cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differential reinforcement of lever-press durations: Effects of deprivation level and reward magnitude

Abstract Three experiments investigated the performance of rats on a task involving differential reinforcement of lever-press durations. Experiment 1, which employed a discrete-trials procedure, manipulated deprivation level between subjects and reward magnitude within subjects. The minimum lever-press duration which would result in reward was varied from .4 to 6.4 sec. It was found that low deprivation resulted in longer mean durations and less response variability at the higher criterial values than did high deprivation. The magnitude of reward was not found to affect performance. Experiment 2 manipulated reward magnitude between subjects while holding deprivation level constant, and used the same general procedures as in Experiment 1. Small reward resulted in longer mean lever-press durations and less variability in responding than did large reward at the higher criterial values. The intertrial intervals were omitted in Experiment 3 in which deprivation level was varied between subjects and reinforcement was delivered only for response durations extending between 6.0 and 7.6 sec. Low deprivation resulted in longer mean lever-press durations and less response variability than did high deprivation, but the probability of a rewarded press duration did not differ between groups. The results overall are consistent with the hypothesis that low deprivation and small reward magnitude lead to weaker goal-approach responses and, hence, to less competition with lever holding. The deprivation and reward magnitude manipulations did not appear to influence lever holding performance by affecting the ability of animals to form temporal discriminations.
SU-E-T-144: Daily and Monthly Quality Assurance with TomoDose.

Purpose: Examine the use of TomoDose for Tomotherapy quality assurance.Methods: Baseline TomoDose profiles are acquired annually in accordance with TG‐148. During monthly quality assurance, TomoDose is irradiated with a static beam and referenced to baseline. Differences between superimposed profiles are evaluated monthly. TomoDose is further utilized in verifying transverse laser alignment. The TomoDose is aligned to virtual isocenter lasers and statically irradiated with a 40cm × 5.02cm treatment beam. Next, the TomoDose's internal diodes are imaged using the MVCT. Transverse laser, imaging beam, and treatment beam field center are verified to less than 1mm coincidence difference. For daily TomoDose irradiation the couch is set to a fixed height and irradiated. The dose to the central axis and dose rate is recorded. To check energy, the measurement is repeated with an aluminum block placed centrally on the TomoDose. The output reading relative to the dose rate is compared to the baseline determined at the time of monthly verification. A ratio of the output and energy readings serves as a daily energy constancy check. Results: Over 28 months, for nominal field sizes of 1.05, 2.50, and 5.02cm, TomoDose measured an average field size of 1.10, 2.51, and 5.02cm with maximum deviations of 0.09, 0.09, and 0.10cm, respectively. For transverse laser alignment, TomoDose software calculates beam center location. We have found the alignment to be sensitive to sub‐millimeter changes. Our nominal daily energy ratio is 0.689. We have observed a decline from an estimated 0.693 to 0.680 with target wear, providing a good indicator of degradation. Conclusions: TomoDose serves as a reliable constancy device with added benefits of verifying transverse laser alignment and predicting target health. I own common stock in Accuray (Tomotherapy).
Mutagenic activity of marihuana smoke condensates

Smoke condensates prepared from marihuana cigaretts were mutagenic in strain TA98 of the Ames Salmonella/microsome test, a short-term bioassay which estimates the mutagenic and carcinogenic potential of some chemicals. The mutagens in marihuana smoke condensates required liver enzymes to be activated. The specific mutagenic activity of marihuana smoke condensates were similar to that of tobacco smoke condensates prepared from American cigarettes. Fractionation studies of the marihuana smoke condensates showed that basic components accounted for 76% of the recovered mutagenic activity.
Environmental Influences on Fighting Versus Nonviolent Behavior in Peer Situations: A Qualitative Study with Urban African American Adolescents

This qualitative study explored environmental factors that influence adolescents’ responses to problem situations involving peers. Interviews were conducted with 106 middle school students (97% African American) from an urban school system. Participants were asked to describe factors that would make it easier and those that would make it more difficult for adolescents to make specific responses to problem situations. Two types of responses were presented: nonviolent responses identified as effective in a previous study, and fighting responses. Qualitative analysis identified 24 themes representing family, peer, school, and neighborhood and broader social factors that were related to both nonviolent behavior and fighting. The identification of environmental influences on fighting and nonviolent responses has important implications for efforts to reduce aggression and promote effective nonviolent responses to problem situations encountered by adolescents.
Generalized approach for using unbiased symmetric metrics with negative values: normalized mean bias factor and normalized mean absolute error factor

Unbiased symmetric metrics provide a useful measure to quickly compare two datasets, with similar interpretations for both under and overestimations. Two examples include the normalized mean bias factor and normalized mean absolute error factor. However, the original formulations of these metrics are only valid for datasets with positive means. This article presents a methodology to use and interpret the metrics with datasets that have negative means. The updated formulations give identical results compared to the original formulations for the case of positive means, so researchers are encouraged to use the updated formulations going forward without introducing ambiguity. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
Interactive 3D teleconferencing with user-adaptive views

