cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional expression of mammalian cytochromes P450IIB in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract Three mammalian cytochromes P450 from the IIB subfamily, P450IIB11 from canine and P450IIB4 and P450IIB5 from rabbit, have been expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by use of an autonomously replicating vector containing the galactose-inducible gal 10 promoter. Cytochromes P450IIB4 and P450IIB5 are closely related proteins, with only 11 amino acid substitutions between them. P450IIB11 is a homologous protein, likely orthologous with IIB4 or IIB5, with 102 amino acid substitutions compared with the P450IIB4 protein and 106 compared with the P450IIB5 protein. The expressed proteins are functional in yeast microsomes, exhibiting activity toward androstenedione, 7-ethoxycoumarin, and, in some cases, progesterone. Expressed cytochromes P450IIB4 and P450IIB11 hydroxylate androstenedione with regio- and stereoselectivity characteristic of the purified, reconstituted proteins. A striking difference in the androstenedione metabolite profiles of IIB4 and IIB5 was observed, with IIB4 producing almost exclusively the 16β-hydroxy metabolite and IIB5 producing the 16α-hydroxy and 15α-hydroxy products. This is the first time that 15α-hydroxylase activity has been associated with IIB4/IIB5. This activity has also been detected in liver microsomes from some, but not all, individual phenobarbital-induced rabbits tested and is largely inhibited by anti-rabbit P450IIB immunoglobulin G. These studies illustrate the utility of the yeast expression system for defining catalytic activities of individual mammalian cytochromes P450 and identifying new marker activities that can be utilized in liver microsomes.
Discretionary activity and happiness: The role of materialism

Abstract The current study examined the moderating impact of materialism on the relationship between discretionary activities (creative activities, experiential purchases, and material purchases) and happiness. It was hypothesized that materialistic persons would associate more happiness with discretionary material purchases and that persons lower in materialism would associate other types of discretionary activity (experiential purchases and creative activity) with happiness. Participants were randomly assigned to recall a recent material purchase, experiential purchase, or creative activity. Subsequently, participants reported the amount of happiness and self-relevance associated with the event and then completed a measure of materialism. As predicted, materialists associated happiness with material purchases and than non-materialists.
Adolescent alcohol exposure alters the rat adult hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis responsiveness in a sex-specific manner

Abstract Exposure to alcohol during adolescence exerts long-term effects on the adult brain stress circuits, causing many changes that persist into adulthood. Here we examined the consequences of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE, administered from postnatal day (PND) 28–42) on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis-related brain circuitry of rats challenged with intragastric (ig) administration of alcohol in adulthood (PND 70–71). Both male and female adolescent rats were exposed to alcohol vapors, while controls did not receive the drug, to assess whether AIE alters adult alcohol response in a sex-specific manner. We demonstrated that AIE increased paraventricular nucleus (PVN) Avp mRNA levels during late (PND 42) but not middle (PND 36) adolescence in males. While an alcohol challenge administered to 70–71-day-old rats increased Crf mRNA levels in males and Avp mRNA levels in females, AIE blunted both effects. These results suggest that AIE produced long-lasting changes in the responsiveness of the HPA axis to a subsequent alcohol challenge in a sex-specific manner. Furthermore, AIE altered adrenergic brain stem nuclei involved in stress responses in adulthood, resulting in increased numbers of phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) neurons in male C2 and female C1 regions. This tended to enhance activation of the male C2 nucleus upon alcohol challenge. Collectively, these results suggest that AIE exerts long-term effects on the ability of the PVN to respond to an alcohol challenge in adulthood, possibly mediated by catecholaminergic input from the brain stem to the PVN.
Lamb Shift in Hydrogenlike Argon

The Lamb shift $S$ in hydrogenlike argon ($Z=18$) has been measured by a motional-electric-field-quenching time-of-flight experiment. We find $S=38.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.6$ THz where the error includes 1-standard-deviation statistical error of 0.35 THz and an estimated systematic error of 0.48 THz.
Diagnostic criteria for human diffuse malignant mesothelioma.

Diffuse malignant mesothelioma is a rare tumor in the general population, yet is unique in that it is caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos with long-term latency (15 years and over). Pathologists are required to provide a reliable diagnosis of the tumor for clinicians who are responsible for the treatment of affected patients. Pathological diagnosis of diffuse malignant mesothelioma is not always easy; however, it has improved over the last few decades. Currently, comprehensive analysis, including gross appearance, histology, histochemistry, immunocyto-chemistry and electron microscopy is recommended as the best approach to an accurate diagnosis of diffuse malignant mesothelioma. Acta Pathol Jpn 42: 767–786, 1992.
Hidden Spurious Sources in Axial Gauge Propagators

