cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
P05.04. Developing a dialogue between refugee patients and healthcare providers about traditional medicine use

Purpose Traditional medicine use is common and diverse among patients in the United States. Many do not tell healthcare providers about their traditional medicine use or remedies nor do healthcare providers typically have the time to ask. This creates a barrier to the care received because the patient and healthcare provider do not communicate fully about treatment options. Our goal with this study was to increase communication about traditional and integrative medicine by putting together a survey following the analysis of these ethnographic interviews.
Molecular weight dependence of triplet—triplet processes in poly(2-vinylnaphthalene)

Abstract Delayed fluorescence and phosphorescence spectra and decay curve measurements at 77 K are reported for samples of poly(2-vinylnaphthalene) with molecular weights determined by viscometry to be in the range 15 600 to 505 000. The intensity of delayed fluorescence relative to phosphorrescence was found to increase with molecular weight up to the highest molecular weight sample of solution polymerized material (MW ≈ 100 000) with a leveling off for the higher molecular weight bulk polymers. It is argued that these results imply a triplet exciton migration distance of up to 700 chromophore units. Decay curves imply that most mobile triplet excitons are trapped within approximately 0.3 s. The excitation dependence of the delayed emissions imply that unimolecular processes dominate the kinetics of triplet state chromophores.
Use of the Kolb Learning Cycle and the 4MAT System in Engineering Education

The purpose of this paper is to examine a method for the application of learning style theory to engineering education. Research has shown that students learn in a variety of different ways, and that each student has a preferred style of learning. Teaching effectiveness may be enhanced by teaching to each of the preferred styles at least a portion of the time. The application of learning style theory in this paper is based on the work of Kolb who identified four principal learning styles or types. The process of teaching to each of the four learning styles is referred to as “teaching through the cycle.” The learning cycle consists of four quadrants, each of which is associated with a particular learning style or preference. This paper defines specific objectives for each of the four learning quadrants. In addition, activities which can be used to accomplish these objectives are presented and discussed. Sample lesson plans have also been included in order to illustrate application of the learning cycle to the teaching of specific engineering topics.
An Automatic 3D Ear Recognition System

Previous works have shown that the ear is a good candidate for a human biometric. However, in prior work, the pre-processing of ear images has been a manual process. Also, prior algorithms were sensitive to noise in the data, especially that caused by hair and earrings. We present a novel solution to the automated cropping of the ear and implement it in an end-to-end solution for biometric recognition. We demonstrate our automatic recognition process with the largest study to date in ear biometrics, 415 subjects, achieving a rank one recognition rate of 97.6%. This work represents a breakthrough in ear biometrics and paves the way for commercial quality, fully automatic systems.
Changes in Breathing and the Pharynx after Weight Loss in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The effect of weight loss following dietary restriction on disordered breathing on the pharyngeal airway is controversial in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We therefore prospectively studied eight patients before and after dietary-induced weight loss. Mean weight loss was 20.6 kg ± 12.8 SD. After weight loss there were significant improvements in Po 2 and Pco 2 measured during wakefulness, and in the number of desaturation episodes per hour of sleep, average desaturation per episode, and number of movement arousals. The number of apneas and hypopneas significantly decreased in six of eight patients. There was a significant correlation between body mass index and number of disordered breathing events. Nasopharyngeal collapsibility and pulse flow resistance decreased in awake patients after weight loss. We conclude that moderate weight loss in obese patients with OSA improves oxygenation during both sleep and wakefulness, decreases the number of disordered breathing events in many patients, and decreases the collapsibility of the nasopharyngeal airway.
Inducible and Reversible Gene Expression with the rtTA System for the Study of Memory

To obtain rapidly inducible and reversible expression of transgenes in the forebrain of the mouse, we have combined the reverse tetracycline-controlled transactivator (rtTA) system with the CaMKIIalpha promoter. We show that doxycycline induces maximal gene expression in neurons of the forebrain within 6 days and that this expression can be reversed by removal of doxycycline. Using calcineurin as a test transgene, we show that doxycycline-induced expression impairs both an intermediate form of LTP (I-LTP) in the hippocampus and the storage of spatial memory. The reversibility of the rtTA system in turn allowed us to examine the effects of the transgene on memory retrieval after normal storage had occurred. This examination suggests that retrieval requires some of the same molecular components required for storage.
Primer: establishing a clinical trial unit--obtaining studies and patients.

