cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reducing the energy density of multiple meals decreases the energy intake of preschool-age children

Background: The energy density (ED) of an entree affects children's energy intake at a meal consumed ad libitum. However, the effects in children of changing the ED of meals over multiple days are unknown. Objective: We aimed to test the effect of reducing the ED of multiple meals on the ad libitum energy intake of preschool-age children over 2d. Design: In this crossover study, 3- to 5-y-old children (n = 10 boys, 16 girls) were served manipulated breakfasts, lunches, and afternoon snacks 2 d/wk for 2 wk. Foods and beverages served at these meals during 1 wk were lower in ED than were those served during the other week. ED reductions were achieved by decreasing fat and sugar and by increasing fruit and vegetables. Dinner and an evening snack were sent home with children, but these meals did not vary in ED. The same 2-d menu was served in both conditions. Results: Children consumed a consistent weight of foods and beverages over 2 d in both conditions, and therefore their energy consumption declined by 389 ± 72 kcal (14%) in the lower-ED condition, a significant decrease (P < 0.0001). Differences in energy intake were significant at breakfast on day 1, and they accumulated at manipulated meals over 2 d (P < 0.01). Intake of the nonmanipulated meals was similar between conditions. Conclusions: Children's energy intake is influenced by the ED of foods and beverages served over multiple days. These results strengthen the evidence that reducing the ED of the diet is an effective strategy for moderating children's energy intake.
Hardware and operating system support for conservative garbage collection

Conservative garbage collectors can automatically reclaim unreferenced storage, even if the client program is unaware of the existence of a collector. Nearly all garbage collectors can benefit from some form of hardware, and especially operating system support. Conservative collectors benefit particularly from two kinds of facilities. The first is trivial, but often over-looked; it should be possible to write a function that quickly identifies all data areas associated with a program. Secondly, there should be an efficient mechanism for identifying areas of memory that have been recently written. This requirement is shared with other kinds of collectors. But conservative collectors, since they do not rely on moving objects can benefit more than moving collectors. >
Quantum Cryptography: A New Generation of Information Technology Security System

Quantum cryptography is an emerging technology in which two parties can secure network communications by applying the phenomena of quantum physics. The security of these transmissions is based on the inviolability of the laws of quantum mechanics. Quantum cryptography was born in the early seventies when Steven Wiesner wrote "Conjugate Coding", which took more than ten years to end this paper. The quantum cryptography relies on two important elements of quantum mechanics - the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle and the principle of photon polarization. The Heisenberg Uncertainty principle states that, it is not possible to measure the quantum state of any system without distributing that system. The principle of photon polarization states that, an eavesdropper can not copy unknown qubits i.e. unknown quantum states, due to no-cloning theorem which was first presented by Wootters and Zurek in 1982. This research paper concentrates on the theory of quantum cryptography, and how this technology contributes to the network security. This research paper summarizes the current state of quantum cryptography, and the real–world application implementation of this technology, and finally the future direction in which the quantum cryptography is headed forwards.
Toward an Understanding of "The Sex Game": The Effects of Gender and Self-Monitoring on Perceptions of Sexuality and Likability in Initial Interactions'

Results of several studies indicate that men attribute more sexual meaning to heterosexual interactions than do women. Based on Abbey’s (1982) findings, we hypothesized that males, in comparison to females, would attribute more sexuality to opposite-sex partners. Based on findings from several self-monitoring dating studies, we predicted that high self-monitors would rate their partners and themselves higher on sexuality and likability traits than would low self-monitors. A laboratory study was conducted in which mixed-sex pairs of participants discussed their likes and dislikes about college life. Participants then rated themselves and their opposite-sex partners on a set of sexuality and likability trait adjectives and indicated their interest in getting to know their partner better. Results supported the gender hypotheses, whereas they only partially supported the self-monitoring predictions. The self-monitoring effects on self-ratings of sexuality and partner ratings of likability are used to explain why high self-monitors are more successful than low self-monitors in establishing heterosexual relationships.
The Perspectives of Mothers Whose Children Are in Special Day Classes for Learning Disabilities

This article presents information about the attitudes and beliefs of mothers concerning their children in learning disabilities classes. Four mothers were interviewed over a 1-year period. Their comments about services provided by educational and mental health professionals indicated high levels of frustration and dissatisfaction. Parental expectations and perspectives differed from those of educators. Participants and educators were found to view learning disabilities differently.
Absent Fathers as Providers: Race/Ethnic Differences in Support for Adolescent Mothers

Race/ethnic differences in the prevalence of and characteristics associated with low support provided by fathers of babies born to pregnant adolescents were examined among 719 adolescent mothers who were interviewed postpartum. Low support was reported by 41.9% of African-American, 26.2% of Mexican-American, and 19.4% of Caucasian adolescent mothers. Across race/ethnic subgroups, fathers who provided limited support were characterized by chronic substance use, gang or police involvement, or partner-directed violence. Policies advocating universal father involvement without concomitant programs designed to address their many needs may ultimately be detrimental to the welfare of mother and child.
Connecting to “The What”: Engaging Approaches to Traditional Subject Matter

