cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temperature requirements of four parasites of the Russian wheat aphid Diuraphis noxia

We studied the effects of six constant temperatures (7.2, 10.0, 15.5, 21.1, 26.6, and 29.4 °C) on developmental rates and developmental times in four parasites of Diuraphis noxia (Mordwilko) (Homoptera: Aphididae): Aphelinus asychis Walker from Chile, A. asychis W. from France, Aphidius matricariae Haliday from Iraq, and Diaeretiella rapae (M'Intosh) from Pakistan. Differences were not detected in developmental time between sexes in D. rapae at any of the temperatures tested. Males developed faster than females in A. matricariae at 10 and 21.1 °C, A. asychis Chile at 15.5 and 29.4 °C, and A. asychis France at 10, 15.5, and 21.1 °C (P<0.05). Developmental thresholds (t), and times-to-adult in degree-days (K) of the four parasites are: 7.1 °C and 248.8 for A. asychis Chile, 6.4 °C and 246.7 for A. asychis France, 1.4 °C and 311.4 for A. matricariae, and 2.1 °C and 293.4 for D. rapae, respectively. Based on the predicted accumulation of degree-days and number of generations per year for the four parasites at three climatically distinct localities in California, we concluded that the parasite with the lowest developmental threshold (A. matricariae) may complete ca. 4.5, 3.6, and 2.1 more generations than the parasite with the highest developmental threshold (A. asychis from Chile) at the coldest, intermediate, and warmest localities, respectively. It was suggested that parasites with lower developmental thresholds, despite their generally greater time-to-adult, will have greater population densities following the winter season than parasites with higher developmental thresholds, they may appear earlier and thus have greater potential as effective biological control agents especially in annual crops such as small grains. When attempting to introduce parasites for biological control of a target host the developmental thresholds of both the parasite and the host should be considered in conjunction with other attributes such as searching efficiency, fecundity, host preference, and others.
Robust feedback control design of an ultra-sensitive, high bandwidth tunneling accelerometer

Robust feedback control design of an ultrasensitive, high-bandwidth, tunneling accelerometer is reported. The control design uses the H/sub /spl infin// loop-shaping technique to shape the loop to achieve high disturbance rejection, noise attenuation, and robustness to parameter variations. While the design was performed on a linearized plant, nonlinear simulations of the tunneling accelerometer device demonstrate that the accelerometer can accurately sense forces over its control bandwidth even when its parameters have been perturbed away from their nominal values that were used in the control design.
Romantic partner selection and socialization during early adolescence.

This prospective study examined romantic partner selection and socialization among a sample of 78 young adolescents (6th–8th graders). Independent assessments of adolescent and romantic partner adjustment were collected before and after relationships initiated via peer nomination and self-report. Prior to their relationship, adolescents and partners were significantly alike on popularity, physical attraction, and depressive symptoms. Controlling for initial similarity, partners’ popularity, depressive symptoms, relational aggression, and relational victimization significantly predicted changes in adolescents’ functioning in these areas over time. However, the magnitude and direction of change varied according to adolescents’ and partners’ prerelationship functioning. In general, adolescents who dated high-functioning partners changed more than those who dated low-functioning partners, and partner characteristics predicted greater change among low- versus high-functioning adolescents. Results were consistent even when controlling for best friend characteristics. The current findings are among the first to demonstrate unique contributions of romantic partner characteristics to adolescents’ psychosocial functioning.
Endocrine-Immune Interactions in Pregnant Non-Human Primates With Intrauterine Infection

Preterm birth remains the most common cause of perinatal mortality. Although the causes of preterm labor are multifactorial and vary according to gestational age, preterm labor and term labor share common cellular and molecular mechanisms, including stimulation of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and endocrine/immune system interactions. We have developed a non-human primate experimental model for intrauterine infection and preterm labor using chronically instrumented rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with timed gestations. We have documented the temporal and quantitative relationships among intrauterine infection, the synthesis and release of proinflammatory cytokines, prostaglandins, and fetal-placental steroid biosynthesis in this model. Infection-induced preterm parturition is characterized by significant elevations in amniotic fluid proinflammatory cytokines and by increases in fetal adrenal steroid biosynthesis, but not by corresponding increases in placental estrogen biosynthesis characteristic of spontaneous parturition. This suggests that activation of the fetal HPA axis by the stress of infection is accompanied by placental dysfunction and also that infection-induced preterm parturition is not dependent upon the increased estrogen biosynthesis observed in spontaneous parturition. These different endocrine and immune responses have important diagnostic and therapeutic implications in the management of preterm labor.
Calculations of complex phase equilibrium by equal-area method

