cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TESTING THREE MODELS ON THE ADAPTIVE SIGNIFICANCE OF PROTANDRIC SIMULTANEOUS HERMAPHRODITISM IN A MARINE SHRIMP

Protandric simultaneous hermaphroditism, as reported for shrimps in the genus Lysmata, is a sexual system in which individuals invariably reproduce as males first and later in life as simultaneous hermaphrodites. I tested three models (i.e., sex-dependent energetic costs, sex-dependent mortality rates and sex-dependent time commitments) in an attempt to explain the adaptive value of protandric simultaneous hermaphroditism in the shrimp L. wurdemanni. Specific assumptions and predictions of each model were evaluated using manipulative experiments. In the laboratory, males grew faster than simultaneous hermaphrodites of the same size and age, an indication that the female function incurs higher energetic costs of reproduction than the male function. Also, large SHPs were more successful in monopolizing food than small males. The sex-dependent growth rate and size-dependent resource holding power agree with predictions of the sex-dependent energetic cost model. The time that simultaneous hermaphrodites required for replenishing their sperm reservoirs after mating as males was much shorter (2 days) than the time required to brood one clutch of embryos (11 days). Also, small simultaneous hermaphrodites experienced heavier mortality due to predatory fishes than large ones. The sex-dependent reproductive time commitment and size-dependent mortality agree with predictions of the sex-dependent time commitment model. Conversely, I found no evidence that the sex-dependent mortality model explains protandric simultaneous hermaphroditism in the studied species. In contrast to model predictions, mortality due to predatory fishes suffered by simultaneous hermaphrodites was not greater than that suffered by males of the same body size. In L. wurdemanni, the relationship between sex-specific investment and reproductive success seems to change during ontogeny in a way that is consistent with an adaptive adjustment of sex allocation to improve age-specific reproductive success.
Review of recent clinical trials of lipid lowering in coronary artery disease.

Abstract Early trials with lipid-lowering therapy in patients with established coronary artery disease revealed favorable trends in cardiovascular events but did not yield significant reductions in total mortality. Recent clinical trials using hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor (“statin”) therapy have shown significant decreases in total mortality, cardiovascular events, hospitalizations, and the need for revascularization procedures, with its usage (1) to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol after myocardial infarction (secondary prevention); and (2) in high-risk patients without evidence for coronary artery disease (primary prevention). Secondary prevention benefits have been seen for both men and women, in the young and elderly, and among diabetic and nondiabetic patients. The beneficial effects of LDL-cholesterol reduction occur early and are additive to other risk-reduction therapies. Lipid-lowering therapy should be part of the comprehensive treatment of all patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease and patients at high risk.
Natural vitamin E α-tocotrienol: Retention in vital organs in response to long-term oral supplementation and withdrawal

The natural vitamin E tocotrienol (TCT) possesses biological properties not shared by tocopherols (TCP). Nanomolar alpha-TCT, not alpha-TCP, is potently neuroprotective (JBC 275:13049; 278:43508; Stroke 36:2258). The report that the affinity of TTP to bind (alpha-TCT is an order of magnitude lower than that for alpha-TCP questions the bioavailability of orally taken TCT to tissues. Oral supplementation of TCT for 3 years in nine generations of female and male rat was studied. Ten vital organs were examined. To gain insight into the turnover of alpha-TCT in tissues, a subset of supplemented rats was moved to vitamin E deficient diet for 7 weeks. Orally supplemented alpha-TCT was delivered to all vital organs including the brain and spinal cord in significant amounts. In organs such as the skin, adipose and gonads the maximum level of alpha-TCT achieved in response to supplementation was folds higher than baseline values of alpha-TCP in rats maintained on laboratory chow. Females had higher levels of alpha-TCT compared to matched tissues of corresponding males. To gain insight into how quickly alpha-TCT is metabolized in the tissues, washout of alpha-TCT from vital organs was examined. alpha-TCT accumulated in vital organs over more than 2 years was almost completely lost in less than 2 months when the supplementation was stopped. This is in sharp contrast with findings related to alpha-TCP retention. The ability of long-term oral supplementation to maintain and elevate alpha-TCT levels in vital organs together with the rapid elimination of the intact vitamin from all organs studied underscores the need for continuous oral supplementation of TCT.
Whose Place is This Anyway? Reflecting upon Hospitality and Higher Education

In this essay I propose that using online tools to connect geographically-separated classrooms for real-time collaborative learning experiences may effectively develop intercultural competency in the religious studies classroom. I explore personal examples from several international and inter-institutional collaborations with Jacques Derrida's reflections on hospitality to explain how using online tools in this way productively puts into question conventions about place, host, and guest. This engagement of students in collaboration with others beyond their classroom is effective because it takes the focus of learning past facts students might learn towards how they are communicating to learn.
Intrapartum antibiotic exposure for group B Streptococcus treatment did not increase penicillin allergy in children.

