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Background The fecal microbiome of healthy horses may be influenced by signalment, diet, environmental factors, and disease. Objectives To assess the effects of age, breed, sex, geographic location, season, diet, and colitis caused by antibiotic use (antimicrobial‐associated diarrhea [AAD]) and Salmonella infection on fecal microbiota. Animals Healthy horses (n = 80) were sampled from nonhospital environments across multiple geographical locations in the United States. Horses with AAD (n = 14) were defined as those that developed diarrhea secondary to antimicrobial use. Horses with Salmonella infection (n = 12) were presented with spontaneous onset of colitis and subsequently tested positive on Salmonella quantitative polymerase chain reaction. All horses were >1 year of age and stratified by a dietary scale that included forages (pasture and hay) and concentrates grouped by percentage of fiber and amount. Methods Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA genes was performed on fecal DNA. Results Healthy horses fed higher amounts of grain clustered separately from those fed lower amounts of grain (analysis of similarities [ANOSIM], R = 0.356‐0.385, Q = 0.002). Horses with AAD and Salmonella had decreased richness and evenness compared to healthy horses (P

Jordan Peele’s Us (2019) is an entertaining horror film that also contains a number of interesting interpretive complications. The film is undoubtedly meant as a commentary on the inequity, inequality and injustice that saturate our supposedly egalitarian American society. Beyond that vague and general characterization, though, the film offers a number of interesting (and more specific) allegorical interpretations, none of which in themselves seem quite adequate. This article explores the plethora of signs that circulate through Us, demanding interpretation but defeating any definitive interpretation. This article explores the way Us offers clues to its meaning through engagement with the horror genre in general (especially the home invasion subgenre) and through dialogue with specific predecessors in the horror genre. At the same time, we investigate the rich array of other ways in which the film offers suggested political interpretations, none of which seem quite adequate. We then conclude, however, that such interpretive failures might well be a key message of the film, which demonstrates the difficulty of fully grasping the complex and difficult social problems of contemporary American society in a way that can be well described by Fredric Jameson’s now classic vision of the general difficulty of cognitive mapping in the late capitalist world.

Advanced data analysis tools such as mathematical optimisation, Bayesian inference and machine learning have the capability to revolutionise the field of quantitative voltammetry. Nowadays such approaches can be implemented routinely with widely available, user-friendly modern computing languages, algorithms and high speed computing to provide accurate and robust methods for quantitative comparison of experimental data with extensive simulated data sets derived from models proposed to describe complex electrochemical reactions. While the methodology is generic to all forms of dynamic electrochemistry, including the widely used direct current cyclic voltammetry, this review highlights advances achievable in the parameterisation of large amplitude alternating current voltammetry. One significant advantage this technique offers in terms of data analysis is that Fourier transformation provides access to the higher order harmonics that are almost devoid of background current. Perspectives on the technical advances needed to develop intelligent data analysis strategies and make them generally available to users of voltammetry are provided.

In many markets, consumers visit stores and physically inspect products before making purchase decisions. We view the inspection of a product at a retail location as a search for product fit. We quantify the cost and benefit from searching for product fit using a discrete choice model of demand with optimal sequential search. In these models, the benefit of searching is measured by the standard deviation of the product fit and has, heretofore, been fixed to one in estimation. We show that, with an exogenous search cost shifter, both the cost and benefit of searching can be separately estimated. Our empirical setting is the U.S. automotive market. We assemble a unique data set containing individual-level smartphone geolocation data that inform us about dealership visits. We also obtain information on new vehicle purchases from proprietary DMV registration data. Our exogenous cost shifter is the distance a consumer must travel to visit a dealership. Our results show that the benefit provided by dealerships to consumers is substantial. Within our empirical context, failure to estimate the standard deviation of the product fit leads to biased search cost and consumer surplus estimates and to inaccurate predictions regarding consumers’ number of searches and effects of at-home test drive programs.

Flatt, AA, Esco, MR, Allen, JR, Robinson, JB, Bragg, A, Keith, CM, Fedewa, MV, and Earley, RL. Cardiac-autonomic responses to in-season training among Division-1 college football players. J Strength Cond Res 34(6): 1649-1656, 2020-Despite having to endure a rigorous in-season training schedule, research evaluating daily physiological recovery status markers among American football players is limited. The purpose of this study was to determine whether recovery of cardiac-autonomic activity to resting values occurs between consecutive-day, in-season training sessions among college football players. Subjects (n = 29) were divided into groups based on position: receivers and defensive backs (SKILL, n = 10); running backs, linebackers, and tight-ends (MID-SKILL, n = 11) and linemen (LINEMEN, n = 8). Resting heart rate (RHR) and the natural logarithm of the root mean square of successive differences multiplied by 20 (LnRMSSD) were acquired at rest in the seated position before Tuesday and Wednesday training sessions and repeated over 3 weeks during the first month of the competitive season. A position × time interaction was observed for LnRMSSD (p = 0.04), but not for the RHR (p = 0.33). No differences in LnRMSSD between days was observed for SKILL (Tuesday = 82.8 ± 9.3, Wednesday = 81.9 ± 8.7, p > 0.05). Small reductions in LnRMSSD were observed for MID-SKILL (Tuesday = 79.2 ± 9.4, Wednesday = 76.2 ± 9.5, p ≤ 0.05) and LINEMEN (Tuesday = 79.4 ± 10.5, Wednesday = 74.5 ± 11.5, p ≤ 0.05). The individually averaged changes in LnRMSSD from Tuesday to Wednesday were related to PlayerLoad (r = 0.46, p = 0.02) and body mass (r = -0.39, p = 0.04). Cardiac-parasympathetic activity did not return to resting values for LINEMEN or MID-SKILL before the next training session. Larger reductions in LnRMSSD tended to occur in players with greater body mass despite having performed lower workloads, although some individual variability was observed. These findings may have implications for how coaches and support staff address training and recovery interventions for players demonstrating inadequate cardiovascular recovery between sessions.

