cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Foreign Influence, Political Conflicts and Conflict Resolution in the Caribbean:

This article focuses on the interconnection between international factors and domestic political conflicts in the Third World context, with specific reference to Caribbean countries. Theories suggesting either no correlation or a direct linear linkage between international and domestic conflicts are criticized. It is posited that (a) the linkage between international pressures and domestic political conflicts is usually mediated by domestic class forces, particularly the contentious role of the middle classes, which invariably control Caribbean states, (b) these middle-class controlled states usually display a preference for the more authoritarian approaches to conflict resolution; (c) states subjected to the most destabilizing international pressures, such as the ideologically deviant (or pro-socialist) states, tend to display the more intensive levels of both political conflicts and repressive force; and (d) these conflict patterns harbour largely negative implications for democratic developments in the...
Non-physician clinicians in 47 sub-Saharan African countries

Summary Many countries have health-care providers who are not trained as physicians but who take on many of the diagnostic and clinical functions of medical doctors. We identified non-physician clinicians (NPCs) in 25 of 47 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, although their roles varied widely between countries. In nine countries, numbers of NPCs equalled or exceeded numbers of physicians. In general NPCs were trained with less cost than were physicians, and for only 3–4 years after secondary school. All NPCs did basic diagnosis and medical treatment, but some were trained in specialty activities such as caesarean section, ophthalmology, and anaesthesia. Many NPCs were recruited from rural and poor areas, and worked in these same regions. Low training costs, reduced training duration, and success in rural placements suggest that NPCs could have substantial roles in the scale-up of health workforces in sub-Saharan African countries, including for the planned expansion of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programmes.
Gestational weight gain recommendations in the context of the obesity epidemic

The impact of the obesity epidemic on women of childbearing age has been of particular concern in recent years as a result of studies linking maternal weight status to long-term adverse outcomes for obese mothers and their offspring. The US Institute of Medicine developed new gestational weight gain guidelines based on this literature that attempts to strike a balance between the known risks and benefits of weight gain during pregnancy. More studies that include large numbers of obese women, examine outcomes beyond the perinatal period, and identify safe and effective pregnancy weight gain interventions are needed before lower weight gain recommendations can be made for obese women.
Unanticipated Consequences of Union-Management Cooperation: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis

In this article, the authors compare the grievance rates an organizational subunit experienced prior to, during, and after a union-management cooperative effort. This participative program provided a naturally occurring field experiment with multiple time-interval pretest measures, treatment removal, and a no-treatment, nonequivalent (intact) control-group design subject to interrupted time series analysis. Markedly fewer grievances occurred during the joint, cooperative effort than during the periods prior to and after the implementation of the one-year experimental program. The authors offer their observations and discuss the implications of these findings for the grievance process and union-management cooperative arrangements.
Second- and third-order signal predistortion for nonlinear distortion suppression in a TWT

The nonlinearity inherent in the traveling wave tube (TWT) amplifier distorts amplified signals and results in reduced efficiency and bandwidth, limiting its use in communication and electronic countermeasure applications. Signal predistortion is an effective technique for suppressing nonlinear distortion in TWTs that provides high suppression and requires simple circuits for implementation. While conventional predistortion linearizers are based on third-order intermodulation (3IM) injection, this paper proposes using second-order (second-harmonic) signal injection in predistortion circuits. A detailed experimental investigation and comparison of second-order versus third-order signal predistortion is presented. It is observed that both schemes result in suppression of up to 30 dB (55 dBc) for the 3IM distortion products. However, experimental results indicate that second-harmonic signal injection performs better than 3IM in suppressing higher order products. The paper also investigates spatial evolution of the wave spectrum along the TWT axis with and without injection, and sensitivity of the suppression to injected signals amplitude, phase and the fundamental frequency.
Prenatal Malnutrition-Induced Changes in Blood Pressure: Dissociation of Stress and Nonstress Responses Using Radiotelemetry

A link between prenatal malnutrition and hypertension in human populations has recently been proposed. Rat models of prenatal malnutrition have provided major support for this theory on the basis of tail-cuff measurements. However, this technique requires restraint and elevated temperature, both potential sources of stress. To determine the effect of prenatal protein malnutrition on blood pressure under nonstress conditions, 24-hour radiotelemetric measurements were taken in the home cage. Male rats born to dams fed a 6% casein diet for 5 weeks before mating and throughout pregnancy were studied in early adulthood (from 96 days of age). During the waking phase of their cycle but not the sleep phase, prenatal malnutrition gave rise to small but significant elevations of diastolic blood pressure and heart rate compared with well-nourished controls. Direct effects of stress on blood pressure responses were determined in a second experiment using an olfactory stressor. Prenatally malnourished rats showed a greater increase in both systolic and diastolic pressures compared with well-nourished controls during the first exposure to ammonia. A different pattern of change of cardiovascular responses was also observed during subsequent presentations of the stressor. These findings of a small baseline increase in diastolic pressure consequent to prenatal malnutrition, but an augmented elevation of both systolic and diastolic pressures after first exposure to stress, suggest the need to reevaluate interpretation of the large elevations in blood pressure previously observed in malnourished animals using the stressful tail-cuff procedure.
Quantification of the Effects of Secondary Matrix on the Analysis of Sandstone Composition, and a Petrographic-chemical Technique for Retrieving Original Framework Grain Modes of Altered Sandstones

