cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urban-Rural Differences in Older Adult Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Comparative Studies.

Context Depression among older adults (aged 60 years or older) is a problem that could be exacerbated by global trends in urbanization and population aging. The study purpose was to assess whether urban, relative to rural, residence is associated with depression among older adults and whether associations differ in countries with developed versus developing economies. Evidence acquisition In 2017, the authors identified and extracted information from comparative studies of urban–rural depression prevalence among older adults. Studies were identified in PubMed, PsychINFO, and Web of Science and limited to English language articles published after 1985. Eighteen studies met inclusion criteria. Random effects meta-analysis was conducted to produce weighted pooled ORs estimating the association between urban–rural residence and depression for all study participants (N=31,598) and sub-analyses were conducted for developed (n=12,728) and developing (n=18,870) countries. Evidence synthesis Depression prevalence was significantly higher among urban residents in ten studies and significantly higher among rural residents in three studies (all three conducted in China). Associations between urban–rural residence and depression generally remained significant after adjusting for covariates. In developed countries, the odds of depression were significantly higher among urban than rural residents (pooled OR=1.44, 95% CI=1.10, 1.88). However, in developing countries, this association was not observed (pooled OR=0.91, 95% CI=0.46, 1.77). Conclusions Converging trends of urbanization and population aging could increase the global burden of depression among older adults. The pathways through which urban–rural residence influences depression risk among older adults might differ by country context. Future research should focus on measuring variation in these contexts.
Liberatory Methodologies: Participatory Action Research Strategies for Discovering Inclusive Maker Space Practices

In this Research Work in Progress paper, we describe the methods chosen for a project exploring best practices of inclusion in maker spaces serving diverse populations. Maker spaces provide communities access to innovation tools in startup settings that are shaped by the participating members. In our study, these include not only hacker spaces that involve computing, electronic activities, and three-dimensional printing capabilities, but also sites focusing on traditional arts and crafts. Sites selected represent sustainable examples of the values embedded in maker space missions: to promote shared space (physical or virtual, temporary or permanent), materials, and knowledge for the purpose of putting production back in the hands of the people. To study the dynamics through which a community and its space come together, we have employed methods including content analysis, ethnographically-informed participant-observations, and an open space technology workshop/Unconference combined with participatory action research (PAR). We position PAR as both a method and as a methodology, providing a justification for our flexible approach and adaptable strategies. We will describe the process of data collection leading up to the Unconference, how various perspectives are combined at the Unconference, and how the PAR component is threaded throughout the entire project. Finally, we explain our use of the theoretical framework and analytical tool of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), which guides our interpretations of interactions in both the maker spaces and our participatory action research process.
How long are exposures to poor neighborhoods? The long-term dynamics of entry and exit from poor neighborhoods

Although discussions of poor neighborhoods often assume that their residents are a distinct population trapped in impoverished environments for long durations, no past research has examined longitudinal patterns of residence in poor neighborhoods beyond single-year transitions. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics from 1979 to 1990 matched to census tract data, this paper provides the first estimates of duration of stay and rates of re-entry in poor (20%+ poor) and extremely poor (40%+ poor) census tracts. The results indicate that (1) there is great racial inequality in longitudinal patterns of exposure to poorneighborhoods – mostAfrican Americans will live in a poor neighborhood over a 10 year span, contrasted to only 10 percent of whites; (2) exits from high poverty neighborhoods are not uncommon, but re-entries to poor neighborhoods following an exit are also very common, especially among African Americans; and (3) length of spell in a poor neighborhood is positively associated with low income, female headship, and, most of all, black race. Little of the racial difference is accounted for by racial difference in poverty status or family structure. Implications for research and public policy are discussed.
Compilation and analysis of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis promoters

vii GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 Objective 1 Dissertation Organization 4 CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW 6 Introduction 6 Procaryotic promoter biology 10 Gene expression in mycobacteria 14 Recombinant Mycobacterium bovis BCG as a vaccine 18 CHAPTER 2. IMPROVEMENT OF THE PROMOTER-PROBE VECTOR pKOl FOR CLONING TRANSCRIPTION SIGNALS FROM Mycobacterium paratuberculosis 21 ABSTRACT 2
A review on synthesis and engineering of crystal precursors produced via coprecipitation for multicomponent lithium-ion battery cathode materials

Interest in developing high performance lithium-ion rechargeable batteries has motivated research in precise control over the composition, phase, and morphology during materials synthesis of battery active material particles for decades. Coprecipitation, as one of the most reported methods in the literature to produce precursors for lithium-ion battery active materials, has drawn attention due to its simplicity, scalability, homogeneous mixing at the atomic scale, and tunability over particle morphology. This highlight summarizes the advancements that have been made in producing crystalline particles of tunable and complex morphologies via coprecipitation for use as lithium-ion battery precursor materials. Comparison among different crystallization reagents, solution conditions that influence the properties of crystal particles, and the fundamental knowledge from equilibrium and/or kinetic study of the coprecipitation processes, are systematically discussed. The research reports and guiding principles summarized in this highlight are meant to improve selections made by researchers to efficiently determine synthesis conditions. In addition, it is desired that the methods applied from the study of crystallization will inspire researchers to pursue further investigation of the nucleation and growth mechanisms of these coprecipitation processes, which will be necessary to achieve truly predictive particle synthesis.
Method for 3-D Scene Reconstruction Using Fused LiDAR and Imagery From a Texel Camera

