cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mammalian TBX1 preferentially binds and regulates downstream targets via a tandem T-site repeat.

Haploinsufficiency or mutation of TBX1 is largely responsible for the etiology of physical malformations in individuals with velo-cardio-facial/DiGeorge syndrome (VCFS/DGS/22q11.2 deletion syndrome). TBX1 encodes a transcription factor protein that contains an evolutionarily conserved DNA binding domain termed the T-box that is shared with other family members. All T-box proteins, examined so far, bind to similar but not identical consensus DNA sequences, indicating that they have specific binding preferences. To identify the TBX1 specific consensus sequence, Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) was performed. In contrast to other TBX family members recognizing palindrome sequences, we found that TBX1 preferentially binds to a tandem repeat of 5′-AGGTGTGAAGGTGTGA-3′. We also identified a second consensus sequence comprised of a tandem repeat with a degenerated downstream site. We show that three known human disease-causing TBX1 missense mutations (F148Y, H194Q and G310S) do not alter nuclear localization, or disrupt binding to the tandem repeat consensus sequences, but they reduce transcriptional activity in cell culture reporter assays. To identify Tbx1-downstream genes, we performed an in silico genome wide analysis of potential cis-acting elements in DNA and found strong enrichment of genes required for developmental processes and transcriptional regulation. We found that TBX1 binds to 19 different loci in vitro, which may correspond to putative cis-acting binding sites. In situ hybridization coupled with luciferase gene reporter assays on three gene loci, Fgf8, Bmper, Otog-MyoD, show that these motifs are directly regulated by TBX1 in vitro. Collectively, the present studies establish new insights into molecular aspects of TBX1 binding to DNA. This work lays the groundwork for future in vivo studies, including chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by next generation sequencing (ChIP-Seq) to further elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of VCFS/DGS.
Effect of laser melting on plasma-sprayed aluminum oxide coatings reinforced with carbon nanotubes

The effect of laser melting on the microstructure and mechanical properties of plasma-sprayed aluminum oxide composite coating reinforced with 4 wt% multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is reported. Laser-melted layer consists of dense, coarse columnar microstructure which is significantly different from plasma-sprayed coating that consists of splats and porosity. CNTs retained their original cylindrical graphitic structure after undergoing laser irradiation. Three dimensional heat flow model has been developed to estimate temperature variation in the laser-melted composite layer. Laser-melted layers show an increase in the microhardness at the expanse of degradation of fracture toughness. Nanoindentation study indicates an increase in the elastic modulus and yield strength of the laser-melted layer which is attributed to dense microstructure with absence of weak-bonding splats and porosity.
DO ARCHIVAL LIGHT-LEVEL GEOLOCATORS AND STABLE HYDROGEN ISOTOPES PROVIDE COMPARABLE ESTIMATES OF BREEDING-GROUND ORIGIN?

ABSTRACT. Migratory connectivity for small migratory passerines has been quantified primarily with stable hydrogen isotopes in feathers (δ2HF) because, until recently, we lacked the technology to track small organisms over long distances. Direct tracking of small passerines throughout the annual cycle is now possible with archival light-level geolocators. Our objective was to evaluate whether δ2HF and geolocators produce similar breeding-origin assignments for the same individual birds sampled during the non-breeding season. We estimated breeding origin with geolocators and δ2HF and validated those estimates using a population of Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla) from a known breeding location at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire. We also deployed geolocators on Ovenbirds in Jamaica and Florida during March 2010–2011. We performed stable hydrogen isotope analysis on feathers of birds whose geolocators we recovered (Jamaica: n = 9; Florida: n = 3). Probabilistic assignments of δ2HF that accoun...
A reliability model for total field incidents

Traditional reliability predictions can differ significantly from actual field incident experience, particularly during the early life of the product. It is shown that it is possible to extend the reliability prediction process of preliminary electrical/electronic product designs, to include not only the effect of a constantly declining failure rate, but also the effects of infant mortality. The prediction can also account for misdiagnosis to predict warranty rate. >
MetDisease—connecting metabolites to diseases via literature

Motivation: In recent years, metabolomics has emerged as an approach to perform large-scale characterization of small molecules in biological systems. Metabolomics posed a number of bioinformatics challenges associated in data analysis and interpretation. Genome-based metabolic reconstructions have established a powerful framework for connecting metabolites to genes through metabolic reactions and enzymes that catalyze them. Pathway databases and bioinformatics tools that use this framework have proven to be useful for annotating experimental metabolomics data. This framework can be used to infer connections between metabolites and diseases through annotated disease genes. However, only about half of experimentally detected metabolites can be mapped to canonical metabolic pathways. We present a new Cytoscape 3 plug-in, MetDisease, which uses an alternative approach to link metabolites to disease information. MetDisease uses Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) disease terms mapped to PubChem compounds through literature to annotate compound networks. Availability and implementation: MetDisease can be downloaded from http://apps.cytoscape.org/apps/metdisease or installed via the Cytoscape app manager. Further information about MetDisease can be found at http://metdisease.ncibi.org Contact: ude.hcimu.dem@svonraka Supplementary information: Supplementary Data are available at Bioinformatics online
SIZE OF PROCESSING UNIT DURING READING AND RETENTION OF PROSE BY GOOD AND POOR READERS