Abstract We show that charge carrying propagators in axial gauges involve spurious sources that move along the rays of gauge fixing. Although these spurious sources are hidden in the axial gauge in question, they are manifest when the same propagator is viewed in other gauges. Therefore, they influence the propagation of the dynamical fields. Thus the naive electron propagator in axial gauge quantum electrodynamics does not have the spectrum of a free, mass-renormalized electron. We confine our remarks to quantum electrodynamics here. In the sequel the implication for axial gauge quark and gluon propagators in quantum chromodynamics is discussed. Gauge-independent propagators do not suffer this affliction.
Predicting Ad Libitum Dry Matter Intake and Yields of Jersey Cows

Two data files were used that contained weekly mean values for ad libitum DMI of lactating Jersey cows along with appropriate cow, ration, and environmental traits for predicting DMI. One data file (n = 666) was used to develop prediction equations for DMI because that file represented a number of separate experiments and contained more diversity in potential predictors, especially those related to ration, such as forage type. The other data file (n = 1613) was used primarily to verify these equations. Milk protein yield displaced 4% FCM output as a prediction variable and improved the R2 by several units but was not used in the final equations, however, for the sake of simplicity. All equations contained adjustments for the effects of heat stress, parity (1 vs. > 1), DIM > 15, BW, use of recombinant bST, and other significant independent variables. Equations were developed to predict DMI of cows fed individually or in groups and to predict daily yields of 4% FCM and milk protein; equations accounted for 0.69, 0.74, 0.81, and 0.76 of the variation in the dependent variables with standard deviations of 1.7, 1.6, 2.7, and 0.084 kg/ d, respectively. These equations should be applied to the development of software for computerized dairy ration balancing.
Effect of particle size on three dimensional printed mesh structures

Three dimensional printing is a unique technique that can print complex 3D structures that cannot be produced by other means, especially for rapid prototyping purpose. In this study, 3D mesh structures are created by three dimensional printing with four different TiNiHf powder sizes. Mesh structure green strength and surface smoothness are characterized in order to produce high quality 3D structures. Binder spreading time and spreading rate in the TiNiHf powders are measured in order to understand binder penetration difference in the mesh structures. The study shows that smaller TiNiHf particle size produces higher mesh structure green strength and surface smoothness, consistent with the observation that binder spreading is slower for smaller TiNiHf particles.
Thrust laws for microburst wind shear penetration

Two thrust guidance strategies have been developed and analyzed for the ability that they give aircraft to safely penetrate microburst wind shear during landing approach. These are used in conjunction with a pitch steering strategy that has already been shown to give improved performance by maintaining nominal glide path in the presence of microburst winds. The strategies provide valuable understanding of good thrust policy in a microburst. One of the two strategies is to control the airspeed to its nominal value, and the other strategy is to control the airspeed or the inertial speed, which ever is smaller, to the nominal value. To evaluate these strategies, a simplified 1st-order aircraft model has been used. Headwind/tailwind and downdraft microburst models have been considered separately. The safe-performance limits with respect to ability to track glide path have been plotted and compared with those for optimal trajectories. The thrust laws' performance limits are not as good as those for optimal trajectories, as expected; the thrust guidance laws cannot use the global knowledge of the wind field that the optimal trajectories use. Nevertheless, the ability of the practical strategies to safely penetrate severe microburst wind shear has been demonstrated. The best performing guidance law was that which controlled the minimum of airspeed and inertial speed to a nominal value. This demonstrates the importance of using thrust to keep the inertial speed at or above the nominal value. NOMENCLATURE
Gastric tonometer monitoring in infants undergoing repair of coarctation of the aorta.

Objective: To evaluate gastric tonometer monitoring for splanchnic hypoperfusion in infants during surgical intervention for aortic coarctation, especially within aortic cross-clamp periods. Design: A prospective study. Setting: Cardiovascular intensive care unit in a university hospital. Participants: Fourteen infant patients after elective, uncomplicated repair of coarctation of the aorta. Interventions: After the anesthesia induction, a 7F tonometry catheter was inserted into the stomach oropharyngeally. Gastric carbon dioxide, arterial blood gases, blood pressure of upper extremities, and hematocrit values were measured in 5 different time intervals. Time periods were as follows: T1 (after the anesthesia induction), T2 (before aortic cross-clamp), T3 (immediately after aortic cross-clamp removal), T4 (40 minutes after aortic cross-clamp removal), and T5 (as the patient reached the intensive care unit). Intramucosal pH was measured by means of the Henderson-Hasselbach equation. The mean values of all parameters were calculated. According to T1 time, T2, T3, T4, and T5 times were compared with Student's t-test. Measurements and Main Results: Mean aortic cross-clamp time was 19.4 ± 6.6 minutes. Intramucosal pH values of T3 (p < 0.001) and T4 (p < 0.01) were found to be lower than values of T1. The gastric carbon dioxide values of T3 were significantly higher than T1 (p < 0.01), and bicarbonate and arterial pH values of T3 were significantly lower (p < 0.01). There were no significant differences in other parameters over time intervals. Conclusion: Splanchnic hypoperfusion exists during aortic cross-clamping in infant aortic coarctation surgery, and the tonometric catheter is considered to be a safe method for monitoring this hypoperfusion. Copyright © 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company
DEAD-TIME CORRECTIONS FOR SLOW COUNTING SYSTEMS.

