cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sex Differences Across the Lifespan: A Focus on Cardiometabolism

Women's health and sex differences research remain understudied. In 2016, to address the topic of sex differences, the Center for Women' s Health Research (CWHR) at the University of Colorado (cwhr@ucdenver.edu) held its inaugural National Conference, "Sex Differences Across the Lifespan: A Focus on Metabolism" and published a report summarizing the presentations. Two years later, in 2018, CWHR organized the 2nd National Conference. The research presentations and discussions from the 2018 conference also addressed sex differences across the lifespan with a focus on cardiometabolism and expanded the focus by including circadian physiology and effects of sleep on cardiometabolic health. Over 100 participants, including basic scientists, clinicians, policymakers, advocacy group leaders, and federal agency leadership participated. The meeting proceedings reveal that although exciting advances in the area of sex differences have taken place, significant questions and gaps remain about women's health and sex differences in critical areas of health. Identifying these gaps and the subsequent research that will result may lead to important breakthroughs.
Influence of Some Factors in Practical System on the Dynamic Parameter Model of Harmonic Source and the Corresponding Solutions

Compared with other harmonic source models, the dynamic parameter model (DPM) has the advantage of accuracy and good application prospects. Previous studies on the DPM have been carried out under ideal conditions. In order to improve the practicability of the DPM, for the first time, this paper studied the influence of some factors in practical system on the DPM, the corresponding solutions and suggestions were put forward. Firstly, the DPM was briefly introduced and the concept of nonlinear characteristic curve of harmonic source was put forward. Secondly, in order to deal with the time-varying of harmonic source in practical system, a method of dividing each working state and modeling separately was developed. Thirdly, the influence of the sampling quantity, range and error on the accuracy and parameters of the DPM were analyzed, the guidance on sampling for different kinds of harmonic sources were obtained. Finally, the practical research direction of the DPM in the future were discussed.
Turning Quarantine Inside Out

In this essay, I describe two logics of space that are operative in responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Quarantine partitioning is unavoidable and widespread. As a mode of governing, it presents a ...
Preventive use of gabapentin to decrease pain and systemic symptoms in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing chemoradiation.

Background Radiation for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) is associated with painful mucositis that impacts the delivery of treatment and contributes to high symptom burden. Methods This was a prospective, randomized pilot trial. Eligible patients received primary or adjuvant chemoradiation. Patients were randomized to usual care vs usual care plus gabapentin titrated to drug tolerance during radiation. Patients completed a symptom survey at baseline and weekly during therapy. Results Seventy-nine patients were enrolled in the study (38 control, 41 treatment). At interim analysis, gabapentin use resulted in a decrease in pain (P = .004), with the biggest decreases being in the latter weeks of therapy. By week 7, the median pain score in the treatment group was below the 0.25 quantile of the control group. Conclusion Prophylactic use of gabapentin during chemoradiation for HNC patients resulted in a decrease in pain, neurosensory symptoms, and general systemic symptoms.
Store-operated calcium entry: Pivotal roles in renal physiology and pathophysiology

Research conducted over the last two decades has dramatically advanced the understanding of store-operated calcium channels (SOCC) and their impact on renal function. Kidneys contain many types of cells, including those specialized for glomerular filtration (fenestrated capillary endothelium, podocytes), water and solute transport (tubular epithelium), and regulation of glomerular filtration and renal blood flow (vascular smooth muscle cells, mesangial cells). The highly integrated function of these myriad cells effects renal control of blood pressure, extracellular fluid volume and osmolality, electrolyte balance, and acid-base homeostasis. Many of these cells are regulated by Ca2+ signaling. Recent evidence demonstrates that SOCCs are major Ca2+ entry portals in several renal cell types. SOCC is activated by depletion of Ca2+ stores in the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum, which communicates with plasma membrane SOCC via the Ca2+ sensor Stromal Interaction Molecule 1 (STIM1). Orai1 is recognized as the main pore-forming subunit of SOCC in the plasma membrane. Orai proteins alone can form highly Ca2+ selective SOCC channels. Also, members of the Transient Receptor Potential Canonical (TRPC) channel family are proposed to form heteromeric complexes with Orai1 subunits, forming SOCC with low Ca2+ selectivity. Recently, Ca2+ entry through SOCC, known as store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE), was identified in glomerular mesangial cells, tubular epithelium, and renovascular smooth muscle cells. The physiological and pathological relevance and the characterization of SOCC complexes in those cells are still unclear. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of SOCC and their roles in renal glomerular, tubular and vascular cells, including studies from our laboratory, emphasizing SOCE regulation of fibrotic protein deposition. Understanding the diverse roles of SOCE in different renal cell types is essential, as SOCC and its signaling pathways are emerging targets for treatment of SOCE-related diseases.
Improving Longer-range Dialogue State Tracking.