The equal-area (EA) method is studied with respect to its applicability to a wide range of phase equilibrium scenarios for pure fluids and binary mixtures. The study covers vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE), liquid–liquid equilibrium (LLE), solid-liquid equilibrium (SLE) and their crossover transitions. The thermodynamic models studied include equation of state, activity coefficient and solid solubility models and their combinations. The performance of the EA method for chain molecules, at very low temperature and nearby the critical point is also investigated. We conclude that the EA method is very reliable and efficient and has a number of advantages over the conventional method. Finally, we apply the EA method to the regression of the model parameters to demonstrate its attractive application. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2012
Measuring the Role of Transportation in Facilitating Welfare-to-Work Transition: Evidence from Three California Counties:

Welfare-to-Work transportation programs are premised on a conceptualization of the spatial mismatch hypothesis that focuses on the physical separation between the central city locations of welfare participants, rapidly expanding job opportunities in the suburbs, and the long commutes needed to connect them. Using data from three diverse California counties, welfare recipients' spatial access to employment was examined. The results indicate that the traditional notion of the spatial mismatch is less relevant to welfare recipients, many of whom live in counties in which the urban structure does not fit the simple model of poor, central-city neighborhoods and distant, job-rich suburbs. Many welfare recipients live in job-rich areas; others live in neighborhoods that are spatially isolated from employment. Therefore, to be effective, transportation policies must be tailored to the diverse characteristics of the neighborhoods in which welfare recipients live.
Nonperturbative methods and extended-hadron models in field theory. I. Semiclassical functional methods

This is the first of a series of papers on the use of semiclassical approximations to find particle states in field theory. The meaning of the WKB approximation is examined from a functional-integral approach. Special emphasis is placed on the distinction between a true WKB or semiclassical approach and the weak-coupling approximation to it. Other topics include the center-of-mass motion of particle states and some problems special to field theory such as multiple-particle states, statistics, and infinite-volume systems. Ultraviolet divergences are touched on, but are dealt with more thoroughly in the following paper where specific models are examined. The central result of this series is that certain kinds of nonlinear field theories have extended particle solutions which survive quantization. The most interesting of these objects, which are reminiscent of hadrons, come from theories with spontaneous symmetry breaking.
Increased Use of Intrauterine Contraception in California, 1997 to 2007

Abstract Background Modern intrauterine contraception (IUC) is safe and highly effective, but is used by fewer than 4% of women in the United States. Once recommended only for women with at least one child, it is now recommended for most women regardless of parity or age. Methods This study used data representative of California women from 10 years of the California Women’s Health Survey (1997–2007) to describe how IUC users differ from women using other contraceptives, and assess changes in IUC users’ characteristics over time. Findings Overall 4.9% of women in California used IUC. Multivariable logistic regression modeling showed IUC users were more likely to be born outside the United States (odds ratio [OR], 1.7), have a college degree (OR, 1.5) or postgraduate degree (OR, 2.2), and be married (OR, 2.6) or in an unmarried partnership (OR, 2.4). IUC users were 71% less likely to be nulliparous (OR, 0.29). Use of IUC almost doubled over the study period from 4.0% to 7.2%, and this growth was accompanied by significant changes in user characteristics: Young women, women born in the United States, women without a college degree, and Asian women experienced the greatest increases. IUC use among nulliparous women did not increase. Conclusion IUC use in California is higher than the national average and growing. We found higher IUC use among ever-married women and foreign-born women, and disproportionately low use among nulliparous women. Efforts to inform women of IUC’s high effectiveness and safety, as well as efforts to ensure that health care providers have the necessary clinical skills, are timely and important.
A Functional Cartography of Cognitive Systems

One of the most remarkable features of the human brain is its ability to adapt rapidly and efficiently to external task demands. Novel and non-routine tasks, for example, are implemented faster than structural connections can be formed. The neural underpinnings of these dynamics are far from understood. Here we develop and apply novel methods in network science to quantify how patterns of functional connectivity between brain regions reconfigure as human subjects perform 64 different tasks. By applying dynamic community detection algorithms, we identify groups of brain regions that form putative functional communities, and we uncover changes in these groups across the 64-task battery. We summarize these reconfiguration patterns by quantifying the probability that two brain regions engage in the same network community (or putative functional module) across tasks. These tools enable us to demonstrate that classically defined cognitive systems—including visual, sensorimotor, auditory, default mode, fronto-parietal, cingulo-opercular and salience systems—engage dynamically in cohesive network communities across tasks. We define the network role that a cognitive system plays in these dynamics along the following two dimensions: (i) stability vs. flexibility and (ii) connected vs. isolated. The role of each system is therefore summarized by how stably that system is recruited over the 64 tasks, and how consistently that system interacts with other systems. Using this cartography, classically defined cognitive systems can be categorized as ephemeral integrators, stable loners, and anything in between. Our results provide a new conceptual framework for understanding the dynamic integration and recruitment of cognitive systems in enabling behavioral adaptability across both task and rest conditions. This work has important implications for understanding cognitive network reconfiguration during different task sets and its relationship to cognitive effort, individual variation in cognitive performance, and fatigue.
Single cortical neurons serve both echolocation and passive sound localization.

