cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epidemiology, Injury Patterns, and Treatment of Meniscal Tears in Pediatric Patients: A 16-Year Experience of a Single Center.

Background:Meniscal injuries in children continue to increase, which may be attributable to increasing levels of athletic participation and may be associated with additional injuries or need for ad...
The Role of Gangliosides in Neurotrophic Interaction in Vitro

Gangliosides are membrane-associated acidic glycolipids that have been implicated in the regulation of cell processes such as differentiation (Moskol et al., 1974; Roisen et al., 1981a, b; Dimpfel et al., 1981; Leon et al., 1982), growth (Fishman et al., 1977; Langenback and Kennedy, 1978; Morgan and Seifert, 1979) and axonal regeneration (Obata et al., 1977; Caccia et al., 1979; Norido et al., 1982; Spirman et al., 1982). Their concentration in the brain is 14 times higher than in liver and nearly 60 times higher than in muscle (Seyfried et al., 1978; Leeden and Yu, 1982). Patterns of ganglioside synthesis have been reported to change during intense periods of neuritogenesis and synaptogenesis (Rosner, 1980; Sonnino et al., 1981). Their abundance, distribution and temporal occurrence in neuronal membranes suggest that gangliosides play a key role in the development of the nervous system.
One meta-media event, two forms of censorship: The Charlie Hebdo affair in the United Kingdom and Turkey:

This study analyses British and Turkish media conceptualizations of the Charlie Hebdo affair. Editorial decisions to republish or not to republish the Mohammed cartoon cover reflected the politico-...
Decision by Surrogates for a Patient with a Psychiatric History

Read about a patient with severe COPD and a psychiatric history. The concept of capacity is explored. Surrogates who go against what a patient has stated in the past brings up an ethical dilemma.
Designing a Remote Framework to Create Custom Assistive Technologies

3D printing technologies can help individuals get customized assistive technologies that increase independence. However, designing these technologies is complicated and many users must rely on fabricators to translate their ideas and transform them into customized tools. We have developed a design framework, inspired by IDEO's Human-Centered Design principles [6], to help organize end-user's ideas, spark creativity, and engage end-users in a collaborative design process. It consists of digital artifacts divided into three main categories: explore, ideate, and create. We conducted virtual interviews with four occupational therapists and two people with motor disabilities to understand how end-users describe their abilities and needs in order to facilitate ideation and collaboration with fabricators.
Mitigating Study Power Loss Caused by Clinical Trial Disruptions Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Leveraging External Data via Propensity Score-Integrated Approaches

The spread of COVID-19 has created tremendous challenges to ongoing clinical studies essential to finding effective treatments and cures for a myriad of diseases, with some studies having suspended...
Obesity alters the ovarian proteomic response to zearalenone exposure

Zearalenone (ZEN), a nonsteroidal estrogenic mycotoxin, is detrimental to female reproduction. Altered chemical biotransformation, depleted primordial follicles and a blunted genotoxicant response have been discovered in obese female ovaries, thus, this study investigated the hypothesis that obesity would enhance ovarian sensitivity to ZEN exposure. Seven-week-old female wild-type nonagouti KK.Cg-a/a mice (lean) and agouti lethal yellow KK.Cg-Ay/J mice (obese) received food and water ad libitum, and either saline or ZEN (40 µg/kg) per os for 15 days. Body and organ weights, and estrous cyclicity were recorded, and ovaries collected posteuthanasia for protein analysis. Body and liver weights were increased (P 0.05) heart, kidney, spleen, uterus, or ovary weight and there was no impact (P > 0.05) of ZEN exposure on body or organ weight in lean or obese mice. Obese mice had shorter proestrus (P 0.05) circulating progesterone, or ovarian abundance of EPHX1, GSTP1, CYP2E1, ATM, BRCA1, DNMT1, HDAC1, H4K16ac, or H3K9me3. Lean mice exposed to ZEN had a minor increase in γ H2AX abundance (P < 0.05). In lean and obese mice, LC–MS/MS identified alterations to proteins involved in chemical metabolism, DNA repair and reproduction. These data identify ZEN-induced adverse ovarian modes of action and suggest that obesity is additive to ZEN-induced ovotoxicity.
Probing molecular specificity with deep sequencing and biophysically interpretable machine learning

Quantifying sequence-specific protein-ligand interactions is critical for understanding and exploiting numerous cellular processes, including gene regulation and signal transduction. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) based assays are increasingly being used to profile these interactions with high-throughput. However, these assays do not provide the biophysical parameters that have long been used to uncover the quantitative rules underlying sequence recognition. We developed a highly flexible machine learning framework, called ProBound, to define sequence recognition in terms of biophysical parameters based on NGS data. ProBound quantifies transcription factor (TF) behavior with models that accurately predict binding affinity over a range exceeding that of previous resources, captures the impact of DNA modifications and conformational flexibility of multi-TF complexes, and infers specificity directly from in vivo data such as ChIP-seq without peak calling. When coupled with a new assay called Kd-seq, it determines the absolute affinity of protein-ligand interactions. It can also profile the kinetics of kinase-substrate interactions. By constructing a biophysically robust foundation for profiling sequence recognition, ProBound opens up new avenues for decoding biological networks and rationally engineering protein-ligand interactions.
Examination of Sleep and Obesity in Children and Adolescents in the United States

