cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
OC-36 How high is high-flow?

Background Heated humidified high-flow nasal cannula (HHHFNC) oxygen therapy is a commonly used non-invasive mode of respiratory support in Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) around the world. The safe level of maximum flow rate in HHHFNC therapy is disputed although a flow rate of 2 L/kg/min is believed to be safe. Manufacturers recommend flow rates based on cannula size, however there is concern that this approach may lead to very high flow rates and cause complications. Aim To describe the use of HHHFNC therapy, flow rates used and complications in PICU. Methods Prospectively collected data on all patients who received HHHFNC therapy in a single centre multi-disciplinary PICU between 1 October 2015 and 31 January 2016 were analysed. Demographics, diagnostic categories, flow rates (starting and maximal) and complications were determined. Results During the study period, 158 episodes of HHHFNC therapy use on PICU were captured. Median age was 40 months (range: 6 days to 17 years). Median starting flow rate was 1.8 L/kg/min (range: 0.18 to 6.9 L/kg/min) and maximum flow rate was 1.9 L/kg/min (range: 0.18 to 7.7 L/kg/min). Median length of therapy was 3.6 days (range: 1 hour to 13.2 days). Table 1 shows the different diagnostic categories in which HHHFNC therapy was used. Table 2 demonstrates that mean starting and maximal flow rates were more than 2 L/kg/min in patients less than 10 kg, and significantly higher in patients 10 kg. No complications were reported. Conclusions HHHFNC oxygen therapy is used as a mode of respiratory support in children with a variety of conditions. The flow rates used in babies less than 5 kg were significantly higher than in older children. However, no adverse effects were seen. We speculate that flow rates higher than 2 L/kg/min can be safely used in short term HHHFNC oxygen therapy in PICU.
Abstract WP41: Predicting Acute Ischemic Stroke Tissue Fate Using Deep Learning on Source Perfusion MRI

Introduction: Perfusion MR and CT parameters are widely used during the assessment of acute ischemic strokes to evaluate the likely lesion growth. However, such perfusion parameters and derived rat...
Operation PINC: Process Improvement for Non-Delayed Contraception

ABSTRACT Introduction: The Department of Defense is under intense scrutiny for the reported increased unintended pregnancy rate in active duty women. To minimize barriers to contraception and improve access to care for family planning needs, a novel full-service walk-in clinic for contraception was created. The objective of this study is to describe utilization of a walk-in contraceptive clinic including patient demographics, long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) initiation rates, projected cost savings, and patient satisfaction within the first 6 months of operation. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective cohort and quality improvement study of 2,207 women presenting to a same day full-service contraception clinic from February 1, 2016, to August 31, 2016. Patient volume, demographics of participants, type of contraceptive service provided, LARC initiation, and LARC removal rates were recorded prospectively. Outcomes were compared with the Student t-test or χ2 test as appropriate. Results: Th...
Intravesical instillations for the treatment of refractory recurrent urinary tract infections.

Background:Treatment options for refractory recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI) are limited; therefore, we sought to determine if intravesical instillations with heparin effectively treat recu...
First measurement of the full elastic constants of Ni-based superalloy René 88DT

Abstract The full elastic constants of Ni-based superalloy Rene 88DT were measured for the first time using a recently developed method that matches the computed surface acoustic wave (SAW) velocities from an elastodynamic model with experimental velocities of SAWs that are generated and detected with a femtosecond laser. The experimental measurements were performed on several grains of a polycrystalline sample without the need of growing a single crystal. The computed Young's modulus from the resultant elastic constants agrees with the literature values, lending confidence on our measured elastic constants: C11 = 267.1, C12 = 170.5, and C44 = 107.6 (GPa).
A Novel Fast and Flexible Holomorphic Embedding Power Flow Method