Single cortical neurons serve both echolocation and passive sound localization. The pallid bat uses passive listening at low frequencies to detect and locate terrestrial prey and reserves its high-...
Wernicke’s Encephalopathy: Increasing Clinician Awareness of This Serious, Enigmatic, Yet Treatable Disease

Objective Undiagnosed and/or undertreated Wernicke's encephalopathy can result in permanent brain damage, long-term institutionalization, and death. The purpose of this article is to heighten clinical awareness of Wernicke's encephalopathy and shed light on its diagnosis and treatment, which are often inconsistent due to unclear diagnostic criteria and limited practice guidelines. An update on the management of Wernicke's encephalopathy is presented and several case reports and a quality improvement project from our hospital are described. Data sources PubMed, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and PsycINFO were searched for English-language articles published between January 1991 and January 2014 using combinations of the following keywords: Wernicke's encephalopathy, diagnosis, treatment/guideline(s), and thiamine. Study selection The automated search identified over 500 articles. A manual review of the related citations and reference lists from articles of interest was also conducted. The articles reviewed were chosen on the basis of author consensus and because they represented expert opinion or the highest quality of evidence available. Results Diagnostic criteria are reviewed in this article and should be used to diagnose Wernicke's encephalopathy with high sensitivity and specificity. The European Federation of Neurologic Societies and the Royal College of Physicians issued national guidelines for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of Wernicke's encephalopathy. No benchmark national guidelines for treating Wernicke's encephalopathy exist in the United States. Conclusions Whenever Wernicke's encephalopathy is suspected, treatment should be initiated immediately with intravenous thiamine because oral thiamine is inadequate for preventing permanent brain damage. An adequate dose of intravenous thiamine administrated in a timely manner is a safe and life-saving treatment for Wernicke's encephalopathy that could preserve brain cells and function.
Feeding behavior of Simulium vittatum larvae in response to various suspended materials: implications for control using biological larvicides

Biologically based larvicides used to suppress nuisance populations of black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) require that the larvae ingest the larvicide for mortality to occur. Materials present in the habitat that alter larval feeding behavior may reduce the effectiveness of the larvicide. This study was conducted to determine the effects that commonly occurring materials in larval habitats have on Simulium vittatum Zetterstedt feeding behavior. Larvae were exposed to 50 p.p.m. of kaolinite clay and 4 p.p.m. of purified diatom frustules. Larvae were also exposed to 10 000 cells or colonies per ml of viable green algae, Chlorella vulgaris Pratt and Scenedesmus quadricauda (Turp) Breb, and the diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana Kutzing to determine the effects that these materials have on larval feeding behavior. Individual larvae were recorded using a digital camcorder to determine the average number of times the larvae extended and retracted their cephalic fans per min (flick rate) in each medium. Following exposure to the selected material, neon red particles (NRP) (DayGlo) were added to the larval medium for 20 min. A spectrophotometric analysis was conducted to determine the average quantity of NRP consumed by larvae per min in each medium. The flick rate and quantity of NRP consumed by larvae was not significantly affected by clay material or viable Chlorella cells. When Scenedesmus colonies or Cyclotella cells were present in the larval medium, larval flick rate and NRP ingestion was significantly reduced. The presence of diatom frustules in the medium resulted in the most severe reduction in larval flick rate and NRP ingestion. The results suggest that larval flick rate can change depending on environmental conditions, and that suppression programs using biologically based larvicides may benefit from investigating the potential correlation between algal counts and treatment efficacy.
Dynamic ultrasonographic measurement of passive coxofemoral joint laxity in puppies

A new method of dynamic ultrasonographic evaluation of passive coxofemoral joint laxity was used to examine a total of 30 greyhound (n = 13) and nongreyhound (n = 17) puppies. Puppies were evaluated sonographically at four, six, eight, 12, 16, and 26 weeks of age. The coxofemoral joints were distracted manually, and the femoral head displacements were measured during distraction. The greyhounds had significantly smaller (p less than 0.01) maximum distraction distance (mean +/- standard deviation [SD], 0.11 +/- 0.04 cm) than nongreyhound puppies (mean +/- SD, 0.26 +/- 0.10 cm). In six- to eight-week-old puppies, the maximum distraction distance was correlated significantly (p of 0.0001, adjusted correlation coefficient [r2] of 0.27) with stress radiographic indices. Coxofemoral joints interpreted as being abnormal on hip-extended radiographs taken at one year of age were associated significantly (p of 0.0001) with higher maximum distraction distances in six- to eight-week-old puppies.
Explaining the Risk of Foodborne Illness Associated with Restaurants: The Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net)