We present a system and techniques for synthesizing views for three dimensional video teleconferencing. Instead of performing complex 3D scene acquisition, we decided to trade storage/hardware for computation, i.e., using more cameras. While it is expensive to directly capture a scene from all possible viewpoints, we observed that the participants' viewpoints usually remain at a constant height (eye level) during video teleconferencing. Therefore we can restrict the possible viewpoint to be within a virtual plane without sacrificing much of the realism. Doing so signicantly reduces the number of cameras required. We demonstrate a realtime system that uses a linear array of cameras to perform Light-Field style rendering. The simplicity and robustness of light fielding rendering, combined with the natural restrictions of limited view volume in video teleconferencing, allow us to synthesize photo-realistic views persuser request at interactive rate.
At the birth of modern semiclassical theory

The rapid development of the semiclassical theory of Miller and Marcus and its applications in the 1970s was an exciting experience. Some of these developments and the issues involved are described in the present overview.
Requirements for student programs in the undergraduate computer science curriculum: How much is enough?

Student-written programs accepted by computer science instructors are usually inferior to programs which exemplify currently-accepted “good” professional practice. Although enforcing more rigorous standards for programs places an additional burden on students and faculty alike, substantial benefits may be gained thereby. The natureand implementation of such standards are discussed.
Finite element analysis of the influence of tool edge radius on size effect in orthogonal micro-cutting process

Abstract The size effect in metal cutting is evident in the nonlinear scaling phenomenon observed in the specific cutting energy with decrease in uncut chip thickness. It has been argued by many researchers that this scaling phenomenon is caused mainly by the cutting tool edge radius, which purportedly affects the micro-cutting process by altering the effective rake angle, enhancing the plowing effect or introducing an indenting force component. However, the phenomenological reasons why the tool edge radius causes size effect and the relationship between the tool edge radius and the characteristic length scale associated with the size effect in micro-cutting has not been sufficiently clarified. In this paper, a strain gradient plasticity-based finite element model of orthogonal micro-cutting of Al5083-H116 alloy developed recently is used to examine fundamentally the influence of tool edge radius on size effect. The applicability of two length scales—tool edge radius and the material length scale l in strain gradient plasticity—are also examined via analysis of data available in the literature.
Pharmacologic blockade of the renin-angiotensin system: vascular benefits beyond commonly understood pharmacologic actions.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are recognized primarily for their use in hypertension, in heart failure, and after myocardial infarction. New evidence, particularly with ACE inhibitors, has shown their ability to reduce acute coronary events associated with atherosclerosis in patients without a history of the aforementioned cardiac conditions. This is likely due to inhibitory effects on the renin-angiotensin system—a system that adversely influences fibrinolytic balance, vascular endothelial function, and vascular inflammation, all key components of atherosclerotic progression and adverse coronary outcomes. Results of various studies suggest favorable effects of ACE inhibitors and ARBs on markers of these components, including effects on plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, endothelin-1, and nitric oxide by ACE inhibitors, and effects on vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and C-reactive protein by ARBs. Although early evidence suggests that ACE inhibitors may provide a greater beneficial effect on some of these markers compared with ARBs, and that certain ACE inhibitors may provide greater vascular benefits than others, further investigation is required to verify such findings. Overall, understanding the distinct coronary vascular benefits of these agents will emphasize the importance of using them, particularly ACE inhibitors, to improve outcomes in patients with coronary atherosclerotic disease.
Implementation of burst-correcting convolutional codes

A general procedure is formulated for decoding any convolutional code with decoding delay N blocks that corrects all bursts confined to r or fewer consecutive blocks followed by a guard space of at least N-1 consecutive error-free blocks. It is shown that all such codes can be converted to a form called "doubly systematic" which simplifies the decoding circuitry. The decoding procedure can then be implemented with a circuit of the same order of complexity as a parity-checking circuit for a block-linear code. A block diagram of a complete decoder is given for an optimal burst-correcting code. It is further shown that error propagation after a decoding mistake is always terminated by the occurrence of a double guard space of error-free blocks.
Congenital multiple clustered dermatofibroma in a 12-year-old girl.

: Congenital multiple clustered dermatofibroma (MCDF) is a rare, idiopathic, benign tumor presenting at birth as an asymptomatic hyperpigmented patch that is stable until puberty, at which time it enlarges and develops papules. Ultimately, MCDF appears to follow a stable, benign course. We present a case of a 12-year-old girl with congenital MCDF. To our knowledge, this is only the third reported case of congenital presentation of MCDF and the only case featuring atrophoderma-like depression.
Determinants of the effectiveness of personal decision support systems

Abstract The effectiveness of personal decision support systems is studied in terms of system usage, user characteristics, type of application and system characteristics. A system feature and function analysis was also conducted to determine how various system characteristics are valued by users.
Gender differences in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected patients with lung cancer

