cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Winter behavior of bats and the progression of white-nose syndrome in the southeastern United States.

Understanding the winter behavior of bats in temperate North America can provide insight into how bats react to perturbations caused by natural disturbances such as weather, human-induced disturbances, or the introduction of disease. This study measured the activity patterns of bats outside of their hibernaculum and asked how this winter activity varied by time, temperature, bat species, body condition, and WNS status. Over the course of three winters (2011-2013), we collected acoustic data and captured bats outside of five hibernacula in Tennessee, United States. During this time, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of white-nose syndrome, became established in hibernacula throughout the region, allowing us to track disease-related changes in the winter behavior of ten bat species. We determined that bats in the southeastern United States were active during winter regardless of disease. We recorded activity outside of hibernacula at temperatures as low as -13°C. Although bat activity was best determined by a combination of variables, the strongest factor was mean daily temperature (R2 = .2879, F1,1450 = 586.2, p < .0001). Bats that left the hibernacula earlier in evening had lower body condition than those that left 2-4 hr after sunset (F7,932 = 7.225, p < .0001, Tukey HSD, p < .05). The number of daytime emergences from hibernacula, as determined via acoustic detection, increased the longer a site was P. destructans positive (F3,17 808 = 124.48, p < .0001, Tukey HSD, p < .05). Through the use of passive acoustic monitoring and monthly captures, we determined that winter activity was driven by both ambient temperature and the presence of P. destructans.
Self-Expansion in Experiential Consumption: An Abstract

Experiential consumption represents a unique, and exceedingly popular, type of marketing behavior. Existing theory and research in the field of psychology suggest that one of the primary drivers of experiential consumption could be the concept of self-expansion. However, self-expansion as a factor in experiential consumption research has yet to be fully explored. The present research examines the following questions: What type of experiences lead to higher levels of self-expansion? What factors lead to self-expansion and how does self-expansion influence outcome variables such as evangelizing, price consciousness, and repurchase intention? Using a scale adapted from social psychology, self-expansion, as it relates to experiential consumption, is explored, levels of self-expansion stemming from different experiential categories are compared, and the influence of self-expansion on outcome variables is examined.
Primary Peritonitis: An Index Case of Mycoplasma hominis Infection in a Healthy Female.

Introduction. Primary peritonitis in healthy immunocompetent individuals is rare. Several case reports of Streptococcus species causing peritonitis have been described. Here, we present the first case of Mycoplasma hominis as the cause of primary peritonitis in a healthy woman. Case Report. A 42-year-old female with history of uterine fibroids was admitted with abdominal pain and intraperitoneal fluid of unknown etiology. She was initially managed nonoperatively and empirically treated with broad spectrum antibiotics. Blood and urine cultures were unrevealing. Increasing abdominal pain and peritoneal fluid prompted diagnostic laparoscopy which revealed a dense fibrinous exudate covering the entire peritoneal cavity. Peritoneal fluid and biopsies were sent for cytology and culture. The peritoneal fluid was eventually sent for 16 s ribosomal analysis, which discovered Mycoplasma hominis RNA. Her antibiotics were narrowed, and she eventually made a full recovery. Discussion. M. hominis is a rare source of systemic infection but has been known to colonize the urogenital tract and cause localized infections. This is the first presentation of M. hominis causing primary peritonitis in a healthy immunocompetent female. Multidisciplinary management of these patients is critical to achieve a timely diagnosis. Surgical exploration is often unavoidable to rule out secondary peritonitis.
Room Temperature Stable PspA-Based Nanovaccine Induces Protective Immunity.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major causative agent of pneumonia, a debilitating disease particularly in young and elderly populations, and is the leading worldwide cause of death in children under the age of five. While there are existing vaccines against S. pneumoniae, none are protective across all serotypes. Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA), a key virulence factor of S. pneumoniae, is an antigen that may be incorporated into future vaccines to address the immunological challenges presented by the diversity of capsular antigens. PspA has been shown to be immunogenic and capable of initiating a humoral immune response that is reactive across approximately 94% of pneumococcal strains. Biodegradable polyanhydrides have been studied as a nanoparticle-based vaccine (i.e., nanovaccine) platform to stabilize labile proteins, to provide adjuvanticity, and enhance patient compliance by providing protective immunity in a single dose. In this study, we designed a room temperature stable PspA-based polyanhydride nanovaccine that eliminated the need for a free protein component (i.e., 100% encapsulated within the nanoparticles). Mice were immunized once with the lead nanovaccine and upon challenge, presented significantly higher survival rates than animals immunized with soluble protein alone, even with a 25-fold reduction in protein dose. This lead nanovaccine formulation performed similarly to protein adjuvanted with Alum, however, with much less tissue reactogenicity at the site of immunization. By eliminating the free PspA from the nanovaccine formulation, the lead nanovaccine was efficacious after being stored dry for 60 days at room temperature, breaking the need for maintaining the cold chain. Altogether, this study demonstrated that a single dose PspA-based nanovaccine against S. pneumoniae induced protective immunity and provided thermal stability when stored at room temperature for at least 60 days.
Real-Time Genomic Characterization of Metastatic Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors Has Prognostic Implications and Identifies Potential Germline Actionability

