cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The relationship of Physical performance and Osteoporosis prevention with vitamin D in older African Americans (PODA).

Abstract Rationale Vitamin D deficiency is associated with bone loss, poor muscle strength, falls and fracture. This information in older African Americans (AAs) is sparse. Objective The study of the relationship of P hysical performance, O steoporosis prevention with vitamin D in older A frican Americans (PODA) is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 3-year trial examining the effect of vitamin D on bone loss and physical performance in older AA women. Methods 260 healthy AA women aged > 60 years were assigned to receive placebo or vitamin D 3 . Initial vitamin D 3 dose was determined by the baseline serum 25OHD level, and adjusted further to maintain serum 25OHD between 30 and 69 ng/ml. Subjects with baseline 25OHD levels ≤ 8 ng/ml or ≥ 26 ng/ml were excluded. Objective measures of neuromuscular strength [Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), grip strength and 6-minute walking distance (6MWD)] and bone mineral density (BMD) were obtained. Results SPPB gait speed, grip strength and 6MWD showed a significant positive correlation with free 25OHD. 1 pg/ml increase in free 25OHD predicted a 32% increase in the odds of having higher gait speed and a 1.42 lb. increase in grip strength. No significant differences in BMI, BMD, muscle mass, grip strength, serum total 25OHD and free 25OHD were observed between groups. None of the measures of physical performance showed an association with baseline serum 25OHD. Conclusions This is the first study to show an association between free 25OHD and physical performance. These findings indicate a positive relationship of free 25OHD with gait speed and grip strength in older AA women. Further studies are needed to understand the role of free 25OHD.
Teen Driving Risk and Prevention: Naturalistic Driving Research Contributions and Challenges

Naturalistic driving (ND) methods may be particularly useful for research on young driver crash risk. Novices are not safe drivers initially, but tend to improve rapidly, although the pace of learning is highly variable. However, knowledge is lacking about how best to reduce the learning curve and the variability in the development of safe driving judgment. A great deal has been learned from recent naturalistic driving (ND) studies that have included young drivers, providing objective information on the nature of crash risk and the factors that contribute to safety critical events. This research indicates that most learners obtain at least the amount of practice driving recommended and develop important driving skills. Unfortunately, most learners are not exposed during training to more complex driving situations and the instruction provided by supervising parents is mostly reactive and may not fully prepare teens for independent driving. While supervised practice driving is quite safe, crash rates are high during the first six months or so of independent driving then decline rapidly, but remain high for years relative to experienced drivers. Contributing factors to crash risk include exposure, inexperience, elevated gravitational-force event rates, greater willingness to engage in secondary tasks while driving, and social influence from peer passengers. The findings indicate the need and possible objectives for improving practice driving instruction and developing innovative prevention approaches for the first year of independent driving.
How Teaching Perspective Taking to Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders Affects Social Skills: Findings from Research and Suggestions for Practitioners.

Behavior–analytic practitioners working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) may be approached to incorporate perspective taking into a client’s programming. Teaching perspective taking to individuals with ASDs has received attention in both the developmental psychology and, more recently, the behavior–analytic literature. The results of our review of the current evidence suggest that although perspective-taking repertoires believed to be related to social skills can be taught (false belief task performance, deictic frames), only directly teaching the social skills of interest (or applied perspective-taking skills) results in improvements in socially important behavior. The aim of this article is to provide practitioners with the current state of research on how teaching perspective taking affects social skills and to provide suggestions on how these findings might be incorporated into their practice.
The role of stress response in the association between autonomy and adjustment in adolescents.

Abstract Developing autonomy is an important developmental task that has implications for adolescent adjustment and may be impacted by adolescents' response to stress. This study examined whether stress reactivity (i.e., cortisol and heart rate reactivity) to a parent-adolescent conflict interaction moderates the effect of autonomy on adjustment assessed one year later in 100 adolescents (M age = 15.09; 68% girls). Multiple group models suggested that youth who evidenced higher stress reactivity when compared to those with lower stress reactivity were more likely to report decreased externalizing problems and internalizing problems when their parents granted more autonomy. In contrast, youth who evidenced higher stress reactivity who experienced undermining of autonomy were more likely to report increased externalizing and internalizing problems than youth who evidenced lower stress reactivity. Results support biological sensitivity to context theory and highlight the importance of considering individual differences in the effect of developmental milestones on adolescents' adjustment.
Reentry in a Comparative Context: Exploring Past, Present, and Future Participation in Services Between Nonurban and Urban Inmates

Studies on offender reentry have consistently shown that lack of, or limited access to, needed postrelease resources and services adversely affects recidivism. Few studies have taken into considera...
Adults Lacking Capacity to Give Consent: When Is It Acceptable to Include Them in Research?

