cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patients' vehicle preference for corticosteroid treatments of scalp psoriasis.

Topical therapy is one of the foundations of dermatology. The vehicles used to deliver topical therapy have considerable impact on efficacy. The vehicle can have direct effects on disease; it can impact the delivery of the active drug, and its characteristics affect patient compliance. While the physical chemistry of vehicles has been studied in great detail, there has been very little study of patients’ preferences for different vehicles and even less on the effect of these preferences on patient compliance. Such study is essential, as noncompliance with topical therapy is very common, and likely impacts the response to topical therapy observed in clinical practice. This manuscript discusses information on patients’ preferences for different vehicles, focussing on the treatment of scalp psoriasis. Significant vehicle characteristics such as ease or difficulty of use, messiness, odors, and staining are recognized to affect patients’ preferences. An instrument based on these characteristics has been used to compare patients’ preferences for different vehicles. Patients with psoriasis generally prefer less messy vehicles, such as foam and solution preparations, to traditional cream and ointment vehicles. These preferences have the potential to impact patient compliance. Studies directly measuring patient compliance have not yet been performed. In conclusion, the choice of vehicles impacts both the potency of the medication and patients’ acceptance of the treatment. Actual effects of different vehicles on compliance are important but have not yet been adequately studied.
Constraints on the surface composition of Trojan asteroids from near-infrared (0.8–4.0 μm) spectroscopy

Abstract We present new near-infrared spectra of 20 Trojan asteroids. The spectra were recorded at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) using the recently commissioned medium-resolution spectrograph SpeX and at the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) using the instrument FSPEC. Spectra of all of these objects were measured in K-band (1.95–2.5 μm), 8 of these in L-band (2.8–4.0 μm), and 14 in the range 0.8–2.5 μm. These observations nearly double the number of published 0.8–2.5 μm spectra of Trojan asteroids and provide the first systematic study of the L-band region for these distant asteroids. The data show that the red spectral slope measured in the near-IR extends through the L-band, though it is not as steep here as at shorter wavelengths. A significant diversity is apparent in the near-IR spectral slopes of this sampling of objects. Most of the spectra do not contain any definitive absorption features characteristic of surface composition (e.g., H2O, organics, silicates) as seen on main-belt asteroids and several Centaur and Kuiper Belt objects. A few objects may display spectral activity, and the reliability of these possible features is discussed. While these spectra are generally compatible with silicate surfaces to explain the spectral slope mixed with some fraction of low albedo material, there is no absolute indication of silicates. The spectral slope could also be explained by the presence of hydrocarbons, but the lack of absorption features, especially in L-band where very strong fundamental absorptions from these molecules appear, constrains the character and abundance of these materials at the surface.
Haloaromatic Substituted Olefins by the MC Murry Olefin Synthesis

Abstract The McMurry olefin synthesis has proved to be one of the methods of choice for the synthesis of symmetrically substituted olefins (eq. 1).1 This method has also proved useful in the synthesis of unsymmetrically substituted olefins as well. la,lm,2 The attractiveness of the McMurry synthesis rests in the use of a one-pot reaction from usually readily available ketone reactants. Yet with these desirable features, the bulk of the olefins syn-thesized by this method are hydrocarbons.3 Since strong reducing agents (e.g., LiAlH4, potassium, lithium) are used to produce Ti(0) from TiC13, there is a concern as to the use of this method to prepare olefins containing easily reduceable groups.4 We have found that it is possible to prepare olefins containing haloaromatic substituents by this method with a slight modification. In fact, it was possible to prepare an olefin containing a m-trifluoromethylphenyl substituent. This opens the McMurry synthesis to a wider range of substituents than previously reported.
Wave-Interactions in Quasi-Geostrophic Uniform Potential Vorticity Flow

Abstract A model of quasi-geostrophic uniform potential vorticity flow, previously examined by Blumen (1978a,b), is considered. The total depth-integrated energy and the available potential energy on level boundaries are conserved by the motion. Nonlinear interactions between three different scales of motion are examined. The linear system is first analyzed to determine the normal modes of the model. There are two sets of normal modes, corresponding to two different unstable growth rates. It is then shown that if normal mode initial conditions are specified for the nonlinear initial-value problem, the two conservation principles may be combined to yield a single constraint on the nonlinear interactions that occur between three scales of motion. The properties of normal mode initial conditions are also used to cast this constraint into a relatively simple form that is appropriate during the initial stages of the finite amplitude motion. Numerical integrations of the basic set of equations reveal that the s...
Teaching Spatial Awareness to Children

Abstract If you don It know where you are and where you Ire goingl you can It move effectively.
Input use and market development in Sub-Saharan Africa: an overview

Abstract This paper sets forth the background and objectives of this special issue. Trends in input use since 1980 are reviewed and a conceptual framework is presented for analyzing problems of input use and formulating strategies for resolving them. Reasons for low levels of fertilizer use by smallholder farmers are summarized briefly. The essential points of the papers in the special issue, and their implications for further expansion of input use in Sub-Saharan Africa, are then outlined.
On elastic-plastic and rigid-plastic dynamic response with strain rate sensitivity