A suitable infrastructure and adherence to regulatory requirements are required to establish a successful clinical trial unit. Once in place, studies must be acquired, contracts negotiated and patients recruited before the clinical investigation can begin. These aspects, which, if successfully carried out, will improve the chances of obtaining future studies, are discussed in this article. Rheumatologists with clinical expertise should perform clinical investigations of new molecules in an effort to discover therapies that could be of greater benefit or safety than those currently available for patients with chronic rheumatic diseases. Over the past few years, many studies have been conducted outside the United States and Europe because of the dearth of investigative sites in these countries. A clinician, whether in private practice or academia, who has the resources and desire to conduct clinical investigations, should be able to become involved in the process. The task of starting a new investigative unit is daunting, as it involves acquiring studies, hiring staff and obtaining space prior to any cash flow. If done properly, however, clinical investigation can be rewarding—both intellectually and financially.
Network file storage with graceful performance degradation

A file storage scheme is proposed for networks containing heterogeneous clients. In the scheme, the performance measured by file-retrieval delays degrades gracefully under increasingly serious faulty circumstances. The scheme combines coding with storage for better performance. The problem is NP-hard for general networks; and this article focuses on tree networks with asymmetric edges between adjacent nodes. A polynomial-time memory-allocation algorithm is presented, which determines how much data to store on each node, with the objective of minimizing the total amount of data stored in the network. Then a polynomial-time data-interleaving algorithm is used to determine which data to store on each node for satisfying the quality-of-service requirements in the scheme. By combining the memory-allocation algorithm with the data-interleaving algorithm, an optimal solution to realize the file storage scheme in tree networks is established.
Resource overbooking and application profiling in shared hosting platforms

In this paper, we present techniques for provisioning CPU and network resources in shared hosting platforms running potentially antagonistic third-party applications. The primary contribution of our work is to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of overbooking resources in shared platforms, to maximize the platform yield: the revenue generated by the available resources. We do this by first deriving an accurate estimate of application resource needs by profiling applications on dedicated nodes, and then using these profiles to guide the placement of application components onto shared nodes. By overbooking cluster resources in a controlled fashion, our platform can provide performance guarantees to applications even when overbooked, and combine these techniques with commonly used QoS resource allocation mechanisms to provide application isolation and performance guarantees at run-time. When compared to provisioning based on the worst-case, the efficiency (and consequently revenue) benefits from controlled overbooking of resources can be dramatic. Specifically, experiments on our Linux cluster implementation indicate that overbooking resources by as little as 1% can increase the utilization of the cluster by a factor of two, and a 5% overbooking yields a 300--500% improvement, while still providing useful resource guarantees to applications.
Comparison of Emission Models With Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation and a Proposed Improved Model

Understanding source behavior is important in controlling exposure to airborne contaminants. Industrial hygienists are often asked to infer emission information from room concentration data. This is not easily done, but models that make simplifying assumptions regarding contaminant transport are frequently used. The errors resulting from these assumptions are not yet well understood. This study compares emission estimates from the single-zone completely mixed (CM-1), two-zone completely mixed (CM-2), and uniform diffusivity (UD) models with the emissions set as boundary conditions in computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of a workplace. The room airflow and concentration fields were computed using Fluent 4. These numerical experiments were factorial combinations of three source locations, five receptor locations, three dilution airflow rates, and two generation rate profiles, constant and time-varying. The aim was to compute plausible concentration fields, not to simulate exactly the processes in ...
Analysis of prognostic markers

Abstract One of several objectives of this study was to search for prognostic indicators for the various complications of PXE, particularly the retinal and cardiovascular aspects. The first question was whether the most visible sign of PXE—the skin lesion—was in any quantitative sense correlated with eye and vascular involvement. A positive correlation would be helpful in counseling patients who have extensive skin involvement that they would also be at greater risk for systemic complications. Or, if the data lacked correlation, it would suggest that the skin, eye, and vascular aspects proceed at completely independent rates and that the extent of involvement in one area has no prognostic relationship to any other area.
Relative contributions of local cell and passing fiber activation and silencing to changes in thalamic fidelity during deep brain stimulation and lesioning: a computational modeling study

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) and lesioning are two surgical techniques used in the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) in patients whose symptoms are not well controlled by drugs, or who experience dyskinesias as a side effect of medications. Although these treatments have been widely practiced, the mechanisms behind DBS and lesioning are still not well understood. The subthalamic nucleus (STN) and globus pallidus pars interna (GPi) are two common targets for both DBS and lesioning. Previous studies have indicated that DBS not only affects local cells within the target, but also passing axons within neighboring regions. Using a computational model of the basal ganglia-thalamic network, we studied the relative contributions of activation and silencing of local cells (LCs) and fibers of passage (FOPs) to changes in the accuracy of information transmission through the thalamus (thalamic fidelity), which is correlated with the effectiveness of DBS. Activation of both LCs and FOPs during STN and GPi-DBS were beneficial to the outcome of stimulation. During STN and GPi lesioning, effects of silencing LCs and FOPs were different between the two types of lesioning. For STN lesioning, silencing GPi FOPs mainly contributed to its effectiveness, while silencing only STN LCs did not improve thalamic fidelity. In contrast, silencing both GPi LCs and GPe FOPs during GPi lesioning contributed to improvements in thalamic fidelity. Thus, two distinct mechanisms produced comparable improvements in thalamic function: driving the output of the basal ganglia to produce tonic inhibition and silencing the output of the basal ganglia to produce tonic disinhibition. These results show the importance of considering effects of activating or silencing fibers passing close to the nucleus when deciding upon a target location for DBS or lesioning.
Impact of native predators and parasites on Spodoptera exigua, an introduced pest of alfalfa hay in northern California.

