cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Help yourself by helping others: The joint impact of group member organizational citizenship behaviors and group cohesiveness on group member objective task performance change

This paper examines how a group member's individual-targeted citizenship behavior (OCBI) and organization-targeted citizenship behavior (OCBO) interact with a salient group-level contextual variable, group cohesiveness, to foster positive change for that group member, starting with job self-efficacy change, and followed by objective task performance change. Over a span of 6 months, we engaged in multilevel, multisource, multistage data collection and surveyed 587 members in 83 work groups. Our results indicate that a group member's OCBI, in comparison with OCBO, is more positively related to his or her job self-efficacy change. Group cohesiveness was found to attenuate the relationship between a group member's OCBI and job self-efficacy change, and conversely, to accentuate the relationship between a group member's OCBO and job self-efficacy change. Furthermore, a group member's job self-efficacy change mediated the interactive effects of the group member's OCBI and group cohesiveness (as well as the group member's OCBO and group cohesiveness) on his or her objective task performance change.
Pseudo-obstruction with Malabsorption and Malnutrition

The patient is an African-American woman who initially presented to gastroenterology clinic at the age of 63 with complaints of dysphagia, reflux, diarrhea, and weight loss. She carried a diagnosis of limited scleroderma that was confirmed 1 year prior to presentation. The diagnosis was made based on Raynaud’s phenomenon, esophageal dysfunction, sclerodactyly, and telangiectasia in conjunction with anti-centromere antibodies. She related that the diagnosis was suspected at age 50 and that she had long-standing Raynaud’s beginning in her 20s. From a gastrointestinal (GI) standpoint, she related multiple symptoms, although she overall felt her symptoms to be only mild in severity. She had solid food dysphagia which had required a prior endoscopy with dilatation of an identified peptic stricture, with only mild symptoms thereafter. Reflux symptoms were intermittently present but largely controlled with a once daily proton pump inhibitor. She would take an as needed antacid for breakthrough symptoms approximately twice per week. She related chronic loose stools, although she denied the term diarrhea at the time, with bowel movements approximately four times per day. She had lost 20 lb unintentionally within the past year.
Gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon substrates for LEDs

Abstract Widespread implementation of light-emitting diodes for solid-state lighting applications has been hindered by the high cost of the traditionally used heteroepitaxial substrates, sapphire and silicon carbide. The growth of GaN LEDs on silicon substrates would give significant cost savings. This chapter will summarize some of the challenges associated with the growth of GaN on silicon, discuss various strategies for alleviating the lattice mismatch and tensile strain imparted during the growth, and review efforts for the growth of light-emitting diodes on silicon substrates.
An intermediate-scale model for thermal hydrology in low-relief permafrost-affected landscapes

Integrated surface/subsurface models for simulating the thermal hydrology of permafrost-affected regions in a warming climate have recently become available, but computational demands of those new process-rich simu- lation tools have thus far limited their applications to one-dimensional or small two-dimensional simulations. We present a mixed-dimensional model structure for efficiently simulating surface/subsurface thermal hydrology in low-relief permafrost regions at watershed scales. The approach replaces a full three-dimensional system with a two-dimensional overland thermal hydrology system and a family of one-dimensional vertical columns, where each column represents a fully coupled surface/subsurface thermal hydrology system without lateral flow. The system is then operator split, sequentially updating the overland flow system without sources and the one-dimensional columns without lateral flows. We show that the app- roach is highly scalable, supports subcycling of different processes, and compares well with the corresponding fully three-dimensional representation at significantly less computational cost. Those advances enable recently developed representations of freezing soil physics to be coupled with thermal overland flow and surface energy balance at scales of 100s of meters. Although developed and demonstrated for permafrost thermal hydrology, the mixed-dimensional model structure is applicable to integrated surface/subsurface thermal hydrology in general.
Civil Commitment and Involuntary Outpatient Commitment

In psychiatry, as in all of medicine, there are situations in which clinicians and patients do not agree on the need for hospitalization. In these situations, the risk to the patient and others of foregoing hospitalization must be carefully balanced against the patient’s civil rights and liberty interests. To address these concerns, certain standards have been developed to help balance these competing interests. In the following chapter, these standards, procedures, and the history leading to their development will be presented, with specific discussion of civil commitment procedures for adults and juveniles as well as an overview of involuntary outpatient commitment.
Securing the diasporic ‘self’ by travelling abroad: Taglit-Birthright and ontological security

In recent years, the literature on diaspora politics has focused primarily on why and when migrant or ethno-religious groups adopt a diasporic stance and mobilise on behalf of their homeland. The a...
Hemiarthroplasty for the Treatment of Proximal Humerus Fractures

