cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Positron Emission Tomography Scans Obtained for the Evaluation of Cognitive Dysfunction

The degree of intactness of human cognitive functioning for a given individual spans a wide spectrum, ranging from normal to severely demented. The differential diagnosis for the causes of impairment along that spectrum is also wide, and often difficult to distinguish clinically, which has led to an increasing role for neuroimaging tools in that evaluation. The most frequent causes of dementia are neurodegenerative disorders, Alzheimer's disease being the most prevalent among them, and they produce significant alterations in brain metabolism, with devastating neuropathologic, clinical, social, and economic consequences. These alterations are detectable through positron emission tomography (PET), even in their earliest stages. The most commonly performed PET studies of the brain are performed with (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose as the imaged radiopharmaceutical. Such scans have demonstrated diagnostic and prognostic utility for clinicians evaluating patients with cognitive impairment and in distinguishing among primary neurodegenerative disorders and other etiologies contributing to cognitive decline. In addition to focusing on the effects on cerebral metabolism examined with (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET, some other changes occurring in the brains of cognitively impaired patients assessable with other radiotracers will be considered. As preventive and disease-modifying treatments are developed, early detection of accurately diagnosed disease processes facilitated by the use of PET has the potential to substantially impact on the enormous human toll exacted by these diseases.
The FixK2 protein is involved in regulation of symbiotic hydrogenase expression in Bradyrhizobium japonicum.

The roles of the nitrogen fixation regulatory proteins NifA, FixK1, and FixK2 in the symbiotic regulation of hydrogenase structural gene expression in Bradyrhizobium japonicum have been investigated. Bacteroids from FixJ and FixK2 mutants have little or no hydrogenase activity, and extracts from these mutant bacteroids contain no hydrogenase protein. Bacteroids from a FixK1 mutant exhibit wild-type levels of hydrogenase activity. In b-galactosidase transcriptional assays with NifA and FixK2 expression plasmids, the FixK2 protein induces transcription from the hup promoter to levels similar to those induced by HoxA, the transcriptional activator of free-living hydrogenase expression. The NifA protein does not activate transcription at the hydrogenase promoter. Therefore, FixK2 is involved in the transcriptional activation of symbiotic hydrogenase expression. By using b-galactosidase transcriptional fusion constructs containing successive truncations of the hup promoter, the region of the hup promoter required for regulation by FixK2 was determined to be between 29 and 44 bp upstream of the transcription start site. The slow-growing symbiont of the soybean plant, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, expresses a hydrogen uptake hydrogenase that oxidizes hydrogen under both free-living and symbiotic conditions. In the free-living state, the expression of the NiFe hydrogenase is regulated at the transcriptional level by hydrogen, oxygen, and nickel (21). These three signals exert their effects within a 50-bp region of DNA located between 99 and 149 bp upstream of the transcription start site of the hydrogenase structural genes (22). In addition, the hydrogenase promoter is s 54 dependent and requires integration host factor for full induction (5). The hoxA gene (32) is located approximately 12 kb downstream of the hydrogenase structural genes, in a region of the hydrogenase gene cluster previously shown to be necessary for free-living hydrogenase activity (23). The hoxA gene encodes a protein with extensive homology to transcriptional activators of hydrogenase expression in several other organisms, including HoxA in Alcaligenes eutrophus (12), HupR1 in Rhodobacter capsulatus (30), and HydG in Escherichia coli (31), all of which are members of the NtrC-like family of response regulators (17). Subsequent studies of the role of the HoxA protein in the biosynthesis of hydrogenase by our group (11) and another (33) have confirmed that HoxA is a transcriptional activator of hydrogenase expression under free-living, microaerobic conditions. Its cognate sensor protein is presently unknown. However, bacteroids from nodules formed by B. japonicum HoxA mutants exhibit wild-type levels of hydrogenase activity and extracts from Hup 1 bacteroids used in gel retardation assays
Complex interactions in complex traits: obesity and asthma.

Immediate and long term effects of weight reduction in obese people with asthma: randomised controlled study B Stenius-Aarniala, T Poussa, J Kvarnstrom, E L Gronlund, M Ylikahri, P Mustajoki Objective: To investigate the influence of weight reduction on obese patients with asthma. Design: Open study, two randomised parallel groups. Setting: Private outpatients centre, Helsinki, Finland. Participants: Two groups of 19 obese patients with asthma (body mass index (kg/m2) 30 to 42) recruited through newspaper advertisements. Intervention: Supervised weight reduction programme including 8 week very low energy diet. Main outcome measures: Body weight, morning peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1); and also asthma symptoms, number of acute episodes, courses of oral steroids, health status (quality of life). Results: At the end of the weight reducing programme, the participants in the treatment group had lost a mean of 14.5% of their pretreatment weight, the controls 0.3%. The corresponding figures after one year were 11.3% and a weight gain of 2.2%. After the 8 week dieting period the difference in changes in percentage of predicted FEV1from baseline in the treatment and control groups was 7.2% (95% confidence interval 1.9% to 12.5%, P=0. 009). The corresponding difference in the changes in FVC was 8.6% (4. 8% to 12.5%, P<0.0001). After one year the differences in the changes in the two groups were still significant: 7.6% for FEV1 (1. 5% to 13.8%, P=0.02) and 7.6% for FVC (3.5% to 11.8%, P=0.001). By the end of the weight reduction programme, reduction in dyspnoea was 13 mm (on a visual analogue scale 0 mm to 100 mm) in the treatment group and 1 mm in the control group (P=0.02). The reduction of rescue medication was 1.2 and 0.1 doses respectively (P=0.03). After one …
The conditions and consequences of profiling in commercial and governmental settings