Seventh-grade good and poor readers read a story while performing one of three orienting tasks that induced semantic encoding of individual words, sentences, or short paragraphs. Other students (control) read the story normally. Idea units in the story had previously been rated for structural importance and recall of the idea units at each of four levels of importance was measured. Results indicated that for both types of readers, recall was positively related to level of importance, however, the relationship was stronger for good readers. The order of orienting task conditions was the same for both groups: sentence—paragraph—word. However, the positions of these conditions vis-a-vis the control was qualified by type of reader and level of importance. For good readers, the sentence task was equivalent to the control, the word task was inferior at all levels of importance and the paragraph task was slightly inferior at higher levels of importance. For poor readers, the sentence task facilitated and the word task depressed recall of important ideas while the paragraph task did not differ from the control at any level of importance. One impor- tant conclusion from the study is that comprehension and hence recall of poor readers can be enhanced by inducing them to process text in meaningful units. One hypothesized difference between good and poor readers is the tendency of the latter to attend to individual words in text to the exclusion of higher order seman- tic units. Good readers, on the other hand, are presumed to be skilled in organizing the input into units (e.g., phrases and sentences) which serve to emphasize the semantic aspects of the message (cf. Rickards & Hatcher, 1977-78; Weiner & Cromer, 1967). Several studies have indicated that comprehension test scores of poor readers are raised by manipulations which facilitate their processing the meaning of text units larger than the individual word (e.g., Cromer, 1970; Levin, 1973). Thus, the evidence suggests that the size of the unit into which students organize text for semantic analysis during reading influences the level of comprehension attained. The
Increased risk of salivary gland cancer among women with a previous cancer diagnosis.

Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate salivary gland cancer incidence among patients with a previous cancer diagnosis and explore the potential relationship of salivary gland cancer among women with a previous diagnosis of breast cancer. Methods We obtained information from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for patients diagnosed between 1973 and 2011. Incidence, annual percent change (APC), and survival were examined. Results Women were more likely than men to experience subsequent salivary gland cancer, female observed to expected (O/E) = 1.63 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.49–1.78) versus male O/E = 1.34 (95% CI, 1.25–1.44). Index breast cancer does not confer greater risk of salivary gland cancer. Women demonstrate improved overall survival (OS) and cause-specific survival (CSS) compared with men for subsequent salivary gland cancer. Conclusion Among patients with a previous cancer diagnosis, the risk of subsequent salivary gland cancer is greater among women than men. More research is needed to determine the relationship between index breast cancer and subsequent salivary gland cancer risk. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2015
Systematic discovery and characterization of regulatory motifs in ENCODE TF binding experiments

Recent advances in technology have led to a dramatic increase in the number of available transcription factor ChIP-seq and ChIP-chip data sets. Understanding the motif content of these data sets is an important step in understanding the underlying mechanisms of regulation. Here we provide a systematic motif analysis for 427 human ChIP-seq data sets using motifs curated from the literature and also discovered de novo using five established motif discovery tools. We use a systematic pipeline for calculating motif enrichment in each data set, providing a principled way for choosing between motif variants found in the literature and for flagging potentially problematic data sets. Our analysis confirms the known specificity of 41 of the 56 analyzed factor groups and reveals motifs of potential cofactors. We also use cell typespecific binding to find factors active in specific conditions. The resource we provide is accessible both for browsing a small number of factors and for performing large-scale systematic analyses. We provide motif matrices, instances and enrichments in each of the ENCODE data sets. The motifs discovered here have been used in parallel studies to validate the specificity of antibodies, understand cooperativity between data sets and measure the variation of motif binding across individuals and species.
Effects of Alcohol on Experimental Atrial Fibrillation

