bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association between maternal health literacy and child vaccination in India: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Johri Mira , Subramanian S V , Sylvestre Marie-Pierre , Dudeja Sakshi , Chandra Dinesh , Koné Georges K , Sharma Jitendar K , Pahwa Smriti
Published: April 2015

Background

Education of mothers may improve child health. We investigated whether maternal health literacy, a rapidly modifiable factor related to mother's education, was associated with children's receipt of vaccines in two underserved Indian communities.

Methods

Cross-sectional surveys in an urban and a rural site. We assessed health literacy using Indian child health promotion materials. The outcome was receipt of three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) vaccine. We used multivariate logistic regression to investigate the relationship between maternal health literacy and vaccination status independently in each site. For both sites, adjusted models considered maternal age, maternal and paternal education, child sex, birth order, household religion and wealth quintile. Rural analyses used multilevel models adjusted for service delivery characteristics. Urban analyses represented cluster characteristics through fixed effects.

Results

The rural analysis included 1170 women from 60 villages. The urban analysis included 670 women from nine slum clusters. In each site, crude and adjusted models revealed a positive association between maternal health literacy and DTP3. In the rural site, the adjusted OR was 1.57 (95% CI 1.11 to 2.21, p=0.010) for those with medium health literacy, and OR=1.30 (95% CI 0.89 to 1.91, p=0.172) for those with high health literacy. In the urban site, the adjusted OR was 1.10 (95% CI 0.65 to 1.88, p=0.705) for those with medium health literacy, and OR=2.06 (95% CI 1.06 to 3.99, p=0.032) for those with high health literacy.

Conclusions

In these study settings, maternal health literacy is independently associated with child vaccination. Initiatives targeting health literacy could improve vaccination coverage.
Brain metabolism and autoantibody titres predict functional impairment in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Mackay Meggan , Tang Chris C , Volpe Bruce T , Aranow Cynthia , Mattis Paul J , Korff Ricki A , Diamond Betty , Eidelberg David
Published: April 2015

Objective

We investigated whether systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease duration or serology associate with abnormal regional glucose metabolism as measured with [18F]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and deficits on neuropsychological testing.

Methods

Subjects with SLE with stable disease activity, without brain damage or clinical symptoms of neuropsychiatric (NP) SLE, stratified by disease duration (short-term (ST)-SLE=disease ≤2 years, long-term (LT)-SLE=disease ≥10 years), underwent clinical assessments, neuropsychological testing, resting FDG-PET scan imaging and measurement of serum titres of antibody toN-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (DNRAb). FDG-PET scans were compared with age-matched and gender-matched healthy controls.

Results

Subjects with LT-SLE demonstrated hypometabolism in the prefrontal and premotor cortices that correlated with accrued SLE-related damage, but not with DNRAb titre or performance on NP testing. Independent of disease duration, subjects with SLE demonstrated hypermetabolism in the hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex that correlated with impaired memory performance and mood alterations (depression, anxiety, fatigue). Serum DNRAb also correlated independently with impaired memory performance and increased anxiety. Together, serum DNRAb titre and regional hypermetabolism were more powerful predictors of performance than either alone.

Interpretation

The presence of serum DNRAbs can account for some aspects of brain dysfunction in patients with SLE, and the addition of regional measurements of resting brain metabolism improves the assessment and precise attribution of central nervous system manifestations related to SLE.
Association of the interferon signature metric with serological disease manifestations but not global activity scores in multiple cohorts of patients with SLE
Authors: Kennedy William P , Maciuca Romeo , Wolslegel Kristen , Tew Wei , Abbas Alexander R , Chaivorapol Christina , Morimoto Alyssa , McBride Jacqueline M , Brunetta Paul , Richardson Bruce C , Davis John C , Behrens Timothy W , Townsend Michael J
Published: April 2015

Objectives

The interferon (IFN) signature (IS) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) includes over 100 genes induced by type I IFN pathway activation. We developed a method to quantify the IS using three genes—the IS metric (ISM)—and characterised the clinical characteristics of patients with SLE with different ISM status from multiple clinical trials.

Methods

Blood microarray expression data from a training cohort of patients with SLE confirmed the presence of the IS and identified surrogate genes. We assayed these genes in a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay, yielding an ISM from the IS. The association of ISM status with clinical disease characteristics was assessed in patients with extrarenal lupus and lupus nephritis from four clinical trials.

Results

Three genes, HERC5, EPSTI and CMPK2, correlated well with the IS (p>0.96), and composed the ISM qPCR assay. Using the 95th centile for healthy control data, patients with SLE from different studies were classified into two ISM subsets—ISM-Low and ISM-High—that are longitudinally stable over 36 weeks. Significant associations were identified between ISM-High status and higher titres of anti-dsDNA antibodies, presence of anti extractable nuclear antigen autoantibodies, elevated serum B cell activating factor of the tumour necrosis factor family (BAFF) levels, and hypocomplementaemia. However, measures of overall clinical disease activity were similar for ISM-High and ISM-Low groups.

