cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solubilization of Benzoic Acid Derivatives by Nonionic Surfactants: Location of Solubilizates in Hydrocarbon Core of Micelles and Polyoxyethylene Mantle

The micelles that nonionic surfactants containing polyoxyethylene head groups form in aqueous solution have a hydrocarbon core surrounded by a mantle, which can be described as a dense solution of polyoxyethylenes. Solubilization, or the uptake of organic molecules in such micelles, may involve two broadly defined loci: (a) the hydrocarbon core along with its interface, and (b) the polyoxyethylene mantle. It is shown that the solubilization of many benzoic acid derivatives and phenolic preservatives in such micelles can be described in terms of the two loci of solubilization. The relative importance of the two loci can be derived in an approximate fashion from solubilization data in systems where the polyoxyethylene chain length is varied on the basis of two simplifying assumptions. The distribution of the solubilized species between the two loci is related to the chemical structure of the solubilizate, and it is important in understanding the physical and chemical reactivities of the solubilized species.
Learner feedback and educational outcomes with an internet-based ambulatory curriculum: a qualitative and quantitative analysis

Online medical education curricula offer new tools to teach and evaluate learners. The effect on educational outcomes of using learner feedback to guide curricular revision for online learning is unknown. In this study, qualitative analysis of learner feedback gathered from an online curriculum was used to identify themes of learner feedback, and changes to the online curriculum in response to this feedback were tracked. Learner satisfaction and knowledge gains were then compared from before and after implementation of learner feedback. 37,755 learners from 122 internal medicine residency training programs were studied, including 9437 postgraduate year (PGY)1 residents (24.4 % of learners), 9864 PGY2 residents (25.5 %), 9653 PGY3 residents (25.0 %), and 6605 attending physicians (17.0 %). Qualitative analysis of learner feedback on how to improve the curriculum showed that learners commented most on the overall quality of the educational content, followed by specific comments on the content. When learner feedback was incorporated into curricular revision, learner satisfaction with the instructive value of the curriculum (1 = not instructive; 5 = highly instructive) increased from 3.8 to 4.1 (p < 0.001), and knowledge gains (i.e., post test scores minus pretest scores) increased from 17.0 % to 20.2 % (p < 0.001). Learners give more feedback on the factual content of a curriculum than on other areas such as interactivity or website design. Incorporating learner feedback into curricular revision was associated with improved educational outcomes. Online curricula should be designed to include a mechanism for learner feedback and that feedback should be used for future curricular revision.
Membrane lipid modification and stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase activity in L-M cells.

Abstract The stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase system of L-M cells, grown as monolayers, was examined in microsomal membranes that contained 8.2% phosphatidylisopropylethanolamine, an unnatural phospholipid analog. Desaturation of both [1- 14 C]stearic acid by whole cells and [1- 14 C]stearoyl-coenzyme A by cell-free homogenates, or microsomes, was decreased to about 40% of control levels in cells that had been grown for 24 h in the presence of 10 m m N -isopropylethanolamine. No decrease in microsomal NADH- or NADPH-dependent cytochrome c reductase activities or the level of cytochrome b 5 was found in the L-M cells that had been treated for 24 h with N -isopropylethanolamine. Although amino acid transport into L-M cells was not affected by treatment with N -isopropylethanolamine, protein synthesis was decreased by about 30%. These results indicate that the decrease in stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturation in the modified membranes is specifically associated with the terminal oxidase activity (cyanide-sensitive factor) of the desaturase enzyme complex.
Nausea and pregnancy outcome.

: The relationship of nausea during pregnancy with pregnancy outcome was studied using information from a post-pregnancy survey of a sample of women in a cohort of 7,767 pregnancies. Seventy-one percent of women were nauseated at some time during pregnancy. Nausea was unrelated to race and education. Younger women and those of higher parity were significantly (p < 0.05) more likely to be nauseated than older women and primiparas. The percentage of women nauseated during pregnancy was 70.1 in those who delivered a boy and 73.3 in those who delivered a girl, a difference that was not statistically significant (X2= 1.8, df 1, p = 18). The relative risks of spontaneous abortion and of ectopic pregnancy were significantly (p < 0.01) increased in women who were not nauseated at all during pregnancy, but there was no significant association of freedom from nausea with increased or decreased risk of stillbirth, congenital anomaly, or intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). Twelve percent of women whose pregnancy lasted two or more trimesters had nausea throughout pregnancy. The relative risks of IUGR and of major and minor congenital anomaly were elevated in women with persistent nausea, although the elevations in risk were small and not statistically significant. Information about nausea of pregnancy may be useful in counseling pregnant women. It may help guide the evaluation of patients in whom ectopic pregnancy is a possibility, particularly where ultrasound is not available. If nausea is a biological marker for good placental function, better delineation of its physiologic basis might contribute to our understanding of variations in placental function and could result in development of a tool for monitoring it.
The nucleobase cation symporter 1 of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and that of the evolutionarily distant Arabidopsis thaliana display parallel function and establish a plant-specific solute transport profile