Most studies of sandstone provenance involve modal analysis of framework grains using techniques that exclude the fine-grained breakdown products of labile mineral grains and rock fragments, usually termed secondary matrix or pseudomatrix. However, the data presented here demonstrate that, when the proportion of pseudomatrix in a sandstone exceeds 10%, standard petrographic analysis can lead to incorrect provenance interpretation. Petrographic schemes for provenance analysis such as QFL and QFR should not therefore be applied to sandstones containing more than 10% secondary matrix. Pseudomatrix is commonly abundant in sandstones, and this is therefore a problem for provenance analysis. The difficulty can be alleviated by the use of whole-rock chemistry in addition to petrographic analysis. Combination of chemical and point-count data permits the construction of normative compositions that approximate original framework grain compositions. Provenance analysis is also complicated in many cases by fundamental compositional alteration during weathering and transport. Many sandstones, particularly shallow marine deposits, have undergone vigorous reworking, which may destroy unstable mineral grains and rock fragments. In such cases it may not be possible to retrieve provenance information by either petrographic or chemical means. Because of this, pseudomatrix-rich sandstones should be routinely included in chemical-petrological provenance analysis. Because of the many factors, both pre- and post-depositional, that operate to increase the compositional maturity of sandstones, petrologic studies must include a complete inventory of matrix proportions, grain size and sorting parameters, and an assessment of depositional setting.
Probing free electrons in non-polar liquids by time-domain terahertz spectroscopy

Summary form only given. Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz TDS) and its extension to probing the transient properties of materials through pump-probe measurements have been shown to be powerful probes of the steady-state and dynamical properties of charge carriers. While the method has been applied extensively to solids such as semiconductors and superconductors, it has not yet been exploited to address one of the classic problems of condensed-phase chemistry: the nature of electrons solvated in liquids. In this paper, we demonstrate the unique capabilities of THz TDS to investigate the properties of such electrons in non-polar liquids. The solvated electrons in non-polar liquids are generally described with a two-state model in which the solvated electrons are in equilibrium between the quasi-free state probed in our measurements and a bound state formed by a favorable local configuration of the solvent. THz TDS also permits insight into this bound state to be gained. This is accomplished by measuring the temperature dependence of the quasi-free electron concentration. From these data, a binding energy of 150 meV was deduced for n-hexane, comparable to that inferred previously.
Analysis of EM penetration into and scattering by electrically large open waveguide cavities using Gaussian beam shooting

Gaussian beam (GB) representation methods are used to analyze the electromagnetic coupling into and the scattering by a large nonuniform cavity. The aperture field in the cavity is decomposed into beams using the Gabor expansion, and shooting techniques are then employed. The method is illustrated only for the two-dimensional (2-D) case. The GBs are tracked axially using the rules of beam optics which ignore any beam distortion upon reflection at the walls. The effects of beam distortion are not significant for relatively slowly varying waveguide cavities. The field scattered into the exterior by the termination within the cavity is found using a reciprocity integral formulation which requires a knowledge of the beam fields near the termination. Numerical results based on this GB approach are presented and compared with results based on an independent reference solution. >
Computer simulations of fully cascadable picosecond all-optical logic using nonlinear semiconductor etalons

A paired semiconductor etalon scheme for all-optical decision making is proposed, and the results of computer simulations of the device concept are presented. In the envisioned architecture, a two-wavelength logic-gate etalon is operated in series with an 'upconverter' etalon to allow cascadable operation on a picosecond time-scale. The paired device achieves a fanout of at least two, as well as good overall contrast, requiring a total input energy of about 75 pJ to perform a single logic operation. The energy requirement might be reduced through the use of multiple-quantum-well materials. The computer simulations of the device behavior are based on a realistic model for the carrier-density-dependent optical nonlinearities of bulk GaAs. >
Value is life under an interpretation: Existential commitments, instrumental reasons and disorienting metaphors

This essay unfolds the critical and conceptual implications of a particular metaphor — theorizing value in terms of the relation between maps, terrains, and travelers. It synthesizes some ideas fro...
Corporate Governance, Ethics, and Organizational Architecture