Abstract The problems of correcting for counting-rate losses incurred by using detectors that can record only one event in the duration of the accelerator pulse are discussed. A method of accurately determining the dead-time losses in high counting rate situations, even when the beam intensity varies rapidly, is developed and experimental results are presented. Calculations of the statistical accuracy that can be achieved as a function of counting rate are shown.
Hamiltonian theory of the half-filled Landau level with disorder : Application to recent NMR data

The Hamiltonian theory of the fractional quantum Hall effect is an operator description that subsumes many properties of composite fermions, applies to gapped and gapless cases, and has been found to provide results in quantitative accord with data on gaps, relaxation rates, and polarizations at temperatures of $300\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mK}$ and above. The only free parameter is $\ensuremath{\lambda}$, which is related to the sample thickness and appears in the Zhang--Das Sarma potential $v(q)=\frac{2\ensuremath{\pi}{e}^{2}}{\ensuremath{\kappa}q}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}ql\ensuremath{\lambda}}$ where $l$ and $\ensuremath{\kappa}$ are the magnetic length and dielectric constant. Here we examine the recent data of Tracy and Eisenstein on the nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation rate at filling factor $\ensuremath{\nu}=\frac{1}{2}$ deduced from resistivity measurements at temperatures as low as $45\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mK}$. We find that their results can be satisfactorily described by this theory, if in addition to a $v(q)$ with $\ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\simeq}2$, a constant disorder width $\ensuremath{\Gamma}\ensuremath{\simeq}100\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mK}$ is incorporated.
Correlates of HIV testing among South African women with high sexual and substance-use risk behaviours.

Abstract Despite its importance in raising awareness of HIV risk behaviour and in linking HIV-positive individuals to care and treatment, research findings indicate that the HIV antibody testing rate in the general South African population remains relatively low, although knowledge of HIV testing services is high. The identification of important correlates of testing behaviour can be used to improve HIV testing campaigns by refining messages that target individuals at highest risk for infection. This study uses data from an ongoing prevention intervention study in Pretoria, South Africa to identify factors that may have a greater influence on facilitating or hindering HIV testing among South African women who face a high risk for infection. The data for this study (n=425) are derived from the baseline interviews and HIV test results collected between June 2004 and January 2007. HIV testing for this study was significantly associated with education level, alcohol and cannabis use, sex trading, number of ST...
THE EFFECT OF SPLENECTOMY ON THE WEIGHT OF THE HYPOPHYSIS OF THE ALBINO RAT

The initial stimulus for the present study was a report by Waugh (1) on a female patient who had been splenectomized for thrombocytopenia 4 years prior to necropsy. Autopsy of this patient disclosed the following; hypertrichosis of the lip, chin and extremities; moderately enlarged thyroid with several large acini having atrophic lining cells and filled with colloid; a small cortical adenoma of the adrenal and a hypertrophied pituitary which was “about double normal size” due to hyperplasia of the chromophobe cells. This author mentioned that he had observed increased prominence of hair at least twice before on girls who had been splenectomized for thrombocytopenia. Moreover he pointed out that such a change is not uncommon in hyperplasia of the pituitary and stated that the present case “suggests that the removal of the spleen may be the initiating cause of the hypophyseal overgrowth.”
Is the Stress Distribution Uniform in the Cross Section of SMA Bars Subjected to Uniaxial Loading? Is it Related to Rate Dependency?

In this paper, a coupled thermo-mechanical framework which takes into account the effect of phase transformation latent heat is presented for shape memory alloys. The governing equations are discretized for SMA bars and wires with circular cross sections by considering the non-uniform temperature distribution in the cross section. It is shown that a combination of three various effects (boundary condition, loading rate, and size) governs the intensity of temperature gradient in the cross section of SMA bars subjected to uniaxial loading. Also, it is shown that because of the strong coupling between the thermal and mechanical fields in SMAs, temperature difference in the cross section causes a non-uniform stress distribution in the cross section. The maximum non-uniformity in the stress and temperature distributions are calculated for a vast range of practical sizes, boundary conditions, and loading rates. The relation between the latent heat flux in the cross section and the rate dependency is studied. It is shown that the rate dependency in the response of SMAs cannot be studied independent of size and boundary condition effects. This phenomenon reveals that the definition of quasi-static loading is not absolute; it is affected by a number of parameters, e.g., the ambient condition and size of the structure.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Intra-abdominal abscesses following laparoscopic and open appendectomies