Over the past decade, the indications for treating proximal humerus fractures with hemiarthroplasty have become more narrowed. Locking plates, reverse shoulder arthroplasty, and a better understanding of osteonecrosis have created a limited need for this procedure. Fractures which cannot be adequately reduced or in which adequate fixation cannot be achieved are candidates for joint replacement. Precise technique is required to produce good functional results. In inexperienced hand, outcomes are very inconsistent. This chapter reviews a method to achieve reliable results.
“We are not the Same”: Simone de Beauvoir’s She Came to stay and the Phenomenological Reduction

Under the hegemony of realism allegory has been rejected as an abstract moralizing kind of art that neglects concrete specifics. I think of it rather as a suspension of the concrete specific fact-world in order to see the ideal-object or idea behind them. The parallel between Beauvoir herself and Francoise, the professional-woman character in the novel, is obvious but we shouldn’t make the common mistake of thinking the novel is autobiographical. Instead it is autobiography bracketed in the sense of allegory, of the phenomenological reduction. The novel, then, is a kind of Cartesian meditation or phenomenological reduction in the form of an allegory.
Two-Dimensional Impulse Functions

Just as in one dimension we need entities that are concentrated at a point in time, so in two dimensions we find it useful to introduce corresponding entities that are concentrated at a point in the (x, y)-plane. But in two dimensions there are two generalizations, the second being concentration on a line. One class of examples is furnished by the familiar mechanical notion of pressure; in mechanics, the oldest branch of physics, the concept that we require is well established in connection with the theoretical idea of a point force or point load applied to a surface. We recall that in one dimension the term impulse itself derives from mechanics, where it signifies the time integral of a force that is applied for a time that is more or less short. It is therefore useful, in introducing the theory of impulse functions on the plane, to appeal to the subject of mechanics, where the essential concepts are already familiar. First we deal with the two-dimensional point impulse or dot and then with a variety of impulse arrays and with impulsive entities that are not restricted to a point but are distributed along straight or curved lines. The δ-notation of P. A. M. Dirac (1902–1987) generalizes to allow convenient representation of the two-dimensional concepts.
Replication of Nucleic Acids on the Basis of A-T, G-C Complementality and the Origin of Life

The immortality of the germ line defines the exact molecular requirement to be a gene (a master of inheritance). Unless affected by a mutation, each inherited trait perpetuates itself through many, many generations of individuals. The molecule which is a gene must have an inherent property, so that the exact replica of itself can be made before each cell division.
Variability, Uncertainty, and the Emergence of Firms and Markets

A new theory to explain the emergence of firms and markets to carry out economic activity was presented in this author’s recent book (Camacho, 1996). In this theory, called the Variability Approach,the multi-person firm emerges to carry out a production program, agreed upon during the preceding market period. This occurs when the participants in the program need to exchange among themselves additional information, additional to the information already exchanged during the preceding market period. The organization that emerges to facilitate the required additional communication and to carry out the production program is called a multi-person firm.
The Effects of Standards Based School Accountability on Teacher Burnout and Trust Relationships: A Longitudinal Analysis

Studies have shown that teacher burnout levels have risen since the inception of the Standards-based School Accountability Movement in the 1980s. Burnout is usually driven by job stress and is mitigated by supportiveness of principals and co-workers. Diminishing interpersonal trust heightens burnout and can be circular. High-stakes accountability, in which job security is threatened, conjoined with changes in school safety, and budgetary pressures, not only exacerbate burnout, but they diminish the capacity of peers and supervisors to provide social support. Trust relationships are more likely to thrive when they are organic in nature and based on positive affect and interpersonal cohesion. Externally-imposed accountability systems, such as specified under No Child Left Behind, emphasize contractual, bureaucratic trust, and assume that the school districts and their employees cannot be trusted to perform competently and benevolently. The result is an altered social contract. The shift from organic to contractual trust weakens relationships and accelerates burnout. Longitudinal data on burnout among samples of more than 8,000 Texas teachers, surveyed between 2002 and 2012, are linked to changes in stress, trust, accountability standards, school safety, and budgetary cuts. The loss of teacher trust in relationships with administrators, colleagues, parents, and students has paralleled shifts in accountability standards and related external factors.
Generalized rewrite theories, coherence completion, and symbolic methods

Abstract A new notion of generalized rewrite theory suitable for symbolic reasoning and generalizing the standard notion in [19] is motivated and defined. Also, new requirements for symbolic executability of generalized rewrite theories that extend those in [33] for standard rewrite theories, including a generalized notion of coherence, are given. Symbolic executability, including coherence, is both ensured and made available for a wide class of such theories by automatable theory transformations. Using these foundations, several symbolic reasoning methods using generalized rewrite theories are studied, including: (i) symbolic description of sets of terms by pattern predicates; (ii) reasoning about universal reachability properties by generalized rewriting; (iii) reasoning about existential reachability properties by constrained narrowing; and (iv) symbolic verification of safety properties such as invariants and stability properties.
BID-ding on necroptosis in MDS

In this issue of Blood, Wagner and colleagues implicate Rip1 kinase (Ripk1)–mediated necroptosis in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)-like disease in mice and detect increased RIPK1 expression and mixed lineage kinase domain-like pseudokinase (MLKL) activation in human MDS samples.1
Scholarly Productivity and Impact: Developing a Quantifiable, Norm-based Benchmarking Methodology for Academic Emergency Medicine.

