cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
6 EXERCISE INTERVENTION OUTCOMES ON COGNITIVELY IMPAIRED AND INTACT OLDER ADULTS: A META-ANALYSIS.

Background Impairment of cognitive functioning impacts a patient9s mobility and activities of daily living (ADLs). It is suggested that persons with lower levels of cognition are less likely to achieve independence in ADLs and ambulation (Wells et al, 2003). Nursing home residents are viewed as too frail or cognitively impaired to benefit from exercise rehabilitation, and an MMSE score below 25 is often an exclusion criteria for physical rehabilitation services. Diamond et al (1996) and Goldstein (1997) concluded that geriatric patients with mild to moderate cognitive impairments were just as likely as the cognitively intact patients to improve in functional abilities as a result of participation in exercise rehabilitation. Geriatric rehabilitation services designed to enhance and restore functional ability may allow a less restrictive environment for older people with cognitive impairments, and it might decrease health care costs associated with geriatric disability. Aim The aim of this study is to compare by meta-analysis method physical rehabilitation outcomes of randomized trials that included cognitively impaired/CI (MMSE Methods Published articles were identified by using electronic and manual searches. Key search words: exercise, training, strength, endurance, rehabilitation, cognitive impairment, MMSE, dementia, Alzheimer9s disease, aged, older adult, and geriatric(s). Articles were included if they included evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or well-designed control studies. Results Forty-one trials met the inclusion criteria (21 with CI individuals and 20 with IN individuals). The total sample size is 3,645 individuals (IN = 1,829, CI = 1,816). MMSE score from CI subjects ranged from 6 to 24 (16 ± 5.7) and from 26 to 29 (27.4 ± 1.0) from the IN subjects. Moderate to large effect sizes (ES) (ES = dwi, adjusted by Hedges gi ) were found when strength and endurance outcomes were combined for the CI studies (dwi = .51, Effects = 31, 95% CI = 0.42-0.60), and for the IN studies (dwi =. 49, Effects = 33, 95% CI = 0.40-0.58). No statistically significant difference ES was found between the CI and IN studies on strength (t = 1.675, df = 8, p =.132) and endurance (t = 1.904, df = 14, p = .078) outcomes. Conclusions These meta-analysis results suggest that cognitively impaired older adults who participate in exercise rehabilitation programs have similar strength and endurance outcomes as cognitively intact participants and therefore should not be excluded from rehabilitation programs.
Liquidity and investor confidence in the turn-of-the-month regularity

ABSTRACTOgden (1990) offers a compelling explanation for the ubiquitous turn-of-the-month (TOM) seasonality. He hypothesizes and shows that the clustering of payment dates at the end of the month results in a stock return regularity that is related to increased liquidity and monetary policy. This article introduces investor behaviour into Ogden’s TOM liquidity hypothesis where higher TOM returns depend not only on the availability of increased liquidity but also on investors’ willingness to invest new funds. The empirical evidence is consistent with the argument. When confidence is high, investors’ willingness to invest the increased liquidity results in a TOM regularity. But when confidence is low, a TOM regularity is absent as investors park the increased liquidity. This additional measure of investor confidence provides a more complete explanation of Ogden’s liquidity hypothesis.
NPM-ALK Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis for Detection of the t(2;5) Translocation of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

The diagnosis and classification of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has traditionally been made based on morphologic and mununophenotypic criteria. Unfortunately, because of the diverse nature of this group of diseases, rehante solely on these criteria has frequently resulted in misdiagnosis. In addition, investigators have been limited m their ability to define biologically and clinically relevant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma subgroups using this diagnostic approach. The development of modern molecular biological techniques and their use to characterize the genetic abnormalities that are of pathogenic significance in NHL now provides an additional means to identify and to rationally subcategorize these neoplasms. The shortcomings of traditional methods of NHL diagnosis and classification have been especially evident within the morphological subset commonly referred to as the large-cell lymphomas, which comprise approx 25 and 40% of NHL m children and adults, respec tively (1). The marked cytological, immunological, and clinical heterogeneity of this group of tumors suggests that it is comprised of several biologically different neoplasms. However, morphological and immunophenotypic subclassification of the large-cell lymphomas has failed to identify a subset of tumors having a reproducibly different therapeutic response or patient survival rate. Until recently, recurrent genetic abnormalities characteristic of the large-cell lymphomas had not been identified.However, the characterization during the past 2 yr of chromosomal rearrangements mvolvmg the BCL6/LAZ3 zmc finger gene located at 3q27 (which is altered m approx 30% of these tumors [2,3]), and the cloning by our group (4) of the NPM-ALK fusion gene produced by the t(2;5) may now permrt the identrficatton of molecular genetic subtypes of largecell lymphoma that possess unique btological and/or clinical features.
Hypercube based clusters in Cloud Computing

