cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitation of Neutral Lipid Mixtures Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Light Scattering Detection

Abstract A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for quantifying reaction mixtures obtained from the lipase-catalyzed transesterification of fats and oils. The reaction mixtures of interest were composed of neutral lipid classes that include alkyl esters, free fatty acids, triglycerides, 1,2- and 1,3-diglycerides, and 1 (2)-monoglycerides. The method, a modification of a literature procedure, uses a binary mobile phase of hexane (A) and methyl-t-butyl ether (B) each modified with acetic acid (0.4%) and a gradient elution profile that reduced analyses' times by 25%. Lipid classes were measured by use of an evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD). Precision of injection and linearity of response of the ELSD over the range of sample amounts of interest were established for the lipid classes measured by use of standards. The method was applied to the compositional analysis of prospective biofuel alkyl esters prepared from fats, oils, and recycled greases. Mention of brand or...
Streamloading: low cost high quality video streaming for mobile users

Video streaming applications are a major contributor to the recent dramatic rise of data traffic in cellular networks. Mobile users in a cellular network suffer fluctuating data rates, which almost directly reflects on the quality of video they view in a streaming service. Although replacing such video streaming services with video downloading/renting services could potentially allow such mobile users to enjoy consistently higher quality videos, traditionally such services cost a lot more than video streaming services because of legal copyright pricing and management issues. We propose a novel scalable video delivery service called streamloading that can potentially allow mobile users to enjoy download quality videos, while still being legally classified as a streaming service. We describe the implementation of the service and perform extensive simulations to evaluate streamloading, in comparison to traditional streaming services.
Risk Factors for Injurious Falls: a Prospective Study

We conducted a prospective study of the consequences of falls in 325 elderly community-dwelling persons, all of whom had fallen in the previous year. We contacted subjects every week for one year to ascertain falls and to determine the circumstances and consequences of falls. Only 6% of 539 falls resulted in a major injury (fracture, dislocation, or laceration requiring suture), but over half (55%) resulted in minor soft tissue injury. One in ten falls left the faller unable to get up for at least 5 minutes, and one in four falls caused subjects to limit their activities. The risk of injury per fall was about the same regardless of the number of falls a person had during follow-up. The risk of major injury was increased (age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio: 5.9, 95% confidence interval: 2.3-14.9) in falls associated with loss of consciousness compared to nonsyncopal falls. In multivariate analyses of nonsyncopal falls, the risk of major injury per fall was higher in persons having a previous fall with fracture (6.7; 2.1-21.5), a slower Trail Making B time (1.9; 1.1-3.2), and in Whites (18.4; 7.5-44.6). The risk that a nonsyncopal fall would result in minor injury (versus no injury) was increased in persons with a slower hand reaction time (1.8; 1.0-3.2) decreased grip strength (1.5; 1.0-2.3), in Whites (2.0; 1.0-3.7), in falls while using stairs and steps (2.2; 1.0-5.0), and turning around or reaching (3.5; 1.7-7.3). Our findings suggest that neuromuscular and cognitive impairment, as well as the circumstances of falls, affect the risk of injury when a fall occurs. Language: en
Phooey! [Personal and Professional Growth]

The author explained his expression like "phooey" is actually the acronym of FOI which stand for focus, ownership and initiative. Over the years, I have found these three words-focus, ownership, initiative-have provided a focus for my work efforts. As an instructor and teacher, I found that focus on presentations and student achievement contributed to success for those being trained. Ownership was also important, in being willing to admit to workmanship, even when problems were being solved-as a result of your effort. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the three was initiative. Many people are reluctant to undertake work that has not been assigned but yet is necessary. I found through my career it was always easier to ask forgiveness rather than permission. In my current work assignment I am known as the "junk man," as I continue to work the odd jobs with which others don't wish to become involved. The learning experience has been fantastic and the sense of accomplishment self-rewarding. Remember focus, ownership, and initiative, three simple words that can go a long way in ensuring a success for you in your career.
Metastatic Wilms' tumor to the liver with MR findings simulating cysts: case report emphasizing need for integrated imaging.

A case of Wilms’ tumor metastatic to the liver with previously undescribed MR findings is presented. Although there is no evidence that there were hepatic metastases at presentation in this case, small lesions with this appearance would be difficult to detect with MRI. This could lead to incorrect staging of Wilms’ tumor examined by MRI alone.
Does the United States Economy Affect Heart Failure Readmissions? A Single Metropolitan Center Analysis

