cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Correlation between bicuspid aortic valve fusion phenotype and aortic arch morphology using MRI

Summary The purpose of this study is to use magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) to evaluate the relationship between different patterns of bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) fusion and aortic arch morphologies, as characterized by the carotid-subclavian artery (CSA) index - of the aortic diameter at the left subclavian artery to the distance between the left carotid art ery and the left subclavian artery - and aortic arch height and width dimensions. Background BAV is associated with aortic aneurysms, various aortic root morphologies, and morphological changes in the transverse arch [1]. Although height and width parameters have been used to classify different shapes of the thoracic aorta, the effects of BAV on these dimensions have not been characterized [2]. Moreover, there has been little investigation of the individual BAV fusion phenotypes with the associated complications of BAV [3]. A greater understanding of the association between BAV fusion types and disease will help to shed light on the nature of the hemodynamic effects of the inherent mechanism involved. Methods A total of 191 patients with previously diagnosed BAV and 26 age- and sex-matched controls with tricuspid aortic valves (TAV) who had undergone MRA of the chest were retrospectively identified. Measurements of the carotid-subclavian artery index as well as the height and width of the aortic arch were taken and compared to BAV fusion phenotypes. Results The CSA index values did not differ significantly across BAV fusion patterns, although there was significant variation in the mean diameter of the aortic arch at the left subclavian artery among all groups and an increased carotid-subclavian artery distance in patients with leftnon (L-N) coronary cusp fusion. All BAV fusion types are also associated with an increase in aortic arch height. Lastly, patients with L-N fusion were also shown to have a significantly increased aortic arch height-width ratio (0.79 vs. 0.58, p = 0.002) compared to control. Conclusions Bicuspid aortic valve fusion phenotypes have an influence on aortic arch morphology, and the differences in the aortic arch measurements both within and among groups suggest that a hemodynamic factor is present in aortas with BAV. Funding None.
Comprehension Strategy Use During Peer-Led Discussions of Text: Ninth Graders Tackle “The Lottery”

This article reports and discusses the findings of an initial inquiry into secondary school students' comprehension strategy use during small-group, peer-led discussions of literary text. One classroom of ninth-grade English students in the midwestern United States participated in the inquiry. Data consisted of the verbatim transcripts of four small groups of students in the class who engaged in discussions. Two research questions were explored: 1 Is there evidence of comprehension strategy use during students' small-group, peer-led discussions of text? 2 If so, what is the nature of students' comprehension strategy use? The transcripts were coded with an instrument derived from research-validated comprehension strategies cited in the literature. The data revealed evidence of students' use of multiple comprehension strategies.
Logistics for world-wide crude oil transportation using discrete event simulation and optimal control

Abstract World-wide crude transportation is the central logistics operation that links the upstream and downstream functions and plays a crucial role in the global supply chain management in the oil industry. In this work, we develop a decision support system to investigate and improve the combined inventory and transportation system in a representative world-wide crude supply problem. The decision support system is based on the integration of discrete event simulation and stochastic optimal control of the inventory/transportation system. A unifying simulation framework that integrates the simulation model and controller is constructed to simulate the controlled inventory/transportation system. It provides the decision makers valuable insights into the behavior of the dynamic and stochastic system and also a powerful tool to evaluate various strategies for the design and operation of the system. We formulate the optimal design/control problem rigorously as a Markov decision process that incorporates such uncertainties as travel time and crude demand. Due to the overwhelming computational requirements of the rigorous methods, approximate methods based on dynamic programming (DP) principles are needed to determine the near-optimal control policies that minimize the expected total cost. We propose an approximation architecture as a potential solution strategy attempting to solve the optimal control problem. We also provide future directions on computationally practical approaches to solve large scale industrial problems.
Detection of weapons of mass destruction

High Energy X-ray cargo screening is a mature technology that has proven its value in the detection of contraband material hidden within cargo including fully loaded sea containers. To date high energy screening has been largely applied to manifest verification and to drug detection. However, the dramatic change in world terrorism has altered the application. Now it is essential that weapons of mass destruction (WMD"s) be interdicted with incredibly high accuracy. The implication of a missed detection has gone from loss of revenue or the lowering of the street price of drugs to potentially stopping, at least for some significant time, most world commerce. Screening containers with high energy x-rays (~250+ mm of steel penetration) is capable of detecting all nuclear threats at a fraction of the strategically important mass. The screening operation can be automated so that no human decisions are required with very low false alarms. Finally, the goal of 100% inspection of cargo inbound to the United States from the twenty largest international ports is an achievable goal with hardware costs in the area of that already spent on airport security.© (2003) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The optical crystallographic properties of the hydrolytic products of nucleic acids. II. The properties of some natural and synthetic nucleosides.

