cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cigarette Smoking among Women Who Are Homeless or Unstably Housed: Examining the Role of Food Insecurity

Smoking prevalence remains high among individuals who are homeless, partly due to stressors related to homelessness. Beyond housing insecurity, homelessness involves financial stresses and unmet subsistence needs. In particular, food insecurity contributes to negative health outcomes and other health risks. This study examined associations between food insecurity severity and smoking among homeless and marginally housed women in San Francisco, California. We used data from 247 women from a longitudinal cohort study. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate longitudinal associations between study factors and smoking based on data from five biannual assessment points between 2009 and 2012. The longitudinal adjusted odds of smoking were higher among severely food insecure individuals compared to those who were not food insecure (AOR = 1.68, 95% CI [1.02, 2.78]), while associations with other study factors, including demographics, time, HIV status, mental health, and substance use (except marijuana use), did not reach levels of significance. Similar adjusted longitudinal results were observed when food insecurity was the dependent variable and smoking an independent variable, suggesting the possibility of a bidirectional association. Considering unmet needs, such as food and hunger, may improve comprehensive smoking cessation strategies targeting individuals for whom mainstream tobacco control efforts have not been effective. Similarly, offering improved access to smoking cessation resources should be considered in efforts to address food insecurity among individuals experiencing homelessness.
Processing global and local features in convolutional neural network (CNN) and primate visual systems

In the human visual system, visible objects are recognized by features, which can be classified into local features that are based on their simple components (i.e., line segment, angle, color, etc.) and global features that are based on the whole objects (i.e., connectivity, number of holes, etc.). Over the past half century, anatomical, physiological, behavioral and computational studies of the visual systems have led to a generally accepted model of vision, which starts at processing local features in the early stages of the visual pathways, followed by integrating them to global features in the later stages of the visual pathways. However, this popular local-to-global model has been challenged by a set of experiments showing that the visual systems in humans, non-human primates and honey bees are more sensitive to global features than local features. These “global-first” studies further motivated developing new paradigms and approaches to understand human vision and build new vision models. In this study, we started a new series of experiments that examine how two representative pre-trained Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) (AlexNet and VGG-19) process local and global features. The CNNs were trained to classify geometric shapes into two categories based on local features (e.g., triangle, square and circle) or a global feature (e.g., having a hole). In contrast to the biological visual systems, the CNNs were more effective at classifying images based on local features than the global feature. We further showed that adding distractors greatly lowered the performance of the CNNs, again different from the biological visual systems. Ongoing studies will extend these analyses to other geometrical invariants and internal representations of the CNNs. The overarching goal is to use the powerful CNNs as a tool to gain insights into the biological visual systems, including that of humans and non-human primates.
A Survey of Problems and Results on the Number of Defining Equations

How many equations are necessary to define a given algebraic set in n-space set-theoretically? Despite its simple formulation this question is highly non-trivial.
Psychophysiologic Reactivity as a Dimension of Individual Differences

Studies of hemodynamic and neuroendocrine reactions to behavioral stimuli comprise a substantial portion of laboratory research in cardiovascular behavioral medicine. It is widely thought that exaggerated physiologic responses to psychological challenge, or stress, may be implicated in the etiology or clinical expression of certain cardiovascular disorders, including coronary heart disease and essential hypertension (Manuck & Krantz, 1986). As described in the previous chapter, behaviorally elicited physiologic reactions vary in their magnitude and patterning, in part, as a function of the nature of the eliciting stimuli (i. e., stimulus specificity). It is also well established that individuals exposed to the same experimental stimulus exhibit marked variability in cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses. The present chapter addresses several issues relating to the latter phenomenon, individual differences in psychophysiologic reactivity. Considered specifically are three attributes of individual differences that have significance for current hypotheses linking cardiovascular and neuroendocrine reactivity to aspects of cardiovascular disease: (1) the temporal stability of individual differences in psychophysiologic reactivity; (2) the reproducibility of these individual differences under varying stimulus conditions; and (3) the generalization of individual differences in physiologic responses from laboratory evaluations to measurements obtained in field (or natural) settings. Consideration of these issues is preceded by a discussion of common aspects of protocols used in psychophysiologic assessment, as well as of related matters regarding the quantitative expression of individual differences in reactivity.
ClosNets: Batchless DNN Training with On-Chip a Priori Sparse Neural Topologies

