cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Liver Injury and the Activation of the Hepatic Myofibroblasts

Liver fibrosis is a wound healing process, the end result of chronic liver injury elicited by different noxious stimuli. Activated hepatic stellate cells or myofibroblasts and portal myofibroblasts are considered the main producers of the extracellular matrix in the liver. On liver injury, the quiescent stellate cells transdifferentiate into myofibroblasts, a process highlighted by the loss of vitamin A stores, upregulation of interstitial type collagens, α-smooth muscle actin, matrix metalloproteinases, and proteoglycans, and the induction of cell survival pathways. Activation of hepatic stellate cells is a result of a complex interplay between the parenchymal cells, immune cells, extracellular matrix mechanics, and the extrahepatic milieu such as the gut microbiome. In this review we focus on the pathomechanism of stellate cell activation following chronic liver injury with the aim of identifying possible treatment targets for antifibrogenic agents.
It tastes as good as it looks! The effect of food presentation on liking for the flavor of food.

Diners in a restaurant were served the same meal (composed of a sauteed chicken breast with a fines herbes sauce, brown rice pilaf, and sauteed green beans with toasted almonds served on a round white china plate). The same food was presented in two different arrangements on two different nights. Although the two presentations were judged as equally “neat”, one was judged as more attractive. Subjects reported liking the food on the plate (when all items were judged together) more when it was presented in the more attractive than the less attractive manner. When food items were judged separately, subjects reported liking the chicken and the sauce significantly more when presented in the more attractive manner. Subjects also reported more positive responses to the brown rice pilaf when presented in the more attractive plating style. How attractively food is plated can affect liking for the flavor of the food and could be used to increase acceptance of “healthy” foods.
A note on negations and nilpotent t-norms

In this paper, we explore general relationships among negations, convex Archimedean nilpotent t-norms, and automorphisms of the unit interval I. Each nilpotent t-norm has a (strong) negation naturally associated with it, namely, η△(x)=⋁{y∈[0,1]:x△y=0}. The same negation is determined by the formula η△(x)=f−1(f(0)/f(x)) where f is a (multiplicative) generating function for the t-norm △. A system (I,△,▿,∗) is called de Morgan if x▿y=(x∗△y∗)∗; Stone if x△y=0 if and only if y⩽x∗, and x∗▿x∗∗=1; and Boolean if it is both de Morgan and Stone. A system is shown to be Boolean if and only if ∗=η△ and x▿y=η△(η△x)△η△(y)). We also look at de Morgan, weak Boolean and Stone systems on the lattice I[2]={(x,y)∈I×I:x⩽y} and compare properties of related systems on I and on I[2].
On the Jacobian Conjecture: Reduction of Coefficients

Abstract We prove that a polynomial map from R n to itself with non-zero constant Jacobian determinant is a stably tame automorphism if its linear part is the identity and all the coefficients of its higher order terms are non-positive. We also prove that the Jacobian conjecture holds for any number of variables and any field of characteristic zero, if one can show that every polynomial map of R n to itself is injective when it has a non-zero constant Jacobian determinant and has linear part the identity, and all the coefficients of higher order terms are non-negative. The proofs use special properties of matrices with non-positive off-diagonal elements and non-negative principal minors, and of matrices with vanishing principal minors. Furthermore we reduce the Jacobian conjecture to a polynomial matrix problem. Moreover, if the matrix has a positive answer, then every real polynomial automorphism is stably tame.
Laser-Machined Components for Microanalytical and Chemical Separation Devices

Excimer lasers have proven to be powerful tools for machining polymeric components used in microanalytical and microchemical separation devices. We report the use of laser machining methods to produce microfluidic channels and liquid/liquid contact membranes for a number of devices fabricated at our laboratory. Microchannels 50- to 100- micrometers -wide have been produced directly in bulk polycarbonate chips using a direct-write laser micromachining system. Wider microchannels have been produced by laser machining paths through sheets of polyimide film, then sandwiching the patterned piece between solid chips of polycarbonate stock. A comparison of direct-write and mask machining processes used to produce some of the microfluidic features is made. Examples of microanalytical devices produced using these methods are presented. Included are microdialysis units used to remove electrolytes from liquid samples and electrophoretic separation devices, both used for extremely low volume samples intended for mass spectrometric analysis. A multilayered microfluidic device designed to analyze low volume groundwater samples for hazardous metals and a fluidics motherboard are also described. Laser machining processes have also been explored for producing polymeric membranes suitable for use in liquid/liquid contactors used for removal of soluble hazardous components from waste streams. A step-and-repeat mask machining process was used to produce 0.5 X 8 cm membranes in 25- and 50-micrometers -thick polyimide. Pore diameters produced using this method were five and ten micrometers. The laser machined membranes were sputter coated with PTFE prior to use to improve fluid breakthrough characteristics.
Nursing Home Work Environment and the Risk of Pressure Ulcers and Incontinence

