cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Macunovich response to abernethy

Diane Macunovich responds to the assertion made by Dr. Abernethy on the obscurity of the magnitude of the immigrant effect on US fertility. She explains that column 5 in table IV is a net number but only in the sense that it represents the births to US natives themselves given the immigration less the number they themselves would have had if the immigration had not occurred. She emphasizes that in all the calculations presented in columns 4-6 in tables IV and V the immigrant women have been removed from the equation entirely--as if they were currently in transit somewhere on/over the Pacific Ocean. Moreover the entire focus of tables IV and V is the change in global births resulting from migration: since no change is assumed in the immigrants total fertility rate there would be no change in the number of births they produce. Part of Macunovichs reply is a discussion of the effects of rapid increase in age- and race-specific fertility rates.
Assessment of Folsom lake response to historical and potential future climate scenarios: 1. Forecasting

Abstract In collaboration with operational forecast and management Agencies, an integrated forecast-control system is designed and applied to a major reservoir in California to evaluate the potential benefits of climate information for flood control, hydroelectric energy production, and low flow augmentation. In addition to retrospective studies involving the historical period 1964–1993, system simulations were performed for the future period 2001–2030, under a control and a 1% greenhouse-gas-increase scenario. This paper presents the forecast component formulation and validates ensemble 30-day reservoir-inflow forecasts under a variety of situations. The control component formulation and corresponding reservoir management results are presented in Yao and Georgakakos, this issue. The forecast component is based on ensemble flow forecasting. Quantiles of the distribution of climate-model precipitation simulations are used to select catchment-scale historical daily precipitation time series for the generation of an ensemble of daily reservoir-inflow by hydrologic models. Ensemble generation takes into consideration both atmospheric-forcing and hydrologic-model uncertainties. Principal conclusions of this paper are that the integrated system provides reliable ensemble inflow volume forecasts for the majority of the deciles of forecast frequency, and that the use of climate model simulations is beneficial mainly during high flow periods. It is also found that to maintain reliability for future climate periods, generation of ensemble inflow forecasts should use input time series that reflect potential sharp changes in precipitation amount.
Using Situational Interviews to Assess Engineering Applicant Fit to Work Group, Job, and Organizational Requirements

Abstract:Both anecdotal and research evidence show that engineering interviewers have long been interested in hiring engineers based on the degree to which they “fit” the culture of the organization and the behavioral expectations of the job and work group to which they will be assigned. This article examines how an increasingly prevalent interviewing technology, the situational interview (SI) (Latham, Saari, Pursell, and Campion, 1980), can be used to assess the match between behavioral tendencies of job applicants and behaviors required for successful performance. In particular, this article (a) examines the concept of “fit” and its importance to hiring engineers, (b) reviews the advantages of the SI as an interviewing method for measuring fit, (c) explains the methods and processes needed to construct an SI, and (d) illustrates how to construct an SI to examine an engineering applicant's tendency to behave according to organizational expectations in dealing with a critical work situation typically face...
Removal of boundary singularities of pseudo-holomorphic curves with Lagrangian boundary conditions

We give a proof of the theorem of removing isolated singularities of pseudo-holomorphic curves with Lagrangian boundary conditions and bounded symplectic area. The proof is a combination of some Lp-type estimates, standard techniques of geometric P.D.E., and some ideas from symplectic geometry and calibration theory.
Microscopic and ultrastructural anatomy of the trachea and bronchi of Melopsittacus undulatus (Aves, Psittaciformes)

The normal microscopic pattern and ultrastructure of the lower trachea and the primary and secondary bronchi of the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) are described. The trachea is lined by mucociliary pseudostratified columnar epithelium with simple acinar mucous glands; epithelium in primary and secondary bronchi becomes progressively lower and less pseudostratified, and mucous cells less aggregated. The wall structure shows a parallel simplification; tracheal elements are comprised of osseous metaplastic cartilage with bone marrow between cancellous trabeculae, whereas distal secondary bronchial walls are principally comprised of smooth muscle. Mucous cells are similar to those described in mammalian, and other avian respiratory mucosae. Ciliated cells are similar to those known in other avian airways. No brush cells or Clara cells are observed.
Surface wave and related effects on the RCS of microstrip dipoles printed on magnetodielectric substrates

The scattering cross section of microstrip dipoles is examined. The primary emphasis is to demonstrate the effects of surface waves on the scattering cross section, and to provide a simple physical understanding of the surface wave mechanism. The electric field integral equation is solved in the spatial domain using the method of moments. Special techniques used to speed up the evaluation of the Sommerfeld integrals are explained. The radar cross section for several microstrip dipole configurations is presented. The mechanism for generation of surface waves plays a major role in the scattering behavior of the dipoles, and a physically intuitive interpretation of this mechanism is used to successfully explain the pattern structure. For generality, magnetodielectric substrates with and without loss are considered. >
Internalization and trafficking of guanylyl cyclase/natriuretic peptide receptor-A