Recent findings in a small number of studies have suggested a trend toward increased infectious complications following laparoscopic appendectomy. The purpose of the present review was to evaluate the incidence of postappendectomy intra-abdominal abscess formation following laparoscopic and open appendectomies. Using the surgical database of the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center, we reviewed the records of all appendectomies performed at the center between March 1993 and September 1995. Incidental appendectomies as well as appendectomies in pediatric patients under the age of 18 years were excluded. A total of 2497 appendectomies were identified; indications for these procedures included acute appendicitis in 1422 cases (57%), gangrenous appendicitis in 289 (12%), and perforated appendicitis in 786 (31%). The intraoperative diagnosis made by the surgeon was used for classification. A two-tailed P value of <0.05 was considered significant. There was no significant difference in the rate of abscess formation between the groups undergoing open and laparoscopic appendectomies for acute and gangrenous appendicitis. In patients with perforated appendicitis, a total of 26 postappendectomy intra-abdominal abscesses occurred following 786 appendectomies for an overall abscess formation rate of 3.3%. Eighteen abscesses occurred following 683 open appendectomies (2.6%), six abscesses occurred following 67 laparoscopic appendectomies (9.0%), and the remaining two abscesses occurred following 36 converted cases (5.6%). For perforated appendicitis, however, there was a statistically significant increase in the rate of abscess formation following laparoscopic appendectomy compared to conventional open appendectomy (9.0% vs. 2.6%, P = 0.015). There was no significant difference in the rate of abscess formation between open vs. converted cases or between laparoscopic vs. converted cases. A comparison of the length of the postoperative hospital stay showed no significant difference between open and laparoscopic appendectomy for perforated appendicitis (6.1 days vs. 5.9 days). Laparoscopic appendectomy for perforated appendicitis is associated with a higher rate of postoperative intra-abdominal abscess formation without the benefit of a shortened hospital stay. Given these findings, laparoscopic appendectomy is not recommended in patients with perforated appendicitis.
Deposition Diseases and 3D Domain Swapping

Protein aggregation is a feature of both normal cellular assemblies and pathological protein depositions. Although the limited order of aggregates has often impeded their structural characterization, 3D domain swapping has been implicated in the formation of several protein aggregates. Here, we review known structures displaying 3D domain swapping in the context of amyloid and related fibrils, prion proteins, and macroscopic aggregates, and we discuss the possible involvement of domain swapping in protein deposition diseases.
A numerical calibration approach to obtain cutting fluid droplet sizes in a turning process via an imaging system

Airborne inhalable particulate in the workplace can represent a significant health hazard, and one of the primary sources of particles is mist produced through the application of cutting fluids in machining operations. The atomization process is one of the principal mechanisms associated with cutting fluid mist formation and generates droplets from fifty to a few thousand micrometers in size. These particles subsequently undergo vaporization and settling effects resulting in an aerosol to which workers may be exposed. While a variety of equipment is available to characterize the fine particulate in the breathing zone, standard equipment to measure the size of the atomized droplets is not available. In this paper, an imaging system is employed to characterize the large droplets produced by atomization in turning. One of the drawbacks of such a system is the time-consuming experimental calibration procedure that is required to improve the accuracy of the droplet size measurements and extend the depth of field of the imaging system. With this in mind, an approach is introduced to predict droplet diameter based on measurement data without physical system calibration. The relationship between the actual diameter and the measured diameter is established based on an imaging system simulation model that includes a three dimensional point spread function and an image formation relationship grounded in the principles of geometric optics. These two components are combined using convolution integral theory to derive an image intensity profile. The introduction of halo width into the simulation greatly extends the image depth of field, which is a critical factor in capturing more droplets in one image and also minimizing particle size distribution bias towards larger droplets. The model predicts droplet diameter as a function of measured diameter and halo width. Model behavior of predicted diameters from the simulation compares well with those from a physical calibration of the system. The numerical calibration model is then used in the study of cutting fluid atomization in a turning process, and the measured droplet size distribution compares favorably with droplet sizes predicted by a mechanistic atomization model.
Differentiating bilateral superior oblique paresis from sensory extorsion

Purpose To determine whether patients historically diagnosed with bilateral superior oblique paresis (BSOP) categorized into (1) immediate-onset and (2) gradual-onset torsional diplopia groups are also distinguishable on the basis of patterns of subjective misalignment in various directions of gaze, consistent with the gradual-onset group being caused by sensory extorsion rather than by BSOP. Methods The medical records of all patients diagnosed with BSOP, V-pattern esotropia, or V-pattern exotropia between 1978 and 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. Those patients with torsional diplopia were classified into immediate- or gradual-onset diplopia groups. The torsional misalignments measured by Lancaster red-green plots were compared, and the surgical outcomes were evaluated. Results Of 38 patients identified, 27 had immediate-onset and 11 gradual-onset diplopia. There was a statistically significant difference in the increase in extorsion from up- to downgaze between the immediate- versus gradual-onset group (17.8° versus −1.5°, P P = 0.02), whereas patients in the gradual-onset group fared equally well with either procedure ( P = 0.72). Conclusions Extorsion in upgaze is largely absent in patients with immediate-onset BSOP but is present in both up- and downgaze in patients with gradual-onset sensory extorsion. Lancaster red-green testing aids in distinguishing these two groups. The bilateral Harada-Ito procedure is a better procedure for true BSOP, whereas a bilateral inferior oblique–weakening procedure may be preferred for patients with sensory extorsion.
Momentum distribution curves in the superconducting state