High performance computing (HPC) means the aggregation of computational power to increase the ability of processing large problems in science, engineering, and business. HPC on the cloud allows performing on demand HPC tasks by high performance clusters in a cloud environment. The connection structure of the nodes in HPC clusters should provide fast internode communication. It is important that scalability is preserved as well. This paper proposes a hypercube topology for connecting the nodes in an HPC cluster that facilitates fast communications between nodes. In addition, the proposed hypercube topology provides the ability to scale, which is needed for high performance computing on the cloud.
Religion as a Peacemaker? Peace Duration after Ethnic Civil Wars

What role does religion play in preventing civil war from recurring? Politicians have proposed that when warring groups share the same religion, achieving a durable peace will be easier. We test this hypothesis empirically using a large-n sample of all ethnic civil wars that began and ended between 1950 and 2006, and a measure of co-religiosity between the ethnic group in power and the main opposition group. The analysis shows that there is no positive relationship between co-religiosity and the duration of post-civil war peace, showing that sharing the same religion may not help to bring about peace following an ethnic civil war. To the contrary, the closer religious ties, the less likely it is that peace will last after the end of the conflict, and the higher the risk that conflict will recur.
A Fracture Mechanics Study of the Skylab Windows

Design criteria based on fracture mechanics concepts are developed for spacecraft windows. Critical stress intensity factor data and crack velocity data are used for lifetime predictions and for the development of acceptance tests for the eight candidate glass compositions for the Skylab. Design charts are presented which give the minimum time to failure of the Skylab windows as a function of service stress and proof test stress. Surface adsorbed water is shown to be detrimental to the strength of spacecraft windows, even after the spacecraft has left the earth’s atmosphere, because of the slow rate of evaporation of water from surface cracks.
Biomass estimates of small diameter planted and natural-origin loblolly pines show major departures from the National Biomass Estimator equations

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture [2009-35103-05356]; Southern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service; Arkansas Forest Resources Center
The Role of Pets in the Lives of College Students: Implications for College Counselors.

ABSTRACTThe roles that pets play in the lives of college students have received little attention in the college counseling literature. This article will review four topics related to college students and pets that have implications for counselors: (a) the separation anxiety that students experience from not having their pets at college, (b) the devastating impact of losing a pet, (c) requests from students for emotional support animals, and (d) the use of animal-assisted interventions on campuses.
Coronary Calcification and Plaque Vulnerability: An Optical Coherence Tomographic Study.

Background— Spotty superficial calcium deposits have been implicated in plaque vulnerability based on previous intravascular imaging studies. Biomechanical models suggest that microcalcifications between 5 and 65 µm in diameter can intensify fibrous cap stress, promoting plaque rupture. However, the 100- to 200-µm resolution of intravascular ultrasound limits its ability to discriminate single calcium deposits from clusters of smaller deposits, and a previous optical coherence tomographic investigation evaluated calcifications within a long segment of artery, which may not truly reflect the mechanics involved in potentiating focal plaque rupture. Methods and Results— Detailed optical coherence tomographic assessment of coronary calcification at the culprit plaque (10-mm length) was performed in 53 patients with acute ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction mediated by plaque rupture and 55 patients with stable angina pectoris. The number and longitudinal length of individual calcium deposits were recorded. Cross-sectional images were analyzed every 1 mm for calcium arc and depth, and these quantitative parameters were used to define individual deposits as spotty, large, and superficial. There was no significant difference between ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction mediated by plaque rupture and stable angina pectoris groups in the number of total ( P =0.58), spotty ( P =0.87), or large calcium deposits ( P =0.27). Minimum calcium depth was similar between groups ( P =0.27), as was the number of superficial deposits ( P =0.35 using a 65-µm depth threshold and P =0.84 using a 100-µm depth threshold). Conclusions— The number and pattern of culprit plaque calcifications did not differ between patients presenting with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction mediated by plaque rupture versus stable angina pectoris. The optical coherence tomographic assessment of coronary calcification may not be a useful marker of local plaque vulnerability as previously suspected. Registration Information— URL: . Unique identifier: [NCT01110538][1]. [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT01110538&atom=%2Fcirccvim%2F9%2F1%2Fe003929.atom
Migrant deaths at the Arizona–Mexico border: Spatial trends of a mass disaster

