cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Avatar Realism on Users&#146; Sense of Social Presence in Emotionally Engaged Mobile-Phone Communication

In this research, the author examine how the level of anthropomorphism of a small-screen visual avatar affects users' sense of social presence when they engage in emotional and synchronous communication using a mobile phone
Diffraction by an arbitrary subreflector: GTD solution

The high-frequency asymptotic solution of diffraction by a conducting subreflector is studied. By using Keller's geometrical theory of diffraction and the newly developed uniform asymptotic theory of diffraction, the scattered field is determined up to an including terms of order k^{-1/2} relative to the incident field. The key feature of the present work is that the surface of the subreflector is completely arbitrary. In fact, it is only necessary to specify the surface at a set of discrete points over a random net. Our computer program will fit those points by cubic spline functions and calculate the necessary geometrical parameters of the subreflector. In a companion paper by Y. Rahmat-Samii, R. Mittra, and V. Galindo-Israel, the scattered field from the submflector is used to calculate the secondary pattern of an arbitrarily shaped reflector by a series expansion method. Thus, in these two papers, it is hoped that we have developed a "universal" computer program that can analyze most dual-reflector antennas currently conceivable. It should also be added that our method of calculation is extremely numerically efficient. In many cases, it is one order of magnitude faster than the conventional integration method based on physical optics.
Natural selection and human behavior

Abstract It is suggested that innate (genetic) components play a far larger role in human behavior than is generally acknowledged. Applying the laws of natural selection to what is believed to be the general ecological and social environment of primitive man, certain predictions on specific behavioral tendencies are derived. It is suggested that prejudice may stem from primitive territorial behavior but that nationalism may have little connection with territoriality. Killing and torture are predicted to be common and natural. The attitudes and defiance of adolescents may derive from biological as well as social factors, and adult attitudes toward teenagers appear to have a genetic basis. Sexual differences in voluntary associations and friendship relations may also be explained as the result of natural selection.
Pediatric Appendicitis: An Argument for US

Increased use of US in the evaluation of appendicitis represents one of the most substantial opportunities for reduction of CT radiation exposure to children in the United States.
Parallel Processing and Intercommunication of Multiple Negotiation Processes in E-Commerce for Optimal Business

This paper details how parallel processing of negotiations and intercommunication between these processes can assist the business solution in maximizing the business result. The paper cover two aspect of negotiation process. First, how negotiation process is implemented in autonomy and later how parallel processing can be introduced to these negotiations. It also provides a live example of a simple loan processing system. However, the concept is generically applicable in all aspects of negotiations.
851 resected cystic tumors of the pancreas: A 33-year experience at the Massachusetts General Hospital

Background The objective of this study was to identify trends in the diagnosis and treatment of cystic neoplasms of the pancreas using a retrospective review of patients from a surgical database at an academic referral center during a 33-year period. Methods Patient characteristics, including demographics, pathology, and survival, were analyzed over 5 time periods between 1978 and 2011. Results A total of 851 consecutive patients underwent resection for a cystic neoplasm of the pancreas during a 33-year period. Sixty-five percent of patients were female, and mean age was 60 years. The most common pathologic diagnoses were intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (38%), mucinous cystic neoplasm (23%), serous cystadenoma (16%), and cystic neuroendocrine neoplasm (7%). There was a stepwise increase in the number of resections across time periods (67 between 1978 and 1989; 376 between 2005 and 2011), with a parallel increase in the proportion of incidentally discovered lesions (22% to 50%). Diagnosis of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm was very uncommon in the first 2 time periods (before the first recognition of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm as a distinct entity) but predominated in the last 2 (41% and 49%), and cystic neuroendocrine neoplasms, which constituted 3% of the cystic neoplasms in the first time-period, now comprise more than 8% of pancreatic cystic neoplasms. The proportion of malignant neoplasms decreased over time (41% between 1978 and 1989; 12% between 2005 and 2011), reflecting probably the earlier diagnosis and treatment of premalignant neoplasms. Although operative mortality was minimal (4/849, 0.5%), the postoperative complication rate was 38%. Overall 5-year survival for all mucinous lesions was 87%. Conclusion Cystic neoplasms of the pancreas are being diagnosed and treated with increasing frequency. At present, most are incidentally discovered intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms.
Playboy Playmate Curves: Changes in Facial and Body Feature Preferences Across Social and Economic Conditions

Past research has investigated ideals of beauty and how these ideals have changed across time. In the current study, facial and body characteristics of Playboy Playmates of the Year from 1960-2000 were identified and investigated to explore their relationships with U.S. social and economic factors. Playmate of the Year age, body feature measures, and facial feature measurements were correlated with a general measure of social and economic hard times. Consistent with Environmental Security Hypothesis predictions, when social and economic conditions were difficult, older, heavier, taller Playboy Playmates of the Year with larger waists, smaller eyes, larger waist-to-hip ratios, smaller bust-to-waist ratios, and smaller body mass index values were selected. These results suggest that environmental security may influence perceptions and preferences for women with certain body and facial features.
Detecting motion synchrony by video tubes

