cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relation between changes in intakes of dietary fiber and grain products and changes in weight and development of obesity among middle-aged women

BACKGROUND Although increased consumption of dietary fiber and grain products is widely recommended to maintain healthy body weight, little is known about the relation of whole grains to body weight and long-term weight changes. OBJECTIVE We examined the associations between the intakes of dietary fiber and whole- or refined-grain products and weight gain over time. DESIGN In a prospective cohort study, 74,091 US female nurses, aged 38-63 y in 1984 and free of known cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes at baseline, were followed from 1984 to 1996; their dietary habits were assessed in 1984, 1986, 1990, and 1994 with validated food-frequency questionnaires. Using multiple models to adjust for covariates, we calculated average weight, body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)), long-term weight changes, and the odds ratio of developing obesity (BMI > or = 30) according to change in dietary intake. RESULTS Women who consumed more whole grains consistently weighed less than did women who consumed less whole grains (P for trend < 0.0001). Over 12 y, those with the greatest increase in intake of dietary fiber gained an average of 1.52 kg less than did those with the smallest increase in intake of dietary fiber (P for trend < 0.0001) independent of body weight at baseline, age, and changes in covariate status. Women in the highest quintile of dietary fiber intake had a 49% lower risk of major weight gain than did women in the highest quintile (OR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.39, 0.67; P < 0.0001 for trend). CONCLUSION Weight gain was inversely associated with the intake of high-fiber, whole-grain foods but positively related to the intake of refined-grain foods, which indicated the importance of distinguishing whole-grain products from refined-grain products to aid in weight control.
Kin-cohort estimates for familial breast cancer risk in relation to variants in DNA base excision repair, BRCA1 interacting and growth factor genes

Subtle functional deficiencies in highly conserved DNA repair or growth regulatory processes resulting from polymorphic variation may increase genetic susceptibility to breast cancer. Polymorphisms in DNA repair genes can impact protein function leading to genomic instability facilitated by growth stimulation and increased cancer risk. Thus, 19 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in eight genes involved in base excision repair (XRCC1, APEX, POLD1), BRCA1 protein interaction (BRIP1, ZNF350, BRCA2), and growth regulation (TGFs1, IGFBP3) were evaluated. Genomic DNA samples were used in Taqman 5'-nuclease assays for most SNPs. Breast cancer risk to ages 50 and 70 were estimated using the kin-cohort method in which genotypes of relatives are inferred based on the known genotype of the index subject and Mendelian inheritance patterns. Family cancer history data was collected from a series of genotyped breast cancer cases (N = 748) identified within a cohort of female US radiologic technologists. Among 2,430 female first-degree relatives of cases, 190 breast cancers were reported. Genotypes associated with increased risk were: XRCC1 R194W (WW and RW vs. RR, cumulative risk up to age 70, risk ratio (RR) = 2.3; 95% CI 1.3–3.8); XRCC1 R399Q (QQ vs. RR, cumulative risk up to age 70, RR = 1.9; 1.1–3.9); and BRIP1 (or BACH1) P919S (SS vs. PP, cumulative risk up to age 50, RR = 6.9; 1.6–29.3). The risk for those heterozygous for BRCA2 N372H and APEX D148E were significantly lower than risks for homozygotes of either allele, and these were the only two results that remained significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. No associations with breast cancer were observed for: APEX Q51H; XRCC1 R280H; IGFPB3 -202A>C; TGFs1 L10P, P25R, and T263I; BRCA2 N289H and T1915M; BRIP1 -64A>C; and ZNF350 (or ZBRK1) 1845C>T, L66P, R501S, and S472P. Some variants in genes within the base-excision repair pathway (XRCC1) and BRCA1 interacting proteins (BRIP1) may play a role as low penetrance breast cancer risk alleles. Previous association studies of breast cancer and BRCA2 N372H and functional observations for APEX D148E ran counter to our findings of decreased risks. Due to the many comparisons, cautious interpretation and replication of these relationships are warranted.
Low temperature ion beam sputter deposition of amorphous silicon carbide for wafer-level vacuum sealing

This paper presents a novel low temperature, wafer-level vacuum sealing method that uses line-of-sight deposition of amorphous SiC with ion beam sputter deposition. The ion beam sputter deposition system allows substrate tilting for off-normal deposition and operates with a pressure of approximately 3 times 10-6 torr during deposition. The amorphous SiC films have demonstrated compressive intrinsic stresses for growth rates between 0.06 - 0.13 nm/min test scaffold structures were fabricated by etching holes and trenches into bare Si wafers. The topography of sealing films deposited on the test scaffold structures shows that the film growth is directional with no visible down-hole deposition. The termination of the seal and the chemical resistance of the sealing films have been confirmed with a hot KOH immersion experiment.
Design considerations of printed electrically small antennas

This paper discussed the Q factor comparison of several printed resonant monopole and dipole antennas at 2.4GHz ISM band. It was found that the monopole length is not essential to the Q factor (or bandwidth) if the backside ground plane is design careful to contribute significant radiation. In contrast, for dipole antennas without ground backing, the smaller resonant antenna corresponds to larger Q factor. It was found that 50% size reduction using meander line corresponds to 3 times increase of the Q factor. It was also found that a dielectric loading will reduce antenna resonant length and decrease the Q factor. Larger dielectric constant will be preferred if the loss and resistant level is satisfactory. The relationship between planar antenna area and bandwidth is characterized.
Mississippi oxbow lake sediment quality during an artificial flood.