Geographic Information Science (GIScience) technology has been used to document, investigate, and predict patterns that may be of utility in both forensic academic research and applied practice. In examining spatial and temporal trends of the mass disaster that is occurring along the U.S.-Mexico border, other researchers have highlighted predictive patterns for search and recovery efforts as well as water station placement. The purpose of this paper is to use previously collected spatial data of migrant deaths from Arizona to address issues of data uncertainty and data accuracy that affect our understanding of this phenomenon, including local and federal policies that impact the U.S.-Mexico border. The main objective of our study was to explore how the locations of migrant deaths have varied over time. Our results confirm patterns such as a lack of relationship between Border Patrol apprehensions and migrant deaths, as well as highlight new patterns such as the increased positional accuracy of migrant deaths recorded closer to the border. This paper highlights the importance of using positionally accurate data to detect spatio-temporal trends in forensic investigations of mass disasters: without qualitative and quantitative information concerning the accuracy of the data collected, the reliability of the results obtained remains questionable. We conclude by providing a set of guidelines for standardizing the collection and documentation of migrant remains at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The views opinions of treatment without glucocorticosteroids in pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus

Based on scientific progress of the new immunosuppressive agents and biologic drug under investigation for systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)pathogenesis, new therapeutic approaches are changing quietly.The optimizing the use of existing therapies for treating-to-target in SLE has been formed gradually.As the milestone in the last 50 years, the traditional treatment models for SLE have been completely new understanding in forming of the optimizing therapies.Many of the new drugs are categorized as immunobiologicals.Because of advances in the understanding of the complexity of SLE immunopathogenesis and optimizing therapies, have to think the best opportunity of the treatment with or without steroid approach for SLE over. Key words: Systemic lupus erythematosus; Therapy; Glucocorticosteroids; Biologic therapy; Child; Treating-to-target
Granulin-Epithelin Precursor (GEP): A new molecular target in ovarian cancer (OVCA) growth factor signaling.

2421 Previously we identified the Granulin-Epithelin Precursor (GEP) protein as differentially expressed between invasive and low malignant potential ovarian tumors. GEP is a 68-88 kD glycosylated protein that has been shown to regulate cell proliferation, invasion, and to protect against anoikis. While the cellular effects of GEP are being elucidated, little is known about the effectors responsible for regulating its expression. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) are growth factors known to be growth and invasion stimulators in OVCA. Both are G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) ligands that signal through many pathways including cAMP. We hypothesized that GEP may be induced by LPA and ET-1 and that these growth factor signals may be amplified through the up-regulation of GEP. HEY-8 and OVCAR3 human OVCA cell lines were treated with these agents and modulators of the cAMP and MAPK pathways to map the events involved in GEP production. Cellular lysates and conditioned medium were collected and GEP protein expression levels were assessed by immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis with confirmation by Northern analysis. Cell proliferation studies were done using a MTT assay. ET-1 and LPA increase GEP protein expression at concentrations seen physiologically in the blood and ascites of OVCA patients with maximal stimulation at 50nM and 20uM, respectively. Stimulants of the cAMP pathway, pertussis toxin, cholera toxin, and forskolin, increased GEP production in a dose-dependent manner with maximal response at 0.5 ug/ml, 0.5 ug/ml and 13 uM, respectively. cAMP propagates messages through protein kinase A (PKA) and through a less well characterized pathway, EPAC/Rap-1, a guanine-nucleotide-exchange factor and its small G-protein to activates MAP kinases downstream. Increasing H89 concentrations (500nm-10uM), a PKA inhibitor, does not decrease GEP production in HEY-8 cells and in fact has a stimulatory effect. However, 8-CTP-2-O-Me-cAMP, a selective activator of the EPAC/Rap-1 pathway induced GEP production in a dose dependent fashion with maximal stimulation at 300uM. OVCAR3 cells had both the PKA and EPAC pathways active, with the EPAC pathway predominating. This explains the stimulation by H89 as a shunting of cAMP stimuli through the EPAC/Rap-1 pathway. All stimulatory responses through the EPAC pathway, from ET-1 to CTP-c-AMP, were abrogated by pretreatment of cells with PD98059 at 75 uM, a MEK-1 inhibitor. Inhibition of GEP using a neutralizing antibody reduced the proliferative drive of forskolin, CTP-c-AMP, and ET-1. These results demonstrate that ET-1 stimulates GEP in HEY-8 and OVCAR3 by signaling through the GPCR family predominantly down the cAMP/EPAC/MAPK pathway. GEP is also a component of the ET-1 and LPA growth factor signal amplification pathway driving OVCA cell proliferation. Thus, GEP and its stimulation pathway is an important new molecular target in OVCA.
Nafion® Membrane and its Applications

The interest in electrolytic processes has increased considerably in recent years. In many of these processes, a divided cell is required and the success or failure of the operation often hinges on the availability of a separator with the required properties. These properties include mechanical strength and long-term stability in the operating environment of the cell. Oxidative stability is of particular importance because a major advantage of electrochemical processes is the generation of powerful oxidizing agents at the anode. Similarly, in fuel cells or batteries, high cell voltages require the use of strong oxidizers.
Liver needle biopsies and prediction of histologic tumor grade for midgut neuroendocrine tumors.