The association of alcohol abuse, especially binge drinking, and atrial fibrillation, recently termed “holiday heart,” has been recognized for some time. The effects of alcohol on atrial fibrillation, however, have not been studied. Accordingly, measurements of hemodynamics and duration of electrically induced atrial fibrillation were made in α-chloralose anesthetized dogs during the 30 min before and during a 30-min intravenous infusion of 1.7 g/kg of ethanol (25%, v/v), which produced an average infusion concentration of 254 ± 21 mg/dl. Average cardiac output, left ventricular (LV) peak dp/dt, and pulmonary artery mean pressure did not change, whereas LV systolic (116 ± 8 to 107 ± 9 mm Hg, p < 0.05) and aortic mean (95 ± 7 to 87 ± 9 mmHg, p < 0.05) pressures decreased. Heart rate and atrioventricular conduction in sinus rhythm, and atrial and ventricular activity in atrial fibrillation also did not change. Despite a decrease in arterial pH, duration of atrial fibrillation decreased (356 ± 143 to 93 ± 38 sec, p < 0.05). Moreover, at 15 min, when average ethanol concentration was 208 ± 20 mg/dl, and aortic mean pressure (95 ± 7 to 85 ± 8 mm Hg, p < 0.05), pulmonary artery mean pressure (16 ± 2 to 14 ± 2 mm Hg, p < 0.05), and LV peak dp/dt (1563 ± 143 to 1285 ± 167 mm Hg-sec−1, p < 0.05) were reduced, duration of atrial fibrillation was less than control (356 ± 143 to 114 ± 56 sec, p < 0.05). Thus, at blood levels of ethanol in which the vasodilatory and myocardial depressant effects of ethanol are evident, alcohol has an antiatrial fibrillatory effect.
Bone microstructure in OVX and normal rat bone as revealed by confocal and electron microscopy

In our recent work we observed that the microstructure of the osteocyte lacunar-canalicular system is quite extensive, raising the possibility that the interstitial fluid porosity might have been previously underestimated. In this study we employed an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model to determine the effect of osteoporosis on interstitial fluid porosity. Bone sections were visualized using confocal and electron microscopy. Even though no statistical difference was found between the OVX and normal bone porosities, the total cortical porosity measured (~ 20%) was greater than values previously reported (~ 9%), the difference due to the complexity of the lacunar-canalicular network. Moreover, the analysis of tibial sections using electron microscopy revealed a pattern of higher mineralization in areas of low lacunar-canalicular porosity. More extensive studies involving the quantification of porosity in different cortical bone locations and especially of cancellous bone porosity are necessary to further investigate the effect of osteoporosis on bone's interstitial fluid pathway.
Nonlinear hydromagnetic convection in a moderate prandtl number fluid

Nonlinear hydromagnetic connection is investigated using the modal equations for cellular convection. The boundary layer method is used assuming large Rayleigh number R , moderate Prandtl number σ and for different ranges of the Chandrasekhar number Q . The heat flux F is determined for the value of the horizontal wave number which maximizes F . For a weak field, the inertial force dominates over the Lorentz force. F is independent of Q , but it increases with R and σ. For a moderate field, the Lorentz force is significant. F increases with R and σ and decreases as Q increases. For a strong field, the Lorentz force dominates over the inertial force. F is independent of σ, but it increases with R and decreases as Q increases.
Methods of modelling viral disease dynamics across the within- and between-host scales: The impact of virus dose on host population immunity

We study the epidemiology of a viral disease with dose-dependent replication and transmission by nesting a differential-equation model of the within-host viral dynamics inside a between-host epidemiological model. We use two complementary approaches for nesting the models: an agent-based (AB) simulation and a mean-field approximation called the growth-matrix (GM) model. We find that although infection rates and predicted case loads are somewhat different between the AB and GM models, several epidemiological parameters, e.g. mean immunity in the population and mean dose received, behave similarly across the methods. Further, through a comparison of our dose-dependent replication model against two control models that uncouple dose-dependent replication from transmission, we find that host immunity in a population after an epidemic is qualitatively different than when transmission depends on time-varying viral abundances within hosts. These results show that within-host dynamics and viral dose should not be neglected in epidemiological models, and that the simpler GM approach to model nesting provides a reasonable tradeoff between model complexity and accuracy of results.
Cutting Edge Techniques in Intramural Sports Officials’ Development

Many professionals have identified the crucial role of officiating in determining the success of an intramural sports program. Topics such as recruiting, retention, training, motivation, and evalua...
Identifying Common Source Digital Camera from Image Pairs

In this paper, we propose a method for verifying whether two digital images were obtained using the same digital camera. The method uses test statistics derived from a two-channel detector taking as input the noise residuals from both images. It is not assumed that the camera that took the images is available.
IF HR WERE REALLY STRATEGICALLY PROACTIVE: PRESENT AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS IN HR'S CONTRIBUTION TO COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Current business conditions mandate greater competitive advantage from HR agendas and processes. To add greater competitive advantage, HR must contribute strategic value against criteria from customer and capital markets. HR can add strategic value either reactively or proactively. In its strategically reactive mode, HR assumes the existence of a business strategy and adds value by linking HR practices to the business strategy and by managing change. In its strategically proactive mode, HR creates competitive advantage by creating cultures of creativity and innovation, by facilitating mergers and acquisitions, and by linking internal processes and structures with ongoing changes in the marketplace. This article defines and describes these specific practices through which HR can contribute to greater competitive advantage. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Why Understanding Smoking Bans is Important for Estimating Their Effects: California's Restaurant Smoking Bans and Restaurant Sales