A finite element analysis framework that leverages high-performance computing was used to analyze a twill orthogonally woven textile model. Boundary conditions for uniaxial tension along the warp direction were applied to a large analysis region, and an interior subregion was used for investigating the stress distributions. The locations of severe stresses were investigated for the binders, wefts, warps, and matrix, respectively, and the connection of the stress state to the surrounding tow architecture was discussed. It was shown that the highest stresses developed in the binders where the path of a binder changed direction, due to a transfer of load to nearby wefts that induced a severe shear stress in the binder. Additionally, severe stress concentrations were observed in both the wefts and binders where the binders traversed the thickness of the textile and came near a weft. The magnitude of the concentration in the binders closely matched across similar locations. On the other hand, the concentrations in the weft appeared to be sensitive to the faceted surfaces of the tows, which sometimes resulted in sharp edges, but these stress the concentrations in the wefts did remain localized. In the warps, the normal stress in the direction of the load was the largest, but the most severe stress state was shown to occur in a very small region where warps came close to binders as the path of the binder transitioned.

Prolonged exposure to water, known as immersion foot syndrome in humans, is a phenomenon first described in soldiers during World War I and characterized by dermal ischemic necrosis. In this report, we describe the pathologic findings of a condition resembling immersion foot syndrome in 5 horses and 1 donkey with prolonged floodwater exposure during Hurricane Harvey. At necropsy, all animals had dermal defects ventral to a sharply demarcated “water line” along the lateral trunk. In 5 animals, histologic examination revealed moderate to severe perivascular dermatitis with vasculitis and coagulative necrosis consistent with ischemia. The severity of the lesions progressed from ventral trunk to distal limbs and became more pronounced in the chronic cases. The pathophysiology of immersion foot syndrome is multifactorial and results from changes in the dermal microvasculature leading to thrombosis and ischemia. Prompt recognition of this disease may lead to appropriate patient management and decreased morbidity.

The National Advanced Spectrum Communications Test Network conducted a test campaign to evaluate impacts of advanced wireless services - 3 long-term evolution uplink (1755 MHz - 1780 MHz) signals on adjacent L-band (1780 MHz – 1850 MHz) aeronautical mobile telemetry air to ground links. The test campaign applied a host of field and laboratory-collected long-term evolution uplink waveforms to an aeronautical mobile telemetry system in a highly automated, cabled testbed. We showcase the test methodology and lessons learned of a susceptibility study in the adjacent band as applied to a telemetry receiver under test.

Brain function relies on a precisely coordinated and dynamic balance between the functional integration and segregation of distinct networks. Characterizing the way in which brain regions reconfigure their interactions to give rise to distinct but hidden brain states remains an open challenge. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian method for characterizing community structure-based latent brain states and showcase a novel strategy based on posterior predictive discrepancy using the latent block model to detect transitions between community structures in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) time series. The set of estimated parameters in the model includes a latent label vector that assigns network nodes to communities, and also block model parameters that reflect the weighted connectivity within and between communities. Besides extensive in-silico model evaluation, we also provide empirical validation (and replication) using the Human Connectome Project (HCP) dataset of 100 healthy adults. Our results obtained through an analysis of task-fMRI data during working memory performance show appropriate lags between external task demands and change-points between brain states, with distinctive community patterns distinguishing fixation, low-demand and high-demand task conditions.

The Glastir Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (GMEP) ran from 2013 until 2016, and was probably the most comprehensive programme of ecological study ever undertaken at a national scale in Wales. The programme aimed to (1) set up an evaluation of the environmental effects of the Glastir agri-environment scheme and (2) quantify environmental status and trends across the wider countryside of Wales. The focus was on outcomes for climate change mitigation, biodiversity, soil and water quality, woodland expansion and cultural landscapes. As such, GMEP included a large field survey component, collecting data on a range of elements including vegetation, land cover and use, soils, freshwaters, birds and insect pollinators from up to 300 1 km squares throughout Wales. The field survey capitalised upon the UKCEH Countryside Survey of Great Britain, which has provided an extensive set of repeated, standardised ecological measurements since 1978. The design of both GMEP and the UKCEH Countryside Survey involved stratified-random sampling of squares from a 1 km grid, ensuring proportional representation from land classes with distinct climate, geology and physical geography. Data were collected from different land cover types and landscape features by trained professional surveyors, following standardised and published protocols. Thus, GMEP was designed so that surveys could be repeated at regular intervals to monitor the Welsh environment, including the impacts of agri-environment interventions. One such repeat survey is scheduled for 2021 under the Environment and Rural Affairs Monitoring and Modelling Programme (ERAMMP). Data from GMEP have been used to address many applied policy questions, but there is major potential for further analyses. The precise locations of data collection are not publicly available, largely for reasons of landowner confidentiality. However, the wide variety of available datasets can be (1) analysed at coarse spatial resolutions and (2) linked to each other based on square-level and plot-level identifiers, allowing exploration of relationships, trade-offs and synergies. This paper describes the key sets of raw data arising from the field survey at co-located sites, 2013 to 2016. Data from each of these survey elements are available with the following Digital Object Identifiers. Landscape features, https://doi.org/10.5285/82c63533-529e-47b9-8e78-51b27028cc7f, https://doi.org/10.5285/9f8d9cc6-b552-4c8b-af09-e92743cdd3de, https://doi.org/10.5285/f481c6bf-5774-4df8-8776-c4d7bf059d40; Vegetation plots, https://doi.org/10.5285/71d3619c-4439-4c9e-84dc-3ca873d7f5cc; Topsoil physico-chemical properties, https://doi.org/10.5285/0fa51dc6-1537-4ad6-9d06-e476c137ed09; Topsoil meso-fauna, https://doi.org/10.5285/1c5cf317-2f03-4fef-b060-9eccbb4d9c21; Topsoil particle size distribution https://doi.org/10.5285/d6c3cc3c-a7b7-48b2-9e61-d07454639656; Headwater stream quality metrics, https://doi.org/10.5285/e305fa80-3d38-4576-beef-f6546fad5d45 ; Pond quality metrics, https://doi.org/10.5285/687b38d3-2278-41a0-9317-2c7595d6b882; Insect pollinator and flower data, https://doi.org/10.5285/3c8f4e46-bf6c-4ea1-9340-571fede26ee8; Bird counts, https://doi.org/10.5285/31da0a94-62be-47b3-b76e-4bdef3037360.

