ranging populations, animals on the landscape are more likely to be subject to endoparasitism and possibly to various viral or bacterial pathogens. The risk of infection and parasites is often mitigated in captive populations through the use of prophylactic vaccines, antimicrobial therapy, appropriate husbandry, and quarantine. Conversely, wild populations may have an age-structure that is skewed toward younger individuals such that age-related conditions are unlikely to be encountered.
Decoding Spike Trains from Neurons with Spatio-Temporal Receptive Fields

The point-process filter (PPF) is a real-time recursive algorithm that computes the minimum mean-squared error estimate of a behavioral state, given neural spiking observations. When used with stimulus-sensitive neurons that represent behavioral states transiently, the PPF needs to know the times at which stimuli will occur. However, these times will not be known a-priori. In this work, we develop a matched-filter point process filter (MF-PPF) that can decode behavioral states that are encoded transiently in neural activity when stimulus times are unknown. A linear filter matched to each neuron’s temporal receptive field is used to estimate stimulus onset times, which are then fed into the PPF to decode the behavioral state. As an example, we use the MF-PPF to decode visual saliency from simulated superior colliculus spiking activity. This new decoder has the potential to decode behavioral states from brain regions with transient representations and temporal receptive fields.
The influence of feminist theory and perspectives on GIS research

Since the early 1970s, feminist geographers have negotiated issues of power relations and social structure based on gender differences using various qualitative research methods. With the advent of...
Self-control, Risky Lifestyles, and Bullying Victimization Among Korean Youth: Estimating a Second-order Latent Growth Model

This study examines how different variations in self-control and risky lifestyles correspond to the different variations in bullying victimization within the integrated approach of low self-control and risky lifestyles. Using five waves of longitudinal data of 2844 Korean school-age youth, the study investigates the potential bidirectional/reciprocal effects and unidirectional effects between deviant peer associations and involvement in delinquent behaviors. The study estimates a conditional factor-of-curves model incorporating both low self-control and bullying victimization. The results reveal that youth with more rapid growth rate in deviant peer associations demonstrated more rapid growth rate in involvement in delinquent behaviors. Also, youth with less self-control were more likely to engage in risky lifestyles during the fourth grade and demonstrated a gradual decline in risky lifestyles over time. Further, youth with less self-control showed a gradually decreasing rate of risky lifestyles over time, which in turn led to higher risk of bullying victimization. The relationship between self-control and victimization is well established both theoretically and empirically even after controlling for lifestyles.
Friendships in Old Age: Daily Encounters and Emotional Well-Being.

Objectives Having friends in old age is linked to higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. Yet, we know little about older adults' emotional experiences when they encounter friends throughout the day. This study examined whether older adults reported (a) more pleasantness, (b) fewer conversations about stressful experiences, and (c) better mood when they had contact with friends compared to when they had contact with other social partners or were alone throughout the day. We also examined whether these experiences varied by the friendship closeness. Method Adults aged 65+ (n = 313) from the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study provided background information and listed and described their close social partners. Participants then completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys every 3 hr for 5 to 6 days where they reported their encounters with social partners, rated the pleasantness and indicated whether they discussed stressful issues during these encounters, and rated positive and negative mood. Results Multilevel models revealed that encounters with friends were more pleasant and were associated with fewer discussions about stressful experiences compared to encounters with romantic partners or family members throughout the day. Encounters with friends were also associated with better mood, though this link only held for encounters with friends who were not considered close. Discussion Findings are discussed in terms of functionalist theory, socioemotional selectivity theory, relationship ambivalence, and the benefits of less close ties. This work facilitates the understanding of how daily contact with friends can promote older adults' emotional well-being.
Synergistic effects of S-alkenylmercaptocysteine (CySSR) species derived from Allium tissue and selenium on inducing apoptosis in ER− breast cancer cells

Abstract S-Allylmercaptocysteine (CySSA) from garlic and its onion analog S-1-propenylmercaptocysteine (CySSPe) show potential anti-cancer abilities. In this study, apoptosis induction by these two S-alk(en)lymercaptocysteine (CySSR) analogs in combination with Na2SeO3 (Se) was investigated in MDA-MD-231 breast cancer cells. CySSA and CySSPe alone did not affect cell viability, whereas CySSPe + Se and CySSA + Se showed dose-dependent reduction in cell viability. Synergistic effect was confirmed by isobologram analysis. Annexin-V staining and flow cytometric analysis revealed induction of apoptosis. Mechanistically, CySSR + Se upregulated GSK-3α/β and activated p53 to trigger apoptosis. Both CySSR + Se activated JNK pathway at an early stage, but only CySSPe + Se exhibited sustained JNK activation. Inhibition of the cystine/glutamate (xC-) antiporter by sulfasalazine attenuated the antiproliferative effects of CySSR + Se suggesting the involvement of xC- in CySSR + Se− induced apoptosis. This study indicates that the onion analogue CySSPe was similarly as effective as the major studied garlic analogue CySSA in apoptosis induction in ER− breast cancer cells.
Investigating uncommon vascular diseases using the Vascular Low Frequency Disease Consortium