Purpose:This study contributes to the growing literature on the association between sleep and obesity by examining the associations between hours of sleep, consistency of bedtime, and obesity among...
Symbiotic Design Application in Healthcare: Preventing Hospital Acquired Infections:

Any clinical decision support (CDS) design project integrating computational technologies with clinician workflows will require the merging of multiple perspectives and fields of expertise in multi...
Experiences of Using a Self-management Mobile App Among Individuals With Heart Failure: Qualitative Study.

Background: Interventions that focus on the self-management of heart failure are vital to promoting health in patients with heart failure. Mobile health (mHealth) apps are becoming more integrated into practice to promote self-management strategies for chronic diseases, optimize care delivery, and reduce health disparities. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of using a self-management mHealth intervention in individuals with heart failure to inform a future mHealth intervention study. Methods: This study used a qualitative descriptive design. Participants were enrolled in the intervention groups of a larger parent study using a mobile app related to self-management of heart failure. The purposive, convenient, criterion-based sample for this qualitative analysis comprised 10 patients who responded to phone calls and were willing to be interviewed. Inclusion criteria for the parent study were adults who were hospitalized at Nebraska Medical Center with a primary diagnosis and an episode of acute decompensated heart failure; discharged to home without services such as home health care; had access to a mobile phone; and were able to speak, hear, and understand English. Results: Study participants were middle-aged (mean age 55.8, SD 12 years; range 36-73 years). They had completed a mean of 13.5 (SD 2.2) years (range 11-17 years) of education. Of the 10 participants, 6 (60%) were male. Half of them (5/10, 50%) were New York Heart Association Classification Class III patients and the other half were Class IV patients. The intervention revealed four self-management themes, including (1) I didn’t realize, and now I know; (2) It feels good to focus on my health; (3) I am the leader of my health care team; and (4) My health is improving. Conclusions: Participants who used a self-management mHealth app intervention for heart failure reported an overall positive experience. Their statements were organized into four major themes. The education provided during the study increased self-awareness and promoted self-management of their heart failure. The mHealth app supported patient empowerment, resulting in better heart failure management and improved quality of life. Participants advocated for themselves by becoming the leader of their health, especially when communicating with their health care team. Finally, the mHealth app was used by the participants as a self-management tool to assist in symptom management and improve their overall health. Future research should study symptom evaluation, medication tracking, and possibly serve as a health provider communication platform to empower individuals to be leaders in their chronic disease management.
Psychophysiological underpinnings of proactive and reactive aggression in young men and women

Abstract Reactive aggression is posited to occur as a result of hypersensitivity to threat, whereas fearlessness may drive proactive aggression. This study aimed to test if physiological fear reactivity differentially relates to self-report reactive and proactive aggression using immersive virtual reality fear (VR) induction. We collected subjective fear ratings and sympathetic (SNS; skin conductance) and parasympathetic (PNS; respiratory sinus arrhythmia) nervous system reactivity during an interactive VR horror video. Results showed that for men and women, reactive aggression was related to heightened SNS fear reactivity. For men, proactive aggression was related to hypoarousal of the PNS and SNS (coinhibition) during fear induction, whereas augmented PNS was related to proactive aggression in women. These results support the fearlessness hypothesis for proactive aggression in men, but this does not replicate in women. By contrast, hypersensitivity to fear is related to reactive aggression for both men and women.
Does Profit Maximization Impact Sustainability? - An Examination

This paper examines the relationship between profit maximization and sustainability within the framework of the life cycle phenomenon for a corporation. It appears a pattern becomes the norm regarding business entities as well as other organizational forms regarding sustainability.
Effects of extinction treatments on the reduction of conditioned responding and conditioned hyperarousal in a rabbit model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

