cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Hurricane Charley Exposure and Hazard of Preterm Delivery, Florida 2004
Creators: name: Horney, J.A.
name: Engel, S.M.
name: Grabich, S.C.
name: Konrad, C.E.
name: Robinson, W.R.
name: Richardson, D.B.
Publisher: name: Springer New York LLC
Year: 2016

description: Objective Hurricanes are powerful tropical storm systems with high winds which influence many health effects. Few studies have examined whether hurricane exposure is associated with preterm delivery. We aimed to estimate associations between maternal hurricane exposure and hazard of preterm delivery. Methods We used data on 342,942 singleton births from Florida Vital Statistics Records 2004–2005 to capture pregnancies at risk of delivery during the 2004 hurricane season. Maternal exposure to Hurricane Charley was assigned based on maximum wind speed in maternal county of residence. We estimated hazards of overall preterm delivery (<37 gestational weeks) and extremely preterm delivery (<32 gestational weeks) in Cox regression models, adjusting for maternal/pregnancy characteristics. To evaluate heterogeneity among racial/ethnic subgroups, we performed analyses stratified by race/ethnicity. Additional models investigated whether exposure to multiples hurricanes increased hazard relative to exposure to one hurricane. Results Exposure to wind speeds ≥39 mph from Hurricane Charley was associated with a 9 % (95 % CI 3, 16 %) increase in hazard of extremely preterm delivery, while exposure to wind speed ≥74 mph was associated with a 21 % (95 % CI 6, 38 %) increase. Associations appeared greater for Hispanic mothers compared to non-Hispanic white mothers. Hurricane exposure did not appear to be associated with hazard of overall preterm delivery. Exposure to multiple hurricanes did not appear more harmful than exposure to a single hurricane. Conclusions Hurricane exposure may increase hazard of extremely preterm delivery. As US coastal populations and hurricane severity increase, the associations between hurricane and preterm delivery should be further studied.
Scattering of Skyrmions
Creators: name: Foster, David
name: Krusch, Steffen
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: In this paper, we present a detailed study of Skyrmion-Skyrmion scattering for two $B=1$ Skyrmions in the attractive channel where we observe two different scattering regimes. For large separation, the scattering can be approximated as interacting dipoles. We give a qualitative estimate when this approximation breaks down. For small separations we observe an additional short-range repulsion which is qualitatively similar to monopole scattering. We also observe the interesting effect of "rotation without rotating" whereby two Skyrmions, whose orientations remain constant while well-separated, change their orientation after scattering. We can explain this effect by following preimages through the scattering process, thereby measuring which part of an in-coming Skyrmion forms part of an out-going Skyrmion. This leads to a new way of visualising Skyrmions. Furthermore, we consider spinning Skyrmions and find interesting trajectories.
description: 25 pages, 16 figures, version accepted for publication
Female Lincoln's sparrows modulate their behavior in response to variation in male song quality
Creators: name: Salvante, Katrina G.
name: Caro, Samuel P.
name: Sewall, Kendra B.
name: Sockman, Keith W.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2010

description: Sexually reproducing organisms should mate with the highest quality individuals that they can. When female songbirds choose a mate, they are thought to use several aspects of male song that reflect his quality. Under resource-limited environmental conditions, male Lincoln's sparrows (Melospiza lincolnii) vary among one another in several aspects of song quality, including song length, song complexity, and trill performance. In a 2-pronged approach, we tested whether variation in song quality of male Lincoln's sparrows influences the behavior of females that are in a reproductive-like state. Over two trials, we exposed females to songs from the high and low ends of the distribution of naturally occurring song quality variation and found a higher level of behavioral activity in females exposed to high-quality songs, especially when they had first been exposed to low-quality songs. We also examined female phonotaxis toward antiphonally played songs with experimentally elevated and reduced trill performance and found that females moved preferentially toward the songs with elevated trill performance. Contrary to most studies investigating the behavioral responses of wild, female songbirds to variation in male song, we obtained our results without administering exogenous estradiol, which can artificially perturb the female's physiology. Our results demonstrate that the behavior of female Lincoln's sparrows is modulated by the quality of male songs to which they are exposed and that trill performance plays a significant role in this behavioral modulation. Furthermore, as the order of song quality presentation matters, it appears that recent song experience also influences female behavior.
Hydrachna trilobata K. Viets 1926
Creators: name: Pešić, Vladimir
name: Chatterjee, Tapas
name: Bordoloi, Sabitry
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Trombidiformes
Hydrachnidae
Hydrachna
Hydrachna trilobata