Reconstructing a 3-D scene from aerial sensor data creating a textured digital surface model (TDSM), consisting of a LiDAR point cloud and an overlaid image, is valuable in many applications including agriculture, military, surveying, and natural disaster response. When collecting LiDAR from an aircraft, the navigation system accuracy must exceed the LiDAR accuracy to properly reference returns in 3-D space. Precision navigation systems can be expensive and often require full-scale aircraft to house such systems. Synchronizing the LiDAR sensor and a camera, using a texel camera calibration, provides additional information that reduces the need for precision navigation equipment. This paper describes a bundle adjustment technique for aerial texel images that allows for relatively low-accuracy navigation systems to be used with low-cost LiDAR and camera data to form higher fidelity terrain models. The bundle adjustment objective function utilizes matching image points, measured LiDAR distances, and the texel camera calibration and does not require overlapping LiDAR scans or ground control points. The utility of this method is proven using a simulated texel camera and unmanned aerial system (UAS) flight data created from aerial photographs and elevation data. A small UAS is chosen as the target vehicle due to its relatively inexpensive hardware and operating costs, illustrating the power of this method in accurately referencing the LiDAR and camera data. In the 3-D reconstruction, the 1- $\sigma $ accuracy between LiDAR measurements across the scene is on the order of the digital camera pixel size.
Management Strategies during a VA ECMO Run in a Neonate with E. Coli Septic Shock Masquerading as Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

Advances in neonatal care for hypoxic respiratory failure, with high-frequency ventilation and inhaled nitric oxide, have led to a decreased need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). However, neonates resistant to such therapies are more complex and at higher risk of mortality. One such population includes those with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) undergoing controlled hypothermia (CH). We present a challenging case of a full-term neonate with inotrope-resistant Escherichia coli septic shock, profound coagulopathy, hypoxic respiratory failure, and HIE requiring CH and venoarterial (VA) ECMO. We illustrate that family-centered decision-making, ECMO, primary team, and subspecialist support is critical to success. In addition, we share the strategic medical interventions concomitantly used with VA ECMO to aid in the survival of this high-risk infant such as continuous veno-venous hemofiltration with AN69 membrane for cytokine and fluid removal, prostaglandin use to relieve right ventricular strain in malignant pulmonary hypertension, and cautious use of bronchoscopy to assist in lung recruitment.
Applied Online Crowdsourcing in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: A Comparison of Aesthetic Outcomes in Unilateral Cleft Lip Repair Techniques.

Background Aesthetic outcomes of unilateral cleft lip repairs have important psychosocial implications for patients who are heavily influenced by social perceptions. Online crowdsourcing offers the unique potential to efficiently recruit large numbers of laypeople to assess public perception. The aim of this study was to use the online crowdsourcing platform Mechanical Turk to compare the postoperative outcomes of Fisher, Millard, and Mohler cleft lip repair techniques. Methods Two hundred fifty-four participants were recruited through Mechanical Turk to evaluate 29 cropped and deidentified photographs of children, 8 photographs were controls without cleft lips and 21 were children with unilateral cleft lips who had undergone Fisher, Millard, or Mohler repairs (7 in each group). Respondents were asked whether a scar was present, whether they would be personally satisfied with the surgical result and used a Likert scale from 1 to 5 to rate overall appearance, scar severity, and nasal symmetry. Results Fewer respondents reported that a scar was present when assessing postoperative photographs of Fisher repairs (70.3 ± 8.6%) compared with Millard (92.0 ± 1.5%) or Mohler (88.8 ± 3.1%) repairs. Average rating of scar severity was also lower for Fisher (1.9) compared with Millard (2.6) or Mohler (2.6) repairs. Average ratings of nose symmetry, general appearance, and satisfaction with operative result were not statistically significantly different between the repair groups. Conclusions This study demonstrates the potential of online crowdsourcing to assess public perception of plastic surgery outcomes. The Mechanical Turk platform offers a reduction in selection bias, ease of study design, and enhanced efficiency of large-scale participant recruitment. Results indicate that the Fisher repair led to the most favored aesthetic outcomes compared with the Millard and Mohler techniques, particularly with regard to scar severity. Crowdsourcing is a powerful tool to assess layperson perception of plastic surgery outcomes and can be used to better guide surgical decision-making.
An improved machine learning algorithm for predicting blast disease in paddy crop

