cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spatial patterns of precipitation quantity and chemistry and air temperature in the Adirondack region of New York

Regional assessments are critical to evaluate resources at riskfrom disturbances, such as acidic deposition, which occur in large spatial extent. It is imperative to accurately quantify atmospheric deposition to the regions like the AdirondackMountains of New Yorkwhere soils and surface waters are highly sensitive to inputs of strong acids. Spatial patterns in precipitation quantity and concentrations of major ions in precipitation in the Adirondackregion were estimated based on the locations of monitoring sites using the data from 1988 to 1999. Mean monthly minimum and maximum daily air temperatures were also predicted to characterize site conditions. The trends in precipitation quantity, temperature, and most ion concentrations during the period examined were not significant or minimally significant, suggesting that the mean values over the period could be used for the regression models to describe spatial patterns. The spatial variations in the mean annual and monthly precipitation amounts, monthly mean minimum and maximum daily temperatures, and annual and quarterly sulfate and nitrate concentrations were generally explained by the regression models. Comparisons with the regression models of Ollinger et al. (US Ecological Applications 3(3) (1993) 459; US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Radnor, PA., 1995, 30p.) for the northeastern US suggest local variations in climate variables for the smaller Adirondackregion. Further, precipitation quantity, minimum and maximum temperatures, and concentrations and deposition of ions in precipitation were predicted for the entire Adirondackregion, using digital elevation models among others. Precipitation quantity and the sulfate and nitrate concentrations generally increased from the northeast to the southwest. Precipitation quantity and sulfate concentrations also generally increased with elevation. Minimum and maximum temperatures decreased from the southeast to the northwest and with elevation. r 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Numerical Simulation of Liquid Nitrogen Chilldown of a Vertical Tube

This paper presents the results of a one-dimensional numerical simulation of the transient chilldown of a vertical stainless steel tube with liquid nitrogen. The direction of flow is downward (with gravity) through the tube. Heat transfer correlations for film, transition, and nucleate boiling, as well as critical heat flux, rewetting temperature, and the temperature at the onset of nucleate boiling were used to model the convection to the tube wall. Chilldown curves from the simulations were compared with data from 55 recent liquid nitrogen chilldown experiments. With these new correlations the simulation is able to predict the time to rewetting temperature and time to onset of nucleate boiling to within 25% for mass fluxes ranging from 61.2 to 1150 kg/(sq m s), inlet pressures from 175 to 817 kPa, and subcooled inlet temperatures from 0 to 14 K below the saturation temperature.
miR-208a as a Biomarker of Isoproterenol-induced Cardiac Injury in Sod2+/− and C57BL/6J Wild-type Mice:

This investigation examined microRNA-208a (miR-208a) as a potential biomarker of isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cardiac injury in superoxide dismutase-2 (Sod2(+/-) ) and the wild-type mice, and the potential sensitivity of Sod2(+/-) mice to ISO-induced toxicity. A single intraperitoneal injection of ISO was administered to age-matched wild-type and Sod2(+/-) mice at 0, 80, or 160 mg/kg. Plasma miR-208a, cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and ISO systemic exposure were measured at various time points postdose. Hearts were collected for histopathology examination and for tissue expression of miR-208a and myosin heavy chain 7. ISO administration caused increases in cTnI and miR-208a plasma levels that correlated with myocardial damage; however, the magnitude of increase differed according to the types of mice. At similar ISO systemic exposure, the magnitude of cTnI was greater in wild-type mice compared to Sod2(+/) (-) mice; however, the magnitude of miR-208a was greater in Sod2(+/-) mice than that of the wild-type mice. Myocardial degeneration occurred at ≥3 hr in the wild-type and ≥6 hr in Sod2(+/) (-) mice. At ≥24 hr after ISO administration, miR-208a appeared superior to cTnI in indicating myocardial injury in both wild-type and Sod2(+/-) mice. Sod2(+/-) mice were not more sensitive than wild-type mice to ISO-induced toxicity.
Infection and Inflammation of the Musculoskeletal System

Some infectious musculoskeletal disorders, including pyogenic osteomyelitis and septic arthritis, are acute processes for which early diagnosis and prompt treatment are critical, while others, such as tuberculous arthritis, are more insidious. Inflammatory arthritis and chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis are sterile inflammatory disorders with multiple joint and bone involvement. Other types of inflammatory arthritis may be associated with underlying disease, such as hemophilic arthropathy and neuropathic arthritis. Miscellaneous joint disorders, including pigmented villonodular synovitis, synovial osteochondromatosis, lipoma arborescens, leukemic arthritis, and synovial vascular malformation, are rare in children but can present with joint pain mimicking inflammatory arthritis. Imaging plays an important role in evaluation of all of these disorders. Plain radiographs are the first step in initial evaluation. Ultrasound exam is useful for evaluation of joint effusion and soft tissue abnormalities. MR imaging offers superior tissue contrast and often requires sedation.
Contemporary Revision Penile Prosthesis Surgery Is Not Associated with a High Risk of Implant Colonization or Infection: A Single-Surgeon Series

