cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ANALYSIS OF DISTRIBUTION AND CALIBRATION OF CAR-FOLLOWING SENSITIVITY PARAMETERS IN MICROSCOPIC TRAFFIC SIMULATION MODELS

The calibration of microscopic traffic simulation models has been a topic of increased attention in the transportation and traffic engineering profession. These calibration analyses have traditionally been concerned with identifying the best parameter set from a range of acceptable values. A methodology to introduce and calibrate a low parameter distribution is examined; it uses measures of central tendency and dispersion (i.e., mean and variance) to generate input parameters for car-following sensitivity factors in microscopic traffic simulation models. The approach is applied to IH-10 in Houston, Texas, with the CORSIM model and subsequently calibrated with an automated genetic algorithm methodology to examine the effectiveness of the distribution alternatives. An overview of car-following sensitivity parameters is provided, parameter distribution alternatives are outlined, and an application of the car-following distribution alternatives is discussed and compared with default distributions. The results of this analysis indicate that the distribution of car-following sensitivity parameters can be modeled in microscopic traffic simulation models and that with automated calibration methodologies such as genetic algorithms, the mean absolute error between simulated and observed traffic volume and travel time data can be minimized. The results further indicate that both lognormal and normal distribution alternatives are very effective at replicating observed conditions and representing the full distribution of car-following sensitivity factors from the calibration of the mean and variance of these parameters.
Development of a Real-Time Fluorescence PCR Assay for Rapid Detection of the Diphtheria Toxin Gene

We developed and evaluated a real-time fluorescence PCR assay for detecting the A and B subunits of diphtheria toxin (tox) gene. When 23 toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae strains, 9 nontoxigenic C. diphtheriae strains, and 44 strains representing the diversity of pathogens and normal respiratory flora were tested, this real-time PCR assay exhibited 100% sensitivity and specificity. It allowed for the detection of both subunits of the tox gene at 750 times greater sensitivity (2 CFU) than the standard PCR (1,500 CFU). When used directly on specimens collected from patients with clinical diphtheria, one or both subunits of the tox gene were detected in 34 of 36 specimens by using the real-time PCR assay; only 9 specimens were found to be positive by standard PCR. Reamplification by standard PCR and DNA sequencing of the amplification product confirmed all real-time PCR tox-positive reactions. This real-time PCR format is a more sensitive and rapid alternative to standard PCR for detection of the tox gene in clinical material.
BODY CONDITION OF RADIO-COLLARED MULE DEER WHILE INJURED AND FOLLOWING RECOVERY

Abstract We evaluated levels of body fat, body condition scores, live weight, and fetal rates of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) compromised by injuries from radiocollars and compared them to non-injured animals before and after those injuries had healed. Compromised animals had lower values for all parameters at the time injuries were discovered, and that pattern repeated itself 4 mo later when subjects again were examined. Investigators must consider ramifications of their activities for research subjects, as well as for research results.
Institutional and Cultural Development in Baroque Santa Fe, New Granada

In 17th and 18th century Bogota, Colombia (formerly called Santa Fe, New Granada), intersecting developments of social, political and cultural institutions worked together to create a colonial society. The approach was to use the relatively large indigenous population, along with imported African slaves, as the basis for extractive institutions to capture rents for the ruling elites. There also emerged a substantial population of mixed cultural heritage and racial descent, best known as mestizaje. To maintain control, Spanish colonizers maintained a strict caste system, with categories ranging from European born, to mestizaje, to indigenous and African. Colonial control was further maintained by corporate and other organizational forms, including urban centers built on a common architectural model unlike prior indigenous settlements. The Catholic Church had started on a path to reform exemplified by the 16th century Council of Trent, and played an important mediating role between state and local and mestizaje population in the Americas. Religious festivals based on the Catholic calendar were important in clarifying roles and responsibilities for all castes, guilds and corporations. In addition, anonymous composers took the musical form of the liturgical carol, originally inspired by the songs and dances of 15th century Spanish peasants, and added a melange of indigenous, mestizaje, and African elements from the Americas. These carols played a crucial role in constructing behavioral models and values for men and women. There was a particular emphasis on constituting gender roles for women, based both on perceived differences and power relationships. The following will analyze how these institutional and cultural developments worked together to build, reinforce and legitimize an extractive governance structure in Santa Fe. It will also suggest how this structure laid the seeds for governance challenges facing modern Colombia today, and also helped to provide the basis for possible solutions.
Neuropsychiatric pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in wastewater treatment plants: a review

