cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sedentary behavior in adults with visual impairments.

Abstract Background Specific sedentary behaviors (SB) are associated with risk factors for preventable chronic health conditions in adults, yet time participating in SB has increased over the years. Objective To explore the SB habits of individuals with visual impairments (VI) and the relationship with self-reported visual acuity (VA). Methods Individuals participated in this cross-sectional study by completing the Patient-centered Assessment & Counseling for Exercise (PACE+) Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ) for adults to assess estimated time spent in nine SB. Means and frequencies of SB were conducted and 2 × 4 ANOVAs were used to explore differences in SB by gender and VA. Results Seventy-one men (36.1 ± 14.2 yrs; 28.5 ± 6.7 kg/m2) and sixty-nine women (35.9 ± 12.3 yrs; 29 ± 8.3 kg/m2) with VI participated in this study. Individuals reported spending most time watching television (TV), traveling, and doing paperwork/computer work. Participants spent 9.95 ± 4.78 h per day engaging in SB during the week and 8.53 ± 4.29 h per day on the weekend. Significant differences were found between VA for reading on weekdays (B1 = 1.41 ± 1.81 vs. B4 = 0.42 ± 0.60 h/day) and weekend days (B1 = 1.55 ± 1.75 vs. B4 = 0.48 ± 0.67 h/day), as well as for watching TV on the weekends (B4 = 2.69 ± 1.61 vs. B1 = 1.39 ± 1.52 h/day). Conclusions When reducing SB it may be important to target specific SB based upon the individual. Programs that support the reduction of SB must be encouraged.
Standing balance and strength measurements in older adults living in residential care communities.

Research on balance and mobility in older adults has been conducted primarily in lab-based settings in individuals who live in the community. Although they are at greater risk of falls, residents of long-term care facilities, specifically residential care communities (RCCs), have been investigated much less frequently. We sought to determine the feasibility of using portable technology-based measures of balance and muscle strength (i.e., an accelerometer and a load cell) that can be used in any RCC facility. Twenty-nine subjects (age 87 ± 6 years) living in RCCs participated. An accelerometer placed on the back of the subjects measured body sway during different standing conditions. Sway in antero-posterior and mediolateral directions was calculated. Lower extremity strength was measured with a portable load cell and the within-visit reliability was determined. Assessments of grip strength, gait speed, frailty, and comorbidity were also examined. A significant increase in postural sway in both the AP and ML directions occurred as the balance conditions became more difficult due to alteration of sensory feedback (p < 0.001) or reducing the base of support (p < 0.001). There was an association between increased sway and increased frailty, more comorbidities and slower gait speed. All strength measurements were highly reliable (ICC = 0.93-0.99). An increase in lower extremity strength was associated with increased grip strength and gait speed. The portable instruments provide inexpensive ways for measuring balance and strength in the understudied RCC population, but additional studies are needed to examine their relationship with functional outcomes.
Cognitive Characteristics for Learning Visual Basic

This research investigated the cognitive characteristics for learning a visual programming language, Visual Basic. It replicated an earlier study by White (72) that used C++, an object-oriented programming language. The two cognitive characteristics investigated in this research with Visual Basic were 1) cognitive development, as measured by the Proposition Logic Test (PLT) and 2) cognitive hemispheric style, as measured by the Hemispheric Mode Indicator (HMI). Prior research has shown that object-oriented and procedural programming involves a high level of cognitive development and that procedural programmers are left brain hemispheric style thinkers. The findings from this study using a visual programming language, contradicts prior research with other programming paradigms. This study found visual programming being left cognitive hemispheric style, just like procedural programming. However, cognitive development was unimportant. While procedural and object-oriented languages require a high cognitive de...
The relationship between negative metacognitive thoughts, pain catastrophizing and adjustment to chronic pain.

BACKGROUND Cognitive appraisals, most notably pain catastrophizing, play an important role in chronic pain. The role of metacognition and its impact on the relationship between pain catastrophizing and health are understudied. The identification of metacognition as a moderator of psychological constructs may have clinical and empirical implications. We hypothesized that negative metacognitive beliefs would moderate the relationships between pain catastrophizing and emotional functioning and physical activity. METHOD Participants (N = 211) with mixed aetiology chronic pain were primarily Caucasian females with severe average pain intensity. Over the course of 2 weeks, participants completed online daily-diary measures of pain catastrophizing, pain intensity, mood, physical activity and metacognition. RESULTS Participants with higher average levels of daily pain intensity and negative metacognitive beliefs about worry reported higher levels of daily pain catastrophizing, as well as daily depression, and anxiety. Some aspects of metacognitive beliefs (i.e. dangerousness and uncontrollability of thoughts) were also negatively associated with average daily levels of positive affect. However, these effects were not interactive; metacognitive beliefs did not moderate the relationships of pain catastrophizing with other daily variables. CONCLUSIONS From a daily coping perspective, findings reveal that people with stronger negative metacognitive beliefs report greater emotional distress on a day-to-day basis. However, negative metacognitive beliefs did not appear to modify the effects of pain catastrophizing on psychological and physical functioning at the daily level, suggesting that metacognitive beliefs may be better conceptualized as a more parallel indicator of emotional maladjustment to chronic pain whose effects do not reliably manifest in daily measurement models. SIGNIFICANCE Findings highlight the need to better characterize the value of metacognitive beliefs as an important predictor and therapeutic target. Despite limited evidence of a dynamic relationship between metacognition and daily adjustment to chronic pain, results emphasize the potential importance of interventions that target cognitive appraisal process beyond catastrophizing, including uncontrollability and danger-laden thought patterns.
Melancholy Objects: If Stones Were Lacanian

