cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Women, Disability, and Sport and Physical Fitness Activity: The Intersection of Gender and Disability Dynamics

Abstract This study explores the often overlooked experiences of women with physical disabilities in the sport and physical fitness activity domain. Interviews with 16 women with a physical disability (age range of 19–54 years) revealed the following major themes: (a) participation in fitness-related as opposed to sport-related activities, (b) participation to maintain the functional level of the body and preserve existing capabilities, (c) intrinsic nature of gains derived from participation (perceived competence, enhanced view of body, motivational outlet, control in life), and (d) perceived differences in the sport and physical fitness activity experiences of men and women with disabilities. Findings support the notion that gender and disability interact in the sport and physical fitness context for women with physical disabilities.
Recovery expectations of hip resurfacing compared to total hip arthroplasty: a matched pairs study.

Objective Expectations of higher activity levels associated with hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) may be driving better outcomes in this group compared to total hip arthroplasty (THA). Previous studies evaluated patient expectations before consulting with the surgeon, although these expectations were likely unrealistic and would change after the consultation. We compared HRA and THA patient expectations after consultation with the surgeon. Methods In a prospective registry setting, patients awaiting HRA were matched to THA patients by age, sex, and a preoperative Lower Extremity Activity Scale score (range 1–18, with 18 indicating levels of highest activity). Patients completed preoperatively a validated 18-item expectations survey. Mean overall expectation scores were first compared. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was then performed to determine if the grouping of individual expectations items represented meaningfully different underlying factors in the 2 groups. Results We matched 123 pairs. The mean ± SD expectation scores were similar (85.2 ± 15.5 for HRA and 87.3 ± 13.9 for THA; P = 0.249). The EFA showed that HRA and THA patients shared the common expectations of pain relief and improvement in daily activities (9 items) and eliminating pain medications, the need for a cane, and improving sexual activity (3 items). THA patients perceived the remaining 6 items as an overall third expectation of participation in higher-level activities. However, HRA patients perceived a fourth expectation of normal range of motion (2 items) independent of the other higher-level activities (4 items). Conclusion Even after consulting with a surgeon, patients' expectations differed between HRA and THA patients regarding higher-level activities. More counseling for patients seeking hip arthroplasty is therefore needed.
Evaluation of left ventricular systolic function in pediatric sickle cell anemia patients using the end-systolic wall stress-velocity of circumferential fiber shortening relationship.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this work was to evaluate myocardial contractility using the end-systolic wall stress (ESSm)-velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (VCFc) relationship in sickle cell anemia (SCA) patients compared with a similar age group of African-American (AA) control patients. BACKGROUND Abnormalities of myocardial function have been documented in SCA patients using load-dependent echocardiographic indexes. Whether the systolic dysfunction results from impaired myocardial contractility or altered loading conditions is unknown because controlled studies using a load-independent measure of contractility have not been performed. METHODS Fifty healthy AA patients and 57 SCA patients age 3 months to 18 years were studied. Simultaneous indirect arterial pulse tracing, phonocardiogram, electrocardiogram, and M-mode tracing of the left ventricular (LV) short-axis were recorded. The LV dimensions, corrected ejection time (ETc), percent fractional shortening (%FS), VCFc, and ESSm were determined. The ESSm-VCFc relationship was calculated and compared between groups. Duration and severity of anemia and effects of exchange transfusion on the ESSm-VCFc relationship were determined. RESULTS The SCA patients had increased LV dimensions in systole and diastole, and increased indexed LV mass. Load-dependent measurements of LV function (ETc, %FS, and VCFc) were lower in SCA patients, and afterload, as measured by ESSm, was increased. The ESSm-VCFc relationship demonstrated reduced contractility in SCA patients compared with control subjects. Degree and duration of anemia along with exchange transfusions did not impact contractility. CONCLUSIONS Sickle cell anemia patients have significant LV dilatation and increased LV mass due to abnormal loading conditions. Contractility, measured by the ESSm-VCFc index, is lower in SCA patients and was not negatively impacted by severity or duration of anemia, or exchange transfusions. The underlying mechanism explaining these findings requires further investigation.
Is there a sex difference in the course following traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant cause of death and disability in the United States. Sex has not been thoroughly examined as a factor that may influence outcome following TBI. Clinical studies involving humans that have focused on sex and TBI outcome have yielded inconclusive results, yet sex-related physiologic differences have been demonstrated in animal studies. The purpose of this study is to examine the interaction of sex and age in relation to outcome at 3 and 6 months postinjury in a population of individuals with TBI. The sample includes 157 subjects (124 males, 33 females), 16 to 89 years of age, admitted to a level 1 trauma center following TBI. Physiologic data and information about injury severity and clinical course were gathered during hospitalization. Outcome was assessed at 3 and 6 months postinjury using the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) and Functional Status Examination (FSE). In this sample, there was a significant relationship between sex and age with respect to functional outcome at 6 months following TBI, controlling for initial injury severity. Females age 30 years or older had significantly poorer outcome as measured by the GOSE (P = 0.031) and the FSE (P = 0.037) than either males or younger females. There was also a very different rate of recovery, with women age 30 years and older, on average, showing no improvement between 3 and 6 months postinjury. Further study is needed to elucidate the reasons why sex may affect outcome following TBI.
Faster upper bounding of intersection sizes

