cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toward Attribute Efficient Learning of Decision Lists and Parities

We consider two well-studied problems regarding attribute efficient learning: learning decision lists and learning parity functions. First, we give an algorithm for learning decision lists of length k over n variables using 2O(k1/3) log n examples and time nO(k1/3). This is the first algorithm for learning decision lists that has both subexponential sample complexity and subexponential running time in the relevant parameters. Our approach is based on a new construction of low degree, low weight polynomial threshold functions for decision lists. For a wide range of parameters our construction matches a lower bound due to Beigel for decision lists and gives an essentially optimal tradeoff between polynomial threshold function degree and weight. Second, we give an algorithm for learning an unknown parity function on k out of n variables using O(n1-1/k) examples in poly(n) time. For k=o(log n) this yields the first polynomial time algorithm for learning parity on a superconstant number of variables with sublinear sample complexity. We also give a simple algorithm for learning an unknown length-k parity using O(k log n) examples in nk/2 time, which improves on the naive nk time bound of exhaustive search.
Visual-Evoked Potentials in Delayed Visual Maturation: A Review of 10 Infants

view of 10 Infants Marni Grage Feldmann, Burton J. Kushner, James Ver Hoeve; University of Wisconsin Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Madison, WI Purpose: Review of infants with delayed visual maturation type 1 and 2 to determine visual outcome based on initial sweep visualevoked potential (SVEP) acuity. Design: Case series of 10 infants. Methods: The authors followed 10 infants with an initial diagnosis of delayed visual maturation with SVEPs. The SVEP stimulus was a flickering horizontal grating that decreased stripe width until the VEP was no longer elicited. SVEP acuity is the spatial frequency at which the linear regression of VEP versus stripe width intercepts 0 volts (no response). SVEP acuities were compared with age-appropriate normal values. Results: All eight infants with type 1A DVM and one infant with type 2 DVM presented with visual inattentiveness. The other infant with type 2 DVM presented because of other neurological abnormalities. All infants had normal ocular examination. Strabismus developed during the phase of visual inattention in 3 of the 10 infants; as a result, one infant developed amblyopia. The initial SVEP appears to correlate highly with the ultimate visual outcome. In all eight infants with type 1 DVM and one infant with type 2 DVM, an initial SVEP was normal and the vision developed normally. One infant with type 2 DVM had a SVEP that was abnormal and remained abnormal. Conclusions: A normal SVEP acuity may be recorded in infants who are otherwise healthy but do not fix and follow. A normal SVEP is a good prognostic indicator for the development of normal vision in children with visual inattention.
Test synthesis in the behavioral domain

A method for test synthesis in the behavioral domain is described. The approach is based on the addition of test behavior, which is the behavior of the design in test mode. The normal-mode design behavior and test-mode test behavior are combined and synthesized together to produce a testable design with inserted BIST structures. Derivation of an appropriate test behavior uses analysis based on metrics that quantify the testability of signals embedded within behaviors. The synthesized circuit is tested using a behavioral test scheme which allows the test controller to be easily embedded within the system controller, and the entire datapath and controller to be easily tested together. Results show that when the testability insertion procedure is used to modify a behavior before synthesis, the resulting synthesized physical implementation is indeed more easily tested than an implementation synthesized directly from the original behavior.
Estimating coverage holes and enhancing coverage in mixed sensor networks

Area coverage is one of the most fundamental problems in ad hoc wireless sensor networks because it directly relates to optimization of resources in a sensing field. Maximizing the coverage area while maintaining a lower cost of deployment has always been a challenge, especially when the monitoring region is unknown and possibly hazardous. In this paper, we present a method to deterministically estimate the exact amount of coverage holes under random deployment using Voronoi diagrams and use the static nodes to collaborate and estimate the number of additional mobile nodes needed to be deployed and relocated to optimal positions to maximize coverage. We follow a two-step deployment process in a mixed sensor network and we argue by simulation and analysis that our collaborative coverage enhancing algorithm (COVEN) can achieve a tradeoff between the cost of deployment and percentage of area covered.
Adaptation of Meteorological Variables Forced by Updating

Abstract Numerical experiments designed to investigate trade-offs among meteorological variables and between space and time in observing systems are conducted using the six-layer global circulation model of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The error growth characteristics of the NCAR model are first discussed in view of their effect on periodically updating historical data. The updating experiments are divided into two groups. In the first group, “observed” temperature data with and without errors are periodically inserted into the model to recover the wind field. The root mean square (rms) error of the wind field is reduced by updating temperature and it approaches an asymptotic level which depends on the magnitude of the random errors in the “observed” temperature field. In the second group, “observed” wind data with and without errors are periodically updated to recover the temperature field. The rms error of the temperature field is reduced by updating winds. The asymptotic level d...
A second generation of active living research.