The optical crystallographic properties of eleven nucleosides and three intermediates are reported. These data dord a rapid and specific method for identification.
Proteasomal Degradation of Mutant Superoxide Dismutases Linked to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Mutations in copper-zinc superoxide dismutase cause the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Many of the mutant proteins have increased turnover in vivo and decreased thermal stability. Here we show that purified, metal-free superoxide dismutases are degraded in vitro by purified 20 S proteasome in the absence of ATP and without ubiquitinylation, whereas their metal-bound counterparts are not. The rate of degradation by the proteasome varied among the mutants studied, and the rate correlated with the in vivo half-life. The monomeric forms of both mutant and wild-type superoxide dismutase are particularly susceptible to degradation by the proteasome. Exposure of hydrophobic regions as a consequence of decreased thermal stability may allow the proteasome to recognize these molecules as non-native.
ON STABILIZING AGAINST MODELING ERRORS IN A PENETRATIVE CONVECTION PROBLEM FOR A POROUS MEDIUM

Continuous dependence on modeling results are derived for an ill-posed problem describing penetrative convection in a porous medium. Using a logarithmic convexity argument, we show that solutions to the governing equations backward in time depend Holder continuously on changes in the form of the buoyancy law provided they satisfy certain constraints.
Multifunctional substrates for high-frequency applications

A substrate that is designed to suppress parasitic modes while at the same time provides high-Q filtering capability is presented. High-density circuits require the integration of multiple functions in very limited space. More specifically, with the design of three-dimensional (3-D) circuits, parasitic effects caused by the excitation of surface waves result in a serious degradation of performance and impose limitations on circuit density and performance. Herein, an effort is presented to use advanced design concepts to enable embedded functionality within a substrate. The presented substrate geometries can easily be extended to 3-D to allow for the development of system-in-a-package which incorporates a high-Q filter bank to provide effective frequency selectivity. To demonstrate this concept, resonators and filters in LTCC are designed, fabricated and measured. Resonators in LTCC with unloaded Q up to 428 were measured. A narrow-band 2-pole filter is realized to show that a function of a relatively high-Q can be incorporated into the packaging. The 2.28% filter has an insertion loss of 1.7 dB due to the low loss nature of the design. Simulation and measurement of the structures are presented with good agreement achieved.
Exploring Search Tactic Patterns in Searching Digital Libraries

This study explored users’ application of search tactics within a single search session while using the U.S. Library of Congress Digital Collections. Thirty-eight sessions of exploratory tasks were analyzed focusing on tactic application patterns. We investigated the amount of time users spent on each type of search tactics and how tactic occurrence probability changed over time during the session. Preliminary results revealed that on average users spent the most time in evaluating individual items or search results. Query creation and exploration tactics were the two main strategies to start a search session, and evaluation tactics showed high occurrence probability throughout the session.
ENHANCING QUALITY OF IT SERVICES DELIVERY USING ENTERPRISE CROWDSOURCING

IT outsourcing companies have adopted global delivery model, where IT services, such as backup management, are supplied out of multiple locations worldwide, based on the skill and cost of IT delivery staff, such as system administrators (SAs) and call center agents. Managing IT services quality requires insights obtained by extracting large volumes of tacit knowledge about processes, products and people, which is in collective possession of experts. Current practices to discovering this distributed and unstructured knowledge are semi-automated. Often they involve manual data collection using spreadsheets and tracking of exerts through e-mail. As such they fail to scale and provide accurate insights on demand, such as IT infrastructure snapshots. We present an enterprise crowdsourcing service that enables harnessing of human knowledge to derive quality insights in IT services. Our approach automates knowledge and knowledge owner discovery, and is based on the concept of distributed questionnaires. Experts ...
TdcA, a transcriptional activator of the tdcABC operon of Escherichia coli, is a member of the LysR family of proteins.

The tdcB and tdcC genes of the tdcABC operon of Escherichia coli encode threonine dehydratase and a threonine-serine permease, respectively. These proteins are involved in transport and metabolism of threonine and serine during anaerobic growth. In this study, we functionally characterized tdcA, which encodes a 35 kDa polypeptide consisting of 312 amino acid residues. Non-polar and partially polar mutations introduced into tdcA drastically reduced the expression of the genes down-stream from tdcA. Complementation studies using single-copy chromosomal integrants of a tdcB-lacZ fusion harboring an in-frame deletion of tdcA with chromosomal or plasmid-borne tdcA+ in trans showed complete restoration of tdc operon expression in vivo. The amino acid sequene at the amino-terminal end of TdcA revealed a significant homology to the helix-turn-helix motifs of typical DNA binding proteins. Sequence alignment of TdcA with LysR also showed considerable sequence similarity throughout their entire lengths. Our results suggest that TdcA is related to the LysR family of proteins by common ancestry and, based on its functional role in tdc expression, belongs to the LysR family of transcriptional activators.
Combination tibial plateau leveling osteotomy and transverse corrective osteotomy of the proximal tibia for the treatment of complex tibial deformities in 12 dogs