description: Hydrachna trilobata K. Viets, 1926
Records from the study area: Bihar—K. Viets (1926a, b); Prasad (1974); West Bengal—Tomar & Raychaudhuri (1983a).
Habitat: Ponds.
Distribution: India, Burma, China.
description: Published as part of Pešić, Vladimir, Chatterjee, Tapas & Bordoloi, Sabitry, 2010, A checklist of the water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) of India, with new records and description of one new species, pp. 1-54 in Zootaxa 2617 (1) on page 5, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2617.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/197964
Response to “Comment on ‘optimal exposure biomarkers for nonpersistent chemicals in environmental epidemiology’”
Creators: name: Lanphear, B.P.
name: Whyatt, R.M.
name: Calafat, A.M.
name: Koch, H.M.
name: Wolff, M.S.
name: Engel, S.M.
name: Swan, S.H.
name: Longnecker, M.P.
name: Goldman, L.R.
name: Rudel, R.A.
name: Teitelbaum, S.L.
name: Hauser, R.
Publisher: name: Public Health Services, US Dept of Health and Human Services
Year: 2016

description: We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the letter from Stahlhut et al. regarding our Brief Communication. We stressed the importance of biospecimen integrity and the potential danger of unrecognized contamination of convenience samples, particularly with ubiquitous environmental chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates.
Vortex formation and foraging in polyphenic spadefoot toad tadpoles
Creators: name: Couzin, Iain D.
name: Pfennig, Karin S.
name: Handegard, Nils Olav
name: Bazazi, Sepideh
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: Animal aggregations are widespread in nature and can exhibit complex emergent properties not found at an individual level. We investigate one such example here, collective vortex formation by congeneric spadefoot toad tadpoles: Spea bombifrons and S. multiplicata. Tadpoles of these species develop into either an omnivorous or a carnivorous (cannibalistic) morph depending on diet. Previous studies show S. multiplicata are more likely to develop into omnivores and feed on suspended organic matter in the water body. The omnivorous morph is frequently social, forming aggregates that move and forage together, and form vortices in which they adopt a distinctive slowly-rotating circular formation. This behaviour has been speculated to act as a means to agitate the substratum in ponds and thus could be a collective foraging strategy. Here we perform a quantitative investigation of the behaviour of tadpoles within aggregates. We found that only S. multiplicata groups exhibited vortex formation, suggesting that social interactions differ between species. The probability of collectively forming a vortex, in response to introduced food particles, increased for higher tadpole densities and when tadpoles were hungry. Individuals inside a vortex moved faster and exhibited higher (by approximately 27%) tailbeat frequencies than those outside the vortex, thus incurring a personal energetic cost. The resulting environmental modification, however, suggests vortex behaviour may be an adaptation to actively create, and exploit, a resource patch within the environment.
The geography of abortion: Discourse, spatiality and mobility.
Creators: name: Calkin, Sydney
name: Freeman, Cordelia
name: Moore, Francesca
Publisher: name: Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository
Year: 2022
Subjects: Articles
abortion
discourse
spatiality
mobility
power

description: Peer reviewed: True
description: Abortion has historically been ignored in geography. Although bodies and pregnancy have been increasingly studied since the 1990s, a reticence around abortion remains. In recent years, however, this has begun to change. This article critically reviews how geographers and other scholars are now considering abortion and uses three conceptual lenses of discourse, spatiality and mobility to argue that abortion should be a mainstream topic of critical concern for geographers. Through these themes we show that geographical attention to abortion makes questions of space, power, and citizenship visible in new ways and, furthermore, in ways that are only recently possible.
An oxytocin antagonist infused into the central nucleus of the amygdala increases maternal aggressive behavior.
Creators: name: Elliot, Jay C.
name: Black, Mitchell C.
name: Johns, Josephine M.
name: Lubin, Deborah A.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2003