The deployment of deep neural network (DNN) models is generally hindered by their training time. DNN training throughput is commonly limited by the fully-connected layers. This is due to their large size and low data reuse. Large batch sizes are often used to mitigate some of the effects. Increasing batch size can however hurt model accuracy, creating a tradeoff between accuracy and efficiency. We tackle the problem of training DNNs in on-chip memory, allowing us to train models without the use of batching. Pruning and quantizing dense layers can greatly reduce network size, allowing models to fit on the chip, but can only be applied after training. We propose a fully-connected but sparse layer that reduces the memory requirements of DNNs without sacrificing accuracy. We replace a dense matrix with a sparse matrix product with a predetermined topology. This allows us to: (1) train significantly smaller networks without a loss in accuracy, and (2) store weights without having to store connection indices. We therefore achieve significant training speedups due to the fast access to on-chip weights, smaller network size, and a reduced amount of computation per epoch.
Quantitative Assessment of Adverse Drug Effects

Antiepileptic drugs possess the properties of decreasing frequency and severity of seizures to variable degrees. For many seizure and epilepsy types, seizure control is effective at modest drug dose (Mattson, 1989, Heller et al., 1989, Bourgeois et al., 1987). However, those patients whose seizure control cannot be realized by any single or combination of drugs often need to have their dose increased to a point of maximal tolerance as evidenced by undesirable adverse effects. In fact, while the choice among major antiepileptic drugs is theoretically based on efficacy, the results of the VA Epilepsy Cooperative Study and other trials have demonstrated that most drugs are similarly efficacious, so that selection of a specific drug for an individual can be based largely on expected side effects (Mattson et al., 1984, 1985, 1989, 1992).
Towards an Artificial Intelligence Aided Design Approach: Application to Anime Faces with Generative Adversarial Networks

Abstract Ever since the inception of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, the basic motto for most of research works has been to bring the machines at par with human intelligence. Designing new products and artifacts is one of the many fields where it is very difficult to enable computing machines replicate human creativity and innovativeness. Design processes in engineering fields as well as in arts follow methodical series of steps to create new products. Due to high demands of customized products and services, competitors tend to shorten the time-to-market periods, using advanced Computer-Aided Design programs. These programs play important roles to assist designers in digitizing blueprints and automating repetitive tasks. However, they fail to boost designer creativity by generating or suggesting new ideas or designs based on existing products or their variants. In order to boost creativity in the entertainment industry, we propose in this paper a new approach based on unsupervised learning techniques to create variants of a given artifact or product blueprints. Within the field of designing new cartoon characters, our proposed approach relies on Generative Adversarial Neural Networks [1] to create new anime or cartoon faces on their own without any human intervention. It learns features and characteristics from an image training dataset and combines them to create new features and thus builds a new image which is not present in the training dataset. This applied approach attempts to not only help artists and designers to have a preview of the possible new and unique avatars but also would prevent any copyright infringements.
An Overview of the U.S. Bell Pepper Industry

Bell pepper is one of the most widely cultivated vegetable crops in the world; it is widely grown all over the United States, and production of bell pepper has been a major economic contribution to the vegetable industry in Florida and California. This 4-page fact sheet written by Trina Biswas, Zhengfei Guan, and Feng Wu and published by the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Department provides an overview of the US bell pepper industry, including production, prices, and trade. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe1028
Testicular pure seminoma in a septuagenarian with a left-ventricular assist device

Abstract The left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is an implanted mechanical pump that supports circulatory function for patients with advanced heart failure. LVAD survival has continuously improved over the last decade with an increasing number of patients requiring non-cardiac surgeries. We discuss a 77-year-old, LVAD-dependent male with an enlarging, indurated right testicular mass. Radical inguinal orchiectomy confirmed pure seminoma. The case highlights perioperative considerations in this unique cohort of patients.
Inhibition is the hallmark of CA3 intracellular dynamics around awake ripples

Hippocampal ripples are transient population bursts that structure cortico-hippocampal communication and play a central role in memory processing. However, the mechanisms controlling ripple initiation in behaving animals remain poorly understood. Here we combine multisite extracellular and whole cell recordings in awake mice to contrast the brain state and ripple modulation of subthreshold dynamics across hippocampal subfields. We find that entorhinal input to DG exhibits UP and DOWN dynamics with ripples occurring exclusively in UP states. While elevated cortical input in UP states generates depolarization in DG and CA1, it produces persistent hyperpolarization in CA3 neurons. Furthermore, growing inhibition is evident in CA3 throughout the course of the ripple buildup, while DG and CA1 neurons exhibit depolarization transients 100 ms before and during ripples. These observations highlight the importance of CA3 inhibition for ripple generation, while pre-ripple responses indicate a long and orchestrated ripple initiation process in the awake state.
A Framework for Applied Medical Geology: Part II. The Biological Impact Analysis