ABSTRACT Introduction Revision penile prosthesis surgery has traditionally been associated with a greater risk of postoperative infection than primary implant placement. This has been attributed to the high prevalence of asymptomatic bacteria found surrounding the implant at the time of revision surgery. Aim To validate whether contemporary revision surgery remains associated with a high risk of asymptomatic colonization and postoperative infection. Methods A comprehensive, prospective database consisting of consecutive patients undergoing primary and revision penile prosthesis surgery at our center was analyzed. Main Outcome Measures The infection risk in primary and revision implant surgery was compared. The prevalence of asymptomatic implant colonization during revision surgery, and whether this was associated with clinical infection was evaluated. The spectrum of bacterial species causing infection in this contemporary single-surgeon series was described. Results One hundred seventeen primary and 72 revision implant recipients were studied. Infection developed in four (3.4%) patients undergoing primary implants, two (4.3%) patients undergoing removal and replacement for mechanical malfunction, and three (12%) patients undergoing rerouting for extrusion ( P = 0.26). Intraoperative cultures were positive in 5 (9.8%) of 51 revision patients, none of whom developed infections. Organisms causing infection included Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacter aerogenes . Unexpectedly, an adjuvant, alcohol-based skin prep in our last 83 patients reduced the infection risk to 1.2%. Conclusions In our series, the infection risk associated with revision of malfunctioning devices was no greater than primary implant placement. Rerouting was associated with a higher infection risk, likely due to technical factors, and not implant colonization. Less than 10% of our revision implants were colonized, and this had no bearing on the development of a postoperative infection. S. epidermidis was not the most common organism implicated in device infections. Finally, our experience with an adjuvant, alcohol-based skin prep warrants further randomized prospective evaluation. Kava BR, Kanagarajah P, and Ayyathurai R. Contemporary revision penile prosthesis surgery is not associated with a high risk of implant colonization or infection: A single-surgeon series.
Software reuse methods to improve technological infrastructure for e-Science

Social computing has the potential to contribute to scientific research. Ongoing developments in information and communications technology improve capabilities for enabling scientific research, including research fostered by social computing capabilities. The recent emergence of e-Science practices has demonstrated the benefits from improvements in the technological infrastructure, or cyberinfrastructure, that has been developed to support science. Cloud computing is one example of this e-Science trend. Our own work in the area of software reuse offers methods that can be used to improve new technological development, including cloud computing capabilities, to support scientific research practices. In this paper, we focus on software reuse and its potential to contribute to the development and evaluation of information systems and related services designed to support new capabilities for conducting scientific research.
Vaginal birth after cesarean and trial of labor after cesarean: What should we be recommending relative to maternal risk:benefit?

Trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) delivery is currently a hot obstetrical topic owing to the acute rise in the rate of cesarean deliveries, both primary and repeat. When the physician and patient are considering TOLAC, several factors should be considered: risk of uterine rupture, contraindications, minimizing risk and morbidity, choosing the appropriate candidate and whether or not to induce. Each patient has her own set of individual risk factors that may decrease her chance of successful vaginal birth after cesarean delivery or increase her risks with TOLAC. Once all things are considered, the risk:benefit of TOLAC should be weighed up before a decision is reached. Each of these factors is discussed in respect to maternal risk:benefit, with the focus on evidence presented in the current literature.
Work in progress - utilizing projects and innovative demonstrations in student recruitment

The School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Oklahoma (OU) is currently experiencing a decline in new enrollments that is similar to the national trends for engineering disciplines. In an effort to increase the interest in ECE and engineering in general, outreach activities focused on advanced technologies and innovative demonstrations are being deployed. These recruiting techniques are modeled from successful programs such as Botball and FIRST Robotics that have approximately 200,000 combined student participants. Demonstrations that showcase advanced technologies have been performed at over twenty k-12 outreach events over the last year. This paper discusses this recruiting technique and the expected impact on future engineering enrollment.
A GLIDING HUMP PROPERTY AND BANACH-MACKEY SPACES

We consider the Banach–Mackey property for pairs of vector spaces E and E0 which are in duality. Let A be an algebra of sets and assume that P is an additive map from A into the projection operators on E. We define a continuous gliding hump property for the map P and show that pairs with this gliding hump property and another measure theoretic property are Banach-Mackey pairs, i. e., weakly bounded subsets of E are strongly bounded. Examples of vector valued function spaces, such as the space of Pettis integrable functions, which satisfy these conditions are given.
TEM Structure Characterization of Ti/Al and Ti/Al/Ni/Au Ohmic Contacts for n-GaN