Abstract Rice is the most important staple food crop in India. However, it is one of the crops which tends to be affected frequently by disease causing agents resulting in reduced yield. Although several challenges affect the growth of the crops, such as pest, environmental conditions and natural diseases, crop diseases is one of the major threats to food security. The diseases are caused by bacteria or fungi that can affect the crop at any stage. In the proposed system, the preprocessed images of both infected and healthy rice crops are given as input to the machine learning algorithms via., Convolutional Neural Network (CCN) for feature extraction and Support Vector Machine (SVM) for classification. The results show that CNN combined with SVM based classification method provides better accuracy than that of SVM applied alone for both infected and normal images of paddy blast disease. The proposed method would immensely benefit the farmers in terms of increased revenue and ensures food security to the nation at large.
Learning democracy digitally? The internet and knowledge of democracy in nondemocracies

The study of public opinion in nondemocratic states has found that people often say they support democracy, yet they show little demand for democratization or regime change. Given this paradox, rec...
Benign or not benign? Deep phenotyping of liver Glycogen Storage Disease IX.

Abstract Introduction Liver Glycogen Storage Disease Type IX (GSD IX) is one of the most common forms of GSD. It is caused by a deficiency in enzyme phosphorylase kinase (PhK), a complex, hetero-tetrameric enzyme comprised of four subunits - α, β, γ, and δ - each with tissue specific isoforms encoded by different genes. Until the recent availability of gene panels and exome sequencing, the diagnosis of liver GSD IX did not allow for differentiation of these subtypes. This study presents the first comprehensive literature review for liver GSD IX subtypes - GSD IX α2, β, and γ2. We aim to better characterize the natural history of liver GSD IX and further investigate if there are subtype-specific differences in clinical presentation. Methods A comprehensive literature review was performed with the help of a medical librarian at Duke University Medical Center to gather all published patients of liver GSD IX. Our refined search yielded 74 articles total. Available patient data were compiled into an excel spreadsheet. Data were analyzed via descriptive statistics. The number of patients with specific symptoms were individually summed and reported as a percentage of the total number of patients for which data were available or were averaged and reported as a mean numerical value. Published pathology reports were scored using the International Association of the Study of the Liver Scale. Results There were a total of 183 GSD IX α2 patients, 17 GSD IX β patients, and 30 GSD IX γ2 patients. Average age at diagnosis was 4 years for GSD IX α2 patients, 2.34 years for GSD IX β patients, and 1.81 years for GSD IX γ2 patients. Hepatomegaly was reported in 164/176 (93.2%) of GSD IX α2 patients, 16/17 (94.1%) of GSD IX β patients, and 30/30 (100%) of GSD IX γ2 patients. Fasting hypoglycemia was reported in 53/121 (43.8%) of GSD IX α2 patients, 8/16 (50%) of GSD IX β patients, and 18/19 (94.7%) of GSD IX γ2 patients. Liver biopsy pathology reports were available and interpreted for 46 GSD IX α2 patients, 3 GSD IX β patients, and 24 GSD IX γ2 patients. 22/46 (47.8%) GSD IX α2 patients, 1/3 (33.3%) GSD IX β patients, and 23/24 (95.8%) GSD IX γ2 patients with available pathology reports documented either some degree of fibrosis or cirrhosis. Conclusion Our comprehensive review demonstrates quantitatively that the clinical presentation of GSD IX γ2 patients is more severe than that of GSD IX α2 or β patients. However, our study also shows the existence of a severe phenotype in GSD IX α2, evidenced by early onset liver pathology in conjunction with clinical symptoms. There is need for a more robust natural history study to better understand the variability in liver pathophysiology within liver GSD IX; in addition, further study of mutations and gene mapping could bring a better understanding of the relationship between genotype and clinical presentation.
Chapter 14 – Universal Teichmüller Space

We present an outline of the theory of universal Teichmtuller space, viewed as part of the theory of QS, the space of quasisymmetric homeomorphisms of a circle. Although elements of QS act in one dimension, most results about QS depend on a two-dimensional proof. QS has a manifold structure modelled on a Banach space, and after factorization by PSL(2,R)PSL(2,R) it becomes a complex manifold. In applications, QS is seen to contain many deformation spaces for dynamical systems acting in one, two and three dimensions; it also contains deformation spaces of every hyperbolic Riemann surface, and in this naive sense it is universal. The deformation spaces are complex submanifolds and often have certain universal properties themselves, but those properties are not the object of this article. Instead we focus on the analytic foundations of the theory necessary for applications to dynamical systems and rigidity.
Long-read RNA sequencing reveals widespread sex-specific alternative splicing in threespine stickleback fish