Motion synchrony, i.e., the coordinated motion of a group of individuals, is an interesting phenomenon in nature or daily life. Fish swim in schools, birds fly in flocks, soldiers march in platoons, etc. Our goal is to detect motion synchrony that may be present in the video data, and to track the group of moving objects as a whole. This opens the door to novel algorithms and applications. To this end, we model individual motions as video tubes in space-time, define motion synchrony by the geometric relation among video tubes, and track a whole set of tubes by dynamic programming. The resulting algorithm is highly efficient in practice. Given a video clip of T frames of resolution XxY, we show that finding the K spatially correlated video tubes and determining the presence of synchrony can be solved optimally in O(XYTK) time. Preliminary experiments show that our method is both effective and efficient. Typical running times are 30 - 100 VGA-resolution frames per second after feature extraction, and the accuracy for the detection of synchrony is more than 90% as evaluated in our annotated data set.
Family Variables Associated With Well-Being in Siblings of Children With Down Syndrome:

The purpose of this research was to examine relationships among family demands, family resources, family problem-solving communication, family coping, and sibling well-being in 41 families of children with Down syndrome. The guiding framework for this research was the resiliency model of family stress, adjustment, and adaptation. Mailed questionnaires were completed by mothers and siblings closest in age to the children with Down syndrome. Results indicate that, as a group, the siblings in this study had favorable self-concepts. In addition, maternal reports typically indicated that these siblings were socially competent, with a low incidence of behavior problems. All four family variables were significantly associated with at least one of the indicators of sibling well-being. This research adds a critical piece, the sibling piece, to a fascinating puzzle concerning how families respond to the multiple challenges associated with raising a child with Down syndrome.
Elongation Factor P and Modifying Enzyme PoxA Are Necessary for Virulence of Shigella flexneri

Elongation factor P (EF-P) is a universally conserved bacterial translation factor. In many bacteria, EF-P is posttranslationally modified by PoxA, which covalently attaches a β-lysine to a conserved lysine residue of EF-P. Here we show that both EF-P and PoxA are necessary for virulence of the human diarrheal pathogen Shigella flexneri. Loss of either EF-P or PoxA leads to an impaired ability of S. flexneri to invade epithelial cells and form plaques in an epithelial cell monolayer. Proteomic analysis of efp and poxA deletion mutants revealed decreased levels of several virulence effector proteins, including IpaA, -B, and -C and IcsA. Additionally, mRNA levels of virB and virF, which encode master virulence regulators, were decreased in the efp mutant. The reduction in virF transcription was at least partially due to decreased levels of CpxA, which activates virF through the response regulator CpxR. The role of CpxAR in reduced synthesis of VirF and its downstream effectors was indicated by restoration of invasion when a mutation resulting in constitutively activated CpxR was introduced into the efp mutant. Thus, modified EF-P is required for appropriate synthesis of proteins involved in the virulence of this bacterial pathogen.
Ancestral resurrection reveals evolutionary mechanisms of kinase plasticity

Protein kinases have evolved diverse specificities to enable cellular information processing. To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying kinase diversification, we studied the CMGC protein kinases using ancestral reconstruction. Within this group, the cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) and mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) require proline at the +1 position of their substrates, while Ime2 prefers arginine. The resurrected common ancestor of CDKs, MAPKs, and Ime2 could phosphorylate substrates with +1 proline or arginine, with preference for proline. This specificity changed to a strong preference for +1 arginine in the lineage leading to Ime2 via an intermediate with equal specificity for proline and arginine. Mutant analysis revealed that a variable residue within the kinase catalytic cleft, DFGx, modulates +1 specificity. Expansion of Ime2 kinase specificity by mutation of this residue did not cause dominant deleterious effects in vivo. Tolerance of cells to new specificities likely enabled the evolutionary divergence of kinases.
Exploring the Apparel Needs and Preferences of Tween Girls and Their Mothers

During their tween years, most girls go through puberty and their bodies change at a rapid pace. Like adults, increasing numbers of this group are now characterized as overweight or obese (Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 1999). Thus, given this period of rapid change, compounded by problems with obesity, it was theorized that there are many subgroups, particularly related to age and size, that affect these consumers’ apparel relationships. The purpose of this research was thus, to characterize subgroups based on age and size of female tween consumers. Mothers were included in this study in order to understand how mother/daughter relationships affect the tweens’ apparel relationships. This exploratory study used content analysis of segmented focus groups and an emergent theme methodology, to show that tween girls have complex apparel relationships. Subjects in all groups indicated that they were unable to find clothing that was stylish, age appropriate, and fit their bodies. These identified gaps show t...
The Chemical Composition of Cool Stars: I - the Barium Stars