Conclusions

The ISM is an IS biomarker that divides patients with SLE into two subpopulations—ISM-High and ISM-Low—with differing serological manifestations. The ISM does not distinguish between high and low disease activity, but may have utility in identifying patients more likely to respond to treatment(s) targeting IFN-α.

Clinicaltrials.gov registration number

NCT00962832.
The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative
Authors: Hirsch Joshua A , Leslie-Mazwi Thabele M , Barr Robert M , McGinty Geraldine , Nicola Gregory N , Silva Ezequiel , Manchikanti Laxmaiah
Published: April 2015

The Affordable Care Act enters its fifth year firmly entrenched in our national consciousness. One method that has entered the vernacular for achieving cost savings is accountable care. There are other approaches that are less well known. The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative has the potential to significantly impact neurointerventionalists. We review that initiative here.
Impact of proctoring on success rates for percutaneous revascularisation of coronary chronic total occlusions
Authors: Sharma Vinoda , Jadhav S T , Harcombe A A , Kelly P A , Mozid A , Bagnall A , Richardson J , Egred M , McEntegart M , Shaukat A , Oldroyd K , Vishwanathan G , Rana O , Talwar S , McPherson M , Strange J W , Hanratty C G , Walsh S J , Spratt J C , Smith W H T
Published: April 2015

Objective

To assess the impact of proctoring for chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in six UK centres.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed 587 CTO procedures from six UK centres and compared success rates of operators who had received proctorship with success rates of the same operators before proctorship (pre-proctored) and operators in the same institutions who had not been proctored (non-proctored). There were 232 patients in the pre-proctored/non-proctored group and 355 patients in the post-proctored group. Complexity was assessed by calculating the Japanese CTO (JCTO) score for each case.

Results

CTO PCI success was greater in the post-proctored compared with the pre-proctored/non-proctored group (77.5% vs 62.1%, p<0.0001). In more complex cases where JCTO≥2, the difference in success was greater (70.7% vs 49.5%, p=0.0003). After proctoring, there was an increase in CTO PCI activity in centres from 2.5% to 3.5%, p<0.0001 (as a proportion of total PCI), and the proportion of very difficult cases with JCTO score ≥3 increased from 15.3% (35/229) to 29.7% (105/354), p<0.0001.

Conclusions

Proctoring resulted in an increase in procedural success for CTO PCI, an increase in complex CTO PCI and an increase in total CTO PCI activity. Proctoring may be a valuable way to improve access to CTO PCI and the likelihood of procedural success.
Economics of harvesting boreal uneven-aged mixed-species forests
Authors: Rämö Janne , Tahvonen Olli
Published: April 2015

The subject of this study is the economics of harvesting boreal uneven-aged mixed-species forests consisting of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), birch (Betula pendula Roth and B. pubescens Ehrh.), and other broadleaves. The analysis is based on an economic description of uneven-aged forestry, applying a size-structured model. The optimization problem is solved in its general dynamic form using gradient-based interior point methods. When volume yield is maximized, the optimal steady state is a nearly pure Norway spruce stand at all site types, producing slightly higher yields than single-species stands. After including sawlog and pulpwood prices, the net present value of stumpage revenues is maximized using 1%, 3%, and 5% interest rates and a 15-year harvesting interval. At less productive sites, the stands are nearly pure Norway spruce stands, regardless of the interest rate. At more productive sites, increasing the interest rate increases the species diversity, with optimal steady states consisting of both Norway spruce and birch. In some cases, rather small changes in relative prices change the optimal steady state into a birch-dominated stand. Optimal solutions converge to the same steady-state solutions, independent of the initial stand state. If other broadleaves without commercial value are not harvested, they will eventually dominate the stand.
Homocysteine elicits an M1 phenotype in murine macrophages through an EMMPRIN-mediated pathway
Authors: Winchester Lee J. , Veeranki Sudhakar , Givvimani Srikanth , Tyagi Suresh C.
Published: April 2015

Introduction: Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is associated with inflammatory diseases and is known to increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, and inducible nitric oxide synthase, and to decrease endothelial nitric oxide production. However, the impact of HHcy on macrophage phenotype differentiation is not well-established. It has been documented that macrophages have 2 distinct phenotypes: the “classically activated/destructive” (M1), and the “alternatively activated/constructive” (M2) subtypes. We hypothesize that HHcy increases M1 macrophage differentiation through extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN), a known inducer of matrix metalloproteinases. Methods: murine J774A.1 and Raw 264.7 macrophages were treated with 100 and 500 μmol/L Hcy, respectively, for 24 h. Samples were analyzed using Western blotting and immunocytochemistry. Results: Homocysteine treatment increased cluster of differentiation 40 (CD40; M1 marker) in J774A.1 and Raw 264.7 macrophages. MMP-9 was induced in both cell lines. EMMPRIN protein expression was also increased in both cell lines. Blocking EMMPRIN function by pre-treating cells with anti-EMMPRIN antibody, with or without Hcy, resulted in significantly lower expression of CD40 in both cell lines by comparison with the controls. A DCFDA assay demonstrated increased ROS production in both cell lines with Hcy treatment when compared with the controls. Conclusion: Our results suggest that HHcy results in an increase of the M1 macrophage phenotype. This effect seems to be at least partially mediated by EMMPRIN induction.
Superconformal vertex algebras in four dimensions
Authors: Nedanovski Dimitar
Published: April 2015