Dialogue state tracking (DST) is a pivotal component in task-oriented dialogue systems. While it is relatively easy for a DST model to capture belief states in short conversations, the task of DST becomes more challenging as the length of a dialogue increases due to the injection of more distracting contexts. In this paper, we aim to improve the overall performance of DST with a special focus on handling longer dialogues. We tackle this problem from three perspectives: 1) A model designed to enable hierarchical slot status prediction; 2) Balanced training procedure for generic and task-specific language understanding; 3) Data perturbation which enhances the model's ability in handling longer conversations. We conduct experiments on the MultiWOZ benchmark, and demonstrate the effectiveness of each component via a set of ablation tests, especially on longer conversations.
Manual Wheelchair Design to Improve User Safety, Comfort and Aesthetics for the Aging Population

In the future, a quarter of the U.S. population will be comprised of people over the age of 65. The goal of this research was to design a manual wheelchair concept to help users live a more mobile and independent life with safety, comfort and modern aesthetics. Three design phases explored these attributes through sketching and 3D CAD iteration. The final design included a hub-less wheel system with integrated, grooved push-rims to reduce the risk of fingers getting caught in spokes and enable ease of motion. The chair also integrated a self-balancing gyroscopic sensor so the front caster wheels could be fully eliminated, to reduce the risk of tripping, while improving turn radius and mobility. The intent of this work was to start a conversation regarding ways industrial designers can improve manual wheelchairs for the growing aging demographic.
Techniques for Chromosome Analysis

Chromosome identification methods are widely used in somatic cell genetic studies, e.g., for ascertaining the normal karyotype and changes associated with transformation and neoplasia, identification of parental contribution of chromosomes in somatic cell hybrids and for gene mapping, and for verifying the cross-contamination of cell lines.
Critical Velocities for HE II

We propose a model to calculate the mass and heat flow of He II in a pipe connecting two baths. The each bath is maintained at constant temperature and pressure. The chemical potential difference is nonzero. When the velocities of the normal and superfluid components are above the critical value, the Gorter‐Mellink equations provide a good approximation. These equations have unique solutions and the method is straightforward. When the velocities are below critical, the Landau equations are appropriate. These equations have no steady state solution when the chemical potential is nonzero. The equations do not specify how to find the velocity of the superfluid component and it is not clear how to determine when the flow is above or below the critical velocity. The model envisages two flow regimes in different parts of the flow path. One regime is above critical and is a solution of the Gorter‐Mellink equations. It brings the chemical potential difference to zero. The remainder of the flow path is below criti...
Central obesity as measured by waist circumference is predictive of severity of lower urinary tract symptoms

Study Type – Prognosis (cohort) Level of Evidence 2a What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? The metabolic syndrome, or Syndrome X, has traditionally been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and sexual dysfunction. Emerging data however now suggest that the metabolic syndrome may also have a heretofore unrecognized negative effect on voiding function as well. Weight loss through either behavioural modification or bariatric surgery has been shown to lead to improvement in stress and urge incontinence as well as LUTS. A potential relationship may be drawn between obesity and BPH. This study adds the knowledge that WC can represent a simple metric not only for elements of the metabolic syndrome but also for worsened voiding. These obese men may be at high risk of male pelvic dysfunction. OBJECTIVES • To determine if central obesity as measured by waist circumference (WC) is a risk factor in metabolic dysfunction, which includes hypertension, dyslipidaemia and type 2 diabetes (DM2). • To test the hypothesis that central obesity and WC are associated with and predictive of the severity of voiding dysfunction. METHODS • Men aged ≥40 years with moderate or severe lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS, International Prostate Symptom Score ≥ 8) with no previous treatment were included for study. • Subjects were divided into three groups according to WC (<90, 90–99 and ≥100 cm). • Baseline parameters including International Prostate Symptom Score, prostate volume, serum prostate-specific antigen, presence of erectile dysfunction and ejaculatory dysfunction, and the prevalence of hypertension, coronary artery disease and DM2 were compared among the three WC categories. • The association between WC and all parameters assessed was tested using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS • In the 409 consecutive men analysed, WC was significantly and positively associated with prostate volume, serum prostate-specific antigen and International Prostate Symptom Score. • Higher WCs were also significantly associated with a greater prevalence of hypertension, coronary artery disease, DM2 and obesity as well as the presence of erectile dysfunction and ejaculatory dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS • Increased WC is associated with worsened voiding. • There was a significantly increased prevalence of components of the metabolic syndrome in patients with higher WC. • Obese men, in particular those with other features of the metabolic syndrome, are at increased risk of male pelvic dysfunction and can be easily recognized by measurement of WC.
Bayesian Detection of Random Signals on Random Backgrounds