Effective corporate leadership involves more than developing a good strategic plan and setting high ethical standards. It also means coming up with an organizational design that encourages the company's managers and employees to carry out its business plan and maintain its ethical standards. In this article, the authors use the term organizational architecture to refer to three key elements of a company's design: the assignment of decision-making authority - who gets to make what decisions; performance evaluation - the key measures of performance for evaluating business units and individual employees; and compensation structure - how employees are rewarded for meeting performance goals. In well-designed companies, each of these elements is mutually reinforcing and supportive of the company's overall business strategy. Decision-making authority is assigned to managers and employees who have the knowledge and experience needed to make the best investment and operating decisions. And to ensure that those decision makers have the incentive as well as the knowledge to make the best decisions, the corporate systems used to evaluate and reward their performance are based on measures that are linked as directly as possible to the corporate goal of creating value. Some of the most popular management techniques of the past two decades, such as reengineering, TQM, and the Balanced Scorecard, have often had disappointing results because they address only one or two elements of organizational architecture, leaving the overall structure out of balance. What's more, a flawed organizational design can lead to far worse than missed opportunities to create value.
A simulation model of intraherd transmission of foot and mouth disease with reference to disease spread before and after clinical diagnosis.

Intraherd transmission of foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) was examined using a simulation model for a hypothetical 1,000-cow dairy, assuming clinical diagnosis was made when at least 1% (10 cows) or 5% (50 cows) had clinical signs of FMD, 1 index case cow, and transition state distributions for the latent, subclinically infectious, and clinically infectious periods of FMD calculated from published data. Estimates assumed for the number of animal-to-animal contacts (k) adequate for transmission ranged from 0.6 to 9.0 per hour (13.7-216.0 per day). A total of 40,000 iterations (5,000 for each scenario, assessing 4 adequate contact rates and 2 detection criteria) were run. The model predicted that FMD would not be diagnosed in the herd until 10.0-13.5 days after the index case cow had become infected, at which time between 65% and 97% of the cows (646-967 cows) to nearly 100% (978-996 cows) would already have become infected with the virus, if the number of cows showing clinical signs of FMD at the time of diagnosis were 10 or 50, respectively. At the time of diagnosis, the simulated number of infectious cattle varied substantially from 82-472 to 476-537 cows, depending on adequate contact rate and whether the diagnosis was made when 10 or 50 animals were showing clinical signs, respectively. The simulated number of infectious cows increased rapidly during the first few days after diagnosis. In the scenario where at least 10 cows showing clinical signs was necessary before a clinical diagnosis was made, each day after diagnosis, the number of infectious animals increased by nearly 100 to more than 200 cases per day up to day 5, assuming 0.57-9.0 animal-to-animal contacts per hour, respectively. Results obtained when it was assumed that at least 50 clinical cases were present at the time of diagnosis showed smaller relative increases because nearly one-half of the herd was projected to be infected at the time of diagnosis. From these results, it is clear that once an individual in a herd becomes infected with FMDV, herd infectivity is not static, rather it accelerates as would be expected as long as there are sufficient susceptible animals to sustain the increasing transmission rate, after which time the rate at which new infections occurs will diminish. Results indicate that biosecurity strategies aimed at minimizing both intraherd and inter- herd contact will be critical in minimizing the spread of FMD before the initial diagnosis is made. In addition, simulations suggest that very early clinical diagnosis of FMD and effective isolation or depopulation and disposal will be critical in limiting the number of infectious animals capable of transmitting the virus to other herds and thus in timely control of an epidemic. Early diagnosis will rely on early virus detection from animals in the preclinical phase of infection, rather than waiting for clinical signs to manifest in sufficient numbers to be noticed and to warrant investigation.
Release of reactive bromine and iodine from diatoms and its possible role in halogen transfer in polar and tropical oceans

An in situ incubation assay measuring the bromination and iodination of phenol red was developed to detect the release of reactive bromine and iodine (primarily hypobromous acid [HOBr] and hypoiodous acid [HOI], respectively) from a putative extracellular bromoperoxidase of marine diatoms. Six of 11 species showed significant release compared to controls. Polar species were particularly active, releasing 0.6–180 fmol HOBr cell21 h21 (0.04–1.8 mmol HOBr [mg total chlorophyll]21 h21; at the seawater bromide concentration, 840 mmol L21) and 1.9–271 fmol HOI cell21 h21 (0.02–2.7 mmol HOI [mg total chlorophyll]21 h21, at 100 mmol L21 iodide). Porosira glacialis consistently showed the highest rates of release. Several temperate diatoms, including Achnanthes cf longipes, known to have a bromide-sensitive peroxidase involved in stalk formation, and warmwater species also showed the ability to release reactive bromine and iodine. This release was influenced by light, temperature, bromide (and iodide) concentration, H2O2 concentration, and pH. The rate of HOBr release by polar diatoms was much greater than bromoform emissions measured by others from laboratory cultures and seaice algae in the field. This indicates that most of the HOBr released may react with dissolved organic matter (DOM) to form nonvolatile bromine organics. Some fraction of diatom-produced HOBr and HOI may also form volatile Br2 and I2, which could transfer to the polar troposphere. The reaction of diatom-released reactive bromine and iodine with seawater DOM may represent the major mechanism in the formation of oceanic polybromo- and polyiodo-methanes.
Lopinavir impairs protein synthesis and induces eEF2 phosphorylation via the activation of AMP‐activated protein kinase