I keep up with research on schizophrenia because my brother Steve has it. (Hence, reading Deleuze and Guattari is always a little strange for me, shall we say.) One hypothesis is that a neurotoxin released by toxoplasmosis gives rise to symptoms of schizophrenia and possibly Alzheimer’s. Toxoplasmosis is caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan symbiont that lives in most people’s brains harmlessly. Cats are common hosts, and cat poop contains a lot of the protozoans. One theory is that cat poop near to pregnant humans is a way for the symbiont to jump. One in five of us humans carry the symbiont.
Clinician Educators: How Can We Meet the Expanding Need?

Distinctions are made between faculty who are physician scientists and clinician educators in women’s health care. As departments expand due to increasing clinical and educational needs, the clinician educator will play a more central role. This chapter focuses on the expanding value and need for clinician educators.
Comments on A combination neutron and gamma-ray spectrometer

Abstract Comments on the fast neutron-spectrometry work of Cialella and Devanney 1 ) are provided. Of particular interest is the PuBe “new spectrum structure” described by these authors, below 4 MeV; very likely this structure does not exist, but is rather the result of oscillations introduced by the raw-data unfolding procedure.
Corepressor proteins in Drosophila development.

This review focuses on transcriptional corepressors in the early embryo of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, but also considers their roles in other developmental contexts, as well as related proteins in other organisms.
Algorithms for local convexity of Be´zier curves and surfaces

Abstract Theory and algorithms are presented which determine if a Bezier curve or Bezier surface is locally convex. Furthermore, an algorithm for producing control points which guarantee local convexity of a Bezier curve or surface which satisfies given constraints is presented. Both of these algorithms are based on examining the control points and not on general curve or surface interrogation. The theory is based in part on previous results of one of the authors involving locally convex planar Bezier curves.
Fundamentals of Index Coding

The index coding problem provides a simple yet rich model for several important engineering tasks such as satellite communication, content broadcasting, distributed caching, device-to-device relaying, and interference management. This monograph provides a broad overview of this fascinating subject, focusing on the simplest form of multiple-unicast index coding. The main objective in studying the index coding problem are to characterize the capacity region for a general index coding instance in a computable expression and to develop the coding scheme that can achieve it. Despite their simplicity, these two closely related questions are extremely difficult and precise answers to them, after twenty years of vigorous investigation, are still in terra incognita. There are, nonetheless, many elegant results that shed light on the fundamental challenges in multiple-unicast network communication and expose intriguing interplay between coding theory, graph theory, and information theory. This monograph contains a concise survey of these results in a unified framework. It further discusses the relation to Network Coding and Distributed Storage. Fundamentals of Index Coding gives the reader a concise, yet comprehensive, overview of the work undertaken on this important topic; its relationship to adjacent areas and lays the groundwork for future research. It is a valuable starting point for all researchers and students in Information Theory.
General Guidelines for Creating Efficient and Elegant Programs

There are many drawing environments available today which rapidly create worksheets with graphics that can be easily manipulated. One program that stands out is GeoGebra, it is extremely powerful and very simple to use. At times, it seems like it was created for graphic statics! When creating graphic statics solutions in GeoGebra, a consistently clean, minimal workspace greatly enhances the final product. Of course, each designer could put his or her own mark or style to such solutions, yet certain practices will improve the clarity and user-friendliness of any program. The following two paragraphs are suggested practices, they need not be strictly followed and in fact, you may be able to improve upon them as you get familiar with the program. If the following two paragraphs seem confusing at first, they should be reviewed later after a few exercises have been completed. Revisiting this section later will improve the understanding of these suggestions, and will allow for the personalization of any programs. It is also highly recommended to try to re-create these exercises in other parametric programs such as Grasshopper. The logic is what is important, not any one particular platform. Yet, to begin elementary programming, a few basics of GeoGebra will be described in detail.
RACE, LIFE COURSE EXPOSURE TO DEATH OF A FAMILY MEMBER, AND HEALTH

Numerous studies show the death of a family member increases health and mortality risks. Recent research further reveals race differences in exposure to the death of a family member with black Americans substantially more likely to lose a family member (child, mother, father, sibling, spouse), to lose a family member earlier in life, and to lose more family members over the life course. Prior research has not considered whether exposure to the death of family members contributes to well-documented racial disparities in physical health. We analyze NLSY-79 data to assess the impact of family member death on physical health, and whether differential exposure to loss reduces black-white differences in health. Preliminary results show death of a spouse and parent explain about 7% of the race gap in health. Death of a child is strongly associated with health and reduces the race gap in health almost entirely.
Response of Liver Metabolic Pathways to Ketogenic Diet and Exercise Are Not Additive.

