cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Attitudes Toward Secondhand Smoke, Smoking, and Quitting Among Young People

Objective. To assess the impact of attitudes toward secondhand smoke among young people. Methods. Three hundred nonsmokers and 300 smokers (smoked a cigarette in last 30 days) 14 through 22 years of age in the United States were surveyed with random-digit dialing. The results of this cross-sectional survey were analyzed using logistic regression to determine predictors of nonsmoking and intent to stop among current smokers. Results. Controlling for age, ethnicity, and education, nonsmokers were more likely to consider smoking risky than smokers (odds ratio [OR] = 3.46). Nonsmokers were twice as likely to consider secondhand smoke dangerous than smokers (OR = 1.47). Among the variables in our model, the only statistically significant predictor of planning to stop smoking or having actually stopped was believing that secondhand smoke harmed nonsmokers, which more than doubled the chances of planning to stop or having stopped smoking (relative risk = 2.17). Conclusions. Educating young people about the dangers of secondhand smoke and empowering nonsmokers to speak out should be a strong element of any tobacco control program.
Biomaterials: So Many Choices, So Little Time. What Are the Differences?

The use of biologic mesh has increased greatly in recent years in response to the need for a solution in managing contaminated hernias. Multiple different meshes are commercially available, and are derived from a variety of sources, including human dermis as well as animal sources. For a mesh to be effective, it must be resistant to infection, have adequate tensile strength for hernia repair, and be well tolerated by the host. To achieve this end, biologic meshes go through an intense processing that varies from one product to the next. In this article, the authors review the types of mesh available, how they are processed, and examine these characteristics in terms of their strengths and weaknesses in application to surgical technique.
Stochastic behavior in quantum scattering

Abstract A 2-dimensional smooth orientable, but not compact space of constant negative curvature with the topology of a torus is investigated. It contains an open end, i.e. an exceptional point at infinite distance, through which a particle or a wave can enter or leave, as in the exponential horn of certain antennas or loud-speakers. In the Poincare model of hyperbolic geometry, the solutions of Schrodinger's equation for the reflection of a particle which enters through the horn are easily constructed. The scattering phase shift as a function of the momentum is essentially given by the phase angle of Riemann's zeta function on the imaginary axis, at a distance of 1 2 from the famous critical line. This phase shift shows all the features of chaos, namely the ability to mimick any given smooth function, and great difficulty in its effective numerical computation. A plot shows the close connection with the zeros of Riemann's zeta function for low values of the momentum (quantum regime) which gets lost only at exceedingly large momenta (classical regime?) Some generalizations of this approach to chaos are mentioned.
Structure of Pareto Optima When Agents Have Stochastic Recursive Preferences

Abstract A recursive method is given for constructing all Pareto optimal allocations for a dynamic economy under Markov certainty in which consumer preferences are recursive. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C60, D50.
A smooth nonparametric quantile estimator for IFR distributions

Assuming that the underlying distribution F has an increasing failure rate, a smooth quantile estimator is obtained based on the nonparametric maximum likelihood estimator of F. The quantile estimator is shown to be strongly consistent and asymptotically normal and does not require the selection of a smoothing parameter as do some other nonparametric quantile estimators. Some results of a small simulation and an illustrative example are also presented.
Human-behavioral and paleoecological implications of terminal Pleistocene fox remains at the Marmes Site (45FR50), eastern Washington state, USA

Examination of terminal Pleistocene-age fox remains from the Marmes archaeological site in southeastern Washington State (USA) reveals that a previous identification of one specimen as arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) was incorrect. Of nearly four-dozen associated specimens, eleven, including the one originally identified as arctic fox, represent red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Cut-marked fox bones and associated stone artifacts and eyed bone needles suggest several foxes were butchered and perhaps hides sewn together. The modern environmental setting of the Marmes site is too warm for modern red fox; the prehistoric red fox remains suggest (summer) climate was cooler when those remains were deposited.
Effects of core properties in four-person games with side-payments

This paper reports an experimental test of three competing theories of payoff allocation (the Shapley, equality, and nucleolus solutions) in n-person conflicts. These tests apply to decision making in group systems. Three-hundred twenty subjects participated in four-person cooperative, nonconstant sum, nonempty core games with side-payments. The manipulated experimental variables included core size, location of the equality vector with respect to the core, and column difference of payoff matrices. Results show that the Shapley solution is superior to the nucleolus solution in terms of predictive accuracy. Moreover, the Shapley solution is robust to experimental treatments and thus appears to be more useful than the equality solution. Related findings indicate a high percentage of Pareto optimal outcomes (83%) and a higher frequency of outcomes falling in the core when the equality vector is located inside the core than when it is located outside. Findings are discussed in terms of core properties.
Sedimentologic and isotopic constraints on the Paleogene paleogeography and paleotopography of the southern Sierra Nevada, California

