cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF WATERCRAFT NOISE ON THE ACOUSTIC BEHAVIOR OF BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS, TURSIOPS TRUNCATUS, IN SARASOTA BAY, FLORIDA

Watercraft may provide the greatest source of anthropogenic noise for bottlenose dolphins living in coastal waters. A resident community of about 140 individuals near Sarasota, Florida, are exposed to a vessel passing within 100 m approximately every six minutes during daylight hours. I investigated the circumstances under which watercraft traffic may impact the acoustic behavior of this community, specifically looking for short-term changes in whistle frequency range, duration, and rate of production. To analyze whistles and received watercraft noise levels, acoustic recordings were made using two hydrophones towed from an observation vessel during focal animal follows of 14 individual dolphins. The duration and frequency range of signature whistles did not change significantly relative to vessel approaches. However, dolphins whistled significantly more often at the onset of approaches compared to during and after vessel approaches. Whistle rate was also significantly greater at the onset of a vessel approach than when no vessels were present. Increased whistle repetition as watercraft approach may simply reflect heightened arousal, an increased motivation for animals to come closer together, with whistles functioning to promote reunions. It may also be an effective way to compensate for signal masking, maintaining communication in a noisy environment.
A naturally occurring all-cis 6,9,12,15-Octadecatetraenoic acid in plant oils

Oil extracted from freshly ground seed ofOnosmodium occidentale contains 9-oleic, 9,12-linoleic, 6,9,12-linolenic, 9,12,15-linolenic, 6,9,12, 15-octadecatetraenoic and 11-eicosenoic as unsaturated fatty acids. Column chromatography employing silicic acid-silver nitrate, and oxidation with permanganate-periodate was used in conjunction with GLC to confirm the structures of the unsaturated acids. Oils extracted from other members of the Boraginaceae family also contain the 6,9,12, linolenic and octadecatetraenoic acids.
An analytical electron microscopy investigation of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash

Incinerator bottom ash samples have been characterized using analytical electron microscopy (AEM) techniques, including electron diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy. The samples were first separated by magnetic properties and density. Three resulting fractions were examined: the magnetic, high-density (MHD) fraction, the nonmagnetic/high-density (NMHD) fraction, and the nonmagnetic, low-density (NMLD) fraction. Examination of these samples revealed a variety of submicron microstructural features. For the MHD fraction, metal oxides, iron silicates, aluminum silicates, and calcium phosphate compounds were found in addition to amorphous material. The NMHD fraction contained elements similar to the MHD fraction but had more amorphous material; crystalline silicates were less common. Compounds such as MgO and chloroapatite were also found. The NMLD fraction contained SiO2 and numerous metal oxides. The results of some of these analyses were used to model leaching behavior of the ash. Based on the AEM results, three mineral phases were chosen as candidates for aqueous geochemical thermodynamic equilibrium modeling of pH-dependent leaching: chromite, chloroapatite, and zincite. In two of these three cases (chromite, chloroapatite), the selected mineral phase provided excellent agreement with the experimentally observed leaching behavior. AEM was shown to be a useful tool for elucidating mineralogy of complex environmental samples.
Biodegradation of 17β-Estradiol, Estrone and Testosterone in Stream Sediments

Biodegradation of 17β-estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), and testosterone (T) was investigated in three wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) affected streams in the United States. Relative differences in the mineralization of [4-14C] substrates were assessed in oxic microcosms containing saturated sediment or water-only from locations upstream and downstream of the WWTP outfall in each system. Upstream sediment demonstrated significant mineralization of the “A” ring of E2, E1, and T, with biodegradation of T consistently greater than that of E2 and no systematic difference in E2 and E1 biodegradation. “A” ring mineralization also was observed in downstream sediment, with E1 and T mineralization being substantially depressed relative to upstream samples. In marked contrast, E2 mineralization in sediment immediately downstream from the WWTP outfalls was more than double that in upstream sediment. E2 mineralization was observed in water, albeit at insufficient rate to prevent substantial downstream transport. The re...
Fertility profile and its correlates in a rural population of Dehradun district

The midterm objective of the National Population Policy (NPP) formulated in the year 2000 is to bring the total fertility rate (TFR) to the replacement level of 2.1 by 2010. No study regarding the fertility status and its related variables has been conducted in the newly formed state of Uttaranchal till date. The National Family Health Survey -II (NFHS-II) was conducted prior to the formation of the state and therefore its findings pertain to the undivided state of Uttar Pradesh. The objective of the present study covering a large sample of 2278 ever-married women was to estimate the fertility rates in different areas and among different groups in 20 villages around the capital city of the newly-formed state of Uttaranchal. (excerpt)
Transverse plane pelvic rotation in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: primary or compensatory?