e15664Background: Our group has previously shown than neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are heterogeneous neoplasms having histologic and functional differences between their primary tumor, lymph node, ...
Washback effect of the Celpe-Bras exam in teachers’ education practices at a Brazilian institute abroad

O presente trabalho tem o objetivo de descrever e analisar o efeito retroativo do exame Celpe-Bras nas praticas de formacao de professores de portugues como lingua adicional em um instituto brasileiro no exterior. O paradigma teorico adotado entende que o trabalho pedagogico dos professores e organizado por praticas dialogadas e colaborativas em que os participantes aprendem a ensinar na interacao com seus pares (Perez Gomez, 1995; Novoa, 1995; FCC, 2011). No instituto, o efeito retroativo do exame Celpe-Bras contribui para tais interacoes redimensionando as praticas de ensino e aprendizagem de lingua portuguesa. A partir da observacao participante e da analise etnografica dos dados, discute-se a dimensao local dos impactos do Celpe-Bras, envolvendo aspectos micro e macrossociais, como aquisicao de terminologia especifica e compreensao do projeto politico subjacente ao exame. Alem disso, pela participacao e engajamento em reunioes pedagogicas, os professores aprimoram suas habilidades de trabalho com o construto do Celpe-Bras e constroem trajetorias pedagogicas dos professores como profissionais mais experientes no instituto.
Material and More-than-Material Considerations

When assuming the possibility of a complementary, material and more-than-material relational ontology, various material facets of experience can actually work to support notions of ontologically irreducible more-than-material elements. In addition, by expunging human/nature dualisms, more-than-material evidence can also be gathered directly via Peircian shared feelings, poetic knowledge and personal acquaintance knowledge as detailed in the previous chapter. Lastly, more-than-material relational elements such as beauty, meaning, and the capacity to astonish are generally taken by modern theorists not to exist in relational participants or the relational space between them. Instead, they are thought to be post hoc concepts created by human or human-like participants in response to material relational conditions. This is erroneous, and such qualities should be taken to be more-than-material ontological elements irreducible to the material—ones that can be inherent in relational participants and/or the relationships themselves.
Lost in the crowd: identifying targetable MHC class I neoepitopes for cancer immunotherapy.

Introduction: The recent development of checkpoint blockade immunotherapy for cancer has led to impressive clinical results across multiple tumor types. There is mounting evidence that immune recog...
A needs assessment for simulation-based training of emergency medical providers in Nebraska, USA.

Training emergency medical services (EMS) workforce is challenging in rural and remote settings. Moreover, critical access hospitals (CAHs) struggle to ensure continuing medical education for their emergency department (ED) staff. This project collected information from EMS and ED providers across Nebraska to identify gaps in their skills, knowledge, and abilities and thus inform curriculum development for the mobile simulation-based training program. The needs assessment used a three-step process: (1) four facilitated focus group sessions were conducted in distinct geographical locations across Nebraska to identify participants’ perceived training gaps; (2) based on the findings from the focus group, a needs assessment survey was constructed and sent to all EMS and ED staff in Nebraska; and (3) 1395 surveys were completed and analyzed. Thematic areas of training gaps included cardiopulmonary conditions, diabetes management, mass casualty incidents (MCI), maternal health and child delivery, patient assessment, pediatric care (PC), and respiratory emergency care. Gaps in non-clinical skills were related to crisis management such as maintaining effective teamwork. Participants frequently identified cardiopulmonary care, PC, and MCI as highly needed trainings. Other needs included life support-related retaining courses, sessions informing protocol updates, the availability of retraining tailored for rural areas, substance use-related emergencies, and farming-related injuries. EMS and ED staff identified several skill gaps and training needs in the provision of emergency services in rural communities. These results allow for the development of customized training curricula and, with the help of an on-site simulation-based program, can identify gaps in health professionals’ skills, knowledge, and abilities and thus help them respond to acute healthcare needs of rural communities.
A Monolithic Low-Power Highly Linear pH Measurement System With Power Conditioning System for Medical Application

This paper presents a monolithic pH measurement system with a power conditioning system for supply power derived from harvested energy. The proposed system includes a low-power highly linear pH readout circuits with wide pH values (0–14) and a power conditioning unit based on low dropout (LDO) regulator. The readout circuit provides a square-wave output with the frequency being highly linear corresponding to the input pH values. To achieve that, a simple operational transconductance amplifier is employed to linearly convert the pH sensor output voltage to a current. To overcome the process variations, a simple calibration method is employed in the design which makes the output frequency stay constant over the process, supply voltage, and temperature variations. The prototype circuit is designed and fabricated in a standard 0.13- $\mu \text{m}$ CMOS process and demonstrates a good linearity to cover the entire pH value range from 0 to 14, while the voltage regulator provides a stable supply voltage 1.25 V for the system. The proposed sensor consumes $12.8~\mu \text{W}$ of power for a typical pH value of 7 while occupying a die area of 0.017 mm2. The total die area including the readout circuit and the LDO is 160 $\mu \text{m}\,\,\times 110\,\,\mu \text{m}$ , which makes this system a suitable candidate for low-power miniaturized sensor systems. Both electrical test and in vitro measurement are performed, and a commercial pH meter is employed to make a performance comparison with this paper. The test results of the prototype circuit closely match the measurement results obtained by its commercial counterpart.
Multi-Partner Fertility in a Disadvantaged Population: Results and Policy Implications of an Empirical Investigation of Paternity Actions in St. Joseph County, Indiana

