cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of a linear mixed model to predict the picking time in strawberry harvesting processes

In manual fruit and vegetable harvesting, picking time statistics can be used to improve labour management and optimise the design and operation of harvest-aiding machines, such as conventional cross-row conveyors or recently proposed robotic transport carts. In this study, a dataset of 161 picking times from 18 workers was collected in commercial strawberry fields in Salinas, California, and a set of conditional linear mixed models (LMMs) was formulated to model the amount of time (“picking time”) required by a picker to fill an empty tray with harvested crop. The LMMs were based on different combinations of the following influencing factors: picker speed, time of day, plant spacing, and picking cart style. The significance of effects of these factors was investigated and the LMMs were compared with each other using cross-validation (CV) techniques. The LMMs were also evaluated using a new dataset collected during the next year's harvest season. The best predictive LMM was found to be a heterogeneous model with “picker speed”, “time of day”, and “picking cart” factors. The model had a prediction error of 134.9 s based on 10-fold CV, and 136.8 s based on leave-one-out CV (LOOCV). The selected model predicts a priori mean and standard deviation of picking times for any given combination of factor levels. For instance, if picker speed is ‘fast’, the time of day is ‘morning’, and the picking cart is ‘standard’, the marginal predicted picking time is 477.1 ± 42.4 s. The proposed methodology and model structures offer a practical tool for strawberry picking time modelling, which could also be applied to other manually harvested specialty crops such as raspberries, cherry tomatoes, and table grapes.
Plasma Inflammatory Protein Profiles Distinguish Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis from Sepsis and SIRS

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening condition characterized by excessive immune activation, where prompt recognition and initiation of treatment is essential for the survival. HLH has many overlapping clinical features with sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). This study was designed to determine if plasma biomarkers could differentiate HLH from other inflammatory conditions. We analyzed inflammatory protein profiles in the plasma of children with active HLH using the Luminex platform. We compared concentrations of 135 analytes in a discovery set, which consisted of 32 patients with HLH to 23 pediatric patients with severe sepsis or SIRS. The significant analytes were validated in an independent cohort, which consisted of 31 HLH patients and 24 patients with severe sepsis or SIRS. Comparisons were made based on the disease status and a classifier was built using various machine learning algorithms to see if the plasma protein profile could predict whether a patient had HLH or Sepsis/SIRS. Fourteen analytes were found to be significantly different between HLH patients and patients with either sepsis or SIRS in the discovery set and validated in the validated set (FDR = 0.1). A support vector machine classifier was created using six analytes (CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, MIF, TARC, and ENA-78) that was able to achieve a sensitivity of 0.903 and a specificity of 0.833 to differentiate HLH from sepsis/SIRS in an independent validation cohort. Additionally, elevated pre-therapy CCL20 was associated with risk of death in the HLH cohort. Patients with HLH are at high risk of death without prompt initiation of immune suppression, where such an intervention may be contraindicated in other conditions. This unbiased evaluation of plasma proteins demonstrated that HLH in fact has a distinct inflammatory profile compared to severe sepsis and SIRS. An "HLH classifier" could be a clinically useful tool to assist with efficient and accurate diagnosis of critically ill children with hyperinflammatory syndromes. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Optimization of Phenotyping Assays for the Model Monocot Setaria viridis

Setaria viridis (green foxtail) is an important model plant for the study of C4 photosynthesis in panicoid grasses, and is fast emerging as a system of choice for the study of plant development, domestication, abiotic stress responses and evolution. Basic research findings in Setaria are expected to advance research not only in this species and its close relative S. italica (foxtail millet), but also in other panicoid grasses, many of which are important food or bioenergy crops. Here we report on the standardization of multiple growth and development assays for S. viridis under controlled conditions, and in response to several phytohormones and abiotic stresses. We optimized these assays at three different stages of the plant’s life: seed germination and post-germination growth using agar plate-based assays, early seedling growth and development using germination pouch-based assays, and adult plant growth and development under environmentally controlled growth chambers and greenhouses. These assays will be useful for the community to perform large scale phenotyping analyses, mutant screens, comparative physiological analysis, and functional characterization of novel genes of Setaria or other related agricultural crops. Precise description of various growth conditions, effective treatment conditions and description of the resultant phenotypes will help expand the use of S. viridis as an effective model system.
The Relationship Between Interpersonal Victimization and Women’s Criminal Sentencing: A Latent Class Analysis

Latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups of incarcerated women differentiated by experiences of child abuse and intimate partner violence victimization. The abuse subscales of the Child...
Café, cooperativas y choba-choba: el rol de las redes laborales fuera del mercado la reconstrucción de cadenas de valor equitativas

