cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Derate Mitigation Options for Pulverized Coal Power Plant Carbon Capture Retrofits

Abstract Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies available in the near-term for pulverized coal-fueled power plants (i.e., post combustion solvent technologies) require substantial capital investment and result in marked decrease in electricity available for sale to the grid. The impact to overall plant economics can be mitigated for new plant designs (where the entire plant can be optimized around the CCS system). However, existing coal-fueled power plants were designed without the knowledge or intent to retrofit a CCS process, and it is simply not possible to re-engineer an existing plant in a manner that it could achieve the same performance as if it was originally designed and optimized for CCS technology. Pairing an auxiliary steam supply to the capture system is a technically feasible option to mitigate the derate resulting from diverting steam away from an existing steam turbine and continuing to run that turbine at steam flow rates and properties outside of the original design specifications. The results of this analysis strongly support the merits of meeting the steam and power requirements for a retrofitted post-combustion solvent based carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture system with an auxiliary combined heat and power (CHP) plant rather than robbing the base plant (i.e., diverting steam from the existing steam cycle and electricity from sale to the grid).
Robotic Assembly of Haptic Proxy Objects for Tangible Interaction and Virtual Reality

Passive haptic proxy objects allow for rich tangible interaction, and this is especially true in VR applications. However, this requires users to have many physical objects at hand. Our paper proposes robotic assembly at run-time of low-resolution haptic proxies for tangible interaction and virtual reality. These assembled physical proxy objects are composed of magnetically attached blocks which are assembled by a small multi robot system, specifically Zooids. We explore the design of the basic building blocks and illustrate two approaches to assembling physical proxies: using multirobot systems to (1) self-assemble into structures and (2) assemble 2.5D structure with passive blocks of various heights. The success rate and completion time are evaluated for both approaches. Finally, we demonstrate the potential of assembled proxy objects for tangible interaction and virtual reality through a set of demonstrations.
The impact of Verbal Behavior on the scholarly literature from 2005 to 2016

B. F. Skinner’s (1957) Verbal Behavior had a limited influence on empirical research in the first few decades following its publication, but an increase in empirical activity has been evident in recent years. The purpose of this article is to update previous analyses that have quantified the influence of Verbal Behavior on the scholarly literature, with an emphasis on its impact on empirical research. Study 1 was a citation analysis that showed an increase in citations to Verbal Behavior from 2005 to 2016 relative to earlier time periods. In particular, there was a large increase in citations from empirical articles. Study 2 identified empirical studies in which a verbal operant was manipulated or measured, regardless of whether or not Verbal Behavior was cited, and demonstrated a large increase in publication rate, with an increasing trend in the publication of both basic and applied experimental analyses throughout the review period. A majority of the studies were concerned with teaching verbal behavior to children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities, but a variety of other basic and applied research topics were also represented. The results suggest a clearly increasing impact of Verbal Behavior on the experimental analysis of behavior on the 60th anniversary of the book’s publication.
Induced Eddy Currents in Simple Conductive Geometries: Mathematical Formalism Describes the Excitation of Electrical Eddy Currents in a Time-Varying Magnetic Field

A complete mathematical formalism is introduced to describe the excitation of electrical eddy currents due to a time-varying magnetic field. The process works by applying a quasistatic approximation to Ampere's law and then segregating the magnetic field into impressed and induced terms. The result is a nonhomogeneous vector Helmholtz equation that can be analytically solved for many practical geometries. Four demonstration cases are then solved under a constant excitation field over all space.
A Step-By-Step Guide to Tier 2 Behavioral Progress Monitoring:

Students who are at risk for or show low-intensity behavioral problems may need targeted, Tier 2 interventions. Often, Tier 2 problem-solving teams are charged with monitoring student responsivenes...
Shelley’s Vision

In this chapter, I bring the presentation of visionary critique (or paraphysics) motivated by the consideration of Kant and other philosophers in previous chapters to bear on the poetry of Shelley, and in turn Shelley’s poetry indicates routes for the extension of visionary critique beyond the bounds of Kantian and post-Kantian philosophy. I read Shelley antithetically against Harold Bloom’s essays on Shelley, showing that the limit Shelley’s poetry approaches in his last lyrics, and especially the fragment, “The Triumph of Life,” can no longer be handled by the rhetorical criticism Bloom practices. I offer an alternative, which I call locative poetics, which is the poetic analogue of the philosophical idea of visionary critique: it consists in a re-locating of poetics in a realm beyond rhetorical figuration. Such re-locating is an analogue of philosophical self-(re)positioning, and the two fuse together to point the way from visionary critique to a fuller development of the notion of paraphysics.
New GPR System Integration with Augmented Reality Based Positioning