Abstract Background Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the leading infectious cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality in the United States. Intrapartum administration of antibiotics to mothers with positivity to GBS is performed for prevention, with penicillin being the drug of choice. Previous studies have noted an increase in atopic diseases other than drug allergy associated with intrapartum antibiotic exposure. Objective To determine whether intrapartum exposure to penicillin for GBS increases the likelihood of penicillin allergy in children. Methods Retrospective chart review was performed for patients from a birth cohort. The birth cohort included children born in 2007 at a tertiary care hospital and had local addresses. Information on GBS status of the mother, intrapartum antibiotic exposure, delivery mode, and birth order was collected and analyzed. Results Of 927 children identified, 804 were included in the cohort. Eighty children (10%) had a reported penicillin allergy; most were white (79%) and boys (61%). Intrapartum exposure to penicillin (odds ratio 0.84, 95% confidence interval 0.45–1.57, P = .59) or to amoxicillin or ampicillin (odds ratio 0.22, 95% confidence interval 0.01–3.71, P = .29) did not increase the risk of penicillin allergy in children. In addition, all other factors evaluated did not affect the risk of penicillin allergy in children. Conclusion To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate intrapartum exposure to penicillin for GBS treatment and subsequent development of penicillin allergy in the child. In contrast to other atopic diseases, intrapartum antibiotic exposure does not alter the risk of penicillin allergy. Parents and obstetricians should be reassured when using penicillin for prevention of neonatal GBS.
Bootstrap Unit Root Tests for Heavy-Tailed Time Series

We explore the applicability of bootstrap unit root tests to time series with heavy-tailed errors. The size and power of the tests are investigated using simulated data. Applications to financial time series are also presented. Two different bootstrap methods and the subsampling approach are compared. Conclusions on the optimal bootstrap parameters, the range of applicability, and the performance of the tests are presented.
Follicle cell trypsin-like protease HrOvochymase: Its cDNA cloning, localization, and involvement in the late stage of oogenesis in the ascidian Halocynthia roretzi.

SUMMARY We previously reported that the sperm trypsin-like protease HrAcrosin and its precursor HrProacrosin participate in fertilization of the ascidian Halocynthia roretzi. The HrProacrosin gene is annotated in the H. roretzi genome database as Harore.CG.MTP2014.S89.g15383; our previously reported sequence of HrProacrosin gene appeared to include four nucleotides inserted near the 3′-end of HrProacrosin, resulting in a frame-shift mutation and a premature termination codon. The gene architecture of HrProacrosin and Harore.CG.MTP2014.S89.g15383 resembles that of Xenopus laevis ovochymase-1/OVCH1 and ovochymase-2/OVCH2, which encode egg extracellular polyproteases. Considering these new observations, we evaluated the cDNA cloning, expression, localization, and function of Harore.CG.MTP2014.S89.g15383, herein designated as HrOvochymase/HrOVCH. We found that HrOVCH cDNA consists of a single open reading frame of 1,575 amino acids, containing a signal peptide, three trypsin-like protease domains, and six CUB domains. HrOVCH was transcribed by the testis and ovary, but the majority of protein exists in ovarian follicle cells surrounding eggs. An anti-HrOVCH antibody inhibited elevation of the vitelline coat at a late stage of oogenesis, during the period when self-sterility is acquired. As trypsin inhibitors are reported to block the acquisition of self-sterility during oogenesis, whereas trypsin induces the acquisition of self-sterility and elevation of the vitelline coat in defolliculated ovarian eggs, we propose that HrOVCH may play a role in the acquisition of self-sterility by late-stage H. roretzi oocytes. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 83: 347–358, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
New Approaches to Reversible Seminal Diversion

Attempts were made to create reversible sterility in the male. Injection of a silicon rubber plug into the vas deferens of 30-50 lb. dogs was successful when the blocking cylinders were 1.5-1.2 cm in length. They could be removed in one piece from the vas with a small needle after an incision was made across the middle of the plug. Histologically there was minimal destruction. Attempts to create "T" shaped plugs were unsuccessful because the vertical and horizontal portions separated in the removal. Perineal urethrostomy using cryosurgery is discussed but the toleration of the discomfort caused by diverting the urinary passage is not known.
Inhibition of multidrug resistance-linked P-glycoprotein (ABCB1) function by 5'-fluorosulfonylbenzoyl 5'-adenosine: evidence for an ATP analogue that interacts with both drug-substrate-and nucleotide-binding sites.