One of the principal loci involved in the regulatory action of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP) is guanylyl cyclase/natriuretic peptide receptor-A (GC-A/NPRA), whose ligand-binding efficiency and GC catalytic activity vary remarkably in different target cells and tissues. In its mature form, NPRA resides in the plasma membrane and contains an extracellular ligand-binding domain, a single transmembrane region, and the intracellular protein kinase-like homology domain (KHD) and guanylyl cyclase (GC) catalytic domain. NPRA is a dynamic cellular macromolecule that traverses through different compartments of the cell through its lifetime. Binding of ligand to NPRA triggers a complex array of signal transduction events and accelerates the endocytosis. The endocytic transport is important in regulating signal transduction, formation of specialized signaling complexes, and modulation of specific components of internalization events. The present review describes the experiments which reveal the internalization of ligand-receptor complexes of NPRA, receptor trafficking and recycling, and delivery of both ligand-receptor molecules into subcellular compartments. The ligand-receptor complexes of NPRA are finally degraded within the lysosomes. The experimental evidence provides a consensus forum, which establishes the endocytosis, cellular trafficking, sequestration, and metabolic processing of ANP/NPRA complexes in the intact cells. The discussion is afforded to address the experimental insights into the mechanisms that cells utilize in modulating the delivery and metabolic processing of ligand-bound NPRA into the cell interior.
Prospects for the recycling of plastics in the United States

Abstract The amount of plastic in municipal solid waste (MSW) has been growing because of the expansion in its use coupled with the lowest recycling rate among major MSW materials. This study explores the prospects for reducing plastic waste in the US through source reduction and recycling over the next decade. A database describing use of eight categories of plastics is constructed and linked to a 90-sector input–output database and model of the US economy. Two alternative scenarios about plastic use are constructed for 2005, a baseline scenario that assumes an unchanged rate of recycling of plastics and a recycling scenario that identifies those industries which are potential users of recycled plastics and estimates the amounts they can be expected to absorb. Increased rates of recycling of plastics in the United States are achievable, but will require significant changes in practices and policies.
Self-Stabilizing Algorithm for Maximal 2-Packing with Safe Convergence in an Arbitrary Graph

In a graph or a network G = (V, E), a set S ⊆ V is a 2-packing if ∀i ∊ V : |N[i]∩S| ≤ 1, where N[i] denotes the closed neighborhood of node i. A 2-packing is maximal if no proper superset of S is a 2-packing. This paper presents a safely converging self-stabilizing algorithm for maximal 2-packing problem. Under a synchronous daemon, it quickly converges to a 2-packing (a safe state, not necessarily the legitimate state) in three synchronous steps, and then terminates in a maximal one (the legitimate state) in O(n) steps without breaking safety during the convergence interval, where n is the number of nodes. Space requirement at each node is O(log n) bits. This is a significant improvement over the most recent self-stabilizing algorithm for maximal 2-packing that uses O(n2) synchronous steps with same space complexity and that does not have safe convergence property.
PEComa: A Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Tumor in the Liver-A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors are soft tissue tumors that can occur in various locations in the body whose incidence is rising. Hepatic PEComas are quite rare and diagnosis involves positivity of Melan-A and HMB45 on immunohistochemistry. Usual treatment is surgery for benign tumors and chemotherapy including mTOR inhibitors for malignant tumors. Here we discuss the radiological and pathological diagnosis, evaluation, and management of a hepatic PEComa. We describe a 51-year-old patient who was diagnosed incidentally after unusual physical exam findings.
A surface-analytical study of tribodeformed aluminum alloy 319-10 vol.% graphite particle composite

Abstract In order to understand friction and wear processes of aluminum alloy-graphite composites, a basic understanding of tribochemical interactions between graphite particles, atmosphere and substrate must be developed. Our previous X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies have revealed the species of carbon and the oxidation layer formed on the wear surface during sliding. In this study, Auger and XPS techniques were used to analyze the tribodeformed surface of the composite. It has been found that a thin lubricating film of carbon is formed during sliding wear with different thicknesses at different regions which tends to reduce the coefficient of friction. Many areas of the surface exhibit no discoloration from that typical of these aluminum alloys. Surface analysis of these regions within the range of the present test conditions detects a thin (50–100 A) film apparently consisting of a mixture of graphite and other (primarily air deposited) carbonaceous species. Certain other regions exhibit dark spots, with XPS and Auger analysis, suggesting a relatively thick concentration of carbon in this region in the form of graphite particles.
The influential interactions of pre-kindergarten writers:

This article examines six years of ethnographic research in Robyn Davis's pre-kindergarten classroom in the USA. Using a theoretical framework to embed writing within a social semiotic that is mult...
Frequency analysis of time-varying elastance model of the left ventricle

Zadeh's transfer function method for linear time-variable systems is used to apply frequency-domain analysis to a periodically time-varying elastance model of the left ventricle. Left ventricular pressure computed from the system function of the time-varying elastance and the phasors of aortic flow shows a typical waveform of the measured ventricular pressure.
Orphanin FQ-induced hyperphagia is mediated by corticosterone and central glucocorticoid receptors.