Teachers may understandably wonder how to facilitate student engagement in their particular topic. First, the chapter discussed the “what” of engagement—that is, exactly what it is we would like adolescents to be in engaged with to constitute “learning.” Towards this end, a five-stage model of engagement with learning is presented as a useful heuristic for the forms of content with which individuals engage at each stage of development. The model suggests that a primary developmental learning goal in the adolescent years is learning domain-specific talents and skills, a type of learning that is primarily episodic—that is learned through experiential “episodes” characterized by immersion in a self-encapsulated meaning system involving movement, rhythm, action, and logic. Then, a model is presented for engaging students in each of the core academic subjects: history, social studies, English, science, and math. For example, Wilhelm provided a model of teaching English literature in which “resistant readers” were reached through role plays and other dramatic and artistic activities in which students felt to be “actually” interacting with the characters, forming a deeper understanding of the author’s perspective and existential questions. As individuals transition into emerging adulthood, a primary developmental goal becomes engagement in vocational or professional mastery. Becoming engaged in a profession typically occurs within a community of practice, or in the context of daily practice of a shared domain of human endeavor with other like-minded professionals. This was modeled in the example for science teaching. Evidence of increased engagement during these approaches was supported through associated empirical studies.
Reducing endoplasmic reticulum stress does not improve steatohepatitis in mice fed a methionine- and choline-deficient diet

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The ER stress response is activated in the livers of mice fed a methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD) diet, yet the role of ER stress in the pathogenesis of MCD diet-induced steatohepatitis is unknown. Using chemical chaperones on hepatic steatosis and markers of inflammation and fibrosis in mice fed a MCD diet, we aim to determine the effects of reducing ER stress. C57BL/6J mice were fed a MCD diet with or without the ER chemical chaperones 4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA) and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) for 2 wk. TUDCA and PBA effectively attenuated the ER stress response in MCD diet-fed mice, as evidenced by reduced protein levels of phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2α and phosphorylated JNK and suppression of mRNA levels of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein, glucose-regulated protein 78 kDa, and X-box binding protein 1. However, PBA and TUDCA did not decrease MCD diet-induced hepatic steatosis. MCD diet-induced hepatic inflammation, as evidenced by increased plasma alanine aminotransferase and induction of hepatic TNFα expression, was also not reduced by PBA or TUDCA. PBA and TUDCA did not attenuate MCD diet-induced upregulation of the fibrosis-associated genes tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 and matrix metalloproteinase-9. ER chemical chaperones reduce MCD diet-induced ER stress, yet they do not improve MCD diet-induced hepatic steatosis, inflammation, or activation of genes associated with fibrosis. These data suggest that although the ER stress response is activated by the MCD diet, it does not have a primary role in the pathogenesis of MCD diet-induced steatohepatitis.
Deformation conditions for fracturing in the Middle Devonian sequence of the central Appalachians during the Late Paleozoic Alleghenian orogeny

In the central Appalachians, fluid inclusion microthermometry and oxygen and carbon stable isotope analysis vein minerals from the Middle Devonian shale section show that fluid conditions (pressure, temperature, and composition) are constantly changing during deformation and vary spatially across the fold-thrust belt. The earliest fractures in the region formed prior to folding, early during the Alleghenian orogeny as the rocks were buried into the oil generation window. They contain minerals that contain degraded hydrocarbon inclusions and basinal brine inclusions. During multiple vein reopening events, later mineral stages contain increasingly more mature hydrocarbon fluids. Late quartz mineralization is pervasive and typically contains the high-temperature brine inclusions. The vein opening history is related to changes in fluid connectivity associated with (1) burial by over-thrusting and/or syntectonic depositional loading and/or (2) folding during uplift and erosion. Initial fracture formation and fluid-trapping depths range from 3.5 km (2.2 mi) in the Plateau province and along the Appalachian structural front to 4.5 to 5.0 km (2.8 to 3.1 mi) in the Valley and Ridge province. Late-stage fracturing and fracture reopening is related to the maximum syntectonic burial, which varies from about 4 km (2.5 mi) in the Plateau to over 11 km (6.8 mi) in the Valley and Ridge. Fractures in the Valley and Ridge and western Pennsylvania Plateau provinces cannot be categorized into the simple and classification model. Burial history modeling indicates that fractures forming within and near the end of the oil window were NNW- and NW-striking, not ENE-striking, fractures.
The Contribution of Support Networks to Household Labor in African American Families