For vertex algebras with extended superconformal symmetry, in a canonical way, we construct superconformal vertex operators, i.e. fields on the superspace together with a state-field correspondence. This leads to the notion of superconformal vertex algebras (in four dimensions).
Effects of stress concentration on the fatigue strength of 7003-T5 aluminum alloy butt joints with weld reinforcement
Authors: Zhu Zongtao , Li Yuanxing , Zhang Mingyue , Hui Chen
Published: April 2015

7003-T5 Aluminum ( Al ) alloy plates with a thickness of 5 mm are welded by gas metal arc welding (GMAW) method in this work. In order to investigate the influence of stress concentration introduced by weld reinforcement on fatigue strength, the stress concentration factor of the butt joint is calculated. Microscopic and X-ray techniques were utilized to make sure there are no weld defects with large size in butt weld, which can induce extra stress concentration. The cyclic stress – number of cycles to failure (S–N) curves of the joints with and without the welder were obtained by fatigue testing, and the results show that the fatigue strength of 7003-T5 Al alloy butt joints with the weld reinforcement is 50 MPa, which is only 45% of the joints without the weld reinforcement. Fracture surface observation indicated that the fatigue source and propagation are dissimilar for the specimens with and without the welder due to the stress concentration at the weld root. The stress concentration with a factor of 1.7 has great effect on the fatigue strength, but little influence on the tensile strength.
Corrosion behavior of rare earth modified WC-12Co coating
Authors: Liu Yan , Chen Hui , Ceng Shengbo , Gou Guoqing , Tu Mingjing
Published: April 2015

Rare earth has been widely used in materials manufacturing to improve hardness and toughness. In this paper, conventional, nano-modified and CeO 2 modified WC-12Co coatings are produced by using high speed oxygen flaming (HVOF) spraying technology. Long-term immersion and electrochemical tests of these coatings in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution are conducted. The surface morphologies were observed to investigate the corrosion mechanisms. The results show CeO 2 modified WC-12Co coatings to possess the best corrosion resistance but the nano-modified WC-12Co coating has the worst performance. Results suggest that the improvement of corrosion resistance for CeO 2 modified WC-12Co coating can be attributed to the enhancement of interfacial strength between Co binder phase and WC particles.
Machinability of drilling T700/LT-03A carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) composite laminates using candle stick drill and multi-facet drill
Authors: Wang Cheng-Dong , Qiu Kun-Xian , Chen Ming , Cai Xiao-Jiang
Published: April 2015

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) composite laminates are widely used in aerospace and aircraft structural components due to their superior properties. However, they are regarded as difficult-to-cut materials because of bad surface quality and low productivity. Drilling is the most common hole making process for CFRP composite laminates and drilling induced delamination damage usually occurs severely at the exit side of drilling holes, which strongly deteriorate holes quality. In this work, the candle stick drill and multi-facet drill are employed to evaluate the machinability of drilling T700/LT-03A CFRP composite laminates in terms of thrust force, delamination, holes diameter and holes surface roughness. S/N ratio is used to characterize the thrust force while an ellipse-shaped delamination model is established to quantitatively analyze the delamination. The best combination of drilling parameters are determined by full consideration of S/N ratios of thrust force and the delamination. The results indicate that candle stick drill will induce the unexpected ellipse-shaped delamination even at its best drilling parameters of spindle speed of 10,000 rpm and feed rate of 0.004 mm/tooth. However, the multi-facet drill cutting at the relative lower feed rate of 0.004 mm/tooth and lower spindle speed of 6000 rpm can effectively prevent the delamination. Comprehensively, holes quality obtained by multi-facet drill is much more superior to those obtained by candle stick drill.
Diffusion coefficient using pausing time of hydrogen in a-Si:H with exponential energy distribution
Authors: Hikita Harumi , Morigaki Kazuo
Published: April 2015

The diffusion coefficient of hydrogen is obtained for exponential energy distribution in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). It is shown that the diffusion coefficient follows the form of τα-1 (τ: diffusion time) in the case of α < 1 and a larger τ, in which α is the ratio of hydrogen temperature to width for energy distribution function. In the case of α ≥ 1, as α reaches infinity at the limit, the hydrogen diffusion approaches Brownian motion.
Pulsars and gravity
Authors: Manchester R. N.
Published: April 2015