Abstract Background Standardized databases such as the Vascular Quality Initiative and National Surgical Quality Improvement Project assess the quality of care related to common vascular surgery procedures, but are not designed for uncommon vascular diseases. We describe a method of assessing uncommon vascular diseases using a multi-institutional collaboration, the Vascular Low Frequency Disease Consortium (VLFDC). Methods Uncommon vascular diseases are identified through a systematic literature review. A disease-specific database is developed and tested at a single institution, then refined and circulated to participating VLFDC investigators. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria and data point definitions are provided, allowing for standardized data collection across institutions. Each participating institution identifies all patients over a specific time period and enters the data into a VLFDC-provided database. The data are then de-identified and transmitted to our centralized data center for analysis. Results Since 2003, the VLFDC has conducted and published nine studies and enrolled 4532 patients, involving 232 institutions and 271 investigators. The studies include renal artery aneurysms, isolated femoral artery aneurysms, spontaneous mesenteric dissection, adventitial cystic disease, carotid body tumors, and vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Each published study reported on a minimum of 10 times the number of patients collected in previously published studies over the same time period, allowing stronger conclusions to be drawn from the larger sample size. Each study both confirmed previous management principles, which were based on small single-institution experiences, and challenged conventional management paradigms. Conclusions When only small clinical series exist to provide guidance in managing uncommon vascular diseases, and/or where conflicting recommendations are made on the treatment of uncommon vascular diseases, a multi-institutional consortium can provide high-volume standardized data that either confirm or changes prior management principles.
Metabarcoding analysis of regional variation in gut contents of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus in the North Atlantic Ocean

Abstract The calanoid copepod Calanus finmarchicus is one of the most abundant and ecologically important species of the zooplankton assemblage of the North Atlantic Ocean and occupies a pivotal position in the pelagic food web. This study used metabarcoding analysis (high throughput DNA sequencing of target gene regions) to examine the diversity of the copepod gut content, including both eukaryotic and prokaryotic components of the diet and microbiome. Zooplankton samples were collected during the 2013 EuroBASIN cruise of the R/V G.O. Sars, which crossed the North Atlantic to survey in the Norwegian, Icelandic, Irminger, and Labrador Seas. Zooplankton samples were examined microscopically for C. finmarchicus; species identification was confirmed by genetic markers based on insertion-deletion sequence variation. DNA was extracted from the dissected gut contents of adult female copepods and sequenced for eukaryotic 18S V4 and prokaryotic 16S V3–V4 rRNA hypervariable regions. Prokaryotes identified in the gut contents of all copepods analyzed included Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria. The eukaryotic gut content assemblage was diverse, dominated by Ocrophyta (diatoms), Dinophyta (dinoflagellates), Ciliophora (ciliates), as well as Cnidaria and Ctenophora. The diverse assemblage revealed by metabarcoding analysis of copepod gut contents likely represents prey, microbiome, parasites, symbionts, and pathogens. Significant differences in prokaryotic and eukaryotic diversity of the gut contents of copepods collected from four regional seas of the North Atlantic Ocean reflect and contribute to basin-scale differences in the pelagic food web of these ecosystems. This study provides evidence that diversity and variation of the copepod gut contents may both reflect and impact the functioning of pelagic food webs and regional variation in ocean ecosystems.
An outbreak of Brucellosis via air-born transmission in a kitchen wastes disposing company in Lianyungang, China.

