cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Accumulation of Iron in the Rat Lung after Tracheal Instillation of Diesel Particles

Oxidant generation catalyzed by metals has been postulated to account for a lung injury following exposure to air pollution particles. In particles that are predominantly carbonaceous, it is difficult to implicate such an oxidative stress as the responsible mechanism, since concentrations of metals can be extremely low. Comparable to these air pollution particles, mineral oxide particles can include only minute amounts of metal, but lung injury following their exposure can be associated with an accumulation of endogenous iron from the host and an oxidative stress. We tested the hypothesis that diesel exhaust particulate (DEP) effects an accumulation of biologically active iron in the rat lung, with both oxidative stress and a lung injury resulting. Characterization of the DEP confirmed a high concentration of carbon, whereas metals were low in quantity. The concentration of total lavage iron in animals instilled with saline was low, but this concentration increased with exposure to DEP. Non-heme iron in lung tissue was similarly elevated after instillation of the diesel product. Particle instillation was associated with a decrease in lavage ascorbate concentration supporting an oxidative stress. Relative to saline exposure, DEP resulted in elevated lavage concentrations of the inflammatory mediators macrophage inflammatory protein-2 and tumor necrosis factor. Finally, an injury after particle instillation was evident with increased neutrophils and an elevation of lavage protein and lactic dehydrogenase. We conclude that DEP exposure effected an accumulation of iron in the rat lung. This accrual of iron was associated with an oxidative stress, release of oxidant-sensitive mediators, and a neutrophilic lung injury.
A produção de listas de fãs: memória, influência e debate no “evento” do fandom

To date, there have been very few studies on fandom and fan audiences that have focused on practice of fans’ list-making. This article, which introduces this topic for analysis, first argues that fans’ list-making presents fans with an opportunity to simultaneously memorialize, influence, and argue. Second, this article offers list-making as a tool for observing commonalities between the different practices of media, music, and sports fans. Finally,this article cautions against the universality of these list-making practices, illustrating how list-making shows the artificiality of the event in fan activities. Using a combinationof Žižekian and Couldryian analyses, this article argues that fans’ list-making becomes a new way of reading fandom reductively, and highlights the media ritual of fandom.
The Untimely Death (and Rebirth?) of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines

This essay analyzes the Supreme Court's recent decisions concerning the Federal Sentencing Guidelines' constitutionality. I argue that the application of recent 6th Amendment jurisprudence to nonstatutory sentencing rules was a legal error, and one that may carry important political consequences. Especially combined with the Court's remedial decision - to render the Guidelines advisory and require reasonableness review by the courts of appeals - I suggest that the Guidelines Cases may yield an interbranch struggle with Congress over sentencing policy that the Court is not equipped to win.
Enhanced Flow Boiling in Microchannels Using Auxiliary Channels and Multiple Micronozzles

Flow boiling in an array of five parallel microchannels (W=200 μm, H=250 μm, L=10 mm) can be dramatically enhanced using self-excited and self-sustained high frequency two-phase oscillations induced by two-nozzle configuration. However, the effect of the two-phase oscillations is confined to the downstream of the microchannels. In this study, four-nozzle microchannel configuration is developed with an aim to extend mixing to the entire channel. Flow boiling in the four-nozzle microchannel is experimentally studied with deionized water over a mass flux range of 120 to 600 kg/m2 s. Overall average heat transfer coefficient (HTC) is significantly enhanced approximately 54.5% by extending the enhanced multi-channel mixing to the whole channel. It is equally important that the pressure drop can be further reduced by approximately 50%. Compared with previous two-nozzle design, four-nozzle configuration not only extends the mixing to the whole channel but also increase nucleation sites, which has been confirmed by visualization study to promote nucleation boiling.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Simultaneous Absorption and Oxidation of Nitric Oxide and Sulfur Dioxide by Aqueous Solutions of Sodium Persulfate Activated by Temperature

The absorption–oxidation of nitrogen oxide (NO) induced by aqueous solutions of sodium persulfate (Na2S2O8) in the presence of SO2 has been studied in a bubble column reactor operated in semibatch mode. The effects of Na2S2O8 concentration (0.01–0.20 M), temperature (23–70 °C), 1550 ppm gas-phase SO2, and solution pH on NO removal (1000 ppm gas-phase concentration) were investigated. The presence of SO2 dramatically improved NO gas absorption and oxidation while it was itself completely removed. The NO fractional conversions in the presence of SO2 ranged from 77% to 83%, with the greatest effect occurring at lower temperatures (23 and 30 °C). While persulfate concentration of 0.1 M appeared optimal for aqueous NO removal, both in the absence and presence of SO2, significant improvements in NO removal were observed for persulfate concentrations of >0.05 M but antagonistic effects were observed with concentrations of <0.05 M in the presence of SO2, compared to without SO2. The pH range of 6.5–8.5 appears to...
Development and service of information resources in medical library of CDC in health information era