Studies on support networks suggest that networks are an important context from which families manage, especially for African American families. The 1988 National Survey on Families and Households was used to assess the extent of network involvement and the relationship to household labor. Among married, African American couples, about half received tangible assistance related to managing a household and a majority of men and women reported receiving emotional support from friends and relatives. Path models with tangible assistance, emotional support, demographic factors, and an indicator of stress revealed different variable relationships for husbands and wives. Husbands who received help with tasks reported more hours in weekly housework time. For wives, however, tangible assistance was independent of time in household tasks, but emotional support contributed to feeling overwhelmed by household responsibilities.
Inhibition of Injury-Induced Glial Aromatase Reveals a Wave of Secondary Degeneration in the Songbird Brain

Mechanical or anoxic/ischemic brain insult results in reactive gliosis and a pronounced wave of apoptotic secondary degeneration (WSD). Reactive glia express aromatase (estrogen synthase) and glial estrogen synthesis decreases apoptosis and the volume of degeneration. Whether aromatization by glia affects gliosis itself or the initiation/maintenance of the WSD remains unknown. Adult male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) were injured with a needle that contained the aromatase inhibitor fadrozole or vehicle into contralateral hemispheres. Birds were killed at 0, 2, 6, 24, 72 h, 2 or 6 weeks postinjury. Gliosis and degeneration were measured with vimentin- and Fluoro-Jade B-expression, respectively. Reactive gliosis was detectable at 6 h, reached asymptote at 72 h, and continued until 6 weeks postinsult. Gliosis extended further around fadrozole-injury than vehicle, an effect driven by a larger area of gliosis around fadrozole- relative to vehicle-injury at 72 h postinsult. Glial aromatase was inhibited for about 2 weeks postinjury since aromatase relative optical density was higher around fadrozole-injury relative to vehicle-injury until this time-point. Degeneration around vehicle-injury reached asymptote at 2 h postinsult, but that around fadrozole-injury peaked 24– 72 h postinjury and decreased thereafter. Thus, the injuryinduced WSD as described in mammals is detectable in zebra finches only following glial aromatase inhibition. In the zebra finch, injury-induced estrogen provision may decrease reactive gliosis and severely dampen the WSD, suggesting that songbirds are powerful models for understanding the role of glial aromatization in secondary brain damage. V C 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Biological and analytical variation of the human sweating response: implications for study design and analysis.

Appropriate quantification of analytical and biological variation of thermoregulatory sweating has important practical utility for research design and statistical analysis. We sought to examine con...
Estimating the Effect of a Community-Based Intervention with Two Communities

Due to the need to evaluate the effectiveness of community-based programs in practice, there is substantial interest in methods to estimate the causal effects of community-level treatments or exposures on individual level outcomes. The challenge one is confronted with is that different communities have different environmental factors affecting the individual outcomes, and all individuals in a community share the same environment and intervention. In practice, data are often available from only a small number of commu- nities, making it difficult if not impossible to adjust for these environmental confounders. In this paper we consider an extreme version of this dilemma, in which two communities each receives a different level of the intervention, and covariates and outcomes are measured on a random sample of independent indivi- duals from each of the two populations; the results presented can be straightforwardly generalized to settings in which more than two communities are sampled. We address the question of what conditions are needed to estimate the causal effect of the intervention, defined in terms of an ideal experiment in which the exposed level of the intervention is assigned to both communities and individual outcomes are measured in the combined population, and then the clock is turned back and a control level of the intervention is assigned to both communities and individual outcomes are measured in the combined population. We refer to the difference in the expectation of these outcomes as the marginal (overall) treatment effect. We also discuss conditions needed for estimation of the treatment effect on the treated community. We apply a nonparametric structural equation model to define these causal effects and to establish conditions under which they are identified. These identifiability conditions provide guidance for the design of studies to investigate community level causal effects and for assessing the validity of causal interpretations when data are only available from a few communities. When the identifiability conditions fail to hold, the proposed statistical parameters still provide nonparametric treatment effect measures (albeit non-causal) whose statistical interpretations do not depend on model specifications. In addition, we study the use of a matched cohort sampling design in which the units of different communities are matched on individual factors. Finally, we provide semiparametric efficient and doubly robust targeted MLE estimators of the community level causal effect based on i.i.d. sampling and matched cohort sampling.
Rapid Acquisition Computed Tomographic Assessment of Left Ventricular Regional Wall Motion Using a New Long Axis View

A long axis view to demonstrate left ventricular regional wall motion was devised for the ultrafast CT scanner. The patients are positioned supine, head first, into the scanner. The scan table is slewed 20° counter-clockwise in the horizontal plane without tilt. A bolus of contrast is injected via a median antecu bital vein. Contiguous level R wave triggered cine studies are obtained during peak passage of contrast through the heart to image the entire left ventricular cavity. Fourteen patients had left ventricular wall motion compared by long axis CT and RAO 30° single plane ventriculography at catheterization. In all cases, regional wall motion in comparable segments by both methods was in agree ment. It is concluded that the ultrafast CT long axis view permits diagnosis of left ventricular regional wall motion abnormalities. This view images the apex and sections the interventricular septum and lateral free wall horizontally. Un like conventional CT views, it is comparable to the RAO left ventriculogram.
“Look Forward, Walk Tall”: Exploring Our “What If” Questions