Several studies have suggested that the pelvis is involved in the etiology or pathogenesis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The purpose of this retrospective, cross-sectional radiographic study is to identify any correlation between the transverse plane rotational position of the pelvis in stance and operative-size idiopathic or congenital scoliosis deformities, using Scheuermann’s kyphosis and isthmic spondylolisthesis patients for comparison. The hypothesis tested was that the direction of transverse pelvic rotation is the same as that for a thoracic scoliosis. As a group, AIS patients had a significant transverse plane pelvic rotation in the same direction as the thoracic curve. When subdivided into the six Lenke curve patterns, this was true for the groups with a major thoracic curve: thoracic (1), double thoracic (2) and double curve patterns (3). It was not true for patterns with a major thoracolumbar/lumbar curve: single thoracolumbar/lumbar (5) and double thoracic-thoracolumbar/lumbar (6). Nor was it true for triple (4) curves. The Lenke 1 and 2 major thoracic curves without compensatory thoracolumbar/lumbar curves did not have the predicted pelvic rotation. All congenital scoliosis patients studied had main thoracic curves and significant transverse plane pelvic rotation in the same direction as the thoracic curve. There was no transverse plane pelvic rotation in the Scheuermann’s kyphosis or isthmic spondylolisthesis patients. We interpret these findings as consistent with a compensatory rotation of the pelvis in the same direction as the main thoracic curve in most patients with a compensatory thoracolumbar/lumbar curve as well as in patients with main thoracic congenital scoliosis.
Probabilistic Object Tracking With Dynamic Attributed Relational Feature Graph

Object tracking is one of the fundamental problems in computer vision and has received considerable attention in the past two decades. The success of a tracking algorithm relies on two key issues: 1) an effective representation so that the object being tracked can be distinguished from the background and other objects and 2) an update scheme of the object representation to accommodate object appearance and structure changes. Despite the progress made in the past, reliable and efficient tracking of objects with changing appearance remains a challenging problem. In this paper, a novel sparse, local feature-based object representation, the attributed relational feature graph, is proposed to solve this problem. The object is modeled using invariant features such as the scale-invariant feature transform and the geometric relations among features are encoded in the form of a graph. A dynamic model is developed to evolve the feature graph according to the appearance and structure changes by adding new stable features as well as removing inactive features. Extensive experiments show that our method can achieve reliable tracking even under significant appearance changes, view point changes, and occlusion.
Immunohistochemical and molecular analysis of tyrosine kinase activity in desmoid tumors.

Background Optimal surgical and medical therapy for the treatment of desmoid tumors (DT) is still undefined. Partial response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) has previously been described. Here, we examined the role of the tyrosine kinases c-Src and c-Kit in driving desmoid tumorigenesis. Methods Six consecutive DT and matched normal tissues were collected from the operating room. Tissues were embedded in paraffin for immunohistochemical analysis, and protein lysates were prepared for immunoblot and immunoprecipitation. Results We found increased levels of β-catenin in five of six (83%) DT relative to matched normal tissue by immunblot analysis. By immunohistochemistry, β-catenin expression was also increased in DT and localized to the nucleus. In contrast, we observed variable levels of total and activated c-Src and c-Kit expression in DT compared with normal tissue. Finally, β-catenin tyrosine phosphorylation (p-Y) among tumors was variably increased, despite the increased amount of total β-catenin in tumors. Conclusions Our results suggest that c-Src and c-Kit activity in DT is variable, consistent with the heterogeneous nature of this disease. Clinical response to TKI in DT may be via alternative mechanisms unrelated to c-Src or c-Kit activity. Further insight into DT biology will help identify novel drug regimens to limit the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease.
X-ray characterization of oriented β-tantalum films

Tantalum (Ta) metal films (10–70 nm) were deposited on a Si(100) substrate with a 500 nm silicon dioxide (SiO2) interlayer by ion-beam-assisted sputtering. The as-deposited films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray reflectivity (XRR) techniques. XRD measurements showed the presence of films of the tetragonal phase of tantalum (β-Ta) oriented along the (00l) plane. XRR measurements indicated the presence of graded Ta films, with a thin interface layer between the 500 nm SiO2 layer and the Ta films. The thickness and density of this interface layer was estimated to be 1.9±0.2 nm and 10.5±0.5 g/cm3, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to probe the chemical composition of this interface layer. XPS investigative studies indicated that the interface was likely composed of tantalum silicide (TaSi2) and tantalum silicate (TaSiOx). However, the TaSiOx layer was reduced during Ar ion sputter depth profile analysis.
Melatonin increases cleavage rate of porcine preimplantation embryos in vitro

