cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of the American Heart Association/American College of Sports Medicine Adult Preparticipation Screening Checklist to a Nationally Representative Sample of US Adults Aged ≥40 Years From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001 to 2004

Background—Although the American Heart Association/American College of Sports Medicine’s Preparticipation Questionnaire (AAPQ) is a recommended preexercise cardiovascular screening tool, it has never been systematically evaluated. The purpose of this research is to provide preliminary evidence of its effectiveness among adults aged ≥40 years. Methods and Results—Under the assumption that participants would respond to AAPQ items as they responded to a general health survey, we calculated the sex- and age-specific proportions of adult participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001 to 2004 who would receive a recommendation for physician consultation based on AAPQ referral criteria. Additionally, we compared recommended AAPQ referrals to a similar assessment using the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire in the study sample. AAPQ referral proportions were higher with older age. Across all age groups ≥40 years, 95.5% (94.3% to 96.8%) of women and 93.5% (92.2% to 94.7%) of men i...
Demo: ALPS -- The Acoustic Location Processing System

We demonstrate the Acoustic Location Processing System (ALPS), a platform that augments BLE proximity beacons with ultrasonic transmitters in a manner that allows for precise and robust indoor localization. {\em ALPS} uses Time-Difference-Of-Arrival (TDOA) and Time-Of-Flight (TOF) ranging to accurately localize mobile devices such as off-the-shelf smartphones and tablets in 2D space. Users inside the demo area will be able to determine their location and can directly plot it relatively to a map of the area using our app on a smartphone. Once a receiving device has determined its initial position, it can synchronize its audio clock with the transmission infrastructure to perform TOF-based localization, which provides similar position accuracy to TDOA based localization with fewer beacons. Multilateration and trilateration processing for each device's location is offloaded onto a cloud-based solver that can provide localization as a service to ALPS and similar TOF/TDOA based systems.
Low-velocity impact damage in graphite-fiber reinforced epoxy laminates

An experimental investigation was conducted to identify the failure mechanisms and to understand damage propagation in compression-loaded composite structures. The tests were conducted on several laminates of different ply orientation with thickness that ranged from 0.56 to 0.75 cm. The panels were damaged by 1.27-cm-diameter aluminum spheres propelled normal to the specimen surface at velocities ranging from 30 m/s to 140 m/s. Results indicate that there is significant internal laminate damage due to low-velocity impact with no surface damage. The internal damage consists of delamination and intraply cracking. Three damage propagation modes were identified as causing specimen failure; which are delamination, axial load-lateral deformation coupling, and local shear failure.
Exogenous BDNF enhances the integration of chronically injured axons that regenerate through a peripheral nerve grafted into a chondroitinase-treated spinal cord injury site

Although axons lose some of their intrinsic capacity for growth after their developmental period, some axons retain the potential for regrowth after injury. When provided with a growth-promoting substrate such as a peripheral nerve graft (PNG), severed axons regenerate into and through the graft; however, they stop when they reach the glial scar at the distal graft-host interface that is rich with inhibitory chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans. We previously showed that treatment of a spinal cord injury site with chondroitinase (ChABC) allows axons within the graft to traverse the scar and reinnervate spinal cord, where they form functional synapses. While this improvement in outgrowth was significant, it still represented only a small percentage (<20%) of axons compared to the total number of axons that regenerated into the PNG. Here we tested whether providing exogenous brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) via lentivirus in tissue distal to the PNG would augment regeneration beyond a ChABC-treated glial interface. We found that ChABC treatment alone promoted axonal regeneration but combining ChABC with BDNF-lentivirus did not increase the number of axons that regenerated back into spinal cord. Combining BDNF with ChABC did increase the number of spinal cord neurons that were trans-synaptically activated during electrical stimulation of the graft, as indicated by c-Fos expression, suggesting that BDNF overexpression improved the functional significance of axons that did reinnervate distal spinal cord tissue.
The diagnostic utility of elevation in cerebrospinal fluid β2‐microglobulin in HIV‐1 dementia

We measured serum and CSF beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2M) levels in HIV-1 seropositive individuals with and without dementia to determine the frequency and diagnostic utility of elevation of CSF beta 2M. We compared 34 samples from 27 patients with HIV-1 dementia with 110 samples from 54 HIV-1 seropositive participants in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, none of whom had progressive dementia. Neurosyphilis and CNS opportunistic processes were excluded in all subjects. We stratified the nondemented subjects by duration of HIV seropositivity and peripheral blood CD4 count. Compared with the nondemented group, demented subjects had significantly higher CSF total protein, IgG%, and CSF albumin/serum albumin ratios. A highly significant association was found between elevated CSF beta 2M and reduced CD4 count (p less than 0.0001). No significant differences were noted between the demented and nondemented groups in CSF WBC count or in the frequency of CSF HIV-1 isolation. The mean CSF beta 2M was 1.9 mg/l in the nondemented subjects compared with 4.2 mg/l in those with dementia (p less than 0.0001). We derived a cutoff of 3.8 mg/l from the distribution of CSF beta 2M in the nondemented group. The determination of CSF beta 2M had a sensitivity of 44%, specificity of 90%, and a positive predictive value of 88% for diagnosis of HIV dementia when compared with nondemented subjects with CD4 counts less than 200. In those without dementia, there was a strong correlation between serum and CSF beta 2M (r = 0.50, p less than 0.0001), but in demented subjects CSF beta 2M was elevated independently of serum levels, suggesting that CSF beta 2M is produced within the brain in HIV dementia. In the absence of CNS opportunistic processes, elevated CSF beta 2M greater than 3.8 mg/l is a clinically useful marker for HIV dementia.
Hubmaier’s Death and the Threat of a Free State Church