Transmission electron microscopy has been applied to characterize the structure of Ti/Al and Ti/AI/Ni/Au ohmic contacts on n-type GaN (~1017 cm−3) epitaxial layers. A thin polycrystalline cubic TiN layer epitaxially matched to the (0001) GaN surface was detected at the interface with the GaN substrate. This layer was studied in detail by electron diffraction and high resolution electron microscopy. The orientation relationship between the cubic TiN and the GaN was found to be: {111}TiN//{00.1}GaN, [110]TiN//[11.0]GaN, [112]TiN//[10.0]GaN. The formation of this cubic TiN layer results in an excess of N vacancies in the GaN close to the interface which is considered to be the reason for the low resistance of the contact.
Bending loss evaluation of single-mode fibres with arbitrary core index profile by far-field pattern

An evaluation of the bending loss of single-mode fibers based on the measured mode field is described. The field decay constant and the normalized field intensity in the cladding are determined. Experimental results verified the validity of this method. Its accuracy is determined by the accuracy of field measurement. The mode field is calculated from the far-field distribution measured with finite dynamic range of more than 50 dB. Far-field measurement with finite dynamic range limits the accuracy of field evaluation. Dispersion shifted fibers are easier for evaluation because of the wider far-field distribution. Bending loss and mode field diameter can be measured simultaneously, and the method is applicable to any single-mode fibers with a matched clad structure. A microbending loss formula is also determined by the decay constant and the normalized field intensity in the cladding as well as uniform bending loss. >
Human Dendritic Cells Are Activated by Chimeric Human Papillomavirus Type-16 Virus-Like Particles and Induce Epitope-Specific Human T Cell Responses In Vitro

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-derived chimeric virus-like particles (VLPs) are the leading candidate vaccine for the treatment or prevention of cervical cancer in humans. Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent inducers of immune responses and here we show for the first time evidence for binding of chimeric HPV-16 VLPs to human peripheral blood-derived DCS: Incubation of immature human DCs with VLPs for 48 h induced a significant up-regulation of the CD80 and CD83 molecules as well as secretion of IL-12. Confocal microscopy analysis revealed that cell surface-bound chimeric VLPs were taken up by DCS: Moreover, DCs loaded with chimeric HPV-16 L1L2-E7 VLPs induced an HLA-*0201-restricted human T cell response in vitro specific for E7-derived peptides. These results clearly demonstrate that immature human DCs are fully activated by chimeric HPV-16 VLPs and subsequently are capable of inducing endogenously processed epitope-specific human T cell responses in vitro. Overall, these findings could explain the high immunogenicity and efficiency of VLPs as vaccines.
Genetic Transformation of Streptococcus mutans

Three strains of Streptococcus mutans belonging to serotypes a, c, and f were transformed to streptomycin resistance by deoxyribonucleic acids derived from homologous and heterologous streptomycin-resistant strains of S. mutans and Streptococcus sanguis strain Challis. Homologous transformation of S. mutans was less efficient than heterologous transformation by deoxyribonucleic acids from other strains of S. mutans.
Suboptimal decision criteria are predicted by subjectively weighted probabilities and rewards

Subjects performed a visual detection task in which the probability of target occurrence at each of the two possible locations, and the rewards for correct responses for each, were varied across conditions. To maximize monetary gain, observers should bias their responses, choosing one location more often than the other in line with the varied probabilities and rewards. Typically, and in our task, observers do not bias their responses to the extent they should, and instead distribute their responses more evenly across locations, a phenomenon referred to as ‘conservatism.’ We investigated several hypotheses regarding the source of the conservatism. We measured utility and probability weighting functions under Prospect Theory for each subject in an independent economic choice task and used the weighting-function parameters to calculate each subject’s subjective utility (SU(c)) as a function of the criterion c, and the corresponding weighted optimal criteria (wc opt ). Subjects’ criteria were not close to optimal relative to wc opt . The slope of SU(c) and of expected gain EG(c) at the neutral criterion corresponding to β = 1 were both predictive of the subjects’ criteria. The slope of SU(c) was a better predictor of observers’ decision criteria overall. Thus, rather than behaving optimally, subjects move their criterion away from the neutral criterion by estimating how much they stand to gain by such a change based on the slope of subjective gain as a function of criterion, using inherently distorted probabilities and values.
Characterization of the Fecal Microbiota Using High-Throughput Sequencing Reveals a Stable Microbial Community during Storage