This paper describes a general approach to signal detection with uncertainty in signal and/or background distributions. Attention is restricted to binary decision problems where the hypotheses can be expressed as signal-present vs signal-absent, but otherwise the treatment is general. Many familiar results come out as special cases.
The Accelerator Production of Tritium Materials Test Program

A materials qualification program has been developed to irradiate and test candidate materials (alloy 718, Type 316L, and Type 304L stainless steel, modified Fe9Cr-1Mo(T91), Al-6061-T6, and Al-5052...
Estimates of Minimally Important Differences (MIDs) for Two Patient‐Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Computer‐Adaptive Tests in Chronic Pain Patients

Anchor- and distribution-based methods were combined to evaluate and establish minimally important differences (MIDs) for two Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measures in an outpatient chronic pain population. These included the computer-adaptive test (CAT) versions of two PROMIS measures: Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety-Related Symptoms (PROMIS; Cella, Gershon, Lai & Choi). Participants (n = 170) undergoing a behavioral medicine evaluation in an interdisciplinary pain management clinic completed two PROMIS CATs and multiple clinical anchor measures/questions. Modeled after similar analyses (Yost, Eton, Garcia, & Cella), three a priori criteria were used to select usable cross-sectional anchor-based MID estimates; these included a minimum Spearman correlation of .3 between the PROMIS measure and anchor item/categories, a minimum comparison group sample size of 10 within each anchor, and an effect size between .2 and .8 for each anchor-based estimate. For each PROMIS measure, the mean standard error of measurement was calculated and incorporated into MID analyses. Using a large sample (n = 170), a number of the cross-sectional T-score anchor-based MID estimates (57%) were not included due to failure to meet a priori criteria. Based on the analyses, the following T-score MID ranges are recommended: Depression CAT (3.5–5.5) and Anxiety CAT (3.0–5.5). The average effect sizes for MID estimates ranged from .32 to .57. This study is among the first to address MIDs for PROMIS measures; it is the first study to establish usable MIDs for psychological symptoms on outpatients with chronic/persistent pain. The results may be used to gauge minimally important clinical difference and/or treatment response for individuals within this patient population. MIDs for PROs are particularly useful when treatment responses are significant to the patient but are difficult to evaluate during the clinical visit.
Factors associated with ciprofloxacin-resistant Escherichia coli urinary tract infections in discharged ED patients.

Abstract Background We sought to identify factors associated with Escherichia coli resistance to ciprofloxacin among discharged emergency department (ED) patient visits treated for a urinary tract infection (UTI). We hypothesized that specific historical factors available upon ED presentation would be associated with increased odds of ciprofloxacin resistance in this population. Methods We conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study of consecutive discharged adult ED patient visits with a primary diagnosis of UTI caused by E coli to a single center from 2011 to 2014. Two investigators separately abstracted to a preconstructed data collection form the following independent variables on each included visit: patient age, sex, residence, active immunosuppressive condition or medication, chronic indwelling Foley catheter, hospitalization or antibiotic use within 90 days prior to presentation, and history of recurrent UTIs. We used multivariable logistic regression after taking into account colinearity to identify those independent variables associated with increased odds of ciprofloxacin resistance and report descriptive characteristics of the study cohort, odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and model strength. Results Age at least 65 years (OR, 3.15; 95% CI, 1.44-6.87; P = .004), recurrent UTI (OR, 6.23; 95% CI, 2.38-16.30; P P = .004) were significantly associated with ciprofloxacin-resistant E coli UTIs in relevant visits. Conclusion In this single-center study, age at least 65 years, recurrent UTI, and recent hospitalization were most clearly associated with increased odds of ciprofloxacin-resistant UTIs in discharged adult ED patient visits. If validated, these factors should suggest that alternative antimicrobial agents should be considered in the treatment of this condition among discharged adult ED patients.
Comparison of Mothers' and Fathers' Opinions of Parent–Child Interaction Therapy

Opinions of parenting programs mostly have been obtained from mothers. Because mothers and fathers' interactions with children differ, gathering data from both parents regarding behavior modification and parenting programs is necessary. This project was part of a larger study and compared mothers and fathers' acceptability of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and its various components. Acceptability data were obtained using the Treatment Evaluation Inventory-Short Form and a modified version of this measure assessing specific PCIT components. The sample consisted of 40 community mother-father pairs of a young male child. Findings suggest gender differences in PCIT treatment acceptability and various PCIT components.
Organic and Inorganic Constituents of the Amazon River

THE Amazon River discharge rate is of the order of 6 × 1012 m3/yr which represents some 20 per cent of the entire world-wide river runoff1,2. Analytical data for this large tropical river, unpolluted by man, are scarce and, for some chemical species, entirely lacking. The available data compiled by Livingston3 are those originally presented in 1924 for Clarke4.
Characteristics of hypertensive children identified by primary care referral compared with school-based screening