Abstract Orphanin FQ (Nociceptin) has been reported to stimulate food intake in satiated rats and to stimulate corticosterone release. A large body of evidence exists to link central feeding systems with the regulation of corticosterone. In this study, we sought to determine whether or not circulating corticosterone is necessary for the induction of food intake by Orphanin FQ. We found that intracerebroventricular injection of Orphanin FQ (0.64–5 nmoles) dose dependently stimulated food intake and plasma corticosterone within 30 min of injection. Removal of corticosterone, by adrenalectomy, abolished the hyperphagic effect of Orphanin FQ. The stimulatory effect of Orphanin FQ on food intake was still negated following a low dose of corticosterone replacement (corresponding to a plasma corticosterone concentration of 1.86±0.99 μg/dl). However, following a larger dose of corticosterone replacement (corresponding to a plasma corticosterone concentration of 8.92±0.55 μg/dl) the feeding effect was fully restored. We concluded this study by testing the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, RU486 (Mifepristone, 80 μg/2 μl) on Orphanin FQ-induced feeding. Central injection of RU486, 30 min prior to injection of Orphanin FQ, significantly reduced Orphanin FQ-induced food intake in comparison to vehicle-treated controls. Overall, these data demonstrate the necessity for circulating corticosterone in the mediation of Orphanin-FQ-induced feeding and suggest that the mechanism through which the hyperphagic effect is obtained involves activation of central glucocorticoid receptors.
Internal symmetries and ghost symmetries: Models on Hermitian spheres

We suggest that large phenomenological flavor groups can be described in terms of noninvariance groups (ghost symmetries). The idea is elucidated on the example of spinor models built upon associated fiber bundles. The base space is a model of space-time, the fibers are Hermitian spheres; the latter are isomorphic to coset spaces, $\frac{\mathrm{U}(n+1)}{\mathrm{U}(n)}$. These models describe an unbounded number of spinor fields on space-time, coupled minimally to gauge fields. The ghost symmetry groups supported by such models are analyzed in detail on a model based on U(3)/U(2). The models are (superficially) renormalizable.
The Effect of Age, Complexity, and Amount of Contour on Pattern Preferences in Human Infants.

Abstract Two-dimensional grid patterns with black and white elements of four different sizes ( 1 8 -, 1 2 -, 1-, 2-inch checks ) and two different arrangements (random or redundant) were presented to 13-, and 20-week-old infants using a complete paired comparisons design. Infants preferred (spent more time looking at) patterns with greater amounts of contour thus verifying earlier reports relating contour information to preferences. Preferences decreased as a pattern began to contain great amounts of contour (very small elements). Older S s preferred patterns with greater amounts of contour compared to younger S s. An inverted U-shaped function of preference to the square root of the amount of contour appeared to be the best description of this looking behavior as well as shifts in this looking behavior with age. Describing these preferences and shifts in preference with age in terms of a “complexity” continuum did not prove useful for these data.
Viral dynamics of early HIV infection in neonatal macaques after oral exposure to HIV-2287: an animal model with implications for maternal-neonatal HIV transmission.

A model of vertical HIV transmission was developed using oral HIV-2 2 8 7 exposure of newborn Macaca nemestrina. The minimal Animal Infectious Dose for this oral route was found to be 10-fold higher than that for atraumatic viral transmission across other mucosal membranes (vaginal/rectal) of juvenile macaques. However, once infection was established, viral replication was rapid and plasma viremia could be detected by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and viral co-culture within 1 week following exposure. No animal was resistant to infection and all macaques initially exposed to a subinfectious viral inoculum were subsequently infected by re-exposure of mucosal membranes. Higher viral load during primary infection correlated with a more rapid CD4 depletion; however, all HIV-2 2 8 7 -infected animals developed CD4 depletion during the observation period. This animal model can now be used to study early viral replication in the presence and absence of anti-retroviral agents to help identify conditions to reduce vertical HIV transmission in human newborns.
The effect of chlorhexidine on blood cells

Chlorhexidine was cytotoxic to both neutrophils and red blood cells over a narrow concentration range of 0.01 to 0.02% drug. Serum provided significant protection against the cytotoxic effects of the antimicrobial agent. At a concentration of 0.01%, chlorhexidine acted as a potent activator of the neutrophil's oxidative burst, stimulating the cells to produce oxygen radicals such as super-oxide (O−2). Chlorhexidine ranging from 10−4 to 10−2 caused spontaneous degranulation of neutrophils. If neutrophils were pretreated with chlorhexidine and then activated by the chemoattractant tripeptide FMLP, chlorhexidine inhibited the induced Of generation and degranulation. If, on the other hand, neutrophils were activated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) following chlorhexidine treatment, the antimicrobial agent enhanced both O−2 synthesis and degranulation. It appears that the responsiveness of chlorhexidinetreated neutrophils to subsequent activators is dependent upon the nature of the activator.
Distance estimates of children as a function of acquisition and response activities.