Surface sediment quality was assessed during a 35-day artificial flood in a shallow ( 85% throughout this study. However, growth was affected at three sites during flooding with limited growth recovery after flooding. Patterns in observed growth impairment were associated with changes in atrazine (R 2 = 0.524) and fipronil sulfone (R 2 = 0.584) concentrations.
Catastrophic Arteriovenous Thromboembolism as Initial Manifestation of Pancreatic Cancer

Context The association between cancer and thrombosis is well-known. Among gastrointestinal malignancies, pancreatic cancer has perhaps the strongest association with thromboembolic events. However, simultaneous arterial and venous thromboses affecting multiple organs at the time of initial diagnosis is rare, with an incidence of less than 1%. Case report We report herein a case of a 61-year-old woman who presented with digital ischemia, a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and an ischemic stroke, along with deep vein thromboses and pulmonary embolism. She was subsequently diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Discussion This report highlights the intriguing association between pancreatic cancer biology, tumor metastases, and triggering of venous and arterial thromboembolic events. Current evidence points towards early thromboembolic phenomena as a harbinger of poor outcome in pancreatic cancer, and studies attempting to define the role of prophylactic anticoagulation in these patients are ongoing.
Adaptive multi-resource prediction in distributed resource sharing environment

Resource prediction can greatly assist resource selection and scheduling in a distributed resource sharing environment such as a computational Grid. Existing resource prediction models are either based on the auto-correlation of a single resource or based on the cross correlation between two resources. In this paper, we propose a multi-resource prediction model (MModel) that uses both kinds of correlations to achieve higher prediction accuracy. We also present two adaptation techniques that enable the MModel to adapt to the time-varying characteristics of the underlying resources. Experimental results with CPU load prediction in both workstation and Grid environment show that on average, the adaptive MModel (called MModel-a) can achieve from 6% to more than 96% reduction in prediction errors compared with the autoregressive (AR) model, which has previously been shown to work well for CPU load predictions.
Regular Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Use and Erectile Dysfunction

Purpose: Previous data suggest a potential relationship between inflammation and erectile dysfunction. If it is causal, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use should be inversely associated with erectile dysfunction. To this end we examined the association between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use and erectile dysfunction in a large, ethnically diverse cohort of men enrolled in the California Men's Health Study.Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled male members of the Kaiser Permanente managed care plans who were 45 to 69 years old beginning in 2002. Erectile dysfunction was assessed by questionnaire. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug exposure was determined by automated pharmacy data and self-reported use.Results: Of the 80,966 men in this study 47.4% were considered nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug users based on the definitions used and 29.3% reported moderate or severe erectile dysfunction. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use and erectile dysfunction strongly co...
The photon spectrum in upsilon system decays

The photon spectrum expected for the decays of the T system is calculated using the logarithmic potentml model In order to estimate branching ratios, the leptomc and hadronic widths are estimated as well. The El branching ratios are found to be roughly double those for the qJ system, This is largely due to the expected absence of hadronic cascades The purpose of the paper IS to present the predictions of the quarkonium model for the entire photon spectrum in the T region
Gas transport properties of poly(arylether bissulfone)s and poly(arylether bisketone)s

The transport properties of the poly(arylether bissulfone) based on bisphenol A (PBSF) and the poly(arylether bisketone) s based on bisphenol A (PBK) and bisphenol S (PBK-S) are reported at 35°C. Comparisons are made with the polysulfone and the polycarbonate also based on bisphenol A to determine the effect of the long, rigid bisketone and bissulfone groups on polymer properties. A direct comparison also is made between PBK and PBSF, which differ only by their ketone and sulfone groups. The bulkier sulfone group increases free volume and Tg more than the ketone group. This results in higher solubility and diffusivity coefficients for the bissulfone versus the bisketone polymer, both of which contribute to higher permeability coefficients. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Drosophila KDM2 is a H3K4me3 demethylase regulating nucleolar organization.