This piece reevaluates the events surrounding the 1528 execution of Anabaptist leader Balthasar Hubmaier by Ferdinand I of Austria in order to accurately assess Hubmaier's place in the development of early modern church-state relations. Rather than the commonly suggested motive of practicing rebaptism, the evidence indicates that Hubmaier was arrested and executed for his establishment in Waldshut and Nikolsburg of “free state churches,” a unique sixteenth-century historical modality of believers' churches financially administered by local governments which protected dissenters, including Jews, from persecution. The first early modern advocate of freedom of thought, Hubmaier insisted that the obedience Christians owed to government was exclusively socio-political and not religious in nature, a redefinition which not merely affected the relationship between lay subjects and any given state but also extended to the relationship between lower and higher magistrates. Such developments threatened the ability of the Habsburg church-state amalgam to enforce obedience to the Catholic faith, prompting its charges of sedition against Hubmaier.
Energetic electrons of terrestrial origin behind the bow shock and upstream in the solar wind

Energetic electron fluxes associated with the earth's bow shock are found to be present about as often on the dawn side of the sun-earth line as on the dusk side. The peak fluxes attained by these spikes also show no dawn-dusk asymmetry. Upstream electron events, on the other hand, are predominantly found to the dawn side of the sun-earth line. Both phenomena have the same temporal character with characteristic times of 30 to 150 seconds. Both have characteristic energies of bout 15 kev, but the upstream electron fluxes are much weaker. The upstream events are interpreted to be of secondary origin with the bow shock spikes representing the primary acceleration event. This local acceleration process evidently is of no consequence to the problem of the Van Allen belts and auroral processes.
Dynamic Covalent Chemistry Approaches Toward Macrocycles, Molecular Cages, and Polymers

ConspectusThe current research in the field of dynamic covalent chemistry includes the study of dynamic covalent reactions, catalysts, and their applications. Unlike noncovalent interactions utilized in supramolecular chemistry, the formation/breakage of covalent bonding has slower kinetics and usually requires the aid of a catalyst. Catalytic systems that enable efficient thermodynamic equilibrium are thus essential. In this Account, we describe the development of efficient catalysts for alkyne metathesis, and discuss the application of dynamic covalent reactions (mainly imine, olefin, and alkyne metathesis) in the development of organic functional materials.Alkyne metathesis is an emerging dynamic covalent reaction that offers robust and linear acetylene linkages. By introducing a podand motif into the catalyst ligand design, we have developed a series of highly active and robust alkyne metathesis catalysts, which, for the first time, enabled the one-step covalent assembly of ethynylene-linked functiona...
Binding characteristics of μ and κ agonists in rat brain subcellular fractions

Scatchard analysis of 3H-dihydromorphine (3H-DHM) binding to rat brain subcellular fractions gave a curvilinear plot in the microsomal (P3) and a linear plot in the mitochondrial (P2) fraction, respectively. In contrast, plots of 3H-ethylketocyclazocine (3H-EK) binding were linear in the P3 and curvilinear in the P2 fraction. No differences were seen in the potency of morphine and ketazocine in displacing either 3H-DHM or 3H-EK in the P2 fraction. In the P3 fraction, however, morphine was more potent than ketazocine in displacing 3H-DHM, but the reverse was true when 3H-EK was used as the ligand. Isolation of the P3 fraction may facilitate the demonstration of a kappa receptor in the rat brain.
A new technique utilizing thermistor probes for the measurement of thermal properties of biomaterials.