Agrarian marketing cooperatives are potentially important tools for rural development. However, many cooperatives experience significant outside sales to private intermediaries, even when offering price premiums through fair trade or organic certification programs. Outside sales weaken cooperatives by increasing supply uncertainty and making advance contracting more risky. This paper studies the problem of outside sales in a single coffee cooperative in northern Peru. Empirical results from an instrumental variables (IV) probit model suggest that coffee cooperative members’ farm labor practices exert significant influence on their level of outside sales. Coffee growers that use more intensively cooperative labor networks known as choba-choba , as well as family household labor, engage in fewer outside sales and more sales through the cooperative as a proportion of their total harvest. These results suggest a linkage between the strength of coffee growing families and communities, and the robustness of agrarian marketing cooperatives.
Conclusion: Some Reflections on Women, Violence and Westerns

This Chapter offers reflections on how women’s Westerns should be praised for their tendency to question the use of violence in the pursuit of justice.
Molecular Markers in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

More than 50% of the women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer will succumb to their disease. This high death rate is because of two substantial clinical problems: 1. A typically late detection of the disease. 2. The common resistance of ovarian tumors to current therapeutic strategies.
Mitochondrial Translation in Trypanosomatids

For a long period of time, the functional properties and the very existence of mitochondrial translation in trypanosomatids remained controversial. The unusual resistance of the system to the known inhibitors of translation, such as chloramphenicol, in conjunction with the extreme hydrophobicity of the translation products appeared to be the main factors that made detection and characterization of this system so difficult. As of today, only two mitochondrial translation products have been reliably identified in Leishmania tarentolae and Trypanosoma brucei: cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and apocytochrome b (Cyb) that are encoded by nonedited and 5′-edited mRNAs, respectively. A large body of circumstantial evidence suggests that the F1F0 ATPase subunit A6 and ribosomal protein S12 are also expressed in trypanosomatid mitochondria. The issue of existence of kinetoplast-mitochondrial ribosomes has been addressed lately by the isolation of the 50S monosome particles and reconstruction of their 3D-structure using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy. The overall architecture of these particles strikingly resembles that of eubacterial ribosomes, despite profound differences in the size of ribosomal RNAs and the protein content of these two classes of ribosomes. Evidence begins to accumulate that in order to selectively achieve translation of the fully edited mRNA templates the mitoribosomes are involved in higher-order interactions with mRNA editing and polyadenylation machineries. The pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins emerge as important participants in these interactions.
Methods in Multi-site Trials of Family-based Interventions

I concentrate on a subset of the methodological issues raised in the chapters of Part IV of this volume. First, is the multiple testing problem raised by Moore and Wood (Chap. 13). I point to the advantages of replication across experimental sites or across experiments themselves as a useful antidote for multiple testing bias. Second, as detailed by Metzler, Sanders and Rusby (Chap. 12), family-based interventions typically target a number of individuals—e.g., both parent and children—which raises the problem of how to weight impacts across different kinds of family members to arrive at some overall judgment of whether a given intervention was beneficial. Third, interventions conducted in a number of sites can provide powerful means for estimating the magnitude of some of the nonexperimental linkages in hypothesized theories of change using the method of instrumental variables. Finally, I point to an underemphasized problem in the chapters in Part IV—the fact that a given treatment may have very different kinds of effects for different types of families or individuals.
Integration of syndromic surveillance data into public health practice at state and local levels in North Carolina.

Objectives.We sought to describe the integration of syndromic surveillance data into daily surveillance practice at local health departments (LHDs) and make recommendations for the effective integration of syndromic and reportable disease data for public health use.Methods.Structured interviews were conducted with local health directors and communicable disease nursing staff from a stratified random sample of LHDs from May through September 2009. Interviews captured information on direct access to the North Carolina syndromic surveillance system and on the use of syndromic surveillance information for outbreak management, program management, and the creation of reports. We analyzed syndromic surveillance system data to assess the number of signals resulting in a public health response.Results.Syndromic surveillance data were used for outbreak investigation (19% of respondents) and program management and report writing (43% of respondents); a minority reported use of both syndromic and reportable disease d...
Esophageal Perforation After Failed Prehospital Intubation.

Author(s): Pomeranz, Kaila; Mohr, Nicholas | Abstract: Esophageal perforation is a rare condition with high rates of mortality if not recognized quickly. This is a case of a 67-year-old male with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He had one failed intubation attempt prior to arrival. On post-mortem autopsy it was discovered that in addition to significant head trauma, he also had an esophageal and gastric rupture.
Preventing Reading Failure for First-Grade Students in an Urban School.