HIV anti-retroviral drugs decrease protein synthesis, although the underlying regulatory mechanisms of this process are not fully established. Therefore, we investigated the effects of the HIV protease inhibitor lopinavir (LPV) on protein metabolism. We also characterized the mechanisms that mediate the effects of this drug on elongation factor-2 (eEF2), a key component of the translational machinery. Treatment of C2C12 myocytes with LPV produced a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on protein synthesis. This effect was observed at 15 min and was maintained for at least 4 h. Mechanistically, LPV increased the phosphorylation of eEF2 and thereby decreased the activity of this protein. Increased phosphorylation of eEF2 was associated with increased activity of its upstream regulators AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and eEF2 kinase (eEF2K). Both AMPK and eEF2K directly phosphorylated eEF2 in an in vitro kinase assay suggesting two distinct paths lead to eEF2 phosphorylation. To verify this connection, myocytes were treated with the AMPK inhibitor compound C. Compound C blocked eEF2K and eEF2 phosphorylation, demonstrating that LPV affects eEF2 activity via an AMPK-eEF2K dependent pathway. In contrast, incubation of myocytes with rottlerin suppressed eEF2K, but not eEF2 phosphorylation, suggesting that eEF2 can be regulated independent of eEF2K. Finally, LPV did not affect PP2A activity when either eEF2 or peptide was used as the substrate. Collectively, these results indicate that LPV decreases protein synthesis, at least in part, via inhibition of eEF2. This appears regulated by AMPK which can act directly on eEF2 or indirectly via the action of eEF2K.
A new species of Stenomorpha Solier (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Pimeliinae: Asidini) from Cuatrociénegas, Mexico with a key to the furcata species group

A new species, Stenomorpha roosevelti Smith, Miller, and Wheeler, n. sp., is described from the Cuatrocienegas Protected Area in Coahuila, Mexico. Three related species are transferred into Stenomorpha, producing the following new combi- nations: Stenomorpha furcata (Champion), Stenomorpha wickhami (Horn), and Stenomorpha granicollis (Blaisdell). A new informal group, the furcata species group, comprised of these four species is recognized within Stenomorpha. Diagnoses of the group and its species are provided, along with distribution data and a key to the species.
The Promise and Premise of Creativity: A Review

Review article on Eugene Eoyang, The Promise and Premise of Creativity: Why Comparative Literature Matters (New York: Continuum International Publishing, 2012).
A Contribution to the Life History and Geographic Distribution of the Genus Allomyces

Almost thirty years ago Butler (1911) discovered in India a peculiar aquatic fungus to which he gave the name Allomzyces arbuscula. This organism is a member of the phycomycetous order Blastocladiales, and possesses two distinct types of sporangia; thin walled zo6sporangia, liberating posteriorly uniciliate zo6spores, and thick walled or resistant sporangia, which, after a period of dormancy, release zoospores similar in all respects to those from the zo6sporangia. It remained for Kniep (1929) to describe from Java a second species, A. jazanicus, which, while having zo6sporangia and resistant sporangia as in A. arbuscula, also produced paired gametangia liberating male and female gametes structurally similar to the zoospores except in size. In the next year, Kniep (1930) discovered that the gametangia were not produced on the same mycelium as were the two kinds of sporangia; in fact, the life cycle of A. javanlicus was shown to be characterized by an alternation of generations. The male and female gametangia produced on the sexual mycelium were observed to liberate gametes which fuse to form a motile biciliate zygote, which in turn develops into an asexual mycelium. On the asexual mycelium are borne the thin walled zo6sporangia, whose zoospores form new asexual plants, and thick walled or resistant sporangia, germinating to produce zo6spores which develop into sexual plants. A subsequent reexamination of A. arbuscila by Hatch (1933, 1935) disclosed a life cycle identical with that of A. javanicus. The distinction between the two species rests, however, on the arrangement
Tests of aerosols of deet for protection of livestock from biting flies.