description: Decreased oxytocin levels in the amygdalas of rat dams following chronic gestational cocaine exposure have been correlated with heightened maternal aggressive behavior. In this experiment, drug-naive dams were implanted with bilateral cannulas into the central nucleus of the amygdala (CNA) or control area and infused with 1,000 or 500 ng of an oxytocin antagonist (OTA) or buffer, 4 hr before testing. Behavior was compared among dams infused with OTA into target areas just outside the CNA and cocaine-treated dams (infused with buffer). Dams infused with 1,000 ng OTA attacked intruders significantly more often than buffer-infused dams. OTA did not affect other behaviors, suggesting that disruption of oxytocin activity in the CNA may be sufficient to selectively alter maternal aggressive behavior.
Estradiol-dependent modulation of serotonergic markers in auditory areas of a seasonally breeding songbird.
Creators: name: Sockman, Keith W.
name: Beaulieu, Michaël
name: Maney, Donna L.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: Because no organism lives in an unchanging environment, sensory processes must remain plastic so that in any context, they emphasize the most relevant signals. As the behavioral relevance of sociosexual signals changes along with reproductive state, the perception of those signals is altered by reproductive hormones such as estradiol (E2). We showed previously that in white-throated sparrows, immediate early gene responses in the auditory pathway of females are selective for conspecific male song only when plasma E2 is elevated to breeding-typical levels. In this study, we looked for evidence that E2-dependent modulation of auditory responses is mediated by serotonergic systems. In female nonbreeding white-throated sparrows treated with E2, the density of fibers immunoreactive for serotonin transporter innervating the auditory midbrain and rostral auditory forebrain increased compared with controls. E2 treatment also increased the concentration of the serotonin metabolite 5-HIAA in the caudomedial mesopallium of the auditory forebrain. In a second experiment, females exposed to 30 min of conspecific male song had higher levels of 5-HIAA in the caudomedial nidopallium of the auditory forebrain than birds not exposed to song. Overall, we show that in this seasonal breeder, (1) serotonergic fibers innervate auditory areas; (2) the density of those fibers is higher in females with breeding-typical levels of E2 than in nonbreeding, untreated females; and (3) serotonin is released in the auditory forebrain within minutes in response to conspecific vocalizations. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that E2 acts via serotonin systems to alter auditory processing.
Large spin systematics in CFT
Creators: name: Alday, Luis F.
name: Bissi, Agnese
name: Lukowski, Tomasz
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Using conformal field theory (CFT) arguments we derive an infinite number of constraints on the large spin expansion of the anomalous dimensions and structure constants of higher spin operators. These arguments rely only on analiticity, unitarity, crossing-symmetry and the structure of the conformal partial wave expansion. We obtain results for both, perturbative CFT to all order in the perturbation parameter, as well as non-perturbatively. For the case of conformal gauge theories this provides a proof of the reciprocity principle to all orders in perturbation theory and provides a new "reciprocity" principle for structure constants. We argue that these results extend also to non-conformal theories.
description: 20 pages; v2: version published in JHEP
Two functional serotonin polymorphisms moderate the effect of food reinforcement on BMI.
Creators: name: Stice, Eric
name: Allison, David B.
name: Epstein, Leonard H.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2013

description: Food reinforcement, or the motivation to eat, has been associated with increased energy intake, greater body weight and prospective weight gain. Much of the previous research on the reinforcing value of food has focused on the role of dopamine, but it may be worthwhile to examine genetic polymorphisms in the serotonin and opioid systems as these neurotransmitters have been shown to be related to reinforcement processes and to influence energy intake. We examined the relationship among 44 candidate genetic polymorphisms in the dopamine, serotonin and opioid systems, and food reinforcement and body mass index (BMI) in a sample of 245 individuals. Polymorphisms in the Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA-LPR) and serotonin receptor 2A genes (rs6314) moderated the effect of food reinforcement on BMI, accounting for an additional 5-10% variance and revealed a potential role of the single nucleotide polymorphism, rs6314 in the serotonin 2A receptor as a differential susceptibility factor for obesity. Differential susceptibility describes a factor that can confer either risk or protection depending on a second variable, such that rs6314 is predictive of both high and low BMI based on the level of food reinforcement, while the diathesis stress or dual-gain model influences only one end of the outcome measure. The interaction with MAOA-LPR better fit the dual-risk or diathesis stress model, with the 3.5R/4R allele conferring protection for individuals low in food reinforcement. These results provide new insight into genes theoretically involved in obesity and support the hypothesis that genetics moderate the association between food reinforcement on BMI.
Validity of pre-eclampsia registration in the medical birth registry of Norway for women participating in the norwegian mother and child cohort study, 1999-2010
Creators: name: Harmon, Q.E.
name: Engel, S.M.
name: Austvoll, E.T.
name: Klungsøyr, K.
name: Skard, L.B.
name: Alsaker, E.R.
name: Trogstad, L.
name: Simonsen, I.
name: Starling, A.
name: Magnus, P.
Publisher: name: Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Year: 2014

description: Background: The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), a prospective population-based pregnancy cohort, is a valuable database for studying causes of pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia data in MoBa come from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN); thus, we wanted to study the validity of MBRN pre-eclampsia registration for MoBa women. Methods: We selected all MoBa pregnancies with pre-eclampsia registered in the MBRN (n = 4081) and a random control group (n = 2000) without pre-eclampsia registrations. After excluding two delivery units not participating in MoBa and one no longer operating, units were asked to provide copies of antenatal charts with blood pressure and urinary measurements from all antenatal visits during pregnancy, and hospital discharge codes from thedelivery stay. We received data for 5340 pregnancies delivered 1999-2010 (87% of all eligible). We calculated positive predictive value (PPV), and sensitivity and specificity of MBRN registration, using hypertension and proteinuria on the antenatal charts and/or hospital discharge codes indicating pre-eclampsia as gold standard. Results: Overall PPV was 83.9% [95% CI 82.7, 85.1] and was higher when women were primiparous, or delivered preterm or low birthweight infants. Severe pre-eclampsia in the MBRN was found to be a true severe preeclampsia in 70% of cases. Extrapolating to the total MoBa population, the estimated sensitivity was low - 43.0% (38.7, 48.2) - while specificity was high - 99.2% (99.2, 99.3). False negative cases seemed to have mild forms of pre-eclampsia. Conclusions: PPV and specificity of pre-eclampsia registration in the MBRN during 1999-2010 was satisfactory, while sensitivity was low.
Nucleus accumbens core neurons encode value-independent associations necessary for sensory preconditioning.
Creators: name: Cerri, Domenic H.
name: Carelli, Regina M.
name: Saddoris, Michael P.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2014