Abstract The thermal limitations inherent with the use of invasive thermistor probes in the measurement of thermal properties of biomaterials have been investigated. An electronic temperature controller has been developed which provides a nearly instantaneous step rise in average probe resistance (temperature). The method of experimentally determining the heat rate required to maintain the average probe temperature constant and incorporation of that heat rate into the general heat diffusion equation provides a solution which allows the determination of both thermal conductivity and diffusivity values with improved accuracy. The method is general to all media which wet the surface of the probe; the need for calibrating media is avoided. The solution also predicts the minimum required sample size.
ANTICANDIDATE VOTING IN THE 1984 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Data from a national survey conducted in 1984 form the basis for a new analysis of anticandidate voting in presidential elections, i.e., voting focused more on a candidate one opposes than on a candidate one prefers. Anticandidate voting is viewed as the end product of a process whereby voters attempt to reduce discomfort that cross-pressures generate within their decision frameworks. In 1984, nearly a third of all likely voters said they were primarily motivated by a desire to voteagainst one of the two presidential candidates, a rate of anticandidate voting similar to that observed in the Johnson-Goldwater election of 1964 but well below that of the 1980 Reagan-Carter election. However, factors related to anticandidate voting in the past were not consistently linked to anticandidate voting in 1984. We conclude that the presence of Ronald Reagan exerted such a strong influence on the 1984 campaign that processes that would normally be observable, such as anticandidate voting, were overridden.
FURTHER EVIDENCE OF ABERRANT RECOMBINATION IN Neurospora

Wild progeny from intercrosses of pyridoxine mutants have been found in tetrads showing irregular segregation of one or the other of the mutants. [1] These wild types therefore appear not to be true recombinants arising from crossing over between the mutant genes. Earlier, individuals of the genotypes expected to result from two- or three-strand double crossovers involving the regions adjacent to the locus of a pyridoxine mutant had been obtained with surprisingly high frequency from marked crosses between this mutant and its wild allele. [2] Since the frequency was very nearly that with which wild offspring were obtained from intercrosses, the possibility was considered that the apparent double-crossover recombinants might be due not to ordinary crossing over but to the mechanism which operates in the intercross. That these apparent recombinants also are found to accompany abnormal segregation is shown by the experiments reported here.
Immobilization of gold nanorods onto electrospun polycaprolactone fibers via polyelectrolyte decoration--a 3D SERS substrate.

We report the fabrication of a homogeneous and highly dense gold nanorod (AuNR) assembly on electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) fibers using electrostatic interaction as the driving force. Specifically, decoration of a poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) layer onto the AuNRs imposed negative charges on the nanorod surface, and the interactions between PSS and the AuNRs were investigated using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Positive charges on the PCL fibrous substrate were established via polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer deposition, which was investigated using multiple characterization techniques. Driven by the attractive electrostatic interaction, immobilization of AuNRs on the PCL fibers was initiated upon substrate immersion, and the kinetics of the immobilization process were studied using UV–vis spectroscopy. Electron microscopy characterization of the AuNR/PCL nanocomposite fibers reveals a uniform AuNR coating on the fiber surface with the immobilize...
ACE insert/delete polymorphism and atherosclerosis

Abstract We report on the results of a large autopsy study focusing upon the hypothesis that deletion of the Alu insert in the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene is associated with: (a) greater prevalence or extent of atherosclerosis in the aorta and coronary arteries; and (b) microscopic qualities of established atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary arteries. This study was conducted in young US black ( n =290) and white ( n =379) males using available materials and data from the Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth (PDAY) study, a multi-center cooperative autopsy study organized in 1985 to explore the relationships of known cardiovascular risk factors to atherosclerosis in victims of accidents, homicides, or suicides in the age range of 15–34 years. The results provide strong evidence that ACE genotype may not be a predictor of either the prevalence or the extent of the lesions of atherosclerosis in the right coronary artery or the aorta of young adults, an observation that confirms previous studies that estimated the prevalence and extent of atherosclerosis using coronary angiography. In addition, the results suggest that ACE genotype does not contribute to the formation of atherosclerotic lesions that have the characteristics of vulnerable plaques in the left anterior descending coronary artery of young adults.
Seasonal Variations in Injury Rates in U.S. Army Ordnance Training

ABSTRACT Objectives: This study assessed the effects of seasons and temperature on injury rates during U.S. Army ordnance advanced individual training. Methods: Injury data were collected each week at two clinics serving two geographically separated military training units. Weekly injury rates were calculated as the number of injured soldiers in each battalion (numerator) divided by the total number of soldiers in each battalion (denominator). A two-way analysis of variance examined weekly injury rates according to training unit and season of the year. Correlations between injury rates and average maximal temperatures were also examined. Results: Analysis of variance indicated significant differences in injury rates according to training unit (p = 0.04) and season (p < 0.01) but no significant interaction between unit and season (p = 0.16). Injury rates in the summer were higher than injury rates in the winter or autumn. Coefficients for correlations between weekly injury rates and weekly average maximal ...
Chemical-thermodynamic properties of molecules that undergo inversion II. The methylanilines☆☆☆

Abstract Chemical-thermodynamic functions and properties of formation to 1500 K for the three isomers of methylaniline in the ideal-gas state at the standard pressure po = 101.325 kPa are presented. Vibrational contributions are based on normal-mode analysis. Isolated methyl groups were assumed to have negligible barriers to internal rotation. Observed inversion transitions were used to calculate reduced potential functions from which partition functions for inversion were computed. The barrier restricting the internal rotation of the amino substituent was assumed to be the same as that of aniline.
Phenobarbital enhances 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthesis in rat liver nuclei.