A large literature has sought to determine whether smoking bans help or hinder restaurants. Much of the literature improperly specifies its econometric equations, and thus mistakenly infers causality. Examining the relationship between restaurant smoking bans and restaurant revenues in 267 California communities, we reach two main conclusions. First, California's municipal restaurant smoking bans are endogenous in critical way - restaurant sales growth (or something correlated with restaurant sales growth) appears to cause restaurant bans, not vice versa. Consequently, failure to control properly for trends can produce spurious evidence of causation. Second, ban heterogeneity (e.g., state vs. local) can be exploited to sort out - or rule out - causal effects. In other words, pooling data and treating smoking bans implemented at different levels as homogenous (as many studies do) ignores an important source of information, and is likely to lead to erroneous conclusions. Our analysis holds lessons for the many studies that have examined the arguably more important question of how smoking bans affect smoking rates.
A Longitudinal Examination of the Effects of Early Influences and Midlife Characteristics on Successful Aging

Objectives. Pre vious research revealed that successful aging includes both objective and subjective dimensions. This longitudinal analysis examines how early life influences and midlife characteristics predict stability and change in successful aging over a 4-year period. Method. Data from 3,379 people li ving in New Jersey who completed baseline telephone interviews between 2006 and 2008 and follow-up mail surveys in 2011 were analyzed. Latent profile analysis identified people who aged successfully according to both objective and subjective criteria, neither criteria, and one, but not the other criteria. Multinomial logistic regressions analyses focused on the 2,614 people who were successful according to both objective and subjective criteria at baseline. Results. At follo w-up, 18.1% people successful at baseline had transitioned out of that status. Characteristics identifiable early in life (gender, race, education, never marrying, incarceration) as well as midlife status (currently married, working), health behaviors (smoking, drinking, body mass index, exercise), and social support distinguished people who continued to age successfully 4 years later from those who did not. Discussion. Findings suggest that successful aging is a fluid construct and that although some characteristics identifi able early in life predict successful aging, others are dampened by midlife statuses.
Do children eat less at meals when allowed to serve themselves

Background: The effect of self-serving on young children's energy intake is not well understood. Objective: The objective was to examine individual differences in the effects of plated and self-served entree portions on children's energy intake. Design: Two within-subjects experiments were used to examine ad libitum intake at meals in 63 children aged 3-5 y when 400 g of a pasta entree was either plated or available for children to self- serve. Child age, sex, BMI, and responsiveness to increasing portion size (defined as individual slope estimates relating ad libitum intake of the entree across a range of entree portions) were evaluated as predictors of self-served portions. Results: Children's entree and meal intakes did not differ between the self-served and plated conditions for the total sample or by child weight status. However, larger self-served entree portions were as- sociated with greater entree and meal intakes. Children who served themselves larger entree portions tended to be overweight and more responsive to portion size (ie, greater increases in entree intake as plated portion size increased). Last, self-served portion predicted both entree and meal intake over and above BMI z score and re- sponsiveness to portion. Conclusions: Contrary to our hypothesis, relative to plated portions, allowing children to self-serve the entree portion did not reduce energy intake. Children who were more responsive to portion-size effects were likely to self-serve and eat larger entree portions. Self- serving is not a one-size-fits-all approach; some children may need guidance and rules to learn how to self-select appropriate portion sizes. Am J Clin Nutr doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.035261.
The use of a pen-size optimization workbook for experiment research design using the Visual Basic for Applications in Excel for poultry

SUMMARY Researchers often seem to choose the number of birds per pen and replications per treatment somewhat arbitrarily on the basis of cost, availability of animals, housing considerations, convenience, tradition, and so on. Statistical simulation, performed while designing an experiment, will provide a researcher with an objective estimate of the number of birds per pen and replicates needed for an experiment of known Type I and II errors. In most cases, the time for making power calculations should be before, not after, an experiment is conducted. Here we present a Microsoft Excel workbook to explore the statistical and economic ramifications of different combinations of birds per replicate and replicates per treatment for research with poultry.
Electrophysiological correlates of the response decrement produced by mechanical stimuli in the protozoan, Stentor coeruleus.