A foodborne illness outbreak happens when a group of people eats food that is contaminated with a sufficient dose of a disease-causing agent. Illness may result because the food is contaminated with an agent that can cause illness after a small number of organisms are consumed or because the food was mishandled in a way that allowed a large number of organisms to grow. Because restaurants bring people together for shared food experiences, they provide opportunities for both types of contamination events to occur and be recognized. Almost half of reported foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States occur in restaurant settings (4). The Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHSNet) was established to conduct research and surveillance that would contribute to a greater understanding of the risk of foodborne illness associated with restaurants and to translate knowledge of how and why outbreaks occur into improved prevention practices (7). For the past decade, EHS-Net’s federal and state partners have systematically explored restaurant policies and food handling practices that have led to the occurrence of outbreaks (7–9). Several important features of the interplay between policies and practices have emerged from early studies. Restaurants with certified kitchen managers had lower odds of having an outbreak, had fewer outbreaks associated with bare-hand contact of food, and had fewer norovirus infection outbreaks (7). Approximately half of restaurants that prepared breakfast egg entrees pooled eggs before use, a practice that could allow one contaminated egg to contaminate a large batch (9). Pooled eggs also were held a median of 4 h or longer before use, frequently at temperatures that would allow growth of Salmonella in the pooled eggs (9). Similarly, half of restaurants using cut tomatoes held them for a median of 4 h at temperatures that would allow growth of pathogens such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli (8). These findings are important because norovirus, Salmonella, and E. coli caused almost 80% of foodborne illness outbreaks with a known or suspected etiology in the United States during 2009 and 2010 (4).
Masculine and Feminine Traits on the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, 1993–2012: a Cross-Temporal Meta-Analysis

The Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) is one of Sandra Bem’s most notable contributions to feminist psychology, measuring an individual’s identification with traditionally masculine and feminine qualities. In a cross-temporal meta-analysis of U.S. college students’ scores on the BSRI (34 samples, N = 8,027), we examined changes in ratings on the Bem masculinity (M) and femininity (F) scales since the early 1990s. Additional analyses used data collected in a previous meta-analysis (Twenge 1997) to document changes since the BSRI’s inception in 1974. Our results reveal that women’s femininity scores have decreased significantly (d = −.26) between 1993 and 2012, whereas their masculinity remained stable. No significant changes were observed for men. Expanded analyses of data from 1974 to 2012 (94 samples, N = 24,801) found that women’s M rose significantly (d = .23), with no changes in women’s F, men’s M, and men’s F. Women’s androgyny scores showed a significant increase since 1974, but not since 1993. Men’s androgyny remained the same in both time periods. Our findings suggest that since the 1990s, U.S. college women have become less likely to endorse feminine traits as self-representative, potentially revealing a devaluation of traditional femininity. However, it is also possible that the scale items do not match modern gender stereotypes. Future research may need to update the BSRI to reflect current conceptions of gender.
Checkpoint Blockade with Neoantigen Cancer Vaccines for Personalized Immunotherapy

Methods for harnessing the exquisite specificity of the immune system to eliminate tumors have been under development since the start of the 20th century, with numerous studies in animal models and trials in humans. Despite accumulating evidence, there has been widespread skepticism in the cancer community about whether tumors could be controlled by spontaneous immunity, and whether effective immunotherapy would be feasible to develop. However, the field has now passed an inflection point as new results have quelled these doubts, including: (i) several large clinical studies that have identified infiltrating CD8+ T cells as one of the best predictors of overall survival in human cancers, with strong validation in a large study of colorectal cancers; (ii) adoptive T cell therapy that effectively eradicates some types of B cell leukemias and (iii) novel checkpoint blockade (CPB) therapies inducing unprecedented long-term cures for patients with solid tumors, and more recently with blood malignancies. With the availability of these novel immunologic agents, the priority has shifted to understanding the mechanisms of and predicting responses to each treatment. Fundamental to this endeavor is the understanding of the crosstalk between tumor cells and immune cell populations within the tumor microenvironment and the selective pressure they mutually exert on each other. At the heart of cancer and host immune cell coevolution is the tumor antigen and host antigen-specific T cell interaction. The cytotoxic T cell-cognate antigen interaction forms the mechanistic basis for immune-mediated recognition and the killing of malignant cells, and provides selective pressure on the cancer cell to evolve. While the search for immunogenic tumor antigens has been the subject of decades-long studies, multiple lines of evidence have convincingly demonstrated tumor neoantigens as an important class of immunogenic tumor antigens. Neoantigens arise from amino acid changes encoded by somatic mutations in the tumor cell and have the potential to bind to and be presented by personal HLA molecules. With the recent availability of next-generation sequencing, systematic approaches to identify mutations leading to amino acid changes have become feasible. This development, together with the improved sensitivity of well-validated neural network/machine learning-based algorithms that predict binding to class I MHC, has enabled the implementation of neoantigen discovery pipelines. Recent studies by us and others in humans and mice have leveraged these tools to demonstrate evidence of protective immunity when targeting tumor neoantigens. We have further incorporated this approach to discover antigen targets to generate a multi-epitope personalized therapeutic cancer vaccine, that we are now testing in phase I clinical trials. Altogether, effective targeting of tumor neoantigens occurs spontaneously and during CPB, and offers prospects of a powerful, new immunotherapy. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Science Teachers as Architects: Building and Supporting Science-Learning Environments with Emergent Bilingual Students