The relationships among the fields of exposure science, toxicology, and epidemiology can be described within the framework of an Environmental Pathways/Biological Impact Analysis for risk assessment and risk management. A sequential path of events and processes lead from the introduction of a “stressor,” such as a contaminant, into the environment to the exposure–epidemiology interface, and then to the exposure–toxicology interface. The former interface occurs where a contaminant released into the environment is transferred to an exposure medium such as air, water, or soil that potentially can come into contact with a person. This interface has been discussed in Chap. 1 of this book under the topic of geoavailability, where it is described as the fraction of a contaminant released into the environment that is available for contact with a potentially exposed population. The second interface occurs where the exposure medium comes into contact with a human through an external exposure that leads to an internal exposure and dose. Biomarkers of exposure that relate external exposures to internal exposure and dose include measurement of metals and biochemical complexes in bodily fluids and tissues. The processes that link an external exposure from geogenic materials to an internal dose are covered in this chapter under the subject of bioavailability. This is defined as the fraction of an adsorbed contaminant that reaches a target site where cellular damage occurs. Biomarkers of effects are used to recognize preclinical manifestations of diseases and include a large number of molecular biomarkers and changes in cellular function and morphology. The use of these concepts in the field of environmental epidemiology is described and the role of these different tools in medical geology for exposure assessment is summarized to provide a context for the other sections of the book.
A Laboratory Study Comparing the Effectiveness of Verbal and Nonverbal Rapport-Building Techniques in Interviews

The relative and combined effectiveness of verbal versus nonverbal techniques in eliciting rapport during interviews is unknown. The effectiveness of one verbal and one nonverbal behavioral techniq...
Hypothesis: There is hope.

Publisher Summary The chapter explores the “hope theory.” It reviews the events that prompted the formulation of hope theory and states that the theory is a result of the inventive people who have been part of the hope research group. One of the hope definitions formulated is “a positive motivational state that is based on an interactively derived sense of successful agency (goal-directed energy) and pathways (planning to meet goals).” A second hope definition describes it as “a cognitive set that is based on a reciprocally-derived sense of successful agency (goal-directed determination) and pathways (planning to meet goals).” It may help to dissect this trilogy—goals, pathways, and agency—of goal-related thinking. Routes to desired goals are absolutely essential for a successful hopeful thought. Goals need to be of a sufficient value to occupy our conscious thought. Also, hopeful goals typically have some uncertainty. At one end of certainty continuum—absolute certainty—are those goals with 100% probability of attainment; they do not necessitate hope. At the other end of the certainty continuum, the pursuance of truly untenable goals (0% probability of attainment) typically is counterproductive rather than being useful.
Standby leakage current reduction in a 180nm EEPROM process technology

Stand-alone Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM) are widely used in industrial, automotive and portable consumer applications. Requirements for high density EEPROM have been steadily increasing in recent years. As deep submicron nodes are used to achieve highly dense bit-cells, the propensity for process-induced defects associated with compact isolation rules and architecture also increase. This study involves an STI-based, stacked gate EEPROM cell with nearly 180A Oxide-Nitride-Oxide (ONO) inter-poly layer coupled with a 95A tunnel oxide. The peripheral logic circuitry comprises of two CMOS voltage options − 18V (HV) and 1.8V/ 5V (LV). Shallow trench isolation (STI), widely used at and below 180nm, and associated processing is known to significantly contribute to generation of crystal defects. These defects are primarily induced through local mechanical stresses generated from STI sidewalls and their interaction with the various diffusion oxidation processes. These crystal defects on intersection with source-drain junctions and/or transistor channels contribute to excessive standby leakage current. EEPROMs are usually subject to stringent standby leakage requirements. Specifically, for the technology under study, standby leakage in excess of 150uA–200uA was initially observed vs. a max product leakage requirement specification of 1 uA. This investigation describes multiple approaches to resolving the Isb issue. First, a novel, local oxidation approach was taken to grow the thick oxide through a ‘nitride-protect’ scheme. In this approach each gate in the dual gate process is independently grown with the sole purpose of local stress confinement and mitigation. This differs significantly from the traditional grow-etch-grow (GEG) approach. Further reduction in leakage was achieved through reduction in source/drain junction implant damage which contributed to channel leakage in Si under stress. This was achieved through the use of graded drain engineered through P and As implant vs. a single As implant scheme which induced higher damage. By implementing these improvements, STI and implant related defects were eliminated and standby leakage was limited to < 500nA.
Oral Anticoagulants to Reduce the Risk of Stroke in Atrial Fibrillation: How Should a Clinician Choose?