Profiling is a technique whereby a set of characteristics of a particular class of person is inferred from past experience, and data holdings are then searched for individuals with a close fit to that set of characteristics. The results of profiling bring individuals' civil liberties and privacy into conflict with apparently legitimate applications of data collection, manipulation and filtering. This paper considers certain aspects of the information environment that enable the accession, collection, collation and analysis of data from large databases containing personal information from public and private sources. It describes some of the current types of profiling in both commercial and governmental settings and the stated purpose of such activities. Some implications and consequences of such collection manipulation and analyses are then presented.
Chemical Shift Tensors of Protonated Base Carbons in Helical RNA and DNA from NMR Relaxation and Liquid Crystal Measurements

Knowledge of 13C chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) tensors in nucleotide bases is important for interpretation of NMR relaxation data in terms of local dynamic properties of nucleic acids and for analysis of residual chemical shift anisotropy (RCSA) resulting from weak alignment. CSA tensors for protonated nucleic acid base carbons have been derived from measurements on a uniformly 13C-enriched helical A-form RNA segment and a helical B-form DNA dodecamer at natural 13C abundance. The magnitudes of the derived CSA principal values are tightly restricted by the magnetic field dependencies of the 13C transverse relaxation rates, whereas the tensor orientation and asymmetry follow from quantitative measurements of interference between 13C-{1H} dipolar and 13C CSA relaxation mechanisms. Changes in the chemical shift between the isotropic and aligned states, Δδ, complement these measurements and permit cross-validation. The CSA tensors are determined from the experimental Δδ values and relaxation rates, under th...
Spatiotemporal evolution of electron characteristics in the electron diffusion region of magnetic reconnection: Implications for acceleration and heating

Based on particle-in-cell simulations of collisionless magnetic reconnection, the spatiotemporal evolution of electron velocity distributions in the electron diffusion region (EDR) is reported to illustrate how electrons are accelerated and heated. Approximately when the reconnection rate maximizes, electron distributions in the vicinity of the X line exhibit triangular structures with discrete striations and a temperature (Te) twice that of the inflow region. Te increases as the meandering EDR populations mix with inflowing electrons. As the distance from the X line increases within the electron outflow jet, the discrete populations swirl into arcs and gyrotropize by the end of the jet with Te about 3 times that of the X line. Two dominant processes increase Te and produce the spatially and temporally evolving EDR distributions: (1) electric field acceleration preferential to electrons which meander in the EDR for longer times and (2) cyclotron turning by the magnetic field normal to the reconnection layer.
Family-Based Treatment in Prodromal and First-Episode Psychosis

Among all medical disorders, schizophrenia is one of the costliest and most severe, creating nearly continuous disability for a lifetime in the great majority of cases. 1% of the population suffers from this disorder, even though the incidence is low, about 1/10,000 per year. It is a devastating disorder for families, who often assume major caretaking and psychological burdens secondary to the functional deficits that this and other psychotic disorders impose. While often not as severe, the major mood disorders exact a significant toll on persons who have the disorders and those who attempt to care for, support and, sometimes, control them. It has been estimated that the total lifetime cost for a single case of schizophrenia is greater than $10,000,000 [1]. The functional disability that is particularly devastating in schizophrenia appears to be secondary to deficit processes that usually begin prior to the psychotic symptoms, but often persist in spite of treatment and usually get worse with time and with each subsequent episode.
Clonal variations of pungency, sugar content, and bulb weight of onions due to sulphur nutrition

Abstract A greenhouse study was conducted to test the effects of sulphur (S) nutrition on pungency, sugar content, and bulb weight of six cloned lines of ‘TG 1015Y’ onions. Onion bulbs grown under the low S treatment (0.1 meq 1−1 or 2 ppm S) contained 1.9 μmol g−1 fwt. pyruvic acid, while those under the high S treatment (7.7 meq 1−1 or 123 ppm S) contained 5.5 μmol g−1 fwt. There was significant variation in the pyruvic acid content among clones under the high S nutrition, but not under the low S treatment. Total sugar content was higher in the low S treatment than the high S treatment (45.2 vs. 43.1 mg g−1) with a large variation among the clones under both treatments. Bulb weight was significantly less at low S nutrition (311 vs. 504 g) with a great variation among the clones. Total S content in leaf (0.26 vs. 0.85%) and bulb tissues (0.13 vs. 0.43%) were significantly low in the low S treatment and indicated a S deficiency.
Aqueous exposure to Aroclor 1254 modulates the mitogenic response of Atlantic salmon anterior kidney T-cells: Indications of short- and long-term immunomodulation