OBJECTIVE—To examine the association between nursing home (NH) work environment attributes such as teams, consistent assignment and staff cohesion and the risk of pressure ulcers and incontinence. DATA SOURCES/SETTING—Minimum Data Set for 46,044 residents in 162 facilities in New York State, for June 2006-July 2007, and survey responses from 7,418 workers in the same facilities. STUDY DESIGN—For each individual and facility primary and secondary data were linked. Random effects logistic models were used to develop/validate outcome measures. GEE models with robust standard errors and probability weights were employed to examine the association between outcomes and work environment attributes. Key independent variables were: staff cohesion, percent staff in daily-care teams, and percent staff with consistent assignment. Other facility factors were also included. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS—Residents in facilities with worse staff cohesion had significantly greater odds of pressure ulcers and incontinence, compared to residents in facilities with better cohesion scores. Residents in facilities with greater penetration of self-managed teams had lower risk of pressure ulcers, but not of incontinence. Prevalence of consistent assignment was not significantly associated with the outcome measures.
EFFECT OF EARLY HYPOPHYSECTOMY ON HYPOTHALAMIC OBESITY1

THE HYPOTHALAMIC LESIONS which produce obesity in the rat have already been described in considerable detail by Hetherington and Ranson (I, 2). At the same time, although the question of finer cytological changes in the hypophysis was left open, the lack in most of the animals of any gross histological damage to the gland was noted. This observation did not eliminate the possibility that the hypoph-ysis might play some mediating rOle between the hypothalamus and fat metabolism, and it was considered possible that the presence of the hypophysis, or at least of a portion of the anterior lobe might even be essential for the appearance of adiposity after the placing of hypothalamic lesions. To be sure, in a few of the earlier workers1 experiments some evidence was to be found that this hypothetical limitation might not be the case.
Atypia in nonneoplastic prostate glands after radiotherapy for prostate cancer: duration of atypia and relation to type of radiotherapy.

It is unknown how long postradiation atypia of benign prostate glands persists and whether the type of radiation is a factor. Forty-four cases consisting of 37 needle biopsies and 7 transurethral resections of the prostate seen in consultation (January 1997 to September 2000) were studied. In two men (5%), the cases were initially sent without a history of radiotherapy. Thirteen patients had minimal cancer (one core) with the remaining showing no residual tumor. Twenty patients were treated with interstitial radiotherapy (brachytherapy) (IRT), 17 with external beam radiation (XRT), and 7 with a combination of both (CT). The time interval between the treatment and tissue sampling ranged from 8 to 72 months (mean 3 months). Slides were reviewed blindly to the type of radiation and the time interval. Radiation-induced atypia in nonneoplastic glands, stromal fibrosis, and vascular changes was scored separately 0-3, with 0 showing no radiation injury and grade 3 showing prominent nuclear atypia, stromal fibrosis, and vascular hyalinization. We derived a combined score for the epithelial atypia from 0 to 300 (% of glands x grade) for each biopsy. For each case, an overall grade from 0 to 3 was given separately for the stromal and vascular changes. Cases were divided into three groups based on time between treatment and biopsy: 48 months (n = 11). Because the scores for epithelial atypia with IRT and CT were the same, we combined them into one group. There was more atypia in cases treated with IRT/CT (mean score 190) than XRT (mean score 105) (p 48 months after treatment (mean score 57) compared with those with a shorter interval between biopsy and treatment (mean score 132) (p = 0.02). Radiation atypia in benign prostate glands may persist for a long time after the initial treatment, resulting in a significant pitfall in evaluating prostate biopsies. Prominent radiation effect (100% of the glands showing grade 2 and 3 atypia) was detected up to 72 months in one of the patients treated with IRT. In some cases, the clinician may not be aware of a prior remote history of radiation or does not relay this history to the pathologist. The pathologist must recognize radiation atypia without relying on the clinician to provide this history. The type of radiation therapy (IRT/CT vs XRT) is a major factor in the degree and duration of postradiation epithelial atypia.
Divergent Temporal Expression of Hyaluronan Metabolizing Enzymes and Receptors with Craniotomy vs. Controlled-Cortical Impact Injury in Rat Brain: A Pilot Study.

Traumatic brain injury triggers many secondary changes in tissue biology which ultimately determine the extent of injury and clinical outcome. Hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid, HA) is a protective cementing gel present in the intercellular spaces whose degradation has been reported as a causative factor in tissue damage. Yet little is known about the expression and activities of genes involved in HA catabolism after TBI. Young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to three groups: naive control, craniotomy and, controlled-cortical impact-induced TBI (CCI-TBI). Four animals per group were sacrificed at 4h, 1d, 3d and 7d post CCI. The mRNA expression of hyaluronan synthases (HAS1-3), hyaluronidases (enzymes for HA degradation, HYAL 1-4 & PH20) and CD44 and RHAMM (membrane receptors for HA signaling and removal) were determined using real-time PCR. Compared to the naive controls, expression of HAS1 and HAS2 mRNA, but not HAS3 mRNA increased significantly following craniotomy alone and following CCI with differential kinetics. Expression of HAS2 mRNA increased significantly in the ipsilateral brain at 1d and 3d post CCI. HYAL1 mRNA expression also increased significantly in the craniotomy group and in the contralateral CCI at 1d and 3d post CCI. CD44 mRNA expression increased significantly in the ipsilateral CCI at 4h, 1d, 3d and 7d post CCI (up to 25 fold increase). These data suggest a dynamic regulation and role for HA metabolism in secondary responses to traumatic brain injury.
Zernike phase contrast microscope for EUV mask inspection