BACKGROUND Quantifying and benchmarking scholarly productivity of emergency medicine faculty is challenging. While performance indicators including publication and citation counts are available, use of indicators to create normative references has lagged. The authors developed methodology to benchmark emergency medicine academician scholarly productivity (e.g., publications over time) and impact (e.g., citations per publication over time) against an appropriate reference group. METHODS The methodology includes: 1) define time frame and scholarly metrics; 2) identify representative population; 3) reconcile alternative author names; 4) use analytic tool to identify scholarly output; 5) build database containing metrics; and 6) create benchmarking statistics, including subsamples. This study included emergency medicine faculty from 2011 to 2015, with total peer-reviewed publications and citations per publication as scholarly metrics. RESULTS In the United States at the time of the search (2016) there were 200 academic emergency departments, 186 with public faculty listings, which yielded 6,727 academicians. For each academician, the authors calculated statistics about peer-reviewed publications and average citations per publication from 2011 to 2015 and created benchmarking rulers using percentile ranks. Productivity by year of graduation with terminal degree was compared within each subsample, finding that newly graduated faculty demonstrated higher productivity than their within-rank peers who graduated earlier. Finally, benchmarking tables were created that allow comparison of peer-reviewed publication counts and citations per publication for individual academicians against the norm. CONCLUSIONS This benchmarking method can serve as a model for norm-based scaling of scholarly productivity for emergency medicine. This has important implications for performance review, promotion and hiring, and evaluating group productivity.
Is There a Role for Induction Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

Treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) requires a multimodality approach on many occasions requiring a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Surgery and radiation are mainstays in the definitive treatment of HSNCC, but the last two decades have seen treatment focused on organ preservation with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. However, the role of chemotherapy and its timing is controversial. The initial hypothesis that chemotherapy in the induction setting would reduce metastatic burden did not result in survival benefit and is no longer advised in standard treatment. However, newer chemotherapy agents and dose regimens have led to a renewed interest for induction regimens. This chapter summarizes the key data that study the use of induction chemotherapy in HNSCC with a focus on phase III randomized trials.
MRI-based thrombolytic therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke presenting with a low NIHSS

Objective Treatment of patients with stroke presenting with minor deficits remains controversial, and the recent Potential of rtPA for Ischemic Strokes with Mild Symptoms (PRISMS) trial, which randomized patients to thrombolysis vs aspirin, did not show benefit. We studied the safety and efficacy of thrombolysis in a population of patients with acute stroke presenting with low NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores screened using MRI. Methods The NIH Natural History of Stroke database was reviewed from January 2006 to December 2016 to identify all patients with an initial NIHSS score ≤5 who received thrombolysis within 4.5 hours of symptom onset after being screened with MRI. The 24-hour postthrombolysis MRIs were reviewed for hemorrhagic transformation. Primary outcomes were symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) and favorable 90-day outcome modified Rankin Scale score 0–1. Subgroup analysis was performed on patients who would have been eligible for the PRISMS trial, which enrolled patients with a nondisabling neurologic deficit. Results A total of 121 patients were included in the study with a median age of 65 and an NIHSS score of 3; 63% were women. The rate of any hemorrhagic transformation was 13%, with 11% of them being limited to petechial hemorrhage. The rate of sICH was Conclusions Thrombolytic therapy was safe in our patients with stroke with minor deficits who were initially evaluated by MRI. Future studies of this population may benefit from MRI selection. Classification of evidence This study provides Class IV evidence that for patients with acute ischemic stroke and NIHSS ≤5 screened with MRI, IV tissue plasminogen activator is safe.
Biochemical Recurrence in Prostate Cancer and Temporal Association to Bone Metastasis

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer is a common cancer in men. Radical prostatectomy, i.e., the surgical removal of the entire prostate, is a frequently used option. Biochemical recurrence (BCR), i.e., detectable prostate specific antigen (PSA), is common in some men following such treatment. The timing of BCR to metastatic spread of disease in bones is usually a few years. If the biochemical failure occurs after a longer duration from the time of curative intent, it is generally believed to lead to local recurrence. CASE REPORT We report on two cases. A 78-year-old male was diagnosed with Gleason 7, prostate cancer in 2001. He subsequently underwent an open radical prostatectomy. Serial post-operative PSA's were undetectable (<0.01 ng/mL) up to 2016. He was diagnosed with a detectable PSA for the first time with a value of 0.3 ng/mL, that year. The PSA continued to rise to a level of 1.1 ng/mL. This rise in the PSA was within a 12-month interval. Subsequent bone scan and bone biopsy detected prostate cancer metastasis in multiple bones. Our second case was a 65-year-old male who underwent a laparoscopic radical prostatectomy in the year 2006 for a biopsy proven prostate cancer with Gleason 3+4=7. Serial post-operative PSA's were undetectable up to 2017. Within a span of 8 months, the PSA rose from 0.3 ng/mL to 1.52 ng/mL. A positron emission tomography scan demonstrated pubic bone lesion indicative of prostate cancer metastasis. CONCLUSIONS BCR can occur a decade after curative intent treatment of prostate cancer. The duration from BCR to detectable metastasis can be shorter. We demonstrated here that the site of recurrence, in such scenarios, can be distant metastasis and not local recurrence alone. Better imaging modalities are needed to identify the spread of prostate cancer at low levels of PSA.
Stellar radio aurorae signal planetary systems