After the development and service of information resources in medical library of CDC were described in aspects of its characteristics and service target,the development and service strategies of information resources in medical library of CDC in health information era were analyzed with suggestions put forward for meeting the demands of scientific workers,such as construction of the service platform for sharing digital medical and health literature resources in Hubei Province,development of big data-oriented innovative medical information resources,construction of mobile equipments-based service platform for medical information resources,enforcement of team construction,optimization of staff allocation.
Vector Coprocessor Virtualization for Simultaneous Multithreading

Vector coprocessors (VPs), commonly being assigned exclusively to a single thread/core, are not often performance and energy efficient due to mismatches with the vector needs of individual applications. We present in this article an easy-to-implement VP virtualization technique that, when applied, enables a multithreaded VP to simultaneously execute multiple threads of similar or arbitrary vector lengths to achieve improved aggregate utilization. With a vector register file (VRF) virtualization technique invented to dynamically allocate physical vector registers to threads, our VP virtualization approach improves programmer productivity by providing at runtime a distinct physical register name space to each competing thread, thus eliminating the need to solve register-name conflicts statically. We applied our virtualization technique to a multithreaded VP and prototyped an FPGA-based multicore processor system that supports VP sharing as well as power gating for better energy efficiency. Under the dynamic creation of disparate threads, our benchmarking results show impressive VP speedups of up to 333p and total energy savings of up to 37p with proper thread scheduling and power gating compared to a similar-sized system that allows VP access to just one thread at a time.
Maturation of middle ear transmission in children.

Abstract The goal of the current study was to characterize the normative features of wideband acoustic immittance in children for describing the functional maturation of the middle ear in 5 to 12-year-old children. Absorbance and group delay were measured in adults and three groups of children, 5–6, 7–9 and 10–12-year-olds, in a cross-sectional design. Absorbance showed significant effects of the age group in four out of ten center frequencies of one-half-octave bins from 211 to 6000 Hz, while there was no significant effect for group delay at any frequency. Older children (10–12 years) showed absorbance similar to adults. Test-retest reliability was high for absorbance for all age groups. However, group delay was modestly reliable only for adults. We conclude that the middle ear transmission follows a protracted period of maturation for high frequencies and reaches adult-like feature by 10–12 years of age.
Neodymium:YAG capsulotomy rates associated with femtosecond laser-assisted versus manual cataract surgery.

Purpose To compare the neodymium:YAG posterior capsulotomy rates after cataract surgery performed using a femtosecond laser system versus manual techniques. Setting Pacific Hills Surgery Center, Laguna Hills, and La Veta Surgery Center, Orange, California, USA. Design Retrospective case study. Methods After surgeries were completed between August 2011 and August 2014. A corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) of 20/25 or better 1 to 3 months after surgery was identified in a chart review and analyzed. Intraocular lens (IOL) type and power were recorded. Capsulotomies were recorded with the date of the procedure and the precapsulotomy CDVA. Capsulotomy rates related to manual capsulorhexis and capsulorhexis with a femtosecond laser system were compared, with consideration of IOL design and material. Results There was no statistically significant difference in posterior capsule opacification grade between surgery groups (P = .13). Capsulotomy rates were significantly lower in the femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery group than in the manual group (P = .04). The time between surgery and capsulotomy was statistically significantly lower in the femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery group (P Conclusions Neodymium:YAG capsulotomy rates were lower with femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery than with manual cataract surgery. The differences were more apparent in IOL material and design groups in which overall capsulotomy rates were lower. Financial Disclosure None of the authors has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Neurological Complications of Radiation in Lymphoma and Leukemia Patients

Neurotoxicity associated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy is a significant problem in patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) given their relatively long survival. Radiation can produce progressive damage to the central nervous system through vascular injury, demyelination of the white matter, cerebral atrophy, and necrosis; DNA damage and disruption in hippocampal neurogenesis have also been reported following radiation. Delayed treatment-related cognitive dysfunction is a significant problem, now that effective treatment for PCNSL has increased survival rates. A diffuse pattern of cognitive deficits has been described in patients treated with whole-brain radiotherapy and high-dose methotrexate-based chemotherapy. The toxicity of prophylactic irradiation has been documented primarily in children with leukemia, and recent interventions using modified chemotherapy regimens without radiotherapy showed improved survival and a reduction in CNS relapse. Although there are no established preventive or therapeutic interventions for radiotherapy-induced injury, this is an area of growing interest and several agents are currently under investigation.
Physical layer security of multiband communications under hostile jamming