The development of modern cities heavily relies on the availability and quality of underground utilities that provide drinking water, sewage, electric power, and telecommunication services to sustain its growing population. However, the information of localization and condition of subterranean infrastructures is generally not readily available, especially in areas with congested pipes, which impacts urban development, as poorly documented pipes may be hit during construction, affecting services and causing costly delays. Furthermore, aging components are prone to failure and may lead to resources waste or the interruption of services. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a promising remote sensing technique that has been recently used for mapping and assessment of underground infrastructure. However, current commercial GPR survey systems are designed with wheel-encoders or GPS for positioning. Wheel-encoder based GPR surveys are restrained to linear-route only, preventing the use of GPR for accurate localization of city wide underground infrastructure inspection. While GPS signal is degraded in urban canyons and unavailable in city tunnels. In this work, we present a new GPR system integration with augmented reality (AR) based positioning that can overcome the limitations of current GPR systems to enable arbitrary-route scanning with a high fidelity. It has the potential for automation of GPR survey and integration with AR smartphone applications that could be used for better planning in urban development.
“Undoing” or “Redoing” Gender

Chapter 8 illustrates the mechanism in which gender can be deconstructed based on two househusbands’ families. The chapter begins with a different role perceptions for househusbands versus housewives as stay-at-home parents. Then, the chapter delves into a longstanding struggle of a househusbands’ family which tries to disrupt the gender norms expectations and instigate changes starting at the micro-level of interaction. A mechanism of “undoing gender” is discussed. The message from this case is that the resulting change to a more gender-neutral household practice liberates not only the wife but also the husband who relishes a homemaker’s role.
Two-way coupling of a nonlinear geomechanics code with several porous flow simulators

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a general approach for two-way coupling between an existing geomechanics code and two different porous flow simulators. The geomechanics code is a quasi-static finite element code developed specifically for problems characterized by large deformation and nonlinear material response. The coupling algorithm is based on a staggered-in-time loose coupling scheme in which each code solves its own set of equations and information is passed, at designated intervals, between the two codes. The approach incorporates a data mapping and transfer utility that allows different mesh discretizations for the porous flow model and the geomechanics model. The chapter presents an example of a two-way coupled calculation that demonstrates a class of problem where two-way coupling is necessary. Furthermore, this approach is a cost-effective alternative to the manpower investment required to write a fully coupled code because it takes advantage of the sophisticated capabilities already built into the geomechanics and porous flow codes.
Linear size versus redshift and linear size versus power for extended extragalactic radio sources

A three-dimensional boundary-following code, altered to allow for a two-phase external medium, is used to simulate extragalactic jets as they propagate through a power-law isothermal galactic halo and on into a hotter, less dense, and uniform intergalactic medium (IGM). Good agreement is obtained with regard to the relationships between the overall linear size of such radio sources and both the total radio power (at fixed redshift) and the cosmological redshift (at fixed power). The excellent agreement of the latter with the latest observational results gives strong support to the notion that much of the X-ray background is due to a pervasive diffuse thermal component which is dense enough to be of cosmological significance.
Effect of menaquinone-4, vitamin D and n-3 fats on ovariectomized rat bone loss

Study Objective: To determine the effect of pharmacological menquinone-4 (vitamin K) supplementation in combination with either vitamin D or n-3 fatty acid on bone mineralization and bone strength in ovariectomized rats. Methods: Six-month old Sprague-Dawley rats were sham-operated (Sham) or ovariectomized (OVX). OVX rats were assigned to dietary treatment as follows. 1. Control diet. 2. High vitamin D diet: normal vitamin K (1 mg/kg diet) and high vitamin D (0.05 mg/kg diet). 3. High n-3 diet: normal vitamin K (1 mg/kg diet) and high n-3 (fish oil). 4. High vitamin K diet: high vitamin K (1500 mg/kg diet) 5. High vitamin K and D diet: high vitamin K (1500 mg/kg diet) and high vitamin D (0.05 mg/kg diet). 6. High vitamin K and n-3 diet: high vitamin K (1500 mg/kg diet) and high n-3 (fish oil). OVX rats were pair-fed with the Sham rats to control energy intakes. After an eight month treatment period femurs were analyzed for bone mineral density (BMD) using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), bone stren...
Early Glaucomatous Visual Field Defects and their Significance to Clinical Ophthalmology

A consecutive series of primary open angle glaucoma patients was evaluated to determine the earliest glaucomatous visual field defect. One hundred twelve fields were considered worthwhile for detailed analysis. The fields were performed on a Goldmann perimeter utilizing static-kinetic techniques.
Use of 4D Computer Tomographic Angiography to Accurately Identify Distal Internal Carotid Artery Occlusions and Pseudo-Occlusions: Technical Note.