5′-Fluorosulfonylbenzonyl 5′-adenosine (FSBA) is an ATP analogue that covalently modifies several residues in the nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs) of several ATPases, kinases, and other proteins. P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1) is a member of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily that utilizes energy from ATP hydrolysis for the efflux of amphipathic anticancer agents from cancer cells. We investigated the interactions of FSBA with P-gp to study the catalytic cycle of ATP hydrolysis. Incubation of P-gp with FSBA inhibited ATP hydrolysis (IC50 = 0.21 mM) and the binding of 8-azido[α-32P]ATP (IC50 = 0.68 mM). In addition, 14C-FSBA cross-links to P-gp, suggesting that FSBA-mediated inhibition of ATP hydrolysis is irreversible due to covalent modification of P-gp. However, when the NBDs were occupied with a saturating concentration of ATP prior to treatment, FSBA stimulated ATP hydrolysis by P-gp. Furthermore, FSBA inhibited the photo-cross-linking of P-gp with [125I]iodoarylazidoprazosin (IAAP;...
Blood lactic acid in rats and men: comparison of normo- and hypertensive individuals.

SummaryAmong rats from two strains with opposite genetic predisposition to experimental hypertension, lactic acid concentrations in the blood were equivalent. Lactic acid concentration could not be correlated with the presence or absence of overt hypertension. Blood lactic acid values in these rats were comparable to those in man. In confimation of reports by others, among humans the average blood lactic acid value of a small group of hypertensive patients was increased as compared with the average value of an appropriate control group. Lactic acid concentration in all samples increased when the blood was allowed to stand at room temperature. This increase was larger in rat blood than in human samples and, in man, it increased faster in hypertensive patients than in controls. It is proposed that these differences may reflect ion transport activity by the red cell, and that the difference between man and rat is related to the dissimilar surface-to-volume ratio of the cells.
Response of the arterial wall to endothelial removal: an autoradiographic study.

SummaryThe proliferative response of the balloon deendothelialized rabbit aorta was followed by tritiated thymidine labeling. Peak labeling was seen by 6 days after the procedure, with progressively decreasing activity with increasing distance from the lumen. The proliferative response rapidly subsided, so that base-line values were achieved by a month after the vessel insult. The decrease in proliferation occurred even in areas which were not re-endothelialized. The mechanism of this moderating response is presently not explained, but it appears to have adaptive value in preventing excessive lumen occlusion following vascular injury.
A SPATIALLY EXPLICIT STOCHASTIC MODEL DEMONSTRATES THE FEASIBILITY OF WRIGHT'S SHIFTING BALANCE THEORY.

Recently there has been a resurgence of theoretical papers exploring Wright's Shifting Balance Theory (SBT) of evolution. The SBT explains how traits which must pass through an adaptive valley may evolve in substructured populations. It has been suggested that Phase III of the SBT (the spread of new advantageous traits through the populations) proceeds only under a very restricted set of conditions. We show that Phase III can proceed under a much broader set of conditions in models that properly incorporate a key feature of Wright's theory: local, random migration of discrete individuals.
A Hardy Old Problem

At least as early as 1908 in the classic work, A Course of Pure Mathematics, G. H. Hardy [2], [3] posed and discussed the problem "If + (x) + +'(x) -a as x -3 oo, then +(x) -3 a and +'(x) -3 O." Hardy's proof is rather "roundabout" and suffers in comparison with later solutions of this problem. W. Fulks includes this problem as an exercise in his Advanced Calculus [1] first published in 1961. A generalization of the problem is solved in the problems section of the MONTHLY in 1974 [5] and then again a solution of the "Hardy problem" appears in the MONTHLY in 1978 [4]. These latter proofs involve inequalities and epsilon arguments and differ greatly from Hardy's treatment. However, what is probably the best solution possible for this problem was provided to us by our colleague, Dr. L. Thomas Hill: Given that lim x f [f(x) +f'(x)] = L, then using L'Hopital's rule
Dramatic effect of fluid damping on the performance of a nonlinear M-shaped broadband energy harvester

This work aims to demonstrate the detrimental effect of fluid damping on the bandwidth of a flexible nonlinear energy harvester and thereby further enhance the performance by minimizing nonlinear damping. A vacuum setup has been introduced to conduct nonlinear base excitation experiments at different air pressure levels in an effort to control the quadratic (velocity-squared) damping coefficient. It is shown that reduced air pressure substantially enhances the frequency bandwidth for primary resonance excitation. The empirical electromechanical model is modified to express the fluid damping in terms of fluid pressure and validated experimentally for different excitation levels.
Cesarean section. Changing philosophy.

A 15 year experience consisting of 643 cesarean sections has brought changes in philosophy reflected in liberalized application of abdominal delivery. Cesarean section should be considered in the following circumstances: breech presentation at term with doubtful pelvic capacity, nondelivery of a mature infant within 24 hours after rupture of the membranes, prolapse of the umbilical cord through an incompletely dilated cervix, desultory labor extending beyond 24 hours, erythroblastosis jeopardizing a viable fetus, and cervical carcinoma or maternal diabetes.
Spatial processing in the monkey frontal eye field. II. Memory responses.