Abstract Alternate isoforms contribute immensely to phenotypic diversity across eukaryotes. While short read RNA-sequencing has increased our understanding of isoform diversity, it is challenging to accurately detect full-length transcripts, preventing the identification of many alternate isoforms. Long-read sequencing technologies have made it possible to sequence full length alternative transcripts, accurately characterizing alternative splicing events, alternate transcription start and end sites, and differences in UTR regions. Here, we utilize PacBio long read RNA-sequencing (Iso-Seq) to examine the transcriptomes of five tissues in threespine stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus), a widely used genetic model species. The threespine stickleback fish has a refined genome assembly with gene annotations that are based on short-read RNA sequencing and predictions from coding sequence of other species. This suggests some of the existing annotations may be inaccurate or alternative transcripts may not be fully characterized. Using Iso-Seq we detected thousands of novel isoforms, indicating many isoforms are absent in the current Ensembl gene annotations. In addition, we refined many of the existing annotations within the genome. We noted many improperly positioned transcription start sites that were refined with long-read sequencing. The Iso-Seq predicted transcription start sites were more accurate, verified through ATAC-seq. We were also able to detect many alternative splicing events between sexes and across tissues. We found a substantial number of genes in both somatic and gonad tissue that had sex-specific isoforms. Our study highlights the power of long-read sequencing to study the complexity of transcriptomes, greatly improving genomic resources for the threespine stickleback fish.
Attention Based Dynamic Graph Learning Framework for Asset Pricing

Recent studies suggest that financial networks play an essential role in asset valuation and investment decisions. Unlike road networks, financial networks are neither given nor static, posing significant challenges in learning meaningful networks and promoting their applications in price prediction. In this paper, we first apply the attention mechanism to connect the "dots" (firms) and learn dynamic network structures among stocks over time. Next, the end-to-end graph neural networks pipeline diffuses and propagates the firms' accounting fundamentals into the learned networks and ultimately predicts stock future returns. The proposed model reduces the prediction errors by 6% compared to the state-of-the-art models. Our results are robust with different assessment measures. We also show that portfolios based on our model outperform the S&P-500 index by 34% in terms of Sharpe Ratio, suggesting that our model is better at capturing the dynamic inter-connection among firms and identifying stocks with fast recovery from major events. Further investigation on the learned networks reveals that the network structure aligns closely with the market conditions. Finally, with an ablation study, we investigate different alternative versions of our model and the contribution of each component.
Multigravity and the cosmological constant

The possibility of flat metric solutions in the presence of arbitrary, in particular, Planck mass sized cosmological constants is investigated within multigravity theory, the ghost-free theory of $(N+1)$ rank-2 tensor fields comprising one massless and $N$ massive spin-2 fields. It is found that, indeed, for any $N$, no matter how large, no flat solutions exist without fine-tuning parameters in the potential. For an infinite number of fields, however, flat solutions exist within an infinite-dimensional parameter space. Such a ground state may be viewed as a collective state that cannot be approximated by any finite $N$.
(Un)Lawfully Beautiful: The Legal (De)Construction of Female Beauty

Beautiful women are more revered, more desirable, and often times more employable than average-looking women. Despite an everincreasing awareness of women's issues today, little progress has been made to reverse the objectification of women's bodies. This Note asserts that various courts are helping deconstruct the idea that beautiful women should receive preferential treatment in the workplace, simply because they are beautiful. This Note contends that the law progressively is challenging social assumptions that favor traditionally beautiful women by telling employers that they can no longer demand a certain level of female attractiveness in certain contexts. By deemphasizing the general importance of the female body, the law implicitly is doing women of all shapes and sizes, races and skin tones, a favor immeasurable by any scale.
Interfacial Reaction in Aluminum/Carbon Multilayer Thin Films

The reaction at the interface between Al and amorphous C in Al/C multilayer thin films with modulation wavelengths of about 25nm and 125nm has been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy/selected area electron diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The reaction was found to take place in two steps. The first step onsets at about 300°C, and was identified as the diffusion of C into Al. The second step starts above 400°C, at a temperature strongly dependent on the modulation wavelength of the film, and is the formation of A14C3. The carbide has been observed to nucleate and grow inside the Al layers. The multilayer structure is preserved in the samples up to at least 550°C, and Al grains start to grow at or below 300°C.
Spinal opioid mu receptor expression in lumbar spinal cord of rats following nerve injury