Steven L Wolf, PT, PhD, FAPTA Dr Wolf has given much to the physical therapy profession through his teaching, research, and service. He has an extensive publication record of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications that reflect his interest and expertise in biofeedback, neuromuscular re-education, and management of patients with chronic pain, among others. His work spanned the basic science areas early in his career and has shifted more recently to large-scale clinical research that corresponds to the most urgent need within the profession of physical therapy. Dr Wolf's influence has reached beyond the United States, and he is a much sought-after lecturer internationally. As a researcher, he has had a profound effect as one of the most consistent and productive researchers. Over his career, he has been a part of 37 funded peer-reviewed grant proposals, and he is listed in more than half as either the Principal or Co-Principal Investigator. The funding totals an astounding $30 million. His profound experience as one of the cutting-edge researchers in physical therapy and as a superb educator and his international reputation—in addition to his many contributions to the professional association—have qualified him for this highest award the Association can provide. Dr Wolf's distinguished career is highlighted by numerous awards, including the Marian Williams Research Award, Gold Pen Award, Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the APTA, Lucy Blair Service Award, Helen J Hislop Award for Excellence in Contributions to Professional Literature, the Foundation for Physical Therapy's Robert C Bartlett Recognition Award, the Section on Geriatrics Outstanding Published Paper Award, and the Neurology Section Outstanding Research Award.
Low-temperature thermochronology of the Black and Panamint mountains, Death Valley, California: Implications for geodynamic controls on Cenozoic intraplate strain

We use apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronometry to evaluate space-time patterns and tectonic drivers of Miocene to Pliocene deformation within the Death Valley area, eastern California. Zircon He ages from the footwall of the Amargosa–Black Mountains detachment in the Black Mountains record continuous cooling and exhumation from 9 to 3 Ma. Thermal modeling of data from the central Black Mountains suggests that this cooling took place during two intervals: a period of rapid footwall exhumation from 10 to 6 Ma, followed by slower (<5 mm/yr) exhumation since 6 Ma. Cumulative exhumation is estimated to be 10–16 km. Paleodepth reconstruction of cooling ages from the footwall of the Panamint-Emigrant detachment, in the central Panamint Range, also show two periods of cooling. Zircons record late Miocene cooling, whereas apatite He ages show punctuated exhumation at ca. 4 Ma. The results suggest the Panamint Range experienced a minimum of 7.2 km of exhumation since ca. 12 Ma. The new data, when evaluated within the context of published fault timing data, suggest that the transition from Basin and Range extension to dextral transtension is spatially and temporally distinct, beginning at ca. 11–8 Ma in ranges to the east and north of the Black Mountains and migrating westward into eastern Death Valley at 6 Ma. Initiation of dextral transtension was coincident with a major change in plate-boundary relative motion vectors. Data from Panamint Range and several ranges to the west of Death Valley indicate transtension initiated over a large area at ca. 3–4 Ma, coeval with proposed lithospheric delamination in the central and southern Sierra Nevada Range. Our results suggest that the transition from extension to dextral transtension may reflect an evolution in tectonic drivers, from plate-boundary kinematics to intraplate lithospheric delamination.
Light-Generated Effects on Power Switches Used in a Planar PV Power System With Monolithically Embedded Power Converters

The reliability, efficiency, and controllability of photovoltaic (PV) power systems can be increased by embedding the components of a typical power converter on the same Si substrate of a PV cell. In order to achieve more insight into the macro or surface electronics, a novel fabrication process along with experimental results have been presented in this paper, demonstrating the integration of PV cells and major components needed to build a power converter on the same substrate/wafer. Because of the cell level power conversion, PV panels constructed from these cells are likely to be immune to partial shading and hot-spot effects. Several critical applications such as a portable power station in a battlefield or scientific expedition can greatly benefit from an “all in one” PV system featuring several key attributes such as modularity, high reliability, and quick setup time. In this paper, the effect of light exposure on converter switches embedded on the PV substrate has been analyzed to understand the converter behavior at various illumination conditions. Simulation and experimental results have been provided to support the concept presented in this paper. To the knowledge of the authors, surface or macro electronics have not been implemented to PV power systems yet, and therefore, the effect of light on the surface switches needs to be studied greater depth.
John Money, Ph.D

John Money died on July 7, 2006, one day before his 85th birthday. His death was considered by many as a great loss of not only a leader, but also of a truly original thinker who had shaped the fie...
Effects of Cycloheximide during the Periovulatory Period on Ovarian Follicular FSH, hCG, and Prolactin Receptors and on Follicular Maturation in the Hamster

