cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Understanding contextual barriers, supports, and opportunities for physical activity among Mexican-origin children in Texas border colonias : A descriptive study

The increasing numbers of colonias along the U.S.-Mexico border are characterized by disproportionately poor families of Mexican-origin, limited access to resources and health services, and heightened risk for obesity and diabetes. Despite consistent evidence supporting physical activity (PA) in prevention of chronic diseases, many individuals of Mexican-origin, including children, fail to meet PA recommendations. Environmental influences on PA, founded in ecological and social cognitive perspectives, have not been examined among children living in colonias. The purpose of this study was to identify and better understand (1) household and neighborhood environmental PA resources/supports, (2) perceived barriers to engaging in PA, and (3) PA offerings, locations, and transportation characteristics for Mexican-origin children living in colonias. Data for this study were collected by promotora-researchers (indigenous community health workers trained in research methods) using face-to-face interviews conducted in Spanish. The sample consists of 94 mother-child dyads from Texas border colonias in Hidalgo County. Interviews included questionnaire items addressing PA barriers, household and neighborhood environmental support assessments conducted with each dyad, and open-ended questions that were coded to identify availability and locations of PA opportunities and transportation options. Descriptive statistics were calculated and differences between genders, birth countries, and BMI categories of children were determined using chi-square tests. All children were of Mexican-origin. The most frequently reported barriers were unleashed dogs in the street, heat, bad weather, traffic, no streetlights, and no place like a park to exercise. Prominent locations for current PA included schools, home, and parks. Common PA options for children were exercise equipment, running, playing, and sports. Environmental assessments identified exercise equipment (bicycles/tricycles, balls, etc.…), paved/good streets, yard/patio space, and social norms as the most frequent household or neighborhood resources within these colonias. Differences in PA barriers, options, and environmental resources for genders, birth countries, and BMI categories were detected. This study suggests that PA environmental resources, barriers, and opportunities for colonias children are similar to previous studies and distinctively unique. As expected, built resources in these communities are limited and barriers exist; however, knowledge of PA opportunities and available PA resources within colonias households and neighborhoods offers insight to help guide future research, policy, and PA initiatives.
THEORY OF THE SUPERFLUID TRANSITION IN LIQUID HELIUM.

A simple method for approximately calculating the effect of Bose statistics on the properties of liquid helium is given. It is shown that as the temperature is lowered, normal helium undergoes a transition to a state in which a finite fraction of the atoms are in a coherent state. Using only the experimental interatomic potential and pair-correlation function, the transition temperature for liquid helium in equilibrium with its vapor is calculated to be 2.15\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. The dependence of the transition temperature on pressure is calculated and found to be in good agreement with experiment. The specific heat is calculated and is found to diverge as the $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ temperature is approached. It is also shown that as the temperature is lowered, a density maximum will occur in liquid helium slightly above the $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ temperature.
The mechanical and kinematic analysis of the lumbar spine in normal living human subjects in vivo.

Abstract This paper describes the principles of an apparatus which incorporates orthogonal radiography with a method of placing and holding human subjects, and moving them through easily indexed ranges of motion. This device is used to analyze the three dimensional motion characteristics of the human spine in vivo. The behavior of spinal segments in cadaveric subjects analyzed by this method and the living subjects reported herein shows similar motion characteristics. The most important attribute of this spinal behavior is the complex coupling which occurs. Translations and rotations about three mutually perpendicular axes are coupled in reasonably predictable ways dependent upon the motion segment and most likely upon the orientations of facets, as well as possibly the inherent state of the intervertebral disc.
Infrared spectrum of the OCS–He complex

The weakly-bound van der Waals complex OCS–He has been observed by infrared spectroscopy in the region of the OCS ν1 vibration (≈2062 cm−1) in a pulsed supersonic jet expansion using a tunable diode laser probe. The results are in good agreement with previous microwave observations of OCS–He, but they extend to the vibrationally excited state, as well as to a considerably larger number of rotational levels with higher J-values. Prominent a-type transitions (ΔK=0) are observed, together with weaker b-type transitions (ΔK=±1). The rotational energy level pattern in the excited vibrational state is quite similar to that in the ground state, and the band origin is slightly blue-shifted (+0.111 cm−1) from that of the free OCS molecule. These results are of special interest due to recent observations in the same spectral region of OCS molecules trapped in ultra cold helium droplets.
Factitious illness: A clarification

Abstract Factitious illness, consciously produced by patients with the intent of obtaining medical care, can be manifested at three levels: fictitious history, simulated presentation, or verifiable pathophysiology. The author discusses a descriptive system involving these three levels, as well as the systems implications for treatment. The discussion clarifies how factitious disorders differ from other illness-affirming states.
iProbe: a lightweight user-level dynamic instrumentation tool