A long-term study of Spodoptera exigua (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) revealed that a complex of native predators and parasites exploit this introduced pest in alfalfa-hay fields in northern California. In field trials, predators typically fed on >50% of sentinel egg masses during a given sample interval; mean predation rate ranged from 40 to 100% and percentage predation per individual egg mass was density-independent (spatial context) for 16 of 17 sample intervals. The egg-predator guild consisted primarily of adults and nymphs of Lygus hesperus Knight & L. elisus Van Duzee (Miridae), Nabis americoferus Carayon (Nabidae), and Orius tristicolor (White) (Anthocoridae); and adults of Collops vittatus (Say) (Melyridae) and Hippodamia convergens Guerin-Meneville (Coccinellidae). In laboratory feeding trials, these species readily fed on eggs, as well as neonate larvae of S. exigua. The parasite guild associated with small- to medium-sized larvae consisted of Hyposoter exiguae (Viereck) and Pristomerus spinator (F.) (Ichneumonidae), both larval endoparasites; and Chelonus insularis Cresson (Braconidae), an egg-larval endoparasite. Total parasitization by these species in field samples ranged from 5 to 75%, and was density-independent (spatial context) for each of four sample dates. A few larvae were infected with a nuclear polyhedrosis virus but no epizootics were observed. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that native natural enemies, especially generalist predators, can maintain populations of S. exigua at levels well below the treatment threshold for this exotic pest of alfalfa grown for hay.
Atomic force microscopy observations of domains in fine-grain PZT ceramics

This study demonstrates that AFM is capable of observing domains of several tens of nanometers in fine grain PZT ceramics. The investigators have also shown that carefully conducted light polishing can result in no significant disturbance to domain patterns in hard PZT ceramics.
Inability to open the mouth: An unusual psychosomatic symptom

Summary In applying field theory to psychosomatic disorders, in addition to the many familiar elements in the field, one must be attentive to the possible sequence of chronically disturbed function becoming causal in altering structure, sometimes irreversibly. This is a clinical report of two symptoms involving essentially the same anatomical area; one was reversible in the course of psychoanalytic treatment and one was not. The patient suffered from a severe stammer and a severe limitation in his ability to open his mouth. In the course of psychoanalytic treatment, the stammer was relieved, however the inability to open the mouth remained unchanged. The latter symptom was ultimately corrected surgically, after it was diagnosed as due to a mechanical obstruction of the passage of the coronoid processes of the mandibles under the zygomatic arches due to hypertrophy of the coronoid processes bilaterally. This paper makes an effort to understand this latter rare pathology as a psychosomatic entity and an extension of the same psychopathology as the stammer. The relationship between the patient's severe castration anxiety and the belated mechanical obstruction diagnosis and surgical treatment is also considered.
An improved technique for eliminating duplicate nodes in a two-dimensional mesh generator

Abstract A simple technique is presented to eliminate duplicate nodes and nodal parameters in a twodimensional mesh generator which was described previously in this journal. The improved technique suggested here is simpler and faster than other techniques. It requires only slight modifications on the original mesh generation program and can avoid duplicate nodes for both triangular and quadrilateral elements.
Commodified Identities: The Myth of Italian Food in the United States

This study approaches the phenomenon of ethnic food—in particular, Italian food—from a semiotic perspective, keeping in mind the notion of food as communication. The restaurant chain Fazoli’s is used to exemplify some of the communicative strategies employed to promote the association of a company and its products with Italy. These communicative strategies serve the ultimate goal of commodifying the Italian ethnic identity and promoting its symbolic consumption. Through a semiotic analysis, the article identifies a core group of seven themes that constitute the basic structure of the myth of Italian food in the United States. The analysis highlights an unobtrusive use of stereotypes, a mass phenomenon of identity construction, and the depletion of a cultural capital. At the same time, it is recognized that the myth has some positive aspects—namely, the celebration of personal relations (romance and family) and the enjoyment of a more expressive and slow-paced lifestyle.
Carboxylate and dicarboxylate derivatives of [Et4N][Re2(CO)6(OR)3] (R = H or Me)