Background and Purpose Traditional methods of computed tomographic angiography (CTA) can be unreliable in detecting carotid artery pseudo-occlusions or in accurately locating the site of carotid artery occlusion. With these methods, lack of adequate distal runoff due to pseudo-occlusion or intracranial occlusion can result in the inaccurate diagnoses of complete occlusion or ce rvical carotid occlusion, respectively. The site of carotid occlusion has important therapeutic and interventional considerations. We present several cases in which 4D CTA was utilized to accurately and noninvasively diagnose carotid pseudo-occlusion and i ntracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion. Methods We identified 5 patients who presented to our institut e with ischemic stroke symptoms and evaluated images from traditional CTA protocols and 4D CTA protocols in each of these patients, compari ng diagnoses rendered by each imaging technique . Results In 2 patients, traditional CTA suggested the presence of complete ICA occlusion. However, 4D CTA demonstrated pseudo-occlusion. Similarly, in 3 patients, traditional CTA demonstrated cervical ICA o cclusion, whereas the 4D CTA demonstrated intracranial ICA occlusion. Conclusion 4D CTA may be a more effective noninvasive imaging technique than traditional CTA to detect intracranial carotid artery occlusions and carotid artery pseudo-occlusions. Accu rate, rapid, noninvasive diagnosis of carotid artery lesions may help tailor and expedite endovascular intervention.
Spherical particle absorption over a broad range of imaginary refractive index

Abstract This paper presents studies of the optical absorption cross section for homogeneous spheres of radius R interacting with light of wavelength λ as calculated with the Mie equations. Four regimes of behavior are disclosed: the Rayleigh Regime, the Geometric Regime, the Reflection Regime, and a Crossover Regime. Two parameters govern these regimes, the imaginary part of the refractive index, κ, and the product of κ with the sphere size parameter kR where k = 2π/λ, i.e. κkR. Simple, approximate functionalities on κ, k, sphere volume and projected geometric cross section are derived for these regimes. Interesting aspects of our observations include: Rayleigh absorption can apply to all particle sizes, Fresnel reflection can occur for sub-wavelength spheres, and while κ is the agent of absorption, large κ can increase scattering to the detriment of absorption.
Affective profiling for anxiety-like behavior in a rodent model of mTBI

Mild traumatic brain injury is a common outcome of blast exposure, and current literature indicates high rates of comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military personnel. Blast-exposed rats display PTSD-like behavior, suggesting relationships may exist between PTSD and blast exposure. Other studies demonstrate the roles of stathmin and corticosterone associated with fear- and anxiety-like behaviors in rodent models. Furthermore, studies have observed ranges of responses to both physical and psychological trauma in animal populations (Elder 2012, Ritov 2016). This study exposed rodents to repeated blast overpressure (BOP) and analyzed behavioral responses and molecular variables at 3 weeks and 6 months after exposure. We applied a modified version of a previously reported behavioral profiling approach that separates "affected" and "unaffected" rats based on the presence of anxiety-like behaviors (Ritov, 2016). We report that "affected" 3 week animals showed higher plasma corticosterone and amygdalar stathmin levels, while "affected" 6 month animals had lower prefrontal cortex stathmin. Higher corticosterone also paralleled anxiety behavior in "affected" 3 week animals, which was not observed in 6 month animals, indicating possible negative feedback loop mechanisms. Elevated levels of amygdalar stathmin correlated with anxiety behaviors in "affected" 3 week and 6 month animals, indicating sustained molecular changes. We conclude that this unique analysis may provide more information about response to blast. This type of analysis should also be considered when treating clinical populations, since individual differences may affect behavioral and long-term outcomes. Future studies should elucidate relationships of stress and fear responses in the context of BOP.
Direct gas chromatographic resolution of enantiomers on optically active mesophases

Abstract Previous reports in this series noted unusual variations in the chromatographic separation factor, a E,S for the series C 6 H 5 (CH 2 ) n CH(CH 3 )NH(CF 2 ) m CF 3 with n and m when these solutes are subjected to chromatography using smectogenic stationary phases formed by members of the class carbonylbis(amino acid ester). The generality of this behaviour has been further examined throught the use of model polysiloxane phases of a novel type. The retention and resolution of the series of intertest and other enantiomeric solutes is discussed.
Contemporary trends and outcomes of mitral valve surgery for infective endocarditis

Background Contemporary data on mitral valve (MV) surgery in patients with infective endocarditis (IE) are limited. Methods The National Inpatient Sample was queried to identify patients with IE who underwent MV surgery between 2003 and 2016. We assessed (a) temporal trends in the incidence of MV surgery for IE, (b) morbidity, mortality, and cost of MV repair vs replacement, and (c) predictors of in-hospital mortality. Results The proportion of MV operations involving patients with IE increased from 5.4% in 2003 to 7.3%, and the proportion of MV repair among those undergoing surgery for IE increased from 15.2% to 25.0% (Ptrend 7 days, 11.9% vs 9.1%; P = .012). In the propensity-matched cohorts, shock and need for tracheostomy were more frequent in the replacement group, but rates of stroke, pacemaker implantation, new dialysis, and blood transfusion were similar. Mitral valve repair was, however, associated with shorter hospitalizations, more home discharges, and less cost. In a multivariate regression analysis, age above 70 and chronic dialysis were the strongest predictors of in-hospital mortality. Conclusion Mitral valve repair in IE patients is associated with lower in-hospital mortality, resource utilization, and cost compared with MV replacement.
Syntheses and Characterizations of the New Tetranuclear Rhenium Cluster Compounds Re4(μ3-Q)4(TeCl2)4Cl8 (Q = S, Se, Te)