We have previously characterized a model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), based on classical conditioning of the rabbit nictitating membrane response (NMR), that focuses on 2 key PTSD-like features: conditioned responses to trauma-associated cues and hyperarousal. In addition to the development of conditioned NMRs (CRs) to a tone conditioned stimulus (CS) associated with a periorbital shock unconditioned stimulus (US), we have observed that rabbits also exhibit a conditioning-specific reflex modification (CRM) of the NMR that manifests as an exaggerated and more complex reflexive NMR to presentations of the US by itself, particularly to intensities that elicited little response prior to conditioning. Previous work has demonstrated that unpaired presentations of the CS and US are successful at extinguishing CRs and CRM simultaneously, even when a significantly weakened version of the US is utilized. In the current study, additional extinction treatments were tested, including continued pairings of the CS with a weakened US and exposure to the training context alone, and these treatments were contrasted with the effects of unpaired extinction with a weakened US and remaining in home cages with no further treatment. Results showed that continued pairings only slightly decreased CRs and CRM, while context exposure had no effect on CRs and marginal effects on reducing CRM. Unpaired extinction was still the most effective treatment for reducing both. Findings are discussed in terms of applications to cognitive-behavioral therapies for treatment of PTSD, such as incorporating mild, innately stressful stimuli into virtual reality therapy.
Living and Dealing with Autistic Children: A Case Study of a Nigerian Family in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Autism persists in isolated enclaves in many regions of the world. It is a vexing and tenacious problem, but one that has generally been overlooked. When brought to public attention, the disorder has usually been misdiagnosed, and the families with the autistic children have been held responsible for what is really society’s illness. In seeking to understand the problem and its tenacity, we can derive important perspectives from the family and children who actually make up the category labeled “Autism Spectrum Disorder.” The purpose of this study is to examine how a Nigerian family is coping with Autistic Children. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The findings show seven key parental concerns and feelings: social stigma, readjustment of family plans, financial burden, and feeling of helplessness, fear of the future for children, fight for a cure, and a vision to create of an Autism Family Center . Contrary to expectations, I did not find much shame in the family. Implications of the findings for policy and future research are presented. KEYWORDS: Autism, Autistic Child, Nigerian, Shame, Stigma, ASD
Favorable outcomes after whole abdominopelvic radiation therapy for pediatric and young adult sarcoma.

Background Current Children's Oncology Group (COG) guidelines recommend 24 Gy whole abdominopelvic radiation therapy (WAP-RT) for pediatric patients with sarcoma with peritoneal dissemination and/or malignant ascites. However, WAP-RT has never been described for pediatric sarcoma excluding desmoplastic small round-cell tumor (DSRCT). The objective of this study was to evaluate feasibility, outcomes, and toxicity of WAP-RT in children with sarcoma and peritoneal dissemination. Procedure Detailed records of all 10 pediatric patients with sarcoma (excluding DSRCT) treated with WAP-RT from 2001 to 2013 were reviewed. Results Median age was 9.9 years (range, 1.7–33.8). Seven patients had rhabdomyosarcoma, 2 embryonal undifferentiated sarcoma of the liver, and 1 Ewing sarcoma. Patients received a median dose of 24 Gy with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to the whole abdomen and pelvis. Two patients did not complete treatment, one due to transfusion-resistant pancytopenia and one due to moderate acute gastrointestinal toxicity. At a median follow-up of 4.0 years, both relapse-free survival and overall survival were 100%. Acute hematologic toxicities were common, with 40% of patients developing a grade 4 hematologic toxicity. Most acute gastrointestinal toxicities were grade 1 and managed appropriately with anti-diarrheals and anti-emetics. Late effects varied, and half of patients are without long-term sequelae. Conclusions All patients remain free of disease, both locally and distantly. Although WAP-RT was associated with acute and late toxicity, treatment was feasible with supportive care. Given the excellent rates of tumor control, we recommend that all providers give WAP-RT with IMRT to patients with pediatric sarcoma and peritoneal dissemination and/or malignant ascites. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014;61:1565–1569. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
M.D. I. Estimation via Unconstrained Convex Programming.

A method is presented for obtaining minimum discrimination information (M.D.I.) estimates of probability distributions. This involves using an extremal principle of Charnes and Cooper (1974) and, viewing M.D.I, estimation in a dual convex programming framework. The resulting dual convex program is unconstrained and involves only exponential and linear terms, and hence is easily
Working Toward Self-Sufficiency: Early Findings from a Program for Housing Voucher Recipients in New York City

Opportunity NYC – Work Rewards is testing three ways of increasing work among families receiving housing vouchers — services and a savings plan under the federal Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program, the FSS program plus cash incentives for sustained full-time work, and the cash incentives alone. Early results suggest intriguing positive findings for certain subgroups.
Reproductive Ecology of Female Chimpanzees

An important adaptive problem for mammals in general, and primates in particular, is how females can manage the high costs of reproduction in the face of fluctuating energetic supplies. For many species, the best solution is to breed seasonally such that high costs are temporally coincident with predictable periods of resource abundance. This is an unreliable strategy for some primates, such as chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), for which large body size forces an increase in dietary complexity and prolonged reproductive efforts. Here, I review data on reproductive function in chimpanzees, a species that demonstrates a risk-averse reproductive strategy wherein reproductive investment is allocated in accordance with maternal condition. Life history parameters for chimpanzees indicate that most females produce very few surviving offspring. However, comparisons between captive and wild populations and within wild populations illustrate that variation in resource access leads to highly variable reproductive success. Focused hormonal studies have demonstrated these effects at a proximate level, with energetic influences on female dispersal, receptivity, cycle quality, conception success, and lactational amenorrhea. Downstream of these effects, female reproductive function affects sexual attractiveness, and by virtue of males' own optimal reproductive strategies, can lead to coercive aggression and decreased foraging efficiency. Because of their extreme reproductive costs, female chimpanzees utilize a highly conservative reproductive strategy, one that minimizes the costs of ecological variation but makes them vulnerable to sexual conflict and costs of sociality.
Economic and Cultural Sources of Preferences for Globalization in Egypt