Abstract The single cell alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is capable of importing purines as nitrogen sources. An analysis of the annotated C. reinhardtii genome reveals at least three distinct gene families encoding for known nucleobase transporters. In this study the solute transport and binding properties for the lone C. reinhardtii nucleobase cation symporter 1 (CrNCS1) are determined through heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae . CrNCS1 acts as a transporter of adenine, guanine, uracil and allantoin, sharing similar – but not identical – solute recognition specificity with the evolutionary distant NCS1 from Arabidopsis thaliana . The results suggest that the solute specificity for plant NCS1 occurred early in plant evolution and are distinct from solute transport specificities of single cell fungal NCS1 proteins.
Covalent coupling of alkaline bacillus subtilis protease to controlledpore silica with a new simplified coupling technique

A controlled-pore silica with an average pore diameter of 510 A° was used as the carrier for the immobilization of alkaline Bacillus subtilis protease. The coupling of the enzyme was accomplished by a simple two-step procedure which involved the aqueous reaction of a bifunctional diazonium salt with the surface of the silica followed by the coupling of the enzyme through the remaining available azo functional group. The stability of the coupled enzyme was compared to that of an adsorbed enzyme produced under similar conditions. Both immobilized enzymes were stored in water at room temperature and were repeatedly assayed at intervals up to 103 days. These protease preparations were assayed with 1% casein solutions at pH 7.8 at 37°C. Under these conditions, the adsorbed enzyme exhibited a half-life of approximately 48 days, while that of the coupled protease was somewhat greater than 80 days.
Comparison of Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis with Isoenzyme Profiles as a Typing System for Candida tropicalis

Candida species are important nosocomial pathogens, particularly in immunocompromised and critically ill patients. A variety of methods have been used to differentiate strains, but an optimal system has not been established. We compared methods for typing a panel of nine related isolates of Candida tropicalis from an outbreak of sternal wound infections as well as four unrelated control isolates of this species. (The genetic relationships of the nine isolates in the panel had been confirmed previously by restriction fragment analysis.) Typing was undertaken without knowledge of an isolate's origin. Karyotyping by contour-clamped homogeneous electric field (CHEF) gel electrophoresis failed to distinguish between outbreak and control isolates. However, when chromosome-sized DNA was digested with SfiI, EagI, SacII, or NaeI and the fragments were separated by CHEF electrophoresis, the outbreak isolates were readily identified. The isoenzyme profiles of the outbreak isolates were identical and were distinctly different from those of the control isolates. While both isoenzyme profiles and the modified CHEF procedure were discriminatory, the latter is recommended as a relatively convenient and reproducible technique for comparison of types of C. tropicalis.
Grinding induced subsurface cracks in silicon wafers

Silicon wafers are used for production of most microchips. Various processes are needed to transfer a silicon crystal ingot into wafers. To ensure high surface quality, the damage layer generated by each of the machining processes (such as lapping and grinding) has to be removed by its subsequent processes. Therefore it is essential to assess the subsurface damage for each machining process. This paper presents the observation of subsurface cracks in silicon wafers machined by surface grinding process. Based on cross-sectional microscopy methods, several crack configurations are identified. Samples taken from different locations on the wafers are examined to investigate the effects of sample location on crack depth. The effects of grinding parameters such as feedrate and wheel rotational speed on the depth of subsurface crack have been studied by a set of factorial design experiments. Furthermore, the relation between the depth of subsurface crack and the wheel grit size is experimentally determined.
Archaeological Survey in the Foulke Fjord Region, Inglefield Land, Northwestern Greenland

Abstract Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 110(2):297–314, 2010 The Inglefield Land Archaeology Project undertook archaeological survey of three areas of Foulke Fjord in 2006, during which 639 archaeological features were recorded, exclusive of the large Reindeer Point Longhouse site (Darwent et al., 2008). Basedon comparisons with surveys completed in Eastern Inglefield Land (Darwent et al., 2007), the density of features in Foulke Fjord substantially exceeded those from other regions of Inglefield Land. The most parsimonious explanation for the higher occurrence of features in this region is the presence of little auk colonies on the scree slopes of the inner fjords. These birds, which roost in the millions, served as a reliable summer food source, but their feces likely provided enrichment for the local ecosystem, increasing the numbers of terrestrial and marine fauna in the region. Based on excavations at Iita (Etah) and densities of features in the fiord, Foulke Fjord appears to have ...
Development of electrical insulator coatings for fusion power applications

