cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental Analysis of Flow Crossover in a Solar Thermochemical Reactor

As energy and fuel security continue to be of increasing importance to economies around the world, countries are looking to move away from oil dependency. Energy solutions are being sought in the area of solar fuels to meet these growing needs. Concentrated solar thermochemical technology has the potential to directly convert sunlight into a useable, carbon-neutral liquid fuel that can be easily stored and integrated into our existing forms of energy demand such as transportation and heating fuels. Ongoing research performed by several groups at Sandia National Laboratories seeks to fundamentally understand the complex physics and chemistry occurring within a solar thermochemical reactor prototype named the CR5 [counter-rotating-ring receiver/reactor/recuperator]. The CR5 utilizes a stack of counter-rotating disks with metal oxide reactive material fins which are cycled through oxidation and reduction zones. The metal oxide is thus used to reduce H2O and CO2 into H2 and CO respectively, which can be combined using known processes to form a liquid fuel.The effectiveness of such a solar thermochemical reactor depends on its ability to efficiently integrate reduction and oxidation reactions, a solar receiver, thermal recuperation, and separation of end product gases. Efficient separation of end product gases within the reactor is of critical importance as without it, the crossover of gases occurs, which results in lower reduction rates, recombination of end product gases, and additional energy spent in downstream processes. A validation reactor model called the CR5v (v for validation) has been fabricated to validate numerical models of the reactor processes. Crossover testing is done without any chemical reactions (therefore with no O2 or H2 present), but rather by examining the flow of CO2 and Argon.This work presents experimental crossover for the CR5v reactor as a function of ring rotation speed, internal purge gas, and sweep gas to injection gas ratio. Initial crossover experimental results from the CR5v reactor suggest that crossover levels are largely not affected by ring rotation, center purge or injection gas/sweep gas ratio. Argon flow remained on average at a crossover value of 52 %, while CO2 crossover levels were on average around 8 %. The crossover flow in the system is thought to be dominated by the flow rates of the two pumps used in the system and to a lesser degree, the geometry of the system.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Renal Perfusion in Blacks Alterations Caused by Insuppressibility of Intrarenal Renin With Salt

We have reported that an increased intrarenal renin-angiotensin system activity may be responsible for the reduction in renal plasma flow (RPF) in apparently healthy blacks in comparison to healthy whites during high salt balance. To ascertain whether these differences only exist in the high salt state, we performed the following study, concentrating on the manipulation of the renin system during low salt intake. We measured in 19 healthy blacks and 22 healthy whites para-aminohippurate and inulin clearances as an indication of RPF and glomerular filtration rate, respectively, on both high (200 mmol/d) and low (10 mmol/d) salt balance in random order. A subset of 11 blacks and 12 whites additionally received an angiotensin II infusion while in low salt balance (3 ng/kg per minute for 45 minutes) and captopril to assess differences in RPF response to a converting enzyme inhibitor. The 19 whites had significantly higher RPF when compared with blacks (P=0.033) when studied on high salt. However, during low salt balance, the RPFs were comparable in the 2 groups. Plasma renin activity was similar in the 2 groups on both diets. In the subset that received angiotensin II and captopril while in low salt balance, the renal vascular response was not different in whites and blacks. These data provide additional support for the concept that the intrarenal tissue renin system is more active in blacks than whites on a typical (high salt) diet and that the difference reflects primarily incomplete tissue renin suppression with an increase in salt intake. The mechanism involved may contribute to the increased susceptibility to renal injury in blacks.
Heritability of resistance to individual contaminants and to contaminant mixtures in the sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus)

Resistance heritability (the additive genetic variance out of the total phenotypic variance, signifying a population's potential to genetically adapt to detrimental levels of contamination) was quantified in the sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus). Heritability was estimated for tolerance to individual contaminants (phenanthrene, zinc) and to contaminant mixtures (phenanthrene plus zinc, and a complex mixture with three metals and three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Estimates were obtained from resemblances between relatives, both parent-offspring pairs, and families of sibs and half-sibs. Heritabilities determined from parent-offspring regressions averaged only 0.08 (scale, 0-1), whereas resemblance among full sibs yielded heritabilities averaging 0.85. The half-sib analysis yielded heritabilities of -0.01 (sire component) and 0.77 (dam component). This pattern in the magnitude of heritabilities indicates that heritabilities for the resistance of C. variegatus to these chemicals are low (with the high resemblances among sibs being due to common environmental and dominance genetic variation rather than additive genetic variation). The parent-offspring regressions provide evidence that heritabilities may be lower if more contaminants are involved. Our results mean, then, that C. variegatus in contaminated environments is not likely to become resistant to these contaminants very rapidly, and that resistance may develop even more slowly as more contaminants become involved.
Not another case of mono: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) associate hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).

