Patterns of Genetic Structure in Spiders Beetles

Spider beetles are a poorly known group of North American beetles in the family Ptinidae. Protection of biodiversity requires knowledge of species- and population-level distinctiveness, so data regarding genetic structure of spider beetles can shed light on conservation priorities. Spider beetles in the genus, Coleotestudus, are distributed broadly in the southwestern US. Given their small size and lack of flight, it is presumed that the dispersal capability of Coleotestudus is limited, leading to strong population structure on a small spatial scale. We used a three-enzyme restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (3RAD) strategy to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) throughout the genome of three species: C. abditus, C. giuliani, and C. ventriculus. We used SNP genotype frequencies to describe genetic structure among populations. Our objective was to use a multilocus SNP dataset to evaluate taxonomic questions in the genus Coleotestudus raised by previous work that used three gene fragments – CO1, 16S, and 28S. We evaluated the following questions stemming from an existing three-gene phylogeny: 1) Are the three sampled species best described as three distinct genetic clusters? 2) Can each species be further subdivided into distinct genetic clusters? 3) Do the clusters revealed by our analysis make sense in a geographic context? Our results suggest the three sampled Coleotestudus species are best described as five genetic clusters (K=5) rather than three (K=3) using both STRUCTURE and DAPC analyses. Our analysis further suggests C. abditus and C. giuliani are each best described by K=1, and C. ventriculus is best described by K=3. Lastly, our analyses reveal that the clusters of C. ventriculus appear to correspond to major biogeographic regions of the southwestern US. Future sampling at a finer geographic scale will help to further explore the patterns of gene flow in spider beetles, particularly among populations of C. ventriculus

SOCIAL ENGINEERING AS AN EVOLUTIONARY THREAT TO INFORMATION SECURITY IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS

Information security in healthcare settings is overlooked even though it is the most vulnerable for social engineering attacks. The theft of hospital information data is critical to be monitored as they contain patients’ confidential health information. If leaked, the data can impact patients’ social as well as professional life. The hospital data system includes administrative data, as well as employees’ personal information hacked, which can cause identity theft. The current paper discusses types and sources of social engineering attacks in healthcare organizations. Social engineering attacks occur more frequently than other malware attacks, and hence it is crucial to understand what social engineering is and its vulnerabilities to understand the prevention measures. The paper describes types of threats, potential vulnerabilities, and possible solutions to prevent social engineering attacks in healthcare organizations. Keywords: social engineering, hospitals, healthcare organizations, information security.

Clinical and environmental factors affecting the survival outcomes among stage 1A TN0M0 first primary non-small cell lung carcinoma patients in the United States.

Background: Lung cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States (U.S.). The most prevalent histological type of lung cancer is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), which has an overall five years survival of 5% if left untreated. Therefore, early treatment of NSCLC is vital to improve overall survival (OS) outcomes. Several factors affect survival outcomes, which can be categorized as modifiable or non-modifiable. The difference in timely receipt of guideline-concordant treatment affects the survival outcomes of patients with stage 1A NSCLC. This dissertation explored factors that affect treatment and survival outcomes among stage 1A NSCLC patients using a nationally representative cancer registry population (i.e., Survival, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 18 plus cancer registry), air pollution and weather data, and local health resource information. Methods: The first chapter of this study utilized an evidence-based Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) synthesis method to review the causal pathways explored in the literature for factors affecting treatment receipt and survival outcomes among stage 1A NSCLC patients in the U.S. Subsequently, guided by the theoretical frameworks proposed previously Andersen and Aday1 ; Shi and Steven2, DAGs for the second and third chapter analyses were proposed, respectively. The second chapter utilized logistic regression adjusted for the year of diagnosis and county-specific time-invariant factors with standard errors clustered at the state level. The third chapter employed Kaplan-Meier survival estimates and a Cox proportional regression model adjusted for the year of diagnosis and county-specific time-invariant factors to determine survival outcomes, allowing for right censoring. Findings: The DAGs identified several causal pathways that were accounted for in Chapters Two and Three analyses. The results of the Chapter Two analysis corroborated with the existing literature that there exists a difference in guideline-concordant treatment receipt. The findings of the Chapter Three analysis confirmed a difference in survival outcomes among stage 1A TN0M0 NSCLC first primary patients exposed to higher versus low levels of air pollution in the U.S. Policy implications: Black and Medicaid enrolees are less likely to receive guideline-concordant treatment than others are. This warrants future policy decision-making geared toward reducing the difference in treatment receipt, which ultimately improves survival outcomes. Additionally, the shortage of sufficient air pollution monitoring stations in non-metropolitan areas warrants an improvement in determining the health outcomes for non-metropolitan residents. Ambient air pollution control policies are required to improve the survival outcomes of patients with stage 1A TN0M0 NSCLC