We introduce a new hybrid instrumentation tool for dynamic application instrumentation called iProbe, which is flexible and has low overhead. iProbe takes a novel 2-stage design, and offloads much of the dynamic instrumentation complexity to an offline compilation stage. It leverages standard compiler flags to introduce "place-holders" for hooks in the program executable. Then it utilizes an efficient user-space "HotPatching" mechanism which modifies the functions to be traced and enables execution of instrumented code in a safe and secure manner. In its evaluation on a micro-benchmark and SPEC CPU2006 benchmark applications, the iProbe prototype achieved the instrumentation overhead an order of magnitude lower than existing state-of-the-art dynamic instrumentation tools like SystemTap and DynInst.
Research skills training for the Doctor of Pharmacy in US Schools of Pharmacy: A descriptive study

Objectives As the practice of pharmacy grows increasingly complex, graduates are expected to possess a comprehensive set of skills enabling them to provide optimal patient care. Thus, research skills are becoming increasingly valuable and a necessary part of pharmacist training globally. However, training opportunities for improving research skills have not been well explored in the literature. This study examines how research skills are currently being offered in various Doctor of Pharmacy curricula in US Schools of Pharmacy. Methods A five-question survey was e-mailed to key individuals at 95 Colleges of Pharmacy in the USA and Puerto Rico. Responses were aggregated and then stratified by research project requirements, as well as by school type (public or private; Carnegie Foundation classification). Key findings Seventy-nine respondents provided usable surveys for an 83% response rate. Respondents encompassed a representative population of school types. Although most schools do not require completion of a research project (75%), the majority of research skills listed were taught in various forms in over half of the responding institutions. There did not appear to be a significant distinction in research skills training provided based upon school type. However, schools requiring students to complete a research project in order to graduate provided the most comprehensive research skills training. Conclusions Research skills training has greatly increased over the past 10 years. However, more study needs to be done in a number of areas, including determining the most effective way to offer research skills training, determining its post-graduate impact and determining its overall effect on the profession of pharmacy.
VEGF contributes to postnatal neovascularization by mobilizing bone marrow‐derived endothelial progenitor cells

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been shown to promote neovascularization in animal models and, more recently, in human subjects. This feature has been assumed to result exclusively from its direct effects on fully differentiated endothelial cells, i.e. angiogenesis. Given its regulatory role in both angiogenesis and vasculogenesis during fetal development, we investigated the hypothesis that VEGF may modulate endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) kinetics for postnatal neovascularization. Indeed, we observed an increase in circulating EPCs following VEGF administration in vivo. VEGF-induced mobilization of bone marrow-derived EPCs resulted in increased differentiated EPCs in vitro and augmented corneal neovascularization in vivo. These findings thus establish a novel role for VEGF in postnatal neovascularization which complements its known impact on angiogenesis.
The RAMDISK storage accelerator: a method of accelerating I/O performance on HPC systems using RAMDISKs

I/O performance in large-scale HPC systems has not kept pace with improvements in computational performance. This widening gap presents an opportunity to introduce a new layer into the HPC environment that specifically targets this divide. A RAMDISK Storage Accelerator (RSA) is proposed; a system leveraging the high-throughput and decreasing cost of DRAM to provide an application-transparent method for pre-staging input data and commit results back to a persistent disk storage system.The RSA is constructed from a set of individual RSA nodes; each with large amounts of DRAM and a high-speed connection to the storage network. Memory from each node is made available through a dynamically constructed parallel filesystem to a compute job; data is asynchronously staged on to the RAMDISK ahead of compute job start and written back out to the persistent disk system after job completion. The RAMDISK provides very-high-speed, low-latency temporary storage that is dedicated to a specific job. Asynchronous data-staging frees the compute system from time that would otherwise be spent waiting for file I/O to finish at the start and end of execution. The RSA Scheduler is constructed to demonstrate this asynchronous data-staging model.
Spatially Non-Uniform Time-Step Adaptation for Functional Outputs in Unsteady Flow Problems