Abstract A method is described for calculating the response of one-dimensional structures to arbitrary pulse loading, which takes account of strain rate sensitivity in an approximate but realistic manner. The method assumes the flow stress to depend on plastic strain rate according to an overstress power law. The difficulty of relating dynamic flow stress to velocity is overcome by introducing a factor related to the length of the plastic hinge zone, which is evaluated by numerical experiments for a basic response pattern.
Rotational isomerism in 2-bromo-2-methylpropionyl bromide

Abstract Infrared spectra were obtained for 2-bromo-2-methylpropionyl bromide in the vapor, liquid, and glassy states, and for solutions in various solvents. It was concluded that this compound exists as two rotational isomers, with the less polar form being more stable in both liquid and vapor states. Both forms are present in all three states, and the concentration of the more polar form is less in the glassy solid and vapor than in the neat liquid. The reversal of relative stabilities of the two forms of this compound relative to bromoacetyl bromide is attributed primarily to the steric effects of the methyl groups.
A hydrogen-compression system using porous metal hydride pellets of LaNi5-xAlx

Abstract The objective of this study is to examine the performance of a hydrogen compressor by using recently developed porous metal hydride compact technology exhibiting high thermal conductance. The inlet temperatures of the cooling medium for hydrogen storage (20 and 30 ∘ C ), the heating medium for compression (60, 70, 80, and 90 ∘ C ), and the kind of metal hydride ( LaNi 5 and LaNi 4.75 Al 0.25 ) were considered as key parameters. For each condition, transient temperature distributions and compressed pressures were monitored. Results showed that the hydrogen compressor fared better at lower storage temperatures. The research showed that LaNi 4.75 Al 0.25 had a faster absorption rate than LaNi 5 . In addition, the compression ratio was found to be primarily dependent on the temperature difference between cooling and heating; the compression work and the efficiency of the LaNi 5 reactor were slightly larger than those of the LaNi 4.75 Al 0.25 reactor. Under the considered conditions, the maximum work (2.44 kJ) and efficiency (5.91%) occurred when LaNi 5 operated at cooling temperature of 20 ∘ C and heating temperature of 90 ∘ C .
Immunotherapy of Chemically-Induced Tumors in the Hamster Cheek Pouch with Dinitrochlorobenzene

Immune stimulation with an agent such as dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) may delay chemcal carcinogenesis. Dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) was used to chemically induce tumors in the hamster buccal pouch. Hamsters were studied for the effect of DNCB sensitization in the buccal pouch prior to or after DMBA tumor induction. At appropriate time intervals the hamsters were sacrificed and each cheek pouch was examined histologically for the development of DMBA-induced tumors and for the presence of lymphoid cells infiltrating the tumor site. The results show that DNCB immunotherapy or immunoprophylaxis prior to or following DMBA tumor induction can alter the type of tumor produced and stimulate an infiltration of lymphoid cells into the tumor area probably invoking immune defense mechanisms.
Capacitive effects of Au and Cu impurity levels in Pt-N type Si Schottky barriers

Abstract Au and Cu impurity effects on the capacitance-voltage ( C – V ) relationship of Pt- n type Si Schottky barrier diodes have been investigated over the frequency range of 100 Hz to 500 kHz at 200°K and 300°K. The barrier height of the Pt-Si system measured by C – V , I – V , and photothreshold techniques was 0.83±0.01 eV. Deep level C – V effects previously predicted by Roberts and Crowell were observed. Diodes on phosphorus-doped Si nearly compensated with Au clearly exhibited a non-monotonic low frequency C – V relationship. An inflection point in the C −2 - V curve attributable to the Au donor level 0.77 eV from the conduction band edge was observed. The experimental data show that the presence of deep levels makes barrier height measurements appreciably ambiguous and that impurity profiles determined from a C – V relationship using a model which neglects their presence can be shifted appreciably both in apparent magnitude and apparent position.
Anaerobic treatment of primary effluent

Abstract The anaerobic fluidized bed was tested on a pilot scale treating primary settled domestic wastewater. Over a range of hydraulic loadings (HRT from 1.67 to 6.67 hours) mean five day BOD and suspended solids concentrations of 17.2 mgL and 30.5 mgL‐1 were achieved. The testing covered a five month period, over an influent temperature range of 10–23° C. Solids were never deliberately wasted over the entire study period. Statistical analysis of the data indicated that influent substrate concentration and organic volumetric loading rate had the most influence on effluent 5 day BOD concentration and % removal.
Down-regulation of epidermal growth factor receptors in mouse embryos

Abstract Previously we have shown ( E. D. Adamson, M. J. Deller, and J. B. Warshaw, 1981 , Nature (London) 291, 656–659) that epidermal growth factor (EGF) binds specifically to the cells and stimulates the incorporation of tritiated thymidine into DNA of several tissues of mouse embryos in a dose-dependent fashion when tested in vitro. However, in vivo a different response is obtained; exogenous EGF causes reduced incorporation of radiolabeled thymidine compared to buffer-injected control embryos. Several possible explanations are being explored. Here we present evidence that one of the responses of embryonic tissues in vivo to exogenous EGF is “down-regulation” of its receptors.
Noise filtering of interferometric SAR images