PurposeWe assessed the usefulness of real-time molecular profiling through next-generation sequencing (NGS) in predicting the tumor biology of advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (panNETs) and in characterizing genomic evolution.MethodsPatients with metastatic panNETs were recruited in the routine clinical practice setting (between May 2014 and March 2017) for prospective NGS of their tumors as well as for germline analysis using the Memorial Sloan Kettering-Integrated Mutation Profiling of Actionable Cancer Targets (MSK-IMPACT) sequencing platform. When possible, NGS was performed at multiple time points.ResultsNGS was performed in 96 tumor samples from 80 patients. Somatic alterations were identified in 76 of 80 patients (95%). The most commonly altered genes were MEN1 (56%), DAXX (40%), ATRX (25%), and TSC2 (25%). Alterations could be defined in pathways that included chromatin remodeling factors, histone methyltransferases, and mammalian target of rapamycin pathway genes. Somatic loss of heteroz...
Being a National Leader in Surgery: Roles, Responsibilities, and Opportunities

This chapter focuses on the author’s experience in leadership of national organizations developed over a 40-year career. It discusses the path to leadership as well as the possible roles of a leader. As the needs of organizations differ, the importance of recognizing the groups’ needs is stressed. Finally, the opportunity inherent in leadership is detailed. Just as there are opportunities to lead, pitfalls may derail those chances, and some of these issues are discussed.
A controlled study of Tourette syndrome. VII. Summary: a common genetic disorder causing disinhibition of the limbic system.

Abstract Tourette syndrome (TS) is one of the most common genetic disorders affecting man. Approximately one in 100 individuals manifests one or more of the aspects of the TS gene. This series of papers has emphasized that although motor and vocal tics are the hallmark of TS, the complete range of behavioral problems is much broader. This spectrum of behavior can be explained on the basis of the TS gene causing an imbalance of the mesencephalic-mesolimbic dopamine pathways, resulting in disinhibition of the limbic system.
Numerical Simulation of Gas Flow in Sanitary Landfills

The stabilization of refuse placed in sanitary landfills and the quality and rate of production of gases in landfills are principally the result of complex biological processes. A numerical model has been developed for simulating one-dimensional flow of a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide and nitrogen through sanitary landfills. Finite-difference approximations to the differential gas flow equations were derived with an implicit time stepping scheme. The nonlinear finite-difference equations were solved iteratively using the Newton-Raphson method. An explicit formulation was also explored, but the time step size required for stability was prohibitively small. The boundary condition at the landfill-air interface includes the assumption that the total pressure cannot drop below atmospheric pressure within a thin layer at the top of the landfill cover. The model was applied to data from two recent landfills. The pressure and concentration profiles predicted by the model are close to field observations.
Interaction of a DNA binding factor with the 5'-flanking region of an ethylene-responsive fruit ripening gene from tomato.

Abstract To understand how fruit development is controlled, we have begun experiments to identify DNA sequences and proteins that regulate gene expression during tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) fruit ripening. We have focused on the E8 gene because its transcription is responsive to ethylene hormone and is activated at the onset of fruit ripening. We report here that sequences required for ethylene-responsive and developmentally regulated E8 gene expression in transgenic tomato plants are contained on a 4.4 kb restriction fragment which includes sequences 2 kb 5' and 0.5 kb 3' to the gene. In addition, we have identified a DNA-binding factor that specifically interacts with DNA sequences that flank the E8 gene. This DNA-binding activity is low in unripe fruit and increases during fruit ripening. This factor also binds to the 5'-flanking region of another ethylene-responsive gene which is coordinately expressed during tomato fruit ripening. These data suggest that the DNA binding-factor may be involved in the regulation of gene expression during fruit ripening.
catena-Poly[[[bis-(N,N-dimethyl-formamide)iron(II)]-{μ-2,2'-bis-(diphenyl-phosphino-yl)-N,N'-[(1R,2R)-cyclo-hexane-1,2-di-yl]dibenzamide}] bis-(perchlorate) N,N-dimethyl-formamide disolvate].

The title extended solid coordination compound, {[Fe(C44H40N2O4P2)(C3H7NO)2](ClO4)2·2C3H7NO}n, was crystallized un­ex­pectedly from the reaction mixture containing the Trost ligand (1R,2R)-(+)-1,2-diamino­cyclo­hexane-N,N′-bis­(2′-di­phenyl­phosphinobenzo­yl) and Fe(ClO4)2·6H2O in a 1:1 ratio in dimethyl­formamide (DMF) under reflux conditions. The polymeric complex is characterized by FeII metal centers that are coordinated by two oxidized Trost ligands, each coordinated in a bidentate fashion in a square plane, along with two DMF mol­ecules above and below the plane [average Fe—ODMF = 2.086 (4) A], forming an overall pseudo-octa­hedral geometry. The Trost ligand binds adjacent FeII centers, each FeII being bound through the O atom of one of the phosphine oxides [average Fe—OPPh2 = 2.115 (4) A] and the carbonyl O atom of the adjacent amide [average Fe—Oamide = 2.192 (3) A]. Disorder is observed in the co-solvated solvent: there are two DMF mol­ecules per FeII centre, which were modeled as one DMF mol­ecule with complete occupancy and the other being modeled in two positions with equal occupancy. Disorder was also observed with one of the perchlorate anions, which was modeled in two positions with 0.75:0.25 occupancy.
Male Access to Over-the-Counter Emergency Contraception: A Survey of Acceptability and Barriers in Providence, Rhode Island

