cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predictors of adequate physical activity within a multiethnic polycystic ovary syndrome patient population: a cross-sectional assessment

Physical activity is a cornerstone for treatment of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but there are limited data on their exercise behaviors. A previous study identified PCOS patients of non-White ethnicity to be at higher risk for inadequate physical activity. Further data is needed to identify groups that would benefit from additional counseling in achieving adequate physical activity (APA). Therefore, this study examined correlates of APA within a multiethnic PCOS patient population. Cross-sectional assessment of exercise behaviors within a multiethnic PCOS patient population was performed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare metabolic equivalents from physical activity among racial/ethnic groups. APA was defined as at least 150 min of moderate-intensity, or 75 min of vigorous-intensity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity per week. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify correlates of APA. Four hundred and sixty-five women of various racial/ethnic backgrounds were included in analysis: 62% (n = 287) self-identified as White, 15% (n = 71) as Hispanic, 11% (n = 52) as East/Southeast Asian, 7% (n = 32) as South Asian, and 5% (n = 23) as Black/African American. Significant differences were observed in metabolic equivalents (METs) from vigorous-intensity and total (moderate plus vigorous-intensity) exercise across racial/ethnic groups (p < 0.01); South Asian patients had the lowest metabolic expenditure in moderate-intensity, vigorous-intensity, and total exercise. Overall prevalence of APA was 66%; South Asian patients exhibited the lowest prevalence (46.9%). Ethnicity was a predictor for APA when controlled for age (p = 0.01); this finding was attenuated in logistic regression models that also controlled for age and body mass index (p = 0.05) as well as education level and parity (p = 0.16). South Asian patients with PCOS exhibited the lowest metabolic expenditure and frequency of APA in our cohort. Differences in frequency of APA across racial/ethnic groups appear to be influenced by anthropometric and sociodemographic factors. Our findings present an opportunity for women’s health providers to be cognizant and provide additional counseling regarding physical exercise to at-risk PCOS patients to improve their known higher risk for adverse long-term metabolic outcomes.
Comparing predicted in situ 8-year concrete strength by ground penetrating radar attributes and maturity method

Concrete compressive strength is important, yet difficult to quantify without direct testing. In particular, it is difficult to obtain the mature concrete strength measurements which are necessary for safe and optimal use of existing structural capacity. Reliable measurements of mature strength using nondestructive testing methods (NDT) like ultrasonic pulse velocities depend on many factors, including the inherent material variability, sampling frequency, and quality of the NDT measurements. Methods like ground penetrating radar (GPR) and concrete maturity relationships are common for investigating the early-age properties of concrete but are rarely used for mature concrete. Using a case study of a concrete pedestrian bridge where both long term temperature data from structural health monitoring (SHM) and recent GPR surveys of the bridge are available, this work compares the predicted 8-year strength using two different indirect methods. The first uses a regression model trained on laboratory GPR attributes and material properties. The second uses the maturity method to predict strength based on 28-day cylinder tests and the temperature history recorded by the bridge's SHM system. The maturity method predicts the correct relative trends in strength between the two phases and overpredicts the cylinder 28-day strength by 12% &#1048576; 25%. The GPR predictions do not reliably capture the relative difference between the two phases, but have similar accuracy and underpredict cylinder strength by 4% &#1048576; 22%. These strength comparisons from noninvasive methods motivate further improvements in GPR attribute modeling and integrating these methods with other ultrasonic models to improve spatial resolution and reliability.
Origin of the Domesticated Apples

Genomic, genetic, and archaeobotanical findings have confirmed that alongside interspecific hybridizations between Malus sieversii from Central Asia and wild species along the Silk Road, segmental duplications, point mutations, and clonal propagation have led to the fixation of traits in cultivated apples, unlike in annual crops. Moreover, there is minimal evidence for long-term intentional and targeted selection for fruit quality and horticultural traits; whereas, self-incompatibility, long juvenile phase, and clonal propagation have maintained genetic diversity in apples. Only modern (commercial) apple cultivars hint at the reduction of diversity and selection for commercially important traits. Furthermore, the wide phenotypic variations present in pre-breeding and advanced breeding material reveal that a great deal of genetic diversity is still maintained in the cultivated gene pool.
Successful Eradication of BLV from Dairy and Beef Herds in New York