Abstract In the design of liquid-metal cooling systems for fusion blanket applications, the corrosion resistance of structural materials and the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) force and its subsequent influence on thermal hydraulics and corrosion are major concerns. The objective of this study was to develop stable corrosion-resistant electrical insulator coatings at the liquid-metal-structural-material interface, with emphasis on electrically insulating coatings that prevent adverse MHD-generated currents from passing through the structural walls. Vanadium and V-base alloys (VTi or VTiCr) are leading candidate materials for structural applications in fusion reactors. When the system is cooled by liquid metals, insulator coatings are required on piping surfaces in contact with the coolant. Various intermetallic films were produced on V, V5Ti, and V20Ti, V5Cr5Ti, and V15Cr5Ti, and Ti, and on types 304 and 316 stainless steel. The intermetallic layers were developed by exposure of the materials to liquid Li containing 3–5 at.% dissolved metallic solute (e.g. Al, Be, Mg, Si, Ca, Pt, and Cr) at temperatures of 416–880°C. Subsequently, electrical insulator coatings were produced by reaction of the reactive layers with dissolved N in liquid Li or by air oxidation under controlled conditions at 600–1000°C. These reactions converted the intermetallic layers to electrically insulating oxide-nitride or oxynitride layers. This coating method is applicable to reactor components. The liquid metal can be used over and over because only the solutes are consumed within the liquid metal. The technique can be applied to various shapes (e.g. inside or outside of tubes, complex geometrical shapes) because the coating is formed by liquid-phase reaction. This paper discusses initial results on the nature of the coatings (composition, thickness, adhesion, surface coverage) and their in situ electrical resistivity characteristics in liquid Li at high temperatures.
Optimal intruder detection via a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm

The current geopolitical environment has focused attention on protecting military and civilian installations from malicious trespassers. This work examined the detection of intruders attempting to slip through a secure area undetected. Aiming to minimize the number of undetected intruders, the defenders use a combination of fixed sensors, mobile robots, and a human reaction force to evaluate each intruder. The simultaneous objectives of maximizing the number of detected intruders and minimizing overall cost, plus the unknown interactions between the three elements of the defense and the unknown shape of the state space, led to the use of a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm. For different reaction force time delays and multiple intruder formations, data was collected on the percentage of targets assessed (and the corresponding system configuration), location of assessment, time to assessment, and reaction force detection range. Our customer used this data to assist with acquisition and personnel decisions.
Utilization of geoindicators for rapid assessment of coastal-hazard risk and mitigation

Abstract Geoindicators provide a management tool for rapid assessment of natural hazard risk potential, either as a supplement to long-term environmental auditing and monitoring, or for initial coastal assessment as in developing countries. Using examples of barrier island and bluffed coasts, indicators of process/response are examined regionally, locally, and site-specifically; the latter being the primary indicators of property-threatening hazards. Tabled evaluation parameters range from general (elevation and vegetation) to specific characteristics such as shoreline stability and configuration, inlet proximity, and barrier-island interior geomorphology. Geoindicators also provide guidance for local mitigation of hazard impacts. A case study of Bogue Banks, North Carolina, shows that the geoindicators approach is applicable to communities with extant management plans. Bogue Banks’ five communities must reevaluate mitigation strategies after every storm and because of changes induced through development. By applying the geoindicators approach, shoreline reaches as well as interior areas may be reassigned as to the level of risk, and appropriate mitigation actions taken.
Challenges in medical applications of whole exome/genome sequencing discoveries

Despite the well-documented influence of genetics on susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases, delineation of the full spectrum of the risk alleles had to await the development of modern next-generation sequencing technologies. The techniques provide unbiased approaches for identification of the DNA sequence variants (DSVs) in the entire genome (whole genome sequencing [WGS]) or the protein-coding exons (whole exome sequencing [WES]). Each genome contains approximately 4 million DSVs and each exome approximately 13,000 single nucleotide variants. The challenge facing researchers and clinicians alike is to decipher the biological and clinical significance of these variants and harness the information for the practice of medicine. The common DSVs typically exert modest effect sizes, as evidenced by the results of genome-wide association studies, and hence have modest or negligible clinical implications. The focus is on the rare variants with large effect sizes, which are expected to have stronger clinical implications, as in single gene disorders with Mendelian patterns of inheritance. However, the clinical implications of the rare variants for common complex cardiovascular diseases remain to be established. The most important contribution of WES or WGS is in delineation of the novel molecular pathways involved in the pathogenesis of the phenotype, which would be expected to provide for preventive and therapeutic opportunities.
The effective use of feedback in health professions teaching