Monkeys and humans can easily make accurate saccades to stimuli that appear and disappear before an intervening saccade to a different location. We used the flashed-stimulus task to study the memor...
Compatibility of anidulafungin with other drugs during simulated Y-site administration

Anidulafungin (Vicuron Pharmaceuticals, King of Prussia, PA), a novel investigational antifungal, is in a unique molecular class known as echinocandins.[1][1] Anidulafungin is a broad-spectrum antifungal and has activity against strains resistant to other antifungal agents. Patients taking
Analysis of extraembryonic mesodermal structure formation in the absence of morphological primitive streak

During mouse gastrulation, the primitive streak is formed on the posterior side of the embryo. Cells migrate out of the primitive streak to form the future mesoderm and endoderm. Fate mapping studies revealed a group of cell migrate through the proximal end of the primitive streak and give rise to the extraembryonic mesoderm tissues such as the yolk sac blood islands and allantois. However, it is not clear whether the formation of a morphological primitive streak is required for the development of these extraembryonic mesodermal tissues. Loss of the Cripto gene in mice dramatically reduces, but does not completely abolish, Nodal activity leading to the absence of a morphological primitive streak. However, embryonic erythrocytes are still formed and assembled into the blood islands. In addition, Cripto mutant embryos form allantoic buds. However, Drap1 mutant embryos have excessive Nodal activity in the epiblast cells before gastrulation and form an expanded primitive streak, but no yolk sac blood islands or allantoic bud formation. Lefty2 embryos also have elevated levels of Nodal activity in the primitive streak during gastrulation, and undergo normal blood island and allantois formation. We therefore speculate that low level of Nodal activity disrupts the formation of morphological primitive streak on the posterior side, but still allows the formation of primitive streak cells on the proximal side, which give rise to the extraembryonic mesodermal tissues formation. Excessive Nodal activity in the epiblast at pre-gastrulation stage, but not in the primitive streak cells during gastrulation, disrupts extraembryonic mesoderm development.
Design Space for Tangible and Embodied Interaction with Cultural Heritage

My research investigates narrative as a design approach to guide through tangible and embodied experiences with cultural heritage and history. The goal of this research is to investigate ways to provide visitors narrative agency and a context of interaction that would in turn motivate and support visitors to participate in meaning-making.
Symptomatic Renal Angiomyolipoma: Report of 8 Cases, 2 with Spontaneous Rupture

AbstractOf the 97 patients with symptomatic renal angiomyolipoma not associated with tuberous sclerosis reported in the literature 13 have presented with a clinical picture of shock because of spontaneous rupture and massive retroperitoneal hemorrhage. Eight new patients with symptomatic renal angiomyolipomas are described, 2 of whom presented with an acute abdomen. Renal angiomyolipomas are essentially benign tumors. Several angiographic and pyelographic characteristics have been described but none appears to be unequivocally diagnostic. Because of the inability to make a precise preoperative diagnosis and the possibility of massive hemorrhage, nephrectomy is indicated in patients with such unilateral solid tumors in the absence of the tuberous sclerosis complex.
Bladder Neck Obstruction in Women: A Real Entity

AbstractBladder neck obstruction in women is rare. Recently, we encountered 3 cases with similar findings. Clinically, the patients had chronic bladder symptoms of obstruction and irritation. The bladder showed trabeculation, diverticula and/or vesicoureteral reflux. Urinary flow rates were poor or absent. Endoscopy was unreliable in evaluating the outlet. The voiding pressure-flow cystourethrography study established the diagnosis. Specific operations to relieve bladder neck obstruction may be justified with proper urodynamic documentation.
Varicella-Zoster Virus Latency in The Nervous System

The cause of multiple sclerosis (MS) is not known. The main hypotheses are that the disease is produced by a virus or is a virustriggered immunopathology. Although evidence to support the theory that MS is caused by a virus is only presumptive, there are four compelling reasons to search for virus in MS tissue. First, although MS does not occur until adult life, epidemiologic studies suggest that the causative agent is acquired in childhood.[1] An exposure period before or at the time of puberty followed by a long latent period before the onset of the disease is known to occur with other types of infection that lead to clinical CNS disease.[2] Furthermore, a point-source epidemic of MS occurred on the Faroe Islands from 1943-1960 during the British occupation;[3] thus MS on the Faroes would appear to be transmissible and probably infectious. Secondly, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with MS contains oligoclonal bands and increased levels of immunoglobulin (Ig)G irrespective of the amount of total protein. Only a few other diseases in humans are associated with oligoclonal bands and increased CSF-IgG; many are inflammatory and have also been shown to be infectious.[4] Third, progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy is a human demyelinating disease in which a papovavirus produces a lytic infection of oligodendrocytes.[5] Fourth, numerous DNA and RNA viruses have been shown to be capable of producing demyelinating disease in rodents after experimental inoculation.[6]
The impact of visual impairment on self-reported visual functioning in Latinos: The Los Angeles Latino Eye Study.