We demonstrate that the E vs $\mathbf{k}$ dispersion in the superconducting state extracted from momentum-distribution curves differs qualitatively from the traditional dispersion extracted from energy-distribution curves. This occurs because of a combination of many-body effects and the presence of an energy gap, along with the associated coherence factors. Analysis of such momentum-distribution-curve dispersions can give important information on the microscopics of high-temperature superconductors.
Comparison of the Higher -Severity Fire Regime in Historical (A.D. 1800s) and Modern (A.D. 1984–2009) Montane Forests Across 624,156 ha of the Colorado Front Range

There are concerns that recent fires, following a century of land uses, are burning in dry western forests in an uncharacteristic manner with large patches of higher-severity fire affecting long-term ecosystem dynamics. For example, it is well documented that a mixed-severity fire regime predominated over montane forests of the Colorado Front Range. However, much about the historical fire regime is unknown including the size, frequency, and distribution of higher-severity fires. We addressed these questions utilizing data from the original land surveyors who recorded locations of burned timber along survey lines resulting in a coarse-scale transect of fire occurrence across 624,156 ha. We reconstructed higher-severity burn patches, size distribution, and fire rotation for the 1800s (A.D. 1809–1883) and compared to the characteristics of modern fires over a recent 26-year period (A.D. 1984–2009) taken from remotely sensed data. We found the historical geometric mean higher-severity patch was 170.9 ha and the maximum patch size was 8,331 ha; the higher-severity fire rotation was 248.7 years. In addition, we confirmed that higher-severity fires were historically less common at elevations below 2,200 m. Modern fires had a geometric mean patch size of 90.0 ha (patches >20 ha) and a maximum size of 5,183 ha; the higher-severity fire rotation was 431 years. The distributions of higher-severity patches were only 63.5% similar, as the historical distribution had fewer small patches and more large patches. The mixed-severity fire regime, historically, included a significant portion of higher-severity fire and large burn patches; modern fires appear to be within the range of historical variability.
Generic behavior of master-stability functions in coupled nonlinear dynamical systems

Master-stability functions (MSFs) are fundamental to the study of synchronization in complex dynamical systems. For example, for a coupled oscillator network, a necessary condition for synchronization to occur is that the MSF at the corresponding normalized coupling parameters be negative. To understand the typical behaviors of the MSF for various chaotic oscillators is key to predicting the collective dynamics of a network of these oscillators. We address this issue by examining, systematically, MSFs for known chaotic oscillators. Our computations and analysis indicate that it is generic for MSFs being negative in a finite interval of a normalized coupling parameter. A general scheme is proposed to classify the typical behaviors of MSFs into four categories. These results are verified by direct simulations of synchronous dynamics on networks of actual coupled oscillators.
Phylogenetic interpretation of eggs and eggshells: implications for phylogeny of Palaeognathae

This oological analysis supports Palaeognathae monophyly, and places Dromornithidae within Neognathae, the sister clade of Paleognathae. This Dromornithidae relationship is congruent with a recent phylogenetic hypothesis, based on cranial characters, that differs from the original assignment of this group of extinct birds to the Palaeognathae. Minor differences exist between previous palaeognath phylogenetic hypotheses and that obtained from this research. Some of the topological disparities might be influenced solely by inclusion of more fossil taxa in this analysis compared with those considering either molecular or skeletal characters. Surprisingly, oological data differentiate the Australasian palaeognath taxa from those of Africa and South America; this phylogenetic topology conforms to the paleognath geographic distribution. Regardless of the issues related to Paleognathae, results show that oological characters permit the differentiation of groups at a generic level, thus validating the use of eggs...
Providing QoS Guarantees in Video Servers with VBR Multi-resolution Video

A video server may need to reserve resources in order to meet the Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of the various clients that it services. We present an admission control strategy that provides deterministic admission to the minimum or necessary layers and statistical admission to the higher layers of a client video stream accessing variable bit-rate multi-resolution video. An efficient data placement scheme called Partial-Bundled is proposed and compared with other data placement strategies. In the event of a node failure, the load on the failed node is distributed across the functional nodes. Therefore, the load on each node is increased by a fraction depending on the data replication scheme used, and it may be necessary to degrade the resolutions of the streams. Two heuristic algorithms to provide for graceful degradation in the presence of disk failure are described. The heuristic algorithms attempt to maximize the rewards (related to average quality of a stream) while reducing the resolution of clients.
Assessing readability formula differences with written health information materials: application, results, and recommendations.