Research on active living has grown significantly since its early days, now over a decade ago. What began as a plausible assertion—that the design of physical environments could encourage physical activity—is now a robust area of research inquiry. Today, active living research boasts an annual conference, several special journal issues dedicated to this topic (including this one), and a new generation of researchers drawn from very diverse disciplines who are committed to this field. Though it is still far from standard practice, the idea of engineering communities to naturally promote physical activity is no longer a radical notion. Active living research has also grown in maturity. Building on the first wave of studies, this second generation of research is more focused on specific populations and settings, more sophisticated in its theorizing, and more connected to planning and design practice. The 13 articles in this special issue represent some of the best of this second generation of active living research. The papers in this special issue of American Journal of Health Promotion were presented at the Third Annual Active Living Research Conference that was held in Coronado, California, February 17 through 18, 2006. The conference was designed to attract the best research to be submitted, and the best of those submissions were invited to prepare papers for consideration for this special issue. Thus, this set of papers from transdisciplinary research teams illustrates the breadth and quality of the current state of the science of this vibrant but still-new field of study.
Synoptic Mapping of Convective Structure from Undersampled Satellite Observations

Abstract Climate properties regulated by convection, such as water vapor, cloud cover, and related distributions, are undersampled in asynoptic data from an individual orbiting platform, which must therefore be restricted to time-mean distributions. A procedure is developed to identify small-scale undersampled variance in asynoptic data and reject it, leaving a more accurate representation of large-scale variance that describes the organization of climate properties. The procedure is validated against high-resolution distributions that have been constructed from six satellites simultaneously observing the earth. Observing the high-resolution distributions asynoptically is shown to result in sampling error at large scales that is as great as the large-scale signal present, limiting the usefulness of the raw asynoptic data to time-mean distributions. However, processing the asynoptic data to reject undersampled incoherent variability reduces the error variance to 10% or less, yielding a fairly accurate repr...
Acute Effect of Intravenous Sildenafil on Cerebral Blood Flow in Patients with Vasospasm After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

The phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor sildenafil has been shown to attenuate delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) and improve neurologic function in experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). We recently demonstrated that it could improve cerebral vasospasm (CVS) in humans after SAH. However, successful therapies for DCI must also restore cerebral blood flow (CBF) and/or autoregulatory capacity. In this study, we tested the effects of sildenafil on CBF in SAH patients at-risk for DCI. Six subjects with angiographically confirmed CVS received 30-mg of intravenous sildenafil (mean 9 ± 2 days after aneurysmal SAH). Each underwent 15O-PET imaging to measure global and regional CBF at baseline and post-sildenafil. Mean arterial pressure declined by 10 mm Hg on average post-sildenafil (8 %, p = 0.01), while ICP was unchanged. There was no change in global CBF (mean 34.5 ± 7 ml/100g/min at baseline vs. 33.9 ± 8.0 ml/100g/min post-sildenafil, p = 0.84). The proportion of brain regions with low CBF (<25 ml/100g/min) was also unchanged after sildenafil infusion. Infusion of sildenafil does not lead to a change in global or regional perfusion despite a significant reduction in cerebral perfusion pressure. While this could reflect the ineffectiveness of sildenafil-induced proximal vasodilatation to alter brain perfusion, it also suggests that cerebral autoregulatory function was preserved in this group. Future studies should assess whether sildenafil can restore or enhance autoregulation after SAH.
Effects upon Blood Amylase of Variations in Thyroid Activity

ConclusionIncreased thyroid activity is accompanied by decrease in the amount of the blood amylase, and vice versa. There is a pronounced fall in the level of blood amylase within 8 hours following thyroidectomy in thyrotoxic patients; this does not occur after operations for non-toxic goiter. The return of blood amylase to normal values following thyroidectomy lags behind the improvement in clinical status and the restoration of basal metabolism to normal level. These events are considered to be evidence of impaired liver function in thyrotoxicosis.
Effects of Acute Administration of Taurocholic and Taurochenodeoxycholic Acid on Biliary Lipid Excretion in the Rat

Comparison of the effects of biliary lipid excretion produced by infusion of taurochenodeoxycholate and taurocholate showed no significant difference when the bile acids were infused for a relatively short period of time. Cholesterol excretion rates measured during depletion of the bile acid pool were significantly higher than cholesterol excretion rates measured during infusion of bile acids at various rates. These data indicate that there is some mechanism in addition to bile acid excretion that is responsible for biliary excretion of cholesterol when the enterohepatic circulation is intact.
Comparison and Analysis of Hydrodynamic Models for Restoration Projects: The Case of Pool-Riffle Structures