A radio detection of an old red dwarf might reveal the presence of a planetary system, and open up the search for exoplanets to a new technique.
GLOBAL CITIES AND SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITY

Inequality in metropolitan areas is part of a paradoxical triangle of competing motives over resources allocation. Chief among inequality/equity rivals is economic development, but ecological sustainability matters as well. Understanding inequality in global cities in such a context requires first recognizing the intense economic development motives involved in pursuing worldwide centrality, connectivity and command over the forces of globalization. As a comparative analysis of 53 large U.S. metropolitan areas, this paper examines the apparatus of a global city in response to globalization, and the subsequent impact on socioeconomic inequality. Through causal path analysis, it empirically identifies essential components of the paradoxical triangle in the struggle of global cities to sustain their world-city status. In so doing, the evidence suggests heightened inequality is a function of (a) the global city’s use of certain “cornerstone” resources to sustain global advantage, and (b) its resultant polarized employment structure.
Parental Concerns About Child Weight Among 10-17-Year Olds With Overweight/Obesity: A Family Ecological Model.

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to identify child, family/household, organization (provider), and neighborhood/community factors associated with parental concern about weight among children with overweight/obesity in order to inform effective interventions for improving health in this pediatric population. Methods Prevalence of parental concern about child weight was estimated and factors identified within an adapted family ecological framework. Using cross-sectional data from the 2018 National Survey of Children's Health, we conducted bivariate and multivariable analyses of 10 to 17-year olds (N = 15,427) for whom height and weight information was reported by parents or primary caregivers. Results There were 4287 children, aged 10 to 17 years, with overweight/obesity (31%). Approximately 34% of parents of children with overweight/obesity reported being concerned about their child's weight, with the remainder being not concerned. In adjusted analyses, 23% of children with overweight and 45% of children with obesity had parents who reported being concerned. Factors associated with parental concern among children with overweight/obesity included child weight status, female gender, peer social difficulties, the extent of the child's daily activities affected by health conditions, poorer parental coping, and having been told the child was overweight by a provider. Conclusions Only one in three parents of children with overweight/obesity reported being concerned about their child's weight, although parental concern was more common among children affected by obesity more so than overweight. A combination of child, family, and organization (provider) factors were associated with parental concern. Provider feedback about child overweight may improve parental awareness of a weight-related health issue.
Keynote Speech I The Push to Product - Strategies for Taking Your Research Into Practice

Those that have dedicated their lives to research will, at some point, be confronted with the question: what is the impact of my research. Citations and expanding human knowledge are certainly worthy goals, but a total lack of impact on industry can become depressing. Fortunately, there are known strategies that researchers can use to move their research towards practice. Drawing from three of my recent projects—a tech startup, a multi-national robotics company, and a small business—I will discuss three distinct strategies that can be used to transfer knowledge into practice. Via interactive content we will discuss these as well as the audience’s strategies towards increasing impact as we all journey towards high impact research.
β-(Al 0.18 Ga 0.82 ) 2 O 3 /Ga 2 O 3 Double Heterojunction Transistor With Average Field of 5.5 MV/cm

Maintaining high average fields between the gate and drain is imperative in achieving near theoretical performance in ultra-wide band gap semiconductors like $\beta $ -Ga2O3. In this letter we report on a field management strategy to reduce the peak electric field at the drain side corner of the gate by using a composite dielectric layer consisting of an extreme permittivity dielectric like BaTiO3 and a low- $\kappa $ dielectric like SiO2 overlapped over the gate electrode. Using this strategy in $\beta $ -(Al0.18Ga0.82)2O3/ Ga2O3 double heterojunction field effect transistor, we achieved a record average breakdown field of 5.5 MV/cm at a gate-drain spacing of $1.15~\mu \text{m}$ along with an improved power figure of merit of 408 MW/cm2. The reported works shows the effectiveness of integrating extreme dielectric materials with ultra-wide band gap semiconductors in significantly improving breakdown performance.
Resolving Human Lactation Heterogeneity Using Single Milk-Derived Cells, a Resource at the Ready

Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) of human milk-derived cells (HMDCs) makes highly detailed analyses of the biology of human lactation possible. We explore this powerful application as an exciting tool to inspect the cellular composition of human milk. We point out some important challenges unique to this approach and highlight the importance of collaborations between biologists and well-trained bioinformaticians to utilize these data to their maximum potential. We extend this focus by discussing the first two such studies that describe HMDCs via scRNAseq and a variety of important questions in the field that warrant attention through further research. The stage is set to apply scRNAseq in human lactation biology, potentially leading to new insights regarding the molecular and cellular diversity of human secretory mammary epithelial cells.
Multiculturalism and Antiracism in Sports? U.S. Public Opinions about Native American Team Names and Mascots and the Use of Hijabs in Sports:

Sports interactions offer contested cultural terrain where cultural citizenship is continually (re)established. Relatedly, this study uses National Sports and Society Survey data (n = 3,993) to ass...
Non-Visit-Based and Non-Infection-Related Antibiotic Use in the US: A Cohort Study of Privately Insured Patients During 2016-2018.

Background: Ambulatory antibiotic prescriptions without a clinic visit or without documentation of infection could represent overuse and contribute to adverse outcomes. We aim to describe US ambulatory antibiotic prescribing, including those without an associated visit or infection diagnosis. Methods: We conducted an observational cohort study using data of all patients receiving antibacterial, antibiotic prescriptions from 04/01/2016 to 06/30/2018 in a large US private health insurance plan. We identified outpatient antibiotic prescriptions as (1) associated with a clinician visit and an infection-related diagnosis; (2) associated with a clinician visit but no infection-related diagnosis; or (3) not associated with an in-person clinician visit in the 7 days before the prescription (non-visit-based). We then assessed whether non-visit-based antibiotic prescriptions (NVBAPs) differed from visit-based antibiotics by patient, clinician, or antibiotic characteristics using multivariable models. Results: The cohort included 8.6M enrollees who filled 22.3M antibiotic prescriptions. NVBAP accounted for 31% (6.9M) of fills, and non-infection-related prescribing accounted for 22% (4.9M). NVBAP rates were lower for children than for adults (0-17 years old, 16%; 18-64 years old, 33%;â >65 years old, 34%). Among most commonly prescribed antibiotic classes, NVBAP was highest for penicillins (36%) and lowest for cephalosporins (25%) and macrolides (25%). Specialist physicians had the highest rate of NVBAP (38%), followed by internists (28%), family medicine (20%), and pediatricians (10%). In multivariable models, NVBAP was associated with increasing age, and NVBAP was less likely for patients in the South, those with more baseline clinical visits, or those with chronic lung disease. Conclusions: Over half of ambulatory antibiotic use was either non-visit-based or non-infection-related. Particularly given health care changes due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, efforts to improve antibiotic prescribing must account for non-visit-based and non-infection-related prescribing.
Fatigue Behavior of Glass-Bubbles Modified Adhesively Bonded Composite Joints

Adhesive joining is gaining acceptance in aerospace, automotive, and marine industries as it allows joining of similar and dissimilar materials, eliminates secondary machining processes, minimizes stress due to mechanical joining and most importantly reduces structural weight. One way of improving the performance of adhesively bonded joints is the use of nano-/micro- particle reinforcement of the adhesive or composite matrix. While considerable literature exists on nano-modified composite substrates to improve their mechanical and thermal properties, the work on nano-/micro- modified adhesively bonded joints and their fatigue behaviour is relatively limited.
Boundary Element Solutions to the Eddy Current Problem

The two-dimensional eddy current problem is formulated in terms of an electric vector potential function. The resulting Helmholtz equation is transformed into a Fredholm Integral equation which involves the unknown vector potential and its normal derivative at the boundary. A set of simultaneous equations is found which approximates the integral. Results are compared to a finite element solution for a sample problem.
Distributed Range-Based Relative Localization of Robot Swarms

This paper studies the problem of having mobile robots in a multi-robot system maintain an estimate of the relative position and relative orientation of near-by robots in the environment. This problem is studied in the context of large swarms of simple robots which are capable of measuring only the distance to near-by robots. We compare two distributed localization algorithms with different trade-offs between their computational complexity and their coordination requirements. The first algorithm does not require the robots to coordinate their motion. It relies on a non-linear least squares based strategy to allow robots to compute the relative pose of near-by robots. The second algorithm borrows tools from distributed computing theory to coordinate which robots must remain stationary and which robots are allowed to move. This coordination allows the robots to use standard trilateration techniques to compute the relative pose of near-by robots. Both algorithms are analyzed theoretically and validated through simulations.
Ten Years After: (Re) Assessing Neo‐Trusteeship and UN State‐building in Timor‐Leste