Melatonin has been used to promote in vitro embryo development in different species. This study determined the effects of melatonin on in vitro porcine embryo development; in particular, cleavage rate, blastocyst rate, and blastocyst cell number. Starting 5 hr after insemination, porcine zygotes were cultured in porcine zygote medium 3 (PZM-3) culture medium supplemented with melatonin at increasing concentrations (10(-12) M, 10(-9) M, 10(-6) M, 10(-3) M). Melatonin at a concentration of 10(-9) M had a positive effect on cleavage rates, while the highest concentration of melatonin (10(-3) M) significantly decreased cleavage rates. Although blastocyst rates were not increased by 10(-9) M melatonin, blastocyst cell numbers were significantly higher for embryos subjected to 10(-9) M melatonin. The expression levels of the pro-apoptotic gene BAX and anti-apoptotic gene BCL2L1 in blastocysts were not affected by the presence of melatonin in the culture medium. To further study the protective properties of 10(-9) M melatonin against stressful conditions, hydrogen peroxide (0.01 mm) and heat (40 degrees C) were used during embryo culture. The addition of melatonin to embryos subjected to 40 degrees C for 3 hr increased cleavage rates, but had no protective effect for embryos subjected to 0.01 mm H(2)O(2), probably because the physiological levels of melatonin could not counteract the pharmacological levels of H(2)O(2). Our data indicate that 10(-9) M melatonin has a positive effect on porcine embryo cleavage rates and blastocyst total cell numbers and it might have a protective effect against heat stress.
A file storage implementation for very large distributed systems

The issues that must be considered in structuring file storage for very large distributed systems are discussed. The authors describe the distributed file system they are developing, which is called FACE (file system for ACE). The first prototype of FACE consists of a series of enhancements to Sun's network file system (NFS) in order to add a stashing capability. User processes interact with the system call interface to perform file and stashing operations. These operations may be invoked directly by user processes or by the FACE user-level routines. The FACE user-level routines implement diverse facilities to allow users to select the files that will be stashed (or dropped from the stash). The first FACE prototype is being implemented on a Sun 3/50 computer running Suri's Unix 4.2 release 3.3. >
Making journals accessible front & back: examining open journal systems at CSU Northridge

Purpose – This study aims to examine Public Knowledge Project (PKP) Open Journal Systems (OJS) for its overall web accessibility and compliance with the Federal Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility and Compliance Act, also known as Section 508. Design/methodology/approach – Twenty-one individual web pages in the CSUN test instance of PKP’s OJS version 2.4.0 used in three back-end journal development user roles were examined using three web-accessibility tools (WAVE, Fangs, Functional Accessibility Evaluator). Errors in accessibility were then logged and mapped to specific Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) criteria. Findings – In all, 202 accessibility errors were reported across the 21 OJS pages selected for testing. Because of this, the OJS cannot be efficiently utilized by assistive technologies and therefore does not pass the minimal level of acceptability as described in the WCAG 2.0. However, the authors found that the types of errors reported in this study could be simply an...
ICT Governance and What to Do About the Toothless Tiger(s): Professional Organizations and Codes of Ethics

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been with us for many years and in the past ten years there has been a growing interest in something called “ICT Governance” as a means of reducing information system disasters. There have been national organizations formed, professional organizations have organized sub-committees to address ICT Governance and it has even been called a “discipline”. The unwrapping of this concept, like many concepts, has several inconsistent interpretations and ineffective implementations in industry. In some cases the concept has been modified to meet a particular sectors needs. This broadening of concepts to fit individual needs is not new and sometimes is quite useful. There is however a fundamental mistake in the narrowness of most interpretations of ICT Governance which make it less likely that it will achieve its ultimate goals. I believe this mistake can and should be addressed by professional computing organizations. In what follows I will examine the various approaches to ICT governance, the difficulty it tries to address and I will argue for what I consider its critical limitations. I will than show how professional organizations can address the weakness of ICT governance using tools they already have at hand.
Studies of casein micelle structure: the past and the present

At the heart of the milk system are the colloidal casein-calcium-transport complexes termed the casein micelles. The application of physical chemical techniques such as light, neutron, and X-ray scattering, and Electron Microscopy (EM) has yielded a wealth of experimental detail concerning the structure of the casein micelle. From these experimental data bases have arisen two conflicting models for the internal structure of the casein micelle. One model emphasizes protein submicellar structures as the dominant feature, while the other proposes that inorganic calcium phosphate nanoclusters serve this function. In this study, these models are critically examined in light of the two current primary dogmas of structural biology which are: protein structure gives rise to function and that competent and productive protein-protein interactions (associations) will lead to efficient transit through the mammary secretory apparatus. In this light an overwhelming argument can be made for the formation of proteinaceous complexes (submicelles) as the formative agents in the synthesis of casein micelles in mammary tissue. Whether these submicelles persist in milk has been questioned. Recently we have carried out studies on casein micelles and submicelles using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and high resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to gain insights on the nature of protein-protein interactions in submicelles and micelles from a structural biology perspective. The results provide experimental evidence that protein-protein interactions are important in the formation and stabilization of casein micelles. milk / micelle / casein / structure / protein-protein interaction
Electromechanics of the heart: a unified approach to the strongly coupled excitation-contraction problem