The interferometric SAR with two antennas aligned in the along-track direction is capable of mapping the ocean current field, and in the cross-track direction can be used for topographic mapping. Like amplitude SAR images, interferometric phase images are susceptible to speckle and other noise sources due to decorrelations by thermal noise, spatial baseline, etc. (Zebker, et al.,1992). The noise effect is more pronounced in the space-borne multi-pass interferometry for topographic mapping due to long baseline and temporal decorrelations. However, unlike the SAR images, in which noise is characterized by a multiplicative noise model, the noise in the phase image has properties of additive noise, and the noise standard deviation depends on the corre-lation coefficient between two SAR complex images. In this paper, two additive noise filtering algorithms,i.e. the sigma filter and the local statistics filter, are adapted to the statistical characteristics of the phase image (after the phase unwrapping). The basic idea is to apply more filtering action in areas with a lower correlation coefficient (high noise level), and less filtering in areas with a higher correlation coefficient. An ideal noise filter for the phase image should be able to smooth the noise, while retaining the spatial resolution and radiometric information.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Size-extensive vibrational self-consistent field method.

The vibrational self-consistent field (VSCF) method is a mean-field approach to solve the vibrational Schrodinger equation and serves as a basis of vibrational perturbation and coupled-cluster methods. Together they account for anharmonic effects on vibrational transition frequencies and vibrationally averaged properties. This article reports the definition, programmable equations, and corresponding initial implementation of a diagrammatically size-extensive modification of VSCF, from which numerous terms with nonphysical size dependence in the original VSCF equations have been eliminated. When combined with a quartic force field (QFF), this compact and strictly size-extensive VSCF (XVSCF) method requires only quartic force constants of the ∂(4)V/∂Q(i)(2)∂Q(j)(2) type, where V is the electronic energy and Q(i) is the ith normal coordinate. Consequently, the cost of a XVSCF calculation with a QFF increases only quadratically with the number of modes, while that of a VSCF calculation grows quartically. The effective (mean-field) potential of XVSCF felt by each mode is shown to be harmonic, making the XVSCF equations subject to a self-consistent analytical solution without matrix diagonalization or a basis-set expansion, which are necessary in VSCF. Even when the same set of force constants is used, XVSCF is nearly three orders of magnitude faster than VSCF implemented similarly. Yet, the results of XVSCF and VSCF are shown to approach each other as the molecular size is increased, implicating the inclusion of unnecessary, nonphysical terms in VSCF. The diagrams of the XVSCF energy expression and their evaluation rules are also proposed, underscoring their connected structures.
Comment on Ng's "Wealth Redistribution, Race & Southern Public Schools, 1880-1910"

Wherein the author raises criticisms and advances qualifications to the conclusions reached by Kenneth Ng is his article "Wealth Redistribution, Race and Southern Public Schools, 1880-1910.
A One-Dimensional Entraining/Detraining Plume Model and Its Application in Convective Parameterization

Abstract A new one-dimensional cloud model, specifically designed for application in mesoscale convective parameterization schemes (CPSs), is introduced. The model is unique in its representation of environmental entrainment and updraft detrainment rates. In particular, the two-way exchange of mass between clouds and their environment is modulated at each vertical level by a buoyancy sorting mechanism at the interface of clear and cloudy air. The new entrainment/detrainment scheme allows vertical profiles of both updraft moisture detrainment and updraft vertical mass flux to vary in a physically realistic way as a function of the cloud-scale environment. These performance characteristics allow the parameterized vertical distribution of convective heating and drying to be much more responsive to environmental conditions than is possible with a traditional one-dimensional entraining plume model. The sensitivities of the new model to variations in environmental convective available potential energy and verti...
A system dynamic modeling approach for evaluating municipal solid waste generation, landfill capacity and related cost management issues

As planning for sustainable municipal solid waste management has to address several inter-connected issues such as landfill capacity, environmental impacts and financial expenditure, it becomes increasingly necessary to understand the dynamic nature of their interactions. A system dynamics approach designed here attempts to address some of these issues by fitting a model framework for Newark urban region in the US, and running a forecast simulation. The dynamic system developed in this study incorporates the complexity of the waste generation and management process to some extent which is achieved through a combination of simpler sub-processes that are linked together to form a whole. The impact of decision options on the generation of waste in the city, on the remaining landfill capacity of the state, and on the economic cost or benefit actualized by different waste processing options are explored through this approach, providing valuable insights into the urban waste-management process.
Entrance pressure losses for power-law fluid at small Reynolds number

Finite-element results are presented for the extra pressure loss for a power-law fluid due to an abrupt contraction of ratio 2, 4, 8 and ∞ for both the axisymmetric and planar cases. Contrary to earlier results in the literature, it is found that the variational result of Duda and Vrentas forms a very good upper bound for the axisymmetric case, even for small values of the power-law index. This variational method has now been extended to the planar case, where it is again found to form a very good upper bound.
How much do we know about spontaneous human mutation rates