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, together with the Diagnostic Laboratory at Cornell University offer a bovine leukemia virus (BLV) eradication/certification program to New York dairy and beef producers. This is the only official BLV certification program currently available in the United States. The program, which began in 1985, provides State supported testing and management services through the Diagnostic Laboratory to farmers who wish to eradicate BLV and establish a "Certified BLV-Free" herd. To achieve this status a herd must complete three consecutive negative BLV herd tests. The certificate is valid for one year and an annual negative BLV herd test is required to maintain the certificate.
Divergent Role of Intermediate Filaments in Clinical Outcomes of HPV-Positive and HPV-Negative Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) Intermediate filaments (IF) are a family of cytoskeletal proteins that play an integral role in critical cellular functions including cell migration, proliferation, and apoptosis. Previous studies have reported an association between the dysregulation of IF expression and cancer progression, yet their potential role as a biomarker in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) had not been previously studied. The purpose of the current study was to explore the association between IF expression and the overall survival (OS) of HNSCC patients. MATERIALS/METHODS The HNSCC data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were divided into human papilloma virus-positive (HPVP, n = 96) and negative samples (HPVN, n = 258). Gene expression was profiled using RNA sequencing. Each IF gene expression level was divided into "high" and "low" based on the median expression value. Multivariate cox hazard proportion analysis for overall survival was performed with the continuous and discrete gene expression levels. The analysis was adjusted for clinical parameters and treatment received. RESULTS Continuous gene expression levels of KRT27 and KRT76 were significantly associated with survival in HPVP samples, while KRT17, KRT35, KRT79, and KRT77 expression were significant in HPVN samples. When using binary division of gene expression into "high" and "low", low BFSP1, DES, SYNC, VIM, KRT3 and KRT14 expression, and high LMBN1 and BFSP2 expression were significantly associated with survival in HPVP samples. For the HPVN samples, low KRT18 and KRT20 expression, and high KRT75 and KRT85 expression were significantly associated with OS. Both continuous and binary expression levels of LMNB1 and IFFO1 were significantly associated with patient survival for HPVN samples. In the discrete analysis, low LMNB1 expression and high IFFO1 expression were significant for patient OS. In a separate set of 40 publicly available HNSCC samples with relapse-free survival (RFS) information, we validated the association between KRT75 and RFS (0.047, HR 1.01 - 9.08). CONCLUSION Pending further validation, IF expression represents a promising biomarker to predict the clinical trajectory of HNSCC patients.
A Review of Disposition of Toxic Drugs and Chemicals in Man, Volume 1

This first volume of a two-volume series presents pertinent toxicological information on more than 100 drugs ranging from ethanol to nitrous oxide. The drugs are presented alphabetically within general sections. A brief review format with citations current through 1977 includes pertinent data on drug history, metabolic parameters, structure, tissue distribution, and analytical methods. In particular, plasma concentrations, drug halflife, and urinary excretion rate following low or therapeutic doses are well delineated for most drugs. This type of reference information will be especially useful for clinical toxicologists who provide interpretive assistance to clinicians. In addition, each review includes current information on postmortem blood and tissue concentrations following overdose that will assist forensic toxicologists in their evaluations of antemortem drug abuse. Although details of methods are not included in the review, the author does provide a variety of current references to published methods for each drug.
Hybrid Hierarchical Knowledge Organization for Planning

This paper presents a hybrid hierarchical knowledge-based system that is currently under development. This system is used for basic planning purposes at present. The important component of the system is a set of plan operator structures. Indexing and packaging hierarchies together play a key role in the construction of a structure. An abstraction hierarchy is used to organize the domain knowledge of the system. The system utilizes some heuristic knowledge of the domain to avoid brittleness. The system has been implemented in the domain of cooking vegetables in Indian style. A restricted natural language interface is incorporated for the convenient specification of user inputs.
Information Asymmetry and Insider Trading

I investigate the impact of information asymmetry on insider trading by exploiting a quasi-experimental design: the brokerage closure-related terminations of analyst coverage, which exogenously increase the information asymmetry of the affected firms. Using a difference-in-differences approach, I find that after the terminations of analyst coverage, corporate insiders obtain significantly higher abnormal returns and enjoy larger abnormal profits. The magnitudes of the increase are large economically. For firms with five or fewer analysts, losing one analyst increases insiders’ six-month abnormal returns by 16.0% for purchases, and by 10.7% for sales (both in absolute terms). My paper highlights the role of information asymmetry as a critical determinant of insiders’ abnormal profits, and calls for regulatory attention to corporate insiders’ transactions associated with high levels of information asymmetry.
Hardin Revisited: A Critical Look at Perception and the Logic of the Commons

With perhaps controversial implications for theory and practice, this paper suggests that the validity of Hardinian theories of the commons are dependent on the implicit rational choice assumption that resource users are aware of resource degradation. Without an awareness of the collective costs of resource use, there can be no dilemma between pursuing individual benefits and avoiding collective ruin. In such situations, the dilemma of the commons cannot be validly said to be the cause of resource depletion, and many traditional policy options to address common resource depletion may not be effective. Two reasons for the lack of awareness about resource degradation are (1) fatalistic beliefs that humans cannot harm a resource base, and (2) the growing complexity and abstraction of modern environmental problems that have obscured the collective costs of resource use from our individual and societal awareness.
Multispecies gene entropy estimation, a data mining approach

