Prospective, Randomized Assessment of Transfer of Training (ToT) and Transfer Effectiveness Ratio (TER) of Virtual Reality Simulation Training for Laparoscopic Skill Acquisition

OBJECTIVES:: We assessed the effectiveness of ToT from VR laparoscopic simulation training in 2 studies. In a second study, we also assessed the TER. ToT is a detectable performance improvement between equivalent groups, and TER is the observed percentage performance differences between 2 matched groups carrying out the same task but with 1 group pretrained on VR simulation. Concordance between simulated and in-vivo procedure performance was also assessed. DESIGN:: Prospective, randomized, and blinded. PARTICIPANTS:: In Study 1, experienced laparoscopic surgeons (n = 195) and in Study 2 laparoscopic novices (n = 30) were randomized to either train on VR simulation before completing an equivalent real-world task or complete the real-world task only. RESULTS:: Experienced laparoscopic surgeons and novices who trained on the simulator performed significantly better than their controls, thus demonstrating ToT. Their performance showed a TER between 7% and 42% from the virtual to the real tasks. Simulation training impacted most on procedural error reduction in both studies (32- 42%). The correlation observed between the VR and real-world task performance was r > 0·96 (Study 2). CONCLUSIONS:: VR simulation training offers a powerful and effective platform for training safer skills.

Genetic association suggests that SMOC1 mediates between prenatal sex hormones and digit ratio

Men and women differ statistically in the relative lengths of their index and ring fingers; and the ratio of these lengths has been used as a biomarker for prenatal testosterone. The ratio has been correlated with a wide range of traits and conditions including prostate cancer, obesity, autism, ADHD, and sexual orientation. In a genome-wide association study of 979 healthy adults, we find that digit ratio is strongly associated with variation upstream of SMOC1 (rs4902759: P = 1.41 × 10(-8)) and a meta-analysis of this and an independent study shows a probability of P = 1.5 × 10(-11). The protein encoded by SMOC1 has recently been shown to play a critical role in limb development; its expression in prostate tissue is dependent on sex hormones, and it has been implicated in the sexually dimorphic development of the gonads. We put forward the hypothesis that SMOC1 provides a link between prenatal hormone exposure and digit ratio.

PtRuO/Ti anodes with a varying Pt:Ru ratio for direct methanol fuel cells

PtRuO/Ti anodes with a varying Pt:Ru ratio were prepared by thermal deposition of a PtRuO catalyst layer onto a Ti mesh for the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The morphology and structure of the catalyst layers were analyzed by SEM, EDX, and XRD. The catalyst coating layers became porous with increase of the Ru content, and showed oxide and alloy characteristics. The relative activities of the PtRuO/Ti electrodes were assessed and compared using half-cell tests and single DMFC experiments. The results showed that these electrodes were very active for the methanol oxidation and that the optimum Ru surface coverage was ca. 38% for a DMFC operating at 20-60 °C. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PtRu/Ti anodes with varying Pt:Ru ratio prepared by electrodeposition for the direct methanol fuel cell

PtRu/Ti anodes with varying Pt : Ru ratio were prepared by electrodeposition of a thin PtRu catalyst layer onto Ti mesh for a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The morphology and structure of the catalyst layers were analyzed by SEM, EDX and XRD. The catalyst coating layer shows an alloy character. The relative activities of the PtRu/Ti electrodes were assessed and compared in half cell and single DMFC experiments. The results show that these electrodes are very active for the methanol oxidation and that the optimum Ru surface coverage was ca. 9 at.% for DMFC operating at 20°C and 11 at.% at 60°C. The PtRu/Ti anode shows a performance comparable to that of the conventional carbon-based anode in a DMFC operating with 0.25 M or 0.5 M methanol solution and atmosphere oxygen gas at 90°C. © the Owner Societies 2006.

Determination of geographical origin of distillers dried grains and solubles using isotope ratio mass spectrometry

In recent years distillers dried grains and solubles (DDGS), co-products of the bio-ethanol and beverages industries, have become globally traded commodity for the animal feed sector. As such it is becoming increasingly important to be able to trace the geographical origin of commodities in case of a contamination incident or authenticity issue arise. In this study, 137 DDGS samples from a range of different geographical origins (China, USA, Canada and European Union) were collected and analyzed. Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) was used to analyze the DDGS for ²H/¹H, ¹³C/¹²C, ¹⁵N/¹⁴N, ¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ³⁴S/³²S isotope ratios which can vary depending on geographical origin and processing. Univariate and multivariate statistical techniques were employed to investigate the feasibility of using the IRMS data to determine botanical and geographical origin of the DDGS. The results indicated that this commodity could be differentiated according to their place of origin by the analysis of stable isotopes of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen but not with sulfur. By adding data to the models produced in this study, potentially an isotope databank could be set up for traceability procedures for DDGS, similar to the one established already for wine which will help in feed and food security issues arising worldwide.

The effect of variability in the powder/liquid ratio on the strength of zinc phosphate cement

Aim. To investigate (a) variability in powder/liquid proportioning and (b) effect of variability on diametral tensile strength (DTS), in a zinc phosphate cement. Statistical analyses (α = 0.05) were by Student's t-test in the case of powder/liquid ratio and one-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD for pair-wise comparisons of mean DTS. The Null hypotheses were that (a) the powder-liquid mixing ratios would not differ from the manufacturer's recommended ratio (b) DTS of the set cement samples using the extreme powder/liquid ratios would not differ from those made using the recommended ratio. 