The much larger number of cell divisions between zygote and sperm than between zygote and egg, the increased age of fathers of children with new dominant mutations, and the greater evolution rate of pseudogenes on the Y chromosome than of those on autosomes all point to a much higher mutation rate in human males than in females, as first pointed out by Haldane [Ann Eugen 13:262–271, 1947] in his classical study of X-linked hemophilia. The age of the father is the main factor determining the human spontaneous mutation rate, and probably the total mutation rate. The total mutation rate in Drosophila males of genes causing minor reduction in viability is at least 0.4 per sperm, and may be considerably higher. The great mutation load implied by a rate of ≈ 1 per zygote can be greatly ameliorated by quasi-truncation selection. Corresponding data are not available for the human population. The evolution rate of pseudogenes in primates suggests some 102 new mutations per zygote. Presumably the overwhelming majority of these are neutral, but even the approximate fraction is not known. Statistical evidence in Drosophila shows that mutations with minor effects cause about the same heterozygous impairment of fitness as those that are lethal when homozygous. The magnitude of heterozygous effect is such that almost all mutant genes are eliminated as heterozygotes before ever becoming homozygous. Although quantitative data in the human species are lacking, anecdotal information supports the conclusion that partial dominance is the rule here as well. This suggests that if the human mutation rate were increased or decreased, the effects would be spread over a period of 50–100 generations. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Radiological preparedness-awareness and attitudes: a cross-sectional survey of emergency medicine residents and physicians at three academic institutions in the United States.

Context. Emergency preparedness has been increasingly recognized as important. Research shows many medical personnel feel unprepared to respond to radiation incidents. Knowledge and attitudes of em...
Expression of a Src Family Kinase in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Cells Induces Resistance to Imatinib in a Kinase-dependent Manner

The Bcr-Abl kinase inhibitor imatinib is remarkably effective in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), although drug resistance is an emerging problem. Myeloid Src family kinases such as Hck and Lyn are often overexpressed in imatinib-resistant CML cells that lack Bcr-Abl mutations. Here we tested whether Hck overexpression is sufficient to induce imatinib resistance using both wild-type Hck and a mutant (Hck-T338A) that is uniquely sensitive to the pyrazolo-pyrimidine inhibitor, NaPP1. Expression of either kinase in K562 CML cells caused resistance to imatinib-induced apoptosis and inhibition of soft-agar colony formation. Treatment with NaPP1 restored sensitivity to imatinib in cells expressing T338A but not wild-type Hck, demonstrating that resistance requires Hck kinase activity. NaPP1 also reduced Hck-mediated phosphorylation of Bcr-Abl at sites that may affect imatinib sensitivity exclusively in cells expressing Hck-T338A. These data show that elevated Src family kinase activity is sufficient to induce imatinib resistance through a mechanism that may involve phosphorylation of Bcr-Abl.
Joule heating during flash-sintering

Abstract Flash-sintering is invariably accompanied by a highly non-linear rise in the specimen's conductivity. Thus the specimen temperature rises above the furnace temperature. It is shown that flash-sintering is a transient phenomenon, where the power dissipation rises quickly at first, but then declines towards a steady state, as the power supply switches from voltage to current control. The area under the power spike, which is equal to the Joules expended in the sample during the transient, is absorbed by the heat capacity of the specimen. Therefore, the specimen temperature rises gradually towards this steady state through the transient. Whereas the power spike can exceed a peak value of 1000 mW mm −3 , the dissipation during the current controlled regime is in the 100–400 mW mm −3 range. The extrapolation of sintering time from a few hours, as in conventional sintering, to a few seconds, using the activation energy for diffusion, predicts sample temperatures that are far in excess of the measured specimen temperature during flash sintering.
Serotonin transporter‐linked polymorphic region (5‐HTTLPR) genotype and stressful life events interact to predict preschool‐onset depression: a replication and developmental extension

Background: Scientific enthusiasm about gene 9 environment interactions, spurred by the 5-HTTLPR (serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region) 9 SLEs (stressful life events) interaction predicting depression, have recently been tempered by sober realizations of small effects and meta-analyses reaching opposing conclusions. These mixed findings highlight the need for further research. Converging evidence suggests that the effects of 5-HTTLPR genotype may be neurodevelopmental in origin, but we are not aware of empirical studies that have investigated whether the 5-HTTLPR genotype 9 SLE interaction predicts preschool-onset depression (PO-MDD), the earliest validated form of depression. Methods: Children (n = 234) aged 3–5 were recruited for a longitudinal study designed to examine PO-MDD. In a comprehensive baseline assessment, the child’s primary caregivers completed questionnaires and were interviewed about their child’s behaviors, psychiatric symptoms, and exposure to SLEs. Results: A 5-HTTLPR 9 SLEs interaction emerged, such that children homozygous for the short allele were more susceptible to depression in the context of elevated SLE than long allele carriers. In contrast, at low SLE exposure, short allele homozygotes had fewer depressive symptoms. The data were best fit by a plasticity model with a substantial reduction in fit by diathesis-stress models. Conclusions: Extending studies in adult and adolescent populations, these data suggest that 5-HTTLPR genotype may provide plasticity to environmental influence, for better or worse. Specifically, children homozygous for the short allele were more susceptible to the depressogenic effects of SLEs but benefitted, in the form of reduced depressive symptoms, in the context of relatively benign environmental conditions (i.e. relatively low SLE exposure). These data highlight the importance of examining gene 9 environment interactions across development, environment, and outcome but should be interpreted cautiously given the small sample size. Keywords: Depression, stress, 5-HTTLPR, serotonin, gene*, interaction, plasticity, childhood, development, gene 9 environment.
A fresh look at the cell-wise process effect corrections