There is a long history of developing efficient algorithms for set intersection, which is a fundamental operation in information retrieval and databases. In this paper, we describe a new data structure, a Cardinality Filter, to quickly compute an upper bound on the size of a set intersection. Knowing an upper bound of the size can be used to accelerate many applications such as top-k query processing in text mining. Given finite sets A and B, the expected computation time for the upper bound of the size of the intersection |A cap B| is O( (|A| + |B|) w), where w is the machine word length. This is much faster than the current best algorithm for the exact intersection, which runs in O((|A| + |B|) / √w + |A cap B|) expected time. Our performance studies show that our implementations of Cardinality Filters are from 2 to 10 times faster than existing set intersection algorithms, and the time for a top-k query in a text mining application can be reduced by half.
THE IRON-CONTAINING SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE-ENCODING GENE FROM CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDTII OBTAINED BY DIRECT AND INVERSE PCR

Abstract The complete sequence of the Fe 2+ -containing superoxide dismutase (Fe-SOD)-encoding gene of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was determined from genomic DNA by use of the direct (PCR) and inverse PCR (IPCR). It was confirmed by reverse transcription-PCR. Primers employed in the PCR represented oligodeoxyribonucleotides corresponding to conserved amino acid (aa) residues of Fe-SOD. From the sequence of the direct PCR product, primers were designed for IPCR. All amplified fragments were cloned and sequenced. Analysis of Fe-SOD reveals that the open reading frame consists of 234 aa which show a high degree of homology to other Fe-SOD. The first 33 aa are predominantly either hydrophobic or basic, and may serve as the signal peptide for this chloroplastic protein. Potential transcription start points and eukaryotic control elements, as well as a polyadenylation site, were identified.
Small-scale entrepreneurs in the urban water and sanitation market:

This paper describes the importance of small-scale private sector or NGO providers of water and sanitation in a great range of urban areas in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It includes many examples of where - contrary to conventional wisdom - they provide good quality, low-cost services. Without these operations, large sections of the South’s urban populations, including tens of millions of low-income households, would be worse off. Yet these generally operate with no subsidy and have to recover their costs. This paper discusses how public policy can support (or at least not seriously constrain) small-scale entrepreneurs in water and sanitation provision while ensuring checks on the quality and price of the services they provide.
The UofL Microarray Facility: merger and new location

Background The UofL Microarray Facility is centered around the currently most advanced and comprehensive instrumentation for oligonucleotide array platforms by Affymetrix, Inc. and Agilent, Inc., both merged in the new location in CTR 227H-G. These technologies allow determination of global RNA gene expression and SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) profiles based on hybridization of entire representative mRNA or genomic DNA populations to high-density arrays of gene-specific or mutation-specific oligonucleotide probes. Such global profiles can be obtained for tens of thousands of genes or hundreds of thousands of SNP loci from cell or tissue samples within one time-saving and standardized experiment. Comparative analysis of global gene expression or SNP patterns on biological material will provide crucial information on gene products and/or mutations which are involved in cellular functions, disease mechanisms, and therapy responses. Both cell culture, tissue, or microdissected cell material from human or various animal sources can be used for analyses. The objective of the UofL Microarray Facility is to ensure that investigators can efficiently adopt these state-of-the-art technologies for their basic science, clinical, and translational investigative goals. The Facility is registered as Academic Core Account and receives discounts for arrays and software licenses.
Implant sonication for the diagnosis of prosthetic elbow infection