A decade after achieving independence, the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (DRTL) continues to rely upon the United Nations (UN) directly and indirectly to carry out functions typically ascribed to the state. This dependency raises the specter of what scholars concerned with the breadth and extent of recent and ongoing UN operations in places such as Timor-Leste have dubbed “neo-trusteeship.” This research advances an empirical accounting of, and explanation for, the emergence and persistence of neo-trusteeship in Timor-Leste. Careful scrutiny of the UN involvement in Timor-Leste betrays the origins and sources of the neo-trusteeship arrangement and suggests that neo-trusteeship is better understood as a by-product of the disjuncture between mandate overreach and organizational incapacity playing out within complex post-conflict environments rather than any intentional manifestation of “post-modern imperialism.”
Differential Methylation of Epstein-Barr Virus Latency Promoters Facilitates Viral Persistence in Healthy Seropositive Individuals

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) establishes a life-long infection in humans, with distinct viral latency programs predominating during acute and chronic phases of infection. Only a subset of the EBV latency-associated antigens present during the acute phase of EBV infection are expressed in the latently infected memory B cells that serve as the long-term EBV reservoir. Since the EBV immortalization program elicits a potent cellular immune response, downregulation of viral gene expression in the long-term latency reservoir is likely to facilitate evasion of the immune response and persistence of EBV in the immunocompetent host. Tissue culture and tumor models of restricted EBV latency have consistently demonstrated a critical role for methylation of the viral genome in maintaining the restricted pattern of latency-associated gene expression. Here we extend these observations to demonstrate that the EBV genomes in the memory B-cell reservoir are also heavily and discretely methylated. This analysis reveals that methylation of the viral genome is a normal aspect of EBV infection in healthy immunocompetent individuals and is not restricted to the development of EBV-associated tumors. In addition, the pattern of methylation very likely accounts for the observed inhibition of the EBV immortalization program and the establishment and maintenance of a restricted latency program. Thus, EBV appears to be the first example of a parasite that usurps the host cell-directed methylation system to regulate pathogen gene expression and thereby establish a chronic infection.
Gender differences in probation: A case of no differences

Based on a survey of approximately 700 probation officers, gender differences in job burnout, job satisfaction, and role conflicts were examined; except for isolated instances, differences were not found. The lack of difference was attributed to the similar task environments facing both female and male officers. The major implication of the research is that both policy makers and researchers should devote attention to the job problems facing all probation officers, female and male alike, rather than mistakenly hypothesizing that gender is a critical variable.
The importance of passivation in the study of iron Fischer-Tropsch catalysts

In the study of iron catalysts, careful passivation is necessary for study of microstructure by ex situ analytical techniques. The passivation procedure used in our study consists of heating the sample in He at the reaction temperature, cooling to room temperature and introducing small amounts of O2 (<1%) in a flowing He stream. A properly passivated sample shows no more than a few nm of surface Fe3O4 onα-Fe, when examined in a high resolution TEM. Proper passivation is also characterized by an exotherm of no more than 2–3 K. We show that a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst carbided in CO will show substantial amounts of magnetite, if exposed to air without proper passivation. Such surface oxidation may cause errors in determining the relative amounts of the magnetite and carbide phases in Fischer-Tropsch catalysts, which are important for proper identification of the catalytically active phase.
Association Between Obesity and Depression Among American Blacks: Role of Ethnicity and Gender

This study tested the association between obesity and major depressive disorder (MDD) in a national representative sample of Black adults in the USA. The study also explored the above association in subsamples based on ethnicity and gender. Data came from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL), a household mental health survey of adult Black Americans. Participants consisted of 5,191 Black adults (3,570 African Americans and 1,621 Caribbean Blacks). Classes I to III of obesity were defined based on body mass index (BMI) of equal or larger than 30, 35, and 40 kg/m2, respectively. Twelve-month MDD was determined using the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), a fully structured diagnostic interview. For each ethnicity–gender subgroup, we ran a separate logistic regression model. We tested gradient and threshold effects of BMI on MDD. Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were reported. Direction of association between BMI and MDD was reversed among men and women. Among men, there was a positive association between BMI and MDD, while among women, the association was negative. The gradient effect of BMI level on MDD reached statistical significance only among African American men (OR = 0.71, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.51–0.99). Among women, a significant interaction was found between the effects of BMI ≥40 and African American ethnicity on odds of developing MDD [change in OR = 8.840, 95 % CI = 1.315–59.418]. That interaction term suggests that the effect of BMI ≥40 on MDD is significantly smaller among African American women than Caribbean Black women. The direction and magnitude of the association between BMI and MDD among Blacks depend on ethnicity and gender. Risk of comorbid depression among women with severe obesity among Black women is smaller among African Americans than Caribbean Blacks.
Maintenance of broodstock, spawning, and early larval rearing of Pacific halibut, Hippoglossus stenolepis