Atrial fibrillation (AF), a common arrhythmia that occurs with increasing frequency in the aging population, is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. To ensure that patients receive adequate anticoagulant prophylaxis, clinical guidelines for anticoagulation advocate use of validated scoring systems to stratify patients by cardiovascular risk and predict the individual patient's risk of adverse effects of therapy. Recently approved oral anticoagulants—a direct thrombin inhibitor and the factor Xa inhibitors—may offer advantages over the 50-year standard, warfarin, for efficacy, safety, and ease of administration. Clinical trial experience with the newly approved agents and others, yet to be approved, will define their relative value in reducing the risk of thromboembolism associated with AF. This article discusses issues that may help clinicians choose among these newer agents and individualize treatment appropriately.
Film Review: Great Expectations: Raising Educational Achievement

In September 2012, the Sundance Channel (http://www.sundancechannel.com/) featured a three-part 70-minute documentary, Great Expectations: Raising Educational Achievement, about the PK-12 educational achievement gap in Connecticut public schools. The video was funded by the Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER, http://www.ctedreform.org), a non-profit organization that supports a comprehensive educational transformation to close the achievement gap and raise academic performance for all students. Established in 2011, the Council supports systemic changes to advance best practices and educational innovation in public schools.
Breast Fibroblasts Modulate Early Dissemination, Tumorigenesis, and Metastasis through Alteration of Extracellular Matrix Characteristics

A wealth of evidence has now demonstrated that the microenvironment in which a tumorigenic cell evolves is as critical to its evolution as the genetic mutations it accrues. However, there is still relatively little known about how signals from the microenvironment contribute to the early events in the progression to malignancy. To address this question, we used a premalignant mammary model to examine how fibroblasts, and the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins they secrete, influence progression to malignancy. Their effect on metastatic malignant cells was also assessed for comparison. We found that carcinoma-associated fibroblasts, and the distinct aligned ECM they deposit, can cause both premalignant and malignant mammary epithelial cells to assume a mesenchymal morphology that is associated with increased dissemination and metastasis, while benign reduction mammoplasty fibroblasts favor the maintenance of an epithelial morphology and constrain early dissemination, tumor growth, and metastasis. Our results suggest that normalizing the organization of the ECM could be effective in limiting systemic dissemination and tumor growth.
DATA REVISION AND MARKET RESPONSE: THE CASE OF UNITED STATES TRADE BALANCE ANNOUNCEMENTS†

In this paper we study economic news, as reflected in the announcements of the United States trade balance by the Commerce department, to illustrate the importance of revised data versus preliminary data to economic agents. A new methodology has been developed here to study how agents in the exchange market respond to these monthly trade balance announcements and consequently, move the dollar's exchange rate. In contrast to previous studies where agent reactions to only preliminary trade figures were analyzed, this method is applied to examine market reactions to the preliminary and revised trade balance figures.
Kinetics of calcium transport by fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Abstract Calcium transport by sarcotubular vesicles (fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum) from skeletal muscle of rats, rabbits, and humans follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics when studied in systems containing oxalate and low ratios of calcium to vesicle protein. Under these conditions different preparations of vesicles are characterized by their calcium concentrating ability, i.e. the constant level to which they lower the calcium concentration of the medium. Km and Vmax values for calcium transport by rat and human vesicles are now established, and the rates at which calcium leaks from vesicles at equilibrium are defined with the use of two different methods of studying exchange at equilibrium. Chlorpromazine, quinine, and quinidine are competitive inhibitors of calcium transport. Reduction of calcium to Michaelis-Menten kinetics should facilitate comparison of the calcium transport system in vesicles from various types of muscle.
The effect of income shocks on food insufficiency

In this paper we investigate the relationship between income shocks and food insufficiency for U.S. households. Using Survey of Income and Program Participation data on U.S. households, we test the importance of both stable and transitory income components in determining food insufficiency. In a logistic regression model, we find that both the level of income and negative income shocks affect the predicted probability of food insufficiency, while positive income shocks do not. Although we do not have a definitive measure of a household’s liquidity constraint status, our work suggests that negative shocks may matter more for households that face liquidity constraints. Understanding the role of income shocks in determining food insufficiency is especially important in light of recent policy changes. It is likely that welfare reform in the U.S. increased the volatility of income in the low-income population. Our findings here suggest that this increase in volatility may not be without consequence.
Performance of Holstein and Crossbred Dairy Cattle in Louisiana. II. Growth Rate Through First Lactation

Abstract Body weights of four groups consisting of 355 crosses among the Brown Swiss, Holstein, Jersey, and Red Sindhi breeds were compared to those of 127 contemporary Holsteins at six ages: birth, 6, 12, 15, and 18 months and in first lactation. Least-squares analyses were used to estimate effects of breed groups, year of birth, proportion of Red Sindhi heredity, and breed by year interactions. Year of birth had a significant (P
Power, policy and paperwork: The bureaucratic representation of interests

This article compares how five government documents evaluate a proposed dam in Central Arizona. One of the consequences of this dam would be to force a small Native American community from their ancestral land. Spanning almost forty years, these documents illustrate changes in how a federal agency legitimated these projects and their negative social impacts to different audiences. These records are used here to argue for the importance of careful textual analysis of bureaucratic paperwork, as an additional form of understanding the multiple dimensions of social, economic, and political power over disempowered groups.
Weak measurement of photon polarization