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exist as persistent organic pollutants in numerous river systems in the United States. Unfortunately, some of these rivers are sites of active Atlantic salmon restoration programs, and polychlorinated biphenyls have been implicated as ancillary factors contributing to failed salmon restoration. Here, we investigate the immediate and chronic effects of intermediate duration aqueous PCB exposure (1 or 10 gL −1 Aroclor 1254) on the mitogen-stimulated lymphoproliferative response of Atlantic salmon anterior kidney leukocytes (AKLs). A short-term study was designed to examine immunomodulation in Atlantic salmon smolts immediately following 21 days of aqueous exposure, while a long-term study evaluated chronic impacts in the mitogen response in parr 15 months post-exposure as larvae. The proliferative response of AKLs to the mitogens concanavalin A (CON A), phytohemaglutinnin-P (PHA-P), pokeweed mitogen (PWM), and lipopolysaccharide were used as an indice of immunomodulation. The proliferative response to the T-cell mitogens CON A and PHA-P was significantly increased in the 10 gL −1 group (n = 10; P = 0.043 and 0.002, respectively) immediately following exposure of smolts. Additionally, The PHA-P response was significantly increased in the 1 gL −1 exposure group (n = 10, P = 0.036). In fish treated as larvae and tested 15 months later, the PHA-P sensitive populations exhibited elevated proliferation in the 1 and 10 gL −1 groups (n = 12, P < 0.04) relative to the vehicle control while the PWM response was significantly increased ( n = 12, P = 0.036) only in the 10 gL −1 treated groups. These results demonstrate an immunomodulatory effect of PCBs on T-cell mitogen sensitive populations of lymphocytes in Atlantic salmon as well as long-term immunomodulation in PHA-P and PWM sensitive populations. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A Dynamic Distributed Constraint Satisfaction Approach to Resource Allocation

In distributed resource allocation a set of agents must assign their resources to a set of tasks. This problem arises in many real-world domains such as disaster rescue, hospital scheduling and the domain described in this paper: distributed sensor networks. Despite the variety of approaches proposed for distributed resource allocation, a systematic formalization of the problem and a general solution strategy are missing. This paper takes a step towards this goal by proposing a formalization of distributed resource allocation that represents both dynamic and distributed aspects of the problem and a general solution strategy that uses distributed constraint satisfaction techniques. This paper defines the notion of Dynamic Distributed Constraint Satisfaction Problem (DyDCSP) and proposes two generalized mappings from distributed resource allocation to DyDCSP, each proven to correctly perform resource allocation problems of specific difficulty and this theoretical result is verified in practice by an implementation on a real-world distributed sensor network.
Recent Advances in Blood-Brain Barrier Transport

In summary, recent studies over the last ten years have concentrated on what the blood-brain barrier does rather than what it is. This focus has changed the concept of this important membrane from a passive, relatively immutable structure to a dynamic interface between blood and brain. Further understanding of the molecular cell physiology of the brain capillary endothelium will undoubtedly lead to new insights into both drug action at the BBB and drug delivery through this barrier.
Enrolling Research Participants in Private Practice: Conflicts of Interest, Consistency, Therapeutic Misconception, and Informed Consent.

Physicians who are recruiting participants for a clinical trial should neither accept undue compensation nor withhold information about the risks and benefits of the trial from patients who meet the enrollment criteria.
Recent Advances in Muonium Hyperfine Splitting Calculations

Recent advances in the theoretical calculation of ground state muonium hyperfine splitting are described. The role of the known nonrelativistic Coulomb Green’s function as the basis of approximation schemes is emphasized.
The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Recommendations for Prostate Cancer Screening

The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) recommendations on prostate cancer screening were developed in response to three limitations of previous screening guidelines: insufficient evidence base, failure to link screening with treatment, and lack of risk stratification. The objective of the recommendations is to provide a schema for prostate cancer screening that maximizes the benefits, in terms of reduction in prostate cancer-specific mortality, and minimizes the harms, in terms of overdiagnosis and overtreatment. We recommend the following schema for men choosing to be screened following informed decision-making: starting at age 45, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) without digital rectal examination. If PSA ≥ 3 ng/mL: consider prostate biopsy; if PSA ≥ 1 but 3 ng/mL should be based on a variety of factors including repeat blood draw for confirmatory testing of the PSA level, digital rectal examination results, and workup for benign disease. Additional reflex tests in blood such as a free-to-total PSA ratio, the Prostate Health Index, or 4Kscore, or urinary testing of PCA3, can also be informative in some patients. The best evidence suggests that more restricted indication for prostate biopsy and a more focused approach to pursue screening in men at highest risk of lethal cancer would retain most of the mortality benefits of aggressive screening schema, while importantly reducing harms from overdetection and overtreatment.
A New Approach to Mesh Adaptation Procedure Using Linear Elasticity for Geometries Undergoing Large Displacements