In this paper, we address a new inspection method which provides in-focus inspection capability and higher defect sensitivity compared with conventional mask inspection methods. In the Zernike phase contrast microscope, an added phase shift to background wave combines with the phase of bump and pit defects to achieve higher contrast at focus. If we use a centralized apodization to half the lens radius to further reduce the intensity of the phase-shifted background wave, the signal strength can be improved up to 6-fold of its original value. Simulation results further show that this apodization for a typical EUV mask power spectral density results in the noise decreasing in absolute level similar to the clear field reference signal. Thus large improvements in signal to noise ratios are possible with the Zernike phase contrast microscope type systems for EUV mask inspection applications.
Optimal allocation in multivariate, two-stage sampling designs

Abstract Procedures for determining optimal two-stage sampling designs are well documented when a single variable is measured. Many surveys, however, measure several variables simultaneously, in which case the overall optimal sampling plan is traditionally chosen from among the optima for each variable considered individually. We use a graphical approach to illustrate that the traditional method is not always appropriate and that intersections of variance constraints should be considered as candidates for the overall optimum.
Studies of condensation effects on airfoil testing in a transonic cryogenic tunnel

In the context of an overall development of transonic, cryogenic wind tunnel technology, NASA has been investigating the onset of condensation effects in nitrogen gas. The temperature at which condensation occurs determines the minimum operating temperature (MOT) of cryogenic tunnels. The apparatus and airfoils are discussed, taking into account a description of the 0.3-m Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel (TCT), the drag rake, the airfoils, and the technique used for determining the onset of condensation effects. Attention is also given to the types of nucleation processes, the relative sensitivity of drag rake and surface pressure measurements, correlations between data and theory, the prediction of minimum operating temperatures for the 0.3-m TCT, and MOT's for different tunnels.
Measuring Masculine Body Ideal Distress: Development of a Measure

This paper describes the construction of the Masculine Body Ideal Distress Scale (MBIDS) and an initial study examining its psychometric properties. For the study, 154 mostly Caucasian and heterosexual college males completed the MBIDS along with a measure of body dissatisfaction and a measure of conformity to masculinity norms. Results indicated that the Masculine Body Ideal Distress Scale consisted of one factor, had very high internal consistency, and related to both higher levels of body dissatisfaction and conformity to masculine norms. The discussion focuses on future research using the MBIDS and limitations to the study.
On the MAC Layer Performance of Time-Hopped UWB Ad Hoc Networks

Ultra wide band (UWB) is a promising technology for short-range wireless networks. In this paper we present our efforts on investigating the impact of the multipath delay spread on the MAC layer performance of time-hopped impulse-based UWB ad hoc networks. We discuss a simplified channel model for the multipath delay spread and we simulate a single-band MAC protocol which employs binary pulse position modulation. Our simulation results demonstrate that the performance is determined by the properties of the time hopping sequences of the nodes. We observe that the right parameter values depend on the number of nodes deployed, and the delay spread experienced. If the topology changes dynamically, adaptive strategies for varying system parameters are required for achieving the best performance.
Economists, Regulation, and Public Policy

A number of laws establish regulations that apply to the food and agricultural industry. These regulations reflect public policy regarding the physical, social, and economic environment within which the industry operates. As Jim Shaffer has stated: "Economic regulation results from the attempt of citizens to articulate preferences about the physical and social environment they share. There are many problems in the articulation of preferences by both market and political processes. Economics supposedly deals with the mechanism for expressing preferences as guides to production of goods and services . . . There are no simple solutions to the problems associated with the enactment, design, implementation and evaluation of economic regulation. But it is possible to provide understanding which can lead to improvements in the regulatory system and performance of the political economy" (p. 5). This paper explores the role the economist should play in the process of establishing public policy that regulates the food and agricultural industry.
Silver Slippers and a Golden Cap: L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Historical Memory in American Politics

L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was an instant success when it was published in 1900. Baum's quirky and imaginative tale of the girl from Kansas and her friends was complemented by W. W. Denslow's accomplished illustrations to produce the best-selling children's story of the 1900 Christmas season. After years of failed endeavors, the book brought Frank Baum personal prosperity. It also launched a long-lived and highly successful series of children's books based on the Oz theme. There were theatrical and cinematic productions as well, the most famous of which was MGM's 1939 film The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland. Indeed, the film eventually came to displace the original Oz tale as the work to which imitators referred. But the books, and especially the first book, continue to have a popular presence among lovers of Oz.
Revisiting the concept of person interactivity through social psychology and social telepresence theory