This paper considers a game between a power-limited authorized user and a power-limited jammer, who operate independently over the same AWGN channel consisting of multiple bands. We explore the possibility for the authorized user or the jammer to randomly utilize part (or all) of the available spectrum and/or apply nonuniform power allocation. It is found that: either for the authorized user to maximize its capacity, or for the jammer to minimize the capacity of the authorized user, the best strategy for both of them is to distribute the transmission power or jamming power uniformly over all the available spectrum. The minimax capacity can be calculated based on the channel bandwidth and the signal to jamming and noise ratio, and it matches with the Shannon channel capacity formula. Numerical results are provided to illustrate the theoretical analysis.
Abstract AP31: TARGETING PD–L1/PD1 PATHWAY THROUGH BET PROTEIN INHIBITION IN EPITHELIAL OVARIAN CANCER

BACKGROUND: Expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is up-regulated in many cancers and has been found to suppress antitumor immunity through binding to its receptor programmed death 1 (PD-1). Blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 signaling axis enhances antitumor immunity in many cancers including epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Despite the importance of PD-L1 in tumor immunity, the epigenetic regulation of PD-L1 expression remains poorly understood. AIMS: To determine the roles of epigenetic components in regulating PD-L1 gene expression and modulating antitumor immunity. METHODS: Toward this goal, I screened a small molecule library of epigenetic inhibitors and examined their inhibition on PD-L1 expression in EOC cells to identify the positive hits. To further confirm PD-L1 inhibition in vivo , C57BL/6 mice are injected with luciferase expressing mouse ovarian cancer ID8 cells and treated with or without epigenetic inhibitors, PD-L1 expression in both tumor cells and immune cells are examined, tumor growth and survival are also monitored. RESULTS: BET inhibitors suppresses both constitutive and IFNγ induced PD-L1 expression in EOC cells through targeting BRD4. Further ChIP-seq and ChIP assay demonstrate that BRD4 directly binds to PD-L1 gene promoter and regulated its transcription. BET inhibitor JQ1 suppresses PD-L1 expression in both tumor cells and immune cells including dendritic cells and macrophages in mice bearing ID8 mouse ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, the BET inhibitor suppresses the tumor growth and improves the survival of EOC bearing mice through activating antitumor T cells. CONCLUSION: Taken together, we demonstrated that BRD4 can directly regulate PD-L1 expression in EOC cells by binding to the promoter of PD-L1 encoding gene, suppressing PD-L1 expression with BET inhibitors blocks PD1/PD-L1 signaling and enhances antitumor immunity in vivo . These findings indicate that pharmacological inhibition of BET proteins represent a new therapeutic strategy for EOC by targeting PD-L1 expression. Citation Format: Hengrui Zhu, Fee Bengsch, Nikolaos Svoronos, Melanie R. Rutkowski, Benjamin G. Bitler, Michael J. Allegrezza, Yuhki Yokoyama, James E. Bradner, Jose R. Conejo-Garcia, Rugang Zhang. TARGETING PD–L1/PD1 PATHWAY THROUGH BET PROTEIN INHIBITION IN EPITHELIAL OVARIAN CANCER [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 11th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium; Sep 12-13, 2016; Seattle, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2017;23(11 Suppl):Abstract nr AP31.
RNA-seq data comparisons of wild soybean genotypes in response to soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines).

Abstract Soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is an important crop rich in vegetable protein and oil, and is a staple food for human and animals worldwide. However, soybean plants have been challenged by soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines ), one of the most damaging pests found in soybean fields. Applying SCN-resistant cultivars is the most efficient and environmentally friendly strategy to manage SCN. Currently, soybean breeding and further improvement in soybean agriculture are hindered by severely limited genetic diversity in cultivated soybeans. G . soja is a soybean wild progenitor with much higher levels of genetic diversity compared to cultivated soybeans. In this study, transcriptomes of the resistant and susceptible genotypes of the wild soybean, Glycine soja Sieb & Zucc, were sequenced to examine the genetic basis of SCN resistance. Seedling roots were treated with infective second-stage juveniles (J2s) of the soybean cyst nematode (HG type 2.5.7) for 3, 5, 8 days and pooled for library construction and RNA sequencing. The transcriptome sequencing generated approximately 245 million (M) high quality (Q > 30) raw sequence reads (125 bp in length) for twelve libraries. The raw sequence reads were deposited in NCBI sequence read archive (SRA) database, with the accession numbers SRR5227314-25. Further analysis of this data would be helpful to improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of soybean-SCN interaction and facilitate the development of diverse SCN resistance cultivars.
Lithographed Superconducting Resonator Development for Next-Generation Frequency Multiplexing Readout of Transition-Edge Sensors

Ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments are undergoing a period of exponential growth. Current experiments are observing with 1000–10,000 detectors, and the next-generation experiment (CMB stage 4) is proposing to deploy approximately 500,000 detectors. This order of magnitude increase in detector count will require a new approach for readout electronics. We have developed superconducting resonators for next-generation frequency-domain multiplexing (fMUX) readout architecture. Our goal is to reduce the physical size of resonators, such that resonators and detectors can eventually be integrated on a single wafer. To reduce the size of these resonators, we have designed spiral inductors and interdigitated capacitors that resonate around 10–100 MHz, an order of magnitude higher frequency compared to current fMUX readout systems. The higher frequency leads to a wider bandwidth and would enable higher multiplexing factor than the current $$\sim $$ 50 detectors per readout channel. We will report on the simulation, fabrication method, characterization technique, and measurement of quality factor of these resonators.
Negotiation of Sexual Identity in Gay On-Air Talent on West Texas Radio and Television Media.