Results Over the 10-year period, 1250 lung cancer cases were identified (75HIV+, 205 HIV-, and 970 unknown HIV status. There were 20 women (W+) and 55 men (M+) with HIV, and 85 women (W-) and 120 men (M-) who are HIV-. There were significantly more men tested for HIV at cancer diagnosis than women (p=0.0001). The distribution of lung cancer type is similar among the HIV+ and HIV-. Median age at cancer diagnosis is not significantly different with W+(50 years old), W-(55) , M+(55) and M(58 ). Presentation at stage IIIB or IV occurred in 69%W+, 67% W, 68%M+ and 73%M-. There is no difference of median CD4 (W+=233, M+=159, p=0.1) or HAART use at cancer diagnosis among M+( 53%) or W+( 63%) , p=0.4. The median survival time for W+(386 days), M+(192 days ), W-(475 day) and M-(247 days) . There is trend for longer survival for W+ versus M+ (log rank p=0.07), as well as Wversus M(log rank p=0.06), but no difference for W+ vsW(LR p=0.7) or M+ vs M(LR p=0.8).
A mimic of superoxide dismutase activity based upon desferrioxamine B and manganese(IV).

MnO2 reacted with desferrioxamine B yielding a green, water-soluble complex, with absorption maxima at 315 and 635 nm whose extinction coefficients were 925 and 60 m−1 cm−1, respectively. Increasing the proportion of ligand to metal increased both color yield and ability to scavenge O−2, with maximal color yield and activity being achieved at a 1:1 ratio. The complex catalyzed the dismutation of O−2 and 1 μm was equivalent to 1 unit of superoxide dismutase activity in the xanthine oxidase-cytochrome c assay. The complex thus exhibited approximately 0.1% as much activity as did the manganesecontaining superoxide dismutase, on the basis of manganese content. The activity of the complex was not suppressed by bovine serum albumin or by the soluble proteins extracted from Lactobacillus plantarum. In contrast, the activities of Cu(II) complexes of salicylate or Gly-His-Lys were suppressed by these proteins.
Introduction to the Special Issue: No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Minority Youth: What the Qualitative Evidence Suggests

This article presents an analysis of four ethnographic studies examining the impacts of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act on minority youth. The analysis relies on qualitative approaches to address immediate problems of practice as well as broad theoretical questions related to NCLB. The studies reveal nuances in teacher pedagogy, curricular instruction, cultures, communities, and political influences that cannot be captured in reviews of purely quantitative data.
Market Positioning of Remanufactured Products With Optimal Planning for Part Upgrades

In a market with rapid changes in technology and customer preferences, technological obsolescence of end-of-life products poses a significant challenge to product recovery. Remanufacturing with optimal part upgrades can be a promising solution for overcoming the obsolescence. This paper proposes a model for positioning a remanufactured product. By considering original product design, target market (i.e., customer preferences and competing products), and recovery economics, the model helps to find optimal specifications and the selling price of a remanufactured product at which maximum remanufacturing profit is expected. Two versions of the model are presented under different assumptions on product takeback. The first model assumes that the remanufacturer passively accepts all returns without paying any financial incentives. The second model assumes that the remanufacturer buys back end-of-life products so as to control the quality and quantity of returns. The two models are illustrated with the example of a desktop computer. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4023000]
Urbanization and Identity Dissonance: A Guajiro Case

The results of this study indicate that urbanization has the effect of significantly altering the Guajiro's sense of ideal and feared identity. It was hypothesized that an attempt would be made to minimize dissonance between the ideal and the real or "true" self which the individual privately acknowledges. However, there is found to be considerable dissonance between ideal and real identities, with the latter actually including many components of feared identity. Defective socialization in the city is suggested as a possible reason for failure to achieve ideal standards. THE PURPOSE of this paper is to assess the effect of urbanization on the selfidentity of selected Guajiro Indian residents of Maracaibo. Special concern will be directed toward uncovering important components of the total identity and exploring the nature in which they are managed and resolved by the typical individual. The subjects of the study were all born in the city of migrant parents whose culture was, and continues to be tribally dominated.
Does Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Provide Incremental Prognostic Information to Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction

Cardiac nuclear imaging studies such as gated single photon emission computed tomography can offer assessment of myocardial perfusion and ventricular function. These two types of data can provide valuable information for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, prognosis, and optimal treatment strategies. Ejection fraction and other measures of ventricular function generally are the best predictors of mortality, whereas perfusion parameters and estimates of ischemic burden are often the best predictors of nonfatal cardiac events and response to revascularization; the combination of both can provide increased sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of significant coronary disease, and increased predictive power for outcomes. Recent data show that together they also add incremental value in predicting sudden cardiac death. Less commonly used modalities such as positron emission tomography may offer additional tools for quantification of perfusion and function at rest and at stress, with important clinical implications.
Interprocedural analysis of asynchronous programs