The response pattern of Stentor coeruleus has been studied using repetitive mechanical stimuli which were applied to a limited body surface. The decrement in the probability of response was found to parallel that previously reported when more gross mechanical stimuli were employed. This result justified the employment of such localized stimuli in the determination of electrophysiological correlates of the response decrement. Electrophysiological records show a decrease in the amplitude of the prepotential and an increase in the latency of the response during the course of repetitive stimulation. After considering possible complications resultant from changes in the amplitude of the diphasic potential and the relation of the stimulus probe to the animal, it was concluded that the potential changes noted do, in fact, indicate a change in receptor function is associated with the response decrement. This result was predicted on the basis of previously reported behavioral data.
Size effects in finish machining of porous powdered metal for engineered surface quality

Abstract Porous tungsten is conventionally machined with the aid of a plastic infiltrant to achieve acceptable surface finish. For dispenser cathode application, both high surface porosity and low surface roughness are necessary. Cryogenic machining has already been demonstrated to be capable of eliminating the need for plastic infiltration by greatly reducing smearing of pores. In order to address the problem of undesirable brittle fracture during cryogenic machining, the importance of uncut chip geometry is investigated. The value of critical chip thickness, beyond which brittle fracture occurs, is found to be closely linked to the microstructure of the workpiece material. While machining with very low uncut chip thickness leads to ploughing and spalling of the workpiece surface, ductile mode machining of porous tungsten with cryogenic cooling is found to yield excellent surface quality. When the maximum uncut chip thickness is approximately equal to the average ligament diameter of 80% density porous tungsten (d ≈ 8–9 μm), ductile mode machining is possible under both dry and cryogenic conditions. Changes in shock compaction behavior of the workpiece material, leading to altered physical properties, is hypothesized to be the underlying mechanism of ductile mode machining of porous tungsten.
Explaining sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping missions: The role of female peacekeepers and gender equality in contributing countries

Sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) is an endemic problem in UN peacekeeping missions. It is not only a gross human rights violation, but also threatens to challenge the legitimacy of the peacekeeping mission and undermines the promotion of gender equality in host countries. We examine if the composition of peacekeeping forces along two dimensions – the proportion of women and the records of gender (in)equality in the contributing countries – helps explain variation in SEA allegations. Analysis of mission-level information from 2009 to 2013 indicates that including higher proportions of both female peacekeepers and personnel from countries with better records of gender equality is associated with lower levels of SEA allegations reported against military contingents. We conclude that substantial reductions in SEA perpetrated by peacekeepers requires cultivation of a value for gender equality among all peacekeepers – improving the representation of women may help but still stops short of addressing the root...
Perspectives of two ethnically different pre-service teacher populations

The purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service teachers’ knowledge of folk literature in general and that of a selected country or culture in particular before and after studying it in a college children's literature course and completing an assignment. We specifically compared two sample populations: those of primarily European American descent at a research university and those of Native American ethnicity at an Inter-tribal Native American university to see if there were similarities or differences in their knowledge about and value of folk literature. Participants from each university were selected to complete a pre-post questionnaire and a post-interview about what they learned about folk literature in general and a particular country or culture's stories as well. Analysis of the data showed similarity between the two sample populations on their knowledge of folk literature and understanding of other countries/cultures. There were differences in their projected application of the learned information. Implications for teacher educators are discussed.
Debond Crack Propagation and Branching Under Varying Shear Stresses

Silicon carbide fibers in a Ti24Al+11Nb matrix were debonded under varying combinations of shear and compression in off axis loading in a pushout test. Evidence of debond crack branching was recorded for etched specimens using scanning electron microscopy and the interface microstructure was examined by transmission electron microscopy. The regions of high shear stress and multiple weak interfaces promoting crack branching were analyzed in terms of an energy balance for brittle fracture.
Notes on the Taxonomy of Vultures

The superficial similarity of most vultures led early naturalists to place all of them in a single group. Linnaeus, for example, assigned vultures from both the Old and New World to his genus Vultur, and even included the Harpy Eagle in it. The Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) eventually became the type of this genus by "elimination," all the other species having been assigned to other genera. Soon anatomists discovered fundamental differences between the Old and New World
The Chicanos: As We See Ourselves

Thirteen Chicano scholars draw upon their personal experiences and expertise to paint a vivid, colorful portrait of what it means to be a Chicano. “We have come a long way,” says Arnulfo D. Trejo, editor of this volume, “from the time when the Mexicano silently accepted the stereotype drawn of him by the outsider.” He identifies himself as a Chicano, and his “promised land” is Aztlan, home of the ancient Aztecs, which now provides spiritual unity and a vision of the future for Chicanos. In these twelve original compositions, says Trejo, “our purpose is not to talk to ourselves, but to open a dialogue among all concerned people.” The personal reactions to Chicano women’s struggles, political experiences, bicultural education and history provide a wealth of information for laymen as well as scholars. In addition, the book provides the most complete recorded definition of the Chicano Movement, what it has accomplished, and its goals for the future.
The intensive and extensive margins of contraceptive use: comparing the effects of method choice and method initiation.