Abstract The ligand exchange reaction of the anionic binuclear rhenium complexes Re 2 ( CO ) 6 ( OR ) 3 - (R = H (1) or Me (2)) has been studied with the carboxylic acids; benzoic acid (3, 4, and 5), fumaric acid (6), and terephthalic acid (7). The exchange with benzoic acid can be controlled by stoichiometry to one, two, or three substitutions. The doubly (4) and triply (5) substituted complexes represent new structural motifs for the triply bridged Re2(CO)6 unit. The dicarboxylic acids fumaric and terephthalic bridge two dirhenium centers. Crystal structure determinations have been carried out for the new complexes synthesized.
Unenhanced raman spectroscopy of benzene adsorbed on single crystal silver surfaces: Evidence for surface selection rules

Abstract We have interpreted the unenhanced Raman spectra of perdeuterobenzene adsorbed in submonolayer quantities on the (111) and (110) surfaces of silver to
Towards a Better Understanding of the Use of Probiotics for Preventing Chytridiomycosis in Panamanian Golden Frogs

Populations of native Panamanian golden frogs (Atelopus zeteki) have collapsed due to a recent chytridiomycosis epidemic. Reintroduction efforts from captive assurance colonies are unlikely to be successful without the development of methods to control chytridiomycosis in the wild. In an effort to develop a protective treatment regimen, we treated golden frogs with Janthinobacterium lividum, a skin bacterium that has been used to experimentally prevent chytridiomycosis in North American amphibians. Although J. lividum appeared to colonize A. zeteki skin temporarily, it did not prevent or delay mortality in A. zeteki exposed to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, the causative agent of chytridiomycosis. After introduction of J. lividum, average bacterial cell counts reached a peak of 1.7 × 106 cells per frog ~2 weeks after treatment but declined steadily after that. When J. lividum numbers declined to ~2.8 × 105 cells per frog, B. dendrobatidis infection intensity increased to greater than 13,000 zoospore equivalents per frog. At this point, frogs began to die of chytridiomycosis. Future research will concentrate on isolating and testing antifungal bacterial species from Panama that may be more compatible with Atelopus skin.
Thermal and electrical properties of pressure sintered GaSb

Abstract The thermoelectric properties of pressure sintered p-type GaSb depend on the size of the powder particles used. Two modes of behavior apply. For powder compacts with grain sizes between 500 and 20μ, decreasing particle size results in a higher carrier concentration and corresponding lower Hall mobility. The mobility of samples with average grain size below 4μ is a factor of 3 lower than expected by the increase in carrier concentration. Only the thermal conductivity follows a continuously decreasing tendency over the entire range of grain sizes, and depends linearly on the amount of grain boundary area present. For the large grained materials, the thermoelectric properties of pressure sintered GaSb are comparable to melt grown material.
Contemporary methods for characterizing complex biomaterial surfaces

There are many methods that we can bring to bear for the characterization of polymeric surfaces. Standard methods include contact angle techniques, attenuated total reflectance infrared (IR) and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). However, new and modified methods can be used that can greatly enhance the information content available from these traditional methods. In this paper, the application of newer methods to two complex systems, polyetherurethanes and plasma deposited thin films, will be discussed. In particular, external reflection IR, derivatization ESCA, static secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), derivatization SIMS, isotope SIMS, time-of-flight (TOF) SIMS, atomic force microscopy, synchrotron x-ray fluorescence and synchrotron electron yield will be described.
STUDIES ON THE NATURE OF THE AGENT TRANSMITTING LEUCOSIS OF FOWLS : II. FILTRATION OF LEUCEMIC PLASMA.

The agent transmitting leucosis readily passed all types of silicious filters. Filtration is particularly successful when the plasma is freed from particles and substances that would otherwise obstruct the pores of the filter. Filtration through fine filters seems to be facilitated by preceding filtration through coarse filters. A comparison of the periods of incubation of leucosis produced by unfiltered plasma and plasma passed through silicious filters shows that as a result of filtration, the incubation periods are somewhat prolonged. This suggests a slight or moderate decrease in the concentration of the transmitting agent in the plasma caused by filtration. Filtration tests through collodion membranes indicate that the agent transmitting leucosis is much smaller than the virus of bovine pleuropneumonia (250 mmicro) and that it approximates the size of bacteriophage.
Characterization of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in the seed of two soybean genotypes

Abstract Changes in the activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase was followed during the formation of two lines of soybean ( Glycine max .) seeds. The acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity expressed as units/seed was found to be higher in the experimental variety 9686 than in the cultivar, Wayne. The maximum activity in 9686 was around 40 days after flowering (DAF), while in Wayne it was around 30 DAF. The enzyme was active over a wide pH range, with an optimum at 8.2 for 9686 and 7.5 for Wayne. Citrate below 3 mM bad no effect on 9686 enzyme, but higher concentrations were inhibitory. In Wayne, an increase in citrate up to 5 mM slightly stimulated the enzyme but higher concentrations were strongly inhibitory. Mn 2+ could not replace Mg 2+ as an essential activator of the carboxylase in both Wayne and 9686. A differential regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in the two lines of soybean is suggested.
The tillaux fracture: a case report