An asynchronous program is one that contains procedure calls which are not immediately executed from the callsite, but stored and "dispatched" in a non-deterministic order by an external scheduler at a later point. We formalize the problem of interprocedural dataflow analysis for asynchronous programs as AIFDS problems, a generalization of the IFDS problems for interprocedural dataflow analysis. We give an algorithm for computing the precise meet-over-valid-paths solution for any AIFDS instance, as well as a demand-driven algorithm for solving the corresponding demand AIFDS instances. Our algorithm can be easily implemented on top of any existing interprocedural dataflow analysis framework. We have implemented the algorithm on top of BLAST, thereby obtaining the first safety verification tool for unbounded asynchronous programs. Though the problem of solving AIFDS instances is EXPSPACE-hard, we find that in practice our technique can efficiently analyze programs by exploiting standard optimizations of interprocedural dataflow analyses.
Interpretation of Lg

Summary Lg waves are shown to be identified with higher mode Love wave propagation. The complete demonstration shows that the observations of Lg can be explained only by taking into account the anelasticity of the crust-mantle system, the selective frequency response of the seismograph, and above all, the complicated features of the propagation of Love waves for a number of higher modes, including the relative spectral excitations of these modes. It is not necessary to introduce crustal low-velocity channels to explain the character of the Lg seismogram.
Structural analysis of polarizing indels: an emerging consensus on the root of the tree of life

Background The root of the tree of life has been a holy grail ever since Darwin first used the tree as a metaphor for evolution. New methods seek to narrow down the location of the root by excluding it from branches of the tree of life. This is done by finding traits that must be derived, and excluding the root from the taxa those traits cover. However the two most comprehensive attempts at this strategy, performed by Cavalier-Smith and Lake et al., have excluded each other's rootings.
Beyond Mean–Variance: Performance Measurement in a Nonsymmetrical World (corrected)

Most practitioners use the capital asset pricing model to measure investment performance. The CAPM, however, assumes either that all asset returns are normally distributed (and thus symmetrical) or that investors have mean–variance preferences (and thus ignore skewness). Both assumptions are suspect. Assuming only that the rate of return on the market portfolio is independently and identically distributed and that markets are “perfect,” this article shows that the CAPM and its risk measures are invalid: The market portfolio is mean–variance inefficient, and the CAPM alpha mismeasures the value added by investment managers. Strategies with positively skewed returns, such as strategies limiting downside risk, will be incorrectly underrated. A simple modification of the CAPM beta, however, will produce correct risk measurement for portfolios with arbitrary return distributions, and the resulting alphas of all fairly priced options and/or dynamic strategies will be zero. The risk measure requires no more info...
Cortical activation during cocaine use and extinction in rhesus monkeys

Rationale Acute re-exposure to cocaine or drug cues associated with cocaine use can elicit drug craving and relapse. Neuroimaging studies have begun to define neurobiological substrates underlying the acute effects of cocaine or cocaine cues in cocaine-dependent subjects.
Registry-based case-control study of cancer in California firefighters.

Background There is no consensus whether firefighters are at increased cancer risk for particular cancers. Previous studies have been small, mostly investigated cancer mortality, and suggested increased risks for brain, bladder, testicular, prostate, thyroid and colo-rectal cancers, leukemia, and melanoma. Methods Records of all male cancers registered in California during 1988‐2003 were obtained. Firefighters were identified from occupation and industry text fields. Logistic regression analysis used other cancers as controls. Results Of the 804,000 eligible records, 3,659 had firefighting as their occupation. Firefighting was associated with testicular cancer (odds ratio ¼1.54, 95% confidence interval: 1.18‐2.02), melanoma (1.50, 1.33‐1.70), brain cancer (1.35, 1.06‐1.72), esophageal cancer (1.48, 1.14‐1.91), and prostate cancer (1.22, 1.12‐1.33). Conclusions Use of other-cancer controls and lack of an occupational history may have biased relative risks towards the null. However, this study, which contained more firefighter cancers than any previous epidemiologic study, produced evidence supporting some prior hypotheses. Am. J. Ind. Med. 50:339–344, 2007. 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Big FFT via Small-FFTs, Smoothing and Trend Leakage Reduction

Statistical requirements for many FFT spectrum-lines or time-samples often exceed computer memory for FFT processing in one large array. A solution is given for decomposing the large FFT, via "time-shuffling", into M smaller P-sample FFTs, where P = 2Q samples. An example is given where a 65 K FFT was computed in 32 2-K FFT arrays by a small computer. The spectral variance was smoothed by a fast algorithm, a high-Q bandpass-filter magnitude-weighted averaging of 64 adjacent frequency points. The detection and subtraction of nonperiodic "trends" from the time-data, to reduce frequency "leakage" is also presented, via a useful sequential mechanization of the Moore-Penrose pseudo inverse, requiring only 360 bytes of array storage versus 2,359,296 bytes needed for its direct computation in the example given.
Effect of Tadpoles on Warmwater Fish Pond Production