The equations of linear elasticity have been extensively used in computational fluid dynamics to deform meshes for moving boundary simulations, shape design optimization, solution adaptive refinement, and for the construction of higher-order discetizations in finite-element schemes. Inherently this method does not have any mechanism to control the quality of the mesh, since it represents the structural response to prescribed surface deflections. Unfortunately, this method does not prevent the possibility of generating negative volumes in the mesh when large deformations take place. In the current work, two approaches are examined in an attempt to mitigate this shortcoming. In the first approach, a source term is added to each node in the mesh. These source terms are chosen as design variables, and an optimization strategy is utilized to improve mesh quality. The second approach represents a modification to an existing method whereby each element in the mesh may be considered as a different material. Entries in the constitutive relations are then selected as the design variables. In this approach the number of design variables is extremely large and, thus, very computationally expense. To alleviate some of this computational burden, the design variables are selected from a subset of the elements in the mesh. In both approaches presented, the cost function is defined as a function of the mesh quality, and a limited memory BFGS optimization scheme used to minimize this function. Results for two dimensional test cases are presented; however, the concept can be easily applied to three dimensional meshes and practical problems.© 2014 ASME
Microbial Reduction of Phorate Sulfoxide to Phorate in a Soil-Lake Mud-Water Microcosm

Pesticide contaminated agricultural soils can be transported with water into rivers and lakes, where in most cases they end up as bottom deposits. By utilizing a loam-lake mud-water microcosm, the reduction of phorate sulfoxide, an oxidation product of the insecticide phorate, was demonstrated. With flooded phorate sulfoxide-treated loam soil, only small amounts of phorate were produced. The addition of lake mud, however, dramatically increased reduction of phorate sulfoxide to phorate, which after 2 wk of incubation accounted for 44% of the totally recovered residues. Exposure of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen to dry residues of extracts of phorate sulfoxide-treated loam soil, deposited on top of lake mud under flooded conditions, indicated an increase in toxicity due to the production of phorate. This reduction of phorate sulfoxide to phorate was the result of the activity of microorganisms, which in turn was dependent on the supply of organic nutrient sources. Thus, addition of glucose to this system further enhanced the reduction of phorate sulfoxide to phorate. Phorate sulfone, another oxidative product of phorate in aerobic agricultural soils, was not reduced to phorate sulfoxide or to phorate.
Central Government Documents on Property: Demolition, Relocation, and Compensation (I): Guest Editor's Introduction

The first of three issues on demolition, relocation, and compensation in China provides a glimpse into the recent past by including the key regulation governing that area, implemented in 2001, and recently repealed. Other government issuances translated in this issue involve more detailed provisions on surveying and appraising properties as well as other guidelines for those performing such work. The first public draft of the new regulation on expropriation and compensation attempts to rectify shortcomings of the 2001 regulation by setting forth "public interest" requirements for expropriating property, and by requiring agencies performing expropriation duties to provide compensation prior to commencing the demolition process. An emergency notice promulgated after the issuance of the first draft but prior to the final, implemented new expropriation regulation, underscores concerns at the State Council level that agencies at lower levels, particularly at the municipal level and below, are at least acquiesc...
Development of a Novel 3D Bioprinted In Vitro Nano Bone Model for Breast Cancer Bone Metastasis Study

Breast cancer (BrCa) is the second commonest cause of cancer-related deaths in women. The metastatic breast cancer exhibits a high affinity to bone, leading to debilitating skeletal complications associated with significant morbidity and poor prognosis. Traditional in vitro and in vivo BrCa bone metastasis models contain many inherent limitations with regards to controllability, reproducibility, and flexibility of design. Thus, the objective of this research is to use a 3D bioprinting system and nanomaterials to recreate a biomimetic and tunable bone model suitable for the effective simulation and study of metastatic BrCa invading and colonizing a bone environment. For this purpose, we designed and 3D printed a series of scaffolds, comprised of a bone microstructure and nano hydroxyapatites (nHA, inorganic nano components in bone). The size and geometry of the bone microstructure was varied with 250 and 150 μm pores, in repeating square and hexagon patterns, for a total of four different pore geometries. 3D bioprinted scaffolds were subsequently conjugated with nHA, using an acetylation chemical functionalization process and then characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). SEM imaging showed that our designed microfeatures were printable with the predesigned resolutions described above. Imaging further confirmed that acetylation effectively attached nHA to the surface of scaffolds and induced a nanoroughness. Metastatic BrCa cell 4 h adhesion and 1, 3 and 5 day proliferation were investigated in the bone model in vitro. The cell adhesion and proliferation results showed that all scaffolds are cytocompatible for BrCa cell growth; in particular the nHA scaffolds with small hexagonal pores had the highest cell density. Given this data, it can be stipulated that our 3D printed nHA scaffolds may make effective biomimetic environments for studying BrCa bone metastasis.
Wavelet-Domain Multiview Active Learning for Spatial-Spectral Hyperspectral Image Classification