When 6 concentrations of deet (3.75–75%) were applied aerosols to cattle and horses to determine their effect as repellents for biting flies, the protection was proportional to the concentration. Thus, cattle were protected from stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), for a maximum of 4 hours by 50 or 75% concentrations and from certain tabanids by a 75% concentration. Horses sprayed with the 75% concentration were protected from certain tabanids for as much as 3 hours. However, cattle sprayed with the higher concentrations salivated excessively and had a nasal discharge. Horses sprayed with the higher concentrations exhibited exfoliation on several body regions.
Listeria monocytogenes septicemia in an immunocompromised dog

An 11-year-old, male castrated, Boston Terrier was presented to the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine Small Animal Emergency Service with a 2-day history of progressive ataxia, left-sided head tilt, and anorexia. The dog had previously been diagnosed with chronic lymphoid leukemia and suspected immune-mediated destruction of his bone marrow precursor cells, possibly due to therapy with immunosuppressive dosages of prednisone and azathioprine. During the physical examination, abnormal findings included an increased body temperature and horizontal nystagmus. Diagnostic investigations included a computed tomography (CT) scan, which confirmed bilateral otitis media, and a blood culture, which was positive for Listeria monocytogenes serotype 4b (epidemic clone 1). Upon treatment with ampicillin/sulbactam, enrofloxacin, and minocycline, the dog became normothermic and the neurologic signs improved. L monocytogenes serotype 4b (epidemic clone 1) has been associated with outbreaks of human listeriosis originating from food contamination. Although rare case reports of Listeria spp. infection in dogs exist, an actual infection with the epidemic clone 1 strain has never before been reported in a dog. It should be included in the differential diagnoses in immunocompromised dogs with clinical signs of septicemia.
Management of simultaneous renal and ureteral calculi: combined extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and ureteroscopy under a single anesthetic.

AbstractSimultaneously occurring renal and ureteral calculi were treated in 28 renal units combining extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and ureteroscopy during a single anesthetic session. Distributions of ureteral calculi removed or attempted to be removed by ureteroscopy were upper third in 3, middle third in 4 and lower third in 21. If ureteroscopy was successful a ureteral stent was placed and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy was applied to more proximal renal and upper ureteral calculi. Of 28 renal units 25 (89%) were rendered free of stones or had passable calculi of less than 3mm. in diameter after a single combined treatment. This combined approach appears to be safe, effective and efficient. (J. Urol., 142:1186-1188, 1989)
Locating the corneal sighting center from videokeratography

Background The corneal sighting center is defined by the intersection of the line of sight with the anterior corneal surface and is usually found by measuring angle lambda, between the pupillary axis and the line of sight. It is to be determined if a measurement of the pupil offset in the corneal map of videokeratography might be used instead of angle lambda to provide a practical clinical method for finding the corneal sighting center. Method Two-dimensional angle lambda measurements were made in a group of 17 young adult Caucasian subjects under natural pupil conditions, using an apparatus designed for this purpose, and were compared to measurements of the corneal sighting center position as located by videokeratography. Results The correlation between angle lambda as measured directly and the pupil offset as measured by videokeratography was 0.84, which is statistically and clinically significant. Conclusions The position of the corneal sighting center may be found relative to the corneal reflex of a fixated light by using the distance and direction of the pupil offset in the corneal map of videokeratography, or indirectly by taking 0.6 times the same value and measuring in the opposite direction from the pupillary axis. The latter method does not require active fixation by the patient.
Cytokine-based tumor cell vaccine is equally effective against parental and isogenic multidrug-resistant myeloma cells: the role of cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

Tumor cells that survive initial courses of chemotherapy may do so by acquiring a multidrug-resistant phenotype. This particular mechanism of drug resistance may also confer resistance to physiological effectors of apoptosis that could potentially reduce the efficacy of immune therapies that use these pathways of cell death. We have previously demonstrated high efficacy for a cytokine-based tumor cell vaccine in a murine MPC11 myeloma model. In the present study, the effects of this vaccination were compared in MPC11 cells and their isogenic sublines selected for mdr1/P-glycoprotein (Pgp)-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR). Immunization with MPC11 cells expressing granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-12 (IL-12) led to long-lasting protection of mice against subcutaneous (sc) challenge with both parental cells or their MDR variants. Similarly, immunization with GM-CSF/IL-12–transfected MDR sublines caused rejection of transplantation of both parental cells and the MDR sublines. Whereas MPC11 cells and their MDR variants were resistant to APO-1/CD95/Fas ligand, the immunization generated potent granzyme B/perforin-secreting cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) that were similarly effective against both parental and isogenic MDR cells. We conclude that MDR mediated bymdr1/Pgp did not interfere with lysis by pore-forming CTLs. Immunotherapy based on pore-forming CTLs may be an attractive approach to the treatment of drug-resistant myeloma.
A Depression Screening Protocol for Patients With Acute Stroke: A Quality Improvement Project.