ABSTRACTPurposeStudies suggest ketogenic diets (KD) produce favorable outcomes (health and exercise performance); however, most rodent studies have used a low-protein KD, which does not reflect the normal- to high-protein KD used by humans. Liver has an important role in ketoadaptation due to its in
Association between serum folate and cardiovascular deaths among adults with hypertension

A significant shift toward high folate concentrations has been taking place following the mandatory folate fortification. Yet the relationship between folate and health outcomes beyond neural tube defects remains understudied. We longitudinally examined relationships between serum folate and risk of cardiovascular death. We analyzed data of 3116 adults aged ≥19 who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1991–1994 and were diagnosed with hypertension. Vital status was followed through December 31, 2010. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of cardiovascular deaths for individuals with serum folate in the first quartile and fourth quartile compared with the patients with interquartile folate. After 33627 person years (p*ys) of follow-up, 1298 deaths were recorded with 638 cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths (109 strokes and 529 heart diseases). A U-shaped association appeared after multivariable adjustment for heart disease, acute myocardial infarction, and overall CVD deaths. The mortality rate for heart disease in patients with low, moderate, and high folate were 12.18/1000 p*ys, 14.12/1000 p*ys, and 23.80/1000 p*ys, respectively, and the corresponding adjusted HRs were 1.79 (95% confidence interval, CI = 1.63–1.98), 1.00 (reference), and 1.31 (1.17–1.46). The HRs of acute myocardial infarction were 2.28 (1.80–2.88), 1.00 (reference), and 1.77 (1.42–2.20) for hypertensive patients with serum folate in low quartile, interquartile, and high quartile, respectively. Among hypertensive adults, both low and high folate were associated with an elevated risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases compared with adults with moderate serum folate concentration.
A Study of the Board Level Reliability of Large 16FF Wafer Level Package for RF Transceivers

For mobile phone RF transceivers, wafer level packages (WLP) are a cost attractive solution allowing for minimum footprint and package height while providing good capability for routing and power delivery. The trend towards larger die sizes and smaller ball pitches leads to increasing reliability risks. Solder joint reliability can be improved by changing to Bi-doped solder ball alloys, but these increase the stress acting upon the fab back-end-of-line (BEOL)-stack. This is especially critical when in combination with fragile extreme low-K dielectrics (ELK). Board level underfill can solve the reliability challenge, but it comes at additional cost and process complexity. The reliability risks were assessed with full BEOL-stack test vehicles with up to 6.5 mm x 6.5 mm die size and solder ball pitch of 0.3 mm to match the upcoming RF transceiver generation or products for 5G. These test vehicles allow for a layer specific electrical detection of fails in the BEOL-stack with a good spatial resolution. By checking ESD-diodes, opens can be attributed to either BEOL-stack or to the connecting package structures. The test vehicle also comprises a daisy chain probing solder joint integrity and a die edge monitor. Temperature cycle on board (TCoB) results clearly show that SAC405 reliability is not sufficient for our large fine pitch WLP. Bi-doping improves solder joint reliability while on the other hand it leads to earlier fails in BEOL-stack and copper redistribution layers (RDL). The BEOL-stack via density turned out to be critical for the stack stability, so this parameter needs to be carefully controlled. Board level underfill resulted in excellent TCoB-performance, but both Bi-doped solder balls and board level underfill showed weaknesses in bend tests and mechanical shock tests. All these tradeoffs must be taken into account when defining the best solution for a given product.
Vehicle Type and Color Classification and Detection for Amber and Silver Alert Emergencies Using Machine Learning

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children estimated that 161 AMBER Alerts were issued in the U.S. involving 203 children in 2018, where 85% had involved vehicles and in Florida, 136 Silver Alerts were issued in 2008-2009. The details of broadcasting in Amber and Silver alerts are color, type of the vehicle, vehicle license plate numbers, and car brands. This paper is focused on classifying and detecting vehicle types, colors, and license plates. Currently, a child and older adult were rescued when someone recognized the vehicle in the alert. This paper proposes to design a Machine Learning model to classify the vehicle’s colors, types and recognize each vehicle’s license plate from camera feeds under different weather conditions and to find possible matches involved in these emergency alerts for the safe return of a child and older adult. Vehicle types include seven classes such as SUV, Sedan, Truck, Bus, Microbus, Minivan, and Motorcycle. Vehicle colors include eight classes: green, blue, black, white, gray, yellow, white, and red. When an Amber or Silver signal is broadcast, the proposed design checks with the vehicle’s specifications and extracts the color and type of the vehicle. The model then recognizes the vehicle’s license plate of specific vehicle’s color and type using image processing techniques and give notification of detected vehicle. Implementing CNN, real-time object detector YOLO, and character recognition model will improve detection and classify vehicle’s type, color, and recognize license plate numbers and letters accurately under different environmental conditions for Amber and Silver alert emergencies.
The structural basis of far-red light absorbance by allophycocyanins.