What factors shape attitudes toward economic globalization? Theories in international and comparative political economy emphasize the importance of economic variables, like factor endowments, as determining preferences toward international trade. Other literature emphasizes the importance of non‐economic factors, including nationalism and cultural values, like tolerance, that might explain citizens’ predispositions toward globalization. This paper attempts to adjudicate between these two competing arguments by focusing on the factors correlated with public support for increasing trade in Egypt. On the one hand, Egypt might benefit from economic globalization. On the other, it has a rich and deep socio‐political history of Western colonialism, political Islam, and radicalism. This history might serve as the lens through which the potential benefits of globalization are assessed. In this paper, we investigate these questions, using data from the Pew Global Attitudes 2010 survey of Egyptians. We find that both economic and cultural factors matter, but that cultural ones may be even more influential in this particular developing country setting.
Photonics: challenging diverse students in a flat world for emerging careers

The Photonics program addresses the question of how does one integrate scientific content, student encouragement, and parental support to engage minority high school students to experience success in areas of a national need? Historical data indicates that ethnically diverse students, (African Americans), do not take advanced mathematics and science, (physics), courses in high school. Therefore, we propose using a variety of strategies for providing instruction in leadership, experimentation, research writing, communication and scientific presentation to work with students, families and teachers in promoting success and academic achievement in challenging science courses. Seventy-five African American students are participating in a yearround Photonics (physics of light) program at NC State University. Students from fifteen counties in North Carolina learn about fiber optics, communications and the properties of light.
Integration of Agrobacterium T-DNA in Plant Cells

Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation is a process by which the bacterium delivers a specific DNA molecule into plant cells. The transferred DNA molecule (T-DNA) stably integrates into the host genome and is expressed there. Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation is widely used for the production of transgenic plants useful for basic plant research and biotechnology, yet the mechanisms by which the T-DNA integrates into the host genome are still poorly understood. Furthermore, we have only recently begun to reveal the important functions of plant factors in the integration process. In this chapter, we describe the current knowledge on the bacterial and host factors and the cellular mechanisms that govern the integration of T-DNA molecules into plant cells. We follow the long line of genetic, functional, and biochemical studies which have paved the way for establishing the different integration models, and we describe possibilities for controlling the T-DNA integration process in order to achieve the most desirable gene-targeting technology for plant species.
Rap1-GTP Is a Negative Regulator of Th Cell Function and Promotes the Generation of CD4+CD103+ Regulatory T Cells In Vivo

The small GTPase Rap1 is transiently activated during TCR ligation and regulates integrin-mediated adhesion. To understand the in vivo functions of Rap1 in regulating T cell immune responses, we generated transgenic (Tg) mice, which express the active GTP-bound mutant Rap1E63 in their T lymphocytes. Although Rap1E63-Tg T cells exhibited increased LFA-1-mediated adhesion, ERK1/2 activation and proliferation of Rap1E63-Tg CD4+ T cells were defective. Rap1E63-Tg T cells primed in vivo and restimulated with specific Ag in vitro, exhibited reduced proliferation and produced reduced levels of IL-2. Rap1E63-Tg mice had severely deficient T cell-dependent B cell responses, as determined by impaired Ig class switching. Rap1E63-Tg mice had an increased fraction of CD4+CD103+ regulatory T cells (Treg), which exhibited enhanced suppressive efficiency as compared with CD4+CD103+ Treg from normal littermate control mice. Depletion of CD103+ Treg significantly restored the impaired responses of Rap1E63-Tg CD4+ T cells. Thus Rap1-GTP is a negative regulator of Th cell responses and one mechanism responsible for this effect involves the increase of CD103+ Treg cell fraction. Our results show that Rap1-GTP promotes the generation of CD103+ Treg and may have significant implications in the development of strategies for in vitro generation of Treg for the purpose of novel immunotherapeutic approaches geared toward tolerance induction.
Optimizing electro-optic activity in chromophore/polymer composites and in organic chromophore glasses

The motivation for use of organic electro-optic materials derives from (1) the inherently fast (sub-picosecond) response of π-electron systems in these materials to electrical perturbation making possible device applications with gigahertz and terahertz bandwidths, (2) the potential for exceptionally large (e.g., 1000 pm/V) electro-optic coefficients that would make possible devices operating with millivolt drive voltages, (3) light weight, which is a concern for satellite applications, and (4) versatile processability that permits rapid fabrication of a wide variety of devices including conformal and flexible devices, three dimensional active optical circuitry, hybrid organic/silicon photonic circuitry, and optical circuitry directly integrated with semiconductor VLSI electronics. The most significant concerns associated with the use of organic electro-optic materials relate to thermal and photochemical stability, although materials with glass transition temperatures on the order of 200°C have been demonstrated and photostability necessary for long term operation at telecommunication power levels has been realized. This communication focuses on explaining the theoretical paradigms that have permitted electro-optic coefficients greater than 300 pm/V (at telecommunication wavelengths) to be achieved and on explaining likely improvements in electro-optic activity that will be realized in the next 1-2 years. Systematic modifications of materials to improve thermal and photochemical stability are also discussed.
Lens Length Predicts Mountain Goat Disturbance