Objective: To describe a surgical technique, and outcome, for treatment of proximal tibial deformity (varus, valgus, excessive tibial plateau angle [eTPA], tibial torsion and patellar luxation) by combined tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) and transverse corrective osteotomy. Study Design: Cases series. Animals: Dogs (n=12; 19 stifle joints). Methods: Medical records of dogs that had combination TPLO and transverse corrective osteotomy, were reviewed. Pre- and postoperative tibial angulation, tibial torsion, tibial plateau angle (TPA), corrective osteotomy technique, method of fixation, and complications were recorded. In hospital re-evaluation of limb function and alignment and length of time to radiographic healing were reviewed. Long-term outcome was assessed by visual analog scale (VAS) questionnaire and owner telephone interview. Results: Proximal tibial varus or valgus was present in 68.4%; 73.7% had eTPA; and 47.4% had both. Medial patellar luxation (MPL) was present in 57.9%, of which 47.4% had tibial tuberosity displacement. Severe tibial torsion was present in 68.4%. Mean pre- and postoperative TPA was 37.5° and 5.7°, respectively. The mean postoperative mechanical medial proximal tibial angle (mMPTA) and mechanical medial distal tibial angle (mMDTA) were 92.2° (range, 88–96°) and 96.1° (range, 94–101°), respectively. Postoperative surgical complications were documented in 21.0%, which included implant loosening or breakage (5.3%), seroma (5.3%), septic arthritis (5.3%), and infection of the proximal tibia (5.3%). All complications were considered major because they required additional surgery. Mean time to document radiographic healing was 10.4 weeks. In-hospital re-evaluation of lameness was obtained at the same time; 82.4% were not lame or had a mild lameness, 17.6% had severe lameness (2/3 with infection). The VAS evaluation revealed excellent results and owner satisfaction in all ten dogs in which long-term follow-up was obtained. Conclusions: Long-term clinical outcome of combination TPLO and transverse corrective osteotomy was excellent, and had a high owner satisfaction. Healing times were comparable to standard TPLO with a similar complication rate.
Microscopy of adsorbates by surface second-harmonic generation

A form of optical second-harmonic microscopy has been developed that spatially resolves concentration gradients of surface adsorbates. Surface concentration profiles at submonolayer levels are illuminated with a pulsed laser, and the reflected second-harmonic light is imaged into a photodiode array. Micrometer-scale resolution is obtainable while the surface damage and the spurious chemistry induced by more conventional electron- or ion-based techniques are avoided. We have used this microscopy to monitor the surface diffusion of Sb on Ge(111).
Failure of Compressible/Dilatant Geomaterials

The paper presents a general constitutive equation for geomaterials allowing to describe dilatancy and/or compressibility during transient and stationary creep. The constitutive equation also describes the instantaneous response of the geomaterial, work-hardening during transient creep, instantaneous failure and creep failure. The damage produced by dilatancy is used to formulate a criterion for creep failure. Thus ultimate failure may be involved in various ways, depending on the initial and boundary conditions and certainly on the constitutive equation. Typical mining engineering examples are given. First is discussed the creep closure of a deep vertical cylindrical cavern, various possible instantaneous failures, creep failure, and spreading of damage by dilatancy into the rock mass. Second example discusses the instantaneous failure and creep failure around a horizontal tunnel, and the location where damage by dilatancy is more pronounced. The third example presents the case of a rectangular-like shaped cavern.
GPU Integral Computations in Stochastic Geometry

Stochastic geometry has applications in areas such as robotics, tomographic reconstruction with uncertainties, spatial Poisson-Vonoroi tessellations, and imaging from medical data using tetrahedral meshes. We examine numerical approaches for the computation of multivariate integrals for a family of problems where uniformly distributed points are picked as polyhedron vertices for tessellations, for example, tetrahedron vertices in a cube, tetrahedron or on a spherical surface. The classical cube tetrahedron picking problem yields the expected volume of a random tetrahedron in a cube, and helps furthermore assessing unsolved extremal problems (cf., A. Zinani, 2003). We demonstrate feasible numerical approaches including adaptive integration through region partitioning, quasi-Monte Carlo (based on a randomized Korobov lattice), and Monte Carlo techniques, which are the basic methods of our parallel integration package ParInt. We then describe our implementation of the Monte Carlo approach on GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) in CUDA C, and demonstrate its parallel performance for various stochastic geometry integrals.
New treatments for irritable bowel syndrome in women.