Active learning (AL) has been shown to be effective for strategic selection of training samples to support classification of hyperspectral imagery. It is well understood that the performance of classification can further be improved by utilizing the spatial information in hyperspectral images. In this paper, we propose a new wavelet-based multiview AL approach for hyperspectral image classification. Specifically, a three-dimensional redundant wavelet transform (3D-RDWT) is used to generate multiple views that are then integrated in a multiview AL framework. The spatial features generated via 3D-RDWT not only provide sufficient views for multiview AL, but are also less sensitive to additive noise. Within this framework, we also propose new query criteria that result in effective AL. An intersection-based query criterion is proposed to reduce the redundancy within the contention pool. A singularity-based criterion is also used to identify informative pixels by taking spatial information into account when selecting samples. The proposed method is evaluated on four real-world hyperspectral datasets, and the experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method compared with traditional AL methods.
Electromagnetic Resonances of Individual Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes With Realistic Shapes: A Characteristic Modes Approach

In composites, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are rarely perfectly straight and they usually exhibit complex shapes. In this paper, we employ the method-of-moments formulation for arbitrary thin wires to study the electromagnetic scattering characteristics of CNTs with realistic shapes. More than 800 different CNT shapes were simulated in this work. These shapes were generated using a coarse-grained molecular dynamics model calibrated using realistic CNT shapes encountered experimentally. The analysis shows that the shape and orientation of CNTs has a strong effect on the scattered electromagnetic response. We used the theory of characteristic modes (TCM) to explain this dependence of the scattered electromagnetic waves on the shape of the CNT. Using TCM, we developed simplified but highly accurate formulas that link the shapes of the CNTs to the resonances in their total extinction coefficient spectrum. These formulations have the potential to be the basis for advancing the nondestructive evaluation of CNT composites using electromagnetic waves as well as the development of novel CNT electromagnetic systems and devices.
Microstructure of T92 Heat Resistant Steel Manufacturing by TCMP

The microstructure of T92 steel(9Cr-0.5Mo-1.8W-V-Nb) used for power plant was studied by optical microscope,XRD and TEM.The results show that the predominant phases in T92 steel are tempered martensite laths,thin-slice martensite,dispersed carbides(M23C6) and carbonitrides(MX),a small amount of α-phase.The tempered martensite is Fe-Cr solid solution with the cubic lattice.There are two shapes of precipitates between and inside martensite laths,one is short stick-like M23C6 carbide and the other is dot-like MX carbonitride with very small amount.The thin slice phase between martensite is e-martensite with the hexagonal lattice whose lattice parameters is a=0.25588 nm and c=0.41237 nm and sub-structure is twin crystal.
Effects of Ration Restriction and Refeeding on Blood Biochemical Indices in Mullet(Mugil cephalus Linnaeus)

Compensatory growth of mullet(Mugil cephalus Linnaeus) with initial body weight of 204.42±23.13 g,following a period ration restriction,were studied at 19～24 ℃ at Nan'ao Marine Biology Station,between December 2001 and March 2002.In the control group,the fish was fed to satiation during the 8-week experimental period.The fish in treatment groups were restricted from food for 4 weeks and then were fed to satiation for another 4 weeks.The blood were sampled from six fish at weeks 0,1,2,and 4 in the period of ration restriction and at weeks 1,2,4 in the period of re-feeding,respectively.The results showed that the concentrations of blood glucose,plasma lipid and plasma protein all significantly decreased during ration restriction.After the fish were refed,all blood biochemical indices were recovered to the levels in the controls.The results suggest that the mullet have a completely compensatory growth during refeeding.
Automated Assessment and Mapping of Grape Quality through Image-based Color Analysis

Abstract: The harvest operation for table-grapes and fresh market horticultural fruits is a large and expensive logistical challenge with the choice of harvest dates and locations playing a crucial role in determining the quality of the yield and in determining the efficiency and productivity gain of the entire operation. The choice of harvest dates and locations, particularly in red varieties, is planned based upon the development of the color of the grape clusters. The traditional process to evaluate the amount of ripe, fully-colored fruit is visual assessment, which is subjective and prone to errors. The number of locations where a grower will evaluate the fruit development is statistically insufficient given the size of commercial vineyards and the variability in the color development. Therefore, an automated approach for evaluating color development is desirable. In this paper, we use a vision-based system to collect images of the fruit zone in a vineyard. We then use color image analysis to grade and predict the color development of grape clusters in the vineyard. Using our approach we are able to generate spatial maps of the vineyard showing the current and predicted distribution of color development. Our imaging measurement system achieves R 2 correlation values of 0.42-0.56 against human measurements. We our able to predict the color development to within 5% average absolute error of the imaging measurements. The prediction of spatial maps is important from the perspective of selective harvesting as it allows the precise targeting of productive zones during the harvest operation. To the best of our knowledge generation of these spatial maps that represent the current and predicted state of the color development of an entire vineyard block, before harvest and in high resolution, is a first of its kind.
Smart Dispatch of generation resources for restructured electric power systems

This paper addresses the vision of a new generation dispatch system for restructured power systems. As distributed generation, demand response and renewable energy resources become significant portions of overall system installed capacity, a better system dispatch tool for system control centers is required in order to cope with the increasing amount of uncertainties being introduced by the new resources. A Smart Dispatch (SD) framework for regional transmission organizations and transmission system operators to manage large power grids is proposed. In particular, the ability of the new dispatch system to provide a better holistic and forward-looking view of system conditions and generation patterns will be discussed in detail. Such features are deemed critical for the success of efficient system operations in the future. (6 pages)
Investigation of molybdate melts as an alternative method of reprocessing used nuclear fuel