Background No studies have examined attitudes regarding male access to over-the-counter emergency contraception (EC). This study describes male and female attitudes on male EC access, as well as their experiences with and perceived barriers to purchasing EC. Study Design In 2007, a cross-sectional sample of 303 men and women from Providence, Rhode Island, between the ages of 18 and 45 were asked their opinions of male access to EC. Results Among the respondents, 81.8% knew about EC. Men were less likely than women to know about EC (p=.002); however, their rates of purchase (10.8% vs 18.3%) were not different statistically. Many men felt they should offer to buy EC if needed (56.1%), that their purchases would prevent unplanned pregnancies (67.6%), and that the decision to use EC was a woman's (75.4%); 73.8% of women agreed that men should always have EC access. No perceived need, not knowing how to obtain EC, and preferring women to obtain EC were frequently cited barriers to male purchase. Only concerns about female user side effects predicted a decreased willingness to buy EC among men (odds ratio, 0.15; 95% confidence interval, 0.05–0.45). Conclusions Given our findings that men have bought and would buy EC while respecting a woman's decision to use it, and that women would support male access, our study suggests that men have an interest in preventing unplanned pregnancy that considers the health and decisions of their female partners. Avenues for educating more men about EC and its pharmacy availability should be explored.
Text-Independent Speaker Recognition Based on Syllabic Pitch Contour Parameters

This paper propose a new approach to extract and represent the temporal information of pitch useful for text-independent speaker recognition in real-time. Pitch is relatively less affected by channel variations and noisy environment. With the increasing number of individual speakers, the pitch values as whole decreases its distinction. In order to identify the speaker, the modified energy based approach has been used to segment the continuous speech into syllable-like units automatically. Those syllable segments are being used to estimate the temporal pitch variation such as rise, fall, slope, peak and rate of pitch change; specific to a particular speaker and less affected by noisy environment. Experimental results on SITW corpus show that the recognition rate of proposed method using the parameters calculated on syllabic pitch contour improves the accuracy by 15% as compared to average pitch and full pitch contour parameters. Overall accuracy increase 30% when MFCC--syllabic Pitch features combined.
Kienböck Disease: Quality, Accuracy, and Readability of Online Information.

Background: Patients with limited health literacy require online educational materials to be written below a sixth grade level for optimal understanding. We assessed the quality, accuracy, and read...
The putative G protein-coupled receptor GrlD mediates extracellular polyphosphate sensing in Dictyostelium discoideum

Five or more orthophosphates bound together by high-energy phosphoanhydride bonds are highly ubiquitous inorganic molecules called polyphosphate. Polyphosphate acts as a signaling molecule eliciting a number of responses in eukaryotic cells, but the mechanisms mediating these effects are poorly understood. Proliferating Dictyostelium discoideum cells accumulate extracellular polyphosphate. At extracellular concentrations similar to those observed in stationary phase cells, polyphosphate inhibits proteasome activity and proliferation, and induces aggregation. Here we identify GrlD as a putative G protein-coupled receptor that mediates binding of extracellular polyphosphate to the cell surface. Cells lacking GrlD do not respond to polyphosphate-induced proteasome inhibition, aggregation, or proliferation inhibition. Polyphosphate also elicits differential effects on cell-substratum adhesion and cytoskeletal F-actin levels based on nutrient availability, and these effects were also mediated by GrlD. Starving cells also accumulate extracellular polyphosphate. Starved cells treated with exopolyphosphatase failed to aggregate effectively, suggesting that polyphosphate also acts as a signaling molecule during starvation-induced development of Dictyostelium. Together, these results suggest that a eukaryotic cell uses a G protein-coupled receptor to mediate the sensing and response to extracellular polyphosphate.
The Holodomor and Jews in Kyiv and Ukraine: An Introduction and Observations on a Neglected Topic

The Holodomor in Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 was a result of the collectivization policy of the Soviet government and took approximately 4 million lives. The Holodomor had a profound impact on the entire population of Ukraine. It badly affected the lives of Jews in Kyiv and Ukraine, and it damaged Jewish–gentile relations for many years. The famine occurred not only in rural areas, but also in the cities and towns of Ukraine. The Holodomor provoked a significant migration of Jews from shtetls to the large cities, particularly to Kyiv. Many desperate inhabitants of villages and towns fled to the large cities where they hoped to receive some aid. However, the overcrowded cities could not accommodate this flood of migrants. Anatolii Kuznetsov wrote in Babi Yar: A Document in the Form of a Novel that if not for the Holodomor in Ukraine and Stalin’s repressions of the 1930s, the attitude of the Kyiv gentile population toward the Holocaust would perhaps have been different. People had gotten so used to the suffering of others, victims of the famine and political repression, that they remained mainly passive, silent, and indifferent toward the mass execution of Jews in Babi Yar during the Holocaust.
Evaporation-Driven Micromixing in Sessile Droplets for Miniaturized Absorbance-Based Colorimetry