This study sought to examine the effectiveness of Reading RACES (RR), a computer program designed to deliver a repeated reading intervention with culturally relevant passages. Specifically, this st...
Seven Intellectual Ventures

In August 2005, nearly fifty years after I set my mind to aspire to become an economist, I headed for Marrakesh, Morocco, to attend the International Economic Association World Congress. (The International Economic Association (IEA) was organized as a nongovernmental organization in 1950 at the urging of UNESCO. It is a federation of associations representing economists in various nations, with over sixty member associations. The Japanese association is the Science Council of Japan. See http://www.iea-world.org) When I arrived at the hotel, who should walk toward me but then President of the Association, Professor Janos Kornai, and his wife. He greeted me with the words, “I have good news! You’ve been selected President by the executive committee.” He added, “You won by just one vote.”
The Predictive Role of School Performance Indicators on Students’ College Achievement:

The adoption of market theory as a guiding principle of education policy increased the need for assessments of school performance that families could use to compare academic benefits of attending o...
Beyond Chu's Limit with Floquet Impedance Matching.

Chu's limit determines the minimum radiation quality factor $Q$ of an electrically small resonator, and hence its maximum operational bandwidth, which is inversely proportional to its volume. This bound imposes severe restrictions in several areas of technology, from wireless communications to nanophotonics and metamaterials. We show that a suitably tailored temporal modulation of the matching network, combined with proper detuning of the feeding impedance, can overcome this limit and enable radiation over broader bandwidths, which scale as $1/\sqrt{Q}$, ensuring at the same time stability. Our findings open opportunities for communication systems, nanophotonics, and sensor technology.
Factors associated with time to palliative radiotherapy in an academic radiation oncology clinic.

56Background: Palliative radiotherapy (PRT) is a common and effective modality for the relief of symptoms due to malignancy. Members of the supportive care team may be hesitant to refer for PRT due...
Censorship, the Media, and the Market in China

Pervasive media censorship in China is often seen as a strictly political issue. Although in past years reporters have had leeway to report on economic issues, the Chinese Party/state has moved to tamp down economic journalism, even arresting those who report on bad economic news. This shift brings to the fore an issue long ignored by social scientists – economic censorship. Economic censorship takes place when state-owned enterprises (SOEs) or large private companies pressure the state to censor negative reports or directly pay off media companies to quash such reports in favor of more positive ones. Such economic censorship distorts markets and shifts investor money away from new market entrants and towards large, well-resourced and well-connected SOEs. Using a database of Chinese newspaper articles from 2004 to 2006 and a separate database of newspaper articles, blog posts and micro-blog posts from 2010, and supplemented by secondary sources, this paper examines how media coverage is distorted by censorship and corruption to the benefit of China’s entrenched interests. In particular, I find that private and provincially owned companies receive much more press coverage than do their central government (SASAC) owned equivalents, controlling for a number of factors.
Adaptive low-overhead scheduling for periodic and reactive intermittent execution

Batteryless energy-harvesting devices eliminate the need in batteries for deployed sensor systems, enabling longer lifetime and easier maintenance. However, such devices cannot support an event-driven execution model (e.g., periodic or reactive execution), restricting the use cases and hampering real-world deployment. Without knowing exactly how much energy can be harvested in the future, robustly scheduling periodic and reactive workloads is challenging. We introduce CatNap, an event-driven energy-harvesting system with a new programming model that asks the programmer to express a subset of the code that is time-critical. CatNap isolates and reserves energy for the time-critical code, reliably executing it on schedule while deferring execution of the rest of the code. CatNap degrades execution quality when a decrease in the incoming power renders it impossible to maintain its schedule. Our evaluation on a real energy-harvesting setup shows that CatNap works well with end-to-end, real-world deployment settings. CatNap reliably runs periodic events when a prior system misses the deadline by 7.3x and supports reactive applications with a 100% success rate when a prior work shows less than a 2% success rate.
GP-based Runtime Planning, Learning, and Recovery for Safe UAV Operations under Unforeseen Disturbances

Autonomous vehicles are typically developed and trained to work under certain system and environmental conditions defined at design time and can fail or perform poorly if unforeseen conditions such as disturbances or changes in model dynamics appear at runtime. In this work, we present a fast online planning, learning, and recovery approach for safe autonomous operations under unknown runtime disturbances. Our approach estimates the behavior of the system with an unknown model and provides safe plans at runtime under previously unseen disturbances by leveraging Gaussian Process regression theory in which a model is continuously trained and adapted using data collected during the autonomous operation. A recovery procedure is event-triggered any time a safety constraint is violated to guarantee safety and enable learning and replanning. The proposed framework is applied and validated both in simulation and experiment on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) delivery case study in which the UAV is tasked to carry an a priori unknown payload to a goal location in a cluttered/constrained environment.
Public Datasets: Access, Download and Cleaning (AWS)

In this paper, we describe the steps we took to access and use one of the data sets available via Amazon Web Services (AWS).
The promise of the gut microbiome as part of individualized treatment strategies