Abstract Objective To assess the association between presenting binocular visual acuity (VA) and self-reported visual function as measured by the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25). Design A population-based, prevalence study of eye disease in Latinos 40 years and older residing in La Puente, California (Los Angeles Latino Eye Study [LALES]). Participants Six thousand three hundred fifty-seven Latinos 40 years and older from 6 census tracts in La Puente. Methods All participants completed a standardized interview, including the NEI-VFQ-25 to measure visual functioning, and a detailed eye examination. Two definitions of visual impairment were used: (1) presenting binocular distance VA of 20/40 or worse and (2) presenting binocular distance VA worse than 20/40. Analysis of variance was used to determine any systematic differences in mean NEI-VFQ-25 scores by visual impairment. Regression analyses were completed (1) to determine the association of age, gender, number of systemic comorbidities, depression, and VA with self-reported visual function and (2) to estimate a visual impairment–related difference for each subscale based on differences in VA. Main outcome measures The NEI-VFQ-25 scores in persons with visual impairment. Results Of the 5287 LALES participants with complete NEI-VFQ-25 data, 6.3% (including 20/40) and 4.2% (excluding 20/40) were visually impaired. In the visually impaired participants, the NEI-VFQ-25 subscale scores ranged from 46.2 (General Health) to 93.8 (Color Vision). In the regression model, only VA, depression, and number of comorbidities were significantly associated with all subscale scores ( R 2 ranged from 0.09 for Ocular Pain to 0.33 for the composite score). For 9 of 11 subscales, a 5-point change was equivalent to a 1- or 2-line difference in VA. Relationships were similar regardless of the definition of visual impairment. Conclusion In this population-based study of Latinos, the NEI-VFQ-25 was sensitive to differences in VA. A 5-point difference on the NEI-VFQ-25 seems to be a minimal criterion for a visual impairment–related difference. Self-reported visual function is essentially unchanged if the definition of visual impairment includes or excludes a VA of 20/40.
Some path planning algorithms in computational geometry and air traffic management

Computing optimal routes subject to geometric constraints is a fundamental area of research in computational geometry. This thesis is devoted to the study of some specific geometric routing and optimization problems. The first main area of the thesis addresses a class of multicommodity flow problems in geometric domains: For a given planar domain P populated with obstacles of different types, we consider routing thick paths corresponding to motion of vehicles of different classes, from a source edge on the boundary of P to a sink edge on the boundary of P. Each class of vehicle has an associated path width required and a given set of types of obstacles it must avoid, while it can freely pass through other types of obstacles. The problem arises in air traffic management with different classes of aircraft that must avoid various types of weather disturbances. We show that the decision problem is NP-hard even when there are only two classes of vehicles and two types of obstacles. We present approximation algorithms for the multicriteria optimization problems that arise when trying to maximize the number of routable paths. We also give heuristics and provide an experimental analysis of their effectiveness. The second problem we address is that of computing a path or cycle that is constrained to be convex and to intersect a given set of connected, compact sets. In particular, we resolve an open problem posed more than two decades ago by Arik Tamir: Given a collection of compact sets, can one efficiently determine if there is a convex body whose boundary intersects every set in the collection? We prove that it is NP-hard, in general, to decide the existence of a convex traversal path, even if the input is a set of line segments in the plane. Further, we generalize our proof to show that deciding the existence of a convex surface stabbing a set of balls in three dimensions is NP-hard. On the positive side, we give a polynomial-time algorithm to find a convex transversal of a maximum number of pairwise-disjoint segments in 2D, assuming the vertices of the transversal are restricted to a given set of points. In the third part of the thesis, we investigate the problem of computing paths and trees within an uncertain geometric domain, in which the set of obstacles is not known deterministically, but is specified by a stochastic model. The problems arise in routing aircraft through uncertain weather systems, especially in the case of merging flows of aircraft arriving to a terminal airspace in the presence of uncertain events that impact the availability of airspace. We formalize the problem of computing a highly probably path in geometric settings and prove NP-hardness of the general problem. Further, we develop efficient algorithms for computing paths and trees in the presence of uncertain geometric obstacles. We apply our methods to the problem of computing routes and trees for flows of aircraft that are designed to be robust to off-nominal events that may impact the super-dense operations airspace through which they are routed.
Adiposity, post-diagnosis weight change, and risk of cardiovascular events among early-stage breast cancer survivors