We demonstrate the use of an evaporating, sessile droplet on a nonwetting substrate as a miniature micromixing device to conduct sample–dye reactions for absorbance-based colorimetry. The nonwetting substrate supports buoyancy-induced mixing inside the droplet for rapid completion of the measurement. The Bradford assay is used as a proof of concept, where a protein-containing sample is reacted with a reagent dye to measure the protein concentration. Viability of absorbance measurement through the droplet is first established using droplets in which the reactants are mixed prior to their deposition onto the substrate. In a second set of experiments involving in situ mixing, the reagent is directly added to a sessile droplet of the protein-containing sample, allowing the reactants to mix while the absorbance is being measured. Interplay between buoyancy-induced mixing, protein–reagent reaction, and protein adsorption onto the substrate leads to a complex temporal absorbance measurement signal. Videos corres...
The Trump administration’s politics of time: The temporal dynamics that enable Trump’s interests to determine American foreign policy:

Scholars and political observers have noted how the rate of significant events and crises in the Trump administration appear to be accelerating at an unmanageable and irresistible pace, making it d...
Photoacoustic chemical sensing: layered systems and excitation source analysis

Photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) is a versatile tool that is well suited for the ranged interrogation of layered samples. We have previously demonstrated standoff photoacoustic (PA) chemical detection of condensed phase samples at one meter distance using an interferometric sensing platform. Current research investigates layered solid samples constructed from a thin layer of energetic material deposited on a substrate. The PA signal from the system, as measured by the interferometer, changes based on the differing optical and mechanical properties of the substrate. This signal variance must be understood in order to develop a sensor capable of detecting trace quantities of hazardous materials independent of the surface. Optical absorption and modal excitation are the two biggest sources of PA signal generated in the sample/substrate system. Finally, the mode of operation of the excitation source is investigated. Most PA sensing paradigms use a quantum cascade laser (QCL) operating in either pulsed or modulated CW mode. We will discuss photoacoustic signal generation with respect to these different operating modes.
Non-Humean Laws and Scientific Practice

Laws of nature have various roles in scientific practice. It is widely agreed that an adequate theory of lawhood ought to align with the roles that scientists assign to the laws. But philosophers disagree over whether Humean laws or non-Humean laws are better at filling these roles. In this paper, I provide an argument for settling this dispute. I consider (epistemically) possible situations in which scientists receive conclusive evidence that—according to the non-Humean—falsifies their beliefs about the laws, but which—according to the Humean—does not falsify their beliefs about the laws. I argue that, in these possible scenarios, all law-related aspects of scientific practice would remain unchanged. In other words, scientists would treat the regularities “preferred” by the Humean as the laws of nature. On this basis, I conclude that non-Humean laws fail to align with scientific practice.
Flexoskeleton Fingers: 3D Printed Reconfigurable Ridges Enabling Multi-Functional and Low-Cost Underactuated Grasping

In this letter, we present a design and fabrication framework for soft, underactuated grippers that utilize reconfigurable laminate layers for finger stiffness modulation. The grippers consist of internal flexoskeleton layers, which are hybrid soft-rigid structures composed of a flexible thermoplastic sheet with rigid structures 3D printed directly onto the flexible layer. The flexoskeleton structures are encased in an external silicone skin, which enables smooth and soft contact surfaces between the gripper and objects. We designed the flexoskeleton layers to be reconfigurable through layer sliding, which enables finger stiffness modulation by two methods: 1) continuum stiffness modulation through layer sliding to enable strong overlap gripping, and 2) locking and unlocking of flexoskeleton ridge structures that enable stable grasps without actuation. The gripper designs presented here are extremely easy to design and fabricate and present a template for future soft grippers.
Symbolic Music Generation with Diffusion Models.

Score-based generative models and diffusion probabilistic models have been successful at generating high-quality samples in continuous domains such as images and audio. However, due to their Langevin-inspired sampling mechanisms, their application to discrete and sequential data has been limited. In this work, we present a technique for training diffusion models on sequential data by parameterizing the discrete domain in the continuous latent space of a pre-trained variational autoencoder. Our method is non-autoregressive and learns to generate sequences of latent embeddings through the reverse process and offers parallel generation with a constant number of iterative refinement steps. We apply this technique to modeling symbolic music and show strong unconditional generation and post-hoc conditional infilling results compared to autoregressive language models operating over the same continuous embeddings.
NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA)

NSPA is physically located in Capellen Luxembourg and provides logistics support to NATO. This agency helps contract for bulk fuel, manages routine and scheduled maintenance on NATO common weapon systems, and provides support to NATO exercises and operations. Its support ranges from that at its static location in Europe to hands-on support in recent forward-deployed locations like Afghanistan, Kosovo, and NATO exercise locations.
The modified frailty index and patient outcomes following transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion surgery for single-level degenerative spine disease.