Abstract Brucellosis is a bacterial zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic Brucella spp. An outbreak caused by B. melitensis at Jinchi Biotechnological Company engaged in collecting and disposing of kitchen wastes from catering units in Lianyungang is reported here. An epidemiological investigation and serosurvey were conducted, and pathogen detection was performed. Three confirmed brucella cases, one probable case and two recessive infectors were found out; the attack rate was 33.3%, the screening positive rate by RBPT was 25.0%. The pathogen was B. melitensis identified from three patients: two for B. melitensis, biovars 1, and one for B. melitensis, biovars 2. The main symptoms included fever, sweating, headache, arthralgia, weakness and chill. The epidemiological investigation found that the transmission mode in this outbreak was air-born transmission through aerosols from the process of unloading the food residues and wastes into the feeding inlet. This outbreak of brucellosis was confirmed with patients’ clinical symptoms, laboratory testing and epidemiological finds. The disinfection and personal protection were complemented by the kitchen wastes disposing company.
Establishing fidelity for the creating opportunities for personal empowerment: Symptom and technology management resources (COPE‐STAR) intervention

AIM To establish intervention fidelity for the Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment: Symptom and Technology Management Resources web-based intervention to assist caregivers of children aged 1-5 years in managing their child's symptoms and medical technology of tracheostomies and feeding tubes at home. DESIGN Descriptive study of the strategies used to establish intervention fidelity, specifically using expert and caregiver reviewers. METHODS To establish fidelity of the intervention, experts and caregivers were asked to evaluate the usefulness, ease of use, and acceptability of the intervention and provide any suggestions for the modules. Caregivers provided caregiver and child characteristics and were administered a health literacy measure, the Newest Vital Sign. Intervention fidelity was established from April 2019-July 2019. RESULTS/FINDINGS Expert and caregiver reviewers (N = 13) all agreed or strongly agreed that the intervention was useful, easy to use, and acceptable. In addition, caregiver reviewers provided care to children who required multiple technologies and a variety of care needs at home and confirmed adequate health literacy (N = 5). CONCLUSION The use of expert and caregiver reviewers was very beneficial in establishing intervention fidelity. Caregivers are experts in the care of their child and provide valuable feedback based on their daily experiences at home. Experts provided evidence-based feedback. IMPACT This nursing intervention addresses caregivers of children who require medical technology by targeting caregiver management for common symptoms, related technologies, and resources for the child and caregiver in the home setting. Intervention fidelity was established and expert and caregiver reviewers confirmed the usefulness, ease of use, and acceptability of the intervention. This study is essential to nursing, other healthcare providers, and healthcare systems in planning and implementing programmes and services for children and their caregivers and for nurse researchers establishing intervention fidelity. TRIAL REGISTRATION This study is not designated as a clinical trial per NIH/NINR study and grant proposal guidelines.
Coordination Numbers in Natural Beach Sand

Coordination number controls elastic moduli, seismic velocity, and force transmission in sands and is thus a critical factor controlling the resistance of sands to deformation. Previous studies quantified relationships between coordination number, porosity, grain size, sphericity, and effective stress in pluviated or modeled sands. Here, we determine if these relationships hold in naturally-deposited beach sands. We collect samples while preserving their microstructures and use x-ray computed microtomography images to characterize grain properties. Similar to pluviated and modeled sand studies, we find that average coordination numbers and porosities for freshly deposited natural sands are 8.1 ± 2.8 and 0.37 ± 0.01, respectively. The range and standard deviation in coordination numbers of the natural beach sands are, however, significantly higher than observed in pluviated and modeled sand studies. At the same effective stress and porosities, coordination number is linearly proportional to grain surface area except for the smallest and largest grains. Coordination number depends non-linearly on sphericity. We attribute the higher ranges and standard deviations of coordination numbers in the natural sands to its broader grain size distribution, and we propose that the largest grains limit grain rearrangement, which influences spatial distributions of coordination numbers in natural sands.
Dynamic Read V MIN and Yield Estimation for Nanoscale SRAMs

The design and verification process for SRAMs can be long and tedious due to the very large multi-dimensional design-space and the large computational time of Monte-Carlo (MC) simulations. In this work, we propose a fast analytical model, which takes into account the supply-voltage, temperature, process-variations, and array-design variables to characterize the critical read path and the small signal differential sensing and then evaluates the read-access failure probability and the corresponding VMIN and yield. With a low evaluation time of 15 seconds and < 6% error, the model is used to evaluate ~ 160K different SRAM designs in 20 hours. The results of the dataset are used to analyze the effect of key design-variables on yield and performance, determine inter-variable correlation, and calculate feature importance. In particular, important statistical results about sense-amplifier-enable timing and dynamic behavior of frequency correlation are presented in this work. Thus, the method can be very useful for SRAM designers to quickly calculate design feasibility and analyze the design space to optimize power, area, and speed.
Introduction: Cripistemologies of Crisis: Emergent Knowledges for the Present