Background Periprosthetic infection is a potentially devastating complication of elbow arthroplasty, associated with formation of microbial biofilm on the implant surface. The definitive microbiologic diagnosis of periprosthetic infection after elbow arthroplasty may be difficult to establish. Our study aim was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of conventional periprosthetic tissue culture and culture of fluid derived from vortexing and bath sonication of the explanted hardware (a biofilm-sampling strategy). Materials and methods Patients undergoing revision elbow arthroplasty at our institution between July 2007 and July 2010, from each of whom 2 or more periprosthetic tissue cultures and 1 implant sonicate culture were obtained, were studied. A standardized definition of orthopedic implant–associated infection was applied. Results We identified 27 subjects with aseptic failure and 9 with prosthetic elbow infection. Rheumatoid arthritis was the most common underlying disorder. The Coonrad-Morrey prosthesis was the most common type of implant used. The sensitivities of implant sonicate and periprosthetic tissue culture were 89% and 55%, respectively ( P = .18), and the specificities were 100% and 93%, respectively ( P = .16). Coagulase-negative staphylococci (n = 7) and Staphylococcus aureus (n = 2) were isolated in cases of infection. Conclusion Culture of the implant by sonication is at least as sensitive as periprosthetic tissue culture to detect prosthetic elbow infection.
Distinctive feature scoring of the California Consonant Test.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a distinctive feature (DF) scoring technique for List 1 of the California Consonant Test CCT) for the purpose of improving test reliability. The CCT was pr...
Graph based transforms for depth video coding

In this paper a graph-based transform is proposed as an alternative to the discrete cosine transform. An image or video signal is represented as a graph signal, where the graph is generated so as not to cross an image edge in a local region, i.e., square block. Then, spectral representation of graph signal is used to form transform kernels by finding eigenvectors of Laplacian matrix of the graph. This method requires to include additional information, i.e., edge map or adjacency matrix, into a bitstream so that a decoder can regenerate the exactly same graph used at an encoder. The novelty of this paper includes finding the optimal adjacency matrix and compressing it using context-based adaptive binary arithmetic coding. Coding efficiency improvement can be achieved when an image block contains arbitrarily shaped edges by applying the transform not across the edges. The proposed transform is applied to coding depth maps used for view synthesis in a multi-view video coding system, and provides 14 % bit rate savings on average.
A novel isoflurane anesthesia induction system for raccoons

We developed a novel small-volume (24-L) conical-shaped isoflurane anesthesia induction chamber for use in a den chamber and tested it along with 3 conventional stand-alone induction chambers (2 clear acrylic plastic chambers and a cylindrical-shaped chamber) to determine utility for daily short-duration manipulations of captive raccoons (Procyon lotor). Although the conventional chambers were valuable, the majority of inductions were performed using the cone chamber in a pen setting. With the novel device, we were able to minimize the need for pre-anesthetic handling of animals and eliminate the need for injectable anesthesia agents. As a result, side effects normally associated with injectable agents were avoided. Mean anesthesia induction time using the cone chamber was 3.4 min (SD ¼ 0.90). When used as designed, conventional chambers worked well, with induction times ranging from 2.7 min to 5.4 min. Because the stand-alone chambers were not reliant upon den chambers for use, they may provide greater utility for field work. The conical-shaped induction chamber, however, provides an option for safe short-duration anes- thetization of captive raccoons and could perhaps be used with other species and in other research settings. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Peripheral arterial ischemic events in cancer patients

Thromboembolic complications are the second leading cause of death in cancer patients. In contrast to the large body of literature on venous thromboembolism (VTE), relatively few reports have focused on the pathogenesis, incidence, management and outcomes of arterial thromboembolic events in patients with malignancy. The purpose of this article is to review the current literature on the etiology, mechanisms, and prognosis of arterial thromboembolic events in cancer patients and outline appropriate screening and management guidelines that may help lower the rates of morbidity and mortality related to these events.
The pedestrian watchmaker: Genetic clocks from engineered oscillators

The crucial role of time-keeping has required organisms to develop sophisticated regulatory networks to ensure the reliable propagation of periodic behavior. These biological clocks have long been a focus of research; however, a clear understanding of how they maintain oscillations in the face of unpredictable environments and the inherent noise of biological systems remains elusive. Here, we review the current understanding of circadian oscillations using Drosophila melanogaster as a typical example and discuss the utility of an alternative synthetic biology approach to studying these highly intricate systems.
Monte Carlo simulations of the peptide recognition at the consensus binding site of the constant fragment of human immunoglobulin G: The energy landscape analysis of a hot spot at the intermolecular interface

Monte Carlo simulations of molecular recognition at the consensus binding site of the constant fragment (Fc) of human immunoglobulin G (Ig) protein have been performed to analyze structural and thermodynamic aspects of binding for the 13-residue cyclic peptide DCAWHLGELVWCT. The energy landscape analysis of a hot spot at the intermolecular interface using alanine scanning and equilibrium-simulated tempering dynamics with the simplified, knowledge-based energy function has enabled the role of the protein hot spot residues in providing the thermodynamic stability of the native structure to be determined. We have found that hydrophobic interactions between the peptide and the Met-252, Ile-253, His-433, and His-435 protein residues are critical to guarantee the thermodynamic stability of the crystallographic binding mode of the complex. Binding free energy calculations, using a molecular mechanics force field and a solvation energy model, combined with alanine scanning have been conducted to determine the energetic contribution of the protein hot spot residues in binding affinity. The conserved Asn-434, Ser-254, and Tyr-436 protein residues contribute significantly to the binding affinity of the peptide-protein complex, serving as an energetic hot spot at the intermolecular interface. The results suggest that evolutionary conserved hot spot protein residues at the intermolecular interface may be partitioned in fulfilling thermodynamic stability of the native binding mode and contributing to the binding affinity of the complex.
Usability in the computer industry: what contribution can longitudinal field studies make?