The chemical composition of Barium stars and their putative relatives is reviewed. Main sequence stars showing heavy element excesses, subgiant CH stars, classical and mild Barium giants, Sr-Ba supergiants, and early R stars are reviewed. A cursory interpretation of the abundance anomalies in terms of the key processes of nucleosynthesis is presented. Mass transfer across a binary system is identified as a plausible explanation for composition of Barium stars.
A pH Control System Based on Malate Decarboxylation for the Cultivation of Lactic Acid Bacteria

Most species of lactic acid bacteria decarboxylate l-malate to lactate and CO(2) if an energy source such as glucose is present. A proton is taken up in the reaction, which prevents pH decreases in the growth medium caused by lactic acid production from glucose fermentation. MRS broth (pH 7.0) (Difco Laboratories) containing 10 mM glucose and various concentrations of l-malate (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mM) was used to cultivate Lactobacillus plantarum. After 72 h at 37 degrees C, all malate was decarboxylated and all glucose was fermented, with resultant final pH values of 4.5, 6.3, 6.9, 7.3, and 7.5, respectively. When d-malate (which cannot be decarboxylated) was substituted for l-malate, the final pH values were 4.5, 5.2, 5.6, 5.8, and 5.9. By varying the ratios of glucose to l-malate in the growth medium, it was possible to obtain pH values which were lower, the same, or higher than the initial pH values. In contrast, buffers such as phosphate only retard decreases in pH. l-Malate, when compared with K(2)PO(4) on an equal molar basis, provided greater resistance to decreases in pH. Higher specific growth rates were observed for L. plantarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides when l-malate rather than K(2)PO(4) was incorporated into the growth medium.
Is Migraine Surgery Ready for Prime Time? The Surgical Team's View

Background Based on unsolicited reports by patients that their headaches had ceased or reduced following forehead rejuvenation, our team began stepwise and logical studies to investigate the efficacy of surgery as a potential preventive modality for selected patients with migraine headaches (MH). The purpose of this report is to summarize the pertinent studies demonstrating the efficacy of surgical decompression trigger sites of migraine trigger sites. Methods These studies included a retrospective, a prospective pilot, a prospective randomized study with a control arm, a prospective randomized study with sham surgery, and a 5-year follow-up. There were 3 reputable and respected neurologists who specialize in headaches, an expert biostatistician, 13 residents, and 10 medical students involved in these studies. Results In our retrospective study, of the 249 patients, 39 confirmed having MH prior to the surgery, and 31 (P < .0001) experienced either complete elimination or significant improvement (at least 50% reduction) of their MH. In our prospective pilot study, 21 of the 22 patients noted a significant improvement (P < .001). In our prospective randomized study, 82 of 89 (92%) observed at least 50% improvement in the frequency, intensity, and duration of MH (P < .00001). Sixty-one of 69 (88%) patients in this study who were followed for 5 years persisted to have significant improvement after 5 years (P < .0001). In our randomized study involving sham surgery, 21 of the 49 (83%) patients benefitted from the real surgery compared to 15 of 26 (56%) patients in the sham surgery group (P = .014). While 28 (57%) patients in the real surgery group observed complete elimination, only 1 patient in the sham surgery group reported elimination (P < .0001). Conclusions This report discusses the facts surrounding the discovery of this surgery, demonstrates accuracy of our studies and effectiveness of the proposed surgeries and dispels some of the unfounded assertions trying to discredit the research that we have conducted over 14 years.
Improving bandwidth efficiency of peer-to-peer storage

We broaden the applicability of peer-to-peer storage infrastructures to weakly-connected clients. We present a client-side technique that exploits the commonality between consecutive versions of a file to reduce the bandwidth required to store and retrieve files in a peer-to-peer storage infrastructure. We then present a novel data structure that allows us to use this technique in an environment where peers cannot be trusted to perform operations over unencrypted data. We have implemented the technique in the OceanStore prototype. Additionally, with simulations, we have demonstrated that the technique can reduce client-perceived latency of write and read operations by up to 80% compared to techniques used in current systems.
The Scaling Relations for Clusters of Galaxies

The dominant baryonic component of clusters of galaxies is their X-ray emitting atmosphere. X-ray surveys have made it possible to examine this component in large samples of clusters. David et al. (1993) provided a catalog of X-ray temperatures. I have measured 79 clusters from that list using Einstein IPC data (Harris et al. 1990), determining several measures of the radius. The most useful turns out to be the Petrosian radius. Given a radius, one can measure the surface brightness at that position.
Childhood sexual abuse and the course of alcohol dependence development: Findings from a female twin sample