The handling and treatment of biological samples is critical when characterizing the composition of the intestinal microbiota between different ecological niches or diseases. Specifically, exposure of fecal samples to room temperature or long term storage in deep freezing conditions may alter the composition of the microbiota. Thus, we stored fecal samples at room temperature and monitored the stability of the microbiota over twenty four hours. We also investigated the stability of the microbiota in fecal samples during a six month storage period at −80°C. As the stability of the fecal microbiota may be affected by intestinal disease, we analyzed two healthy controls and two patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We used high-throughput pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to characterize the microbiota in fecal samples stored at room temperature or −80°C at six and seven time points, respectively. The composition of microbial communities in IBS patients and healthy controls were determined and compared using the Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology (QIIME) pipeline. The composition of the microbiota in fecal samples stored for different lengths of time at room temperature or −80°C clustered strongly based on the host each sample originated from. Our data demonstrates that fecal samples exposed to room or deep freezing temperatures for up to twenty four hours and six months, respectively, exhibit a microbial composition and diversity that shares more identity with its host of origin than any other sample.
Evaluation Issues and Strategies for Community-Based Organizations Developing Women's HIV Prevention Programs

This article discusses issues and strategies for program evaluation particularly useful for community-based organizations (CBOs) involved in the development and implementation of HIV preventing programs for women. The approach the authors present is an extension of a traditional public health paradigm suggested for use in the development and evaluation of violence prevention programs. This study incorporates Becker's Health Belief Model, which provides a framework for viewing the influence of various psychosocial variables on health-related behavior, into this development and evaluation paradigm. Factors influencing the successful development and evaluation of HIV prevention programs for women are reviewed and discussed. The purpose of this article is to provide some guidance to CBOs to strengthen their evaluation strategies and to encourage their use of evaluation during all phases of program development and implementation.
THE EFFECT OF ULTRA‐HIGH TEMPERATURE MILK PROCESSING ON YOGURT TEXTURE1

Skim milk fortified with 3.0% nonfat dry milk, heated by a conventional process (82C 20 min) and by ultra-high-temperature (UHT) processes (138C for 3 or 6 s), was inoculated with 0.5% each of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus and incubated at 40C. The yogurt systems were stored at4C and were evaluated for texture by stirred viscosity (consistency), by Instron penetration (penetration force, flow coefficient) and by sensory evaluation. Trends for penetration force, flow coefficient, and consistency were significantly correlated. Conventional yogurt had higher firmness and viscosity data but also had more syneresis than did UHT yogurt. Increased holding time in UHT processing significantly (p<0.05) increased yogurt firmness and consistency.
2007 Annual progress report synopsis of the Center for Structures of Membrane Proteins

A synopsis of the 2007 annual progress report for the Center for Structures of Membrane Proteins, a specialized center of the Protein Structure Initiative.
Searching for Comparative International Water Research: Urban and Rural Water Conservation Research in India and the United States

Comparison is common in water management research: every table, map, and graph invites comparisons of different places and variables. Detailed international comparisons, however, seem infrequent in water resources research. To assess this perceived gap, this paper searched for examples of comparative research between two water sub-sectors in two countries using systematic bibliographic mapping procedures. It focused on rural and urban water conservation research in India and the United States. Search methods built upon procedures initially developed for the FAO Investment Centre and more advanced systematic review methods. The search generally confirmed that there have been few detailed comparative international studies on the subject of this review. Not surprisingly, there are a greater number of comparative studies between rural and urban water conservation within each country. The search also identified different conservation emphases in the two countries, e.g., rainwater harvesting in India compared with stormwater quality management in the United States. It identified unanticipated publications and lines of comparative water conservation (e.g. comparative physiology). Some transnational research goes beyond comparison to address the diffusion of innovations, i.e. research linkages as well as comparisons, although these studies are also few. The more prevalent pattern involves parallel literatures, which indicate substantial opportunities for future comparative and transnational research. This review also identified diffusion of international knowledge paths that are not the product of formal comparative research. The final section focuses on the prospects and priorities for future international and intersectoral research, e.g. paired multi-objective river basin research, linkages between climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, diffusion of water conservation innovations, and synthesis of research on urban and rural rainwater harvesting in different countries.
Airborne megawatt class free-electron laser for defense and security