With moving from one process node to another, process effect corrections are becoming a very challenging task. High quality models, long run times and extensively large computer resources are needed to perform a typical modern process effect correction procedure. Since the patterns that form IC layouts are highly repetitive, all the modern process correction algorithms try to take advantage of this fact to decrease processing time and computer resources requirements. However, currently used high accuracy process effect correction algorithms are becoming less and less advantageous because of the increasing relative non-locality of the process effects. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of a simpler approach called "cell-wise corrections". We propose a recipe for the cell-wise process effect correction and analyze its accuracy using a 65 nm test layout. The recipe is fully automated and implemented using a commercially available OPC tool. The analysis reveals good accuracy and feasibility of our approach.
Children's interpretations of curriculum events

Abstract The purpose of the project reported in this paper was to explore the nature of children's everyday interpretations of curriculum events in classrooms and the potential impact of these interpretations on their evolving understandings of subject matter. The particular focus of this study was on how students in a fourth-grade class interpret curriculum events, especially those involving mathematics. To establish a framework for examining the experienced curriculum, we drew on four lines of inquiry: (a) subject matter learning; (b) everyday representations of mathematical concepts; (c) knowledge production processes in classrooms; and (d) children's event structured knowledge. The domains of research surveyed above underscored for us (a) the importance of interpretation in the acquisition of knowledge, (b) the role of everyday understandings in this interpretative process, (c) the significance of children's immediate experiences with curriculum in a classroom, and (d) the potential influence of broad event frames in children's interpretation of curriculum. Within these perspectives, then, the observations and analysis were focused on children's interpretations of curriculum events, with special attention to their interpretations of events involving mathematics.
Wind Effect on Corn Leaf Azimuth

Stalk breakage, greensnap, in pretassel corn (Zea mays L.) increases when leaf azimuths are parallel to extreme thunderstorm winds. Yet wind effect on leaf azimuth is unknown. Azimuths recorded north of east-west windbreaks changed from 185° to 195° (north = 0°/360°; east = 90°; etc.) as distance from windbreaks increased from 1.4 to 13.6 H in 1999 in north-south rows; H is the average height of the tallest row of windbreak trees. Plants at 20 to 25 H are considered unsheltered. In 2000, leaf azimuth changed from 195° to 178° from 1.5 to 25 H in north-south rows. With higher wind speeds and east-west rows in 2002, azimuths ranged 194° to 202° from 3.7 to 23 H. In east-west rows windbreak sheltered leaves were oriented in north-south patterns. In contrast, unsheltered plants had few leaves pointing southward. Early-season wind altered corn leaf azimuth. This affects greensnap tolerance and perhaps other physiological traits.
Arλ(Ω)-weighted imbedding inequalities for A-harmonic tensors

Abstract We prove new versions of A r λ (Ω) -weighted imbedding inequalities for A -harmonic tensors locally and globally. The results are used to estimate the integrals of a homotopy operator T from the Banach space L s (Ω,∧ l ) to the Sobolev space W 1,s (Ω,∧ l−1 ) , l=1,2,…,n , and Sobolev–Poincare imbedding inequality with A r λ (Ω) weight.
Competitive Grants and the Funding of Agricultural Research in the United States

Efforts to improve public agricultural research efficiency include calls to increase use of competitive grants. This paper empirically assesses different instruments the USDA uses to fund state-level research. Compared with other instruments, competitive grants focus more on basic research and are concentrated among fewer states. Model results suggest that top-ranked biology and agricultural science programs were strong determinants of states' shares of competitive grants. Other significant factors were agricultural sector size and number of agricultural scientists. USDA-funded state-level research focus did not change significantly because competitive grants comprised only 15% of these funds and other instruments counteracted their influence.
The difference between interfaced and integrated systems

The definitions of an "integrated system" and an "interfaced system" are unclear. Consequently, purchasers and developers of systems are often unable to judge the degree to which a system is integrated. This paper presents definitions of integrated systems and interfaced systems, describes the differences between the two, and reviews resulting conclusions.
A simple method for the synthesis of cholesterol esters in high yield.