The American Cancer Society has estimated an expected 279,100 new breast cancer cases, and an expected 42,690 breast cancer deaths in the U.S. for the year 2020. This includes an estimated 276,480 women who are expected to be diagnosed. Radiation therapy, also called ionizing radiation therapy, is one of the most frequently used methods in the treatment of breast cancer. While radiation therapy is used in the treatment of more than 50% of all cancer cases, tumor resistance to ionizing radiation presents a major challenge for effective cancer treatment. Most tumor cells are in a hypoxic microenvironment that promotes resistance to radiation therapy. In addition to radiation resistance, the hypoxic microenvironment also promotes cancer proliferation and metastasis. In this review, we will discuss the hypoxic microenvironment of breast cancer tumors, related signaling pathways, breast cancer stem-like cells, and the resistance to radiation therapy. Recent developments in our understanding of tumor hypoxia and hypoxic pathways may assist us in developing new strategies to increase cancer control in radiation therapy.

Nursing homes and other long term-care facilities account for a disproportionate share of COVID-19 cases and fatalities worldwide. Outbreaks in U.S. nursing homes have persisted despite nationwide visitor restrictions beginning in mid-March. An early report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified staff members working in multiple nursing homes as a likely source of spread from the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington to other skilled nursing facilities. The full extent of staff connections between nursing homes---and the crucial role these connections serve in spreading a highly contagious respiratory infection---is currently unknown given the lack of centralized data on cross-facility nursing home employment. In this paper, we perform the first large-scale analysis of nursing home connections via shared staff using device-level geolocation data from 30 million smartphones, and find that 7 percent of smartphones appearing in a nursing home also appeared in at least one other facility---even after visitor restrictions were imposed. We construct network measures of nursing home connectedness and estimate that nursing homes have, on average, connections with 15 other facilities. Controlling for demographic and other factors, a home's staff-network connections and its centrality within the greater network strongly predict COVID-19 cases. Traditional federal regulatory metrics of nursing home quality are unimportant in predicting outbreaks, consistent with recent research. Results suggest that eliminating staff linkages between nursing homes could reduce COVID-19 infections in nursing homes by 44 percent., Comment: 22 pages, 2 figures. This working paper updated July 22nd, 2020. For the most recent version, see https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/faculty_pages/keith.chen/papers/WP_Nursing_Home_Networks_and_COVID19.pdf

Flow-induced hemolysis remains a concern for blood-contacting devices, and computer-based prediction of hemolysis could facilitate faster and more economical refinement of such devices. While evaluation of convergence of velocity fields obtained by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations has become conventional, convergence of hemolysis calculations is also essential. In this paper, convergence of the power-law hemolysis model is compared for simple flows, including pathlines with exponentially increasing and decreasing stress, in gradually expanding and contracting Couette flows, in a sudden radial expansion and in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) channel. In the exponential cases, convergence along a pathline required from one to tens of thousands of timesteps, depending on the exponent. Greater timesteps were required for rapidly increasing (large exponent) stress and for rapidly decreasing (small exponent) stress. Example pathlines in the Couette flows could be fit with exponential curves, and convergence behavior followed the trends identified from the exponential cases. More complex flows, such as in the radial expansion and the FDA channel, increase the likelihood of encountering problematic pathlines. For the exponential cases, comparison of converged hemolysis values with analytical solutions demonstrated that the error of the converged solution may exceed 10% for both rapidly decreasing and rapidly increasing stress.

Purpose: To track cardiac-autonomic functioning, indexed by heart-rate variability, in American college football players throughout a competitive period. Methods: Resting heart rate (RHR) and the natural logarithm root mean square of successive differences (LnRMSSD) were obtained throughout preseason and ∼3 times weekly leading up to the national championship among 8 linemen and 12 nonlinemen. Seated 1-minute recordings were performed via mobile device and standardized for time of day and proximity to training. Results: Relative to preseason, linemen exhibited suppressed LnRMSSD during camp-style preparation for the playoffs (P = .041, effect size [ES] = −1.01), the week of the national semifinal (P P = .005, ES = −1.16). As a combined group, increases in RHR (P R2 = .02–.77) while LnRMSSD trended downward (negative slopes, R2 = .02–.62) throughout the season. Preseason to postseason changes in RHR (r = .50, P = .025) and LnRMSSD (r = −.68, P Conclusions: Heart-rate variability tracking revealed progressive autonomic imbalance in the lineman position group, with individual players showing suppressed values by midseason. Attenuated parasympathetic activation is a hallmark of impaired recovery and may contribute to cardiovascular maladaptations reported to occur in linemen following a competitive season. Thus, a descending pattern may serve as an easily identifiable red flag requiring attention from performance and medical staff.