Abstract Objectives To determine whether there are clinical differences between children referred for hypertension evaluation from a primary care practice and children with hypertension detected through school-based screening. Study design Referral patients (n=58) were compared with 44 screening patients with hypertension from school-based screening of 5102 students. All subjects underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring. White coat hypertension was defined as 24-hour mean BP Results Referral subjects were more likely to be male and had higher body mass index than screening subjects but did not differ by age or ethnic distribution. Average clinic BP values tended to be higher among referral patients (140/79 vs 135/76 mm Hg, P =.07); however, the hypertension severity was closely matched when clinic BP was indexed to the subject-specific 95th percentile. Ambulatory mean BP, BP indices, and BP loads showed no differences by subject source for 24-hour, wake, or sleep periods. White coat hypertension prevalence did not differ between referral and screening subjects (28% vs 30%, P =.83). Conclusion These findings suggest that hypertensive children identified by subspecialty referral are representative of the overall population of hypertensive children in the community, thereby supporting the generalizability of clinic-based research in pediatric hypertension.
Environmental and Physiological Controls on Diel Patterns of N2 Fixation in Epiphytic Cyanobacterial Communities

Epiphytic communities dominated by cyanobacteria on standing, dead Spartina alterniflora stems in a North Carolina salt marsh were examined. Community composition changed over an annual cycle, with heterocystous cyanobacteria (Calothrix spp., Nostoc spp.) dominant in the spring, and nonheterocystous cyanobacteria (Lyngbya spp., Phormidium spp.) dominant in the fall. Diel patterns of N2 fixation were investigated with acetylene reduction (AR) assays. Incubation conditions were varied in AR assays to determine physiological controls on N2 fixation rates. AR assays conducted under aerial conditions exhibited significant daytime maxima only in the spring. In contrast, N2 fixation measured in submerged AR assays exhibited daytime maxima through October, although the diel pattern was more pronounced in the spring and summer. Anoxic (purged with N2) incubations always exhibited daytime maxima in AR. Nighttime AR assays conducted under submerged or anoxic conditions exhibited lower rates of AR than nighttime aerial incubations. These data suggest that the N2-fixing microorganisms in the epiphytic community rely on aerobic metabolism for nighttime N2 fixation, presumably in order to provide energy and reductant to nitrogenase. In situ rates of nighttime N2 fixation are, thus, partially controlled by tidal stage, as submergence promotes the development of anoxic conditions. AR rates were extremely low in epiphytic films held continuously in the dark, pointing to the dependence on photosynthate by N2-fixing microorganisms.
Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and hydrogen/deuterium exchange for probing the interaction of calmodulin with calcium.

The extent of H/D exchange of the protein calmodulin in solution was monitored by mass spectrometry following electrospray ionization (ESI) of the protein. In the absence of Ca2+, approximately 115 protons are exchanged for deuteriums after 60 min. As the calmodulin is titrated with Ca2+, the extent of exchange decreases significantly (i.e., by 24 protons), indicating Ca2+-induced folding of the protein to a tighter, less solvent-accessible form. The extent of H/D exchange ceases to decrease when the amount of added Ca2+ is sufficient to convert greater than 80% of the calmodulin to a form bound by four calcium ions. Lysozyme, a protein of similar molecular weight, does not show a significant decrease in the extent of H/D exchange as it binds to Ca2+, indicating that the changes in H/D exchange for calmodulin reflect tertiary structural change that occur upon binding with Ca2+.
Using a validated health promotion tool to improve patient safety and increase health care personnel influenza vaccination rates.

Background This study employed the risk perception attitude (RPA) framework to determine whether health care personnel (HCP) influenza-related risk perceptions and efficacy beliefs could be used to segment individuals into meaningful groups related to vaccination uptake, absenteeism, and patient safety beliefs. Methods After pilot interviews, a questionnaire was administered to 318 hospital-based HCP (80%) and nonclinical support staff (20%) in Lexington, KY, in 2011. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 29 respondents. Results Cluster analysis was used to create 4 groups that correspond to the RPA framework: responsive (high risk, strong efficacy), avoidance (high risk, weak efficacy), proactive (low risk, strong efficacy), and indifference (low risk, weak efficacy). A significant association was found between membership in 1 or more of the 4 RPA groups and the 3 study variables of interest: influenza vaccination uptake (F7,299 = 2.51, P Conclusion The RPA framework is a valid health promotion tool for improving patient safety, targeting specific groups for interventions, and improving HCP influenza vaccination rates.
Ranking patterns in college football's BCS selection system: How conference ties, conference tiers, and the design of BCS payouts affect voter decisions

Abstract Affiliation matrices are used to analyze ranking patterns in the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 USA Today College Football Coaches’ Polls. Results evidence that votes received disproportionately stem from within conference. As a whole, coaches that share a conference give their own teams between 10.61% and 27.83% more of their votes than other coaches. Also, conferences that receive automatic bids to BCS bowls appear to band together in hopes of minimizing the BCS chances of teams from non-automatic-bid conferences. Non-automatic-bid conferences, however, do not band together to rally around non-automatic-bid teams vying for a BCS bid. Lastly, ranking discrepancies are greatest when teams are only marginally qualified for BCS bids. Implications for revisions to the BCS selection system are discussed.
Target recovery in metacontrast: the effect of contrast.