Objectives The risk of pregnancy is estimated to be 20 times as high among women who use oral contraception, and 90 times as high among condom users, as among women who use certain long-acting contraceptive methods. We explored the population-level implications of this variation in contraceptive efficacy. Study design We used the FamilyScape 3.0 microsimulation model to study the effects on the nonmarital pregnancy rate of movements along two different margins of contraceptive behavior: the extensive margin, which captures decisions about whether to initiate use of any method of contraception among noncontraceptors; and the intensive margin, which captures the choice of methods among contraceptors. The model is populated with a nationally representative sample of 50,000 women who are of childbearing age. Results The impact on the number of nonmarital pregnancies would not be substantially different if noncontraceptors adopted long-acting methods than if they began using oral contraception. Moreover, the nonmarital pregnancy rate would be reduced by about twice as much if a subset of noncontraceptors began using condoms as if an equal number of pill users took up long-acting methods. Conclusions The prevailing emphasis on long-acting contraception is somewhat misplaced. Policymakers and practitioners will have the largest effects on fertility outcomes if they can change the behavior of sexually active women who neglect to use birth control when they are not seeking pregnancy. Implications Women's decisions about which methods to use are less impactful than their decisions about whether to use contraception at all. The policies that affect method choice are likely to differ from the policies that address the underlying motivations of noncontraceptors who are not seeking pregnancy.
The role of membrane skeletal-associated alpha-globin in the pathophysiology of beta-thalassemia

The beta-thalassemic mouse provides a useful model for testing hypotheses about the pathophysiology in human beta-thalassemia. The clinical picture of these mice and their red blood cell deformability characteristics are quite similar to those observed in human beta-thalassemia intermedia. The creation of transgenic mice that express human beta-globin (beta s) has provided an opportunity to study the effect of increasing the non-alpha-globin chain production on the thalassemic phenotype. A small increase in beta-globin production produces transgenic mice that are healthier, have almost normal hemoglobin values, and whose red blood cell deformability is increased. We quantified and characterized the membrane skeletal-associated globin in normal, transgenic thal/sickle, and thalassemic mice and showed that only alpha-globin was associated with the membrane skeleton in the pathologic red blood cells, and that the degree of rigidity as measured in the rheoscope correlated directly and closely with the amount of membrane skeletal-associated globin in these abnormal red blood cells.
Public health nutrition practices to prevent low birth weight in eight southeastern states.

This study was conducted to identify current public health nutrition practices for the prevention and treatment of low-birth-weight (LBW) infants in eight southeastern states. Nutrition personnel (n= 1,054) were mailed a 51-item questionnaire with three parts that sought information on the respondents’ professional backgrounds and employment status and on practice and standards of care for women before and during pregnancy and of LBW infants. Results based on a 62% response rate indicated 73% had worked in public health nutrition for 2 to 9 years, 56% were direct care providers, and 51% had bachelor’s degrees. Only 40% of respondents indicated that their agencies had prepregnancy nutrition intervention protocols, whereas 89% indicated that they had high-risk pregnancy screening protocols and 91% indicated that they had high-risk treatment protocols. More than 91% indicated that their treatment protocols included guidelines for weight gain, preparation of nutrition care plans, and assessment of dietary and biochemical factors, health behavior, and obstetric history. Only 73% indicated inclusion of assessment of educational level. Nutritionists saw high-risk pregnant women (or those at risk for preterm labor) slightly more frequently during pregnancy than they saw low-risk women; however, the range (0.9 to 3.8 vs 0.5 to 2.3) and average (2.0 vs 1.2) number of visits for both groups differed only slightly. Nutritionists counseled women and charted in the medical record more frequently than they used nutrition care plans. To reduce LBW, nutritionists should implement treatment protocols and monitor high-risk women closely. The relationship between pre-pregnancy nutrition interventions and birth weight should be investigated.
Direct-to-consumer genetic testing: contextual privacy predicament

In this study, we investigated the flow of information and potential privacy infringements in Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) genetic testing services available online. We adopted Nissenbaum's framework of Contextual Integrity (CI) to examine six DTC companies' privacy policies, terms of use, and consent processes. Our analyses indicate that the flow of information within certain contexts of DTC services presents alarming privacy vulnerabilities. In this paper, we provide a new perspective that can be used when evaluating privacy vulnerabilities for a given DTC online genetic testing service. The sensitive and unique features of genetic information make privacy even more of an important consideration for this type of information than for other types of medical/health information. In addition, we have limited knowledge about the harmful consequences that can arise from privacy invasions, such as genetic information breaches, genome database hacking, and so forth. Therefore, we believe that further research and in-depth investigations from the information community are desperately needed to address the privacy of genetic information.
Modeling and Forecasting Sales After a Major Market Change