This paper presents a space-time finite-volume formulation for the Euler equations, which allows for the use of spatially non-uniform time-steps. The formulation also inherently accounts for the effect of dynamically deforming computational meshes. The space and time dimensions are treated in a unified manner so as to permit the variation of control volume sizes in both dimensions. The primary goal is to maintain solution accuracy while reducing the number of unknowns in the overall solution process and potentially lower computational expense. While the formulation presented here is capable of simultaneously handling non conformal meshes in both space and time, the scope of the paper is limited to conformal spatial meshes with non conformal temporal meshes. At any slice in time, the number of spatial elements remains the same, but across any slice in space, the number of time-steps is allowed to vary. In traditional terms, this translates to non-uniform temporal advancement of spatial elements in an unsteady problem. Two unsteady problems, one where an isentropic vortex is convected through a rectangular domain and one of a pitching NACA64A010 airfoil in transonic conditions are presented to demonstrate the algorithm. In the vortex convection problem, a local temporal error indicator is used to identify space-time elements which require higher resolution in the time dimension, thus marking them for temporal refinement. In the case of the transonic pitching airfoil, the adjoint-weighted residual method targeting the lift is used as the error indicator. The results indicate that significant reduction in the overall degrees-of-freedom required to solve an unsteady problem can be achieved using the proposed algorithm. Modest improvements in computational expense for specific problems are also observed.
Optimal sampling structure for asynchronous multi-access channels

A sensitive receiver operation in multi-access reception is to detect the presence of training signals and identify sources from which the signals are sent, with a certain physical delay and center frequency. This is typically a sequential search, where the receiver tests the presence of specific signals and then acquires synchronization parameters (delays, Dopplers), for each component. In this paper, we develop an optimal compressive multichannel sampling (CMS) architecture, the output samples of which are fed to the proposed Sparsity Regularized (SR) Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT). It is shown that SR-GLRT using the optimal sampling scheme exhibits better performance than conventional compressed sensing structure, and furthermore effectively scales down the storage requirement and complexity with greater flexibility than conventional architectures.
Toxicity identification evaluation of metal-contaminated sediments using an artificial pore water containing dissolved organic carbons

Recent investigations of sediment-associated pollutants in Lake Champlain indicated significant contamination with As, Mn, and Ni in Outer Malletts Bay, Vermont, USA. Ceriodaphnia dubia exposed to sediment pore water from several sites in Outer Malletts Bay showed repeatable, acute mortality at only one site. A toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) was conducted on pore water to determine the contaminants causing mortality at this site. Unlike most TIE applications, the dilution water used in these tests was formulated to match the hardness, alkalinity, pH, conductivity, and dissolved organic carbon content of the pore water. Results from phase I of the TIE indicated that divalent metals may be responsible for toxicity. Phase II results revealed levels of Mn above LC50 values. Spiking experiments employed in phase III confirmed Mn as the principal toxicant in sediment pore water. The formulated pore water worked well and helped ensure that toxicant behavior was influenced primarily by each TIE manipulation and not by physical and chemical differences between the dilution and site water. Although the Mn toxicity at this site may be the result of its unique geomorphology, this situation underscores the need to look broadly for potential toxicants when evaluating contaminated sites.
Successful treatment of childhood prolonged refractory status epilepticus with lacosamide

Prolonged, refractory status epilepticus is a rare clinical syndrome that is associated with severe morbidity and mortality. Lacosamide is a newly approved medication for treatment of partial onset seizures in adults, which has a novel mechanism of action. Experimental data and recent reports suggest that lacosamide could be effective in status epilepticus. We report a child with prolonged, refractory status epilepticus that persisted for 10 weeks despite treatment with multiple anti-epileptics and anesthetics and was then aborted with lacosamide. This is the first report of the effect of lacosamide in prolonged refractory status epilepticus, and the first report of lacosamide efficacy in status epilepticus in a child.
Computational Complexity Theory

The sections in this article are 1 The Birth of the Field 2 Computational Complexity Theory 3 The Turing Machines 4 Computational Complexity Theory
A new species of Ixodes (Acari: Ixodidae) from South African mammals

Abstract A new tick species belonging to the African subgenus Afrixodes Morel, 1966, namely, Ixodes (Afrixodes) fynbosensis n. sp., is described. The female of I. fynbosensis is easily differentiated from the other African Ixodes species by a large, tapering triangular ventrolateral spur on palpal segment I. Nymph and larva of I. fynbosensis can be distinguished from those of other members of Afrixodes by a combination of the following characters: pointed hypostome, long auriculae, long and acute ventrolateral projections of basis capituli of nymph, only 2 pairs of central dorsal setae, and a straight posterior margin of scutum of the larva. Cytochrome oxidase I mtDNA sequence comparisons between I. fynbosensis and 10 other Ixodes Latreille, 1795, species support the recognition of this taxon as genetically distinct (>13% corrected sequence divergences separate it from the remainder of the 10 recognized species used in this study), and preliminary phylogenetic analyses reveal that this taxon is most close...
Remote Sensing of Estuaries: An Overview