The regulatory framework that governs research involving human subjects in the United States was developed based on the ethical principles described in the Belmont Report. The principle of respect ...
Synthesis and Characterization of the First Borosulfates of Magnesium, Manganese, Cobalt, Nickel, and Zinc.

The first magnesium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, and zinc borosulfates were synthesized employing solvothermal conditions starting from the superacid H[B(HSO4)4] and the respective metal powders (Mg...
Breed differences and genetic parameters for body composition traits in beef cattle.

The recent scientific literature was reviewed to summarize breed differences and genetic parameters for carcass traits in beef cattle. Heritability estimates were generally moderate to large, suggesting good potential for accurate genetic selection for a given individual carcass characteristic. However, effectiveness of multiple-trait selection for some trait combinations could be slowed by genetic antagonisms between traits, suggesting the use of terminal breeding systems with complementary sire and dam genetic types. Individual and maternal heterosis estimates from age-constant analyses were numerically positive for most carcass traits, although estimates from weight-constant analyses were generally nonsignificant. Potential contributions to improved carcass composition from crossbreeding would primarily result from genetic complementarity rather than heterosis. Considerable variation exists between breeds for body composition, and breed rankings vary across different traits. Studies have consistently indicated reduced meat tenderness for Bos indicus compared with Bos taurus breeds. Some differences in breed rankings for marbling vs tenderness were noted. If the U.S. beef industry shifts toward a more value-based marketing system, some genetic concerns will include 1) an apparent antagonistic relationship between marbling and cutability across breeds and within some breeds, 2) inconsistency of beef tenderness, particularly in Bos indicus cattle, 3) the effect of increased leanness on female reproductive performance, and 4) the extent to which terminal breeding systems can be used.
Relational Self-Help Practice Exercises for Lifelong Learning of Couples and Families

We prepare for life through education. We even prepare for a driving license through education. Yet we often assume that being married or entering a relationship will take place naturally, without preparation. Marriage is one of the most responsible roles of our lives, but getting married and becoming a partner is expected to happen without any effort on our part. The purpose of this practice exercises is to help you learn more about why you want to get married or become a couple at this time. It is hoped that identifying these reasons will allow you to have a better relationship.
Fast Search Algorithms: New Results

From the complexity analysis, performed in Section 3.5, it is clear that the motion estimation technique, when performed with the exhaustive search algorithm, is an extremely computationally intensive process.
Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1: Molecular aspects and clinical importance

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is the major physiologic inhibitor of plasminogen activation in plasma and in the blood vessel wall. PAI-1 exhibits distinctive structural and functional properties that have been extensively studied over the past decade. Aside from the physiological role of PAI-1, there is accumulating evidence that increased production of PAI-1 may contribute to the development of ischemic cardiovascular disease. Efforts are now underway to develop and test specific inhibitors of PAI-1.
Long-term outcome of children with high tetraplegia and ventilator dependence.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Since 1978, 350 children with ventilator dependence, including 49 with spinal cord injuries (SCIs), have been followed at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. Some data were kept on these children prospectively and included in various studies relating to their outcomes and quality of life. This study was designed to determine physical outcomes of children with SCI and long-term mechanical ventilation (LTMV) and to determine predictors of quality of life for children with SCI and LTMV. METHODS Prospective data collection and retrospective chart reviews were conducted for all 49 children with SCI and LTMV followed at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital from 1978 to 2003. RESULTS Of the 49 children with SCI and LTMV, 25 are alive, 16 have died following initial hospital discharge, and 8 have been lost to follow-up. Age at injury was under 5 years for 15, 5 to 9 years for 12, 10 to 14 years for 9, and over 14 years for 13. Forty had high tetraplegia, 7 had low tetraplegia, and 2 had paraplegia. Forty-two had ASIA A injuries, and 7 had ASIA D. All were discharged to their own homes or foster care. CONCLUSION Our research studies of children with ventilator dependence with and without history of SCI have examined daily activities, perceptions of their quality of life, and their health and medical complications. This study compares individuals 16 years of age and older with matched control groups of those with tetraplegic SCI who do not use ventilators and those with other diagnoses who use home ventilation. Overall, these children have done remarkably well medically and psychologically.
High-Frequency High-Density Bidirectional EV Charger