An airborne megawatt (MW) average power Free-Electron Laser (FEL) is now a possibility. In the process of shrinking the FEL parameters to fit on ship, a surprisingly lightweight and compact design has been achieved. There are multiple motivations for using a FEL for a high-power airborne system for Defense and Security: Diverse mission requirements can be met by a single system. The MW of light can be made available with any time structure for time periods from microseconds to hours, i.e. there is a nearly unlimited magazine. The wavelength of the light can be chosen to be from the far infrared (IR) to the near ultraviolet (UV) thereby best meeting mission requirements. The FEL light can be modulated for detecting the same pattern in the small fraction of light reflected from the target resulting in greatly enhanced targeting control. The entire MW class FEL including all of its subsystems can be carried by large commercial size airplanes or on an airship. Adequate electrical power can be generated on the plane or airship to run the FEL as long as the plane or airship has fuel to fly. The light from the FEL will work well with relay mirror systems. The required R&D to achieve the MW level is well understood. The coupling of the capabilities of an airborne FEL to diverse mission requirements provides unique opportunities.
The Prevalence of Women in Academic Leadership Positions, and Potential Impact on Prevalence of Women in the Professorial Ranks

The focus of this study is on women in senior academic leadership positions, exploring the proposition that a higher proportion of women in such strategic positions can facilitate institutional change and improve recruitment, retention, and advancement of women within the professorial ranks. This proposition is consistent with existing literature explaining women’s stalled momentum in terms of the gendered institutional environment which creates an unequal playing field through organizational work policies, interpersonal networks, and embedded attitudes favoring the advancement of men. More women in strategic leadership positions provides greater understanding of pragmatic work policy obstacles, enhanced networking possibilities, and demonstration of a shifting organizational culture—all which can facilitate more equal participation of women within the academy. The study examines data on the proportion of women in senior academic leadership positions in doctoral granting institutions in the US. The findings provide useful descriptive statistics reporting the prevalence of women in such strategic leadership positions and the associated impact on prevalence of women in the various professorial ranks. Variation in findings due to organizational size, land-grant status, ADVANCE funding, and public/private ownership are also reported. Results suggest potentially promising levers for change to speed the progress of women faculty in our academic institutions.
Optimizing Enrollment of Patients into Nephrology Research Studies

Advances in medical care and biomedical research depend on the participation of human subjects. Poor patient enrollment in research has limited past clinical and translational research endeavors in nephrology. Simultaneously, patients and their caregivers are seeking better diagnostic, monitoring, and therapeutic approaches to improve or restore kidney and overall health. This manuscript will discuss a framework and strategies to optimize patient enrollment within nephrology research and provide examples of success from existing nephrology research programs.
Generous to a Fault? Fair Shares and Charitable Giving (formerly titled 'Why Limit Charity?')

Charities play a vital role in our society. In addition to enhancing pluralism, they meet many societal needs more efficiently, more creatively, and more effectively than government alone. Charities aid our poor, teach our youth, improve our health, comfort us spiritually, and enrich our cultural life. Given the charitable sectors importance and value, it is not surprising that the tax Code encourages philanthropy by allowing a deduction for charitable gifts. What is surprising is that it treats the most generous among us less favorably than those of average generosity. This mismatch stems from one of the most puzzling limits in the Code: the cap preventing an individual from claiming a charitable deduction greater than 50% of her income, even if she gives more than half her income to charity. As a result, someone who is generous enough to donate all her income to charity must still pay income tax. Why limit generosity? Current literature exploring this question is scarce and shallow. The theoretical questions whether an individual who gives all her income to charity should also pay some income tax or whether the Codes current limits are an appropriate means of implementing that principle lack satisfactory answers. Only one explanation  that precluding individuals from deducting large charitable gifts serves as a crude alternative minimum tax ensuring that everyone above a certain economic income pays some tax  has gained any support at all. That explanation is insufficient. It does not answer the question of why an individual who keeps no income for herself and instead donates it all to a cause deemed worthy enough to merit a charitable deduction  such as feeding the poor, supporting educational institutions, or funding the arts  should still pay some tax. This Article begins to answer the question 'Why limit generosity?' by arguing that under the economic subsidy theory for the charitable deduction, internal constraints on the legislative process explain and justify a percentage-of-income limit. This Articles argument proceeds directly from the literature conceptualizing the charitable deduction as a way of overcoming market and government failure for various public goods by spurring non-profits to produce them. It suggests that limiting the charitable deduction to some portion of ones income reflects a bargain between individuals whose preferred public goods are fully funded by the government and those whose projects are only partially subsidized. This bargain is necessary to reconcile the private provision of public goods via charitable giving with our democratic legislative process.
Tailoring inductor and capacitor circuit models to frequency-domain measurements