A decade of research to develop techniques required for spawning and rearing Pacific halibut, Hippoglossus stenolepis, have produced a considerable amount of information on broodstock maintenance, spawning, and early life history of the species. Various problems, many of them associated with failures in the water systems employed, have frustrated attempts to produce postlarval Pacific halibut. Studies have been conducted on the environmental requirements of eggs and sac-fry and acceptable first foods have been identified. Compared with flatfishes that undergo their early life history in estuaries, H. stenolepis are extremely fragile during the first few months of life. Facilities used in egg and larval development must be designed to ensure that the fish do not bump into one another or into the walls of containers. Bacterial levels need to be minimized, so there is a requirement to maintain very clean conditions. Confounding the problems associated with Pacific halibut larval rearing is the fact that the larval period is extremely long since the fish develop at an optimum rate at low environmental temperatures (about 6°C for hatching and less than 13°C for larval rearing). Thyroid hormones added to the culture water appear to improve larval survival from hatching through 30 days. The presence of algae in the water at first feeding does not seem to be necessary.
A Novel Secreted Endoglycosidase from Enterococcus faecalis with Activity on Human Immunoglobulin G and Ribonuclease B

The human pathogen Enterococcus faecalis can degrade the N-linked glycans of human RNase B to acquire nutrients, but no gene or protein has been associated with this activity. We identified an 88-kDa secreted protein, endoglycosidase (Endo) E, which is most likely responsible for this activity. EndoE, encoded by ndoE, consists of an α-domain with a family 18 glycosyl hydrolase motif and a β-domain similar to family 20 glycosyl hydrolases. Phylogenetic analysis of EndoE indicates that the α-domain is related to human chitobiases, and the β-domain is related to bacterial and human hexosaminidases. Recombinant expression of full-length EndoE or EndoEα, site-directed mutagenesis of the catalytic residues, mass spectroscopy, and homology modeling shows that EndoEα hydrolyzes the glycan on human RNase B, whereas EndoEβ hydrolyzes the conserved glycan on IgG. Denaturation experiments indicate that the chitinase activity on RNase B is not dependent on the tertiary structure, although it is on IgG. The ndoE gene and secreted EndoE are present in most E. faecalis but not in Enterococcus faecium isolates. Correspondingly, E. faecalis, but not E. faecium, degrades the glycan on RNase B during growth. Thus, we have identified a secreted enzyme from E. faecalis, EndoE, which by two distinct activities hydrolyzes the glycans on RNase B and IgG. Both activities could be important for the molecular pathogenesis and persistence of E. faecalis during human infections.
External beam radiation therapy for PTFE dialysis grafts: a pilot study.

Purpose The aim of this study was to identify the effects of external beam radiation on PTFE dialysis graft dysfunction. Methods Seven patients who underwent PTFE dialysis graft angioplasty were randomized to receive either two 8 Gy doses of external beam radiation or no radiation. The primary endpoint was time to graft thrombosis with a secondary endpoint of time to first intervention. Results There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in either of the endpoints, although grafts in the radiation group had a shorter time to thrombosis or intervention. Conclusions Our results demonstrate technical feasibility for use of external beam radiation in the setting of dialysis vascular access graft dysfunction. Larger randomized studies are required to identify whether there is a clinical benefit from this intervention.
In-situ determination of concentration and degree of oxygenation of hemoglobin in neural tissue by pulsed photoacoustic spectroscopy

Pulsed-photoacoustic spectroscopy (PPAS) is an in-situ technique used for quantitative monitoring of brain-tissue hemoglobin concentration and its oxygenation state. In contrast to most spectroscopic techniques that measure infrared absorption PPAS does not require knowledge of the pathlength of light traveling through tissues in order to determine the absorption coefficient and hence the concentration of absorbing species. The photoacoustic response (PAR) is produced by light absorption. Light scattering modifies the spatial distribution of the absorption. PPAS uses a pulsed, tunable optical source coupled to a 1 mm diameter fiber optic cable to transmit optical energy to the tissue. The fiber can be placed on the exterior surface or inserted into the tissue. An ultrasonic signal is produced by light absorbed in the tissue. Since the rate of conversion of laser light to heat is rapid and the laser pulse much shorter than the tissue thermal-diffusion length, the ultrasonic signal amplitude is proportional to the energy absorbed. Spectra of absorbing compounds can be obtained by measuring the variation in the acoustic signal with source wavelength. Our studies demonstrate that acoustic spectra obtained both in-vitro and in-vivo allows relative changes in the concentration of oxy- and de-oxyhemoglobin to b45e determined.
Examining the motivation and involvement of Chinese rock climbers

The purpose of this research was to investigate the motivations and involvement of Chinese rock climbers. Rock climbing has experienced considerable growth in many regions of China over the last decade, yet there is little published research on this outdoor recreation user group. A questionnaire was distributed on-site in Yangshuo, China in 2010 (n=256). A profile of the respondents showed a male-dominated sample with mean age of 31 years and active in indoor and outdoor sports climbing. Factor analysis of motivational items resulted in five dimensions: stress release & escape, achievement, experience nature & develop knowledge, experience adventure, and interaction with peers. Results for the involvement items yielded three factors: attraction, risk consequence and sign. The involvement factors were positively influenced by several of the motivational factors. The findings provide baseline information in understanding more about rock climbers which will prompt theoretical research and provide practical applications for this growing outdoor activity in China
Effects of interface chemistry on the fracture properties of titanium matrix composites