Due to the rapid adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) worldwide, On-Board/Off-Board Battery Chargers are facing numerous. One challenge is charging time since petrol and diesel vehicles are charged 10 times faster than electric vehicles. A second challenge is power density especially for the on-board chargers where minimal space for installation is allocated inside the vehicles. Another challenge is the wide battery voltage range which makes it difficult to optimize the converter over the entire battery voltage range and efficiency drops when either the battery voltage is too high or too lo.. Finally, the bi-directional operation is a challenge to allow the EV to support the grid in peak periods or even standalone loads. In this paper, a 6.6 kW two-stage structure is proposed utilizing a variable dc-link voltage operation. One of the most promising challenges in high-power applications is implementing the magnetics component into Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). PCB winding transformers are widely in use in low power applications. Compared with conventional Iitz-wire transformers, the manufacturing process is greatly simplified and the parasitic is easier to control. However, due to the limitation of high winding loss and high multi-layer PCB cost in high power applications, the transformer design with PCB winding becomes a challenge. Emerging wide-bandgap devices provide the opportunity to adopt PCB transformers into high power applications. In addition, the low inductance requirement brought by high frequency also makes possible the realization of magnetic integration in PCB transformers.
X-ray limits on the progenitor system of the Type Ia supernova 2017ejb

We present deep X-ray limits on the presence of a pre-explosion counterpart to the low-luminosity Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 2017ejb. SN 2017ejb was discovered in NGC 4696, a well-studied elliptical galaxy in the Centaurus cluster with 894 ks of Chandra imaging between 14 and 3 years before SN 2017ejb was discovered. Using post-explosion photometry and spectroscopy of SN 2017ejb, we demonstrate that SN 2017ejb is most consistent with low-luminosity SNe Ia such as SN 1986G and SN 1991bg. Analyzing the location of SN 2017ejb in pre-explosion images, we do not detect a pre-explosion X-ray source. We use these data to place upper limits on the presence of any unobscured supersoft X-ray source (SSS). SSS systems are known to consist of white dwarfs accreting from a non-degenerate companion star. We rule out any source similar to known SSS systems with $kT_{\rm eff} > 85$ eV and $L_{\rm bol} > 4\times10^{38}~\text{erg s}^{-1}$ as well as models of stably-accreting Chandrasekhar-mass WDs with accretion rates $\dot{M}>3\times10^{-8}~M_{\odot}~\text{yr}^{-1}$. These findings suggest that low-luminosity SNe Ia similar to SN 2017ejb explode from WDs that are low-mass, have low pre-explosion accretion rates, or accrete very soon before explosion. Based on the limits from SN 2017ejb and other nearby SNe Ia, we infer that $<$47% of SNe Ia explode in stably-accreting Chandrasekhar-mass SSS systems.
THE AGING MEN’S MASCULINITY IDEOLOGIES INVENTORY (AMMII): DIMENSIONALITY AND MEASUREMENT INVARIANCE

Both current theorizing on masculinities and existing measurement of the culture-based standards scripting men’s gender practices ignore later life (Spector-Mersel, 2006; Thompson & Bennett, 2015). The present study reports the development of a measure of the masculinity ideologies relevant to the lives of aging men, as determined by a large sample (N = 1184) of adult men and women (age 31–91). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using Mplus v 7.4 on a randomly selected subsample from the data supported a 15-item 5-factor scale, which confirmative factory analysis (CFA) affirmed using the balance of the data (χ2 (94) = 240.48; p < .001, CFI = .931; TLI = .912; RMSEA = .039 (90% CI = .033, .045); SRMR = .041). Analyses of measurement invariance indicated that the Aging Men’s Masculinity Ideologies Inventory (AMMII) demonstrated configural and metric invariance across the age groups and between men and women for the five later life masculinity standards. These results strongly suggest that mature and aging women and men share similar beliefs about what is expected of men’s later life gender practices. However, since full scalar invariance was not found, multivariate analyses of variance predictably demonstrated (Wilks λ = .010, F = 22235.80, df 5, 1155, p < .001) that men and women differed in the extent to which later life masculinity ideologies were supported or opposed. Men more strongly agreed with all five masculinity ideologies. The AMMII’s predictive validity encourages use of this new, short multidimensional scale, the Aging Men’s Masculinity Ideologies Inventory.
Host restriction of Escherichia coli recurrent urinary tract infection occurs in a bacterial strain-specific manner.

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are extremely common and can be highly recurrent, with 1–2% of women suffering from six or more recurrent episodes per year. The high incidence of recurrent UTI, including recurrent infections caused by the same bacterial strain that caused the first infection, suggests that at least some women do not mount a protective adaptive immune response to UTI. Here we observed in a mouse model of cystitis (bladder infection) that infection with two different clinical uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) isolates, UTI89 or CFT073, resulted in different kinetics of bacterial clearance and different susceptibility to same-strain recurrent infection. UTI89 and CFT073 both caused infections that persisted for at least two weeks in similar proportions of mice, but whereas UTI89 infections could persist indefinitely, CFT073 infections began to clear two weeks after inoculation and were uniformly cleared within eight weeks. Mice with a history of CFT073 cystitis lasting four weeks were protected against recurrent CFT073 infection after antibiotic therapy, but were not protected against challenge with UTI89. In contrast, mice with a history of UTI89 cystitis lasting four weeks were highly susceptible to challenge infection with either strain after antibiotic treatment. We found that depletion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets impaired the ability of the host to clear CFT073 infections and rendered mice with a history of CFT073 cystitis lasting four weeks susceptible to recurrent CFT073 cystitis upon challenge. Our findings demonstrate the complex interplay between the broad genetic diversity of UPEC and the host innate and adaptive immune responses during UTI. A better understanding of these host-pathogen interactions is urgently needed for effective drug and vaccine development in the era of increasing antibiotic resistance.
Basic Emergency Drugs and Non-intravenous Routes of Administration