Variability in disease presentation, progression and treatment response has been a central challenge in medicine. Although variability in host factors and genetics are important, it has become evident that the gut microbiome, with its vast genetic and metabolic diversity, must be considered in moving towards individualized treatment. In this Review, we discuss six broad disease groups: infectious disease, cancer, metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune or inflammatory disease, and allergic and atopic diseases. We highlight current knowledge on the gut microbiome in disease pathogenesis and prognosis, efficacy, and treatment-related adverse events and its promise for stratifying existing treatments and as a source of novel therapies. The Review is not meant to be comprehensive for each disease state but rather highlights the potential implications of the microbiome as a tool to individualize treatment strategies in clinical practice. Although early, the outlook is optimistic but challenges need to be overcome before clinical implementation, including improved understanding of underlying mechanisms, longitudinal studies with multiple data layers reflecting gut microbiome and host response, standardized approaches to testing and reporting, and validation in larger cohorts. Given progress in the microbiome field with concurrent basic and clinical studies, the microbiome will likely become an integral part of clinical care within the next decade.
Some Questions and Answers Concerning Justice Blackmun in Federalism and Separation of Power Cases

In many important federalism and separation or powers cases, Justice Blackmun was impressive and thoughtful in asking the right kinds of questions about the way the political process functions, but sometimes gave answers that are open to serious question. This essay is a reflection on Justice Blackmun’s jurisprudence in notably important federalism and separation of powers cases.
An Interview with APPLE Lecture 2011 Guest Speaker Prof. Tom Cobb

The past decade has witnessed the exponential growth of technologies for vocabulary learning, and a revived interest in the applications of corpus linguistics. The TESOL/AL Web Journal team (represented by Anny Sun and Mi Sun Park) was thrilled to meet Prof. Tom Cobb, the APPLE Lecture speaker this year, for an informative session about his expertise in these two areas.
Chemical studies on malformin—III. : Structure of malformin A

Abstract The amino acid sequence of malformin A, cyclo- l -isoleucyl- d -cysteinyl- l -valyl- d -cysteinyl- d -leucyl, was confirmed. The presence of an SS bond in the molecule was proved by iodine oxidation of thiolmalformin A to malformin A. A stereoisomer, isomalformin A, was also produced during oxidation. Both SS compounds were interconvertible via the SH compound. Possible steric configurations of malformin A were discussed.
Peptide acceptors in the arginine transfer reaction.

To determine whether small peptides could function as acceptors in the reaction catalyzed by arginyl-tRNA-protein transferase they were tested for their ability to inhibit the transfer of [14C]arginine from tRNA to bovine albumin and reaction mixtures containing them were examined by paper electrophoresis for the presence of new radioactive products. Among di- and tripeptides containing 17 different NH2-terminal residues only those with glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and, to a lesser extent, cystine were inhibitory. Inhibition was competitive with albumin and associated with the peptide-dependent formation of a new radioactive product. When Glu-Ala was used as inhibitor the product was isolated and identified as Arg-Glu-Ala. A marked variation in Ki values was observed for different di- and tripeptides containing appropriate NH2-terminal residues, suggesting that in addition to an NH2-terminal dicarboxylic amino acid other residues influence substrate specificity in this reaction. Certain non-peptide derivatives of the dicarboxylic acids were also found to serve as acceptors. Isoasparagine and isoglutamine were the best substrates among these compounds and acceptor specificity was related to the presence of a blocked α-carboxyl and an unsubstituted β- or γ-carboxyl group.
The Phenomenal Use of ‘Look’ and Perceptual Representation

The article provides the state of the art on the debate about whether the semantics of ‘look’ statements commits us to any particular theory of perceptual experience. The debate began with Frank Jackson's argument that ‘look’ statements commit us to a sense-datum theory of perception. Thinkers from different camps have since then offered various rejoinders to Jackson's argument. Others have provided novel arguments from considerations of the semantics of ‘look’ to particular theories of perception. The article closes with an argument of this sort for a representational theory of perceptual experience.
A New Model of Hedge Fund Regulation: Shorting Federalism or Bernie’s Nightmare

Current proposals for reform of the financial markets regulation usually build on the same paradigm as the pre-crisis regulation. This paper, in the field of hedge funds and other alternative investment funds, proposes an alternative regulatory structure based on the new governance scholarship. The proposal consists in allowing, within certain constraints, the coexistence and competition of multiple regulatory frameworks for hedge and other alternative investment funds. A framework could be private or public, domestic or foreign, institutionalized or not, and would be subject to authorization by the respective regulators. Terms of such authorization would be negotiated between the industry and regulators and renegotiation would be possible. Frameworks would not be limited by national borders, exact statutory qualifications or legislative petrification. Each fund (and its manager) would choose and could also change the framework to which it subscribes, subject to such framework's own rules. The model should reduce regulatory capture and overload, harness the power of informal networks in the industry and eliminate the problems arising from regulatory forum shopping and related protectionist responses. It should also create an appropriate platform for search of proper regulatory responses and a system of checks and balances between the legislator, the regulator and the regulated industry.
Ultraviolet microscopy of purine compounds in the yeast vacuole.