Pulsars are wonderful gravitational probes. Their tiny size and stellar mass give their rotation periods a stability comparable to that of atomic frequency standards. This is especially true of the rapidly rotating "millisecond pulsars" (MSPs). Many of these rapidly rotating pulsars are in orbit with another star, allowing pulsar timing to probe relativistic perturbations to the orbital motion. Pulsars have provided the most stringent tests of theories of relativistic gravitation, especially in the strong-field regime, and have shown that Einstein's general theory of relativity is an accurate description of the observed motions. Many other gravitational theories are effectively ruled out or at least severely constrained by these results. MSPs can also be used to form a "Pulsar Timing Array" (PTA). PTAs are Galactic-scale interferometers that have the potential to directly detect nanohertz gravitational waves from astrophysical sources. Orbiting super-massive black holes in the cores of distant galaxies are the sources most likely to be detectable. Although no evidence for gravitational waves has yet been found in PTA data sets, the latest limits are seriously constraining current ideas on galaxy and black-hole evolution in the early universe.
Effects of Meso Shape Irregularity of Metal Foam on Yield Features under Triaxial Loading
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyang , Tang Liqun , Jiang Zhenyu , Liu Zejia , Liu Yiping , Fang Daining
Published: April 2015

Metallic foam is a typical porous material with heterogeneous meso structures that affect the metallic foam's mechanical properties, in which shape irregularity of meso structures (porous cells) is the key. Shape irregularity of a porous cell reflects the deviation the cell shape from a sphere having the same volume. This paper examines the effects of meso shape irregularity of metallic foam on yield features based on three-dimensional (3D) Voronoi model and the finite element (FE) method. Three cubic foams designed by 3D Voronoi technique were constructed to furnish different statistics of shape irregularity but with the same initial density. Three normal stresses were applied on cubic metallic foam proportionally to implement the triaxial proportional loading in triaxial compression and tension. The yield surface of each 3D Voronoi foam under triaxial loading was calculated, and the influence of shape irregularity on the yield surface was investigated. The results show that the yield surface in (σe, σm) space may be depicted by an ellipse for metallic foams with different shape irregularities. The meso shape irregularity does clearly affect the yield surface with larger shape irregularity producing a smaller yield surface. This means that the metallic foam with larger shape irregularity yields more easily, and this feature is also reflected in the normalized yield surface for metallic foams with different irregularities.
Collaborative Fuzzy Clustering of Variational Bayesian Generative Topographic Mapping
Authors: Ghassany Mohamad , Bennani Younès
Published: April 2015

In this paper, we propose a Collaborative Clustering method based on Variational Bayesian Generative Topographic Mapping (VBGTM). To do so, we first propose a method that combines VBGTM and Fuzzy c-means (FCM). Collaborative clustering is useful to achieve interaction between different sources of information for the purpose of revealing underlying structures and regularities within data sets. It can be treated as a process of consensus building where we attempt to reveal a structure that is common across all sets of data. VBGTM was introduced as a variational approximation of Generative Topographic Mapping (GTM) to control data overfitting. It provides an analytical approximation to the posterior probability of the latent variables and the distribution of the input data in the latent space. It can be effectively applied to visualize and explore properties of the data. But when the number of latent points is large, similar units need to be grouped (i.e., clustered) to facilitate quantitative analysis of the map and the data. We use FCM to determine the prototypes as well as the resultant clusters and the corresponding membership functions of the input data, based on the latent variables obtained from VBGTM. So, by combining the two algorithms, we develop a method that can do visualization and clustering at the same time. We observe that the hybrid method (F-VBGTM) performs very well in terms of many cluster-validity indexes.
Photocatalytic Activity of Nitrogen-Doped Mesoporous Carbon Spheres Supporting Anatase TiO2 Prepared by a Simple Two-Step Solvothermal Approach
Authors: Bi Tianjiao , Wan Jiafeng , Yang Shilin , Yu Xiujuan , Ma Fangwei
Published: April 2015

Nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon spheres (NMCSs) supporting anatase TiO 2 ( NMCSs – TiO 2) were prepared by a simple two-step solvothermal approach. The characterizations for the physicochemical properties of prepared samples under different solvothermal temperatures were carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N 2 adsorption–desorption (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) measurements), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Raman scattering and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra, were combined in order to determine the crystal phase and grain size, shape, degree of mesoporous carbon incorporation, and nature of the resultant oxycarbide chemical bonding on the surface and in the bulk. The high relative photocatalytic activity of NMCSs – TiO 2 nanoparticle was evaluated through a study of the decomposition of phenol under visible-light excitation.
Synthesis and magnetic property of SiO2 coated Fe3O4/palygorskite
Authors: He Xi , Yang Qian , Fu Liangjie , Yang Huaming
Published: April 2015

SiO 2 coated Fe 3 O 4/palygorskite magnetic nanocomposites (MNCs) were successfully synthesized via coprecipitation route. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and magnetic properties. The results indicated that SiO 2 was coated on the surface of Fe 3 O 4/palygorskite through the hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and the orientation changing of MNCs could be realized by external magnetic field. The interfaces of the composite were further elucidated at atomic level. We believe that the as-prepared SiO 2 coated Fe 3 O 4/palygorskite MNCs could show potential application in the fields of functional nanomaterials.
Comparison of commodity future pricing approaches with cointegration techniques
Authors: Stepanek Christian
Published: April 2015