Patient: Male, 30 Final Diagnosis: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (LHL) Symptoms: Abdominal pain • fever • hypotension • pancytopenia Medication: — Clinical Procedure:— Specialty: Infectious Diseases Objective: Rare disease
Extrafluorescent electroluminescence in organic light-emitting devices.

Organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) are a promising technology for flat-panel displays and solid-state lighting. While OLED efficiencies have increased dramatically in recent years, further progress is complicated by the fact that the vast majority of organic materials are fluorescent and therefore emit only from molecular excited states (‘excitons’) with spin 0, or ‘singlet’ spin symmetry. Here, we demonstrate the ability to manipulate the fraction of excitons which form as singlets in fluorescent materials by altering the OLED structure. We insert a mixing layer that affects only charge-transfer (CT) states, which are the precursors to excitons. As a result, we triple the singlet fraction and the efficiency of the red fluorophore DCM2. We term fluorescence enhanced by CT spin mixing ‘extrafluorescence’, and show that its origin is in part an inversion of the usual energetic ordering of the singlet and triplet CT states.
Assessing Kidney Function — Measured and Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate

In the coming years, estimates of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) may replace the measurement of serum creatinine as the primary tool for the assessment of kidney function. Indeed, many clinical laboratories already report estimated GFR values whenever serum creatinine is measured. This review considers current methods of measuring GFR and GFR-estimating equations and their strengths and weaknesses as applied to chronic kidney disease.
Assessment of intrusive cognition in PTSD: Use of the modified Stroop paradigm†

In this article, we review research supporting the modified Stroop color-naming paradigm as a means for assessing intrusive cognition in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Because Stroop interference reflects involuntary semantic activation, delayed color-naming of trauma-related words can provide an objective index of intrusive cognition that is not based on self-report. In a replication and extension of previous research, we found that Vietnam combat veterans with PTSD exhibited Stroop interference for trauma-related words but not for other threat words, positive words, or neutral words. Also, we provide reliability and validity data on the paradigm.
On modeling of chemical stimulation of an enhanced geothermal system using a high pH solution with chelating agent

On Modeling of Chemical Stimulation of an Enhanced Geothermal System using a High pH Solution with Chelating Agent Tianfu Xu 1 , Peter Rose 2 , Scott Fayer 2 , and Karsten Pruess 1 Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 e-mail: Tianfu_Xu@lbl.gov Energy and Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah • 423 Wakara Way suite 300 Salt Lake City, UT 84108 Abstract. Dissolution of silica and calcite in the presence of a chelating agent (NTA) at a high pH was successfully demonstrated in laboratory experiments using a high- temperature flow reactor. (Note that the term “silica” used here includes amorphous silica, quartz, and silicate glass bead). The mineral dissolution and associated porosity enhancement in the experiments were reproduced by reactive transport modeling using TOUGHREACT. The chemical stimulation method was applied by numerical modeling to a field geothermal injection well system to investigate its effectiveness. Parameters applicable to the quartz monzodiorite unit at the Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) site at Desert Peak (Nevada) were used. Results indicate that the injection of a high pH chelating solution results in dissolution of both calcite and plagioclase, while avoiding precipitation of calcite at high temperature conditions. Consequently reservoir porosity and permeability can be enhanced especially near the injection well. Injection at a lower temperature of 120 o C (over 160 o C in the base-case) results in a porosity increase that is smaller close to the injection point, but extends to a larger radial distance. A slower kinetic rate results in less aggressive mineral dissolution close to the injection point and larger extent along the flow path, which is favorable for chemical stimulation. Key words. chemical stimulation, high pH solution, chelating agent, Enhanced Geothermal System, EGS, Desert Peak.
Identifying sensors from fingerprint images

In this paper we study the application of hardware fingerprinting based on PRNU noise analysis of biometric fingerprint devices for sensor identification. For each fingerprint sensor, a noise reference pattern is generated and subsequently correlated with noise residuals extracted from test images. We experiment on three different databases including a total of 20 fingerprint sensors. Our results indicate that fingerprint sensor identification at unit level is attainable with promising prospects. Our analysis indicates that in many cases identification can be performed even when one only has access to a limited number of samples. For two of the three databases one can train on less than 8 images per device and establish sensor identification with little or no misclassification error. On the third database, high levels of identification performance can be achieved when training on similar amounts of images required for other types of sensor identification such as cameras or scanners.
Multiyear drought-induced morbidity preceding tree death in southeastern U.S. forests