In this paper, we report data on multi-partner fertility (MPF) in a population of children and parents for whom paternity actions were brought, in 2008 or 2010, in St. Joseph County, Indiana. The computerized, court-based record system we utilized enabled us to collect information on parental characteristics and child outcomes that other MPF researchers have been unable to access. Our research thus offers a unique, data-rich window into an important, and growing, aspect of contemporary family life. It also points the way to needed shifts in family policy and law.
A 3-Month-Old Boy with Generalized Hypotonia, Weakness, Pneumonia and Respiratory Failure

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disease caused in most cases (95%) by a homozygous deletion of exons 7 and 8 of the survival motor neuron gene 1 (SMN1). SMN2 is consider a “back up” gene and the number of SMN2 copies determines the clinical phenotype. It is classified as types 0–4 depending on the age of onset and maximal motor function achieved. Clinically these patients have proximal and distal weakness, as well as areflexia. Diagnosis of SMA consists of molecular genetic testing with targeted mutation analysis of the SMN1 gene and copy number analysis of the SMN2 gene. Muscle biopsy is becoming increasingly uncommon; if done, it shows islands of markedly hypertrophic type 1 fibers floating in a sea of small mixed type 1 and 2 fibers in SMA type 1 and type 2. Management involves a multidisciplinary approach. Currently, Nusinersen is the only treatment approved by FDA for SMA. There are several therapeutic molecules under development, targeting other mechanisms of the disease. The prognosis for these patients is rapidly changing with the new therapy development.
Children's bullying involvement and maternal depressive symptoms.

Abstract Bullying among school-age children is a public health issue in the United States. Although research and policy recommendations emphasize parental responsibility for preventing and dealing with children's bullying involvement, either as victims or perpetrators, we know little about how parents' mental health is linked to children's bullying involvement. We examine three questions on the association between children's bullying involvement and maternal depressive symptoms: (a) Does children's bullying victimization or perpetration increase maternal depressive symptoms?; (b) Do maternal depressive symptoms increase the risk of children bullying or being bullied by other children?; and (c) Do both directions of the associations vary by maternal education level, a key indicator of parenting resources which may buffer the intergenerational stress proliferation? Using panel data from the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 963), we conduct cross-lagged structural equation models to examine bidirectional associations between children's bullying involvement as victims or perpetrators and maternal depressive symptoms across three years when children were third, fifth, and sixth graders in 2001, 2003, and 2004, respectively. Controlling for concurrent associations among children's bullying victimization, perpetration, and maternal depressive symptoms, children's bullying victimization in third grade increases depressive symptoms for mothers without college degrees in fifth grade, whereas children's bullying perpetration in third grade increases depressive symptoms for mothers with college degrees in fifth grade. Regardless of maternal education levels, maternal depressive symptoms in children's third and fifth grade years increase the odds of children bullying or being bullied by other children in subsequent years. These findings underscore the need to take parents' mental health into account to prevent or solve issues concerning children's bullying involvement.
Caputo Fractional Iyengar Inequalities

Here we present Caputo fractional Iyengar type inequalities with respect to \( L_{p}\) norms, with \(1\le p\le \infty \). The method is based on the right and left Caputo fractional Taylor’s formulae. See also [3].
Chapter 11 – Sound Production for Communication, Echolocation, and Prey Capture

This chapter deals primarily with the production, transmission, and reception of sounds produced by vocalizing marine mammals in air and water. The manner in which vocalizations are produced (i.e., larynx, nasal passages) and received (i.e., ear, gular pathway) differs between marine mammal taxa and according to the medium in which they are produced (e.g., airborne or waterborne sounds). The function of vocalizations that range from communicating with individuals of the same species to locating unseen targets with echolocation is reviewed. Brief mention is also made of the organ of balance located in the ear and involved in the perception of movement and spatial orientation.
Primary Care-Based Interventions to Prevent Illicit Drug Use in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults.

M.P. is a 14-year-old patient who comes to your office for a well-child visit. After taking a history and conducting a physical examination, you conclude that the patient is doing well. M.P. eats a healthy diet at home and is part of a local soccer league.
Eye lens Δ14C validates otolith-derived age estimates of Gulf of Mexico reef fishes

We tested whether Δ14C values of eye lens protein (crystallin) formed in early life could be utilized to validate marine bony fish age estimates via the bomb radiocarbon chronometer. The slope of t...
Quantile-specific heritability of total cholesterol and its pharmacogenetic and nutrigenetic implications.