Background: To determine the effects of the US economy on heart failure hospitalization rates. Hypothesis: The recession was associated with worsening unemployment, loss of private insurance and prescription medication benefits, medication nonadherence, and ultimately increased rates of hospitalization for heart failure. Methods: We compared hospitalization rates at a large, single, academic medical center from July 1, 2006 to February 28, 2007, a time of economic stability, and July 1, 2008 to February 28, 2009, a time of economic recession in the United States. Results: Significantly fewer patients had private medical insurance during the economic recession than during the control period (36.5% vs 46%; P = 0.04). Despite this, there were no differences in the heart failure hospitalization or readmission rates, length of hospitalization, need for admission to an intensive care unit, in-hospital mortality, or use of guideline-recommended heart failure medications between the 2 study periods. Conclusions: We conclude that despite significant effects on medical insurance coverage, rates of heart failure hospitalization at our institution were not significantly affected by the recession. Additional large-scale population-based research is needed to better understand the effects of fluctuations in the US economy on heart failure hospitalization rates. Clin. Cardiol. 2012 DOI: 10.1002/clc.21996 The authors have no funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose.
Behavioral phenotyping of GFAP-apoE3 and -apoE4 transgenic mice: apoE4 mice show profound working memory impairments in the absence of Alzheimer's-like neuropathology.

For the purpose of studying the potential neurobehavioral effects of different human apolipoprotein E (apoE) isoforms produced within the brain, transgenic (TG) mice were generated in which human apoE3 or apoE4 isoforms were under control of an astrocyte-specific, glial fibrillary acidic protein promoter and these TG mice were bred back to apoE knockout (KO) mice. Behavioral phenotypes of apoE3 and apoE4 TG mice were derived by conducting a longitudinal study in which apoE3 and apoE4 TG mice were compared with apoE KO and wild-type (WT) mice (all male) on several behavioral measures. Analysis of locomotor activity, "open-field" behaviors, acoustic startle/prepulse inhibition, and elevated plus maze data suggested that the apoE TG/KO groups were more "emotionally reactive" than WT mice, with apoE4 mice typically being the most reactive. The absence of performance differences among groups on the rotating holeboard and water navigation tasks suggested intact reference memory processing in apoE TG/KO mice. However, apoE4 mice were profoundly impaired on a working memory-based protocol in the radial arm maze (11-14 months). Nonassociative factors (sensorimotor capacities or emotionality differences) did not appear to confound interpretation of the learning/memory results. Western blot analysis revealed no alterations in the level of synaptic, neuronal, or glial markers in neocortex or hippocampus and histologic analysis revealed no evidence of Abeta deposition or neuritic plaques in the apoE KO/TG mice. Our findings suggest that apoE4 expression in the brain may have selective deleterious effects on memory function in the absence of typical Alzheimer's-like neuropathology.
A rexinoid antagonist increases the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid set point in mice and thyrotrope cells.

Abstract Retinoid X receptor (RXR) signaling influences thyrotrope function. Synthetic RXR agonists, rexinoids, can cause central hypothyroidism. To test the hypothesis that endogenous rexinoids contribute to the TSH ‘set point’, TαT1 mouse thyrotrope cells were treated with a rexinoid antagonist, LG101208. Increasing concentrations of LG101208 significantly increased TSHβ mRNA levels, indicating that the rexinoid antagonist may interfere with RXR-signaling by an endogenous rexinoid in thyrotropes. When the same experiments were repeated in the presence of charcoal-stripped serum the effect of the rexinoid antagonist was lost. Pretreatment with the transcription inhibitor DRB blocked the increase of TSHβ mRNA levels by rexinoid antagonist, indicating the primary effect is at the level of gene transcription. Mice treated with LG101208 had higher levels of serum T4, T4/TSH ratios as well as pituitary α-subunit and TSHβ mRNA compared with vehicle treated mice. Hypothalamic TRH levels were unchanged. In summary, the rexinoid antagonist, LG101208, increases TSH subunit mRNA levels in thyrotrope cells and mouse pituitaries, primarily at the level of gene transcription. These data suggest that an “endogenous rexinoid” contributes to the TSH ‘set point’ in thyrotropes.
Spectral Analysis of Vibratory Gyro Noise

This paper presents analysis of the noise spectra of closed-loop mode-matched vibratory gyros. Closed-form expressions for the noise-equivalent angular rate spectrum as well as the integrated angular rate (angle) variance are derived to explore the effects of modal frequency mismatch, closed-loop bandwidth, and the spectra of noise sources appearing at the sensor's input and output. It is shown that noise sources located at the output of the sensor's electromechanical transfer function create angle white noise in the closed-loop sensor. The angle white noise dominates the integrated rate behavior until it crosses the angle random walk asymptote at integration times exceeding the sensor's open-loop time constant. Even though the closed-loop sensor asymptotically recovers the angle random walk figure associated with the mode-matched open-loop sensor, the results can be used to quantify the larger integrated rate variance that is produced as a consequence of extending the sensor's bandwidth through feedback. A parameter, called the effective bandwidth, is introduced to capture the relative importance of the input noise versus output noise in determining the noise-equivalent rate spectrum. It is shown that the rate noise spectrum is robust to frequency mismatch as long as it does not exceed the effective bandwidth parameter. Empirical data obtained with a high performance MEMS vibratory gyro shows excellent agreement with the model predictions for a variety of sensor configurations including frequency-matched, frequency-mismatched, modified bandwidth, and manipulated input noise intensity cases.
Modeling of high voltage 4H-SiC JFETs and MOSFETs for power electronics applications