ABSTRACTThis analytic autoethnography explores identity negotiation in on-air media personalities in West Texas by augmenting the author’s personal experience with the lived experiences of five oth...
Solvothermal Synthesis of Photocatalytic TiO2 Nanoparticles Capable of Killing Escherichia coli

A colloidal solution of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles was prepared by the solvothermal method and dip-coated onto a polypropylene fabric with TMOS binder. The prepared TiO2 particles, colloidal solution and the coated fabrics were characterized by X-ray diffraction, SEM and TEM. The results showed that the TiO2 particles prepared by the solvothermal method were composed of anatase which uniformly coated the substrate. Photocatalysis induced bactericidal properties of coated fabrics were tested by measuring the viability of Escherichia coli. It was found that solvothermally prepared TiO2 coatings have the ability to kill E. coli. This unique property of TiO2 makes it an ideal candidate in producing self-sterilizing protective masks and in providing bactericidal and self-cleaning properties to a variety of surfaces.
Properties of Faults

This chapter focuses on the recognition of faults, their geometrical properties, displacement distributions, and the correlation of multiple fault cuts into continuous fault surfaces. Unconformities are treated here because, by truncating units at the map scale, they share characteristics with faults and need to be distinguished from faults.
The genesis of IDARC and advances in macromodeling for nonlinear analysis of RC structures

The development of IDARC (Park et al., IDARC: Inelastic Damage Analysis of Reinforced Concrete frame shear-wall structures. Technical report NCEER 87-0008, State University of New York, Buffalo, 1987) (Inelastic Damage Analysis of Reinforced Concrete structures) was initially motivated by the need for an efficient computer program to aid the design of shaking table experiments but then evolved into a tool for seismic assessment of reinforced concrete structures. The primary modeling technique employed in the IDARC computational platform is the representation of the overall behavior of components through macromodels. The effectiveness of the macro elements is enhanced through the introduction of distributed flexibility models that account for the effects of spread plasticity. Nonlinear material behavior is specified by means of a generic hysteretic force-deformation model that incorporates stiffness degradation, strength deterioration and pinching or bond-slip effects. Solution modules for nonlinear static, monotonic, quasi-static cyclic and transient seismic loads were implemented. The final response quantities are expressed in terms of damage indices that provide engineers with a qualitative interpretation of the structural response.
Trapping interactions between catalytic domains and carrier proteins of modular biosynthetic enzymes with chemical probes

Covering: up to early 2018 The Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetases (NRPSs) and Polyketide Synthases (PKSs) are families of modular enzymes that produce a tremendous diversity of natural products, with antibacterial, antifungal, immunosuppressive, and anticancer activities. Both enzymes utilize a fascinating modular architecture in which the synthetic intermediates are covalently attached to a peptidyl- or acyl-carrier protein that is delivered to catalytic domains for natural product elongation, modification, and termination. An investigation of the structural mechanism therefore requires trapping the often transient interactions between the carrier and catalytic domains. Many novel chemical probes have been produced to enable the structural and functional investigation of multidomain NRPS and PKS structures. This review will describe the design and implementation of the chemical tools that have proven to be useful in biochemical and biophysical studies of these natural product biosynthetic enzymes.
Online Patient Education Materials for Orthognathic Surgery Fail to Meet Readability and Quality Standards.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the readability and quality of online patient educational materials (PEMs) for orthognathic surgery. Materials and Methods Two internet searches were performed using the search terms orthognathic surgery and jaw surgery. The presence of content related to the risks, benefits, procedure, and postoperative care was recorded. Readability was measured using 4 validated scales: Flesch-Kincaid grade level, Gunning Fog index, Coleman-Liau index, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook index. Materials were readable if they were written at or below an eighth-grade reading level as recommended by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Quality was assessed using 2 metrics: the DISCERN instrument and the Journal of the American Medical Association benchmark criteria. A DISCERN score of 50 was set as the lower limit of acceptable quality. Mann-Whitney U and Fisher exact tests were used to compare the readability, quality, and presence of content between private practice and non-private practice PEMs. Results Fifty websites were included in the study after removing duplicates and applying exclusion criteria. On average, PEMs were written at a 13.4-grade level (range, 7.8 to 17.3). Nearly every website (n = 49; 98%) mentioned the benefits of surgery; however, very few websites discussed the surgical procedure (n = 12; 24%), postoperative care (n = 10; 20%), and risks or complications (n = 6; 12%). The mean DISCERN score was 25.5 of 80 (range, 18 to 63), and only 2 websites achieved DISCERN scores of acceptable quality. Private practice websites reported less content related to the surgical procedure (P = .03) and had lower DISCERN scores (P = .02). Conclusions As a whole, online PEMs for orthognathic surgery failed to meet AMA and NIH readability recommendations and yielded poor quality scores. Increasing the presence of content related to treatment risks and postoperative care will help improve the quality of PEMs.
ChainFS: Blockchain-Secured Cloud Storage