This chapter focuses on the importance of including emergent bilingual students’ cultural practices in the science learning process at a time when there is a growing diversity in schools, inadequate preparation for science teachers to address diverse students’ needs, and a pressing demand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals in society (Gordon C, DeBard A, 2014). We describe work that took place during a 2-week student summer academy, part of the Language-rich Inquiry Science with English Language Learners through Biotechnology (LISELL-B) project. In this setting, science teachers, Latino/a emergent bilingual students, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers, and university researchers collaborated to create and promote science investigation practices and the language of science investigation in an outside-of-school science learning environment. We discuss how science teachers are adopting and adapting these practices and the language of science investigation and incorporating them into their classrooms. We use an architectural perspective (De Landa 2010) to study how these elements connected in both outside-of-school and classroom settings in order to provide a set of recommendations for future and current science teachers who are facing challenges and opportunities posed by demographic, policy, and curriculum changes in the schools.
Fine-scale spatial and temporal variation in temperature and arrhythmia episodes in the VA Normative Aging Study.

ABSTRACTMany studies have demonstrated that cold and hot temperatures are associated with increased deaths and hospitalization rates; new findings indicate also an association with more specific cardiac risk factors. Most of these existing studies have relied on few weather stations to characterize exposures; few have used residence-specific estimates of temperature, or examined the exposure-response function. We investigated the association of arrhythmia episodes with spatial and temporal variation in temperature. We also evaluated the association btween monitored ambient temperature (central) and the same outcome. This longitudinal analysis included 701 older men participating in the VA Normative Aging Study. Arrhythmia episodes were measured as ventricular ectopy (VE) (bigeminy, trigeminy, or couplets episodes) by 4-min electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring in repeated visits during 2000–2010. The outcome was defined as having or not VE episodes during a study visit. We applied a mixed-effect logistic reg...
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR+) modified T cells targeting prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in patients (pts) with castrate metastatic prostate cancer (CMPC).

72 Background: A phase I dose-escalating study to assess safety, dose and targeting efficiency of genetically modified autologous human T cells targeted to PSMA was initiated. Preclinical models demonstrated anti-tumor activity and accumulation, migration, and persistence of these cells to tumor. The autologous PSMA-targeted T cells utilizes the P28z second generation chimeric antigen receptor following iv cyclophosphamide (Cy). For safety, the herpes simplex virus-1 thymidine kinase (hsvtk) gene is co-expressed with the P28z receptor, rendering T cells sensitive to ganciclovir for immediate T cell elimination. The expression of hsvtk enables PET imaging using radiolabeled FIAU to localize these T cells. Methods: Autologous T cells are activated from a leukapheresis product using anti-CD3/CD28 Dynabeads. Release criteria include mean vector copy number by Q-PCR and vector identity by Southern blot, absence of Replication Competent Retrovirus and residual Dynabeads. Pts were dosed from 107 to 3 x 107 CAR+ ...
ATP synthetase associated with the nitrogenase of Azotobacter vinelandii.

Abstract Preparations of nitrogenase from Azotobacter vinelandii show an ATP synthetase activity when incubated in the presence of ADP, phosphate, ammonium chloride and an oxidizing agent. The synthesis is linked to an oxidation-reduction and the activity parallels nitrogenase activity through purification and in a step gradient sedimentation. The reductive dephosphorylation of nitrogen fixation may possibly be reversed to yield an oxidative phosphorylation.
Make the Ring in Your Mind

Making All the Difference, by Martha Minow, promised to render the multiple differences of race, gender, disability, and orientation, part of a whole discourse on difference. In this, the book is a success. Yet, the contradiction which Minow’s ideas play with her genre is bothersome. It is not that her way of writing is not valuable. Minow is remarkably lucid. But what she names at the outset — a relational approach, with a sensitivity to boundaries — she does not deliver. That conundrum, and why it seems to be — but is not — the unavoidable dilemma of the gifted female scholar in law today, is worth investigating.
Sexual Orientation Differences in Satisfaction with Healthcare: Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2014.