Previous studies in rats have shown that spinal morphine loses potency and efficacy to suppress an acute nociceptive stimulus applied to the tail or the paw following injury to peripheral nerves by tight ligation of the L5/L6 spinal nerves. Additionally, intrathecal (i.th.) morphine is ineffective in suppressing tactile allodynia at fully antinociceptive doses in these animals. The molecular basis for this loss of morphine potency and efficacy in nerve injury states is not known. One possible explanation for this phenomenon is a generalized, multi-segmental loss of opioid mu (mu) receptors in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord after nerve injury. This hypothesis was tested here by determining whether nerve injury produces (a) a decrease in mu receptors in the lumbar spinal cord; (b) a decrease in the affinity of ligand-receptor interaction, (c) a decrease in the fraction of high-affinity state of the mu receptors and (d) a reduced ability of morphine to activate G-proteins via mu receptors. Lumbar spinal cord tissues were examined 7 days after the nerve injury, a time when stable allodynia was observed. At this point, no differences were observed in the receptor density or affinity of [3H]DAMGO (mu selective agonist) or [3H]CTAP (mu selective antagonist) in the dorsal quadrant of lumbar spinal cord ipsilateral to nerve injury. Additionally, no change in morphine's potency and efficacy in activating G-proteins was observed. In contrast, staining for mu opioid receptors using mu-selective antibodies revealed a discrete loss of mu opioid receptors localized ipsilateral to the nerve injury and specific for sections taken at the L6 level. At these spinal segments, mu opioid receptors were decreased in laminae I and II. The data indicate that the loss of mu opioid receptors are highly localized and may contribute to the loss of morphine activity involving input at these spinal segments (e.g., foot-flick response). On the other hand, the lack of a generalized loss of opioid mu receptors across spinal segments makes it unlikely that this is the primary cause for the loss of potency and efficacy of mu opioids to suppress multi-segmental reflexes, such as the tail-flick response.
eMoose: a memory aid for software developers

Developers rely on knowledge of project artifacts to avoid usage errors and on knowledge of their activities to maintain orientation and trace decisions. Unfortunately, human memory is unreliable, and existing documentation practices are costly and limited in their ability to draw attention to preserved knowledge. We propose a unified memory aid aimed at addressing these problems using episodic and contextual presentations of lightweight subjective knowledge elements supplied by the developers and objective events elicited from IDE monitors. In particular, directives on call targets are pushed into the attention of client code authors.
The expression of integrin subunits α6 and β4 by corneal epithelial cells on modified hydrogel surfaces

Our goal was to quantitate the expression and localization of integrin subunits alpha 6 and beta 4 by corneal epithelial cells on defined synthetic substrates. Previously we demonstrated that the cytoplasmic pH and translocation of the alpha 6 integrin subunit to the cell membrane was modified by ionic interactions. These results suggest that changes in the ionic interactions at the cell-substrate interface not only alter the intracellular milieu but ultimately affect the expression of adhesion proteins. To test this hypothesis, hydroxyethylmethacrylate (hema) hydrogels were modified by the addition of amines (N,N-dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate) or carboxyl moieties (methacrylic acid). Changes in the distribution of mRNA and protein were monitored using confocal laser scanning microscopy. The steady state level of integrin mRNA was evaluated, and the results indicate that while the plating efficiency was identical on all surfaces, the expression and localization of integrin subunits was surface dependent. Alpha 6 and beta 4 proteins were localized along the basal surface of nonpermeabilized cells cultured on laminin, on surfaces with amine moieties, and on those with amine and carboxyl moieties. The level of diffuse cytoplasmic staining increased with the presence of carboxyl moieties. Alpha 6 and beta 4 integrin subunits were negligible when the surfaces contained carboxyl moieties alone. The expression of alpha 6 and beta 4 mRNA was higher on surfaces containing amine moieties than on surfaces containing only carboxyl moieties. These results indicate that the characteristics of the substrate and the resulting cell-matrix interaction alter protein and mRNA expression of integrin subunits.
Log power representation of EEG spectral bands for the recognition of emotional states of mind

We present a new computational technique for obtaining effective spectral feature metrics from EEG data for the recognition of emotional states of mind. Sequences of 256 channel EEG data captured by applying appropriate stimuli patterns are analyzed to establish the spatiotemporal relationships of the signals for different emotional states. The signal sequence in each channel of the EEG data is decomposed into five specific spectral bands (delta, theta, alpha, beta and gamma bands) by a series of discrete wavelet transformations. Logarithmic compression of the spectral power values for each frequency band creates an effective set of features to represent different emotional states. The EEG data is preprocessed using a band-pass filter to remove frequency outliers, a notch filter to eliminate 60Hz line noise, and a surface Laplacian montage to reduce the effect of ocular artifacts. EEG data of five subjects for five different emotions were recorded by our dense array data acquisition system (Geodesic EEG System 300 from EGI, Inc.) with visual stimuli patterns from the International Affective Picture System. A trained multi-layer perceptron network based classifier is used to categorize the extracted feature sets to the respective emotional states of mind. It is experimentally observed that the new set of features could achieve 94.27% average recognition rate across five different emotions, which is a significant improvement over other state of the art feature representation methods.
Some simple basis sets for accurate 13c chemical shift calculations

Abstract Two relatively simple basis sets reproduce 13 C chemical shifts in small molecules and simple first-row hydrides to an accuracy comparable to or better than previous more extensive bases. The bases are essentially triple-zeta valence sets with one set of d polarization functions on heavy atoms and double- or triple-zeta with no polarization on hydrogen. Hydrogen shifts are marginally acceptable on an absolute scale but surprisingly good on a relative scale.
Positron emission tomography and leiomyomas: Clinicopathologic analysis of 3 cases of PET scan-positive leiomyomas and literature review