This manuscript is concerned with a novel, unified finite element approach to fully coupled cardiac electromechanics. The intrinsic coupling arises from both the excitation-induced contraction of cardiac cells and the deformation-induced generation of current due to the opening of ion channels. In contrast to the existing numerical approaches suggested in the literature, which devise staggered algorithms through distinct numerical methods for the respective electrical and mechanical problems, we propose a fully implicit, entirely finite element-based modular approach. To this end, the governing differential equations that are coupled through constitutive equations are recast into the corresponding weak forms through the conventional isoparametric Galerkin method. The resultant non-linear weighted residual terms are then consistently linearized. The system of coupled algebraic equations obtained through discretization is solved monolithically. The put-forward modular algorithmic setting leads to an unconditionally stable and geometrically flexible framework that lays a firm foundation for the extension of constitutive equations towards more complex ionic models of cardiac electrophysiology and the strain energy functions of cardiac mechanics. The performance of the proposed approach is demonstrated through three-dimensional illustrative initial boundary-value problems that include a coupled electromechanical analysis of a biventricular generic heart model.
Co-constructing distributed leadership: district and school connections in data-driven decision-making

The purpose of this paper is to examine leadership practices in school systems that are implementing data-driven decision-making employing the theory of distributed leadership. With the advent of No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) in the US, educational leaders are now required to analyse, interpret and use data to make informed decisions in all areas of education, ranging from professional development to student learning. The emphasis on data-driven decision-making practices to bring about improved student outcomes is relatively a new feature of the education reform landscape and thus requires educators to learn and develop new competences. Leadership is one crucial bridge that can support and direct these new learning efforts. Using qualitative data from a case study of four urban school systems, the authors’ findings indicate that: (1) leaders at all levels co-constructed the vision and implementation of productive data-driven decision-making by creating an ethos of learning and continuous improve...
Cultural context of cognitive development

UNLABELLED The cognitive problems that children formulate and solve in their daily lives necessarily take form in a cultural context. We review and illustrate two dominant approaches to study relations between cultural context and cognitive development, and we point to the limitations and affordances of each. Using a dichotomous approach, scholars employ a methodology that sharply differentiates cognition from cultural context, treating elements of cultural context as independent variables and elements of cognition as dependent variables. The approach often leads to propositions about transcultural features of context that influence the cognitive development of individuals. In contrast, using an intrinsic relations approach, researchers create units of analysis that capture relations between cognition and cultural context, investigating their mutual grounding in daily activities. We also review a small but important body of research that extends these approaches to diachronic analysis. This research seeks to understand shifting relations between cultural context and cognitive development over historical time. WIREs Cogn Sci 2014, 5:447-461. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1300 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. CONFLICT OF INTEREST The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.
Optimization and Guidance of Penetration Landing Trajectories in a Windshear

This paper is concerned with the optimization and guidance of penetration landing trajectories in a windshear. It is assumed that the aircraft is controlled by means of the angle of attack and the power setting. For the optimal trajectory, the performance index being minimized measures the deviation of the flight trajectory from the nominal trajectory. In turn, the nominal trajectory includes two parts: the approach part (nominal glide slope constant) and the flare part (nominal glide slope varying linearly with the horizontal distance). The final conditions are these: (i) the touchdown path inclination is specified; (ii) the touchdown velocity is to be in a specified range; and (iii) the touchdown distance is to be in a specified range. The numerical results show that the optimal trajectory deviates somewhat from the nominial trajectory in the shear region; the deviation increases as the windshear intensity increases; however, the optimal trajectory recovers gradually the nominal trajectory in the aftershear region. In addition, the point of minimum velocity occurs at the end of the shear. A guidance scheme is developed so as to approximate the optimal trajectory. In the guidance scheme, the angle of attack is determined by the windshear intensity, the absolute path inclination, and the glide slope angle, while the power setting is determined by the windshear intensity and the velocity. Numerical results indicate that the guidance trajectory is close to the optimal trajectory.
Progressive Unilateral Nasal Congestion, Facial Pain, and Vision Change in an Immunocompetent Patient