Naturalization of urbanized streams through the use of pool-riffle structures creates a more hospitable environment and a consistent depth during high discharges while providing self-maintenance of the structure. Whereas during low flow sediment builds up in pools, a pool-riffle structure with sinusoidal narrowing banks allows higher shear stresses to develop in pools during high flows thereby maintaining a pool-riffle structure over time. To design these self-maintaining structures, hydrodynamic models are used to optimize the parameters necessary to facilitate this shear stress reversing process. One-dimensional (1D) models are often favored in place of resource intensive threedimensional (3D) models. However, the 1D and 3D pool-riffle models do not always agree on the distribution of bed shear stresses. Two-dimensional (2D) models can be used to attempt to validate 1D models and describe their limitations. 1D modeling was completed for four channel designs at eight levels of discharge using HEC-RAS. The design displayed the self-maintenance mechanism for four flow rates where shear stresses in the pools did appear to exceed the stress at the riffles. 2D depth-averaged modeling was done using River2D and initial results show that the mechanism may not be effective. Industry uses 1D modeling most frequently for its cost effectiveness; showing that 1D models may not be sufficient in pool-riffle design could be significant for naturalized channel design.
MPFL graft fixation in low degrees of knee flexion minimizes errors made in the femoral location

To evaluate the appropriate amount of knee flexion in which to secure the graft during medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction. Heavy suture was used to simulate graft tissue during MPFL reconstruction on eight fresh-frozen cadaveric knees. The sutures were passed through two transverse patellar tunnels and draped over a Kirschner wire at Schottle’s point on the femur. Suture displacement at the location of the wire was measured during knee range of motion from 0 to 135°. The wire’s location was then moved to 3 additional locations (1 cm proximal, 1 cm distal, and 1 cm anterior), and the measurements were repeated. Using Schottle’s point, the suture length did not vary throughout all ranges of knee flexion. The distal location resulted in a greater distance between attachment points (i.e. graft tightened) if the measurements began with the knee flexed and then brought into extension. Conversely, with the proximal location, the opposite occurred as the knee was extended (i.e. graft loosened). For all locations other than Schottle’s point, the amount of initial knee flexion for fixation was directly related to the amount of suture length change when the knee was brought into extension. For non-anatomic femoral MPFL graft fixation locations, suture length (and thus graft length) in full extension becomes increasingly altered if the graft is secured in high degrees of knee flexion. Thus, graft fixation in lower degrees of knee flexion is recommended to minimize over or under tensioning the graft when the knee goes into extension if the graft position is placed in a non-anatomic location. To avoid this problem, fluoroscopy should be used to locate the anatomic footprint of the MPFL insertion. While recognizing the limitations of cadaveric research, this study is the first to provide any data to corroborate the widely used practice of securing the MPFL in lower degrees of knee flexion.
Optically sectioned wide-field fluorescence lifetime imaging endoscopy enabled by structured illumination(Conference Presentation)

We present a wide-field fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) system with optical sectioning by structured illumination microscopy (SIM). FLIM measurements were made using a time gated ICCD camera in conjunction with a pulsed nitrogen dye laser operating at 450 nm. Intensity images were acquired at multiple time delays from a trigger initiated by a laser pulse to create a wide-field FLIM image, which was then combined with three phase SIM to provide optical sectioning. Such a mechanism has the potential to increase the reliability and accuracy of the FLIM measurements by rejecting background intensity. SIM also provides the opportunity to create volumetric FLIM images with the incorporation of scanning mechanisms for the sample plane. We present multiple embodiments of such a system: one as a free space endoscope and the other as a fiber microendoscope enabled by the introduction of a fiber bundle. Finally, we demonstrate the efficacy of such an imaging system by imaging dyes embedded in a tissue phantom.
Assessment of Postruminal Amino Acid Digestibility of Roasted and Extruded Whole Soybeans with the Precision-Fed Rooster Assay