Abstract A simple and convenient synthesis of cholesterol esters from cholesterol and fatty acid anhydrides is described. The high, reproducible yield of cholesterol ester and the small excess of fatty acid used makes this method attractive for the preparation of cholesterol esters using difficulty obtained fatty acids.
A Ubiquitous Context-Aware Environment for Surgical Training

The age of technology has changed the way that surgeons are being trained. Traditional methodologies for training can include lecturing, shadowing, apprenticing, and developing skills within live clinical situations. Computerized tools which simulate surgical procedures and/or experiences can allow for "virtual" experiences to enhance the traditional training procedures that can dramatically improve upon the older methods. However, such systems do not to adapt to the training context. We describe a ubiquitous computing system that tracks low-level events in the surgical training room (e.g. student locations, lessons completed, learning tasks assigned, and performance metrics) and from these derive the training context. This can be used to create an adaptive training system.
FGFR4 Prevents Hyperlipidemia and Insulin Resistance but Underlies High-Fat Diet–Induced Fatty Liver

OBJECTIVE— Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family signaling largely controls cellular homeostasis through short-range intercell paracrine communication. Recently FGF15/19, 21, and 23 have been implicated in endocrine control of metabolic homeostasis. The identity and location of the FGF receptor isotypes that mediate these effects are unclear. The objective was to determine the role of FGFR4, an isotype that has been proposed to mediate an ileal FGF15/19 to hepatocyte FGFR4 axis in cholesterol homeostasis, in metabolic homeostasis in vivo. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS— FGFR4 −/− mice—mice overexpressing constitutively active hepatic FGFR4—and FGFR4 −/− with constitutively active hepatic FGFR4 restored in the liver were subjected to a normal and a chronic high-fat diet sufficient to result in obesity. Systemic and liver-specific metabolic phenotypes were then characterized. RESULTS— FGFR4-deficient mice on a normal diet exhibited features of metabolic syndrome that include increased mass of white adipose tissue, hyperlipidemia, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance, in addition to hypercholesterolemia. Surprisingly, the FGFR4 deficiency alleviated high-fat diet–induced fatty liver in obese mice, which is also a correlate of metabolic syndrome. Restoration of FGFR4, specifically in hepatocytes of FGFR4-deficient mice, decreased plasma lipid levels and restored the high-fat diet–induced fatty liver but failed to restore glucose tolerance and sensitivity to insulin. CONCLUSIONS— FGFR4 plays essential roles in systemic lipid and glucose homeostasis. FGFR4 activity in hepatocytes that normally serves to prevent systemic hyperlipidemia paradoxically underlies the fatty liver disease associated with chronic high-fat intake and obesity.
Temperature Acclimation and the Nervous System in Fish

1. The cold-blocking temperature of a simple reflex in goldfish ( Carassius auratus ) and bluegills ( Lepomis macrochirus ) was 10,° 5° and 1° C. respectively for fish acclimated to 35°, 25°, and 15° C. The response of 5° C. fish was not blocked at 1° C. 2. Similar results were obtained with goldfish in which the spinal cord had been cut immediately posterior to the medulla. 3. Conditioned inhibition of respiration in goldfish acclimatized to 30°, 25°, 15° and 5° C. was blocked at 20°, 15°, 10° and 1° C. respectively. 4. A conditioned avoidance response of goldfish acclimated to 25° C. was blocked at 15° C. 5. The cruising speed of green sunfish ( Lepomis cyanellus ) is related to the ambient temperature, and the upper and lower temperatures at which they do not swim are related to their thermal history. 6. Peripheral nerves of bluegills and green sunfish acclimated to 25° C. continued to conduct impulses at temperatures below 5° C. 7. It is concluded that the site of cold-block is in the central nervous system.
The Rules and Standards of Patentable Subject-Matter

Two arguments are commonly made against restricting patentable subject-matter. The first is that such restrictions are over-inclusive. If an invention is “new, useful, and non-obvious,” critics ask, why should it be denied patent incentives because it falls into some “wrong” category? The second criticism is that patentable subject-matter doctrine is difficult to administer, with no coherent principle to explain the case law in the area. When viewed from a rules versus standards perspective, these arguments contradict each other. Over-inclusiveness is an attribute of rules. Difficulty of administration, vagueness, and inconsistent application are attributes of standards. A doctrine cannot be too rigid and too fuzzy at the same time. This Article refutes both criticisms of subject-matter doctrine. The insight is that patentable subject-matter doctrine comes in two distinct types. The first is a rule-like categorical exclusion. The second is a standard-like scope limitation, which does not pose problems of over-inclusiveness, while sharing the same heightened administrative cost as other aspects of individualized examination. Since individualized examination is the only alternative to subject-matter restriction, flexible scope limits should not concern critics of subject-matter restriction. The remaining concern is the over-inclusiveness of categorical exclusion. This Article argues that categorical exclusions can be justified if they create corresponding administrative cost savings that outweigh the over-inclusiveness cost, and this cost-benefit balance is an empirical question. For example, if 99% of business method patents are socially detrimental, it is likely better to categorically reject all business method patents using a simple rule, and accepting the loss of 1% of meritorious patents.
Seasonal stress drives predictable changes in inbreeding depression in field-tested captive populations of Drosophila melanogaster