The array of emergency drugs appropriate for a general dental practice is relatively simple, although additional antidotal drugs may be required in practices in which oral and/or parenteral sedation may be employed. The use of drugs in emergencies always requires effective blood circulation and should be conservative (Rech et al., Ann Emerg Med 70(2):203–11, 2017). Regardless of the final composition of a dental drug emergency kit, the practitioner and other members of the dental team must be capable of administering an emergency drug by its proper route of administration. Because many dental practices are not equipped or trained for intravenous fluid and drug administration, some emergency drugs may be administered via “simpler” routes, such as sublingual, which are not based on scientific evidence and which, in most cases, result in less-than-optimal responses. There is little evidence for the efficacy of emergency drugs from randomized controlled trials involving human subjects due to obvious ethical limitations, and new evidence has challenged conventional teaching about the management of acute coronary syndrome. Therefore, unlike other categories of drugs covered in this book, systematic reviews of emergency drugs are included here, but they typically do not provide high-level, consistent evidence for their use. However, most of the agents covered in this chapter have been validated over many years of medical use based on outcomes generally reported as retrospective reviews, case reports, or case series.
Use of Paricalcitol as Adjunctive Therapy to Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Inhibition for Diabetic Nephropathy: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Abstract Purpose Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major complication of diabetes. Paricalcitol is a vitamin D analog that is typically used for secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with chronic kidney disease but may have some beneficial effect on DN. This review evaluates the effect of paricalcitol in combination with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor therapy in managing DN. Methods A literature search was conducted of PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov . Limits were set to include only clinical trials in humans written in English. The search terms used were paricalcitol and diabetic nephropathy. The following outcomes of kidney function and damage as well as adverse drug events were assessed and included: 24-h urine albumin excretion, serum phosphorus and calcium concentrations, urinary albumin excretion rates, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and markers of inflammation and endothelial function. Findings Four studies with a total of 389 patients were identified for review through the process described above. Two of the 6 studies provide evidence of the effect of paricalcitol on DN by way of reduction in urine albumin to creatinine ratio and urinary albumin excretion rate when compared with placebo. One study reported an increase in serum phosphorous, 1 study observed a decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate, and 1 study reported no effect on inflammatory markers or endothelial function. Implications The number of clinical trials examining the effect of paricalcitol in DN is small. The studies that have been completed enrolled
Particle-Size Variability of Aerosol Iron and Impact on Iron Solubility and Dry Deposition Fluxes to the Arctic Ocean

This study provides unique insights into the properties of iron (Fe) in the marine atmosphere over the late summertime Arctic Ocean. Atmospheric deposition of aerosols can deliver Fe, a limiting micronutrient, to the remote ocean. Aerosol particle size influences aerosol Fe fractional solubility and air-to-sea deposition rate. Size-segregated aerosols were collected during the 2015 US GEOTRACES cruise in the Arctic Ocean. Results show that aerosol Fe had a single-mode size distribution, peaking at 4.4 µm in diameter, suggesting regional dust sources of Fe around the Arctic Ocean. Estimated dry deposition rates of aerosol Fe decreased from 6.1 µmol m−2 yr−1 in the areas of ~56°N–80°N to 0.73 µmol m−2 yr−1 in the areas north of 80°N. Aerosol Fe solubility was higher in fine particles (<1 µm) which were observed mainly in the region north of 80°N and coincided with relatively high concentrations of certain organic aerosols, suggesting interactions between aerosol Fe and organic ligands in the high-latitude Arctic atmosphere. The average molar ratio of Fe to titanium (Ti) was 2.4, substantially lower than the typical crustal ratio of 10. We speculate that dust sources around the Arctic Ocean may have been altered because of climate warming.
Compressive Sensing Based Indoor Occupancy Positioning Using a Single Thermopile Point Detector With a Coded Binary Mask