Detrital zircon U-Pb provenance and stable isotopic studies of three Paleogene southern Sierra Nevada (California) basins place new constraints on the paleoelevation history of the region. Age spectra from the Paleocene Witnet Formation within the southernmost Sierra Nevada link these sediments to source terranes that were at or near sea level in the early Cenozoic, while age spectra from the Paleocene Goler Formation, east of the Sierra Nevada, demonstrate isolation of southern Sierra Nevada basins from the continental interior and tapping of Jurassic and Triassic arc flank sources during the Paleocene. West of the Sierra Nevada, strata of the Eocene Tejon Formation are dominated by Cretaceous zircons sourced from the Sierran batholith. Goler Formation carbonate δ 18 O suggests Paleocene paleoelevations of 1–2 km for the central and southern Sierra Nevada. Taken together, these data indicate a Paleogene southern Sierra Nevada with modest elevations, locally dissected to sea level by rift basins formed by Late Cretaceous lithospheric collapse. These results place new limits on the amount of regional middle to late Cenozoic elevation gain that may have resulted from the loss of dense, mantle lithosphere from below the central and southern Sierra Nevada, and point to possible north-south variations in the topographic evolution of the Sierra Nevada.
Biomechanics and Analysis of Running Gait

Physical activity, including running, is important to general health by way of prevention of chronic illnesses and their precursors. To keep runners healthy, it is paramount that one has sound knowledge of the biomechanics of running and assessment of running gait. More so, improving performance in competitive runners is based in sound training and rehabilitation practices that are rooted firmly in biomechanical principles. This article summarized the biomechanics of running and the means with which one can evaluate running gait. The gait assessment techniques for collecting and analyzing kinetic and kinematic data can provide insights into injury prevention and treatment and performance enhancement.
Comparative structure-activity analysis of insect kinin core analogs on recombinant kinin receptors from Southern cattle tick Boophilus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) and mosquito Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

The systematic analysis of structure-activity relationships of insect kinins on two heterologous receptor-expressing systems is described. Previously, kinin receptors from the southern cattle tick, Boophilus microplus (Canestrini) [Holmes et al., Insect Mol Biol 9:457–465 (2000); Holmes et al., Insect Mol Biol 12:27–38 (2003)], and the dengue vector, the mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.) [Pietrantonio et al., Insect Mol Biol 14:55–67 (2005)], were functionally and stably expressed in CHO-K1 cells. In order to determine which kinin residues are critical for the peptide-receptor interaction, kinin core analogs were synthesized as an Ala-replacement series of the peptide FFSWGa and tested by a calcium bioluminescence plate assay. The amino acids Phe1 and Trp4 were essential for activity of the insect kinins in both receptors. It was confirmed that the pentapeptide kinin core is the minimum sequence required for activity and that the C-terminal amide is also essential. In contrast to the tick receptor, a large increase in efficacy is observed in the mosquito receptor when the C-terminal pentapeptide is N-terminally extended to a hexapeptide. The aminoisobutyric acid (Aib)-containing analog, FF[Aib]WGa, was as active as superagonist FFFSWGa on the mosquito receptor in contrast to the tick receptor where it was statistically more active than FFFSWGa by an order of magnitude. This restricted conformation Aib analog provides information on the conformation associated with the interaction of the insect kinins with these two receptors. Furthermore, the analog FF[Aib]WGa has been previously shown to resist degradation by the peptidases ACE and nephrilysin and represents an important lead in the development of biostable insect kinin analogs that ticks and mosquitoes cannot readily deactivate. Arch Insect Biochem Physiol 62:128–140, 2006. Published 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
17-Hydroxycyclooctatin, a fused 5-8-5 ring diterpene, from Streptomyces sp. MTE4a.

A new diterpene with a fused 5−8−5 ring system was isolated from the fermentation broth of a soil actinomycete. The stereochemistry at C-15 was determined in an unusual manner using a decomposition product.
Consumer Perception of Cultured Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) and Its Market Competitors

: Aquaculturists are concerned with performance of cultured yellow perch against its wild-caught market competitors. In this study, consumer perception of cultured yellow perch was compared to that of wild-caught walleye, ocean perch, and zander. In 2 experiments, species were ranked for preference, rated for liking, and rated for degree of difference from a reference (cultured perch). Results were analyzed using Friedman's analysis of ranks, analysis of variance, and method of maximum likelihood. In Experiment 1 (n= 50), there was no significant difference in preference or liking, and all wild-caught species were significantly different from the reference. In Experiment 2 (n= 68), the species were trimmed to the same thickness for a more fair comparison of these species. Cultured yellow perch was equally preferred to all species but was rated significantly higher than walleye in overall liking. In addition, ocean perch and walleye were found to be significantly different from cultured perch, while zander was not.
Dynamic optimization problems with bounded terminal conditions