AbstractPhotography often disturbs wildlife, but mountain goats were less disturbed by photographers with long lenses than photographers with short lenses. The negative impact of photographers on wildlife might be reduced by helping tourists select appropriate equipment.
Characterization of acoustic shockwaves generated by exposure to nanosecond electrical pulses

Despite 30 years of research, the mechanism behind the induced breakdown of plasma membranes by electrical pulses, termed electroporation, remains unknown. Current theories treat the interaction between the electrical field and the membrane as an entirely electrical event pointing to multiple plausible mechanisms. By investigating the biophysical interaction between plasma membranes and nanosecond electrical pulses (nsEP), we may have identified a non-electric field driven mechanism, previously unstudied in nsEP, which could be responsible for nanoporation of plasma membranes. In this investigation, we use a non-contact optical technique, termed probe beam deflection technique (PBDT), to characterize acoustic shockwaves generated by nsEP traveling through tungsten wire electrodes. We conclude these acoustic shockwaves are the result of the nsEP exposure imparting electrohydraulic forces on the buffer solution. When these acoustic shockwaves occur in close proximity to lipid bilayer membranes, it is possible that they impart a sufficient amount of mechanical stress to cause poration of that membrane. This research establishes for the first time that nsEP discharged in an aqueous medium generate measureable pressure waves of a magnitude capable of mechanical deformation and possibly damage to plasma membranes. These findings provide a new insight into the longunanswered question of how electric fields cause the breakdown of plasma membranes.
Diffuse light input and quality of reward determine the occurrence of 'reward contingent positive variation' (RCPV) in cat.

Abstract The effect of unpatterned light input on ECoG patterns and epicortical steady potentials were investigated in cats trained to press a lever for 0.8–1.0 ml of milk reward. High voltage (120–200 μV) bursts of post-reinforcement synchronization (PRS) with an average frequency of 7.8 c/sec were associated with epicortical positive steady potential shift, termed ‘Reward Contingent Positive Variation’ (RCPV). These ECoG phenomena occured over the striate, parastriate, and association cortex, and only in the presence of light in the test chamber, even though the subjects were trained in the absence of light. Visual perception of reward was not essential for the occurrence of PRS-RCPV phenomena, since they were observed in the same subjects whose patterned vision was totally prevented by translucent contact lenses or goggles. The role of diffuse light input (devoid of any conceivable conditional properties) in synaptic mechanisms of ECoG synchronization has been discussed. It is suggested that during instrumentally conditioned behavior, in constrast to a relaxed state and sleep onset, diffuse light input is necessary for triggering the intracortical phasing mechanism of neuronal activity which is presumably based on widespread and synchronized recurrent hyperpolarizing inhibition of large population on neurons. If this interpretation is correct, the epicortical RCPV can be visualized as resulting from electrotonic spread of the hyperpolarization of neuronal soma to apical dendrites. Since the PRS-RCPV responses are not restricted to striate and parastriate cortex in alert subjects 7,25–27 , it is postulated that diffuse light input supplies the ‘electromotive energy’ for inhibitory mechanisms in cortical regions involved in processing of both visual and non-visual input.
Algebraic domains of natural transformations

Abstract Motivated by the semantics of polymorphic programming languages and typed λ-calculi, by formal methods in functor category semantics, and by well-known categorical and domain-theoretical constructs, we study domains of natural transformations F → G of functors F, G:Ω→C with a small category Ω as source and a cartesian closed category of Scott-domains C as target. We put constraints on the image arrows of the functors to obtain that F → G is an object in C. Inf-faithful domains F → G allow that infima in F → G can be computed in each component [FA→GA] separately. If F, G:Ω→SCOTT are two functors such that for all f in mor(Ω) the maps F(f) preserve finite elements and G(f) preserve all nonempty infima, then F → G is inf-faithful, and all inf-faithful domains are Scott-domains. Familiar notions like “inverse limits”, “small products”, and “strict function spaces” are special instances of functors that meet the conditions above. We extend these results to retracts of Scott-domains.
Metastatic signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma to the urinary bladder.