Silicon carbide (SiC), with its high critical electric field property and the capability of operation at high temperature, has attracted much attention and shown to be a promising semiconductor material for high power devices. Some of the most widely used devices in power circuits are the JFETs and the MOSFETs. Based on characterization of high voltage 4H-SiC JFET and MOSFET, this work compares the using of these two kinds of devices in power systems from both electrical and thermal points of view and compact models are developed for circuit simulations.
Pesticide effects on germination of Beauveria bassiana

Four fungicides and four insecticides significantly inhibited germination of B. bassiana compared with controls. The chemicals can be classed according to four levels of inhibition. Acylalanine and fenvalarate were least inhibitory, permethrin was slightly more inhibitory, azinphos-methyl and chlorothalonil were strongly inhibitory while metiram, carbofuran and mancozeb were the most inhibitory.
Surface-Enchanced Raman Scattering from Pyridine on Ag(111)

This Letter reports the first ultrahigh-vacuum study of surface-enhanced Raman scattering from pyridine adsorbed on a clean single-crystal silver surface containing a smooth modulation (1 \ensuremath{\mu}m periodicity) to allow optical coupling to surface plasmon polaritons. A large mode-selective enhancement (\ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{4}$) of the Raman signal from the first monolayer is observed at surface-plasmon-polariton resonance. Coverages greater than one monolayer show a smaller enhancement (\ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{2}$).
PROGRESSING FROM IDENTIFICATION AND FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF PRECURSOR BEHAVIOR TO TREATMENT OF SELF-INJURIOUS BEHAVIOR

This multiple-study experiment evaluated the utility of assessing and treating severe self-injurious behavior SIB based on the outcomes of a functional analysis of precursor behavior. In Study 1, a precursor to SIB was identified using descriptive assessment and conditional probability analyses. In Study 2, a functional analysis of precursor behavior was conducted. Finally, study 3 evaluated the effects of a treatment in which precursor behavior produced the maintaining variable identified in the precursor functional analysis. Studies 1 and 3 were conducted in two settings in the participants natural environment, where data collection was ongoing throughout the course of the study. Results showed that it was possible to identify a precursor to infrequent but severe SIB, that a functional analysis of precursor behavior suggested a clear operant function, and that treatment based on the results of the precursor functional analysis reduced SIB in the natural environment.
Simultaneous detection of H2(+) with larger ions using Fourier transform mass spectrometry.

Laser-induced desorption coupled with Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) has proven to be a useful technique for the studies of chemical reactions that occur in monolayers adsorbed on solid surfaces. The high sensitivity and ultrahigh mass resolution have been extremely useful in the study of reactions in complex monolayer mixtures made up of molecular species with m/z between 15 and 1000. For studies of hydrocarbon reactions on surfaces, such as would be useful for fundamental studies of catalytic processes on transition metal surfaces, it is extremely useful to be able to detect molecular hydrogen desorbing from a surface simultaneously with higher molecular weight reactants and reaction products. However, simultaneous detection of molecular hydrogen and higher molecular weight species presents a unique challenge for FTMS, as a result not only of the high cyclotron frequency of the H2+ molecular ion but also as a result of z-ejection and proton- and charge-transfer reactions. We characterize the...
Dissolved and particulate nutrient transport through a coastal watershed-estuary system

Abstract Tomales Bay and its adjacent watershed are the location of integrated research on the CNPSi biogeochemical coupling between the land and coastal ocean and cycling of these materials within the bay. In the present paper, budgets have been constructed to describe the rainfall delivery of dissolved nutrients to the watershed and export of dissolved and particulate nutrients from the watershed, mostly in runoff. The quantity of dissolved materials, especially dissolved organic materials, delivered to the watershed by rainfall is about the same as the export. Suspended load transport represents the major net removal of C, N, and P from the watershed, and this flux shows large interannual variation. Runoff adjusted particle flux from the watershed is small at present in comparison with estimates based on sedimentation rate in the bay over the past 130 years. This difference apparently cannot be explained by natural or managed interannual variation in runoff or by other obvious aspects of water management. We believe that changes in agricultural land use have led to recent decreases in erosion and removal of particulate materials from the watershed. Even though the watershed has been disturbed by agricultural practices over the past 130 years, the system as a whole appears largely to have recovered to steady-state conditions.
Optical code division multiplexing (OCDM)-based ultrafast photonic network

Applications of optical code division multiplexing (OCDM) to multi-tera bit/s photonic network are reviewed. The experimental demonstrations include a high spectral efficiency OCDM/WDM transmission as a link technology and a transparent virtual optical code/wavelength path (VOCP/VWP) network as a node technology.
Appendiceal duplication in children presenting as an appendiceal tumor and as recurrent intussusception