The increasing recognition of critical disability studies as a generative body of work across disciplines is inseparable from a collective need to make sense of ongoing moments of socio-political crisis, emergency, and exceptionality. Theorizations of crip time emergent from lived experiences of disability are critical to the ongoing work of understanding and surviving a chronically debilitating socio-political context. Our current political moment seems to protract states of crisis to such a degree that the very notions of emergency and crisis shift under the weight of their simultaneous seeming banality and urgent ubiquity. “Cripistemologies of Crisis: Emergent Knowledges for the Present” contends that epistemologies of chronicity, illness, and trauma offer indispensable lenses through which to rethink—and care for—our collective present. The essays within “Cripistemologies of Crisis” reframe our understandings of both social and personal crisis, and explore how crisis and emergency shape the experiences and knowledges of our bodyminds in time and space. The authors collectively offer an epistemological toolkit to theorize and survive everyday states of trauma, madness, and illness as the lived impacts of such quotidian and ongoing violence. “Cripistemologies of Crisis” asks, then, what crip futures can be conjured through a centering of experiential, collective, and speculative ways of knowing with/in/through crisis.
Ties That Remind: Known Family Connections to Past Events as Salience Cues and Collective Memory of Stalin’s Repressions of the 1930s in Contemporary Russia:

Building on ideas of Halbwachs and others regarding how families shape collective memory, we argue that known family connections to past events serve as salience cues. Due to kin preference (humans...
Are Adverse Childhood Experiences Associated with Worse Cognitive Function in Older Adults

OBJECTIVES Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are associated with an increased risk for dementia, but this relationship and modifying factors are poorly understood. This study is the first to our knowledge to comprehensively examine the effect of ACE on specific cognitive functions and measures associated with greater risk and resiliency to cognitive decline in independent community-dwelling older adults. METHODS Verbal/nonverbal intelligence, verbal memory, visual memory, and executive attention were assessed. Self-report measures examined depression, self-efficacy, and subjective cognitive concerns (SCC). The ACE questionnaire measured childhood experiences of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. RESULTS Over 56% of older adults reported an adverse childhood event. ACE scores were negatively associated with income and years of education and positively associated with depressive symptoms and SCC. ACE scores were a significant predictor of intellectual function and executive attention; however, these relationships were no longer significant after adjusting for education. Follow-up analyses using the PROCESS macro revealed that relationships among higher ACE scores with intellectual function and executive attention were mediated by education. CONCLUSIONS Greater childhood adversity may increase vulnerability for cognitive impairment by impacting early education, socioeconomic status, and mental health. These findings have clinical implications for enhancing levels of cognitive reserve and addressing modifiable risk factors to prevent or attenuate cognitive decline in older adults.
Intermittent rainstorms cause pulses of nitrogen, phosphorus, and copper in leachate from compost in bioretention systems

Bioretention systems rely on vegetation and mixtures of soil, sand, and compost to filter stormwater runoff. However, bioretention systems can also leach metals and nutrients, and compost may be a major contributor to this leaching. To safely implement bioretention systems, it is crucial to determine the composition of compost leachate. We characterized and quantified the leachate composition of compost following intermittent, simulated storm events. Columns of municipal compost were irrigated to simulate 6-month, 24-hour rain storms in the Seattle-Tacoma region. Outflow was analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), particulate concentration, surface tension, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrogen, phosphorus, and copper. Results indicate a decrease of chemical concentrations over the course of individual storms and following repeated storms, but each new storm released another peak of constituents. The decrease in phosphorus, copper, and DOC concentrations with repeated storms was slower than for nitrate and EC. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that the DOC consisted mainly of aliphatic and aromatic components typical of fulvic and humic acids. Less than 3% of the original copper content from the compost leached out even after nine storm events. Nonetheless, copper concentrations in the leachate exceeded regulatory discharge standards. Our results show that compost can serve as a sustained source of leaching of nutrients and metals.
Time management and polychronicity: Comparisons, contrasts, and insights for the workplace

The goals of this investigation are to identify behaviors and attitudes that are predictive of an individual’s polychronic or monochronic time use, relating these findings to individuals’ time management approaches. A modified polychronic attitude indicator (PAI3) scale is used as the overall measure of monochronic/polychronic tendencies. A series of potential predictor variables from the “structure” portion of the FAST scale, items related to the time structure questionnaire, and other items based on literature synthesis and researcher judgment were used. A stepwise multiple regression analysis resulted in an eight‐predictor variable solution. It was concluded that polychronicity is related to different aspects of time management; recommendations are given for future study and for application in the workplace.
Suicide Risk in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities: 2003–2011