Commodity future prices are explained either by price expectations and a risk premium in the theory of normal backwardation or with the theory of storage in a cost of carry valuation. Both approaches are compared in separate equations with Johansen cointegration tests. The data sample contains five LME metals with maturities of 3–27 months and real inventory data. It is found that expected spot prices explain only short maturity future prices. But the cost of carry approach, with the inventory level-dependent convenience yield, explains prices for all maturities.
Design and pricing of derivative contracts in a spectrum market
Authors: Gupta Aparna , Kar Koushik , Muthuswamy Praveen K.
Published: April 2015

We propose a secondary spectrum market that allows wireless providers to purchase spectrum access licenses of short duration in the form of spot contracts and derivative contracts on spectrum. A spot contract provides immediate access to one or more wireless channels and cannot be further traded. On the other hand, derivative contracts on spectrum typically involve purchase of spectrum licenses in the future for predefined terms, and they can play an important role in risk management objectives of wireless providers. In this paper, we utilize a model for the spot price of spectrum licenses in which the price increases with increasing congestion in spectrum usage caused by the primary demand for spectrum. The spot price process, modeled as driven by a fractional Brownian motion (fBm) process to capture the self-similarity properties of wireless traffic, is utilized in fractional stochastic calculus to obtain the value of derivative contracts. We design a variety of derivative contracts considering the risk profile of both the buyers and sellers of spectrum. Through a detailed numerical study, we examine the value of these derivative contracts for changes in spot price volatility and the parameters that define the contracts.
Deep excavations in water-bearing gravels in Cork
Authors: Long Michael , Murphy Martin , Roberts Toby , O’Brien Joanna , Clancy Noel
Published: April 2015

Historically only shallow basements were included in developments in Cork city owing to the underlying layers of soft alluvium and high-permeability glaciofluvial gravels. In recent times several large schemes, with basements up to 10 m deep, have been completed. In this paper the design and performance of these developments is summarized. Particular emphasis is placed on two schemes at Eglinton St. and Half Moon St. Although dewatering by deep well systems is feasible, flow rates can be substantial. Careful consideration needs to be given to the site-specific properties of the glaciofluvial gravels to permit the level of the cut-off to be efficiently chosen so as to minimize inflows and external groundwater lowering and to mitigate against the possible risk of surface settlements. A ‘soft gel’ grout blanket was used successfully as an alternative at one site. Lateral wall movements were low and it seems possible that more efficient designs are possible, especially if the small strain stiffness and dilation properties of the material are taken into account.
Encrypted Search
Authors: Kamara Seny
Published: April 2015

The need to embed search functionality into every aspect of technology has produced an abundance of information that is difficult to secure. Can advances in cryptography resolve the inherent conflicts of big data?
Exploring the Risks to Identity Security and Privacy in Cyberspace
Authors: Nurse Jason R. C.
Published: April 2015

Cyberspace, a world of great promise, but also, of great peril. Pirates, predators, and hackers galore, are you and your online identity at risk in this wild frontier?
Automated bug fixing: an interview with Westley Weimer, Department of Computer Science, University of Virginia and Martin Monperrus, University of Lille and INRIA, Lille, France
Authors: Tichy Walter
Published: April 2015

Fixing bugs manually is expensive, time-consuming, and unpleasant. How about getting the computer to fix the bugs, automatically? Automatically repairing them might save us from misunderstandings, lack of time, carelessness, or plain old laziness. But this brings into question some fundamental limitations. Yet in the past 10 years, a number of young scientists have taken on automatic bug fixing. This interview discusses the approximations currently in use and how far they can take us.
Towards compositionality in execution time analysis
Authors: Hahn Sebastian , Reineke Jan , Wilhelm Reinhard
Published: April 2015

For hard real-time systems, timeliness of operations has to be guaranteed. Static timing analysis is therefore employed to compute upper bounds on the execution times of a program. Analysis results at high precision are required to avoid over-provisioning of resources. For current processors, timing analysis is a complex task mainly due to interdependencies of the processors' features that affect the overall timing behaviour. To still obtain tight bounds, state-of-the-art approaches collect detailed information about these interdependencies by exploring the state space of the system as a whole.

Modern systems, such as multi-core processors, introduce even more timing dependencies -- e.g. due to interference on shared resources between functionally independent programs running on different cores. This will eventually render the above, non-compositional, approach infeasible in terms of analysis runtime and memory consumption. Therefore, recent analysis approaches often assume a certain independence of system components -- referred to as
timing compositionality
.