Background CG11033 (dKDM2) is the Drosophila homolog of the gene KDM2B. dKDM2 has been known to possess histone lysine demethylase activity towards H3K36me2 in cell lines and it regulates H2A ubiquitination. The human homolog of the gene has dual activity towards H3K36me2 as well as H3K4me3, and plays an important role in cellular senescence.
Urachal endometrioma: a case report

Introduction: We discuss a rare presentation of an unusual case of endometrioma. Case presentation: A 40-year-old Caucasian woman presented with subacute abdominal pain and a suprapubic mass. A final diagnosis was made after the mass was resected and histopathology confirmed an endometrioma originating from an urachal remnant. Select imaging studies and histopathology are presented in this case report. Conclusion: While endometriomata are well known to arise from abdominal scars, the condition described in this case report is a rare example of an endometrioma arising from the urachus. A review of the pathological complications of the urachus is also included.
Long term outcome after laser assisted modified Forssell's in cribbing horses.

Objective To (1) report long-term outcome after laser assisted modified Forssell's procedure; (2) describe the prevalence of postoperative complications; and (3) identify risk factors associated with outcome. Study design Retrospective case series. Animals Horses (n = 119). Methods Medical records (1994–2012) of horses that had laser assisted modified Forssell's procedure were reviewed. Signalment, preoperative duration of cribbing, postoperative complications and outcome were recorded. Results Follow-up was available for 90 horses; 76 had stopped cribbing for >1 year. Of 14 horses that resumed cribbing, median relapse time was 6 months. Preoperative cribbing duration was significantly associated with an increased probability of unsuccessful outcome when horses cribbed for >3 years before surgery (odds ratio of positive outcome: OR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.95). Overall, 22.2% horses had postoperative complications (hematoma, seroma, infection, and prolonged drainage). Conclusions Laser assisted modified Forssell's is a very effective (84.4%) surgical treatment of cribbing behavior in horses. Preoperative cribbing duration was identified as a significant risk factor associated with unsuccessful surgical outcome.
Locating soil anomalies using the impedance variation of a horizontal dipole over ground

A simple horizontal dipole over ground can be used as a near-field probe for buried object detection if changes in the dipole impedance produced by the presence of the buried object can be correlated to the characteristics of the object. In this paper, the wideband variation in the input impedance of a horizontal dipole over ground caused by the presence of a nearby underground anomaly (tunnel) is investigated via finite difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation. The correlation of the periodic variation in the dipole impedance difference to the location of the tunnel is demonstrated.
A Qualitative Study of Urban Hispanic Youth in an After-School Program Career, Cultural, and Educational Development

Based on a diverse sample of 11 urban Hispanic youth, the career, educational, and cultural domains of developmental adjustment were investigated through a triangulation of interview data and field notes within the context of delivering an after-school program. Consensual qualitative research (CQR) and content analysis were used to explore how youth constructed meaning within these domains and experienced their participation in the program. The CQR results yielded five domains of categories and subcategories, while four themes emerged from the analysis of field notes. By synthesizing this corpus of data, directions for future research and implications for practice are discussed.
Fractional-slot concentrated-windings: A paradigm shift in electrical machines

Fractional-slot concentrated-winding (FSCW) synchronous permanent magnet (PM) machines have been gaining a lot of interest over the last few years. This is mainly due to the several advantages that this type of windings provides. These include high power density, high efficiency, short end turns, high slot fill factor especially when coupled with segmented stator structures, low cogging torque, flux-weakening capability, and fault-tolerance This paper is going to provide an update of the key activities and research trends in this area over the past few years. These include efforts to reduce losses especially rotor losses in FSCW machines, exploring FSCW for machine topologies other than PM machines as well as some of the commercial products that utilize FSCW.
Semi-Automatically Labeling Objects in Images

Labeling objects in images plays a crucial role in many visual learning and recognition applications that need training data, such as image retrieval, object detection and recognition. Manually creating object labels in images is time consuming and, thus, becomes impossible for labeling a large image dataset. In this paper, we present a family of semi-automatic methods based on a graph-based semi-supervised learning algorithm for labeling objects in images. We first present SmartLabel that proposes to label images with reduced human input by iteratively computing the harmonic solutions to minimize a quadratic energy function on the Gaussian fields. SmartLabel tackles the problem of lacking negative data in the learning by embedding relevance feedback after the first iteration, which also leads to one limitation of SmartLabel-needing additional human supervision. To overcome the limitation and enhance SmartLabel, we propose SmartLabel-2 that utilizes a novel scheme to sample negative examples automatically, replace regular patch partitioning in SmartLabel by quadtree partitioning and applies image over-segmentation (superpixels) to extract smooth object contours. Evaluation on six diverse object categories have indicated that SmartLabel-2 can achieve promising results with a small amount of labeled data (e.g., 1%-5% of image size) and obtain close-to-fine extraction of object contours on different kinds of objects.
MAVS recruits multiple ubiquitin E3 ligases to activate antiviral signaling cascades