Abstract Treatment of rats with phenobarbital for three days greatly increases the activity of 2,5 oligoadenylate synthetase in liver nuclei. Analysis of 2′, 5′-oligoadenylates synthesized in vitro showed that nuclei from both phenobarbital-treated and control rats synthesized 2′, 5′-oligoadenylates ranging from di- to hexamers. However, nuclei from drug treated rats showed a two fold increase in trimer and tetramer synthesis and a three-four fold increase in longer chained oligoadenylates. There was no change in the nuclear 2′-phosphodiesterase activity as the result of phenobarbital treatment, This activity remained low in nuclei from either the treated or the control rats. To our knowledge, this is the first report on phenobarbital affecting the liver 2′, 5′-oligoadenylate system.
Estimation of Spatio-Temporally Variable Groundwater Recharge Using a Rainfall-Runoff Model

AbstractThis paper describes the radar-based estimation of groundwater recharge by means of distributed hydrologic modeling used to estimate components of the hydrologic water balance. Conventional management of water resources has focused on groundwater as a separate constituent of surface water in hydrologic systems, but factors such as precipitation, surface runoff, base flow, evapotranspiration, and water demands determine the change in storage in a stream-aquifer system that varies in both time and space. The temporal and spatial variability of groundwater recharge have been estimated in the eastern outcrop of the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer, located in Oklahoma. Distributed maps of precipitation from radar were corrected for bias using rain gauges and used as input to a distributed hydrologic model. Distributed grids of infiltration were combined with evapotranspiration to extend groundwater recharge estimates from three years, when streamflow records existed, to 13 years, using archival radar. The res...
Polaron and bipolaron defects in a charge density wave: A model for lightly doped BaBiO 3

${\mathrm{BaBiO}}_{3}$ is a prototype ``charge ordering system'' forming interpenetrating sublattices with nominal valence ${\mathrm{Bi}}^{3+}$ and ${\mathrm{Bi}}^{5+}.$ It can also be regarded as a three-dimensional version of a Peierls insulator, the insulating gap being a consequence of an ordered distortion of oxygen atoms. When holes are added to ${\mathrm{BaBiO}}_{3}$ by doping, it remains insulating until a very large hole concentration is reached, at which point it becomes superconducting. The mechanism for insulating behavior of more lightly doped samples is formation of small polarons or bipolarons. These are self-organized point defects in the Peierls order parameter, which trap carriers in bound states inside the Peierls gap. We calculate properties of the polarons and bipolarons using the Rice-Sneddon model. Bipolarons are the stable defect; the missing pair of electrons come from an empty midgap state built from the lower Peierls band. Each bipolaron distortion also pulls down six localized states below the bottom of the unoccupied upper Peierls band. The activation energy for bipolaron hopping is estimated.
Computer-aided diagnostic models in breast cancer screening

Mammography is the most common modality for breast cancer detection and diagnosis and is often complemented by ultrasound and MRI. However, similarities between early signs of breast cancer and normal structures in these images make detection and diagnosis of breast cancer a difficult task. To aid physicians in detection and diagnosis, computer-aided detection and computer-aided diagnostic (CADx) models have been proposed. A large number of studies have been published for both computer-aided detection and CADx models in the last 20 years. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive survey of the CADx models that have been proposed to aid in mammography, ultrasound and MRI interpretation. We summarize the noteworthy studies according to the screening modality they consider and describe the type of computer model, input data size, feature selection method, input feature type, reference standard and performance measures for each study. We also list the limitations of the existing CADx models and provide several possible future research directions.
T-helper 2 cells are essential for modulation of vascular repair by allogeneic endothelial cells.

Background—Endothelial cells (EC) embedded within three-dimensional matrices (MEEC) when placed in the vascular adventitia control lumenal inflammation and intimal hyperplasia. Matrixembedding alters endothelial immunogenicity in vitro. T helper (Th) driven host immunity is a major impediment for of allogeneic grafts. We therefore aimed to identify if modulation of T helper balance would affect immune compatibility and endothelial regulation of vascular repair in vivo. Methods—Pigs (n=4/group) underwent balloon injury of both carotid arteries and were left alone (group 1) or received perivascular implants of porcine MEEC (group 2), a 12 days course of cyclosporine A (CsA) (group 3), or a combination of MEEC and CsA (group 4). Host immune reactivity (EC-specific antibodies, activation of splenocytes) was analyzed after 28 and 90 days in 2 pigs/group respectively. Results—MEEC treatment alone induced formation of EC-specific IgG1-antibodies (41±6 mean fluorescence intensity (MFI)) and differentiation of host splenocytes into Th2, but not Th1, cytokineproducing cells (IL-4: 242±102, IL-10: 273±114 number of spots). Concomitant CsA-therapy reduced the frequency of IgG1-antibodies (25±2 MFI; p<0.02) and Th2-cytokine producing splenocytes upon MEEC treatment (IL-4: 157±19, IL-10: 124±26 number of spots; p< 0.05). MEEC significantly inhibited luminal occlusion 28 and 90 days after balloon injury compared to untreated controls (12±7 vs. 68±14%; p<0.001) but to a lesser extent in the face of immunomodulation with concomitant CsA-treatment (34±13%; p<0.02 vs. group 2).
A timeliness-guaranteed kernel model-DREAM kernel-and implementation techniques