Declines in rates of new HIV diagnoses and related mortality, and pharmacologic advances resulting in less frequent dosing of therapies, are undeniable individual and public health successes in the USA. Yet even with these successes, the geographic disparities in the epidemic are clear. In 2019, new HIV infections and those at risk for acquiring HIV are concentrated disproportionately, and in many cases numerically, more in the southern USA. The South has the most states with the highest lifetime risk of an HIV diagnosis, people living with HIV (PLWH), or who reside in non-urban communities than any other region. It is also the geographic region with the greatest inequality in who is achieving HIV viral suppression (VS) even during this time of advancements in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

New HIV infections are disproportionately concentrated among black Americans. Yet the most powerful new tool to reduce HIV acquisition, daily oral antiretroviral preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is inequitably accessed. While black men and women comprised 43% of new diagnoses in 2017, and 44% of persons estimated to have risk behaviors that indicate a need for PrEP, only 14.9% of PrEP prescription in 2017 were to black persons. To address this serious inequity, higher levels of knowledge of HIV status, awareness and knowledge of PrEP, access to clinicians willing and trained to provide it, and support for adherent and persistence use will be required in the black community. This is an urgent priority as the nation moves forward with the “Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America” initiative that has a goal of reducing new HIV infections by 75% in the next 5 years and at least 90% by 2030 (Fauci et al. JAMA 321(9):844–845, 2019).

Background Blood removal from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in post-subarachnoid hemorrhage patients may reduce the risk of related secondary brain injury. We formulated a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to investigate the impact of a dual-lumen catheter-based CSF filtration system, called Neurapheresis™ therapy, on blood removal from CSF compared to lumbar drain. Methods A subject-specific multiphase CFD model of CSF system-wide solute transport was constructed based on MRI measurements. The Neurapheresis catheter geometry was added to the model within the spinal subarachnoid space (SAS). Neurapheresis flow aspiration and return rate was 2.0 and 1.8 mL/min, versus 0.2 mL/min drainage for lumbar drain. Blood was modeled as a bulk fluid phase within CSF with a 10% initial tracer concentration and identical viscosity and density as CSF. Subject-specific oscillatory CSF flow was applied at the model inlet. The dura and spinal cord geometry were considered to be stationary. Spatial–temporal tracer concentration was quantified based on time-average steady-streaming velocities throughout the domain under Neurapheresis therapy and lumbar drain. To help verify CFD results, an optically clear in vitro CSF model was constructed with fluorescein used as a blood surrogate. Quantitative comparison of numerical and in vitro results was performed by linear regression of spatial–temporal tracer concentration over 24-h. Results After 24-h, tracer concentration was reduced to 4.9% under Neurapheresis therapy compared to 6.5% under lumbar drain. Tracer clearance was most rapid between the catheter aspiration and return ports. Neurapheresis therapy was found to have a greater impact on steady-streaming compared to lumbar drain. Steady-streaming in the cranial SAS was ~ 50× smaller than in the spinal SAS for both cases. CFD results were strongly correlated with the in vitro spatial–temporal tracer concentration under Neurapheresis therapy (R2 = 0.89 with + 2.13% and − 1.93% tracer concentration confidence interval). Conclusion A subject-specific CFD model of CSF system-wide solute transport was used to investigate the impact of Neurapheresis therapy on tracer removal from CSF compared to lumbar drain over a 24-h period. Neurapheresis therapy was found to substantially increase tracer clearance compared to lumbar drain. The multiphase CFD results were verified by in vitro fluorescein tracer experiments.

Light pollution is one of the most rapidly increasing types of environmental degradation. Its levels have been growing exponentially over the natural nocturnal lighting levels provided by starlight and moonlight. To limit this pollution several effective practices have been defined: the use of shielding on lighting fixture to prevent direct upward light, particularly at low angles above the horizon; no over lighting, i.e. avoid using higher lighting levels than strictly needed for the task, constraining illumination to the area where it is needed and the time it will be used. Nevertheless, even after the best control of the light distribution is reached and when the proper quantity of light is used, some upward light emission remains, due to reflections from the lit surfaces and atmospheric scatter. The environmental impact of this "residual light pollution", cannot be neglected and should be limited too. Here we propose a new way to limit the effects of this residual light pollution on wildlife, human health and stellar visibility. We performed analysis of the spectra of common types of lamps for external use, including the new LEDs. We evaluated their emissions relative to the spectral response functions of human eye photoreceptors, in the photopic, scotopic and the 'meltopic' melatonin suppressing bands. We found that the amount of pollution is strongly dependent on the spectral characteristics of the lamps, with the more environ- mentally friendly lamps being low pressure sodium, followed by high pressure sodium. Most polluting are the lamps with a strong blue emission, like Metal Halide and white LEDs. Migration from the now widely used sodium lamps to white lamps (MH and LEDs) would produce an increase of pollution in the scotopic and melatonin suppression bands of more than five times the present levels, supposing the same photopic installed flux. This increase will exacerbate known and possible unknown effects of light pollution on human health, environment and on visual perception of the Universe by humans. We present quantitative criteria to evaluate the lamps based on their spectral emissions and we suggest regulatory limits for future lighting.

In order to effectively manage natural resources at national scales national decision makers require data on the natural capital which supports the delivery of Ecosystem Services (ES). Key data sources used for the provision of national natural capital metrics include Satellite Remote Sensing (SRS), which provides information on land cover at an increasing range of resolutions, and field survey, which can provide very high resolution data on ecosystem components, but is constrained in its potential coverage by resource requirements. Here we combine spatially representative field data from a historic national survey of Great Britain (Countryside Survey (CS)) with concurrent low resolution SRS data land cover map within modelling frameworks to produce national natural capital metrics. We present three examples of natural capital metrics; top soil carbon, headwater stream quality and nectar species plant richness which show how highly resolved, but spatially representative field data can be used to significantly enhance the potential of low resolution SRS land cover data for providing national spatial data on natural capital metrics which have been linked to Ecosystem Services (ES). We discuss the role of such metrics in evaluations of ecosystem service provision and areas of further development to improve their utility for stakeholders.