The estimated prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in Western countries is 7–15%, with a female:male ratio of 2–2.5:1 in IBS patients who seek healthcare services; however, the female predominance is lower in the general population. IBS has a significant impact on health-related quality of life and is associated with a significant healthcare and economic burden. Management of IBS is comprised of general measures and pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatment. However, there are ongoing efforts to find more effective therapeutic approaches. As advancements in the understanding of the pathophysiology of IBS continue to grow, new and effective treatments with novel mechanisms of action that have the potential to improve relief of IBS symptoms over current treatments are likely to be developed. This article provides an overview of current and emerging therapies for IBS and also highlights sex and gender differences in clinical trials and treatment response.
Home Visits to Assess the Reliability of Caregiver-Reported Use of Insecticide-Treated Bednets by Children in Machinga District, Malawi

Abstract. A malaria cohort study was conducted among young children in Machinga District, Malawi, following distribution of insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs) in May 2012. To assess ITN use, two independently sampled subsets of children (211 during survey 1 [December 2012–January 2013] and 325 during survey 2 [September–October 2013]) were randomly selected to compare the proportions of positive and negative agreement between caregiver verbal reports at monthly interviews with visual observation of the ITN at home visits. Caregiver-reported ITN use was consistently high during both surveys (98.1% and 96.0%, respectively; P = 0.17). Home visit-based ITN use fell significantly (P < 0.001) from survey 1 (98.6%) to survey 2 (88.6%). The proportions of positive agreement between caregiver report and home visit in the first and second surveys were 98.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 97.6–99.8%) and 93.3% (95% CI 91.2–95.3%), respectively. The proportions of negative agreement in the first and second surveys were 28.6% (95% CI 0–75.0%) and 20.0% (95% CI 0.1–35.0%), respectively. ITN use by children was high in Machinga District, and caregiver reports and home visits with visual confirmation of the net demonstrated a high level of agreement for use of ITNs, but a low level of agreement when ITNs were not used.
Some Aspects of Gaseous Secondary Injection with Application to Thrust Vector Control

Two dimensional sonic nonreacting gaseous secondary injection into supersonic primary stream with turbulent boundary layer for application to thrust vector control
Profile parameter accuracy determined from scatterometric measurements

As progress in ultra-large scale integration (ULSI) continues to lower the critical dimension (CD) requirements, measurement science is regularly witnessing changes in the monitoring techniques for the development and control of semiconductor fabrication processes. Microscopy, reflectometry and ellipsometry are examples of optical techniques constantly adjusted in attempts to provide mask and wafer state monitoring with non-invasive, rapid and in situ schemes. In the past years special attention has been devoted to optical diffraction as a potential method to satisfy those requirements, yielding the field of scatterometry. A linearized method was introduced to represent the relationship between parameters that describe a surface relief profile and the resulting scattering geometry data. An advantage of this approach is that describe a surface relief profile and the resulting scatterometric data. An advantage of this approach is that large databases containing profile information are not needed to process the scatterometric dat, resulting in a technique that is more versatile to process changes. In this paper, studies on the effect of changing profile parameters as well as measurement variables on the accuracy of retrieved parameter values using the linearized inversion method are presented.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Communication Media Matters: Role Differences in Negotiation Behavior and Social Outcomes

Forty-four EMBA students were randomly assigned to negotiate in either a face-to-face condition or a voice-only condition in an integrative negotiation task— New Recruits (Neale, 1987). We found that candidates in the voice-only condition had less interest in future negotiations than candidates in the face-to-face condition, F (1,36) = 5.5, p
Practical Considerations for the Development of Process Control Software

Die Software zur Prozesfuhrung von Systemen soll zuverlassig und wartungsfreundlich wegen ihrer kritischen Beschaffenheit und dem raschen technischen Fortschritt sein. Mit Hilfe von Codierungsverfahren allein sind diese Ziele nicht zu erreichen. Diese Abhandlung befast sich mit der Fehlerdynamik wahrend der Software-Entwicklungsphase; es wird eine grundsatzliche Methode fur die Software-Entwicklung zur Prozesfuhrung von Systemen hergeleitet. Insbesondere werden Anforderungen bezuglich Spezifikation, Entwurf, Implementierung und Erprobungsphase der Software-Entwicklung angesprochen. Auserdem enthalt die Arbeit Beitrage zur Sprache und Dokumentation sowie Vorschlage fur Kriterien, ob die Erprobungsverfahren fur die Software, die auf Fehlereinflusnahme sowie “Fuzzy-Sets” beruhen, ausreichend sind.
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: A Qualitative Interview Study of How and Why Youth Mentoring Relationships End

Endings in youth mentoring relationships have received little empirical attention despite the fact that many relationships do end. The present study utilized qualitative interview data collected fr...
Dominance in Wintering Waterfowl (Anatini): Effects on Distribution of Sexes

Etude du comportement agressif de six especes d'anatides de nov. a fev. 1978-79 et 1979-80. La dominance comportementale influencerait la repartition differentielle des mâles et des femelles au cours de la periode de non reproduction
Mutually Adaptive Effects of Interpersonal Communication