Environmental context Neuropsychiatric pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in wastewaters are of increasing environmental concern. We compile the recent literature and evaluate the concentrations and profiles of various drugs and their removal efficiencies in wastewater treatment plants. The sewage epidemiology approach, used in the estimation of drug usage in communities, is discussed, and we make recommendations for future research in this area. Abstract Neuropsychiatric pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs encompass a broad range of compounds including opioids, amphetamine-type stimulants, cannabinoids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, antipsychotics, anaesthetics, anti-epileptics and mood stabilisers, lysergic compounds, sympathomimetic amines and cocaine derivatives. In this article, we review studies on the occurrence and fate of these drugs in wastewater treatment plants. In general, among various drugs studied, the concentrations and detection frequencies of opioids and cocaine derivatives were the highest in wastewaters. The forensic analysis of wastewaters suggests that cocaine and opioids usage has increased. Given the fact that data on drug usage can be used for making regulatory decisions and policies, this review focuses on understanding the sources and environmental dynamics of neuropsychiatric and illicit drugs. There is a pressing need for more research on the magnitude and extent of illicit drug consumption. The ‘sewage epidemiology’ approach, currently applied in the estimation of illicit drug consumption in communities, is reviewed. The field of wastewater research has been advancing in multipronged paths, incorporating concepts in analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, environmental chemistry, biochemistry, sewage engineering, drug epidemiology and statistics. Future prospects with regard to the occurrence and environmental fate of illicit and psychoactive drugs are recommended.
Data Transparency Tool: Enhancing Building Information Modelling to BEM Interoperability

Building information modelling (BIM) has been heralded as a process that incorporates data about a project from conception to demolition and allows clients, architects, contractors, facility managers and other stakeholders to access and use appropriate information as needed. However, in practice, the one inclusive model has been supplanted by numerous models that rely on the transfer of domain specific data. Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and gbXML are two file formats that can be used for data transfer. However, when tested for transferring information between BIM and building energy modelling (BEM) software, in some cases, the exchange of data was not complete, accurate, or transparent to the user. A data transparency tool (DTT) was developed to report the completeness and accuracy of the data transfer for gbXML. The process of creating the tool was divided into three steps. First, gbXML enumerations were matched with a defined set of critical building variables that affect energy consumption. These variables were grouped under four main categories: program, form, fabric and equipment. Utilizing the gbXML schema, new XML schemes were mapped that matched the variable set. The results are then displayed in the DTT, which automatically analyse the populated data.
Mars Mission Design Strategy Board Game to Inspire STEM Students

Most elementary and middle schools lack the engineering (design innovation) component in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum as identified by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the National Research Council (NRC) in their report “Engineering in K–12 Education UNDERSTANDING THE STATUS AND IMPROVING THE PROSPECTS.” These reports also emphasize that “engineering design” should be taught in schools to promote engineering education and the engineering habits of mind. Even though concrete guiding principles on the direction and form of engineering in school curricula are discussed, there is limited information in the reports on how to apply the engineering principles in a classroom setting. In this paper, a board game geared towards design innovation and entrepreneurship is introduced for school age children (ages 10-14 years) that incorporates various phases of the design process (research, design, engineering and build process). After evaluating their design, students/players build a physical model of their design by assembling the components. The winning design will have the highest score during the evaluation. A prototype of the board game was developed and a pilot test was completed at St. Catherine’s girls’ school to verify the game’s appeal and ease of use and most importantly confirm design engineering and innovation learning aspects of the board game. Further testing and evaluation will determine the learning outcomes related to design innovation in STEM education.
Genome sizes of Epichloe species and anamorphic hybrids

Several Neotyphodium species (asexual fun- gal symbionts of grasses) have been characterized ge- netically as heteroploids (nonhaploids) derived by in- terspecific hybridization involving sexual Epichloiespe- cies (Clavicipitaceae, Hypocreales). Examples in- clude Neotyphodium coenophialum with at least three ancestral Epichloe species, and a rare endophyte of perennial ryegrass that appears to be a hybrid of Ep- ichloe typhina with the common perennial ryegrass endophyte, Neotyphodium lolii. In contrast, N. lolii ap- pears to be haploid and closely related to Epichloe festucae. Hypothesizing that hybrid origins should re- sult in larger genome sizes, we estimated genome siz- es for two Epichloe and three Neotyphodium spp. Using quantitative Southern blot hybridization we estimat- ed genome sizes of 29 ? 4 Mb for two sexual hap- loids, E. festucae isolate E189 and E. typhina E8. Es- timates for hybrid anamorphs were 57 ? 7 Mb for N. coenophialum el9, and 55 ? 7 Mb for N. lolii X E. typhina Lpl. Electrophoretic karyotyping of these four isolates corroborated the genome size estimates. Also, the electrophoretic karyotype of N. lolii isolate e45 indicated a genome size similar to that of the Epichloe species, in keeping with the apparent non- hybrid nature of N. lolii. Genome size differences were reflected in the variation of conidium lengths and widths suggesting that large conidial size may be an indicator of heteroploidy and, therefore, possible
Making Personal Digital Assistants Aware of What They Do Not Know.

Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are spoken (and typed) dialog systems that are expected to assist users without being constrained to a particular domain. Typically, it is possible to construct deep multi-domain dialog systems focused on a narrow set of head domains. For the long tail (or when the speech recognition is not correct) the PDA does not know what to do. Two common fallback approaches are to either acknowledge its limitation or show web search results. Either approach can severely undermine the user’s trust in the PDA’s intelligence if invoked at the wrong time. In this paper, we propose features that are helpful in predicting the right fallback response. We then use these features to construct dialog policies such that the PDA is able to correctly decide between invoking web search or acknowledging its limitation. We evaluate these dialog policies on real user logs gathered from a PDA, deployed to millions of users, using both offline (judged) and online (user-click) metrics. We demonstrate that our hybrid dialog policy significantly increases the accuracy of choosing the correct response, measured by analyzing click-rate in logs, and also enhances user satisfaction, measured by human evaluations of the replayed experience.
Architects of Political Change: Preferences and Beliefs

INTRODUCTION The great theorems of social mathematics discovered during the twentieth century can be separated into those that emphasize equilibrium and those that hint at chaos, inconsistency, or irrationality. The equilibrium results all stem from Brouwer's Fixed Point theorem (Brouwer, 1910): A continuous function from the ball to itself has a fixed point. The theorem has been extended to cover correspondences (Kakutani, 1941) and infinite-dimensional spaces (Fan, 1961) and has proved the fundamental tool in showing the existence of equilibria in games (von Neumann, 1928; Nash, 1950, 1951), in competitive economies (von Neumann, 1945; Arrow and Debreu, 1954; McKenzie, 1959; Arrow and Hahn, 1971), and in coalition polities (Greenberg, 1979; Nakamura, 1979). The first of the inconsistency results is the Godel-Turing theorem on the decidability-halting problem in logic (Godel, 1931; Turing, 1937): Any formal logic system (able to encompass arithmetic) will contain propositions whose validity (or truth value) cannot be determined within the system. Recently this theorem has been used by Penrose (1989, 1994) to argue against Dennett (1991, 1995) that the behavior of the mind cannot be modelled by an algorithmic computing device. A version of the Turing theorem has been used more recently to show that learning and optimization are incompatible features of games (Nachbar, 1997, 2001, 2005). There is still controversy over the meaning of the Godel theorems, but one interpretation is that mathematical truths may be apprehended even when no formal proof is available (Yourgrau, 1999; Goldstein, 2005).
Increased Outpatient Care Can Reduce Hospital Stays for Sickle Cell Patients

Introduction: Sickle cell disease is associated with frequent hospitalizations and emergency room visits when patients enter vasooclusive crisis. This is associated with lengthy hospitalization that can be time life interrupting for patients, increase hospital cost, and limit bed availability for other patients. Some patients with sickle cell have higher inpatient requirements than others due to the frequency of crisis. Recognizing the issues associated with this, we began scheduling patients for frequent outpatient IV fluids and pain medication to try and prevent ER visits and lengthy hospital stays. We are reporting the experience of three of our patients who have had the most frequent hospitalizations and emergency room visits. Methods: Patients who had the highest rate of hospitalizations and emergency room visits were offered regular outpatient intravenous and pain medication during the week (up to four times per week) on an as needed basis. Chairs were reserved for these purposes so on demand therapy could be offered without significant delays. The number of ER visits and hospital stays were counted from 12 months before and 12 months after we started offering this. For one of the three patients, data on length of hospital stay could not be accurately determined due to a lengthy hospitalization for infection rather than sickle cell pain crisis, but his emergency room visits were still counted. Basic hospitalization cost for daily hospital charge was also considered, but additional costs such as drug administration, diet, imaging, etc. were not. Results: In the 12 months prior to starting regular outpatient IV fluids, there were 48 aggregate emergency room visits compared to 26 in the 12 months after, a reduction of 38%. Inpatient hospital days before were 91 before and 46 post (49%). Cost for hospital days were reduced from $224497 to $113480 (49%). Conclusion: While offering more outpatient support to our sickle cell patients with the highest hospital demand, we can cut hospital days in half, and limit ER visits and also reduce the cost for inpatient care. Increasing outpatient support, when feasible, should be considered for sickle cell patients who require regular hospitalizations. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Punch the Clock

For the working-class student, higher education was supposed to be everything that the working-class world was not, even if the image of the ivory tower and the promise of release from the working-class life have never been realized or fulfilled. Demystifying the university has had the unintended effect of killing the working-class dream of going to college as an escape from a way of life that our parents and their parents hoped their children could avoid. Working-class college graduates today are still part of the working class in spite of allegedly having fulfilled one of the sufficient conditions for exit from the working class, namely, receiving a college degree. This chapter provides an account of how this happened.
“Straight Girls Kissing” Beyond the Elite Campus:

Our best sexuality theories are based on research that overlooks a clear pattern: Women with the lowest levels of education now report the highest lifetime prevalence of same-gender sex.
High-Dynamic Range Optical to Microwave Comparison with Dual-Output Mach-Zehnder Modulators