Compressive sensing based indoor human detection has raised accumulative attention because it could recover sparse signals from fewer samples than that needed by the Nyquist sampling theorem. However, their application is limited due to high computation cost and large deployment effort. To address this, this article proposes the use of a rotating binary mask and a single thermopile point detector to enable compressive sensing for indoor human positioning. Traditionally, a thermopile point detector could only convert the received infrared radiation into electrical signals. By using a periodically rotated coded binary mask, the infrared radiation received by the detector will be sampled compressively, and a compressed signal sequence will be obtained after a few measurements. The mask consists of eight submasks, and seven of them are designed following the pattern of a randomly generated binary matrix. A recovery algorithm is implemented to recover the original spatial distribution of the infrared radiation within the field of view. Experimental results demonstrate the zone-level positioning with high accuracy. The proposed sensor is compact, mobile, cheap, and easy to deploy and, therefore, has great potential for occupancy state monitoring, such as occupant centered thermal comfort control.
Unique capabilities and applications of Microchannel Plate (MCP) detectors with Medipix/Timepix readout

Abstract The development of highly pixelated fast Medipix/Timepix readout enabled a large number of novel hybrid detectors, where incoming particles/photons are initially converted into a measureable charge, typically exceeding 1000 electrons. Among those possible converters are Microchannel plate (MCP) electron multipliers, which provide some unique capabilities when combined with bare Medipix/Timepix readout. Fast event multiplication with ~10–20 ps time jitter, localized within the MCP pore (typically 5–10 μm in diameter) and low dark currents make MCP/Medipix/Timepix hybrid devices very attractive for the high spatial and temporal resolution detection of low energy photons (soft X-ray, UV and visible), alpha particles, ions and also neutrons. In this review we present a brief overview of the capabilities of MCP/Medipix/Timepix detectors and show the results of experiments conducted with such hybrid detectors in various applications including neutron imaging, astronomy, mass spectroscopy and others.
Importance of model size in quantum mechanical studies of DNA intercalation

The convergence of DFT-computed interaction energies with increasing binding site model size was assessed. The data show that while accurate intercalator interaction energies can be derived from binding site models featuring only the flanking nucleotides for uncharged intercalators that bind parallel to the DNA base pairs, errors remain significant even when including distant nucleotides for intercalators that are charged, exhibit groove-binding tails that engage in noncovalent interactions with distant nucleotides, or that bind perpendicular to the DNA base pairs. Consequently, binding site models that include at least three adjacent nucleotides are required to consistently predict converged binding energies. The computationally inexpensive HF-3c method is shown to provide reliable interaction energies and can be routinely applied to such large models.
COVID-19: Recommendations for regional anesthesia.

• Consider using regional anesthesia during the COVID-19 pandemic whenever possible • The presence of COVID-19 infection is not a contraindication to performing neuraxial anesthesia. • An experienced provider should perform regional anesthesia procedures. • If possible, patient consent should be obtained verbally or digitally. • Avoiding the aerosolizing nature of general anesthesia can further protect providers and other patients.
Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract Objective Omega-3 fatty acids may decrease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity, however randomized controlled trials (RCT) have been small with conflicting findings. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on SLE disease activity in adults. Methods A literature search was conducted from database inception to January 2020. RCTs of adults with SLE comparing omega-3 fatty acids supplementation to placebo or standard of care that evaluated SLE disease activity were included. Abstracts, full text reviews, data abstraction and statistical analysis were evaluated independently by two investigators. Study-specific standardized mean differences (SMD) were estimated and combined using random-effects model. Results Five RCTs with 136 patients in the comparison groups and 138 in the treatment groups, were included. All the studies used ≤3 g of omega-3 fatty acids. The trial follow-up time ranged from 12 to 52 weeks. The mean age of the patients was 43 years and 80% or more were female. Omega-3 fatty acids reduced SLE activity [SMD -0.33 (95CI: −0.57, −0.09), low certainty evidence, moderate effect size]. Transforming the SMD to the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) scale, omega-3 fatty acids reduced disease activity by 0.9 (95CI: −1.6, −0.3, I2 = 0%) SLEDAI points compared to placebo. Conclusion This meta-analysis suggests that omega-3 fatty acids could provide therapeutic benefit in addition to immunosuppressive regimens used for SLE.
A multiple hypotheses framework to study movement ecology and diet in a migratory songbird