Methodology. 34 dental students dispensed the components according to the manufacturer's instructions. The maximum and minimum powder/liquid ratios, together with the manufacturer's recommended ratio, were used to prepare samples for DTS testing. 

Results. Powder/liquid ratios ranged from 2.386 to 1.018. The mean ratio (1.644) was not significantly different from the recommended value of 1.718 (P = 0.189). DTS values for the maximum and minimum ratios were both significantly different from each other (P < 0.001) and from the mean value obtained from the recommended ratio (P < 0.001). 

Conclusions. Variability exists in powder/liquid ratio for hand dispensed zinc phosphate cement. This variability can affect the DTS of the set material.

Determinants and heritability of intraocular pressure and cup-to-disc ratio in a defined older population.

PURPOSE:

To investigate the heritability of intraocular pressure (IOP) and cup-to-disc ratio (CDR) in an older well-defined population.

DESIGN:

Family-based cohort study.

PARTICIPANTS:

Through the population-based Salisbury Eye Evaluation study, we recruited 726 siblings (mean age, 74.7 years) in 284 sibships.

METHODS:

Intraocular pressure and CDR were measured bilaterally for all participants. The presence or absence of glaucoma was determined by a glaucoma specialist for all probands on the basis of visual field, optic nerve appearance, and history. The heritability of IOP was calculated as twice the residual between-sibling correlation of IOP using linear regression and generalized estimating equations after adjusting for age, gender, mean arterial pressure, race, self-reported diabetes status, and history of systemic steroid use. The heritability of CDR was calculated using the same model and adjustments as above, while also adjusting for IOP.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

Heritability and determinants of IOP and CDR, and impact of siblings' glaucoma status on IOP and CDR.

RESULTS:

We estimated the heritability to be 0.29 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.12-0.46) for IOP and 0.56 (95% CI, 0.35-0.76) for CDR in this population. Mean IOP in siblings of glaucomatous probands was statistically significantly higher than in siblings of normal probands (mean difference, 1.02 mmHg; P = 0.017). The mean CDR in siblings of glaucomatous probands was 0.07 (or 19%) larger than in siblings of glaucoma suspect referrals (P = 0.045) and siblings of normal probands (P = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS:

In this elderly population, we found CDR to be highly heritable and IOP to be moderately heritable. On average, siblings of glaucoma patients had higher IOPs and larger CDRs than siblings of nonglaucomatous probands.

Spatial variation in adult sex ratio across multiple scales in the invasive golden apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata

Adult sex ratio (ASR) has critical effects on behavior and life history and has implications for population demography, including the invasiveness of introduced species. ASR exhibits immense variation in nature, yet the scale dependence of this variation is rarely analyzed. In this study, using the generalized multilevel models, we investigated the variation in ASR across multiple nested spatial scales and analyzed the underlying causes for an invasive species, the golden apple snail Pomacea canaliculata. We partitioned the variance in ASR to describe the variations at different scales and then included the explanatory variables at the individual and group levels to analyze the potential causes driving the variation in ASR. We firstly determined there is a significant female-biased ASR for this species when accounting for the spatial and temporal autocorrelations of sampling. We found that, counter to nearly equal distributed variation at plot, habitat and region levels, ASR showed little variation at the town level. Temperature and precipitation at the region level were significantly positively associated with ASR, whereas the individual weight, the density characteristic, and sampling time were not significant factors influencing ASR. Our study suggests that offspring sex ratio of this species may shape the general pattern of ASR in the population level while the environmental variables at the region level translate the unbiased offspring sex ratio to the female-biased ASR. Future research should consider the implications of climate warming on the female-biased ASR of this invasive species and thus on invasion pattern.

Non-equilibrium modeling of the FE XVII 3C/3D Line Ratio in an Intense X-ray Free-electron Laser Excited Plasma

Recent measurements using an X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) and an Electron Beam Ion Trap at the Linac Coherent Light Source facility highlighted large discrepancies between the observed and theoretical values for the Fe XVII 3C/3D line intensity ratio. This result raised the question of whether the theoretical oscillator strengths may be significantly in error, due to insufficiencies in the atomic structure calculations. We present time-dependent spectral modeling of this experiment and show that non-equilibrium effects can dramatically reduce the predicted 3C/3D line intensity ratio, compared with that obtained by simply taking the ratio of oscillator strengths. Once these non-equilibrium effects are accounted for, the measured line intensity ratio can be used to determine a revised value for the 3C/3D oscillator strength ratio, giving a range from 3.0 to 3.5. We also provide a framework to narrow this range further, if more precise information about the pulse parameters can be determined. We discuss the implications of the new results for the use of Fe XVII spectral features as astrophysical diagnostics and investigate the importance of time-dependent effects in interpreting XFEL-excited plasmas.

Line ratio diagnostics in helium and helium seeded argon plasmas

We investigate the potential use of line ratio diagnostics to evaluate electron temperature in either helium or helium seeded argon plasmas. Plasmas are produced in a helicon plasma source. A rf compensated Langmuir probe is used to measure both the electron temperature and plasma density while a spectrometer is used to measure He I line intensities from the plasma. For all plasma densities where the electron temperature remains at 5 ± 1 eV, three He line ratios are measured. Each experimental ratio is compared with the prediction of three different collisional radiative models. One of these models makes uses of recent R-matrix with pseudo-states calculations for collisional rate coefficients. A discussion related to the different observations and model predictions is presented.