Recent forest diebacks, combined with threats of future drought, focus attention on the extent to which tree death is caused by catastrophic events as opposed to chronic declines in health that accumulate over years. While recent attention has focused on large-scale diebacks, there is concern that increasing drought stress and chronic morbidity may have pervasive impacts on forest composition in many regions. Here we use long-term, whole-stand inventory data from southeastern U.S. forests to show that trees exposed to drought experience multiyear declines in growth prior to mortality. Following a severe, multiyear drought, 72% of trees that did not recover their pre-drought growth rates died within 10 yr. This pattern was mediated by local moisture availability. As an index of morbidity prior to death, we calculated the difference in cumulative growth after drought relative to surviving conspecifics. The strength of drought-induced morbidity varied among species and was correlated with drought tolerance. These findings support the ability of trees to avoid death during drought events but indicate shifts that could occur over decades. Tree mortality following drought is predictable in these ecosystems based on growth declines, highlighting an opportunity to address multiyear drought-induced morbidity in models, experiments, and management decisions.
Hypothalamic localization of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein: the missing piece of the puzzle is found

Substantial evidence has accumulated for the existence in brain of steroid synthetic mechanisms similar to, but independent from those present in peripheral tissues. Recent findings suggest that many of the enzymes necessary for steroidogenesis occur in brain neurons and glia, and now a broader distribution of that enzymatic machinery has been identified, providing evidence for local, paracrine actions of brain-derived steroids in the neuroendocrine hypothalamus.
Differential volatile emissions and salicylic acid levels from tobacco plants in response to different strains of Pseudomonas syringae

Pathogen-induced plant responses include changes in both volatile and non-volatile secondary metabolites. To characterize the role of bacterial pathogenesis in plant volatile emissions, tobacco plants, Nicotiana tabacum L. K326, were inoculated with virulent, avirulent, and mutant strains of Pseudomonas syringae. Volatile compounds released by pathogen-inoculated tobacco plants were collected, identified, and quantified. Tobacco plants infected with the avirulent strains P. syringae pv. maculicola ES4326 (Psm ES4326) or pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000), emitted quantitatively different, but qualitatively similar volatile blends of (E)-β-ocimene, linalool, methyl salicylate (MeSA), indole, caryophyllene, β-elemene, α-farnesene, and two unidentified sesquiterpenes. Plants treated with the hrcC mutant of Pst DC3000 (hrcC, deficient in the type-III secretion system) released low levels of many of the same volatile compounds as in Psm ES4326- or Pst DC3000-infected plants, with the exception of MeSA, which occurred only in trace amounts. Interaction of the virulent pathogen P. syringae pv. tabaci (Pstb), with tobacco plants resulted in a different volatile blend, consisting of MeSA and two unidentified sesquiterpenes. Overall, maximum volatile emissions occurred within 36 h post-inoculation in all the treatments except for the Pstb infection that produced peak volatile emissions about 60 h post-inoculation. (E)-β-Ocimene was released in a diurnal pattern with the greatest emissions during the day and reduced emissions at night. Both avirulent strains, Psm ES4326 and Pst DC3000, induced accumulation of free salicylic acid (SA) within 6 h after inoculation and conjugated SA within 60 h and 36 h respectively. In contrast, SA inductions by the virulent strain Pstb occurred much later and conjugated SA increased slowly for a longer period of time, while the hrcC mutant strain did not trigger free and conjugated SA accumulations in amounts significantly different from control plants. Jasmonic acid, known to induce plant volatile emissions, was not produced in significantly higher levels in inoculated plants compared to the control plants in any treatments, indicating that induced volatile emissions from tobacco plants in response to P. syringae are not linked to changes in jasmonic acid.
Jensen's reaction-time investigations of intelligence: A critique.

Abstract Jensen has reported a series of reaction-time studies which lead him to conclude that various parameters correlate significantly with IQ. Certain of these parameters are especially emphasized because of their theoretical background and the resulting theoretical light they shed upon the nature of intelligence. Two of the lime-lighted parameters are slope of RT across set size and increasing correlations of RT with IQ as set size increases. I review these studies in detail. I conclude that Jensen's claims are unwarranted. There are many difficulties in his approach that cover the entire gamut from method to data to theory. Some original reseach of my own is reported to illustrate the methodological problems with Jensen's procedure. The data that he alludes to often do not support his claims. The theory that he applies does not fit his paradigm. My conclusion: such research is not easy.
Demand side energy management via multiagent coordination in consumer cooperatives

A key challenge in creating a sustainable and energy-efficient society is to make consumer demand adaptive to the supply of energy, especially to the renewable supply. In this article, we propose a partially-centralized organization of consumers (or agents), namely, a consumer cooperative that purchases electricity from the market. In the cooperative, a central coordinator buys the electricity for the whole group. The technical challenge is that consumers make their own demand decisions, based on their private demand constraints and preferences, which they do not share with the coordinator or other agents. We propose a novel multiagent coordination algorithm, to shape the energy demand of the cooperative. To coordinate individual consumers under incomplete information, the coordinator determines virtual price signals that it sends to the consumers to induce them to shift their demands when required. We prove that this algorithm converges to the central optimal solution and minimizes the electric energy cost of the cooperative. Additionally, we present results on the time complexity of the iterative algorithm and its implications for agents' incentive compatibility. Furthermore, we perform simulations based on real world consumption data to (a) characterize the convergence properties of our algorithm and (b) understand the effect of differing demand characteristics of participants as well as of different price functions on the cost reduction. The results show that the convergence time scales linearly with the agent population size and length of the optimization horizon. Finally, we observe that as participants' flexibility of shifting their demands increases, cost reduction increases and that the cost reduction is not sensitive to variation in consumption patterns of the consumers.
Imaging Systems For Robotics Applications