The author examines field studies in general and longitudinal field studies in particular, their uses in technical communication and human-computer interaction, a plan for industry-university research partnerships, and the contribution that longitudinal field studies can make to usability research. It is concluded that longitudinal field studies make it possible to see the gross patterns of change in the way people use complex computer programs to do their work. Such studies make it possible to ask people similar questions about attitudes, satisfaction, and knowledge, and also to ask them far enough apart so that changes in those attitudes, satisfactions, and knowledge become visible. Longitudinal field studies anchor field studies in the idea of comparison and thus are in some ways easier to complete. Longitudinal field studies hold promise for unlocking long-term usability questions. >
Spectral analysis of the electromechanical response of an electroactive material by implementation of Fourier decomposition

Implementation of a discrete Fourier transform in conjunction with Devonshire phenomenology allows the electromechanical response of an electroactive material to be fully characterized. The main thrust of this examination is the incorporation of signal decomposition through Fourier analysis to quantify the electro-mechanical and aging properties. Fourier analysis is a well-used technique in the electrical engineering community; however, it has not been applied to materials. The application presented here allows a fresh look at some old phenomena. The spectral representation provides to the underlying physics of the response, i.e., odd harmonics only exist for acentric materials. The ability to create the harmonic spectrum also provides a new way to characterize the effects of aging by revealing subtle changes in the fundamental components that comprise the response. This study shows how Fourier analysis can be applied to a PMN-PT-BT composition to characterize and quantify its electromechanical properties.
An economic paradigm for query processing and data migration in Mariposa

Many new database applications require very large volumes of data. Mariposa is a database system under construction at Berkeley responding to this need. This system combines the best features of traditional distributed database systems, object-oriented DBMSs, tertiary memory file systems and distributed file systems. Mariposa objects can be stored over thousands of autonomous sites and on memory hierarchies with very large capacity. This scale of the system leads to complex query execution and storage management issues, unsolvable in practice with traditional techniques. We propose an economic paradigm as the solution. A query receives a budges which it spends to obtain the answers. Each site attempts to maximize income by buying and selling storage objects, and processing queries for locally stored objects. We present the protocols which underlie the Mariposa economy. >
Fatigue crack propagation in microcapsule-toughened epoxy

The addition of liquid-filled urea-formaldehyde (UF) microcapsules to an epoxy matrix leads to significant reduction in fatigue crack growth rate and corresponding increase in fatigue life. Mode-I fatigue crack propagation is measured using a tapered double-cantilever beam (TDCB) specimen for a range of microcapsule concentrations and sizes: 0, 5, 10, and 20% by weight and 50, 180, and 460 μm diameter. Cyclic crack growth in both the neat epoxy and epoxy filled with microcapsules obeys the Paris power law. Above a transition value of the applied stress intensity factor ΔKT, which corresponds to loading conditions where the size of the plastic zone approaches the size of the embedded microcapsules, the Paris law exponent decreases with increasing content of microcapsules, ranging from 9.7 for neat epoxy to approximately 4.5 for concentrations above 10 wt% microcapsules. Improved resistance to fatigue crack propagation, indicated by both the decreased crack growth rates and increased cyclic stress intensity for the onset of unstable fatigue-crack growth, is attributed to toughening mechanisms induced by the embedded microcapsules as well as crack shielding due to the release of fluid as the capsules are ruptured. In addition to increasing the inherent fatigue life of epoxy, embedded microcapsules filled with an appropriate healing agent provide a potential mechanism for self-healing of fatigue damage.
Current treatment strategies for epistaxis: a multidisciplinary approach

Epistaxis is a common clinical complaint with a spectrum of severity ranging from spontaneous cessation to unrelenting, life threatening hemorrhage requiring surgical treatment. Both otolaryngologic and neurointerventional techniques are discussed to provide a comprehensive paradigm to treat patients with epistaxis. An exhaustive review of the anatomic basis for the two main subtypes of epistaxis is provided as well as a graduated approach to appropriate clinical management.
Prenatal Cocaine Exposure: A Longitudinal Study of Developmenta.