Aman in his 60s had an 8-month history of right-sided nasal congestion and rhinorrhea.Hehadnoclinicallysignificant improvement insymptomsdespitemultiplecourses of oral antibiotics. Over the previous 2 months, he had developed progressive rightsided facial swelling, pain, blurred vision, and a 6.8-kg weight loss. There was no historyof immunocompromiseor foreign travel.Acomputed tomographic (CT) scan at an outside hospital showed complete opacification and an invasiveprocess centered in the rightmaxillary sinus. Anendoscopicmaxillary antrostomyandbiopsy showed inflammatory changes and numerous fungal organisms consistentwith Aspergillus species. Thepatientwas startedon treatmentwith intravenous antifungal andbroad-spectrumantibiotics, andhewastransferred for furtherevaluationandmanagement. The patient’s examination was notable for right-sided facial and periorbital swelling, severepain, and limitationof lateral gazeof the right eye.A repeatedCTscan was completed (Figure). Quiz at jamaotolaryngology.com WHAT IS YOURDIAGNOSIS?
Differential Mother and Father Influences on the Educational Attainment of Black and White Women

This study examines the impacts of maternal and paternal influences on the educational attainment of women and whether these parental effects operate similarly for white and black women. Specifical...
Toward a Molecular Understanding of Adaptive Immunity: A Chronology, Part III.

By 1980 it was obvious that to more fully understand adaptive immunity, one needed to somehow reduce the tremendous complexity of antigen recognition by T cell populations. Thus, there were two developments that resulted in a paradigm shift in immunology, one being the generation of monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs), and the other the development of monoclonal functional antigen-specific T cell lines. For the first time, the cellular reagents became available to ask new questions as to how individual cells comprising the complex cell populations recognize and respond to changes in their molecular environments. The first successful generation of monoclonal T cells depended upon the understanding that antigen renders cells responsive to the antigen non-specific T cell growth factor that came to be termed interleukin-2 (IL-2), which could then be used in propagating large numbers of the progeny of single cells, which in turn could then be used for molecular analyses. Monoclonal functional human T cells were used to immunize mice to generate clone-specific (clonotypic) MoAbs, which then permitted the first biochemical characterizations of the antigen recognition elements of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) complex. Moreover, the use of monoclonal cytolytic and helper/inducer human T cell clones essentially proved that the T cell-specific molecules T4 (CD4) and T8 (CD8) functioned as accessory molecules in antigen recognition by defining MHC class II or class I restriction respectively. As well, the expression of the T3 (CD3) molecules, found to be common to all T cells, were shown further to be obligatory for functional antigen-specific T cell signaling. The monoclonal IL-2-dependent T cells were also instrumental in the isolation and purification of the IL-2 molecule to homogeneity, the first interleukin molecule to be identified and characterized. These advances then led to the generation of pure radiolabeled IL-2 molecules that were used to identify the first interleukin cellular receptors, and as well the generation of the first MoAbs reactive with both IL-2 and IL-2 receptors. All of these advances led subsequently to the isolation of the first cDNA clones recognizing one of the two chains comprising the T cell antigen recognition elements (β-chain), as well cDNA clones encoding IL-2. Accordingly, armed with all of these unique cellular and molecular reagents, it was possible to determine that antigen triggering of the TCR complex initiates IL-2 production and IL-2 receptor expression, which in turn initiate the T cell clonal proliferative expansion, envisioned by Burnet in his formulation of the clonal selection theory. Thus, adaptive immunity receives antigen-specific activation signals from the environment and turns them into antigen non-specific endogenous action signals.
Stability of the P-to-S energy ratio in the diffusive regime

We use the transport equations for elastic waves derived in Ryzhik et al. (1995) to obtain results about mode conversion that are of interest in seismology. These transport equations take into account the S -wave polarization and the P -to- S mode conversion. We also discuss the regime of deep coda waves where the diffusion approximation is valid. We show that the ratio of the P - and S -wave energy density equilibrates in a unique way that is independent of the details of the scattering. We note the relevance of this to the P/Lg energy stabilization observed in Hansen et al. (1990).
North American West Nile virus genotype isolates demonstrate differential replicative capacities in response to temperature.