Abstract Introduction Studies have suggested that PET scans can differentiate between leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas. Our experience, however, shows that PET scan-positive smooth muscle tumors are not necessarily malignant. Case reports Three patients with cancer underwent PET imaging. In all three, the most worrisome finding was a PET scan-positive uterine tumor. After surgical extirpation, all three uterine tumors were found to be benign smooth muscle neoplasms. Discussion To explore the potential reason these tumors were positive on PET imaging, we performed a detailed histopathologic and immunohistochemical study of all specimens. Pathologic evaluation revealed a leiomyoma, a cellular leiomyoma, and a stromomyoma. There was no association between an increased Ki67 (proliferative) index and positivity on PET imaging. Increased vascularity, however, appeared to be a feature common to the leiomyomas that were PET-positive.
Affording Emerging Adulthood: Parental Financial Assistance of their College-Aged Children

The purpose of this study was to examine parents’ attitudes about and patterns of providing financial assistance to their children during college, and how varying levels of parental financial support were related to children’s beliefs (e.g., perceptions of adulthood), behaviors (e.g., work hours, drinking, and drug use), and identity development. The sample consisted of 402 undergraduate students (62% women) recruited from four college sites across the United States (M age = 19.89), and one of their parents (310 mothers and 92 fathers). Using cluster analysis, results suggested four distinct approaches to parental financial involvement and found that emerging adults’ beliefs, behaviors, and identity development differed as a function of parents’ cluster membership. Discussion focuses on implications for emerging adult children whose parents endorse varying levels of financial involvement.
Hispanic patients with head and neck cancer do not have a worse prognosis than Anglo-American patients

This study was undertaken to determine whether the survival of Hispanic patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck was different from that of Anglo-American patients. The charts of 275 male patients with a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck at one Veterans Administration Hospital were reviewed in an attempt to identify prognostic indicators for both ethnic groups. No differences were observed between Anglo-American and Hispanic patients with respect to sites of the primary tumor, age at diagnosis, performance status, or the frequency of surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy; however, there was a tendency for Hispanic patients to have received more treatment. There also was a trend (P = 0.12) for Hispanic patients to have a more advanced stage of cancer. Hispanic patients lost significantly more weight (P less than 0.001) and had significantly lower serum albumin levels (P less than 0.0001). According to the results of multivariate survival analyses, the variables that were predictive of a poor prognosis included advanced stage of disease, decreased serum albumin levels, increased weight loss, administration of chemotherapy, lack of radiation therapy or surgery, and advanced age. Ethnicity was not a significant predictor of survival either in univariate analyses, or within patients with the same stage of disease, or after adjustment for other prognostic factors. In conclusion, the natural history of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck is the same for Hispanic and Anglo-American patients.
Combining participatory crop trials and experimental auctions to estimate farmer preferences for improved common bean in Rwanda

Abstract Participatory crop improvement raises the prospects for developing seed varieties that meet the needs of subsistence farmers but may face challenges regarding preference elicitation, particularly in complicated policy environments. We integrate binding experimental auctions with participatory variety selection to elicit farmers’ preferences for improved common bean varieties in Rwanda. We find that auctions reveal farmer preferences more accurately than stated nonbinding rankings in this context and that participatory on-farm crop research is essential to understanding how farmers evaluate tradeoffs between multiple crop attributes. We also find that farmers highly value intercrop yield despite government policy that encourages farmers to monocrop.
Segmenting time series with a hybrid neural networks - hidden Markov model

This paper describes work on a hybrid HMM/ANN system for finding patterns in a time series, where a pattern is a function that can be approximated by a recurrent neural network embedded in the state of a hidden Markov model. The most likely path of the hidden Markov model is used both for re-training the HMM/ANN model and for segmenting the time series into pattern occurrences. The number of patterns is determined from the data by first increasing the number of networks as long as the likelihood of the segmentation increases, then reducing this number to satisfy an MDL criterion. In experiments with artificial data the algorithm correctly identified the generating functions. Preliminary results with robot data show that potentially useful patterns that can be associated with low-level concepts can be induced this way.
Analysis of kafirin promoter activity in transgenic tobacco seeds

Sequences corresponding to 855 bp of 5′ promoter region and the transit peptide from ⋋GK.1, a genomic clone encoding a 22 kDa α-kafirin seed protein from sorghum, were translationally fused to a cloned β-glucuronidase (GUS) coding sequence from uidA and transferred to tobacco via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. No GUS expression was detectable at any stage of growth in stems or leaves of these plants. However, GUS expression was detected in both embryo and endosperm tissues of resulting tobacco seeds 10–15 days after flowering. Dissected tissues indicate endosperm expression was localized within the bulk endosperm and not within the parenchyma cell layer underlying the integument. These studies also demonstrate that within dissected tobacco embryos, expression from the kafirin promoter was restricted to the mesocotyl region.
Increased Transplantation of Kidneys With Multiple Renal Arteries in the Laparoscopic Live Donor Nephrectomy Era: Surgical Technique and Surgical and Nonsurgical Donor and Recipient Outcomes