The consumption of seafood has increased over the last 10 years. This article analyses impedance changes of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) sample measured over 36 hours by using electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It was also investigated the correlations between variables in order to predictive models to degradation studies. Measurements were collected every 12 hours in order to verify any change due to deterioration. The results show that measurements in both longitudinal and transverse axes are equivalent and that the sample undergoes gradual variations in the impedance. The first set of data collected in the frequency range from 0.1 to 1,000 kHz showed that resistance varied from 310.9 (@ 0.1 kHz) to 86.8 Ω (@1 MHz) and capacitive reactance varied from -8.6 to 11.5 Ω, respectively. The forth set of data showed a decrease of 79.3% (@0.1 kHz) in the resistance part of the impedance, whereas 98.8% in capacitive reactance at 0.1 kHz. These results might suggest that there was a nutritional loss of the sample over time. Further experiments must be done over a long period of time in order to fully understand the process. EIS might be pointed out as a potential technique for fish shelf live quality control.

OBJECTIVES: Black Caribbeans in the United States have been the victims of major discrimination (e.g., unfairly fired, denied a promotion, denied housing). What is not known is the degree to which they also experience more routine forms of everyday discrimination such as receiving poor restaurant service, being perceived as dishonest, and being followed in stores. This paper investigates the distribution and correlates of everyday discrimination among a national sample of black Caribbeans in the U.S. DESIGN: This analysis used the black Caribbean sub-sample (n=1,621) of the National Survey of American Life. Demographic and immigration status correlates of ten items from the Everyday Discrimination Scale were investigated: being treated with less courtesy, treated with less respect, receiving poor restaurant service, being perceived as not smart, being perceived as dishonest, being perceived as not as good as others, and being feared, insulted, harassed, or followed in stores. RESULTS: Roughly one out of ten black Caribbeans reported that, on a weekly basis, they were treated with less courtesy and other people acted as if they were better than them, were afraid of them, and as if they were not as smart. Everyday discrimination was more frequent for black Caribbeans who were male, never married, divorced/separated, earned higher incomes, and who were second or third generation immigrants. Black Caribbeans attributed the majority of the discrimination they experienced to their race. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide an in-depth investigation of everyday discrimination among the black Caribbean population. It provides the frequency, types and correlates of everyday discrimination reported by black Caribbeans in the United States. Understanding the frequency and types of discrimination is important because of the documented negative impacts of everyday discrimination on physical and mental health.

OBJECTIVES This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Center for Executive Medicine (CEM) concierge primary care practice on preventive colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates relative to local and national comparator data. METHODS We performed an electronic medical record search encompassing our entire patient population who are between the ages of 50 and 75 years to determine the rate of CRC screening. We compared this rate with the average rate of Medicare Advantage plans reported by our Independent Physician Association (IPA) in 2015 and national health plans reported by the National Committee for Quality Assurance in 2014. RESULTS The CEM had a CRC screening rate of 90.2%, which was significantly higher than local IPA Medicare Advantage plans (63.3%) and National Committee for Quality Assurance national plans (57.7%-66.5%). CEM members were significantly more likely than were IPA members to undergo screening (odds ratio 1.425, 95% confidence interval 1.348-1.507, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the CEM practice strategy and processes increase CRC screening rates.

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) and an extended solution of Stokes’ second problem were used to validate a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of flow in an orbiting dish. Velocity vector components throughout one complete orbit differed between CFD and PIV by less than 5%. Computational velocity magnitudes averaged over the interior 20% radius, the region where the analytical solution is most applicable, were 0.3% higher than the analytical values, while the experimental values in the same region were 2.4% higher. Velocity profiles in the center of the dish across normalized heights that most influence wall shear stress varied on average by ∼–0.00046 for the normalized radial component and by ∼0.0038 for the normalized tangential component compared to the analytical solution. These results represent the most comprehensive validation to date for computational models of the orbiting dish system. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 4233–4242, 2017

Evidence is accumulating that blood flow patterns in the cardiovascular system and in cardiovascular devices do, in some instances, depend on blood viscoelasticity. Thus, to better understand the challenges to providing circulatory support and surgical therapies for pediatric and adult patients, viscous and elastic components of complex blood viscoelasticity of 31 pediatric patients were compared to those of 29 adult patients with a Vilastic-3 rheometer. A random effects model with categorical age covariates found statistically significant differences between pediatric and adult patients for log viscosity (p = 0.005). Log strain (p

This paper presents ideas for improved conditional probability assessment and improved expert systems consultations. It cautions that knowledge engineers may sometimes be imprecise when capturing causal information from experts: their elicitation questions may not distinguish between causal and correlational expertise. This paper shows why and how such models cannot support normative inferencing over conditional probabilities as if they were all based on frequencies in the long run. In some cases, these probabilities are instead causal theory-based judgments, and therefore are not traditional conditional probabilities. This paper argues that these should be processed as if they were causal strength probabilities or causal propensity probabilities. This paper reviews the literature on causal and probability judgment, and then presents a probabilistic inferencing model that integrates theory-based causal probabilities with frequency-based conditional probabilities. The paper also proposes guidelines for elicitation questions that knowledge engineers may use to avoid conflating causal theory-based judgment with frequency based judgment.

Part 1 Traditional Mediation: The Librarian as Mediator The Reference Librarian as Information Intermediary Back to Basics Mediation in Reference Service To Extend Patron Success. Part 2 Mediation and the Electronic World: Books and Screens, Readers and Reference Electronic Reference Services Response to Swan and Evans. Part 3 Specialized Mediation: Information and Research Support Services Paraprofessionals at the Reference Desk Breaking Through Unequal But Appropriate Service Mediation and Schemata Theory in Meaningful Learning The Dialogue Between Composition Teachers and Reference Librarians. Part 4 Mediation and Accuracy: The Reference Librarian as Mediator. Part 5 The Economy and Its Influence: Mediation in a Shrinking Information Economy. Part 6 The Mediator as Guardian: Academic Librarians and Mediation in Controversial Scholarly Communication.

