cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of Nuclear Medicine for Diagnosing Infection of Recently Implanted Lower Extremity Arthroplasties

Infection is an infrequent complication of lower extremity prosthetic joint surgery. Approximately one-third develop within 3 months (early), another third within 1 year (delayed), and the remainder more than 1 year (late) after surgery. Diagnosing prosthetic joint infection, especially in the early postoperative period during the first year, is challenging. Pain is almost always present. The presence of fever is variable, ranging from less than 5% to more than 40% of patients. Leukocytosis is a poor predictor of infection. After primary uncomplicated arthroplasty, the C-reactive protein remains elevated for up to 3 weeks. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate can remain elevated for up to 1 year. Although joint aspiration with culture, the definitive preoperative diagnostic procedure, is specific, its sensitivity is variable. Plain radiographs lack sensitivity and specificity. Radionuclide studies are useful for evaluating painful joint replacements, but data on their utility during the early postoperative period are limited. During the first year after arthroplasty insertion, the bone scan can exclude infection. It is a good "rule-out" test, but it is not reliable for "ruling in" infection. Gallium-67 accumulates in normally healing surgical incisions and in aseptic inflammation. With an accuracy of 60%-80% for diagnosing prosthetic joint infection, there is little role for this radiopharmaceutical for evaluating prosthetic joints, regardless of age. Although data about diagnosing prosthetic joint infection with 18 F-FDG in the early postoperative period are lacking, uptake of this radiopharmaceutical in a variety of postoperative settings for variable time periods is well known. Furthermore, its utility for diagnosing prosthetic joint infection in general, after nearly 2 decades of investigation, remains to be established. Indium-111-labeled leukocytes do not accumulate in normally healing surgical wounds, and in combination with marrow imaging, the test is about 90% accurate for diagnosing prosthetic joint infection. Preliminary data indicate a comparable accuracy in the early postoperative period.
Plenary talk: Machine learning for SETI

A large corpus of interesting signal events from the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) is investigated to help find signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. The problem of identifying and categorizing different types of radio frequency interference (RFI) in unsupervised and semi-supervised settings are approached with representation learning using various types of autoencoding and self-supervised deep learning. The excision of RFI allows the remaining signals to be explored to find anomalies worthy of follow-up measurements. This collaborative work with the SETI Institute delves into topics of FFT-based feature engineering, automated representation learning, density equalization for enabling unsupervised learning and dimensionality reduction and clustering for RFI categorization. We find that there are dozens of categories of RFI captured by the ATA, but that a semi-supervised approach is required to allow for careful grouping.
Managed Participation: City Agencies and Micropolitics in Participatory Budgeting:

As participatory budgeting (PB) processes proliferate around the globe and within the United States, there remain questions regarding PB’s contested role as an empowering, pro-poor tool for social ...
DNA synthesis and late viral gene expression

Much of the current understanding of betaherpesvirus DNA synthesis is based on studies with the cytomegaloviruses and is further shaped by comparison with prototypic alpha- and gammaherpesviruses. As for all herpesviruses, betaherpesvirus DNA synthesis occurs in the nucleus and relies on a core set of virus-coded proteins composing the replication fork machinery (detailed later) working together with trans-acting functions that promote initiation on a genetically defined, cis-acting replicator, called oriLyt. DNA synthesis initiates in the vicinity of oriLyt as soon as essential virus coded proteins appear, producing high molecular weight replication intermediates whose structure has not been fully characterized. Onset of viral DNA synthesis licenses transcription of a subset of the late class of viral genes, many of which encode proteins that assemble and constitute the complex virion. Subsequently, replication intermediates are resolved, and the progeny genomes are packaged into preformed capsids and mature ends are formed by the encapsidation machinery. Because these replication functions are essential for viral replication and pathogenesis, and differ from host counterparts, they have been candidate targets for the development of antiviral drugs. Moreover, further study of DNA replication and encapsidation may provide new insights about cellular components that contribute to these processes. Our goals in this chapter are to provide an up-to-date summary of betaherpesvirus lytic-phase replication machinery, to highlight emerging contrasts to other herpesviruses, and to consider how DNA synthesis-dependent late gene expression is regulated.
The pattern of eosinophilia in premature infants: A prospective study in premature infants using the absolute eosinophil count

The incidence and severity of eosinophilia was prospectively studied in 45 premature infants, who were divided into three groups according to their gestational age. The incidence and severity of eosinophilia was higher in smaller preterm infants. A significantly higher number of infants with eosinophilia received total parenteral nutrition, endotracheal intubation, or blood transfusions. The duration of total parenteral nutrition or endotracheal intubation and the number of blood transfusions were also significantly higher in infants with eosinophilia. Eosinophilia in premature infants is not associated with neutropenia.
Role of Photogenerated Iodine on the Energy-Conversion Properties of MoSe2 Nanoflake Liquid Junction Photovoltaics.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) such as MoSe2 and WSe2 are efficient materials for converting solar energy to electrical energy in photoelectrochemical photovoltaic cells. One limiting factor of these liquid junction solar cells is that photogenerated oxidation products accumulate on the electrode surface and decrease the photocurrent efficiency. However, it is unclear where the reaction products accumulate on the electrode surface and how they impact the local photoelectrochemical response. This open question is especially important for the structurally heterogeneous TMD nanoflake thin-film electrodes that are promising for large-area solar energy conversion applications. Here, we use a single-nanoflake photoelectrochemical and Raman microscopy approach to probe how the photogenerated I2/I3– products impact the photocurrent collection efficiency and the onset potential in MoSe2-nanoflake|I–/I2|Pt photoelectrochemical solar cells. We observed localized I2/I3– deposition on all types of MoSe2 nanof...
Abstract 2995: CDK9 phosphorylates BRG1 chromatin remodeler

Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) belongs to the class of CDKs involved in transcription regulation along with CDK7, 8, 10-13. Earlier works have established that CDK9 is the catalytic subunit of P-TEFb, and a transcriptional activator. CDK9 inhibition holds promise for patients belonging to Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and BRD4-NUT-rearranged NUT midline carcinoma (NMC) groups. It is therefore fundamentally important to understand CDK9 mediated gene regulation. CDK9 in complex with its regulatory subunit, Cyclin T1 or T2, is known to promote RNAPII promoter-proximal pause release by phosphorylating negative elongation factors. Additionally, phosphorylation of the C-terminal domain (CTD) of RNAPII on Serine-2 allows recruitment of RNA processing factors, which work on the nascent RNA as it emerges from RNAPII. It is however not known whether CDK9 has any transcriptional repression activity. Earlier work from our lab demonstrated that long-term CDK9 inhibition leads to the activation of BRG1, an ATP-dependent nucleosome-remodeling complex from the SWI/SNF family of proteins. We therefore hypothesized that CDK9 directly phosphorylates BRG1 and regulates its activity. Using Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay we discovered that CDK9 associates with BRG1 endogenously in colon cancer cells. We tested the association of these proteins more rigorously by transiently over-expressing either FLAG-tagged or GFP-tagged CDK9 in HEK293T cells and performed immunoprecipitation using BRG1 antibody. CDK9 was found to co-precipitate with BRG1. We validated this via reciprocal Co-IPs. We performed an in vitro kinase assay using purified CDK9 and BRG1 proteins to demonstrate that CDK9 directly phosphorylates BRG1 and that inhibition of CDK9 leads to reduced phosphorylation of BRG1. We validated these results in vivo in colon cancer cells. Furthermore, our LC-MS/MS data lead to the identification of novel phosphorylation sites in BRG1 following CDK9 inhibition. These findings provide a potential mechanism for the transcriptional repressor activity associated with CDK9 and may be relevant for developing therapies targeting this transcriptional regulator. Citation Format: Somnath Pandey, Hanghang Zhang, Carlos A. Barrero, Salim Merali, Xavier Grana, Jean-Pierre Issa. CDK9 phosphorylates BRG1 chromatin remodeler [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2995.
Abstract # 3200 IL-6 production during repeated social defeat stress primes monocytes to induce anxiety-like behavior

Interleukin (IL)-6 is elevated in circulation with chronic stress and may contribute to the neurobehavioral complications. We have reported that repeated social defeat (RSD) stress in mice caused recruitment of proinflammatory monocytes to the brain and triggered the onset of anxiety-like behavior. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of IL-6 signaling in the peripheral immune response, neuroinflammation, and anxiety following stress. WT and IL-6KO mice were subjected to RSD. Although monocyte recruitment to the brain following stress was maintained in the IL-6KO mice, anxiety and social avoidance were completely prevented. Nanostring profiling of sorted monocytes from blood (CD11b + Ly6Chi) and brain (CD11b + CD45hi) revealed a unique pattern of immune-related gene expression that was dependent on stress and IL-6. For instance, blood monocytes had a transcriptional signature consistent with priming and glucocorticoid resistance, which was absent in the monocytes from IL-6KO mice after stress. Brain monocytes from WT mice had increased levels of Il-1b, Mmp9, Stat3, Myd88 and Cd14 following stress. This phenotype was absent in brain monocytes from IL-6KO mice. Here, we show the effects of IL-6 on the transcriptional signature of monocytes in circulation and in the brain after stress. Overall, robust increases in circulating IL-6 after stress induced a primed profile in the monocytes, which were recruited to the brain and functioned to augment IL-1-mediated inflammation and anxiety.
Epidemiological analysis and control strategy discussion for overseas imported malaria cases reported in Chongqing City from 2011 to 2015