Objective The modified frailty index (mFI) is a simple tool that measures physiological reserve based on a thorough history and physical examination. Its use has been validated in several surgical specialties, including spinal deformity surgery. Prior research has suggested no significant differences in clinical outcomes between elderly and nonelderly patients undergoing posterior lumbar interbody fusion. The authors sought to investigate the use of the mFI in patients undergoing transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) and the relationship between frailty scores and clinical outcomes. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted on 198 patients who underwent a single-level TLIF over a 60-month period at a single institution. For all patients, an mFI score was computed incorporating a set of 11 clinical factors to assess preexisting comorbidities and functional status. Clinical follow-up and health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) scores were obtained at baseline and regular intervals of 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year following surgery. Results Patients were grouped according to their level of frailty: no frailty (mFI = 0), mild frailty (mFI = 0.09), moderate frailty (mFI = 0.18), and severe frailty (mFI ≥ 0.27). One-way ANOVA revealed increasing levels of frailty to be associated with an increased rate of complications, from 10.3% to 63.6%. In addition, increasing levels of frailty were associated with longer hospital length of stay (LOS), from 3.1 days to 6.5 days, and lower rates of disposition to home. At the 1-year follow-up, increased levels of frailty were associated with worse HRQOL measures. Conclusions Increasing mFI score was associated with higher morbidity, longer inpatient LOS, and a lower probability of discharge to home in patients undergoing single-level TLIF. Consideration of the mFI may help surgeons improve decision-making across the spectrum of patients who are at risk from frailty.
Regulome-wide association study identifies enhancer properties associated with risk for schizophrenia

Genetic risk for complex traits is strongly enriched in non-coding genomic regions involved in gene regulation, especially enhancers. However, we lack adequate tools to connect the characteristics of these disruptions to genetic risk. Here, we propose RWAS (Regulome Wide Association Study), a new framework to identify the characteristics of enhancers that contribute to genetic risk for disease. Applying our technique to interrogate genetic risk for schizophrenia, we found that risk-associated enhancers in this disease are predominantly active in the brain, evolutionarily conserved, and AT-rich. The association between AT percentage and risk corresponds to an overrepresentation in risk-associated enhancers for the binding sites of transcription factors that recognize AT-rich cis-regulatory motifs. Several of the TFs identified in our model as being overrepresented in risk-associated enhancers, including MEF2C, are master regulators of neuronal development. The genes that encode several of these TFs are themselves located at genetic risk loci for schizophrenia. This list also includes brain-expressed TFs that have not previously been linked to schizophrenia. In summary, we developed a generalizable approach that integrates GWAS summary statistics with enhancer characteristics to identify risk factors in tissue-specific regulatory regions. AUTHOR SUMMARYEnhancers are regulatory regions that influence gene expression via the binding of transcription factors. Risk for many heritable diseases is enriched in regulatory regions, including enhancers. In this study, we introduce a novel method of testing for association between enhancer attributes and risk and use this method to determine the enhancer characteristics that are associated with risk for schizophrenia. We found that enhancers associated with schizophrenia risk are both evolutionarily conserved and in physical contact with mutation-intolerant genes, many of which have neurodevelopmental functions. Risk-associated enhancers are also AT-rich and contain binding sites for neurodevelopmental transcription factors.
Adaptability, Agency, and Association to Influence Change: The Report of the 2020-21 AACP Argus Commission.

The 2020-21 AACP Argus Commission was charged to 1) review the 2019-2020 standing committee reports; 2) describe the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare delivery with an emphasis on health equity and social justice, 3) identify strategies to work with other health professions associations to advance interprofessional education and practice, and 4) offer recommendations for activities for the Center to Accelerate Pharmacy Practice Transformation and Academic Innovation (CAPT). Two work groups divided charges 2 and 3 and provided assessments of how health care and education might change due to all we have experienced over the 12-plus months of the pandemic. A review of plans for the first year of the CAPT activities and recommendations for additional activities are included in report. The Commission has proposed two new policy statements on digital health, five recommendations for AACP and five suggestions for colleges and schools of pharmacy. The Argus Commission affirms academic pharmacy's adaptability, agency, and association to influence changes in healthcare delivery and interprofessional education and practice.
Rapid Damage Assessment Following Natural Disasters through Information Integration

AbstractA rapid damage assessment is essential for practitioners to make timely and informed decisions following a disaster. This research aims to provide such an assessment through integrating mul...
Improving Relationships and Student Outcomes Through Restorative Practices

Students who exhibit externalizing behaviors may impede learning in the classroom and lead to cycles of negative teacher–student interactions. Positive relationships among students, peers, and educ...
Resilience Assessment Approach for Transmission Systems Considering Uncertainties of Ice Storms