Equal access to voting is a core feature of democratic government. Using data from hundreds of thousands of smartphone users, we quantify a racial disparity in voting wait times across a nationwide...

A 2x2 twill orthogonal weave was investigated using detailed finite element analysis that was enabled via a high-performance computing framework. The figure below shows the tow architecture of the finite element model.

This study evaluated the building cooling capacity of sky radiation, which was previously identified to have the greatest cooling potential among common ambient sources for climates across the U.S. A heat pipe augmented sky radiator system was simulated by a thermal network with nine nodes, including a thin polyethylene cover with and without condensation, white (zinc oxide) painted radiator plate, condenser and evaporator ends of the heat pipe, thermal storage fluid (water), tank wall, room, sky and ambient air. Heat transfer between nodes included solar flux and sky radiation to cover and plate, wind convection and radiation from cover to ambient, radiation from plate to ambient, natural convection and radiation from plate to cover, conduction from plate to condenser, two-phase heat transfer from evaporator to condenser, natural convection from evaporator to water and from water to tank wall, natural convection and radiation from tank wall to room, and overall heat loss from room to ambient. A thin layer of water was applied to simulate condensation on the cover. Nodal temperatures were simultaneously solved as functions of time using typical meteorological year (TMY3) weather data. Auxiliary cooling was added as needed to limit room temperature to a maximum of 23.9 °C. For this initial investigation, a moderate climate (Louisville, KY) was used to evaluate the effects of radiator orientation, thermal storage capacity, and cooling load to radiator area ratio (LRR). Results were compared to a Louisville baseline with LRR = 10 W/m2 K, horizontal radiator and one cover, which provided an annual sky fraction (fraction of cooling load provided by sky radiation) of 0.855. A decrease to 0.852 was found for an increase in radiator slope to 20 deg, and a drop to 0.832 for 53 deg slope (latitude + 15 deg, a typical slope for solar heating). These drops were associated with increases in average radiator temperature by 0.73 °C for 20 deg and 1.99 °C for 53 deg. A 30% decrease in storage capacity caused a decrease in sky fraction to 0.843. Sky fractions were 0.720 and 0.959 for LRR of 20 and 5, respectively. LRR and thermal storage capacity had strong effects on performance. Radiator slope had a surprisingly small impact, considering that the view factor to the sky at 53 deg tilt is less than 0.5.

In many markets, consumers visit stores and physically inspect products before making purchase decisions. We view the inspection of a product at a retail location as a search for product fit. We quantify the cost and benefit from searching for product fit using a discrete choice model of demand with optimal sequential search. In these models, the benefit of searching is measured by the standard deviation of the product fit and has, heretofore, been fixed to one in estimation. We show that, with an exogenous search cost shifter, both the cost and benefit of searching can be separately estimated. Our empirical setting is the U.S. automotive market. We assemble a unique data set containing individual-level smartphone geolocation data that inform us about dealership visits. We also obtain information on new vehicle purchases from proprietary DMV registration data. Our exogenous cost shifter is the distance a consumer must travel to visit a dealership. Our results show that the benefit provided by dealerships to consumers is substantial. Within our empirical context, failure to estimate the standard deviation of the product fit leads to biased search cost and consumer surplus estimates and to inaccurate predictions regarding consumers' number of searches and effects of at-home test drive programs.

OBJECTIVE To describe the signalment, clinical features, and outcome for male horses with urethral rents following perineal urethrotomy (PU) or corpus spongiotomy (CS). DESIGN Retrospective case series. ANIMALS 33 horses. PROCEDURES Medical records of male horses examined because of hematuria or hemospermia caused by urethral rents that underwent PU or CS at a referral hospital between 1989 and 2013 were reviewed. Data regarding signalment, clinical features, urethroscopic findings, surgical treatment, and outcome were recorded. Long-term follow-up information was obtained by telephone interviews. RESULTS Age of the study population ranged from 3 to 18 years. Nineteen geldings and 1 stallion were examined because of hematuria, of which 13 and 7 underwent PU and CS, respectively, at a mean of 56 days after onset of clinical signs. Thirteen stallions were examined because of hemospermia, of which 7 and 6 underwent PU and CS, respectively, at a mean of 193 days after onset of clinical signs. Hematuria resolved following 1 surgical procedure in all 17 horses for which long-term information was available. Of the 12 stallions for which long-term information was available, 7 had resolution of hemospermia after 1 PU or CS and 5 developed recurrent hemospermia that required additional PUs or CSs (n = 3) or primary closure of the urethral rent (2). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that PU and CS were reliable treatments for resolution of hematuria in male horses with urethral rents; stallions with urethral rents may require multiple PUs or CSs or primary closure of the rent for resolution of hemospermia.