Abstract Second and sixth graders (8 and 12 years of age, respectively) experienced a large-scale environment either actively or passively followed by a distance estimation task requiring either active or passive activity. Second graders were most accurate in those conditions where acquisition and response activities were congruent. These children significantly overestimated distances in the passive acquisition-active response condition. Sixth graders were equally accurate across all four experimental conditions. Results are discussed in terms of the complex interaction between acquisition factors and task demands which influence interpretations about spatial representations.
Oxysterols are allosteric activators of the oncoprotein Smoothened

Oxysterols are a class of endogenous signaling molecules that can activate the Hedgehog pathway, which has critical roles in development, regeneration and cancer. However, it has been unclear how oxysterols influence Hedgehog signaling, including whether their effects are mediated through a protein target or indirectly through effects on membrane properties. To answer this question, we synthesized the enantiomer and an epimer of the most potent oxysterol, 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol. Using these molecules, we show that the effects of oxysterols on Hedgehog signaling are exquisitely stereoselective, consistent with the hypothesis that they function through a specific protein target. We present several lines of evidence that this protein target is the seven-pass transmembrane protein Smoothened, a major drug target in oncology. Our work suggests that these enigmatic sterols, which have multiple effects on cell physiology, may act as ligands for signaling receptors and provides a generally applicable framework for probing sterol signaling mechanisms.
Nonbinary LDPC decoding by min-sum with Adaptive Message Control

A new decoding algorithm, referred to as Min-Sum with Adaptive Message Control (AMC-MS), is proposed to reduce the decoding complexity of nonbinary LDPC codes. The proposed algorithm adaptively trims the message length of belief information to reduce the amount of arithmetic operations. Exploiting the fact that during the decoding iteration, the distribution of belief information will become more concentrated around the correct element in the case of convergence, the messages can be truncated accordingly by considering only a few entries with large likelihood. Simulation results with a GF(16) nonbinary LDPC code indicate that the proposed approach can reduce arithmetic operations by up to 65% compared with non-truncated cases. Compared with the state-of-the-art extended MS (EMS) decoding, the proposed AMC-MS algorithm can reduce the computation by up to 50%, thereby enabling low-complexity decoding of nonbinary LDPC codes.
Crystal structure of the ATP-gated P2X(4) ion channel in the closed state.

P2X receptors are cation-selective ion channels gated by extracellular ATP, and are implicated in diverse physiological processes, from synaptic transmission to inflammation to the sensing of taste and pain. Because P2X receptors are not related to other ion channel proteins of known structure, there is at present no molecular foundation for mechanisms of ligand-gating, allosteric modulation and ion permeation. Here we present crystal structures of the zebrafish P2X4 receptor in its closed, resting state. The chalice-shaped, trimeric receptor is knit together by subunit–subunit contacts implicated in ion channel gating and receptor assembly. Extracellular domains, rich in β-strands, have large acidic patches that may attract cations, through fenestrations, to vestibules near the ion channel. In the transmembrane pore, the ‘gate’ is defined by an ∼8 A slab of protein. We define the location of three non-canonical, intersubunit ATP-binding sites, and suggest that ATP binding promotes subunit rearrangement and ion channel opening. P2X receptors are ATP-gated non-selective cation channels involved in nociception and inflammatory responses, whose structures were unknown. Kawate et al. now present the crystal structure of the zebrafish P2X4 receptor in a closed state. The trimeric structure reveals some of the molecular underpinnings of ligand-binding, cation entry and channel gating. A related paper presents the structure of chicken acid-sensing ion channel 1 (ASIC1) in a desensitized state. Like P2X receptors, ASICs are trimeric, but they belong to an entirely different family of ion channels. The structure determination of ASIC1 shows how ion permeation and desensitization may occur, and comparison of ASIC and P2X structures suggests that these functionally distinct channels employ similar mechanistic principles. P2X receptors are ATP-gated cation channels that are implicated in diverse physiological processes, from synaptic transmission to inflammation to the sensing of taste and pain. The crystal structure of the zebrafish P2X4 channel is now solved in its closed state, revealing some of the molecular underpinnings of ligand-binding, cation entry and channel gating.
The Virtuous Physician and Medicine’s Crises

I utilize the notion of virtuous physician, in the concluding chapter, to address the quality-of-care and professionalism crises, particularly through the integration of EBM and PCM to form virtuous holistic medicine. I also contrast this type of medicine to the unvirtuous fragmented medicine practiced by the unvirtuous physician and how such medicine exacerbates the crises. In a final section of the chapter, I discuss the implications of the notions of virtuous physician and virtuous holistic medicine for medical education and the medical humanities movement.
Pair production of supersymmetric charged Higgs bosons.