Objectives. We investigated the epidemiology of suicide among adults aged 50 years and older in nursing homes and assisted living facilities and whether anticipating transitioning into long-term care (LTC) is a risk factor for suicide.Methods. Data come from the Virginia Violent Death Reporting System (2003–2011). We matched locations of suicides (n = 3453) against publicly available resource registries of nursing homes (n = 285) and assisted living facilities (n = 548). We examined individual and organizational correlates of suicide by logistic regression. We identified decedents anticipating entry into LTC through qualitative text analysis.Results. Incidence of suicide was 14.16 per 100 000 in nursing homes and 15.66 in the community. Better performance on Nursing Home Compare quality metrics was associated with higher odds of suicide in nursing homes (odds ratio [OR] = 1.95; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.21, 3.14). Larger facility size was associated with higher suicide risk in assisted living facil...
Fast Intra/Inter Mode Decision for H.264 Encoding Using A Risk-Minimization Criterion

A fast intra/inter mode decision method using a risk-minimization criterion is proposed to reduce the encoder complexity of the H.264 encoder in this work. The current H.264 reference codes employ exhaustive search to find the best mode that optimizes the rate-distortion performance among all possible intra/inter predictive modes. To develop a fast binary mode decision scheme (i.e. either the inter- or intra-prediction mode to be used), we consider the risk of choosing the wrong predictive mode. If the cost of choosing the wrong mode in terms of the averaged rate-distortion (RD) performance loss is low, then the risk is tolerable. The fast algorithm consists of three steps. First, three features are extracted from the current macroblock to form a 3D feature vector. Second, the feature space is partitioned into three regions, i.e. risk-free, risk-tolerable, and risk-intolerable regions. Finally, depending on the location of the feature vector in the feature space, we can apply mechanisms of different complexities for the final mode decision. The proposed algorithm can select either the correct mode or the wrong mode but with low RD performance degradation. It is demonstrated by experimental results that the proposed algorithm can save approximately 19-25% of the total encoding time of H.264 (JM7.3a) with little degradation in the rate-distortion performance.
Computer-aided diagnosis of emphysema in COPD patients: Neural-network-based analysis of lung shape in digital chest radiographs

Several abnormalities of the shape of lung fields (depression and flattening of the diaphragmatic contours, increased retrosternal space) are indicative of emphysema and can be accurately imaged by digital chest radiography. In this work, we aimed at developing computational descriptors of the shape of the lung silhouette able to capture the alterations associated with emphysema. We analyzed two-sided digital chest radiographs from a sample of 160 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 60 of which were affected by emphysema, and from 160 subjects with normal lung function. Two different description schemes were considered: a first one based on lung-silhouette curvature features, and a second one based on a minimal-polyline approximation of the lung shape. Both descriptors were employed to recognize alterations of the lung shape using classifiers based on multilayer neural networks of the feed-forward type. Results indicate that pulmonary emphysema can be reliably diagnosed or excluded by using digital chest radiographs and a proper computational aid. Two-sided chest radiographs provide more accurate discrimination than single-view analysis. The minimal-polyline approximation provided significantly better results than those obtained from curvature-based features. Emphysema was detected, in the entire dataset, with an accuracy of about 90% (sensitivity 88%, specificity 90%) by using the minimal-polyline approximation.
Learning theory and political socialization: A module for computer assisted instruction

The purpose of this C.A.I. module is to introduce students enrolled in undergraduate courses in political science, sociology, and education to aspects of learning theory that have direct application to a study of political socialization. The interactive module demonstrates how various models representing learning theories can be used to describe the process by which individuals acquire their political behavior. The purpose of this C.A.I. module is to describe learning theory in such a way as to guide students in critically constructing and evaluating their own assumptions concerning the nature of the process of political socialization. Thus, it is felt that these lessons can contribute to a better understanding of the prominent literature that deals with questions considered relevant to a discussion of political socialization.The lessons in the module were written in the Instructional Dialogue Facility (IDF) on a Hewlett-Packard 2000 at the University of Iowa. These lessons call over a dozen BASIC programs specifically written for the module. The lessons allow for self-pacing and freedom of choice concerning the number and type of learning subtasks that the student undertakes at any particular time. The module not only enhances the courses for which they were designed but also adds to the inventory of interactive lessons available to all users of computer assisted instruction.
Advances in insect biotechnology for human welfare