Three chalcogeno chloro Re4 cluster compounds Re4(μ3-Q)4(TeCl2)4Cl8 (Q = S, Se, Te) (1, 2, 3) have been synthesized by the reaction of ReCl5 and elemental Te with elemental S or Se at 400 °C (1, 2) or by the reaction of ReCl5 with elemental Te at 350 °C (3). All three compounds have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Each of these compounds contains a Re4Q4 cubane-like core with two terminal chloro ligands and one neutral terminal TeCl2 ligand on each Re center.
Online Estimation of Lithium-Ion Battery Capacity Using Transfer Learning

Producing satisfactory accuracy in capacity estimation of lithium-ion (Li-ion) rechargeable batteries based on a small size of charge-discharge cycling data is a challenging task, since the cycling data may not cover high cell-to-cell variability in the aging process. However, in real-world applications, collecting long-term cycling data from a large number of cells is a costly and time-consuming process. This paper presents a transfer learning-based method for cell-level capacity assessment while only having access to a relatively small dataset. Transfer learning is a knowledge learning method that leverages knowledge learned from a source task to improve learning on a related but different target task. In this study, ten-year daily cycling data from implantable Li-ion cells is used as the source dataset to pre-train a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN). The parameters of this pre-trained DCNN are then transferred to a new DCNN model named deep convolutional neural networks-transfer leaning (DCNN-TL). The DCNN-TL model is then fine-tuned and re-trained to produce accurate capacity estimation on a target dataset (NASA data). Compared with the Gaussian process regression method and DCNN without transfer learning, the proposed DCNN-TL method is demonstrated to reduce the RMSE in capacity estimation by 63.09% and 17.57%, respectively.
Objection to Therapeutic Visits for Insanity Acquittee

In Parsons v. District Court of Pushmataha County, 408 P.3d 586 (Okla. 2017), the Oklahoma Supreme Court considered a state challenge to therapeutic visits for an insanity acquittee. Per state code, the state is permitted to raise objections to therapeutic visits, but it was a question of first
[Ipsilateral otorrhea caused by retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal abscesses: a case report].

本文报道了天津市儿童医院耳鼻咽喉头颈外科收治的1例咽旁咽后壁脓肿导致同侧外耳道流脓患儿的诊断治疗经过。患儿女，18月龄，主因发热10余天，颈部活动受限4 d就诊。经专科及影像学检查诊断为咽旁咽后壁脓肿。入院后予以广谱抗生素抗感染治疗，并在局麻下行咽后壁脓肿穿刺术。术后患儿体温恢复正常，颈部活动受限症状缓解，耳道流脓症状消失。
Hippocampal Ripple Coordinates Retrosplenial Inhibitory Neurons during Slow-Wave Sleep

The hippocampus and retrosplenial cortex (RSC) play indispensable roles in memory formation, and importantly, a hippocampal oscillation known as ripple is key to consolidation of new memories. However, it remains unclear how the hippocampus and RSC communicate and the role of ripple oscillation in coordinating the activity between these two brain regions. Here, we record from the dorsal hippocampus and RSC simultaneously in freely behaving mice during sleep and reveal that the RSC displays a pre-ripple activation associated with slow and fast oscillations. Immediately after ripples, a subpopulation of RSC putative inhibitory neurons increases firing activity, while most RSC putative excitatory neurons decrease activity. Consistently, optogenetic stimulation of this hippocampus-RSC pathway activates and suppresses RSC putative inhibitory and excitatory neurons, respectively. These results suggest that the dorsal hippocampus mainly inhibits RSC activity via its direct innervation of RSC inhibitory neurons, which overshadows the RSC in supporting learning and memory functions.
Defining the Reasonable Person: An Empirical Test

The reasonable person standard lies at the center of our tort system, separating negligent conduct (for which actors bear the cost) from faultless conduct (for which the costs lie where they fall). But implementing the standard is challenging. It requires finders of fact to imagine the circumstances of a particular case, determine how a hypothetical reasonable person would have acted under those circumstances, and compare the hypothetical person’s conduct to the defendant’s actual conduct. To make this exercise tractable, factfinders must assign certain moral and cognitive characteristics to the reasonable person. But what characteristics do factfinders assign? And what principles guide their assignment? These questions have long been the subject of normative debate among legal scholars. Much of the attention in this debate has focused on three possibilities. First, the reasonable person might be defined positively, based on intuitions about what a roughly average person would do (the “empirical reasonable person standard”). Second, the reasonable person might be defined positively, based on intuitions about what the very best and most capable among us would do (the “aspirational reasonable person standard”). Third, the reasonable person might be defined purely by normative principles like utility maximization, regardless of how actual people behave (the “normative reasonable person standard”). Despite ongoing debate surrounding these possibilities, no research to date has empirically examined how people construe the reasonable person in practice. We have heard much about who the reasonable person should be, but we know shockingly little about who the reasonable person is. This Article begins to fill the gap. I present a series of three experiments investigating lay constructions of the reasonable person. These experiments probe whether lay decision makers tend to define the reasonable person in empirical, aspirational, or normative terms—and whether the answer applies across the board or depends on the cognitive characteristics at issue. My findings provide what is, to my knowledge, the first experimental evidence that lay decision makers prefer the empirical reasonable person standard. Further, my findings show that this preference is consistent across a variety of cognitive characteristics. These results lay the intellectual groundwork for a new and important area of study at the intersection of law and psychology. Previous research in cognitive psychology demonstrates that people often misjudge their own and others’ behavioral tendencies and cognitive abilities in domains ranging from decision making to memory to vision. If legal decision makers endeavor to deploy an empirical reasonable person standard, but systematically misjudge others’ cognitive capacities (as this cognitive psychology research suggests), then the decision makers’ verdicts may be systematically biased. Future research should explore the contours of this bias—and means for debiasing—in tort law and in other areas of law that incorporate the reasonable person standard.
Correlation of statin use with breast random periareolar fine needle aspiration (RPFNA) cytomorphology in high risk postmenopausal women