In this report, we review the Salter-Harris classification of pediatric fractures, including its histologic basis in the biomechanics of bone growth, and present a case of ankle injury. The case describes a unique subtype of pediatric growth plate injury, the Tillaux fracture, whose treatment is then discussed.
Transient motions in dynamical systems with high frequency parametric excitation

Abstract The transient motion of non-linear dynamical systems with high frequency parametric excitation is studied with emphasis placed on determining estimates for the domains of attraction of the stable steady state motions. It is shown that a natural Liapunov function exists for making these estimates. The results have asymptotic validity based on some recent mathematical results of Sethna and Moran. A detailed study is made of a spherical pendulum with high frequency support motion at an arbitrary angle to the vertical.
Effect of orange juice and beverage with phytosterols on cytokines and PAI-1 activity.

Summary Background & aims Inflammation is pivotal in all phases of atherosclerosis. Dietary options which lower inflammatory biomarkers would be an attractive strategy to reduce risk from cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Indeed, fruit and vegetable intake or fruit juice consumption is associated with health and wellness. However, there is a paucity of data examining the effect of orange juice on biomarkers of inflammation in healthy volunteers. We have previously conducted the first placebo-controlled randomized studies examining the effect of sterol fortified orange juice or sterol fortified reduced calorie orange juice beverage supplementation (2 g sterols/day) compared to Placebo OJ or Placebo OJBev, and showed significant benefits on the lipid profile as well as significant reduction in hsCRP, the prototypic marker of inflammation and a cardiovascular risk marker. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of orange juice (OJ) or OJ beverage (Bev) alone and fortified with plant sterols (1g/240 ml juice or beverage twice a day) on pro-inflammatory cytokines and PAI-1, a marker of impaired fibrinolysis in healthy human volunteers. Methods In the first study, 72 healthy human volunteers received Placebo OJ or Sterol OJ and in the second study, 72 volunteers received OJBev or Sterol OJBev for 8 weeks and blood was drawn at baseline and following supplementation for 8 weeks. Biomarkers of Inflammation (IL-1b, IL-6, TNF, IL-8, IL-10) were assessed in serum using the BD Human Inflammatory Cytokine Cytometric Bead Array and PAI-1 activity was assessed in citrated plasma. Results OJ or OJBev alone failed to result in any significant effects on circulating cytokine levels or PAI-1 activity. There was a significant reduction in IL-1b with sterol fortified OJ ( p p Conclusion Thus, sterol fortified OJ and OJ Beverage are able to effectively lower biomarkers of inflammation in healthy human volunteers in addition to providing lipid profile benefits and may thus contribute to decreasing cardiovascular risk.
Influence of capillary-pressure models on CO2 solubility trapping

Abstract The typical shape of a capillary-pressure curve is either convex (e.g., Brooks–Corey model) or S-shaped (e.g., van Genuchten model). It is not universally agreed which model reflects natural rocks better. The difference between the two models lies in the representation of the capillary entry pressure. This difference does not lead to significantly different simulation results for modeling CO2 sequestration in aquifers without considering CO2 dissolution. However, we observe that the van-Genuchten-type capillary-pressure model accelerates CO2 solubility trapping significantly compared with the Brooks–Corey-type model. We also show that the simulation results are very sensitive to the slope of the van-Genuchten-type curve around the entry-pressure region. For the representative examples we study, the differences can be so large as to have complete dissolution of the CO2 plume versus persistence of over 50% of the plume over a 5000-year period. The cause of such sensitivity to the capillary-pressure model is studied. Particularly, we focus on how the entry pressure is represented in each model. We examine the mass-transfer processes under gravity-capillary equilibrium, molecular diffusion, convective mixing, and in the presence of small-scale heterogeneities. Laboratory measurement of capillary-pressure curves and some important implementation issues of capillary-pressure models in numerical simulators are also discussed. Most CO2 sequestration simulations in the literature employ one of the two capillary-pressure models. It is important to recognize that these two representations lead to very different predictions of long-term CO2 sequestration.
In situ mechanical characterization during deformation of PVC polymeric foams using ultrasonics and digital image correlation

Cellular solids such as polymeric foams are finding increasing applications including its use as a core material for sandwich structures. In this study, a novel method is used to measure both the longitudinal and shear wave speeds of a material simultaneously while applying a compressive load in four different densities of polymeric foams made from the same base polymer, polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The study showed that there was a significant difference in evolution of the wave speeds and hence in the apparent modulus during deformation of the lower density foams in comparison to the higher density foams. The non-contact full-field method of digital image correlation (DIC) is used to gain insights into the failure modes during deformation. The lower density foams undergo heterogeneous deformation and failed due to buckling of cell walls. In contrast, the higher density foams undergo nominally homogeneous deformation due to plastic collapse. The failure mode transition is shown to be governed by the relative density of the foams and the mechanical properties of the polymer.
Prevalence and risk indicators of visual impairment and blindness in Latinos: the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study.