Biotechnology is the latest scientific breakthrough in the history of agriculture. Yet despite the promise of developing new tools for pest and disease control, transgenic organisms have encountered a mixed reception by the lay and scientific public alike. Yields are unable to keep pace with rising costs resulting in a decline in traditional farming. Switching to a new organic growing paradigm is occurring in Korea and the United States today. These new approaches ignore traditional tools that were responsible for the increased yields that support the current affluence and allowed us to protect crops while buying time to find more ecologically-friendly methods. The perception that we understand crop diseases and pests is false and those making this assumption risk destabilizing global food production. There are new pests and diseases that are very difficult to control without these traditional non-organic methods. Invasive species continue to arrive at high rates adding to the burden of farming. Global climate change is already causing changes in the pest and disease complexes and is forcing the entomologist and plant pathologist to make drastic changes to adjust to them.
Physicians' Reactions to Uncertainty: Refining the constructs and scales

The Physicians' Reactions to Uncertainty (PRU) scales were developed to measure physicians' affective reactions to uncertainty. However, the structural (factor) model for the two PRU scales has not been cross validated on an independent sample of physicians. We surveyed 337 physicians in internal medicine at Indiana University to test the structural model for the PRU scales using confirmatory factor analysis and, if necessary, to refine the constructs and scales. The structural model of the original PRU scales did not fit the data (X2=559.26,p<.001) provided by the 265 (79%) respondents. Based on models suggested by 15 volunteers, we refined the constructs and scales. The four new scales are Anxiety Due to Uncertainty (five items,α=.85), Concern about Bad Outcomes (three items,α=.74), Reluctance to Disclose Uncertainty to Patients (five items,α=.76), and Reluctance to Disclose Mistakes to Physicians (two items,α=.75). The revised structural models have greater conceptual clarity, better fit to the data, and shorter scale measures than the original PRU model.
A stability analysis for a semilinear parabolic partial differential equation

The parabolic partial differential equation considered is u sub t = u sub xx + f(u), where minus infinity x plus infinity and o t plus infinity. Under suitable hypotheses pertaining to f, a class of initial data is exhibited: phi(x), minus infinity x plus infinity, for which the corresponding solutions u(x,t) appraoch zero as t approaches the limit of plus infinity. This convergence is uniform with respect to x on any compact subinterval of the real axis.
The mathematical description of certain breakage mechanisms leading to the logarithmico-normal distribution

Abstract A number of writers have observed that the particle size distributions obtained from some breakage processes appear to be logarithmico-normal. There have been virtually no attempts to explain this phenomenon. In this paper a statistical model is constructed for a breakage mechanism which will generate size distributions which are asymptotically logarithmico-normal. In this model, Fn(x), the distribution function of the particle sizes, after n steps of the breakage process, is the distribution function of the product of (n + 1) independent random variables and hence, by the central limit theorem, is asymptotically logarithmico-normal.
Does RFID improve inventory accuracy? A preliminary analysis

For the adoption of radio frequency identification (RFID) to continue at or beyond its current pace, it is important to investigate the business value created by the technology. In previous studies, we have shown how RFID can improve in‐stock position. Other studies have shown the benefit of RFID for promotional items. In this vein of continuing to prove the business case for RFID, we examine RFID's impact on inventory accuracy. Inventory accuracy is one of the keys to an efficient and effective supply chain, yet is often referred to as the ‘missing link’ in retail execution. Forecasting, ordering, and replenishment use inventory records as input, and the quality of these functions is impacted by inventory accuracy. To study the impact of RFID on inventory accuracy, Wal‐Mart commissioned a study to examine the store‐level influence of RFID on perpetual inventory. For 23 weeks, a single category of product (air fresheners) was inventoried daily in eight test stores equipped with a new RFID‐based perpetual ...
The Role of Percieved Parent Monitoring and Support on Urban Child and Adolescent Problem Behavior

Parental practices on problem behavior based on gender and age effects with urban youth were studied. Participants were 8–17 years old (N = 3,658; 66% African-American) and logistic regression models were conducted. For pre-teen females, decreased friend monitoring was related to high problem behavior; for teen females, lower maternal support and decreased home monitoring were significant. None of the models were significant for pre-teen males and lack of home monitoring was significant for teen males. Strategies for preventing problem behavior within urban communities will be more effective if they are tailored to gender and developmental factors.
HIV, STDs, anal sex and AIDS prevention policy in a northeastern Brazilian city