OBJECTIVE To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of overseas imported malaria reported in Chongqing City from 2011 to 2015, so as to provide the evidence for improving the imported malaria control strategies. METHODS The epidemiological data of overseas imported malaria cases were collected and analyzed descriptively for the species, original countries, diagnosis and treatment in Chongqing City from 2011 to 2015. RESULTS A total of 148 overseas imported malaria cases were reported in Chongqing City from 2011 to 2015, in which 96 (65.54%) cases were falciparum malaria, and 37 (24.32%) cases were vivax malaria; 125 (84.46%) cases were infected in Africa, and the rest of 23 (15.54%) cases were infected in Southeast Asia. Most of the patients were 30 to 50 years old male workmen, and the ratio of male to female was 11.42:1. There was no obvious seasonal distribution among the reported timelines of the cases; however, there were two small peaks from June to August and from January to February. The median interval time of imported malaria cases from malaria onset to see a doctor was 1 day and from seeing the doctor to get malaria diagnosis was 2 days. The patients' first selected institutions were county medical institutions (50 cases, 33.78%), then provincial medical institutions (36 cases, 24.325%) and private doctors (20 cases, 13.51%), and only 79 (53.38%) patients got malaria diagnoses in their first selected institutions. The standard treatment were provided to 142 (95.54%) cases. There were 43 (29.05%) patients had serious complications and three patients were dead. CONCLUSIONS It is very important to enhance the multi-sector's collaboration to establish the collaborative investigation mechanism for screening malaria patients, and strengthen malaria health education for overseas workers and training courses in primary care medical institutions.
The relationship between type 1 diabetes and enterovirus infection

The pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes is complicated.The infection of enterovirus is closely related to this disease as one of the environmental factors.After susceptible individuals are infected by enterovirus,beta cells in pancreas islets are damaged in two ways,direct infection and autoimmune responses,then leading to the decrease of insulin secretion,clinical diabetes,finally resulting in functional failure of pancreatic islet. Key words: Enterovirus infection; Type 1 diabetes
Dietary Fermented Soy Extract and Oligo-Lactic Acid Alleviate Chronic Kidney Disease in Mice via Inhibition of Inflammation and Modulation of Gut Microbiota

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global epidemic with an increasing prevalence worldwide. Effective preventive strategies are urgently needed. This study aimed to investigate the effect of nutraceutical components, a fermented soybean product (ImmuBalance, IMB) and an oligo-lactic acid product (LAP), on the prevention of adenine-induced CKD in mice. Female C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned into following experimental groups: negative control; model control; and models treated with IMB at 250 or 1000 mg/kg body weight (BW), LAP at 1000 or 2000 mg/kg BW, and IMB/LAP combinations. The CKD model was established by intraperitoneal injection of adenine daily for 4 weeks, and treatments started 2 weeks before adenine injection and ended after 10 weeks. Compared with the model control, the treatments did not significantly alter the body weight or food intake. Both IMB and LAP, especially their combination, significantly inhibited tubular dilation, tubulointerstitial degeneration or atrophy, interstitial chronic inflammation and acute inflammation in the kidneys of CKD mice, and significantly decreased serum cystatin C levels. IMB or LAP significantly reversed CKD-associated increases of circulating and kidney levels of inflammatory cytokines, circulating levels of kidney injury biomarkers, and kidney levels of stem cell biomarkers, and significantly reversed CKD-associated reduction of cecum Clostridium leptum group. Our results suggest that dietary supplementation of IMB or LAP may significantly delay the development and/or progression of CKD.
Deligne-Lusztig duality on the moduli stack of bundles

Let $Bun_G(X)$ be the moduli stack of $G$-torsors on a smooth projective curve $X$ for a reductive group $G$. We prove a conjecture made by Drinfeld-Wang and Gaitsgory on the Deligne-Lusztig duality for D-modules on $Bun_G(X)$. This conjecture relates Drinfeld-Gaitsgory's pseudo-identity functors to the enhanced Eisenstein series and geometric constant term functors on $DMod(Bun_G(X))$. We also prove a "second adjointness" result for these enhanced functors.
Linear Stability and Robustness Analysis of Droop-Controlled Islanded Microgrids

In this paper, the stability and robustness of a droop-controlled islanded microgrid including multiple distributed generator (DG) units is analyzed in the linear system framework. The nonlinear power system is linearized around an operating point, and theorems from linear algebra are used to analyze its stability. The stability of the droop-controlled microgrid system is analyzed for the case of dominantly resistive tie-line impedances for all values of resistive-inductive or resistive-capacitive loads. Moreover, Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to analyze the robustness of the droop-controllers in the presence of phase differences between neighboring DG’s, and local voltage fluctuations.
The Fledgling Mindset: Preparing Biology Students to Leave the Academic Nest.

As Biology students prepare to complete their undergraduate degrees and continue into either a career or to another degree, the scientific skills learned in the classroom are not enough to secure their professional path. In this study, the soft skills such as the ability to work in a team and to communicate effectively were emphasized within the context of a newly designed Biology course. As a required course for majors within the Department of Biology, students represented a wide array of experiences, skill levels, and motivation. By adopting a guided inquiry approach to teaching and learning, instructors designed a student-centered course that focused on four categories of professional skills: problem solving, communication, teamwork, and career management. Data collected from student surveys were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of these interventions in enhancing student’s abilities and attitudes towards professional skills. These data suggest that students increased their proficiency in attributes valued by employers regardless of gender or major; became more likely to recognize those traits sought by employers; and gained confidence in their ability to use these skills in the workplace.
Characterizing the need for multiple epidural blood patches in the treatment of postdural puncture headache: an observational study.