Abstract Objective To determine the age- and gender-specific prevalence and risk indicators of visual impairment and blindness in urban Latinos 40 years and older. Design Population-based cross-sectional study. Participants Six thousand three hundred fifty-seven Latinos 40 years and older from 6 census tracts in Los Angeles, California. Methods Of the 6357 study participants, 6122 underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination at the clinical center, including measurement of best-corrected distance visual acuity (VA) using a standard Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study protocol. Age- and gender-specific prevalence of visual impairment and blindness were contrasted using Mantel–Haenszel procedures. Sociodemographic and clinical risk indicators of visual impairment were explored using stepwise logistic regression. Main outcome measures Prevalence and odds ratios for risk indicators of visual impairment and blindness. Results The overall prevalence for visual impairment (best-corrected VA of ≤20/40 in the better eye) was 3.0% (n = 182) (range, 0.9% [40–49 years]–27.8% [≥80 years]). The overall prevalence for blindness (best-corrected VA of ≤20/200 in the better eye) was 0.4% (n = 26) (range, 0.2% [40–49 years]–4.2% [≥80 years]). Visual impairment increased with age ( P P = 0.02). Independent risk indicators (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]) for visual impairment were age 70–79 years (2.8 [1.3–5.8]) or ≥80 years (8.7 [3.9–19.6]), history of ocular disease (3.2 [2.1–4.8]), being unemployed (3.3 [1.7–6.3]), diabetes (2.2 [1.5–3.2]), and being separated/divorced (1.8 [1.0–3.1]) or widowed (2.8 [1.8–4.4]). Participants with ≥12 years of education (0.5 [0.3–0.8]) were less likely to be visually impaired. Conclusions Rates of visual impairment and blindness in Latinos are high, especially in older individuals. Better education and employment are likely to decrease the burden of visual impairment in Latinos.
Great frigatebirds, Fregata minor, choose mates that are genetically similar

Inbreeding occurs infrequently in most natural populations, with the level of relatedness between mates potentially being influenced by behavioural mechanisms of mate choice and spatial genetic structure of the population. We studied mate relatedness in a Hawaiian population of great frigatebirds with the expectation, based on frigatebird ecology, that mated pairs were unlikely to be more genetically similar than a random draw of adults from the breeding population. We used a paired analysis to compare the DNA fingerprint similarity of a female and her mate versus the same female and a random male that was breeding elsewhere on the same island. Overall, band-sharing scores between mates were higher than band-sharing scores between nonmates, and the mean coefficient of relatedness between mates was 0.082. Relatedness between mates was not a consequence of strong natal philopatry coupled with random mate choice: historical data revealed several recent between-island shifts in the location of the breeding colony, and the degree of genetic similarity between nonmates was not well predicted by the physical distance between their nest sites on Tern Island. Instead, females may deliberately choose related individuals as mates. Tests for a relationship between the genetic similarity of mates and the size and ectoparasite load of their 1-week-old chick were equivocal. The question of how and why females may be choosing genetically similar mates is unresolved, but it appears to be a consequence of active choice rather than spatial genetic structure or limited availability of unrelated mates.
Sediment Cycling During Earth History

The mass-age relations of sedimentary rocks are roughly consistent with a model in which the rate of sedimentation has been approximately constant through time, averaged over very long time intervals. The total mass of sedimentary rocks is assumed to be constant through time, and the probability of erosion of sedimentary rocks of a given period is assumed to be proportional to the mass/year of that age interval remaining. The model is not entirely cannibalistic; subduction of sediments, return of their volatiles to the atmosphere, and production of new sediments by reaction of these volatiles with crystalline rocks is an important process.
Sustained Induction of Collagen Synthesis by TGF-β Requires Regulated Intramembrane Proteolysis of CREB3L1

CREB3L1 (cAMP response element binding protein 3-like 1), a transcription factor synthesized as a membrane-bound precursor and activated through Regulated Intramembrane Proteolysis (RIP), is essential for collagen production by osteoblasts during bone development. Here, we show that TGF-β (transforming growth factor-β), a cytokine known to stimulate production of collagen during wound healing and fibrotic diseases, induces proteolytic activation of CREB3L1 in human A549 cells. This activation results from inhibition of expression of TM4SF20 (transmembrane 4 L6 family member 20), which normally inhibits RIP of CREB3L1. Cleavage of CREB3L1 releases its NH2-terminal domain from membranes, allowing it to enter the nucleus where it binds to Smad4 to activate transcription of genes encoding proteins required for assembly of collagen-containing extracellular matrix. Our findings raise the possibility that inhibition of RIP of CREB3L1 could prevent excess deposition of collagen in certain fibrotic diseases.
Divalproex sodium for pediatric mixed mania: a 6-month prospective trial.