Sensing is the mechanism by which robots receive information from the world around them. Robot sensing, and in particular, robot vision is the basis for providing sensory inputs to a smart robot. Devices that make robot vision possible are typically classified as electro-optical sensors. Thus a critical review of robot vision is essentially a review of current and predicted capabilities for imaging electro-optical sensors. The critical element in an electro-optical sensor is the detector and most detectors are semiconductor devices. Thus we conclude that robot vision is closely tied to the state of the art in the development of photo-sensitive semiconductor materials and in the fabrication of large scale arrays of detector elements. This paper begins with a review of the fundamental principles that are important to electro-optical sensors. Selected state of the art sensor systems are next analyzed to show expected performance. Finally a review is given of detector technology as related to robot vision including a comparison of materials, array sizes, performance and cost.© (1984) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Manipulating iron availability in nearshore waters

The consideration of iron effects on marine ecosystems has focused mainly on high-nitrate low-chlorophyll regions, but iron likely has an equally important regulatory role in coastal waters. Iron requirements of neritic phytoplankton not only are comparatively high but also differ substantially among species, so that iron fluctuations within metal-replete systems should strongly influence the composition and distribution of phytoplankton assemblages. But unlike the simplicity of testing iron effects in iron-depleted waters, ascertaining iron effects in apparently replete waters has been forestalled by a lack of experimental tools that can regulate iron availability independent of other bioactive metals in seawater. I present here the results of size-fractionated shipboard culture experiments using the fungal siderophore desferriferrioxime B (DFB) to regulate iron availability in coastal upwelling waters. Addition of excess DFB essentially eliminated 59 Fe uptake by both phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria over a 6-h period and allowed only marginal iron uptake ove r5do fincubation. Carbon uptake by small (0.2‐5.0-mm) phytoplankton was immediately curtailed upon addition of DFB, signifying a rapid onset of iron stress. In contrast, short-term (0‐6 h) carbon uptake by larger (.5.0-mm) phytoplankton was not affected, indicating that larger cells contained significant iron reserves. Nonetheless, carbon assimilation was substantially lower in DFB treatments relative to the controls afte r5do fincubation. Uptake of 54 Mn, 65 Zn, and 57 Co was not immediately affected by DFB but then slowed after 4 h and was significantly lower after 5 d, presumably because iron limitation lowered the cellular requirements for these bioactive metals. These findings demonstrate that DFB can be used to manipulate biologically accessible iron to determine how iron affects algal community structure and carbon cycling in ironreplete waters.
Fine structure of canine Kupffer cells and their microtubule-containing cytosomes†

The ultrastructure of Kupffer cells of canine liver has been studied and described. Kupffer cell nuclei were elongated and irregular in shape having a prominent double nuclear envelope containing scattered ribosomes on the outer membrane. Mitochondria were small, relatively scarce, and contained few mitochondrial granules. Elements of endoplasmic reticulum were scarce and highly irregular in form. In general, the cytoplasm was less dense than hepatocytes and contained fewer organelles which were less compactly arranged than in hepatocytes. Microbodies were not observed in any of the Kupffer cells studied. The cytoplasm contained various numbers of large phagosomes but consistently contained numerous dense cytosomes of various sizes. The most striking finding was that many cytosomes and phagosomes contained large numbers of short microtubules approximately 350 A in diameter which were arranged in clusters and were associated with membanes.
MR portal venography: preliminary results of fast acquisition without contrast material or breath holding.

Abstract Rationale and Objectives The authors performed this study to evaluate the feasibility of using the steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequence to perform magnetic resonance (MR) venography of the portal venous system without the use of contrast material or breath holding. Materials and Methods Eleven patients underwent MR venography with the SSFP technique. Coronal three-dimensional images were obtained with respiratory triggering. Contrast material and respiratory suspension were not used. All patients had recently undergone at least one other imaging study (conventional angiography, transhepatic portal venography, ultrasound, or contrast-enhanced computed tomography), and these findings were correlated with those from MR venography. The structures evaluated were the main portal vein, right portal vein, left portal vein, superior mesenteric vein, and splenic vein. Results MR venography with SSFP accurately depicted the status of these veins in all cases except one. In this patient, MR venography depicted portal vein thrombus but could not indicate that it was tumor thrombus. Conclusion MR venography with SSFP accurately depicted the portal venous system in 10 of 11 patients without the use of respiratory suspension or contrast material.
A comparative study of advanced MOSFET structures