A high-dynamic range microwave phase noise measurement has been demonstrated with two dual-output Mach-Zehnder modulators and a cross-spectrum analyzer. The noise floor reaches the thermal limit (−186 dBc/Hz above 10-kHz offset from the carrier).
Witchcraft and the Constitution

Witchcraft beliefs and related practices are complex social phenomena that present difficult challenges for South African lawmakers who are bound by their constitution and committed to upholding its values. In this chapter of an edited volume from the University of Cape Town Press, I focus on certain constitutional questions raised by existing policies and current proposals. In some respects, the constitutional issues are easier than might be supposed. For example, Parliament may punish violence against suspected witches, even with laws that specifically address religiously motivated murder and assault. Also, citizens may believe that occult forces exist, and that those forces are being manipulated by jealous or malevolent neighbors. More constitutionally problematic are calls for educational campaigns that would "demystify" witchcraft beliefs, or proposals for laws that would prohibit certain rituals related to witch naming. Regardless of the resolutions, these sorts of constitutional issues deserve a place in the public debate.
Herpesviruses: Interaction with Frog Renal Cells

The prevalence of a spontaneous tumor of the kidney In the leopard frog, Rana pipiens, collected from north central and northeastern United States (Lucke 1934; Rafferty 1967; McKinnell 1965) and studies which predicted Its viral etiology (Lucke 1938, 1952; reviewed by Rafferty 1964) ultimately led to the Identification of the first amphibian herpes virus, the Lucke Tumor Herpes Virus (LTHV) (Fawcett 1956; Lunger 1964a, b; Lunger et al. 1965). Subsequent Investigations (Tweedell 1967, 1969; Mizell et al. 1969; McKinnell and Tweedell 1970; Naegele et al. 1974; Tweedell and Wong 1974) firmly established the Lucke tumor herpes virus as the oncogenic agent of the frog renal adenocarcinoma. Another herpesvirus Isolated from the pooled urine of frog tumor animals by Rafferty (1965) Is commonly called frog virus 4 (FV4) (Rafferty 1967). This virus Is non-oncogenic and is distinctly different from the LTHV (Gravel I et al. 1968; Gravel I 1971).
Acute phenibut withdrawal: A comprehensive literature review and illustrative case report

Phenibut is a glutamic acid derivative with activity on the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)B, A, and B-phenethylamine receptors. It is prescribed in former Communist Bloc countries for anxiolysis and related psychiatric disorders. It can be easily obtained in Western countries and is thought to have abuse potential. Abrupt discontinuation has been reported to precipitate an abstinence syndrome. A review of the literature identified 22 reported cases, many of which were notable for severe psychomotor agitation and requirements for aggressive pharmacologic treatment. Neurologic and autonomic signs and symptoms may mimic serotonin or neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Patients were typically younger and had coexisting substance abuse disorders to other drugs. Also presented is a case of a 23-year-old male with an acute phenibut abstinence syndrome. This patient exhibited severe psychomotor agitation requiring physical restraints, dexmedetomidine, lorazepam, haloperidol, diphenhydramine, cyproheptadine, melatonin, olanzapine, and baclofen for symptom control.
The promise and peril of agency as motion: A feminist new materialist approach to sexual violence and sexual harassment

Organizational scholars have established that sexual harassment, the most studied kind of sexual violence, is an organizational problem. Extending this work, we analyze two critical events regardin...
Large Cities and Human Settlements Administration

There are few who would not agree that rapid urbanization in recent years has caused a drastic deterioration in quality of life for many city dwellers. This situation will only get worse, if we do not act to meet the new demands being placed on our cities. In the year 2000, approximately one in three people will be living in cities in developing countries, which is to say that, by the end of the century, there will be twice as many people living in the cities of the developing world as there are today. This means that, in the next 20 years, developing countries will be faced with the problem not only of meeting the human settlements needs of existing urban population but also of providing housing, infrastructure and services for 1,000 million more urban dwellers, many of whom will be poor and unemployed migrants from the rural areas.
Impact of proton-induced transmutation doping in semiconductors for space applications

Critical satellite-based electronics can fail due to irradiation with Van Allen belt trapped protons. While nuclear-reaction-induced transmutation damage is typically ignored, a recent study raised the question of its potential importance in explaining anomalous trends in III–V nBn device operation. To investigate this postulation and to generally quantify the importance of transmutation in semiconductors for space applications, transmutation rates occurring in eight prominent semiconductor systems irradiated with typical device qualification protons of 63 MeV and operating in LEO, MEO, and GEO orbits are examined computationally employing FISPACT-II (validated through experiment and GEANT4 simulations). It is found that the transmutation realized in the III–V nBn device is three orders of magnitude less than would have been required to bring experiment into agreement with theory and that, furthermore, the total transmuted elemental concentrations never exceed 1010 cm−3 in any semiconductor at the end of 10 years of operation in any orbit considered. Thus, the effect of nuclear transmutation can be safely neglected in predicting modern device operation in orbit.
Injection bronchoplasty with carboxymethlycellulose with cystoscopy needle for neonatal persistent bronchopleural fistulae.