Phycobilisomes (PBS), the major light-harvesting antenna in cyanobacteria, are supramolecular complexes of colorless linkers and heterodimeric, pigment-binding phycobiliproteins. Phycocyanin and phycoerythrin commonly comprise peripheral rods, and a multi-cylindrical core is principally assembled from allophycocyanin (AP). Each AP subunit binds one phycocyanobilin (PCB) chromophore, a linear tetrapyrrole that predominantly absorbs in the orange-red region of the visible spectrum (600–700 nm). AP facilitates excitation energy transfer from PBS peripheral rods or from directly absorbed red light to accessory chlorophylls in the photosystems. Paralogous forms of AP that bind PCB and are capable of absorbing far-red light (FRL; 700–800 nm) have recently been identified in organisms performing two types of photoacclimation: FRL photoacclimation (FaRLiP) and low-light photoacclimation (LoLiP). The FRL-absorbing AP (FRL-AP) from the thermophilic LoLiP strain Synechococcus sp. A1463 was chosen as a platform for site-specific mutagenesis to probe the structural differences between APs that absorb in the visible region and FRL-APs and to identify residues essential for the FRL absorbance phenotype. Conversely, red light-absorbing allophycocyanin-B (AP-B; ~ 670 nm) from the same organism was used as a platform for creating a FRL-AP. We demonstrate that the protein environment immediately surrounding pyrrole ring A of PCB on the alpha subunit is mostly responsible for the FRL absorbance of FRL-APs. We also show that interactions between PCBs bound to alpha and beta subunits of adjacent protomers in trimeric AP complexes are responsible for a large bathochromic shift of about ~ 20 nm and notable sharpening of the long-wavelength absorbance band.
Quantum Machine Learning for Health State Diagnosis and Prognostics

Quantum computing is a new field that has recently attracted researchers from a broad range of fields due to its representation power, flexibility and promising results in both speed and scalability. Since 2020, laboratories around the globe have started to experiment with models that lie in the juxtaposition between machine learning and quantum computing. The availability of quantum processing units (QPUs) to the general scientific community through open APIs (e.g., Qiskit from IBM) have kindled the interest in developing and testing new approaches to old problems. In this paper, we present a hybrid quantum machine learning framework for health state diagnostics and prognostics. The framework is exemplified using a problem involving ball bearings dataset. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to harvest and leverage quantum computing to develop and apply a hybrid quantum-classical machine learning approach to a prognostics and health management (PHM) problem. We hope that this paper initiates the exploration and application of quantum machine learning algorithms in areas of risk and reliability.
Theoretical study by analytical equations of optical properties of the phosphors Zn2SnO4 codoped with Cr3+ and (Al3+ or Eu3+) via the crystal field control

Abstract The phenomenon of persistent luminescence in the phosphors Zn2SnO4 doped by Cr3+ and codoped by Al3+ or Eu3+ is related to the energy levels of the doping transition ions Cr3+ and rare earth ions Eu3+, the concentration of Al3+ substituting Zn and Sn, the intrinsic defects and the energy bands of the Zn2SnO4 matrix. To fully understand the procedure of persistent luminescence in these phosphors, we firstly determine the role of the Cr3+ ions in this process. For this reason, a crystal-field theory, using the Racah tensor algebra method, of the optical region associated to the transitions between the Stark levels of Cr3+ in these phosphors was performed. We examine then the influence by codoping with Al3+ and Eu3+ on the persistent luminescence process. In the second step, we analyze the role of the traps after discussing some of these properties. Finally, we propose an energy transfer mechanism from PLE, PL spectra and TL curves.
Wearable Sensors for Measurement of Viewing Behavior, Light Exposure, and Sleep.

The purpose of this study was to compare two wearable sensors to each other and to a questionnaire in an adult population. For one week, participants aged 29.2 ± 5.5 years (n = 25) simultaneously wore a Clouclip, a spectacle-mounted device that records viewing distance and illuminance, and an Actiwatch, a wrist-worn device that measures illuminance and activity. Participants maintained a daily log of activities and completed an activity questionnaire. Objective measures of time outdoors, near (10–< 60 cm) and intermediate (60–100 cm) viewing, and sleep duration were assessed with respect to the daily log and questionnaire. Findings showed that time outdoors per day from the questionnaire (3.2 ± 0.3 h) was significantly greater than the Clouclip (0.9 ± 0.8 h) and Actiwatch (0.7 ± 0.1 h, p < 0.001 for both). Illuminance from the Actiwatch was systematically lower than the Clouclip. Daily near viewing duration was similar between the questionnaire (5.7 ± 0.6 h) and Clouclip (6.1 ± 0.4 h, p = 0.76), while duration of intermediate viewing was significantly different between methods (p < 0.001). In conclusion, self-reported time outdoors and viewing behaviors were different than objective measures. The Actiwatch and Clouclip are valuable tools for studying temporal patterns of behavioral factors such as near work, light exposure, and sleep.
Corporations and the Environment