The current study examines the effect of prenatal cocaine use on physical, cognitive, and behavioral development at birth, 1, 3, and 7 years, controlling for other factors that affect child development. Women who used cocaine during pregnancy were more likely to be single and to use alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco than were women who did not use cocaine. Prenatal cocaine use was associated with reduced gestational age, but not with birth weight, length, or head circumference. Neonatal neurobehavioral assessments were affected by prenatal cocaine exposure. Growth at 1 year was not affected by prenatal cocaine use. At 3 years, prenatal cocaine use was a significant predictor of head circumference and of the composite score on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (4th edition). Prenatal cocaine use was also associated with temperamental differences at 1 and 3 years and with behavior problems at 3 years. These findings represent a pattern of central nervous system effects, related to prenatal cocaine exposure, which is predicted by the teratologic model.
PURLOINED IDENTITY The Racial Metamorphosis of Tituba of Salem Village

In 1692 in the village of Salem, Massachusetts and its environs between the months of March and October, more than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and arrested. Of the con- victed, 19 were hanged, 1 was pressed to death under a plank over- laid with heavy stones, and 4 died in prison waiting to be sentenced. The catalyst for the panic in Massachusetts Bay Colony was Tituba Indian, a slave woman. Considering the primary role Tituba played in these events, official histories pay little attention to her. Indeed, the story of Tituba's life is not recorded in histories of the Salem witch trials. Those who assumed the authority to record these events found it completely acceptable to omit the biography of Tituba, Salem's first witness and confessor. The judicial record describes Tituba as "a slave originating from the West Indies and probably practicing 'hoodoo.' " From a modern standpoint, this description invites intense interrogation, but it prompted no further elaboration from 17th-century Puritan minds. By contrast, however, judicial records provide detailed documenta- tion of Tituba's bizarre testimony of night rides on a pole to and from Boston to participate in satanic ceremonies. Beyond her testi- mony, however, there is only silence, and if, as Breslaw (1996, p. 132) writes, "the magistrates interpreted the details of (Tituba's) confes - sion as proof that the diabolic presence had invaded their commu- nity," why were the motives of the principal witness unexamined? This omission reveals a great deal about Tituba's Puritan accusers. Puritan authorities banished Tituba from them and from conscious-
Using inert dusts to detect and assess varroa infestations in honey bee colonies

SUMMARYDetection and assessment of varroa infestations in honey bee colonies are important for successful beekeeping. We examined the use of inert dusts to dislodge mites from adult honey bees that were isolated from their nest. Six dusts (powdered sugar, fine sugar, wheat flour, talcum powder, corn starch and baking soda) were evaluated for their ability to dislodge mites from adult bees collected in jars. We obtained the highest recovery rate with powdered sugar (92.9 ± 5.5%) and talcum powder (84.0 ± 5.6%). We also examined mite survival after recovery with inert dusts and compared it to mite survival after recovery from brood. After 24 h mite survival was significantly greater when mites were recovered with corn starch, powdered sugar, and from brood (F = 22.88, d.f. = 6,35, P < 0.0001). Finally, ether and powdered sugar were compared as tools for detecting and assessing the degree of infestation. Powdered sugar did not differ from ether in detecting or assessing low (1–5 mites per sample) infestation...
Electrical breakdown strength of XLPE cables under combined AC-DC voltage

This paper presents data on electrical breakdown strength of 5 kV XLPE cable under AC voltages, DC voltages, and superimposed AC upon DC voltages. In the latter case, the ratio of the AC to DC voltage components (p=Vac/Vdc) was varied between the limits of 0.04<p<10. Based on past research, the results obtained under combined AC plus DC voltage should follow an expression which relates the breakdown voltage to the sum of the arctangent and arccotangent function of the parameter "p".
Informative dialect recognition using context-dependent pronunciation modeling

We propose an informative dialect recognition system that learns phonetic transformation rules, and uses them to identify dialects. A hidden Markov model is used to align reference phones with dialect-specific pronunciations to characterize when and how often substitutions, insertions, and deletions occur. Decision tree clustering is used to find context-dependent phonetic rules. We ran recognition tasks on 4 Arabic dialects. Not only do the proposed systems perform well on their own, but when fused with baselines they improve performance by 21–36% relative. In addition, our proposed decision-tree system beats the baseline monophone system in recovering phonetic rules by 21% relative. Pronunciation rules learned by our proposed system quantify the occurrence frequency of known rules, and suggest rule candidates for further linguistic studies.
High T/sub c/ superconducting frequency selective surfaces and their theoretical computer modeling

The authors report the results of measurements of quasi-optical millimeter-wave bandpass filters (frequency selective surface structure) fabricated using YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ high-T/sub c/ superconductor thin films. The W-band (75-110 GHz) filter consisted of asymmetric two-dimensional cross arrays. Transmitted power through the filter was investigated as a function of both temperature and frequency. At 15 K and 92 GHz, a factor-of-2 improvement in the superconducting filter Q-factor was observed compared to a gold filter of identical design. More than an order-of-magnitude improvement in Q-factor is expected at lower frequencies (X-band) due to the frequency-squared dependence of the superconductor surface resistance versus that of a normal metal which has a frequency-to-the-one-half dependence. In addition, theoretical computer modeling of the superconducting frequency selective surface structure is discussed. >
Multiweight optimization in OBE algorithms for improved tracking and adaptive identification