Abstract Objective We describe the novel use of injectable carboxymethylcellulose to close a persistent bronchopleural fistula (BPF) in a neonate who underwent an ex utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) after aborted fetoscopy. Methods In this case, a patient with laryngeal atresia underwent fetoscopy that was halted after concern for instruments within the mediastinum, and thus ultimately required an EXIT to establish an airway. Bilateral pneumothoraces and eventually multiple BPF were identified that continued to persist despite multiple attempts at removal of chest tubes over a four-week period. We look at the role of endoscopy and a substance often used in the larynx to help close a persistent BPF. Results At initial bronchoscopy, no BPF was identified, but at subsequent evaluation due to persistent pneumothorax, we used increased positive end expiratory pressure to help reveal the fistula. Given the bronchial location of the fistula, traditional laryngeal instruments could not be used, requiring the use of urologic cystoscopy needles to assist in accessing these challenging locations. At postoperative day 2 from the injection, the chest tube was removed and did not require replacement. Conclusion There are many methods to help treat BPF. The endoscopic injection of carboxymethylcellulose adds a technique to the pediatric otolaryngologist's armamentarium.
The Return to Okinawa: Capital, Networks, Mobility

People return migrate for a variety of reasons, but these are mainly tied to economic and socio-cultural factors such as financial security. The role of ethnicity as cultural capital in the return process that leads to the acquisition of Japanese nationality should also be considered significant. For these people of part-Okinawan parentage, nationality acquisition may have translated into social mobility for them, but their English proficiency enabled them to land in coveted jobs on base. Base work is also a means for the Nisei to locate their place within Okinawan society, as their Japanese linguistic handicap limits them from (full) participation in economic processes as they would only be relegated to unskilled work if it were not for the availability of jobs on base.
Developmental Origins and Roles of Intestinal Enteroendocrine Hormones

Abstract In this chapter, we review the developmental origins of enteroendocrine cells (EEC), from endoderm specification to differentiation of EEC at base of newly formed villi. Secondly, we discuss the role of several enteroendocrine secreted hormones in fetal and neonatal physiology. Despite a wealth of knowledge from animal studies, a clear understanding of enteric hormones in human fetal and neonatal physiology is limited. The clinical use of several of these hormones has proven to benefit a variety of conditions in the neonatal and pediatric age group.
MGMT protein turnover in human tumors is mediated by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway: Phosphorylation-dependent Ub-conjugation by the Skp2-SCF complex

5436 Intracellular abundance of the MGMT repair protein is a major factor contributing to the alkylator drug resistance in human cancers. Previously, we demonstrated that MGMT inactivated by O6-benzylguanine or BCNU is degraded through the ub-proteasomal pathway; however, the proteolytic system involved in the physiological turnover of MGMT has not been investigated. Therefore, we studied the role of ub-proteolysis in the maintenance of steady-state MGMT protein levels as follows. (i) First, we engineered a stable expression of human MGMT in murine ts-20 cells, which harbor a temperature-sensitive mutation for the ub-activating enzyme E1. These cells, when maintained for 10 h at 39°C (E1 is inactive) accumulated 3-fold higher MGMT content than those at 34°C (E1 active), thereby, showing the ub-conjugation is a strong requirement for MGMT degradation. (ii) Immunoprecipitation of MGMT (with MGMT antibodies) or bulk ubiquitinated proteins (with ub antibodies) from HT-29 cells and western analyses using reciprocal antibodies showed that cellular MGMT coexisted with ub-MGMT of higher molecular weights. (iii) Incubation of MGMT immunoprecipitates with purified 26 S proteasome led to the sole loss of ub- MGMT, but not the unmodified or rMGMT, showing the involvement of proteasome. (iv) Exposure of tumor cell lines to the proteasome inhibitors (PS-341, MG-132, and lactacystin) resulted in a time-dependent stabilization of MGMT activity and protein levels, accompanied by increased accumulation of ub- MGMT. (v) Extracts from eight human cell lines degraded the rMGMT protein to different extents in an ATP-Mg++ - dependent reaction; the time and extent of MGMT degradation correlated well with the steady-state levels of MGMT protein in corresponding cell lines, with higher MGMT content seen in cell lines with inefficient degradation and vice-versa. These data indicate that human tumors differ in the enzymatic activities of the ub-proteasome pathway, and this contributes to the steady-state levels of MGMT, and in turn, the level of drug resistance in a given tumor. Other experiments showed a consistent downregulation of MGMT protein just prior to or during the S phase of the cell cycle. Because the CDK inhibitor, p27kip1 is proteolysed in a similar cell cycle setting by the SCF-associated ubiquitin-ligases, we explored the phosphorylation-dependent degradation of MGMT by the skp2-containng Skp-Cullin-F-box (SCFskp2) complex. We have found the presence of a) ubiquitinated MGMT in Skp2 immunocomplexes and b) skp2 protein along with cullin in MGMT immunoprecipitates. Treatment of cell extracts with lambda phosphatase led to the loss of Skp2-MGMT association. Collectively, our findings point to a cell cycle and phosphorylation-dependent ubiquitinylation and subsequent proteasomal digestion as the mechanism that regulates MGMT content in human tumors.
Assessing the Effectiveness of a Coaching Intervention for Students on Academic Probation

