Best Selling Books by Ryan W

In combat, all you have is the soldier next to you. In the distant future, mechanized warfare has evolved to its ultimate form, gravtanks: high-speed, fusion-powered, gravity-effect vehicles equipped with the latest in high-tech sensors, plasteel armor, and deadly weaponry to dominate the battlefield. On the desert planet of Ramil, Berserker Sergeant Jake Warrick and his crew find themselves fighting in daily death duels over the arid wastelands. The local warlords employ ever more mercenaries to secure their slice of the oil-rich planet. Warrick''s toughest challenge yet comes when he goes head-to-head against the Death Deacons, a newly arrived mercenary force with tanks and moxie to match that of the Berserkers. In a high-stakes showdown that puts his skills to the ultimate test, Warrick must confront his past and make tough choices that decide the fate of his crew. Decisions that he will have to live with, if he survives. Gripping and heartfelt, this action-packed tale of bravery and sacrifice will leave readers on the edge of their seats. Part of the Berserkers series, The Duel is a thrilling standalone novella set in the gritty War''s Edge universe. Warning: This book contains graphic violence, profanity, and sexual content. It is intended for a mature audience. Reader discretion is advised.

"This thesis is meant to be an introduction to the theory of quantum groups, a new and exciting field having deep relevance to both pure and applied mathematics. Throughout the thesis, basic theory of requisite background material is developed within an overar-ching categorical framework. This background material includes vector spaces, algebras and coalgebras, bialgebras, Hopf algebras, and Lie algebras. The understanding gained from these subjects is then used to explore some of the more basic, albeit important, quantum groups. The thesis ends with an indication of how to proceed into the deeper areas of the theory"--Document.

Operational decisions under information asymmetry can signal a firm''s prospects to less-informed parties, such as investors, customers, competitors, and regulators. Consequently, managers in these settings often face a tradeoff between making an optimal decision and sending a favorable signal. We provide experimental evidence on the choices made by decision makers in such settings. Equilibrium assumptions that are commonly applied to analyze these situations yield the least cost separating outcome as the unique equilibrium. In this equilibrium, the more informed party undertakes a costly signal to resolve the information asymmetry that exists. We provide evidence, however, that participants are much more likely to pursue a pooling outcome when such an outcome is available. This result is important for research and practice because pooling and separating outcomes can yield dramatically different results and have divergent implications. We find evidence that the choice to pool is influenced by changes in the underlying newsvendor model parameters in our setting. In robustness tests, we show that choosing a pooling outcome is especially pronounced among participants who report a high level of understanding of the setting and that participants who pool are rewarded by the less informed party with higher payoffs. Finally, we demonstrate through a reexamination of Lai et al. (2012) and Cachon and Lariviere (2001) how pooling outcomes can substantively extend the implications of other extant signaling game models in the operations management literature.

Jesus'' prayer of forgiveness in Luke 23:34a, one of the "seven words from the cross," remains disputed among textual critics. Although some scholars argue that external evidence supports the short reading, others see the external evidence as inconclusive. This thesis analyzes the arguments for and against the prayer''s originality, and renders a judgment for the long reading based on a combination of external, internal, and transcriptional evidence. In addition, it suggests a possible explanation for the excision of the prayer, namely, that an attitude of anti-Judaism among some second century scribes, combined with the logion''s interpretation as a prayer for Jews, led some scribes to remove the prayer from a text which originally included it.

People often feel malicious envy, a destructive interpersonal emotion, when they compare themselves to successful peers. Across two online experiments and an experimental field study, we identify an interpersonal strategy that can mitigate others’ feelings of malicious envy: revealing one’s failures. People are reticent to reveal their failures—both as they are happening and after they have occurred. However, in two experiments, we find that revealing successes and the failures encountered on the path to success (compared to revealing only successes) decreases observers’ malicious envy. This effect holds regardless of whether the individual is ambiguously or unambiguously successful. Then, in a field experiment set in an entrepreneurial pitch competition, where pride displays are common and stakes are high, we find suggestive evidence that learning about the failures of a successful entrepreneur decreases observers’ malicious envy, increases their benign envy, decreases their perceptions of the entrepreneur’s hubristic pride (i.e., arrogance), and increases their perceptions of the entrepreneur’s authentic pride (i.e., confidence). These findings align with previous work on the social-functional relation of envy and pride. Taken together, our results highlight how revealing the failures encountered on the way to success can be a counterintuitive yet effective interpersonal emotion regulation strategy.