Abstract A survey was conducted to evaluate the effect of tadpole infestations on warmwater fish pond culture. The survey was sent to 174 pond culturists in Florida and 30 in Arkansas with a 21% overall response rate. Most respondents believed: (1) tadpole infestation was a serious problem, primarily due to competition between tadpoles and fish for food; (2) tadpoles caused harvest problems and impaired post-harvest sorting and grading; and (3) their tadpole control efforts were ≤30% effective. It was estimated that an average of 117 worker-hours of labor per surveyed facility were expended annually to contend with tadpole-related problems. Financial losses due to tadpoles were $1,000–8,000 per year for most farmers surveyed (54%) and $10,000–30,000 per year for others (36%). Annual losses of revenue from ornamental fish production in Florida (based on survey) and baitfish production in Arkansas (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) due to tadpole infestations were estimated at $1.78 million and $6.2 million, ...
Cbfa1 isoform overexpression upregulates osteocalcin gene expression in non-osteoblastic and pre-osteoblastic cells

The mouse Cbfa1 gene potentially encodes several proteins that differ in their N-terminal sequences, including an osteoblast-specific transcription factor, Cbfa1/Osf2, a Cbfa1 isoform (Cbfa1/iso), and the originally described Cbfa1 gene product (Cbfa1/org). Uncertainty exists about the function of these potential isoforms of the Cbfa1 gene. To examine the transactivation potential of different Cbfa1 gene products, we compared the ability of Cbfa1/Osf2, Cbfa1/iso, and Cbfa1/org overexpression to activate an osteocalcin promoter/reporter construct in NIH3T3 fibroblasts, C3H10T1/2 pluripotent cells and MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts. These three cell lines were transiently cotransfected with a 1.3-kb mouse osteocalcin promoter luciferase-fusion construct (p1.3OC-luc) and different amounts of expression vectors containing the respective full-length Cbfa1 isoform cDNAs. Using transfection protocols with lower amounts of expression plasmid DNAs, we found that all three Cbfa1 isoforms stimulated osteocalcin promoter activity in each of the cell types, consistent with the their ability to induce expression of an osteoblast-specific gene both in non-osteoblast cells and in osteoblast cell lines. However, using transfection protocols with higher amounts of expression plasmids containing Cbfa1 cDNAs, we found that the Cbfa1/Osf2 and Cbfa1/org had less transactivating potential compared with Cbfa1/iso. Our studies suggest that the 87-amino acid N-terminus of Cbfa1/Osf2 is not crucial for optimal transactivation, whereas the 19-amino acid N-terminal sequence of Cbfa1/iso augments transcriptional activation only at high doses of the expression plasmid. The physiological significance of these in vitro findings remain to be determined. J. Cell. Biochem. 74:596–605, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Chemical Probes of Endocannabinoid Metabolism

The endocannabinoid signaling system regulates diverse physiologic processes and has attracted considerable attention as a potential pharmaceutical target for treating diseases, such as pain, anxiety/depression, and metabolic disorders. The principal ligands of the endocannabinoid system are the lipid transmitters N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), which activate the two major cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. Anandamide and 2-AG signaling pathways in the nervous system are terminated by enzymatic hydrolysis mediated primarily by the serine hydrolases fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), respectively. In this review, we will discuss the development of FAAH and MAGL inhibitors and their pharmacological application to investigate the function of anandamide and 2-AG signaling pathways in preclinical models of neurobehavioral processes, such as pain, anxiety, and addiction. We will place emphasis on how these studies are beginning to discern the different roles played by anandamide and 2-AG in the nervous system and the resulting implications for advancing endocannabinoid hydrolase inhibitors as next-generation therapeutics.
Still working on our short game: technique and accuracy of stent placement in congenital heart disease.

As our colleagues in cardiac surgery have begun to develop scores for the technical performance of an operation ([1][1]), we pediatric interventional cardiologists have similarly begun to review technical outcomes in addition to clinical ones. Operators and patients will no doubt benefit from
Association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2010.

Summary Purpose Obesity is characterised by chronic, low-grade systemic inflammation. Elevated FeNO levels reflect airway inflammation in various lung diseases including asthma. Methods This is a cross-sectional analysis of data from NHANES 2007–2010. Participants younger than 20 years old with history of cough/cold symptoms in the past 7 days, smoking, exercise in the previous hour, consumption of nitric oxide rich meats/vegetables, or use of inhaled corticosteroids during the previous 2 days were excluded. BMI (in kg/m 2 ) was divided in to 4 categories: underweight (UW) (0–18.5), Normal (N) (≥18.5 to Results There were a total of 149,629,652 weighted participants: UW (22,235,218), N (45,021,536), OW (5,1670,522) and O (50,199,974); 50.36% were men and 49.63% were women. The mean age increased with BMI category [ p p = 0.0035]. FEV1/FVC (%) decreased with increasing BMI category: UW (80.68) compared to N (78.51), OW (77.67) and O (78.72) [ p = 0.0014]. There is a weak yet statistically significant correlation between FeNO levels and both age, BMI. Multivariate analysis predicting FeNO based on BMI category, adjusting for age, gender, race and airway obstruction found age less than 60 years, male gender, certain races and UW BMI category were associated with statistically significantly lower FeNO levels. Conclusions Older age and male gender are associated with increased FeNO levels. Controlling for age, gender, and race, obese individuals have a statistically significantly higher FENO than underweight individuals.
Whole-Genome Sequences of Novel Porcine Circovirus Type 2 Viruses Detected in Swine from Mexico and the United States