The presence of West Nile virus (WNV) was first documented in California, USA, during the summer of 2003, and subsequently the virus has become endemic throughout the state. Sequence analysis has demonstrated that the circulating strains are representative of the North American (WN02) genotype that has displaced the East Coast genotype (NY99). A recent study has indicated that enhanced vector competence at elevated temperatures may have played a role in the displacement of the East Coast genotype by WN02. In the current study, four WN02 strains from California, including an initial 2003 isolate (COAV997), were compared to strain NY99 in growth curve assays in mosquito and duck embryonic fibroblast (DEF) cell lines at differing, biologically relevant temperatures to assess the relative temperature sensitivities of these natural isolates. COAV997 was significantly debilitated in viral replication in DEF cells at 44 °C. Full-length sequence comparison of COAV997 against the NY99 reference strain revealed non-synonymous mutations in the envelope glycoprotein (V159A), non-structural protein 1 (NS1) (K110N) and non-structural protein 4A (NS4A) (F92L), as well as two mutations in the 3′ UTR: C→T at nt 10 772 and A→G at nt 10 851. These non-synonymous mutations were introduced into the NY99 viral backbone by site-directed mutagenesis. A mutant containing the NS1-K110N and NS4A-F92L mutations exhibited a debilitated growth phenotype in DEF cells at 44 °C, similar to that of COAV997. One explanation for the subsistence of this genotype is that COAV997 was obtained from an area of California where avian host species might not present elevated temperatures. These data indicate that the NS1 and NS4A mutations identified in some WN02 isolates could reduce thermal stability and impede replication of virus at temperatures observed in febrile avian hosts.
Accounting for ancestry: population substructure and genome-wide association studies

Accounting for the genetic substructure of human populations has become a major practical issue for studying complex genetic disorders. Allele frequency differences among ethnic groups and subgroups and admixture between different ethnic groups can result in frequent false-positive results or reduced power in genetic studies. Here, we review the problems and progress in defining population differences and the application of statistical methods to improve association studies. It is now possible to take into account the confounding effects of population stratification using thousands of unselected genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms or, alternatively, selected panels of ancestry informative markers. These methods do not require any demographic information and therefore can be widely applied to genotypes available from multiple sources. We further suggest that it will be important to explore results in homogeneous population subsets as we seek to define the extent to which genomic variation influences complex phenotypes.
A pipeline for the quantitative analysis of CG dinucleotide methylation using mass spectrometry

Motivation: DNA cytosine methylation is an important epigenetic regulator, critical for mammalian development and the control of gene expression. Numerous techniques using either restriction enzyme or affinity-based approaches have been developed to interrogate cytosine methylation status genome-wide, however these assays must be validated by a more quantitative approach, such as MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry of bisulphite-converted DNA (commercialized as Sequenom's EpiTYPER assay using the MassArray system). Here, we present an R package (‘MassArray’) that assists in assay design and uses the standard Sequenom output file as the input to a pipeline of analyses not available as part of the commercial software. The tools in this package include bisulphite conversion efficiency calculation, sequence polymorphism flagging and visualization tools that combine multiple experimental replicates and create tracks for genome browser viewing. Contact: ude.uy.mocea@yllaergj Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Demographics In Civil Trials: Biases And Implications

This paper investigates the implications of the demographics of jury members and its influence on their findings. A written civil case where the defendant was at fault but the damage and injury claims were equally believable on both sides was presented to a random group of potential jurors. A survey instrument collected selected demographic information from participants and asked how they would rule as to injury and damage awards were they jurors in the case. The sample was then analyzed as to the difference in their finding of fault and award recommendation based on the jurors’ selected demographic characteristics. Findings indicate that a juror’s recommendation regarding medical expense award and business damage award is not independent of gender and race .
Retina of the fruit fly eyes: a detailed simulation model

The compound eyes of the fruit flies consist of the retina and 4 neuropils. The retina comprises about 700~800 ommatidia, each of which houses 8 photoreceptors, where the phototransduction takes place. Although seemingly simple, each photoreceptor can perform complex computation on their own [1]. Nevertheless, it is not yet clear how individual photoreceptors contribute to an overall spatiotemporal processing of visual scenes. Towards this goal, we constructed a full-scale simulation of the retina on a cluster of GPUs. The geometry of the eye was taken into account by building a hexagonal array of 721 ommatidia on a hemisphere and assigning a proper optic axis and an acceptance angle to each of the photoreceptors. The visual stimulus was presented on either a hemisphere or a cylinder surrounding the eye, as in many experimental settings (see Figure ​Figure11). Figure 1 A. Stimulus presented on a hemisphere screen. B. Inputs (Number of Photons) to R1 photoreceptors in all ommatidia. C. Geometric relation between eye and screen. D. Gamma corrected screen intensity. E. Gamma corrected inputs to R1 photoreceptors. F. Voltage ... The phototransduction process is based on a biochemical model of 30,000 microvilli followed by a conductance based biophysical model of the cell membrane [1]. Here we only consider monochromatic photoreceptors R1-R6 in each ommatidium. Each photoreceptor is described by ~ 450, 000 equations; the total number of equations simulated for the entire retina amounted to about 1.95 billion. All the simulations were performed on 4 Tesla K20X GPUs; it took approx. 7 minutes to finish 1 second of simulation. After constructing the detailed simulation model, we tested the processing of visual stimuli by the retina circuit. Furthermore, to test the effect of feedback originating in the lamina on the photoreceptors, we linked the retina model with a lamina model [2] in the Neurokernel environment [3]. An example of response of the circuit to natural stimuli is shown in Figure ​Figure1.1. The simulations reveal that composition rules in the lamina circuit affect the spatiotemporal processing carried out by the photoreceptors under the model parameters considered here. Finally, we scaled up the retina model of the fruit fly to the size of the blow fly to investigate the effect of visual acuity and noise.
Parametric Studies of Effects of Solder Bump Pitch, Package Size, and Molding Compound and Substrate Thicknesses on Warpage of PBGA Packages