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has been associated with increased risk for alcohol dependence (AD), but the extent to which CSA history may impact transitions in the course of AD development remains unclear. The current study examined the role of CSA in initiation of alcohol use and rate of progression from first drink to AD using a sample of 3536 female twins (mean age=21.6 years). Psychiatric diagnoses and alcohol use histories were obtained via telephone interviews using an adaptation of the SSAGA. The contribution of CSA to alcohol outcomes independent of familial influences was estimated by using co-twin AD status to adjust for familial liability to AD. CSA was associated with higher rates of both lifetime alcohol use and AD, but CSA-associated risk for consumption of first alcoholic drink was evident only at ages 12 and 13. Rate of transition from first alcohol use to AD did not differ by CSA status. Findings indicate that CSA and elevated risk for AD may be linked via early age at first drink and that progression from first drink to AD follows a similar course among women with and without histories of CSA. Language: en
Perceptions of tap water and school water fountains and association with intake of plain water and sugar-sweetened beverages

BACKGROUND Little is known regarding youth perceptions of tap water and school water fountains and how these relate to water and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake.
Theoretical and experimental rate distortion performance in compression of ambulatory ECGs

The relationship between data rates and signal distortion in compression of ambulatory ECG signals is investigated. The rate-distortion calculations indicate that, for ECG compression with an average data rate of 200 b/s, which would allow 24-h Holter recording with 4 MB of memory, distortion in the compressed signal of almost 15 mu V RMS must be tolerated. The calculations indicate that the use of average beat subtraction should provide data rates near 200 b/s with a root-mean-square (RMS) distortion of about 11 mu V. It is demonstrated that achievable data rates without average beat subtraction are somewhat lower than theoretical estimates for ECG compression without average beat subtraction. It is shown that first difference compression results in data rates that are roughly 30-40 b/s lower than theoretical estimates. When average beat subtraction is used at lower distortion levels, achievable data rates are close to theoretical estimates, but at higher distortion levels achievable data rates are as much as 60 b/s higher than theoretical estimates. >
University-Based Adult Day Care Center for Research and Training: Design, Funding, and Programmatic Issues.

In the early 1980s, the College of Human Resources at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University began a visioning process to plan its educational agenda for the 21st century. One of the more pressing issues targeted for educational intervention was community‐based long‐term care. Ten years later, a licensed, Medicaid‐certified adult day health center is fully operational on the university campus, providing a myriad of research, teaching, and public service opportunities for faculty and students. Center design, funding, and programmatic issues are discussed.
The Association of Peptic Ulcer with Chronic Ulcerative Colitis

Summary In 40 consecutive patients with chronic ulcerative colitis, five were proven to have a coexistent chronic duodenal ulcer. The clinical significance of this finding is discussed, and a possible explanation is offered.
Sequential and Concurrent Chemoradiation:State of the Art

Most patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer have locally advanced disease. Sequential and concurrent chemoradiation are standard, nonsurgical, curative-intent treatment options. Controversy remains regarding the superiority of one approach to another. Definitive management strategies are evolving with increasing efforts to pursue deintensification of therapy for low-risk patients, and to pursue therapeutic intensification for high-risk patients. Both sequential therapy and concurrent chemoradiation play important roles in shaping treatment paradigms because both approaches may be used to investigate deintensification or intensification strategies. This article examines the latest evidence and state-of-the-art approaches, highlighting ongoing controversies and future directions.
Reconceiving the Family: The ALI Property Division Principles: A Model of Radical Paternalism?

This essay addresses Chapter 4 of the American Law Institute's Principles of the Law of Family Dissolution, which is titled Division of Property Upon Dissolution. The piece initially sets out the arguably flawed process by which the ALI adopted the Principles, the product of a project launched more than a decade before. A selective critique of the Principles follows. After summarizing the ALI's quite conventional definition and characterization of property subject to division, the essay criticizes the radical application of these characterization rules, extending them to the property of unmarried cohabitants, largely rejecting prevailing law. The essay then examines other provisions of the Principles that would radically change or entirely reject rules that state courts have developed through careful reflection over the course of several decades. The essay concludes that the ALI's recommendations in this area are unlikely to be widely accepted by lawyers, enacted by legislatures, or followed by state courts.
Some necessary conditions for space logistics models

The Aerospace Corporation El Segundo, CA 90275 The use of near-earth space for both military and civilian purposes is expected to expand in the future. The possible cost savings and operational advantages from implementation of some type of support infrastructure is currently the focus of many studies, most of which use mathematical or logical models of the support concepts under consideration. Invariably, these evaluation models purport to show that a particular support concepr; or scrategy is besr. However, a common shortcoming in these models is that the inherent assumptions are different, and the resulting biases in the results are difficult to reconcile. Since many of these concepts are in their formative stages, this could be a serious problem. Differences in results should be caused by differences in the concepts themselves, not by modeling biases. So that results can be made consistent for all support concepts, this paper describes a set of requirements that all such evaluation models should satisfy. These requirements and other background ideas are presented in a systematic way so that they can be applied in practical modeling situations. A set of necessary conditions is provided to ensure concept neutrality and model credibility, and examples are given to illustrate these conditions.
Fiber Probes for the Measurement of the Absorption Coefficient in Small Volumes: a Monte Carlo Analysis