Estuarine applications of remote sensing require a wide assortment of sensors, including aerial film cameras for beach erosion and vegetation mapping, multispectral scanners for wetlands biomass and estuarine water property studies, thermal and infrared scanners for mapping surface water temperatures and currents, microwave devices for salinity or wave measurements, and underwater cameras and acoustic systems for benthic observations. The recent appearance of low-cost microcomputers with user-friendly software for analyzing satellite imagery is enabling more estuarine investigators to use satellite data. High resolution Thematic Mapper and SPOT imagery is improving our ability to detect estuarine and coastal features. However, to meet both spatial and temporal resolution requirements, data from several satellites will have to be combined with aircraft and ship data in a cost-- effective way. In this paper, we attempt to summarize the state of the art of remote sensing of estuarine and coastal properties, and to point out improvements needed for meeting user requirements.
On overfitting, generalization, and randomly expanded training sets

An algorithmic procedure is developed for the random expansion of a given training set to combat overfitting and improve the generalization ability of backpropagation trained multilayer perceptrons (MLPs). The training set is K-means clustered and locally most entropic colored Gaussian joint input-output probability density function estimates are formed per cluster. The number of clusters is chosen such that the resulting overall colored Gaussian mixture exhibits minimum differential entropy upon global cross-validated shaping. Numerical studies on real data and synthetic data examples drawn from the literature illustrate and support these theoretical developments.
A fractional calculus approach to modeling fractal dynamic games

Motivated by the complexity of spatio-temporal patterns of interconnected human processes (e.g., crowds, car traffic, social networks), this paper sets forth the fractal dynamic games as an analytical tool for modeling and predicting human dynamics. Starting from a statistical physics description of interactions between agents and from the observed statistical properties of economic measures, we construct a master equation characterizing the dynamics of cost functionals as stochastic variables affected by additive and multiplicative noise forces. Given the significance of human behavior, we allow the cost distribution to depend on the evolution of agents density. By coupling the description of agent dynamics through a fractal structure with a generic stochastic utility function, we formulate a new dynamic game. Employing optimal control theory concepts, we derive a continuum formulation of the car traffic dynamics optimization resulting in a nonlinear fractional partial differential equation.
Cross-Layer Communication With an Optical Packet Switched Network via a Message Injection Control Interface

Message injection control and queue management for an optical packet switched network is demonstrated via interoperation of a network with an optical interface buffer. In a time-slotted manner, cross-layer signaling is employed between the input buffer and network to dynamically reroute dropped payload packets with multiple wavelength-striped 10-Gb/s channels. At the output of the network, error-free transmission with bit-error-rates less than were confirmed, with an introduced power penalty of 3.5 dB.
Association of cumulative ultraviolet radiation exposure with prostate cancer risk in a case-control study of African-American men.

It is well established that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation has beneficial effects in reducing prostate cancer risk. To determine if there is a correlation between UV exposure and prostate cancer risk, we assessed sun exposure in a case-control study of 182 African-American men aged 40 years and older residing in the Metropolitan Washington, DC area. Using data on cumulative exposure per year and adult sunbathing scores derived from a validated questionnaire, analysis revealed significant difference in cumulative sun exposure between cases and controls (p=0.003). Additionally, the outdoor and recreation UV exposures were significantly higher in controls when compared to cases (p=0.003; p=0.03 in age-matched cases and controls). Although the results of conditional logistic regression analysis indicate that there was no association between total UV exposure and risk of prostate cancer after adjusting for age (OR=2.04, 95% CI 0.54-7.70, p=0.29), outdoor UV exposure was associated with decreased prostate cancer risk (OR= 0.31, 95% CI 0.14-0.65, p=0.002). Furthermore, a trend for reduced prostate cancer risk was found among men with early life high sun exposure during childhood ages 0-5 years (OR=0.17, 95% CI 0.03-0.74, p=0.02) and 6-11 years (OR= 0.28, 95% CI 0.07-1.05, p=0.06). Interestingly, this inverse association between prostate cancer risk and early life high sun exposure intensity was also observed among young men at ages 12-17 years although not statistically significant (OR=0.41, 95% CI 0.09-1.95, p=0.26). These findings indicate that UV exposure earlier in life may affect susceptibility to prostate cancer.
Cover Picture: Excitonic and Vibrational Properties of Single‐Walled Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes (Adv. Funct. Mater. 17/2007)