ABSTRACTBackground: Depression after stroke is common and is associated with poor functional recovery, suicidal ideation, decreased quality of life, and increased mortality. Despite this knowledge, poststroke depression (PSD) is often underdetected and thus undertreated. PSD is clinically important
Predicting Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Winter Mortality in Connecticut Forests by Climate Divisions

Abstract Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) is a devastating non-native pest of North American Tsuga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock) and Tsuga caroliniana (Carolina Hemlock). I analyzed 15 years of data collected during the period 2000–2015 to determine important winter variables influencing HWA mortality in the 3 Connecticut climatic divisions. Absolute minimum daily winter temperature, the number of subzero days (temperature drops below -17.8 °C [0 °F]), and a new interaction variable—negative degree days (NDD)—were identified as significant predictors of HWA winter mortality. The absolute minimum daily winter temperature was the most critical factor. Minimum daily winter temperatures of -24 °C, 5.5 subzero days, and -130 NDD in Division 1(Northwest); -22.4 °C, 6 subzero days, and -100 NDD in Division 2 (Central); and -21.2 °C, 2.6 subzero days, and -45 NDD in Division 3 (Coastal) resulted in 90% HWA mortality. Patterns of HWA winter mortality in coastal Division 3 were distinct from the interior and suggest col...
Electron Transfer Binding Site of Cytochrome c to Carboxylic Acid-Terminated Alkanethiol Self-assembled Monolayers Immobilized on Gold Electrode*

It is proposed that Lys-13 of mammalian cytochrome cfacilitates the most efficient electron transfer (ET) pathway to the carboxylate terminus of alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAM) on gold electrodes. In order to confirm the proposed ET pathway, the ET reaction rate of a rat cytochrome c mutant (RC9K13A), in which lysine-13 is replaced by alanine, is measured at a 3-mercaptopropionate SAM on a gold electrode. The ET rate of K13A is more than six orders of magnitude smaller than that of the native one. In the mutant, Ala-13 can no longer facilitate the ET pathway. Based on the measurements, the potential candidate for the binding site of RC9K13A is Lys-8.
Persistent pursuit-evasion: The case of the preoccupied pursuer

We consider a visibility-based pursuit-evasion problem in which a single robot with an omnidirectional but unreliable sensor moving through an environment must systematically search that environment to detect an unpredictably moving target. A common assumption in visibility-based pursuit-evasion is that the sensors used to detect the evader are perfectly reliable. That is, any evader that moves within view of the pursuer for any interval of time will be detected. This assumption is problematic because, when implemented on real sensor systems, such plans cannot account for the possibility of short-term false negative errors in evader detection. This paper addresses this limitation by introducing a model based on the idea of pessimal unoccluded distance to reason about the degree of plausibility that the evader may be concealed within each occluded region. We describe a decomposition of the environment that fully characterizes the opportune moment for an evader to take advantage of sensor error. Furthermore, we present a complete algorithm that solves the active problem of planning a search for a pursuer which maximizes the distance that the evader must travel through the pursuer robot's sensor footprint.
The Desire for Relevance

The conceptual trio of needs, wants and demands is shown to be inadequate for a theory of branding higher education. The concept of desire is shown to be a more viable underpinning for brand theory. A Freudian and Neo-Freudian conceptualization of desire as a split concept is developed and used as an analytical concept to explore branding higher education. While desire is an aspect of the unconscious, expressions of desire are aspects of the conscious mind communicated in forms of relevance. Form is identity for desire. Form is how the content of desire is inscribed into identity.
Why does organizational justice matter? Uncertainty management among law enforcement officers

Abstract Purpose Law enforcement officers who believe their supervisors are organizationally fair are more satisfied with their jobs, more confident in their authority, and more likely to use procedural justice. The problem, however, is that we have little understanding concerning why officers care about being treated fairly. We address this issue by drawing on fairness heuristic and uncertainty management theories. Methods We used survey data from a sample of Border Patrol agents (N = 868) to help advance our understanding of the association between organizational justice and job satisfaction. Regression analyses and Stata's margins command were used to visualize the interaction effects. Results We found that agents facing uncertainty focused more attention on fair supervisor treatment than their counterparts when considering how satisfied they were with their jobs. Both general workplace uncertainty and uncertainty stemming from recent negative publicity moderated the relationship between organizational justice and job satisfaction. Conclusions Organizational justice appears to be more salient to agents facing uncertainty because supervisor fairness provides cues that the agency has their best interests in mind and will support them in the future.
Samuel F. B. Morse and the Dawn of the Age of Electricity. By George F. Botjer. (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2015. Pp. 148. $75.00.)

In the preface to this book the author describes how teaching a course on technology and social change led him to reconsider the importance of the telegraph and to ask how and why the artist Samuel...
Geographic Region and Profit Status Drive Variation in Hospital Readmission Outcomes Among Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities in the United States.