Abstract Purpose: In the United States, the Affordable Care Act and marriage equality may have eased sexual orientation-based differences in access to healthcare coverage, but limited research has investigated sexual orientation-based differences in healthcare satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to examine whether satisfaction with healthcare varied by sexual orientation in a large population-based sample of adults. Methods: Data are from the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, including items about sexual orientation and healthcare (n = 113,317). Healthcare coverage included employer-based insurance; individually purchased insurance; Medicare; Medicaid; or TRICARE, VA, or military care. Respondents indicated whether they were “very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, or not at all satisfied” with healthcare. Results: After adjusting for several sociodemographic covariates, lesbian, gay, and bisexual status was associated with lower satisfaction with healthcare with individually purchased ...
An investigation on the relationship between Service Quality and Customer Loyalty: A mediating role of Customer Satisfaction

Post war developments in Northern Province of Sri Lanka paved a way for hyper-competition in the market place among the already existing and the new banks where the former focuses on retaining the existing customers and the latter on attracting new customers. Such an intense competition emphasizes the need for identification of determinants of customer loyalty. Thus, the current study attempts to fill the empirical gap that exists especially in the Sri Lankan context. The study was conducted in a Commercial Bank setting and the hypotheses were developed in order to find out the relationship between the constructs. The population consisted of customers of Commercial Banks in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka and the sample of 300 respondents were selected. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 and SmartPls version 3.0. The findings revealed a positive, significant direct relationship between the service quality and customer satisfaction; customer satisfaction and customer loyalty and service quality and customer loyalty. Further, mediating effect of customer satisfaction between service quality and customer loyalty was proved. The paper discusses both Theoretical and practical implications.
Mechanisms by which HPV Induces a Replication Competent Environment in Differentiating Keratinocytes

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are the causative agents of cervical cancer and are also associated with other genital malignancies, as well as an increasing number of head and neck cancers. HPVs have evolved their life cycle to contend with the different cell states found in the stratified epithelium. Initial infection and viral genome maintenance occurs in the proliferating basal cells of the stratified epithelium, where cellular replication machinery is abundant. However, the productive phase of the viral life cycle, including productive replication, late gene expression and virion production, occurs upon epithelial differentiation, in cells that normally exit the cell cycle. This review outlines how HPV interfaces with specific cellular signaling pathways and factors to provide a replication-competent environment in differentiating cells.
Psychopathology and Bilingualism

This chapter examines the relationship of psychopathology and bilingualism. Psychopathology encompasses psychological dysfunction, which is defined as impairment in cognition, emotion, and behavior. Because second language (L2) acquisition also impacts the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral domains, it is possible bilingualism may interact with psychopathology, resulting in a unique understanding, expression, and presentation of mental illness. While the literature exploring the intersection of psychopathology and bilingualism is scant, there is evidence of differential symptomology observed across languages spoken. The two main areas of research discussed focus on the dynamics of L2 acquisition and psychopathology, and the barriers that speaking an L2 can impose on the process of assessing and diagnosing mental illness. Moreover, the chapter also includes a discussion of the methodological and theoretical shortcomings present in much of the literature exploring the mechanisms and influence of bilingualism and psychopathology.
Voices from the Ground Up: Transfer of Learning within the Context of Research and Study Activities

ABSTRACTA mid-sized university library system conducted a large-scale mixed-methods research project intended to understand better the student library experience and ways to enhance it. One aspect of the project included a detailed and iterative analysis of interview data. Using a grounded theory (GT) approach, researchers analyzed empirical data from student interviews and identified patterns of behavior. The results of data analyses suggested that students used knowledge and interactions from library class to inform them of how to study academic content and complete non-research tasks and vice versa. As a result, researchers generated an inductive (emerging from the data) theory that asserts that some research and study activities are mutually informative. The article describes the approach used to develop the theoretical construct in hopes that it will provide a deeper understanding of the relationship between research and studying behaviors and how academic libraries contribute to the greater academic...
Thermoanalytical studies on the thermal and catalytic decomposition of aqueous hydroxylammonium nitrate solution