Duplication of the appendix is a rare condition and is usually an incidental finding during an appendectomy. There have been several cases reported in the literature. Although not usually associated with any discrete pathology, the presenting symptoms can vary but are usually associated with acute appendicitis. We present two cases of appendiceal duplication in young children, one presenting with the usual signs and symptoms of acute appendicitis and the other with intussusception. The purpose of this report is to present two distinct modes of presentation of this rare condition so that pediatric general surgeons are aware of this as a possible entity.
Laboratory observations of wave group evolution, including breaking effects

The nonlinear evolution of deep-water wave groups, which are initiated by unstable three-wave systems, have been observed in a large wave tank (50 m long, 4.2 m wide, 2.1 m deep), equipped with a programmable, high-resolution wave generator. A large number of experiments were conducted (over 80 cases) for waves 1.0-4.0 m long, initial steepness ∈ = 0.10-0.28, and normalized sideband frequency differences, δω/∈ω, 0.2-1.4. Using an array of eight high-resolution wave wires distributed in range (up to 43 m fetch), spectral evolution was studied in detail including the effect of background disturbances on the evolution. Minimizing those, new observations were made which extend the pioneering work of Lake et al. (1977) and of Melville (1982). Foremost, near recurrence without downshifting was observed without breaking, despite a significant but reversible energy transfer to the lower sideband at peak modulation; complete recurrence was prevented by the spreading of discretized energy to higher frequencies. Strong breaking was found to increase the transfer of energy from the higher to the lower sideband and to render that transfer irreversible. The end state of the evolution following strong breaking is an effective downshifting of the spectral energy, where the lower and the carrier wave amplitudes nearly coincide; the further evolution of this almost two-wave system was not studied here. Breaking during strong modulation was observed not only for the fastest growing initial condition, but over a wide parameter range. An explanation of the sideband behaviour in both the breaking and non-breaking case was given based on wave energy and momentum considerations, including the separate effects of energy and momentum loss due to breaking, and transfer to discretized higher frequencies throughout the spectra. Attention was drawn to the latter, which was almost universally observed.
Decay time distribution analysis of Yt-base in benzene—methanol mixtures

Abstract Frequency-domain fluorometry was used to measure intensity decays of synthetic Yt-base in mixtures of benzene—methanol at 20 °C. Multiexponential analysis shows that the decay of Yt-base fluorescence in benzene and methanol can be well fitted to a single-exponential model with τ = 9.67 ns and 6.25 ns respectively. In mixtures of benzene—methanol the decays became heterogeneous, and the maximum of heterogeneity observed was in a mixture containing 6% methanol. Since we expected a distribution of Yt-base solvation states in the solvent mixtures, and because the decay times of Yt-base are sensitive to solvent, we analyzed the data in terms of decay time distributions. The goodness-of-fit for the unimodal distribution model which has two floating parameters was equivalent to that found using the double exponential model with three floating parameters. The Lorentzian distribution model appears to provide a slightly superior fit relative to the Gaussian distribution model. These results suggest that the intensity decays of solvent-sensitive fluorophores in mixed solvents are described by a distribution of decay times.
Communication distortion. The language of patients and practitioners of dentistry

Abstract We hear much talk from our patients which, if it were to be taken literally, would be a gross distortion of what a patient truly wishes to communicate. The sophisticated practitioner of dentistry learns to evaluate information from his patients on a multidimensional level. A patient says much by his posture and by his dress; by the nature of his symptomatology and by the way he copes with or dramatizes illness. The wise dentist realizes that it is naive to believe that, in the one-to-one relationship between a dentist and a dental patient, communication takes place only on the verbal level. By deliberate discipline in training one's powers of observation, by being ready to listen rather than expound, by paying attention to a patient with the ear, eye, and heart, a dentist may then get the messagebehind the message.
Secondary Structure Predictions for Rat Osteopontin

Five computerized methods were used to predict the secondary structure of osteopontin - a bone-derived cell attachment protein. The amino terminal one-fifth and the carboxy terminal one-third of the 301 amino acid protein contain eight alpha helices (41% of the total residues). The middle of the molecule contains a very acidic region of no predicted structure followed by two segments of beta structure which flank the cell attachment site of osteopontin. Examination of the amino acid sequence also revealed a potential calcium binding loop and two potential heparin binding sites.
On the Road to Being: My Personal Journey into Existential Theory and Practice

This article reflects my introspective journey as a student into the world of existential theory and my struggle to find an identity in the profession. The purpose of the excursion was to clarify my conceptualization of clients, understand my goal as a practitioner, and determine practical ways of implementing existential ideas. First, this article provides a conceptualization about how I view clients as an existential psychotherapist. Second, I elaborate on my goal of providing clients with existential clarity. Third, I address the integration of acceptance and commitment therapy and existential theory to apply theory to practice. The final section describes some of my own existential exploration and the evolving clarity of my beliefs.
Hip involvement in ankylosing spondylitis