Gastric signet-ring carcinoma can metastasize to unusual sites.Occult cardiac metastasis, disseminated cutaneous lesions without involvement of internal organs, secondary prostatic involvement, and...
Residential Appliance DR Energy Management With Electric Privacy Protection by Online Stochastic Optimization

This paper explores electric privacy issues that may occur along with the residential appliance demand response (DR) energy management in smart meters. Three metrics are introduced to quantitatively measure the spatial and/or temporal similarity of metered power profiles. The online stochastic optimization adopts the scenario-based approach via Monte Carlo (MC) simulation for minimizing the sum of the expected electricity payment and the weighted difference among metered power profiles for the entire day, which are measured by the three similarity metrics, in order to balance the tradeoff between the electricity payment and the electric privacy protection. In addition, batteries are employed to disguise the actual appliance power profile along with the scheduling horizon and enhance the electric privacy protection. Numerical case studies illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for protecting the electric privacy in residential appliance DR energy management.
Performance of Avena sativa L./Avena fatua L. backcross lines

Although wild oats (Avena fatua L.) have been considered a potential source of genes for cultivated oat (Avena sativa L.) improvement, most progenies of A. sativa/A. fatua crosses have weak straw and are very susceptible to crown rust (Puccinia coronata CDA. var. avenae Fraser and Led.). Backcrossing to A. sativa has been suggested as a method of improving progeny lines while introducing new genes from wild oats to cultivated oats. In this study, A. sativa/A. fatua F1 hybrids were backcrossed twice to A. sativa, and lines from three backcross populations were selected on the basis of agronomic performance in segregating generations. The A. sativa recurrent parents were Dal (tall and late) and Stout (short and early).
The Evolution and Application of Coherent Radar Systems

A brief introduction to coherent radar applications is given by discussing some basic pulse and CW systems. Comments on the historical development of these systems are followed by a general discussion of coherent radar parameter variations as they relate to the accuracy, resolution and ambiguity of target position or speed measurements.
Digital rectal fecal occult blood screening during gynecologic examination.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of digital rectal fecal occult blood screening during pelvic examination. Study design We reviewed the data for 232 consecutive women who underwent digital rectal fecal occult blood screening during routine pelvic examination and who had had at least 1-year of follow-up visits: 59% of the women were followed for gynecologic cancer, and 41% of the women were followed for benign gynecologic disease. The median age was 62 years. Patients with positive digital rectal fecal occult blood screening were sent for gastroenterologic examination. Results Sixteen of 232 patients (7%) had a positive digital rectal fecal occult blood screening result. On gastroenterologic examination, 5 of the 16 patients (31%) were found to have disease (2 polyps, 1 diverticular disease, 2 radiation proctitis). At 1-year follow-up, no patient had colon cancer. Conclusion Until better compliance can be obtained with home stool sample fecal occult blood testing, we recommend a larger study of digital rectal fecal occult blood screening during gynecologic examination to verify our results.
Applying ISO/IEC 25010 Standard to Prioritize and Solve Quality Issues of Automatic ETL Processes

The goal of any automatic process is to run without human intervention. However, it is not uncommon that unexpected issues recur, requiring repetitive human intervention in order to processes execute successfully. Such situations indicate that those processes were not designed with the necessary quality requirements to achieve the automation goal, and quality needs to be improved. This paper describes a case study of the quality improvements of several automatic ETL processes that required a growing amount of effort to ensure its successful execution. Key to the improvement process was the use of the ISO/IEC 25010 Standard for Systems and Software Quality Requirements and Evaluation to categorize all issues found. This approach proved beneficial in two important ways: first, it created a clear understanding of the overall ETL processes quality problems, second, it made obvious which issues deserved uttermost attention.
COST ANALYSIS OF INPATIENT (INPT) VERSUS OUTPATIENT (OPT) MANAGEMENT (RX) OF CHILDREN WITH NEWLY DIAGNOSED (DX) INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS (IDDM). 499

COST ANALYSIS OF INPATIENT (INPT) VERSUS OUTPATIENT (OPT) MANAGEMENT (RX) OF CHILDREN WITH NEWLY DIAGNOSED (DX) INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS (IDDM). 499
Stationary and non-stationary responses of a reinforced cylindrical shell near parametric resonance

Abstract An investigation of nonstationary and stationary responses was conducted for a reinforced circular cylindrical shell subjected to a time varying longitudinal load. Linearly varying external excitation frequencies were used when studying the nonstationary responses (passage through resonance). Checkerboard radial modes were employed in this study and the effect of shell imperfections in harmony with the radial modes were studied. Existence of both parametric and combination additive resonances have been established.
Programmable Finger-Tracking Instrument Controllers

Traditionally, the controls of a musical instrument have been mechanically connected to its sound generators. It is well known that electrical couplings may be used instead of mechanical ones, and that digital instead of analog connections may be used. The freedom of not having the controls mechanically constrained to the means of sound production brings a corresponding burden. What form should the controls now take? Knowledge of the practice of music, psychoacoustics, ergonomics, sensing technologies, design, computer science, and economics can all be brought to bear on the question; common sense and personal taste also play a large role. Our interest in instrument control has led us to
Physiological properties of three muscle fibre types controlling dorsal fin movements in a flatfish, Citharichthys sordidus.