Little research examines whether adiposity or post-diagnosis weight changes influence Cardiovascular disease (CVD) among breast cancer patients for whom effects may differ due to treatment and recovery. We studied Stage I–III breast cancer survivors 18 to <80 years, without pre-existing CVD, diagnosed from 1997 to 2013 at Kaiser Permanente. Women reported weight at diagnosis and weight and waist circumference (WC) around 24 months post diagnosis. Using Cox models for time to incident coronary artery disease, heart failure, valve abnormality, arrhythmia, stroke, or CVD death, we examined at-diagnosis body mass index (BMI, n = 3109) and post-diagnosis WC (n = 1898) and weight change (n = 1903, stable, ±5 to <10-lbs or ±≥10-lbs). Mean (SD) age was 57 (11) years, and BMI was 28 (6) kg-m2. Post diagnosis, 25% of women gained and 14% lost ≥10-lbs; mean (SD) WC was 90 (15) cm. Over a median of 8.28 years, 915 women developed CVD. BMI 25–30-kg/m2 (vs. BMI < 25-kg/m2) was not associated with CVD, while BMI ≥ 35-kg/m2 increased risk by 33% (HR: 1.33; 95%CI 1.08–1.65), independent of lifestyle and tumor/treatment factors. The increased risk at BMI ≥ 35-kg/m2 attenuated with adjustment for pre-existing CVD risk factors to HR: 1.20; 95%CI 0.97–1.50. By contrast, even moderate elevations in WC increased risk of CVD, independent of pre-existing risk factors (HR: 1.93; 95%CI 1.31–2.84 comparing ≥100-cm vs. ≤80-cm). Post-diagnosis weight change had no association with CVD. Extreme adiposity and any elevation in WC increased risk of CVD among breast cancer survivors; however, changes in weight in the early post-diagnosis period were not associated with CVD. Survivors with high WC and existing CVD risk factors should be monitored.
Frequency Effects on a Stiffness-Based Fatigue Failure Criterion in Flawed Composite Specimens

An important result of our investigations of the fatigue response of composite materials has been the identification and characterization of the effect of frequency of cycled loads (or strain). Frequency has been found tosignificantly influence the fatigue response of boron/epoxy and boron/aluminum plate specimens with a center hole. A large data base for strain-controlled testing of boron/epoxy and boron/aluminum at different frequencies has been reported earlier. More recently, we have extended the data base to include load-controlled test results for boron/epoxy and boron/aluminum using stiffness change as the primary damage parameter, and allowable stiffness change as a failure criterion. In general, the data show that low-frequency fatigue loading produces more concentrated, local, hole-related damage with corresponding greater specimen stiffness reduction. In contrast, high-frequency loading produces more dispersed damage with more axial micro-structure-related damage and less stiffness reduction. Since these results are true for two widely different-materials and different testing conditions, the authors believe that these effects are representative of the mechanics of the phenomenon, and do not represent isolated effects. It appears that frequency effects can be expected in many fiberous composites and that they are large enough to be of significant consequence in many engineering applications.
Efficient Discovery of Novel Multicomponent Mixtures for Hydrogen Storage: A Combined Computational/Experimental Approach

The objective of this project is to discover novel mixed hydrides for hydrogen storage, which enable the DOE 2010 system-level goals. Our goal is to find a material that desorbs 8.5 wt% H2 or more at temperatures below 85°C. The project will combine first-principles calculations of reaction thermodynamics and kinetics with material and catalyst synthesis, testing, and characterization. We will combine materials from distinct categories (e.g., chemical and complex hydrides) to form novel multicomponent reactions. Systems to be studied include mixtures of complex hydrides and chemical hydrides (e.g. LiNH2+NH3BH3) and nitrogenhydrogen based borohydrides (e.g. Al(BH4)3 (NH3)3).
Delay Efficient Disconnected RSU Placement Algorithm for VANET Safety Applications

Vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) have been envisioned to prominently enhance the road safety and traffic efficiency through real-time vehicle- to-vehicle and vehicle-to- infrastructure communications. Roadside Units (RSUs) play an important role in vehicular environments in terms of connectivity, routing, and transmission delay. However, deploying enough RSUs to provide a universal coverage within an area is not feasible. In addition, there still lacks understanding of the performance of message dissemination in urban environments where one deploys RSUs in a stand- alone fashion. In this paper, we study the performance of message dissemination in VANET environments and propose a Safety-Based Disconnected RSU Placement algorithm (S-BRP) that reduces the dissemination delay in some areas. We evaluate the S-BRP algorithm through extensive simulation studies. The proposed algorithm outperforms Mesh, the alternate deployment policy, in terms of the dissemination delay and traffic flow.
The cyanobacterium Gloeotrichia echinulata increases the stability and network complexity of phytoplankton communities

Changes in the abundance of a taxon can have large effects on communities, particularly if that taxon is a strong interactor. These changes may arise as a consequence of environmental change, recruitment from dormant stages, or quirks of population dynamics, and have effects that ripple through a community interaction network. We hypothesized that cyanobacteria, which are increasing in many freshwater lakes globally, may be strong interactors because they can exert large and persistent effects on the biomass and composition of other phytoplankton. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated how the phytoplankton community responded to different densities of Gloeotrichia echinulata, a large colonial cyanobacterium increasingly observed in low-nutrient lakes in northeastern North America, in an in situ mesocosm experiment. We observed that many phytoplankton taxa, especially diatoms and green algae, responded primarily to increased nutrient availability (a result of Gloeotrichia's nitrogen fixation and translocation of phosphorus from the sediments), while a few taxa (two euglenophytes, one dinoflagellate, and one cyanobacterium) responded to both the direct and indirect effects of Gloeotrichia. Surprisingly, Gloeotrichia reduced the compositional variability of the phytoplankton community relative to the non-Gloeotrichia control treatment; there was no effect on the aggregate temporal variability of total non-Gloeotrichia biovolume. Moreover, experimentally increased densities of Gloeotrichia coincided with increasing complexity of the phytoplankton community in network analyses of taxon co-occurrences, as indicated by significantly greater network density and transitivity and shorter path lengths. Taken together, these findings suggest that Gloeotrichia may be a strongly interacting species in low-nutrient lakes, with the potential to increase the resilience of phytoplankton communities to future disturbance by increasing compositional stability and network complexity.
Influence of Distance to Hospital and Insurance Status on the Rates of Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy, a National Cancer Data Base study