1031 Background: In vitro studies have demonstrated that statins (HMG CoA reductase inhibitors) suppress tumor growth and proliferation in breast cancer cell lines. Published clinical data on the c...
Humbug! The Politics of Art Criticism in New York City’s Penny Press: by Wendy Jean Katz, New York: Fordham University Press, 2020, 304 pp.

Scholars place the penny press among the most important developments in U.S. journalism. Although few of its publishers had long-term financial success, the style of journalism they practiced had a...
Mobile Health-Collected Biophysical Markers in Children with Serious Illness-Related Pain.

Context: There is an ongoing established need to develop engaging pain assessment strategies to provide more effective individualized care to pediatric patients with serious illnesses. This study e...
Current Methods for the Prehospital Detection of Large Vessel Occlusion (LVO) Ischemic Stroke

This review describes the technologies and methods currently utilized to detect large vessel occlusion (LVO) ischemic stroke in the prehospital setting. A comparison of various LVO stroke scales, including their similarities and differences, is included. Emerging technology, novel stroke detection methods, and likely areas of future research are discussed. Many prehospital stroke detection scales have been described previously in the medical literature, characterized by varying degrees of efficacy. Despite their cost-effectiveness and ease of use, prehospital stroke scales do not reliably detect LVO. Current efforts in prehospital LVO stroke detection are aimed at improving upon the sensitivity and specificity of these scales, leveraging new screening technologies to streamline LVO triage and decrease time-to-intervention. The prehospital stroke scales that we reviewed differ greatly in many respects, including their definition of LVO and the type and number of items tested. Despite the tremendous global effort made to rapidly triage and deliver LVO stroke patients to definitive treatment centers, no single scale has emerged with both a high positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV). This has led to a lack of consensus, preventing widespread adoption of a single scale for prehospital LVO detection. Despite the ever-increasing number of stroke scales available to the prehospital clinician, LVO detection remains a challenge. Future advances in prehospital LVO stroke detection are expected to involve new and improved in-field diagnostic testing.
Prognostic value of geriatric conditions for death and bleeding in older patients with atrial fibrillation

Abstract Background Geriatric conditions, such as frailty and cognitive impairment, are prevalent in older patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We examined the prognostic value of geriatric conditions for predicting 1-year mortality and bleeding events in these patients. Methods SAGE (Systematic Assessment of Geriatric Elements)-AF study is a multicenter cohort study which enrolled individuals (mean age 75 years, 48% women, 86% taking oral anticoagulation) 65 years and older with AF and CHA2DS2 -VASc score of 2 or higher from clinics in Massachusetts and Georgia, USA between 2016 and 2018. A six-component geriatric assessment included validated measures of frailty, cognitive function, social support, depressive symptoms, vision, and hearing was performed at baseline. Study endpoints included all-cause mortality and clinically relevant bleeding. Results At 1 year, 1,097 (96.5%) individuals attended the follow up visit, 44 (3.9%) had died, and 56 (5.1%) had clinically relevant bleeding. After adjustment for demographic and clinical factors, social isolation (odds ratio [OR] 1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01–2.84), depression (OR 1.94, 95% CI: 1.28–2.95) and frailty (OR 2.55, 95% CI: 1.55–4.19) were significantly associated with the composite endpoint of death or clinically relevant bleeding. After multivariable adjustment, depression (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.09–2.93) and frailty (OR 2.83, 95% CI 1.55–5.17) were significantly associated with clinically relevant bleeding. Conclusions Social isolation, depression, and frailty were prognostic of dying or experiencing clinically relevant bleeding during the coming year in older men and women with AF. Assessing geriatric impairments merits consideration in the care of these patients.
Through the Lens of Social Studies, What Has Changed for Refugees to the U.S. since the COVID-19 Pandemic Began? An Inquiry Lesson for Secondary Education

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, every aspect of daily life is being altered in response to the virus. The pandemic has altered secondary education. Classes online, teachers struggling to learn Zo...
Free energy of imperfect nucleic acid helices. I. The bulge defect.