AbstractHamsters were injected sc at 1400 hr on proestrus with either 4 mg cycloheximide (which blocks ovulation but only transiently affects ovarian protein synthesis) or saline and killed at 2-hr intervals until 0400 hr on estrus. After cycloheximide, the first surge of FSH (at 1600 hr) was half the normal value and the second surge of FSH (beginning at 2200 hr) was eliminated. Control follicles at 1400 hr had approximately the same number of FSH and hCG receptors with about one-third as many PRL receptors. Down regulation of FSH and hCG receptors for control follicles occurred by 2400 hr while PRL receptors dropped abruptly 4 hr earlier. Compared to the 1400-hr control values, the maximal loss of FSH, LH, and PRL receptors was 40, 45, and 85%, respectively. Although cycloheximide tended to slightly delay the loss of FSH receptors at 2000-2200 hr it did not prevent the ultimate fall in FSH and hCG receptors; the loss of PRL receptors was accelerated by 4 hr. Cycloheximide prevented or delayed follicular...
New Model for Local H-Atom Bonding Re-Arrangements Associated with the Staebler-Wronski Effect in a-Si:H and a-Si:H-Based Alloys

Many photoelectronic properties of a-Si,N:H alloys prepared by remote PECVD (RPECVD) from two N-atom source gases - N2 and NH3 - are the same; however, the photo-induced changes in the electrical properties in alloys with -2.1 eV bandgaps are ∼3 to 5 times greater in alloys deposited from NH3, which display Si-NH, as well as SiH bonding. Based on this result, we show that bonding groups important in the Staebler-Wronski effect include (i) ≡SiH, and nearest-neighbor (ii) ≡Si-NH-Sis and/or ≡Si-O-Sis in which the respective N and O-atoms make H-bonds with the sSiH group. The model, based on ab-initio calculations, includes a H-exchange reaction in which trapping of photo-generated holes promotes a transfer of the H-atom from the SiH group to a nearest-neighbor ≡Si-NH-Si≡ creating (i) a Si-dangling bond (Si*) and (ii) a Metastable (≡Si-NH2-Si≡) + group. Calculations indicate that neutral (≡Si-NH2≡Sis) ° is unstable, so that relaxation of (≡Si-NH2-Si≡) + groups can occur by trapping of a thermally-released (trapped) electron during a post-light-soaking thermal-anneal. The same type of model is developed for hole/electron trapping-induced H-atom transfer between ≡SiH and ≡Si-0-Si≡ groups in other a-Si:H Materials.
Interplay of Octahedral Rotations and Lone Pair Ferroelectricity in CsPbF3

CsPbF3 is the only experimentally synthesized ABF3 fluoride perovskite with a polar ground state. We use CsPbF3 as a guide in our search for rules to rationally design new ABX3 polar fluorides and halides from first-principles and as a model compound to study the interactions of lone pairs, octahedral rotations, and A- and B-site driven ferroelectricity. We find that the lone pair cation on the B-site serves to stabilize a polar ground state, analogous to the role of lone pair cations on the A-site of oxide perovskites. However, we also find that the lone pair determines the pattern of nonpolar structural distortions, rotations of the PbF6 octahedra, that characterize the lowest energy structure. This result is remarkable since rotations are typically associated with bonding preferences of the A-site cation (here Cs+), whereas the Pb2+ cation occupies the B site. We show that the coordination requirements of the A-site cation and the stereoactivity of the B-site lone pair cation compete or cooperate via t...
Enhancing Productivity in the AEC Industry through Application of Rights Management

Enhancing productivity is a strategic objective of stakeholders in the architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) industry. However, the copyright of architectural works can hinder the reuse of designs and frequently necessitates independent creation of new designs. An opportunity for increased productivity is lost unless designs can be reused in whole or in part. The paper proposes the utilization of rights management as an approach to this problem. Given the AEC industry's structure and degree of sophistication, rights management would be the superior approach in the broader AEC industry. The paper describes a rights management system for implementation in the AEC industry that would assure certainty of copyright clearance from the rights holder(s) and the efficient licensing of designs for reuse on subsequent projects. Utilization of the described system would enable architects and engineers to reuse successful features of prior designs. In this way, application of rights management could enhance productivity in the AEC industry as it has in other industries that rely on creative works. The paper also addresses related issues including scope of permissions and potential liability relating to reuse of designs.
165 ETHNIC AND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PLATELET AGGREGABILITY.