This paper presents a data mining approach to estimate multispecies gene entropy by using a self-organizing map (SOM) to mine a homologous gene set. The gene distribution function for each gene in the feature space is approximated by its probability distribution in the feature space. The phylogenetic applications of the multispecies gene entropy are investigated in an example of inferring the species phylogeny of eight yeast species. It is found that genes with the nearest K-L distances to the minimum entropy gene are more likely to be phylogenetically informative. The K-L distances of genes are strongly correlated with the spectral radiuses of their identity percentage matrices. The images of identity percentage matrices of the genes with small K-L distances to the minimum entropy gene are more similar to the image of the minimum entropy gene in their frequency domains after fast Fourier transforms (FFT) than the images of those genes with large K-L distances to the minimum entropy gene. Finally, a K-L distance based gene concatenation approach under gene clustering is proposed to infer species phylogenies robustly and systematically.
Sensitivity of SBLOCA Analysis to Model Nodalization

Recent attention was focused (by Semiscale test S-UT-8) upon the possibility for primary liquid to be retained in the steam generators during a predicted SBLOCA, permitting core uncovery prior to loop seal clearance. If the steam generator behavior is sensitive to the choice of nodalization in the steam generator, SBLOCA analytical results will be similarly sensitive. The Division of Systems Integration of the U.S.N.R.C. has suggested1 that vendor codes be reviewed to determine if they adequately model liquid storage in the U-tubes, since computed consequences of a SBLOCA might be more severe when this phenomenon is included.
Simulation of effects of valve pockets and internal residual gas distribution on HSDI diesel combustion and emissions

Experiments show that intake flow details have a significant influence on High-Speed Direct-Injection (HSDI) diesel engine soot emissions. Four different intake modes were simulated using the combination of the CFD codes, STAR-CD and KIVA-3V, to investigate spray-intake flow-emission interaction characteristics. The simulation results were compared to steady-state flow bench data and engine experimental data. It was found that it is difficult to accurately predict the timing of the small pilot and main combustion events, simultaneously, with current simplified ignition models, NOx emissions were predicted well, however, an insensitivity of the soot emissions to the details of the intake process was found, mainly due to the deficiencies in predicting the ignition delay. The results show that a strong swirling flow causes the formed soot to remain within the bowl, leading to high soot emissions. The presence of valve pockets in the piston helps spread the soot into the squish region because the presence of valve pockets reduces the swirl. It was shown that the start-of-first ignition timing was changed, and the NOx and soot emissions were changed noticeably by the details of the residual gas distribution. Improvements in ignition and combustion predictions were also pursued using detailed chemistry in the combined Kiva/Chemkin code. It was found that ignition delay predictions are very sensitive to the chemistry mechanism. NOx predictions obtained by the extended Zel'dovich model agreed with the detailed mechanism. For late injections N02 emissions become significant and comparable to the NO emissions, leading to underestimated NOx predictions by the extended Zel'dovich model.
The Social Neuroscience of Autism Spectrum Disorder

This chapter reviews the neural systems subserving social information processing and their disruption in ASD. We focus on social perception, action understanding, and mental state reasoning, highlighting both conceptual background and recent advances. In addition, we review and discuss alternative accounts of the pathogenesis of autism, such as the role of atypical neural connectivity and its potentially detrimental effects on complex information processing. Building from current understanding of social neuroscience in ASD, we describe two key translational objectives for developing more effective strategies to promote well-being in ASD in the future: developing assays for early detection of atypical brain function and formulating treatments to specifically target the brain systems hypothesized to underlie social and communicative impairments. Keywords: action understanding; autism; brain functions; interconnectivity; mental state reasoning; neural systems; social neuroscience; social perception; translational research
Solution- and solid-state photophysical and stimuli-responsive behavior in conjugated monoalkoxynaphthalene–naphthalimide donor–acceptor dyads

The stimuli-responsive properties of a series of aromatic conjugated monoalkoxynaphthalene–naphthalimide donor–acceptor dyads were studied. Two of the dyads, dyads 1 and 4, showed a difference in solid-state color between relatively faster (yellow) and slower (yellow-orange or orange) evaporation from solution, while the other dyads, dyad 2 and 3, only showed one color (yellow-green) for both evaporation rates. Importantly, highly solvatochromic dyad 4 displayed thermochromic (orange to yellow), mechanochromic (orange to yellow) and vapochromic (yellow to orange) stimuli-responsive behavior in the solid-state with repeatable cycles of color changing. Structural and spectroscopic studies indicated that the stimuli-responsive behavior of dyad 4 is the result of a 180° molecular rotation wherein the thermodynamically more stable head-to-head stacked orange crystalline solid interconverts with a head-to-tail stacked soft-crystalline yellow mesophase. The thermochromic transition of 4 from a presumably more stable crystalline state (orange) to a metastable soft crystalline mesophase state (yellow) that persists at room temperature unless exposed to solvent vapor is particularly noteworthy.
Use of interconnect resistance as a reliability tool