Abstract: Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (Centers for Disease Control, 2012), and despite decades of research, the prediction of suicide risk remains relatively imprecise. Though a large number of factors are associated with suicide, there is relatively little empirical guidance as to how to efficiently integrate this information to determine suicide risk. Joiner (2005) proposed the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide as an approach to understanding suicidal ideation and behavior, and numerous studies have supported its theoretical and clinical utility. In the current study, the relationships among hope, self-forgiveness, and the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide were explored. Hope moderated the relationship between thwarted belonging and suicidal ideation in younger adults, and self-forgiveness moderated the relationship between perceived burdensomeness and suicidal ideation in both younger and older adults. These findings suggest that hope and self-forgiveness may confer resilience against suicidal ideation in the presence of these risk factors.

Exposure to environmental or physiological stress results in a decrease in mental and physical performance. The less control the individual has over these stresses, the greater the decrement. The decrease in performance, particularly mental performance, results from a depletion of catecholamines within the brain. This decrease, especially in norepinephrine, leads to alterations in normal brain function and an increase in error rates, decreased decision making ability, mental confusion, and an overall decrease in cognitive performance. All of these are compounded the longer the individual is unable to remove the stress. Previous studies involving rats and humans have shown that supplemental tyrosine (levels above normal dietary intake) prevent the normal decrease in performance in stressed individuals. Tyrosine, the initial precursor in catecholamine synthesis, works by increasing the availability of the precursor and thereby slowing the rate of norepinephrine depletion. Nine healthy subjects from the Colorado State University community were exposed to a 3-hour protocol that was repeated for 4 different environmental conditions. During each exposure profile, the following stressors were placed on the subjects: (1) hypobaric environment of 21,000 feet (only for two of the four exposure profiles); (2) immobilization in the form of a confined space (4'' x 3''), the restriction of movement for a period of three hours, and the use of a breathing hood; (3) boredom associated with periods of prolonged inactivity; (4) behavioral and psychophysiological testing; (5) cool temperatures and low humidity; and (6) a sustained 71 dB(A) noisy chamber environment. During the course of each exposure, subjects performed several computerized vigilance and cognitive tests and completed a mood questionnaire. Each test was separated by a period of inactivity. Prior to each exposure, subjects were given either 100 mg/ kg body weight of a placebo or tyrosine in capsule form.

The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, has developed resistance to most control tactics used to manage it. Transgenic corn varieties that express insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt), cause mortality to target pests when ingested. In an attempt to delay resistance formation to these Bt products, the Environmental Protection Agency mandates the development of an insect resistance management program prior to registration for commercial sale. Despite plans to delay resistance being in place, resistance has developed in the field for both Cry3Bb1 and mCry3A-expressing hybrids. Resistance to these products could be due to physiological adaptations or through behavioral avoidance of the toxin in the plant. For the first portion of this work, we investigated a behavioral avoidance hypothesis for resistance. We hypothesized that later hatching western corn rootworm larvae could utilize previous feeding damage on Bt corn roots by early hatching larvae as an entry point into the root cortex containing lower levels of the Bt protein. Field and greenhouse tests involving infestation staggering to facilitate previous feeding damage did not support our hypothesis and did not indicate any effect of previous root feeding on the ability of this pest to establish on Bt plants and cause damage. We also evaluated resistance dynamics in the western corn rootworm in response to the most recent Bt protein commercialized for rootworm management, eCry3.1Ab. For one experiment, an eCry3.1Ab-selected and a paired control western corn rootworm colony were utilized to determine the potential fitness costs associated with eCry3.1Ab resistance. Adult longevity, egg viability, and larval development time results indicated a lack of fitness costs associated with eCry3.1Ab resistance in the western corn rootworm. Reciprocally crossed colonies of the eCry3.1Ab-selected and control colonies were created in order to evaluate whether the resistance trait to eCry3.1Ab was recessive, dominant, or something in between. Each reciprocal cross and their parent colonies were evaluated in diet toxicity and plant assays. Results indicated that the eCry3.1Ab resistance trait we selected for under laboratory conditions is dominantly inherited.