Ice storms have a wide range of impacts on power systems ranging from long outage times to major equipment failures. The diverse spatiotemporal characteristics of ice storms create high uncertainties in system performance and resilience level. Recent extended outages of various interdependent systems such as, power and water systems, due to ice storms have called for further investigation and resilience assessment approaches. In this paper, a planning-based resilience assessment framework is utilized to assess the resilience level of transmission systems. First, a spatiotemporal ice storm model is used to simulate various scenarios of ice storms. Then, a fragility model is implemented to evaluate the probability of failure of system components in terms of weather parameters. Finally, a quantitative resilience assessment method based on combinatorial enumeration is applied to compute a resilience index for the system. The proposed algorithm is carried out on the IEEE 30-bus system mapped on the Eastern region of the United States. Numerous ice storm scenarios are simulated based on real weather-data. The proposed algorithm is able to assess system resilience characteristics considering uncertainties of ice storms.
Pharmacokinetics in Drug Discovery and Development

BASIC PRINCIPLES Basic Principles INDUSTRIAL AND REGULATORY APPLICATIONS PK/PD Approach Pharmacokinetics and Metabolism in Drug Discovery and Preclinical Development Phase I, II, and III FDA Submissions Bioavailability and Bioequivalence CLINICAL APPLICATIONS General Approaches to Clinical Pharmacokinetic Monitoring Aminoglycosides and Other Antibiotics Cardiovascular Agents Psychotropic Agents Theophylline Anticonvulsant Agents RESEARCH APPLICATIONS Classical Modeling Noncompartmental Modeling, An Overview Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Models Population Pharmacokinetics The Linear Systems Approach
A Culture System for the Direct Exposure of Mammalian Cells to Airborne Pollutants

Most airborne pollutants first enter the body through the respiratory tract. In mammals and most other air-breathers, mechanisms have evolved to deal with these pollutants, especially those of a particulate nature. In recent times, however, air pollutant gases have been introduced into the environment at higher concentrations than before. Well-known examples are ozone (O3) and oxides of nitrogen (NO2, NO). Other gaseous pollutants whose effects are not so well known include short-lived, highly reactive species produced photochemically in the urban air mixture called smog. Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) is one example (Stephens, 1969).
The Women of Colonial Latin America

1. Iberian women in the old world and the new 2. Before Columbus: women in indigenous America and Africa 3. Conquest and colonization 4. The arrival of Iberian women 5. Women, marriage, and family 6. Elite women 7. The brides of Christ and other religious women 8. Women and work 9. Women and slavery 10. Women and social deviance: crime, witchcraft, and rebellion 11. Women and enlightenment reform 12. Conclusion.
Oxytocin challenge test results compared with simultaneously studied serum human placental lactogen and free estriol levels in high-risk pregnant women☆

Abstract Three perinatal health indicators (serum human placental lactogen [hPL] levels, serum free estriol [E 3 ] levels, and OCT) were simultaneously completed in 149 high-risk women who were more than 34 weeks pregnant. There was a significant correlation between the hPL and E 3 results (r = 0.28, p 3 levels were not different in these two OCT groups (14.8 ± S.E.M. 1.5 vs. 16.3 ± S.E.M. 0.7 ng/ml for positive and negative groups, respectively). The free E 3 value did not help in predicting the OCT result as the low free E 3 subgroup had the same frequency of positive OCT results as did the over-all group. There was a highly significant increase in the positive OCT results (42.9%) in women with a low hPl value (p
Algorithmic design of multilevel organizational structures

A methodology for modeling and generating multilevel hierarchical distributed intelligence systems is presented. The objects that constitute such a system and the generic interactions among them are defined. A mathematical framework based on hierarchical Petri net theory, is developed for representing the interactions among these objects at the same level and across different levels. The methodology and the resulting models also provide a structured and modular way for solving the problem of designing large-scale distributed intelligence systems by breaking a computationally large problem into smaller subproblems, thus reducing the computational effort required to generate the feasible solutions. The methodology is illustrated with an example. >
Processing and Microstructural Characterization of B4C-AI Cermets

Des etudes de mouillage et de thermodynamique des reactions ont ete utilisees pour evaluer des cermets, aluminium-carbure de bore. Le phenomene de mouillage et les reactions interfaciales sont caracterises par des techniques «macroechelle» et «microechelle». Etude des microstructures par microscopie electronique a balayage, diffraction RX, metallographie et microsonde electronique
LaAlO3 thickness window for electronically controlled magnetism at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterointerfaces

Complex-oxide heterostructures exhibit rich physical behavior such as emergent conductivity, superconductivity, and magnetism that are intriguing for scientific reasons as well as for potential technological applications. It was recently discovered that in-plane magnetism at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO) interface can be electronically controlled at room temperature. Here, we employ magnetic force microscopy to investigate electronically controlled ferromagnetism at the LAO/STO interface with LAO thickness t varied from 4 unit cell (u.c.) to 40 u.c. Magnetic signatures are observed only within a thickness window 8 u.c. ≤ t ≤ 25 u.c. Within this window, the device capacitance corresponds well to the expected geometric value, while for thicknesses outside this window, the capacitance is strongly suppressed. The ability to modulate electronic and magnetic properties of LAO/STO devices depends on the ability to control carrier density, which is in turn constrained by intrinsic tunneling mechanisms.
Protein synthesis in rabbit reticulocytes. Characteristics of mRNA (AUG codon)-dependent binding of Met-tRNAfMet to 40 S and 80 S ribosomes.