A unique porcine circovirus type 2 capsid protein (ORF2) sequence was detected in swine samples submitted to the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The complete genome sequences of four viruses, one from Mexico and three from the United States, were determined to further characterize this novel PCV2 genotype.
Membrane Protein Structures 2015 Meeting

The Membrane Protein Structures (MPS) 2015 Meeting was the fifth in a series of very successful meetings on the technologies and materials that are critical for membrane protein production and structure determination. The program focused on a variety of recent transformative technologies, and on the illuminating membrane protein structures they have enabled. This symposium was held at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory April 10–12, 2015. The meeting was co-hosted by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)—National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and National Cancer Institute (NCI)—Structural Biology Facility GM/CA, and Northeastern Collaborative Access Team (NE-CAT). The conference was well-attended with over 230 attendees from around the globe and included 37 invited speakers in nine sessions, 63 posters, and 20 “lightning talks.”
Predicting Irrigation Requirements of Crops

A continuous soil moisture accounting model based on soil moisture depletion equations was developed. The model was adapted to an 18.6-acre experimental watershed and was used to estimate the monthly and seasonal irrigation requirements of cotton and grain sorghum. The distributions of the irrigation requirements of both crops as based on a 30-yr sample were found to be normal. Weekly rainfall probabilities for the watershed were calculated from a 30-yr sample using the incomplete gamma density function. The use of weekly rainfall probabilities in irrigation planning is shown.
Immigration and Terms of Trade with Different Demand Patterns of Immigrants from Natives

This paper analyzes the effect of immigration on the terms of trade between the home country and the host country of the immigrants, when immigrants and natives have different demand patterns in a two country and two good Heckscher-Ohlin model.
Morbid obesity is an independent risk factor for postoperative renal dysfunction in young adults: a review of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.

Abstract Background Little information exists on the acute effects of elective surgery on renal function. Our aim was to determine if obesity was an independent risk factor for postoperative renal complications (RCs). Methods A total of 119,142 patients aged 18 to 35 years with body mass index (BMI) ≥18 kg/m 2 obtained from American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (2005 to 2010) were classified into standard BMI categories. Association between BMI and preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; calculated using modification of diet in renal disease formula) was analyzed. Postoperative changes in eGFR and RCs were measured. Multivariate regression analysis was performed adjusting for all variables. Results Postoperatively, there was a reduction in eGFR among the overweight (−3.4 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , P 2 , P = .001), and obese class II (−5.3 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , P P = .029). Conclusions Results seen in patients with BMI greater than 40 indicate that BMI can serve as an independent predictor of RCs.
Immuno-electron Microscopy of Hepatitis B Antigen in Liver

SummaryLiver tissue from a hepatitis B antigen (HB Ag) carrier and a patient with HB Ag-positive chronic aggressive hepatitis and cirrhosis was examined for HB Ag. The antigen was detected in the nuclei of many hepatocytes by direct fluorescence antibody technique. Uniform 20 nm particles were seen in hepatocytic nuclei under the electron microscope. The particles were aggregated and surrounded by ferritin granules using the indirect ferritin-labeled antibody technique with specific antiserum to HB Ag. These findings indicate that the 20 nm particles carry at least one antigenic determinant of HB Ag.
Shape-Controlled Solution-Synthesis of Single Crystalline ZnTe 1D Nanocrystals

Precursor-reduction method is employed to synthesize nanostructures of ZnTe. The shape of zinc blende ZnTe nanocrystals could be influenced by reaction temperature, concentration of the precursors as well as the use of stabilizing agent. By controlling the synthetic conditions, three types of nanoscaled ZnTe, quasi-spherical ZnTe nanocrystals, ZnTe nanobelts and ZnTe nanorods have been observed. Their crystalline structures are also discussed.
MASS, NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE, AND RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY OF OCTADECYL SULFIDE, DISULFIDE, AND TETRASULFIDE

Abstract Model compounds prepared for evaluation as extreme pressure lubricant additives were studied by mass, nuclear magnetic resonance, and Raman spectroscopy. Mass spectral studies showed strong molecular ions upon electron impact of octadecyl sulfide and disulfide. Both sulfur-sulfur and carbon-sulfur cleavages were noted for octadecyl disulfide and tetrasulfide. With octadecyl tetrasulfide the molecular ion appears to lose sulfur even at 15 eV; this sulfur loss was not observed with octadecyl sulfide and disulfide. From nuclear magnetic resonance measurements it was noted that a chemical shift downfield occurs for the α-methylene protons with increasing length of the sulfur moiety. Raman spectra showed strong peaks attributed to S-S stretching. For octadecyl disulfide these peaks occurred at 510 and 526 cm−1 (solid state) and for octadecyl tetrasulfide peaks were found at 432 and 488 cm−1 (solid state) and 437 and 488 cm−1 (liquid state, undiluted as a melt at 58°). All have weak peaks between 625 a...
Chemotaxis of polymorphonuclear leukocytes by protein A of the staphylococcus.