description: Reinforcement-based learning models predict that the strength of association between cues and outcomes is driven by aspects of outcome value. However, animals routinely make associations between contingent stimuli in the world, even if those associations hold no value to the organism. At the neural level, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is known to encode associative information, but it is not known whether this encoding is specific for value-based information (consistent with reinforcement-based models), or if the NAc additionally plays a more general role in forming predictive associations, independent of outcome value. To test this, we employed a sensory preconditioning (SPC) task where rats initially (Preconditioning) received either contingent pairings of two neutral stimuli (e.g., tone [A] and light [X]; ‘Paired’), or random non-contingent presentations (‘Unpaired’). After cue X was subsequently conditioned with food (First-Order Conditioning), the effect of preconditioning was assessed in phase 3 (Test) by presentations of cue A alone. Electrophysiological recordings from the NAc core showed significant increases in phasic encoding for the stimuli in the Paired (but not Unpaired) condition as well as during Test. Further, these effects were only seen in Paired rats that showed successful behavior during Test (Good Learners), but not those who did not (Poor Learners) or Unpaired controls. These findings reveal a role for the NAc in the encoding of associative contingencies independent of value, and suggest that this structure also plays a more general role in forming associations necessary for predictive behavior.
Alpha-defensins 1-3 release by dendritic cells is reduced by estrogen
Creators: name: Sperling, R.S.
name: Escribese, M.M.
name: Engel, S.M.
name: Rodríguez-García, M.
name: Gallart, T.
name: Moran, T.M.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2011

description: Background: During pregnancy the immune system of the mother must protect any activation that may negatively affect the fetus. Changes in susceptibility to infection as well as resolution of some autoimmune disorders represent empirical evidence for pregnancy related alterations in immunity. Sex hormones reach extremely high levels during pregnancy and have been shown to have direct effects on many immune functions including the antiviral response of dendritic cells. Among the immunologically active proteins secreted by monocyte derived DCs (MDDC) are the alpha-defensins 1-3. This family of cationic antimicrobial peptides has a broad spectrum of microbicidal activity and has also been shown to link innate to adaptive immunity by attracting T cells and immature DCs, which are essential for initiating and polarizing the immune response.Methods: We compare culture-generated monocyte derived DCs (MDDCs) with directly isolated myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and measure their alpha-defensins 1-3 secretion by ELISA both, in basal situations and after hormone (E2 or PG) treatments. Moreover, using a cohort of pregnant women we isolated mDCs from blood and also measure the levels of these anti-microbial peptides along pregnancy.Results: We show that mDCs and pDCs constitutively produce alpha-defensins 1-3 and at much higher levels than MDDCs. Alpha-defensins 1-3 production from mDCs and MDDCs but not pDCs is inhibited by E2. PG does not affect alpha-defensins 1-3 in any of the populations. Moreover, alpha-defensins 1-3 production by mDCs was reduced in the later stages of pregnancy in 40% of the patients.Conclusions: Here, we demonstrate that mDCs and pDCs secrete alpha-defensins 1-3 and present a novel effect of E2 on the secretion of alpha-defensins 1-3 by dendritic cells.
Outlook Charts: Rural Family Living (1947)
Creators: name: Bureau Of Human Nutrition And Home Economics
Publisher: name: Unknown
Year: 1946
Subjects: Community/Rural/Urban Development
Consumer/Household Economics
Demand and Price Analysis
Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety
Health Economics and Policy

description: Charts on: Population -- Income – Prices -- Family Expenditures -- Food -- Clothing -- Housing -- Health -- Education -- Living together
description: In Cooperation with Bureau of Agricultural Economics [Prepared for the 1947 Outlook Conference]
Asymptotics for multilinear averages of multiplicative functions
Creators: name: Frantzikinakis, Nikos
name: Host, Bernard
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Number Theory (math.NT)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 11N37 (Primary), 11B30 (Secondary), 11K65

description: A celebrated result of Halász describes the asymptotic behavior of the arithmetic mean of an arbitrary multiplicative function with values on the unit disc. We extend this result to multilinear averages of multiplicative functions providing similar asymptotics, thus verifying a two dimensional variant of a conjecture of Elliott. As a consequence, we get several convergence results for such multilinear expressions, one of which generalizes a well known convergence result of Wirsing. The key ingredients are a recent structural result for bounded multiplicative functions proved by the authors and the mean value theorem of Halász.
description: 14 pages. Referee's comments incorporated. To appear in the Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
Prepregnancy Body Mass Index, Smoking During Pregnancy, and Infant Birth Weight
Creators: name: Engel, S.M.
name: Stein, C.R.
name: Savitz, D.A.
name: La Merrill, M.
name: Landrigan, P.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2011