In a world within our own, the boundaries of magic realism are stretched.

Overweight dogs have a reduced life expectancy and increased risk of chronic disease. During obesity development, adipose tissue undergoes major expansion and remodeling, but the biological processes involved are not well understood. The objective of study 1 was to analyze global gene expression profiles of adipose tissue in dogs, fed a high-fat (47% kcal/g) diet, during the transition from a lean to obese phenotype. Nine female beagles were randomized to ad libitum (n=5) feeding or body weight maintenance (n=4). Subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsy, skeletal muscle biopsy and blood samples were collected, and dual x-ray absorptiometry measurements were taken at 0, 4, 8, 12, and 24 wk of feeding. Ad libitum feeding increased (P0.05) body weight, body fat mass, adipocyte size and serum leptin concentrations. Microarrays displayed 1,665 differentially expressed genes in adipose tissue over time in the ad libitum fed dogs. Alterations were observed in many homeostatic processes including metabolism, oxidative stress, mitochondrial homeostasis, and extracellular matrix. Our data implies that during obesity development subcutaneous adipose tissue has a large capacity for expansion, which is accompanied by tissue remodeling and short-term adaptations to the metabolic stresses associated with ad libitum feeding. Gene expression changes between 12 and 24 wk indicate a transition from the initial adaptive response to ad libitum feeding and the onset of a chronic obese state. The objective of study 2 was to identify differentially expressed genes and enriched functional pathways between subcutaneous and gonadal adipose of lean and obese dogs at 24 wk of the animal experiment described in study 1. Subcutaneous adipocytes of obese dogs were larger than obese gonadal and lean subcutaneous and gonadal adipocytes. A total of 946 and 703 transcripts were differentially expressed between gonadal and subcutaneous adipose tissue in obese and lean dogs, respectively. Both lean and obese dog gene lists had enrichment of the complement and coagulation cascade, lysosomal and systemic lupus erythematosus pathways. Obese dogs had enrichment of extracellular matrix-receptor interaction and renin-angiotensin system pathways. Lean dogs had enrichment of glutathione metabolism, focal adhesion, synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies and amino sugar metabolism. This study demonstrates that there are a core set of genes that differentiate adipose tissue depots regardless of obesity status, that may underlie differences in depot metabolism and inflammation. Skeletal muscle, as a large and insulin-sensitive tissue, is an important contributor to metabolic homeostasis and energy expenditure. Only a limited number of studies have compared skeletal muscle gene expression of lean and obese dogs. The objective of study 3 was to identify genes and functional classes differentially expressed between lean and obese dog skeletal muscle at 24 wk of the animal experiment described in study 1. Microarrays displayed 77 differentially expressed skeletal muscle transcripts between lean and obese dogs. Alterations were observed in genes pertaining to the functional classes of signaling, transport, protein catabolism and proteolysis, protein modification, development, transcription and apoptosis, cell cycle and differentiation. The small amount of differentially expressed genes in skeletal muscle indicates that adipose tissue expansion may buffer skeletal muscle from the metabolic stresses associated with ad libitum feeding. In study 1, zinc-alpha2 glycoprotein (ZAG) was highly expressed (up to 60-fold vs. baseline) in subcutaneous adipose tissue during weight gain, with increased expression at 4, 8, and 12 wk. At 24 wk, however, ZAG expression had returned to basal levels. Studies in both humans and rodents suggest that adipose tissue ZAG expression is down-regulated during obesity. Therefore, the objective of study 4 was to determine if ZAG was increased with increasing body weight and body condition score in a clinical population of dogs. The clinical population studied had a narrow body condition score range (2-6), but wide body weight range (3.0-29.5 kg). ZAG expression (ZAG/cyclophilin A) ranged from 0.68-3.13, but there was no influence (P0.05) of body condition score or body weight on its expression. Gonadal adipose tissue expression of ZAG was not influenced by body condition score in this clinical population, which could be due to the depot measured or lack of obese dogs in this population. Our results indicate that adipose tissue has a large capacity to store and adapt to excess calories during the transition from a lean to obese phenotype. The capacity for adipose tissue to expand may buffer skeletal muscle from the effects of excess calories during this period. Even though large phenotypic differences were noted between lean and obese dogs, transcriptome analysis revealed a core set of genes differentiating subcutaneous and gonadal adipose tissue in both groups.