Abstract Background “Quantile-dependent expressivity” occurs when the effect size of a genetic variant depends upon whether the phenotype (e.g. cholesterol) is high or low relative to its distribution. We have previously shown that the effect of a 52-SNP genetic-risk score was 3-fold larger at the 90th percentile of the total cholesterol distribution than at its 10th percentile. The objective of this study is to assess quantile-dependent expressivity for total cholesterol in 7006 offspring with parents and 2112 sibships from Framingham Heart Study. Methods Quantile-specific heritability (h2) was estimated as twice the offspring-parent regression slope as robustly estimated by quantile regression with nonparametric significance assigned from 1000 bootstrap samples. Results Quantile-specific h2 increased linearly with increasing percentiles of the offspring's cholesterol distribution (P = 3.0 × 10−9), i.e. h2 = 0.38 at the 10th percentile, h2 = 0.45 at the 25th percentile, h2 = 0.52 at the 50th, h2 = 0.61 at the 75th percentile, and h2 = 0.65 at the 90th percentile of the total cholesterol distribution. Average h2 decreased from 0.55 to 0.34 in 3564 offspring who started cholesterol-lowering medications, but this was attributable to quantile-dependent expressivity and the offspring's 0.94 mmol/L average drop in total cholesterol. Quantile-dependent expressivity likely explains the reported effect of the CELSR2/PSRC1/SORT1 rs646776 and APOE rs7412 gene loci on statin efficacy. Specifically, a smaller genetic effect size at the lower (post-treatment) than higher (pre-treatment) cholesterol concentrations mandates that the trajectories of the genotypes cannot move in parallel when cholesterol is decreased pharmacologically. Conclusion Cholesterol concentrations exhibit quantile-dependent expressivity, which may provide an alternative interpretation to pharmacogenetic and nutrigenetic interactions.
Short-term Operational Planning Problem of the Multiple-Energy Carrier Hybrid AC/DC Microgrids.

In this paper, the short-term operation problem for a multiple energy carrier hybrid AC/DC microgrid is discussed. The hybrid microgrid consists of AC and DC parts, which are connected by means of inverters as well as natural gas network. The microgrid includes photovoltaic (PV) unit, wind turbine (WT), battery storage unit and gas-fired microturbines. A mixed integer linear programming is formed to minimize the overall cost of the microgrid including cost of natural gas supply, the value of lost load and battery degradation cost. The presented case study explored the importance of inverter characteristics and pipeline capacity.
Re-purposing software for functional characterization of the microbiome

Widespread bioinformatic resource development generates a constantly evolving and abundant landscape of workflows and software. For analysis of the microbiome, workflows typically begin with taxonomic classification of the microorganisms that are present in a given environment. Additional investigation is then required to uncover the functionality of the microbial community, in order to characterize its currently or potentially active biological processes. Such functional analysis of metagenomic data can be computationally demanding for high-throughput sequencing experiments. Instead, we can directly compare sequencing reads to a functionally annotated database. However, since reads frequently match multiple sequences equally well, analyses benefit from a hierarchical annotation tree, e.g. for taxonomic classification where reads are assigned to the lowest taxonomic unit. To facilitate functional microbiome analysis, we re-purpose well-known taxonomic classification tools to allow us to perform direct functional sequencing read classification with the added benefit of a functional hierarchy. To enable this, we develop and present a tree-shaped functional hierarchy representing the molecular function subset of the Gene Ontology annotation structure. We use this functional hierarchy to replace the standard phylogenetic taxonomy used by the classification tools and assign query sequences accurately to the lowest possible molecular function in the tree. We demonstrate this with simulated and experimental datasets, where we reveal new biological insights. We demonstrate that improved functional classification of metagenomic sequencing reads is possible by re-purposing a range of taxonomic classification tools that are already well-established, in conjunction with either protein or nucleotide reference databases. We leverage the advances in speed, accuracy and efficiency that have been made for taxonomic classification and translate these benefits for the rapid functional classification of microbiomes. While we focus on a specific set of commonly used methods, the functional annotation approach has broad applicability across other sequence classification tools. We hope that re-purposing becomes a routine consideration during bioinformatic resource development.
Changing Perceptions of Maturity Mismatch in the U.S. Banking System: Evidence from Equity Markets

We use the sensitivity of bank holding company equity returns to market interest rates as an indicator of perceived maturity mismatch. Based on data from 1990 to 2009, there is only weak evidence that market participants perceived banks to be effectively short-funded. However, looking at 1990�1996 and 1997�2009 subsamples separately, our results suggest that U.S. commercial banks were perceived as short-funded during the earlier time period but not the later. During this time of changing perceptions of maturity mismatch, banks were increasing their holdings of real estate loans as a share of total assets. We present evidence that, subsequent to 1996, market participants perceived real estate loans as having become effectively shorter-term.
Articulating women's bodies: Montesquieu, Diderot, and the imperial and settler-colonial politics of gender and sexuality

In this essay I develop a feminist anti-colonial critique by reading two eighteenth-century literary texts that discuss Middle Eastern and Indigenous gender and sexual practices at length: Montesqu...
Prior infection and age impacts antibody persistence after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine.