Abstract An optical procedure for measuring the recently introduced weak value of a photon polarization variable is suggested and some of its experimental aspects are discussed. The deflection of a beam passing through a birefringent prism is considered. It is shown that if the beam also passes through preselection and postselection polarization filters, it may have a deflection which is greater than the deflection of the beam without the filters. The magnitude of the deflection is give by weak measurement theory.
The Preparticipation Physical Examination: Mayo Clinic Experience With 2,739 Examinations

Objective To report the results of preparticipation physical examination (PPE) performed on 2,739 high school athletes and present a model for providing PPEs in similar practice settings. Design We analyzed 2,739 PPEs performed on high school athletes by means of a station examination approach in our Sports Medicine Center during a 3-year period. Material and Methods Personnel from the Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Orthopedics, Family Medicine, and Internal Medicine participated in performance of a comprehensive station-based physical examination of high school athletes. The final reviewing physician assigned one of three dispositions to each athlete: cleared for participation in sports, not cleared, or cleared with follow-up recommended. Results On the basis of PPE findings, 53 athletes (1.9%) were disqualified from participation in sports. Abnormalities that did not preclude participation but necessitated follow-up were identified in another 327 athletes (11.9%). Musculoskeletal problems were the leading cause of restriction from sports activities (43.4%) and the second leading cause for recommended follow-up (27.8%). Clinically significant cardiac abnormalities were noted in only 10 athletes (0.37% of the overall group of students). Our methods and results are discussed in relationship to previous PPE studies. Conclusion On the basis of this study, we conclude that (1) a Sports Medicine Clinic can efficiently administer PPEs to a large number of athletes by using an adaptable station approach, (2) the musculoskeletal component of a PPE is an important part of the process that often reveals abnormalities and should be performed by qualified personnel, and (3) each practice must refine its delivery of PPEs on the basis of its particular environment.
Characterization of growth hormone disulfide-linked molecular isoforms during post-exercise release vs nocturnal pulsatile release reveals similar milieu composition

Abstract Objective To characterize the influence of mode (aerobic/resistance) and volume of exercise (moderate/high) on circulating GH immediately post-exercise as well as following the onset of sleep. Design This study used repeated measures in which subjects randomly completed 5 separate conditions: control (no exercise), moderate volume resistance exercise (MR), high-volume resistance exercise (HR), moderate volume aerobic exercise (MA), and high volume aerobic exercise (HA). Methods Subjects had two overnight stays on each of the 5 iterations. Serial blood draws began as soon as possible after the completion of the exercise session. Blood was obtained every 20 min for 24-h. GH was measured using a chemiluminescent immunoassay. Pooled samples representing post exercise (PE) and first nocturnal pulse (NP) were divided into two aliquots. One of these aliquots was chemically reduced by adding 10 mM glutathione (GSH) to break down disulfide-linked aggregates. Results No differences were observed when pooling GH response at post-exercise (2.02 ± 0.21) and nocturnal pulse (2.63 ± 0.51; p = .32). Pairwise comparisons revealed main effect differences between controls (1.19 ± 0.29) and both MA (2.86 ± 0.31; p = .009) and HA (3.73 ± 0.71; p = .001). Both MA (p = .049) and HA (p = .035) responses were significantly larger than the MR stimulus (1.96 ± 0.28). With GSH reduction, controls significantly differed from MA (p = .018) and HA (p = .003) during PE, but only differed from HA (p = .003) during NP. Conclusions This study demonstrated similar GH responses to exercise and nocturnal pulse, indicating that mode and intensity of exercise does not proportionately affect GH dimeric isoform concentration.
Economic analysis of solar distillation of ethanol

SYNOPSIS The current use of fossil fuels for heating, industrial production and transportation, poses serious issues relating to supply, environmental effects, and security. One potential solution to US energy requirements is the use of biofuels to reduce consumption of fossil fuels, which can contribute to reducing net greenhouse gas emissions, since fuels such as ethanol are potentially carbon-neutral. However, producing ethanol requires large amounts of energy; current estimates indicate that at least 40% of the cost of production is for energy. If energy consumption during production can be reduced, the potential for ethanol to be a viable fuel source is increased. The use of solar energy during the energy-intensive distillation phase would dramatically improve the potential environmental benefits of ethanol relative to fossil fuels. Little research has been conducted into the commercial-scale viability of using solar energy to produce ethanol. This study uses available data and research to predict th...
A first order theory of bibliographic objects

We present a characterization of the core entities and relationships of the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) in first order logic. Evidence from the text and diagrams in FRBR support the identification of axioms that capture the constraints and assumptions built into the model. The result is an axiomatic system that clarifies the meaning of the specification. This approach provides a more systematic way of clarifying ambiguities and confusions in the interpretation of FRBR than separate analyses of individual problems and allows scholars and system builders concerned with bibliographic theory to clarify their interpretation of the specification prior to the choice of an implementation language, such as RDF or OWL.
Evaluation of CAND2 and WNT7a as Candidate Genes for Congenital Idiopathic Clubfoot