We discuss the pair production of charged Higgs bosons in high-energy hadron collisions, concentrating on supersymmetric models with two Higgs doublets. We show that gluon fusion via quark and scalar-quark loops dominates the usual electroweak quark-antiquark annihilation process if there exist sufficiently heavy quarks or scalar quarks.
Study of natural ventilation in buildings by large eddy simulation

Natural ventilation in buildings can create a comfortable and healthy indoor environment, and can save energy used in the mechanical ventilation systems. Two subgrid-scale models of large eddy simulation (LES), a Smagorinsky subgrid-scale (SS) model and a Filtered dynamic subgrid-scale (FDS) model, have been used to study airflow in buildings with natural ventilation. It was found that, for fully developed turbulence flow with a high Reynolds number, both the SS and FDS models provide good results. However, if the flow has both turbulent and laminar characteristics, or the wall effect is significant, the SS model performs poorly due to its constant model coefficient. The FDS model can still predict this flow correctly because its model coefficient varies over space and time according to flow types. Furthermore, for a single-sided ventilation, it is important to obtain instantaneous flow information in order to correctly predict ventilation rate and air change effectiveness. Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) modeling cannot correctly calculate the ventilation rate in this case.
Using Nonconscious Behavioral Mimicry to Create Affiliation and Rapport

Nonconscious behavioral mimicry occurs when a person unwittingly imitates the behaviors of another person. This mimicry has been attributed to a direct link between perceiving a behavior and performing that same behavior. The current experiments explored whether having a goal to affiliate augments the tendency to mimic the behaviors of interaction partners. Experiment 1 demonstrated that having an affiliation goal increases nonconscious mimicry, and Experiment 2 further supported this proposition by demonstrating that people who have unsuccessfully attempted to affiliate in an interaction subsequently exhibit more mimicry than those who have not experienced such a failure. Results suggest that behavioral mimicry may be part of a person's repertoire of behaviors, used nonconsciously, when there is a desire to create rapport.
Papillomavirus Pseudovirus: a Novel Vaccine To Induce Mucosal and Systemic Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Responses

Intestinal mucosa is a portal for many infectious pathogens. Systemic immunization, in general, does not induce a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response at the mucosal surface. Because papillomavirus (PV) naturally infects mucosa and skin, we determined whether PV pseudovirus, i.e., PV-like particles in which unrelated DNA plasmids are packaged, could generate specific mucosal immunity. We found that the pseudovirus that encoded the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus gp33 epitope induced a stronger CTL response than a DNA vaccine (plasmid) encoding the same epitope given systemically. The virus-like particles that were used to make the pseudoviruses provided an adjuvant effect for induction of CTLs by the DNA vaccine. The PV pseudovirus pseudoinfected mucosal and systemic lymphoid tissues when administered orally. Oral immunization with the pseudovirus encoding human PV type 16 mutant E7 induced mucosal and systemic CTL responses. In comparison, a DNA vaccine encoding E7, when given orally, did not induce a CTL response in intestinal mucosal lymphoid tissue. Further, oral immunization with the human PV pseudovirus encoding E7 protected mice against mucosal challenge with an E7-expressing bovine PV pseudovirus. Thus, PV pseudovirus can be used as a novel vaccine to induce mucosal and systemic CTL responses.
Fine particle air pollution and secondhand smoke exposures and risks inside 66 US casinos

Smoking bans often exempt casinos, exposing occupants to fine particles (PM(2.5)) from secondhand smoke. We quantified the relative contributions to PM(2.5) from both secondhand smoke and infiltrating outdoor sources in US casinos. We measured real-time PM(2.5), particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PPAH), and carbon dioxide (CO(2)) (as an index of ventilation rate) inside and outside 8 casinos in Reno, Nevada. We combined these data with data from previous studies, yielding a total of 66 US casinos with smoking in California, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, developing PM(2.5) frequency distributions, with 3 nonsmoking casinos for comparison. Geometric means for PM(2.5) were 53.8 μg/m(3) (range 18.5-205 μg/m(3)) inside smoking casinos, 4.3 μg/m(3) (range 0.26-29.7 μg/m(3)) outside those casinos, and 3.1 μg/m(3) (range 0.6-9 μg/m(3)) inside 3 nonsmoking casinos. In a subset of 21 Reno and Las Vegas smoking casinos, PM(2.5) in gaming areas averaged 45.2 μg/m(3) (95% CI, 37.7-52.7 μg/m(3)); adjacent nonsmoking casino restaurants averaged 27.2 μg/m(3) (95% CI, 17.5-36.9 μg/m(3)), while PM(2.5) outside the casinos averaged 3.9 μg/m(3) (95% CI, 2.5-5.3 μg/m(3)). For a subset of 10 Nevada and Pennsylvania smoking casinos, incremental (indoor-outdoor) PM(2.5) was correlated with incremental PPAH (R(2)=0.79), with ventilation rate-adjusted smoker density (R(2)=0.73), and with smoker density (R(2)=0.60), but not with ventilation rates (R(2)=0.15). PPAH levels in 8 smoking casinos in 3 states averaged 4 times outdoors. The nonsmoking casinos' PM(2.5) (n=3) did not differ from outdoor levels, nor did their PPAH (n=2). Incremental PM(2.5) from secondhand smoke in approximately half the smoking casinos exceeded a level known to produce cardiovascular morbidity in nonsmokers after less than 2h of exposure, posing acute health risks to patrons and workers. Casino ventilation and air cleaning practices failed to control secondhand smoke PM(2.5). Drifting PM(2.5) from secondhand smoke contaminated unseparated nonsmoking areas. Smoke-free casinos reduced PM(2.5) to the same low levels found outdoors.
Effects of fear on risk and control judgements and memory: Implications for health promotion messages