Background: For anatomical and technical reasons, many transplant centers restrict laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy (in contrast with open live donor nephrectomy) to left kidneys. Hypothesis: This change in surgical practice increases procurement and transplantation rates of live donor kidneys with multiple renal arteries (RAs), without affecting donor and recipient outcomes. Design and Setting: Retrospective review at an academic tertiary care referral center comparing laparoscopically procured single- vs multiple-RA kidney grafts (April 1997 to October 2000). Patients: Seventy-nine consecutive left laparoscopic live kidney donors and 78 transplant recipients. Main Outcome Measures: Donor and recipient complications and postoperative length of stay; cold and warm ischemia time; operating time; short-term and long-term graft function; and survival. Results: We noted multiple RAs in 21 (27%) of all kidneys. The proportion of donors with 1 or more perioperative complications was 19% in the single-RA group vs 10% in the multiple-RA group (P was not significant). For the recipients, we noted no significant differences between groups with respect to surgical complications, quality of early and late graft function, rejection rates, graft losses (all immunologic), and graft survival. Cold and warm ischemia time and length of stay were similar for donors and recipients in both groups. Median operating times were significantly longer for the multiple-RA vs single-RA group (difference, 41 minutes for donors and 45 minutes for recipients; P<.02). Conclusions: While the introduction of laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy has significantly increased the number of grafts with multiple RAs (compared with historical open controls), this change in practice is safe for both donors and recipients from a patient outcome-based perspective. However, from an economic perspective, the longer operating time associated with multiple-RA grafts provides strong added rationale for optimization of surgical instruments and techniques to make right-sided laparoscopic nephrectomy a routine intervention.
A complementary volume approach for modelling three‐dimensional Navier—Stokes equations using dual delaunay/voronoi tessellations

We describe a new mathematical approach for deriving and solving covolume models of the three‐dimensional, incompressible Navier—Stokes flow equations. The approach integrates three technical components into a single modelling algorothm: automatic grid generation; covolume equation generation; dual variable reduction.
When a parent goes off to war: Exploring the issues faced by adolescents and their families

The objectives of this study were (1) to explore the consequences of parental deployment for adolescents and their families and (2) to identify potential strategies that may help adolescents cope with a parent's deployment. Eleven focus groups were conducted among adolescents in military families, military parents, and school personnel in military-impacted schools at five military bases. Findings reveal that one of the most prominent sources of stress for families is adjusting and readjusting to new roles and responsibilities. Notably, this stress was primarily felt after the deployed parent returned. School personnel also commented that many teachers and counselors are not prepared to deal with deployment issues among the military students. These findings suggest that parents need to be better prepared to handle the stresses after a deployed parent returns. School personnel also need special training, and military-impacted schools need to offer additional opportunities for students to discuss deployment ...
Individual Isomers of Dinucleoside Boranophosphates as Synthons for Incorporation into Oligonucleotides: Synthesis and Configurational Assignment

Individual isomers of the protected boranophosphates 5a and 5b, i.e., the N6-benzyl-2′-deoxy-5′-O-(4,4′-dimethoxytrityl)adenosin-3′-yl 2′-deoxy-4-O-(4-nitrophenyl)uridin-5′-yl boranophosphates, were synthesized via stereospecific silylation and boronation of their H-phosphonate precursors. 2D-NMR Spectroscopic studies yielded an initial assignment of the isomer configuration, which was further confirmed unambiguously by a parallel chemical synthesis. Deprotection of the `dimers' 5a and 5b yielded the individual [P(R)]- and [P(S)]-isomers 7a and 7b, respectively, i.e., the 2′-deoxyadenosin-3′-yl 2′-deoxycytidin-5′-yl boranophosphates. Their substrate properties toward phosphodiesterase I were identical to those of the previously characterized isomers of dithymidine boranophosphate. The protected `dimers' 5a and 5b can be used as synthons to incorporate the boranophosphate linkage with a defined configuration to selected positions of an oligonucleotide chain.
DETERMINATION OF THE STABLE MICROSTATES OF A PEPTIDE FROM NOE DISTANCE CONSTRAINTS AND OPTIMIZATION OF ATOMIC SOLVATION PARAMETERS