Data on HIV/AIDS, other STDs, and related sexual practices and AIDS prevention measures in Sao Luis, capital of Maranhao state, were collected in May-July 1995 using participant-observation fieldwork, including a number of face-to-face interviews in addition to archival research, and were updated by correspondence in 1996-1997 and a brief visit in February 1998. In contrast to the continuing severe AIDS epidemic in southern Brazil, public health statistics and public HIV testing recently instituted in Sao Luis suggest that HIV infection has remained largely concentrated among men who have sex with men, as well as a few, though growing number of cases of women evidently infected by such men. However, other STDs are endemic to the region, and could provide an increasing portal of entry for HIV infection. AIDS prevention education programmes have commenced in public schools and elsewhere in Sao Luis, but greater emphasis needs to also be placed on the prevention and treatment of other STDs. As in other regions of Brazil and Latin America, the reportedly common practice of anal sex among heterosexuals also represents a significant yet typically underemphasized risk factor for HIV.
The Calculus of Grief.

Lee Burdette Williams shares her firsthand experience of her students' resilience in the face of loss.
Functional reflectance spectroscopy of skin

In this paper we present some of the challenges of studying the spectroscopy of human skin in vivo. The emphasis is in the study of the chromophores that contribute to the clinical appearance of human skin. Information about the chromophores that are of clinical relevance is obtained by spectroscopic studies in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Such information may be obtained by reflectance spectroscopy or photoacoustic spectroscopy. The challenges that have to be overcome in order to understand the interaction of visible light with skin include the physical state of the chromophores in a strongly scattering medium. A further complication comes from the fact that the chromophores exist in special compartments within the organ and in these compartments they are in high concentrations. The dermis is a strongly scattering medium (optically thick) that is responsible not only for the remitted intensity, it may also alter the color appearance of the organ. The Beer-Lambert law for absorption holds only for dilute solutions and in tissue we almost always have high concentrations. A number of attempts have been made in the past to study and to quantify the chromophores of human skin in the visible through modeling. These have included a number of models such as the Kubelka Munk approach, the diffusion approximation, or the Monte Carlo calculations. All of these make a number of simplifying assumptions which invariably include the deletion of all appendages from the skin.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Trajectories of cognitive recovery following a minor brain injury.

Minor brain injury (MBI) is the most frequently diagnosed head trauma in the United States, with treatment costing more than $1.5 billion annually and many patients incapacitated for months following injury. The purpose of this study was to characterize the brain function disruptions associated with MBI and to determine the time trajectory of recovery, using a theoretical model of attention. Distractibility, impulsivity, irritability, and impaired executive functioning were demonstrated in all participants during the 24 hr after injury. Twenty percent of participants continued to complain of distractibility, impulsivity, and/or irritability throughout the 30-day study. Loss of consciousness was shown to confound participants' healing trajectories. These results suggest that standard emergency room treatment following MBI is inadequate and should include discharge directives to reduce cognitive demands for at least 48 hr at a minimum, for 30 days or longer for those with loss of consciousness. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 25:269–281, 2002
The mitochondrial genome of Conus textile, coxI–coxII intergenic sequences and Conoidean evolution

The cone snails belong to the superfamily Conoidea, comprising approximately 10,000 venomous marine gastropods. We determined the complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of Conus textile. The gene order is identical in Conus textile, Lophiotoma cerithiformis (another Conoidean gastropod), and the neogastropod Ilyanassa obsoleta, (not in the superfamily Conoidea). However, the intergenic interval between the coxI and coxII genes was much longer in C. textile (165bp) than in any other previously analyzed gastropod. We used the intergenic region to evaluate evolutionary patterns. In most neogastropods and three conidean families the intergenic interval is small (<30 nucleotides). Within Conus, the variation is from 130 to 170bp, and each different clade within Conus has a narrower size distribution. In Conasprella, a subgenus traditionally assigned to Conus, the intergenic regions vary between 200 and 500bp, suggesting that the species in Conasprella are not congeneric with Conus. The intergenic region was used for phylogenetic analysis of a group of fish-hunting Conus, despite the short length resolution was better than using standard markers. Thus, the coxI-coxII intergenic region can be used both to define evolutionary relationships between species in a clade, and to understand broad evolutionary patterns across the large superfamily Conoidea.
Helium in the topside Venus ionosphere

The quantity of helium in the Venus atmosphere is estimated from an examination of the measured ionization profiles. The amount of helium necessary to give agreement between the computed and experimental results is approximately 4 x 10 to the 8th power/cucm at 140 km. When an eddy diffusion coefficient of 1,000,000 sq cm/see is used, the atmospheric helium mixing ratio is found to be 0.0006; a value nearly ten times that for earth.
Prevalence of asthma and inhalant allergy symptoms among recreational road runners