Abstract Green monopropellants based on hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) are a promising alternative to hydrazine in space propulsion systems. In the present paper, thermal and catalytic decomposition of aqueous HAN solution was studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and mass spectrometry. The tests were conducted at heating rates of 1, 2.5, 5, and 10 K/min. The values of the apparent activation energy obtained for thermal decomposition using TGA and DSC are 62.2 ± 3.7 kJ/mol and 57.5 ± 3.5 kJ/mol, respectively, and they are in agreement with the literature data for solid HAN and solutions with high concentrations of HAN. The obtained values of the pre-exponential factor, 2.24 × 10 4 s −1 for TGA and 3.55 × 10 3 s −1 for DSC, are lower by six to seven orders of magnitude than those reported in the literature for aqueous HAN solutions, apparently because of full vaporization of water from the HAN solution at the beginning of the TGA and DSC tests. The use of an iridium/rhodium foam catalyst decreased the temperature of full decomposition by over 60 °C. The value of the apparent activation energy obtained for the catalytic decomposition using TGA is 63.9 ± 2.5 kJ/mol, while the obtained value of the pre-exponential factor is 3.31 × 10 5 s −1 .
Repair of Incisional Hernias and Midline Defects

The use of prosthetic materials in the treatment of incisional hernias is now well established, thanks to the efforts of J. Rives et al., R. Stoppa, and G. Wantz, who introduced these techniques in North America. Rives popularized the space posterior to the rectus muscle, first used for the insertion of a nylon sheet by D. Aquaviva and P. Mouret of France in 1948 for the treatment of incisional hernias. Both techniques avoid the peritoneal cavity whenever feasible.
Human sporadic prion diseases

Sporadic prion diseases account for approximately 85% of all human prion diseases. They include sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (sCJD), which affect over 90% of the cases, as well as sporadic fatal insomnia (sFI) and variably protease-sensitive prionopathy (VPSPr), which account for 1–2% and 3–4% of the cases, respectively. Sporadic CJD comprises five phenotypically distinct subtypes most of which are associated with distinct molecular features. The molecular signature of each subtype is determined by the pairing of the genotype at the methionine/valine polymorphic codon 129 of the prion protein (PrP) gene and either one of two disease-associated PrP (PrPDis) types characterized by distinct physico-chemical characteristics. VPSPr may include three similarly determined subtypes whereas no subtype is known in sFI. Currently, the most likely etiological-pathogenetic mechanism of sporadic prion diseases is the failure of the quality control complex permitting the presence of conformationally abnormal and pathogenic PrP variants capable of converting normal PrP into similarly pathogenic conformers. These conformers then propagate and damage the vulnerable tissues they populate. Essentially the same sequence of basic events may play out in other diseases forming amyloids such as Alzheimer’s and other major neurodegenerative diseases as well as type 2 diabetes and amyloid A (AA).
Estimate of Atmospheric Dissipation Derived from UARS/HRDI Measurements

The parameters that appear in gravity wave parameterizations are mostly determined by reasonableness and by being able to derive middle atmosphere mean wind and temperature structures that agree with observations. This puts effective constraints on these parameterizations at middle and high latitudes but does not effectively constrain these parameterizations at low latitudes. The diurnal tide, as derived from UARS HRDI wind observations is used to derive an annual climatology of the implied atmospheric dissipation. This dissipation thus derived is shown to be less than that derived from commonly used gravity wave parameterizations at low latitudes (less than approximately 40 ° latitude). Thus, models using most familiar gravity wave parameterizations will not give structures for the diurnal tide that agree with UARS HRDI observations.
Politicizing Creative Economy: Activism and Hunger Called Theatre, by Dia Da Costa

This book examines the macro-politics of the creative economy using the example of theater practices as a part of the aesthetic multiculturalism by the state and neoliberal geopolitics. It also loo...
“I am an adult now”: Re-storying an ‘abuse’ narrative through categorization

Abstract This narrative-based study employs membership categorization analysis to address the following question: How does a victim of abuse formulate and manage various categories and related descriptive details to story past trauma in ways that bring about new endings or insights in the present? Drawing on data taken from a larger research project on immigrant identity, the analysis centers on a Cambodian-Vietnamese man’s narrative of childhood abuse and adulthood confrontation. It shows how the teller, by recalibrating person (e.g., ‘father-son’, ‘victim-abuser’), age (e.g., ‘young-old’), place (e.g., ‘North America-Vietnam’), and other categorial resources, re-stories people and events and their psycho-social and moral inferences and outcomes. By tracing how this narrative teller reconstitutes himself from ‘victim’ to ‘hero’, this study offers insight into how a local interactional event (e.g., a research interview) may be transformed into a therapeutic exchange. Insights for therapeutic (re)storying, narrative research, and second language (L2) research are discussed.
Dual Chamber Pacemaker Implantation Complicated by Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery Injury

Abstract A 53-year-old female underwent dual-chamber pacemaker implantation for tachy-brady syndrome, which was complicated by anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and ventricular fibrillation due to right ventricular lead impingement on the left anterior descending coronary artery. Coronary artery injury is a rare complication of cardiac device implantation which requires a multidisciplinary team for management. (Level of Difficulty: Beginner.)
Between Psyche and Mind