The goal of this review is both to assess the contributions of treadmill of production and ecological modernization theories to analyzing corporations and the environment and to extend the boundaries of the conversation between them. We begin our review by counterposing environmental sociology’s two leading perspectives of how corporations under capitalism relate to the natural world. Our comparison highlights the contributions of each theory to understanding corporations and the environment but also reveals several key gaps across the two theories. Moving beyond the systems’ focus of both treadmills of production and ecological modernization theories, this review emphasizes variation in corporate environmental action and contingency in the politics of corporations and the environment. Functionally, the modern capitalist corporate form can be defined as a hierarchical organization that brings together land, labor, capital, and/or knowledge to transform inputs into outputs to create profit. How this transformative process unfolds, in what institutional context, and with what consequences for nature and society is a topic of extensive debate. Drawing on theories of the corporation from organizational, economic, and political sociology, we offer a view of the corporation as a complex organization both responding to and shaping its operational environments. Corporations vary widely in their contributions to environmental harm and innovation, driven both by variation in internal organizational structures and cultures and by the dynamic interactions between corporations, states, markets, and various stakeholder groups.
Role of Hippocampal p21 in Reward-Induced Behaviors

This study tested the effect of cocaine on the expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 in rat and mouse brain, as well as the possible role of p21 in mediating cocaine-induced chang...
An Arabidopsis Ran-binding protein, AtRanBP1c, is a co-activator of Ran GTPase-activating protein and requires the C-terminus for its cytoplasmic localization

Ran-binding proteins (RanBPs) are a group of proteins that bind to Ran (Ras-related nuclear small GTP-binding protein), and thus either control the GTP/GDP-bound states of Ran or help couple the Ran GTPase cycle to a cellular process. AtRanBP1c is a Ran-binding protein from Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. that was recently shown to be critically involved in the regulation of auxin-induced mitotic progression [S.-H. Kim et al. (2001) Plant Cell 13:2619-2630]. Here we report that AtRanBP1c inhibits the EDTA-induced release of GTP from Ran and serves as a co-activator of Ran-GTPase-activating protein (RanGAP) in vitro. Transient expression of AtRanBP1c fused to a beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter reveals that the protein localizes primarily to the cytosol. Neither the N- nor C-terminus of AtRanBP1c, which flank the Ran-binding domain (RanBD), is necessary for the binding of PsRan1-GTP to the protein, but both are needed for the cytosolic localization of GUS-fused AtRanBP1c. These findings, together with a previous report that AtRanBP1c is critically involved in root growth and development, imply that the promotion of GTP hydrolysis by the Ran/RanGAP/AtRanBP1c complex in the cytoplasm, and the resulting concentration gradient of Ran-GDP to Ran-GTP across the nuclear membrane could be important in the regulation of auxin-induced mitotic progression in root tips of A. thaliana.
The substance P receptor, which couples to Gq/11, is a substrate of beta-adrenergic receptor kinase 1 and 2.

The agonist-occupied forms of several G-protein-coupled receptors that modulate the activity of adenylycyclase via Gs (e.g. beta 2-adrenergic) or Gi (e.g. alpha 2-adrenergic and cardiac muscarinic) are phosphorylated by beta-adrenergic receptor kinases (beta ARK 1 and beta ARK 2). beta ARK-catalyzed phosphorylation of these receptors appears to correlate with their agonist-induced desensitization. The possibility that beta ARK isozymes may also be involved in the desensitization of other G-protein-coupled receptors such as those mediating phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis was tested by determining the phosphorylation of the substance P receptor (SPR), which is coupled to PI hydrolysis in numerous tissues. Rat SPR was expressed in Sf9 cells, partially purified, and reconstituted in phospholipid vesicles. The reconstituted SPR bound the SPR agonist substance P, 125I-labeled with Bolton-Hunter reagent, with low affinity. However, addition of purified Gq/11 to the reconstituted SPR resulted in the conversion of all the receptors to a high affinity state, suggesting that SPR couples to Gq/11. Phosphorylation of the reconstituted SPR with purified beta ARK 1 or 2 in the absence and presence of substance P (SP) was then studied. In the presence of 100 microM SP, both kinases promoted phosphorylation of the receptor to a stoichiometry of 9 +/- 2 mol of phosphate/mol of receptor. However, no phosphorylation of the receptor could be detected in the absence of agonist. Agonist-induced phosphorylation of the receptor was blocked by coincubation with the SPR antagonist spantide. These results show that beta ARK isozymes may regulate the function of both adenylylcyclase as well as PI-coupled receptors, and suggest a role for beta ARK isozymes in SPR signal transduction.
Retraction policies of high-impact biomedical journals.