Hip involvement in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a common and disabling problem. The clinical and x-ray records of 87 patients with definite AS (Rome criteria) were examined to define and characterize their hip disease. Clinical hip disease was present in 33 cases (38%), was usually bilateral (91%), and tended to begin early in the disease course; it was the cause of 50% of the Class III and IV disability in the entire study group. Typical findings included regional pain, limitation of motion, muscle atrophy, and flexion contractures. Radiologic hip abnormalities occurred in 42 cases (48%). The radiographic pattern was distinctive when compared to that in two control groups and included axial migration of the femoral head (63%), concentric joint space narrowing (50%), rufflike femoral osteophytosis (36%), and protrusio acetabuli (30%). Eight patients required bilateral hip surgery. Para-articular ossification occurred in 8 of 16 replaced hips; in 5 of 8 hips it caused clinical immobility. This potentially serious complication may limit the usefulness of hip arthroplasty in some AS patients.
Protection against free radical injury by selenoenzymes.

Selenium exerts its biological activity as a constituent of selenoproteins. Three selenoproteins have been purified: glutathione peroxidase, phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase, selenoprotein P. Each of the three selenoproteins has been proposed to serve in oxidant defense
MODIFICATION OF NEAR ACTIVE SITE RESIDUES IN ORGANOPHOSPHORUS HYDROLASE REDUCES METAL STOICHIOMETRY AND ALTERS SUBSTRATE SPECIFICITY

Organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH, EC 8.1.3.1) is a dimeric, bacterial enzyme that detoxifies many organophosphorus neurotoxins by hydrolyzing a variety of phosphonate bonds. The histidinyl residues at amino acid positions 254 and 257 are located near the bimetallic active site present in each monomer. It has been proposed that these residues influence catalysis by interacting with active site residues and the substrate in the binding pocket. We replaced the histidine at position 254 with arginine (H254R) and the one at position 257 with leucine (H257L) independently to form the single-site-modified enzymes. The double modification was also constructed to incorporate both changes (H254R/H257L). Although native OPH has two metals at each active site (four per dimer), all three of these altered enzymes possessed only two metals per dimer while retaining considerable enzymatic activity for the preferred phosphotriester (P−O bond) substrate, paraoxon (5−100% kcat). The three altered enzymes achieved a 2−30-fold...
The Relative Effectiveness of Earphones and Loudspeakers as a Means of Presenting a Listening Test in a Foreign Language

The hypotheses made above are as unsubstantiated as any others in practice today. They purport only to demonstrate that the oral-aural approach implies many assumptions which may easily prove to be fallacious. A reversal to old procedures is certainly not advocated. Foreseeable future difficulties do not justify a return to a method which has proved unsatisfactory. Difficulty does not imply danger. The danger arises from designing a methodology based on a partial, hasty, untested approach to those difficulties.
Phase I/II trial of pyrazoloacridine and carboplatin in patients with recurrent glioma: a North Central Cancer Treatment Group trial.

Purpose: Novel therapeutic agents in the treatment of recurrent gliomas are urgently needed. Pyrazoloacridine (PZA), a rationally synthesized acridine derivative, has shown promising antitumor activity against glioma lines in combination with platinum compounds. This phase I/II trial of the PZA/carboplatin combination in recurrent glioma patients consisted of two phase I studies (studies 1 and 2) and a phase II trial (study 3). The objectives of studies 1 and 2 were to (a) assess the safety and toxicity and to establish the phase II dose of the pyrazoloacridine/carboplatin combination for recurrent glioma patients on P450 inducing anticonvulsants, and (b) to confirm the phase II dose for patients not on P450 inducing anticonvulsants. The primary objectives of study 3 were to determine the efficacy of the pyrazoloacridine/carboplatin combination in patients with recurrent gliomas, to further assess the toxicity of the combination, and to evaluate the impact of enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants on the pyrazoloacridine metabolism. Experimental design: Both carboplatin and pyrazoloacridine were administered intravenously every 28 days. Treatment was continued until unacceptable toxicity, tumor progression or patient withdrawal. Results: 14 patients were treated in the two phase I studies and 32 patients in the phase II trial. The phase II dose of the combination was PZA 400 mg/m2 and carboplatin AUC of 5 every 28 days. Neutropenia (4 patients) and dyspnea (1 patient) was the dose limiting toxicity in the phase I studies. In the phase II trial, the most frequent toxicity was myelosuppression with grade 3 and 4 hematologic adverse events being observed in 22 and 19% of the patients, respectively. The antitumor activity of this regimen was limited; the response rate in the phase II trial was 0%, (95% CI:0–11%) while 12 of the 32 patients (38%) had stable disease with a median duration of 2 months. The percentage of phase II patients who were progression free at three months was 22% and at six months was 16%. Median survival from study entry was 5.0 months for phase I patients and 5.8 months for phase II patients. Pharmacokinetic analysis performed in 8 phase I patients demonstrated no significant impact of the enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants on the pharmacokinetics of pyrazoloacridine. Conclusions: The phase II dose of the pyrazoloacridine/carboplatin combination is pyrazoloacridine 400 mg/m2 in combination with carboplatin AUC of 5. Antitumor activity in patients with recurrent gliomas was limited. Initial disease stabilization occurred in approximately 38% of the patients, with median duration of 2 months. Enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants did not affect the pyrazoloacridine metabolism.
Enzymic Differentiation of Human Liver: Comparison with the Rat Model