The purpose of this review is to define feedback and provide informed commentary on how feedback should be given to health professions learners during the educational process. The purpose of feedback is to enhance and improve student learning; this is in contrast to grading, which has the purpose of summarizing what a student has learned during a given educational experience. Feedback is highly influenced by other characteristics of the educational setting (e.g., clarity of objectives, context of learning, timing, and specificity). Both students and faculty members have a responsibility to seek and provide feedback within the context of the teaching relationship. Surprisingly few research studies exist concerning how feedback impacts learning outcomes. Surveys have shown that feedback is highly desired by students and yet often felt to be inadequately given. Simultaneously, faculty members often feel that feedback given is of good quality but has not been recognized by students. Factors that impede good feedback in the clinical teaching setting include teacher preparation, student characteristics, the learning environment and time pressures. There is evidence that student expectations concerning the type of feedback they desire change over time, i.e., as the student progresses through the curriculum. It is strongly suggested that the quality of feedback impacts student learning, perhaps more than any other aspect of the teaching process. Best practices associated with giving and receiving feedback have been identified, but faculty development in this regard may be lacking. Recommendations to students and faculty members alike may help alleviate problems with the feedback process and serve to facilitate more effective learning. Keywords: Feedback; Formative feedback; Clinical teaching; Student learning. Revista HUPE, Rio de Janeiro, 2014;13(4):67-72 doi: 10.12957/rhupe.2014.13957
Eyeblink Classical Conditioning and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – A Model Systems Approach

Not everyone exposed to trauma suffers flashbacks, bad dreams, numbing, fear, anxiety, sleeplessness, hyper-vigilance, hyperarousal, or an inability to cope, but those who do may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a major physical and mental health problem for military personnel and civilians exposed to trauma. There is still debate about the incidence and prevalence of PTSD especially among the military, but for those who are diagnosed, behavioral therapy and drug treatment strategies have proven to be less than effective. A number of these treatment strategies are based on rodent fear conditioning research and are capable of treating only some of the symptoms because the extinction of fear does not deal with the various forms of hyper-vigilance and hyperarousal experienced by people with PTSD. To help address this problem, we have developed a preclinical eyeblink classical conditioning model of PTSD in which conditioning and hyperarousal can both be extinguished. We review this model and discuss findings showing that unpaired stimulus presentations can be effective in reducing levels of conditioning and hyperarousal even when unconditioned stimulus intensity is reduced to the point where it is barely capable of eliciting a response. These procedures have direct implications for the treatment of PTSD and could be implemented in a virtual reality environment.
Effect of Microprocessor Features in Control Loops Modeled in Simulink

The intensive use of simulation tools, such as simulink has made possible the development of embedded controllers using a plant model as a base. The performance in the simulation environment does not account however for the details of the hardware architecture. In this paper, a way to approximate some of the effects of the features of a particular microprocessor is derived for the Simulink environment. Worst-case execution time of the given control algorithm is performed as the first step. The computation error is also estimated for that particular algorithm. A block in the Simulink model could then express the computation latency due to hardware processing and the error due to computation accuracy. An automatic way of estimating these effects is presented here in order to achieve a higher integrability of software tools available for the designer. In particular, controller design involves deciding what hardware platform to choose for a particular application. Analysis and experimental results of a particular microprocessor are discussed.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Steve Furber [Interviews]

Steve Furber has made major contributions to both the processor architecture and neural networks fields. He was one of the developers of the Acorn RISC Machine microprocessor, which was the basis for the ARM processors that are now so common in cell phones. He also developed the SpiNNaker system that greatly expanded the power of neural networks. For these contributions, he received the 2013 IEEE Computer Society Pioneer Award. In this interview, David Alan Grier and Furber talk about his early interests, his industry and academic careers, the SpiNNaker project, and developments in the microarchitecture and neural networks fields.
HIV treatment-related knowledge and self-efficacy among caregivers of HIV-infected children.

Abstract Objective Improvements in treatment-related knowledge and self-efficacy may improve clinical outcomes in HIV-infected populations. We examined whether caregivers’ knowledge and self-efficacy was associated with better clinical outcomes and anti-retroviral therapy (ART) adherence among HIV-infected children. Methods Caregivers of 77 perinatally HIV-infected children were administered a semi-structured interview which included scales of HIV treatment-related knowledge, adherence self-efficacy and caregiver reports of child medication adherence. Results While caregivers correctly answered 74% of the knowledge questions, specific misconceptions were noted. Caregivers rated themselves as having high adherence self-efficacy, but were least confident in their ability to adhere to ART if it caused side effects or might result in social disclosure. Higher caregiver treatment-related knowledge and self-efficacy were associated with better clinical outcomes, as measured by viral load and CD4+ count, but not with caregiver reports of ART adherence. Conclusion/discussion While additional factors may be important determinants of adherence to ART in this population, improving the HIV treatment-related knowledge and self-efficacy of caregivers may help to improve the clinical outcomes of HIV-infected children. Practice implications Care providers should address both misconceptions that might serve to undermine adherence as well as factors that limit patients’ self-efficacy in adhering to treatment, prior to the initiation of ART and throughout the course of treatment.
Emergency department interpretation of electrocardiograms