By adding a new dimension, information seeking, to the traditional way of measuring opinion leadership, this article suggests an additional conceptualization of interpersonal communication and infl...
Density Functional Theory Study of H and CO Adsorption on Alkali-Promoted Mo2C Surfaces

Using alkali metals as promoters is known to strongly influence the selectivity of catalytic reactions on Mo2C catalysts. To provide fundamental information about this observation, density functional theory calculations have been performed to study K and Rb adsorption of seven low-index α-Mo2C surfaces and the equilibrium crystal shape of Mo2C has been predicted using the Wulff construction. K and Rb are found to bind most strongly on Mo2C (001). This surface is also shown to favor a reconstruction in the absence of adsorbates. This reconstruction strengthens the adsorption of K and H while it weakens the adsorption of CO on the surface. A small number of calculations of H/K and CO/K coadsorption were performed to probe the effect of alkali promoters on these adsorbed species.
Looking Forward, Looking Backward, Statutorily Speaking: Seventieth Anniversary of the Kentucky Revised Statutes

Kentucky statutory researchers often encounter a familiar citation in the legislative history note that follows each section of the state code: 1942 [Ky. Acts]. c. 208, §1. While framed like an ordinary reference to the chapter and section of the Kentucky Acts where the text of a statute is found, it is not. It is in fact a citation to “An Act Revising the Statute Laws of the Commonwealth,” which adopted by reference the Kentucky Revised Statutes. This particular note is scattered throughout the KRS, and signals that some part of the statute dates beyond that revision to a more ancient enactment. This article lays out techniques for researching these pre-1942 statutes.
Freestanding Emergency Critical Care During the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy: Implications for Disaster Preparedness and Response.

OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of an emergency intensive care unit (EICU) established concomitantly with a freestanding emergency department (ED) during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed records of all patients in Bellevue's EICU from freestanding ED opening (December 10, 2012) until hospital inpatient reopening (February 7, 2013). Temporal and clinical data, and disposition upon EICU arrival, and ultimate disposition were evaluated. RESULTS Two hundred twenty-seven patients utilized the EICU, representing approximately 1.8% of freestanding ED patients. Ambulance arrival occurred in 31.6% of all EICU patients. Median length of stay was 11.55 hours; this was significantly longer for patients requiring airborne isolation (25.60 versus 11.37 hours, P<0.0001 by Wilcoxon rank sum test). After stabilization and treatment, 39% of EICU patients had an improvement in their disposition status (P<0.0001 by Wilcoxon signed rank test); upon interhospital transfer, the absolute proportion of patients requiring ICU and SDU resources decreased from 37.8% to 27.1% and from 22.2% to 2.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS An EICU attached to a freestanding ED achieved significant reductions in resource-intensive medical care. Flexible, adaptable care systems should be explored for implementation in disaster response. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:496-502).
Comment on “Paranasal sinus opacification in headache sufferers: A population-based imaging study (the HUNT study-MRI)”:

The role of various types of nasal and paranasal sinus pathology in the causation of headaches is poorly understood. The ICHD-III beta dropped the nomenclature ‘‘sinus’’ headache, noting that this terminology can be confusing, in favor of ‘‘headaches attributed to disorders of the nose and paranasal sinuses’’ (1). Both acute and chronic rhinosinusitis have been recognized as causes of headache if confirmed by careful objective criteria and temporal correlation (1). Nonetheless, attributing headaches to nasal and paranasal sinus pathology—even when imaging shows paranasal sinus opacification—is complicated for the following reasons:
Bradycardia, Hypotension, and Midventricular Takotsubo Syndrome during Esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

To the Editor: The two cases of women in their mid-40s who experienced Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) in the setting of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), reported by Yu et al. [1] in the January issue of Clinical Endoscopy, are interesting because the patients were premenopausal, had midventricular TTS, were under conscious sedation, and did not appear to be under stress during the procedure. The first patient initially had hypertension and tachycardia, which was followed by hypotension and bradycardia, suggesting vagotonia, a feature characteristic of the later presentation of TTS [2,3]. The other patient developed hypotension and tachycardia “1 minute after the insertion of the EGD scope [1].” One wonders whether TTS in the setting of EGD is mediated by intense vagotonia, characterized by hypotension and/or bradycardia [2,3]. with tachycardia and/or hypertension being mediated by a reflex counterbalancing intense activation of the autonomic sympathetic nervous system, and the effects of the drugs administered to manage the hypotension and/or bradycardia. The authors refer to five cases that have been reported worldwide to be associated with gastrointestinal endoscopy [1], and state that “previous reports indicated one case of EGD in a postmenopausal woman with sedation, three cases of colonoscopy (COL), and one case of simultaneous EGD and COL in a postmenopausal woman [1,4-6].” I was able to access the paper describing the patient with both EGD and COL, who had TTS complicated by ventricular fibrillation, but I could not access the other two papers the authors are referring to [5,6]. I would appreciate comments by the authors on the remaining four patients with TTS, including the circumstances under which they experienced TTS, their ages and sex, whether they were postmenopausal, had hypotension and/or bradycardia, and the type of TTS they developed (apical, midventricular, basal, or segmental).
Young women's alcohol expectancies for sexual risk-taking mediate the link between sexual enhancement motives and condomless sex when drinking.