In the bulge defect one or more non-complementary bases on one strand are looped out of a double or triple helix. Our purpose is to evaluate the unfavorable free energy contributed to the helix by such defects. We prepared the copolymer poly(A,A*) by partial oxidation of the adenylate residues to the N -1 oxide. Samples of various degrees of modification had nearly constant molecular weight, so that shifts in the transition midpoint could be attributed to the bulge defect. At high salt concentration we find that defects in which a single base on one strand is looped out of the helix contribute a destabilizing free energy (25°C) of 2.8 kcal./mole to the double helix and 2.3 kcal./mole to the triple helix.
Techniques for analysis of evolved prisoner's dilemma strategies with fingerprints

It is easy to generate strategies for games such as the iterated prisoner's dilemma using evolutionary computation, but much harder to analyze those strategies. Fingerprints are a functional signatures of game playing agents that capture essential features of an agent's strategy while ignoring implementation details. Using functional fingerprints, it is practical to cluster agents and to rapidly identify common agent types in spite of the representational obfuscation often generated by evolutionary training techniques. In this paper, a set of 1080 agents from 30 evolved populations are subjected to analysis using fingerprint based techniques. Filtration is used to remove first well known and then later common strategies. A novel clustering technique, multi-clustering, is then used to cluster the remaining strategies. Filtration and multiclustering, used together, smooth the analysis of evolved agents. Agents playing known strategies are quickly identified and removed from the agent pool, unknown types are clustered into plausible groupings. A previously unsuspected tendency of evolution to prefer finite state strategies composed of a single communicating class is documented.
Tychonoff’s theorem for locally compact spaces and an elementary approach to the topology of path spaces

The path spaces of a directed graph play an important role in the study of graph C*-algebras. These are topological spaces that were originally constructed using groupoid and inverse semigroup techniques. In this paper, we develop a simple, purely topological, approach to this construction, based on Tychonoff's theorem. In fact, the approach is shown to work even for higher dimensional graphs satisfying the finitely aligned condition, and we construct the groupoid of the graph. Motivated by these path space results, we prove a Tychonoff theorem for an infinite, countable product of locally compact spaces. The main idea is to include certain finite products of the spaces along with the infinite product. We show that the topology is, in a reasonable sense, a pointwise topology.
Nocturnal polysomnographic characteristics of pediatric narcolepsy

The aim of this study was to describe the polysomnographic features of childhood-onset narcolepsy. A retrospective review was performed on children with narcolepsy. The polysomnogram findings were compared with reference values obtained from normative data in the general population. Narcolepsy subjects had a mean initial sleep latency of 10.9 min on nocturnal PSG, which was shorter by a mean of 18 min than corresponding values from normative data (P < 0.001). Short initial REM latency on nocturnal PSG correlated with the number of SOREMPs on MSLT in subjects with narcolepsy (P = 0.007). These findings may assist in the clinical diagnosis of narcolepsy.
Budget Impact Model for the Use of PCA3 Urine Testing in Prostate Cancer Screening

Abstract Introduction Continued prostate cancer screening with serum prostate specific antigen in patients with a history of a negative prostate biopsy can result in unnecessary repeat prostate biopsies with significant morbidity and cost. The PCA3 molecular urine test has been shown to be an independent predictor of the diagnosis of significant prostate cancer in men who are still at risk after a negative prostate biopsy. We used a budget impact model to study the potential reduction in unnecessary prostate biopsies and the cost benefits in this population. Methods In a theoretical population of 1 million people during a 1-year time frame, the number of prostate biopsies and the costs were compared between a traditional method of prostate cancer screening (eg prostate specific antigen screening) after an initial negative prostate biopsy and a new method incorporating the PCA3 urine test after an increased prostate specific antigen. Men with abnormal results would undergo repeat prostate biopsy. Results In the traditional method 959 repeat prostate biopsies would be performed at a fully weighted cost of $1,866,214. When PCA3 was used in the new method, 400 prostate biopsies would be performed at a fully weighted cost of $931,000, resulting in a cost savings of $935,214. Conclusions The incorporation of the PCA3 urine test into our decision algorithm for men at risk for prostate cancer after an initial negative prostate biopsy will result in a significant reduction in unnecessary biopsies with significant cost savings.
How I transfuse red blood cells and platelets to infants with the anemia and thrombocytopenia of prematurity.