Recent meta-analyses conducted across a broad range of taxa have demonstrated a strong linear relationship between the change in magnitude of inbreeding depression under stress and stress level, measured as fitness loss in outbred individuals. This suggests that a general underlying response may link stress and inbreeding depression. However, this relationship is based primarily on laboratory data, and it is unknown whether natural environments with multiple stressors and fluctuating stress levels alter how stress affects inbreeding depression. To test whether the same pattern persists in the field, we investigated the effect of seasonal variation on stress level and inbreeding depression in a 3-year field study measuring the productivity of captive populations of inbred and outbred Drosophila melanogaster. We found cold winter temperatures were most stressful and induced the greatest inbreeding depression. Furthermore, these data, collected under natural field conditions, conformed to the same predictive linear relationship seen in Drosophila laboratory studies, with inbreeding depression increasing by 0.17 lethal equivalents for every 10 per cent increase in stress level. Our results suggest that under natural conditions stress level is a primary determinant of the magnitude of inbreeding depression and should be considered when assessing extinction vulnerability in small populations.
Implications for Nutrition Practice in the Mineral-Bone Disorder of Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is estimated to affect ~13% of the U.S. adult population and will require most healthcare professionals to be aware of management techniques. From stage 1 CKD, where kidney damage may be the only indicator, to stage 5 CKD, where dialysis or a transplant is required, the treatments vary greatly. One of the first systems to be affected by CKD is 1-α hydroxylation of vitamin D by production of the enzyme in the kidney. Alterations in this system contribute to bone disorders that are manifested by mineral changes throughout the course of CKD. This report provides insight on the dietary components and contributions to mineral and bone disorder of CKD and recommendations for treatment when CKD treatment does not require dialysis or transplantation.
A total quasi-steady-state formulation of substrate uptake kinetics in complex networks and an example application to microbial litter decomposition

We demonstrate that substrate uptake kinetics in any consumer–substrate network subject to the total quasi-steady-state assumption can be formulated as an equilibrium chemistry (EC) problem. If the consumer-substrate complexes equilibrate much faster than other metabolic processes, then the relationships between consumers, substrates, and consumer-substrate complexes are in quasi-equilibrium and the change of a given total substrate (free plus consumer-bounded) is determined by the degradation of all its consumer-substrate complexes. In this EC formulation, the corresponding equilibrium reaction constants are the conventional Michaelis–Menten (MM) substrate affinity constants. When all of the elements in a given network are either consumer or substrate (but not both), we derived a first-order accurate EC approximation (ECA). The ECA kinetics is compatible with almost every existing extension of MM kinetics. In particular, for microbial organic matter decomposition modeling, ECA kinetics explicitly predicts a specific microbe's uptake for a specific substrate as a function of the microbe's affinity for the substrate, other microbes' affinity for the substrate, and the shielding effect on substrate uptake by environmental factors, such as mineral surface adsorption. By taking the EC solution as a reference, we evaluated MM and ECA kinetics for their abilities to represent several differently configured enzyme-substrate reaction networks. In applying the ECA and MM kinetics to microbial models of different complexities, we found (i) both the ECA and MM kinetics accurately reproduced the EC solution when multiple microbes are competing for a single substrate; (ii) ECA outperformed MM kinetics in reproducing the EC solution when a single microbe is feeding on multiple substrates; (iii) the MM kinetics failed, while the ECA kinetics succeeded, in reproducing the EC solution when multiple consumers (i.e., microbes and mineral surfaces) were competing for multiple substrates. We then applied the EC and ECA kinetics to a guild based C-only microbial litter decomposition model and found that both approaches successfully simulated the commonly observed (i) two-phase temporal evolution of the decomposition dynamics; (ii) final asymptotic convergence of the lignocellulose index to a constant that depends on initial litter chemistry and microbial community structure; and (iii) microbial biomass proportion of total organic biomass (litter plus microbes). In contrast, the MM kinetics failed to realistically predict these metrics. We therefore conclude that the ECA kinetics are more robust than the MM kinetics in representing complex microbial, C substrate, and mineral surface interactions. Finally, we discuss how these concepts can be applied to other consumer–substrate networks.
Chromatin Immunoprecipitation with Fixed Animal Tissues and Preparation for High-Throughput Sequencing

Chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-Seq) is a powerful method used to identify genome-wide binding patterns of transcription factors and distribution of various histone modifications associated with different chromatin states. In most published studies, ChIP-Seq has been performed on cultured cells grown under controlled conditions, allowing generation of large amounts of material in a homogeneous biological state. Although such studies have provided great insight into the dynamic landscapes of animal genomes, they do not allow the examination of transcription factor binding and chromatin states in adult tissues, developing embryonic structures, or tumors. Such knowledge is critical to understanding the information required to create and maintain a complex biological tissue and to identify noncoding regions of the genome directly involved in tissues affected by complex diseases such as autism. Studying these tissue types with ChIP-Seq can be challenging due to the limited availability of tissues and the lack of complex biological states able to be achieved in culture. These inherent differences require alterations of standard cross-linking and chromatin extraction typically used in cell culture. Here we describe a general approach for using small amounts of animal tissue to perform ChIP-Seq directed at histone modifications and transcription factors. Tissue is homogenized before treatment with formaldehyde to ensure proper cross-linking, and a two-step nuclear isolation is performed to increase extraction of soluble chromatin. Small amounts of soluble chromatin are then used for immunoprecipitation (IP) and prepared for multiplexed high-throughput sequencing.
Molecular mechanical calculations on the interaction of ethidium cation with double-helical DNA