SummaryProtein A, a component of staphylococcal cell wall in the presence of fresh human serum is highly chemotactic in vitro for human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Chemotaxis is dependent upon heat-labile factors, presumably complement within serum. Laudable pus in staphylococcal infection may, therefore, be the result of activation of chemotactic complement components generated by the reaction between protein A and nonimmune γ globulin.
High blood pressure and oral contraceptives. Changes in plasma renin and renin substrate and in aldosterone excretion.

Abstract A group of patients is described in whom the development or augmentation of hypertensive disease was associated with use of oral contraceptives. The experience suggests a causal role for these hormonal substances in certain susceptible individuals. Factors which might sensitize to the pressor effect of these drugs remain undefined. However, the effect may be related to marked associated changes observed in certain components of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone hormonal interaction. The contraceptive medications consistently produced large sustained increases in plasma concentration of renin substrate. Less consistently, transient or sustained increases in plasma renin and in aldosterone were also observed. Parallel in vitro studies demonstrated that renin substrate is normally not present in excess because the contraceptive-induced increased substrate concentration was always accompanied by a significantly increased capacity for angiotensin formation when renin was added to the plasma. It seems possible that, in certain susceptible subjects, these induced hormonal changes, together with associated changes in sodium metabolism, could compromise the buffer capacity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone hormonal system, permitting exaggerated (pressor) responses to circulating renin when it is released by the normal physiologic stimuli. These observations also may be relevant to the use of female hormones in other clinical situations, and they may be applicable to the study of hypertension in experimental models.
Comments on the joint determination of hypocenters and station corrections

Abstract Some aspects of the joint determination of hypocenters and station corrections (JHD) are discussed. An alternative solution to one of the methods currently in use (Pavlis and Booker, 1983) is proposed. It requires only a modest computational effort and is very fast. This simplification is not achieved at the expense of numerical stability and is backed by a theoretical study of the properties of the matrices involved. These matrices are positive semidefinite, and this allows a general analysis of the JHD solution. Several facts, some of them known and some new, are formally proved. It is possible, for example, to carry out a detailed study of the eigenvalues of the matrix from which the station corrections are derived. It is also shown that the mean value of the initial estimate of station corrections are retained as a bias in the final solution. The relationship between the approximate solution of Frohlich (1979) and the exact JHD solution can also be studied, and the reason for its success in certain cases is explained.
Size-Dependent Dynamics of Nanoparticles in Unentangled Polyelectrolyte Solutions

The mobility of polystyrene nanoparticles ranging in diameter from 300 nm to 2 μm was measured in dilute and semidilute solutions of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide. In this model system, the ratio of particle to polymer size controls the long-time diffusivity of nanoparticles. The particle dynamics transition from subdiffusive on short time scales to Fickian on long time scales, qualitatively similar to predictions for polymer dynamics using a Rouse model. The diffusivities extracted from the long-time Fickian regime, however, are larger than those predicted by the Stokes–Einstein equation and the bulk zero-shear viscosity and moreover do not collapse according to hydrodynamic models. The size-dependent deviations of the long-time particle diffusivities derive instead from the coupling between the dynamics of the particle and the polymer over the length scale of the particle. Although the long-time diffusivities collapse according to predictions, deviations of the short-time scaling exponents and the...
Evidence for spin splitting in In x Ga 1-x As/In 0.52 Al 0.48 As heterostructures as B-->0

The splitting in zero magnetic field between the up- and down-spin electrons in a two-dimensional electron gas is obtained for a series of three different ${\mathrm{In}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{As}/{\mathrm{In}}_{0.52}{\mathrm{Al}}_{0.48}\mathrm{As}$ modulation-doped heterostructures with high electron densities [${n}_{s}\ensuremath{\sim}(1.5\ensuremath{-}1.8)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{12}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$]. We have observed a characteristic beating modulation in the amplitude of the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in this system and up to six nodes have been measured in the Shubnikov-de Haas data for magnetic fields in the range $0.15 \mathrm{T}lBl1.0 \mathrm{T}$. Analysis of these data indicates that one subband is primarily occupied and the two beating frequencies arise from a spin splitting of the lowest subband. A spin splitting of 1.5-2.5 meV as $B\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$ is deduced from the data. For magnetic fields applied at an angle $\ensuremath{\theta}$ to the interface, the beat positions scale as $cos\ensuremath{\theta}$ for small angles but increase steeply after a critical angle.
State of transition: Marijuana use among young adults in the San Francisco Bay Area.