Plastic ball grid array (PBGA) is one of the most widely used types of chip packages in various electronic devices such as network servers, microcontrollers, and memory devices. As the demand for higher performance electronic devices grows, the I/O densities of PBGA packages are increasing while requiring superior reliability. Warpage induced during the reflow assembly process is one of the crucial factors affecting the thermo-mechanical reliability of PBGA packages; therefore, accurate warpage prediction is an important task for package design processes. In this study, the effects of four geometric factors (the solder bump pitch, package size, and molding compound and substrate thicknesses) of the PBGA package on its warpage are assessed by using parametric finite element analysis. The correlation between PBGA warpage and the four factors is studied using the regression method. These results are expected to provide design guidelines for in-house PBGA designers.
Online public reactions to frequency of diagnostic errors in US outpatient care.

Background Diagnostic errors pose a significant threat to patient safety but little is known about public perceptions of diagnostic errors. A study published in BMJ Quality & Safety in 2014 estimated that diagnostic errors affect at least 5% of US adults (or 12 million) per year. We sought to explore online public reactions to media reports on the reported frequency of diagnostic errors in the US adult population.
Fcells Values in the Normal and Splenectomized Cat Relation of Fcells to Body Size.

SummaryThe Fcells factor in the splenectomized cat is 0.78 (s.d. ± .01), but with spleen intact the Fcells factor is highly variable as shown by the striking effects of adrenaline on the Fcells value in the normal anesthetized cat. Evidence is presented indicating that species differences in the Fcells value may be fundamentally related to body size.
We Come to Form Ourselves Bit by Bit Educating for Citizenship in Post-Conflict Guatemala

Over the past several decades, the implementation of democratic citizenship education has become a common prescription for the civic reconstruction of post-conflict societies. Across the globe, educational changes are seen as fundamental to the creation of peaceful, tolerant, and democratic civic identities, the key to “social reconstruction, a better future, and a lasting peace.” Drawing on qualitative data from varied schools in postwar Guatemala, this article illustrates a critical dilemma in post-conflict civic education: the difficulties of engaging directly with past and present injustice while moving toward a shared national identity. Global models of democratic, multicultural, and human rights education alone are inadequate for creating a new sense of citizenship in a country in which young people’s sense of belonging and their interpretations of the past are deeply connected to how their communities are positioned within a profoundly inequitable power structure.
Analysis of HIV / AIDS comprehensive surveillance in female sex workers in Yantan District of Zigong City,2009-2011

Objective To study the acquired immune deficiency syndrome( AIDS) and sexually transmitted diseases( STDs) related epidemical information of female sex workers( FSWs) who live in Yantan District,so as to provide reference for making prevention and control and intervention policy. Methods FSWs were recruited by 2 steps stratified sampling in 2009- 2011 and questionnaire and serum test were also performed. Results 600 FSWs were investigated,200 for each year. For the years 2009,2010 and 2011,the HIV prevention and control knowledge awareness were51. 50%,68. 50% and 82. 50%( P 0. 05) respectively,the condom use rates of the recent sex trading were 47. 50%,65. 00% and 78. 50%( P 0. 05) respectively,the persist condom use rates in sex trade of the recent month were25. 00%,44. 50% and 63. 00%( P 0. 05) respectively. The rates of FSWs who presented STD related symptoms during recent one year were 48. 50%,19. 00% and 7. 50%( P 0. 05) respectively,23. 70%,39. 50% and 66. 70% visited their doctors( P 0. 05) respectively. The HIV positive rates were 1. 00%,0. 00% and 0. 50% respectively,syphilis positive rates were 7. 50%,6. 00% and 8. 00% respectively. The knowledge awareness,condom use rates of the FSWs showed significant difference between low and middle class sex trade sites( P 0. 05). Conclusions The knowledge awareness,condom use and doctor visiting rates of FSWs were raised with the currently exsecuted intervention methods.The difference between low and middle class sex trade sites suggested additional interventions should be given to the low class sites.
Penile Length: Natural History, Preservation, and Recovery

Penile size has historically been an important preoccupation for adult men. Penile size has been associated with virility and strength for millennia; conversely, the perception of small size has long been a source of apprehension and anxiety. Penile size, especially during erection, is a symbol of masculinity and of great importance for some men. In this chapter, we discuss how to accurately measure adult penile length and illustrate average penile length from various previous studies in the literature. This chapter also explores the effects that various urological diseases and therapies have on penile length, namely erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s disease, and radical prostatectomy. We finally discuss strategies for penile size preservation in addition to penile lengthening procedures.
TCT-754 New Persistent Left Bundle Branch Block after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement is Associated with High Rate of Mortality

Cardiac conduction abnormalities, including left bundle branch block (LBBB), are common following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Currently only close monitoring following discharge with a 30-day event monitor or implantable loop recorder is recommended in patients who develop new
Teachers and Coaches in Adolescent Social Networks Are Associated With Healthier Self-Concept and Decreased Substance Use.