Summary: The quantitative pattern of enzymes in the second trimester human fetal liver is significantly different from that of adult liver. For some 20 enzymes, the activity quotient (AQ, i.e., activity of immature liver divided by that in adult liver) is appreciably different from 1.0. Most of the enzymes increase their concentrations with age but, as one would expect, some contribute to differentiation by diminishing in amount. In developing human liver the concentrations of the various enzymes tend to change in the same direction as they do in rat liver. Those that increase in rat liver have been classified into three main clusters, according to whether their rise begins on about the 17th day of gestation (B), the first neonatal day (C), or just before weaning (D), respectively. The distribution of these enzymes among these three clusters correlates with their AQ's in the human fetal liver. In general, enzymes with AQ around 0.5 belong to cluster (B) in rat liver whereas those with 0–0.16 belong to cluster C or D. Gross malformations resulting from the teratogenic action of drugs, hormones, or vitamins on the early embryo attract much attention. The harmful impacts of such agents at late stages of gestation are less spectacular. They may be more frequent, however, and manifest themselves in permanent inadequacies in metabolism or growth with a tendency to succumb to minor childhood diseases. The underlying causes may not be mirrored in the cytocomposition or even the subcellular morphology of autopsy specimens. Only deviations from the organ characteristic quantitative pattern of gene products would provide sensitive enough indictors of the metabolic lesions and of the aberrant aspects of differentiation that were responsible for them. In both the presence and absence of detectable morphologic abnormalities, the study of enzymes, this most varied and largest class of specific chemical constituents, would greatly extend the resolving power of the usual diagnostic procedures postmortem. Speculation: The sequence in which different enzymes approach their adult concentration in human liver closely resembles that in rat liver. This suggests that the mechanisms responsible for the schedule of gene expression must also be analogous: the synthesis of specific groups of enzymes at each corresponding critical period is regulated by the same hormones in both species. Hence, the “enzyme pathology” of infant livers not only specifies basic metabolic lesions: aided by observations on the rat model, it could also identify the age of onset and the kind of aberrations in the fetal environment which initiated the lesions.
The pseudoparticulate expansion of screen-packed gas-fluidized beds

Abstract : A study has been made of the expansion characteristics of beds of uniformly sized spherical particles of lead, nickel, sand, glass, and plastic that have been fluidized with air, carbon dioxide, and helium in columns packed with open-ended cylindrical screen packing. The addition of packing to a gas-fluidized bed limits the bubble size, prevents slugging and allows beds of high aspect ratio to expand smoothly in a manner similar to the behavior of liquid-fluidized beds. Moreover, much of the experimental data for gas-fluidized screen-packed beds have yielded straight lines on a Richardson-Zaki type of plot, again similar to the expansion of liquid-fluidized beds. The conditions necessary for this pseudoparticulate behavior in packed gas-fluidized beds are discussed. A correlation, based on the analysis given by Richardson and Zaki for liquid-fluidized beds, is proposed to relate bed porosity with gas velocity, density and viscosity, particle size and density, and bed diameter. (Author)
The growth and alloy formation of copper on the platinum (111) and stepped (553) crystal surfaces; characterization by Leed, AES, and CO thermal desorption

Abstract Epitaxial layers of copper were formed on Pt(111) and Pt(553) single crystal surfaces by condensation of copper atoms from the vapor. Surface alloys were formed by diffusing the copper atoms into the platinum substrate at temperatures above 550 K. The activation energy for this process was found to be ~ 120 kJ mol . These Pt/Cu surfaces were characterized by LEED, AES, and TDS of CO. The copper grows in islands on the Pt(111) surface and one monolayer is completed before another begins. There is an apparent repulsive interaction between the copper atoms and the step sites of the Pt(553) surface which causes a second layer of copper to begin forming before the first layer is complete. Epitaxial copper atoms block CO adsorption sites on the platinum surface without affecting the CO desorption energy. When the copper is alloyed with the platinum however, the energy of desorption of CO from the platinum was reduced by as much as 20 kJ mol . This reduction in the desorption energy suggests an electronic modification that weakens the Pt-CO bond.
Tobacco, politics and economics: implications for global health.