We evaluated the impact of travel distance and insurance status on contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) rates in breast cancer. We queried the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) for women >18 years of age with a nonmetastatic primary breast cancer of ductal, lobular, or mixed histology. Patient- and facility-specific CPM rates were calculated based on insurance, race, and distance to treatment center. Standard univariable and multivariable regression analysis was performed. Overall, the CPM rate was 6.5% for the 864,105 patients identified. Most patients traveled 100 miles from a treatment center compared with those <20 miles from a treatment center were observed to be greater for Black and Hispanic patients (3.5 and 3.9%, respectively) compared with White and non-Hispanic patients (2.5 and 2.6%). Additionally, further patient travel distance was associated with higher treatment center-specific CPM rates. Increased travel distance is independently associated with increased rates of CPM for all patients and increased facility-specific rates of CPM. Black and Hispanic patients were found to be more vulnerable to the impact of travel distance and insurance status on rates of CPM.
Incidence of Stress Urinary Incontinence After Posterior Urethroplasty for Radiation-induced Urethral Strictures.

Objective To identify the frequency of de novo stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after posterior excision and primary anastomotic (EPA) urethroplasty in patients with radiation-induced urethral strictures (RIUS) and compare with patients with pelvic fracture urethral injuries (PFUIs). Materials and Methods A retrospective review was conducted among patients who underwent successful posterior EPA urethroplasty between 2008 and 2016 for RIUS from prostate cancer or PFUI from blunt trauma. Only patients with an intact bladder neck on imaging were included. SUI was defined by patient-reported outcomes and daily pad use. Results Inclusion criteria were met by 36 patients with RIUS and 33 patients with PFUI. Among the RIUS cohort, mean follow-up was 18 months, mean stricture length was 2.5 cm, and surgical dissection extended to the prostatic urethra in 67% (n = 24). The overall frequency of de novo SUI among patients with RIUS was 33% (n = 12), of which 75% (9 of 12) had prostatic urethral involvement. Two patients with RIUS (17%, n = 12) proceeded with artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) placement, whereas the remaining 10 patients required pads. SUI after urethroplasty in patients with PFUI was less common (12%, n = 4) and the prostatic urethra was involved in only 3% (n = 1) of all patients with PFUI. One patient with PFUI underwent AUS placement, whereas the remaining 3 patients did not require pads. Conclusion Among RIUS patients with an intact bladder neck, SUI impacts one-third of patients. Subsequent AUS placement is uncommon. Prostatic urethral involvement increases risk of SUI. SUI is less common among patients with PFUI, likely related to a more limited involvement of the proximal bulbomembranous urethra and lack of radiation.
RNA-seq-based genome annotation and identification of long-noncoding RNAs in the grapevine cultivar ‘Riesling’

The technological advances of RNA-seq and de novo transcriptome assembly have enabled genome annotation and transcriptome profiling in highly heterozygous species such as grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). This work is an attempt to utilize a de novo-assembled transcriptome of the V. vinifera cultivar ‘Riesling’ to improve annotation of the grapevine reference genome sequence. Here we show that the transcriptome assembly of a single V. vinifera cultivar is insufficient for a complete genome annotation of the grapevine reference genome constructed from V. vinifera PN40024. Further, we provide evidence that the gene models we identified cannot be completely anchored to the previously published V. vinifera PN40024 gene models. In addition to these findings, we present a computational pipeline for the de novo identification of lncRNAs. Our results demonstrate that, in grapevine, lncRNAs are significantly different from protein coding transcripts in such metrics as length, GC-content, minimum free energy, and length-corrected minimum free energy. In grapevine, high-level heterozygosity necessitates that transcriptome characterization be based on cultivar-specific reference genome sequences. Our results strengthen the hypothesis that lncRNAs have thermodynamically different properties than protein-coding RNAs. The analyses of both coding and non-coding RNAs will be instrumental in uncovering inter-cultivar variation in wild and cultivated grapevine species.
Group Codes and Behaviors

The close connections between convolutional coding theory and linear system theory are well known. A convolutional encoder is simply a discrete-time linear time-invariant (LTI) system over a finite field, always finite-dimensional, in general multivariable. These connections were exploited in the 1970’s to develop an algebraic structure theory of convolutional codes [5], the key elements of which turned out later to be useful in linear system theory [6, 14].
Environmental Justice and Interventions to Prevent Environmental Injustice in the United States