RNA virus infections are detected by the RIG-I family of receptors, which induce type-I interferons through the mitochondrial protein MAVS. MAVS forms large prion-like polymers that activate the cytosolic kinases IKK and TBK1, which in turn activate NF-κB and IRF3, respectively, to induce interferons. Here we show that MAVS polymers recruit several TRAF proteins, including TRAF2, TRAF5, and TRAF6, through distinct TRAF-binding motifs. Mutations of these motifs that disrupted MAVS binding to TRAFs abrogated its ability to activate IRF3. IRF3 activation was also abolished in cells lacking TRAF2, 5, and 6. These TRAF proteins promoted ubiquitination reactions that recruited NEMO to the MAVS signaling complex, leading to the activation of IKK and TBK1. These results delineate the mechanism of MAVS signaling and reveal that TRAF2, 5, and 6, which are normally associated with NF-κB activation, also play a crucial role in IRF3 activation in antiviral immune responses. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00785.001.
An experimental technique for the evaluation of properties of ice

The problem of ice accretion and accumulation on critical structural components of fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft structures has in recent years engendered much interest. However, the mechanical properties of the accreted impact ices are at present not adequately known and, therefore, analytical modeling of this particular material is not possible. This paper proposes a technique for experimentally determining both the modulus of elasticity and tensile strength of ice. The feasibility and accuracy of the test technique were verified by determining the properties of laboratory grown ice. Results reveal a slight degradation of ice tensile strength with an increase in test temperature. The degradation in ice tensile strength is rationalized on the basis of competing mechanistic effects involving an incipient melting of the ice at the higher test temperature and a concomitant intrinsic variation in microstructural features due to variations in freezing rate. Application of the test technique to impact ices will soon be conducted inside an icing wing tunnel.
Liberty Company Bond Teaching Resource: Using A Zero-Coupon Bond To Clarify Bond Liability Accounting

Accounting for discounted and premium bond liabilities presents challenges for most students. Fortunately, committed educators can do something about the issue. In this teaching resource, the author presents an approach to simplify bond accounting concepts. Reversing the sequence that bond interest rates are introduced and explained can have a favorable effect on student comprehension. There are two interest rates associated with a bond: 1) a market rate and 2) a contract rate. When explaining bond fundamentals, it is natural to explain the features of a bond, including its contract interest rate, early in the discussion. This approach makes it difficult to explain later that the only effective interest rate on a bond is the market interest rate. Students must realize that the contract rate is not an effective interest rate. It is a percentage that is used to determine periodic cash payments - not interest expense. The Liberty Company Bond is a zero-coupon bond, similar to a U.S. Savings Bond that some students received as a graduation gift. Because the bond has only one non-zero interest rate, students are able to comprehend the nature and effect of both market and contract interest rates.
147,146Sm–143,142Nd, 176Lu–176Hf, and 87Rb–87Sr systematics in the angrites: Implications for chronology and processes on the angrite parent body

Abstract Angrites are a group of basaltic achondrites with distinctive mineralogic and geochemical characteristics that have the potential to provide insights into processes occurring on planetesimals in the early Solar System. These achondrites have been used as anchors linking the relative age information obtained from short-lived, extinct chronometers (e.g., Al–Mg, Hf–W, and Mn–Cr) with absolute chronometers (e.g., U–Pb). Angrites provide excellent examples of early differentiation processes, such as core formation and silicate differentiation, on protoplanetary bodies. The significant increase in the number of known angrite samples in recent years has offered the opportunity to compare several short- and long-lived isotopic systems in samples with different petrogenetic histories that formed on the same parent body. To this end, the 147Sm–143Nd, 146Sm–142Nd, 176Lu–176Hf, and 87Rb–87Sr isotope systematics have been investigated in a suite of plutonic, coarse-grained (NWA 4590, NWA 4801, and NWA 2999) and quenched, fine-grained (D’Orbigny) angrites. The coupled 147,146Sm–143,142Nd systematics indicate possible isotopic disturbances in two angrites (D’Orbigny and NWA 2999) resulting from post-crystallization processes. The internal 146Sm–142Nd isochrons of two coarse-grained angrites (NWA 4590 and NWA 4801) provide an updated best estimate of the initial Solar System 146Sm/144Sm ratio (i.e., at 4568 Ma) of 0.0084 ± 0.0003. The 176Lu–176Hf isotope systematics in these angrites do not provide evidence of a previously proposed intense irradiation event in the early Solar System. The internal 176Lu–176Hf isochrons for the NWA 4590 and D’Orbigny angrites provide an estimate for the Solar System initial 176Hf/177Hf ratio of 0.279775 ± 0.000031 (2σ) that agrees within uncertainty with the value of average chondrites reported by Bouvier et al. (2008). Finally, the calculated initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios based on the measured Sr-isotopic composition of plagioclase in these angrites yield an estimated initial 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.698980 ± 0.000011 for the angrite parent body. This is indistinguishable from a recently determined value for the Solar System initial 87Sr/86Sr based on values measured in calcium–aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) after correcting for nucleosynthetic effects in the CAIs. The low initial 87Sr/86Sr of the angrite parent body implies that it acquired its volatile element depleted characteristic within 1.8 Ma of Solar System formation, likely because it accreted from volatile depleted planetesimals that formed in the hot inner nebula. These integrated isotopic systematics suggest a complex history for the angrite parent body not previously inferred from short-lived chronometers and provide new estimates for the initial isotopic composition of the early Solar System.
The Landscape of DNA Virus Associations Across Human Cancers