Abstract This paper examines the expanding presence of multinational cigarette companies into almost every country in the world, and discusses the health implications of this global penetration. Cigarettes deserve special attention because tobacco is the only legally available consumer product that is harmful to one's health when used as intended. A temptation exists to blame governments for the existence of health-threatening products within their borders. However, this paper illustrates the extent to which extra-national forces influence domestic policies and circumstances. Cigarette smokers are often blamed for their lethal habit, despite billion-dollar promotional schemes which attract people to smoking, obscuring the harmful consequences of consuming a highly addictive drug. Multinational cigarette companies are increasingly targeting Asian and Third World populations. To facilitate this market penetration, political avenues are often pursued with considerable success, disregarding the health implications associated with cigarette tobacco. The use of tobacco in development programs (e.g. the U.S. ‘Food for Peace’ program) has political and economic implications for donor and recipient countries, and lucrative advantages for the tobacco companies. However, this paper recommends that corporate profits and foreign policy should not be pursued at the expense of tobacco-related diseases and premature deaths among Third World peoples.
Global assessment of marine boundary layer cloud droplet number concentration from satellite

[1] Global satellite data are used to infer the droplet number concentration of marine boundary layer clouds. In a first step, two and a half years (July 2002 to December 2004) of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS, on board NASA's Aqua satellite) level 3 data estimates of cloud effective radius and optical thickness are used to derive cloud droplet number concentration N and cloud geometrical thickness H under the assumption of adiabatically stratified clouds. Theoretical error estimates show that for a liquid water path higher than 30 g/m2 and a cloud fraction higher than 0.8, H (N) can be derived with a relative uncertainty of better than 20% (80%). To further validate the estimates of N and H, cloud liquid water path is calculated and compared to independent observations of cloud liquid water path from the passive microwave Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E), also on board Aqua. Good agreement between the two different data sets is found. In a second step, the global distribution of cloud droplet number concentration in stratiform boundary layer clouds is evaluated. The data are separated into observations that are likely to be drizzling and drizzle-free using published relations between drizzle rate and N and H. It is found that the mean droplet number concentration over remote Northern Hemisphere oceans is higher than over the southern oceans (64–89 cm−3 in the Northern Hemisphere and 40–67 cm−3 in the Southern Hemisphere). Leeward of the major continents cloud droplet number concentration is generally high with maximum values close to the coasts. On the Southern Hemisphere, especially over the east Pacific Ocean, microphysical conditions were almost constant through the entire observation period. Over the southeast Atlantic Ocean, the cloud microphysical variability appears to be strongly influenced by the dry biomass burning season in Africa.
Neuronal α-Synucleinopathy with Severe Movement Disorder in Mice Expressing A53T Human α-Synuclein

Abstract α-Synucleinopathies are neurodegenerative disorders that range pathologically from the demise of select groups of nuclei to pervasive degeneration throughout the neuraxis. Although mounting evidence suggests that α-synuclein lesions lead to neurodegeneration, this remains controversial. To explore this issue, we generated transgenic mice expressing wild-type and A53T human α-synuclein in CNS neurons. Mice expressing mutant, but not wild-type, α-synuclein developed a severe and complex motor impairment leading to paralysis and death. These animals developed age-dependent intracytoplasmic neuronal α-synuclein inclusions paralleling disease onset, and the α-synuclein inclusions recapitulated features of human counterparts. Moreover, immunoelectron microscopy revealed that the α-synuclein inclusions contained 10–16 nm wide fibrils similar to human pathological inclusions. These mice demonstrate that A53T α-synuclein leads to the formation of toxic filamentous α-synuclein neuronal inclusions that cause neurodegeneration.
An experiment with affirm and HDM

Comparing the usefulness of methodologies for software development can be especially difficult when the services offered are based on different philosophies. Two systems, Affirm and HDM, were compared for their application to operation system security analysis. The assessment technique was to specify and analyze for security flaws on both systems a miniature example of a security kernel. The specification languages are at the opposite poles of the range from algebraic axioms to transition specifications. The types of security properties that could be verified with the tools available were access policy invariants and information flows. One theorem prover was highly interactive and the other nearly automatic. We found that the example could be specified satisfactorily and recognizably on both systems with a comparable amount of effort. The security analyses, on the other hand, led to very different verification tasks and different results. The two results were complementary rather than contradictory, and some additional experimentation, guided by theoretical suspicions, showed the exact relationship between them.
The Problems of Evaluation in Psychiatry

When residents and medical students begin to work with psychiatric patients, they have already learned a great deal about the process of medical evaluation. They know how to detect signs and symptoms of illness by taking a history and performing a physical examination. They have also learned how to use abnormal findings as a guide to laboratory testing and to appreciate the relevance of these findings to diagnosis and treatment. These skills are all necessary or essential in treating psychiatric patients. Unfortunately, they are far from sufficient.
Single-chip Interband Cascade DFB laser with Extended Tuning Range