This paper continues investigations into the meaning of person interactivity in online shopping. A survey was conducted to validate an initial scale of person interactivity obtained from two focus group studies and to ensure that the scale was separate and distinct from that used to measure social telepresence. The results show that person interactivity and social telepresence were two distinctive constructs. It also indicates that person interactivity involves not only a two-way interaction between buyer and seller, but also an interaction between buyer and buyer via online communication.
Pseudomemories: the standard of science and the standard of care in trauma treatment

The pseudomemory (PM) debate has focused on individuals who do not remember sexual abuse and later recover these memories, often in therapy. This paper critically reviews experimental research on stress and memory and on suggestibility and memory in terms of its applicability to PM production in therapy. Three different kinds of suggestibility are identified--hypnotizability, postevent misinformation suggestibility, and interrogatory suggestibility. It is hypothesized that interrogatory suggestibility alone or the interaction of all three pose significant risk for PM production. It is argued that a better standard of science is needed before claims can be made about PM production in therapy, since no experimental studies have been conducted on memory performance or suggestibility effects in therapy. However, the findings derived from memory research on other populations, nevertheless, are useful to inform the standard of care in treating recovered memory patients.
Ultrastructure of dormant and germinating conidia of Aspergillus nidulans

The cell wall of dry, dormant conidia of Aspergillus nidulans is three-layered. The wall of hydrated conidia is five-layered and the germ tube wall is continuous with the innermost layer. The outer...
Science, Measurement, and Technology Requirements for Infrared Climate Benchmark Missions

Quantifying climate change in the presence of natural variability requires highly accurate global measurements covering more than a decade. Instrument design considerations for trending terrestrial emitted radiance are described.
Chronic pain: reducing costs through early implementation of adherence testing and recognition of opioid misuse.

AbstractObjective: To review the literature on costs associated with chronic pain therapy and to identify key contributing factors. Also, to assess the potential cost-saving benefits of monitoring pain treatment adherence using urine drug tests (UDTs), emphasizing their use in opioid therapy. Results: Reduced productivity, compensation costs, and treatment of comorbid conditions related to chronic pain contribute to the substantial financial burden of chronic pain management in the United States. The growing use of opioids for chronic pain increases the risk for drug nonadherence and associated drug abuse, potential addiction, and aberrant drug-related behaviors (ADRBs). Treatment of drug abuse increases health care costs; opioid abusers are 25 times more likely to require hospitalization than nonopioid abusers. Early detection of patient nonadherence using UDTs could significantly reduce costs of chronic pain therapy by allowing the physician to identify and treat patients' ADRBs related to controlled su...
Progress or return? Interpreting Leopold’s ‘land ethic’ as an evolutionary-ecological critique of modernity

This reflection upon the challenge of interpreting Aldo Leopold’s evolutionary-ecological outlook begins with a study of three distinct interpretations of his A Sand County Almanac. One interprets him as a human-centred, Darwinian human ecologist (Larry Arnhart); another portrays him as an ecocentric Darwinian, dialectical educator (J. Baird Callicott); and the last argues that he is primarily a non-Darwinian civic educator who advocates a return to America’s deeper values (Bob Pepperman Taylor). I seek to bring out the best of all of these views by offering yet another version of Leopold, which holds that his ‘land ethic’ is a social critique of modernity inspired by his evolutionary-ecological outlook. In other words, while he is an outspoken critic of modernity, he remains wedded to certain features of it, namely the scientific frame of mind
Aggression, Victimization and Problem Behavior Among Inner-City Minority Adolescents

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among problem behaviors during early adolescence. Specifically this investigation examined the association between drug use and aggression among a sample of inner-city adolescents. Eighth graders (N = 517; 49% boys) attending three New York City schools completed an anonymous questionnaire. Self-reported aggressive and unsafe behavior were associated with initiation of drug use (smoking, drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana). Sex differences were also found for aggressive behavior, victimization, and unsafe behavior. The data have implications for prevention because reducing drug use might also decrease aggressive and unsafe behavior. Social competence skills training, which has been found effective in drug use prevention programs, can be expanded to cover aggressive behavior and engagement in unsafe behavior.
SYNERGETIC CONTROL FOR POWER ELECTRONICS APPLICATIONS: A COMPARISON WITH THE SLIDING MODE APPROACH

The theory of synergetic control was introduced in a power electronics context in a previous paper. In this paper we review the theory, then we focus on a comparison with the sliding mode approach. Common elements and main differences are underlined and illustrated through a comparative simulation example. The main advantages of synergetic control are that it is well-suited for digital implementation, it gives constant switching frequency operation, and it gives better control of the off-manifold dynamics. Finally, simulation and experimental results under transient conditions are compared. Advanced control laws with adaptation are presented and discussed to show how to better exploit the features of the synergetic control. The example used throughout the paper is the control of a boost converter operating in continuous conduction mode.
Subsonic flow boundary conditions for the direct simulation Monte Carlo method