Many aspects of hematopoiesis are either incompletely developed in preterm infants or still functioning to serve the fetus (i.e., the intrauterine counterpart to a liveborn preterm neonate). This delayed development and/or slow adaptation to extrauterine life diminishes the capacity of the neonate to produce red blood cells (RBCs), platelets (PLTs), and neutrophils—particularly during the stress of life-threatening illnesses encountered after preterm birth such as sepsis, severe pulmonary dysfunction, necrotizing enterocolitis, and immune cytopenias. The serious medical and/or surgical problems of preterm birth can be further complicated by phlebotomy blood losses, bleeding, hemolysis, and consumptive coagulopathy. To illustrate, some preterm infants, especially those with birth weight less than 1.0 kg and respiratory distress, are given numerous RBC transfusions early in life owing to several interacting factors. Neonates delivered before 28 weeks of gestation (birth weight, <1.0 kg) are born before the bulk of iron transport has occurred from mother to fetus via the placenta and before the onset of marked erythropoietic activity of fetal marrow during the third trimester. Soon after preterm birth, severe respiratory disease can lead to repeated blood sampling for laboratory studies and, consequently, to replacement RBC transfusions. Additionally, preterm infants are unable to mount an effective erythropoietin (EPO) response to decreasing numbers of RBCs, and this factor contributes to the diminished ability to compensate for anemia—thus enhancing need for RBC transfusions. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF ANEMIA OF PREMATURITY During the first weeks of life, all infants experience a decline in the number of circulating RBCs. In healthy term infants, the nadir blood hemoglobin (Hb) value rarely decreases to less than 9 g per dL (mean, 11-12 g/dL) at an age of approximately 10 to 12 weeks. 1 Because this postnatal decrease in Hb level is universal and is well tolerated by term infants, it is commonly called the physiologic anemia of infancy. Among preterm infants, this decline occurs at an earlier age and is more pronounced in severity. Mean Hb concentration decreases to approximately 8 g per dL in infants of 1.0 to 1.5 kg birth weight and to 7 g per dL in infants weighing less than 1.0 kg. 2
A topological generalization of partition regularity

In 1939, Richard Rado showed that any complex matrix is partition regular over C if and only if it satisfies the columns condition. Recently, Hogben and McLeod explored the linear algebraic properties of matrices satisfying partition regularity. We further the discourse by generalizing the notion of partition regularity beyond systems of linear equations to topological surfaces and graphs. We begin by defining, for an arbitrary matrix 8, the metric space (M8, ). Here, M8 is the set of all matrices equivalent to 8 that are (not) partition regular if 8 is (not) partition regular; and for elementary matrices, Ei and Fj , we let. A; B/D minfmD lCkV BD E1:::El AF1:::Fkg. Subsequently, we illustrate that partition regularity is in fact a local property in the topological sense, and uncover some of the properties of partition regularity from this perspective. We then use these properties to establish that all compact topological surfaces are partition regular.
Putting the family back in the child

As clinicians and scientists we see daily the close tie between parental competence and emotional functioning and how children succeed with many of life's stressors. Inadequate attention has been paid to the theoretical underpinnings of predicting children's emotional reactions to stress from a systems perspective. Longitudinal developmental studies of parental influence on children's ability to cope with life's frustrations, through reciprocal interactions and genetic predispositions, are mandatory. Theoretical frameworks are already developed which must be drawn on to derive the best predictions of when and how to involve our child patients with family support. The current essay will attempt to bridge family systems and social network theories to the understanding of children's coping with medical stressors.
Influence of sterol structure on yeast plasma membrane properties.

Abstract Fluorescence anisotropy measurements indicated that physical changes occured in the lipids of plasma membranes of yeast sterol mutants but not in the plasma membrane of an ergosterol wild-type. Parallel experiments with model membrane liposomes verified that the physical changes in lipids observed in the sterol mutants are dependent on the sterol present and not the phospholipid composition. In addition, the physical changes in lipids observed in liposomes derived from wild-type phospholipids were eliminated by addition of ergosterol but persisted in the presence of cholesterol, cholestanol, ergostanol, or sterols from the sterol mutants. No physical changes in lipids were observed, however, in plasma membranes from a sterol auxotroph, even when the auxotroph was grown on cholesterol or cholestanol. The lack of physical changes in lipids in the sterol auxotroph may reflect the ability of the auxotroph to modify its phospholipid composition with respect to its sterol composition. These results indicate that high specificity ‘sparking’ sterol is not required for the regulation of overall bulk lipid properties of the plasma membrane.
Dear SIRS: It’s Time to Return to Sepsis as We Have Known It

For years, the term “sepsis” (adj. “septic”) has struck fear in the hearts of emergency physicians who used it to describe the condition of a very sick infected patient. In case you missed the memo, and many did, in 1992 the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) published a formal definition of sepsis. Their goals were to “provide a conceptual and a practical framework to define the systemic inflammatory response to infection, which is a progressive injurious process that falls under the generalized term ‘sepsis’ and includes sepsis-associated organ dysfunction,” and to standardize the term in anticipation of future clinical trials. This definition of sepsis required, in addition to presumed infection, evidence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, or SIRS, ie, at least 2 of these 4 criteria: temperature greater than 38°C (100.4°F) or less than 36°C (96.8°F) pulse rate greater than 90 beats/min, respiratory rate greater than 20 breaths/min, and a WBC count greater than 12,000/mm or less than 4,000/mm. Because some SIRS components, such as fever and leukocytosis, are part and parcel of one’s suspicion for “presumed infection,” the implication of the required addition of SIRS to qualify as “sepsis” was that SIRS connoted a poor prognosis. In this issue of Annals, Shapiro et al attempt to determine the prognostic importance (ie, inhospital and 1-year mortality) of sepsis according to SIRS criteria among emergency department (ED) patients with suspected infection. They also examine other ACCP/SCCM defined conditions that involve SIRS, ie, severe sepsis (SIRS with organ dysfunctions) and septic shock (SIRS with fluid-unresponsive hypotension), and the number of organ dysfunctions. Identifying risk predictors of adverse outcomes could be useful in various therapeutic interventions. For example, the Pneumonia Severity Index, which includes many of the same vital-sign characteristics that are used in SIRS but with much more abnormal thresholds, was derived from outpatient and ED settings and was validated as a disposition tool for ED patients with community-acquired pneumonia. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score, which was
Aragonite crystallization from strained calcite at reduced pressures and its bearing on aragonite in low-grade metamorphism