We report the operation of an interband cascade-based DFB laser in the mid-IR. The device operates single-mode from 78 to 160 K, with up to 10 nm of current tuning and quasi-continuous tuning of 26 nm by also varying temperature.
Robust hand detection

Vision-based hand gesture interfaces require fast and extremely robust hand detection. Here, we study view-specific hand posture detection with an object recognition method proposed by Viola and Jones. Training with this method is computationally very expensive, prohibiting the evaluation of many hand appearances for their suitability to detection. In this paper, we present a frequency analysis-based method for instantaneous estimation of class separability, without the need for any training. We built detectors for the most promising candidates, their receiver operating characteristics confirming the estimates. Next, we found that classification accuracy increases with a more expressive feature type. Lastly, we show that further optimization of training parameters yields additional detection rate improvements. In summary, we present a systematic approach to building an extremely robust hand appearance detector, providing an important step towards easily deployable and reliable vision-based hand gesture interfaces.
A Security Punctuation Framework for Enforcing Access Control on Streaming Data

The management of privacy and security in the context of data stream management systems (DSMS) remains largely an unaddressed problem to date. Unlike in traditional DBMSs where access control policies are persistently stored on the server and tend to remain stable, in streaming applications the contexts and with them the access control policies on the real-time data may rapidly change. A person entering a casino may want to immediately block others from knowing his current whereabouts. We thus propose a novel ";stream-centric"; approach, where security restrictions are not persistently stored on the DSMS server, but rather streamed together with the data. Here, the access control policies are expressed via security constraints (called security punctuations, or short, sps) and are embedded into data streams. The advantages of the sp model include flexibility, dynamicity and speed of enforcement. DSMSs can adapt to not only data-related but also security-related selectivities, which helps reduce the waste of resources, when few subjects have access to data. We propose a security-aware query algebra and new equivalence rules together with cost estimations to guide the security-aware query plan optimization. We have implemented the sp framework in a real DSMS. Our experimental results show the validity and the performance advantages of our sp model as compared to alternative access control enforcement solutions for DSMSs.
Parkinson's disease influences the structural variations present in the leg swing kinematics.

This study investigated the nature of the structural variations found in the motor output of individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Young (n = 21; 19.9 ± 1.3 yrs.), aged (n = 9; 74.8 ± 6.8 yrs.) and individuals with PD (n = 9; 73.4 ± 6.6 yrs.) swung their leg at a pendular frequency and frequencies that were 20% faster and slower. This study had three key findings. First, individuals with PD have greater variability in the leg swing angular kinematics and swing times. These variations appear to be related to the 0–15 Hz band of the of angular displacement power spectrum. Second, changes in the structural variations appear to not be derived from a stochastic source. Third, the magnitude of the variations and the structure of the variations are influenced by the frequency that the leg is swung. These results are consistent with the viewpoint that changes in the magnitude of the variations and the regularity of the structural variations are dependent upon health and adaptability to the task dynamics.
Depth from Stereo Image Sequences

Stereo vision is an attractive approach to depth sensing in many robotics applications. To date, most research in stereo has concentrated on the analysis of a single stereo image pair. However, many applications will involve moving robot systems that can acquire sequences of stereo pairs from successive robot positions. Such systems can achieve greatly improved stereo performance by appropriately controlling the motion of the cameras and by using depth information obtained from early images to guide the interpretation of later images. This requires a representation for the depth model at any point in time, methods for using the model to influence matching in subsequent images, and methods for controlling the motion of the cameras that take into account the degree of uncertainty in the depth model. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian approach to processing stereo image sequences that serves these requirements. The approach is based on representing, predicting, and updating depth and depth variance at every pixel in the image. We describe a vision system under development for a robot vehicle that incorporates this approach and summarize implementation results for parts of the system.1
Adipose expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha: direct role in obesity-linked insulin resistance

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) has been shown to have certain catabolic effects on fat cells and whole animals. An induction of TNF-alpha messenger RNA expression was observed in adipose tissue from four different rodent models of obesity and diabetes. TNF-alpha protein was also elevated locally and systemically. Neutralization of TNF-alpha in obese fa/fa rats caused a significant increase in the peripheral uptake of glucose in response to insulin. These results indicate a role for TNF-alpha in obesity and particularly in the insulin resistance and diabetes that often accompany obesity.
A quadrature-sampled precorrected FFT method for the electromagnetic scattering from inhomogeneous objects

A fast iterative solution for the electromagnetic scattering from inhomogeneous objects computed via the quadrature sampled precorrected fast Fourier transform (QSPCFFT) algorithm is presented. The method is based on a locally corrected Nystrom solution of the volume electric field integral equation. The discontinuous FFT is applied to accelerate the computation of all far interactions. The method preserves the high-order properties of the Nystrom solution, and has a complexity that can scale as O(N log N) and memory that scales as O(N), where N is the number of unknowns.