description: Purpose: Smoking during pregnancy is strongly associated with increased risk of small for gestational age (SGA) and low birth weight, whereas elevated prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) is associated with a decreased risk of SGA and greater birth weight. We investigated the combined effect of prenatal smoking and prepregnancy BMI on risk of SGA and on birth weight. Methods: A total of 34,928 singleton, term pregnancies in residents of New York City between 1995 and 2003 were evaluated in multivariable regression models of birth weight and risk of SGA. Results: Increasing prepregnancy BMI reduced the risk of SGA and increased birth weight. The effect of prenatal smoking on birth weight and SGA diminished in women as their prepregnancy BMI increased, such that prenatal smoking did not significantly impact the risk of SGA among women who were overweight or obese before pregnancy. Prenatal smoking decreased mean birth weight by 187 g (95% confidence interval [CI] -337, -37) among underweight women, by 129 g(95% CI -170, -87) among normal weight women, by 46 g (95% CI -113, +20) among overweight women, and by 75 g (95% CI -162, +11) among obese women. Conclusions: This study suggests that the effect of smoking during pregnancy on SGA and birth weight is present in underweight and normal weight women but markedly reduced among obese and overweight women.
Signals of a Light Dark Force in the Galactic Center
Creators: name: Liu, Jia
name: Weiner, Neal
name: Xue, Wei
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
subject: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Recent evidence for an excess of gamma rays in the GeV energy range about the Galactic Center have refocused attention on models of dark matter in the low mass regime ($m_χ\lesssim m_Z/2$). Because this is an experimentally well-trod energy range, it can be a challenge to develop simple models that explain this excess, consistent with other experimental constraints. We reconsider models where the dark matter couples to dark photon, which has a weak kinetic mixing to the Standard Model photon, or scalars with a weak mixing with the Higgs boson. We focus on the light ($\lesssim 1.5 GeV$) dark mediator mass regime. Annihilations into the dark mediators can produce observable gamma rays through decays to $π^0$, through radiative processes when decaying to charged particles ($e^+e^-, μ^+μ^-,...$), and subsequent interactions of high energy $e^+e^-$ with gas and light. However, these models have no signals of $\bar p$ production, which is kinematically forbidden. We find that in these models, the shape of resulting gamma-ray spectrum can provide a good fit to the excess at Galactic Center. We discuss further constraints from AMS-02, and find regions of compatibility.
description: 39 pages, 14 figures, references updated and discussion of CMB constraints included
Prenatal exposure to organophosphates, paraoxonase 1, and cognitive development in childhood
Creators: name: Canfield, R.L.
name: Wolff, M.S.
name: Wetmur, J.
name: Engel, S.M.
name: Barr, D.B.
name: Chen, J.
name: Zhu, C.
Publisher: name: Public Health Services, US Dept of Health and Human Services
Year: 2011

description: Background: Prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides has been shown to negatively affect child neurobehavioral development. Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is a key enzyme in the metabolism of organophosphates. Objective: We examined the relationship between biomarkers of organophosphate exposure, PON1, and cognitive development at ages 12 and 24 months and 6-9 years. Methods: The Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health Study enrolled a multiethnic prenatal population in New York City between 1998 and 2002 (n = 404). Third-trimester maternal urine samples were collected and analyzed for organophosphate metabolites (n = 360). Prenatal maternal blood was analyzed for PON1 activity and genotype. Children returned for neurodevelopment assessments ages 12 months (n = 200), 24 months (n = 276), and 6-9 (n = 169) years of age. Results: Prenatal total dialkylphosphate metabolite level was associated with a decrement in mental development at 12 months among blacks and Hispanics. These associations appeared to be enhanced among children of mothers who carried the PON1 Q192R QR/RR genotype. In later childhood, increasing prenatal total dialkyl- and dimethylphosphate metabolites were associated with decrements in perceptual reasoning in the maternal PON1 Q192R QQ genotype, which imparts slow catalytic activity for chlorpyrifos oxon, with a monotonic trend consistent with greater decrements with increasing prenatal exposure. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that prenatal exposure to organophosphates is negatively associated with cognitive development, particularly perceptual reasoning, with evidence of effects beginning at 12 months and continuing through early childhood. PON1 may be an important susceptibility factor for these deleterious effects.
Short-time universal scaling in an isolated quantum system after a quench
Creators: name: Chiocchetta, Alessio
name: Tavora, Marco
name: Gambassi, Andrea
name: Mitra, Aditi
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Quantum Gases (cond-mat.quant-gas)
subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Renormalization-group methods provide a viable approach for investigating the emergent collective behavior of classical and quantum statistical systems in both equilibrium and nonequilibrium conditions. Within this approach we investigate here the dynamics of an isolated quantum system represented by a scalar $ϕ^4$ theory after a global quench of the potential close to a dynamical critical point. We demonstrate that, within a pre-thermal regime, the time dependence of the relevant correlations is characterized by a short-time universal exponent, which we calculate at the lowest order in a dimensional expansion.
Prenatal phthalate exposure and performance on the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale in a multiethnic birth cohort
Creators: name: Zhu, C.
name: Engel, S.M.
name: Miodovnik, A.
name: Wolff, M.S.
name: Silva, M.J.
name: Berkowitz, G.S.
name: Calafat, A.M.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2009