Abstract Background Readability formulas are often used to guide the development and evaluation of literacy-sensitive written health information. However, readability formula results may vary considerably as a result of differences in software processing algorithms and how each formula is applied. These variations complicate interpretations of reading grade level estimates, particularly without a uniform guideline for applying and interpreting readability formulas. Objectives This research sought to (1) identify commonly used readability formulas reported in the health care literature, (2) demonstrate the use of the most commonly used readability formulas on written health information, (3) compare and contrast the differences when applying common readability formulas to identical selections of written health information, and (4) provide recommendations for choosing an appropriate readability formula for written health-related materials to optimize their use. Methods A literature search was conducted to identify the most commonly used readability formulas in health care literature. Each of the identified formulas was subsequently applied to word samples from 15 unique examples of written health information about the topic of depression and its treatment. Readability estimates from common readability formulas were compared based on text sample size, selection, formatting, software type, and/or hand calculations. Recommendations for their use were provided. Results The Flesch-Kincaid formula was most commonly used (57.42%). Readability formulas demonstrated variability up to 5 reading grade levels on the same text. The Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) readability formula performed most consistently. Depending on the text sample size, selection, formatting, software, and/or hand calculations, the individual readability formula estimated up to 6 reading grade levels of variability. Conclusions The SMOG formula appears best suited for health care applications because of its consistency of results, higher level of expected comprehension, use of more recent validation criteria for determining reading grade level estimates, and simplicity of use. To improve interpretation of readability results, reporting reading grade level estimates from any formula should be accompanied with information about word sample size, location of word sampling in the text, formatting, and method of calculation.
Drastic environmental change and its effects on a planetary biosphere

Environmental conditions can change drastically and rapidly during the natural history of a planetary body. These changes affect the biosphere and can spur evolution via the mechanism of directional selection leading to the innovation of new processes and forms of life, or alternatively leading to the extinction of certain life forms. Based on the natural history of Earth, the effect on a planet’s biosphere depends on three factors: (1) the nature and time scale of change, (2) the composition of the biosphere prior to change, and (3) the nature of the environment following the change. Though Earth has undergone various periods of drastic environmental change, life has shown an enormous resiliency and became more diverse and complex as a consequence of these events. Mars and Venus have undergone even larger environmental changes, both from habitable conditions under which the origin of life (or transfer of life from Earth) seem plausible, to a dry and cold planet punctuated by wetter conditions, and a hyperthermic greenhouse, respectively. Given its planetary history, life on Mars could have retreated to a psychrophilic lifestyle in the deep subsurface or to environmental near-surface niches, such as hydrothermal regions and caves. Further, strong directional selection could have pushed putative martian life to evolve alternating cycles between active and dormant forms, as well as the innovation of new traits adapted to challenging near-surface conditions. Life in the subsurface or on the surface of Venus seems impossible today, but microorganisms may have adapted to thrive in the lower cloud layer, possibly using a biochemical strategy analogous to Photosystem I and chemoautotrophic sulfur metabolism, and employing cycloocta sulfur for UV protection.
Simulation of the Process for Producing Butanol from Corn Fermentation

This study focuses on the simulation of a complete process for producing butanol via acetone, butanol, and ethanol corn fermentation. The simulation, which begins with grain processing and proceeds through product purification, represents the first attempt to simulate such a complete process. Energy use for the production process is highlighted and compared to that for the conventional corn ethanol process. The simulation results are utilized in a lifecycle assessment for butanol as a potential transportation fuel. The lifecycle assessment study is conducted using the transportation full lifecycle assessment model, Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET), that has been developed by Argonne National Laboratory. A variety of key parameters are examined, such as the state of the art of the unit operations included in the process and their key process parameters, as well as their effects on the total energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the lifecycle of butanol.
Immigrant Niches and the Intrametropolitan Spatial Division of Labour

Immigrants often bunch together in particular lines of work, which many scholars call employment niching. They also may cluster geographically; these districts can be neighbourhoods where workers reside or places of work (industrial quarters where labour is performed). The intrametropolitan spatial division of labour is perhaps best conceived as the relationships among employment concentrations in industrial niches and places of work shaped in large measure by the geographies of residence. The analysis of six immigrant groups reported in this paper models the effect of residential concentration on the chances that an immigrant holds a job in a particular line of work, labours in a particular work place, or does both—works in a particular job and work place. The study, which uses Greater Los Angeles' census tracts for the analysis, reveals that residential patterns help to govern the extent of this industrial segmentation and employment geography but that this relationship is not consistent across immigran...
Methyl mercury toxicokinetics in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) after intravascular administration