This work presents a comparative study of advanced MOSFET structures that have been proposed for around 0.1 /spl mu/m generation in the subjects of short-channel effect, drain saturation current, and relative gate delay. Our approach differs from other studies in that we emphasize compact analytical models and parametric comparison. These heuristic and analytic models are guided by experimental and simulational data. Based on these models, key device design parameters are extracted and compared. This approach provides good insight for device design, quick figure-of-merit, and a framework for analyzing a wide variety of MOSFETs. The devices in this study are : (a) uniformly-doped MOSFET, (b) delta-doped MOSFET, (c) pocket-implanted MOSFET, (d) SOI MOSFET, and (e) double-gated MOSFET. Their generic extensions cover almost every advanced MOSFET.
Hitchhiking Under Positive Darwinian Selection

Positive selection can be inferred from its effect on linked neutral variation. In the restrictive case when there is no recombination, all linked variation is removed. If recombination is present but rare, both deterministic and stochastic models of positive selection show that linked variation hitchhikes to either low or high frequencies. While the frequency distribution of variation can be influenced by a number of evolutionary processes, an excess of derived variants at high frequency is a unique pattern produced by hitchhiking (derived refers to the nonancestral state as determined from an outgroup). We adopt a statistic, H, to measure an excess of high compared to intermediate frequency variants. Only a few high-frequency variants are needed to detect hitchhiking since not many are expected under neutrality. This is of particular utility in regions of low recombination where there is not much variation and in regions of normal or high recombination, where the hitchhiking effect can be limited to a small (<1 kb) region. Application of the H test to published surveys of Drosophila variation reveals an excess of high frequency variants that are likely to have been influenced by positive selection.
The effect of vegetarian diet, plant foods, and phytochemicals on hemostasis and thrombosis

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is multifactorial with a complex etiology. Conventional risk factors including serum lipids account for less than one half of future IHD events. In the past few years, novel risk factors such as hemostatic and thrombotic factors contributing to the development and progression of IHD have been explored. Typically, diet is the first line of consideration in the prevention of IHD, but very little is known about the effect of diet and nutrients on hemostasis and thrombosis. Cross-sectional studies indicate that vegetarians may have a lower concentration of certain markers of hemostasis compared with nonvegetarians. Platelet aggregation, an index of thrombosis, appears to be higher among vegetarians than nonvegetarians, perhaps because of the lower intake of long-chain n-3 fatty acids among vegetarians. Monounsaturated-fat-rich plant foods may have a protective role in hemostasis and may explain in part the lower incidence of IHD in Mediterranean countries where residents consume a diet high in monounsaturated fatty acid. Finally, certain fruits and vegetables such as soy, garlic, and purple grapes may have antithrombotic effects, which may in part be due to the phytochemicals in these foods. Although this review suggests that a plant-based diet with sufficient n-3 fatty acids and certain fruits and vegetables may have a favorable impact on hemostasis and thrombosis, the evidence is neither sufficient nor conclusive at this time to warrant specific recommendations for the public. Clearly, much remains to be done in this area of investigation.
Servo control for a class of uncertain linear systems derived from a separation

A servo control proposed [1-5] for a class of nonlinear dynamic systems with uncertain parameters and inputs, is shown to admit a solution when specialized to a class of uncertain linear systems. The control is generated by output feedback where the controller and the observer gains are computed by utilizing a special separation of the uncertain effects from the nominal state equations.
Tree decomposition algorithm for large networks

Decomposition algorithms have been proposed for finding the shortest paths between all pairs of nodes in a large network. The central idea is to treat the large network as several small networks overlapping each other. When the small networks overlap each other linearly, algorithms have been proposed to treat each small network individually. The present note treats the case of small networks overlapping each other like a tree.
Large‐scale modeling of primary production and ice algal biomass within arctic sea ice in 1992

[1] An ice ecosystem model was coupled to a global dynamic sea ice model to assess large-scale variability of primary production and ice algal biomass within arctic sea ice. The component models are the Physical Ecosystem Model (PhEcoM) ice ecosystem model and the Los Alamos Sea Ice Model (CICE). Simulated annual arctic sea ice primary production was 15.1 Tg C; within the range of 9 to 73 Tg C estimated using in situ data. The amount of C fixed was >3 Tg C month−1 for March, April, and May. The Bering Sea, Arctic Ocean basins, and the Canadian Archipelago/Baffin Bay were the most productive regions on an annual basis, contributing approximately 24, 18, and another 18%, respectively. High production in the Bering Sea was due to high daily production rates, while the large sea ice coverage in the Canadian Archipelago/Baffin Bay and, in particular, the Arctic Ocean basins resulted in their considerable contribution to sea ice primary production. The simulated trends, patterns, and seasonality of ice algae agree reasonably well with very limited observations. In the model, ice growth rate controls the availability of nutrients to sea ice algae, such that ocean nutrient supply is of secondary importance to ice algal growth. The numerical model results suggest that ice melt rate, which determines the proportional rate of ice algal release, controls the termination of the bloom on large scales. The model described advances the role of sea ice algae in biogeochemical cycling within global climate models.
Light and scanning electron microscopy of the interaction of the biocontrol fungus Alternaria cassiae with sicklepod (Cassia obtusifolia)