Whether and how migratory organisms exhibit inter-individual behavioral and/or physiological variation across movement strategies remains an open question. The Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) is a migratory songbird known for its intra-species variation displayed in relation to morphology, song repertoires, and migration. Thus, studies focusing on juncos can reveal how migratory strategy may covary with other individual-scale factors and, therefore, identify the selective forces driving intra-species variations throughout its distribution. We used Dark-eyed Junco hydrogen stable isotope feather values ({delta}2H) and implemented a Bayesian framework to infer the breeding and molting origin of migratory juncos captured on their winter grounds in Oklahoma, United States (U.S.). We modeled the distribution of feather hydrogen stable isotope values as a function of five morphological variables including body mass and fat deposition measured in Oklahoma during the winter. We then investigated the trade-off between longer and more energetically costly migration strategies in relation to diet preferences through carbon ({delta}13C) and nitrogen ({delta}15N) stable isotope analysis from feather values. Dark-eyed Juncos wintering in south central U.S. likely originate from multiple breeding populations in northern U.S. and Canada. Body condition at the wintering ground (e.g., mass) had no effect on feather hydrogen stable isotope abundance. However, we found a positive correlation between nitrogen and hydrogen stable isotopes, suggesting that a trophic level shift towards insect consumption might occur in individuals migrating from southern latitudes. Increased insect-derived protein consumption might be explained by reduced fatty-acid reserves necessary to complete a shorter migratory journey.
The Experience of Parenting Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Content Analysis

The aim of this study was to explore the range of experiences encountered by parents and caretakers of children with autism spectrum disorder.An inductive conventional content analysis approach was...
Ontology-driven adaptive sensor networks

A wireless sensor network deployed in an area of interest is affected by variations in environmental conditions associated with that area. It must adapt to these variations in order to continue functioning as desired by the user. We present a novel, two-phase solution to the wireless sensor network adaptivity problem. In the first phase, nodes in the network, organized as clusters, execute an efficient algorithm to dynamically calibrate sensed data. Each node provides its current energy level and the state of each on-board sensor to a cluster-head. In the second phase, each cluster-head executes an efficient, ontology-driven algorithm to determine the future state of the network under existing conditions, based on information received from each sensor node. We describe an example application scenario to show how our two-phase solution can be employed to enable a real-world wireless sensor network to adapt itself to variations in environmental conditions.
Biosynthesis of the peptidoglycan of bacterial cell walls. XIX. Isoprenoid alcohol phosphokinase.

An ATP-dependent phosphokinase which catalyzes the conversion of C55-isoprenoid alcohols and some other related substrates to the C55-isoprenoid alcohol phosphates is present in the membrane fraction of Staphylococcus aureus. The product of the reaction is a substrate for the synthesis of lipid intermediates in peptidoglycan synthesis. The enzyme has the unusual property of being extracted into acidic butanol-1 at room temperature and can then be further purified by precipitation from butanol at -15°. The material so obtained is soluble in a number of organic solvents in addition to butanol-1 and exhibits a relatively high degree of stability in these solvents. It is insoluble in water and relatively unstable on suspension in this solvent. The presence of this enzyme and of C55-isoprenoid alcohol in S. aureus accounts for the stimulation by ATP of peptidoglycan synthesis catalyzed by particulate enzyme from this organism. A possible function for the enzyme is discussed.
Contention problem of a multiprocessor simulator

With the increase in the scope of simulation, more minicomputers are used by military and industrial real-time simulators. The performance degradation caused by contention among computers is therefore becoming more acute. The problem will be even more serious when a network of distributed microcomputers is to operate the real-time simulators. In an effort to estimate the contention degradation apriori, a recursive relationship linking the effective worth of a multiprocessor structure consisting of k+1 processors to that of k processors has been obtained. The computational results have been favorably compared to the measured values. The relationship has since been used to help select most cost-effective computer systems for real-time simulators.
Evolutionary Computation in Microarray Data Analysis

We are facing an information explosion in the biomedical sciences. For example, our ability to measure the expression levels of thousands of different genes simultaneously in a particular cell or tissue has far outpaced our ability to store, manage, and analyse the data being generated. In this review, we explore the use of evolutionary computation for dealing with some of the difficult statistical and computational challenges that have resulted from the development and implementation of new technologies such as DNA microarrays. We review genetic algorithms and genetic programming as evolutionary computation strategies that have been applied to the analysis of DNA microarray data.
FIELD AND EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE FOR COMPETITION'S ROLE IN PHENOTYPIC DIVERGENCE