The cover picture illustrates excited state dynamics of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes studied theoretically. Sergai Tretiak and Svetlana Kilina report on p. 3405 that absorption of the light quantum leads to spatially delocalized photoexcitation, which can be described as tightly bound excitons and characterized by 2D plots of transition density. The photoexcitation is coupled to the vibrational degrees of freedom, leading to complex exciton-phonon dynamics, which can be monitored experimentally using ultrafast spectroscopic probes. We review quantum-chemical studies of the excited-state electronic structure of finite-size semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) using methodologies previously successfully applied to describe conjugated polymers and other organic molecular materials. The results of our simulations are in quantitative agreement with available spectroscopic data and show intricate details of excited-state properties and photoinduced vibrational dynamics in carbon nanotubes. We analyze in detail the nature of strongly bound first and second excitons in SWCNTs for a number of different tubes, emphasizing emerging size-scaling laws. Characteristic delocalization properties of excited states are identified by the underlying photoinduced changes in charge densities and bond orders. Due to the rigid structure, exciton–phonon coupling is much weaker in SWCNTs compared to typical molecular materials. Yet we find that, in the ground state, a SWCNT's surface experiences the corrugation associated with electron–phonon interactions. Vibrational relaxation following photoexcitation reduces this corrugation, leading to a local distortion of the tube surface, which is similar to the formation of self-trapped excitons in conjugated polymers. The calculated associated Stokes shift increases with enlargement of the tube diameters. Such exciton vibrational phenomena are possible to detect experimentally, allowing for better understanding of photoinduced electronic dynamics in nanotube materials.
The Evolutionary and Taxonomic Implications of RAPD Data on the Genetic Relationships of Mimulus michiganensis (comb. et stat. nov.: Scrophulariaceae)

Abstract Genetic relationships of Mimulus michiganensis comb. et stat. nov., formerly known as M. glabratus var. michiganensis, and two related species that have been implicated in its origin, M. glabratus var. jamesii and M. guttatus, were studied using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Genetic similarities were calculated based on the RAPD data using Jaccard's coefficient and used to construct a UPGMA phenogram. All individuals of M. michiganensis were highly similar to each other and formed a distinct cluster in the phenogram. This cluster was nested among the individuals of M. glabratus var. jamesii, and the resulting cluster was, in turn, nested within the individuals of M. guttatus. These findings, in agreement with earlier morphological and crossing studies, support the elevation of the taxon in rank from variety to species; accordingly, the new combination M. michiganensis was established. No evidence was found to support earlier hypotheses of a role of M. guttatus in the origin of ...
Across the Great Divide: Integrating Comparative and International Politics

Research in comparative and international politics often deals with the same questions, such as the nature of war, the conduct of foreign economic policy, and the consequences of different political institutions. Yet there is a pronounced gap between these two subfields of political science. In neorealist theory, this gap is to be expected, since the structure of the international system cannot be reduced to facts about its component units. Given the incompleteness of international relations theory, it rarely provides knowledge that is sufficient to explain the actions of the component units. This theoretical insufficiency provides the motivation to bring theories of domestic and international politics closer together. Three attempts to integrate comparative and international politics are discussed in this article. The first derives from the logic of two-level games as originally advanced by Robert Putnam. The second relies on a special application of second-image reversed theory by Ronald Rogowski in Commerce and Coalitions. The third examines the merging of previously distinctive systems of rules and laws among countries in the European Union. This approach does not rely on a single exemplar (as do the first two) but uses a number of institutional and legal theories to conceptualize the domestification of a regional, international political system. Thus, strategic interaction, the domestic effects of international trade flows, and institutional merging of legal systems provide three quite different metaphors for narrowing the gap between our knowledge of domestic and of international politics.
Subject-to-Subject Raising and the Syntax of Tense in L2 Spanish: A Full Access Approach.

This paper investigates the acquisition of syntax in L2 grammars. We tested adult L2 speakers of Spanish (English L1) on the feature specification of T(ense), which is different in English and Spanish in so-called subject-to-subject raising structures. We present experimental results with the verb parecer “to seem/to appear” in different tenses, with and without experiencers, and with Tense Phrase (TP), verb phrase (vP) and Adjectival Phrase (AP) complements. The results show that advanced L2 learners can perform just like native Spanish speakers regarding grammatical knowledge in this domain, although the subtle differences between both languages are not explicitly taught. We argue that these results support Full Access approaches to Universal Grammar (UG) in L2 acquisition, by providing evidence that uninterpretable syntactic features can be learned in adult L2, even when such features are not directly instantiated in the same grammatical domain in the L1 grammar.
Regression with censored data

SUMMARY There are four regression techniques currently available for use with censored data which do not assume particular parametric families of survival distributions. They are due to (i) Cox (1972), (ii) Miller (1976), (iii) Buckley & James (1979), and (iv) Koul, Susarla & Van Ryzin (1981). These four methods are described, and their performances compared on the updated Stanford heart transplant data. Conclusions on the usefulness of the four procedures are drawn.
Microtubule-dependent PKC-α localization in A7r5 smooth muscle cells

Using laser scanning confocal, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), and atomic force (AFM) microscopy, we investigated association of protein kinase C (PKC)-α with microtubules during sti...
Urinary metallomics as a novel biomarker discovery platform: Breast cancer as a case study.