Background Recent studies suggest that platelet hyperreactivity is the most important factor affecting the clinical outcome in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) subjects. Data on ethic variability of platelet aggregability amongst healthy subjects are limited. Methods We studied platelet aggregation in 32 healthy men and women free of any antiplatelet medications, aged 22-36 years, of Caucasian, Hispanic, and African American origin. In this ex vivo study we investigated biphasic platelet aggregation in response to adenosine-59-diphosphate (ADP) and epinephrine (EPI), as well as lag time and aggregation in response to arachidonic acid (AA) and collagen (COL). In these subjects, the thromboxane synthase polymorphism was determined indirectly by monitoring platelet AA-thromboxane conversion rate. Results Healthy individuals exhibited considerable variability in aggregation response to agonists. The group most prone to overall aggregation was Caucasian women, followed by Caucasian men (p Conclusions The present study suggests that antiplatelet management in post-PCI be performed on an individual rather that a generalized basis, based on aggregometry. The observed ethnic and gender differences in platelet function indicate that a customized approach may be beneficial in the prevention of platelet-induced thrombosis.
Abstract B37: Menstrual cycle characteristics, PCOS, and ovarian cancer risk.

Background: Long and irregular menstrual cycles, a hallmark of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), have been associated with higher androgen and lower sex hormone binding globulin levels (SHBG) and this altered hormonal environment may increase the risk of specific histologic subtypes of ovarian cancer. Methods: We investigated the association between menstrual cycle characteristics and PCOS among 2071 women with epithelial ovarian cancer and 2100 controls in the New England Case-Control Study (1992-2008). Women self-reported menstrual cycle irregularity, menstrual cycle length, and previous diagnosis of PCOS. We used unconditional logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for ovarian cancer risk overall, and polytomous logistic regression to evaluate whether the associations differed across histologic subtypes. Results: Overall, we observed no difference in ovarian cancer risk between women who reported periods that were never regular and women who did not report menstrual cycle irregularity (multivariable OR=0.87; 95% CI=0.69-1.10). A similar association was observed for those reporting an average menstrual cycle length of greater than 35 days with a multivariable OR of 0.87 (95% CI=0.47-1.60). In addition, no association was observed with self-reported PCOS and ovarian cancer (multivariable OR=0.96; 95% CI=0.60-1.54). When we examined the associations by histologic subtype, we observed significant differences in the association with menstrual cycle irregularity as the exposure (pheterogeneity=0.007) but not for cycle length >35 days or self-reported PCOS. Menstrual cycle irregularity was protective for serous invasive tumors (OR=0.66; 95% CI=0.47-0.91) but was associated with a non-significant increase in risk of serous borderline tumors (OR=1.32; 95% CI=0.86-2.03). Conclusions: Our results suggest that menstrual cycle characteristics may have influences on ovarian cancer risk that vary by histologic subtype. Future research in a large collaborative consortium may help clarify these associations. Citation Format: Holly R. Harris, Linda J. Titus, Daniel W. Cramer, Kathryn L. Terry. Menstrual cycle characteristics, PCOS, and ovarian cancer risk. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research: Exploiting Vulnerabilities; Oct 17-20, 2015; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2016;22(2 Suppl):Abstract nr B37.
Prenatal Diagnosis and Management of Berry Syndrome, a Rare Conotruncal Anatomy.

Berry syndrome is a rare cardiac malformation made up of aortopulmonary window, interrupted aortic arch, aortic origin of right pulmonary artery, and intact interventricular septum.1 Prenatal diagnosis has the potential to improve outcomes with prompt initiation of prostaglandin E1 infusion and early surgery, thereby avoiding pulmonary overcirculation and heart failure. A 26-year-old primigravida presented to the fetal cardiology clinic at 23 weeks’ gestation with a diagnosis of vasa previa, suspected congenital heart disease, and inability to visualize the aortic arch clearly on the obstetric ultrasound. A fetal echocardiogram at 25 weeks’ gestation demonstrated the constellation of Berry syndrome (Figure, A and Movie I in the online-only Data Supplement). The mother delivered a 2-kg female infant at 35 weeks as a result of premature rupture of membranes …
Compressional behavior of omphacite to 47 GPa

Omphacite is an important mineral component of eclogite. Single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction data on natural (Ca, Na) (Mg, Fe, Al)Si2O6 omphacite have been collected at the Advanced Photon Source beamlines 13-BM-C and 13-ID-D up to 47 GPa at ambient temperature. Unit cell parameter and crystal structure refinements were carried out to constrain the isothermal equation of state and compression mechanism. The third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state (BM3) fit of all data gives V 0 = 423.9(3) A3, K T0 = 116(2) GPa and K T0′ = 4.3(2). These elastic parameters are consistent with the general trend of the diopside–jadeite join. The eight-coordinated polyhedra (M2 and M21) are the most compressible and contribute to majority of the unit cell compression, while the SiO4 tetrahedra (Si1 and Si2) behave as rigid structural units and are the most incompressible. Axial compressibilities are determined by fitting linearized BM3 equation of state to pressure dependences of unit cell parameters. Throughout the investigated pressure range, the b-axis is more compressible than the c-axis. The axial compressibility of the a-axis is the largest among the three axes at 0 GPa, yet it quickly drops to the smallest at pressures above 5 GPa, which is explained by the rotation of the stiffest major compression axis toward the a-axis with the increase in pressure.
Solvent Selection and Method Development