(1987). Light and scanning electron microscopy of the interaction of the biocontrol fungus Alternaria cassiae with sicklepod (Cassia obtusifolia) Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology: Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 230-235.
Otoferlin is a calcium sensor that directly regulates SNARE-mediated membrane fusion

Otoferlin is a large multi–C2 domain protein proposed to act as a calcium sensor that regulates synaptic vesicle exocytosis in cochlear hair cells. Although mutations in otoferlin have been associated with deafness, its contribution to neurotransmitter release is unresolved. Using recombinant proteins, we demonstrate that five of the six C2 domains of otoferlin sense calcium with apparent dissociation constants that ranged from 13–25 µM; in the presence of membranes, these apparent affinities increase by up to sevenfold. Using a reconstituted membrane fusion assay, we found that five of the six C2 domains of otoferlin stimulate membrane fusion in a calcium-dependent manner. We also demonstrate that a calcium binding–deficient form of the C2C domain is incapable of stimulating membrane fusion, further underscoring the importance of calcium for the protein’s function. These results demonstrate for the first time that otoferlin is a calcium sensor that can directly regulate soluble N-ethyl-maleimide sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor–mediated membrane fusion reactions.
The beta-adrenergic receptor in pulmonary arterial hypertension: a novel therapeutic target?

Considerable success has been achieved in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) over the past 15 years, with 9 drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies worldwide for use by several different modes of delivery and lung transplantation
A Quantum Chemistry Concept Inventory for Physical Chemistry Classes

A 14-item, multiple-choice diagnostic assessment tool, the quantum chemistry concept inventory or QCCI, is presented. Items were developed based on published student misconceptions and content coverage and then piloted and used in advanced physical chemistry undergraduate courses. In addition to the instrument itself, data from both a pretest, prior to a semester of instruction, and a post-test, after a semester of instruction, are provided. These data suggest that the QCCI is capable of measuring the variation of student conceptual understanding of quantum mechanics in the context of a physical chemistry course and that the instrument is sensitive to gains in student understanding that result from direct instruction in the topic, even when that instruction has a significant mathematical component as is common for this course.
Abstract W MP70: Characteristics of Patients With Microemboli Detected With Transcranial Doppler Monitoring

Introduction: TCD emboli monitoring (TCDe) is a non-invasive tool used to detect the presence of ongoing microembolic signals (MES) in the intracranial arterial vessels. The clinical utility of this test in the evaluation of acute stroke patients has been debated. Our goal was to evaluate clinical factors associated with MES in ischemic stroke patients who underwent TCDe to determine which patient population may benefit from TCDe. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of adult patients admitted to our tertiary care center for TIA or ischemic stroke from 2011 to 2012 who underwent TCDe. Monitoring was performed for 20 minutes using a standardized protocol. Inclusion criteria included insonatation of both middle cerebral arteries and completion of TCD bubble study (TCB). Repeat TCDe performed on the same patient were excluded from the analysis. Demographic, clinical and objective data were collected using our EMR system. Results: Of the 113 patients included in the final analysis, mean age was 57.9 years and 46.9% were female. MES occurred in 33.6% patients. Mean # of MES was 9.3 (SD 60.6). Patients with MES were significantly younger (51.8 years vs 61.0, p.006) and had fewer vascular risk factors: diabetes (10.5% vs 33.3%, p 0.006), hyperlipidemia (23.7% vs 49.3%, p 0.007), hypertension (47.4% vs 17.33%, p 0.067), atrial fibrillation (7.9% vs 17.33 %, p 0.16), congestive heart failure (5.3% vs 10.7%, p 0.32) and coronary artery disease (18.4 % vs 29.3%, p 0.2). Cryptogenic stroke and the presence of right to left shunt (RLS) was more frequent in patients with MES than those without. Mean WBC count and usCRP were both nonsignificantly higher in patients with MES. Conclusions: Clinical characteristics of patients with MES on TCDe differed from those without MES, which may have diagnostic and clinical implications. Patients with MES were younger and had fewer stroke risk factors. MES were seen more often in patients with RLS and in those with cryptogenic stroke, which raises the possibility of an association between these two factors. Interestingly, patients with MES also had higher usCRP and WBC values, suggesting a possible inflammatory component to the occurrence of MES. More research is needed with a larger sample size to better define the significance of the above findings.
Impact of Video Discharge Instructions for Pediatric Fever and Closed Head Injury from the Emergency Department

