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Simple Summary: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a significant role as epigenetic regulators in cancer. IsomiRs are miRNA molecules that undergo small modifications during miRNA processing, which can affect their stability and their interaction with mRNA targets. While some isomiRs are linked to specific cancers, many, including those in the lung, remain understudied. To address this, small RNA sequencing data from lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and adult non-malignant lung (ANL) samples were analyzed to quantify isomiR expression. This analysis identified 16 A-to-I edited isomiRs, 213 5′ isomiRs, 128 3′ adenylated isomiRs, and 100 3′ uridylated isomiRs. A-to-I editing rates correlated with the expression of editing enzymes ADAR and ADARB1, both deregulated in LUAD. LUAD samples had lower A-to-I editing and 3′ adenylation rates compared to ANL. Machine learning models based on isomiR data effectively distinguished ANL from stage I/II LUAD samples, suggesting that isomiRs hold potential as cancer biomarkers. Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) modulate the expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, functioning as significant epigenetic regulators in cancer. IsomiRs are miRNA molecules that have undergone small modifications during miRNA processing. These modifications can alter an isomiR's binding stability with mRNA targets, and certain isomiRs have been implicated in the development of specific cancers. Still, the isomiRomes of many tissues, including the lung, have not been characterized; Methods: In this study, we analyzed small RNA sequencing data for three cohorts of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and adult non-malignant lung (ANL) samples. Results: We quantified isomiR expression and found 16 A-to-I edited isomiRs expressed in multiple cohorts, as well as 213 5′ isomiRs, 128 3′ adenylated isomiRs, and 100 3′ uridylated isomiRs. Rates of A-to-I editing at editing hotspots correlated with mRNA expression of the editing enzymes ADAR and ADARB1, which were both observed to be deregulated in LUAD. LUAD samples displayed lower overall rates of A-to-I editing and 3′ adenylation than ANL samples. Support vector machines and random forest models were trained on one cohort to distinguish ANL and stage I/II LUAD samples using reads per million (RPM) and frequency data for different types of isomiRs. Models trained on A-to-I editing rates at editing hotspots displayed high accuracy when tested on the other two cohorts and compared favorably to classifiers trained on miRNA expression alone; Conclusions: We have identified isomiRs in the human lung and found that their expression differs between non-malignant and tumor tissues, suggesting they hold potential as cancer biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE Patient engagement has been broadly defined as the process of actively involving and supporting patients in health care and treatment decision making. The aim of this study was to identify organizational factors that are associated with greater use of patient engagement care practices in Veterans Health Administration primary care clinics. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from the 2016 Patient-Aligned Care Team (PACT) national survey of direct care clinicians (primary care clinicians, registered nurses, and clinical associates). Exploratory factor analysis was used to group conceptually related patient engagement survey items into 3 subscales: planning and goal setting; motivational interviewing; and organizational strategies to promote self-management. Our independent variables included literature-based factors reported to promote team-based care and interdisciplinary collaboration in primary care. We used generalized estimating equations with multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify independent correlates of high performance on each patient engagement domain (top 25th vs bottom 25th percentile). RESULTS A total of 2,478 direct care clinicians from 609 clinics completed all patient engagement items in the PACT survey. For all patient engagement subscales, respondents at high-performing clinics were more likely to report having regular team meetings to discuss performance improvement and having leadership responsible for implementing PACT. For 2 of 3 patient engagement subscales, high performance was also associated with having fully staffed PACT teams ([greater than or equal to] 3 team members per primary care clinician) and role clarity. CONCLUSIONS Several desirable organizational and contextual factors were associated with high performance of patient engagement care practices. Strategies to improve the organizational functioning of primary care teams may enhance patient engagement in care. Key words: patient participation; patient-centered care; health care administration; professional practice; primary care redesign; organizational change; health services research; patient care team; veterans; practice-based research, INTRODUCTION Patient engagement is a relationship-based approach that builds trust and promotes patient autonomy by actively involving and supporting patients in health care and treatment decision making. (1) There is [...]

On-farm field trials were conducted on sandy loam soils in Ontario and Quebec, Canada for three years to quantify N2O fluxes and cumulative N2O emissions as affected by the amount and timing of N fertilizer application to corn (Zea mays L.). Using the static chamber method, gas samples were collected and analyzed after preplant or sidedress N fertilization. In general, both N2O flux and total emission increased with the amount of N fertilizer applied at preplant or sidedress at the V6-V8 growth stage with peak flux rate from 30 to 900 μg N m-2 hr-1. Depending on N levels and timing of application, the cumulative emission ranged from 0.05 to 2.42 kg N ha-1 over the 28-d monitoring period, equivalent to 0.03 to 1.45% of the total N fertilizer applied. The amount and temporal distribution of rainfall played a major role in stimulating the rate of N2O emission. The flux of N2O was negligible when soil mineral N in the 0-15 cm layer was 15ºC, during early plant growth stages. Cumulative N2O emission was generally higher for sidedress incorporated N than preplant application probably because of higher soil water contents and temperatures later in the growing season induced higher rates of N2O production.

As more states legalize recreational cannabis, questions remain about the impact of this transition for police who continue to be responsible for enforcing laws governing illicit production and distribution of the drug, use of the substance in prohibited settings, and possession by juveniles. Legalization may also lead to additional responsibilities, including policing homegrown cannabis and licensed businesses involved in cultivating, processing, and selling the drug. Documenting the experience of law enforcement officers in states that have already transitioned to a legal market may provide important insights into the implementation of cannabis policies in other jurisdictions. The present study surveyed 301 law enforcement officers in Oregon three years after the state legalized recreational marijuana. Results indicate that officers perceive increases in many marijuana-related problems following legalization and most officers report that the state's revised statutes are confusing and difficult to enforce. Implications for public policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors use a multilevel framework to introduce peer-based control as a motivational state that emerges in self-managing teams. The authors specifically describe how "peer-based rational control", which is defined as team members perceiving the distribution of economic rewards as dependent on input from teammates, extends and interacts with the more commonly studied normative control force of group cohesion to explain both individual and collective performance in teams. On the basis of data from 587 factory workers in 45 self-managing teams at 3 organizations, peer-based rational control corresponded with higher performance for both individuals and collective teams. Results further demonstrated that the rational and normative mechanism of peer-based control interacted to explain performance at both the individual and team levels. Increased peer-based rational control corresponded with higher individual and collective performance in teams with low cohesion, but the positive effects on performance were attenuated in cohesive teams. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)

The authors of this study examine how evaluations made during an early stage of the structured interview (rapport building) influence end of interview scores, subsequent follow-up employment interviews, and actual internship job offers. Candidates making better initial impressions received more internship offers (r = 0.22) and higher interviewer ratings (r = 0.42). As predicted, initial evaluations of candidate competence extend beyond liking and similarity to influence subsequent interview outcomes from the same interviewer (deltaR[superscript 2] = 0.05), from a separate interviewer (deltaR[superscript 2] = 0.05), and from another interviewer who skipped rapport building (deltaR[superscript 2] = 0.05). In contrast, assessments of candidate liking and similarity were not significantly related to other judgments when ratings were provided by different interviewers. The findings of this study thus indicate that initial impressions of candidates influence employment outcomes, and that they may be based on useful judgments of candidate competence that occur in the opening minutes of the structured interview. (Contains 7 tables and 1 figure.)