The human cancer viruses have been found to cause 10–15 % of all human malignancies. High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV-16 and HPV-18), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) contribute directly to cancer development, including cervical squamous cell cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, Burkitt’s lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, adult T cell leukemia, and Kaposi’s sarcoma. The role of human cancer viruses in cancer pathogenesis is mediated through various mechanisms, including mutagenic integration into the host genome and expression of oncogenic viral proteins. The elucidation of such mechanisms has played a key role in enhancing our understanding of cancer pathogenesis even as novel aspects of DNA virus biology continue to be unraveled. In this chapter, we give an insight of the main events responsible for the development of malignant tumors upon viral infection. With the availability of high-throughput sequencing and robust bioinformatics tools, it is possible to establish a landscape of viral integration into human cancer genome. Thus, we highlight the utility of RNA-Seq in detecting tumor-associated DNA viruses and identifying viral integration sites that may unravel novel mechanisms of cancer pathogenesis. And we also describe a robust bioinformatics tool VirusSeq and its advantages in this field of study.
2011 State of Entrepreneurship Address

In the second annual "State of Entrepreneurship" address, presented on February 8, 2011, Kauffman Foundation President and CEO Carl Schramm presented policy recommendations to promote entrepreneurship and accelerate economic growth without adding to the deficit. In the address, titled "The Rules for Growth," Schramm cited data illustrating that the majority of all job creation in the United States is driven by young firms and emphasized how changes to specific laws and regulations could enable startups to grow more rapidly.
Enhanced eNOS Activation as the Fountain of Youth for Vascular Disease: Is BPIFB4 What Ponce de León Was Looking For?

Ponce de Leon was a 16th century Spanish explorer in search of the fountain of youth, a source of magical water capable of reversing the aging process. Whether this tale existed at all, was a fleeting interest of King Ferdinand or a motivational tactic for his crew leading to the eventual discovery of Florida is open for historical speculation. However, by 2020, for the first time in history, people ≥65 years of age will outnumber children (<5 years of age) in the world.1 As the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases rises with aging independent of other risk factors,2 identifying genetic variations in centenarians might help to treat or prevent the onset of diseases at earlier stages of life and aid in the discovery of new pathways to promote longevity with less disease.3,4 Indeed, exceptional longevity is a heritable trait that is associated with less cardiovascular risk compared with younger populations but the genetic basis of cardioprotective mechanisms in centenarians is not yet known. Article, see p 333 Nitric oxide (NO) produced by endothelial NO synthase …
Hedonic Vices: Fixing Inferences about Willingness-To-Pay in Recent House-Value Studies

A key tool for studying the demand for neighborhood amenities and estimating the benefits from amenity improvements is a regression of house value on amenity levels, controlling for housing characteristics. Several scholars have developed methods to address the methodological challenges, such as endogeneity, faced by these “hedonic” regressions. Unfortunately, however, some recent studies neglect basic principles of hedonic estimation in Rosen (1974). After providing conceptual background, this article explains these hedonic “vices” and how to avoid them. We focus on inappropriate functional forms, inappropriate control variables, and misinterpretation of hedonic regression results. Our analysis is supported using data from the Cleveland area in 2000 and a simulation model.
Heuristic Methods for Solving Large Scale Network Routing Problems: The Telpaking Problem

The inverse problem of the calculus of variations, i.e., the existence and formulation of variational principles for systems of nonlinear partial differential equations, is treated by application of a theorem due to Vainberg. Three types of principles are discussed: potential, alternate potential, and composite principles. Potential principles are those for which the equations, as written, admit a variational formulation. Alternate potential principles are those for which the equations admit a variational formulation only after a differential transformation of variables. Composite principles are those in which, in addition to the original variables, a set of adjoint variables is defined. A composite principle may always be formulated. Consistency relations for the existence of a potential are formulated for general systems of nonlinear partial differential equations of any order. These conditions are quite stringent and severely restrict the class of operators which admit a variational formulation. The results of the development are used to treat many well-known equations in nonlinear wave mechanics. These include the Burgers, Korteweg-deVries, and sine-Gordon equations and evolution and model equations for interfacial waves. The Navier-Stokes equations and the Boussinesq equations for an infinite Prandtl number fluid are briefly treated; these latter equations do not possess a potential principle.
A simulations approach to the genetic and cultural prehistory of humans