Optimal bounding ellipsoid (OBE) algorithms offer an attractive alternative to traditional least squares methods for identifying linear-in-parameters signal and system models due to their low computational efficiency, superior tracking ability, and selective updating that permits processor sharing among tasks. These benefits are further enhanced by multiweight optimization (MWO) which yields improved per-point parameter convergence. This paper introduces the MWO process and describes advances in its implementation including the incorporation of a forgetting factor for improved tracking, a new method for efficient weight computation, and extensions to volume-minimizing OBE algorithms. Simulation studies illustrate the results.
Automatically designed 3D environments for intuitive exploration

While popular as a visual interface, current interactive 3D environments are often painstakingly created by hand. The paper proposes interactive 3D environments that are automatically designed on-the-fly based on various design rules, thereby separating layout and content. The resulting environments are compelling, customizable, and intuitive for information exploration. The interface also serves as an integrated framework for different types of rich media. The complete system for designing, constructing, and rendering the environments in real lime is discussed and shown to have implications in a variety of applications, including e-commerce.
Flexible Coherence: Re-Thinking e-Learning Design Principles for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students

This article presents the results from a post-test only experiment conducted in 2011 with undergraduate and graduate students (N=67) from individualist and collectivist cultures. Demographic information was collected through questions appearing at the end of a post-test administered to subjects after completing the e-learning module. Each person was randomly assigned to one of three e-learning modules which all shared identical instructional content: time travel. However, the modules differed in design. Specifically, while the control module was designed according to the coherence principle, one experimental module was designed with non-essential background music and the other was designed with non-essential background images. The coherence principle of multimedia instruction stipulates that the addition of extraneous audio, images, or text impairs learning. Nevertheless, one normative standard of multimedia design does not apply to a group of culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Among the findings from this study, a flexible coherence principle is proposed and it suggests that the multimedia designer must consider one’s own cultural and linguistic composition as well as that of the intended audience. A concluding discussion suggests that cultural variation may be related to cognitive variation.
New opportunities and challenges for clinical application of mIBG imaging.

Myocardial meta -iodobenzylguanidine iodine-123 (123I- m IBG) imaging has been shown to provide prognostic information on patients with chronic heart failure (HF) and a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFREF), in patients with HF and a normal left ventricular ejection fraction (HFNEF), in
Closure of the patent foramen ovale: because we can, should we? And in whom?

In this issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions , Inglessis et al. [(1)][1] report clinical outcomes for 800 consecutive patients undergoing closure of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) at 1 major referral center, using a variety of closure devices. The overwhelming majority of patients (94%) were
Grandparents and Accessory Dwelling Units: Preserving Intimacy and Independence

Cities around the United States (and, to varying degrees, in Canada, Britain, and Australia), today confront a problem that people did not envision twenty or even ten years ago, when municipalities heavily favored single-family residences, and were permitted to exclude other forms under what is known as Euclidean zoning. Currently, the issue of whether to allow owners in single family-zoned neighborhoods to build living spaces that might house elderly relatives or their caregivers is being hotly contested in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and made recent news in Ft. Worth, Texas, and Arlington, Virginia. Legislative responses have varied from wholesale acceptance, including subsidies, loans, and waiving of permit fees; to outright prohibition.While other ongoing work asks the question of why the issue has become contested, why we see the wide variety of responses (even in a single state), and what interest groups are behind proponents and opponents, this paper considers the family connection with alternative dwelling units (ADUs). Does living near to but not with their children solve a particular problem for many elderly citizens, or does living in this form of housing reduce their well-being? Even assuming grandparents are better off, what about their children and grandchildren?
Vaccine-Induced Immunogenicity and Protection Against Pneumocystis Pneumonia in a Nonhuman Primate Model of HIV and Pneumocystis Coinfection