The objectives of these studies were to predict the effects of roasting and extrusion temperatures of whole soybeans (SB) on intestinal protein digestibility in cattle. Intestinal digestibility was assessed with a two-stage in vitro or in situ ruminal incubation/precision-fed cecectomized rooster bioassay. In Exp. 1, whole SB (raw SB or SB roasted to 141, 149, or 157 degrees C exit temperature from a commercial roaster and steeped for 30 min) were incubated in strained ruminal fluid and McDougall's buffer (50:50) at 39 degrees C for 16 h. In Exp. 2, SB (ground raw SB or SB extruded at 116, 138, or 160 degrees C) were placed in polyester bags (20 x 30 cm) and suspended in the ventral rumen of steers for 16 h. Lyophilized residue of the in vitro or in situ incubations and samples of raw SB and most extensively heated SB (roasted SB at 157 degrees C or extruded SB at 160 degrees C) for each respective experiment were crop-intubated to cecectomized roosters. Total excreta were collected for 48 h after intubation and lyophilized, and amino acid (AA) concentrations were determined. In Exp. 1, total AA digestibility was 61.6 and 84.5% for unincubated whole raw SB and 157 degrees C roasted SB, respectively, and 66.2, 88.9, 91.3, and 91.6% for in vitro residues of whole raw SB and SB roasted at 141, 149, and 157 degrees C, respectively. Trypsin inhibitor (TI) activity was 20.09, 1.69, 1.54, and 1.84 mg/g fat-free DM for unincubated whole raw SB and 141, 149, and 157 degrees C roasted SB, respectively, and 30.84, 1.01, .90, and .26 mg/g fat-free DM for in vitro residues of whole raw SB, 141, 149, and 157 degrees C roasted SB, respectively. In Exp. 2, total AA digestibility was 68.5 and 87.7% for unincubated ground raw SB and 160 degrees C extruded SB, respectively, and 81.9, 91.3, 89.7, and 89.4% for in situ residues of ground raw SB and 116, 138, and 160 degrees C extruded SB, respectively. Trypsin inhibitor activity was 17.61, 4.89, 4.08, and 1.56 mg/g fat-free DM for unincubated ground raw SB, 116, 138, and 160 degrees C extruded SB, respectively, and 3.62, .59, .55, and .21 mg/g fat-free DM for incubated ground raw SB, 116, 138, and 160 degrees C extruded SB, respectively. Heat treatment by roasting and extrusion improved AA digestibilities of SB, but there were no differences detected among the roasting or extrusion temperatures. Ruminal fermentation did not eliminate the negative effects of TI activity on intestinal digestibility of AA in whole SB but did reduce TI activity in ground SB.
Chapter 10 – Tools and Techniques to Facilitate Nutrition Intervention

To effectively facilitate nutrition interventions and medical nutrition therapy, dietitians must understand the teaching–learning process and conduct individualized assessments of learning style and motivational readiness so they can determine which tools and techniques are most appropriate to help patients make healthy changes in eating behavior. This chapter reviews (1) the various factors that affect the teaching–learning process, and the different domains in which people learn; (2) nutrition education techniques and the process that nutrition counselors use to assess learning needs, determine the level of education, and select the educational method and tools that match the patient’s needs; and (3) the stages of change model and how it can guide the nutrition counselor in selecting behavior change techniques that are tailored to an individual patient’s level of motivational readiness. Case scenarios demonstrating how the counselor might apply these approaches offer examples of how to phrase the counseling dialogue.
Dynamic ride-sharing and fleet sizing for a system of shared autonomous vehicles in Austin, Texas

Shared autonomous (fully-automated) vehicles (SAVs) represent an emerging transportation mode for driverless and on-demand transport. Early actors include Google and Europe’s CityMobil2, who seek pilot deployments in low-speed settings. This work investigates SAVs’ potential for U.S. urban areas via multiple applications across the Austin, Texas, network. This work describes advances to existing agent- and network-based SAV simulations by enabling dynamic ride-sharing (DRS, which pools multiple travelers with similar origins, destinations and departure times in the same vehicle), optimizing fleet sizing, and anticipating profitability for operators in settings with no speed limitations on the vehicles and at adoption levels below 10 % of all personal trip-making in the region. Results suggest that DRS reduces average service times (wait times plus in-vehicle travel times) and travel costs for SAV users, even after accounting for extra passenger pick-ups, drop-offs and non-direct routings. While the base-case scenario (serving 56,324 person-trips per day, on average) suggest that a fleet of SAVs allowing for DRS may result in vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) that exceed person-trip miles demanded (due to anticipatory relocations of empty vehicles, between trip calls), it is possible to reduce overall VMT as trip-making intensity (SAV membership) rises and/or DRS users become more flexible in their trip timing and routing. Indeed, DRS appears critical to avoiding new congestion problems, since VMT may increase by over 8 % without any ride-sharing. Finally, these simulation results suggest that a private fleet operator paying $70,000 per new SAV could earn a 19 % annual (long-term) return on investment while offering SAV services at $1.00 per mile for a non-shared trip (which is less than a third of Austin’s average taxi cab fare).
Meaning (and) materiality: Rethinking contextual analysis through cellar-set houses