This work presents ChainFS, a middleware system that secures cloud storage services using a minimally trusted Blockchain. ChainFS hardens the cloud-storage security against forking attacks. The ChainFS middleware exposes a file-system interface to end users. Internally, ChainFS stores data files in the cloud and exports minimal and necessary functionalities to the Blockchain for key distribution and file operation logging. We implement the ChainFS system on Ethereum and S3FS and closely integrate it with FUSE clients and Amazon S3 cloud storage. We measure the system performance and demonstrate low overhead.
Cox Processes for Counting by Detection

In this work, doubly stochastic Poisson (Cox) processes and convolutional neural net (CNN) classifiers are used to estimate the number of instances of an object in an image. Poisson processes are well suited to model events that occur randomly in space, such as the location of objects in an image or the enumeration of objects in a scene. The proposed algorithm selects a subset of bounding boxes in the image domain, then queries them for the presence of the object of interest by running a pre-trained CNN classifier. The resulting observations are then aggregated, and a posterior distribution over the intensity of a Cox process is computed. This intensity function is summed up, providing an estimator of the number of instances of the object over the entire image. Despite the flexibility and versatility of Cox processes, their application to large datasets is limited as their computational complexity and storage requirements do not easily scale with image size, typically requiring $$O(n^3)$$ computation time and $$O(n^2)$$ storage, where n is the number of observations. To mitigate this problem, we employ the Kronecker algebra, which takes advantage of direct product structures. As the likelihood is non-Gaussian, the Laplace approximation is used for inference, employing the conjugate gradient and Newton’s method. Our approach has then close to linear performance, requiring only $$O(n^{3/2})$$ computation time and O(n) memory. Results are presented on simulated data and on images from the publicly available MS COCO dataset. We compare our counting results with the state-of-the-art detection method, Faster RCNN, and demonstrate superior performance.
Temporal Bone Variants

Temporal bone imaging has a well-deserved reputation as being one of the more challenging aspects of radiology. To paraphrase a neurotology colleague, an amazing amount of intricate anatomy is packed into a very small box. Furthermore, the pathology affecting these structures can be very subtle and affect minute areas. Understanding the myriad appearances of normal structures in unusual places or of unexpected size is quite important. Frequently, these variations are of no consequence but occasionally a similar structure of a comparable size and location that is asymptomatic in one person may be problematic in another.
Liberating Native Mass Spectrometry from Dependence on Volatile Salt Buffers by Use of Gábor Transform.

Volatile salts, such as ammonium acetate, are commonly used in buffers for the analysis of intact proteins and protein complexes in native electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Although these solutions are not technically buffers near pH 7, the volatile nature of the salt minimizes ion adduction to proteins upon transfer to vacuum. Conversely, common biochemical salt buffers, such as Tris/NaCl, are not traditionally used in native mass spectrometry because of the tendency of sodium and other ions to adduct to proteins or form large cluster ions, severely frustrating accurate mass assignment. Here, we demonstrate a Gabor transform method for extracting signal from native-like protein ions even in the presence of a large salt-cluster background. We further show the utility of this method in characterizing polymers and show that the measured average mass of long-chain polyethylene glycol ions from a commercial polymer sample is ∼30 % higher than the manufacturer-estimated average mass. It is expected that this method will enable more widespread use of conventional biochemical buffers in native mass spectrometry and decrease dependence on volatile salts.
An alternative approach to predict Seebeck coefficients: Application to La3−xTe4

Abstract A thermodynamic understanding of Seebeck coefficient was demonstrated in terms of electrochemical potential. It divided the contributions to the Seebeck coefficient into two contributions: the effect of thermal electronic excitations due to Fermi distribution and the effect of charge carrier gradient due to thermal expansion. The procedure is illustrated within the rigid band approximation in terms of the electronic density-of-states and the quasiharmonic approximation in terms of the phonon density-of-states. Numerical results were given using the n-type high temperature thermoelectric material La3-xTe4 at x = 0, 0.25, and 0.33 as the prototype at a variety of carrier concentrations.
Modular Systems for Energy Usage Management