Commonly used models for time series fitting and forecasting are not well suited for accommodating a sudden shift in the behavior of a series. Using sales data for a particular firm, this paper illustrates the intervention analysis model technique of fitting and describing the effect of an exogenous event on the series of interest.
The Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence: Principles and Updates:

This article presents seven principles that have guided our thinking about emotional intelligence, some of them new. We have reformulated our original ability model here guided by these principles,...
Measurements with a recuperative superfluid Stirling refrigerator

A superfluid Stirling refrigerator cooled to 168 mK using a 4.9% 3He-4He mixture and exhausting its waste heat at 383 mK. Cooling power versus temperature and speed is presented for 4.9%, 17%, and 36% mixtures. At the highest concentration, a dissipation mechanism of unknown origin is observed.
Cartesian Control of Robotic Manipulators

Abstract A new adaptive control scheme for direct control of manipulator end-effector to achieve trajectory tracking in Cartesian space is developed in this paper. The control structure is obtained from linear multi variable theory and is composed of simple feedforward and feedback controllers and an auxiliary input. The direct adaptation laws are derived from model reference adaptive control theory and are not based on parameter estimation of the robot model. The utilization of adaptive feedforward control and the inclusion of auxiliary input are novel features of the present scheme and result in improved dynamic performance over existing adaptive control schemes. The adaptive controller does not require the complex mathematical model of the robot dynamics or any knowledge of the robot parameters or the payload; and is computationally fast for on-line implementation with high sampling rates
Subepithelial esophageal tumors: a single-center review of resected and surveilled lesions.

Background and Aims Subepithelial esophageal tumors (SETs) are frequent incidental findings. Although symptomatic tumors are surgically or endoscopically resected, there is no consensus on the management of asymptomatic esophageal leiomyomas. Methods Appropriate International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes followed by medical record review were used to identify patients with SETs from January 1992 to March 2017, with abstraction of basic demographics, surveillance intervals, and mortality. Patients were contacted to complete a phone questionnaire to assess follow-up as well as the validated Brief Esophageal Dysphagia Questionnaire (BEDQ). Results Eighty-four leiomyomas, 5 leiomyosarcomas, 13 GI stromal tumors (GISTs), and 4 granular cell tumors were found. Among patients with leiomyomas, 58 (69%) were resected and 26 (31%) were followed under surveillance. Resected esophageal leiomyomas were larger than those under surveillance (49.7 mm vs 17.9 mm, P Conclusions EUS demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy in resected SETs. Esophageal leiomyomas demonstrate minimal growth or symptomatic progression. Therefore, long-term EUS surveillance of small asymptomatic esophageal leiomyomas may be unnecessary.
Honeybees remember that size matters

![Graphic][1] Honeybees likely use relational information to decide which flowers are optimal for foraging nectar. For instance, laboratory research has shown that the bees are able to discriminate between sizes of stimuli as well as their relative positions and can apply learned rules to
The Principle of Superposition

Suppose there are two sources of waves of a given type. For example, there may be two loudspeakers emitting sound waves or two accelerating charges emitting EM waves. What is the resultant wave? Or, suppose that two pulses are sent down a string, one after the other, so that the second pulse “collides” with the first one after the first one has been reflected from the opposite end. What happens as a result of this collision? Such questions are answered by the principle of superposition, which states that:
Patterns of response to androgen deprivation therapy in younger patients with locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer.

324Background: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) remains a standard of care in the treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer. But thanks to a few key trials (STAMPEDE, CHAARTED, and LATITUDE) reported within the past three years, docetaxel and abiraterone now have roles in extending overall survival in a patient population traditionally treated with ADT alone. These treatments when combined with ADT have been shown to extend overall survival in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer patients. The role of ADT in relation to other therapies continues to evolve rapidly. We intend to revisit ADT’s longstanding role in prostate cancer treatment using a national cancer database. Our aim is to look beyond traditional standards of care to identify patients more likely to have overall survival benefit from ADT. Are there any subgroups of patients with intermediate or high risk disease that have improved survival outcomes with androgen deprivation therapy, besides patients with localized disease that und...
Equality and Hierarchy

The issue of social differentiation in the prehistoric American Southwest is not one that has stimulated a long history of research. Most studies conducted prior to the late 1970s simply ignored the topic (particularly in the Pueblo area), making it exceedingly difficult to cite more than a handful of efforts that raise the question explicitly (and even these are comparatively recent [e.g. Grebinger 1973]). In the last two decades, however, more scholars have raised questions about the nature and degree of social differentiation and some have advanced the view that there was a significant degree of social inequality during at least some time periods (e.g., Upham 1982). The subsequent debate over the latter proposal has become one of the more contentious discussions in the Southwestern literature.
Metabolic and developmental responses of the calf to a chronic hypoxic episode in the immediate newborn period.