In early 17th-century Virginia, three people constructed houses unlike anything built in the Chesapeake before or since. These earthfast structures, owned by men of the “better sort” and framed at the bottom of cellar holes, have thus far defied explanation because of interpretive constraints inherent in the positivist underpinnings of archaeological analysis. This article challenges these constraints by engaging the rich contexts highlighted in recent work by “storytelling” archaeologists through poststructural semiotics. Rather than search for a single driving factor that explains these houses, it is argued that it is only when one grapples with the complexity of the context that one can understand how these houses were constituted by/constitutive of their context.
REVIEW - Contandini, Anna and Claire Norton (eds.). The Renaissance and the Ottoman World. xiv + 303 pp. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2013.

REVIEW - Contandini, Anna and Claire Norton (eds.). The Renaissance and the Ottoman World. xiv + 303 pp. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2013.
Survival by genotype: patterns at Mc1r are not black and white at the White Sands ecotone.

Measuring links among genotype, phenotype, and survival in the wild has long been a focus of studies of adaptation. We conducted a four-year capture-recapture study to measure survival by genotype and phenotype in the Southwestern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus cowlesi) at the White Sands ecotone (transition area between white sands and dark soil habitats). We report several unanticipated findings. First, in contrast with previous work showing that cryptic blanched colouration in S. cowlesi from the heart of the dunes is associated with mutations in the melanocortin-1 receptor gene (Mc1r), ecotonal S. cowlesi showed minimal association between colour phenotype and Mc1r genotype. Second, the frequency of the derived Mc1r allele in ecotonal S. cowlesi appeared to decrease over time. Third, our capture-recapture data revealed a lower survival rate for S. cowlesi individuals with the derived Mc1r allele. Thus, our results suggest that selection at the ecotone may have favoured the wildtype allele in recent years. Even in a system where a genotype-phenotype association appeared to be black and white, our study suggests that additional factors - including phenotypic plasticity, epistasis, pleiotropy, and gene flow - may play important roles at the White Sands ecotone. Our study highlights the importance of linking molecular, genomic, and organismal approaches for understanding adaptation in the wild. Furthermore, our findings indicate that dynamics of natural selection can be particularly complex in transitional habitats like ecotones, and emphasize the need for future research that examines the patterns of ongoing selection in other ecological “grey” zones. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
High pressure Marinelli for counting low activity compressed gas samples

Quantification of low-activity noble gases in air is typically accomplished through separation of the noble gas from air followed by radiometric assay. This work is aimed at quantification of radioactive noble gas in air without extraction. A high pressure aluminum Marinelli counting vessel was designed and fabricated that can be placed on a coaxial high purity germanium detector for gamma counting. Characterization of the performance of this Marinelli using MCNP modeling, large excesses of activity, and low-activity noble gas in air is discussed. Minimum detectable concentrations achieved during a 24 h count are: 5, 10, 50, and 1 Bq/m3 for 133Xe, 133mXe, 131mXe, and 135Xe, respectively.
Quasi-1D van der Waals materials as high current-density local interconnects (Conference Presentation)

The continuous downscaling of interconnect dimensions in combination with the introduction of low-k dielectrics has increased the number of heat dissipation, integration and reliability challenges in modern electronics. As a result, there is a strong need for new materials that have high current-carrying capacity for applications as nanoscale interconnects. In this presentation, we show that quasi-one-dimensional (1D) van der Waals metals such as TaSe3 have excellent breakdown current density exceeding that of 5 MA/cm2. This value is above that currently achievable in conventional copper or aluminum wires. The quasi-1D van der Waals materials are characterized by strong bonds along one dimension and weak van der Waals bonds along two other dimensions. The material for this study was grown by the chemical vapor transport (CVT) method. Both mechanical and chemical exfoliation methods were used to fabricate nanowires with lateral dimensions below 100 nm. The dimensions of the quasi-1D nanowires were verified with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The metal (Ti/Au) contacts for the electrical characterization were deposited using electron beam evaporation (EBE). The measurements were conducted on a number of prototype interconnects with multiple electric contacts to ensure reproducibility. The obtained results suggest that quasi-1D van der Waals metals present a feasible alternative to conventional copper interconnects in terms of the current-carrying capacity and the breakdown current-density. This work was supported, in part, by the SRC and DARPA through STARnet Center for Function Accelerated nanoMaterial Engineering (FAME).
Uranium Dissolution and Geochemical Modeling in Anoxic and Oxic Solutions