Abstract Background Lack of understanding of diagnosis and disease process remains a major complaint of caregivers who bring their children to the pediatric emergency department (PED). Misunderstanding of diagnosis and discharge instructions can lead to unnecessary return visits and health disparities. Objective We attempted to determine if video discharge instructions when added to standard of care written and verbal instruction improved caregivers' comprehension of their child's diagnosis, disease process, and discharge instructions. Methods Caregivers who presented to the PED with a child's chief complaint of fever or closed head injury (CHI) were included and randomized into a control or intervention group. Each group received standard discharge instructions, and the intervention group additionally viewed a video. Participants completed a post-test on knowledge and were followed 2 weeks post-visit to determine follow-up care. Results Sixty-three caregivers participated in the study. Eleven participants had less than a high school (HS) education and 52 had more than a HS education. Thirty-one children presented with fever and 32 with CHI. The intervention group had significantly higher percentage of correct answers on postintervention tests (median [Mdn] = 88.89) than the control (Mdn = 75.73; p p = 0.13), whereas those in the control group with less than a HS education (Mdn = 66.67) had significantly lower test scores than those with more than a HS education (Mdn = 77.78; p = 0.03). Conclusion For caregivers with children who presented to the PED with fever and CHI, video discharge instructions improved caregiver comprehension of the child's diagnosis and disease process when added to verbal and written instructions.
Disulfide Sensitivity in the Env Protein Underlies Lytic Inactivation of HIV-1 by Peptide Triazole Thiols.

We investigated the mode of action underlying lytic inactivation of HIV-1 virions by peptide triazole thiol (PTT), in particular the relationship between gp120 disulfides and the C-terminal cysteine-SH required for virolysis. Obligate PTT dimer obtained by PTT SH cross-linking and PTTs with serially truncated linkers between pharmacophore isoleucine–ferrocenyltriazole-proline–tryptophan and cysteine-SH were synthesized. PTT variants showed loss of lytic activity but not binding and infection inhibition upon SH blockade. A disproportionate loss of lysis activity vs binding and infection inhibition was observed upon linker truncation. Molecular docking of PTT onto gp120 argued that, with sufficient linker length, the peptide SH could approach and disrupt several alternative gp120 disulfides. Inhibition of lysis by gp120 mAb 2G12, which binds at the base of the V3 loop, as well as disulfide mutational effects, argued that PTT-induced disruption of the gp120 disulfide cluster at the base of the V3 loop is an ...
Marine Mammal Protection Act Implementation in an Era of Climate Change

This chapter explores the history of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), revealing an evolving, data-intensive and species-specific adaptive approach to marine mammal protection and regulation. The MMPA ultimately embraces the “precautionary principle,” prohibiting human actions from taking marine mammals unless otherwise authorized by the federal agencies and supported by adequate information. Consequently, this chapter also considers how climate change may affect the implementation of the MMPA. In the context of U.S. ocean management, and in the absence of statutory reform, the uncertainties of a changing climate will conflict with the MMPA’s rigid prohibitions of harm or harassment to marine mammals. Difficult decisions lie ahead as to how our nation will reconcile marine mammal protection with other competing policy needs.
Optimizing postharvest methyl bromide treatments to control spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, in sweet cherries from Western USA

Methyl bromide (MB) chamber fumigations were evaluated for postharvest control of spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), in fresh sweet cherry exports from Western USA. Sweet cherries were infested with SWD, incubated to maximize numbers of the most MB-tolerant specimens (ca. 60 to 108-h old at fumigation, 88% 3rd & 2nd instars), buried amongst uninfested fruit in bins consistent with commercial practice, cooled to an average pulp temperature ≥ 8.3 °C, and then fumigated in a chamber. Treatment efficacy was diagnosed by the percentage of survivors emerging as adults from fumigated cherries relative to that from non-fumigated control cherries. A kinetic model of sorption was developed based on the measurement of MB and how calculated exposures varied across the fumigation trials. The model describes how to manipulate the applied MB dose, fumigation duration, and the load factor so that the resultant exposure is adequate for SWD control across various pulp temperatures when cherries are fumigated in wooden versus plastic bins. Results are discussed in the context of graduation toward optimized quarantine fumigation schedules for control of SWD, which will promote more strategic technical and economic Quarantine Pre-shipment (QPS) use of MB.
ON ENABLING NANOCRYSTALLINE DIAMOND FOR DEVICE USE: NOVEL ION BEAM METHODOLOGY AND THE REALIZATION OF SHALLOW N-TYPE DIAMOND