Determining the duration of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is critical for informing the timing of booster immunization. Many host factors could influence both the magnitude and persistence of the antibody response. Here, we showed that SARS-CoV-2 infection before vaccination and age affected the decay of antibody responses to the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine.
Ionospheres: Physics, Plasma Physics, and Chemistry

1. Introduction 2. Space environment 3. Transport equations 4. Collisions 5. Simplfied transport equations 6. Wave phenomena 7. Magnetohydrodynamic formulation 8. Chemical processes 9. Ionization and energy exchange processes 10. Neutral atmospheres 11. The terrestrial ionosphere at middle and low latitudes 12. The terrestrial ionosphere at high latitudes 13. Planetary ionospheres 14. Ionospheric measurement techniques Appendices.
On the number of system separations in power system

Power systems subjected to large disturbances may become transiently unstable, which can lead to uncontrolled system separation and cascading outages. An important goal of developing the smart grids is to maintain high-level system stability. Controlled islanding is a corrective measure that can efficiently attenuate the detrimental impact of large disturbances by splitting the system into self-healing islands. This paper is devoted to a quantitative study of unstable equilibrium points on the stability boundary, which gives an estimate for the number of possible system separations and provides useful guideline for the strategy design of controlled islanding.
Response of Belted Dummy and Cadaver to Rear Impact

Sled impact tests were conducted to simulate the motion of a standard size car at rest impacted from the rear by a second car of equal weight travelling at 32 mph. The test subjects were anthropomorphic dummies and unembalmed cadavers. They were seated in a bench seat and were unbelted. In one test mode the seatback was held rigid and in a second test mode the seatback rotated rearward in response to the test subject's impact loading. The major difference for either subject, between the rigid and the deflecting seatback mode was that the deflecting seatback reduced load force magnitude but increased time duration. Autopsies indicated that two of the three cadavers suffered neck injuries reaching AIS 3 scale while the third had no injury.
Domain structure of an N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein involved in vesicular transport.

Abstract N-Ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein (NSF) is an essential component for protein transport between Golgi cisternae. Sequence analysis and proteolytic dissection reveal that NSF contains two tandem "ATP domains," each containing the consensus sequence for the binding of nucleotide. When Escherichia coli-produced Chinese hamster ovary NSF is purified, it exhibits a low, but significant, ATPase activity. The ATPase activity of NSF is sensitive to N-ethylmaleimide and influenced by monoclonal antibodies against recombinant NSF.
Individual differences in opportunistic claiming behavior

This study examines the role of individual difference variables in opportunistic claiming after service failure. Drawing on research in the conflict literature, social value orientation (SVO) and conflict style are investigated as possible influences. The results suggest that both SVO and conflict style impact the amount claimed and opportunistic behavior. This research provides additional insight into why claiming behavior varies even when consumers have the same experience. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Surface modification by ion chemical and physical erosion

Abstract Physical and chemical ion erosion surface interactions are observed for various elements and composite materials such as Si, B, C, TiB 2 , WCCo cermet, and stainless steel which have been bombarded by low energy (50–1800 eV) hydrogen ions. Extrapolations of hydrogen erosion yields to zero hydrogen ion energy indicate that compounds or elements which are capable of forming volatile compounds with hydrogen undergo selective removal from surface and near surface regions. Auger depth profiling indicates that carbon can be selectively removed from near surface regions of cemented carbides and carburized stainless steel. Similarly, boron can be selectively removed from TiB 2 . The results of this study may be extended to a variety of materials in which surface composition modifications are of interest.
Ganesha: blackBox diagnosis of MapReduce systems

Ganesha aims to diagnose faults transparently (in a black-box manner) in MapReduce systems, by analyzing OS-level metrics. Ganesha's approach is based on peer-symmetry under fault-free conditions, and can diagnose faults that manifest asymmetrically at nodes within a MapReduce system. We evaluate Ganesha by diagnosing Hadoop problems for the Gridmix Hadoop benchmark on 10-node and 50-node MapReduce clusters on Amazon's EC2. We also candidly highlight faults that escape Ganesha's diagnosis.
Assessing signal enhancement in distant dipolar field-based sequences