An essential building-block for construction of future real-time computer systems (RTCS's) is a timeliness-guaranteed operating system. The first co-author recently formulated a model of an operating system kernel which can support both real-time processes and new-style real-time objects with guaranteed timely services. The model has been named the DREAM kernel. The key emphasis in formulating the DREAM kernel was in realization of guaranteed timely service capabilities with minimal loss of hardware utilization. This paper presents a summary of the main structuring principles that were exploited to realize guaranteed timely service capabilities together with modularity and expandability in the DREAM kernel. A prototype implementation of the DREAM kernel, v.D2, has been produced by the authors to run on a network of PC's connected by an Ethernet. Several implementation techniques that were adopted during the course of this prototype implementation and may be applicable to other real-time kernel development environments, are briefly discussed in this paper. The prototype kernel (v.D2) has been used to run a real-time object structured non-trivial defense C3 application together with a real-time simulator of the application environment.
An Automatic and Robust Algorithm of Reestablishment of Digital Dental Occlusion

In the field of craniomaxillofacial (CMF) surgery, surgical planning can be performed on composite 3-D models that are generated by merging a computerized tomography scan with digital dental models. Digital dental models can be generated by scanning the surfaces of plaster dental models or dental impressions with a high-resolution laser scanner. During the planning process, one of the essential steps is to reestablish the dental occlusion. Unfortunately, this task is time-consuming and often inaccurate. This paper presents a new approach to automatically and efficiently reestablish dental occlusion. It includes two steps. The first step is to initially position the models based on dental curves and a point matching technique. The second step is to reposition the models to the final desired occlusion based on iterative surface-based minimum distance mapping with collision constraints. With linearization of rotation matrix, the alignment is modeled by solving quadratic programming. The simulation was completed on 12 sets of digital dental models. Two sets of dental models were partially edentulous, and another two sets have first premolar extractions for orthodontic treatment. Two validation methods were applied to the articulated models. The results show that using our method, the dental models can be successfully articulated with a small degree of deviations from the occlusion achieved with the gold-standard method.
Low Dose Rate Radiosensitization of Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Vitro and in Patients

Transarterial radioembolization (TARE) with 90Y microspheres delivers low dose rate radiation (LDR) to intrahepatic tumors. In the current study, we examined clonogenic survival, DNA damage, and cell cycle distribution in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines treated with LDR in combination with varying doses and schedules of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), gemcitabine, and sorafenib. Radiosensitization was seen with 1 to 3 μM 5-FU (enhancement ratio 2.2–13.9) and 30 to 100 nM gemcitabine (enhancement ratio 1.9–2.9) administered 24 hours before LDR (0.26 Gy/h to 4.2 Gy). Sorafenib radiosensitized only at high concentrations (3–10 μM) when administered after LDR. For a given radiation dose, greater enhancement was seen with LDR compared to standard dose rate therapy. Summarizing our clinical experience with low dose rate radiosensitization, 13 patients (5 with HCC, 8 with liver metastases) were treated a total of 16 times with TARE and concurrent gemcitabine. Six partial responses and one complete response were observed with a median time to local failure of 7.1 months for all patients and 9.9 months for patients with HCC. In summary, HCC is sensitized to LDR with clinically achievable concentrations of gemcitabine and 5-FU in vitro. Encouraging responses were seen in a small cohort of patients treated with TARE and concurrent gemcitabine. Future studies are needed to validate the safety and efficacy of this approach.
Restoration Ecology to the Future: A Call for New Paradigm

The discipline of restoration ecology has grown remarkably in the past decades, providing new ideas and opportunities for conserving biological diversity, managing ecosystems, and testing ecological theories. On the other side, its past-oriented, static, and idealistic approach has been criticized for subjectivity in determining restoration goals, inapplicability to dynamic ecosystems, and inability for restoring certain irreversible losses. Moreover, unpredictable sustainability of the restored ecosystems, which were modeled after its historical fidelity, adds our skepticism under the changing environment. This paper calls for a new paradigm of ecological restoration to the future. A future-oriented restoration should (1) establish the ecosystems that are able to sustain in the future, not the past, environment; (2) have multiple alternative goals and trajectories for unpredictable endpoints; (3) focus on rehabilitation of ecosystem functions rather than recomposition of species or cosmetics of landscape surface; and (4) acknowledge its identity as a ‘‘value-laden’’ applied science within economically and socially acceptable framework. Applicability of ecological theories to restoration practice is also discussed in this paper.
Effect of Exercise and Menstrual Cycle Status on Plasma Lipids, Low Density Lipoprotein Particle Size, and Apolipoproteins