Wilkerson, GB, Gupta, A, Allen, JR, Keith, CM, and Colston, MA. Utilization of practice session average inertial load to quantify college football injury risk. J Strength Cond Res 30(9): 2369-2374, 2016-Relatively few studies have investigated the potential injury prevention value of data derived from recently developed wearable technology for measurement of body mass accelerations during the performance of sport-related activities. The available evidence has been derived from studies focused on avoidance of overtraining syndrome, which is believed to induce a chronically fatigued state that can be identified through monitoring of inertial load accumulation. Reduced variability in movement patterns is also believed to be an important injury risk factor, but no evidence currently exists to guide interpretation of data derived from inertial measurement units (IMUs) in this regard. We retrospectively analyzed archived data for a cohort of 45 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1-football bowl subdivision football players who wore IMUs on the upper back during practice sessions to quantify any associations between average inertial load measured during practice sessions and occurrence of musculoskeletal sprains and strains. Both the coefficient of variation for average inertial load and frequent exposure to game conditions were found to be strongly associated with injury occurrence. Having either or both of the 2 risk factors provided strong discrimination between injured and noninjured players (χ = 9.048; p = 0.004; odds ratio = 8.04; 90% CI: 2.39, 27.03). Our findings may facilitate identification of individual football players who are likely to derive the greatest benefit from training activities designed to reduce injury risk through improved adaptability to rapidly changing environmental demands.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a behaviorally diagnosed disorder of early onset characterized by impairment in social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviors. Some of the earliest signs of ASD involve auditory processing, and a recent study found that hearing thresholds in children with ASD in the mid-range frequencies were significantly related to receptive and expressive language measures. In addition, otoacoustic emissions have been used to detect reduced cochlear function in the presence of normal audiometric thresholds. We were interested then to know if otoacoustic emissions in children with normal audiometric thresholds would also reveal differences between children with ASD and typical developing (TD) controls in mid-frequency regions. Our objective was to specifically measure baseline afferent otoacoustic emissions (distortion-product otoacoustic emissions [DPOAEs]), transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TrOAEs), and efferent suppression, in 35 children with high-functioning ASD compared with 42 aged-matched TD controls. All participants were males 6-17 years old, with normal audiometry, and rigorously characterized via Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Children with ASD had greatly reduced DPOAE responses in the 1 kHz frequency range, yet had comparable DPOAE responses at 0.5 and 4-8 kHz regions. Furthermore, analysis of the spectral features of TrOAEs revealed significantly decreased emissions in ASD in similar frequencies. No significant differences were noted in DPOAE or TrOAE noise floors, middle ear muscle reflex activity, or efferent suppression between children with ASD and TD controls. In conclusion, attention to specific-frequency deficits using non-invasive measures of cochlear function may be important in auditory processing impairments found in ASD. Autism Res 2017, 10: 337-345. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The study of ecological communities through time can reveal fundamental ecological processes and is key to understanding how natural and human pressures will affect biodiversity. Most studies of ecological communities through time consider only one or a few summary measures (e.g. species richness, total abundance), which might neglect important aspects of community structure or function. We studied temporal variation in several measures of species diversity, size diversity, and species composition in an intensively sampled bird community to determine whether different biodiversity measures change synchronously. We used a novel function regression model, which supports the study of diversity measures that are distributions (e.g. species abundance distributions) alongside measures that are scalar values (e.g. species richness). Most diversity measures changed predictably within years, but inter-annual changes in size diversity and species composition were not reflected in species diversity. Within and among years, there was considerable variation in distributional measures that was not captured in scalar measures. Predictable variation within years probably was related to seasonal variation in weather patterns or food availability, but variation in size diversity among years probably resulted from stochastic changes in species composition. These results suggest that species and size diversity may be decoupled, and that inferences on scalar diversity measures might not reflect fundamental changes to community structure or function. Our method supports the inclusion of size-based measures and distributional measures in ecological analyses, and broader uptake of our approach is likely to provide new insight into the processes structuring ecological communities, and inform the links between structure and function in ecological communities.

There is now a preponderance of evidence suggesting that the types of online course management software (OCMS) used in purely online undergraduate college courses, do not meet the needs of younger immature students. These students often lack the learning skills necessary to succeed in such courses, nor do the popular OCMS include the vigilance mechanisms to guide such students to successful course completion in the absence of face-to-face human instruction. This paper explores the literature relevant to design theory, learning theory, decision support, and vigilance, to extend information systems design theory to a design theory of vigilant online learning systems. It is hoped that this research note will help guide software developers and academics studying how to design future online learning systems for the immature student.

We examined how sociopolitical context (marked by generational cohort) and maternal skin color interacted to influence preterm delivery (PTD) rates in sample of Black women. Data were from 1410 Black women, ages 18–45 years, residing in Metropolitan Detroit, MI enrolled (2009–2011) in the Life-course Influences on Fetal Environments (LIFE) Study. Because we hypothesized that generational differences marked by changes in the sociopolitical context would influence exposure to racism, we categorized women into two cohorts by maternal birth year: a) Generation X, 1964–1983 and b) Millennial, 1984–1993. Descriptive results showed similar PTD rates by generational cohort, Generation X: 16.3% vs. Millennials: 16.1%. Yet, within each generation, PTD rates varied by women's skin tone (categorized: light, medium, and dark brown). Poisson regression models confirmed a significant interaction between generational cohort and maternal skin tone predicting PTD (P = 0.001); suggesting a salubrious association between light brown skin tone (compared to medium and dark) and PTD for Generation X. However, Millennials with medium and dark brown skin experienced lower PTD rates than their light Millennial counterparts. Research should consider sociopolitical context and the salience of skin tone bias when investigating racial health disparities, including those in perinatal health.

Globally, economies and marine ecosystems are increasingly dependent on sustainable fisheries management (SFM) to balance social, economic, and conservation needs. The overarching objectives of SFM are to maximize both conservation and socio-economic benefits, while minimizing short-term socio-economic costs. A number of tools have been developed to achieve SFM objectives, ranging from fishery specific to ecosystem-based strategies. Closures are a common SFM tool used to balance the trade-off between socio-economic and conservation considerations; they vary in scope from small-scale temporary closures to large-scale permanent networks. Unfortunately, closures are frequently implemented without a plan for monitoring or assessing whether SFM objectives are met. In situations in which a monitoring plan is not in place we propose that commonly available fishery data can often be used to evaluate whether management tools are effective in meeting SFM objectives. Here, we present a case study of closures on Georges Bank that shows how fishery data can be analyzed to perform such an assessment. Since 2006, on the Canadian side of Georges Bank, seasonal scallop fishery closures have been implemented with the aim of reducing by-catch of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and yellowtail flounder (Pleuronectes ferruginea) during spawning. In lieu of data from a dedicated monitoring program, we analyzed data from Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), fishery logbooks, and a scallop survey to assess the impact of these closures on the scallop fishery, and use observer data (i.e. by-catch) to assess the effectiveness of these closures in meeting their conservation objective. While compliance for these time-area closures was high, the closures did not significantly displace fishing activity and overall there was limited evidence of an impact on the scallop fishery. Further, the discard rates for both cod and yellowtail were above average when their respective closures were active. These results suggest that improvements to the closures design and/or other measures may be required to achieve the desired SFM objectives.