Monte Carlo simulations are used to determine several fiber probe designs for which the effective pathlength of photons traveling in tissue is minimally sensitive to the scattering properties, enabling direct measurement of the absorption coefficient.
Biomimetic Mineralization of Uranium by Metabolically-Inactive Shrimp Shell

Biomineralization in crustaceans is a remarkably efficient process of ion transport and phase transformation in a spatial template. Here we show the use of this preorganized pathway with waste shrimp shell as both a phosphate source and template for the mineralization of UO22+ to uramphite. By using the physical structural and chemical reservoir of the biogenic platform, the only requirement was to develop a solution for ion supply. Hydroxylammonium acetate, an amphiprotic salt parallel to the amine and carboxylic acid motif pervasive in biomolecules, was prepared and used for the delivery of dissolved uranyl ions into the spatial constraints of the exoskeleton. Although biomediated phase transformations of exogenous metals is typically limited to living organisms, our results show that metabolically inactive shrimp shells are adaptive and responsive toward a nonessential ion. This suggests the nonliving exoskeleton may provide rapid bottom-up assembly routes to technologically important new inorganic cry...
Metastatic extramammary Paget's disease responding to weekly paclitaxel

Metastatic extramammary Paget9s disease (EMPD) is a rare cancer with no validated systemic treatment. Regimens including FECOM 5-fluorouracil (5-FU, epirubicin, carboplatin, vincristine and mitomycin C), 5-FU/cisplatin and single agent docetaxel exhibited varying levels of efficacy in case reports. A 58-year-old man with EMPD diffusely metastatic to bone presented with worsening shortness of breath, significant pancytopenia and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). He was started on low-dose heparin for the DIC and weekly paclitaxel. Initially requiring almost daily transfusions, his shortness of breath improved after two doses of paclitaxel, and he became transfusion-independent after only three doses. Correlating with his disease course, the patient9s prepaclitaxel carcinoembryonic antigen level of 62.1 ng/mL decreased to 7.4 ng/mL on 3-month follow-up, and he showed no progression of disease on imaging. With no validated chemotherapy regimen currently, this case can help guide consideration of paclitaxel in future treatment of metastatic EMPD.
Abstract 698: Overexpression of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor correlates with high tumor grade in human breast invasive carcinomas

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor which binds environmental poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and mediates their carcinogenic effects. Recent reports, including data from our laboratory implicate AhR in breast cancer development and progression independent of the receptor occupancy by PAH. In this study we investigated the potential of AhR as a stage specific marker of breast cancer. We examined the expression of AhR by immunohistochemistry in tissue microarrays (TMA) containing 192 specimens of clinically defined three stages of invasive breast cancer: node-negative (NN), node-positive (NP) and metastatic (Met) carcinoma. The TMA were obtained from the National Cancer Institute Cooperative Breast Cancer Tissue Resource [NCI-CBCTR] and were stained for AhR using high affinity antibody. The AhR staining was then scored by three evaluators, including two pathologists who were blinded to the study. Statistical analysis showed a significant correlation between the AhR expression and the carcinoma case type (NN, NP or Met) (p-value of ANOVA is < 0.0003), and although there is a significant difference of AhR expression among carcinoma case type of white women (p< 0.0017) there is no significant difference for black women (p<0.0968). There is also a strong positive correlation between the receptor expression and the tumor grade (p <0.0001). While there is no correlation with the status of estrogen or progesterone receptors (p= 0.1643 and 0.1884, respectively), there is strong correlation of high AhR expression and invasive breast carcinoma in women over 50 years old (p<0.0043). In conclusion, our findings identify the AhR as a new predictive clinical marker for metastatic breast cancer and a unique target for the design of novel selective inhibitors for therapeutic intervention of metastatic breast cancer. More importantly, the AhR overexpression identifies a subset of patients who could benefit from therapy targeting this receptor. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 698. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-698
Research and Analysis of the Management of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Deviation

OBJECTIVE:To improve the management of pharmaceutical manufacturing deviations in China,and to ensure drug quality.METHODS:Through conducting research in 24 pharmaceutical manufacturers,the status quo of pharmaceutical manufacturing deviation management was investigated and the relevant problems were analyzed.Improving suggestions were put forward according to the comparison of domestic and foreign management requirements.RESULTSCONCLUSIONS:There are still a big gap between the management of pharmaceutical manufacturing deviations in China and foreign standard.The management of pharmaceutical manufacturing deviations should be improved in respect of improving deviation cognition,strengthening the relative training,establishing effective program and completing the corrective and preventive measures.
Debt, Investment and Production in the U.S. Oil Industry: An Analysis of the 2014 Oil Price Shock