Habitual physical exercise has been reported to have beneficial effects on plasma lipoproteins. To examine this question in women, plasma cholesterol, triglyceride, and apolipoprotein (apo) A-I and B levels, and low density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size were determined in 25 women runners (9 of whom had exercise-related secondary amenorrhea) and 36 agematched nonexercising women (controls). The eumenorrheic runners had significantly lower apo B levels and significantly greater mean apo A-I/apo B ratios and LDL particle sizes than did the control women (P < 0.05). Lower apo B levels were correlated with decreased body mass index, a known exercise effect (P< 0.0001). In addition, normally menstruating runners had cholesterol and triglyceride levels that were 7.6% and 25.4% lower, respectively, and apo A-I levels that were 6.4% higherthan control women (P=NS). In amenorrheic runners all parameters were similar to values in control women, except that apo B levels were 20% lower (P < 0.05). Amenorrheic runne...
Entity linking at the tail: sparse signals, unknown entities, and phrase models

Web search is seeing a paradigm shift from keyword based search to an entity-centric organization of web data. To support web search with this deeper level of understanding, a web-scale entity linking system must have 3 key properties: First, its feature extraction must be robust to the diversity of web documents and their varied writing styles and content structures. Second, it must maintain high-precision linking for "tail" (unpopular) entities that is robust to the existence of confounding entities outside of the knowledge base and entity profiles with minimal information. Finally, the system must represent large-scale knowledge bases with a scalable and powerful feature representation. We have built and deployed a web-scale unsupervised entity linking system for a commercial search engine that addresses these requirements by combining new developments in sparse signal recovery to identify the most discriminative features from noisy, free-text web documents; explicit modeling of out-of-knowledge-base entities to improve precision at the tail; and the development of a new phrase-unigram language model to efficiently capture high-order dependencies in lexical features. Using a knowledge base of 100M unique people from a popular social networking site, we present experimental results in the challenging domain of people-linking at the tail, where most entities have limited web presence. Our experimental results show that this system substantially improves on the precision-recall tradeoff over baseline methods, achieving precision over 95% with recall over 60%.
A technique for fault diagnosis of defects in scan chains

In this paper, we present a scan chain fault diagnosis procedure. The diagnosis for a single scan chain fault is performed in three steps. The first step uses special chain test patterns to determine both the faulty chain and the fault type in the faulty chain. The second step uses a novel procedure to generate special test patterns to identify the suspect scan cell within a range of scan cells. Unlike previously proposed methods that restrict the location of the faulty scan cell only from the scan chain output side, our method restricts the location of the faulty scan cell from both the scan chain output side and the scan chain input side. Hence the number of suspect scan cells is reduced significantly in this step. The final step further improves the diagnostic resolution by ranking the suspect scan cells inside this range. The proposed technique handles both stuck-at and timing failures (transition faults and hold time faults). The extension of the procedure to diagnose multiple faults is discussed. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Clinical outcomes of mild isolated cerebral ventriculomegaly in the presence of other neurodevelopmental risk factors.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate neuropsychological test data in school-aged children whose fetal sonograms revealed mild isolated cerebral ventriculomegaly without asymmetry of the lateral ventricles. METHODS Nine of 52 children 6 years and older with sonographic evidence of mild isolated cerebral ventriculomegaly without asymmetry of the lateral ventricles were able to be recruited for follow-up school-aged neuropsychological testing. The children received a half-day battery of neuropsychological tests, including the Wechsler Abbreviated Scales of Intelligence; Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration, Fifth Edition; Wide Range Achievement Test, Fourth Edition; and Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test. Parents completed the Conners 3 Parent Short Form and the Personality Inventory for Children, Second Edition. RESULTS In this small group, other risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders were often present, including preterm birth, perinatal hypoxia, and a family history of psychiatric disease or substance abuse. Within this sample, the proportion of children with a pattern of test results showing poorer nonverbal intelligence than verbal intelligence scores and poorer math than reading performance, as well as meeting criteria for a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, was higher than the basal rates of these problems among children in general. CONCLUSIONS Particularly given the complexity of various factors affecting neurodevelopment, follow-up neuropsychological evaluation is warranted in children with sonographic evidence of mild isolated cerebral ventriculomegaly without asymmetry of the lateral ventricle (eg, in the context of poor school performance).
Dense and Nondense Mammographic Area and Risk of Breast Cancer by Age and Tumor Characteristics