Health promotion messages that evoke fear are often used to decrease unrealistic optimism regarding risks, convince people to control their behaviour, and make risks memorable. The relations among emotions, risk and control judgements, and memory are not well understood, however. In the current study, participants (N = 94) were assigned to fearful, angry, happy, or neutral emotion-elicitation conditions. They then rated the likelihood of experiencing 15 negative and 15 positive matched outcomes and rated their degree of control over each outcome. A surprise memory test followed. Fear decreased unrealistic optimism, but the greater the intensity of fear reported the less control participants believed they had over outcomes. Fear also led to poorer memory for outcomes. Across all participants, the lower their ratings of optimism and control concerning outcomes, the less likely they were to recall them. Implications for the use of emotionally evocative material in health promotion messages are discussed.
Leptin Beyond the Lipostat Key Component of Blood Pressure Regulation

Leptin Mediates the Increase in Blood Pressure Associated With Obesity Simonds et al Cell . 2014;159:1404–1416 Obese individuals often struggle with increases in blood pressure (BP) that ultimately lead to an enhanced cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The mechanistic basis for this association has remained largely unknown. Although a large number of metabolic signals are altered in obese individuals, including dyslipidemia, associated changes in sphingolipids, and an overall increase in subclinical inflammation, none of these parameters are thought to greatly influence BP. Recent data suggest that the adipokine leptin, whose circulating levels are typically proportional to fat mass, is a major driving force for the obesity-associated increases in BP. The effects of leptin on BP are mediated by neuronal circuits, including leptin-responsive neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamic (DMH) nucleus. Obesity is a widespread global health burden. It is intuitively obvious that obesity is a direct consequence of an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure, resulting in gross expansion of adipose tissue and an associated increase in BP, which is a major contributor to chronic hypertension and the risk for CVD-related mortality. The obese state is associated with dysfunctional adipose tissue exhibiting an abnormal secretory profile of bioactive adipokines1; this contributes to impaired regulation of appetite, an unfavorable adipose tissue distribution, reduced insulin sensitivity, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and an elevation in BP.1 Last year marked the 20th anniversary since the discovery of leptin from rodent adipose tissue in 1994 by Zhang et al.2 This discovery, along with the initial description of adiponectin around the same time, ignited a wealth of interest in adipose tissue as an endocrine organ and, in the case of leptin, enhanced our understanding in the biology of appetite and the maintenance of body weight control in obesity. Leptin is a pleiotropic hormonal signal …
The control of energy release in extracted muscle fibers.

Tension and P liberation were determined at the same time in glycerol-extracted muscle fibers suspended in ATP solutions. In the relaxed state, produced by ATP in rather fresh preparations, P liberation was low, but somewhat higher than in normal resting muscle. On addition of small amounts of CaCl2 the fibers gave a strong contraction during which P liberation was on the average about 5 times higher than in the relaxed condition. In aged muscle fibers ATP always produced a strong contraction associated with a high ATPase activity which was not influenced by Ca. The P liberation during a sustained contraction was much smaller in extracted fibers than in normal muscle, but the former maintained tension much more economically than the latter, resembling smooth muscle in this respect. Also the removal of Mg caused a contraction associated with high ATPase activity. Mg, therefore, is inhibitory in relaxed fibers. In fibers activated by Ca or by aging, however, it caused enhancement. The effects of ions on ATPase activity of relaxed fibers are similar to those on myosin and dissociated actomyosin, whereas activated fibers resemble actomyosin at low salt concentration.
Onconephrology: The Latest Frontier in the War against Kidney Disease

Renal diseases in patients with cancer have many unique features, and often these diseases require specialized approaches. Newer cancer therapy has increased cancer cure rate and survival time, but such benefit is not fully realized, partly because of therapy-associated toxicities. Fluid and electrolyte abnormalities are very common in patients with cancer, as are acute and chronic kidney injury. With the evolving complexities of newer cancer therapies, a comprehensive team approach is becoming necessary. It is essential for nephrologists to be informed and involved in cancer care. Many nephrologists caring for patients with cancer in the United States have recently met and formed a focus group, the OncoNephrology Forum, under the American Society of Nephrology. This update addresses what is clinically unique about onconephrology, the objectives and functions of the newly formed forum, and the potential of onconephrology becoming a subspecialty in nephrology.
Interaction of d-tubocurarine analogs with mutant 5-HT3 receptors