Method development includes all those steps involved in the selection and optimization of the separation system for each sample. An extensive discussion of solvent strength and selectivity as key features for mobile phase selection and optimization is provided. Optimization strategies are described for normal-phase separations on silica gel and polar chemically bonded layers and for reversed-phase separations on chemically bonded layers. Sample properties are linked to mode selection to allow an informed choice of initial experiments. Gradient methods are described for the separation of mixtures with a wide range of retention properties.
Does Gender Make a Difference? The Gender Gap in Latin American Politics

This chapter offers a quantitative analysis based on data from the Latin American Public Opinion Project from 2012. First, it describes what Latin American women think about women’s participation in politics and how the general population feels about the participation of women. These sections highlight differences between countries. Then, the chapter seeks to explain in which aspects of political culture Latin American women differ (statistically speaking) from men. In particular, it examines whether women are different from men in terms of conventional and non-conventional political participation and also in other aspects such as interest in politics and support for democracy.
The Sources of Ethnic Pride and Social Stability Among the Nuosu (Yi) of Southwest China

This article discusses the Nuosu (Yi), a mountain-dwelling ethnic minority people living in southwest China. Despite being seen by the ethnic majority Han Chinese as a poor minority, the Nuosu have great pride in themselves and they directly connect this pride to their life in the high mountains. They provide a fascinating case study of how a people who seem socially and geographically disenfranchised preserve a sense of ethnic dignity and social stability. The article describes the caste system of the Nuosu and analyzes the role it plays in preserving their sense of ethnic superiority. Their society is divided into two castes, the upper status “Black Yi,” about 7 % of the population, and the lower status “White Yi,” about 93 % of the population. These castes are forbidden to intermarry. Parents threaten to commit suicide if their children ever consider intermarriage with someone of the other caste, and clans threaten to expel or kill any violators. Despite the severe punishments with which caste is maintained, caste barriers are not performed in daily symbolic contexts, such as those familiar to many readers—Jim Crow in the American South or South African apartheid. Thus the dynamics found in the latter societies, especially in their schools, do not hold for the Nuosu. Nuosu youth do not feel that they lose their identity or pride by attending Han Chinese-run schools. The Nuosu stand out among disenfranchised peoples, and mountain peoples, for the strength of their identity in the face of social and environmental adversity.
Statistical Adjustments to Engineering Models

Statistical models commonly used in quality improvement studies often do not perform well when predictions are made away from the observed data points. Yet models based on engineering/physics laws don’t often reflect reality. Engineering/statistical mod..
Hormonal profiles of early gestations with abnormal karyotype.

Objective To describe the hormonal profiles of chromosomally abnormal pregnancies during the first trimester. Design A prospective study from 1984 through 1990 in which infertility patients who conceived were monitored weekly with serum E 2 , P, and β -hCG levels. Setting The infertility practice at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. Patients Study included 15 women who had dilatation and curettage for first trimester fetal losses with confirmed abnormal karyotype, 6 women with chromosomally normal male abortuses, and 60 consecutive women whose pregnancies yielded normal term infants. Results After natural conception, E 2 demonstrated a moderate rise in both normal and chromosomally abnormal pregnancies to approximately 300pg/mL by day 29 (6weeks of gestation). In normal gestations, E 2 continued a steady increase to exceed the level of 1,000pg/mL by day 64 (11weeks of gestation). In chromosomally abnormal pregnancies, the mean E 2 plateaued and remained at approximately 200pg/mL until fetal demise was noted. In stimulated conceptions, the rise of E 2 was sharp and early (1,200pg/mL by day 29); in normal pregnancies, E 2 steadily increased to an average of 1,400pg/mL by the end of the first trimester, whereas in karyotypically abnormal gestations, E 2 declined to approximately 200pg/mL by day 64. In pregnancies yielding a male abortus, a sharp decline and plateau at 800pg/mL by day 56 (10weeks of gestation) was observed. In both natural and stimulated normal pregnancies, hCG levels first demonstrated a linear rise, followed by a curvilinear increase from day 29 until day 56, with a peak of approximately 110,000mlU/mL. The β -hCG in chromosomally abnormal pregnancies, as well as in pregnancies yielding a male abortus, was characterized by a slow and gradual rise to a maximum of 40,000mlU/mL, which remained relatively linear until day 64 when fetal demise was detected in all cases. Progesterone level data were excluded from analysis because of frequent P supplementation. Conclusions There were significant differences in the hormonal profiles of chromosomally normal and abnormal pregnancies. Serial measurements of serum E 2 and β -hCG from the 6th week of gestation may be useful in predicting an abnormal karyotype sooner than other current diagnostic tests.
Causal essentialism and the identity of indiscernibles