Background. The ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen Pneumocystis jirovecii causes pneumonia in immunocompromised individuals, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected individuals, and pulmonary colonization with P. jirovecii is believed to be a cofactor in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There is no vaccine for P. jirovecii; however, most adults are seropositive, indicating natural immune priming to this pathogen. We have shown that humoral response to a recombinant subunit of the P. jirovecii protease kexin (KEX1) correlates with protection from P. jirovecii colonization and pneumonia. Methods. Here we evaluated the immunogenicity and protective capacity of the recombinant KEX1 peptide vaccine in a preclinical, nonhuman primate model of HIV-induced immunosuppression and Pneumocystis coinfection. Results. Immunization with KEX1 induced a robust humoral response remained at protective levels despite chronic simian immunodeficiency virus/HIV–induced immunosuppression. KEX1-immunized macaques were protected from Pneumocystis pneumonia, compared with mock-immunized animals (P = .047), following immunosuppression and subsequent natural, airborne exposure to Pneumocystis. Conclusions. These data support the concept that stimulation of preexisting immunological memory to Pneumocystis with a recombinant KEX1 vaccine prior to immunosuppression induces durable memory responses and protection in the context of chronic, complex immunosuppression.
Multiple Pregnancies Among Adolescents: Incidence and Correlates

The study of adolescent fertility traditionally has focused on understanding and predicting the occurrence of an initial adolescent pregnancy. The complex problem of multiple pregnancies among teenagers is explored. Current knowledge regarding the incidence and correlates of repeated pregnancy is summarized and reviewed. Intervention strategies and directions for further research are suggested.
Changes in right ventricular function in neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome before and after the hybrid procedure.

Aims Decreased right ventricular function via deformation analysis has been noted in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) after the Norwood procedure. No data exist in HLHS patients undergoing the hybrid procedure. The goal of this study was to evaluate right ventricular functional changes in HLHS patients undergoing the hybrid procedure under steady-state conditions. Methods and results Echocardiograms were prospectively obtained on patients with HLHS before and after the hybrid procedure. Fractional area change, tricuspid inflow velocities, tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), and deformation analysis were performed. Paired Wilcoxon's signed rank or Student's t -test was used for analysis. P < 0.05 was considered significant. Twenty HLHS patients were studied (10 males:10 females). Median age at the pre-hybrid echocardiogram was 3 (1–16) days, age at hybrid procedure was 5 (3–17) days, and age at post-hybrid echocardiogram was 10 (6–34). There were significant decreases in systolic function as measured by TDI and deformation analysis. There was no significant change in right ventricular fractional area change. Diastolic function was also noted to significantly decrease after the hybrid procedure. Conclusion Systolic and diastolic functions decreased after the hybrid procedure despite the fact that patients avoided cardiopulmonary bypass. These results are comparable with previous reports in HLHS patients undergoing the Norwood procedure. Further studies are needed to determine if these echocardiographic changes have prognostic significance.
ADAPTIVE CHANGES IN ANTIPREDATOR BEHAVIOR OF A GRASSHOPPER DURING DEVELOPMENT.

Insects often undergo major physiological, morphological, habitat, and behavioral changes as they mature. For many insects, developing individuals may experience a series of different selective regimes. For obvious reasons, predation risk is likely to change with the age of prey. One set of evolutionary consequences of predation, counter-adaptation by the prey (Smith, 1974), may take different forms in response to differing predation pressures. This report focuses on systematic changes in the predator avoidance tactics of a South American bush-dwelling grasshopper during its ontogeny.
Protein Evaluation of Two Species of Cucurbita Seeds

SummaryAn experiment was conducted with weanling mice to evaluate the protein quality of two samples of gourd seeds (Cucurbita digitata gray and C. foetidissima HBK). These materials were compared with whole egg protein. The gourd seeds were fed after fat extraction and after autoclaving (30 min at 120°) in addition to the feeding of the untreated ground material. Amino acid analyses showed that the C. digitata seeds were deficient in phenylalanine plus tyrosine, methionine, and threonine; while, the C. foetidissima seeds were deficient in methionine and threonine. Nitrogen retention data, liver transaminase activities and amino acid retention estimates all indicated that C. foetidissima seeds were superior to C. digitata in protein quality and that C. foetidissima seeds could be improved by autoclaving but was still of lower protein quality than whole egg.
Solving the Leveraged ETF Compounding Problem

It is well established that holding leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) over an extended period of time generally results in returns substantially less than the daily multiple might imply. This is due to the compounding problem caused by the volatility of returns. However, in periods of low volatility, the compounding issue can actually work for investors. The trick is avoiding leveraged funds during periods of high volatility. Using the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) as a forecasting tool for expected future volatility, this study shows that in the past 20 years, judiciously investing in bullish leveraged ETFs over longer time frames can actually lead to magnified returns greater than the daily leverage implies and increases, the return–risk trade-off as measured by standard Sharpe ratios.
Amicrobial pustulosis of the folds.