Abstract The fiber–matrix interface plays a critical role in the performance of titanium matrix composites (TMCs). In this work, the effect of fiber–matrix interfacial reactions on the fracture properties of the interface is studied using experimental characterization and computational modeling techniques. The objective of this study is to establish a link between the evolution of the interfacial chemistry and the resulting mechanical properties. SCS-6/Timetal21s composite is chosen as the candidate material system. The composite specimens are exposed to temperatures as high as 927°C for extended periods. The diffusion of elements across the interface is investigated through metallurgical techniques. Fiber push-out is used to characterize the mechanical properties of the interface. A novel computational method is used to simulate the propagation of interfacial cracks during the tests. The fracture toughness of the interface is evaluated from the experimental data using this method.
Normalization of impaired response of platelets to prostaglandin E1I2 and synthesis of prostacyclin by insulin in unstable angina pectoris and in acute myocardial infarction

The minimal inhibitory concentration of prostaglandin e1 (used as a probe for prostacyclin [PGI2]) needed to inhibit platelet aggregation (36 ± 16 nM) in normal volunteers (n = 40) increased (64 ± 30 nM) in patients (n = 46) with acute coronary artery disease. Bolus injection of insulin in 20 patients, 0.1 U/kg body weight 4 times a day (every 6 hours) for 7 days decreased the minimal inhibitory concentration of prostaglandin E1 from 64 ± 30 to 26 ± 12 nM (p < 0.001). Twenty other patients who received only saline solution had no decrease in minimal inhibitory concentration of the prostanoid. The bolus injection of insulin also increased the plasma level of PGI2 (9 ± 2 pM) two-fold in these patients (28 ± 10 pM). Administration of aspirin inhibited the insulin-induced increase of plasma prostanoid level. Patients in the placebo group had no increase in plasma PGI2 level. The bolus injection of insulin administered only once to another group of patients (n = 6) demonstrated that the hormonal effects were maximally increased within an hour of insulin administration, and were directly related to the increased insulin level in plasma. These results indicated the feasibility of using physiologic quantities of insulin for controlling of platelet aggregation through resensitization of platelet response to prostaglandin and increased synthesis of PGI2 in vivo in acute coronary artery disease.
Systematics of multilayer adsorption phenomena on attractive substrates

This paper presents a systematic classification of multilayer-adsorption phenomena on attractive substrates, with emphasis on the buildup of thick films. The approach is based on statistical mechanics and includes adsorption-desorption effects and the interrelation of bulk and surface behavior. The surface phase diagram depends qualitatively on the relative strengths and ranges of adatom-adatom and adatom-substrate attractions. When the adatom-substrate attraction dominates (strong substrate), the film builds up uniformly, as the bulk adatom density increases, and the excess surface density diverges at coexistence (complete wetting). The buildup proceeds via an infinite sequence of discrete layer transitions (layering) at low temperatures (below the roughening temperature ${T}_{R}$ and smoothly at higher temperatures, as originally noted by de Oliveira and Griffiths. Substrates of intermediate strength are characterized by a wetting temperature ${T}_{W}$ above which wetting at coexistence is approached. The relative values of ${T}_{W}$ and ${T}_{R}$ define three subregions: When ${T}_{W}l{T}_{R}$ layering occurs, with an infinite sequence of transitions between ${T}_{W}$ and ${T}_{R}$ when ${T}_{R}\ensuremath{\lesssim}{T}_{W}$, layer transitions have coalesced into a single thick-film\char22{}thin-film transition (prewetting); when ${T}_{R}\ensuremath{\ll}{T}_{W}$, prewetting may disappear, leaving only a critical-wetting transition on the coexistence axis. For still weaker substrates, wetting is incomplete at all temperatures; however, a variety of drying phenomena may occur on the high-density side of bulk coexistence. Specific calculations are given for a lattice-gas model at $T=0$ and in the mean-field approximation. Conclusions are informed, in addition, by certain exact results and symmetries. The last section includes a critical discussion of the relation of the lattice-gas model to the real world and a brief review of relevant experimental data.
Effects of the intended and unintended federal funds rates on the Treasury yield curve during the Greenspan era

This article considers potential impacts of the intended and unintended federal funds rates on the slope of the Treasury yield curve during 1987.M8 to 2006.M1. A third-order autoregressive model is employed in empirical work to correct for serial correlation. The positive significant sign of the unintended federal funds rate suggests that interest rates are affected by the spread between the effective and intended federal funds rates. The impacts of the intended and unintended federal funds rates decline as the maturity increases. The findings are consistent with the rotating yield curve pattern (Kozicki and Sellon, 2005).