Svihla, G. (Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Ill.), J. L. Dainko, and F. Schlenk. Ultraviolet microscopy of purine compounds in the yeast vacuole. J. Bacteriol. 85:399–409. 1962.—Yeast cells (Candida utilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) suspended in nitrogen-free medium were exposed to various ultraviolet-absorbing biological compounds, particularly nucleic acid constituents. Ultraviolet photomicrography was used to locate these substances in the cells. Purines were taken up readily and concentrated in the vacuoles of C. utilis but not of S. cerevisiae. Crystallization occurred, as observed earlier by other techniques. Neither organism assimilated pyrimidine bases, or purine or pyrimidine nucleosides, at a detectable rate. From the selective uptake and release of some purine derivatives, it can be concluded that the properties of the vacuolar membrane and the cytoplasmic membrane differ in several respects. Images
Achieving 10-9 Dependability with Drive-by-Wire Systems

The automotive industry is moving ahead to introduce drive-by-wire (DBW) electronic systems to replace mechanical controls and linkages that have changed little since cars were first introduced. Electronic drive-by-wire systems offer enormous potential to improve vehicle performance and safety, but matching the dependability of simple mechanical components with electronics will be a challenge. Highly dependable electronic controls require a fault-tolerant approach with both a primary and a backup system as a minimum. Aircraft fly-by-wire systems go beyond this, using triple and quadruple redundant electronics to tolerate more than one failure during the same flight. Automobile drive-by-wire must also provide some capability to allow the car to be driven safely to a repair facility after a failure occurs. This paper examines some possible drive-by-wire systems architectures, presents a mathematical analysis of the predicted dependability (expressed as the probability the system will fail in a given time period) of these alternatives and investigates the impact of how the vehicle is operated and maintained on its dependability. Architectural alternatives considered include both dual and triple redundant systems. The mathematical analysis builds on techniques developed to analyze aircraft systems using Markov reliability modeling. The uncertainty associated with such predictions will be discussed along with comparisons to acceptable risk levels for other established technologies.
Poor Sleep Challenging the Health of a Nation

Sleep is integral to the health and well-being of all people. Sleep disorders are on the rise and affect millions of people in America. Misconceptions about sleep are prevalent, and the negative effects of poor sleep on society are underrepresented. The goal of this study is to investigate and report the effects of poor sleep on society. Information is obtained through a systematic review of current literature, including journal articles, books, and reports. Multiple themes emerged from the literature review relative to poor sleep and societal impacts. These themes include major disasters related to insufficient sleep, performance and productivity, stress, drowsy driving, substance use and abuse, mortality and morbidity, overall health and wellbeing, effects on healthcare systems, and economic costs. Poor sleep decreases human productivity and performance, and increases mortality and morbidity. The National Sleep Foundation estimates that poor sleep costs America billions of dollars each year and greatly compromises public safety and health. Possible solutions to the Nation's sleep problem may begin with promoting education and awareness of sleep disorders and their negative societal impact, research in sleep medicine, as well as public education about healthy sleep. The beginnings of these solutions lie in the hands of healthcare workers and educational institutions. Interventions in the form of questionnaires have been validated as effective in determining a person's risk of sleep apnea. The STOP-BANG questionnaire is one such intervention that may be useful by allied health professionals to assist in patient screening of sleep apnea.
STAT3 is necessary for liver myeloid-derived suppressor cell PDL-1-dependent inhibition of genetically modified T cell function. (IRC5P.466)

Introduction: Liver myeloid-derived suppressor cells (L-MDSC) can suppress genetically-modified T cells (GMT). STAT3 is a regulator of myeloid progenitors and promotes MDSC expansion. We hypothesized an increase in L-MDSC STAT3 activity in the setting of liver metastases (LM), contributing to suppression of GMT. Methods: LM were established in C57BL/6 mice by splenic injection of CEA+ MC38 tumor cells. L-MDSC were isolated with anti-CD11b immunomagnetic beads and flow cytometry used for phenotypic analysis. Ex vivo blockade of STAT3 was performed with cucurbitacin I (JSI-124) and Celastrol. Serum STAT3 and phospohorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3) levels were quantified by ELISA. Results: Both STAT3 and pSTAT3 levels were elevated (1.9-fold, p=0.005 and 1.6-fold, p=0.019) in serum of mice with established LM. L-MDSC isolated from LM-mice contained more pSTAT3 than normal mice (4.9% vs. 1.1%, p=0.007). Having previously demonstrated PDL-1-dependent suppression of anti-CEA GMT by L-MDSC, we asked if increased STAT3 activity contributed to immunosuppression. Blockade of STAT3 led to decreased PDL-1 expression on L-MDSC [52.7% vs. 9.9% (JSI-124 p=0.002) vs. 15.4% (Celastrol p=0.002)], likely hampering PDL-1 dependent immunosuppression. Conclusion: We demonstrated increased STAT3 and pSTAT3 in L-MDSC of mice with LM, and STAT3-dependent PDL-1 expression. Blockade of STAT3 is a potential clinical strategy for preventing L-MDSC PDL-1 expression and suppression of GMT via the PD-1/PDL-1 axis.
Clifford statistics and the temperature limit in the theory of fractional quantum Hall effect