Abstract Background Urinary metallomics is presented here as a new “omics” approach that aims to facilitate personalized cancer screening and prevention by improving our understanding of urinary metals in disease. Methods Twenty-two urinary metals were examined with inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry in 138 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and benign conditions. Urinary metals from spot urine samples were adjusted to renal dilution using urine specific gravity. Results Two urinary metals, copper ( P -value = 0.036) and lead ( P -value = 0.003), were significantly increased in the urine of breast cancer patients. A multivariate model that comprised copper, lead, and patient age afforded encouraging discriminatory power (AUC: 0.728, P -value Conclusions This proof-of-concept work introduces urinary metallomics as a noninvasive, potentially transformative “omics” approach to early cancer detection. Urinary copper and lead have also been preliminarily identified as potential breast cancer biomarkers.
Does Kinematic Alignment and Flexion of a Femoral Component Designed for Mechanical Alignment Reduce the Proximal and Lateral Reach of the Trochlea

Background: Kinematically aligned total knee arthroplasty uses a femoral component designed for mechanical alignment (MA) and sets the component in more internal, valgus, and flexion rotation than MA. It is unknown how much kinematic alignment (KA) and flexion of the femoral component reduce the proximal and lateral reach of the trochlea; two reductions that could increase the risk of abnormal patella tracking. Methods: We simulated MA and KA of the femoral component in 0 � of flexion on 20 3-dimensional bone
What's new in hip arthroplasty.

To The Editor: In their specialty update, “What's New in Hip Arthroplasty” (2003;85:1852-64), Drs. Huo and Brown included the development of a minimally invasive surgical technique for total hip arthroplasty. We believe the technique of performing total hip arthroplasty through smaller incisions should more properly be called mini-incision arthroplasty. Minimally invasive surgical techniques for total hip arthroplasty involve different intermuscular surgical planes1 than do techniques involving smaller incisions, which are modifications of conventional approaches. We agree with the authors that marketing has stimulated enthusiasm for the use of such mini-incision approaches for total hip arthroplasty, but we do not agree that the literature lacks scientific data supporting the efficacy, safety, and superiority of this approach compared with previously described conventional approaches. The mini-incision arthroplasty that we described2 has been extensively analyzed with regard to the accuracy and reproducibility of implantation, regardless of patient habitus. To our knowledge, our report is the first … Corresponding author: Michael H. Huo, MD Department of Orthopaedic Surgery University of Texas Southwestern Medical School 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard Dallas, TX 75390-8883 michael.huo{at}utsouthwestern.edu
Avoidance of Constitutional Questions in Recent Electoral Reform Legislation

Prepared symposium remarks (followed by extemporaneous question-and-answer) on the 2001-02 congressional election reform bills, with a focus on the strategic aspects of the Court-Congress relationship from a client-advocacy perspective.
Galvanomagnetic Effects in p-Type Silicon

Measurements have been made on several samples of $p$-type silicon of the dependences of electrical resistivity and Hall effect on temperature and magnetic field strength. The electrical resistivity follows a ${T}^{2.7}$ law in the lattice scattering range in the absence of a magnetic field. The Hall coefficient exhibits a small linear negative temperature dependence between about 200\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K and 320\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K and is almost entirely independent of field strength up to 13 000 gauss at any temperature between 77\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K and 320\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. The dependence of the magnetoresistance on the relative directions of current, field, and crystallographic axes has been studied at 77\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K and 300\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K as a function of the field strength with particular emphasis on obtaining accurate values of the various coefficients which are required for a complete characterization of the magnetoresistance in the limit of zero field. The main features of these results are the relatively large observed values of longitudinal magnetoresistance, which in some cases are nearly as large as the transverse effects. The results of the galvanomagnetic measurements are somewhat inconsistent with the usual valence band model as deduced from cyclotron resonance experiments at 4\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K.
An exact algorithm for finding cancer driver somatic genome alterations: the weighted mutually exclusive maximum set cover problem