Purpose: The purpose is to review the issue of retraction in the scientific literature and to examine the policies on retraction of major biomedical journals. Method: The historical background of this issue was investigated through a literature search. The Instructions to Authors of 122 major biomedical journals were reviewed for evidence of a policy on the retraction of articles. Editors of those journals with no mention of retraction in their Instructions to Authors were contacted by email and/or postal mail. Results: Sixty-two percent of the journals investigated did not post or report having a policy on issuing retractions. Only twenty-one (18%) did. The remainder did not post any policy and did not respond to inquiries. Discussion: Including policies in Instructions to Authors relating to the principled conduct of research and publication will improve the ethical environment in which the scientific community works.
Increases in Insulin Sensitivity among Obese Youth are Associated with Gene Expression Changes in Whole Blood

Objective Lifestyle intervention can improve insulin sensitivity in obese youth, yet few studies have examined the molecular signatures associated with these improvements. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore gene expression changes in whole blood that are associated with intervention-induced improvements in insulin sensitivity. Methods Fifteen (7M/8F) overweight/obese (BMI percentile = 96.3 ± 1.1) Latino adolescents (15.0 ± 0.9 years) completed a 12-week lifestyle intervention that included weekly nutrition education and 180 minutes of moderate–vigorous exercise per week. Insulin sensitivity was estimated by an oral glucose tolerance test and the Matsuda Index. Global microarray analysis profiling from whole blood was performed to examine changes in gene expression and to explore biological pathways that were significantly changed in response to the intervention. Results A total of 1,459 probes corresponding to mRNA transcripts (717 up, 742 down) were differentially expressed with a fold change ≥1.2. These genes were mapped within eight significant pathways identified, including insulin signaling, type 1 diabetes, and glycerophospholipid metabolism. Participants with increased insulin sensitivity exhibited five times the number of significant genes altered compared with nonresponders (1,144 vs. 230). Conclusions These findings suggest that molecular signatures from whole blood are associated with lifestyle-induced health improvements among high-risk Latino youth.
Promising the Sun

Sun in a Bottle . The Strange History of Fusion and the Science of Wishful Thinking. By Charles Seife . Viking (Penguin), New York, 2008. 310 pp. $25.95, C$28.50. ISBN 9780670020331. Focusing on scientists who have attempted to harness fusion to generate power, Seife sketches the history of fusion research over the past six decades.
Private Voluntary Support to Public Universities in the United States: An Early History

Recent trends in voluntary support of higher education indicate that public institutions are in greater competition for limited philanthropic resources with private institutions, at times blurring the distinction between public and private institutions, especially in the area of fund raising and institutional advancement. The question arises whether public institutions historically have relied on private voluntary support and how the pattern of support developed in response to the expanding requirements of these institutions over time. This study explores the early history of private voluntary support of public research universities in the United States from the time of the chartering of the first state university in 1785 through much of the antebellum period. This early history indicates that the first state universities, without a model for a type of institution free from sectarian control and reliant on the state for support, followed patterns of raising support established by the colonial colleges and relied on a combination of public and private support. These patterns provide the foundation for good practice in fund raising today.
A review of the hymenopterous natural enemies of cockroaches with emphasis on biological control

The biology and control potential of hymenopterous natural enemies of cockroaches in the familiesAmpulicidae, Evaniidae, Pteromalidae, Eulophidae, Eupelmidae, andEncyrtidae were reviewed. Emphasis was placed on parasitoids of major domiciliary cockroach species, especially those that have had experimental usage in integrated pest management programs. The most promising parasitoids wereAprostocetus hagenowii (Ratzeburg) againstPeriplaneta species, andComperia merceti (Compere) againstSupella longipalpa (F.). Future research should focus on practical augmentation techniques that will be compatible with other control methodologies in the urban environment.
Vaginal fistula following restorative proctocolectomy