Abstract An investigation of molybdate melts containing sodium molybdate (Na 2 MoO 4 ) and molybdenum trioxide (MoO 3 ) to achieve the separation of uranium from fission products by crystallization has been performed. The separation is based on the difference in solubility of the fission product metal oxides compared to the uranium oxide or molybdate in the molybdate melt. The molybdate melt dissolves uranium dioxide at high temperatures, and upon cooling, uranium precipitates as uranium dioxide or molybdate, whereas the fission product metals remain soluble in the melt. Small-scale experiments using gram quantities of uranium dioxide have been performed to investigate the feasibility of UO 2 purification from the fission products. The composition of the uranium precipitate as well as data for partitioning of several fission product surrogates between the uranium precipitate and molybdate melt for various melt compositions are presented and discussed. The fission products Cs, Sr, Ru and Rh all displayed very large distribution ratios. The fission products Zr, Pd, and the lanthanides also displayed good distribution ratios (D > 10). A melt consisting of 20 wt% MoO 3 - 50 wt% Na 2 MoO 4 -30 wt% UO 2 heated to 1313 K and cooled to 1123 K for the physical separation of the UO 2 product from the melt, and washed once with Na 2 MoO 4 displays optimum conditions for separation of the UO 2 from the fission products.
Arginase Inhibitor Reacts with Hemoglobin to Form Nitrite

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is found in endothelial cells and has recently been found to also be present in red blood cells (RBCs). eNOS can catalyze L-arginine conversion to citrulline and produce nitric oxide (NO). L-arginine can also be converted to L-ornithine and urea through the activity of arginase which consumes L-arginine in blood. Due to their having a common substrate (arginine), arginase would compete with eNOS and limit NO signaling. Inside the RBC, NO formed from NOS is expected to form nitrate through its reaction with oxygenated hemoglobin, but nitrite formation has also been reported. In our study, Nω-hydroxy-nor-Arginine (nor-NOHA, 0.1mM and 1mM), an arginase inhibitor, was added to either RBCs, whole blood, or isolated hemoglobin. An arginase inhibitor is expected to increases RBC nitrite and nitrate due to increases in arginine available for NOS and this has been shown by others. We observed that all the samples treated with nor-NOHA produce more nitrite and nitrate than without nor-NOHA. That nor-NOHA would increase nitrite and nitrate in RBCs and whole blood is to be expected, but Hb, by itself should not result in these NO metabolites if their increase is due to NOS activity. Thus, we suspect that nitrite and nitrate are formed from a direct reaction of hemoglobin and nor-NOHA. When 3 mM arginine was added to whole blood, nitrite yields significantly increased. However, when arginine was added to RBCs alone, there was no significant increase in nitrite. Addition of the NOS inhibitor L-NG-Nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME) resulted in significant reductions in nitrite, supporting some NOS activity. However, in the presence of nor-NOHA, L-NAME had little to no effect on RBC and whole blood formation of nitrite, consistent with the proposal that most of the nitrite formed is due to a direct reaction of hemoglobin with nor-NOHA. Our data suggest that addition of nor-NOHA to RBCs with the goal using increased nitrite and nitrate as a method to study NOS activity is unwarranted. These results have implications in past and future use of nor-NOHA that perhaps incorrectly purport to be studying RBC NOS.
Impact of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman) on Ornamental Plants in Alabama Green Industries and Home Landscapes

Nursery and landscape professionals as well as homeowners throughout Alabama continue to experience deer damage to ornamental plants due to the increasing populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman). To understand the extent of damage, surveys were created for green industry professionals and homeowners. The industry survey was sent to members of the Alabama Nursery and Landscape Association (ALNLA) (N = 223). The homeowner survey was sent to nine Master Gardener associations and administered through one day of onsite surveys at Huntsville Botanic Garden (N = 668). Questions inquired if respondents encountered injury to plants from whitetail deer, what types of preventive methods they were using, plants typically browsed, and extent of plant loss annually as a result of deer activity. Fifty-five percent of green industry professionals and 37% of homeowners answered ‘yes’ to damage problems, and of those, more homeowners (61%) than industry (41%) employed preventive methods to reduc...
Genotypic and epidemiologic characterization of extended-spectrum cephalosporin resistant Salmonella enterica from US beef feedlots.