A multidisciplinary approach to history has become important. This thesis explores two problems of human prehistory. Both problems are approached using realistic simulations of models of human evolution. Simulation models can supply theoretical answers to problems in population biology which are out of reach for mathematical techniques. Even if there is an analytical technique that may answer the problem, this may not be achievable before simulation. The problems dealt with in this thesis do not have an analytical solution so far, because of the complexity of the models being simulated. Simulation of complex phenomena (such as human settlement history) can sort out essential variables or discover unexpected conclusions. Moreover, many of the mathematical theories of population biology are themselves approximate or highly oversimplified, and simulations help in showing their range of applicability. In this thesis, we first look at a dynamic simulation model called the serial founder effect that explains the geographic patterns of genetic diversity from a sample of the world's native populations. The serial founder effect model reveals the signature of human migrations out of Africa 50,000-60,000 years ago in the human genome, and deviations from it can also be explained by later migrations from the known demographic histories of the populations. We then extend the serial founder effect model to make it more realistic and try to estimate the various parameters of human migrations by matching the observed patterns with the predictions of the model for different sets of parameters. Our results show that the serial founder effect may also apply to the recent expansion of other cosmopolitan invasive species with appropriate refinements to the parameters. Finally, we explore how cultural choices could have influenced human migrations by focusing on one important cultural choice – egalitarianism vs hierarchy in society. Through multi-agent simulations on island populations, we show that egalitarian societies have higher demographic stability, fewer population crashes and are less likely to go extinct. We explore the possibility that the demographic instability caused by socioeconomic hierarchy could have driven human migrations and conflict in times of population crashes, and thereby to the spread of hierarchy by demic diffusion.
Effects of Vision on Mating Behavior of the Male Corn Earworm

Pheromone-stimulated males of Heliothis zea (Boddie) were observed in a wind tunnel to determine the importance of vision as a supplementary detection method to locate calling H. zea female moths. The visual stimuli used in this study were a dead male H. zea moth and a mock female moth constructed of heavy brown paper. Data indicated that males use vision as a supplementary detection method when near a pheromone release site.
Analysis on feature and prognostic factor of death of acute pesticide intoxication from four general hospitals in North China during 2008 to 2009

Objective To analyze the epidemiological feature of acute pesticide intoxication,find out the risk factor affected its prognosis,thereby clarify its regular pattern and feasible control measures.Methods Collect the data of 306 cases of actue pesticide intoxication from four general hospitals in North China area during December 2008 to December 2009,investigate the general data,pre-hospital care,sysmptoms,signs,laboratory indices,and prognosis using self-designed questionnaire.Results In 306 poisoned cases,173 cases(56.5%)were by orgnaophosphorus,49 cases(16.0%)by pyrethroid and 81 cases(26.5%)by paraquat.The mainly(89.5%)invasion way was by mouth,majority of them happened in summer;paraquat poisoning was most severe,while pyrethroid poisoning was the slightest.Of all cases,76.8% improved well,18.6% died as contrast,40.7% of paraquat poisoning cases were died.The main impact factors of prognosis in acute pesticide intoxication including sex(OR=3.930),poisoning extent(OR=10.166),poison types(OR=5.854),oxygen therapy(OR=0.211),respiratory system abnormality(OR=6.180),fever(OR=7.182),pulse(OR=4.063),renal function(OR=4.670),electrocardiography(OR=2.272),and so on.Conclusion The prognosis of acute pesticide poisoning is associated with a variety of subjective and objective factors.
Blacksmithing in Sonora, Mexico

ABSTRACTA brief survey of blacksmithing in Sonora, Mexico is reported with some historical background. Rapid changes in the tradition suggest that further field study is needed before the traditional technology is supplanted by modern innovations.
Quality Assurance of Radiologic Examinations in Large Multicenter Study Settings

The demand for well-designed and thoroughly controlled large scale clinical trials and the growing number of international collaborations of research centers have resulted in an increasing number of large multicenter clinical studies. To ensure cost-effectiveness and optimum inter-center compatibility stringent quality assurance (QA) programs have to be implemented. The Osteoporosis Research Group (ORG) at the University of California, San Francisco has been instrumental in developing QA concepts for radiologic studies - in particular for the field of osteoporosis research. Currently, the ORG is monitoring the quality of radiologic examinations of multiple clinical trials in more than 100 centers throughout the US.
Regulation of Cardiac Systolic Function and Contractility

With each heart beat, cardiac muscle cycles between a passive state and one reflecting the consequence of active cross-bridge formation in the sarcomere. The process can be remarkably stable from cycle to cycle, but is also exquisitely sensitive to changes in the load imposed on the muscle by the venous and arterial loading systems, changes in cycle frequency, and a multitude of signaling pathways that impact how the sarcomere will perform. New advances in the ability to manipulate the individual molecular components of this process both in vitro and in intact animals have yielded important insights regarding how contractility is regulated in health and disease. This chapter discusses these processes, including how one measures systolic function, the molecular mechanisms underlying its load and frequency dependence, and post-translational regulation of the proteins that dictate the strength of contraction.
Abstract 2097: Translating a mutant p53 reactivating drug (ZMC1) in murine pancreatic cancer models