Pacific sand dabs utilize their dorsal and anal fins in different behaviours which are characterized by extremely rapid fin movements, on one hand, and essentially isometric force generation on the other. Muscle fibres controlling fin movements were examined physiologically. Direct electrical shocks to localized regions of fin muscles reveal three fibre types. The longest fibres in the muscle are very fast and functionally analogous to frog twitch fibres. The shortest fibres are extremely. slow and show properties much like frog tonic fibres. The mid-length fibres produce contractile responses which are intermediate in time course. Even the fastest muscle fibres do not generate action potentials, but instead rely on summating junction potentials to drive membrane voltage to a stable level just beyond contraction threshold (−35 to −40 mV). Twitch amplitude can be finely graded by the time that membrane depolarization exceeds this threshold level.
Non-PKI methods for public key distribution

The X.509 certification authority-based (CA) public key infrastructure (PKI) is a widely accepted PKI standard which defines data formats and procedures related to the distribution of public keys via public key certificates that are digitally signed by CAs. However, X.509 requires a huge and expensive infrastructure with complex operations. This overhead may be tolerable in some cases, but it is highly desirable to find other solutions. The objective of this paper is to present alternative simpler solutions to the X.509 PKI to save storage, bandwidth and to reduce the complexity of the operations. We offer three such solutions. They rely on the existence of passwords that are known to both users and service providers.
Surface Discharges on Natural Dielectrics in the Solar System

When Earth-orbiting spacecraft are exposed to large fluxes of energetic charged particles, electric discharges occur on circuit boards, solar panels, and other dielectric surfaces. Large fluxes of energetic partides can produce such discharges on natural materials in the solar system. Surface discharges will occur under a variety of conditions, but particularly favorable environments are expected to occur within the magnetospheres of the giant planets; an example is the surface of Io.
Laboratory Measurement of the Fe II 114.4938 Nanometer Oscillator Strength

We report a laboratory measurement of the oscillator strength, or f-value, for the far-ultraviolet Fe II resonance transition 3d6(5D)4s a 6D9/2-3d5(4G)4s4p(3Po)y 6F at λvac = 114.4938 nm. We restructured the High Sensitivity Absorption Spectroscopy experiment at the Synchrotron Radiation Center in Stoughton, WI, to extend its operating range, and measured the f-value for the Fe II 114.49 nm resonance transition relative to well-known reference f-values for two resonance transitions, 3d6(5D)4s a 6D9/2-3d5(4S)4s4p(3Po)y 6P at λvac = 160.8451 nm and 3d6(5D)4s a 6D9/2-3d6(5D)4p z 6P at λvac = 234.4214 nm. The Fe II 114.49 nm absorption f-value is 0.083 ± 0.006, 20% to 30% smaller than f-values determined from astronomical observations. The accuracy of our measurement is the direct result of careful control and calibration of experimental parameters, cross-checked by measuring the relative f-values of our two reference lines.
Thermal stability of silica supported palladium catalysts prepared by the sol-gel method

Abstract The thermal stability of silica supported Pd catalysts prepared by the sol-gel method was studied. When the average particle size coincided with the average pore diameter, the Pd particles were found to be stable at temperatures of up to 650°C for 22 h in an oxygen atmosphere. Treatment in hydrogen at the same temperature resulted in considerable Pd sintering. A possibility for this sintering in hydrogen is the formation of a thermally unstable Pd β-hydride. For catalysts prepared under conditions which lead to a mismatch between particle size and average pore diameter, sintering in both oxygen and hydrogen was observed to occur. Sintering rates in oxygen were found to depend on initial particle size. Small Pd particles were found to sinter in oxygen to a greater extent than large particles. Reaction rates for the disappearance of n-hexane on both Pd/sol-gel catalysts and on catalysts prepared by traditional ion-exchange methods were comparable. For this reason, metal occlusion as a result of pore plugging does not occur.
Photosynthetic studies of Chondrus crispus

The net photosynthesis of intertidal, subtidal, carposporic, tetrasporic, and winter versus summer acclimatized plants of Chondrus crispus Stackhouse were evaluated under different temperatures and quantities of light. The optimum temperature and light conditions for net photosynthesis of C. crispus are seasonally and spatially variable, and there is an adaptive shift in the photosynthetic capacity at different seasons and positions on the shore. Plants collected during the fall and winter had lower light optima (465 to 747 ft-c) for net photosynthesis than spring and summer specimens (about 1000 ft-c). Intertidal populations exhibited a higher rate of net photosynthesis between 250 and 2819 ft-c than subtidal plants. Summer materials have a greater tolerance to high temperatures and a higher temperature optimum than winter materials. Shallow subtidal populations (-6m) exhibited a higher temperature optimum than deep subtidal plants (-12m). Tetrasporic plants (diploid) showed a higher rate of net photosynthesis than carposporic plants (haploid). It is suggested that the diploid plants of C. crispus may extend deeper in the subtidal zone, because they have a higher rate of net photosynthesis than carposporic plants. The results of the present studies are compared with previous physiological studies of C. crispus.
Implementing the single bootstrap: some computational considerations

In applied econometrics, the researcher typically has two recourses for conducting inference: assuming normal errors or relying on asymptotic theory. In economic models, the assumption of normal errors is rarely justified and, for moderate sample sizes, the applicability of a central limit theorem is questionable. Researchers now have a third alternative: the bootstrap. Central to the bootstrap methodology is the idea that computational force can substitute for theoretical analysis. This article explains the bootstrap method, shows how a simple transformation can improve the reliability of inference, gives an algorithm for bootstrapping a regression equation, and discusses some computational pitfalls.
CD8+ T cells drive adipose tissue inflammation--a novel clue for NASH pathogenesis?