Abstract d-Tubocurarine is a potent competitive antagonist of both the muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) and the serotonin type-3 receptor (5HT3R). We have previously used a series of structural analogs of d-tubocurarine to demonstrate that the ligand-binding domains of both receptors share common structural features. We have now extended these studies to examine the interaction of a series of d-tubocurarine analogs with 5HT3Rs containing mutations at either of two residues within the ligand-binding domain of the receptor (W90F and R92A). The W90F mutation results in an approximately 2–4-fold decrease in the affinity of the analogs relative to wild-type receptors, while the R92A results in an approximately 8–10-fold increase in affinity. However, since the effect of a given mutation is more or less equivalent for all analogs, neither residue W90 nor R92 is likely to make a specific interaction with d-tubocurarine itself. Rather, these two residues are likely to play a role in determining both the geometry of the binding site, as well as the overall environment that a ligand encounters in the binding site.
Fracture Toughness of Plasma‐Sprayed Thermal Barrier Ceramics: Influence of Processing, Microstructure, and Thermal Aging

Fracture toughness has become one of the dominant design parameters that dictates the selection of materials and their microstructure to obtain durable thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). Much progress has been made in characterizing the fracture toughness of relevant TBC compositions in bulk form, and it has become apparent that this property is significantly affected by process-induced microstructural defects. In this investigation, a systematic study of the influence of coating microstructure on the fracture toughness of atmospheric plasma sprayed (APS) TBCs has been carried out. Yttria partially stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings were fabricated under different spray process conditions inducing different levels of porosity and interfacial defects. Fracture toughness was measured on free standing coatings in as-processed and thermally aged conditions using the double torsion technique. Results indicate significant variance in fracture toughness among coatings with different microstructures including changes induced by thermal aging. Comparative studies were also conducted on an alternative TBC composition, Gd2Zr2O7 (GDZ), which as anticipated shows significantly lower fracture toughness compared to YSZ. Furthermore, the results from these studies not only point towards a need for process and microstructure optimization for enhanced TBC performance but also a framework for establishing performance metrics for promising new TBC compositions.
Medical decision making and systems thinking

Components of medical decision-making are discussed on the basis of an actual patient with heart disease. A systems thinking framework developed by P. Senge (The Fifth Discipline, Currency and Doubleday Publishing, New York, 1990) is presented. The author tries to bring the clinical world and systems thinking to suggest areas for collaboration between physicians and systems scientists. >
Oncogenic Function of ATDC in Pancreatic Cancer Through Wnt Pathway Activation and β-catenin Stabilization

SUMMARY Pancreatic cancer is a deadly disease characterized by late diagnosis and resistance to therapy. Much progress has been made in defining gene defects in pancreatic cancer, but a full accounting of its molecular pathogenesis remains to be provided. Here, we show that expression of the ataxia-telangiectasia group D complementing gene (ATDC), also called TRIM29, is elevated in most invasive pancreatic cancers and pancreatic cancer precursor lesions. ATDC promoted cancer cell proliferation in vitro and enhanced tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. ATDC expression correlated with elevated b-catenin levels in pancreatic cancer, and b-catenin function was required for ATDC’s oncogenic effects. ATDC was found to stabilize b-catenin via ATDC-induced effects on the Disheveled-2 protein, a negative regulator of glycogen synthase kinase 3b in the Wnt/b-catenin signaling pathway.
Effects of gamma-radiation on the optical properties of aqueous lysozyme-polyinosinic-acid complexes.

SummaryThe absorption of gamma-rays by dilute aqueous solutions of lysozyme and polyinosinic acid (poly I) causes significant increases in the light-scattering power of room temperature solutions in certain critical concentration regions. Light-scattering properties are unaltered by relatively large doses of radiation delivered to heated complexes. Prior irradiation of the poly I alone yields complexes whose light-scattering properties are the same as those of the unirradiated system. Studies of the radiation-induced absorbance changes of these complexes at 260 and 280 nm show behaviour indicative of the radiation chemistry of polynucleotide rather than of lysozyme. From the evidence available, it is postulated that most of the damage is to the poly I rather than lysozyme in the complexes. Increases in light-scattering and dissymmetry are attributed to unwinding of the multi-stranded polynucleotide. The role of water in the formation and radiation sensitivity of the complexes is discussed.
California’s Once and Future Amazon Act

At the end of the current session of the California legislature, a deal was brokered under which Amazon dropped its efforts to repeal by voter initiative California’s new Amazon law. In return, Amazon obtained a one year delay in the implementation of the new law. These events suggest that we may be entering a new phase in the debate about the states’ taxation of remote sales. Paradoxically, California’s Amazon act, despite its practical and legal infirmities, may prove to be a game changer, the final straw for Amazon and its internet peers. Coming on top of other states’ efforts to impose tax collection responsibilities on out-of-state remote sellers, the California statute may have finally convinced Amazon and its internet peers that they are better off with federal legislation rather than the continuing proliferation of state Amazon acts.
Preparing for a New Madrid Earthquake: Accelerating and Optimizing Temporary Housing Decisions for Shelby County, TN