Study objective: To determine the concordance of emergency physicians' and cardiologists' interpretations of abnormal ECGs. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: An urban teaching hospital emergency department. Type of participants: Patients with an abnormal ED ECG that was interpreted by both an emergency physician and a cardiologist and who were discharged from the ED. Measurements and main results: Seven hundred sixteen ECGs were reviewed; 143 abnormal ECGs were obtained on patients discharged from the ED. The cardiologist's final interpretation was defined as correct, and discordance was any abnormality not identified by the emergency physician. The overall discordance between emergency physicians' and cardiologists' ECG interpretations was 58.0% ( P Conclusion: Although the overall discordance was more than 50%, most ED misinterpretations were determined unlikely to have clinical significance. Additional studies are needed to identify variables that contribute to ED ECG misinterpretation and to develop methods to resolve these difficulties.
Microvascular Blood Flow is Altered After Repair of Testicular Torsion in the Rat

ABSTRACTPurpose: Previous studies have shown that experimental testicular torsion with a duration of 1 hr. or longer causes irreversible damage to the rat testis, but that testicular blood flow values are normal 24 hrs. after repair of torsion. More acute evaluation of return blood flow after repair of torsion has not been performed and was the topic of this study.Materials and Methods: Laser-Doppler flowmetry was used to evaluate testicular microvascular blood flow before application of 1, 2, or 4 hr., 720 degrees torsion, during torsion, and at several time points after repair of torsion. Experiments were performed in both adult and prepubertal rats.Results: Testicular torsion essentially eliminated blood flow in both adult and prepubertal testes. Considering all the flow data within each group after torsion repair, increasing time of torsion was associated with significantly less return blood flow in both adult and prepubertal animals. Interestingly, only the four hour torsion data was associated with ...
Funding for young investigators at Whitaker.

We wish to add some additional information to the points made in the News Focus article “Spending itself out of existence, Whitaker brings a field to life” (D. Grimm, 3 Feb., p. 600). First, it should be noted that nonimaging-related biomedical engineering research was relatively underfunded, not that most of the funding was supporting clinical imaging research. For example, the 2004 numbers indicated that nonimaging research projects constituted less than 40% of the funded individual investigator-initiated grants. Second, the total research support for biomedical imaging and bioengineering provided by the NIBIB is insufficient to meet the large demands spawned by the Whitaker Foundation in this exploding field. Not only is the NIBIB the second smallest institute, but because of its establishment in 2002, it did not benefit from the doubling of the NIH budget that all other institutes previously enjoyed. Finally, the comment about “not stepping up to the plate” by Nerem referred only to the issue of funding new investigators, which was the specific focus of the young investigator award program of the Whitaker Foundation. For the United States to remain the leader in this highly competitive field, it is important that the NIBIB step in with its own young investigator program to support the bright young people entering the world of biomedical imaging and bioengineering. It is equally important that Congress contribute by providing increased funding for the NIBIB so that the citizens of the United States can reap the benefits of this new area of science and technology.
Simultaneous observations of aerosol–cloud–albedo interactions with three stacked unmanned aerial vehicles

Aerosol impacts on climate change are still poorly understood, in part, because the few observations and methods for detecting their effects are not well established. For the first time, the enhancement in cloud albedo is directly measured on a cloud-by-cloud basis and linked to increasing aerosol concentrations by using multiple autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles to simultaneously observe the cloud microphysics, vertical aerosol distribution, and associated solar radiative fluxes. In the presence of long-range transport of dust and anthropogenic pollution, the trade cumuli have higher droplet concentrations and are on average brighter. Our observations suggest a higher sensitivity of radiative forcing by trade cumuli to increases in cloud droplet concentrations than previously reported owing to a constrained droplet radius such that increases in droplet concentrations also increase cloud liquid water content. This aerosol-cloud forcing efficiency is as much as −60 W m−2 per 100% percent cloud fraction for a doubling of droplet concentrations and associated increase of liquid water content. Finally, we develop a strategy for detecting aerosol–cloud interactions based on a nondimensional scaling analysis that relates the contribution of single clouds to albedo measurements and illustrates the significance of characterizing cloud morphology in resolving radiometric measurements. This study demonstrates that aerosol–cloud–albedo interactions can be directly observed by simultaneous observations below, in, and above the clouds.
Ultra-thin optical interference coatings on rough and flexible substrates