The mutual exclusivity of somatic genome alterations (SGAs), such as somatic mutations and copy number alterations, is an important observation of tumors and is widely used to search for cancer signaling pathways or SGAs related to tumor development. However, one problem with current methods that use mutual exclusivity is that they are not signal-based; another problem is that they use heuristic algorithms to handle the NP-hard problems, which cannot guarantee to find the optimal solutions of their models. In this study, we propose a novel signal-based method that utilizes the intrinsic relationship between SGAs on signaling pathways and expression changes of downstream genes regulated by pathways to identify cancer signaling pathways using the mutually exclusive property. We also present a relatively efficient exact algorithm that can guarantee to obtain the optimal solution of the new computational model. We have applied our new model and exact algorithm to the breast cancer data. The results reveal that our new approach increases the capability of finding better solutions in the application of cancer research. Our new exact algorithm has a time complexity of $$O^{*}(1.325^{m})$$ (Note: Following the recent convention, we use a star * to represent that the polynomial part of the time complexity is neglected), which has solved the NP-hard problem of our model efficiently. Our new method and algorithm can discover the true causes behind the phenotypes, such as what SGA events lead to abnormality of the cell cycle or make the cell metastasis lose control in tumors; thus, it identifies the target candidates for precision (or target) therapeutics.
Is the Consumption of Energy Drinks Associated With Academic Achievement Among College Students

Despite widely reported side effects, use of energy drinks has increased among college students, who report that they consume energy drinks to help them complete schoolwork. However, little is known about the association between energy drink use and academic performance. We explored the relationship between energy drink consumption and current academic grade point average (GPA) among first-year undergraduate students. Participants included 844 first-year undergraduates (58.1 % female; 50.7 % White). Students reported their health behaviors via an online survey. We measured energy drink consumption with two measures: past month consumption by number of drinks usually consumed in 1 month and number consumed during the last occasion of consumption. We used multiple linear regression modeling with energy drink consumption and current GPA, controlling for gender, race, weekend and weekday sleep duration, perceived stress, perceived stress management, media use, and past month alcohol use. We found that past month energy drink consumption quantity by frequency (p < 0.001), and energy drinks consumed during the last occasion (p < 0.001), were associated with a lower GPA. Energy drinks consumed during the last occasion of consumption (p = 0.01) remained significantly associated with a lower GPA when controlling for alcohol use. While students report using energy drinks for school-related reasons, our findings suggest that greater energy drink consumption is associated with a lower GPA, even after controlling for potential confounding variables. Longitudinal research is needed that addresses whether GPA declines after continued use of energy drinks or if students struggling academically turn to energy drinks to manage their schoolwork.
Velvet Disillusionment: Czech Performing Arts and Twenty-Five Years of Transition, 1989–2014

ABSTRACTThe performing arts sector of the Czech Republic faces significant challenges twenty-five years after the Velvet Revolution, which ushered in swift and dramatic political, social, and economic change. Early policy decisions, subsequent privatization efforts, and neglect, compounded by the country's foray into the muddy waters of the free market, have left artists and administrators seeking solutions and searching for solvency. Empirical research, primarily in the form of surveys, site visits, and interviews with prominent Czech artists and administrators, significantly informs this article, which explores the state of Czech performing arts twenty-five years after the fall of Communism.
Codifying Practice Into Theory: Commentary on Wandersman et al.

In this commentary I discuss how Getting to Outcomes and other empowerment strategies have potential to contribute to a theory of evaluation practice, address the epistemology of quality improvement, and inform the external validity of outcome evaluations.
The Myths of Mars and Venus: Do men and women really speak different languages?

In this book, the renowned scholar and author of many texts on the topic of gender differences in language use, Deborah Cameron, presents and challenges some of the most known and spread gendered ‘myths’ such as that women are by nature more cooperative, talkative and polite than the opposite sex (p. 11). Her particular interest is language interaction so she skilfully examines data gathered from public and private settings including home, work, and urban schools.
The Physics of Interstellar Shock Waves

This review discusses the observations and theoretical models of interstellar shock waves, in both diffuse cloud and molecular cloud environments. We summarize the relevant gas dynamics, atomic, molecular and grain processes, radiative transfer, and physics of radiative and magnetic precursors in shock models. We then describe the importance of shocks for observations, diagnostics, and global interstellar dynamics. We conclude with current research problems and data needs for atomic, molecular and grain physics.
Prospects for Nonprofits and Philanthropy in the Trump Presidency