Congenital idiopathic clubfoot is a common pediatric musculoskeletal deformity with no known etiology. The deformity reportedly follows a Mendelian pattern of inheritance. Recent work has demonstrated linkage in chromosome 3 and 13 in a large, multigeneration, highly penetrant family with idiopathic clubfoot. From the linkage region on chromosome 3, we selected the candidate genes CAND2 and WNT7a, which are involved in lower extremity development, and hypothesized mutations in these genes would be associated with the phenotype of congenital idiopathic clubfoot. The CAND2 gene was sequenced in 256 clubfoot patients, and 75 control patients, while WNT7a was screened using 56 clubfoot patients and 50 control patients. We found a polymorphism in each gene, but the single nucleotide change in CAND2 was a silent mutation that did not alter the amino acid product, and the single nucleotide change in WNT7a was in the upstream, non-coding or promoter region before the start codon. Based on these results it is unlikely CAND2 and WNT7a are the major genes that causes clubfoot, however WNT7a might be one of many genes that could increase susceptibility to develop clubfoot but do not directly cause it.
Surface Structure of Pd3Fe(111) and Effects of Oxygen Adsorption

Pd-Fe alloys have attracted attention in PEM fuel cell research because they were found to be comparable to Pt electrocatalysts in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics at the cathode. In this study, the surface morphology of a Pd3Fe(111) single-crystal sample and oxygen reaction on the surface were investigated by low energy electron diffraction (LEED), low energy ion scattering (LEIS), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions. Strong segregation of Pd atoms was observed after annealing in UHV. Particularly, Pd single adatoms and dimers were found on the surface after high temperature annealing, which differs from most other well-studied binary alloy systems. Low free energy of Pd, strain relaxation, and interaction between Pd and Fe, are potentially responsible for the formation of this unusual surface. Adsorption of oxygen reversed the segregation trend and oxidized surface Fe. Ordered surface phases were observed after oxygen exposures at elevated temperatures. The reducing activity of Fe atoms in the alloy inhibited Pd oxidation, and weakened Pd-O interactions on Pd3Fe(111) are consistent with enhanced ORR kinetics.
Synthesis of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

In a recent publication we have described the synthesis of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by the reaction of a hydrocarbon vapor over a dispersed iron catalyst that is depositedin situ on quartz substrates. Our system configuration involves entraining a mixture of xylene and ferrocene into an inert gas stream. Decomposition of the ferrocene at temperatures in the range 625-775 °C, and at atmospheric pressure, produces a coating of iron nanoparticles on the quartz surfaces, and these metal sites function as catalysts for the formation and growth of MWNTs. In this study, we report the influence of operating conditions on MWNT purity and yield. These parameters include the feed injection temperature, furnace temperature, hydrocarbon partial pressure, reaction time, space velocity, and iron to carbon ratio in the feed. We observed that the quality of the MWNTs dependc sensitively on the growth parameters and a window for the operating conditions is identified for the growth of high purity aligned MWNTs. Characterization of the MWNTs by electron microscopy has shown that there is a relationship between metal particle size and MWNT diameter.
Computation algorithms for disturbance rejection in multivariable systems

In this paper, one way of solving an important problem in linear time-invariant multivariable systems control for synthesizing feedback controllers to make the outputs of a physical system respond in a desirable manner to reference inputs and external disturbances is presented. The proposed algorithms can be regarded as a logical extension of the pole assignment problem in that, measurable or unmeasurable multiple disturbance acting on multivariable systems described by the 4-tuples (A,B,C,E) or the 6-tuples (A,B,C,D,E,F) can be rejected at the outputs in steady state. This is done by assignment of the `disturbance blocking zeros' at specified locations using the concept of pole assignment for computing the state feedback controllers. The performance of the algorithms is illustrated by a numerical example.
A “convective” flow biofilter for the biofiltration of contaminants at sub‐low concentrations

Biofiltration of contaminants at concentrations below a certain level (sub-low concentrations) is not as effective as at higher concentrations, which leads to incomplete removal of the contaminants, because of diffusive mass transfer of the contaminants inside the biofilm and insufficient carbon and energy sources to sustain biomass growth and maintenance. To overcome the limitation of diffusion, this article proposes the concept of convective flow biofilm in which contaminated air flows through the porous biofilm and thus carries the carbon and energy sources to the biomass. The innovative concept of convective flow biofilm was implemented in a convective flow biofilter (CFB), which was built from activated carbon-coated ceramic monoliths by selectively blocking the channel openings. The CFB was tested for 11 weeks for the biofiltration of toluene at inlet concentrations below 100 ppmv. The CFB performed consistently better than the conventional diffusive flow biofilter (DFB), as indicated by the higher removal efficiencies and the higher CO2 productions. The CFB demonstrated up to 30 percent higher removal efficiency and an up to 100 percent higher elimination capacity than the DFB. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) analysis in Prader–Willi syndrome

Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is due to loss of paternally expressed genes in the 15q11–q13 region generally from a paternal 15q11–q13 deletion. The proximal deletion breakpoint in the 15q11–q13 region occurs at one of two sites located within either of two large duplicons allowing for identification of two typical deletion subgroups. The larger type I (TI) deletion involving breakpoint 1 (BP1) is nearer to the centromere and located proximal to the microsatellite marker D15S1035, while the smaller type II (TII) deletion involves breakpoint 2 (BP2) and distal to D15S1035. Breakpoint 3 (BP3) is located at the distal end of the 15q11–q13 region and common to both typical deletion subgroups. Using high resolution aCGH, BP1 spanned a region from 18.683 to 20.220 Mb, BP2 from 20.812 to 21.357 Mb and BP3 from 25.941 to 27.286 Mb. The TI deletion ranged in size from 5.721 to 8.147 Mb (mean 6.583) and the type II deletion from 4.770 to 6.435 Mb (mean 5.330). A subset of the TI subjects showed larger deletions including the loss of at least three genes/transcripts (i.e., LOC283755, POTE5, OR4N4) in addition to the four genes between BP1 and BP2 (i.e., GCP5, CYFIP1, NIPA1, NIPA2). Interestingly, four PWS subjects had duplications of the 15q11 region in addition to the typical deletion. Furthermore, most PWS subjects had copy number variation (CNV) of 50 kb or larger in other chromosome regions; most common were deletions and duplications of 8p and 3q, previously recognized sites of CNV in the human genome. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Immunogenetic studies in autism and related disorders

The major histocompatibility complex comprises a number of genes that control the function and regulation of the immune system. One of these genes, the C4B gene, encodes a product that is involved in eliminating pathogens such as viruses and bacteria from the body. We previously reported that a deficient form of the C4B gene, termed the C4B null allele (no C4B protein produced) had an increased frequently in autism. In this study we attempted to confirm the increased incidence of the C4B null allele in autism and investigated the presence of a C4B null allele in two other childhood disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia (reading disability). In addition, we explored the relationship of autism to the DR beta 1 gene, a gene located close to the C4B in autism. We confirmed the finding of an increased frequency of the C4B null allele in autism and found that the related disorders also had an increased frequency of this null allele. In addition, two alleles of the DR beta 1 gene also had significantly increased representation in the autistic subjects.
Workaholism, life balance, and well‐being: A comparative analysis

This is a discussion of two major concepts common in the popular parlance; workaholism and life balance. Related research and assumptions underlying each are presented along with a discussion of how the two concepts relate to each other and to well‐being. This review finds that workaholism can be described as a form of life imbalance when viewed from several different theoretical perspectives. Although workaholism and life balance concepts are widely used with growing evidence suggesting negative consequence of workaholism on life balance and personal and family well‐being, there is no conclusive evidence linking them. This review of literature calls for additional research about the relationship of workaholism to life balance and personal and family well‐being.
Interview with a Quality Leader: Janet Corrigan on the Work of the National Quality Forum

Janet Corrigan, PhD, is the president and chief executive officer of the National Quality Forum (NQF), a private, not-for-profit membership organization established in 1999 to develop and implement a national strategy for healthcare quality measurement and reporting. The mission of the NQF is to improve the quality of American healthcare by setting national priorities and goals for performance improvement, endorsing national consensus standards for measuring and publicly reporting on performance, and promoting the attainment of national goals through education and outreach programs. From 1998 to 2005, Corrigan was senior board director at the Institute of Medicine (IOM), where she was responsible for the IOM Health Care Services portfolio of initiatives on quality and safety, health services organization and financing, and health insurance issues. She provided leadership for IOM's Quality Chasm series, which produced 10 reports during her tenure including To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, and Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century. Corrigan received her doctorate in health services research and master of industrial engineering degrees from the University of Michigan and masters' degrees in business administration and community health from the University of Rochester. She serves on numerous boards and committees, including Quality Alliance Steering Committee, Hospital Quality Alliance, National Center for Healthcare Leadership, Council for Accountable Physician Practices Advisory Council, Health Care Solutions Group Advisory Board, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Regional Market Project Advisory Council. In 2007, she was named one of the top 25 women in healthcare by Modern Healthcare for her contributions to the industry, and in 2008 she was named to Modern Healthcare's list of the 100 most powerful people in healthcare.
Kinetics of light-induced cis-trans isomerization of four piperines and their levels in ground black peppers as determined by HPLC and LC/MS.