Objective: This prospective 6-month open trial examined the effectiveness and safety of divalproex sodium (DVPX) in pediatric mixed mania. Method: Thirty-four subjects with a mean age of 12.3 (SD = 3.7) years, DSM-IV diagnosis of a current mixed episode and a baseline Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) score >20 were treated with DVPX monotherapy. The primary outcome measures were the YMRS and the Child Depression Rating Scale-Revised. Secondary measures were the Clinical Global Impression Scale for Bipolar Disorder (CGI-BP) and the Children's Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (C-GAS). Measures of safety and tolerability were also administered. Results: Effect size (Cohen's d) based on change scores from baseline was 2.9 for the YMRS and 1.23 for the CDRS-R. Response rate (≥50% change from baseline YMRS score and ≤40 score on CDRS-R at the end of study) was 73.5%. The remission rate (≥50% change from baseline on YMRS, ≤40 on CDRS-R, CGI-BP-Improvement subscale of ≤2, and ≥51 CGAS score) was 52.9%. Significant improvements (p < 0.001) from baseline were seen for mean scores on all outcome measures (i.e., YMRS, CGI-BP, CDRS-R, and C-GAS). DVPX was safe and well tolerated with no serious adverse events during the 6-month trial. Conclusion: This study provides evidence for the effectiveness and safety of DVPX in the treatment of pediatric mixed mania over a 6-month period. Placebo-controlled, randomized trials involving larger samples will ultimately shed light on the efficacy of this agent.
The best fingerprint compression standard yet

Modern fingerprint compression and reconstruction standards, such as those used by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI), are based upon the 9/7 discrete wavelet transform. This paper describes how a genetic algorithm was used to evolve wavelet and scaling numbers for each level of a multiresolution analysis (MRA) transform that consistently outperforms the 9/7 wavelet for fingerprint compression and reconstruction tasks. Our evolved transforms also improve upon wavelets optimized by a genetic algorithm via the lifting scheme, and thus establish a new state-of-the-art in this important application area.
Manoeuvres of female Brachymeria intermedia flying towards host‐related odours in a wind tunnel

. Mature female Brachymeria intermedia (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) were conditioned to fly towards vanilla odour in a wind tunnel. We analysed the tracks of wasps flying along turbulent plumes of either host odour (pupae of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar) or vanilla odour, along either a ribbon plume or a turbulent plume of vanilla odour, and before and after plume removal. Wasps flew in similar shallow zigzagging tracks along the turbulent plume of host and vanilla odours. When the plume was removed while wasps were flying upwind along a turbulent plume of vanilla odour, wasps either maintained an upwind course or drifted sideways, alternating upwind and downwind courses before turning around and flying downwind. No wasp casted upon loss of the plume.
A test for the hypothesis that two extreme‐value scale parameters are equal

A statistic is determined for testing the hypothesis of equality for scale parameters from two populations, each of which has the first asymptotic distribution of smallest (extreme) values. The probability distribution is derived for this statistic, and critical values are determined and given in tabular form for a one-sided or two-sided alternative, for censored samples of size n1 and n2, n1 = 2, 3, …. 6, n2 = 2, 3, …. 6. The power function of the test for certain alternatives is also calculated and listed in each case considered.
Transfer of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers from major cereal crops to minor grass species for germplasm characterization and evaluation

A major challenge for the molecular characterization and evaluation of minor grass species germplasm is the lack of sufficient DNA markers. A set of 210 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers developed from major cereal crops (self-pollinated wheat and rice, mainly self-pollinated sorghum and out-crossing maize) were evaluated for their transferability to minor grass species (finger millet, Eleusine coracana; seashore paspalum, Paspalum vaginatum; and bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon). In total, 412 cross-species polymorphic amplicons were identified. Over half of the primers generated reproducible cross-species or cross-genus amplicons. The transfer rate of SSR markers was correlated with the phylogenetic relationship (or genetic relatedness) of these species. The average transfer rate of genomic SSR markers was different from the average transfer rate of expressed sequence tag (EST)-SSR markers. The level of polymorphism was significantly higher among species (67%) than within species (34%), and was related to the degree of out-crossing for each species. The level of polymorphism detected within species was 57% from self-incompatible species, 39% from out-crossing species and 20% from self-pollinated species. Genomic SSRs detected a higher level of polymorphism than EST-SSRs. The use of transferred polymorphic SSR markers for the characterization and evaluation of germplasm is discussed.
A hierarchical decision approach to large-vocabulary discrete utterance recognition