Epidural blood patch (EBP) is an accepted treatment modality for postdural puncture headache (PDPH) refractory to conservative approaches.[1–5][1] Despite the established efficacy of EBP, some patients require more than one EBP intervention to achieve symptom resolution. The rate of repeat image-
Comparing traditional, immersive simulation with Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice in postgraduate year 2 anesthesiology residents.

Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice (RCDP) is an increasingly popular simulation technique that allows learners to achieve mastery of skills through repetition, feedback, and increasing difficulty. This manuscript describes the implementation and assessment of RCDP in an anesthesia residency curriculum. Researchers describe the comparison of RCDP with traditional instructional methods for anesthesiology residents' application of Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) and communication principles in a simulated environment. Residents (n = 21) were randomly assigned to either Traditional or RCDP education groups, with each resident attending 2 days of bootcamp. On their first day, the Traditional group received a lecture, then participated in a group, immersive simulation with reflective debriefing. The RCDP group received education through an RCDP simulation session. On their second bootcamp day, all participants individually engaged in an immersive simulation, then completed the “Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning” survey. Application of ECC and communication principles during the simulation was scored by a blinded reviewer through video review. Participants ended the bootcamp by ranking the experiences they found most valuable. No significant differences were found in the different group members’ individual performances during the immersive simulation, nor in the experiences they deemed most valuable. However, the Traditional education group reported higher levels of satisfaction and self-confidence in learning in 5 areas (p = 0.004–0.04). Regardless of RCDP or Traditional education grouping, anesthesia residents demonstrated no difference in ECC skill level or perceived value of interventions. However, members of the Traditional education group reported higher levels of satisfaction and self-confidence in numerous areas. Additional RCDP opportunities in the anesthesia residency program should be considered prior to excluding it as an educational method in our program.
Radiation Dose Reduction in Kidney Stone CT: A Randomized, Facility-Based Intervention.

Abstract Objective Kidney stones are common, tend to recur, and afflict a young population. Despite evidence and recommendations, adoption of reduced-radiation dose CT (RDCT) for kidney stone CT (KSCT) is slow. We sought to design and test an intervention to improve adoption of RDCT protocols for KSCT using a randomized facility-based intervention. Methods Facilities contributing at least 40 KSCTs to the American College of Radiology dose index registry (DIR) during calendar year 2015 were randomized to intervention or control groups. The Dose Optimization for Stone Evaluation intervention included customized CME modules, personalized consultation, and protocol recommendations for RDCT. Dose length product (DLP) of all KSCTs was recorded at baseline (2015) and compared with 2017, 2018, and 2019. Change in mean DLP was compared between facilities that participated (intervened-on), facilities randomized to intervention that did not participate (intervened-off), and control facilities. Difference-in-difference between intervened-on and control facilities is reported before and after intervention. Results Of 314 eligible facilities, 155 were randomized to intervention and 159 to control. There were 25 intervened-on facilities, 71 intervened-off facilities, and 96 control facilities. From 2015 to 2017, there was a drop of 110 mGy ∙ cm (a 16% reduction) in the mean DLP in the intervened-on group, which was significantly lower compared with the control group (P Discussion The Dose Optimization for Stone Evaluation intervention resulted in a significant (P
Kinder (bis 10 Jahre)

Der Beitrag widmet sich Kindern bis zu zehn Jahren als Adressat*innen der Offenen Arbeit. Dies geschieht aus der Perspektive der Kindheitsforschung: Erstens ist davon auszugehen, dass sich Kinder nicht ohne ‚ihre‘ jeweilige Kindheit verstehen lassen, und zweitens befinden sich diese Kindheiten in einem permanenten Wandel. Dies wiederum hat Auswirkungen auf die offene Arbeit mit Kindern – momentan etwa wenn es um die Ausweitung der Ganztagsschule geht. In diesem Beitrag werden also zunachst gegenwartige Kindheiten in den Blick genommen und insbesondere die Bedeutung von Familie und Schule beleuchtet. Anschliesend wird es unter dem Stichwort der Agency um Kinder und ihre Akteurschaft gehen. Hiervon ausgehend werden im dritten Abschnitt vier aktuelle Herausforderungen fur die offene Arbeit mit Kindern identifiziert.
Mark-to-Market (or Wealth) Taxation in the U.S.: Evidence from Options

Recent U.S. tax proposals under various names (e.g., wealth taxes, estate tax reform, etc.) center on mark-to-market (MTM) taxation, which eliminates investors’ ability to defer or avoid capital gains taxes. To provide insight on potential effects of these tax proposals, we exploit a unique U.S. setting where “index” options on the S&P 500 Index (SPX) face MTM taxation whereas nearly identical “non-index” options on the exchange traded fund (ETF) tracking the S&P 500 Index (SPY) do not. We find new evidence of asset price consequences to MTM taxation, suggesting that MTM taxation depresses asset prices as investors appear to avoid assets subject to MTM near year-end. Additional analysis suggests this result is driven by tax, rather than administrative, costs of MTM. From a policy perspective, this suggests that 1) MTM taxation has negative, unintended market consequences in the U.S. and 2) U.S. investors will engage in actions to avoid MTM taxation. Both attributes caution policymakers in any attempts to broaden MTM taxation.
Microbiological and Corrosivity Characterizations of Biodiesels and Advanced Diesel Fuels