Background: Mammographic density (MD) is a strong breast cancer risk factor. We previously reported associations of percent mammographic density (PMD) with larger and node-positive tumors across all ages, and estrogen receptor (ER)–negative status among women ages <55 years. To provide insight into these associations, we examined the components of PMD [dense area (DA) and nondense area (NDA)] with breast cancer subtypes. Methods: Data were pooled from six studies including 4,095 breast cancers and 8,558 controls. DA and NDA were assessed from digitized film-screen mammograms and standardized across studies. Breast cancer odds by density phenotypes and age according to histopathologic characteristics and receptor status were calculated using polytomous logistic regression. Results: DA was associated with increased breast cancer risk [OR for quartiles: 0.65, 1.00 (Ref), 1.22, 1.55; P trend <0.001] and NDA was associated with decreased risk [ORs for quartiles: 1.39, 1.00 (Ref), 0.88, 0.72; P trend <0.001] across all ages and invasive tumor characteristics. There were significant trends in the magnitude of associations of both DA and NDA with breast cancer by increasing tumor size ( P trend < 0.001) but no differences by nodal status. Among women <55 years, DA was more strongly associated with increased risk of ER+ versus ER− tumors ( P het = 0.02), while NDA was more strongly associated with decreased risk of ER− versus ER+ tumors ( P het = 0.03). Conclusions: DA and NDA have differential associations with ER+ versus ER− tumors that vary by age. Impact: DA and NDA are important to consider when developing age- and subtype-specific risk models. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 24(5); 1–12. ©2015 AACR.
Wolf Reintroduction: Ecological Management and the Substitution Problem

Elk overgrazing in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), understood largely to be a consequence of wolf extirpation, poses not only a practical problem, but also several conceptual hurdles for park managers. The current RMNP ecosystem management plan addresses overgrazing by culling elk and fencing off riparian environments. This “functionalist” view effectively substitutes the role of wolves in the ecosystem with human intervention, and implicitly conflates the role or function of wolves with wolves themselves. In this paper, we argue that such substitution logic presents a conceptual problem for restoration. Seeking a resolution for this “substitution problem,” we distinguish between “reparative restoration” and “replacement restoration.” Where reparative restoration seeks to repair damage, replacement restoration seeks more aptly to replace the function of one ecological component with another. We suggest that in many cases reparative restoration is preferable to replacement restoration, and when characterized as such, may serve to better justify wolf reintroduction.
Habitat associations of floating debris and marine birds in the North East Pacific Ocean at coarse and meso spatial scales

While many surface foraging seabirds ingest plastic, the spatial overlap of these far-ranging predators with debris aggregations at-sea is poorly understood. We surveyed concurrent distributions of marine birds and debris along a 4400 km cruise track within a debris accumulation area in the North East Pacific Ocean using line and strip transect methods. Analysis of debris and bird distributions revealed associations with oceanographic and weather variables at two spatial scales: daily surveys and hourly transects. Hourly bird abundance (densities; 0-9 birds km(-2)) was higher in lower wind and shallower water. Hourly debris abundance (densities; 0-15,222 pieces km(-2)) was higher in lower wind, higher sea-level atmospheric pressure and deeper water. These results suggest that debris and seabird abundance and community structure are influenced by similar environmental processes, but in opposing ways, with only three far-ranging seabird species (Black-footed Albatross, Cook's Petrel and Red-tailed Tropicbird) overlapping with high debris concentrations over meso-scales.
Business Strategy and Capital Allocation Optimization Model for Practitioners

Construction engineering companies usually provide a variety of services. To be competitive, companies have to organize their operations strategically based on market demands within the limitations of their own resources. Optimization of these resources is of vital importance for these companies. Historically, decisions on resource allocations to various construction market segments were made exclusively based on intuitive judgment. In previous literature, the proposed models on capital allocation place emphasis on formulating cash-flow forecasting and planning strategy on project level. However, existing technologies and established mathematical methods provide a sound base for quantitative analysis on company-level business strategy and capital allocation. This note proposes a linear programming model that can be conveniently applied by construction practitioners. The model incorporates the project cost structure and considers the business constraints such as bonding capacity and borrowing capital capac...
The Olmstead decision: landmark opportunity or platform for rhetoric? Our collective responsibility for full community participation.

Occupational therapy’s core values and founding beliefs reflect a commitment to the attainment of a self-directed life that enables full community participation. The reality that this desired outcome remains unattainable for millions of persons with disabilities due to the institutional bias of current public policies cannot be ignored. The Supreme Court’s landmark Olmstead decision provides a judicial mechanism to right this fundamental injustice. The executive branch’s response to the Olmstead decision, the New Freedom Initiative (NFI), offers the potential to finally end the societal segregation of persons with disabilities. Occupational therapy practitioners share a moral collective responsibility to advocate for the major systemic changes that will be needed to fully implement the NFI and achieve the promise of the Olmstead decision. By joining with the disability rights movement, occupational therapy practitioners can become effective activists to help persons with disabilities attain full participation in life.
Structural basis of the differential binding of the SH3 domains of Grb2 adaptor to the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Sos1