Using the recently discovered Clifford statistics we propose a simple model for the grand canonical ensemble of the carriers in the theory of fractional quantum Hall effect. The model leads to a temperature limit associated with the permutational degrees of freedom of such an ensemble. We also relate Schur's theory of projective representations of the permutation groups to physics, and remark on possible extensions of the second quantization procedure.
How does spouse career support relate to employee turnover? Work interfering with family and job satisfaction as mediators †

Summary Employee turnover is a major concern because of its cost to organizations. Although theory supports theinﬂuence of nonwork factors on turnover, our understanding of the degree to which nonwork factors relateto actual turnover behavior is not well developed. Using a sample of 5505 U.S. Army ofﬁcers, we assessedthe extent to which spouse career support related to reduced turnover four years later through work interferingwith family (WIF) and job satisfaction as mechanisms. Results revealed that spouse career support decreasedthe odds of turnover, and WIF and job satisfaction sequentially mediated this relationship, with lowerWIFandhigherjobsatisfactionreducingtheoddsofturnover.Practicalimplicationsofusingfamilysupportsystems as retention interventions are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Keywords: work–family conﬂict; turnover behavior; spouse support; career support; job satisfaction Turnover has long been a focus of organizational researchers because of the high costs of recruitment andselectiontoreplaceemployeeswhohavelefttheorganization(Kacmar,Andrews,VanRooy,Steilberg,CPrice,1977;Sheridan& Abelson,1983) depicteddeclining jobattitudes,whichwereassociatedwithanincreasedlikelihoodofturnover. These models included characteristics of thework environmentas antecedents of turnover but excludedcharacteristicsofthenonworkenvironment.However,thenonworkdemandsofU.S.workershavechangedagreatdealsinceearlyturnovermodelsweredevelopedwhenmostmembersoftheworkforceweremeninsingle-earnerfamilies.In2011, 58.5 percent of married employees were in dual-earner couples, and 70.6 percent of mothers with children underthe age of 18 were employed (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). Such changes are re ﬂected in more recent turnovermodels that acknowledge the important role that nonwork factors can play in turnover (e.g., Hom & Kinicki, 2001).Despite the recognition that nonwork factors contribute to turnover decisions, nonwork and cross-domainvariables such as spouse support (a nonwork factor) and work–family conﬂict (a cross-domain variable) havereceived minimal attention in turnover research (e.g., Hom & Kinicki, 2001). This is an important oversight giventhatpastresearchhasfoundthatnonworkvariablessuchasspousesupportrelatetoanumberofworkoutcomesand
Amplified spontaneous emission in electron-beam-pumped surface-emitting semiconductor lasers

The deterioration of gain in electron-beam-pumped semiconductor lasers with increase in the diameter of the pumped region has been attributed to a reduction in the degree of inversion caused by amplified spontaneous emission. Theories of amplified spontaneous emission in such surface-emitting lasers are advanced in which spatial and spectral inhomogeneities of gain are taken into account. Experiments to determine the dependence of laser threshold and differential efficiency on the diameter of an excited circular region demonstrate good agreement with the threshold predictions of the linear theory; however, the lack of agreement in differential efficiency suggest that a nonlinear phenomenological theory be considered. Data for such calculations are provided from experiments on saturation of spontaneous emission. The resultant nonlinear theory is shown to account well for the observed dependence of differential efficiency on the diameter of the excited region.
Combining Structure- and Ligand-Based Approaches to Improve Site of Metabolism Prediction in CYP2C9 Substrates

Purpose Predicting atoms in a potential drug compound that are susceptible to oxidation by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes is of great interest to the pharmaceutical community. We aimed to develop a computational approach combining ligand- and structure-based design principles to accurately predict sites of metabolism (SoMs) in a series of CYP2C9 substrates.
Mechanisms of immunosuppression associated with severe nonthermal traumatic injuries in man: Production of interleukin 1 and 2