Methods are described which have successfully measured the electrical resistance change induced by strain and fatigue in leaded electrical interconnections. The dependance of electrical resistance on elastic strain, plastic deformation, and cyclic fatigue is examined. A type of spectroscopy for fatigue testing which measures the amplitude of the resistance change at harmonics of the fatigue cycling frequency is described. The spectroscopic method is shown to have the advantage of greater sensitivity, and of providing more information than conventional methods. An analytical frame work is developed, and recently published data for gull-wing leads and lap shear solder joints are examined using it. The cause for the limiting resistance fluctuations in these measurements is investigated. It is argued that after calibration, the method can be used to measure strain level, shorten fatigue tests, and reliably detect interconnect failures. >
Nest site preference and success in a gregarious, ground-nesting bee Dieunomia triangulifera

Summary 1. The characteristics of preferred nest sites of the solitary bee Dieunomia triangulifera, which nests gregariously in alluvial soil, were investigated. Nest presence was used as an indication of preference. In those cases where nests were more than a few days old, therefore, this study also investigated nest success. 2. Independent variables tested were soil surface moisture, presence of nesting conspecifics, smooth vs. irregular soil surface, distance to visual landmarks, percentage of vegetation cover, soil compaction, vehicular traffic, soil surface temperature, and light intensity. 3. Bees preferred to nest in moist, compact soil with an irregular surface. More bees nested near visual landmarks and in places with little or no vegetation. They preferred nesting in areas with warmer soil surface temperatures and brighter illumination. The presence of nesting conspecifics did not influence nesting decisions. Vehicular traffic also seemed to have no impact on nest initiation but did seem to have a negative impact on nest success. 4. Although it might seem that ground-nesting bees should not be limited by nesting sites, relatively little of the study area met all their apparent criteria. This might account, in part, for gregarious nesting in this species.
Ipsilateral renal function preservation after robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN): an objective analysis using mercapto-acetyltriglycine (MAG3) renal scan data and volumetric assessment

Objective To objectively assess ipsilateral renal function (IRF) preservation and factors influencing it after robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN). Patients and Methods Our database was queried to identify patients who had undergone RAPN from 2007 to 2013 and had complete pre- and postoperative mercapto-acetyltriglycine (MAG3) renal scan assessment. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) for the operated kidney was calculated by multiplying the percentage of contribution from the renal scan by the total eGFR. IRF preservation was defined as a ratio of the postoperative eGFR for the operated kidney to the preoperative eGFR for the operated kidney. The percentage of total eGFR preservation was calculated in the same manner (postoperative eGFR/preoperative eGFR × 100). The amount of healthy rim of renal parenchyma removed was assessed by deducting the volume of tumour from the volume of the PN specimen assessed on pathology. Multivariable linear regression was used for analysis. Results In all, 99 patients were included in the analysis. The overall median (interquartile range) total eGFR preservation and IRF preservation for the operated kidney was 83.83 (75.2–94.1)% and 72 (60.3–81)%, respectively (P 30 min, body mass index (BMI) and operated kidney preoperative eGFR were predictive of IRF preservation. Conclusions Using total eGFR tends to overestimate the degree of renal function preservation after RAPN. This is particularly relevant when studying factors affecting functional outcomes after nephron-sparing surgery. IRF may be a more precise assessment method in this setting. Operated kidney baseline renal function, BMI, WIT >30 min, and amount of resected healthy renal parenchyma represent the factors with a significant impact on the IRF preservation. RAPN provides significant preservation of renal function as shown by objective assessment criteria.
Novel signal transduction and peptide specificity of glucagon‐like peptide receptor in 3T3‐L1 adipocytes

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (7-36) amide (GLP-1), in addition to its well known effect of enhancing glucose-mediated insulin release, has been shown to have insulinomimetic effects and to enhance insulin-mediated glucose uptake and lipid synthesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. To elucidate the mechanisms of GLP-1 action in these cells, we studied the signal transduction and peptide specificity of the GLP-1 response. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, GLP-1 caused a decrease in intracellular cAMP levels which is the opposite to the response observed in pancreatic beta cells in response to the same peptide. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, free intracellular calcium was not modified by GLP-1. Peptide specificity was examined to help determine if a different GLP receptor isoform was expressed in 3T3-L1 adipocytes vs. beta cells. Peptides with partial homology to GLP-1 such as GLP-2, GLP-1 (1-36), and glucagon all lowered cAMP levels in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In addition, an antagonist of pancreatic GLP-1 receptor, exendin-4 (9-39), acted as an agonist to decrease cAMP levels in 3T3-L1 adipocytes as did exendin-4 (1-39), a known agonist for the pancreatic GLP-1 receptor. Binding studies using 125I-GLP-1 also suggest that pancreatic GLP-1 receptor isoform is not responsible for the effect of GLP-1 and related peptides in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Based on these results, we propose that the major form of the GLP receptor in 3T3-L1 adipocytes is functionally different from the pancreatic GLP-1 receptor.
Female Voices: Upholding the Honor of the Household