The authors compared the differences in the distribution and elimination of Ch{sub 3}Hg after intraarterial injection and serial blood removal in catfish and bass of similar body size under consistent water quality conditions. The blood and plasma concentration-time profiles of individual fish were analyzed using a three-compartment, clearance-volume model. The plasma protein binding of CH{sub 3}Hg was determined by ultrafiltration and the binding affinity ({rho}) of CH{sub 3}Hg for red blood cells (RBCs) was also calculated. Toxicokinetic analysis of the plasma concentration-time profiles provided the following values: apparent volume of distribution at steady state (V{sub ss}) = 30 {+-} 14 ml/g (catfish), 6.2 {+-} 2 ml/g (bass); total body clearance (Cl{sub b}) = 0.026 {+-} 0.011 ml/h/g (catfish), 0.0057 {+-} 0.001 ml/h/g (bass). The values of V{sub ss} and Cl{sub b} estimated from the blood concentration-time profiles in catfish and bass were fivefold lower. The elimination half-life from blood and plasma was between 814 and 1670 h and was not statistically different between species or reference fluid. The AUC{sub 0{yields}x} for blood was over three times higher than plasma, due to the binding of CH{sub 3}Hg to RBCs. The unbound fraction of CH{sub 3}Hg in bass plasma was 14-fold lowermore » and the {rho} for RBCs was 20 times greater than catfish. The decreased binding to plasma and RBCs in catfish is consistent with the increased extravascular distribution and clearance capacity of CH{sub 3}Hg in catfish because a larger fraction of the CH{sub 3}Hg in blood is available to distribute outside the vascular system.« less
The total organic carbon export rate based on13C and12C of DIC budgets in the equatorial Pacific region

Abstract Carbon stable isotopic composition (δ 13 C) of total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) is independent of DIC as a tracer for net organic carbon production rate in the surface ocean due to the Significantly different equilibration times for CO 2 and 13 CO 2 during air-sea exchange. The rates of the organic carbon export and net physical supply of DIC, can therefore, be determined from the mixed layer mass balances for DIC and DIC 13 (DIC· 13 C/ 12 C), given an air-sea C0 2 flux estimated from wind speed and measured p CO 2 . This method does not rely on specifying the absolute advetive and diffusive transports of DIC. The mass balance approach was applied to measurements of concentration and δ 13 C of DIC made in the equatorial Pacific ocean in the Spring and Fall of 1991–1992 during WOCE P16C and US JGOFS EqPac cruises. The calculated organic carbon export rate out of mixed layer during Spring 1992 El Nin˜o was 3.2±1.4 mmol C m −2 d −1 (between 2°N to 2°S and 170°W to 110°W). No spatial trend for the total organic carbon export rate was determined despite the large variation in C02 degassing rate from ∼0.1 mmol C m −2 d −1 at 170°W to ∼4.0 mmol Cm −2 d −1 at 110°W over this region. Under the cold tongue conditions in the end of August 1992, a higher organic carbon export rate, about 11.5±6.3 mmol C m -2 d −1 was obtained on the equator at 140°W while the rate for the previous September (in 1991) was 4.9 ± 2.4 mmol C m −2 d −1 . Most of the uncertainty in our estimated results from the uncertainty in gas exchange coefficient. The comparison between the estimated organic carbon export rates and the particulate organic carbon (POC) export rates derived from thorium budget and sediment drifting traps at the same stations (Buesseler et al. , 1995; Murray et al. , 1996) suggests that particulate organic carbon probably accounts for about 70% of the organci export. Since physical, rather than biological, processes primarily control the distribution of DIC, NO 3 O 2 and other nutrient-related properties in this region, it is very difficult to accurately obtain the net organic carbon export rate from advection rates and nutrient gradients, as demonstrated by a 3-D calculation.
Fiber-optic Implantation for Chronic Optogenetic Stimulation of Brain Tissue

Elucidating patterns of neuronal connectivity has been a challenge for both clinical and basic neuroscience. Electrophysiology has been the gold standard for analyzing patterns of synaptic connectivity, but paired electrophysiological recordings can be both cumbersome and experimentally limiting. The development of optogenetics has introduced an elegant method to stimulate neurons and circuits, both in vitro(1) and in vivo(2,3). By exploiting cell-type specific promoter activity to drive opsin expression in discrete neuronal populations, one can precisely stimulate genetically defined neuronal subtypes in distinct circuits(4-6). Well described methods to stimulate neurons, including electrical stimulation and/or pharmacological manipulations, are often cell-type indiscriminate, invasive, and can damage surrounding tissues. These limitations could alter normal synaptic function and/or circuit behavior. In addition, due to the nature of the manipulation, the current methods are often acute and terminal. Optogenetics affords the ability to stimulate neurons in a relatively innocuous manner, and in genetically targeted neurons. The majority of studies involving in vivo optogenetics currently use a optical fiber guided through an implanted cannula(6,7); however, limitations of this method include damaged brain tissue with repeated insertion of an optical fiber, and potential breakage of the fiber inside the cannula. Given the burgeoning field of optogenetics, a more reliable method of chronic stimulation is necessary to facilitate long-term studies with minimal collateral tissue damage. Here we provide our modified protocol as a video article to complement the method effectively and elegantly described in Sparta et al.(8) for the fabrication of a fiber optic implant and its permanent fixation onto the cranium of anesthetized mice, as well as the assembly of the fiber optic coupler connecting the implant to a light source. The implant, connected with optical fibers to a solid-state laser, allows for an efficient method to chronically photostimulate functional neuronal circuitry with less tissue damage(9) using small, detachable, tethers. Permanent fixation of the fiber optic implants provides consistent, long-term in vivo optogenetic studies of neuronal circuits in awake, behaving mice(10) with minimal tissue damage.
Histone deacetylase inhibitors and HIV latency.