Institutions of higher education develop probation policies for students struggling academically. Studies of academic probation programs have not investigated effects related to individualized acad...
Life Skill Development and Transfer: “They’re Not Just Meant for Playing Sports”:

Purpose:In response to the Grand Challenge of promoting the Healthy Development for All Youth, many programs aim to enhance the development and transfer of life skills. However, within sport-based ...
Habitat-based isolating barriers are not strong in the speciation of ecologically divergent squirrels ( Tamiasciurus douglasii and T. hudsonicus )

Adaptations to different environments between closely related species can be important drivers of reproductive isolation during speciation due to either habitat isolation between species or reduced fitness in hybrids that possess suboptimal adaptations. Hybrid zones are useful natural arenas to explore how ecologically divergent species compete for habitat in sympatry and how possible differences in their habitat use may contribute to the speciation process. We investigated habitat selection by sister species of tree squirrels, the Douglas squirrel and the red squirrel, that have evolved in different forest types in allopatry and hybridize in a transitional forest. We first used genome-wide SNP data and admixture analyses to classify individuals into parental or hybrid classes. Next, we estimated home ranges with radio telemetry data and then used a novel ground-based lidar system to measure forest canopy structure of squirrel home ranges, midden sites, and marginally used forest habitat. We found hybrids consisting of multiple hybrid classes were intermixed with both parental species in the same forest with varying canopy structure complexity. On average, Douglas squirrels utilized forests with slightly greater structural complexity than either red squirrels or hybrids, while marginally used forests were the least structurally complex. Interestingly, hybrid squirrels were not relegated to marginal habitat and were successful in mating among each other and with both parental species. As such, our study suggests that prezygotic-ecological isolation and postzygotic-hybrid infertility, and postzygotic ecological inviability of hybrids are not strong barriers in the speciation process between Douglas squirrels and red squirrels. Closely related species that become geographically divided often encounter different environments and thus evolve different adaptations. Sometimes, these species meet again and produce hybrids. Hybrids often have lower fitness due to their inferior adaptations. We studied a pair of closely related squirrels that evolved in different environments and meet and produce hybrids in a secondary contact zone. Despite these species evolving in allopatry in very different forest types, they do not select different forest characteristics while in sympatry in the hybrid zone. Furthermore, hybrids do not show major differences in types of habitats that they choose and are capable of defending territories and reproducing among each other and with both parental species. In summary, prezygotic and postzygotic isolating mechanisms associated with habitat selection do not appear to have an important role in promoting species divergence.
The decline of the congress system Metternich, Italy and European diplomacy

Miroslav Sedivӯ, a professor of history at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, produced a fine and original monograph, exploring European diplomatic history in the Italian peninsula during th...
Dimensional scaling of nonlinear optical absorption silicon waveguides

A model describing dimensional scaling of carrier lifetime and hence nonlinear optical absorption is presented. It is shown that nonlinear absorption, at a given optical intensity, can be mitigated with proper design of waveguide dimensions.
New Index for Multiple Chronic Conditions Predicts Functional Outcome in Ischemic Stroke.

Objective To determine whether a new index for multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) predicts poststroke functional outcome (FO), we developed and internally validated the new MCC index in patients with ischemic stroke. Methods A prospective cohort of patients with ischemic stroke (2008–2017) was interviewed at baseline and 90 days in the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi Project. An average of 22 activities of daily living (ADL)/instrumental ADL (IADL) items measured the FO score (range 1–4) at 90 days. A FO score >3 (representing a lot of difficulty with ADL/IADLs) was considered unfavorable FO. A new index was developed using machine learning techniques to select and weight conditions and prestroke impairments. Results Prestroke modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, age, congestive heart failure (CHF), weight loss, diabetes, other neurologic disorders, and synergistic effects (dementia × age, CHF × renal failure, and prestroke mRS × prior stroke/TIA) were identified as important predictors in the MCC index. In the validation dataset, the index alone explained 31% of the variability in the FO score, was well-calibrated (p = 0.41), predicted unfavorable FO well (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.81), and outperformed the modified Charlson Comorbidity Index in predicting the FO score and poststroke mRS. Conclusions A new MCC index was developed and internally validated to improve the prediction of poststroke FO. Novel predictors and synergistic interactions were identified. Classification of Evidence This study provides Class II evidence that in patients with ischemic stroke, an index for MCC predicts FO at 90 days.
5-Hydroxymethyl Uracil: A Product of Ionizing Radiation and Tritium Transmutation Formed in DNA