Depression of cell-mediated immunity in patients following severe traumatic injury has been well documentedin vitro andin vivo. However, the exact mechanism of this defect is still controversial. In this study, we have investigated the ability of injured patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to produce two important immunoregulatory molecules, interleukin 1 (IL 1) and interleukin 2 (IL 2). Eighteen traumatic injury patients were studied during the course of their hospital stay and their results compared with a group of 18 normal age- and sex-matched controls. The results showed the following. (1) Production of IL 2 by normal PBMC in response to optimal doses of mitogen may vary with sex as well as age. (2) Adherent mononuclear cells from trauma patients produced at least as much IL 1 as normals. (3) IL 2 production, however, was markedly suppressed (normals, 1.6 ± 0.2 U; traumatic injury, 0.6±0.1 U;P=0.001) and persisted for as long as 50 days postinjury. OKT4+ cells were not significantly decreased at any time, nor were OKT8+ suppressor/cytotoxic cells increased at any time. Decreased IL 2 production in patients treated with steroids or those who were septic was not different from that in those patients who were not treated with steroids or were not septic. These results suggest that the cause of the defect in IL 2 production in traumatic injury patients is not related to a lack of the IL 1 signal, producer T cells, or Ia+ monocytes or to increased suppressor T cells. However, it could be related to a lack of another macrophage signal to the T cell, another suppressor-cell population, or an active suppressor substance which has been identified in the serum of these patients.
Reconsidering the law and economics of low-level radioactive waste management

Several countries are striving to ensure adequate long-run disposal space for low-level radioactive waste (LLRW). In the United States, the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980 and its 1985 amendments comprise a menu of incentives and penalties designed to motivate the construction of regional LLRW disposal facilities—the operating premise. Congress wished to intervene in the marketplace to bring about a more equitable solution to the LLRW management problem. Some investigators forewarned years ago that the federal law was both inefficient and inequitable. Additionally, however, the law has proved ineffectual, as only one new disposal facility has emerged and that one (at Clive, UT) was created outside of the federal incentive structure. This article (1) provides an argument as to why the LLRW Act of 1980 and its subsequent amendments failed to elicit the regional system of LLRW facilities it envisioned, and (2) complements this argument with a comprehensive model of LLRW management.
APPROACH-WITHDRAWAL BEHAVIOR OF PEACH-FACED LOVEBIRDS, AGAPORNIS ROSEICOLIS, AND ITS MODIFICATION BY BRAIN LESIONS

I. The frequency of mobbing vocalizations (chips, squeaks, chitters) and wing-beating was increased by the presence of a strange object (a small wooden cylinder) in the cage. The relative increase produced by the cylinder was much greater in birds that were partially isolated from the sounds as well as the sight of others than in birds only visually isolated. 2. The number of mobbing displays given by 20-hour food-deprived birds in response to the cylinders was sharply reduced by simultaneous presentation of food (even though the birds did not eat) but remained significantly above that given to food alone. This effect was observed in all lesioned birds as well as in intact controls. 3. A peculiar vocalization is described and termed "singing" because of some resemblance to subsong of passerines. It included all the vocalizations encountered in mobbing but occurred mostly in birds that appeared drowsy and was inhibited by stimuli that produced mobbing. 4. Brain lesions that destroyed the medial archistriatum bilaterally greatly reduced the frequency of mobbing displays in response to unfamiliar objects, and simultaneously decreased withdrawal and avoidance and increased some approach behavior. 5. Lesions of the hyperstriatum increased mobbing displays and probably increased the inhibitory effect of the cylinders on feeding compared to intact birds.
Chemical driving force for dislocation motion in hydrogen embrittlement

Abstract Two major effects of hydrogen in metals, particularly iron and its alloys, are proposed here. The first is the effect of hydrogen on plastic behavior. It is proposed that during charging or discharging a large chemical driving force can generate and move dislocations to facilitate hydrogen transport. The second is the effect of hydrogen on fracture. It is proposed that the dislocations emitted by the chemical driving force can exert a sufficient stress intensity factor at the crack tip to cause propagation along the slip plane, even without any externally applied stress.
Assessment of perceived traumatic injury hazards during drywall taping and sanding

The objective of this study was to identify the drywall finishing tasks which are directly perceived as hazardous by workers. A questionnaire survey was conducted to evaluate workers’ perceived injury hazards (physical stress, fall potential, and struck by/against an object) for six finishing tasks (4 taping and 2 sanding tasks) and three items of elevated support equipment. Thirty experienced drywall finishers participated in this study. The ratings of perceived physical stress and fall potential varied significantly among the six tasks (both p values <0.05). Subjects perceived greater physical stress for the two drywall sanding tasks than the four taping tasks. Sanding skimmed drywall without the use of pole sanders, in particular sanding ceiling joints, nails, and corners was rated most stressful. Wrists/hands and shoulders were identified as the most affected body part subject to physical stress during drywall taping and sanding. Tasks performed with the use of stilts were rated as having greater fall potential than those without using stilts. The activity of putting on stilts and getting up on them was most likely to cause loss of balance. Results from this study provide information directly from experienced workers to help identify hazardous tasks and activities associated with drywall finishing. The findings will assist in focusing future research efforts on the most hazardous tasks and activities of drywall finishing. Construction workers who perform drywall installation, including taping and sanding drywall sheets, have the highest incidence/injury rate compared to any other workforce. Taping and sanding drywall sheets increases the potential for physical stress, falls and struck by and against objects. A questionnaire was designed to collect injury information directly from painters who performed drywall taping/sanding and to identify perceived hazards associated with drywall taping and sanding. Prior to this study, there has been little substantive research to ergonomically evaluate the excessive stresses and potential injuries imposed on this workforce.
Effects of an attention demanding task on dynamic stability during treadmill walking