Abstract Rationale The prevalence of symptoms or history of asthma and inhalant allergy in recreational road runners is unknown. Our objective was to establish this prevalence. Methods A statistically validated questionnaire was employed to convenience sample a statistically powered population of 471 (10.3%) of 4575 road runners registered for a 5k or 20k race using a face to face but anonymous 12 question format. Two questions were addressed to inhalant allergy 7 to asthma and 3 to demographics. Results There were 286 males (61%) and 185 (39%) with 353 (75%) caucasian, 38 (8%) noncaucasian and 80 (17%) who did not designate race. The age range, which was elicited in decades to protect anonymity, was Conclusions Our questionnaire survey indicates a prevalence of 56% for allergy and asthma related symptoms in recreational road runners. Larger prospective studies employing objective parameters such as skin testing and spirometry are essential to confirm these findings. Allergy specialty evaluation, therapeutic and educational interventions in recreational road runners are recommended.
A Cognitive Analysis of Japan's 1941 Decision for War

Previous studies have found that the cognitive performance of government decision-makers declines in crises that result in war. This decline has been attributed to crisis-produced stress which leads to simplification of information processing. The present study tested the disruptive stress hypothesis in the context of Japan's decision for war in 1941. Two content analysis techniques, integrative complexity coding (Schroder et al.,) and cognitive mapping (Axelrod, 1976) were used to analyze the translated records of statements by key Japanese policy-makers. Comparisons between statements made in the early and late periods of the 1941 crisis yielded only weak evidence of cognitive simplification. Interestingly, however, the social context in which statements were made significantly affected the complexity of cognitive performance: Statements made in Liaison conterences (in which policies were formulated) were significantly less complex than statements made in Imperial conferences (in which policies were pre...
Accuracy of an automated blood pressure device in stable inpatients: optimum vs routine use.

Background Despite widespread use of the automated blood pressure (BP) device (IVAC model 4200, IVAC Corporation, San Diego, Calif), there is little formal validation in the literature on its accuracy. Objective To assess the accuracy of the IVAC 4200 device, both under standardized conditions and as routinely used by ward staff, compared with the true indirect BP measured by mercury manometer (MM). Methods One hundred forty-five stable inpatients were randomly selected for BP measurements by 3 randomly ordered protocols: (1) MM performed by certified investigators, (2) IVAC 4200 BP performed by trained investigators (research automated [RA]), and (3) IVAC 4200 BP performed by ward personnel (ward automated [WA]). Results For RA compared with MM ("true" indirect BP), 59% of systolic and 54% of diastolic readings were within 5 mm Hg and 83% of systolic and 86% of diastolic were within 10 mm Hg for a British Hypertension Society grade C for both. For WA compared with MM, 40% of systolic and 50% of diastolic readings were within 5 mm Hg and 70% of systolic and 80% of diastolic readings were within 10 mm Hg for British Hypertension Society grades D and C, respectively. The presence of arrhythmias and/or low K5 values (fifth phase of Korotkoff sounds Conclusions The IVAC 4200 yields substandard estimates of systolic and diastolic BP even under standardized, thus optimum conditions. The presence of arrythmias or low K5 values and the selection of inappropriate cuff size by the ward staff also contributed to inaccuracy.
Development of a systematic classification and taxonomy of collaborative design activities

An interdisciplinary review of literature relevant to collaborative design is used as a basis to propose a taxonomy for the classification of collaborative design situations. The taxonomy includes top-level attributes of team composition, communication, distribution, design approach, information, and nature of the problem. Three taxonomic-oriented measures are introduced and used to evaluate the taxonomy: orthogonality, completeness, and usability. This taxonomy is an initial step towards the creation of new agent-based collaborative support tools structured upon a fundamental understanding of the collaborative process with a theoretical foundation. More significantly, the taxonomy provides a valuable way of organising the research literature in collaborative design that is at present dispersed across many domains and disciplines.
Explaining the race/ethnicity–violence relationship: Neighborhood context and social psychological processes

Blacks and Latinos have higher levels of offending than Whites for violent crimes. Researchers have examined a range of explanations that primarily focus on race and have only begun to consider how macro contexts influence individual levels of violence. This study contributes to this literature by including both race and ethnicity, and by examining the role of social psychological processes in mediating the impact of neighborhood contexts on violence. Using the Add Health data, I demonstrate the importance of the neighborhood context, socioeconomic status, and social psychological processes in explaining the relationship between race, ethnicity and violence. Having witnessed and been victimized by violence is by far the most important social psychological process in explaining this relationship.