Abstract In the US, nontyphoidal Salmonellae are a common foodborne zoonotic pathogen causing gastroenteritis. Invasive Salmonella infections caused by extended-spectrum cephalosporin resistant (ESCR) phenotypes are more likely to result in treatment failure and adverse health outcomes, especially in severe pediatric Salmonella infections where the extended-spectrum β-lactams are the therapy of choice. To examine the genetic and epidemiologic characteristics of ESCR Salmonellae which may enter the food chain, we characterized 44 ceftiofur–resistant Salmonella isolates from the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) 2011 beef cattle feedlot health and management study. As part of the NAHMS Feedlot 2011 study, 5050 individual fecal samples from 68 large (1000+ head capacity) feedlots were cultured for Salmonella spp. The resulting 460 positive samples yielded 571 Salmonella isolates with 44 (8%) expressing an AmpC β-lactamase phenotype. These phenotypic blaCMY-2 Salmonella isolates represented 8 serotypes, most commonly S. Newport (n = 14, 32%), S. Typhimurium (n = 13, 30%), and S. Reading (n = 5, 11%), followed by S. Dublin, S. Infantis, S. Montevideo, S. Rough O:i;v:1;7, and S. Uganda. Carriage of the blaCMY-2 gene was confirmed for all isolates expressing an AmpC β-lactamase phenotype by PCR. Additionally, all 44 isolates were shown to carry the blaCMY-2 gene on a large IncA/C plasmid, a gene/plasmid combination which has been previously reported in multiple species. Other plasmids, including IncN, FIC, and FIIA, were also detected in some isolates. Cattle fed chlortetracycline were less likely to be positive for a blaCMY-2 Salmonella isolate in their enteric flora compared to those not receiving chlortetracycline during the feeding period. Carriage of blaCMY-2 was more prevalent in Salmonella isolates originating from lighter weight cattle, cattle fed tylosin and dairy breeds. Our characterization of the NAHMS Feedlot 2011 study Salmonella isolates with ESCR phenotype shows that while other cephalosporin resistance mechanisms have been reported in US cattle, specific serotypes harboring blaCMY-2 on IncA/C plasmids may be the dominant resistance genotype.
Staying Connected: An Examination of Relationship Maintenance Behaviors in Long-Distance Relationships

Romantic long-distance relationships (LDRs) are becoming increasingly prevalent as individuals seek educational and employment opportunities across the globe. LDRs create unique challenges for coup...
Pure Contractarianism: Promise, Problems and Prospects

Several different positions are classified as contractarian. Though there are variations among them, they all include the assumption that practical or action-guiding principles, among which are principles of moral justification and of political legitimacy, somehow have their basis in consent. A contractarian may or may not believe that there are other practical principles that are based on or justified by something besides consent. If he believes there are any others, there will be delicate issues to address as to whether they yield prescriptions incompatible with prescriptions arising from the appropriate kind of consent. Roughly speaking, contractarians could be ordered in terms of the weight that they attach to principles grounded in consent. If we call the appropriate kind of consent contractual, then there are several options available, ranging from the admission of nothing but contract-based principles to the admission of non-contract-based principles that can sometimes conflict with principles based on contract. The pure form of contractarianism which will be our main focus admits only contract-based principles.
Transgene movement via gene flow: recommendations for improved biosafety assessment

In a seminal publication ten years ago, editors John Hodgson and Andrew Sugden brought together papers from ecologists and biochemists regarding the “Planned Release of Genetically Engineered Organisms” [1]. At the time, experimental and commercial releases of transgenic organisms were anticipated, but few actual releases had occurred, so most of the ecological treatments were speculative, drawn from first principles, or couched in hypothetical terms. Even so, it is worth noting the prescience of some of the contributors. For example, Regal [2] argued that “Genetic engineering is improving at an astonishing pace and it is likely that biotechnologists will be able to produce a class of organisms that is viable in nature and does not consist of crippled freaks.” Indeed, at this time, barely 10 years after that statement was written, it is difficult for some to remember that not long ago the products of biotechnology were expected by many to be so crippled as to be nonviable in nature.
ALDEHYDE DEHYDROGENASE ISOZYMES IN CERTAIN HEPATOMAS

ABSTRACT. The aldehyde dehydrogenase (Ald D) activity of autochthonous rat hepatomas induced by AAF averages a great deal higher than in normal rat liver. The hepatoma Ald D activity is more stable than that of normal liver to temperature, urea, and pH extremes. Its subcellular distribution is different, the hepatoma enzyme showing a greater proportion in the cytoplasm. The hepatoma enzyme appears to be aldehyde:NAD(P) oxidoreductase, EC 1.2.1.5, in contrast to the normal liver enzyme, which is aldehyde:NAD oxidoreductase, EC 1.2.1.3. The enzyme properties which we here designate as “hepatoma-like”are only slightly observed in the four minimal deviation (repeatedly retransplanted) hepatomas which we have examined, and are not at all observed in spontaneous hepatomas of the mouse or mastomy, nor in fetal or regenerating liver of the rat. Difficulties encountered due to the concomitant presence of the corresponding aldehyde oxidase and of “nothing dehydrogenase” are discussed.
Effects of group social structure on the success of basketball teams.