The mutagenic and carcinogenic properties of ionizing radiation are thought to be a consequence of DNA damage it causes (1). Such DNA damage includes single- and double-strand breaks, DNA-protein crosslinks, base loss with formation of AP sites and chemical modification of bases (2–6). Among the bases, the thymine moiety appears to be the most susceptible to the modifying effects of ionizing radiation (7, 8). One of the most studied derivatives formed through the action of ionizing radiation, thymine glycol (TG), is formed by the oxidation of the 5,6-double bond of thymine (Figure 1) (2, 9-13). TG is susceptible to further oxidation by radiogenically-derived hydroxyl radicals. It leads to the opening of the ring and formation of an unstable N’-formyl-N-pyruvyl urea (FPU) which either fragments or cyclizes and becomes 5-hydroxy-5-methyl hydantoin (HMH) (9, 10, 14). The other thymine derivative, 5-hydroxymethyl uracil (HMUra), is formed by oxidation of the methyl group of thymine (Figure 1) (15–17). In contrast to TG, HMUra is chemically stable (18). Therefore, it is possible that HMUra will serve as a marker of exposure to ionizing radiation in the same way as cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers became markers of exposure to UV radiation.
Characterization of syndromic, nonsyndromic familial, and sporadic type B aortic dissection

Abstract Objective Type B aortic dissection (TBAD) is commonly thought of as a sporadic event. However, an increasing body of data has suggested that genetic factors can influence TBAD. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of heritable TBAD, defined as either syndromic TBAD or nonsyndromic familial TBAD and to detail the natural history and long-term clinical outcomes compared with patients with “sporadic” TBAD without an identified syndrome or family history. Methods The clinical records of 389 patients with TBAD who had presented to a single health care system from 1995 to 2017 were reviewed. A family history was obtained by interview and/or medical record review. Syndromic TBAD was defined as TBAD in patients with Marfan, Loeys-Dietz, or vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Nonsyndromic familial TBAD was defined as a family history of aortic or arterial aneurysm or dissection and/or sudden death in a first- or second-degree relative in the absence of a known syndrome. Patients with syndromic and nonsyndromic familial TBAD were compared with patients with sporadic TBAD in terms of the comorbid conditions, aortic repair, and mortality. Results Of 389 patients (71.2% male) with TBAD, the etiology of TBAD was heritable in 27.9% (9.6% syndromic; 18.3% nonsyndromic familial TBAD) and 72.1% sporadic of the cases. Patients with syndromic and nonsyndromic familial TBAD had been more frequently referred in the chronic phase than were the patients with sporadic TBAD (35.5% vs 44.1% vs 25.8%; P = .014) and had presented at a younger age (40.6 ± 10.9 years vs 55.2 ± 11.3 years vs 62 ± 12.9 years; P Conclusions In our single-institutional experience, heritable TBAD accounted for one in four patients with TBAD. Nonsyndromic familial TBAD was twice as common as syndromic TBAD and appeared to share many clinical features. Identifying these patients early in their disease course and personalizing their care might improve their survival.
Stressful life events, depression, and the moderating role of psychophysiological reactivity in patients with pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.

Abstract Objective The development of depressive symptoms in youth with IBD is a concerning disease complication, as higher levels of depressive symptoms have been associated with poorer quality of life and lower medication adherence. Previous research has examined the association between disease activity and depression, but few studies have examined individual differences in experience of stressful life events in relation to depressive symptoms. The purpose of the current study is to examine the relation between stressful life events and depression within pediatric IBD and to determine whether individual differences in stress response moderates this association. Methods 56 youth ages 8–17 years old diagnosed with IBD completed questionnaires about their depressive symptoms and history of stressful life events. We assessed skin conductance reactivity (SCR) to a stressful task as an index of psychophysiological reactivity. Results Stressful life events (r = 0.36, p = .007) were positively related to depressive symptoms. Youth who demonstrated a greater maximum SC level during the IBD-specific stress trial compared to baseline (n = 32) reported greater depressive symptoms. For these same participants, the relationship between stressful life events and depressive symptoms depended on SCR F(3, 28) = 4.23, p = .01, such that at moderate and high levels of SCR, a positive relationship between stressful life events and depressive symptoms was observed. Conclusions The relationship between stressful life events and depressive symptoms in youth with IBD may depend on individual differences in processing stress, such that risk may increase with greater psychophysiological reactivity.
Isradipine plasma pharmacokinetics and exposure-response in early Parkinson's disease.