CD8+ effector T cells contribute to macrophage recruitment and adipose tissue inflammation in obesity. Nishimura S, Manabe I, Nagasaki M, Eto K, Yamashita H, Ohsugi M, Otsu M, Hara K, Ueki K, Sugiura S, Yoshimura K, Kadowaki T, Nagai R. Nat Med 2009;15(8):914–20. Abstract: Inflammation is increasingly regarded as a key process underlying metabolic diseases in obese individuals. In particular, obese adipose tissue shows features characteristic of active local inflammation. At present, however, little is known about the sequence of events that comprises the inflammatory cascade or the mechanism by which inflammation develops. We found that large numbers of CD8(+) effector T cells infiltrated obese epididymal adipose tissue in mice fed a highfat diet, whereas the numbers of CD4(+) helper and regulatory T cells were diminished. The infiltration by CD8(+) T cells preceded the accumulation of macrophages, and immunological and genetic depletion of CD8(+) T cells lowered macrophage infiltration and adipose tissue inflammation and ameliorated systemic insulin resistance. Conversely, adoptive transfer of CD8(+) T cells to CD8-deficient mice aggravated adipose inflammation. Coculture and other in vitro experiments revealed a vicious cycle of interactions between CD8(+) T cells, macrophages and adipose tissue. Our findings suggest that obese adipose tissue activates CD8(+) T cells, which, in turn, promote the recruitment and activation of macrophages in this tissue. These results support the notion that CD8(+) T cells have an essential role in the initiation and propagation of adipose inflammation. © 2009 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Anthropological insights into customer behaviour

Investigates the contribution of anthropology to marketing which has been thought of as being negligible. Reviews its potential as we move towards market analysis and model building strategies for marketing. Suggests that it is likely to play a role in international marketing.
Permanent analogues of determinantal identities related to permutation fixed-points

We present permanent analogues of a determinantal identity due to A. Cayley and a formula computing the determinant of so-called zero-axial matrices, for both the generic commuting and noncommuting cases. The Cayley theorem and its permanental versions are derived using combinatorial interpretation of a classical binomial identity The Theorems concerning zero-axial matrices are gotten by the principle of inclusion-exclusion.
The Stanford Leisure-Time Activity Categorical Item (L-Cat): a single categorical item sensitive to physical activity changes in overweight/obese women.

Physical activity is essential for chronic disease prevention, yet <40% of overweight/obese adults meet the national activity recommendations. For time-efficient counseling, clinicians need a brief, easy-to-use tool that reliably and validly assesses a full range of activity levels, and, most importantly, is sensitive to clinically meaningful changes in activity. The Stanford Leisure-Time Activity Categorical Item (L-Cat) is a single item comprising six descriptive categories ranging from inactive to very active. This novel methodological approach assesses national activity recommendations as well as multiple clinically relevant categories below and above the recommendations, and incorporates critical methodological principles that enhance psychometrics (reliability, validity and sensitivity to change). We evaluated the L-Cat’s psychometrics among 267 overweight/obese women who were asked to meet the national activity recommendations in a randomized behavioral weight-loss trial. The L-Cat had excellent test–retest reliability (κ=0.64, P<0.001) and adequate concurrent criterion validity; each L-Cat category at 6 months was associated with 1059 more daily pedometer steps (95% CI 712–1407, β=0.38, P<0.001) and 1.9% greater initial weight loss at 6 months (95% CI −2.4 to −1.3, β=−0.38, P<0.001). Of interest, L-Cat categories differentiated from each other in a dose-response gradient for steps and weight loss (Ps<0.05) with excellent face validity. The L-Cat was sensitive to change in response to the trial’s activity component. Women increased one L-Cat category at 6 months (M=1.0±1.4, P<0.001); 55.8% met the recommendations at 6 months whereas 20.6% did at baseline (P<0.001). Even among women not meeting the recommendations at both baseline and 6 months (n=106), women who moved ⩾1 L-Cat categories at 6 months lost more weight than those who did not (M=−4.6%, 95% CI −6.7 to −2.5, P<0.001). Given strong psychometrics, the L-Cat has timely potential for clinical use such as tracking activity changes via electronic medical records, especially among overweight/obese populations who are unable or unlikely to reach national recommendations.