Algorithms and techniques are presented to tailor the values of circuit elements in fixed-topology circuit models to match data measured from physical inductors and capacitors. Measurements from several types of capacitors and inductors are used to illustrate the results as applied to models of differing complexity.
Treatment of chemotherapy-induced breakthrough nauea and vomiting

e20536 Background: Patients may experience breakthrough nausea and vomiting (BNV) despite adequate prophylaxis for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). BNV presents a difficult situation as treatment of ongoing nausea and vomiting is challenging. We investigated three different drug classes for the treatment of BNV: phenothiazines (prochlorperazine)(Pro), dopamine-serotonin receptor antagonists (metoclopramide) (Meto), and a corticosteroid-thiobenzodiazepine combination (dexamethasone plus atypical antipsychotic olanzapine) (Dex-Olan). Methods: Adult patients, receiving moderately emetogenic chemotherapy and CINV prophylaxis with a 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 receptor antagonist and Dex pre-chemotherapy and Dex post-chemotherapy according to ASCO guidelines, who experienced BNV during the five days post-chemotherapy were randomized to receive Pro, 10 mg IV, and 10 mg, po, bid for three days; Meto, 20 mg IV, and 10 mg, po, bid for 3 days; or Dex, 20 mg IV and Olan, 5 mg, po, bid for three days. All p...
Modeling and Simulation of a Fish-like Swimmer in an Ideal Flow with Lateral-line Flow Sensors

Considerable evidence suggests that the lateral line system found in most fish and some other aquatic organisms serves an important role in fish-like locomotion by providing hydrodynamic information about the surrounding fluid. In this paper, a fish-like locomotion model is developed in an ideal fluid with a lateral-line-inspired background flow estimation algorithm. A geometric and a physical model are defined to describe the body motion. The panel method is used to model the interaction between the body and the fluid. With the hydrodynamic information on the boundary of the fish-like profile, the background flow field can be estimated with a modified vortex panel method. Base on the estimation, the control decision can potentially be adjusted accordingly, which may improve the swimming performance. Furthermore, in the profile model, body segments are defined such that the internal forces can be easily obtained for quantitative efficiency evaluation. The model is then compared to experimental result, and the outcome is satisfactory.
Do African-American and Caucasian overweight women differ in oxygen consumption during fixed periods of exercise?

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether there are ethnic differences in oxygen consumption during fixed periods of exercise. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SUBJECTS: Twenty-seven African-American and 120 Caucasian overweight adult women (body mass index=32.8±4.1 kg/m2, age=36.7±5.6 y) prior to initiating a weight loss program. MEASUREMENTS: Measurement of oxygen consumption occurred during four stages of a graded exercise test, with body composition assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between overweight African-American and Caucasian women for absolute oxygen consumption or oxygen consumption adjusted for either body weight or fat-free mass across four levels of a submaximal graded exercise test. CONCLUSION: The results from this study suggest that African-American and Caucasian women do not differ in energy expenditure during fixed workloads of exercise, suggesting that this may not contribute to differences in energy balance and body weight regulation between women in these two ethnic groups.
Outcome improving for lung transplant patients.

Survival rates following lung transplantation may approach 90% by the end of the century, thanks to improved graft preservation and immunosuppressive therapy.
Rel singularities of singular Sturm-Liouville expansions

Elliptic equations in polar coordinates lead to singular Sturm–Liouville problems on $(0,\infty )$ with equations of the form $y'' + (\lambda - q)y + 0$. Let $\phi (x,\lambda )$ be solutions to the problem satisfying the condition $\phi (0,\lambda ) = \sin \beta $, $\phi '(0,\lambda ) = - \cos \beta $. The associated generalized Fourier transform $F(\lambda ) = \int_0^\infty {f(x)\phi (x,\lambda )dx} $ is extended to cases where $F(\lambda )$ is a function of polynomial growth. This enables us to study the location of singularities of the analytic representation $\hat f$ of the generalized function $f(x) = \int_{ - \infty }^\infty {F(\lambda )\phi (x,\lambda )d\rho (\lambda )} $. We do so by comparing them to the location of the singularities of the analytic representation $\hat g$ of the tempered distribution g which is the Fourier transform of $F(s^2 )$.
Evaluating strategies for facilitating native plant establishment in northern Nevada crested wheatgrass seedings

Non-native crested wheatgrasses (Agropyron cristatum and A. desertorum) were used historically within the Great Basin for the purpose of competing with weed species and increasing livestock forage. These species continue to be used in some areas, especially after wildfires occurring in low elevation/precipitation, formerly Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis)/herbaceous communities. Seeding native species in these sites is often unsuccessful, and lack of establishment results in invasion and site dominance by exotic annuals. However, crested wheatgrass often forms dense monocultures that interfere competitively with the establishment of desirable native vegetation and do not provide the plant structure and habitat diversity for wildlife species equivalent to native-dominated sagebrush plant communities. During a 5-year study, we conducted trials to evaluate chemical and mechanical methods for reducing crested wheatgrass and the effectiveness of seeding native species into these sites after crested wheatgrass suppression. We determined that discing treatments were ineffective in reducing crested wheatgrass cover and even increased crested wheatgrass density in some cases. Glyphosate treatments initially reduced crested wheatgrass cover, but weeds increased in many treated plots and seeded species diminished over time as crested wheatgrass recovered. We concluded that, although increases in native species could possibly be obtained by repeating crested wheatgrass control treatments, reducing crested wheatgrass opens a window for invasion by exotic weed species.
Abstract LB-379: A targeted, next-generation bisulfite sequencing approach to evaluate the influence of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain on umbilical cord blood DNA methylation levels