Abstract The possibility of improving the signal-to-noise efficiency of NMR signal refocused by long-range dipolar interactions has been discussed recently [R.T. Branca, G. Galiana, W.S. Warren, Signal enhancement in CRAZED experiments, J. Magn. Reson. 187 (2007) 38–43]. For systems where T 1 ≫ T 2 , by including an extra radio-frequency pulse in a standard CRAZED sequence, it is possible to increase the available signal by exploiting its sensitivity to T 1 relaxation. Here, we use analytical calculations to investigate the source of this improved signal and determine the maximum enhancement provided by the method.
Impacts of IS dependency on IS strategy formulation

The traditional view of Strategic Information Systems (SIS) study focuses on the linkage between information system strategies with its relevant strategies (e.g. business strategy, organisational strategy and IT objectives). This study extends this conventional notion by introducing a new perspective on SIS. Adopting McFarlan and McKenney's strategic grid framework, the purpose of this study is to empirically test the relationship between IS dependency and IS strategies using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). We hypothesise that IS dependency practices will have a positive direct impact on IS strategies. The findings from this research will contribute to both practitioners who make information system decisions and IS researchers. The development of measurement, hypothesis and implications will be discussed.
SRICOS-EFA Method for Contraction Scour in Fine-Grained Soils

Scour at bridges is the number-one cause of bridge collapse in the United States. Much research has been performed to improve the prediction of scour depths in coarse-grained soils, but little has been done for fine-grained soils. Starting in the early 1990s, the scour rate in cohesive soils-erosion function apparatus (SRICOS-EFA) method was developed for fine-grained soils. The first version of the method predicted the scour depth versus time curve for a cylindrical bridge pier in deep water subjected to a multiflood hydrograph and founded in a layered soil. Here, the SRICOS-EFA method is extended to the case of contraction scour, which is the lowering of the river bottom caused the narrowing of the river. Furthermore, the paper addresses clear-water scour only. The input to the new prediction method consists of the soil properties as tested in a special laboratory device called the EFA, the water parameters given by the velocity history over the design period considered, and the geometry of the contraction described by the contraction ratio, the contraction length, the contraction transition angle, and the water depth. This article focuses on the simpler case of a constant water velocity lasting for a limited time. The prediction equations are based on a combination of 14 model scale flume tests, 16 three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations, and a verification (very limited). The step-by-step procedure is given, and a simple example is presented. The prediction process is automated by the program SRICOS-EFA, which can be downloaded free from http://ceprofs.tamu.edu/briaud/sricos-efa.htm. The advantages of the method are that it is based on site-specific soil testing (EFA), that it introduces the time effect in a simple manner, and that it therefore gives a more realistic prediction of the scour depth in cases where time effects significantly reduce the final scour depth. The drawback is that it requires soil testing.
Negative loop electrosurgical cone biopsy finding following a biopsy diagnosis of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion: frequency and clinical significance.

Context.—Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is a therapeutic option following biopsy diagnosis of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL). Most LEEPs will confirm the HSIL bio...
Dynamic modeling and validation of a tripod-based machine tool

In this paper, a reconfigurable tripod machine tool system is introduced, with a focus on dynamic modeling. The Newton-Euler approach is applied and a new modeling procedure is proposed. In the procedure of the dynamic modeling, the reference coordinate system for the forces/torques calculation and that for the equilibrium equations derivation are dealt with respectively. As a result, specific structural features of the tripod system are utilized to simplify the dynamic model and, thus, reduce the calculation complexity. The prototype tripod system is developed and the presented method is implemented for its configuration design. An experiment is conducted to validate the dynamic model.
Diffusion and reversible reaction in a sphere: a numerical study using IMN approximants

Abstract Transient diffusion in a sphere, where reversible adsorption reaction takes place, was studied by a method of inverting Laplace transforms based on I MN approximants. The simplicity, speed, and reliability of this method make it especially suitable for numerical analysis of linear partial differential equations governing such processes as diffusion. Results show that in certain types of diffusion-adsorption processes, it may take a long time for equilibrium to be reached. The diffusive mass flux initially behaves as though there were no reaction taking place. This behavior is followed by a period where both reaction and diffusion determine the value of the flux and in fact the flux is almost constant during this period. After this follows a period during which the reaction appears to be very much faster than diffusion and therefore is essentially at equilibrium at any point within the sphere.
The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit-formation

In connection with a study of various aspects of the modifiability of behavior in the dancing mouse a need for definite knowledge concerning the relation of strength of stimulus to rate of learning arose. It was for the purpose of obtaining this knowledge that we planned and executed the experiments which are now to be described. Our work was greatly facilitated by the advice and assistance of Doctor E. G. MARTIN, Professor G. W. PIERCE, and Professor A. E. KENNELLY, and we desire to express here both our indebtedness and our thanks for their generous services.