Alcohol use is prevalent among young women. Alcohol expectancies for sexual risk-taking and sexual enhancement motives have been associated with decreased condom use. This study investigated whether alcohol expectancies for sexual risk-taking mediated the association between sexual enhancement motives and condom use. Young women (N = 287, M age = 20.1) completed a survey assessing alcohol expectancies for sexual risk-taking, sexual enhancement motives, and characteristics of their most recent sexual encounter involving alcohol. Most participants (66.9 %) reported unprotected sex during their last sexual encounter involving alcohol. Higher sexual enhancement motives (OR = 1.35, p = .019) and alcohol expectancies for sexual risk-taking (OR = 1.89, p < .001) were associated with increased likelihood of condomless sex. Alcohol expectancies for sexual risk-taking mediated the association between sexual enhancement motives and condomless vaginal sex. Within the context of sexual encounters involving alcohol, expectancies that drinking may result in sexual risk-taking may account for why sexual enhancement motives relate to decreased condom use.
Abstract 5237: Protection of tocopherols against estrogen-induced breast cancer via mechanisms targeting cancer stem cells

Estrogens have been implicated to be complete carcinogens through mechanisms involving increased proliferation, oxidative stress and DNA damage. Although the importance of estrogen in breast cancer is well established, the effects of estrogen on breast cancer stem cells are not fully understood. Due to the role of breast cancer stem cells in tumor initiation, maintenance, and progression, targeting cancer stem cells has become important for understanding estrogen-mediated breast carcinogenesis. The vitamin E family, which is consisted of four different forms of tocopherols and tocotrienols, has been shown to exert anti-tumor effects in animal models of various cancers. In the present study, we examined the protective effects of α-, γ-, δ-tocopherol as well as a natural γ-tocopherol rich mixture of tocopherols (γ-TmT) against estrogen-induced expansion of cancer stem-like cells and estrogen-mediated tumor growth. To determine the effects of tocopherols on breast cancer stem cells, the MCF-7 mammosphere cell culture system, which enriches for mammary progenitor cells and putative breast cancer stem cells, was utilized. Treatment of MCF-7 mammosphere with estrogen for six days resulted in an increase in CD44+/CD24- stem-like cell populations as well as the number and size of mammosphere. α-, γ-, δ-Tocopherol, and most significantly γ-TmT, inhibited estrogen-induced mammosphere formation, indicating that tocopherols reverse estrogen-induced expansion of breast cancer stem cells. In MCF-7 xenograft tumor study, MCF-7 cells (5 × 106 cells/mouse) were injected into the mammary fat pad in immunodeficient mice after subcutaneous implantation with 0.72 mg of estrogen pellet. Mice were then administered with diets containing 0.2% α-, γ-, δ-tocopherol and γ-TmT for 5 weeks. Treatment of α-, γ-, δ-tocopherol or γ-TmT reduced the tumor volume by 71% (p Citation Format: Min Ji Bak, Soumyasri Das Gupta, Joseph Wahler, Mao-Jung Lee, Yong Lin, Weichung Joe Shih, Chung S Yang, Nanjoo Suh. Protection of tocopherols against estrogen-induced breast cancer via mechanisms targeting cancer stem cells. [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 5237.
Infinite Horizon Linear Quadratic Control with Constraints

Abstract A model predictive control law is considered that optimizes the infinite horizon linear quadratic regulator (LQR) objective over the infinite dimensional sequence of future controls that satisfy user-defined input and state constraints. The resulting scheme is called infinite horizon LQR with constraints. The problem of transient infeasibility of hard state constraints is also discussed and we consider the use of soft constraints as a solution. We also introduce the concept of exact soft constraints, which allows constraints to be enforced as though they were hard, when that is feasible, and to be relaxed only when necessary.
DFS: A Simple to Write Yet Difficult to Execute Benchmark

Many emerging applications are built upon large, unstructured datasets that exhibit highly irregular (or even nearly random) memory access patterns. Examples include informatics applications, and other problems that are often represented by unstructured graph-based data structures. It is well known that these applications are challenging for conventional architectures to execute (either serially or in parallel). The depth first search (DFS) benchmark proposed in this work uses the boost graph library to perform a depth-first search on a large power-law graph, representing "small world" phenomena. The graph in question exhibits a small average distance between any two vertices, a small diameter, and has a few high-degree vertices with a large number of low-degree vertices. Graphs such as this appear in many fields, including networking, biology, social networks, and data mining. Many of these applications are of critical importance to researchers, and the challenge of executing them on conventional machines increases as the graph size grows. The benchmark proposed in this work is used as the basis for many fundamental algorithms in graph theory, is critical to several emerging applications, is memory intensive, and exhibits poor performance on conventional machines. Section 2 quantitatively demonstrates the memory characteristics of the benchmark in an architecture independent fashion, showing that it is extremely memory intensive. Section 3 describes the execution phases of the benchmark. And section 4 presents the conclusions
Repairing test dependence