"…[a] very unique book that integrates benefits of modular systems for enhanced sustainability to meet the global challenges of rapid and sometimes uncontrolled industrialization in the 21st century."—Pinakin Patel, T2M Global This book examines the role of the modular approach for the back end of the energy industry—energy usage management. It outlines the use of modular approaches for the processes used to improve energy conservation and efficiency, which are preludes to the prudent use of energy. Since energy consumption is conventionally broken down into four sectors—residential, transportation, industrial, and commercial—the discussions on energy usage management are also broken down into these four sectors in the book. The book examines the use of modular systems for five application areas that cover the sectors described above: buildings, vehicles, computers and electrical/electronic products, district heating, and wastewater treatment and desalination. This book also discusses the use of a modular approach for energy storage and transportation. Finally, it describes how the modular approach facilitates bottom-up, top-down, and hybrid simulation and modeling of the energy systems from various scientific and socioeconomic perspectives. Aimed at industry professionals and researchers involved in the energy industry, this book illustrates in detail, with the help of concrete industrial examples, how a modular approach can facilitate management of energy usage.
Analysis of the assessment results on iodine deficiency disorders of the Twelfth Five Years Project in Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province

Objective To assess the progress of control and elimination of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) in Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, in order to make classified and refined strategy in prevention and control of the disease. Methods According to the project of "Assessment on Endemic Disease of the Twelfth Five Years Project in Sichuan Province", the last assessment was carried out. From March to June 2015, the management indicators were graded in 13 counties (cities) of Aba Prefecture, 1 township (town) was chosen according to the east, west, south, north, and centre of 5 directions of each county (city), 4 administrative villages were chosen in each township (town), salt samples from 15 households were collected in each administrative village, and the content of salt iodine was tested based on the arbitration law (GB/T 13025.7-1999). One primary school was chosen in each township (town), urine samples of 40 children aged 8-10 (half males and half females) were collected, arsenic cerium catalytic spectrophotometry (WS/T 107-2006) was used to test the content of urinary iodine; and palpation method was used to check goiter. Urine samples of 20 pregnant women were collected in the selected township (town), and the content of urinary iodine was determined; at the same time, of the pregnant women who had been checked urinary iodine levels, 10 individuals were selected to conduct a questionnaire survey to understand the health education of pregnant women. Results The average score of management indicators was 92. A total of 3 941 salt samples were collected, the median of salt iodine was 28.8 mg/kg, the consumption rate of qualified iodized salt was 96.6% (3 806/3 941), and the rate of iodized salt was 99.6% (3 927/3 941). A total of 2 866 urine samples of children were tested, the median of urinary iodine was 160.0 μg/L, and < 50 μg/L was 4.6% (131/2 866); the thyroid enlargement rate was 0.7% (19/2 819). A total of 1 143 urine samples of pregnant women were tested, the median of urinary iodine was 188.3 μg/L, and < 150 μg/L was 27.9% (319/1 143); a total of 650 questionnaires were collected, awareness of pregnant women's health education was 78.3% (1 527/1 950). Conclusion Aba Prefecture continues to eliminate IDD, and the iodine nutrition status of the population is better, but it is necessary to further strengthen supervision on iodized salt market and health education. Key words: Child; Pregnant women; Thyroid gland; Iodine; Salts; Urine; Assessment
Increased rainfall stimulates permafrost thaw across a variety of Interior Alaskan boreal ecosystems

Earth’s high latitudes are projected to experience warmer and wetter summers in the future but ramifications for soil thermal processes and permafrost thaw are poorly understood. Here we present 2750 end of summer thaw depths representing a range of vegetation characteristics in Interior Alaska measured over a 5 year period. This included the top and third wettest summers in the 91-year record and three summers with precipitation close to mean historical values. Increased rainfall led to deeper thaw across all sites with an increase of 0.7 ± 0.1 cm of thaw per cm of additional rain. Disturbed and wetland sites were the most vulnerable to rain-induced thaw with ~1 cm of surface thaw per additional 1 cm of rain. Permafrost in tussock tundra, mixed forest, and conifer forest was less sensitive to rain-induced thaw. A simple energy budget model yields seasonal thaw values smaller than the linear regression of our measurements but provides a first-order estimate of the role of rain-driven sensible heat fluxes in high-latitude terrestrial permafrost. This study demonstrates substantial permafrost thaw from the projected increasing summer precipitation across most of the Arctic region.
Malattributed Comments in Agency Rulemaking