Oxygen consumption of the newborn increases 3-fold above fetal levels in the first 2 days (Dawes and Mott, 1959), with much of this increase occurring in the first 12 hours (Acheson et al., 1957). This is due in large part to energy expenditures for maintenance of thermal neutrality (Mount, 1958; Dawes and Mott, 1959; Alexander, 1975). Activity of the gastrointestinal tract also contributes to a significant extent, with oxygen consumption rising 3.5-fold in postnatal intestinal tissue at rest (Reeves et al., 1972; Edelstone and Holtzman, 1981b). Oxygen consumption increases an additional 65–72% during digestion (Brodie et al., 1910; Edelstone and Holtzman, 1981a).
Barriers to Rotation and Inversion

Approximately two-thirds of the chapters in these two companion volumes are devoted to methods of obtaining high-accuracy electronic wave functions for molecules and solids. The remaining third are concerned with particular chemical species or properties, and our chapter fits the latter category. Within this category the extensive literature on barriers offers two special opportunities of general interest to chemical theorists. First, it is possible to make rather definitive statements on the quality of wave functions required to yield quantitative predictions. Second, methods for analyzing ab initio wave functions to ascertain the physical origin of the barrier and provide a quantum mechanically well-defined, but simple picture of the mechanism have been more extensively developed for this topic than any other.
Global health challenges: trends in public health training, research and advocacy.

As we begin the 21st century, public health is at the crossroads in trying to understand the relative importance of health determinants in risk exposures, and the collective susceptibility of our societies. Classically conditioned attitudes of investigation, instruction, and exposition in the management of acute disease breaks down, when disease surveillance becomes virtually useless as in the prevention of chronic conditions. Older populations, new lifestyle changes, environmental hazards and urbanization have converged to make social class and poverty predominant factors in the expression of morbidity and mortality. In the process, the comfort of specific disease eradication is replaced by continuous challenges in dealing with the dynamics of social change--behaviors in diet and exercise--as well as the globalization of poverty, addiction, injury and violence. The consequent dilemma to develop a base for public health intervention, a strategy for training and a platform for advocacy for health improvement shows an eclectic pattern. The traditional clinically oriented perspective has moved towards a comprehensive population-based disease management model. A second trend with a somewhat narrowed vision for public health is the one focused on cost containment limiting preventive care. As technological advances in genetics and medicine and health informatics brings more rational, evidence based management in health care, two major gaps in public health training continues to persist. One is the lack of adequate attention to social class and poverty as a major pervasive factor. The other relates to the inability to address effectively, injury, violence, and mini wars diluting the value perspectives and advocacy in public health. Language: en
Mechanics of foraging success and optimal microhabitat selection in Alaskan Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus)

Most fishes residing in temperate streams in the Northern Hemisphere are drift-feeders. Despite this fact, little is known about the mechanisms of drift-feeding itself. We used Alaskan Arctic grayl...
The Legislative Consequences of Congressional Scandals

We explore the consequences of involvement in scandal for members of Congress’ (MCs) success within the House of Representatives. Our analyses target all MCs who served in the 101st to 112th Congre...
People need to know! Notification and the regulation of pesticide use near public schools in California:

This article takes up a recent proposal by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to regulate pesticide use near public schools with the goal of examining notifications and the public de...
Spatio-temporal lasing dynamics in wave-chaotic and disordered microcavities

We propose and demonstrate a simple but powerful approach to suppress spatiotemporal instabilities of semiconductor lasers using wave-chaotic or disordered cavities. The stabilization of lasing dynamics is attributed to the modifications of nonlinear light-matter interactions.
Strichartz estimates for the Schrödinger equation with time-periodic Ln/2 potentials

Abstract We prove Strichartz estimates for the Schrodinger operator H = − Δ + V ( t , x ) with time-periodic complex potentials V belonging to the scaling-critical space L x n / 2 L t ∞ in dimensions n ⩾ 3 . This is done directly from estimates on the resolvent rather than using dispersive bounds, as the latter generally require a stronger regularity condition than what is stated above. In typical fashion, we project onto the continuous spectrum of the operator and must assume an absence of resonances. Eigenvalues are permissible at any location in the spectrum, including at threshold energies, provided that the associated eigenfunction decays sufficiently rapidly.
Does an Early Spring Indicate an Early Summer? Relationships Between Intraseasonal Growing Degree Day Thresholds

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program [NA17OAR4310288]; Climate Assessment for the Southwest program at the University of Arizona; National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation (NSF) [DBI-0735191, DBI-1265383]