In the early 1800s Central USA has experienced some of the strongest earthquake ground motions observed nationwide. A recurrence of these earthquakes would cause significant social and economic impacts affecting the lives of millions of residents. For instance, it is estimated that more than 60,000 families will need temporary housing assistance in Shelby County, TN, alone. Identifying temporary housing solutions for these families will be a challenging task, especially with the need for quick decisions. The objective of this paper is to present a case study that illustrates the use of automated multi-objective optimization in identifying optimal large-scale temporary housing plans for displaced families in Shelby County. These optimal plans have the potential to (1) minimize social and economic disruptions for displaced families; (2) maximize housing safety in the presence of a large number of potential post-disaster hazards; (3) minimize negative environmental impacts; and (4) minimize total public expenditures.
Pituitary-Adrenal Cortical Control of Antibody Release from Lymphocytes. An Explanation of the Anamnestic Response.

SummaryAn anamnestic reaction has been produced in rabbits and mice following a single injection of adrenal cortical extract or pituitary adrenotrophic hormone. Desoxycorticosterone acetate injection failed to elicit this response. In adrenalectomized mice the anamnestic reaction also was elicited by adrenal cortical extracts but not by adrenotrophic hormone, despite the demonstrated presence of antibodies in the lymphocytes of these animals. Therefore, adrenal cortical mediation is essential for control of the release of antibody from lymphocytes.Two toxic stimuli, benzene and potassium arsenite, liberated antibodies from lymphocytes in intact mice. These stimuli failed to effect this release in adrenalectomized mice. The data establish the role of pituitary-adrenal cortical secretion as the controlling mechanism for the release of antibody from lymphocytes. The anamnestic reaction is one manifestation of this control.
Spatial mismatch and labor market segmentation for African-American and Latina women

AbstractThe economic well-being of African-Americans and Latinos in the United States depends critically on women's employment and earnings. Yet women's economic roles are ignored in recent literature about the effects of economic restructuring on well-being: the spatial mismatch/urban underclass debates. Gender differences in labor market segmentation are central to the spatial mismatch debate, both in their effects on wages, occupation, and transportation access and their links to place-based variation in commuting and spatial access to employment. Using 1980 PUMS data for northern New Jersey, we examine the spatial mismatch between jobs and residences for employed black and Hispanic women and the links between labor market segmentation and spatial mismatch. Minority women have poorer spatial access to jobs than white women, as indicated by their longer commuting times and less-localized labor markets, but they typically have better spatial access to employment than minority men. The mismatch is greates...
Quantitative Assessment of the Safety Benefits Associated with Increasing Clinical Peanut Thresholds Through Immunotherapy

Background Peanut immunotherapy studies are conducted with the aim to decrease the sensitivity of patients to peanut exposure with the outcome evaluated by testing the threshold for allergic response in a double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge. The clinical relevance of increasing this threshold is not well characterized. Objective We aimed to quantify the clinical benefit of an increased threshold for peanut-allergic patients. Methods Quantitative risk assessment was performed by matching modeled exposure to peanut protein with individual threshold levels. Exposure was modeled by pairing US consumption data for various food product categories with potential contamination levels of peanut that have been demonstrated to be present on occasion in such food products. Cookies, ice cream, doughnuts/snack cakes, and snack chip mixes were considered in the risk assessment. Results Increasing the baseline threshold before immunotherapy from 100 mg or less peanut protein to 300 mg peanut protein postimmunotherapy reduces the risk of experiencing an allergic reaction by more than 95% for all 4 food product categories that may contain trace levels of peanut residue. Further increase in the threshold to 1000 mg of peanut protein had an additional quantitative benefit in risk reduction for all patients reacting to 300 mg or less at baseline. Conclusions We conclude that achieving thresholds of 300 mg and 1000 mg of peanut protein by peanut immunotherapy is clinically relevant, and that the risk for peanut-allergic patients who have achieved this increased threshold to experience an allergic reaction is reduced in a clinically meaningful way.
Empirical Analysis on Shanxi Merchants' Credit Education and Trust Tendency

According to the probe survey,the authors made a research of the influence of Shanxi merchants' credit education to people's psychological trust and behavior.The result shows that Shanxi merchant education has an important impact to people's trust.Schools and society should advocate this kind of education.
Cryptography and Financial Industry

Cryptographic algorithms are widely used for the purpose of ensuring security of data used in financial transactions (e.g., ATM transactions, the online banking). RSA has been one of the most widely used cryptographic algorithms. Currently, the migration from RSA to Elliptic Curve Cryptography is an important agenda in many sectors including the financial industry . Comparing with RSA, Elliptic Curve Cryptography has the following two advantages: (1) It can provide the same security level by smaller key sizes, (2) The probability of the occurrence of security flaws by operational issues is much lower. In this paper, we will introduce a brief overview of the recent situation of RSA and explain the usage of Elliptic Curve Cryptography in the financial industry . Also, we will show the recent study on the security evaluation of Elliptic Curve Cryptography .