Aragonite, the dense form of CaCO3, grew hydrothermally at 100–300° C and dry at 300–400° C at very low pressures from calcite strained by grinding. Nearly complete inversion to aragonite occurred in some runs with Ca-Mg chloride solutions at 0–2.4 kb and 100–200° C on strained calcite having a (10¯14) reflection with a half-width of 0.48° 2 Θ Cu Kα. A little aragonite grew dry at one atm. from the ground calcite at 300–400° C in a few hrs. Simultaneous shear during recrystallization of calcite in a rotating squeezer resulted in significant aragonite at 300–400° C several kb. below the stability field. No inversion occurred in any ground calcite when previously annealed in CO2 at 500° C for a few hrs. Thermochemical data show that at least 200 cal/mole of strain energy can be produced in calcite by mild deformation. This much stored energy would lower the pressure requirements of aragonite, relative to the strained calcite by more than 3 kb, and our observation that aragonite growth was faster than strain recovery of calcite indicates that aragonite can grow in nature at reduced pressures from strained calcite. Some experiments were also carried out on highly magnesian calcites with the thought that aragonite might also form at the expense of this metastable material. No aragonite was produced, but the possibility that this mechanism could be operative in nature cannot be discounted. The microtexture of aragonitic deformed marbles from NW Washington (prehnite-pumpellyite facies rocks, courtesy of J. A. Vance) as well as electron probe microanalysis of these rocks indicates that aragonite selectively replaced highly strained calcite. The calcite-aragonite transition is thus a questionable indicator of high-pressure in certain metamorphic rocks.
Oxidized aircraft fuel deposits on metal surfaces studied by polarization-modulated Fourier infrared emission microspectrophotometry

Abstract Thin films of aircraft fuel deposits formed in a simulator on heated metal surfaces immersed in flowing fuel were analyzed by polarization-modulated Fourier infrared emission microspectrophotometry. The fuel was saturated with air or oxygen. Increases of surface temperature produced more intense bands attributable to oxygen-containing functional groups and less intense bands attributable to groups consisting only of carbon and hydrogen. For one fuel, although the higher temperature deposits were heavier, their infrared emission in a purely C-H region was less intense than that of the lower temperature deposits. The weight-temperature relationship was reversed for a different fuel, but the deposit weight infrared emission intensity relationship in the C-H region was still mostly inverted. When a fresh deposit was heated in air its infrared emission spectrum developed a number of new bands very close to major bands. These satellite bands were ascribed to different rotational isomers in a way analogous to the air oxidation of polymethylene polymers where these changes accompany changes of crystallinity. The scanning electron microscope was used in obtaining an estimate of fuel deposit thickness.
Ultraviolet enhanced reactivation of a human virus: effect of delayed infection.

Abstract The ability of UV-irradiated herpes simplex virus to form plaques was examined in monolayers of CV-1 monkey kidney cells preexposed to UV radiation at different intervals before virus assay. From analysis of UV reactivation (Weigle reactivation) curves it was found that as the interval between cell UV irradiation (0–20 J/m2) and initiation of the virus assay was increased over a period of five days, (1) the capacity of the cells to support unirradiated virus plaque formation, which was decreased immediately following UV exposure to the monolayers, increased and returned to approximately normal levels within five days, and (2) at five days an exponential increase was observed in the relative plaque formation of irradiated virus as a function of UV fluence to the monolayers. For high UV fluence (20 J/m2) to the cells, the relative plaque formation by the UV-irradiated virus at five days was about 10-fold higher than that obtained from assay on unirradiated cells. This enhancement in plaque formation is interpreted as a delayed expression of Weigle reactivation. The amount of enhancement resulting from this delayed reactivation was several fold greater than that produced by the Weigle reactivation which occurred when irradiated herpes virus was assayed immediately following cell irradiation.
Ionic conductivities of crystalline and glassy Na4NbP3O12 and crystalline Na6Nb2P6O23

Abstract Ionic conductivity and structure of crystalline, glassy Na 4 NbP 3 O 12 and crystalline Na 6 Nb 2 P 6 O 23 were studied by ac complex impedance and FTIR. FTIR spectra indicate the presence of pyrophosphate (P 2 O 7 4- ) groups in both crystalline and glassy Na 4 NbP 3 O 12 . The ionic conductivity of Na 4 NbP 3 O 12 glass ( σ 400° C = 3.1 × 10 −3 S cm −1 ) is at least two orders of magnitude higher than that of the crystalline phase ( σ 400° C =3.0×10 −5 S cm > −1 ) due to large differences in the structure of the two modificat ions and the random distribution of Na + ions over the equipotential sites in the glass network.