A survey of the narratives in the First Testament demonstrates that women are often portrayed as dynamic characters, who speak quite eloquently, and when they speak they generate immediate action o...
Camera-Based Measurement of Textile Card Web Density:

A new process is being developed to significantly shorten the current process sequence of short-staple yarn manufacturing. Measuring carded web density is critically important in this new process. Typical technologies that might be used to measure card eb density rely on significant density in order to have enough absorption of radiation to work properly. However, the card web has a very low density (about 13 g/m2) that provides very little absorption. In the absence of an inexpensive method for measuring card webs. the research discussed in this paper attempts to determine whether a digital image processing system can be used to measure card web density. The system consists of a camera focused on the web, illuminated by a light source. A good linear correlation is found between the reflected light from a section of card web and the weight of that section.
Mapping gene expression changes in the fetal rat testis following acute dibutyl phthalate exposure defines a complex temporal cascade of responding cell types.

Abstract Phthalates are chemical plasticizers used in a variety of consumer products; in rodents, they alter testicular development, leading to decreased testosterone synthesis and maldevelopment of the reproductive tract. Here, our goals were to discover a set of biomarker genes that respond early after relatively low-dose-level dibutyl phthalate (DBP) exposure and map the responding testicular cell types. To identify testicular phthalate biomarker genes, 34 candidate genes were examined by quantitative PCR at 1, 2, 3, or 6 h after exposure of Gestational Day 19 rats to DBP dose levels ranging from 0.1 to 500 mg/kg body weight. Twelve genes (Ctgf, Cxcl10, Dusp6, Edn1, Egr1, Fos, Ier3, Junb, Nr4a1, Stc1, Thbs1, and Tnfrsf12a) were identified with increased expression by 1–3 h at 100 or 500 mg/kg DBP, and 7 of these 12 genes had increased expression by 6 h at 10 mg/kg DBP. Using in situ hybridization of fetal testis cryosections from DBP-exposed rats, the temporal cellular expression of 10 biomarker genes ...
Genetic Variation in IL28B: Impact on Drug Development for Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

As more pharmacogenomic insights into diseases and their treatments and toxicities are published each year, the challenge arises to incorporate such insights into clinical practice and drug development.(1) For instance, recent genomic discoveries related to hepatitis C offer a challenge to clinicians, researchers, and health administrators to translate this information into knowledge in order to develop safer and more effective therapeutic strategies for all patients.
An eight coil superconducting torus for elastic buckling studies

Abstract Elastic structural analysis of proposed fusion reactors suggests that without sufficient lateral constraints the toroidal magnets could suffer a buckling deformation. To model such effects a small, flexible, 32 kA, eight coil superconducting torus has been built and tested. Test results show the predicted buckling behaviour at current below the normal-superconducting transition.
REGIONS OF 16S RIBOSOMAL RNA PROXIMAL TO TRANSFER RNA BOUND AT THE P-SITE OF ESCHERICHIA COLI RIBOSOMES

Unmodified uridines have been randomly replaced by 4-thiouridines in transfer RNAPhe (tRNAPhe) transcribed in a T7 RNA polymerase system. These 4-thiouridines serve as conjugation sites for attachment of the cleavage reagent 5-iodoacetamido-1,10-o-phenanthroline (IoP). In a reducing environment, when complexed with Cu2+, 1,10-o-phenanthroline causes cleavage of nearby nucleic acids. We show here that tRNA-phenanthroline (tRNA-oP) conjugates, when bound at the P-site of 70S ribosomes and 30S ribosomal subunits, caused cleavage of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) mainly in domains I and II of 16S rRNA. Some positions were cleaved only when tRNA-oP was bound to 70S ribosomes or to 30S ribosomal subunits. In domain I, most cleavage sites occurred in or near the 530 pseudoknot region. In domain II, most nucleotides cleaved were near the 690 region and the 790 region. The only positions cleaved in domain III were near the 1050 region. There were no discernible nucleotides cleaved near the 1400 (decoding) region. Our results corroborated results of others, which have shown these sites to be protected from chemical modification by tRNA binding or to be cross-linked to P-site-bound tRNA. Use of cleavage reagents tethered to tRNA provides evidence for additional regions of rRNA that may be proximal to bound tRNA.
The once and future georgic: agricultural practice, environmental knowledge, and the place for an ethic of experience