A methodology for analyzing nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) data of interconverting microstates of a peptide has been suggested recently, which is based on pure statistical mechanical considerations. Thus, the most stable microstates and their populations are determined from the free energies. The success of this approach depends on the existence of a reliable potential energy function for the solvated peptide, in which the solvent is treated implicitly. Such a potential is developed here based on the stable structures of the cyclic hexapeptide cyclo(d-Pro1-Phe2-Ala3-Ser4-Phe5-Phe6) in DMSO obtained by Kessler et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1992, 114, 4805−4818) from NOE distance constraints. This study suggests that two different backbone motifs coexist in equilibrium, one with a βI turn and the other with a βII turn around Ser4-Phe5. We have first reconfirmed these findings by a best-fit analysis applied to a large set of energy-minimized structures generated by our “local torsional deformations” (LTD) metho...
SPOONERISMS: THE STRUCTURE OF ERRORS IN THE SERIAL ORDER OF SPEECH

Spoonerisms are defined as involuntary rearrangements of elements in the serial order of speech, as when waste the term is produced as taste the werm. An analysis of 124 Spoonerisms in the natural speech of Germans showed that: 1. 1. Identical phonemes usually preceded (or followed) the reversed phonemes. 2. 2. Reversals preceding identical phonemes were as common as reversals following identical phonemes. 3. 3. Reversed phonemes usually had similar articulatory form, i.e. voicing, nasality, openness, and syllabic position were usually similar. But the place of articulation of reversed phonemes differed more frequently than would be expected by chance. Without serious revision chain-association theories appeared incapable of explaining these and other aspects of Spoonerisms. An alternative theory of serial order was proposed which had potential application not only to the pronunciation of words, but to the syntax of other forms of behavior and perception as well.
The bonding in FeC5H+5

Abstract The computed binding energy of 77 ± 10 kcal/mol for the 2 E 2 state of Fe + −C 5 H 5 is in reasonable agreement with the experimental value of 88 ± 7 kcal/mol. The Fe + binding energy for C 5 H 5 is much larger than that found for C 6 H 6 , as found in experiment. While the electrostatic bonding in FEC 6 H + 6 is enhanced by Fe to Ligand π * donation, the electrostatic bonding in FeC 5 H + 5 is enhanced by the formation of a bond between the open-shell π orbital on C 5 H 5 and Fe + .
The strengthening and repair of underground structures: A new approach to the management of nuclear waste

This paper presents three closely related ideas and technologies: (1) The secure, repairable, long time confinement of nuclear radioactive waste underground by a large surrounding region of compres...
Factors and fictions in person perception: A reply to lamiell, Foss, and Cavenee1

The systematic distortion hypothesis states that under difficult memory conditions judges infer what “must” have happened from their general model of what the world is like and/or find it easier to retrieve conceptually affiliated memory items. The hypothesis further states that lay conceptual schemes “tend to be innacurate with respect to how behaviors covary, confusing ‘what is like what’ with ‘what goes with what’” (Shweder & D'Andrade, 1979), and that interbehavior correlations derived from memory-based ratings cannot be considered valid evidence for the objective existence of proposed personality traits, factors or syndromes. The systematic distortion hypothesis is clarified with reference to the Lamiell, Foss, and Cavenee “critique” (1980). That “critique,” it is argued, is neither a test of the systematic distortion hypothesis nor a critique. What Lamiell, Foss, and Cavenee demonstrate is that the validity of the systematic distortion hypothesis does not depend upon the unrealistic assumption that observers are capable of reporting only what they expect to see.
Bandwidth Based Performance Optimization of Multi-threaded Applications

Multiple threads running on a multi-core processor can improve the performance of a parallel application significantly. However, effective scaling of threads and cores plays a key role to achieve optimal performance because performance does not necessarily improve with increasing number of cores. Multi-threaded applications suffer due to thread synchronization, negative interference in shared memory including last level cache and main memory. Memory bandwidth also often limits the performance of a multi-threaded workload. In this paper we propose a method to achieve optimal scalability on multi-core platform and predict the bandwidth requirement of parallel workloads for a given number of threads. We employ the proposed method to improve the performance of bandwidth limited parallel applications. We find that DRAM access has various phases and use the highest bandwidth among all phases to predict the performance of a given workload on multi-threaded environment. We evaluate our proposed method using Gem5 multi-core simulator and the experimental results show that the phase based bandwidth utilization method can estimate the optimal number of threads for a given parallel workload and has low prediction error.
A structurally simplified analogue of geldanamycin exhibits neuroprotective activity.

The syntheses of a structurally simplified geldanamycin analogue 2 and two related compounds are described. Compound 2 conferred cytoprotection and quenched ROS and lipid peroxidation in a dose-dependent manner in Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) lymphocytes at low micromolar concentrations. It also prevented ROS-induced damage of cellular lipid membranes and maintained the mitochondrial membrane potential of FRDA lymphocytes. In addition, 2 did not inhibit Hsp90 when tested at micromolar concentrations, exhibited no cytotoxicity, and afforded neuroprotection to differentiated SH-SY5Y cells under conditions of Aβ-induced cell toxicity.