Objectives Isradipine is a dihydropyridine calcium channel inhibitor that has demonstrated concentration-dependent neuroprotective effects in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD) but failed to show efficacy in a phase 3 clinical trial. The objectives of this study were to model the plasma pharmacokinetics of isradipine in study participants from the phase 3 trial; and, to investigate associations between drug exposure and longitudinal clinical outcome measures of PD progression. Methods Plasma samples from nearly all study participants randomized to immediate-release isradipine 5-mg twice daily (166 of 170) were collected for population pharmacokinetic modeling. Estimates of isradipine exposure included apparent oral clearance and area under the concentration-time curve. Isradipine exposure parameters were tested for correlations with 36-month changes in disease severity clinical assessment scores, and time-to-event analyses for initiation of antiparkinson therapy. Results Isradipine exposures did not correlate with the primary clinical outcome, changes in the antiparkinson therapy-adjusted Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale parts I-III score over 36 months (Spearman rank correlation coefficient, rs : 0.09, P = 0.23). Cumulative levodopa equivalent dose at month 36 was weakly correlated with isradipine plasma clearance (rs : 0.18, P = 0.035). This correlation was sex dependent and significant in males, but not females. Those with higher isradipine exposure had decreased risk of needing antiparkinson treatment over 36 months compared with placebo (hazard ratio: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.78-0.98, P = 0.02). Interpretation In this clinical trial, higher isradipine plasma exposure did not affect clinical assessment measures of PD severity but modestly decreased cumulative levodopa equivalent dose and the time needed for antiparkinson treatment initiation. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02168842.
Third Party Risk Management

Every organization relies upon third party vendors for a multitude of business operations. Despite the requirements to rely upon third party vendors, only 52% of organizations have security standards for third party vendors (Matis, 2019, para. 2). Furthermore, a study surveying 608 information technology (IT) professionals indicated that 69% of the respondents either definitely suffered a security breach or possibly suffered a security breach due to vendor access within the year (Bomgar, 2019, p. 2). Finally, a staggering 94.3% of executives possess low to moderate confidence in their third-party risk management tools and technology (Deloitte, 2018, para. 3). These statistics are the direct result of complex business relationships, dynamic information technology exchanges, and a lack of awareness outside of those directly working within the information technology realm. Additionally, the lack of information technology personnel who aspire to upper echelons of business management contribute to the overall risk factors. In June of 2018, Universal Music Group became aware of a massive data breach that exposed file transfer protocol credentials, Amazon Web Services cryptographic keys, and internal passwords due to improper handling of a third-party cloud storage provider. The technical aspects of the breach reveal that a contractor working at the cloud storage provider administered an apache airflow server without password requirements (Cimpanu, 2018, para. 3). The damage has yet to be quantified and it is unclear how many customers this data breach has affected (Cyber GRX, 2019, para. 7). What the data breach represents is something far greater than another data breach amongst many but rather how devastating the effects a single lackadaisical contractor can have for an organization. The Target data breach is a similar example with many more secondary and tertiary effects caused by a single heating, venting, and air conditioning contractor. Risk is generally dealt with through the use of transferring, accepting, avoiding and mitigating (Cannon, 2014, p. 48). Risk transference is the most popular method of handling risk and results in the use of many third-party vendors for organizations (ISACA, 2016, p. 113). When opting to use third party vendors, an organization is choosing to transfer risk due to the inability or lack of feasibility for conducting the action on their own. Across the cyber domain, many organizations opt to place their data in cloud storage as this is scalable and affordable. However, cloud solutions are just as vulnerable to exploitation as an on-premises datacenter (Muncaster, 2019, para. 3). Perhaps the issue rests in the lack of education on vendor risk management. Cyber insurance is another method of transferring risk as the cost of the average data breach continues to grow each year. This paper will aim to underscore the importance of vendor risk management and options organizations have to address such risks.
Equity in Cannabis Agriculture

Cannabis legalization is celebrated by many as a long-overdue rectification of a drug policy that has oppressed and incarcerated vulnerable people and communities for decades. But as the legalization era continues and the legal cannabis industry starts to take shape, legalization advocates and industry stakeholders must reckon with a sobering reality: the benefits of legalization are not being equitably shared, and vulnerable communities that were hit the hardest during the war on drugs are not well represented in legal cannabis markets. This reality is as true for stakeholders of cannabis agriculture as it is for other sectors of the cannabis industry. As the first step in the supply chain, the cultivation of cannabis sets the tone for the industry as a whole. A well-regulated, equitable, and sustainable cannabis agriculture industry has significant catalytic potential for downstream market participants. Unfortunately, however, the cannabis agriculture industry suffers from many equity shortfalls. This Essay will explore three of these shortfalls: (1) access to agricultural lands and start-up capital, (2) cultivation licenses and state distribution of benefits, and (3) labor standards and farmworker protections. While there are many more equity issues facing cannabis agriculture, this Essay shines a light on these three while identifying areas of concern for future research. It is clear that stakeholders of cannabis agriculture, including regulators and business owners, can and should prioritize equity and participation in the development of their industry.
Self-identity and persistent offending: a quantitative test of identity theory of desistance

Compared to a vast body of research examining the crime-inhibitory roles of structural forces such as stable employment, family support and neighborhood environment, relatively fewer research effor...