Bounded terminal conditions of nonlinear optimization problems are converted to equality terminal conditions via Valentine's device. In so doing, additional unknown parameters are introduced into the problem. The transformed problems can still be easily solved using the sequential gradient-restoration algorithm (SGRA) via a simple augmentation of the unknown parameter vector pi. Three example problems with bounded terminal conditions are solved to verify this technique.
Threshold charged-pion photoproduction and radiative pion capture. I. The Nucleon

The transition operator for threshold charged-pion photoproduction and radiative pion capture is considered as the nonrelativistic limit of the analogous relativistic operator. We demonstrate that the resulting nonrelativistic threshold photoproduction cross sections are consistent with the corresponding relativistic results. Including a model dependent N* anomalous moment contribution to the cross section of order (k/M)/sup 2/ compared with the static limit, we calculate a rate for ..pi../sup -/p ..-->.. ..gamma..n in reasonable agreement with the known charge-exchange scattering length combination vertical-bara/sub 1/ - a/sub 3/vertical-bar and the measured Panofsky ratio P/sub 1/.
The role of the superior colliculus in facilitating visual attention and form perception.

Abstract When interhemispheric transfer in cats is studied from an intact hemisphere to a hemisphere with a suprasylvian cortical lesion, excellent transfer of grating discriminations, but no transfer of forms, is present. Stimuli with global, repetitive features covering a large visual field (gratings), which can be discriminated by preattentive vision, are transferred; perception of stimuli with local features (forms), which require serial exploration using focal vision, is defective in the hemisphere with cortical lesion and transfer is lacking. Influence of the midbrain in facilitating focal vision is shown by the restoration of form discriminations after section of the superior collicular commissure. It is hypothesized that the perceptual defect after lesion in the suprasylvian cortex is due to poor spatial attention and its restoration after midbrain lesion is due to improved function of those collicular cells that mediate orienting of attention.
Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) expressing TFPI-2 inhibits invasion, angiogenesis and tumor growth in a human glioblastoma cell line

Recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV) have become the vector of choice for many gene therapy protocols. rAAVs have a number of attractive features including long-term transgene expression and the ability to transduce both dividing and non-dividing cells. We have shown previously the anti-cancer role of tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 (TFPI-2), a matrix-associated serine protease inhibitor, in human glioblastomas. As a result of our present study, in which 0.8-kb fragment of human TFPI-2 was cloned into the adeno-associated viral vectors (rAAA-TFPI-2), rAAV-TFPI-2 infection of SNB19 cells significantly increased TFPI-2 as determined by Western blotting. As assessed by spheroid and Matrigel assays, infection of SNB19 cells with rAAV-TFPI-2 significantly reduced migration and invasion in a dose-dependent manner. Tumor spheroids infected with rAAV-TFPI-2 and co-cultured with fetal rat brain aggregates did not invade rat brain aggregates, whereas 90-95% of the mock and AAV-CMV infected cells invaded rat brain aggregates. In vitro angiogenesis studies (tumor cells co-cultured with endothelial cells or endothelial cells seeded on matrigel) showed reduction of capillary-like structure formation in rAAV-TFPI-2-treated cells as compared to parental and mock-transfected cells. In in vivo angiogenesis results demonstrated the formation of microvessels in SNB19 parental cells and this formation was inhibited when the SNB19 cells were infected with rAAV-TFPI-2. Further, we observed a large reduction of tumor growth in SNB19 cells treated with rAAV-TFPI-2 virus injected intracerebrally when compared to controls. Our study demonstrates that rAAV-TFPI-2-mediated gene therapy offers a novel tool for the treatment of brain tumors.
Electrophoretic mobility of solvent extraction oil drops: effects of mixed extractants and metal ions

Abstract The electrophoretic mobility of hexane droplets dispersed in aqueous solution has been investigated in the presence of mixed extractant systems consisting of anti-5,8-diethyl-7-hydroxy-6-dodecanone oxime (the active extractant in LIX63) + dinonylnaphthalenesulfonic acid (HDNNS), di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (HDEHP) + HDNNS, and tricaprylylmethylammonium chloride (Aliquat 336) + HDNNS. LIX63 was found to lower the electrophoretic mobility of HDNNS-hexane droplets, an additive effect in electrophoretic mobility was seen in HDEHP + HDNNS systems, while the presence of Aliquat 336 in HDNNS solution reversed the interfacial charge from negative to positive. The effects of aqueous metal ions, Ni(II), Co(II) and Fe(III), on the electrophoretic mobility of LIX63-, HDNNS- and LIX63 + HDNNS-containing hexane droplets were also investigated. It was found that the effects of these metal ions are strongly pH-dependent. Charge reversals (CRs) were generally observed in the pH range 9–11 for Ni(II)- and Co(II)-containing systems, and in a wider pH range (3–11) for Fe(III). The first CR is attributed to a partial coating of the oil drops by metal hydroxide precipitates, while the second CR reflects the behavior of a completed surface layer of metal hydroxide precipitate.
A class library for implementing, testing, and debugging concurrent programs