Vaginal fistula (VF) is a devastating complication following restorative proctocolectomy. PURPOSE: This study was designed to examine the perioperative factors influencing the outcome and management of vaginal fistula. METHOD: Between October 1983 and September 1994, 526 women underwent restorative proctocolectomy. Nineteen develop VF (3.6 percent), and six were referred from other institutions with this complication. These 25 women were followed for a minimum of nine months. RESULTS: Preoperative diagnosis of ulcerative colitis was made in 23 of the patients with VF (92 percent), and indeterminate colitis and familial adenomatous polyposis was determined in the rest of the patients. Postoperatively, 12 of the 23 women (52 percent) with a preoperative diagnosis of ulcerative colitis had clinical/pathologic findings of Crohn's disease, and 1 woman was reclassified as having indeterminate colitis. Postoperative pelvic sepsis was significantly higher in women with VF than in those without VF (26.3 vs. 6.3 percent; P = 0.003). Median time until occurrence of VF following loop ileostomy closure was later for women with delayed findings of Crohn's disease at 16.5 (range, <1-72) months, compared with women without Crohn's disease at 0.5 (range, <1-67) months (P < 0.05). Of the 163 women with handsewn anastomosis performed at our institution, 12 developed VF (7.4 percent). In contrast, 7 of the 363 patients with stapled anastomosis had VF (1.9 percent; P = 0.003). Site of VF was found at the anastomosis in 12 patients, below in 12 patients, and above in 1 patient. Presence of Crohn's disease and anastomotic technique did not influence the site of VF. Initial management of VF consisted of transanal repair in 20 patients (advancement flap, 12; direct repair, 6; and neoileoanal anastomosis, 2), seton in 1 patient, transabdominal approach in 1 patient, transvaginal in 1 patient, observation in 1 patient, and pouch excision in 1 patient. Of the 13 women without Crohn's disease, 12 had transanal repair (10 healed, 1 had recurrence, and 1 had pouch excision), and 1 had success fully repair with transabdominal technique, for an overall success rate of 84.6 percent. Of the 12 women with VF and delayed findings of Crohn's disease, transanal repair was performed on 9, 1 had pouch excision without repair, 1 had seton placement and pouch excision, and 1 underwent observation. Transanal technique of repair in women with Crohn's disease successfully healed three women (33.3 percent). Overall, of the 12 women with delayed findings of Crohn's disease, 6 had pouch excision, 3 had recurrences, and 3 healed. CONCLUSION: VF is an uncommon complication following restorative proctocolectomy and is associated with a high incidence of pelvic sepsis and handsewn anastomosis. Late presentation of VF is more common with Crohn's disease and is associated with a poor prognosis and pouch salvage rate. Transanal techniques are an effective means of VF repair.
Focused online discussions, moments of difficulty, and student understanding

How might computing technologies be used to help address critical problems in the teaching of sociology and other disciplines? This article discusses a qualitative case study designed to illuminate this question. It examines how a very simple computing technology, namely online discussion groups, was designed and structured to address certain pedagogical problems. Qualitative analysis of student postings and observations of the process reveals that focused, web-based discussions made student thinking visible to peers and teacher, created an electronic archive, and provided feedback to instructors. The moments-of-difficulty approach helped to identify and address lacunae in background knowledge or skills that interfere with learning, highlight new concepts needing clarification or statistical relationships requiring explanation, and helped students construct new interpretations and questions. The article discusses threshold conditions for using technology, suggests questions for further research, and considers how computing technologies may increase our understanding of teaching and learning more generally.
A Canonical Representation for the Noncentral Wishart Distribution Useful for Simulation

Abstract This article provides a simple distributional representation for the noncentral Wishart distribution most useful when the noncentrality matrix is of less than full rank. It is shown that the representation leads to a method for simulating a noncentral Wishart matrix that has advantages over a procedure currently used.
Interaction of lentil lectin with human platelets. Evidence against glycoprotein II as aggregation mediator

Abstract Human platelets bind on an average of 5 × 105 molecules of lentil lectin/cell with an apparent dissociation constant of 3 × 10−7 M. The lectin binds mainly to surface glycoprotein II with an apparent molecular weight of 125,000. Lentil lectin neither caused aggregation nor did it inhibit platelet aggregation by other agents. It had no influence on the binding of thrombin to platelets or on thrombin-induced clot retraction. The hypothesis that glycoprotein II mediates platelet aggregation needs reevaluation.
A Hybrid Approach to Model Hysteretic Behavior of PZT Stack Actuators

In order to model the hysteretic behavior of piezoceramic actuators, a hybrid model is developed by combining the Preisach concepts with a neural network mapping function. Preisach concepts are utilized in producing a data set for generalization and calculating the final displacements for actuators having nonlocal memory. Although generalization is typically handled by interpolation functions in a traditional Preisach model, these functions can lead to significant errors unless there are sufficient data points around critical regions. In the hybrid model, the generalization of all first-order reversal curves is provided by a single neural network. Since the neural network is essentially a nonlinear mapping function, its functionality is implemented with a fewer number of variables than the Preisach model. In order to account for errors caused by frequency dependency and large input variations, an on-line training technique is also developed. Various comparisons between the outputs of the hybrid model and ...
Stress and fracture evolution in a cooling pluton: An example from the Diamond Joe stock, western Arizona, U.S.A.

Abstract An analytical model of fracturing in a crystallizing, cylindrical pluton is applied to the natural fracture distribution in the Diamond Joe stock, western Arizona, U.S.A. The model accounts for three inputs to the stress during cooling; thermal contraction, magma pressure, and regional tectonics. Fracture type (shear or tensile), orientation, and density were determined at over 300 locations throughout the 8-km diameter stock. A distinct pattern of fractures radiates outward from the center of the stock; a deflection of these fracture trends toward the regional maximum principal stress direction provides a constraint on the magnitude and orientation of regional stress at the time of crystallization and cooling. A calculated model of the fracture pattern suggests that regional maximum and minimum principal stress were 75 and 15 MPa with the orientation controlled by local tectonism. The distribution of fractures appears to be insensitive to variations in magma pressure except near the wall of the chamber, hence, little constraint on magma pressure could be derived from the model. Thermal gradients during cooling and regional stress appeared to have a greater effect than magma pressure on the overall fracture distribution. Larger thermal gradients during the early stages of crystallization led to abundant, early tensile fractures. Assuming that the crystalline portions of the pluton behaved elastically during cooling and that all strain was accommodated by fractures, the variation of theoretical strain is similar to the distribution of fracture densities within the stock.
A Comparison of the Effect of Estrogen with or without Progesterone on Mood and Physical Symptoms in Postmenopausal Women