Abstract Objective To examine whether there are differences in inpatient rehabilitation facilities' (IRFs') all-cause 30-day postdischarge hospital readmission rates vary by organizational characteristics and geographic regions. Design Observational study. Setting IRFs. Participants Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries discharged from all IRFs nationally in 2013 and 2014 (N = 1166 IRFs). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures We applied specifications for an existing quality measure adopted by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for public reporting that assesses all-cause unplanned hospital readmission measure for 30 days postdischarge from inpatient rehabilitation. We estimated facility-level observed and risk-standardized readmission rates and then examined variation by several organizational characteristics (facility type, profit status, teaching status, proportion of low-income patients, size) and geographic factors (rural/urban, census division, state). Results IRFs' mean risk-standardized hospital readmission rate was 13.00%±0.77%. After controlling for organizational characteristics and practice patterns, we found substantial variation in IRFs' readmission rates: for-profit IRFs had significantly higher readmission rates than did not-for-profit IRFs (P Conclusions Our findings point to variation in quality of care as measured by risk-standardized hospital readmission rates after IRF discharge. Thus, monitoring of readmission outcomes is important to encourage quality improvement in discharge care planning, care transitions, and follow-up.
Identification Techniques for a Recombinant Fed-Batch Fermentation for Ethanol Production

Optimization and control algorithms rely on mathematical models. Nonlinear models are necessary to describe biological system behavior. Two input/output modeling approaches are described for a fed-batch fermentation for ethanol production using recombinant Escherichia coli. Volterra series shows a big improvement when an autoregressive term is added, leading to a more general nonlinear model such as NARX. Neural network models are also used for identification of the fed-batch fermentation experiments. In these experiments, neural networks outperform the estimation and prediction of Volterra series. Special attention is given to the design of experiments and modeling techniques.
Thalamus: Evolution in Vertebrates

The thalamus comprises the ventral thalamus (subthalamus) and dorsal thalamus. The former includes some visual and motor system nuclei, and the latter includes multiple nuclei or groups of nuclei that are highly interconnected with various parts of the telencephalon. Some or all dorsal thalamic nuclei relay ascending information to the telencephalon – visual, auditory and/or lateral line, somatosensory, etc. Across all jawed vertebrates, two divisions of the dorsal thalamus are present: the collothalamus, which is more caudal and dominated by inputs from the midbrain roof; and the lemnothalamus, which is more rostral and predominantly receives direct inputs not relayed through the midbrain.
On imaging nascent soot by transmission electron microscopy

Abstract High-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) imaging of nascent soot was carried out with an emphasis in demonstrating the annealing of soot samples under continuous irradiation of the high-energy electron beam. Images were taken for several soot samples over the duration of 16 min in 2 min time intervals to reveal the crystallization process. Fringe properties, including fringe length, tortuosity, and spacing were analyzed over the duration of the imaging. The sensitivity of the fringe properties to the apparent changes in the nanostructures imaged was examined. The difficulties in quantifying soot composition and structures are further illustrated by analyzing simulated TEM images of molecular-dynamics generated particles. Together, the results highlight some of the challenges in using HRTEM to obtain unambiguous structural properties for nascent soot particles.
Calcitonin-Receptor-Like Receptor Signaling Governs Intestinal Lymphatic Innervation and Lipid Uptake

The absorption of dietary fat requires complex neuroendocrine-mediated regulation of chylomicron trafficking through enterocytes and intestinal lymphatic vessels. Calcitonin-receptor-like receptor ...
Antagonism in the Dark Triad

Abstract Interest in the Dark Triad (DT), which consists of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, has steadily grown since the introduction of the DT in 2002. One research question that has garnered significant attention relates to what constitutes the common core of the DT constructs. Multiple hypotheses have been offered and these hypotheses tend to focus on antagonism and/or specific antagonism-related traits. The present chapter reviews research that has sought to explicate the core of the DT, and we highlight the possibility that particular methodological approaches may lead to differing conclusions about which traits and behaviors best account for the overlap among the DT constructs. These points notwithstanding, the best available data suggest that specific traits related to (low) honesty and (low) modesty constitute the core of the DT. However, additional work is needed to adequately test leading hypotheses against one another regarding what traits and behaviors can best account for the overlap among the DT constructs.
Preoperative Clinical and Radiographic Variables Predict Postoperative C5 Palsy.

Background Postoperative C5 palsy affects 8% of patients undergoing posterior cervical decompression. It is associated with a period functional disability that may exceed 12 months and increase direct care costs > $2000. Methods All patients undergoing posterior cervical decompression at a single tertiary-care facility for degenerative conditions were evaluated for preoperative imaging, clinical presentation, surgical operation, and postoperative course. We sought to identify those variables predictive of postoperative C5 palsy. Results Of 221 included patients (mean age, 63 years; 54% male), 12.2% experienced C5 palsy. On univariate analysis, C5 palsy was associated with foraminal diameter (P = 0.0005), spinal cord cross-sectional area (P = 0.11), number of levels undergoing laminectomy (P = 0.14), and clinical presentation of dropping objects (P = 0.07), hand clumsiness (P = 0.13), or paresthesias in the upper extremities (P = 0.08). Foraminal diameter (odds ratio, 0.31 per mm increase; 95% confidence interval, 0.16–0.60; P Conclusions Foraminal stenosis most strongly predicted postoperative C5 palsy. A proof-of-concept model incorporating foramen size, as well as clinical complaints of paresthesias, hand clumsiness, and gait abnormality, successfully predicts the occurrence of postoperative palsy with an overall accuracy of 78%.
Familial factors and the risk of borderline personality pathology: genetic and environmental transmission.