Resource competition has long been viewed as a major cause of phenotypic divergence within and between species. Theory predicts that divergence arises because natural selection favors individuals that are phenotypically dissimilar from their competitors. Yet, there are few conclusive tests of this key prediction. Drawing on data from both natural populations and a controlled experiment, this paper presents such a test in tadpoles of two species of spadefoot toads (Spea bombifrons and S. multiplicata). These two species show exaggerated divergence in trophic morphology where they are found together (mixed-species ponds) but not where each is found alone (pure-species ponds), suggesting that they have undergone ecological character displacement. Moreover, in pure-species ponds, both species exhibit resource polymorphism. Using body size as a proxy for fitness, we found that in pure-species ponds disruptive selection favors extreme trophic phenotypes in both species, suggesting that intraspecific competition for food promotes resource polymorphism. In mixed-species ponds, by contrast, we found that trophic morphology was subject to stabilizing selection in S. multiplicata and directional selection in S. bombifrons. A controlled experiment revealed that the more similar an S. multiplicata was to its S. bombifrons tankmate in resource use, the worse was its performance. These results indicate that S. multiplicata individuals that differ from S. bombifrons would be selectively favored in competition. Our data therefore demonstrate how resource competition between phenotypically similar individuals can drive divergence between them. Moreover, our results indicate that how competition contributes to such divergence may be influenced not only by the degree to which competitors overlap in resource use, but also by the abundance and quality of resources. Finally, our finding that competitively mediated disruptive selection may promote resource polymorphism has potentially important implications for understanding how populations evolve in response to heterospecific competitors. In particular, once a population evolves resource polymorphism, it may be more prone to undergo ecological character displacement.
Object-quality learning-set formation in the young chicken

Four young chickens were given 50 object-quality learning-set (LS) problems. Across problems the chickens showed increasing interproblem transfer or LS formation. The LS performance of the chickens matched some mammals-raccoon, cat, marmoset-in spite of the absence of a well developed cerebral cortex in the chicken.
Fabricated carbon from minimally processed coke and coal tar pitch as a carbon-sequestering construction material

We report the mechanical fracture strength and physical properties of fabricated carbons made from pulverized metallurgical coke bonded with coal tar pitch, followed by pyrolysis. Tensile strength from diametral compression of discs ranged from 9.7 ± 1.3 MPa for materials bonded with 13 wt% pitch to 63 ± 7.1 MPa for materials bonded with 40 wt% pitch. Materials made by dry mixing pulverized pitch with coke were comparable with materials made by mixing coke powder with a solution of pitch in toluene. Strength increased with pyrolysis temperature. Pyrolyzed pitch-bonded coke was significantly stronger and lighter than ordinary Portland cement concrete.
Dissolution, cyclodextrin-enhanced solubilization, and mass removal of an ideal multicomponent organic liquid

Laboratory experiments and mathematical modeling were conducted to examine the influence of a hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPCD) solution on the dissolution of single- and three-component organic liquids. The results of batch experiments showed that HPCD-enhanced solubilization of the organic-liquid mixtures was ideal (describable using Raoult's Law), and that solubilization-enhancement factors were independent of mixture composition. Addition of the HPCD solution to columns containing residual saturations of the organic liquid enhanced the dissolution and removal of all three compounds in the mixture. The results of the column experiments and mathematical modeling suggest that solubilization was ideal for both water and cyclodextrin flushing. Concomitantly, the mass-flux reduction versus mass removal behavior was ideal for all experiments. Mass transfer was increased for HPCD solubilization relative to the water flushing due to solubility and concentration-gradient enhancement. Organic-liquid composition did not significantly impact mass transfer coefficients, and fractional mass removal behavior during HPCD solubilization was nearly identical for each compound whether present as a single component or in a mixture. Additionally, mass transfer coefficients for aqueous and HPCD solubilization for single and multicomponent mixtures were not statistically different upon normalizing by the solubility enhancement factor.
Structural requirements for cytoprotective agents in galactosamine-induced hepatic necrosis

A variety of compounds were tested for their ability to inhibit the development of galactosamine-induced hepatic necrosis when administered 12 hr after the toxicant. Hepatic necrosis in male Sprague-Dawley rats was quantified by histopathologic examination 24 hr after a hepatotoxic dose of D(+)-galactosamine HCl (400 mg/kg, ip). Compounds found to have antinecrotic activity were not able to eliminate the accumulation of calcium associated with galactosamine-induced hepatic necrosis. Potent calcium chelators (EDTA and EGTA), compounds with aminoethanethiol-chelating structures (cysteamine and penicillamine), compounds that may be metabolized to aminoethanethiol structures in vivo (N-acetylcysteine, 2-aminoethylisothiourea, and cystamine), and a compound known to alter subcellular calcium sequestration (taurine) all inhibited galactosamine-induced hepatic necrosis. Compounds without antinecrotic effects (S-methylcysteamine, thioproline, dimercaptopropanesulfonic acid, and dimercaptosuccinic acid) do not possess structural or functional characteristics of the antinecrotic agents. It is suggested that chelation of free intercellular calcium or enhanced subcellular sequestration of calcium could explain the reduction of cytotoxic consequences of hepatic calcium accumulation observed in this model.
A dynamic programming algorithm for finding alternative RNA secondary structures.