The performance of different types of boundary conditions used in direct simulation Monte Carlo models of subsonic flows for single species flow fields is assessed in this study. An inlet boundary condition that permits the specification of pressure and temperature is investigated, as well as one that permits the specification of mass flow rate and temperature. A new inlet boundary condition is suggested that permits the total mass flow rate to be specified without requiring inter-processor communication during a parallel computation. Two types of outlet boundary conditions are investigated, one in which the outlet pressure is maintained by controlling the porosity of the outlet surface, and another in which particles are introduced at the outlet with properties such that the desired pressure is maintained. Each of the boundary conditions investigated produce flow field results for a single species, microchannel flow that are in good agreement with an analytical solution of the flow field and previously reported results. However, a simulation of a more complicated multi-species flow inside a vapor deposition reactor shows that some of the predicted flow field and surface properties are a function of the type of outlet boundary condition used.
Sequence-dependent antitumor effects of differentiation agents in combination with cell cycle-dependent cytotoxic drugs

Purpose Combination of two differentiation agents such as phenylbutyrate (PB) and 13-cis-retinoic acid (CRA) has been shown to have an additive inhibitory effect on tumor growth in preclinical studies. In this report we explored the hypotheses that these “cytostatic” agents may have a greater antitumor activity in combination with “cytotoxic” compounds and their biological effect may be sequence-dependent.
In Vitro Reconstitution and Characterization of the Rhodobacter capsulatus NtrB and NtrC Two-component System (∗)

Enhancer-dependent transcription in enteric bacteria depends upon an activator protein that binds DNA far upstream from the promoter and an alternative σ factor (σ54) that binds with the core RNA polymerase at the promoter. In the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus, the NtrB and NtrC proteins (RcNtrB and RcNtrC) are putative members of a two-component system that is novel because the enhancer-binding RcNtrC protein activates transcription of σ54-independent promoters. To reconstitute this putative two-component system in vitro, the RcNtrB protein was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified as a maltose-binding protein fusion (MBP-RcNtrB). MBP-RcNtrB autophosphorylates in vitro to the same steady state level and with the same stability as the Salmonella typhimurium NtrB (StNtrB) protein but at a lower initial rate. MBP-RcNtrB~P phosphorylates the S.typhimurium NtrC (StNtrC) and RcNtrC proteins in vitro. The enteric NtrC protein is also phosphorylated in vivo by RcNtrB because plasmids that encode either RcNtrB or MBP-RcNtrB activate transcription of an NtrC-dependent nifL-lacZ fusion. The rate of phosphotransfer to RcNtrC and autophosphatase activity of phosphorylated RcNtrC (RcNtrC~P) are comparable to the StNtrC protein. However, the RcNtrC protein appears to be a specific RcNtrB~P phosphatase since RcNtrC is not phosphorylated by small molecular weight phosphate compounds or by the StNtrB protein. RcNtrC forms a dimer in solution, and RcNtrC~P binds the upstream tandem binding sites of the glnB promoter 4-fold better than the unphosphorylated RcNtrC protein, presumably due to oligomerization of RcNtrC~P. Therefore, the R. capsulatus NtrB and NtrC proteins form a two-component system similar to other NtrC-like systems, where specific RcNtrB phosphotransfer to the RcNtrC protein results in increased oligomerization at the enhancer but with subsequent activation of a σ54-independent promoter.
Penalized Generalized Estimating Equations for High-Dimensional Longitudinal Data Analysis

We consider the penalized generalized estimating equations (GEEs) for analyzing longitudinal data with high-dimensional covariates, which often arise in microarray experiments and large-scale health studies. Existing high-dimensional regression procedures often assume independent data and rely on the likelihood function. Construction of a feasible joint likelihood function for high-dimensional longitudinal data is challenging, particularly for correlated discrete outcome data. The penalized GEE procedure only requires specifying the first two marginal moments and a working correlation structure. We establish the asymptotic theory in a high-dimensional framework where the number of covariates p(n) increases as the number of clusters n increases, and p(n) can reach the same order as n. One important feature of the new procedure is that the consistency of model selection holds even if the working correlation structure is misspecified. We evaluate the performance of the proposed method using Monte Carlo simulations and demonstrate its application using a yeast cell-cycle gene expression data set.
Identifying genetic components of drug response in mice

Individual variations in drug response are crucial factors in both the development and deployment of therapy, yet we are still woefully ignorant of the majority of this genetic basis. Here we discuss the convergence of genetics and genomics to dissect such pharmacological variation, with emphasis on satisfying the requirements of both genetics and pharmacology itself, the appropriate use of model organisms and the often overlooked power of genetic dissection to inform understanding of physiological process.
What if we decided to take care of everyone who needed treatment? Workforce planning in Mozambique using simulation of demand for HIV/AIDS care