Purpose of reviewInterest has re-emerged in approaches to eradicate HIV infection. A series of modifications of nucleosomal histones within chromatin are a key mechanism of HIV gene regulation that alters the recruitment of transcription factors to viral DNA. The balance of these histone modificatio
The receptor for the cytotoxic ligand TRAIL

TRAIL (also known as Apo-2L) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ligand family that rapidly induces apoptosis in a variety of transformed cell lines. The human receptor for TRAIL was found to be an undescribed member of the TNF-receptor family (designated death receptor-4, DR4) that contains a cytoplasmic "death domain" capable of engaging the cell suicide apparatus but not the nuclear factor kappa B pathway in the system studied. Unlike Fas, TNFR-1, and DR3, DR4 could not use FADD to transmit the death signal, suggesting the use of distinct proximal signaling machinery. Thus, the DR4-TRAIL axis defines another receptor-ligand pair involved in regulating cell suicide and tissue homeostasis.
Doubling down: Lessons learned from building a new electronic health record as part of primary care practice redesign

Iora Health is a primary care delivery company creating de novo primary care practices with the mission of restoring humanity to health care. To support our very different and evolving model of team-based primary care we realized we needed to build our own electronic health record (EHR). This perspective shares four key lessons from the software development process: the tight relationship between delivery innovation and software development, the benefits of Agile development, the value of having the clinicians at all levels as part of the software development team, and different ways to think about clinical information.
2-Hydroxy-7-methoxycadalene. The precursor of lacinilene C 7-methyl ether in Gossypium

Abstract Two sesquiterpenoid naphthols, 2,7-dihydroxycadalene and 2-hydroxy-7-methoxycadalene, have been isolated from green and field-dried cotton bracts. These naphthols rapidly autoxidize on silica gel to lacinilene C and lacinilene C 7-methyl ether, respectively. The latter compound has been implicated as a causative of byssinosis. Lacinilene C and its methyl ether derivative isolated from field-dried cotton leaves and bracts were optically active, indicating that the lacinilenes are produced enzymatically from the naphthols. Therefore, bioassays for byssinotic activity using racemic synthetic lacinilene C 7-methyl ether, rather than the naturally occurring optically active compound, must be scrutinized carefully.
Evidence for Mutagenesis by Nitric Oxide during Nitrate Metabolism in Escherichia coli

In Escherichia coli, nitrosative mutagenesis may occur during nitrate or nitrite respiration. The endogenous nitrosating agent N2O3 (dinitrogen trioxide, nitrous anhydride) may be formed either by the condensation of nitrous acid or by the autooxidation of nitric oxide, both of which are metabolic by-products. The purpose of this study was to determine which of these two agents is more responsible for endogenous nitrosative mutagenesis. An nfi (endonuclease V) mutant was grown anaerobically with nitrate or nitrite, conditions under which it has a high frequency of A:T-to-G:C transition mutations because of a defect in the repair of hypoxanthine (nitrosatively deaminated adenine) in DNA. These mutations could be greatly reduced by two means: (i) introduction of an nirB mutation, which affects the inducible cytoplasmic nitrite reductase, the major source of nitric oxide during nitrate or nitrite metabolism, or (ii) flushing the anaerobic culture with argon (which should purge it of nitric oxide) before it was exposed to air. The results suggest that nitrosative mutagenesis occurs during a shift from nitrate/nitrite-dependent respiration under hypoxic conditions to aerobic respiration, when accumulated nitric oxide reacts with oxygen to form endogenous nitrosating agents such as N2O3. In contrast, mutagenesis of nongrowing cells by nitrous acid was unaffected by an nirB mutation, suggesting that this mutagenesis is mediated by N2O3 that is formed directly by the condensation of nitrous acid.
New complementary logic circuits using coupled open quantum systems

This paper present new complementary logic circuits that exploit an intrinsic bistability in nanoscale coupled open quantum systems such as wells and wires. When operated with a multiple-phase split-level clocking scheme, the device can latch a binary digit while meeting gain, tolerance, and I/O decoupling requirements at the same time, which was difficult with conventional back-to-back negative differential resistance devices. This same structure in a dual-rail configuration can function as a complete set of classical logic circuits by changing only the connections of the input signals. When these circuits are combined to form a sequential circuit, low power operation is expected, thanks to better voltage scaling, a zero-standby-power equalized state, and efficient charge recycling.