Abstract Dynamic programming algorithms that predict RNA secondary structure by minimizing the free energy have had one important limitation. They were able to predict only one optimal structure. Given the uncertainties of the thermodynamic data and the effects of proteins and other environmental factors on structure, the optimal structure predicted by these methods may not have biological significance. We present a dynamic programming algorithm that can determine optimal and suboptimal secondary structures for an RNA. The power and utility of the method is demonstrated in the folding of the intervening sequence of the rRNA of Tetrahymena. By first identifying the major secondary structures corresponding to the lowest free energy minima, a secondary structure of possible biological significance is derived.
Suicidal ligature strangulation utilizing cable ties: a report of three cases

In 2006 the US National Vital Statistics Report recorded 33,300 suicides in the United States, of which hanging, strangulation and suffocation combined to account for 7,491 (22.5%) of the cases. Self strangulation by ligature is uncommon and in the majority of cases, scarves, belts, neckties and rope are used. We report three instances where cable ties were secured around the neck in order to commit suicide. All had a history of depression. One was a 37-year-old man who used a belt to complete the act after an unsuccessful attempt to use cable ties. The second was a 63-year old woman who used multiple cable ties to accomplish her goal. In the third case a tensioning tool was used by a 54-year old man to tighten a cable tie around his neck during self strangulation. Utilization of a tool to tighten the cable ties has not previously been reported.
The Influence of Process Conditions on the Chemical Composition of Pine Wood Catalytic Pyrolysis Oils

Pine wood samples were used as model feedstock to study the properties of catalytic fast pyrolysis oils. The influence of two commercial zeolite catalysts (BASF and SudChem) and pretreatment of the pine wood with sodium hydroxide on pyrolysis products were investigated. The pyrolysis oils were first fractionated using column chromatography and characterized using GC-MS. Long chain aliphatic hydrocarbons, levoglucosan, aldehydes and ketones, guaiacols/syringols, and benzenediols were the major compounds identified in the pyrolysis oils. The catalytic pyrolysis increased the polycyclic hydrocarbons fraction. Significant decreases in phthalate derivatives using SudChem and long chain aliphatics using BASF catalyst were observed. Significant amounts of aromatic heterocyclic hydrocarbons and benzene derivatives were formed, respectively, using BASF and SudChem catalysts. Guaiacyl/syringyl and benzenediols derivatives were partly suppressed by the zeolite catalysts, while the sodium hydroxide treatment enriched phenolic derivatives. Zeolite catalyst and sodium hydroxide were employed together; they showed different results for each catalyst.
Application of simulated annealing to the backpropagation model improves convergence

ABSTRACTThe Backpropagation technique for supervised learning of internal representations in multi4ayer artificialneural networks is an effective approach for solution of the gradient descent problem. However, as a primarilydeterministic solution, it will attempt to take the best path to the nearest minimum, whether global or local. If alocal minimum is reached, the network will fail to learn or will learn a poor approximation of the solution. Thispaper describes a novel approach to the Backpropagation model based on Simulated Annealing. This modifiedlearning model is designed to provide an effective means of escape from local minima. The system is shown toconverge more reliably and much faster than traditional noise insertion techniques. Due to the characteristics of the cooling schedule, the system also demonstrates a more consistent training profile. 1. BACKGROUNDOne of the most popular learning models for artificial neural networks today is the backpropagation model (BP)14. The BP model consists of nodes (referred to as neurons) and interconnections (weights). Learning consists
Camp Beale live-site handheld-sensor data inversion and classification using advanced EMI models

ESTCP live-site UXO classification results are presented for cued data collected with two advanced EMI instruments, the cart-based 2 × 2 3D TEMTADS array and the Man Portable Vector (MPV) handheld sensor, at the former Camp Beale in California. There were two sets of targets of interest (TOI): the main set consisted of 105-mm, 81-mm, 60-mm, 37-mm and ISO projectiles, and the other (optional) set comprised site-specific fuzes and fuze fragments of varous sizes. The advanced models used for inversion and classification combine: 1) a joint-diagonalization (JD) algorithm that estimates the number of potential targets generating an anomaly directly from the measured data without need for inversion; 2) the ortho-normalized volume magnetic source (ONVMS) model, which locates targets, represents their EMI responses, and extracts their intrinsic feature vectors; and 3) a Gaussian mixture algorithm that uses extracted discrimination features to classify the corresponding buried objects as TOI or clutter. Initially the data are inverted using a combination of ONVMS and the differential evolution direct-search algorithm; this allows the determination of relevant intrinsic parameters, which in turn are classified by a mixture of clustering and library-matching techniques. This paper describes in more detail the main steps of the classification process and demonstrates the results obtained for the 2 × 2 3D TEMTADS and MPV data taken at Camp Beale, as scored independently by the Institute for Defense Analyses. The advanced models are seen to produce superb classification in both cases.