Recently demonstrated ultra-thin optical coatings comprising nanometer-thick highly absorbing films on top of reflecting substrates can display strong optical interference effects, resulting in structural colors and absorption enhancement. Here, we demonstrate that these optical interference effects persist when the films are deposited on substrates that have a large degree of roughness and inhomogeneity on micro- and nano-scales. In particular, we deposited films of gold and amorphous germanium onto paper which serves as a rough and flexible substrate and observe matte interference colors that vary as a function of the germanium thickness.
Parental ages and levels of DNA methylation in the newborn are correlated

Changes in DNA methylation patterns with age frequently have been observed and implicated in the normal aging process and its associated increasing risk of disease, particularly cancer. Additionally, the offspring of older parents are at significantly increased risk of cancer, diabetes, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Only a proportion of these increased risks among the children of older parents can be attributed to nondisjunction and chromosomal rearrangements. Using a genome-wide survey of 27,578 CpG dinucleotides in a cohort of 168 newborns, we examined the relationship between DNA methylation in newborns and a variety of parental and newborn traits. We found that methylation levels of 144 CpGs belonging to 142 genes were significantly correlated with maternal age. A weaker correlation was observed with paternal age. Among these genes, processes related to cancer were over-represented, as were functions related to neurological regulation, glucose/carbohydrate metabolism, nucleocytoplasmic transport, and transcriptional regulation. CpGs exhibiting gender differences in methylation were overwhelmingly located on the X chromosome, although a small subset of autosomal CpGs were found in genes previously shown to exhibit gender-specific differences in methylation levels. These results indicate that there are differences in CpG methylation levels at birth that are related to parental age and that could influence disease risk in childhood and throughout life.
Extending the channelized Hotelling observer to account for signal uncertainty and estimation tasks

In medicine, images are taken so that specific tasks can be performed. Thus, any measure of image quality must account for the task the images are to be used for and the observer performing the task. Performing task-based optimizations using human observers is generally difficult, time consuming, expensive and, in the case of hardware optimizations, not necessarily ideal. Model observers have been successfully used in place of human observers. The channelized Hotelling observer is one such model observer. Depending on the choice of channels, the channelized Hotelling observer can be used to either predict human-observer performance or as an ideal observer. This paper will focus on the use of the channelized Hotelling observer as an approximation of the ideal linear observer. Laguerre Gauss channels have proven useful for ideal-observer computations, but these channels are somewhat limited because they require the signal to be known exactly both in terms of location and shape. In fact, the Laguerre Gauss channels require the signal to be radially symmetric. We have devised a new method of determining "efficient" channels that does not require the signal to be symmetric and can even account for signal variability. This method can even be used for linear estimation tasks. We have compared the performances of the channelized Hotelling observer using both this new set of channels and the Laguerre Gauss channels for a signal-known-exactly detection task, and found that they correlate.
MECHANICAL INDEXING OF PROPER NOUNS

A proper noun entry is an index entry for the name of a particular person, place, or thing. While this type of entry is comparatively easy for humans to recognize, it is difficult to define for the purposes of computer processing. The kind and number of proper nouns which appear in a text vary to some extent with the subject matter. The ratio of proper nouns to all other text words may be higher in such subject areas as history and literature than it is, for example, in the sciences. However, in many instances proper nouns constitute a high proportion of index entries in the sciences.
Spectacles: Past, present, and future

The history of spectacles is reviewed with particular attention to recent developments in lens materials. The author advocates the use of polycarbonate, a high resin plastic, because of its strength, high refractive index, light weight, and resistance to fogging.
Loss of phase-locking in non-weakly coupled inhibitory networks of type-I model neurons

Synchronization of excitable cells coupled by reciprocal inhibition is a topic of significant interest due to the important role that inhibitory synaptic interaction plays in the generation and regulation of coherent rhythmic activity in a variety of neural systems. While recent work revealed the synchronizing influence of inhibitory coupling on the dynamics of many networks, it is known that strong coupling can destabilize phase-locked firing. Here we examine the loss of synchrony caused by an increase in inhibitory coupling in networks of type-I Morris–Lecar model oscillators, which is characterized by a period-doubling cascade and leads to mode-locked states with alternation in the firing order of the two cells, as reported recently by Maran and Canavier (J Comput Nerosci, 2008) for a network of Wang-Buzsaki model neurons. Although alternating-order firing has been previously reported as a near-synchronous state, we show that the stable phase difference between the spikes of the two Morris–Lecar cells can constitute as much as 70% of the unperturbed oscillation period. Further, we examine the generality of this phenomenon for a class of type-I oscillators that are close to their excitation thresholds, and provide an intuitive geometric description of such “leap-frog” dynamics. In the Morris–Lecar model network, the alternation in the firing order arises under the condition of fast closing of K + channels at hyperpolarized potentials, which leads to slow dynamics of membrane potential upon synaptic inhibition, allowing the presynaptic cell to advance past the postsynaptic cell in each cycle of the oscillation. Further, we show that non-zero synaptic decay time is crucial for the existence of leap-frog firing in networks of phase oscillators. However, we demonstrate that leap-frog spiking can also be obtained in pulse-coupled inhibitory networks of one-dimensional oscillators with a multi-branched phase domain, for instance in a network of quadratic integrate-and-fire model cells. Finally, for the case of a homogeneous network, we establish quantitative conditions on the phase resetting properties of each cell necessary for stable alternating-order spiking, complementing the analysis of Goel and Ermentrout (Physica D 163:191–216, 2002) of the order-preserving phase transition map.
Fabrication of InGaAs quantum dots by metal organic chemical vapor deposition and selective area epitaxy