We aim at a formal definition of timing compositionality as it was previously only introduced informally. How to achieve timing compositionality
in general
is an unsolved question. We highlight challenges and summarise open problems that arise in the context of compositional analyses.
Towards statistical modeling and machine learning based energy usage forecasting in smart grid
Authors: Yu Wei , An Dou , Griffith David , Yang Qingyu , Xu Guobin
Published: April 2015

Developing effective energy resource management strategies in the smart grid is challenging due to the entities on both the demand and supply sides experiencing numerous fluctuations. In this paper, we address the issue of quantifying uncertainties on the energy demand side. Specifically, we first develop approaches using statistical modeling analysis to derive a statistical distribution of energy usage. We then utilize several machine learning based approaches such as the Support Vector Machines (SVM) and neural networks to carry out accurate forecasting on energy usage. We perform extensive experiments of our proposed approaches using a real-world meter reading data set. Our experimental data shows that the statistical distribution of meter reading data can be largely approximated with a Gaussian distribution and the two SVM-based machine learning approaches to achieve a high accuracy of forecasting energy usage. Extensions to other smart grid applications (e.g., forecasting energy generation, determining optimal demand response, and anomaly detection of malicious energy usage) are discussed as well.
Intake of low-dose leucine-rich essential amino acids stimulates muscle anabolism equivalently to bolus whey protein in older women at rest and after exercise
Authors: Bukhari Syed S. I. , Phillips Bethan E. , Wilkinson Daniel J. , Limb Marie C. , Rankin Debbie , Mitchell William K. , Kobayashi Hisamine , Greenhaff Paul L. , Smith Kenneth , Atherton Philip J.
Published: April 2015

Dysregulated anabolic responses to nutrition/exercise may contribute to sarcopenia; however, these characteristics are poorly defined in female populations. We determined the effects of two feeding regimes in older women (66 ± 2.5 yr; n = 8/group): bolus whey protein (WP-20 g) or novel low-dose leucine-enriched essential amino acids (EAA) [LEAA; 3 g (40% leucine)]. Using [13C6]phenylalanine infusions, we quantified muscle (MPS) and albumin (APS) protein synthesis at baseline and in response to both feeding (FED) and feeding plus exercise (FED-EX; 6 × 8 knee extensions at 75% 1-repetition maximum). We also quantified plasma insulin/AA concentrations, whole leg (LBF)/muscle microvascular blood flow (MBF), and muscle anabolic signaling by phosphoimmunoblotting. Plasma insulinemia and EAA/aemia were markedly greater after WP than LEAA ( P < 0.001). Neither LEAA nor WP modified LBF in response to FED or FED-EX, whereas MBF increased to a similar extent in both groups only after FED-EX ( P < 0.05). In response to FED, both WP and LEAA equally stimulated MPS 0–2 h ( P < 0.05), abating thereafter (0–4 h, P > 0.05). In contrast, after FED-EX, MPS increased at 0–2 h and remained elevated at 0–4 h ( P < 0.05) with both WP and LEAA. No anabolic signals quantifiably increased after FED, but p70 S6K1 Thr389 increased after FED-EX (2 h, P < 0.05). APS increased similarly after WP and LEAA. Older women remain subtly responsive to nutrition ± exercise. Intriguingly though, bolus WP offers no trophic advantage over LEAA.
Loss of TGFβ Receptor Type 2 Expression Impairs Estrogen Response and Confers Tamoxifen Resistance
Authors: Busch Susann , Sims Andrew H. , Stål Olle , Fernö Mårten , Landberg Göran
Published: April 2015

One third of the patients with estrogen receptor α (ERα)-positive breast cancer who are treated with the antiestrogen tamoxifen will either not respond to initial therapy or will develop drug resistance. Endocrine response involves crosstalk between ERα and TGFβ signaling, such that tamoxifen nonresponsiveness or resistance in breast cancer might involve aberrant TGFβ signaling. In this study, we analyzed TGFβ receptor type 2 (TGFBR2) expression and correlated it with ERα status and phosphorylation in a cohort of 564 patients who had been randomized to tamoxifen or no-adjuvant treatment for invasive breast carcinoma. We also evaluated an additional four independent genetic datasets in invasive breast cancer. In all the cohorts we analyzed, we documented an association of low TGFBR2 protein and mRNA expression with tamoxifen resistance. Functional investigations confirmed that cell cycle or apoptosis responses to estrogen or tamoxifen in ERα-positive breast cancer cells were impaired by TGFBR2 silencing, as was ERα phosphorylation, tamoxifen-induced transcriptional activation of TGFβ, and upregulation of the multidrug resistance protein ABCG2. Acquisition of low TGFBR2 expression as a contributing factor to endocrine resistance was validated prospectively in a tamoxifen-resistant cell line generated by long-term drug treatment. Collectively, our results established a central contribution of TGFβ signaling in endocrine resistance in breast cancer and offered evidence that TGFBR2 can serve as an independent biomarker to predict treatment outcomes in ERα-positive forms of this disease. Cancer Res; 75(7); 1457–69. ©2015 AACR.
One versus Two Breast Density Measures to Predict 5- and 10-Year Breast Cancer Risk
Authors: Kerlikowske Karla , Gard Charlotte C. , Sprague Brian L. , Tice Jeffrey A. , Miglioretti Diana L.
Published: April 2015

Background: One measure of Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) breast density improves 5-year breast cancer risk prediction, but the value of sequential measures is unknown. We determined whether two BI-RADS density measures improve the predictive accuracy of the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium 5-year risk model compared with one measure.