In a test suite, all the tests should be independent: no test should affect another test's result, and running the tests in any order should yield the same test results. The assumption of such test independence is important so that tests behave consistently as designed. However, this critical assumption often does not hold in practice due to test dependence. Test dependence causes two serious problems: a dependent test may spuriously fail even when the software is correct (a false positive alarm), or it may spuriously pass even when a bug exists in the software (a false negative). Existing approaches to cope with test dependence require tests to be executed in a given order or for each test to be executed in a separate virtual machine. This paper presents an approach that can automatically repair test dependence so that each test in a suite yields the same result regardless of their execution order. At compile time, the approach refactors code under test and test code to eliminate test dependence and prevent spurious test successes or failures. We develop a prototype of our approach to handle one of the most common causes of test dependence and evaluate the prototype on five subject programs. In our experimental evaluation, our prototype is capable of eliminating up to 12.5% of the test dependence in the subject programs.
PDC-E2, a Common Auto Antigen in Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC) Is Also a Target of an Antibody Response in Patients Who Achieve Complete Remission after Donor Lymphocyte Infusion.

The ability of donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) to induce complete responses (CR) in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma (MM) following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation provides clear evidence of graft-versus-myeloma (GVM) immunity. To identify GVM associated target antigens, we previously screened an MM cDNA expression library with post DLI serum from 5 MM patients who achieved CR after DLI. One of the antigens identified in the screening was dihydrolipoamide acetyltranferase the E2 component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC-E2). Using a phage plate assay, antibody reactivity against PDC-E2 was found in 2 of 9 MM and 1 of 5 chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients who achieved a CR after DLI. No antibodies were found before DLI, in 20 normal donors, 10 patients who underwent T-cell depleted allogeneic BMT, 6 MM DLI non-responders and 20 patients with chronic GVHD. Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is an autoimmune liver disease in which more than 80% of patients have autoantibodies against PDC-E2. In patients with PBC the major immunogenic epitope of PDC-E2 has been mapped to the region associated with the inner lipoyl domain. To better characterize the antibody response in MM patients who had a CR after DLI a GST-PDC-E2 fusion protein was purified and used to quantify the antibody response by ELISA. Using this sensitive assay we found 1 additional MM DLI responder who had antibody reactivity against PDC-E2. Analysis performed at serial time points after DLI showed that reactivity persisted for 1.5 and 3 years after DLI in two MM patients and 3 years after DLI in the CML DLI responder. To map the antibody response after DLI and compare this to antibody reactivity in patients with PBC, we synthesized a series of 85 overlapping peptides covering the entire length of PDC-E2 and analyzed the specificity of the antibody response by ELISA. Using this assay, post-DLI serum was found to be reactive against 4 peptides located in the E2 catalytic domain of PDC-E2 but no reactivity was detected against peptides located in the inner lipoyl domain of the protein, the region commonly recognized by auto-antibodies in PBC. Analysis of serial samples showed that the antibody response persisted against these peptides up to 2–3 years after DLI but no reactivity was found pre-DLI and in normal serum. In conclusion we show that PDC-E2, a common auto-antigen in the autoimmune disease PBC, is also the target of an antibody response in patients with MM and CML who achieve a CR after DLI. The antibody response found after DLI is directed against a different region of the protein. Further studies characterizing T cell epitopes in these patients are underway and they will help to better characterize the immune response against PDC-E2 in patients after DLI.
Comparing identified and statistically significant lipids and polar metabolites in 15-year old serum and dried blood spot samples for longitudinal studies.

Rationale The use of dried blood spots (DBS) has many advantages over traditional plasma and serum samples such as the smaller blood volume required, storage at room temperature, and ability to sample in remote locations. However, understanding the robustness of different analytes in DBS samples is essential, especially in older samples collected for longitudinal studies. Methods Here we analyzed the stability of polar metabolites and lipids in DBS samples collected in 2000-2001 and stored at room temperature. The identified and statistically significant molecules were then compared to matched serum samples stored at –80°C to determine if the DBS samples could be effectively used in a longitudinal study following metabolic disease. Results A total of 400 polar metabolites and lipids were identified in the serum and DBS samples using gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), liquid chromatography (LC)/MS, and LC/ion mobility spectrometry-MS (LC/IMS-MS). The identified polar metabolites overlapped well between the sample types, though only one statistically significant metabolite was conserved in a case-control study of older diabetic males with low amounts of high-density lipoproteins and high body mass indices, triacylglycerides and glucose levels when compared to non-diabetic patients with normal levels, indicating that degradation in the DBS samples affects polar metabolite quantitation. Differences in the lipid identifications indicated that some oxidation occurs in the DBS samples. However, 36 statistically significant lipids correlated in both sample types. Conclusions The difference in the number of statistically significant polar metabolites and lipids indicated that the lipids did not degrade to as great of a degree as the polar metabolites in the DBS samples and lipid quantitation was still possible. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimizing angles of rooftop photovoltaics, ratios of solar to vegetated roof systems, and economic benefits, in Portland, Oregon, USA