The spot price of crude oil declined from $106.07 per barrel on June 30, 2014 to $53.45 per barrel on December 31, 2014, representing a 50% decline within six months. By December 31, 2015, the spot price had declined further, to $37.13, and it remains substantially below its level during 2011 through the first half of 2014. We use this shock to oil prices to examine the relation between leverage and changes in investment and production when firms face a sudden change in their investment opportunity sets. Using a sample of 341 U.S. oil producers during 2011-2015, we find that highly leveraged oil producers (i) cut capital expenditures and (ii) increase production by significantly more than less leveraged oil producers. The results suggest that highly leveraged oil producers reduce investment and increase production to generate cash flow to make their debt payments after the oil price shock. Insofar that the capital structure of oil producers affects the level of production, it suggests that leverage can affect the dynamics of oil prices.
Respiratory Fungal Infections: Molecular Diagnostic Tests

Fungal infection of the respiratory tract can take several forms, the most common of which is pneumonia. Fungal infection can occur in the immunocompetent typically as a result of inhalation of a large inoculum of fungal elements. However, the number of etiologic agents attacking immunocompetent individuals and causing significant infection is limited. Molecular assays are a potential additional and sensitive weapon that can be added to the diagnostic arsenal used by physicians to determine whether a fungus is definitively, probably, or possibly causing infection in a patient.
Rubber–Road Contact: Comparison of Physics-Based Theory and Indoor Experiments

ABSTRACT: For tire designers, rubber friction is a topic of pronounced practical importance. Thus, development of a rubber–road contact model is of great interest. In this research, to predict the effectiveness of the tread compound in a tire as it interacts with the pavement, the physics-based multiscale rubber-friction theories developed by B. Persson and M. Kluppel were studied. The strengths of each method were identified and incorporated into a consolidated model that is more comprehensive and proficient than any single, existing, physics-based approach. In the present work, the friction coefficient was estimated for a summer tire tread compound sliding on sandpaper. The inputs to the model were the fractal properties of the rough surface and the dynamic viscoelastic modulus of rubber. The sandpaper-surface profile was measured accurately using an optical profilometer. Two-dimensional parameterization was performed using one-dimensional profile measurements. The tire tread compound was characterized ...
Organic geochemistry in exploration of the Northern North Sea

A subsurface geochemical study has been conducted in the Northern North Sea with the following objectives:
Analytical bounds for optimal tile size selection

In this paper, we introduce a novel approach to guide tile size selection by employing analytical models to limit empirical search within a subspace of the full search space. Two analytical models are used together: 1) an existing conservative model, based on the data footprint of a tile, which ignores intra-tile cache block replacement, and 2) an aggressive new model that assumes optimal cache block replacement within a tile. Experimental results on multiple platforms demonstrate the practical effectiveness of the approach by reducing the search space for the optimal tile size by 1,307× to 11,879× for an Intel Core-2-Quad system; 358× to 1,978× for an Intel Nehalem system; and 45× to 1,142× for an IBM Power7 system. The execution of rectangularly tiled code tuned by a search of the subspace identified by our model achieves speed-ups of up to 1.40× (Intel Core-2 Quad), 1.28× (Nehalem) and 1.19× (Power 7) relative to the best possible square tile sizes on these different processor architectures. We also demonstrate the integration of the analytical bounds with existing search optimization algorithms. Our approach not only reduces the total search time from Nelder-Mead Simplex and Parallel Rank Ordering methods by factors of up to 4.95× and 4.33×, respectively, but also finds better tile sizes that yield higher performance in tuned tiled code.
Controlling Oil-in-Oil Pickering-Type Emulsions Using 2D Materials as Surfactant

Emulsions are important in numerous fields, including cosmetics, coatings, and biomedical applications. A subset of these structures, oil-in-oil emulsions, are especially intriguing for water sensitive reactions such as polymerizations and catalysis. Widespread use and application of oil-in-oil emulsions is currently limited by the lack of facile and simple methods for preparing suitable surfactants. Herein, we report the ready preparation of oil-in-oil emulsions using 2D nanomaterials as surfactants at the interface of polar and nonpolar organic solvents. Both the edges and basal plane of graphene oxide nanosheets were functionalized with primary alkyl amines and we demonstrated that the length of the alkyl chain dictates the continuous phase of the oil-in-oil emulsions (i.e., nonpolar-in-polar or polar-in-nonpolar). The prepared emulsions are stable at least 5 weeks and we demonstrate they can be used to compartmentalize reagents such that reaction occurs only upon physical agitation. The simplicity and...
Rapid Estimation of Fouled Railroad Ballast Mechanical Properties

Ballast fouling and ballast deterioration are significant maintenance concerns. Ballast fouling occurs because of the wearing of the ballast against the tie and other ballast, along with the intrusion of fines from the subgrade and deposition of coal dust or soil particles from the surface. In this study, the assessment of mechanical properties of fouled ballast using available geotechnical tests is discussed. These mechanical properties include subgrade reaction modulus from static plate loading tests, dynamic deformation modulus from light weight deflectometer (LWD) tests, and California bearing ratio (CBR) from dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) tests. The test results show similar trends for these mechanical properties, which were determined by varying the fouling amount as well as the moisture content. The mechanical properties first increased with the moisture content up to a certain value and then decreased rapidly after a peak value. This article also discusses the correlations between these mechanical properties developed from the tests.
The Calorie-Labeling Saga - Federal Preemption and Delayed Implementation of Public Health Law.