BACKGROUND Poor academic (eg, “I am a bad student”) and behavioral (eg, “I am a troublemaker”) self-concepts are strongly linked to adolescent substance use. Social networks likely influence self-concept. However, little is understood about the role teachers and athletic coaches play in shaping both academic and behavioral self-concepts. METHODS We analyzed cross-sectional surveys of 929 9th-12th grade low-income minority adolescents in Los Angeles assessing self-concept, social networks, and 30-day use of alcohol, marijuana and other drugs. We performed generalized estimating equations, accounting for clustering at the school level and controlling for family and peer influences and contextual factors. We also tested whether self-concept-mediated associations between relationships with teachers or coaches and 30-day substance use. RESULTS More perceived teacher support was associated with lower odds of marijuana and other drug use and better academic and behavioral self-concepts. Behavioral self-concept mediated the associations between teacher support and substance use. CONCLUSIONS By facilitating relationships with adults and improving teachers' capacity to build supportive environments, schools may positively shape how adolescents see themselves, which might help reduce adolescent substance use.
Tweeting Presidential Primary Debates: Debate Processing Through Motivated Twitter Instruction:

Researchers have noted that an individual’s processing of political media messages occurs through various filters including partisanship, interest, and cynicism. The phenomenon of motivated processing, however, is understudied particularly in the context of televised presidential debates. As major campaign events, presidential debates have been linked to increases in viewers’ political knowledge, political information efficacy, and changes in candidate evaluation. Yet individual’s information processing, largely unexplored in the extant debate literature, may well influence these outcomes. In the present study, we manipulate processing of a political debate and monitor the effects through participant engagement with social media. Researchers asked debate viewers to tweet while watching 2016 Democrat and Republican presidential primary debates following instructions designed to prime either directional motivated processing or accuracy motivated processing. The results demonstrate that the accuracy prompt r...
Prescription Opioid Analgesics Commonly Unused After Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Importance Prescription opioid analgesics play an important role in the treatment of postoperative pain; however, unused opioids may be diverted for nonmedical use and contribute to opioid-related injuries and deaths. Objective To quantify how commonly postoperative prescription opioids are unused, why they remain unused, and what practices are followed regarding their storage and disposal. Evidence Review MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from database inception to October 18, 2016, for studies describing opioid oversupply for adults after a surgical procedure. The primary outcome—opioid oversupply—was defined as the number of patients with either filled but unused opioid prescriptions or unfilled opioid prescriptions. Two reviewers independently screened studies for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed the study quality. Findings Six eligible studies reported on a total of 810 unique patients (range, 30-250 patients) who underwent 7 different types of surgical procedures. Across the 6 studies, 67% to 92% of patients reported unused opioids. Of all the opioid tablets obtained by surgical patients, 42% to 71% went unused. Most patients stopped or used no opioids owing to adequate pain control, and 16% to 29% of patients reported opioid-induced adverse effects. In 2 studies examining storage safety, 73% to 77% of patients reported that their prescription opioids were not stored in locked containers. All studies reported low rates of anticipated or actual disposal, but no study reported US Food and Drug Administration–recommended disposal methods in more than 9% of patients. Conclusions and Relevance Postoperative prescription opioids often go unused, unlocked, and undisposed, suggesting an important reservoir of opioids contributing to nonmedical use of these products, which could cause injuries or even deaths.
Electrical modeling for sub-millivolt noise in compact IoT system designs

All IoT systems require multiple sensors to collect environment information via analog to digital convertor (ADC). In several medical applications and industrial instrumentation, signals need to be captured with high resolution therefore the ADC requires an extremely quiet reference. This paper presents modeling and physical design considerations for a 12-bit ADC reference voltage supply to meet a 244 μV noise target. A fully differential approach is used in the electromagnetic and circuit modeling to capture noise on all parts of the passive network. Noise quantification accuracy is studied for different analyses that are part of the design flow: FEA, macro-modeling & SPICE simulation. Noise reduction in physical design through PVT invariant band gap and electromagnetic isolation through Faraday cage are investigated.