A specter is haunting notice-and-comment rulemaking – the specter of “fraudulent comments.” The stand-out example was the FCC’s net neutrality rulemaking in 2017. A record 22 million comments were submitted, but millions of those were submitted by computers (bots) using fictitious names or the names of real people, living and dead, who had no connection to the comment. The reaction was ferocious; many argued that the rulemaking should have been abandoned because it was irretrievably contaminated by fraud, identity theft, and other criminal activity. This article calls for calm. The reaction was over-wrought and rests on a fundamental misconception of the nature of notice-and-comment rulemaking. There is nothing good about comments submitted under someone else’s name; we should not celebrate them; there is no silver lining; agencies should take steps to prevent or weed out such submissions to the extent they can do so without discouraging legitimate comments. But neither are they actually all that harmful, either to the agency or to the individuals whose names have been used. Moreover, despite the frequent and casual assertions of illegality, except in rare circumstances they just are not illegal. Among other things they are not, they are not “fraudulent.” That is a legal conclusion that does not fit. Hence the neologism “malattributed.” The Article begins by describing the phenomenon and arguing that the horrified reaction of many observers results from a category mistake. Horror would be appropriate if rulemaking were a vote, but it is not. The article then systematically reviews the various harms caused by malattributed comments, which are real but modest. It then considers a range of possible statutes that may prohibit this activity. Were a federal prosecutor actually interested in pursuing malattributors, the most promising hook would be the false statements statute, 18 U.S.C . § 1001. But even that is an uphill battle. Nor does the Administrative Procedure Act require agencies to cleanse the docket of such submissions or abandon a rulemaking because it is “tainted” by them. A brief conclusion suggests modest measures agencies can and should take to discourage malattributed comments.
Faculty Development Workshop for Endoscopic Teaching Techniques.

Introduction Given the substantial variability in endoscopy teaching that gastroenterology fellows can be expected to encounter over the course of their fellowship, it is important to identify a st...
The Induction of Pyrenoid Synthesis by Hyperoxia and its Implications for the Natural Diversity of Photosynthetic Responses in Chlamydomonas

In algae, it is well established that the pyrenoid, a component of the carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM), is essential for efficient photosynthesis at low CO2. However, the signal that triggers the formation of the pyrenoid has remained elusive. Here, we show that, in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the pyrenoid is strongly induced by hyperoxia, even at high CO2 or bicarbonate levels. These results suggest that the pyrenoid can be induced by a common product of photosynthesis specific to low CO2 or hyperoxia. Consistent with this view, the photorespiratory by-product, H2O2, induced the pyrenoid, suggesting that it acts as a signal. Finally, we show evidence for linkages between genetic variations in hyperoxia tolerance, H2O2 signaling, and pyrenoid morphologies.
Biomechanical Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD), the Major Constituents of Cannabis, in a Sprague Dawley Rat Achilles Tendon Surgical Repair Model: A Pilot Study.

Background:The use of cannabis is common among athletes and the US population at large. Cannabinoids are currently being evaluated as alternatives to opioid medications for chronic pain management....
Outside Ownership as a Factor Input

This paper demonstrates how the outside ownership of assets used in production can improve outcomes. If outside ownership improves outcomes, and assets which implement the gains from outside ownership are scarce, then assets can have value conditional on outside ownership. A framework with a continuous creation and destruction of such assets is developed in a model of firm entry and exit. Assets under outside ownership behave like a factor input which earns a periodic return. By mapping a reduced form version of my model to the canonical Hopenhayn (1992) model of firm entry and exit, a micro-foundation for such a model is provided.
Addressing Racial Disparities in Social Welfare Programs: Using Social Equity Analysis to Examine the Problem

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) allows states considerable discretion in developing and implementing their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. Little research so far has compared the implementation of TANF programs across racial groups. Without such analysis, it is difficult to interpret program outcomes. Using client survey data from a large Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC) study, the Project on Devolution and Urban Change, this article compares African-American, Hispanic and White Clients' experiences with diversion, case management, sanctioning, exiting welfare, and dispute resolution. Using residual differences analysis, this article identifies significant differences in treatment among racial and ethnic groups.
Abstract 20381: Recurrent Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection Treated Medically

Introduction: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an infrequent cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Diffuse multi-vessel coronary artery dissection is extremely rare. Case Presentation: 57 year old Caucasian female with history of non ST segment elevation MI due to spontaneous coronary artery dissection, presented with substernal chest pain. Electrocardiogram (EKG) revealed nonspecific ST-T wave changes. Peak troponin was 7.63 ng/ml. Contrast Echocardiogram revealed mild infero-lateral wall motion abnormality with preserved ejection fraction. A coronary angiogram showed 90% stenosis of distal left circumflex with retained dye highly suspicious for dissection. Her left anterior descending coronary artery, which showed dissections in the past, and was treated with dual antiplatelet therapy for 3 months, looked completely normal. ![][1] ![][2] She was started on aspirin and clopidogrel as before without angioplasty. Her troponin levels steadily declined during follow up and she was asymptomatic thereafter. Discussion: SCAD is a vessel wall lesion that presents in the absence of iatrogenic, non- coronary or traumatic causes. There is no consensus on the treatment strategy and management should be based on endovascular imaging, degree of flow in the distal vessel and the clinical scenario. In case of a single vessel dissection with normal distal flow, dual anti platelet therapy has shown remarkable angiographic resolution after few months. Conclusion: Our patient had repeated SCAD involving multiple coronaries and she benefited medical therapy. Future prospective multicenter studies are needed to achieve a consensus on the best treatment strategy for SCAD. [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif [2]: /embed/graphic-2.gif
Using Feedlot Operational Data to Make Valid Conclusions for Improving Health Management