BackgroundParental characteristics and practices predict borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms in children. However, it is difficult to disentangle whether these effects are genetically or environmentally mediated. The present study examines the contributions of genetic and environmental influences by comparing the effects of familial risk factors (i.e. parental psychopathology and borderline traits, maladaptive parenting, marital discord) on child BPD traits in genetically related (biological) and non-related (adoptive) families.MethodsData are from 409 adoptive and 208 biological families who participated in the Siblings Interaction and Behavior Study (SIBS) and 580 twin families the Minnesota Twin Family Study (MTFS). Parent characteristics and practices included parental psychopathology (measured via structured clinical interviews), parental BPD traits, parenting behaviors, and marital discord. A series of multi-level regression models were estimated to examine the relationship of familial risk factors to child BPD traits and to test whether children's adoptive status moderated the association.ResultsSymptom counts of parents' conduct disorder, adult antisocial behavior, nicotine, alcohol, and illicit drug dependence, and paternal BPD traits substantially predicted child BPD traits only in biological offspring, implying genetic transmission. Maternal BPD traits and both maternal and paternal conflict, lack of regard, and lack of involvement predicted offspring BPD traits regardless of the adoptive status, implying environmental transmission.ConclusionsParental externalizing psychopathology and father's BPD traits contribute genetic risk for offspring BPD traits, but mothers' BPD traits and parents' poor parenting constitute environmental risks for the development of these offspring traits.
Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness: New Insights and Challenges

Methods for assessing influenza vaccine efficacy and effectiveness have evolved over six decades. Randomized trials remain the gold standard for licensure, but observational studies are needed for annual assessment of vaccine effectiveness (VE). The test-negative design (TND) has become the de facto standard for these field studies. Patients who seek medical care with acute respiratory illness are tested for influenza, and VE is estimated from the odds of vaccination among influenza cases versus test-negative controls. VE varies across seasons, populations, age groups, and products, but VE estimates are consistently higher for A(H1N1)pdm09 and type B compared with A(H3N2). VE studies are increasingly used in combination with molecular epidemiology to understand the viral and immune system factors that drive clinical efficacy and effectiveness. The emerging field of immunoepidemiology offers the potential to understand complex host-virus interactions that affect vaccine protection, and this knowledge will contribute to universal vaccine development.
Connecting Inverse Design with Experimentally Relevant Models

While colloids are promising building blocks for the self-assembly of materials with novel microstructures, their numerous tunable parameters inhibit brute force searching for appropriate parameter combinations that yield self-assembly of a desired structure. Instead, inverse approaches that invoke a systematic optimization framework can effectively navigate this design space. In this proceeding, we apply one such inverse technique, Relative Entropy Minimization, to discover isotropic pairwise interaction potentials that prompt self-assembly of clusters in silico. The functional form of the pair interaction is chosen to model a mixture of charged colloids and neutral polymers that act as depletants, and the parameters are directly connected to experimentally tunable quantities.
Industry Payments to Orthopedic Spine Surgeons Reported by the Open Payments Database: 2014-2017.

Study design This was a retrospective study of publicly available data. Objective The objective of this study was to characterize and assess trends in Open Payments Database (OPD) industry payments reported to orthopedic spine surgeons from 2014 to 2017. Summary of background data There have been a lack of studies characterizing OPD industry payments to orthopedic spine surgeons over the 4 full years of data available. Materials and methods General industry payments made to orthopedic spine surgeons from 2014 to 2017 were characterized by year with analysis of: number of compensated surgeons, median payment per surgeon, top strata of compensated surgeons, and subtype (ie, food/beverage). Research and Ownership Payments were characterized by median payment per surgeon. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare payments. Results For General Payments, the number of compensated orthopedic spine surgeons increased from 1539 in 2014 to 1673 in 2017. Later year median General Payments per surgeon were compared with the 2014 median ($1051): 2015 ($1070: P=0.375), 2016 ($1263: P=0.012), and 2017 ($978: P=0.561). In 2014, the top 10% of compensated orthopedic spine surgeons received 89% of the total General compensation to orthopedic spine surgeons, top 5% received 79%, and the top 1% received 55%. The median General Payment for these 3 top strata remained similar over the 4 years evaluated (P>0.05). For subtype analyses, the median aggregate General Payment for "education" increased (P=0.002) across the years. Finally, it was determined that the median payment per surgeon for Research and Ownership Payment categories remained stable across the time period (P>0.05). Conclusions Many expected industry payments to surgeons to decrease under public scrutiny of the OPD, but the present study showed no net change in median payment (General, Research, and Ownership) over the years studied. In the age of greater transparency, these findings shed insight into the orthopedic spine surgeon-industry relationship. Level of evidence Level III.