The growing AIDS epidemic in southern Africa is placing an increased strain on health systems, which are experiencing steadily rising patient loads. Health care systems are tackling the barriers to serving large populations in scaled-up operations. One of the most significant challenges in this effort is securing the health care workforce to deliver care in settings where the manpower is already in short supply. We have produced a demand-driven staffing model using simple spreadsheet technology, based on treatment protocols for HIV-positive patients that adhere to Mozambican guidelines. The model can be adjusted for the volumes of patients at differing stages of their disease, varying provider productivity, proportion who are pregnant, attrition rates, and other variables. Our model projects the need for health workers using three different kinds of goals: 1) the number of patients to be placed on anti-retroviral therapy (ART), 2) the number of HIV-positive patients to be enrolled for treatment, and 3) the number of patients to be enrolled in a treatment facility per month. We propose three scenarios, depending on numbers of patients enrolled. In the first scenario, we start with 8000 patients on ART and increase that number to 58 000 at the end of three years (those were the goals for the country of Mozambique). This would require thirteen clinicians and just over ten nurses by the end of the first year, and 67 clinicians and 47 nurses at the end of the third year. In a second scenario, we start with 34 000 patients enrolled for care (not all of them on ART), and increase to 94 000 by the end of the third year, requiring a growth in clinician staff from 18 to 28. In a third scenario, we start a new clinic and enrol 200 new patients per month for three years, requiring 1.2 clinicians in year 1 and 2.2 by the end of year 3. Other clinician types in the model include nurses, social workers, pharmacists, phlebotomists, and peer counsellors. This planning tool could lead to more realistic and appropriate estimates of workforce levels required to provide high-quality HIV care in a low-resource settings.
Sustained safety and efficacy of extended-shelf-life (90)Y glass microspheres: long-term follow-up in a 134-patient cohort.

To validate our initial pilot study and confirm sustained safety and tumor response of extended-shelf-life 90Y glass microspheres. We hypothesized that for the same planned tissue dose, the increase in number of glass microspheres (decayed to the second week of their allowable shelf-life) administered for the same absorbed dose would result in better tumor distribution of the microspheres without causing additional adverse events. Between June 2007 and January 2010, 134 patients underwent radioembolization with extended-shelf-life 90Y glass microspheres; data from 84 new patients were combined with data from our 50-patient pilot study cohort. Baseline and follow-up imaging and laboratory data were obtained 1 and 3 months after therapy and every 3 months thereafter. Clinical and biochemical toxicities were prospectively captured and categorized according to the Common Terminology Criteria. Response in the index lesion was assessed using WHO and EASL guidelines. The mean delivered radiation dose was 123 Gy to the target liver tissue. The mean increase in number of microspheres with this approach compared to standard 90Y glass microsphere dosimetry was 103 %, corresponding to an increase from 3.84 to 7.78 million microspheres. Clinical toxicities included fatigue (89 patients, 66 %), abdominal pain (49 patients, 36.6 %), and nausea/vomiting (25 patients, 18.7 %). Grade 3/4 bilirubin toxicity was seen in three patients (2 %). Two (1 %) of the initial 50-patient cohort showed gastroduodenal ulcers; gastroduodenal ulcers were not seen in any of the subsequent 84 patients. According to WHO and EASL guidelines, response rates were 48 % and 57 %, respectively, and 21 % demonstrated a complete EASL response. This study showed sustained safety and efficacy of extended-shelf-life 90Y glass microspheres in a larger, 134-patient cohort. The increase in number of microspheres administered theoretically resulted in better tumor distribution of the microspheres without an increase in adverse events.
Comparison of glucose metabolism in adipocytes from Pima Indians and Caucasians

The present study was designed to compare various aspects of glucose metabolism of adipocytes isolated from 10 obese Pima Indians and 10 Caucasians. All 20 subjects had normal glucose tolerance, and the two groups were matched for sex, age, degree of obesity, and fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations. The results indicated that adipocytes from the two groups were comparable in average cell size, basal and maximum insulin-stimulated glucose transport, glucose metabolism at 5.5 mmol/L glucose, ED50 of insulin for glucose transport and the inhibition of lipolysis, basal lipolysis rates, and insulin binding. The similarity between the metabolic behavior of adipocytes isolated from Pimas and Caucasians suggests that the study of adipocytes from Pima Indians yields information that is relevant to the understanding of obesity in other populations.
Effects of sodium and phosphate on growth of cyanobacteria