Abstract The visibility of a target stimulus (T) can be reduced by an aftercoming and spatially non-overlapping mask stimulus (M1), a phenomenon known as metacontrast masking. Interestingly, the visibility of the masked target can be recovered when a secondary mask (M2) is added to the T–M1 sequence. We analyzed a computational model of retino-cortical dynamics (RECOD) and derived the prediction that contrast dependence of metacontrast and target recovery should parallel the contrast dependence of afferent magnocellular and parvocellular pathways, respectively. In a psychophysical experiment, we tested this prediction by systematically varying (a) M2’s contrast and (b) the M1–M2 onset asynchrony (SOA). At the optimal M1–M2 SOA, target recovery effect increased with M2’s contrast without saturating, but at the optimal M1–M2 metacontrast SOA, reduction of M1’s visibility saturated very rapidly as M2’s contrast increased. Quantitative comparisons of psychophysical results with model simulations provide support for our prediction. We conclude that metacontrast masking is driven by signals originating from the magnocellular pathway and target recovery in metacontrast is driven by signals originating from the parvocellular pathway.
Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, Coping, and Condom Use Among Urban Women

In this study, path analysis was used to test a model of the relationships among condom use knowledge, self-efficacy for condom use, coping, and condom use in a sample of 100 urban women. In the final model, the paths between condom use knowledge and self-efficacy, between self-efficacy and condom use, and between self-efficacy and problem-focused coping were significant. In addition, condom use knowledge was indirectly related to condom use through self-efficacy. The final model accounted for 43% of the variance in condom use. Although the women engaged in risky behaviors including having multiple partners, high-risk sexual partners, and unprotected intercourse, they did not worry about or perceive themselves at risk for HIV. To assist women to decrease their risk for sexually transmitted HIV infection, clinicians should conduct individualized assessments of each client's sexual behaviors to identify women at risk. Individualized interventions are recommended to increase both knowledge of how to use condoms and self-efficacy for condom use among women at risk for HIV.
Personality Effects on American Foreign Policy, 1898–1968: A Test of Interpersonal Generalization Theory*

Whether personality characteristics of American leaders crucially determine major American foreign policy decisions has been a matter of considerable disagreement. A test of two hypotheses drawn from interpersonal generalization theory shows such influences have probably been crucial in a number of cases in American foreign policy between 1898 and 1968. In 49 cases of intraelite disagreement on force-related issues and 13 cases of intraelite disagreement on inclusionary issues the direction of disagreement could be predicted in over 75 percent of the cases by knowledge of individual differences in interpersonal relations. A four-fold speculative typology suggests fundamental personality-based differences in orientation towards America's preferred operating style and role in the international system (e.g., introverts are drawn toward impersonal principles and mechanisms like balance of power–or in an earlier period to international law).The evidence implies that one source of war and hard-line foreign policy is the structure of self-selection and recruitment to high office in the American political system. As well, the systematic tendency to self-expressive personalization in major foreign policy decisions probably increases the rate of error of American elites.
Afterword: Hugo Ball's Theology

In 1970, the jurist, ex-Nazi, and perennial cause celebre Carl Schmitt was interviewed about his relationship to Hugo Ball. “Hugo Ball,” he reflected, “encountered a kind of brother in me. We both came from very Catholic families; and then we were dragged into the Wilhelmine age and had to see how we'd find our place. Each of us achieved this in our own way. This is how I explain the otherwise inexplicable enthusiasm of his essay.” The essay in question is “Carl Schmitt's Political Theology,” published in 1924 and translated into English here for the first time. Ball's review was one of the first-ever published examinations of Schmitt's work, one that even today reveals new aspects of his theologico-political theory.
The Relationship between Stimulus Intensity and Oriented Phototactic Response (Topotaxis) in Chlamydomonas