Introduction: Offspring born to obese mothers and/or mothers who gain excess weight during pregnancy are at increased risk of obesity and metabolic disease later in life, both of which are risk factors for certain cancers. While the biological mechanisms underlying these associations are not well understood, evidence from animal models and limited data from human studies suggests that DNA methylation may play an important role. Thus, we evaluated the association of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) with DNA methylation in umbilical cord blood DNA using a candidate gene approach. Methods: This study includes 112 black and white mothers and their neonates in the Hormones in Umbilical Cord Blood Extended Study. Participants were enrolled in 2006-2007 from a prenatal clinic in Baltimore, MD. Self-reported, pre-pregnancy BMI was categorized as normal ( Results: A total of 29 CpG sites in 14 genes were differentially methylated with respect to pre-pregnancy BMI (FDR p-value ?0.05). A total of 30 CpG sites in 15 genes were differentially methylated with respect to GWG (FDR p-value ?0.05). Four CpG sites were significantly differentially methylated in the same direction with respect to both maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG (ANAPC7, CAB39, HEYL and SAPCD2). We observed differences by race and sex. In particular, in males, pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity and excess GWG were associated with increased DNA methylation patterns at a majority of the significant CpG sites. Discussion: To our knowledge this study is one of the first to use targeted, next-generation bisulfite sequencing to quantify methylation in cord blood DNA. Our findings suggest maternal adiposity and GWG may influence DNA methylation of offspring genes, in a sex-specific manner. These findings warrant replication in large, prospective studies. Funding: NCI T32 CA009314, P30 CA006973, U54 CA091409, and the JHSPH Doctoral Thesis Research Fund. We wish to acknowledge Dr. Sarah Wheelan and Jennifer Meyers from the SKCCC Next Generation Sequencing Lab Citation Format: Megan A. Clarke, David Esopi, Srinivasan Yegnasubramanian, Elizabeth A. Platz, Corinne E. Joshu. A targeted, next-generation bisulfite sequencing approach to evaluate the influence of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain on umbilical cord blood DNA methylation levels. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-379.
Survivors and exiles: Yiddish culture after the Holocaust

Jan Schwarz frames his moving new study in terms of its contribution to Yiddish studies and Holocaust studies, yet the questions he raises are pertinent even more broadly for Jews after World War I...
The semantic representation of prejudice and stereotypes

We use a theory of semantic representation to study prejudice and stereotyping. Particularly, we consider large datasets of newspaper articles published in the United States, and apply latent semantic analysis (LSA), a prominent model of human semantic memory, to these datasets to learn representations for common male and female, White, African American, and Latino names. LSA performs a singular value decomposition on word distribution statistics in order to recover word vector representations, and we find that our recovered representations display the types of biases observed in human participants using tasks such as the implicit association test. Importantly, these biases are strongest for vector representations with moderate dimensionality, and weaken or disappear for representations with very high or very low dimensionality. Moderate dimensional LSA models are also the best at learning race, ethnicity, and gender-based categories, suggesting that social category knowledge, acquired through dimensionality reduction on word distribution statistics, can facilitate prejudiced and stereotyped associations.
Relationship between size of disc and early postoperative outcomes after lumbar discectomy

Background Previous studies suggest that patients with larger disc herniations (greater than 6 mm) will have better outcomes following discectomy. This has not been validated in a large series of patients.
Multilevel Modeling in the Presence of Outliers: A Comparison of Robust Estimation Methods.

Multilevel models (MLMs) have proven themselves to be very useful in social science research, as data from a variety of sources is sampled such that individuals at level-1 are nested within clusters such as schools, hospitals, counseling centers, and business entities at level-2. MLMs using restricted maximum likelihood estimation (REML) provide researchers with accurate estimates of parameters and standard errors at all levels of the data when the assumption of normality is met, and outliers are not present in the sample. However, if outliers at either levels 1 or 2 occur, the parameter estimates and standard errors produced by REML can both be compromised. Two estimation approaches for use when outliers are present have been proposed recently in the literature. Although the two methods, one based on ranks and the other on heavy tailed distributions of model errors, show promise, neither has heretofore been studied comprehensively across a wide variety of data conditions, nor have they been compared with one another. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to compare the rank and heavy tailed based estimation techniques with one another, and with REML, in terms of their ability to estimate level-1 fixed effects, under a variety of data conditions. Results of the study revealed that the rank based and heavy tailed method provide less biased estimates than REML when outliers are present, and that the rank approaches yield smaller standard errors than the heavy tailed approach in the presence of outliers. Implications of these results are discussed.
Headphone screening to facilitate web-based auditory experiments