The characteristics of Met-tRNAfMet binding to ribosomes (40 S and 80 S) were studied using a two-stage assay method (Gupta, N.K., Chatterjee, B. and Majumdar, A. (1975) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 65, 797) and the complexes formed were analyzed either by Millipore filtration or by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The results are summarized as follows: (a) with both assay methods, Met-tRNAfMet binding to 40 S ribosomes was entirely dependent upon addition of a partially purified mixture of initiation factors and AUG codon; (b) this binding occurred over a wide Mg2+ concentration range; significant binding was observed even at 20 mM Mg2+; (c) upon addition of 60 S ribosomes, a significant part of Met-tRNAfMet bound to 40 S ribosomes was transferred to 80 S complex. This transfer reaction had a sharp Mg2+ optimum around 2 mM. Met-tRNAfMet-80 S-AUG complex thus formed was active in Met-puromycin synthesis; (d) Met-tRNAfMet deacylase present in crude 0.5 M KCl ribosomal wash is a potent inhibitor of the binding reaction as it deacylates Met-tRNAfMet in the Met-tRNAfMet-40 S-AUG complex; (e) glutaraldehyde (0.5%) degrades Met-tRNAfMet-40 S-AUG complex but increases the background binding of Met-tRNAfMet to 40 S ribosomes in the absence of AUG codon; (f) polynucleotides containing uracil and adenosine are strong inhibitors of Met-tRNAfMet binding to 40 S ribosomes. The order of inhibitory activities of the polynucleotides tested was as follows: poly(rU)-poly(rA) (2:1) greater than poly(rU)-poly(rA) (1:1) greater than poly(rU) greater than poly(rA). Other RNAs tested such as poly(rC), poly(rI)-poly(rC) and phi6 bacteriophage RNA (double-stranded) were without significant effects on the Met-tRNAfMet-binding reaction.
Anatomical feasibility of performing a nerve transfer from the femoral branch to bilateral pelvic nerves in a cadaver: a potential method to restore bladder function following proximal spinal cord injury

Object Nerve transfers are an effective means of restoring control to paralyzed somatic muscle groups and have recently been shown to be effective in denervated detrusor muscle in a canine model. A cadaveric study was performed to examine the anatomical feasibility of transferring femoral muscular nerve branches to vesical branches of the pelvic nerve as a method of potentially restoring innervation to control the detrusor muscle in humans. Methods Twenty cadavers were dissected bilaterally to expose pelvic and femoral muscular nerve branches. Ease of access and ability to transfer the nerves were assessed, as were nerve cross-sectional areas. Results The pelvic nerve was accessed at the base of the bladder, inferior to the ureter, and accompanied by inferior vesical vessels. Muscular branches of the femoral nerve to the vastus medialis and intermedius muscles (L-3 and L-4 origins) were followed distally for 17.4 ± 0.8 cm. Two muscle branches were split from the femoral nerve trunk, and tunneled inferior ...
Treatment of subdeltoid bursitis

Abstract It is first necessary to differentiate the types of subdeltoid bursitis because the treatment varies according to the pathology. The acute cases with calcification usually can be treated conservatively, by rest, heat and narcotics with a reasonable chance that the calcification will disappear spontaneously. Surgical drainage gives immediate relief in the acute cases. It is in this stage that the technique of insertion of needles and washing with saline solution is of benefit. If the calcification persists, as shown by x -ray, the problem is whether there is enough mechanical block to warrant curettage of the calcification or whether it should be treated by physiotherapy for the adhesions that have taken place. The drainage of the acute calcification is easy, while the removal of an old calcification is not so satisfactory, although occasionally indicated. The treatment of the adhesive type of subdeltoid bursitis in the early stages is intense physiotherapy and generally the complete adhesions with total loss of abduction and rotation can be prevented. When the adhesions are very definite and do not respond to conservative treatment, it is a waste of time to continue too long. Manipulation is then indicated. In the traumatic type, the milder cases respond to abduction fixation, and gradual restoration of function. Whenever the active power of abduction is lost, indicating the loss of function of the supraspinatus, then operative work and the suture of the muscle and tendon are definitely indicated.
Prediction and confirmation of two bands of surface resonances on the (100) plane of molybdenum

Abstract Two bands of surface resonances on the (100) face of molybdenum have been observed confirming the prediction of a previously published calculation. Angle-integrated photoemission spectra using unpolarized radiations 21.22 eV and 16.85 eV reveal two surface resonance peaks: 0.3 eV and 2.6 eV below the Fermi energy. The origin of the lower-lying resonance is discussed in terms of the previously published calculation of the k and orbital-resolved surface local density of states.
CdTe, CIGS and a-Si thin film PV technologies: factors impacting LCOE