We describe the Modern Multithreading (MM) class library. MM is a class library consisting of thread and synchronization classes that provide significant support for testing and debugging multithreaded programs. The synchronization classes implement commonly used synchronization objects such as semaphores, monitors, and asynchronous and synchronous message passing channels, for programs that run on a single computer or on a distributed system. MM uses controlled executions to provide program tracing and replay and to support a number of implementation-based and specification-based testing techniques, including non-deterministic and deterministic testing and several forms of reachability testing. MM is portable and easy to use, and has been implemented in Java and C++, with C++ versions for the POSIX Pthreads library and for the Windows Win32 API.
Is hypothetical bias universal? Validating contingent valuation responses using a binding public referendum

Abstract This study presents a criterion validity test in which stated choice responses are compared to aggregated votes in a subsequent binding referendum. The assessment is characterized by an identical quasi-public good and information content in hypothetical and actual contexts; a genuine and consequential contingent choice survey implemented before the referendum was scheduled or announced; and hypothetical and actual responses representing a large proportion of a well-defined population. The comparison is designed to be simple and unambiguous—no response re-coding is required, no cheap-talk mechanisms are used, and a single choice per respondent parallels the binding referendum. The study is also distinguished by results that show no statistical evidence of hypothetical bias. Findings provide evidence that hypothetical bias is not universal, and suggest potential means to ameliorate hypothetical bias in stated preference research.
Precision of marker heterozygosity estimates.

Sample sizes may greatly affect the accuracy of estimates of marker heterozygosities. Therefore, indicating the precision of these estimates is strongly recommended. A computer program HETMAX was written and used to obtain unbiased estimates of heterozygosity, their standard errors and unit support intervals, based on a subset of GAW9 data. The accuracy of the estimates and the associated sample sizes are presented. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Sample sizes may greatly affect the accuracy of estimates of marker heterozygosities. Therefore, indicating the precision of these estimates is strongly recommended. A computer program HETMAX was written and used to obtain unbiased estimates of heterozygosity, their standard errors and unit support intervals, based on a subset of GAW9 data. The accuracy of the estimates and the associated sample sizes are presented. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Representations for Rigid Solids: Theory, Methods, and Systems

Computer-based systems for modehng the geometry of rigid solid objects are becoming increasingly important in mechanical and civil engineering, architecture, computer graphics, computer vision, and other fields that deal with spatial phenomena. At the heart of such systems are symbol structures (representations) designating "abstract solids" (subsets of Euclidean space) that model physical solids. Representations are the sources of data for procedures which compute useful properties of objects. The variety and uses of systems embodying representations of solids are growing rapidly, but so are the difficulties in assessing current designs, specifying the characteristics that future systems should exhibit, and designing systems t9 meet such specifications. This paper resolves many of these difficulties by providing a coherent view, based on sound theoretical principles, of what is presently known about the representation of solids. The paper is divided into three parts. The first introduces a simple mathematical framework for characterizing certain important aspects of representations, for example, their semantic (geometric) integrity. The second part uses the framework to describe and compare all of the major knownschemes fo~ representing solids. The third part briefly surveys extant geometric modeling systems and then applies the concepts developed in the paper to the high-level design of a multiple*representation geometric modeling system which exhibits a level of reliability and versatility supermr to that of systems currently used in industrial computer-aided design and manufacturing.
SEISMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF EARTHQUAKES ALONG THE OFFSHORE EXTENSION OF THE WESTERN TRANSVERSE RANGES, CALIFORNIA

The short- and long-period body waves of five moderate (M_L 5 to 6) earthquakes that took place in the nearshore region of southcentral California between 1969 and 1981 are modeled to obtain the source parameters. Both regional Pnl waveforms and teleseismic P waveforms are used in this analysis. Four of the events are thrust earthquakes with strikes that rotate southwestward as the epicenters move southward; the fifth is a strike-slip event occurring on a fault subparallel to the San Andreas fault. The focal mechanisms for all five events are consistent with known faults in the source localities and suggest that the regional stress field is compressional in a north-south direction. At least three events have complex source time histories, suggesting that complex sources are common even for events of this size. The most exotic event started with a low stress drop subevent, ruptured bilaterally, and concluded with strong asperity ruptures at each end. Since Pnl waveforms for thrust events are particularly sensitive to crustal thickness, regionalized crustal models were developed. The crustal thickness appears to increase southward but may be a function of the distance of the event from shore rather than of latitude. Basin and range paths yield the thinnest crustal models, while paths crossing the Colorado Plateau and Rockies yield the thickest. We also examined amplitude variations with station and path. In general, the amplitudes seem to be controlled by the station site rather than the path.
Diabetes and Eating Disorders