Psychophysical experiments conducted remotely over the internet permit data collection from large numbers of participants but sacrifice control over sound presentation and therefore are not widely employed in hearing research. To help standardize online sound presentation, we introduce a brief psychophysical test for determining whether online experiment participants are wearing headphones. Listeners judge which of three pure tones is quietest, with one of the tones presented 180° out of phase across the stereo channels. This task is intended to be easy over headphones but difficult over loudspeakers due to phase-cancellation. We validated the test in the lab by testing listeners known to be wearing headphones or listening over loudspeakers. The screening test was effective and efficient, discriminating between the two modes of listening with a small number of trials. When run online, a bimodal distribution of scores was obtained, suggesting that some participants performed the task over loudspeakers despite instructions to use headphones. The ability to detect and screen out these participants mitigates concerns over sound quality for online experiments, a first step toward opening auditory perceptual research to the possibilities afforded by crowdsourcing.
Disbond Detection Using Peak Amplitude of Pulse-Echo Signals for Various Thicknesses and Transducer Frequencies

The potential for flaws such as disbonds, corrosion, and microcracks in aircraft lap joints and reinforced doublers is a major problem in the aircraft industry today due to the increasing average age of existing aircraft. Several advanced nondestructive testing techniques are being developed for aircraft inspection, including ultrasonics, thermography, eddy currents, X-radiography, and shearography. The focus of this study is to establish a science base for a cost-effective, reliable, and portable ultrasonic system that can be used for nondestructive detection of disbonds in aircraft structure.
The role of the dorsal striatum in extinction: A memory systems perspective.

Abstract The present review describes a role for the dorsal striatum in extinction. Evidence from brain lesion and pharmacological studies indicate that the dorsolateral region of the striatum (DLS) mediates extinction in various maze learning and instrumental learning tasks. Within the context of a multiple memory systems view, the role of the DLS in extinction appears to be selective. Specifically, the DLS mediates extinction of habit memory and is not required for extinction of cognitive memory. Thus, extinction mechanisms mediated by the DLS may involve response-produced inhibition (e.g. inhibition of existing stimulus-response associations or formation of new inhibitory stimulus-response associations), as opposed to cognitive mechanisms (e.g. changes in expectation). Evidence also suggests that NMDA-dependent forms of synaptic plasticity may be part of the mechanism through which the DLS mediates extinction of habit memory. In addition, in some learning situations, DLS inactivation enhances extinction, suggesting a competitive interaction between multiple memory systems during extinction training. Consistent with a multiple memory systems perspective, it is suggested that the DLS represents one of several distinct neural systems that specialize in extinction of different kinds of memory. The relevance of these findings to the development of behavioral and pharmacological therapies that target the maladaptive habit-like symptoms in human psychopathology is also briefly considered.
Role of nucleoside/nucleotide analogues and low-dose hepatitis B immune globülin in prophylaxis of hepatitis B recurrence among cadaveric liver transplant recipients.

Background/aims Hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) positivity of the donor or the recipient may pose a risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation following liver transplantation (LT). We retrospectively investigated patient survival and reactivation among recipients who were given low-dose Hepatitis B Immune Globulin (HBIG) plus antiviral agent (AV) versus AV only. Materials and methods Records of cadaveric LT recipients, between 2013 and 2016, with positive Hepatitis B surface Antigen (HBsAg) and/or HBcAb and recipients who had received LT from HBcAb-positive donors were reviewed. Patient characteristics and clinical data were extracted. Donor variables were retrieved from the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) database. HBIG (1560 IU/mL) Intravenous (IV) was intraoperatively administered with three daily doses. Entecavir 1 mg daily was also given. STATA was used for statistical analysis. Results There were 53 recipients; 39 (73.6%) were male with a median age of 59 y. HCV was the major indication in 30 (55.6%) patients. There were 28 recipients (52.8%) who received HBIG plus AV and 25 (47.2%) received AV only. The Model of End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score between the groups were similar. Survival rates at 6, 12, and 24 months were 100% (n=53), 93.2% (n=44), and 100.0% (n=26), respectively. There was no reactivation; two recipients in the AV group and one in the HBIG plus AV group died within 12 months. Conclusion This study supports the use of low-dose HBIG and AV for post-LT prophylaxis to be as effective as conventionally used high-dose HBIG (9600 IU) plus AV. Future prospective larger studies are warranted to examine the potential benefits of using AV alone without HBIG.