Pemanfaatan Media Dakon Matematika (Dakota) terhadap Hasil Belajar Siswa Pada Materi Pengurangan Bersusun di Kelas II SD Negeri 1 Biak Muli Kabupaten Aceh Tenggara

Pembelajaran matematika adalah proses yang terjadi selama kegiatan belajar mengajar dengan menjadikan matematika sebagai objek kajian utama untuk dipelajari. Seiring dengan berkembangnya zaman, kualitas pembelajaran matematika di Indonesia harus terus ditingkatkan. Tetapi pada kenyataannya banyak siswa yang takut jika harus berhadapan dengan matematika. Keberhasilan seseorang dalam memahami suatu pelajaran tertentu dapat diketahui dari hasil belajar. Rendahnya hasil belajar siswa pada mata pelajaran matematika khususnya pada materi pengurangan bersusun dikarenakan operasi tersebut masih dianggap abstrak bagi sebagian siswa. Serta kurangnya variasi alternatif pemecahan persoalan pengurangan menjadi salah satu faktor penyebab mengapa siswa masih mengalami kesulitan. Hal tersebut terjadi karena guru belum menggunakan media/alat peraga yang memadai dalam menjelaskan operasi hitung pengurangan. salah satu media yang dapat digunakan yaitu media dakon matematika (Dakota). Media ini dapat membantu siswa berpikir lebih cepat dan lebih mudah memahami konsep pengurangan serta dapat meningkatkan antusiasme siswa untuk mengikuti pembelajaran sehingga berdampak pada hasil belajar siswa. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui aktifitas belajar siswa dan hasil belajar siswa dengan menggunakan media dakon matematika (Dakota) terhadap hasil belajar siswa pada materi pengurangan bersusun di kelas II SD Negeri 1 Biak Muli Kabupaten Aceh Tenggara. Pendekatan dalam penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan jenis deskriptif. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di SDN 1 Biak Muli Kabupaten Aceh Tenggara. Subjek penelitian terdiri dari 30 siswa Kelas II SDN 1 Biak Muli Kabupaten Aceh Tenggara. Data diperoleh melalui observasi dan tes. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa aktivitas belajar siswa berada pada kategori sangat tinggi dan hasil belajar siswa berada pada kategori tuntas dengan persentase 77% siswa tuntas secara klasikal. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa menggunakan media dakon matematika (Dakota) bermanfaat dalam meningkatkan aktivitas dan hasil belajar siswa pada materi pengurangan bersusun di kelas II SDN 1 Biak Muli Kabupaten Aceh Tenggara. &nbsp

Structural Change, Economic Growth and Poverty in OIC countries: the case of Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria and Turkey.

The paper uses available data to compare and analyzes the relationships between structural change and economic growth in four OIC member countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria and Turkey). The paper uses descriptive statistics to analyze and compare structural transformation in the study countries. It finds that Malaysia, Indonesia and Turkey succeeded achieving sustained economic growth and development because they were able to effectively transform their productive activities from low to high productivity; and diversified from monoculture to manufacturing and exports of finished products, and were thus able to significantly reduce poverty during the last three decades. The paper concludes that political stability, human development and good economic management as well as demographic change are for sustained growth, structural transformation and poverty reduction