The problem of insulin restriction is an important women's health issue in type 1 diabetes. This behavior is associated with increased rates of diabetes complications and decreased quality of life. Clinical and technological research is greatly needed to improve treatment tools and strategies for this problem. In this commentary, the author describes the scope of the problem of eating disorders and diabetes, as well as offers ideas about ways technology may be applied to help solve this complex problem.
Leukotriene B4 receptor inhibitor LY293111 induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human anaplastic large-cell lymphoma cells via JNK phosphorylation

Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a heterogeneous lymphoma category in which a subset of cases carry the t(2;5)(p23;q35) or variant translocations resulting in overexpression of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). LY293111 (2-[2-propyl-3-[3-[2-ethyl-4-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-hydroxyphenoxy]-propoxy]-phenoxy] benzoic acid sodium salt) is a leukotriene B4 receptor antagonist, which was found to be safe and tolerable in Phase I clinical trials. In this study, we investigated the potential therapeutic effects and mechanisms of action of LY293111 in ALCL cell lines. LY293111 inhibited proliferation of both ALK(+) and ALK(-) ALCL cell in a dose-dependent fashion and induced complete G(1)-S cell cycle arrest, which was accompanied by upregulation of p27 and downregulation of cyclin E. Pretreatment with LY293111 for 4 h resulted in profound inhibition of serum-induced phosphorylation of extracellular-regulated kinases-1 and 2 and Akt and a concomitant increase in the phosphorylation of the stress-activated kinase c-jun N-terminal kinases (JNK). Simultaneously, LY293111 induced caspase-dependent apoptosis via activation of the intrinsic pathway, including early loss of mitochondrial inner transmembrane potential and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), cleavage of caspases-9, -3, poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis. The phospho-JNK inhibitor SP600125 partially protected Sup-M2 cells from LY293111-induced apoptosis, PARP cleavage and ROS generation, suggesting a role for JNK in LY293111-induced cell death. These results warrant further studies of LY293111 in ALCL.
Drug-selected human lung cancer stem cells: cytokine network, tumorigenic and metastatic properties.

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are thought to be responsible for tumor regeneration after chemotherapy, although direct confirmation of this remains forthcoming. We therefore investigated whether drug treatment could enrich and maintain CSCs and whether the high tumorogenic and metastatic abilities of CSCs were based on their marked ability to produce growth and angiogenic factors and express their cognate receptors to stimulate tumor cell proliferation and stroma formation. Methodology/Findings: Treatment of lung tumor cells with doxorubicin, cisplatin, or etoposide resulted in the selection of drug surviving cells (DSCs). These cells expressed CD133, CD117, SSEA-3, TRA1-81, Oct-4, and nuclear b-catenin and lost expression of the differentiation markers cytokeratins 8/18 (CK 8/18). DSCs were able to grow as tumor spheres, maintain self-renewal capacity, and differentiate. Differentiated progenitors lost expression of CD133, gained CK 8/18 and acquired drug sensitivity. In the presence of drugs, differentiation of DSCs was abrogated allowing propagation of cells with CSC-like characteristics. Lung DSCs demonstrated high tumorogenic and metastatic potential following inoculation into SCID mice, which supported their classification as CSCs. Luminex analysis of human and murine cytokines in sonicated lysates of parental- and CSC-derived tumors revealed that CSC-derived tumors contained two- to three-fold higher levels of human angiogenic and growth factors (VEGF, bFGF, IL-6, IL-8, HGF, PDGF-BB, G-CSF, and SCGF-b). CSCs also showed elevated levels of expression of human VEGFR2, FGFR2, CXCR1, 2 and 4 receptors. Moreover, human CSCs growing in SCID mice stimulated murine stroma to produce elevated levels of angiogenic and growth factors. Conclusions/Significance: These findings suggest that chemotherapy can lead to propagation of CSCs and prevention of their differentiation. The high tumorigenic and metastatic potentials of CSCs are associated with efficient cytokine network production that may represent a target for increased efficacy of cancer therapy.
The Groves-Ledyard mechanism: An experimental study of institutional design