Pancreatic cancer therapy suffers from a lack of effective chemotherapy. TP53 is second only to KRAS as the most commonly mutated gene in pancreatic cancer with point mutations occurring in 75% of patients. We identified ZMC1 as an allele specific mutant p53 reactivator and lead compound for mutant p53 targeted drug development. ZMC1 restores wildtype structure and function by functioning as a zinc metallochaperone to restore zinc binding to mutant p53 proteins with impaired zinc binding. Our aim was to translate this novel mechanism in vivo using murine pancreatic cancer models. We investigated the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of ZMC1 and performed efficacy studies for allele specificity in nude mice with subcutaneous tumors from murine pancreatic cancer cell lines derived from a genetically engineered mouse model (KPC) expressing mutant KrasG12D and different alleles of TP53 (WT, null, p53R172H, p53R270H). Tumor growth inhibition became apparent only in KPCp53-R172H xenografts but not in KPCp53-R270H. We then performed efficacy studies in the autochthonous KPC model and found that, ZMC1 extended the median survival from 15 to 26 days in the KPCp53-R172H mice (p = 0.05) but not in the KPCp53-R270H mice. We sought to improve the efficacy of ZMC1 by synthesizing it complexed with zinc (Zn-1) in a 2:1 molar ratio. Zn-1 significanlty increased the median survival of KPCp53-R172H mice from 15 to 35 days (p = 0.0042). The apoptosis rate in the tumors (by Immunohistochemistry staining with Cleaved Caspase 3) was also increased by treatment of ZMC1 and Zn-1. These studies indicate that ZMC1 can function in vivo as a mutant p53 targeted anti-cancer drug at doses that are well tolerated. Furthermore, ZMC1 can be optimized by synthesizing it complexed with zinc. Citation Format: Xin Yu, Ashley T. Tsang, Tracy Withers, John Gelleran, David Augeri, S. David Kimball, Darren R. Carpizo. Translating a mutant p53 reactivating drug (ZMC1) in murine pancreatic cancer models. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2097.
Theodicy and international political economy: a sketch

In the spirit of Martin Wight’s suggestion that international relations (IR) is a theodicy, I explore the political economy tradition. First, I examine Leibniz’s theodicy as an effort to square the existence of evil with the goodness of God’s created order. This discussion reveals the necessary incompleteness of any symbolic structure or order. Second, I read political economy as theodicy. For Hegel, the history of social life is brought to completion in the melding of civil society and the state, justifying the suffering necessary to progress. Adam Smith produces an ambiguous theodicy that, at once, revalues certain moral failings as virtues, recognizes evils that escape the smoothing of the invisible hand and require state action, and disavows the necro-economic implications of the system of natural liberty that his own analysis reveals. Finally, the methodological individualists that I identify with rationalist international political economy are distinct from Hegel and Smith in that they imagine an or...
Majority Party Leadership and Budget Policymaking in the House of Representatives

Budget policy dominated the congressional agenda during the 1980s. During that same period, the Speaker of the House of Representatives became more involved in formulating the priorities of the majority party, a task traditionally left up to committees. This paper traces the development of the Speaker's role in formulating budget priorities by assessing changes in the Speaker's relationship with the House Budget Committee. The paper identifies the conditions under which the Speaker became a more active participant in budget policymaking and the individual qualities that define each Speaker's style. In particular, I compare the leadership styles of Speakers Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr. (D-Mass.) and James Wright (D-Tex.). Both O'Neill and Wright operated under similar conditions that enhanced the Speaker's role in policymaking: divided government, large deficits, and high levels of party unity. But they exercised different leadership styles, and the differences are based partly on two individual factors: p...
Wideband Antenna Array for Simultaneous Transmit and Receive (STAR) Applications

Design and performance of a nonscanning antenna array with wideband simultaneous transmit and receive capability are discussed. The proposed configuration utilizes a four-arm spiral antenna as a unit cell to achieve high isolation between transmit (TX) and receive (RX) ports and decent far-field performance. It is shown that the analytically derived system isolation is theoretically infinite for symmetric array under ideal conditions. The proposed antenna is composed of seven four-arm spirals arranged in a hexagonal configuration. Each spiral has two arms for TX, and two arms for RX. Planar microstrip feeds are used to excite each two-arm spiral and eliminate the need for 180° hybrids. The spiral arms are resistively loaded to improve VSWR and axial ratio and reduce interaction with the ground plane. Isolation between the collocated TX and RX arrays > 27 dB, as well as VSWRs < 2, sidelobe levels < –10 dB, and good patterns for both arrays are measured over more than two-octave bandwidth.
Dietary Fatty Acids

Fatty acids can be divided into four general categories: saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats. Saturated fatty acids and trans fats are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. Monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease, although these associations are not uniformly supported in the literature. Omega-3 fatty acids, which are a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid, have been studied as potential therapy for a variety of medical conditions because of their suspected anti-inflammatory properties. Omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to provide some benefit to patients with cystic fibrosis, and may have a protective effect against dementia. Physicians should counsel patients about the importance of avoiding hydrogenated oils and foods containing trans fats because of their association with coronary heart disease in observational studies.
Irradiation- vs. vitrification-induced disordering: The case of -quartz and glassy silica.