Abstract We conducted laboratory experiments to evaluate the effects of NaCl and phosphorus enrichments on natural phytoplankton assemblages from Lake Michigan in continuous-flow systems, at a dilution rate of 0.25 d−1. The experiment was repeated four times, 1981–1982, using freshly-collected natural lakewater inocula and temperature regimes typical of near-surface waters at initiation (6, 12, 16 and 20°C), at two levels of PO4−P (1–2 vs 91–92 μg l−1) and of Na+ (3–4 vs 9–10 mg l−1) each time. As a single factor, sodium chloride enrichments had no significant effect on growth rates or densities of cyanobacteria in cultures containing natural phytoplankton assemblages from Lake Michigan. However, filamentous cyanobacteria proliferated in the presence of elevated phosphorus concentrations, both with and without concurrent NaCl additions, particularly in warmer waters. Our laboratory results were consistent with the hypothesis that cyanobacteria are favored in phytoplankton of large lakes with low N:P ratios.
Barriers to the optimal rehabilitation of surgical cancer patients in the managed care environment: An administrator's perspective

Ensuring that surgical cancer patients obtain optimal rehabilitation care (defined here as all care provided post-operatively following cancer surgery) can be challenging because of the fragmented nature of the U.S. healthcare delivery and payment systems. In the managed care environment, surgical cancer patients' access to rehabilitation care is likely to vary by type of health insurance plan, by setting, by type of provider, and by whether care is provided in-network or out-of-network. The author of this article, who negotiates managed care contracts for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), gives examples of strategies used with some success by RPCI to collaborate with local payers to ensure that surgical cancer patients get optimal rehabilitation care, especially as they make the transition from hospital to outpatient care. She suggests that further collaborations of healthcare providers, payers, consumers, and policymakers are needed to help ensure optimal rehabilitation care for surgical cancer patients. J. Surg. Oncol. 95:386–392. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Convexity of parametric Bézier surfaces in terms of Gaussian curvature signatures

The shape of a smooth surfaceS in ℝ3 is governed by its Gaussian curvatureK. In this paper, the notion ofGC signature of a smooth surfaceS is introduced. This scalar-valued functionf has the same sign asK and becomes a polynomial ifS is a parametric polynomial surface. Hence, the study of convexity of such surfacesS (or nonparametric polynomialB) reduces to the study of positivity of the corresponding polynomialsf. Efficient computational schemes are developed for expressing the Bezier coefficients of the Bernstein-Bezier formulation off in terms of those of the parametric polynomialb (orB) that definesS. This approach differs from the usual consideration of positive definiteness of the Hessian matrix corresponding to the parametric polynomialb (orB).
Sex differences in repolarization and slow delayed rectifier potassium current and their regulation by sympathetic stimulation in rabbits

Slow delayed rectifier potassium current (IKs) is important in action potential (AP) repolarization and repolarization reserve. We tested the hypothesis that there are sex-specific differences in IKs, AP, and their regulation by β-adrenergic receptors (β-AR's) using whole-cell patch-clamp. AP duration (APD90) was significantly longer in control female (F) than in control male (M) myocytes. Isoproterenol (ISO, 500 nM) shortened APD90 comparably in M and F, and was largely reversed by β1-AR blocker CGP 20712A (CGP, 300 nM). Inhibition of IKs with chromanol 293B (10 μM) resulted in less APD prolongation in F at baseline (3.0 vs 8.9 %, p < 0.05 vs M) and even in the presence of ISO (5.4 vs 20.9 %, p < 0.05). This suggests that much of the ISO-induced APD abbreviation in F is independent of IKs. In F, baseline IKs was 42 % less and was more weakly activated by ISO (19 vs 68 % in M, p < 0.01). ISO enhancement of IKs was comparably attenuated by CGP in M and F. After ovariectomy, IKs in F had greater enhancement by ISO (72 %), now comparable to control M. After orchiectomy, IKs in M was only slightly enhanced by ISO (23 %), comparable to control F. Pretreatment with thapsigargin (to block SR Ca release) had bigger impact on ISO-induced APD shortening in F than that in M (p < 0.01). In conclusion, we found that there are sex differences in IKs, AP, and their regulation by β-AR's that are modulated by sex hormones, suggesting the potential for sex-specific antiarrhythmic therapy.
EXPERIMENTS OUTLINING THE LIMITATIONS OF OPERATIONS ON THE ABDOMINAL AORTA

1. Injuries of the abdominal aorta in dogs may be corrected with subsequent perfect restoration of the continuity of the vessel. 2. The complete occlusion of the aorta for a period of 30 minutes is not necessarily followed by serious consequences. 3. In cases in which a portion of the aorta must be resected, an arterial segment taken from another animal can be safely utilized as a transplant. 4. While the reestablishment of the continuity of the severed aorta by the circular suture is possible, the approximation of the severed ends during the suture entails such injury that thrombosis frequently occurs. Therefore, when the aorta is completely severed, the introduction of a transplanted segment is indicated. 5. An arterial tube of increased caliber made of smaller vessels such as the carotid lends itself readily as a transplant to the severed aorta, with a reasonable assurance of reestablishing the continuity of this vessel. 6. Defects in the aorta can be readily corrected by the use of fascial transplants with a minimum danger of thrombosis.
Lizard calcium metabolism: lack of effect of mammalian calcitonin on serum calcium or phosphate levels in normal and parathyroidectomized lizards, Anolis carolinensis.