Amicrobial pustulosis of the folds (APF) is a rare, chronic, relapsing cutaneous disease seen almost exclusively in young women with a history of autoimmune disease, most commonly systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or who simply have circulating autoantibodies1,2,3. APF is characterized by recurrent crops of pustules primarily in the skin folds and periorificial regions that eventually coalesce …
Integration Method for Communication Power Source Monitoring Module in Substation Video and Environment Monitoring System

Substation video and environment monitoring system is not usually covering monitoring for communication power source which may cause inconvenience in integration monitoring for environmental information in substation.Therefore,a kind of method for integrating communication power source monitoring module by means of station end processing unit was proposed which was to integrate communication power source monitoring module into substation video and environment monitoring system by station end processing unit.This method used an active push way for communication power source monitoring data which greatly reduce fault discovery time.This realization way was widely applied in Guangdong power grid which realized monitoring for communication power source in substation and acquired good application effectiveness.
A Century of Progress Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–12, 1914–2014

The history of research on interventions for struggling readers in Grades 4 through 12 dates back to 19th-century case studies of seemingly intelligent children who were unable to learn to read. Physicians, psychologists, educators, and others were determined to help them. In the process, they launched a century of research on a wide variety of approaches to reading intervention. As shown in this systematic narrative review, much has changed over time in the conceptualization of reading interventions and the methods used to determine their efficacy in improving outcomes for struggling readers. Building on the knowledge gathered over the past 100 years, researchers and practitioners are well-poised to continue to make progress in developing and testing reading interventions over the next 100 years.
I Quit! The Process of Announcing Voluntary Organizational Exit

The exit phase of assimilation is broken down into three sub-processes: preannouncement, announcement/actual exit, and the post-exit period (Jablin, 2001). This article seeks to better understand how individuals make exit announcements. The findings suggest that announcing exit itself is a phased process which links the exit phases Jablin described. Though the formal announcement may be the most prominent, it isn’t necessarily the first or most important.
Contraceptive failure in the first two years of use: differences across socioeconomic subgroups

Context While differences in levels of contraceptive use across socioeconomic subgroups of women have narrowed greatly over time, large disparities remain in rates of unintended pregnancy. One reason is variations in the effectiveness with which women and their partners use contraceptive methods. Methods Data on contraceptive use and accidental pregnancy from the 1988 and 1995 National Surveys of Family Growth were corrected for abortion underreporting and pooled for analysis. Use-failure rates were estimated for reversible methods during the first year, second year and first two years of use, for subgroups of women of various characteristics. Results The average failure rate for all reversible methods, adjusted for abortion underreporting, declines from 13% to 8% from the first year of method use to the second year. First-year failure rates are highest among women using spermicides, withdrawal and periodic abstinence (on average, 23-28% in the first year), and lowest for women relying on long-acting methods and oral contraceptives (4-8%). On average, they exceed 10% for all users except women aged 30-44, married women and women in the highest poverty-status category. The chance of accidental pregnancy does not differ significantly between method users younger than 18 and those aged 18-19. Conclusion Both user and method characteristics determine whether contraceptive users will be able to avoid unintended pregnancy. Family planning providers should help clients to identify methods that they are most likely to use successfully, and counsel them on how to be consistent users and to avoid behaviors that contribute to method failure.
Diagnosing and Treating Patients with Suspected Influenza

During the winter months, influenza is one of the most common illnesses among patients of primary care physicians, with as many as one in five adults infected each year.
Snap-SPARQL: A Java Framework for Working with SPARQL and OWL

We present Snap-SPARQL, which is a Java framework for working with SPARQL and OWL. The framework includes a parser, axiom template API, SPARQL algebra implementation, and graphical user interface components for reading, processing and executing SPARQL queries under the SPARQL 1.1 OWL Entailment Regime. While the framework was originally designed to support the implementation of a SPARQL teaching aid in the form of a Protege plugin, we believe that it is more generally useful and may be of interest to developers and researchers working on SPARQL 1.1 OWL entailment regime implementations and optimisations. The framework is open source and pluggable.
Robust, unconscious self-deception: Strategic and flexible

AbstractIn recent years deflationary accounts of self-deception, under the banner of motivationalism, have proven popular. On these views the deception at work is simply a motivated bias. In contrast, we argue for an account of self-deception that involves more robustly deceptive unconscious processes. These processes are strategic, flexible, and demand some retention of the truth. We offer substantial empirical support for unconscious deceptive processes that run counter to certain philosophical and psychological claims that the unconscious is rigid, ballistic, and of limited cognitive sophistication.
Urban Agriculture as a Resiliency Strategy

In the broad sphere of urban agriculture, which can range from green walls and rooftop gardens to community gardens and backyard vegetable plots, people may be motivated by the desire to avoid pesticides, reduce air-miles, increase food security, promote food sovereignty, or by the simple joy of digging in the dirt and growing their own food plants. Here, however, I consider the role of urban agriculture as a resiliency strategy and ponder a future scenario in which our existing food systems fail to function and urban agriculture is needed as part of a strategy to produce not just the microgreens that metropolitan foodies want but the staples that urban citizens need.