Despite the many superior attributes of diamond, electronic device performance to date has fallen well behind theoretical expectation. The potential realization of highly efficient electronic polycrystalline diamond devices has been more than limited by certain technological challenges such as maintaining efficient/shallow n-type doping without higher density of defects or incorporation of sp2 bonded carbon as a result of doping(during ion implantation process). Specific n-type diamond reports demonstrating phosphorus doping (with activation energy reported in the range of 485 meV to 600 meV in (100) oriented systems have been particularly problematic as a lower solubility is found as compared to (111) oriented synthesis efforts, in addition to the reported self-compensating nature. Amongst the previous reports of Phosphorus-doped diamond nearly all experimental reports to date show visual crystallographic dislocation/pitting on the (100) facet with even moderate doping where dislocations have been observed to be incorporated into the bulk volume during growth. These dislocations, which are known carrier scattering sites, subsequently lower mobility rendering poor conductance and high resistivity. Due to this well-known sensitivity of phosphorus incorporation to the crystal quality, typically lower in polycrystalline than homoepitaxial films, polycrystalline-based experimental reports have been largely absent. With respect to Phosphorus in-situ doping based efforts, rendered films demonstrate both the visually identifiable pitting and electronically identifiable poor conduction characteristic, and with respect to ion beam doping efforts, complete graphitic flaking at even moderate doses (i.e. greater than 3×1017cm−3). Motivated by these shortcomings and the success of recent experimentation, we present the methodology and data from our recent successful fabrication of polycrystalline diamond P+-i-N junction (diode) with high crystal quality, high power handling capability, high current density, low threshold voltage, and ohmic contact, under room temperature operation, previously undemonstrated across all diamond material types. The superior electrical performance of the device was obtained by novel ion beam methodology designed to resolve previously unaddressed issues relating to n-type doping of diamond materials. A high current density of approximately 104 A/cm2 is attained at 20V forward bias.
Multi-Component Turbulent Droplet Evaporation of Kerosene Fuel in Hot Gas Environment

Kerosene fuel has been considered as an alternative fuel for space and various propulsion systems. This paper describes a new model that simultaneously accounts for droplet finite thermal conductivity, finite mass diffusivities and liquid turbulence in predicting multicomponent evaporating phenomena in an atomizing spray. The kerosene fuel (Jet-A) is modeled by a four-component surrogate composed of trans-3-octane, transdecalin, dodecane and pentadecane. This surrogate can predict the characteristics of distillation curve, density, specific heat coefficient and viscosity within 5% error when compared with real Kerosene fuel properties. This paper presents results of detailed heat/mass transfer characteristics of Kerosene fuel injected into a hot gas environment.
The role of hepatic microbody and soluble oxidases in the peroxidation of methanol in the rat and monkey.

Hepatic oxidases were studied in rat and monkey liver homogenates and subcellular fractions for their capacity to provide hydrogen peroxide for the catalase-dependent peroxidative oxidation of methanol. Urate oxidase and glycolate oxidase were the most active hepatic hydrogen peroxide-generating enzymes in the rat; much less activity was found in preparations obtained from monkey liver. Supplementation of solubilized hepatic microbodies or cell sap from either species with an exogenous hydrogen peroxide-generating system stimulated methanol oxidation above rates obtained when uric acid or glycolic acid was used to enhance methanol oxidation. Addition of crystalline catalase did not affect the rate of methanol oxidation. These studies indicate that hydrogen peroxide generation is rate-limiting in the peroxidation of methanol in both rat and monkey liver, and the low activity of oxidases in monkey liver may explain the lack of peroxidative oxidation of methanol in this species.
The surgery of arteriosclerosis.

Direct arterial surgery is becoming more widely used in place of sympathectomy and vasodilator drugs in the treatment of arteriosclerotic lesions. It is indicated in those cases demonstrated by angiography to have localised obstructions of the larger arteries. The methods employed include the removal of intra-arterial blocks by endarterectomy or their bypass by prosthetic or saphenous vein grafts. The results are frequently outstandingly successful. Nevertheless, arterial surgery is difficult and exacting, calling for meticulous attention to technique for success. The arteries may be in all stages of decrepitude and one marvels at their ability to hold sutures. Despite the apparent hazards and an appreciable mortality rate, the outcome is mostly highly rewarding.
HIV Infection and Myelodysplastic Syndrome/Acute Myeloid Leukemia

In this chapter, the authors briefly review the frequency, diagnosis, and treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in the setting of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. AML is relatively rare in HIV-infected individuals and had been described exclusively in adults until the report of a pediatric case in 2009. There have been no clinical trials to inform decision making in this group, but case series and retrospective analyses suggest that standard AML induction and consolidation algorithms are appropriate, particularly in those with well-controlled HIV viremia and adequate immune reserves. New areas of endeavor include high-dose chemotherapy coupled to autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Advances in the field of “HIV cure research” also offer the opportunity to eradicate not only AML but also HIV infection through the use of CCR-5-deficient hematopoietic stem cells.