Abstract : Experiments were designed to evaluate the nature and extent of microbial contamination and the potential for microbiologically influenced corrosion in biodiesel (B100), ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and mixtures of the two (B5 and B20). In experiments with additions of distilled water, B100 had the highest propensity for biofouling while the highest corrosion rates were measured in ultra-low-sulfur diesel.
Expert system based automated simulation and design optimization of a voltage-fed inverter for induction motor drive

Expert system tools are showing tremendous promise for application in power electronic systems. The paper describes expert system based automated simulation and design optimization of a voltage-fed PWM transistor inverter for an induction motor drive. During a typical consultation with the expert system in simple English language dialog, the user supplies the relevant data for power converter ratings and performance specifications. The expert system then designs the converter, and based on user's choice, simulates the system, makes observations on the simulation results and optimizes the performance. The power electronics engineer's expertise to conduct simulation, intelligent observation and optimization is embedded in the expert system. The shell PC PLUS is used to develop the expert system and PC-SIMNON simulation language is used for the system simulation. The bulk of the project consists of communication protocol development for the interface between the expert system and PC-SIMNON. The paper discusses the features of the expert system and simulation softwares, their interface, the methodology and knowledge representation for observation of simulation performance, design optimization, and finally the results. The same principles can be extended to larger and more complex power electronic systems. >
Design of Concurrent Software Based on Problem Concurrency

Two main approaches to the design of concurrent real-time software exist. One approach looks at how input data is transformed into output. The transformations essentially become the tasks. The other approach models the concurrency of the software on concurrency inherent in the problem. One example of this approach, entity-life modeling, starts by partitioning the events in the problem into concurrent threads, where each thread consists of a sequence of events with a minimum interval between each. Such a thread model is minimal if there is a time when all the threads occur simultaneously. A thread can often be seen as the “life” of some entity in the problem. Essentially, each thread gives rise to a task in the software. As an example, three different thread models of a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) are given. The FMS is essentially about resource contention. This can be made explicit by choosing a thread model where the entities contend for simultaneous, exclusive access to multiple resources.
Alk-1-enyl ether phospholipids (plasmalogens) and glycolipids of Treponema hyodysenteriae. Analysis of acyl and alk-1-enyl moieties.

Abstract The lipids of Treponema hyodysenteriae B78, the etiologic agent of swine dysentery, comprised 16.4% of the cell dry weight, and consisted of 37.4% glycolipids, 28.6% phospholipids, and 34.0% neutral lipids. Monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, a major lipid in all Treponema except Treponema pallidum , comprised 80% of the glycolipids. An unidentified galactolipid less polar than monogalactosyldiacylglycerol was also detected. Phosphatidylglycerol (19.5% of the total lipids) was the major phospholipid. Phosphatidylcholine, characteristically the major phospholipid of treponemes, comprised 6.1% of the total lipids. Cardiolipin and lysophosphatidylcholine were minor components. The alk-1-enyl ether forms of both the phospholipids (plasmalogens) and glycolipids predominated. The alk-1-enyl ether forms of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, the unidentified galactolipid, phosphatidylglycerol, cardiolipin, and phosphatidylcholine were 88.3, 96.4, 74.8, 60.6, and 6.3%, respectively. The acyl and alk-1-enyl chains of the organism were qualitatively similar and differed dramatically from those of the medium, indicating a capability for fatty acid synthesis that most Treponema do not possess. Saturated C 14 , C 15 , and C 16 chains comprised more than 95% of the acyl and alk-1-enyl groups. About 25% of the chains were iso-15:0, anteiso-15:0, and other branched moieties.
Simplified physics model of CO2 plume extent in stratified aquifer-caprock systems

The extent of plume migration as injected CO2 displaces the native reservoir fluids is a crucial performance metric to ensure safe and effective geologic sequestration. In this paper, we develop and validate a simplified physics model for the outer extent of CO2-brine interface in a stratified aquifer-caprock system. This involves quantifying the total storage efficiency, which is defined as the product of the volumetric sweep and displacement efficiencies, based on simulations covering an extensive parameter space of different reservoir and caprock properties. We model CO2 injection into a 2-D radially symmetric brine-filled reservoir with vertical permeability variations that is in hydraulic communication with a caprock. Based on insights from a suite of detailed numerical simulations of our system, the most important terms in the simplified model for total storage efficiency involve the relative permeability model followed by integrated measures of reservoir heterogeneity. A relationship is established for the plume extent at the end of injection from the amount of CO2 injected and the storativity (porosity-thickness product) of the reservoir. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Community Psychiatry in Malaysia