The Calorie-Labeling Saga Eight years after passage of the Affordable Care Act, its provisions for calorie labeling in food-establishment chains have finally been implemented. The long delay has exposed a broken regulatory system that is often unaccountable to the public.
Controlled Release of Antifertility Agents

The sustained-controlled release concept is actively being investigated in many different fields, including agriculture, aquaculture, food, cosmetics, veterinary, and pharmaceutics. One particular area in the pharmaceutical field which has received considerable attention is the fertility area. In fact, some of the earliest sustained-controlled release delivery systems were associated with this area and involved the sustained-controlled release of’ antifertility agents. One can preselect the site at which the antifertility agent is to be delivered by developing novel delivery systems and/or by choosing the route of administration. Depending, again, upon the site selected or mode of administration chosen, one also preselects the distribution of that agent, that is, the antifertility agent will be delivered and act at a localized site (tissue or organ) or will be distributed systemically and act at a remote site.
Refractive Surgery Suturing Techniques

The management of refractive surgery complications remains very challenging. The number of refractive surgery procedures continues to grow steadily with new advancements in technology. Whereas the majority of surgeries are uneventful, the refractive surgeon needs to remain aware of surgical techniques that may improve visual outcomes. The use of suturing in refractive surgery complications for both RK and LASIK procedures offer a safe and effective method to help patients improve their overall level of visual function as well as quality of life.
Android Resists Liberation from Its Primary Use Case

Network connectivity is often one of the most challenging aspects of deploying sensors. In many countries, cellular networks provide the most reliable, highest bandwidth, and greatest coverage option for internet access. Repurposing smartphones as gateways could extract value from hundreds of millions of devices currently considered to be e-waste. While these factors make smartphones a seemingly ideal platform to serve as a gateway between sensors and the cloud, we find that a device designed for multi-tenant operation and frequent human interaction becomes unreliable when tasked to continuously run a single application with no human interaction, a somewhat counter-intuitive result. Further, we find that economy phones cannot physically withstand continuous operation, resulting in a surprisingly high rate of permanent device failures in the field. If these observations hold more broadly, they would make mobile phones poorly suited to a range of sensing applications for which they have been rumored to hold great promise.
Proceedings of the 18th ACM SIGPLAN symposium on Principles and practice of parallel programming

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the 18th ACM SIGPLAN Symposium on Principles and Practice of Parallel Programming (PPoPP'13). PPoPP continues its tradition of serving as a leading forum for research in all aspects of parallel software, including theoretical foundations, programming models, programming languages, compilers, algorithms, applications, and systems software. PPoPP'13 received 146 complete paper submissions. In addition to the 29 program committee members, 85 members of the external review committee plus an additional 33 individuals reviewed these papers. We carried out two rounds of reviewing, with at least three reviews being obtained in the first round and additional reviews being obtained in the second round for papers where needed. After extensive discussions at an in-person program committee meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 26 full papers were selected for presentation at the conference. The program committee also invited 47 high quality submissions that could not be accepted as full papers as poster presentations and 19 accepted this invitation. PPoPP'13 is excited to take place in the dynamic city of Shenzhen, China, our second visit to Asia in recent times. The conference will be co-located with the International Symposium on High-Performance Computer Architecture (HPCA) and International Symposium on Code Generation and Optimization (CGO), allowing attendees of one conference the option of attending talks at the other.
Comparative case studies: PDAs treated with medication, surgical ligation, and transcatheter device closure

The ductus arteriosus is a lifeline for the developing fetus prior to delivery, allowing the circulation of oxygen-rich blood from the placenta to bypass the lungs and perfuse the body. However, when the ductus fails to close after birth, the pressures can cause blood to shunt from the aorta back into the lungs, causing pulmonary edema. This is called a left-to-right shunt. The patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) can also shunt blood from the pulmonary arteries to the aorta, bypassing the lungs and causing oxygen-poor blood to mix with the oxygen-rich blood circulating to the body. This is called a right-to-left shunt. Too much shunting in either direction can cause significant long-term problems for the neonate. These three case studies compare the outcomes of patients with PDAs closed using different treatment techniques. The first patient's ductus arteriosus closed >2 months after birth following pharmacologic treatment. The second was closed by surgical ligation. The third was closed by transcatheter device closure.
Holographic entropy cone for five regions