Two techniques have been used to study the quantitative relationship between stimulus intensity and oriented phototactic response (topotaxis) in Chlamydomonas. The net response of a cell population was monitored photometrically and was recorded continuously against time. The responses of individual cells were observed through a microscope and their swimming tracks were recorded on film. The net response of the population is positive at low stimulus intensity and negative at high intensity. The direction of response can be reversed within two seconds by raising or lowering the intensity. The intensity-response curve for phototaxis is similar to the dose-response curve for phototropism. The net response has no distinct threshold; it increases linearly with log intensity; then it decreases and finally becomes negative. The individual-cell studies reveal that the intensity-dependent increase in net topotactic response is due primarily to an increase in the number of cells responding and in the directness of their swimming path. As stimulus intensity is raised, the swimming path becomes increasingly well-aligned with the stimulus beam, whether net response is positive throughout the intensity range tested, negative throughout that range, or changing from positive to negative. Changes in swimming rate do not contribute significantly to the intensity-dependent changes in net response. Swimming rate shows virtually no change throughout the intensity range of positive topotaxis and shows only a small increase in the negative range. However, a transient decrease in swimming rate (stop response) is often observed at the onset of stimulation. The implications of these results for the orientation mechanism are discussed.
Integrating whole transcriptome sequence data and public databases for analysis of somatic mutations in tumors

The annotation of pathologically relevant somatic variations has gained importance with the wide use of next-generation sequencing in biomedical studies. At present, this evaluation is performed using public tools such as SAMtools and ANNOVAR by comparing predicted mutations and small nucleotide variations (SNVs) with databases such as 1000 Genomes and dbSNP, as well as with paired normal data if available. However, these analytical methods lack the ability to integrate information from the different analyses into a single output. Additionally, many approaches are filter based and remove data that does not match specific criteria, thus leading to the removal of variations that would otherwise be reconsidered later. To this end, we have developed a Perl wrapper script that utilizes standard next-generation sequencing output files along with SAMtools and ANNOVAR to produce an annotated tumor variant file with sequence calls from related tumor and matched normal samples. We performed SOLiD paired-end sequencing of the whole transcriptome of one lung adenocarcinoma and seven normal lung samples (including one matched normal). BioScope 1.3 was used to map the reads, and the SNVs were identified by the diBayes package. The map files in binary-sequence alignment format (BAM) and SNV files in generic feature format (GFF) were used to annotate the tumor SNVs with matched normal sequence information at each position (diBayes and SAMtools), as well as other normal samples (both position and gene based). Furthermore, SNVs were annotated with positional information, including whether intronic, exonic, or synonymous versus nonsynonymous, as well as with data from the 1000 Genomes Project (allele frequency), the dbSNP database (rs identifiers) and the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC) database. Of the 1,804 SNVs initially identified in the tumor sample, 138 SNVs were found in non-coding RNA, and 75 did not appear in the normal samples according to diBayes or in the specific matched normal sample according to SAMtools. Because the capacity to sequence the whole transcriptome is subject to the expression level, the possibility of failure to detect variations in normal lung samples cannot be ignored. To address this concern, we analyzed 1000 Genomes data and found that only 23 of the 75 potential tumor-specific SNVs exhibited allele frequencies <1%, and 6 of these exist in dbSNP. All of these steps can be rapidly performed by a researcher, and modifying the approach to identify other types of SNVs is easily achievable. The use of a single script that tracks input file names and locations is expected to improve data handling and reporting. Notably, all variant data are present in a single file, allowing straightforward modification of criteria and instant hypothesis testing and therefore reducing the need for an informed end user to re-engage a bioinformatician to address another biological question.
Dissolution of Palladium and Platinum from Automotive Catalysts

Automotive exhaust gas catalysts contain palladium and platinum as the active material on an alumina substrate. Experiments were conducted to determine the amount of palladium and platinum that could be leached from fresh and aged automotive catalysts under various conditions. The conditions included soaking the catalyst samples in rain water to simulate environmental leaching from discarded catalysts and in dilute hydrochloric acid to simulate the dissolution of noble metals from swallowed catalysts. To obtain the necessary sensitivity for measuring microgram quantities of these noble metals in the leachates, radiochemical techniques were used. The results indicate that only very small amounts of noble metals are leached from fresh catalysts; the extent of dissolution depends upon catalyst pretreatment and the leaching solution. The dissolution of noble metals from aged catalysts (80,000-km vehicle tests) is one tenth that of fresh catalysts.
Domoic acid in milk of free living California marine mammals indicates lactational exposure occurs