This paper re-introduces the georgic ethic and the role it has historically played in debates about new agricultural practices. Public engagement, participatory research, and greater local involvement in crafting new means to work the land flood the literature of agrarian studies. Putting the experience- and place-based georgic into that discourse can help deepen its character and future possibilities. The paper draws from recent sociological research into the acceptance and resistance to new practices to show the georgic’s explanatory, descriptive utility in studies of those controversies. It also highlights how agricultural and environmental ethicists can draw from the georgic tradition for its prescriptive and normative possibilities to put practitioners back into the agricultural policy process and to draw more firmly from the notion that knowledge of the environment is constituted in practices of living in it. Placing the language and terms of the georgic ethic more centrally into public conversations about agricultural ethics and policy can enrich those conversations by structuring them with attention to experience, place-based values, and the moral space of interaction between humans and the land.
Further validation of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory in a US adult population sample

The Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) was developed in 1995. Since then, it has been widely used in cancer research and cancer-related illnesses but has never been validated in fatiguing illnesses or in a large US population-selected sample. In this study, we sought to examine the reliability and validity of the MFI-20 in the population of the state of Georgia, USA. Further, we assessed whether the MFI-20 could serve as a complementary diagnostic tool in chronically fatigued and unwell populations. The data derive from a cross-sectional population-based study investigating the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in Georgia. The study sample was comprised of three diagnostic groups: CFS-like (292), chronically unwell (269), and well (222). Participants completed the MFI-20 along with several other measures of psychosocial functioning, including the Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form-36 (SF-36), the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). We assessed the five MFI-20 subscales using several criteria: inter-item correlations, corrected item-total correlations, internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha coefficients), construct validity, discriminant (known-group) validity, floor/ceiling effects, and convergent validity through correlations with the SF-36, SDS, and STAI instruments. Averaged inter-item correlations ranged from 0.38 to 0.61, indicating no item redundancy. Corrected item-total correlations for all MFI-20 subscales were greater than 0.30, and Cronbach's alpha coefficients achieved an acceptable level of 0.70. No significant floor/ceiling effect was observed. Factor analysis demonstrated factorial complexity. The MFI-20 also distinguished clearly between three diagnostic groups on all subscales. Furthermore, correlations with depression (SDS), anxiety (STAI), and functional impairment (SF-36) demonstrated strong convergent validity. This study provides support for the MFI-20 as a valuable tool when used in chronically unwell and well populations. It also suggests that the MFI-20 could serve as a complementary diagnostic tool in fatiguing illnesses, such as CFS.
Educational Reform: The Political Roots of National Risk

(1985). Educational Reform: The Political Roots of National Risk. Curriculum Inquiry: Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 37-56.
A Multiyear Light Curve of Scorpius X-1 Based on Compton Gamma Ray Observatory BATSE Spectroscopy Detector Observations

A multiyear light curve of the low mass X-ray binary, Scorpius X-1, is constructed based on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) Spectroscopy Detector (SD) data in the nominal energy range of 10-20 keV. A detailed discussion is given of the reduction process of the BATSE/SD data. Corrections to the SD measurements are made for off-axis pointings, spectral and bandpass changes, and differences in the eight SD sensitivities. The resulting 4.4 yr Sco X-1 SD light curve is characterized in terms of the timescales over which various types of emission changes occur. This light curve is then compared with Sco X-1 light curves obtained by Ariel 5, the BATSE Large Area Detectors (LADs), and the RXTE all-sky monitor (ASM). Coincident temporal coverage by the BATSE/SD and RXTE/ASM allows a direct comparison of the behavior of Sco X-1 over a range of high energies to be made. These ASM light curves are then used to discuss model constraints on the Sco X-1 system.
Neurosteroid biosynthesis: genes for adrenal steroidogenic enzymes are expressed in the brain.