High Level Waste (HLW) glasses are to be stored in deep geologic repositories around the world. Some potential repository geologies have oxidizing groundwaters while some have reducing or anoxic groundwaters. The differences in the oxidizing potential of the groundwater, expressed as groundwater Eh, which has a profound impact on the release of multivalent species such as iron and uranium from the glass. Static leach testing of monolithic glass samples (ASTM C1220) doped with uranium were performed at 90°C in an Ar glovebox under anoxic and oxic conditions. Tests were performed in both deionized water and in simulated basaltic groundwater that was pre-equilibrated at low Eh. Geochemical modeling of the measured Eh-pH conditions from the oxic and anoxic experiments using Geochemist’s Workbench software, suggested that different colloidal species control the release of uranium species under oxic and anoxic conditions.
Piecewise point classification for uncertainty propagation with nonlinear limit states

Reliability measures the probability that engineered systems successfully perform the intended functionalities under various sources of uncertainties. A piecewise point classification (PPC) method is proposed in this work for effectively propagating uncertainty with nonlinear limit states and approximating the probability of failure accurately. The idea is to efficiently identify a set of points near the critical region, and thus enable capturing the nonlinearity of limit states by constructing piecewise linear approximations. In PPC, the first-order reliability method (FORM) is initially employed to search the most probable point. To handle the nonlinearity of failure surfaces, a sampling-based limit state learning algorithm is then developed to search critical points near the failure surface. With all the points evaluated during the search process, a distance-based piecewise point classification method is developed as a classifier to predict failure events. Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) is finally utilized to propagate uncertainties and approximate the probability of failure, in which a large size of sample points is generated randomly and classified by the developed piecewise point classifier. Three case studies are used to demonstrate the efficacy of the developed approach.
Urinary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolite Associations with Biomarkers of Inflammation, Angiogenesis, and Oxidative Stress in Pregnant Women

Environmental exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is prevalent and may adversely impact pregnancy and development of the fetus. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine urinary PAH metabolites in potential association with mediators of these outcomes. To do so, we measured a panel of 12 inflammatory, angiogenic, and oxidative stress biomarkers in plasma or urine from women in their third trimester of pregnancy (n = 200). Urinary PAH metabolites were highly detectable (>88%) in the study population, and most were higher in women who had lower education levels, higher body mass index, and who were African-American. Some PAH metabolites showed consistent positive associations with the plasma inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP) and the urinary oxidative stress markers 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and 8-isoprostane. For example, an interquartile range increase in 2-hydroxynapthalene was associated with a 35% increase in CRP (95% confidence interval = −0.13, 83.2), a 14%...
Traffic control devices for deterring wrong-way driving: Historical evolution and current practice

Abstract Each year, hundreds of fatal wrong-way driving (WWD) crashes occur across the United States. Thousands of injuries are reported in crashes caused by wrong-way drivers. Traffic control devices (TCDs), i.e., signs, pavement markings, and signals, have been introduced since 1935 to combat this problem. The aim of the paper is to provide a complete history of TCDs for deterring WWD on freeways and divided highways in previous versions of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) (1935–2009). A fully referenced overview of definitions, text passages, and figures of the TCDs, employed to deter WWD in all MUTCD versions, will be given to characterize the changes over time. In addition, the efforts that have been made by state department of transportation (DOT) especially over the past few years to aggressively attack WWD by deploying standard TCDs are reviewed. Finally, the paper makes conclusions and recommendations with regard to the necessity of a revision in the next edition of MUTCD for WWD TCDs. The investigation of changes and the current practice leave a trail to enable traffic engineers and policy makers to consider past decisions and their effectiveness in combating WWD, as well as providing a reference to determine whether or not their jurisdiction meets the MUTCD standards.
Leverage Decisions in Portfolio Management

We study the leverage decisions of portfolio managers by focusing on domestic closed-end equity funds. Over forty percent of funds in our sample employ leverage by borrowing from banks and/or issuing preferred stock. We examine how portfolio fundamentals and managerial characteristics affect the use of leverage. We find that funds investing in ILLIQUID securities tend to use more leverage. These ILLIQUID and LEVERED funds also tend to have WORSE (or less shareholder friendly) governance structure. Further analysis on risk-adjusted returns suggests that these worse-governed levered funds do not outperform their unlevered peers. In contrast, it is the better-governed levered funds that significantly outperform both their worse-governed peers and unlevered peers. Hence, investors should be cautious that some fund managers are willing to lever up illiquid positions.
Creating Supportive Educational Communities for Non-Traditional Women in Student Affairs Preparation Programs