Domoic acid (DA) is a marine biotoxin produced by some toxicogenic species of the diatom, Pseudo-nitzschia, that appears to be blooming more frequently along the west coast of the United States (Fryxell et al. 1997, Van Dolah 2000). This increase is a concern for marine mammal health because DA is an excitatory amino acid that has a high affinity for the a-amino-5-hydroxy-3-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) and kainate subclasses of glutamate receptors that are present in the mammalian central nervous system and heart. The interaction of DA and these glutamate receptors causes cell depolarization, dysfunction, and death, resulting in seizures, epilepsy, cardiomyopathy, and death depending upon the ingested dose (Olney et al. 1979, Jeffery et al. 2004). In humans, DA is the cause of a neurotoxic illness termed amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), first recognized in Canada in 1987 following consumption of contaminated shellfish (Perl et al. 1990). In marine mammals, DA toxicosis is best documented in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) that develop severe neurological signs associated with acute and long term effects of DA exposure (Scholin et al. 2000, Gulland et al. 2002, Goldstein et al. 2008). Lesions in affected sea lions include neuronal necrosis in the hippocampus, which may progress to hippocampal atrophy (Silvagni et al. 2005, Goldstein et al. 2008) and degenerative cardiomyopathy (Zabka et al. 2009). More recently DA toxicosis was reported in northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus; Lefebvre et al. 2010), harbor seals (Phoca vitulina; McHuron et al. 2013) and southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis; Kreuder et al. 2003) off the California coast. The toxin has been detected in feces of live blue (Balaenoptera musculus) and humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) whales (Lefebvre et al. 2002), stranded pygmy and dwarf sperm whales (Kogia spp.; Fire et al. 2009), and cetacean carcasses. In 2002 common dolphin (Delphinus spp.) strandings in southern California
VITAMIN C IN RELATION TO EXPERIMENTAL POLIOMYELITIS : WITH INCIDENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON CERTAIN MANIFESTATIONS IN MACACUS RHESUS MONKEYS ON A SCORBUTIC DIET

In the experiments reported in the present communication it was found that vitamin C, both natural and synthetic preparations, had no effect on the course of experimental poliomyelitis induced by nasal instillation of the virus. The objection cannot be raised that too large an amount of virus was used, since recent studies (3) on the fate of the nasally instilled virus indicated that all but an undetectable amount of it is swallowed and disappears from the nasal mucosa within 3 hours or less, and that none is demonstrable in the central nervous system before the 3rd day. Vitamin C administration was begun immediately after the instillation of virus and if it were capable of exerting any effect on the virus or the tissues it could have done so even before multiplication of virus had begun. Monkeys whose store of vitamin C was depleted reacted in the same way as those receiving an adequate diet. There is no apparent explanation for the difference between these results and those reported earlier by Jungeblut (1,2). During the present investigation it was found that monkeys on a scorbutic diet died of spontaneous acute infections, chiefly pneumonia and enterocolitis, while their mates receiving an adequate diet remained well. The surviving monkeys on the scorbutic diet developed the osseous and other changes of human scurvy, and the vitamin C used in this study was shown to produce healing and calcification in the bones as well as to check the edema and hemorrhagic diathesis.
Inmate Needs and Programming in Exclusively Women's Jails:

Most women in jail serve time in facilities that also house men. However, there are 18 jails nationally that house women only, and this study is based on surveys and interviews administered at 5 of these jails. It explores the extent to which women's jails meet the needs of inmates who want to further their education and training, maintain and deepen bonds with their children, and overcome their addictions to drugs and alcohol as well as their histories of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. The findings suggest that, when it comes to meeting most of these needs, the programming in women's jails fails miserably.
Fine-Tuning Vitamin E-Containing Telodendrimers for Efficient Delivery of Gambogic Acid in Colon Cancer Treatment

Certain natural products such as gambogic acid (GA) exhibit potent antitumor effects. Unfortunately, administration of these natural products is limited by their poor solubility in conventional pharmaceutical solvents. In this study, a series of telodendrimers, composed of linear polyethylene glycol (PEG)-blocking-dendritic oligomer of cholic acid (CA) and vitamin E (VE), have been designed with architectures optimized for efficient delivery of GA and other natural anticancer compounds. Two of the telodendrimers with segregated CA and VE domains self-assembled into stable cylindrical and/or spherical nanoparticles (NPs) after being loaded with GA as observed under transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which correlated with the dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis of sub-30 nm particle sizes. A very high GA loading capacity (3:10 drug/polymer w/w) and sustained drug release were achieved with the optimized telodendrimers. These novel nanoformulations of GA were found to exhibit similar in vitro cytotoxic activity against colon cancer cells as the free drug. Near-infrared fluorescence small animal imaging revealed preferential accumulation of GA-loaded NPs into tumor tissue. The optimized nanoformulation of GA achieved superior antitumor efficacy compared to GA-Cremophor EL formulation at equivalent doses in HT-29 human colon cancer xenograft mouse models. Given the mild adverse effects associated with this natural compound and the enhanced anticancer effects via tumor targeted telodendrimer delivery, the optimized GA nanoformulation is a promising alternative to the traditional chemotherapy in colon cancer treatment.
Puttable and Extendible Bonds: Developing Interest Rate Derivatives for Emerging Markets

This paper analyzes the price stabilizing properties of puttable and extendible bonds, their potential to help develop interest-rate derivative markets, and their use by governments. Their stabilizing properties imply that, when bond prices fall, prices for puttable and extendible bonds fall by less. Their embedded options work as a cushion and replicate the trading gains from hedging long-term bonds with interest rate derivatives. These bonds can help develop interest-rate derivative markets in developing countries and eventually increase demand for long-term government bonds. Informal evidence from OECD countries suggests that these bonds were useful in the 1980s, when interest rates were volatile.
An overview of target and diagnostic alignment at the National Ignition Facility