Grb2-Sos1 interaction, mediated by the canonical binding of N-terminal SH3 (nSH3) and C-terminal SH3 (cSH3) domains of Grb2 to a proline-rich sequence in Sos1, provides a key regulatory switch that relays signaling from activated receptor tyrosine kinases to downstream effector molecules such as Ras. Here, using isothermal titration calorimetry in combination with site-directed mutagenesis, we show that the nSH3 domain binds to a Sos1-derived peptide containing the proline-rich consensus motif PPVPPR with an affinity that is nearly threefold greater than that observed for the binding of cSH3 domain. We further demonstrate that such differential binding of nSH3 domain relative to the cSH3 domain is largely due to the requirement of a specific acidic residue in the RT loop of the beta-barrel fold to engage in the formation of a salt bridge with the arginine residue in the consensus motif PPVPPR. While this role is fulfilled by an optimally positioned D15 in the nSH3 domain, the chemically distinct and structurally non-equivalent E171 substitutes in the case of the cSH3 domain. Additionally, our data suggest that salt tightly modulates the binding of both SH3 domains to Sos1 in a thermodynamically distinct manner. Our data further reveal that, while binding of both SH3 domains to Sos1 is under enthalpic control, the nSH3 binding suffers from entropic penalty in contrast to entropic gain accompanying the binding of cSH3, implying that the two domains employ differential thermodynamic mechanisms for Sos1 recognition. Our new findings are rationalized in the context of 3D structural models of SH3 domains in complex with the Sos1 peptide. Taken together, our study provides structural basis of the differential binding of SH3 domains of Grb2 to Sos1 and a detailed thermodynamic profile of this key protein-protein interaction pertinent to cellular signaling and cancer.
Structures far from the head of comet Kohoutek. II - A discussion of the Swan Cloud of January 11 and of the general morphology of cometary plasma tails

Photographs show that the 'Swan Cloud' observed in comet Kohoutek on January 11, 1974 was an advanced stage of a plasma tail disconnection event, of which the rejected tail appeared to decelerate as it receded from the head. The event commenced with the development of strong tail ray activity followed by the actual tail disconnection, the merging of the disconnected tail with the new tail to form the Swan and the formation of arcade loops in the space between closing tail rays. The observed morphological sequence is easily understood in the sector boundary model (Niedner et al., 1978), and the arcade loops are proposed to be reconnected flux tubes between oppositely polarized tail rays in the incipient new tail which followed the disconnection
Prevalence and Impact of Arthritis: Opportunities for Prevention.

Background Due to its chronic nature and its associated impact on physical function and life quality, arthritis in its various forms imposes a significant burden on society. Objective To critically...
Campaign Spending and Incumbency: An Alternative Simultaneous Equations Approach

This paper estimates the effects of incumbent spending and challenger spending in U.S. House elections in the 1970s and 1980s. The paper employs FIML simultaneous equations analysis involving instrumental variables as vote predictors, and zero-covariance restrictions for the vote-spending disturbances. This procedure allows the estimation of spending effects given plausible assumptions about the effects of unobserved causes of the vote on candidate spending. The results are that incumbent spending matters even with only modest amounts of simultaneity. Evidence is presented to suggest that the effectiveness of new incumbent spending declines with seniority but accumulates to the incumbent's long-term advantage.
A fast and efficient domain decomposition approach for finite antenna arrays

This paper describes a domain decomposition technique for finite element modeling of repetitive structures such as antenna arrays. The scheme leverages the repeating nature of an array to minimize the setup time for the domain matrices and the amount of computational resources required for a solution. The technique can be applied to arbitrary outlines or “array masks” of geometries including sparse arrays. Furthermore the ability to leverage a “composite excitation vector” to analyze specific scanning conditions as one effective excitation provides an extremely fast answer for very large and complex finite antenna arrays. Comparison results between this technique and an explicit FEM solution will be presented along with a solution performance for a 1024 element dual slant polarized Vivaldi array.
Mentoring in Family Firms: A Reflective Analysis of Senior Executives' Perceptions:

This paper reflectively analyzes 76 family business senior executives' perceptions of their personal experiences of being mentored. Although mentoring in family firms is a common recommendation, there is little empirical research supporting its use or efficacy. The findings from this research reveal that those who were mentored believe it is a vital tool for success. The data indicate a strong belief that the selection of the mentoring technique—formal or informal, performed by a family or nonfamily member—should depend on the parties involved and the situation. The analysis provides family businesses with a practical tool for the selection of appropriate mentoring methodologies. The paper also presents recommendations for future research.
Current concepts of children's perceptions of control.

Beliefs about control have been identified as an im­ portant aspect ofthe occupational therapy evalua­ tion process because oftheir potential injluence over the course ofaction chosen. This paper reviews the current status of research and theory in this area as it relates to children. Issues addressed in­ clude the drawbacks ofthe downward extension of adult theoretical models and tests to children, the multidimensionality ofperceived control, and the relation between cognitive development and changes in beliefs. Recent revisions in theoretical models and new measures that provide more differ­ entiated information on children's beliefs about causality and personal efficacy are reviewed. The implicationsfor the selection ofinstruments and in­ terpretation ofresults for the assessment ofchil­ dren 's perceived control in clinical practice are discussed.