ObjectiveCHA2DS2-VASc is a stroke risk classification system developed to improve the precision of stroke risk classification. The current study examined the validity of CHA2DS2-VASc in a sample of healthy older adults using executive function measures of processing speed, working memory, and cognitive flexibility that are sensitive to cerebrovascular risk factors.MethodsParticipants included 51 community-dwelling, healthy older adults (ages 53–86) recruited from both the community and cardiology clinics. CHA2DS2-VASc was utilized as a measure of stroke risk. Measures of executive functioning and processing speed included the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System (DKEFS) Number–Letter Switching, and Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) Coding.ResultsCHA2DS2-VASc scores significantly predicted scores on the PASAT, DKEFS Number-Letter Switching, and RBANS Coding, such that greater stroke risk was associated with poorer performances on tests of executive functioning and processing speed. These relationships were observed over and above the potential influence of educational attainment and symptoms of depression.ConclusionSignificant relations between stroke risk classification and performance on several measures of executive functioning provide support for a wider and more generalized use of CHA2DS2-VASc with healthy older adults. These findings further highlight the importance of early identification and treatment of stroke risk factors associated with cognitive decline. Findings suggest that CHA2DS2-VASc is a practical and useful tool for patients and their providers in the early detection of stroke risk and development of individualized treatment plans.

Introduction Literature posits that discrimination can be a barrier to racial and ethnic minorities’ healthcare use. This study examines the relationship between perceived discrimination in the form of racial microaggressions and delayed prenatal care in African American women. It also investigates whether this relationship is modified by women's shade of skin color owing to societal attitudes and beliefs tied to colorism (also known as skin-tone bias). Methods Data were collected from a cohort of 1,410 black, African American women in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan, enrolled in 2009–2011 (analyzed between August 2017 and July 2018). Perceived racial microaggressions were assessed using the 20-item Daily Life Experiences of Racism and Bother scale. Logistic regression modeled the relationship between the Daily Life Experiences of Racism and Bother scale and delayed prenatal care, defined as third trimester or no prenatal care entry. Results Nearly a quarter (24.8%) of women had delayed prenatal care. Logistic regression models showed that a Daily Life Experiences of Racism and Bother score above the median was associated with delayed prenatal care (AOR=1.31, 95% CI=1.00, 1.71). This association was moderated by self-reported maternal skin tone (interaction p=0.03). A higher Daily Life Experiences of Racism and Bother score was associated with delayed prenatal care among African-American women at either end of the color continuum (light brown: AOR=1.64, 95% CI=1.02, 2.65; dark brown: AOR=2.30, 95% CI=1.20, 4.41) but not in the middle (medium brown women). Conclusions Skin tone–based mistreatment in tandem with racial discrimination in the form of racial microaggressions may influence African American women's use of prenatal care. These findings have implications related to the engagement of women of color, particularly African American women, in healthcare systems and maternal and child health programs.

MotivationBayesian networks (BNs) are widely used to model biological networks from experimental data. Many software packages exist to infer BN structures, but the chance of getting trapped in local optima is a common challenge. Some recently developed Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) samplers called the Neighborhood sampler (NS) and Hit-and-Run (HAR) sampler, have shown great potential to substantially avoid this problem compared to the standard Metropolis-Hastings (MH) sampler.ResultsWe have developed a software called BNMCMC for inferring and visualizing BNs from given datasets. This software runs NS, HAR and MH samplers using a discrete Bayesian model. The main advantage of BNMCMC is that it exploits adaptive techniques to efficiently explore BN space and evaluate the posterior probability of candidate BNs to facilitate large-scale network inference.AvailabilityBNMCMC is implemented with C#.NET, ASP.NET, Jquery, Javascript and D3.js. The standalone version (BN visualization missing) available for downloading at https://sourceforge.net/projects/bnmcmc/, where the user-guide and an example file are provided for a simulation. A dedicated BNMCMC web server will be launched soon feature a physics-based BN visualization technique.Contactakm.azad@unsw.edu.au

OBJECTIVE: This paper examines how mortality covaries with observed skin tone among blacks and in relation to whites. Additionally, the study analyzes the extent to which social factors such as socioeconomic status affect this relationship. DESIGN: This study uses data from the 1982 General Social Survey (N = 1,689) data linked to the National Death Index until 2008. We use this data to examine the links between race, observed skin tone among blacks, and all-cause mortality. Piecewise exponential hazard modeling was used to estimate disparities in skin tone mortality among blacks, and relative to whites. The multivariate models control for age, education, gender, region, metropolitan statistical area, marital status, labor force status, and household income. RESULTS: Observed skin tone is a significant determinant of mortality among blacks and in relation to whites. Light skinned blacks had the lowest mortality hazards among blacks, while respondents with medium and dark brown skin experienced significantly higher mortality. The observed skin tone mortality disparities covaried with education; there are significant mortality disparities across observed skin tone groups among black respondents with high school or more education, and nonsignificant disparities among those with less education. CONCLUSION: It is crucial to identify the social processes driving racial disparities in health and mortality. The findings reveal that the nuanced social experiences of blacks with different observed skin tones markedly change the experience of racial inequality. Research on the nuanced social processes and biological mechanisms that connect differences in observed skin tone to mortality outcomes promises to better illuminate the experience of racial inequality and policy mechanisms we can use to undermine it.