The Groves-Ledyard mechanism theoretically can solve the ‘free-rider’ problem in public good provision in certain environments. Two questions are of overriding importance in implementing the mechanism. The first is related to the actual performance of the mechanism in general. The second is the choice of a ‘punishment parameter’, γ, which is the only parameter that is available for those who may want to actually use the mechanism. Thus the determination of the role of this variable on mechanism performance is fundamental for any advances along the lines of actual implementation. In studying the Groves-Ledyard mechanism, we show that the punishment parameter, γ, plays a crucial role in the performance of the mechanism. By using γ = 1 and 100, we show that under the higher punishment parameter, the Groves-Ledyard equilibrium is chosen much more frequently; a higher level of the public good is provided and efficiency is higher. By examining two behavioral models, we show that a higher γ leads to an increase in the probability of an individual choosing a best response predicted by the model. The parameter γ alone explains nearly 70% of the data in both the Cournot and the Carlson-Auster behavioral model. We also found that convergence to Cournot behavior is faster and more stable under a high γ than under a low γ.
Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty in Black and White Patients with Primary Open-angle Glaucoma

The effect of argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT) on lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) was studied retrospectively in 68 black patients and 42 white patients with uncontrolled primary open-angle glaucoma on maximally tolerated medical therapy. Patients with the diagnosis of pigmentary or pseudoexfoliation glaucoma and those having previous intraocular or laser surgery were excluded. While the mean age of the black patients (66.9 years) was lower than the white patients (72.2 years), the prelaser IOP was similar between the two groups: 26.2 mmHg for the black patients and 25.5 mmHg for the white patients. The mean IOP one year (18.4 mmHg for black patients and 18.4 mmHg for white patients) and two years (19.5 mmHg and 20.3 mmHg, respectively) after ALT was the same between the two groups of patients. A similar percentage of black (85%) and white (83%) patients showed more than a 15% decrease in IOP from their prelaser values one year after treatment. The IOP lowering effect of ALT decreased during the second post-operative year; but the diminished response was identical in patients of both races, with 71% of patients of both groups still showing greater than 15% reduction from their pre-laser IOP. We conclude that ALT is equally effective in lowering IOP for black and white patients with medically uncontrolled primary open-angle glaucoma.
DIETARY AND GENETIC EFFECTS ON LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN HETEROGENEITY

We have tested whether differences in distribution and dietary responsiveness of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) subclasses contribute to the variability in the magnitude of LDL-cholesterol reduction induced by diets low in total and saturated fat and high in carbohydrate. Our studies have focused on a common, genetically influenced metabolic profile, characterized by a predominance of small, dense LDL particles (subclass pattern B), that is associated with a two- to threefold increase in risk for coronary artery disease. We have found that healthy normolipidemic individuals with this trait show a greater reduction in LDL cholesterol and particle number in response to low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets than do unaffected individuals (subclass pattern A). Moreover, such diets result in reduced LDL particle size, with induction of pattern B in a substantial proportion of pattern A men. Recent studies have indicated that this response is under genetic influence. Future identification of the specific genes involved may lead to improved targeting of dietary therapies aimed at reducing cardiovascular disease risk.
PET radiopharmaceuticals: state-of-the-art and future prospects

In this review we provide a conceptual overview of radiopharmaceuticals containing positron-emitting isotopes, not a catalog of radiopharmaceuticals or details of syntheses. We hope to provide an integrated framework for understanding the radiopharmaceuticals that are available at this time, describing both their strengths and weaknesses, and to look forward to some of the improvements that might be anticipated in the next decade. The range of biology that can be studied with positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals has greatly expanded, involving more sophisticated tracers and more sophisticated data analysis. PET measurements now encompass increasingly more specific aspects of human biochemistry and physiology as described in this review. As the biology being studied becomes more complex, the demands on the radiopharmaceutical and the methods of data analysis also become more complex. New synthetic chemistry and data analysis must develop in tandem. Radiopharmaceuticals must be designed to ensure that the rate determining step that is of interest is the one reflected in the data from the radiopharmaceutical. The challenge to the PET community of chemists, biologists, and physicians is to apply new knowledge of human biochemistry for developing and validating useful PET radiopharmaceuticals that will, in turn, produce useful nuclear medicine procedures. Initially the synthesis of a compound containing a short-lived radionuclide was a triumph in itself. However as the science advances the radiochemical synthesis becomes just the first step in a long trail that terminates in the compound being used to provide data on biological processes via a well-designed PET experiment. The resulting list of compounds and experiments should be as diverse as all of human biology and pathophysiology.
Portable biomarker detection with magnetic nanotags

This paper presents a hand-held, portable biosensor platform for quantitative biomarker measurement. By combining magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) tags with giant magnetoresistive (GMR) spin-valve sensors, the hand-held platform achieves highly sensitive (picomolar) and specific biomarker detection in less than 20 minutes. The rapid analysis and potential low cost make this technology ideal for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics. Furthermore, this platform is able to detect multiple biomarkers simultaneously in a single assay, creating a promising diagnostic tool for a vast number of applications.
Stress and strain gradient control of polycrystalline SiC films