description: We investigated the relationship between prenatal maternal urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites and neonatal behavior in their 295 children enrolled in a multiethnic birth cohort between 1998 and 2002 at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Trained examiners administered the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (BNBAS) to children within 5 days of delivery. We measured metabolites of 7 phthalate esters in maternal urine that was collected between 25 and 40 weeks' gestation. All but two phthalate metabolites were over 95% detectable. We summed metabolites on a molar basis into low and high molecular weight phthalates. We hypothesized the existence of sex-specific effects from phthalate exposure a priori given the hormonal activity of these chemicals. Overall we found few associations between individual phthalate metabolites or their molar sums and most of the BNBAS domains. However, we observed significant sex-phthalate metabolite interactions (p < 0.10) for the Orientation and Motor domains and the overall Quality of Alertness score. Among girls, there was a significant linear decline in adjusted mean Orientation score with increasing urinary concentrations of high molecular weight phthalate metabolites (B = -0.37, p = 0.02). Likewise, there was a strong linear decline in their adjusted mean Quality of Alertness score (B = -0.48, p < 0.01). In addition, boys and girls demonstrated opposite patterns of association between low and high molecular weight phthalate metabolite concentrations and motor performance, with some indication of improved motor performance with increasing concentration of low molecular weight phthalate metabolites among boys. This is the first study to report an association between prenatal phthalate exposure and neurological effects in humans or animals, and as such requires replication.
Severity of spatial learning impairment in aging: Development of a learning index for performance in the Morris water maze.
Creators: name: Gallagher, Michela
name: Burchinal, Margaret
name: Burwell, Rebecca
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2015

description: The Morris water maze task was originally designed to assess the rat’s ability to learn to navigate to a specific location in a relatively large spatial environment. This article describes new measures that provide information about the spatial distribution of the rat’s search during both training and probe trial performance. The basic new measure optimizes the use of computer tracking to identify the rat’s position with respect to the target location. This proximity measure was found to be highly sensitive to age-related impairment in an assessment of young and aged male Long-Evans rats. Also described is the development of a learning index that provides a continuous, graded measure of the severity of age-related impairment in the task. An index of this type should be useful in correlational analyses with other neurobiological or behavioral measures for the study of individual differences in functional/biological decline in aging.
Prenatal phthalate exposure is associated with childhood behavior and executive functioning
Creators: name: Engel, S.M.
name: Wolff, M.S.
name: Zhu, C.
name: Silva, M.J.
name: Canfield, R.L.
name: Miodovnik, A.
name: Calafat, A.M.
Publisher: name: Public Health Services, US Dept of Health and Human Services
Year: 2010