Methods: We included 722,654 women of ages 35 to 74 years with two mammograms with BI-RADS density measures on average 1.8 years apart; 13,715 developed invasive breast cancer. We used Cox regression to estimate the relative hazards of breast cancer for age, race/ethnicity, family history of breast cancer, history of breast biopsy, and one or two density measures. We developed a risk prediction model by combining these estimates with 2000–2010 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results incidence and 2010 vital statistics for competing risk of death.

Results: The two-measure density model had marginally greater discriminatory accuracy than the one-measure model (AUC, 0.640 vs. 0.635). Of 18.6% of women (134,404 of 722,654) who decreased density categories, 15.4% (20,741 of 134,404) of women whose density decreased from heterogeneously or extremely dense to a lower density category with one other risk factor had a clinically meaningful increase in 5-year risk from <1.67% with the one-density model to ≥1.67% with the two-density model.

Conclusion: The two-density model has similar overall discrimination to the one-density model for predicting 5-year breast cancer risk and improves risk classification for women with risk factors and a decrease in density.

Impact: A two-density model should be considered for women whose density decreases when calculating breast cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 24(6); 889–97. ©2015 AACR.
The Effect of Weight Change on Volumetric Measures of Mammographic Density
Authors: Hart V , Reeves KW , Sturgeon SR , Reich NG , Sievert LL , Kerlikowske K , Ma L , Shepherd J , Tice J , Sprague BL
Published: April 2015

The association between changing body mass index (BMI) and mammographic breast density is important to better evaluate how to adjust for BMI gain/loss in longitudinal studies of density and breast cancer risk. Increasing BMI has been associated with decreasing percent dense area but the effect on absolute dense area is unclear. No studies have explored a longitudinal association using volumetric density measurement. Methods: We examined the association between change in BMI and change in volumetric breast density among 24,556 women who received breast imaging at the San Francisco Mammography Registry from 2007–2013. Height and weight were self-reported at the time of mammography. Breast density was assessed using single x-ray absorptiometry (SXA) volumetric measurement. The cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between BMI and absolute dense volume (DV) and percent dense volume (PDV) were assessed using multivariable adjusted regression. Results: Women were primarily Caucasian (66%) or Asian (25%) and most were postmenopausal (64%) at time of first mammogram. In cross-sectional analysis, BMI was positively associated with DV (β = 2.95 cm3, 95% CI, 2.69–3.21) and inversely associated with PDV (β = −2.03%, 95% CI, −2.09–−1.98). In longitudinal analysis, an annual increase in BMI was associated with an annual decrease in both DV (β = −1.01 cm3/year, 95% CI, −1.59–−0.42) and PDV (β = −1.17%/year, 95% CI, −1.31–−1.04). Findings were consistent between pre- and postmenopausal women. The annual decrease in DV was strongest among premenopausal women who were initially overweight or obese (P < 0.01 for interaction by initial BMI). Conclusion: Our findings support an inverse association between change in BMI and change in PDV. Longitudinal studies of PDV and breast cancer risk, or those using PDV as an indicator of breast cancer risk, should consider adjusting for change in BMI. The association between increasing BMI and decreasing DV is unexpected and will require confirmation using volumetric methods.
Adolescent Endogenous Sex Hormones and Breast Density in Early Adulthood
Authors: Jung S , Egleston LB , Chandler DW , Horn LV , Hylton MN , Paris K , Klifa CC , Lasser NL , Le Blanc ES , Shepherd JA , Snetselaar LG , Stanczyk FZ , Stevens VJ , Dorgan JF
Published: April 2015

During adolescence the breasts undergo rapid growth and development under the influence of sex hormones. Although the hormonal etiology of breast cancer is hypothesized, it remains unknown whether adolescent sex hormones are associated with adult breast density, which is a strong risk factor for breast cancer. METHODS: Percentage of dense breast volume (%DBV) was measured in 2006 by magnetic resonance imaging in 177 women aged 25–29 years who participated in the Dietary Intervention Study in Children from 1988–1997 and had sex hormones and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) measured in serum collected on 1–4 occasions between 8 and 17 years of age. Multivariable linear mixed-effect regression models were used to evaluate the associations of adolescent sex hormones and SHBG with %DBV. RESULTS: Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and SHBG measured in premenarche serum samples were significantly positively associated with %DBV (all Ptrend ≤ 0.03) but not when measured in postmenarche samples (all Ptrend ≥ 0.42). The multivariable geometric mean of %DBV across quartiles of premenarcheal DHEAS and SHBG increased from 16.7% to 22.1% and from 14.1% to 24.3%, respectively. Estrogens, progesterone, androstenedione, and testosterone were not associated with %DBV pre- or post-menarche (all Ptrend ≥ 0.16). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that higher DHEAS and SHBG levels during adolescence, particularly before the onset of menarche, are associated with higher%DBV in young women. Whether this association translates into an increased risk of breast cancer later in life is currently unknown.
Symptoms, Weight Loss and Physical Function in a Lifestyle Intervention Study of Older Cancer Survivors
Authors: Kenzik KM , Morey MC , Cohen HJ , Sloane R , Demark-Wahnefried W
Published: April 2015