Even though little is known about the quantum entropy cone for $N\geq4$ subsystems, holographic techniques allow one to get a handle on the subspace of entropy vectors corresponding to states with gravity duals. For static spacetimes and $N$ boundary subsystems, this space is a convex polyhedral cone known as the holographic entropy cone $\mathcal{C}_N$ for $N$ regions. While an explicit description of $\mathcal{C}_N$ was accomplished for all $N\leq4$ in the initial study, the information given about larger $N$ was only partial already for $\mathcal{C}_5$. This letter provides a complete construction of $\mathcal{C}_5$ by exhibiting graph models for every extreme ray orbit generating the cone defined by all proven holographic entropy inequalities for $N=5$. The question of whether there exist additional inequalities for $5$ parties is thus settled with a negative answer. The conjecture that $\mathcal{C}_5$ coincides with the analogous cone for dynamical spacetimes is supported by demonstrating that the information quantities defining its facets are primitive.
The Physiological Role of α‐Synuclein and Its Relationship to Parkinson's Disease

The protein α-synuclein has a central role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this review, we discuss recent results concerning its primary function, which appears to be on cell membranes. The pre-synaptic location of synuclein has suggested a role in neurotransmitter release and it apparently associates with synaptic vesicles because of their high curvature. Indeed, synuclein over-expression inhibits synaptic vesicle exocytosis. However, loss of synuclein has not yet been shown to have a major effect on synaptic transmission. Consistent with work showing that synuclein can promote as well as sense membrane curvature, recent analysis of synuclein triple knockout mice now shows that synuclein accelerates dilation of the exocytic fusion pore. This form of regulation affects primarily the release of slowly discharged lumenal cargo such as neural peptides, but presumably also contributes to maintenance of the release site. This article is part of the Special Issue "Synuclein".
Neonatal jaundice in association with autism spectrum disorder and developmental disorder.

To examine the association between neonatal jaundice and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and non-ASD developmental disorder (DD). We analyzed data from the Study to Explore Early Development, a US multisite, case-control study conducted from 2007 to 2011. Developmental assessment classified children aged 2–5 years into: ASD (n = 636), DD (n = 777), or controls (POP; n = 926). Neonatal jaundice (n = 1054) was identified from medical records and maternal interviews. We examined associations between neonatal jaundice and ASD and DD using regression models to obtain adjusted odds ratios (aOR). Our results showed interaction between gestational age and neonatal jaundice. Neonatal jaundice was associated with ASD at 35–37 weeks (aOR = 1.83, 95%CI 1.05, 3.19), but not ≥38 weeks gestation (aOR = 0.97, 95%CI 0.76, 1.24). Similar results were observed with DD. Further exploration of timing and severity of neonatal jaundice and ASD/DD is warranted.
Chapter 100 – Flight

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses flight behavior of insects. Many important behavioral features of insects, including dispersal, reproductive strategies, and evasion from predators rely in some way on flight behavior. Wings themselves, as cuticular structures, have no intrinsic musculature and are moved instead via thoracic deformations and by muscles that insert directly at the wing base. The total force created throughout a stroke by a flapping wing may be conveniently separated into four main components: translational force, rotational force, wake capture, and inertial force. Inertial force results from the acceleration of the wing back and forth during each stroke and would be present were the wing to flap in a vacuum. Although the mass of the wings is small, the acceleration is great and the resulting inertial forces are substantial. Peak values of inertial force during stroke reversal may be comparable to or even greater than the aerodynamic forces. The extreme morphological adaptations associated with flight behavior in insects are paralleled by equally impressive specializations within the nervous system.
Inflammatory bowel disease–like conditions: immune deficiencies

Abstract Primary and secondary humoral and cellular immune deficiencies occur in both adult and pediatric populations, although primary immune deficiencies are predominantly seen in infants or young children. The relationship between immune deficiency, gastrointestinal (GI) infections, and GI inflammation is complex and reciprocal. Patients with primary or secondary immune deficiencies often have GI manifestations from microbial infections, concurrent autoimmune disorders, or immune deficiency per se. The GI presentations may mimic that in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) The classic example is common variable immune deficiency. IBD, particularly in those treated with immunosuppressive medications, may develop secondary immune deficiencies, with a typical example being immunoglobulin (Ig) deficiency. Refractory disease course of IBD may be attributed to the immune deficiency. In clinical practice, intravenous Ig infusion has been used for the treatment of refractory IBD or refractory pouchitis with a favorable outcome. Endoscopy and histology along with serology, genetic testing, and microbiology are valuable for the differential diagnosis between primary or secondary immune deficiency, immune deficiency with superimposed infections, IBD, and immune deficiency concomitantly with underlying IBD.