The image of a master’s degree student in a student affairs preparation program (SAPP) is not likely a woman over 30 with children. This constructivist qualitative study explored the deficits faced and navigation strategies of 13 non-traditional-aged women from two SAPPs to improve program access, recruitment, experiences, and retention. The findings include the (re)negotiating and (re)prioritizing of roles and successful support mechanisms. The study provides recommendations for SAPP faculty and administrators.
Parametric methods for probabilistic forecasting of solar irradiance

Abstract This paper proposes two parametric probabilistic forecast methods using beta and two-sided power distributions to predict solar irradiance. It also evaluates their performance. To improve their performance metrics a hybrid procedure based on the beta transformed linear opinion pool is utilized. Our simulations show that these methods – despite their simple structure – can effectively forecast solar irradiance and accurately describe its stochastic characteristics. The proposed approach is flexible and could be extended to many different point forecast methods which otherwise minimize RMSE or MSE.
Embedding Chains of Virtual Network Functions in Inter-Datacenter Networks

This paper discusses the problem of embedding service function chains (SFCs) in an interconnected network with multiple datacenter sites. The problem is formulated as a Subtopology Composition Problem (SCP), which is to design a subnetwork that includes terminal nodes and datacenter nodes from the substrate network, aimed at optimizing distance-based latency in SFCs. The intractability of the problem is discussed, and a heuristic is proposed for the problem. Simulations are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in different graph models.
Health locus of control and self-efficacy predict back pain rehabilitation outcomes.

Introduction Chronic back pain treatments have generally been costly and/or ineffective despite advances in medical technology. Patient selection and factors intrinsic to patients, including beliefs and behaviors, have been increasingly looked upon as possible predictive factors for success following multidisciplinary intervention for chronic back pain. The current study investigated the value of using patients' perceived control over health changes (health locus of control) and their perceived ability to engage in pain management behaviors (pain-related self-efficacy) to predict physical and mental health outcomes.
The Two-Dimensional Fourier Transform

In this chapter the two-dimensional Fourier transform is defined mathematically, and then some intuitive feeling for the two-dimensional Fourier component is developed. Just as we understand that a waveform can be broken down into time-varying sinusoids, so also we can acquire a corresponding physical picture of the decomposition of a single-valued surface in space. A set of useful theorems analogous to the more familiar one-dimensional theorems is presented for reference. Since many of these theorems are of enduring value, it is worthwhile choosing and memorizing those that you think may be useful to have at your fingertips in the future.
The problem is not N deficiency: Active canopy sensors and chlorophyll meters detect P stress in corn and soybean

Leaf nitrogen (N) concentrations and N nutrition sufficiency are positively related to both leaf chlorophyll and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) measurements. However, NDVI is also well related to canopy biomass and other nutritional deficiencies, including phosphorus (P), that result in stunted crop growth and would cause lower NDVI values that could be wrongly attributed to N deficiency. The objective was to evaluate the sensitivity of chlorophyll meter readings and canopy sensor derived NDVI values to corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) P nutritional status, using existing field trials exhibiting yield responses to P nutrition. Besides three NDVI and chlorophyll measurements, leaf N, leaf P and grain yield were determined for both crops. The NDVI and chlorophyll measurements detected P stress at early vegetative growth stages in both corn and soybean. Corn exhibited a strong positive correlation between both NDVI and leaf chlorophyll and both leaf P and yield. Soybean NDVI and leaf chlorophyll were significantly related to grain yield and both leaf N and P. Both crops exhibited significant reductions in growth with increasing P stress. The strong relationships among yield, leaf P, NDVI values and chlorophyll meter readings indicate that P nutrition stress could easily be confounded with N nutrition stress, in both crops, when only sensors are used for diagnosis.
Commentary on Charles Tilly's “Social movements”

In his article in this issue, Chuck Tilly has analyzed the public campaign for Catholic Emancipation in early nineteenth-century Great Britain and Ireland from two perspectives: as an early example of a modern social movement; and as a political process that illustrates similarities between social movements within states and nationalist movements within an international system of states. In both respects, he has emphasized cultural dimensions of collective action that have recently attracted considerable attention from social theorists. Leaders of social movements, like nationalist leaders, try to mobilize popular support through discursive practives and symbolic displays that foster group identities. According to Tilly, these identities necessarily involve some degree of "mystification" because they express contingent rather than essential relationships among movement participants, adversaries, spectators, and power-holders. Social movements are interactive processes of collective action, not solidary groups based on stable identities.
Counseling and referrals for women with unplanned pregnancies at publicly funded family planning organizations in Texas