We describe thin film photovoltaic (PV) technologies that have been scaled in manufacturing, and contrast their attributes and how they impact the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The thin film PV technologies reviewed include cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), amorphous silicon (a-Si), and microcrystalline/amorphous silicon (μ/a-Si) produced by a variety of methods. The factors studied include conversion efficiency, energy yield under different lighting and environmental conditions, location dependence, tracked/fixed tilt differential performance, uptime, output degradation rate, failure rate, lifetime, module cost, balance of system (BOS) and inverter cost, installation cost, land cost, operation cost, maintenance cost and finance cost. These thin film PV technologies are compared with crystalline silicon, the most widely deployed PV technology.
Theory and observation of a two-dimensional virtual impactor

Theoretical predictions using both potential flow analyses and solutions to Navier-Stokes equations are made for the operating characteristics of a two-dimensional virtual impactor. The influence of geometry including the throat angle (38° ≤ β0 ≤ 58.2°) and normalized void width (0.7 ≤ h/w ≤ 1.5) on the particle cutoff diameter, efficiency curve steepness, and properties of the internal particle loss factor are presented for fixed instrument Reynolds numbers Re = 1540 and bleed flow f = 0.1. The theory predicts that internal particle losses reduce to zero as the normalized void width increases to h/w = 1.4 ± 0.1. Increasing the void width, however, is shown to substantially reduce the steepness of the particle efficiency curves. Visual observations of the onset of fluid separation for two-dimensional jets impinging upon a void were conducted with a scaled-up water model and correlated with theory. It was found that the limiting void width hlim/w marking the onset of fluid instabilities peaked for a intermediate value of the fluid deflecting plate angle β ⋍ 80° with larger values of hlim/w corresponding to smaller throat angles β0. The limiting void width hlim/w also increased with larger bleed flows into the void. These instabilities may impede the correlation of experimental virtual impactor data with theory.
Excitation Effects on the Quantum Dynamics of Two-Dimensional Photoinduced Nonadiabatic Processes

Results are presented from quantum dynamical simulations of vibrationally coherent condensed phase electronic surface crossing processes that take into account the relative positions of the ground, reactant, and product excited states. We find that the degree of Franck−Condon activity in the various vibrational modes can have a significant effect on the surface crossing probability, the nature and magnititude of coherent surface recrossings, and the nature of vibrational motion in the product state when motion in the reactant well is underdamped. The results are discussed in the context of recent femtosecond studies of the photodissociation of the myoglobin−nitric oxide complex and the photoisomerization of the retinal prosthetic group in the rhodopsin system.
Lead zirconium titanate alternatives for nanoactuators

This paper describes the use of commercially available ceramic capacitors as an alternative for lead-containing and relatively expensive lead zirconate titanate (PZT)- based nanoactuators. A PZT actuator is compared with actuators made from both X5R- and Y5V-type ceramic dielectric capacitors using white light interferometry and a spectrometer. This work is useful because these capacitors can provide an economical nanomotion capability to research laboratories or industrial products. Measuring the displacement of the capacitors is also useful when designing electronic products to ensure undesired operation is not caused by the piezoelectric motion. Additionally, unlike the PZT material, the alternative ceramic materials do not contain lead, which is needed for full compliance with the Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) initiative.
Comment on “Desorption of carbon dioxide molecules from a Pt(111) surface: A stochastic classical trajectory approach”

Abstract We examine the claim of Kwong, De Leon and Haller that energy disposal in the Pt-catalyzed oxidation of CO is non-statistical. We find that their main arguments do not support that claim.
Use of OPW wave functions for interband absorption in the alkalis

Abstract Calculations using OPW's lead to conclusions regarding the importance of choice of wave functions in interband absorption in the alkalis.
One-Way Entangled-Photon Autocompensating Quantum Cryptography

A quantum cryptography implementation is presented that uses entanglement to combine one-way operation with an autocompensating feature that has hitherto only been available in implementations that require the signal to make a round trip between the users. Using the concept of advanced waves, it is shown that this proposed implementation is related to the round-trip implementation in the same way that Ekert's two-particle scheme is related to the original one-particle scheme of Bennett and Brassard. The practical advantages and disadvantages of the proposed implementation are discussed in the context of existing schemes.
Vibrational frequencies and structural determinations of 1,4-diselenane

Abstract The normal mode frequencies and corresponding vibrational assignments of 1,4-diselenane in C 2 h symmetry are examined theoretically using the gaussian 98 set of quantum chemistry codes. All normal modes were successfully assigned to one of the nine types of motion (C–C stretch, C–Se stretch, C–H stretch, C–Se–C bend, C–C–Se bend, CH 2 scissors, CH 2 twist, CH 2 wag, and CH 2 rock) predicted by a group theoretical analysis. The vibrational modes of the high-energy D 2 form of 1,4-diselenane were also calculated using the correction factors derived from the C 2 h form.
Microscopic Description of Nucleon-Nucleus Total Reaction Cross Sections

Microscopic calculations of the total reaction cross sections for protons on $^{12}\mathrm{C}$, $^{27}\mathrm{Al}$, $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}$, and $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$, and neutrons on $^{27}\mathrm{Al}$ and $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ have been made, which provide for the first time an excellent description of the data for projectile energies from 15 MeV through 1 GeV. The calculations are based on the experimental nucleon-nucleon total cross sections and explicitly include the effects of the real nuclear potential, the Coulomb potential, Pauli blocking, and Fermi motion.