Using a randomized, placebo-controlled design, this study assessed the effects of estrogen alone (ES) or in combination with cyclic progesterone (EP) on daily ratings of mood and physical symptoms before and after 6 months of daily hormone treatment. Fifty-four postmenopausal women were recruited from the community at large and specifically selected as being asymptomatic at the time of enrollment and without significant psychiatric history. Ratings were obtained every day for 30 days prior to treatment and again every day during the last 30 days of treatment. Results revealed that when compared with pretreatment levels, women randomized to EP (n = 16) exhibited statistically significant increases in daily depression, cramping, and breast tenderness and a marginally significant increase in daily anxiety. However, these increases were mild, not clinically significant, and did not interfere with normal functioning. Women randomized to ES (n = 20) showed no significant change in daily mood measures, although they did experience an increase in breast tenderness with estrogen. A significant placebo (n = 18) effect was observed, as there was a reliable reduction in daily irritability ratings (p < 0.05) with placebo. These findings suggest that for most postmenopausal women, the use of hormones will not be associated with clinically significant changes in mood or physical symptoms, which weighs favorably into the cost-benefit ratio for women considering hormone replacement therapy.
The temporal and spatial variability of scavenging ratios for NSS sulfate, nitrate, methanesulfonate and sodium in the Atmosphere over the North Atalantic Ocean

In this paper we study the temporal and spatial variability of scavenging ratios (SRs) based upon 2 years of continuous aerosol and precipitation data collected at three sites of the Atmosphere-Ocean Chemistry Experiment (AEROCE): Barbados, Bermuda and Ireland. At Barbados and Bermuda, the SRs for nss SO42− NO3− and CH3SO3− fell within a relatively narrow range: 210–374; for the individual species, the absolute differences between the two site means were quite small, ranging from 9% for NO3−, to 36% for CH3SO3−. SRs at Ireland were very different but the situation is complicated due to the sectoring of aerosol but not of precipitation. On shorter time scales (days to months), SRs are highly variable and can range over orders of magnitude. Consequently, SRs based on short-term measurements at place and time should be used with caution at other places and times. Nonetheless, the similarity in our 2-year mean SRs at Barbados and Bermuda suggests that SRs might be relatively constant over longer time periods.
A constrained quadratic spline as a model for the cumulative hazard function

Probability distributions traditionally used in reliability analysis (e.g. exponential, Weibull, lognormal, normal, gamma and inverse Gaussian) do not always provide enough flexibility to model real-world lifetime data. Considered in this paper is a quadratic spline with a single free knot as a model of the cumulative hazard function for increasing failure rate distributions. A parsimonious (essentially closed form) solution with a simple numerical search is proposed for estimating spline parameters. Automotive warranty data examples are discussed as an illustration.
Flexible IO and integration for scientific codes through the adaptable IO system (ADIOS)

Scientific codes are all subject to variation in performance depending on the runtime platform and/or configuration, the output writing API employed, and the file system for output. Since changing the IO routines to match the optimal or desired configuration for a given system can be costly in terms of human time and machine resources, the Adaptable IO System provides an API nearly as simple as POSIX IO that also provides developers with the flexibility of selection the optimal IO routines for a given platform, without recompilation. As a side effect, we also gain the ability to transparently integrate more tightly with workflow systems like Kepler and Pegasus and visualization systems like Visit with no runtime impact. We achieve this through our library of highly tuned IO routines and other transport methods selected and configured in an XML file read only at startup. ADIOS-based IO has demonstrated high levels of performance and scalability. For example, we have achieved 20 GB/sec write performance using GTC on the Jaguar Cray XT4 system at Oak Ridge National Labs (about 50\% of peak performance). We can change GTC output among MPI-IO synchronous, MPI-IO collective, POSIX IO, no IO (for baseline testing), asynchronous IO using the Georgia Tech DataTap system, and Visit directly for in situ visualization with no changes to the source code. We designed this initial version of ADIOS based on the data requirements of 7 major scientific codes (GTC, Chimera, GTS, XGC1, XGC0, FLASH, and S3D) and have successfully adapted all of them to use ADIOS for all of their IO needs.
Spiritual Well-Being Through Life Histories

An adult education program designed specifically for use in churches is described in detail. Entitled "Telling Your Story, Exploring Your Faith: Autobiography for personar Insight and Spiritual Growth," the course utilizes lectures, writing assignments, and group discussions. It has been taught many times to a mixed age range but is especially effective for persons in transition periods such as retirement. Participants' comments indicate a significant degree of success in achieving the goal of enhanced personal insight and spiritual well-being. Suggestions are made for adapting the course to settings other than Protestant Christian groups.