The pungent compounds piperine and isomers thereof, secondary metabolites present in black and white pepper fruit, undergo light-induced isomerizations. To facilitate studies in this area, an HPLC method has been developed for analysis and isolation of the following four possible piperine-derived photoinduced isomers: piperine, isopiperine, chavicine, and isochavicine. The limits of detection (LOD) estimated from calibration plots were ∼15−30 ng for each isomer. Reproducibilities of the analyses were excellent, and recoveries of spiked samples were as follows (average ± SD; n = 3): chavicine, 98.4 ± 2.1%; isopiperine, 96.2 ± 3.2%; piperine, 104 ± 3.8%; isochavicine, 98.9 ± 3.0%. To determine the kinetics of these isomerizations, fluorescent light, sunlight, and UV radiation at 254 nm was used to induce cis−trans geometric isomerization as a function of light intensities and time of exposure determined with the aid of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography with diode arra...
Fermentation of Apple Juice to Cider–An Introductory Chemistry Laboratory

An introductory chemistry laboratory designed for a high school or college environment is presented. The process of cider production is used to teach concepts related to fermentation and to allow students to expand their understanding of mass percent, stoichiometric calculations, and the ideal gas laws. This experiment was developed as part of a continuing curriculum reform effort in our introductory chemistry laboratories to integrate biological and chemical concepts, to reduce “cookbook” procedures, and to encourage students to use higher-order thinking skills. This approach has proven effective in stimulating student interest and in fostering greater student engagement in the learning process.
Dynamic aspects of guinea pig inner hair cell receptor potentials with transient asphyxia

Abstract DC and AC receptor potentials of cochlear inner hair cells in response to tone bursts of various frequencies and intensities were continuously measured during and following periods of transient asphyxia. The effects of asphyxia were most pronounced for low sound pressure level (SPL) acoustic stimuli near the characteristic frequency (CF) of the inner hair cell, leading to vulnerability of the ‘tip’ of the cell's frequency tuning curve (FTC). The resulting changes in the shape of the FTC are, first, a reduction in tip criterion sensitivity of 10–20 dB without significant loss in sharpness of tuning. Later, when the full effect of 30–45 s asphyxia occurs, tip sensitivity loss between 30 and 65 dB is accompanied by greatly broadened tuning and a shift downward in frequency of the CF by greater than 1 4 octave. The CF shift is due to a progressive loss of high frequency sensitivity. The linear segment of the input-output (intensity) function, plotted as log DC receptor potential versus SPL (at the original CF), becomes longer during the early phase asphyxia, and the slope of the segment declines by 50%. At high SPLs, for all frequencies, the time course of the receptor potential change was similar in shape to that exhibited by the endocochlear potential (EP). In particular, for high sound levels, the recovery of response matches the EP while for low level tip frequency sounds recovery is protracted. No difference between the decline of the AC and DC receptor potentials at CF was observed. Inner hair cell resting membrane potential ( E m ) hyperpolarized during asphyxia by 2–6 mV, correlating with the change in EP according to a ratio of 1 10 (E m /EP) .
Retina as a model system in paraplegia research: pharmacologic studies.

Abstract The retina may be a useful model system for the rapid testing of potentially neuroregenerative agents. We tested 24 different pharmacologic agents for their ability to promote regeneration of severed optic axons in the adult mouse retina. In this initial series of 738 mice, these agents were ineffective in reducing scar formation, stimulating axonal elongation, improving axonal guidance or retarding retrograde degeneration.
Say’s Law, Poverty Persistence, and Employment Neglect

Abstract Grass roots methods of poverty alleviation will fail unless jobs are created or stimulated by governments (whether central or local). In the presence of high unemployment at all levels, improving the capabilities of job seekers (making them better fed and housed and educated) will only lead to more unemployment and not to more paid employment or self‐employment above the subsistence level (call this the ‘Kerala Effect’). To believe that improving only the supply side of the labor market is enough to reduce poverty without also improving the demand side, and investing in jobs, is logically flawed and subject to the same error as Say’s Law — that ‘supply creates its own demand’. Healthcare and other benefits provided through grass roots anti‐poverty programs may improve the quality of life (measured by rising life expectancy). But as population growth rises, diminishing returns sets in, in Malthusian fashion, and poverty does not fall, as shown by the data provided in the article.
Branching Time Logic, Perfect Information Games and Backward Induction

The logical foundations of game-theoretic solution concepts have so far been developed within the confines of epistemic logic. In this paper we turn to a different branch of modal logic, namely temporal logic, and propose to view the solution of a game as a complete prediction about future play. We extend the branching time framework by adding agents and by defining the notion of prediction. We show that perfect information games are a special case of extended branching time frames and that the backward-induction solution is a prediction. We also provide a characterization of backward induction in terms of the property of internal consistency of prediction.