People exhibit increased difficulty balancing when they perform secondary attention-distracting tasks while walking. However, a previous study by Grabiner and Troy (J. Neuroengineering Rehabil., 2005) found that young healthy subjects performing a concurrent Stroop task while walking on a motorized treadmill exhibited decreased step width variability. However, measures of variability do not directly quantify how a system responds to perturbations. This study re-analyzed data from Grabiner and Troy 2005 to determine if performing the concurrent Stroop task directly affected the dynamic stability of walking in these same subjects. Thirteen healthy volunteers walked on a motorized treadmill at their self-selected constant speed for 10 minutes both while performing the Stroop test and during undisturbed walking. This Stroop test consisted of projecting images of the name of one color, printed in text of a different color, onto a wall and asking subjects to verbally identify the color of the text. Three-dimensional motions of a marker attached to the base of the neck (C5/T1) were recorded. Marker velocities were calculated over 3 equal intervals of 200 sec each in each direction. Mean variability was calculated for each time series as the average standard deviation across all strides. Both "local" and "orbital" dynamic stability were quantified for each time series using previously established methods. These measures directly quantify how quickly small perturbations grow or decay, either continuously in real time (local) or discretely from one cycle to the next (orbital). Differences between Stroop and Control trials were evaluated using a 2-factor repeated measures ANOVA. Mean variability of trunk movements was significantly reduced during the Stroop tests compared to normal walking. Conversely, local and orbital stability results were mixed: some measures showed slight increases, while others showed slight decreases. In many cases, different subjects responded differently to the Stroop test. While some of our comparisons reached statistical significance, many did not. In general, measures of variability and dynamic stability reflected different properties of walking dynamics, consistent with previous findings. These findings demonstrate that the decreased movement variability associated with the Stroop task did not translate to greater dynamic stability.
Role of Behavior Level, Behavioral Variability, and Ratee Order in the Formation of Appraisal Ratings

Two laboratory studies were conducted to assess the role of behavioral data in the formation of appraisal ratings. In the first study, which included 200 participants, significant main effects using a split-plot factorial analysis of variance design were found for performance variability, performance level, and ratee order. A central drift phenomenon also was discovered with ratees whose performance profiles were both similar and extreme (extremely high or extremely low), receiving ratings that drifted toward average as a function of rating queue position. A second study, which included 126 participants, replicated this drift phenomenon and isolated the cause as profile similarity rather than profile extremity. Implications of these findings for rating accuracy and future "truescore" research designs are discussed.
Hot deformation mechanisms in a 10 vol% Al2O3 particle reinforced 6061 al matrix composite

Particle reinforced metal matrix composites (MMC`s) exhibit improved stiffness, strength and creep resistance while retaining relatively low density. The discontinuously reinforced MMCs can be fabricated by conventional metal working techniques, such as rolling or extrusion; thus, they have the potential to be used in industry as replacements for conventional Al alloys and steels for special purposes. The previous research shows that the hot deformation properties of MMCs are strongly dependent upon processing temperature, strain rate and microstructural characteristics. The aim of this research is to reveal the deformation behavior and mechanisms during hot deformation of 10 vol% Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/6061 Al.
Design and implementation of a stand-alone workstation for stereotaxic neurosurgery

We have developed a Macintosh II based workstation for stereotaxis neurosurgery. Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) are displayed in the NIH Image environment, customized to include stereotaxic and image manipulation utilities. To obtain the soft tissue detail of MRI images along with the bone definition and coordinate system of CT images, scans from the same patient are registered globally. A transformation is calculated to align the planes of the MRI images along CT planes, and this is then used to extract a MRI slice to correspond to a CT slice containing the target site. The extracted slice is warped, to correct for local misregistration, using corresponding landmarks in this and the CT image. The composite image, generated by overlaying the two, is used to calculate the Brown- Roberts-Wells stereotaxis frame angle settings needed to access the target. Path planning using reformatted CT slices is available as another option. Experimental validation using patient data has been done. This workstation has all the capabilities of a conventional CT workstation in addition to these stereotaxis routines.
Inverse Scattering of Dielectric Cylindrical Targets Using Genetic Programming

Abstract A genetic programming method for solving inverse scattering problems involving cylindrical targets composed of either homogeneous or inhomogeneous dielectrics is presented. Specifically, a tree-shaped chromosome is used to combine convex polygons using either Boolean operations (for homogeneous targets) or an overlapping scheme (for inhomogeneous targets). Convex polygons residing in the terminal nodes of the tree are represented as the convex hull of a variable length list of points. Genetic programming then optimizes the geometry and topology of the target along with all material values. Results show that the method is accurate for a broad class of scattering targets.