This report traces the first year's experience in community psychiatry in a developing country. Malaysia, where a group of psychiatrists decided to offer their services as consultants to community caregivers, including doctors, teachers, police, the clergy, and native healers. The psychiatrists had mixed success, depending largely on whether or not the consultees shared their attitudes and values. The authors conclude that the entire sociocultural setting of a developing country must be examined closely as to its underlying concepts and value systems before one can assess how open the culture is to mental health consultation. The consultants must be aware of the implicit and explicit value systems underlying the psychiatric consultation, as these may be different from those of the consultees and clients.
Knowledge, Perceptions, and Motivations Related to HPV Vaccination Among College Women

Little research exists on the factors that affect the uptake patterns of the recently developed Gardasil® vaccine among young women. Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of 18–24-year-old female students (n = 1,975) were assessed via an electronic survey. Mean HPV knowledge score, on a 10-point scale, was 6.8. A weak positive correlation (r (1,976) = 0.123, p < 0.001) was found between knowledge score and having received the vaccine. Parent recommendation, doctor recommendation, and perceiving the consequences of HPV as severe and prevalent were strongly related to previous vaccination. Data suggest a need for increased education about the vaccine and the importance of physician recommendation in increasing vaccine uptake.
Advocacy and government action for cancer prevention in older persons.

Government action and the advocacy activities that influence it are as important a concern for cancer control as they are for any other public issue. Policy advocacy strategies have proven themselves effective in cancer prevention efforts involving tobacco use and nutrition. Much of what has been learned from this experience can be applied with great effect in advocacy efforts for other cancer control measures. The implementation of Proposition 99, the 1988 tobacco tax initiative in California, illustrates the effectiveness of aggressive policy advocacy strategies such as provocative paid advertising, mobilization through coalitions, and community-level public relations, to bring about government action at all levels of government and in the private sector
Spreadsheet calculations of jets in crossflow: opposed rows of inline and staggered round holes

The objective of this study was to demonstrate and analyze empirical model results for jet-in-crossflow configurations which are typical in gas turbine combustors. Calculations in this paper, for opposed rows of round holes in both inline and staggered arrangements, were made with an Excel® spreadsheet implementation of a NASA-developed empirical model for the mean conserved scalar field. Results for cases of opposed rows of jets with the orifices on one side shifted by half the orifice spacing shows that staggering can improve the mixing, particularly for cases that would overpenetrate if the orifices were in an aligned configuration. For all cases investigated, the dimensionless variance of the mixture fraction decreased significantly with increasing downstream distance. The variation between cases at a given downstream location was smaller, but the “best” mixers for opposed rows of jets were found to be inline and staggered arrangements at an orifice spacing that is optimum for inline jets.
Anwendung von SEPIL auf die Festkörper‐Defektchemie von Fluoriten und die extreme anorganische Spurenanalyse

Obwohl seit vielen Jahren bekannt ist, das die Spektren der Lanthanoid-Ionen (Ionen der Seltenerdmetalle) Aufschlus uber Phanomene im Nahbereich dieser Ionen in Festkorpern geben konnen, wurde die Spektroskopie von Lanthanoiden nicht sehr haufig zum Studium komplexer Materialien angewendet, da die Klassifizierung der resultierenden Spektren problematisch ist. Die Einfuhrung abstimmbarer Laser hat dieses Problem gelost. Durch selektive Lumineszenzanregung der als Sonde dienenden Ionen (SEPIL = selectively exciting probe ion luminescence) ist es moglich, Fluoreszenz- und Anregungsspektren von Ionen zu erhalten, die in einer einzigen Art von kristallographischer Umgebung vorliegen. In diesem Aufsatz werden zwei Anwendungen der Methode besprochen. Die erste ist das Studium der Defektchemie von Fluoriten (Verbindungen mit CaF2-Gitter). Die Methode ergibt einzigartige Informationen uber die Festkorperchemie, so das viel vom unerklarten Verhalten dieser wichtigen Stoffklasse verstandlich wird. Die zweite Anwendung ist die extreme Spurenanalyse. Dazu wird das Assoziat aus dem zu analysierenden Ion und dem als Sonde fungierenden Ion untersucht. In diesem Assoziat lassen sich die spezifischen Kristallfeld-Niveaus der Sonde selektiv anregen, so das Spuren des zu analysierenden Ions mit hoher Selektivitat und Empfindlichkeit nachgewiesen werden konnen.
Mammalian homologues of yeast vacuolar protein sorting (vps) genes implicated in Golgi-to-lysosome trafficking.

Abstract Seclp, Vps33p, Vps45p and Slylp constitute a family of proteins implicated in vesicle trafficking at distinct stages of the yeast secretory pathway. Several mammalian homologues of Seclp have been described, including n-secI which has been implicated in the regulation of synaptic vesicle docking at the nerve terminal. We have characterized cDNA clones encoding three additional mammalian homologues belonging to this family: r-vps33a and r-vps33b from rat, which are 30 and 26% identical to yeast Vps33p, respectively, and h-vps45 from human which is 38% identical to yeast Vps45p at the amino acid (aa) level. Phylogenetic analysis of 16 Seclp-related proteins from several species is consistent with the hypothesis that the evolution of this gene family parallels the specialization of vesicle trafficking to distinct intracellular compartments. By Northern analysis, each of these genes is expressed in all tissues examined (brain, spleen, lung, liver, skeletal muscle, kidney, testis). While n-secI binds syntaxin la, 2, and 3, r-vps33a, r-vps33b and h-vps45 do not bind any of the known syntaxins. We propose that the three proteins bind as yet unidentified syntaxin homologues involved in vesicle trafficking between the Golgi apparatus, prelysosomal compartment(s), and the lysosome.
First-principles study on the optical properties of KNbO3