The potential impact of combined optical and electrochemical measurements goes well beyond the study of basic biophysical mechanisms. This strategy can provide significant technological benefit. In biodetection, for example, this scheme offers the specificity of biochemical interactions, the sensitivity of single molecule fluorescence detection, and the amplification afforded by the opening of a membrane channel. In medicinal chemistry, similar strategies provide new ways of testing drug candidates under high - throughput conditions.

The objective of this research is to inform the design of dynamic interfaces to optimize unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operator reliance on automation. A broad goal of the U.S. military is to improve the ratio of UAV operators to UAVs controlled. Accomplishing this goal requires the use of automation; however, the benefits of automation are jeopardized without appropriate operator reliance. To improve reliance on automation, this effort sought to accomplish several objectives organized into phases.

Amid growing calls for transparency and social and environmental responsibility, companies are employing different strategies to improve consumer perceptions of their brands. Some pursue internal initiatives that reduce their negative social or environmental impacts through responsible operations practices (such as paying a living wage to workers or engaging in environmentally sustainable manufacturing). Others pursue external responsibility initiatives (such as philanthropy or cause-related marketing). Through three experiments, conducted in the field and lab, we compare how transparency into these internal and external initiatives affects customer perceptions and sales, and explore the psychological processes linking transparency to sales. The results provide converging evidence that transparency into a company’s internal responsibility practices can be at least as motivating of consumer sales as transparency into its external responsibility initiatives, incrementally increasing a consumer’s probability of purchase by 13.6% and 45.8% across our two field experiments, conducted in social and environmental domains, respectively. We further investigate the perceptual effects of transparency into internal and external responsibility initiatives and find that the underlying psychological mechanisms linking both types of transparency to consumer purchase intentions are highly consistent. Transparency into internal and external initiatives increases perceived altruism, cause sincerity, corporate ability, trust, favorability, and consumers’ beliefs that the company is an attractive employer, which in turn drives sales. Taken together, our results suggest that it may be in the interest of both business and society for managers to prioritize internal responsible operations initiatives, to achieve both top and bottom line benefits, while mitigating social and environmental harms.

ABSTRACT: Chronic inflammation stimulates mammary tumourigenesis by disrupting signalling interactions between the epithelial ducts and the surrounding stromal microenvironment. Adipocyte enhancer-binding protein 1 (AEBP1) promotes mammary epithelial cell hyperplasia as a stromal factor that enhances activity of the proinflammatory transcription factor Nuclear Factor-?B (NF-?B) in macrophages. Aberrant NF-?B activity in macrophages elevates production of proinflammatory signals and the ligand sonic hedgehog (Shh), a significant contributor to tumourigenesis. In this study, Shh expression was elevated in macrophages isolated from transgenic mice (AEBP1TG) that overexpress AEBP1. Transient overexpression of AEBP1 in a macrophage cell line resulted in increased Shh expression. Furthermore, hedgehog target genes Gli1 and Bmi1 were up-regulated in mammary epithelium of AEBP1TG mice and HC11 mammary epithelial cells co-cultured with AEBP1TG macrophages. Growth of HC11 cells and mammary tumours was enhanced in response to AEBP1TG macrophages. These findings suggest that macrophage AEBP1 overexpression contributes to mammary hyperplasia through enhanced hedgehog signalling.