description: Background: Experimental and observational studies have reported biological consequences of phthalate exposure relevant to neurodevelopment. Objective: Our goal was to examine the association of prenatal phthalate exposure with behavior and executive functioning at 4-9 years of age. Methods: The Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health Study enrolled a multiethnic prenatal population in New York City between 1998 and 2002 (n = 404). Third-trimester maternal urines were collected and analyzed for phthalate metabolites. Children (n = 188, n = 365 visits) were assessed for cognitive and behavioral development between the ages of 4 and 9 years. Results: In multivariate adjusted models, increased loge concentrations of low molecular weight (LMW) phthalate metabolites were associated with poorer scores on the aggression [β = 1.24; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.15- 2.34], conduct problems (β = 2.40; 95% CI, 1.34-3.46), attention problems (β = 1.29; 95% CI, 0.16- 2.41), and depression (β = 1.18; 95% CI, 0.11-2.24) clinical scales; and externalizing problems (β = 1.75; 95% CI, 0.61-2.88) and behavioral symptom index (β = 1.55; 95% CI, 0.39-2.71) composite scales. Increased loge concentrations of LMW phthalates were also associated with poorer scores on the global executive composite index (β = 1.23; 95% CI, 0.09-2.36) and the emotional control scale (β = 1.33; 95% CI, 0.18- 2.49). Conclusion: Behavioral domains adversely associated with prenatal exposure to LMW phthalates in our study are commonly found to be affected in children clinically diagnosed with conduct or attention deficit hyperactivity disorders.
Supersparse Linear Integer Models for Optimized Medical Scoring Systems
Creators: name: Ustun, Berk
name: Rudin, Cynthia
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Machine Learning (stat.ML)
subject: Discrete Mathematics (cs.DM)
subject: Machine Learning (cs.LG)
subject: Applications (stat.AP)
subject: Methodology (stat.ME)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: Scoring systems are linear classification models that only require users to add, subtract and multiply a few small numbers in order to make a prediction. These models are in widespread use by the medical community, but are difficult to learn from data because they need to be accurate and sparse, have coprime integer coefficients, and satisfy multiple operational constraints. We present a new method for creating data-driven scoring systems called a Supersparse Linear Integer Model (SLIM). SLIM scoring systems are built by solving an integer program that directly encodes measures of accuracy (the 0-1 loss) and sparsity (the $\ell_0$-seminorm) while restricting coefficients to coprime integers. SLIM can seamlessly incorporate a wide range of operational constraints related to accuracy and sparsity, and can produce highly tailored models without parameter tuning. We provide bounds on the testing and training accuracy of SLIM scoring systems, and present a new data reduction technique that can improve scalability by eliminating a portion of the training data beforehand. Our paper includes results from a collaboration with the Massachusetts General Hospital Sleep Laboratory, where SLIM was used to create a highly tailored scoring system for sleep apnea screening
description: This version reflects our findings on SLIM as of January 2016 (arXiv:1306.5860 and arXiv:1405.4047 are out-of-date). The final published version of this articled is available at http://www.springerlink.com
title: Der Azubi-Coach: Theoretische Rahmung eines Projekts zur Förderung sozialer Kompetenzen in regionalen Ausbildungsbetrieben des Handwerks
Creators: name: Bergknapp, Andreas
name: Kunze, Ulrike
Publisher: name: Hochschule Nordhausen
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: Ausbildung
subject: Handwerk
subject: Commitment
subject: Coaching
subject: Mentoring
subject: Vertragslösung
subject: Ausbildungsabbruch
subject: Fachkräftemangel
subject: 380
subject: 370
subject: 000

description: Der Fachkräftemangel in Deutschland betrifft insbesondere auch die Branche des Handwerks. Dieses Problem wird durch die hohen Quoten an Ausbildungsabbrüchen und Vertragslösungen noch verschärft. Diese Problematik steht im Mittelpunkt des Projekts der ‚Azubi-Coach im Handwerk‘, das vom Bildungszentrum Handwerk und Bildung in Sondershausen durchgeführt wurde. In diesem Artikel wird ausgehend vom Forschungsstand und den empirischen Ergebnissen der Umfrage im Projekt die theoretische Basis für das Konzept des Azubi-Coaches entwickelt. Diese theoretische Rahmung greift auf Ergebnisse der Commitmentforschung zurück und prüft die Frage, inwiefern ein Azubi-Coach, als zentrale Bezugsperson und Mentor dazu beitragen kann, die Bindung der Auszubildenden an den Betrieb zu erhöhen. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird ein Ausbildungskonzept entwickelt, das Vertreter der auszubildenden Betriebe befähigen soll, die Rolle eines Azubi-Coaches kompetent einnehmen zu können.
The beauty of Lockdown: The impact of COVID-19 on the cosmetic industry in the UK.
Creators: name: Wigmore, Emily
Publisher: name: Open Science Framework
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Social and Behavioral Sciences
subject: Psychology
subject: FOS: Psychology

description: The purpose of this study is to understand the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic may have had on the beauty industry. The aim is to understand changes in consumer attitudes and purchase behaviour which could also help provide insight into how businesses can respond to this and navigate the post-pandemic market.
IPBES Invasive Alien Species Assessment, data management report for Chapter 3. Box 3.8 The spread of invasive alien species on Japanese tsunami marine debris
Creators: name: Camacho-Cervantes, Morelia
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Data management report

description: Box 3.8 assesses the role of solid waste as a driver of biological invasions in Chapter 3 of IPBES thematic assessment of invasive alien species and their control. The experts conducted a systematic review to report on the existing knowledge on this driver. This systematic review consists in the main source of evidence for the section.
Prenatal phenol and phthalate exposures and birth outcomes
Creators: name: Wolff, M.S.
name: Berkowitz, G.S.
name: Calafat, A.M.
name: Engel, S.M.
name: Ye, X.
name: Silva, M.J.
name: Wetmur, J.
name: Zhu, C.
Publisher: name: Public Health Services, US Dept of Health and Human Services
Year: 2008