To determine if neurosteroids (steroids synthesized in the brain) are produced by enzymes found in steroidogenic tissues, we determined if mRNA for five steroidogenic enzymes could be detected in brain tissues or cultured cells. We detected mRNAs for adrenodoxin, P450scc (cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme) and P450c11β (11β-hydroxylase but not for P450c17 (17α-hydroxylase/17,20 lyase) or P450c11AS (aldosterone synthase) in rat brains and cultures of rat glial cells. P450scc mRNA abundance in brain or primary glial cultures as 0.01% of that found in the adrenal, but more P450scc mRNA was detected in C6 glial cells. Both P450scc and P450c11β mRNAs were most abundant in the cortex, but there were region-specific differences for both mRNAs, and sex-specific differences for P450c11β mRNA. P450scc mRNA was equally abundant in mixed glial cultures containing both astrocytes and oligodendrocytes as in astrocyte-enriched cultures, and P450scc immunoreactivity co-localized with GFAP immunoreactivity in cultured astrocytes. P450c11β mRNA was not detected in the mixed primary glial cultures or the C6 glioma cell line that synthesize P450scc mRNA, suggesting that glial cells do not synthesize P450c11β mRNA. Thus some of the same enzymes involved in steroidogenesis in classic endocrine tissues are found in a cell-specific and region-specific fashion in the brain. Neurosteroids may be derivatives of known classic steroids, and/or may function through non-classic steroid hormone receptors, such as GABA A, N-methyl-d-aspartate, and contestorone receptors.
Validation of a wall-interference assessment/correction procedure for airfoil tests in the Langley 0.3-meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel

Validation of a wall-interference assessment/correction (WIAC) procedure for a given facility requires its application to several sets of test data. It is necessary therefore to create a somewhat automated method for processing data through the various steps in the procedure. An automated procedure is also welcomed by the test engineer or eventual user in order to reduce the required effort and opportunity for error. Such a procedure has been developed for the Langley 0.3-m Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel using the TWINTN4 WIAC code. This code provides a four-wall, 2-D, transonic correction; that is, it accounts for sidewall boundary-layer effects, as well as for top and bottom wall effects on the airfoil tests. The TWINTN4 code utilizes measured pressure data at the tunnel walls and on the airfoil model; thus, classical homogeneous-wall boundary conditions are not used in the correction procedure.
Pneumonitis and pulmonary fibrosis in a patient receiving adjuvant docetaxel and cyclophosphamide for stage 3 breast cancer: a case report and literature review

Introduction Pulmonary toxicities associated with chemotherapeutic agents utilized as adjuvant therapy in patients with breast cancer are distinctly uncommon. The chemotherapy regimen of docetaxel/cyclophosphamide has a more favorable therapeutic index compared to anthracycline-based regimens due to a significantly lower incidence of heart failure and leukemia. Consequently, docetaxel/cyclophosphamide is the preferred adjuvant chemotherapy of choice in older women or in women where anthracyclines may be contraindicated. Pulmonary complications in patients with breast cancer receiving taxane-based adjuvant chemotherapy in the absence of radiation are distinctly uncommon. Here, we report the case of a patient receiving adjuvant docetaxel/cyclophosphamide who developed rapid-onset, biopsy-proven interstitial pneumonitis.
Ultra-low power frequency and duty-cycle modulated implantable pressure-temperature sensor

An ultra-low power frequency and duty-cycle modulated pressure-temperature sensor for use in a novel congestive heart failure monitoring system is presented. The temperature reading is used to improve the accuracy of the pressure sensor. The sensor features a temperature accuracy of less than 0.06°C over the range 20-50°C, a 0.9fF capacitive accuracy after 3-point calibration, equivalent to 2.85 mmHg pressure accuracy and consumes 2.5μW. It frequency modulates pressure, and provides redundant measurements of temperature using independent frequency and duty-cycle modulation. It uses a proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) core to generate bias currents and voltages required for the modulation and bias references for the circuit. A micromachined capacitive sensor is integrated to obtain the pressure reading as a capacitance value. By combining frequency and duty-cycle data obtained from the sensor, both pressure and temperature can be reconstructed.
Biodegradable hydroxyapatite - Polymer composites

The fracture of bone due to trauma or due to natural aging is one of the most frequent types of tissue failures. Treatment frequently requires the implantation of a temporary or permanent prosthesis. The implanted materials may include the components of artificial joints, plates, and screws for fracture fixation. Typically, such implants are intended only to provide structural support or to serve as templates for bone re-growth. In general they are intended to remain in place for the life of the patient or to be removed in a second surgical procedure. This report provides a short review of the synthetic reconstructive bone implants. Following this, the rationale and basics of the biodegradable hydroxyapatite-polymer composite approach are described.
An Approach to Prevention in Infants at Risk for Schizophrenia: Developmental Deviations from Birth to 10 Years

The approach to prevention which is discussed below is based on intensive longitudinal observations of infants at risk for schizophrenia. In earlier papers, I have presented the quantitative analyses of the repeated infant tests, which revealed periods of “pandevelopmental retardation” in about half of the offspring of schizophrenic mothers (Fish, 1975). During these periods there was a widespread disorganization of maturation which involved deviations in physical growth, postural-motor and visual-motor development, state behavior, and vestibular responses (Fish, 1953, 1959, 1963, 1975; Fish and Alpert, 1962, 1963; Fish et al., 1965, 1966b; Fish and Hagin, 1973). The pattern differed from what is usually seen in chronic organic brain syndromes, showing a different profile of deficits, a fluctuating longitudinal course, and other unusual irregularities in development (Fish, 1975). This pandevelopmental retardation identified the infants who were independently assessed as having the most severe psychiatric disorders at 10 years (Fish, 1975). Meehl (1962) postulated that what is inherited in schizophrenia is “a subtle neurointegrative defect” which he termed “schizotaxia.”
Invariance in resource sharing problems