BACKGROUND: California may vote on marijuana legalization in 2016. Young adults have the highest rates of marijuana use, but little is known about the correlates of use in this age group, including factors that may be affected by policy change.We investigated whether there are differences in marijuana use by sociodemographic characteristics, psychological distress, loneliness and social support, controlling for risk factors such as alcohol and cigarette use as well as perceived harm of marijuana. METHODS: Bivariate and multivariable analysis of past 30day marijuana use using the 2014 San Francisco Bay Area Young Adult Health Survey, a probabilistic multi-mode survey of (N=1324) young adults (aged 18-26years) residing in Alameda and San Francisco Counties, stratified by race/ethnicity. RESULTS: 291 (27%) sample participants reported current marijuana use. Compared to non-Hispanic whites (referent) Asian/Pacific islander respondents were less likely to use marijuana (AOR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.22-0.80) while multiracial participants were twice as likely (AOR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.06-4.85).Psychological distress was not related to marijuana use, but social support (AOR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.08-1.88) and loneliness (AOR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.09-1.86) were. Perceived harm of marijuana was inversely related to marijuana use (AOR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.51-0.70), while smoking cigarettes (AOR, 3.95; 95% CI, 2.28-6.84) and binge drinking (AOR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.03-1.24) were positively related CONCLUSIONS: Legalization policies should include public education campaigns addressing potential harms of marijuana use particularly targeting multiracial young adults who also engage in other risk behaviors, such as cigarette smoking and binge drinking.Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc. Language: en
Overexpression of HPV16 E6* Alters β-Integrin and Mitochondrial Dysfunction Pathways in Cervical Cancer Cells.

Background High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) cause nearly all cases of cervical cancer, as well as many types of oral and anogenital cancer. Alternative splicing increases the capacity of the HPV genome to encode the proteins necessary for successful completion of its infectious life cycle. However, the roles of these splice variants, including E6*, the smaller splice isoform of the E6 oncogene, in carcinogenesis are not clear. Materials and methods SiHa (HPV16(+)) and C33A (HPV(-)) cells were transfected with the E6* plasmid, and tandem mass tag-labeled protein levels were quantified by mass spectrometry. Proteomic analyses identified pathways affected by E6* in both HPV(+) and HPV(-) cells, and pathways were validated using in vitro methods. Results A total of 4,300 proteins were identified and quantified in lysates of SiHa and C33A cells with and without HPV16 E6* expression. SiHa and C33A cells expressing E6* underwent changes in protein expression affecting integrin signaling and mitochondrial dysfunction pathways, respectively. Subsequent experiments were performed to validate selected E6*-mediated alterations in protein levels. Conclusion E6* modifies the expression of proteins involved in mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative phosphorylation in C33A cells, and β-integrin signaling in SiHa cells.
Clinicians' attitudes toward video games vary as a function of age, gender and negative beliefs about youth

Clinicians were surveyed regarding their attitudes toward video games.No consensus among clinicians regarding video game effects was observed.Older clinicians and female clinicians were more likely to view games as harmful.Clinicians with negative attitudes toward youth were more likely to view games as harmful. Debates regarding purported negative effects of video games have raged among scholars, clinicians and in the public arena. Surveys of both scholars and the general public reveal wide discrepancies in beliefs about the potential harmfulness of video games, and some evidence suggests that a "generational divide" may be at play. The current study examines this in a sample of 109 clinicians and clinical researchers. Beliefs about the potential harmfulness of video games varied widely in the sample, reflecting absence of a consensus. Beliefs about the harmfulness of video games were predicted by respondents' age, female gender and negative beliefs about youth. Contrary to hypotheses, respondents' neuroticism, openness, pacifism and previous gaming experience did not predict beliefs about video games. These results suggest that, even among clinicians, debates about video games are influenced by historical patterns of generational conflict with harmful beliefs endorsed mainly by older individuals who are hostile toward younger generations.
The Occupant Mobile Gateway: A participatory sensing and machine-learning approach for occupant-aware energy management

Abstract This paper presents and evaluates a prototype smartphone/server software service entitled the Occupant Mobile Gateway (OMG), developed to collect and analyze real-time occupant subjective feedback and objective thermal data from embedded sensors. The objective of the OMG is to enable mobile sensing as a scalable approach to realize the comfort and energy savings potential of data-driven thermal management using personalized comfort models. In contrast to the universal application of static comfort criteria, data-driven models have the potential to enable flexible and continuous interpretation of thermal comfort, allowing for more personalized control of the thermal environment and minimization of the energy wasted by overheating and overcooling. Novel machine-learning algorithms are applied to synthesize subjective and physical thermal measurements into personalized comfort models which can be interpreted to determine optimal temperature setpoints based on energy and comfort goals. The feasibility of machine learning algorithms to generate useful personalized occupant comfort profiles is examined using field data from four test sites (N = 45 occupants total). The findings demonstrate that it is possible to model the thermal preferences of occupants at both the individual and zone level with data collected over a relatively small time period (2-weeks). Application of occupant-driven comfort models in annual energy simulations shows that thermal management informed by occupant feedback has the potential for significant energy savings.