This work reports the development of very low residual stress and low strain gradient polycrystalline SiC (poly-SiC) thin films deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). Using dichlorosilane (DCS, SiH 2 Cl 2 ) and acetylene (C 2 H 2 ) as precursors, it was found that the flow rate of DCS can be used to adjust the residual stress from tensile to compressive in as-deposited films. The resulting poly-SiC films, with tensile stresses lower than 50 MPa and strain gradients as low as 1.3×10−4 °m−1, are well-suited for MEMS and NEMS structural materials.
Sugar Makes Fat by Talking to SCAP

Elevated blood glucose promotes lipogenesis via activating SREBP transcription factors. Tumors exhibit increased glucose uptake and lipogenesis, but the mechanisms controlling this are poorly understood. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Cheng and colleagues find that glucose activates SREBP by stabilizing SCAP, a central regulator of the SREBP pathway.
A goodness of fit test for multivariate normality

A goodness of fit test for multivariate normality is developed. The test procedure reduces the composite null hypothesis to a simple null hypothesis that requires one to test uniformity of a set of observations between 0 and 1.
A Referral Approach to Finding Medical Informatics Reviewers

We proposed and investigated a referral approach to finding experts in distributed networked environments. An expert finding task, namely, finding “good” medical informatics reviewers in peer-review processes, was used in an agentbased simulation environment to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, and scalability of the proposed model. Experiments on a coauthorship network of 181 peers showed that the model based on topical relevance cues was able to identify experts within a very short referral chain and largely outperformed random walks. Applying heuristics to rewire the connections and to constrain the use of remote neighbors showed large improvement on efficiency and provided a better network underpinning for finding shortcuts to experts. The study showed results consistent with previous research on navigation in small worlds and focused on IR applications with richer dimensions of complexity.
Boxer’s Knuckle in the Professional Athlete

Injuries to the extensor mechanisms of the fingers can be career-ending in professional athletes if not treated appropriately. We identified 8 professional athletes who underwent 11 direct metacarpophalangeal joint extensor mechanism repairs including centralization of the extensor tendon and sagittal band repair between 1989 and 1994. Success of the operative procedure was determined by the athlete's attainment of full range of motion, return to professional sports, and no need for additional surgical intervention. The metacarpophalangeal joints of the long and little fingers were most commonly involved. The position of the extensor mechanism disruption and the direction of the tendon subluxation varied. Capsular tears were identified in seven joints and none were repaired. At follow-up, each athlete had regained full range of motion and each had returned to professional sport an average of 5 months postoperatively. No patient required additional surgery. In this series, the principal lesion in metacarpophalangeal joint injury was extensor mechanism disruption with a predictable sagittal band tear and either a radial or ulnar subluxation of the central tendon. We recommend centralization of the extensor tendon and sagittal band repair without capsular repair as a treatment of choice for this injury, particularly in the athlete.
The MIT Spoken Lecture Processing Project

We will demonstrate the MIT Spoken Lecture Processing Server and an accompanying lecture browser that students can use to quickly locate and browse lecture segments that apply to their query. We will show how lecturers can upload recorded lectures and companion text material to our server for automatic processing. The server automatically generates a time-aligned word transcript of the lecture which can be downloaded for use within a browser. We will also demonstrate a browser we have created which allows students to quickly locate and browse audio segments that are relevant to their query. These tools can provide students with easier access to audio (or audio/visual) lectures, hopefully improving their educational experience.
Assessing teamwork for accreditation: Understanding what needs to be known and its integration into engineering and technology curricula

Most future engineering and technology graduates will work on complex projects in a team environment requiring multiple skill sets. These are critical skills that the future engineer must acquire to readily adapt to the global work environment. Assessing effective teamwork skills as part of the ABET process is very important. To effectively assess how teams work, categorization of skills and an understanding of why engineers and technologists must work in teams is a necessity. In addition, peculiarities, which might exist with teamwork in a technical setting and often differentiating from teamwork in other contexts, must be identified. With such a categorization, a skill set can be defined and used as a template for incorporation into engineering and technology curricula. This template will serve as a guide for understanding and assessing necessary teamwork skills. Key characteristics, such as time, complexity and knowledge limitations that generally require technical personnel to work as a team to complete a task will be enumerated and the nature of technical teamwork defined. This can be used to define the capabilities an engineer needs to be an effective working team member. These capabilities have associated skill sets that translate in the various knowledge bases that can be incorporated into engineering curricula and become a template for assessing teamwork in an engineering program.
Effect of healing on small internal diameter arterial graft compliance.