This study analyzed insolation data to account for multiple scattering in calculating optimal tilt angles for stationary and seasonally moving photovoltaics on three different roof types in the US Pacific Northwest: vegetated roofs, white roofs, and dark roofs. Using these results, we modeled the energy savings for vegetated roofs and roofs covered in varying numbers of photovoltaic panels. We then calculated the net present value, internal rate of return, and other economic measures for all possible combinations of covering rooftops in mixes of photovoltaic arrays and vegetation, accounting for installation costs, proposed carbon taxes, stormwater management discounts, and other relevant factors. Our results quantify how, in the US Pacific Northwest and similar locations, photovoltaics produce higher returns on investment than do vegetated roofs for new buildings, while vegetated roofs produce better returns on investment than do photovoltaics for older buildings. This is important because in many areas, some buildings have photovoltaics when a vegetated roof would have been more cost and energy efficient, while other buildings have vegetated roofs when photovoltaics would have been more cost and energy efficient. Potential applications include modifying incentive programs and other policies to account properly for building age, use, and other relevant factors to ensure building owners make the most energy-efficient decisions between photovoltaic versus vegetated roof installation. Our research also demonstrates how positive returns on investment can be realized in the US Pacific Northwest and similar regions through vegetated roofs and photovoltaics provided they are each installed optimally.
Security Risk Analysis of Enterprise Networks Using Probabilistic Attack Graphs

Today’s information systems face sophisticated attackers who combine multiple vulnerabilities to penetrate networks with devastating impact. The overall security of an enterprise network cannot be determined by simply counting the number of vulnerabilities. To more accurately assess the security of enterprise systems, one must understand how vulnerabilities can be combined and exploited to stage an attack. Composition of vulnerabilities can be modeled using probabilistic attack graphs, which show all paths of attacks that allow incremental network penetration. Attack likelihoods are propagated through the attack graph, yielding a novel way to measure the security risk of enterprise systems. This metric for risk mitigation analysis is used to maximize the security of enterprise systems. This methodology based on probabilistic attack graphs can be used to evaluate and strengthen the overall security of enterprise networks.
Reds Among the Sewer Socialists and McCarthyites: The Communist Party in Milwaukee

The blow falls first on the Communists! Next it will be the Socialists! Then the workers who believe in their union cards! There is no escape! The infamous gang that has stolen possession of the fi...
Effect of relative humidity and materials on triboelectric charging of USB cables

A USB cable can be triboelectrically charged by rubbing it against a piece of clothing, such as a sweater. If a charged cable is inserted into a connector, an ESD event can upset or damage attached equipment. To investigate charge levels and estimate the resulting voltages on a USB cable, a set of experiments has been performed in a climate chamber under five different environmental conditions. These experiments were conducted by rubbing 44 different cables against sweaters made of 100% cotton, 100% polyester, 50% wool/50% nylon, and 50% wool/50% acrylic. The resulting charge levels often reflected the material pairing, as expected from the triboelectric series. The maximum charge level reached −141 nC, or −7 kV, assuming a capacitance of 20 pF between the cable and ground.
Incidence of malignant lymphoma in adolescents and young adults in the 58 counties of California with varying synthetic turf field density

Abstract Background Case reports of cancer among soccer players raised concerns that the crumb rubber infill in synthetic turf fields may cause malignant lymphoma. One prior epidemiologic study on the topic found no association. Methods An ecologic evaluation of county-level incidence of lymphomas by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status for the state of California with data obtained from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Synthetic turf field density by county was obtained from the Synthetic Turf Council. During 2000–2013, 7214 14- to 30-year-old Californians were diagnosed with malignant lymphoma. Results Annual lymphoma county incidence trends were not associated with the county-level synthetic turf field density. None of 20 sub-analyses by race/ethnicity, sex and county median household income indicated a correlation of lymphoma incidence with synthetic turf field density. In California, there was no evidence at the county-level that synthetic turf fields are associated with an increased incidence of lymphoma in adolescents and young adults. Conclusion Our findings in the state with the greatest number of such fields and a large, diverse patient population are consistent with those of a prior study observing no association between individual-level exposures to turf fields and cancer incidence. Avoidance of synthetic turf fields for fear of increased cancer risk is not warranted.