We report our studies on the electronic structure and linear and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of KNbO3 using a first-principles method in the local density approximation (LDA). The calculated results for the refractive indices and second-harmonic-generation (SHG) coefficients agree well with experimental results. From decomposing the nonlinear susceptibility, we find that the primary contribution to the NLO behaviour comes from the hybridization of the O 2p and Nb 4d electron states. In addition, there are two different roles played by the O atoms because of their different distances from the Nb atom; thus we propose a possible way to enhance the SHG coefficients.
Time-limited and band-limited environment: Signals and systems

Of concern is an environment made up of signals and systems tightly confined both in time and frequency. Such an environment is often encountered in transmission line circuits, radar, sonar, and optical circuits, and when the principal signals are well-defined sharp pulses. It will be seen that once this environment is achieved, the signals and systems possess some attractive properties. A conventional system may preserve the symmetry of a propagating signal or change its symmetry from even to odd or from odd to even. Another system may be used to predict the arrival of an incoming pulse with a high degree of accuracy. Electrical networks may also be associated with these properties. Approximation problems, existence theorems, and realization schemes will be addressed and developed.
A VISION of Advanced Nuclear System Cost Uncertainty

VISION (VerifIable fuel cycle SImulatiON) is the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative’s and Global Nuclear Energy Partnership Program’s nuclear fuel cycle systems code designed to simulate the US commercial reactor fleet. The code is a dynamic stock and flow model that tracks the mass of materials at the isotopic level through the entire nuclear fuel cycle. As VISION is run, it calculates the decay of 70 isotopes including uranium, plutonium, minor actinides, and fission products. VISION.ECON is a sub-model of VISION that was developed to estimate fuel cycle and reactor costs. The sub-model uses the mass flows generated by VISION for each of the fuel cycle functions (referred to as modules) and calculates the annual cost based on cost distributions provided by the Advanced Fuel Cycle Cost Basis Report1. Costs are aggregated for each fuel cycle module, and the modules are aggregated into front end, back end, recycling, reactor, and total fuel cycle costs. The software also has the capability to perform system sensitivity analysis. This capability may be used to analyze the impacts on costs due to system uncertainty effects. This paper will provide a preliminary evaluation of the cost uncertainty affects attributable to 1) key reactor and fuel cyclemore » system parameters and 2) scheduling variations. The evaluation will focus on the uncertainty on the total cost of electricity and fuel cycle costs. First, a single light water reactor (LWR) using mixed oxide fuel is examined to ascertain the effects of simple parameter changes. Three system parameters; burnup, capacity factor and reactor power are varied from nominal cost values and the affect on the total cost of electricity is measured. These simple parameter changes are measured in more complex scenarios 2-tier systems including LWRs with mixed fuel and fast recycling reactors using transuranic fuel. Other system parameters are evaluated and results will be presented in the paper. Secondly, the uncertainty due to variation in scheduling effects is evaluated. For example, economic impacts due to increased nuclear energy growth rates and speed-ups in deployment of fuel cycle facilities and fast reactors. Preliminary results show that significant variations in the costs of the scenarios can result from variations in burnup, capacity factor and reactor power. The paper will include new results from analysis of additional system variables and due to scheduling dynamics. Reference 1. Shropshire, D.E. et al, 2007, Advanced Fuel Cycle Cost Basis, INL/EXT-07-12107, April 2007.« less
Variance of actual inbreeding.

The variances of actual inbreeding and coancestry in terms of their corresponding identities by descent were studied for finite populations. For inbreeding at a single locus, the total variance σ2 = F(1 − F) (F is the inbreeding coefficient) is comprised of a component σw2 within populations and a component σb2 between replicate populations. These variances increase in time to a maximum at about 1.1Ne generations for σw2, about 2.3Ne generations for σb2, and about 1.4Ne generations for σ2, and decrease thereafter (Ne is effective population size). The ratio σb2σ2 is ever increasing to an asymptote in the range 0.4-0.5 depending on Ne and the mating system. For finite populations with variation in pedigree F's, there are contributions σwF2 within and σbF2 between populations. The component σbF2 is insignificant except for very small populations, and σwF2 is largest in the early generations and then decreases roughly as (1 − F)2KNe where K is formulated in terms of the mating strategy and the degree of avoidance of mating relatives. An additional degree of avoidance increases K by a factor of 4. In a large population at equilibrium with respect to mixed self and random mating, σwF2 accounts for onehalf to two-thirds of σw2. Bringing in more loci leads to the decomposition of the total variance into four components whose values are affected by linkages among the loci. The relationships between these components and σw2, σb2, σwF2, and σbF2, are elaborated in terms of tight and loose linkage. The exact computations of σwF2 and σbF2 require the use of two locus descent measures without linkage. The variances of various averages of actual identities by descent, such as the proportions for individuals or populations, are formulated for a sample of individuals.
Intermediates in P450 catalysis