We have demonstrated the fabrication of uniform arrays of quantum dots by metal organic chemical vapor deposition using electron beam lithography and selective area epitaxy techniques. Photoluminescence data showing emission at 1250 nm is presented.
Phase Relationships in the System CaO—AI2O3—P2O5

Primary fields of crystallization in the system CaO-Al2O3-P2O5 at temperatures from 900° to 1600°C. were determined by the method of quenching. Three ternary eutectics were established: CaO·P2O5-Al2O3·3P2O5-Al2O3·P2O5, 2CaO·P2O6-CaO·P2O5-Al2O3·P2O5, and 3CaO·P2O6-2CaO·P2O5-Al2O3·P2O5. The rate of decomposition of Al2O3·3P2O5 was determined at several temperatures. The boundary was established between the field A12O3·P2O5, which covers about 35% of the ternary diagram, and the fields Al2O3·3P2O5, 2CaO·P2O5, and CaO·P2O5. A portion of the Al2O3·P2O5-3CaO·P2O5 boundary also was established. A compound with the composition 2Al2O3·3P2O5 did not appear in the system. No calcium aluminum phosphates were found.
Investigating the Impact of Feedback Instruction: Partnering Preservice Teachers with Middle School Students to Provide Digital, Scaffolded Feedback.

This article investigates the impact of scaffolded feedback instruction provided through an undergraduate methods course. Because of a desire for preservice teachers to have online teaching experience and due to low performance scores in assessment on the edTPA, a project was created which partnered preservice teachers with middle-grades students. Preservice teachers provided digital feedback, as students worked on a research project, while receiving scaffolded instruction about feedback in their methods course. Our study utilizes a mixed-methods intrinsic case study design. Participants included 82 rural middle school students and 16 preservice teachers from a large public university in the Midwest. As a result of participating in the methods course, preservice teachers' abilities, confidence, and beliefs about giving feedback improved. Middle-grades students reported feeling positive about receiving feedback and felt it was helpful. Implications for instructors, preservice teacher training, middle-grades student learning, and issues related to studying teacher education are discussed.
Generation of Tumor-specific T Lymphocytes by Cross-Priming with Human Dendritic Cells Ingesting Apoptotic Tumor Cells

It has been suggested that dendritic cells (DCs) are capable of ingesting apoptotic tumor cells (ATCs) and presenting tumor-associated antigens to immune cells. We evaluated the potential of human DCs, which have ingested ATCs, to serve as a source of antigenic epitopes for presentation to T cells specific for PCI-13, a squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck cell line. Immature DCs (DCimm) generated in the presence of interleukin 4 and granulocyte machrophage colony-stimulating factor from peripheral blood monocytes of HLA-A2+ healthy donors were incubated in the presence of ATCs. Uptake of ATCs by DCs was monitored by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy after 2-18 h of coincubation. When DCs were matured (DCmat) in the presence of proinflammatory cytokines, their capacity to uptake ATCs was reduced. Responses of PCI-13-specific CD8+ T cells to unmodified PCI-13 cells and to DCimm or DCmat +/- ATCs or +/- tumor lysates were tested in gamma-IFN enzyme-linked immunospot and cytotoxicity assays. Unmodified tumor cells were found to be the best stimulators of antitumor activity of the established T-cell line, and ATCs alone were minimally stimulatory. However, DCs that ingested ATCs were able to present tumor antigens to CTLs, and DCimm and DCmat were almost equally stimulatory. When DCs plus various tumor-derived preparations were used as antigen-presenting cells with autologous HLA-A2+ T cells obtained from normal donors, DCs that had ingested ATCs were more effective in generating CD8+ CTLs than tumor cells alone or DCs pulsed with tumor lysates. The results indicate that human DCs fed with ATCs and then matured effectively generated T cell-mediated antitumor responses in vitro.
Limiting the unintended consequences of high-stakes testing

Interviews with 61 teachers and administrators in 4 Minnesota school districts suggest that, in their judgment, Minnesota’s state-mandated tests were well-aligned with curricular priorities and teachers’ instructional goals, emphasizing critical thinking as well as competencies needed to pass the Basic Standards exit exam, and avoiding the type of recall item that would require drill and memorization. This result, in combination with a survey showing that 85 percent of Minnesota teachers support the exit exam, suggests that Minnesota has been unusually successful in designing a high stakes testing system that has garnered teacher support. The success of Minnesota’s model suggests that unintended narrowing of the curriculum due to high stakes testing may be avoided if pressure on teachers to narrow the curriculum is reduced through well-designed, well-aligned exams.
My Bushido's code to a healthy surgical lifestyle.