Abstract Injection of porcine calcitonin (20 MRC mU/g body weight) had no effect on serum total calcium or inorganic phosphate levels in intact lizards, Anolis carolinensis. There was also no significant effect when parathyroidectomized animals were injected 3 or 48 hours after operation.
X-ray fluorescence with synchrotron radiation

The use of synchrotron radiation for X-ray fluorescence has several advantages over the use of other conventional X-ray sources. The principles of synchrotron radiation and methods for applying synchrotron radiation to the X-ray fluorescence measurements of trace elements are discussed. The Brookhaven National Laboratory X-ray microprobe, facilities dedicated to X-ray fluorescence, and related analytical techniques are discussed. Some examples of trace element analyses in biological materials with synchrotron radiation are presented.
Dynamic native optimization of interpreters

For domain specific languages, "scripting languages", dynamic languages, and for virtual machine-based languages, the most straightforward implementation strategy is to write an interpreter. A simple interpreter consists of a loop that fetches the next bytecode, dispatches to the routine handling that bytecode, then loops. There are many ways to improve upon this simple mechanism, but as long as the execution of the program is driven by a representation of the program other than as a stream of native instructions, there will be some "interpretive overhead".There is a long history of approaches to removing interpretive overhead from programming language implementations. In practice, what often happens is that, once an interpreted language becomes popular, pressure builds to improve performance until eventually a project is undertaken to implement a native Just In Time (JIT) compiler for the language. Implementing a JIT is usually a large effort, affects a significant part of the existing language implementation, and adds a significant amount of code and complexity to the overall code base.In this paper, we present an innovative approach that dynamically removes much of the interpreted overhead from language implementations, with minimal instrumentation of the original interpreter. While it does not give the performance improvements of hand-crafted native compilers, our system provides an appealing point on the language implementation spectrum.
Transurethral diode (810 nm) laser application for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a clinical study

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of diode laser for the treatment of human BPH. The study included 11 patients with significant BPH that were treated with diode laser 15 watts for 180 seconds (Diomed, Inc., Gallium-Aluminum- Arsenide, 810 nm). Mean age was 69 years (range 59 to 84). Mean prostatic volume was 64.5 cc (range 30 to 96). In all cases the procedure was uncomplicated, the blood loss was minimal (< 100 cc) and all patients were discharged within the first 24 hours. On average, patients voided spontaneously after 4 days (range 1 to 11). There were no postoperative complications. At 6 months follow up the mean AUA-7 symptom score decreased from 24.27 to 8.12, the peak flow rate increased from 7.12 cc/sec, to 13.85 cc/sec, and the post void residual diminished from 58.5 cc to 38 cc. Our study suggests that diode laser therapy may offer a safe and effective alternative for the treatment of BPH.
Intraamniotic infection and the onset of labor in preterm premature rupture of the membranes.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between intraamniotic infection and the onset of labor in patients with preterm premature rupture of the membranes. Two hundred and thirty consecutive patients were admitted with premature rupture of the membranes to Yale-New Haven Hospital from January 1985 to July 1987. Amniotic fluid was retrieved by amniocentesis from 96% (221/230). Sixty-one patients were in labor on admission (27.6%, 61/221) and 39% of them (24/61) had a positive amniotic fluid culture. Patients in labor on admission were more likely to have a positive amniotic fluid culture than those who were not in labor on admission (24/61 versus 41/160, p = 0.049). Of the 160 patients who were not in labor on admission, 81 subsequently went into spontaneous labor; microbiologic information at the time of labor was known in 48 of these patients (59.2%). Seventy-five percent (36/48) of these patients had a positive amniotic fluid culture. The incidence of intraamniotic infection in quiescent women who subsequently went into labor was higher than that of patients admitted in active labor (75% versus 39%, p = 0.0004). These results provide a basis for the clinical impression that the onset of labor in women with preterm premature rupture of the membranes is associated with a subdinical intraamniotic infection. The mechanisms responsible for the onset of labor in women without an intraamniotic infection may be associated with an extraamniotic infection (e.g., deciduitis) or a noninfectious process. (AM J
Trainable, vision-based automated home cage behavioral phenotyping

We describe a fully trainable computer vision system enabling the automated analysis of complex mouse behaviors. Our system computes a sequence of feature descriptors for each video sequence and a classifier is used to learn a mapping from these features to behaviors of interest. We collected a very large manually annotated video database of mouse behaviors for training and testing the system. Our system performs on par with human scoring, as measured from the ground-truth manual annotations of thousands of clips of freely behaving mice. As a validation of the system, we characterized the home cage behaviors of two standard inbred and two nonstandard mouse strains. From this data, we were able to predict the strain identity of individual mice with high accuracy.