Causal essentialists hold that a property essentially bears its causal and nomic relations. Further, as many causal essentialists have noted, the main motivations for causal essentialism also motivate holding that properties are individuated in terms of their causal and nomic relations. This amounts to a kind of identity of indiscernibles thesis; properties that are indiscernible with respect to their causal and nomic relations are identical. This can be compared with the more well-known identity of indiscernibles thesis, according to which particulars that are qualitatively indiscernible are identical. Robert Adams has developed a well-known objection to this thesis by considering a series of possibilities involving nearly qualitatively indiscernible particulars that naturally leads to a possibility involving qualitatively indiscernible particulars. I argue that we can construct parallel cases involving a series of possibilities involving properties that are nearly indiscernible with respect to their causal and nomic relations that naturally lead to possibilities involving properties that are indiscernible with respect to their causal and nomic relations. The same features that make Adams’ argument forceful also carry over to my cases, giving us a powerful objection to the causal essentialist identity of indiscernibles thesis.
xPress: Rethinking Design for Aging and Accessibility through an IVR Blogging System

Although many older adults are active online, certain age-related disabilities, such as late-life vision impairment, make sustaining online participation difficult. Motivated by the need for accessible online spaces for people experiencing vision impairment in older adulthood, we developed xPress, a voice-based online blogging community. Through a 10-week deployment with seven older adults with acquired vision loss, we analyze how this type of online community enables connecting with peers, sharing experiences, and offering social support in new ways. The design of xPress also highlights the importance of human voice in accessible social platforms and reveals expectations around community participation. We discuss designing for age and disability through the lens of intersectionality and offer design considerations for similar voice-based online communities.
Adapting a Persuasive Conversational Agent for the Chinese Culture

The design of an embodied conversational agent that promotes physical activity to young Chinese adults living in the United States is described, along with specific cultural adaptations performed to tailor the agent to Chinese culture. Results of a pilot study comparing the Chinese exercise coach agent to another adapted to American culture demonstrated that participants found the Chinese agent more interesting, but were more persuaded by the American agent to change their attitudes towards exercise. Overall, participants reported high levels of satisfaction with and trust in the agent, across both conditions. Qualitative analysis of interviews was carried out to examine participants' overall impression of the experience, and their perceptions of the cultural adaptations. We discuss possible explanations of our results, and propose future improvements for culturally adapted conversational agents, tailored to the Chinese community.
Designing Lithium-Sulfur Cells with Practically Necessary Parameters

Summary In the pursuit of high-energy-density batteries, there is tremendous appetite for developing the lithium-sulfur technology with high sulfur loading and content while keeping the electrolyte/sulfur (E/S) ratio low to be competitive with or surpass the current lithium-ion technology. However, very limited studies have focused on keeping these parameters at practically desirable ranges. Here, we present a lithium-sulfur cell with a coaxial-graphene-coated cotton-carbon (CGCC) cathode that displays excellent performance with high sulfur loading (57.6 mg cm −2 ), high sulfur content (75 wt %), and low E/S ratio (4.2 μL mg −1 ) simultaneously. The cell exhibits high areal capacity (31 mA hr cm −2 ) and areal energy density (66 mW hr cm −2 ) that exceed the areal capacity (4 mA hr cm −2 ) and areal energy density (10 mW hr cm −2 ) of a commercial LiCoO 2 cathode with a high capacity-retention rate of 68% over 200 cycles.
Limitations of the S-TOFHLA in measuring poor numeracy: a cross-sectional study

Although the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA) is widely used, misidentification of individuals with low health literacy (HL) in specific HL dimensions, like numeracy, is a concern. We examined the degree to which individuals scored as “adequate” HL on the S-TOFHLA would be considered as having low HL by two additional numerical measures. English-speaking adults aged 45–75 years were recruited from a large, urban academic medical center and a community foodbank in the United States. Participants completed the S-TOFHLA, the Subjective Numeracy Scale (SNS), and the Graphical Literacy Measure (GL), an objective measure of a person’s ability to interpret numeric information presented graphically. Established cut-points or a median split classified participants and having high and low numeracy. Participants (n = 187), on average were: aged 58 years; 63% female; 70% Black/African American; and 45% had a high school degree or less. Of those who scored “adequate” on the S-TOFHLA, 50% scored low on the SNS and 40% scored low on GL. Correlation between the S-TOFHLA and the SNS Total was moderate (r = 0.22, n = 186, p = 0.01), while correlation between the S-TOFHLA and the GL Total was large (r = 0.53, n = 187, p ≤ 0.01). Findings suggest that the S-TOFHLA may not capture an individuals’ HL in the dimension of numeracy. Efforts are needed to develop more encompassing and practical strategies for identifying those with low HL for use in research and clinical practice. NCT02151032 (retrospectively registered: May 30, 2014).
“Caught Between Two Worlds”: Asian American Elementary Teachers’ Enactment of Asian American History

Traditional narratives of U.S. history largely exclude Asian American histories, particularly at the elementary level. This qualitative case study examines how three Asian American elementary schoo...