Very short response time is a critical requirement for automatic discrete utterance recognition. The real-time vocabulary size of most of today's commercially available recognizers is limited to several hundreds of utterances, primarily due to the fact that detailed acoustic matching involves considerable computation. The method presented here offers an economical solution to the real-time large-vocabulary recognition problem by carrying out recognition in two stages. In the initial stage, the incoming utterance is linearly matched against the entire vocabulary using only two features-utterance duration and either two or three average spectra for each utterance. While the number of prototypes matched is large, the time required per match is substantially reduced. During this initial stage, a preset number of best-match prototypes is determined for each unknown input. In the second stage, matching is performed for the best-match list based upon more detailed features (e.g., 10-ms log-power spectra), using more elaborate matching methodology, e.g., dynamic programming. Evaluation experiments were conducted using the 2000 most frequent words in an office-correspondence corpus and three normal adult-male talkers. It was observed that first-stage best-match lists of 30-50 items included the "correct" words between 99.0 and 99.5 percent of the time. Using DP on 10-ms spectral samples for the second stage, recognition accuracy ranged from 86.5 to 94.5 percent. A match-limiter, when used with a 50-64-word, commercially available recognizer for the second stage, makes near-real-time large-vocabulary recognition feasible.
Does diet-beverage intake affect dietary consumption patterns? Results from the Choose Healthy Options Consciously Everyday (CHOICE) randomized clinical trial

Background: Little is understood about the effect of increased consumption of low-calorie sweeteners in diet beverages on dietary patterns and energy intake. Objective: We investigated whether energy intakes and dietary patterns were different in subjects who were randomly assigned to substitute caloric beverages with either water or diet beverages (DBs). Design: Participants from the Choose Healthy Options Consciously Everyday randomized clinical trial (a 6-mo, 3-arm study) were included in the analysis [water groups: n = 106 (94% women); DB group: n = 104 (82% women)]. For energy, macronutrient, and food and beverage intakes, we investigated the main effects of time, treatment, and the treatment-by-time interaction by using mixed models. Results: Overall, the macronutrient composition changed in both groups without significant differences between groups over time. Both groups reduced absolute intakes of total daily energy, carbohydrates, fat, protein, saturated fat, total sugar, added sugar, and other carbohydrates. The DB group decreased energy from all beverages more than the water group did only at month 3 (P-group-by-time < 0.05). Although the water group had a greater reduction in grain intake at month 3 and a greater increase in fruit and vegetable intake at month 6 (P-group-by-time < 0.05), the DB group had a greater reduction in dessert intake than the water group did at month 6 (P-group-by-time < 0.05). Conclusions: Participants in both intervention groups showed positive changes in energy intakes and dietary patterns. The DB group showed decreases in most caloric beverages and specifically reduced more desserts than the water group did. Our study does not provide evidence to suggest that a short-term consumption of DBs, compared with water, increases preferences for sweet foods and beverages. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT01017783","term_id":"NCT01017783"}}NCT01017783.
O-167a Inflammatory Subtypes In Wheezing Infants: Assessment And Identification Using Induced Sputum

Background Patterns of wheezing during early childhood may indicate differences in aetiology and prognosis of respiratory illnesses. Objectives This study evaluated sputum cytology in infants with recurrent wheezing to classify sputum inflammatory phenotypes and assessed their characterisation over time. Methods Sputum induction were performed in 890 infants with recurrent wheezing. Samples were classified as eosinophilic (>2.5% eosinophils), neutrophilic (>54% neutrophils), mixed granulocytic (>2.5% eosinophils, >54% neutrophils), or paucigranulocytic (≤2.5% eosinophils, ≤54% neutrophils). Sputum induction were repeated after 3 months in infants with oral montelukast sodium (4 mg, QN) or nebulizer ICS (Budesonide aerosol 0.5 mg, Bid). Results Total 504 infants (58.1%)had raised levels of inflammatory cells, eosinophilic 30.6%, neutrophilic 65.2%, mixed granulocytic 4.2%. Variabilities in sputum inflammatory phenotype were observed in both the severe and the mild to moderate wheezing groups. Changes in phenotype were not related to inhaled ICS or oral montelukast sodium, nor were it reflected in a change in tidal pulmonary function. About 27.3% infants fulfilled the criteria for eosinophilia and there were no differences in severity even atopy between non-eosinophilic and eosinophilic wheezing. Conclusions Raised levels of inflammatory cells were frequently found in infants with recurrent wheezing. Sputum inflammatory phenotype was not stable, unlike asthma, neutrophilic was the most common inflammatory phenotype in infants with wheezing, and it was no business of eosinophilia.
"What is in that video anyway?": in search of better browsing

Effective use of digital video can be greatly improved by a combination of two technologies: computer vision for automated video analysis and information visualization for data visualization. The unstructured spatio-temporal nature of video poses tough challenges in the extraction of semantics using fully automated techniques. In the CueVideo project, we combine these automated technologies together with a user interface designed for rapid filtering and comprehension of video content. Our interface introduces two new techniques for viewing video and builds upon existing techniques to provide synergistic views of the video content. We also report on a preliminary user study that compares the efficacy of these views in providing comprehension of video content.