description: Background: Many phthalates and phenols are hormonally active and are suspected to alter the course of development. Objective: We investigated prenatal exposures to phthalate and phenol metabolites and their associations with body size measures of the infants at birth. Methods: We measured 5 phenol and 10 phthalate urinary metabolites in a multiethnic cohort of 404 women in New York City during their third trimester of pregnancy and recorded size of infants at birth. Results: Median urinary concentrations were > 10 μg/L for 2 of 5 phenols and 6 of 10 phthalate monoester metabolites. Concentrations of low-molecular-weight phthalate monoesters (low-MWP) were approximately 5-fold greater than those of high-molecular-weight metabolites. Low-MWP metabolites had a positive association with gestational age [0.97 day gestational age per ln-biomarker: 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.07-1.9 days, multivariate adjusted] and with head circumference. Higher prenatal exposures to 2,5-dichlorophenol (2,5-DCP) predicted lower birth weight in boys (-210 g average birth weight difference between the third tertile and first tertile of 2,5-DCP; 95% CI, 71-348 g). Higher maternal benzophenone-3 (BP3) concentrations were associated with a similar decrease in birth weight among girls but with greater birth weight in boys. Conclusions: We observed a range of phthalate and phenol exposures during pregnancy in our population, but few were associated with birth size. The association of 2,5-DCP and BP3 with reduced or increased birth weight could be important in very early or small-size births. In addition, positive associations of urinary metabolites with some outcomes may be attributable partly to unresolved confounding with maternal anthropometric factors.
Childhood anxiety associated with low BMI in women with Anorexia Nervosa
Creators: name: Dellava, Jocilyn E.
name: Mitchell, James
name: Kaye, Walter H.
name: Fichter, Manfred M.
name: Crawford, Steve
name: Treasure, Janet
name: Kaplan, Allan S.
name: Rotondo, Alessandro
name: Plotnicov, Katherine
name: Klump, Kelly L.
name: Bulik, Cynthia M.
name: Thornton, Laura M.
name: Jones, Ian
name: Brandt, Harry
name: Berrettini, Wade H.
name: Strober, Michael
name: Hamer, Robert M.
name: Woodside, D. Blake
name: LaVia, Maria
name: Johnson, Craig
name: Halmi, Katherine A.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2010

description: Extremely low body mass index (BMI) values are associated with increased risk for death and poor long-term prognosis in individuals with AN. The present study explores childhood personality characteristics that could be associated with the ability to attain an extremely low BMI.
Effects of aging in catastrophe on the steady state and dynamics of a microtubule population
Creators: name: Jemseena, V.
name: Gopalakrishnan, Manoj
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Subcellular Processes (q-bio.SC)
subject: Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
subject: Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph)
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Several independent observations have suggested that catastrophe transition in microtubules is not a first-order process, as is usually assumed. Recent {\it in vitro} observations by Gardner et al.[ M. K. Gardner et al., Cell {\bf147}, 1092 (2011)] showed that microtubule catastrophe takes place via multiple steps and the frequency increases with the age of the filament. Here, we investigate, via numerical simulations and mathematical calculations, some of the consequences of age dependence of catastrophe on the dynamics of microtubules as a function of the aging rate, for two different models of aging: exponential growth, but saturating asymptotically and purely linear growth. The boundary demarcating the steady state and non-steady state regimes in the dynamics is derived analytically in both cases. Numerical simulations, supported by analytical calculations in the linear model, show that aging leads to non-exponential length distributions in steady state. More importantly, oscillations ensue in microtubule length and velocity. The regularity of oscillations, as characterized by the negative dip in the autocorrelation function, is reduced by increasing the frequency of rescue events. Our study shows that age dependence of catastrophe could function as an intrinsic mechanism to generate oscillatory dynamics in a microtubule population, distinct from hitherto identified ones.
description: More detailed comparisons with experimental data and other changes in text, change in title
Perception of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on dental researchers
Creators: name: Tiwari T.
name: Fox C.H.
name: Miguez P.A.
name: Ioannidou E.
name: Patel M.
name: Shaddox L.
name: Geisinger M.L.
name: De Souza G.M.
name: Letra A.
Publisher: name: John Wiley and Sons Inc
Year: 2023

description: Background/objectives: Historical evidence shows a gender-based disproportionate effect of pandemics across different populations. In 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began spreading its devastating effects worldwide. The goal of the present study was to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on research productivity, work-life arrangements, and mental health of dental professionals worldwide with focus on gender differences. Methods: A 38-item survey, concerning demographics, career stage, employer support, family structure, mental health, and relationships, was distributed to 7692 active members of the International Association for Dental Research. Bivariate associations between independent variables and the primary outcome variable were tested using Spearman's correlation test. A logistic regression model was used to assess the simultaneous, independent associations between each variable and researcher productivity. Results: A total of 722 responses were obtained, indicating a 9.4% response rate. Higher productivity was reported by male respondents (p = 0.021), and by those in senior career stages (p = 0.001). Institutional support was associated with higher productivity (p < 0.0001). Lower productivity was reported by younger researchers (p = 0.003). Remote work negatively affected productivity (p < 0.0001) and female respondents reported working more hours, regardless of work location (p = 0.004). Poor mental health was associated with low productivity (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Our results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected dental professionals’ perceived productivity and mental health around the globe. Younger individuals and women were disproportionally affected, and institutional support had a significant influence to mitigate effects of the pandemic for dental researchers.