Costal2 (Cos2) is a kinesin-like protein found in Hedgehog signaling but whose role within the signaling cascade remains enigmatic. Previous characterization of the motor domain of Cos2 has shown it exhibits nucleotide promiscuity--hydrolyzing either ATP or GTP--though it exhibits poor catalytic activity (~10-4 s-1) in comparison to conventional kinesins. Closer inspection of the sequence of Cos2 reveals it does not contain the highly conserved switch I motif (SSRS) found in kinesins. This study aimed to identify the catalytic residue essential for hydrolysis and characterize the active site by analyzing pre-steady-state nucleotide binding. Site-directed mutagenesis and steady-state kinetic analysis identified Ser261 as the hydrolytic residue for both ATP and GTPase activity. Thus, Cos2 is predicted to contain a novel switch I motif (261SARQS265) that closely resembles the canonical switch I motif. Characterization of pre-steady-state nucleotide binding utilized stopped-flow kinetics coupled with fluorescence and demonstrated Cos2 had greater affinity for GTP: K[subscript D,mantGTP] = 84 [Mu]M, K[subscript D,mantATP] = 119 [Mu]M. The observed dissociation constants provide further evidence suggesting Cos2 is an evolutionary intermediate that relates advanced G-proteins (i.e. dynamin) to primitive, nonmotile kinesins (i.e., NOD). Finally, this study proposes Cos2 acts as an ATPase switch in Hedgehog signaling whereby ATP hydrolysis leads to a conformational change that promotes release of a binding partner--predicted here to be the transcription factor Ci--from the N-terminus of Cos2.

We investigate whether organizations can create value by introducing visual transparency between consumers and producers. Although existing theory posits that increased contact between the two parties can diminish work performance, we conducted two field and two laboratory experiments in food service contexts that suggest that the introduction of operational transparency improves service quality and efficiency. The introduction of reciprocal operational transparency contributed to a 22.5% increase in customer-reported quality and reduced throughput times to 67.5% of standard. Customers who observed employees engaged in labor perceived greater effort, appreciated that effort, and valued the service more. Employees who observed customers felt more appreciated, and in turn, were more satisfied with their work and exerted increased levels of effort. We find that transparency, by visually revealing operating processes to both producers and consumers, generates a positive feedback loop through which value is created for both parties.

Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive bacterium that causes 320,000 infections annually and is associated with diseases such as sepsis, endocarditis, and necrotizing fasciitis. To cause this variety of disease, S. aureus must regulate virulence gene expression through a variety of mechanisms. DNA supercoiling, the dynamic, three-dimensional structure of DNA in a cell, is a regulatory mechanism that modulates transcription in pathogenic bacteria based on environmental signals. Despite this knowledge, how DNA supercoiling influences gene expression and pathogenicity in S. aureus and Gram-positive organisms remains understudied. To determine whether DNA conformation plays a role in S. aureus gene expression, the impact of DNA supercoiling on promoters was evaluated. Growth in varying conditions was performed to screen for physiologically relevant niches that may alter chromosomal topology. Analysis of RNA-sequencing data, beta-galactosidase assays of promoter fusions, isolation of bacterial nucleoids, and chloroquine gel analysis of reporter plasmids were techniques utilized throughout this work to further investigate the dependency of S. aureus gene expression on DNA supercoiling. Here we present the methodology for an optimized analysis of DNA supercoiling in S. aureus, demonstrate for the first time that DNA supercoiling varies by location in a human host, and describe experiments that will detail which proteins preferentially bind to DNA based on its superhelical density. Additionally, promoters of genes previously identified by our lab to be influenced by DNA topology are analyzed and determined as directly or indirectly sensitive to supercoiling. These results suggest a possible mechanism by which S. aureus employs DNA supercoiling to modulate virulence and survival on the transcriptional level based on its environmental niche in its host.