Abstract Twenty-one university, intramural, basketball teams completed a pretournament questionnaire designed to measure the group structural variables, status consensus and cohesion. Won-lost percents were correlated with multiple measures of each variable. The won-lost percents of teams ranked highest and lowest on each of the structural variables were also statistically compared. The results showed that team performance was not significantly related to either status consensus or cohesion. Several methodological problems that face the small group researcher interested in the relationship between group social structure and group success were discussed.
Platinum complexes containing or derived from olefinic phosphines P(X)((CH2)6CHCH2)2 (X = OH, Ph, (CH2)6CHCH2); ring closing metatheses, structures, and trans/cis isomerizations

Abstract The reaction of (O )PH((CH2)6CH CH2)2 (2.0 equiv) and PtCl2 in toluene gives trans-PtCl2(P(OH)((CH2)6CH CH2)2)2 in 68% yield as a 82:18 mixture of Pt–Cl⋯H–OP hydrogen bond isomers. Addition of Grubbs’ first generation catalyst followed by hydrogenation (5 bar, cat. RhCl(PPh3)3 or PtO2) affords the doubly trans spanning macrocyclic diphosphine adduct trans- (31–9% crude yields). A crystal structure shows that the two OH groups are anti, and hydrogen bond to opposite Cl–Pt–Cl chlorine atoms. The reaction of P(Ph)((CH2)6CH CH2)2 (2.0 equiv) and PtCl2 in toluene gives cis-PtCl2(P(Ph)((CH2)6CH CH2)2)2 (cis-5, 40%) and trans-5 (8%). The crystal structure of the former is determined. The trans/cis equilibrium ratios of these and related complexes are probed by DFT. Attempts to crystallize trans- (trans-7′), which is a minor product from a published metathesis/hydrogenation sequence involving trans-PtCl2(P((CH2)6CH CH2)3)2, give only cis-7′, as established by 31P NMR and crystallography.
A polysaccharide from Tinospora cordifolia stem induces cell cycle arrest in human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231

Plant-based therapies are practiced for various human and veterinary ailments since time immemorial. The present study is concerned with finding the anti-breast cancer potential of a novel polysaccharide isolated from the methanolic extract of Tinospora cordifolia stem. The compound tested on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 proved to have potential to induce death of both the cell lines with IC 50 at 100 μM, as revealed in MTT, and LDH assays, and AO/EtBr staining. DNA fragmentation studies indicated damage to DNA. Flow cytometric analysis showed polysaccharide-induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase in both the cell lines. Western blot studies made it evident that the polysaccharide inhibits cell cycle progression via change in the expression of cell cycle regulators such as Cyclin D1, Cyclin D3 and p18 INK4. In the in-silico approach the structure of the compound was drawn using ChemSketch and the ADME/T properties of the compound were analyzed using Accord for Excel software. The compound possesses good ADME/T properties required for an active drug. The compound was found to possess anticancer efficacy via its effect on cell cycle regulatory proteins in the breast cancer cell lines and also satisfied the ADME/T properties of a drug. Hence, the novel compound isolated from T. cordifolia stem may be evaluated further so as to develop it as a breast cancer drug.
The effects of a short-term mindfulness meditation intervention on coping flexibility

Background and objectives: Mindfulness meditation (MM) training promotes health and well-being. One potential mechanistic link between MM and health may be coping flexibility, (e.g., the ability to...
Highly Directional Silicon Microring Photon Pair Source

Silicon microrings make for compact, tunable photon-pair sources but typically suffer from an effective 50% loss. Through interferometric coupling, these sources can be highly directional, resulting an drastically improved performance. © 2019 The Author(s)
Students’ Perceptions of Good STEM Teaching

In the preceding two chapters, we have focused on problematic STEM learning experiences. In Chap. 6, we discussed the nature and extent of difficulties with pedagogy, assessment, and teacher attitudes encountered by SALG survey respondents in foundational STEM courses, and by STEM switchers, relocators, and persisters across all four academic years. In Chap. 7, we discussed a distinctive sub-set of STEM foundation courses where teaching and student assessment methods are primarily geared to a student selection and discarding process. Taken together, these two chapters raise obverse questions of what kinds of teachers and teaching students found effective in enabling their learning. In this chapter, we focus on what current and former STEM students define as “good” teachers and effective teaching methods, their experiences with these, and what benefits they report. Student appraisals include STEM and non-STEM instructors, and STEM teaching assistants in teaching or learning support roles. As in Chap. 6, we draw primarily upon two data sources: interview data that provide reflections from experience in STEM courses across all four academic years, and the results of SALG surveys administered to students in matched sets of STEM foundational courses across all six study sites. We also discuss what has and has not changed since the original study in how students characterize “good” teaching and how these definitions vary by gender and race/ethnicity.
Toward Tradeoff Between Impact Force Reduction and Maximum Safe Speed: Dynamic Parameter Optimization of Variable Stiffness Robots

Abstract Variable stiffness robots may provide an effective way of trading-off between safety and speed during physical human–robot interaction. In such a compromise, the impact force reduction capability and maximum safe speed are two key performance measures. To quantitatively study how dynamic parameters such as mass, inertia, and stiffness affect these two performance measures, performance indices for impact force reduction capability and maximum speed of variable stiffness robots are proposed based on the impact ellipsoid in this paper. The proposed performance indices consider different impact directions and kinematic configurations in the large. Combining the two performance indices, the global performance of variable stiffness robots is defined. A two-step optimization method is designed to achieve this global performance. A two-link variable stiffness link robot example is provided to show the efficacy of the proposed method.