Several processes or users share a common resource. Each process is described by a two state Markov chain with a "thinking" state and a service "request" state. The problem is to select a preemptive priority scheme to assign the resource among simultaneously requesting processes so as to maximize resource utilization. When the average thinking times of the processes are the same, the utilization is invariant under the assignment schemes. The invariance result extends to certain hitting time distributions for a broader class of Markov chains.
Range effects in the identification of lateral position.

Experiments on the identification of interaural time and interaural amplitude differences were conducted to evaluate the effects of stimulus range on identification performance. Three stimulus sets, large range (LR), small‐range center (SRC), and small‐range side (SRS), were used in experiments on interaural time and amplitude identification. As expected, data for both sets of measurements show worse resolution for LR than SRC or SRS, demonstrating that the ability to distinguish between two fixed interaural differences can be strongly influenced by the total range of such differences in the stimulus set.
THz detection by correlated 2D electron systems

Experimental measurements of transmission and photoresistivity under terahertz (THz) radiation in low magnetic fields at conditions of cyclotron resonance (CR) in two-dimensional electron system (2DES) of GaAs/AlGaAs nanostructures are presented and discussed. We report the experimental discovery of ldquoCR-vanishing effectrdquo (CRV) in structures with high mobility as a well-defined gap on CR-line that is independent on incident THz power. Our analysis shows that the CRV may appear in systems with well correlated state of 2D electrons such as plasma waves and others. Fundamental nature of these correlated states of electrons in 2DES is discussed. Future THz detectors utilizing the new correlated states in 2DES may expand horizons for supersensitive detection in sub-THz and THz frequencies ranges.
GENDER, RACE, AND HABITUAL OFFENDER SENTENCING IN FLORIDA*

This study explores the effects of race and gender on habitual offender sentencing in Florida. The sample consists of 1,103 female offenders admitted to the Florida Department of Corrections in fiscal year 1992–1993 who were eligible for sentencing under the habitual offender statute. Controlling for prior record, crime seriousness, crime type, and sentencing county contextual variables through logistic regression analysis, defendant race was found to be a relevant and statistically significant factor in the enhanced sentencing of female offenders. This factor was most noticeable with black female drug offenders and under structural contexts that were “high,” i.e., the percent of the population black, drug arrest rates, and violent crime rates. The race effects found with this sample of female offenders were often stronger than those in the Crawford et al. 1998 study of 9,960 eligible male offenders in Florida. The relevance of these findings is discussed.
Prevalence of fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli in agricultural and municipal waste streams

The prevalence of fluoroquinolone-resistant enteric bacteria in agricultural and municipal waste streams was investigated by surveying for resistant Escherichia coli in samples collected from nine locations in the United States and one location in Mexico. None of the 102 isolates that were tested were resistant to either ciprofloxacin or ofloxacin. Microcosm studies using a clinical (ciprofloxacin resistant) Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolate suggest that the resistance phenotype is stable over multiple generations in the absence of selective antibiotic pressure.
Diagnosis, incidence, and outcomes of suspected typhlitis in oncology patients--experience in a tertiary pediatric surgical center in the United Kingdom.

Abstract Background Typhlitis is clinically defined by the triad of neutropenia, abdominal pain, and fever. Radiologic evidence of colonic inflammation supports the diagnosis. We report a single United Kingdom tertiary center experience with management and outcome of typhlitis for 5 years. Methods Hospital computerized records were screened for ultrasound or computerized tomographic scan requests for abdominal pain for all oncology inpatients (2001-2005). Retrospective case note analysis was used to collect clinical data for patients with features of typhlitis. Results The incidence of typhlitis among oncology inpatients was 6.7% (40/596) among oncology inpatients and 11.6% (40/345) among those on chemotherapy. Eighteen children had radiologically confirmed typhlitis, and 22 had clinical features alone. Most (93%) patients responded to conservative management. Eighteen children had a variable period of bowel rest, including 12 patients who were supported with total parenteral nutrition. Three patients had laparotomy that revealed extensive colonic bowel necrosis (1), perforated gastric ulcer (1), and a perforated appendix (1). A single child died of fulminant gram-negative sepsis without surgical intervention. Conclusions The diagnosis of typhlitis was based on clinical features, supported by radiologic evidence in almost half of the study group. Surgical intervention should be reserved for specific complications or where another surgical pathologic condition cannot reasonably be ruled out.