Based on the limited information currently available about Donald Trump’s plans for his presidency, his tenure looks like it will be a difficult time for the nonprofit sector and philanthropy in the U.S. Nonprofits and philanthropy can expect to face significant challenges from expected tax cuts, spending cuts, and regulatory changes. One of the few bright spots for nonprofits and philanthropy may be possible Trump administration support for new hybrid, double-bottom-line approaches to addressing social problems, and these only partly target the core of the nonprofit sector. Overall, the most profound impact of the Trump ascendance on the country’s nonprofit sector may be to stimulate a reinvigoration of the sector’s civic engagement and advocacy role.
Large population cell characterization using quantitative phase cytometer

A major challenge in cellular analysis is the phenotypic characterization of large cell populations within a short period of time. Among various parameters for cell characterization, the cell dry mass is often used to describe cell size but is difficult to be measured directly with traditional techniques. Here, we propose an interferometric approach based on line-focused beam illumination for high-content precision dry mass measurements of adherent cells in a non-invasive fashion-we call it quantitative phase cytometry (QPC). Besides dry mass, abundant cellular morphological features such as projected area, sphericity, and phase skewness can be readily extracted from the QPC interferometric data. To validate the utility of our technique, we demonstrate characterizing a large population of ∼104 HeLa cells. Our reported QPC system is envisioned as a promising quantitative tool for label-free characterization of a large cell count at single cell resolution. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.
Systematic review of emergency medicine clinical practice guidelines: Implications for research and policy.

Introduction Over 25 years, emergency medicine in the United States has amassed a large evidence base that has been systematically assessed and interpreted through ACEP Clinical Policies. While not previously studied in emergency medicine, prior work has shown that nearly half of all recommendations in medical specialty practice guidelines may be based on limited or inconclusive evidence. We sought to describe the proportion of clinical practice guideline recommendations in Emergency Medicine that are based upon expert opinion and low level evidence. Methods Systematic review of clinical practice guidelines (Clinical Policies) published by the American College of Emergency Physicians from January 1990 to January 2016. Standardized data were abstracted from each Clinical Policy including the number and level of recommendations as well as the reported class of evidence. Primary outcomes were the proportion of Level C equivalent recommendations and Class III equivalent evidence. The primary analysis was limited to current Clinical Policies, while secondary analysis included all Clinical Policies. Results A total of 54 Clinical Policies including 421 recommendations and 2801 cited references, with an average of 7.8 recommendations and 52 references per guideline were included. Of 19 current Clinical Policies, 13 of 141 (9.2%) recommendations were Level A, 57 (40.4%) Level B, and 71 (50.4%) Level C. Of 845 references in current Clinical Policies, 67 (7.9%) were Class I, 272 (32.3%) Class II, and 506 (59.9%) Class III equivalent. Among all Clinical Policies, 200 (47.5%) recommendations were Level C equivalent, and 1371 (48.9%) of references were Class III equivalent. Conclusions Emergency medicine clinical practice guidelines are largely based on lower classes of evidence and a majority of recommendations are expert opinion based. Emergency medicine appears to suffer from an evidence gap that should be prioritized in the national research agenda and considered by policymakers prior to developing future quality standards.
Addressing the Needs of Displaced Women in Conflict and Post-conflict Situations

In 2007, the Women, Peace, and Security Committee of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Center for International Studies of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) collaborated to produce a series of research papers on the needs of women displaced by conflict. These papers provided policy action recommendations for UNFPA and its partners based on current empirical research, comparative analysis, and policy reviews. The recommendations, and the analysis that inspired them, aim to help UNFPA increase the effectiveness of its programming on urgent issues in the nexus of women, conflict, and forced migration. In particular, they offer insights into how UNFPA can address the ways shelter, livelihoods, legal status, and mental health relate to the issues that comprise UNFPA’s core mandate, namely, reproductive health, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and HIV/AIDS.
Analysis of Gene Expression in Genetically Labeled Single Cells

A combination of transgenic technology and single-cell reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)has been used to study gene expression in dopaminergic amacrine (DA)cells of the mouse retina. Because there are only 900 DA cells, and they cannot be distinguished from neighboring neurons on the basis of their morphology, we labeled them with human placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP)by introducing into the mouse genome PLAP cDNA under the control of the promoter of the gene for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme for dopamine biosynthesis. Because PLAP is an enzyme that resides on the outer surface of the cell membrane, we can identify DA cells after dissociation of the retina by immunocytochemistry in the living state. Cells are then patch clamped and harvested for single-cell RT-PCR analysis of gene expression. Here, we describe the preparation of the fluorescent antibody E6-Cy3 to specifically detect PLAP-expressing cells, methods to obtain short-term cultures of solitary neurons from mouse retinas, and techniques to detect gene expression in individual neurons. Properties and pitfalls of single-cell RT-PCR are described and discussed.