Molecular mechanical calculations were done on complexes of ethidium cation with various base-paired deoxydinucleoside monophosphates [(ApT)2, (TpA)2, (A2 · T2), (GpC)2, (CpG)2, and (G2 · C2)] and deoxyhexanucleoside pentaphosphates [(ATATAT)2, (TATATA)2, (A6 · T6), (GCGCGC)2, (CGCGCG)2, and G6 · C6]. Relative binding energies, sequence preferences, and conformational aspects of the intercalation complexes were studied. The most detailed models used (an all-atom force field) gave results in good agreement with previous calculations and experimental work. Less-sophisticated models did not perform as well.
Increased Accuracy of Distribution Based Missing Value Imputation: An Alternative to Mean Inputation in Real World Environment Survey Research.

Objective: Missing values within variables prevents data analysis on many levels including both univariate and multivariate analysis. This research presents distribution based missing value imputation, where the distribution of nonmissing values is simulated to create a set of values that are then randomly inserted into to the missing values in the actual data. Methods: Distribution imputation was compared to mean imputation in 12 different simulation conditions based on four sample sizes (50, 100, 150, 200) and three different missing value percentages for each of the sample sizes (10 percent, 20 percent, and 30 percent). Each simulation created 1,000 test datasets within each condition for a total of 12,000 simulated datasets. Results: Mean based imputation was biased and less accurate than distribution based imputation (DBI) in all 12 simulations combinations. DBI was more accurate in matching the number of rejected hypotheses as compared to the gold standard. Comparing the calculated p-values for bias where an unbiased estimator would demonstrate a 50/50 split being greater than and less than the gold standard, DBI was closer to the gold standard with at 48.7/51.3 split as compared to the 25.8/74.2 split of mean based imputation. Conclusions: Distribution imputation was found to be more accurate and unbiased as compared to mean based imputation methods. As a result, when studies are small and do not contain a large number of variables or even in situations where more elaborate imputation methods cannot be done, DBI is an accurate and unbiased method.
Basic and applied engineering research

PAUSING to look back over your shoulder at the last quarter century is an interesting experience, but it is also a little unsettling. If you start with recent copies of Electrical Engineering, for example, and gradually work your way back into the past, you find some strange sensations sifting out from between the pages of the big bound volumes. As you move back through the 40's, into the 30's, you find yourself in a world in which men are asking themselves, with some anxiety, how the Nation can best lift itself out of the Depression … where engineers are properly impressed with the complex electrical system of a twin-engined DC-3 … and where the floodlit buildings of the great World's Fairs, glowing with exotic colors, seem dedicated to a search for light-hearted amusement.
Evaluation of the Invader Assay for Genotyping Hepatitis C Virus

The Invader 1.0 assay (Invader HCV Genotyping Assay, version 1.0; Third Wave Technologies, Inc., Madison, WI) has been developed for the rapid differentiation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1 to 6 based on sequence variation within the HCV 5′ noncoding (NC) region. In the present study, we evaluated the compatibility of Invader 1.0 with the COBAS MONITOR (COBAS AMPLICOR HCV MONITOR Test, version 2.0; Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., Branchburg, NJ), COBAS AMPLICOR (COBAS AMPLICOR Hepatitis C Virus Test, version 2.0; Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.), and COBAS TaqMan (COBAS TaqMan HCV Test; Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.) assays. The minimum HCV RNA titers required for successful HCV genotyping (≥90% success rate) were 1,000 IU/ml for COBAS MONITOR, 100 IU/ml for COBAS AMPLICOR, and 10 IU/ml for COBAS TaqMan. Invader 1.0 results obtained from unpurified COBAS TaqMan amplification products of 111 retrospectively selected clinical serum specimens (genotypes 1 to 6, with virus titers ranging from 15.1 to 2.1 × 107 IU/ml) showed 98% concordance with results obtained from the TRUGENE HCV 5′ NC Genotyping Kit (Bayer HealthCare LLC, Tarrytown, NY), used in conjunction with COBAS AMPLICOR. Although the assay is sensitive, accurate, and easy to perform, additional optimization of the Invader 1.0 interpretive software (Invader Data Analysis Worksheet) may be necessary to reduce potential misidentification of HCV genotypes in low-titer specimens. In summary, Invader 1.0 is compatible with a variety of commercially available PCR-based HCV 5′ NC region amplification assays and is suitable for routine HCV genotyping in clinical laboratories.