Porosity is an essential component for long term function of small internal diameter synthetic vascular prostheses. Theoretically, porosity is required for healing by providing a scaffold for ingrowth of periprosthetic tissues. Porosity may be required for transfer of fluids and ions in prostheses even if tissue ingrowth does not occur. Increased permeability of vascular grafts has been shown to enhance tissue incorporation. Implants with pore sizes greater than 10 microns but less than 45 microns become ingrown with fibrohistiocytic tissue and capillaries. Implants with pore sizes greater than 45 microns are ingrown with organized fibrous tissue and minimal histiocytic response. The phenomenon of differential ingrowth may have important functional significance. Prostheses which heal with organized fibrous tissue have the potential for long term contracture, strangulation of vascularity and calcification. Fibrohistiocytic tissue has low mechanical strength and does not appear to contract or calcify. Elast...
Impacts of surface albedo models on high-resolution AOD retrieval

There is a strong need to improve the resolution of Aerosol Optical depth products as more urbanized areas continue to grow. In particular, localized emission sources are likely to create highly localized pollutants that should be monitored. However, in urbanized areas, the land surface itself is a major difficulty since finding dark vegetation pixels becomes harder. Therefore, in order to determine aerosols, a better estimate of the land surface itself should be attempted and should depend strongly on the land surface classification. In order to see if this is possible, we make use of the high density Dragon Network which was deployed in the Washington DC area for summer 2011. The high density of AERONET monitors makes it possible to assess the 3km MODIS AOD retrievals and explore how the deviations of this product depends critically on land surface properties. We then show that we can use improved land surface spectral properties as a function of the different land classes to improve the retrievals. Finally, we explore extended cases including the Dragon Network experiment over Houston from May 1-Nov 1 2013 and specific nearby dual Aeronet instruments where the assessment of urban land surface can be better isolated from variations in aerosol class and solar/view geometries. In both cases, sensitivity to urban surface type is observed and magnified on the high resolution AOD products.
Comorbid Psychological Conditions in Pediatric Headache

Children and adolescents with chronic daily headaches (CDH) often have comorbid psychological conditions, though their prevalence is unclear. Pediatric patients with CDH may have higher rates of disorders such as anxiety and depression. However, some researchers have found that scores on depression and anxiety screening measures for pediatric patients with migraine are within reference range. Barriers to identify patients with psychiatric disorders have included limited validated screening tools and lack of available mental health resources. Several validated screening tools have recently been used in studies of pediatric patients with CDH. Once identified, treatment of comorbid psychological conditions may lead to improved functioning and headache outcomes.
Observation of Standing Waves of Electron-Hole Sound in a Photoexcited Semiconductor

Three-dimensional multicomponent plasmas composed of species with very different masses support a new branch of charge-density fluctuations known as acoustic plasmons. Here, we report on an ultrafast optical method to generate and probe coherent states of acoustic plasmons in a slab of GaAs, which relies on strong photoexcitation to create a large population of light electrons and heavy holes. Consistent with the random-phase-approximation theory, the data reveal standing plasma waves confined to these slabs, similar to those of conventional sound but with associated velocities that are significantly larger.
Examples of Augmentation of an Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Curriculum using UAVs

This paper provides an example of stability and control curriculum augmentation with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Instead of providing a singular experience in one course, three laboratory modules are designed to be integrated during the sophomore, junior, and senior years. By providing providing curriculum augmentation in a vertical sense student exposure and educational impact is enhanced. Cooperative learning is used in a learner{centered approach to design a pedagogical base for the laboratory modules.
Bacteriophage Absorption by Blood Cells and Bacteria

Previous studies1 have demonstrated a partial or complete inhibition of phage action against bacteria in vitro by whole blood, serum, pleural exudate, and pus. This inactivation might be due to the absorption of the phage by the body fluids. The present investigation was undertaken to determine whether the cellular elements of the blood are capable of absorbing bacteriophage and includes experiments on phage absorption by bacteria. The term absorption is used to indicate the amount of phage inactivation which occurred when phage was in contact with an absorbing substance. As this phenomenon is irreversible, the word absorption was chosen to describe it rather than adsorption. However, in reporting the work of others, the terminology of the authors has been respected.
Validation of BISON Calculation of Hydrogen Distribution by Comparison to Experiment

During normal operation in nuclear reactors, the nuclear fuel cladding corrodes as a result of exposure to high temperature cooling water. During this process, hydrogen can enter the zirconium-alloy of the fuel cladding, and under proper conditions, precipitate as brittle hydride platelets which can severely impact cladding ductility and fracture toughness. Hydrogen tends to migrate to and precipitate at colder spots. Because high local hydride concentrations increase the risk of cladding failure, it is important to predict the local hydrogen distribution. To that end, a hydrogen transport model has been implemented in the 3D fuel performance code BISON. In this study, we present an initial attempt of using this model for benchmarking the BISON code as applied to a case of the hydrogen distribution measured in a nuclear fuel rod, which had undergone a five cycles exposure. The prediction of hydrogen distribution show good agreement with the post irradiation measurement, indicating the promise of this benchmarking method.