The environmental justice movement in the United States has drawn attention to the fact that some communities receive an unequal share of environmental contaminants. Throughout the United States, low-income communities or communities of color receive the largest burdens of air and water degradation resulting in increased rates of diseases such as asthma and lead poisoning for those populations. A host of political and economic factors have also resulted in many communities being harmed by pesticide use and irresponsible land use practices. The federal government has enacted some laws in an attempt to rectify these inequities; however, many in the environmental justice movement have suggested that these policies do little to comprehensively protect the health and well-being of affected communities. As a result, the environmental justice community has called for a response that considers issues of sustainability and precaution in relation to the environment and affected communities.
Optical Determinations of Atmospheric Structure

Rocket borne gauges and satellite drag observations have given information on mean density to heights of several hundred miles, but not on chemical composition. The progress of dissociation of O2 and N2 with altitude up to the levels at which they are completely dissociated is known only very approximately. It is generally agreed that hydrogen must become the principal constituent of the atmosphere at very high altitudes, yet theoretical estimates of the densities above the exosphere vary by orders of magnitude. It can be shown, however, that optical methods are capable of providing composition data on all the important atmospheric constituents up to the outermost fringes of the terrestrial atmosphere.
Optimalization of non-linear random control processes

Summary There are known controlled systems such as chemical plants or airplanes whose differential equations are not known completely to the controller because of environmental changes, ageing, etc. In many systems of this kind the best which can be accomplished is to construct a multistage optimalizing process which converges to the optimum control. In the case of zero-memory, non-linear plant processes of this kind can be constructed if the gradient of the performance measure is known or can be determined experimentally. In this paper an extension of this method is considered for the case of non-linear plants having memory and changing randomly in time. In the two introductory parts of the paper the assumptions and the necessary and sufficient conditions of optimality are formulated. It is shown that at any stage of optimalization the best change of the input signal should be adjoint to the mean value of the gradient of the performance measure. Then an optimalizing process, based on the so-called fixed point theorem, is constructed. It is shown that for certain classes of non-linear random plants all the necessary information about the generalized gradient can be obtained experimentally. As an example an optimalizing process which minimizes the cost of input energy and maximizes the output gain of a non-linear plant has been constructed and is discussed.
Clearing a Path for Inclusion: Distributing Leadership in a High Performing Elementary School

The study presented here examines the efforts of one principal and the team she relied upon to create a more inclusive and high-performing school in a large urban school district. The goals, action...
Ethical Considerations for AR Experiences at Dark Tourism Sites

There are a number of Augmented Reality (AR) experiences that are situated or related to sites of pain, suffering, and death. The ethical design, development, and facilitation of these experiences has not been addressed by the current AR scholarship. To fill this knowledge gap, this paper presents foundational principles for how AR can be ethically designed to facilitate a respectful experience. A niche form of tourism studies, dark tourism is used as a universal term for any form of tourism that is related to death, suffering, atrocity, tragedy or crime. Based on this research, the paper proposes some suggestions for creating ethical AR experiences at dark tourism sites before, during, and after a visit. AR can become an ethical and powerful extension of reflecting upon mortality if spectacle is moderated at these dark sites. The paper concludes with design suggestions for ethical AR experiences at dark tourism sites already engaged in the commodification and consumption of the macabre.
Children's objective sleep assessed with wrist-based accelerometers: Strong heritability of objective quantity and quality unique from parent-reported sleep

Children's poor sleep is a risk factor for lower cognitive functioning and internalizing and externalizing problems. It is unclear whether genetic and environmental influences vary based on sleep assessment and no studies to date have examined genetic and environmental contributions to links between multiple objective and subjective sleep indicators. Further, nearly all heritability studies rely on subjective parent- or self-report measures of sleep duration and problems. Given these gaps in the literature, we (1) modeled genetic and environmental influences on multiple objective and subjective sleep indicators and (2) estimated genetic and environmental covariances between objective and subjective sleep indicators in middle childhood. Participants were 608 twin children (MZ = 178, same-sex DZ = 234, opposite-sex DZ = 190) assessed at 8 years of age (SD = 0.63 years). Objective nighttime sleep duration, efficiency, sleep onset latency (SOL), midpoint time, and midpoint variability were collected from actigraph watches worn for 7 nights (Mnights = 6.83, SD = 0.62). Children's nighttime sleep duration and daytime sleepiness were assessed via parent report. Findings suggested high additive genetic influence on objective sleep quantity and quality, whereas objective SOL, sleep midpoint time, midpoint variability, parent-reported sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness were largely influenced by the shared environment. Common genetic factors explained associations between objective sleep quantity and quality, but genetics did not account for links with parent-reported sleep duration, midpoint time, or midpoint variability. Thus, objective and parent-reported assessments of children's sleep have unique genetic etiologies and should not be used interchangeably in the sleep literature.