If doctors make bad patients, then surgical residents are the worst. In an informal poll of approximately 35 residents in my surgical residency, only 3 reported having seen a primary care physician for a routine health check-up in the last 5 years. As a surgical resident, I shared the same sentiment of most of my peers for the majority of my residency. Why fix it if it isn’t broken? Most surgical residents do not see a doctor unless there is a specific health problem because most have the impression that they are healthy. Yet the lifestyle of a surgical resident is extremely unhealthy. Our sleeping patterns can be erratic. Our diet usually varies from mass-produced hospital food to Chinese take-out to fast food. After operating for 12 hours, who really wants to climb onto a treadmill or lift weights? How can a surgical resident have a healthy lifestyle characterized by a balanced diet and routine exercise if there is barely enough time to sleep or use the bathroom? The lack of time usually becomes our primary excuse for not following a healthy lifestyle. However, with the recent advent of the 80-hour work week rule, most residents actually now do have the time to sleep regularly, exercise, eat a well-balanced diet, and even visit a doctor. So, how do I maintain my health? I try to follow these three simple rules:
Pancreatitis in pregnancy

Abstract Pancreatitis in pregnancy is not a rare disease and must be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient with hyperemesis gravidarum as well as those pregnant patients with signs of an acute surgical abdominal crisis. The serum amylase and diastase tests are rapid and reliable and provide an excellent diagnostic and prognostic test for the clinician. It must be remembered that the amylase in serum is excreted rapidly and so a urinary diastase test must always be ordered concurrently. It cannot be overemphasized that the patient with pancreatitis (including severe cases) may present initially without pain or tenderness. If the diagnosis is made early, medical management is almost always successful and the prognosis for mother and fetus is good. The excellent results obtained in this series are a result of early diagnosis and rapid treatment.
A helical cone beam algorithm for large cone angles with minimal overscan

Three-dimensional image reconstruction from axially truncated helical cone beam projections has been under active investigation. It is known that exact helical cone beam reconstruction can be achieved using only the data in the Tam window. Based on a property of filtering truncated cone beam projections discovered by Kudo et al. (2000), we proposed a simple helical cone beam algorithm for the long object problem by invoking virtual infinite detectors at both ends of the helix. However, Tam (2002) has suggested that the derivation using virtual infinite detectors were imprecise as well as the calculated overscan and complexity analysis. In this paper, we provide a new derivation to validate the simple algorithm based on a novel definition of a short object within the long object. We show that the proposed algorithm is essentially a simplified version of Defrise's ZB method (2000). The minimal overscan we derive for the simple algorithm is the same as that of ZB method. Although simulation results indicate that a smaller overscan is required for the proposed algorithm relative to the ZB method, we lack an analytical verification. A modified 3D Shepp-Logan phantom and a disc phantom are used to validate the algorithm.
Connection establishment in high-speed networks

The evolving view of connection establishment for connection-oriented services in high-speed networks such as ATM involves a contract negotiation process between a user agent and a network agent. The first stage consists of separate roles for the user and the network. The user agent must characterize the information streams that will be transmitted and the performance parameters that define the desired quality of service for that user. Similarly, the network agent must determine the network's resources and its capabilities to accommodate various mixes of service types. The second stage involves negotiations between multiple network and user agents, in which the parties agree to set up connections to transmit the agreed information streams in a manner to guarantee the agreed qualities of service, and at agreed prices. We focus on these two stages that together form the connection establishment process. After this process, during the connection, the network must police the user to determine compliance with the information stream characteristics, and must implement flow control, service priority mechanisms and packet multiplexing disciplines as necessary to guarantee the quality of service. >
Advances in mucosal immunity.

The mucosal immune system is the major interface between the host and the microbial environment and, given that role, it is not surprising that it contains the majority of the cells of the host immune system. The mucosal immune system is organised into inductive and effector sites. The former consist of Peyer's patches in the intestine, analogous structures in other mucosae, and isolated lymphoid follicles. These structures are covered by a specialised epithelium containing uniquely phagocytic epithelial cells, known as microfold (M) cells. These cells actively take up soluble and particulate antigens and present them to the lymphoid follicles. Exploitation of this portal into the mucosal immune system is the basis of multiple new strategies for oral immunisation.