Abstract Objectives To compare pregnancy options counseling and referral practices at state- and Title X-funded family planning organizations in Texas after enforcement of a policy restricting abortion referrals for providers participating in state-funded programs, which differed from Title X guidelines to provide referrals for services upon request. Study design Between November 2014 and February 2015, we conducted in-depth interviews with administrators at publicly funded family planning organizations in Texas about how they integrated primary care and family planning services, including pregnancy options counseling and referrals for unplanned pregnancies. We conducted a thematic analysis of transcripts related to organizations' pregnancy options counseling and referral practices, and compared themes across organizations that did and did not receive Title X funding. Results Of the 37 organizations with transcript segments on options counseling and referrals, 15 received Title X and 22 relied on state funding only. All Title X-funded organizations but only nine state-funded organizations reported offering pregnancy options counseling. Respondents at state-only-funded organizations often described directing pregnant women exclusively to prenatal care. Regardless of funding source, most organizations provided women a list of agencies offering abortion, adoption and prenatal care. However, some respondents expressed concern that providing other information about abortion would threaten their state funding. In contrast, respondents indicated staff would make appointments for prenatal care, assist with Medicaid applications and, in some instances, directly connect women with adoption-related services. Conclusions Pregnancy options counseling varied by organizations' funding guidelines. Additionally, abortion referrals were less common than referrals for other pregnancy-related care. Implications Programmatic guidelines restricting information on abortion counseling and referrals may adversely affect care for pregnant women at publicly funded family planning organizations.
Improved survival with continuation of statins in bacteremic patients.

Objectives:Varying statin exposures in bacteremic patients have different impacts on mortality. Among patients with adherent statin use, we sought to evaluate the impact of statin continuation on i...
The Burden of Functional Disabilities for Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the United States

Understanding the role of functional capacity on longevity is important as the population in the United States ages. The purpose of this study was to determine the burden of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and activities of daily living (ADL) disabilities for a nationally-representative sample of middle-aged and older adults in the United States. Longitudinal-Panel. Core interviews were often performed in person or over the telephone. A sub-sample of 31,055 participants aged at least 50 years from the 1998–2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study who reported having a functional disability were included. Ability to perform IADLs and ADLs were self-reported at each wave. The National Death Index was used to ascertain date of death. The number of years of life that were lost (YLLs) and years lived with a disability (YLDs) were summed for the calculation of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Sampling weights were used in the analyses to make the DALYs nationally-representative. The results for YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs are reported in thousands. Of the participants included, 14,990 had an IADL disability and 13,136 had an ADL disability. Men and women with an IADL disability had 236,037 and 233,772 DALYs, respectively; whereas, there were 178,594 DALYs for males and 253,630 DALYs for females with an ADL disability. Collectively, there were 469,809 years of healthy life lost from IADL impairments, and 432,224 years of healthy life lost from ADL limitations. These findings should be used to inform healthcare providers and guide interventions aiming to preserve the functional capacity of aging adults. Prioritizing health-related resources for mitigating the burden of functional disabilities may help aging adults increase their quality of life and life expectancy over time.
Care Coordination of Services for People Living with HIV: A Case Study of a Rural Clinic

AbstractThe healthcare landscape is changing with the development of integrated health care models across the country. Counseling is uniquely positioned to add to the continuum of services of integ...
Charge density wave hampers exciton condensation in 1 T − TiSe 2

The Bose-Einstein condensation of excitons in titanium diselenide TiSe${}_{2}$ has garnered immense attention as a prototypical example of observing emergent properties from many-body quantum effects. The authors have demonstrated that below the transition temperature periodic lattice distortions hamper the spontaneous formation of the exciton by introducing a charge density wave gap. Meanwhile, a finite electronic temperature introduces a dissipation channel and prevents the condensation above the transition temperature. Together, these findings explain the experimentally observed fragile temperature dependence of the exciton condensation.
Chromogranin B regulates early-stage insulin granule trafficking from the Golgi in pancreatic islet β-cells

Chromogranin B (CgB, also known as CHGB) is abundantly expressed in dense core secretory granules of multiple endocrine tissues and has been suggested to regulate granule biogenesis in some cell types, including the pancreatic islet β-cell, though the mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate a critical role for CgB in regulating secretory granule trafficking in the β-cell. Loss of CgB impairs glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, impedes proinsulin processing to yield increased proinsulin content, and alters the density of insulin-containing granules. Using an in situ fluorescent pulse-chase strategy to track nascent proinsulin, we show that loss of CgB impairs Golgi budding of proinsulin-containing secretory granules, resulting in a substantial delay in trafficking of nascent granules to the plasma membrane with an overall decrease in total plasma membrane-associated granules. These studies demonstrate that CgB is necessary for efficient trafficking of secretory proteins into the budding granule, which impacts the availability of insulin-containing secretory granules for exocytic release.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.