Cancer is most often a disease of aging, and frequently, a disease for which obesity serves as a risk factor. Thus, many cancer survivors are older, overweight or obese, with higher illness burden, symptoms, and comorbidities. Against this backdrop, survivors are at increased risk for functional decline. The question is whether lifestyle interventions can still benefit older, sicker survivors? The purpose of this study was to examine how overweight long-term survivors' symptom severity prior to a diet and exercise intervention is associated with post-intervention function and to determine symptoms' effects on function through change in physical activity, diet quality, and weight status. Methods This is a secondary data analysis of 514 breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer survivors who participated in the one-year home-based diet and exercise intervention, Reach-Out to Enhance Wellness (RENEW) trial. Pre- and post-intervention data were analyzed. Measures of this study included pre-intervention symptoms, changes in weight, physical activity, diet quality, and post-intervention overall physical function (PF), and basic and advanced lower extremity function (BLEF and ALEF). Simple and serial mediation analyses were conducted to examine direct effects of symptom severity on BLEF and ALEF and the indirect effects of symptom severity through changes in diet quality, physical activity, and weight status. Results Increased symptom severity was directly associated with lower functioning scores for PF (b = −0.63 P < 0.001), BLEF (b = −0.33, P < 0.001) and ALEF (b = −0.22, P < 0.001). Indirect effects of symptom severity through weight loss, physical activity and diet were not significant. Weight loss and increased physical activity were significantly associated with higher PF and ALEF and higher diet quality was associated with higher BLEF. Conclusion Symptom severity of older, overweight cancer survivors negatively affects physical function. However, greater weight loss and physical activity were associated with higher functioning scores, regardless of symptom severity. Findings build from the recent emphasis on the negative effects of obesity on survivor outcomes to highlight weight loss as an important factor in maintaining function in older cancer survivors.
Racial Disparity in Receiving a Physician Recommendation for Human Papillomavirus Vaccine among US Adolescent Girls: Trend from 2008 to 2012
Authors: Rahman M , Laz TH , Berenson AB
Published: April 2015

To examine the trend of racial disparity in receiving a physician recommendation for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among US adolescent girls. Methods: We analyzed National Immunization Survey of Teens (NIS-Teen) 2008–2012 data and examined the trend of racial disparity in receiving a physician recommendation for HPV vaccine among 13–17 year old US adolescent girls. Results: Overall, the weighted proportion of girls who received a physician recommendation was 49.2%, 57.0%, 54.9%, 58.8% and 65.3% in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively (p for trend <0.001). The respective weighted proportion for non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black and Hispanic girls were: 53.6%, 60.7%, 59.0%, 63.4% and 70.2%; 42.7%, 50.0%, 46.3%, 52.5% and 62.8%; and 40.0%, 50.8%, 48.0%, 51.4% and 56.5% (P < 0.001 for all 5 years). After adjusting for demographic characteristics, separate weighted analysis for each year of data showed that non-Hispanic black and Hispanic girls were less likely to receive a physician recommendation than non-Hispanic white girls (P < 0.01 for all 5 years). However, there was no significant difference between Non-Hispanic black and Hispanic girls (P > 0.05 for all 5 years). Conclusions: Reasons for racial disparity in receiving a physician recommendation need to be identified and addressed to achieve the desired level of HPV vaccine uptake among US adolescent girls, irrespective of race/ethnicity.
Conditional Survival: A Useful Concept to Provide Information on How Prognosis Evolves over Time
Authors: Hieke Stefanie , Kleber Martina , König Christine , Engelhardt Monika , Schumacher Martin
Published: April 2015

Conditional survival (CS) is defined as the probability of surviving further t years, given that a patient has already survived s years after the diagnosis of a chronic disease. It is the simplest form of a dynamic prediction in which other events in the course of the disease or biomarker values measured up to time s can be incorporated. CS has attracted attention in recent years either in an absolute or relative form where the latter is based on a comparison with an age-adjusted normal population being highly relevant from a public health perspective. In its absolute form, CS constitutes the quantity of major interest in a clinical context. Given a clinical cohort of patients with a particular type of cancer, absolute CS can be estimated by conditional Kaplan–Meier estimates in strata defined, for example, by age and disease stage or by a conditional version of the Cox and other regression models for time-to-event data. CS can be displayed as a function of the prediction time s in parametric as well as nonparametric fashion. We illustrate the use of absolute CS in a large clinical cohort of patients with multiple myeloma. For investigating CS, it is necessary to ensure almost complete long-term follow-up of the patients enrolled in the clinical cohort and to consider potential age–stage migration as well as changing treatment modalities over time. CS provides valuable and relevant information on how prognosis develops over time. It also serves as a starting point for identifying factors related to long-term survival. Clin Cancer Res; 21(7); 1530–6. ©2015 AACR.