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a 192-beam high energy laser designed for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), and High Energy Density (HED) and basic science experiments. In order to achieve ignition with an ICF target, the beam and target alignment must be performed within very tight specifications. At the same time, in order to be able to conduct the wide range of HED and basic science experiments, the facility must be able to meet the tight tolerances for both main and offset backlighter beams and targets. To diagnose the ignition event, many different target diagnostics are employed, including optical, x-ray, and nuclear diagnostics. These target diagnostics must also be positioned accurately and reliably within very tight specifications in order to ensure good data is acquired. In this paper, we describe the strategy for beam, target, and diagnostic alignment at NIF.
Précis of Self-Expression (Oxford, 2007)

I give a brief overview of the major contentions and methodologies of my book, Self-Expression.
The vichy syndrome: History and memory in France since 1994

(1995). The vichy syndrome: History and memory in France since 1994. History of European Ideas: Vol. 21, No. 6, pp. 805-807.
Effect of Hormone Therapy on Tensile Strain of the Macaque Inferior Glenohumeral Ligament

The effect of hormone treatment on the material properties of ligaments has been extensively studied for the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). However, there have been few studies on the effects of hormones on the material properties of the shoulder. Shoulder ligaments contribute to overall shoulder stability, and a change in ligament properties could contribute to a change in overall shoulder laxity. Cynomolgus monkeys have served as nonhuman primate models in studies examining the effects of hormone replacement therapy on the cardiovascular system, as well as serving as a model for menopause, reproductive support structures, the knee joint and shoulder joint. The cynomolgus macaques are commonly used for studies involving hormone replacement therapy because they have 28-day menstrual cycles with very similar hormonal patterns to that of women. This study uses female cynomologus macaque (Macaca fascicularis) monkeys as an animal model of the human shoulder to determine if estrogen has an effect on the strain distribution of the inferior glenohumeral ligament (IGHL).Copyright © 2011 by ASME
The Annotation Conundrum

Without lengthy, iterative refinement of guidelines, and equally lengthy and iterative training of annotators, the level of inter-subjective agreement on simple tasks of phonetic, phonological, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic annotation is shockingly low. This is a significant practical problem in speech and language technology, but it poses questions of interest to psychologists, philosophers of language, and theoretical linguists as well.
Electromagnetic field of rotating charged bodies

The fact that the electromagnetic field of the Kerr-Newman solution of the Einstein-Maxwell equations is independent of the gravitational constant calls attention to and is illuminated by a problem of flat-space physics: the field of a rotating charged oblate ellipsoid of revolution of infinite conductivity and either (a) magnetic susceptibility of vacuum or (b) infinite magnetic susceptibility. These problems are solved for the case of interest, when the angular velocity is ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{0}=a{\stackrel{\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}}{R}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$, where ${\stackrel{\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}}{R}}^{2}={R}^{2}+{a}^{2}, R \mathrm{and} \stackrel{\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}}{R}$ being the semiminor and semimajor radii of the ellipsoid, respectively. It is shown that for small ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{0}$ the conductive surface current [case (a)] or the volume magnetization [case (b)] contributes to the total magnetic moment with twice the value of that generated by the convective current of the surface charge $q$. The multipole expansion of the fields ${F}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}$ [same for (a) and (b)] is obtained and shown to be formally identical to one of the generalized Deutsch solutions obtained in the Appendix. These are the exact solutions for the electromagnetic field of a rotating charged spherical perfect conductor with the magnetic susceptibility of the vacuum. Implications of these results for the understanding of properties of the Kerr-Newman black hole, such as the value 2 for the gyromagnetic factor, are analyzed.
Tool Wear of Polycrystalline Cubic Boron Nitride Compact Tools in Cutting Hardened Steel

Using polycrystalline cubic boron nitride compact (cBN) tools, which have different cBN contents and cBN particle sizes, the influences of both the cBN content and the cBN particle size on tool wear in turning of hardened steel at various cutting speeds was experimentally investigated. Three types of cBN tools (a cBN content of 45-55% and 75%, and a cBN particle size of 0.5 μm and 5 μm, respectively) were tested. Furthermore, three kinds of chamfered and honed cutting edges were also used. The main results obtained are as follows: (1) In the case of the cBN tools with the same cBN particle size of 5.0 μm, the tool life of the cBN tool with a cBN content of 75% was longer than that of the cBN tool with a cBN content of 45% at low cutting speed. However, at high cutting speed, the tool life of the cBN tool with a cBN content of 75% was shorter. (2) The tool life of the cBN tool with both a cBN content of 55% and a cBN particle size of 0.5 μm was the longest. (3) The tool wear of cBN tools decreased with a decrease in chamfer width.