Irradiation and vitrification can both result in the disordering of minerals. However, it remains unclear whether these effects are comparable or if the glassy state represents an upper limit for irradiation-induced disordering. By reactive molecular dynamics simulations, we compare the structure of irradiated quartz to that of glassy silica. We show that although they share some degree of similarity, the structure of irradiated quartz and glassy silica differs from each other, both at the short- ( 3 A and <10 A). In particular, the atomic network of irradiated quartz is found to comprise coordination defects, edge-sharing units, and large rings, which are absent from glassy silica. These results highlight the different nature of irradiation- and vitrification-induced disordering.
Comments on Scattering of Electrons/Positrons by H-atoms and H\(_2\) Molecules under Weakly Coupled Plasmas

In a recent publication by Modi et al. [Jour. of At. Mol. Cond. and Nano Phys. 2 (2015), 41], cross sections for the scattering of electrons and positrons from hydrogen atoms and molecules have been calculated in the Debye plasma, using the Born approximation. Using the exchange approximation for the scattering, it is shown here that at low energies they have considered, the cross sections for the triplet and the singlet states are not equal. Moreover, they differ considerably from their results.
Direct electrospray printing of gradient refractive index chalcogenide glass films

A spatially varying effective refractive index gradient using chalcogenide glass layers is printed on a silicon wafer using an optimized electrospray (ES) deposition process. Using solution-derived glass precursors, infrared transparent Ge23Sb7S70 and As40S60 glass films of programmed thickness are fabricated to yield a bilayer structure resulting in an effective gradient refractive index (GRIN) film. Optical and compositional analysis tools confirm the optical and physical nature of the gradient in the resulting high optical quality films, demonstrating the power of direct printing of multi-material structures compatible with planar photonic fabrication protocols. The potential application of such tailorable materials and structures as they relate to enhancement of sensitivity in chalcogenide glass-based planar chemical sensor device design, is presented. This method, applicable to a broad cross-section of glass compositions, shows promise to directly deposit GRIN films with tunable refractive index prof...
Coupled oscillator theory of enzyme action.

I would like to discuss enzyme-substrate interactions today, although the context of my discussion can easily be expanded to include many levels of biological structure. A more general discussion of this approach to the origin and evolution of enzyme catalysis has been presented earlier (Williams and Fox 1974).
Cytokine release syndrome: Who is at risk and how to treat

T-cell engaging therapies such as blinatumomab and anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have revolutionized our approach to patients with relapsed and refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, the immune activation responsible for high remission rates is also responsible for the unique treatment-related toxicity of cytokine release syndrome (CRS). The clinical signs of CRS include fever, hemodynamic instability, and capillary leak, which correlate with T-cell activation and elevated cytokine levels. Tocilizumab, an anti-IL-6 receptor antagonist, provides control of severe CRS induced by CAR T cells without being directly T cell toxic. With blinatumomab, the approach to CRS has been largely preventative with administration strategies that include disease cytoreduction, corticosteroid premedication, and dose titration.
Prostate Specific Antigen after External Beam Radiotherapy for Prostatic Cancer: Followup

AbstractBetween 1986 and 1989, 117 patients with pretreatment and serial posttreatment prostate specific antigen values received external beam radiotherapy at our hospital. Followup ranged from 0.6 to 5.9 years (mean 2.7). No patient had hormonal manipulation before distant recurrence. Biochemical relapse, defined as an increasing prostate specific antigen level after treatment, was observed in 44 patients. To date 30 of these 44 patients (68%) have had clinical relapse. The prognostic factors of advanced local stage, high Gleason score and high elevations of pretreatment prostate specific antigen values predicted for biochemical relapse and subsequent clinical failure. The interval between biochemical and clinical relapse was 156 ± 46 days. Biochemical relapse is an important end point that can be used to determine the effect of treatment in prostatic cancer research.
Application of Eye Tracking for Measurement and Evaluation in Human Factors Studies in Control Room Modernization

AbstractAn important element of human factors engineering (HFE) pertains to measurement and evaluation (M&E). The role of HFE-M&E should be integrated throughout the entire control room modernizati...
The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery,

Over the last few years, the self-assessment tool known as the Enneagram has blossomed among the college student leaders at our Christian college. One of its values has been to encourage greater se...
The Strong, Silent Type(ology): Examining Intersections of Alexithymia and the Drive for Muscularity:

This study used latent profile analysis to explore the interrelations of drive for muscularity (DM) and alexithymia among 505 men. Four unique classes of men emerged: (1) low endorsement of DM and ...