Behavioral and Affective Neuroscience, Neuroethology, Neuropsychology and Neuropsychotherapy, Ethnopsychology and Psychological Anthropology, Neurotheology and Psychology of Religion are vast and seemingly distant fields. This chapter provides evidence of their closeness from the perspective of ‘Talking to the mind and mind-talking’. In other words, the author investigates the natural predisposition of meaning-finding in human beings, from daily interactions to spiritual and religious practices. A thorough discussion on the history and the most recent philosophical discussions around themes such as free will/free won’t, cerebral lateralization and sense of self, as well as empathic perception is presented in the central part of this chapter. Finally, practical application of these findings is illustrated from a psychotherapeutic standpoint, to provide evidence of the importance of a well-understood philosophical analysis in clinical settings.
Does That a Really Make Up for the C? Student Reaction to Above- and Below-Average Grades:

Grades function as an important tool for instructors, both to communicate information to students about their performance and to motivate them to try harder to succeed. This research examines stude...
Management of Gastric and Ectopic Varices: The Endoscopist's Perspective

Gastric and Ectopic varices are a rare complication of portal hypertension and represent a complex, heterogeneous system of vascular shunts. Bleeding from these shunts can be severe and life-threatening, with poorly standardized treatment algorithms to follow in their management. When bleeding occurs, it is important to follow standard diagnostic procedures for portal hypertensive bleeding and always obtain imaging of the underlying vascular anatomy to help guide therapy. Potential treatment methods will depend on these imaging findings as well as the location of the varix within the gastrointestinal tract. While gastric varices have more data to support specific treatment options, duodenal and rectal varices have only case reports and case series to guide their care. In addition, stomal varices are a very rare complication of portal hypertension and have limited data to support any one treatment modality. Gastric and ectopic varices are best approached in a multidisciplinary fashion after discussion with hepatologists and interventional radiologists to overcome the uncertainty in choosing a definitive therapy.
Kinetic simulations of anomalous resistivity in high-temperature current carrying plasmas

Anomalous resistivity caused by lower hybrid drift instabilities (LHDIs) has been extensively studied in the literature, and has been invoked to explain the rates of magnetic diffusion and plasma profile evolution in the low-density plasma periphery of theta and screw pinch plasmas. This article presents a fully kinetic simulation study of LHDIs with a realistic mass ratio using the particle-in-cell code Chicago over a large range of drift speeds, 0.5 < v d i 2 / v t i 2 < 14.5, plasma β, β ≥ 2 × 10 − 5, and temperature ratios, 0.1 < T e / T i < 10. The resistivity quantified from the simulations is compared with the analytic estimates from the literature and a generalized resistivity expression is presented, which can be applied over the entire range of plasma environments that were simulated in this study. This expression uses the amplitude of the LHDI fluctuations resulting from instability saturation by electron resonance broadening rather than plateau formation, current relaxation, or ion trapping. The generalized resistivity expression is appropriate for full-scale fluid simulations that encounter a large range of plasma conditions, and has better agreement with the resistivity quantified from kinetic simulations than previous expressions in the literature, particularly at low plasma β. Anomalous resistivity has also been considered as an explanation of the rapid magnetic field dissipation during magnetic reconnection events at large plasma β. At a large β, the magnetic field fluctuations of LHDIs can dominate the electrostatic fluctuations and this article investigates enhanced collisionality due to the nonlinear magnetic force, δ J × δ B / c.
Exercise and Diet: Uncovering Prospective Mediators of Skeletal Fragility in Bone and Marrow Adipose Tissue.

To highlight recent basic, translational, and clinical works demonstrating exercise and diet regulation of marrow adipose tissue (MAT) and bone and how this informs current understanding of the relationship between marrow adiposity and musculoskeletal health. Marrow adipocytes accumulate in the bone in the setting of not only hypercaloric intake (calorie excess; e.g., diet-induced obesity) but also with hypocaloric intake (calorie restriction; e.g., anorexia), despite the fact that these states affect bone differently. With hypercaloric intake, bone quantity is largely unaffected, whereas with hypocaloric intake, bone quantity and quality are greatly diminished. Voluntary running exercise in rodents was found to lower MAT and promote bone in eucaloric and hypercaloric states, while degrading bone in hypocaloric states, suggesting differential modulation of MAT and bone, dependent upon whole-body energy status. Energy status alters bone metabolism and bioenergetics via substrate availability or excess, which plays a key role in the response of bone and MAT to mechanical stimuli. Marrow adipose tissue (MAT) is a fat depot with a potential role in—as well as responsivity to—whole-body energy metabolism. Understanding the localized function of this depot in bone cell bioenergetics and substrate storage, principally in the exercised state, will aid to uncover putative therapeutic targets for skeletal fragility.