Feedlot operational data can be useful for monitoring cattle health and performance outcomes and evaluating associations between these outcomes and potentially important cattle population or management factors. Operational data are inherently relevant to clients; however, there are potential limitations that need to be considered to make appropriate conclusions. Assessing data quality, potential for bias, data distributions, and multiple health outcomes can provide a more thorough understanding of feedlot cattle health and factors that may affect health management systems. Accurate and useful information is derived only when the advantages and limitations of the data and the analysis process are fully understood.
Dividing Up the Kids

Among cooperatively breeding mammals such as the meerkat (a type of mongoose), dominant breeding females have been thought to subdue the reproductive activities of subordinate females to optimize their own fitness. Optimal skew or concessions theory predicts that if disgruntled subordinates decide to leave the group, the dominant female will offer them reproductive rights as a concession to induce them to stay. However, as [Koenig and Haydock][1] explain in their Perspective, a new field study by [Clutton-Brock and colleagues][2] on meerkats in the Kalahari refutes this theory and instead suggests that dominant females have little control over the reproductive rights of subordinates. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/291/5503/442 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/291/5503/478
The manatee:ecology and use for weed control.

SINCE 1885 the Botanic Gardens in Georgetown, British Guiana, has had in some ornamental pools manatees (Trichechus manatus, order Sirenia), which have been always fed with grass by visitors. These pools have been kept clear by the manatees and it seemed always necessary to get additional food in the form of grass. It was therefore felt that experiments should be proceeded with using these animals for weed control, and some have been maintained in the reservoirs of the water purification plant and have effectively kept these clear of aquatic plants, particularly Cabomba aquatica, Anacharis, Leersia, Utricularia.
Detection of 3He spins with ultra-low field nuclear magnetic resonance employing SQUIDs for application to a neutron electric dipole moment experiment

The precession of (3)He spins is detected with ultra-low field NMR. The absolute strength of the NMR signal is accurately measured and agrees closely with theoretical calculations. The sensitivity is analyzed for applications to a neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) fundamental symmetry experiment under development.
Belief-Oriented Segregation in Policy Networks

Abstract Many policy networks are characterized by belief-oriented segregation, where actors with shared belief systems are clustered together and few opportunities exist for communication across coalitions of like-minded stakeholders. This inhibits the ability of network actors to effectively learn about, and successfully manage, complex policy problems. Despite the importance of understanding why these structures emerge, the processes that generate belief polarization in networks are not well-studied. This paper derives a general agent-based model of network formation and belief change from the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), a prominent theory of the policy process that has been widely applied to the study of belief conflict in contentious policy systems. Simulation results suggest that the ACF assumption of biased information processing plays a critical role in the emergence of belief-oriented segregation in networks. This model provides a starting point for re-thinking the role of cognitive bias in social and policy learning, as well as the relationships between belief change and the evolving structure of policy networks.
A robust adaptive flightpath reconstruction technique

Computational schemes are presented that allow accurate reconstruction of an aircraft's flightpath in real-time. The reconstruction of the flightpath is formulated as a linear state reconstruction problem, which can be solved via Kalman filtering (KF) techniques. This imposes some conditions upon the flight-test equipment. A reliable square root covariance KF (SRCF) implementation is chosen and further developed into a fully adaptive flightpath reconstruction scheme. Therefore, the basic SRCF is modified in order to cope with several practical problems such as: the automatic control of the convergence of the recursive KF calculations, time varying zero-bias errors on the input signal of the system model used in the KF, and the changing aircraft dynamics owing to a change in reference flight condition. The developed solutions for these problems are all implemented in a numerically stable way, which guarantees the overall flightpath reconstruction scheme to be robust. Furthermore, some special features of the used system model are exploited to make the algorithmic implementation very efficient. An experimental simulation study using simulated flight test data demonstrated these different capabilities.
Record performances at the Boston Marathon: biometeorological factors.

Air temperature and relative humidity have long been suspected of affecting the performance of marathon runners. Though these factors are important in their extremes, we show that other factors are even more indicative of race performances. Performances of the top 3 finishers in the last 30 Boston Marathons were correlated with hourly meteorological data for each race day. These 90 individual performances were classified as: record breaking performances (31), average performances (35), and unusually slow performances (24). The factors that help predict record breaking and unusually slow performances are: (i) wet bulb temperature, (ii) percent sky cover, and (iii) presence or absence of a light precipitation. Record breaking performances are characterized by a wet bulb temperature of 7.8°C, and a sky cover of 50% or less. No light, precipitation was recorded on any of the unusually slow race days. A graphic analysis clearly shows these relationships to exist. In addition, a multiple regression analysis confirms the importance of these variables. The authors advise that these are reliable predictors; however, when considering marathon races held in various geographical regions and differing climatic regimes, the exact numerical thresholds used here may not apply.