Cytochromes P450 catalyse the insertion of one O2-derived oxygen atom in unactivated C-H bonds, and as such, are potent oxidants. A significant amount is known about the P450 catalytic cycle owing partly to the single heme group at the active site that provides spectroscopic handles in tracking various intermediates. A sophisticated array of electron paramagnetic, electron double nuclear resonance, and more traditional absorption spectroscopies have been able to identify key intermediates, while crystallography has defined the structure of the substrate-free, -bound, and oxy-complexes. What has remained elusive is the Fe(IV)=O intermediate, thought to be the active hydroxylating agent. Here, theory and especially density functional calculations have provided valuable insights.
Topology connectivity analysis of internet infrastructure using graph spectra

Understanding and modelling the Internet has been a major research challenge in part due to the complexity of the interaction among its protocols and in part due to multilevel, multidomain topological structure. It is therefore crucial to properly analyse each structural level of the Internet to gain a better understanding, as well as to improve its resilience properties. In this paper, first we present the physical and logical topologies of two ISPs and compare these topologies with the US interstate highway topology by using graph metrics and then using the normalised Laplacian spectrum. Our results indicate that physical network topologies are closely correlated with the motorway transportation topology. Finally, we study the spectral properties of various communication networks and observe that the spectral radius of the normalised Laplacian matrix is a good indicator of graph connectivity when comparing different size and order graphs.
Ultra-thin gate dielectrics prepared by low-temperature remote plasma-assisted oxidation

Abstract This paper discusses the formation of ultra-thin nitrided gate oxides by a low temperature plasma assisted oxidation process using remotely excited N2O as the source gas for both oxygen and nitrogen atoms. Three aspects of this process are addressed: (i) the differences in oxide growth rates for O2 or N2O plasma oxidation processes; (ii) the reaction pathways for the incorporation of nitrogen at the SiSiO2 interface for the N2O plasma process; and (iii) possible nitrogen atom depletion during processing steps that follow the plasma assisted oxidation/nitridation process.
Minkowski Reduction of Integral Matrices

In 1905 Hermann Minkowski introduced his theory of reduction of positive definite quadratic forms. Recently, Hans J. Zassenhaus has suggested that this theory can be applied to the problem of row reduction of matrices of integers. Computational investigations have shown that for matrices with more columns than rows, the number of steps required for reduction decreases drastically. In this paper it is proved that as the number of columns increases, the probability that a matrix is Minkowski reduced approaches one. This fact is the motivation behind the introduction of a modified version of Minkowski reduction, resulting in a reduction procedure more suitable for computation.
Monte Carlo methods for the nuclear shell model

We present novel Monte Carlo methods for treating the interacting shell model that allow exact calculations much larger than those heretofore possible. The two-body interaction is linearized by an auxiliary field; Monte Carlo evaluation of the resulting functional integral gives ground-state or thermal expectation values of few-body operators. The "sign problem" generic to quantum Monte Carlo calculations is absent in a number of cases. We discuss the favorable scaling of these methods with nucleon number and basis size and their suitability to parallel computation.
The identification of metabolites of retinal and retinoic acid in rat bile.

Abstract 1. 1. The present work was conducted to determine whether retinoic acid is normally formed from retinal in the rat and what the metabolic products of retinoic acid are. Within 6 h after the intraportal injection of 3 mg of [6,7-14C2]retinal to rats with cannulated bile ducts, a minimum of 6% of the injected dose appeared in the bile as free or conjugated acid. 2. 2. In similar experiments with 6,7-14C2]retinoic acid (Fraction IIA) was demonstrated both in the liver and the intestine at 4.5 h, and in the bile which was collected for 17 h. Non-acidic esters of retinoic acid accounted for at least 60% of the radioactivity in Fraction I of bile, whereas retinoyl-β-glucuronide accounted for at least 45% of the radioactivity in Fraction III of bile. Furthermore, another acidic metabolite of retinoic acid (Fraction IIB) accounted for about 10% of the biliary radioactivity. 3. 3. We concluded that retinoic acid is normal, but not necessarily an obligatory, metabolite of retinal in the rat, and that retinoic acid is rapidly converted in the liver to its β-glucuronide and to other conjugates which are excreted in the bile. Presumably little or no cleavage of the carbon chain of retinoic acid occurs during these processes.
Decreased normorphine sensitivity of maternal guinea pig ilea at parturition

Abstract Several approaches have been used by others to explore the possible involvement of endorphins in pregnancy and parturition. We employed the opioid sensitive preparation, the guinea pig ileum, to measure opioid sensitivity in three groups of adult guinea pigs: non-pregnant, near parturition, and a few weeks after parturition. Elevated normorphine EC50s occurred near the time of parturation. At 14–16 days post-partum, the EC50s for normorphine had returned to non-pregnant control levels. These data point to the activation of endorphin systems at the time parturition.