A novel, fast, and flexible holomorphic embedding (FFHE) method is proposed for solving power flow problems with Q-limits. New embedded systems are developed for power flow equations at the PV and PQ buses for flexibility that allows us taking any state, instead of accepting only some certain point (e.g., a flat start and a zero-current injection point), as the initial guess. This flexibility allows us a warm start, a dc power flow solution, or other starts, leading to the reduced runtime and a decreased number of needed steps, as compared with existing embedded systems that only accept several particular points as the initial guess. However, the proposed method may not be globally convergent in the sense that such flexibility and flexible embedded systems do not ensure convergence or a superior rate of convergence for an arbitrary start. To implement the proposed FFHE, a new numerical scheme is devised to compute the numerical solution without explicitly calculating the rational approximant. To evaluate its effectiveness and practicability, the proposed novel FFHE method is applied to a series of power flow test cases ranging from 3 to 13659 buses. It is found that the proposed FFHE method requires less runtime than Newton's method for most test cases. By using Newton's method as a reference, FFHE is shown to be more effective than the holomorphic embedding methods that had been documented in the literature; partly due to its flexibility and the new scheme for computing numerical solutions.
A split spectrum processing method of scatterer density estimation

The split spectrum processing method of estimating scatterer concentration and concentration gradients using the data of a single received waveform is reported. A wide-band received spectrum is partitioned into separated frequency bands which are normalized and filtered by Gaussian windows. The estimation algorithm is based on a theory which states that the squared ratio of the sample mean of the amplitudes produced by the split narrow-band signals to its standard deviation is a measure of scatterer concentration. The theory presented is shown to be confirmed by experiment.
Sleep Promotes Generalization of Extinction of Conditioned Fear

IT IS OFTEN HYPOTHESIZED THAT SLEEP PLAYS AN EMOTIONAL REGULATORY ROLE.1–3 HOWEVER, THIS PUTATIVE NORMALIZING FUNCTION OF SLEEP HAS received remarkably little empirical study. Over the past decade, many studies have shown that sleep plays an important role in memory consolidation within multiple memory systems4 including that of emotional memory.5–8 The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of sleep on the consolidation and generalization of extinction memory, which are of particular relevance to the pathophysiology and treatment of anxiety disorders.
Industry: telecommunications network diagnosis

The Scrubber 3 system monitors problems in the local loop of the telephone network, making automated decisions on tens of millions of cases a year, many of which lead to automated actions. Scrubber saves Bell Atlantic millions of dollars annually, by reducing the number of inappropriate technician dispatches. Scrubber's core knowledge base, the trouble isolation module (TIM), is a probability estimation tree constructed via several data mining processes. TIM currently is deployed in the Delphi system, which serves knowledge to multiple applications. As compared to previous approaches, TIM is more general, more robust, and easier to update when the network or user requirements change. Under certain circumstances it also provides better classifications. In fact, TIM's knowledge is general enough that it now serves a second deployed application. One of the most interesting aspects of the construction of TIM is that data mining was used not only in the traditional sense, namely, building a model from a warehouse of actual historical cases, but it was also used to produce an understandable model of the knowledge contained in an earlier, successful diagnostic system, which had evolved into opacity over years of operation.
Evaluating financial literacy curriculum for young adults with special needs: A review of content, universal design for learning, and culturally responsive curriculum principles:

Acquiring financial literacy presents many unique challenges for young adults with disabilities. Although financial literacy can and should be taught throughout the lifespan, this review examines t...
Evaluation of Three Morphologically Distinct Virus-Like Particles as Nanocarriers for Convection-Enhanced Drug Delivery to Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is a particularly challenging cancer, as there are currently limited options for treatment. New delivery routes are being explored, including direct intratumoral injection via convection-enhanced delivery (CED). While promising, convection-enhanced delivery of traditional chemotherapeutics such as doxorubicin (DOX) has seen limited success. Several studies have demonstrated that attaching a drug to polymeric nanoscale materials can improve drug delivery efficacy via CED. We therefore set out to evaluate a panel of morphologically distinct protein nanoparticles for their potential as CED drug delivery vehicles for glioblastoma treatment. The panel consisted of three different virus-like particles (VLPs), MS2 spheres, tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) disks and nanophage filamentous rods modified with DOX. While all three VLPs displayed adequate drug delivery and cell uptake in vitro, increased survival rates were only observed for glioma-bearing mice that were treated via CED with TMV disks and MS2 spheres conjugated to doxorubicin, with TMV-treated mice showing the best response. Importantly, these improved survival rates were observed after only a single VLP⁻DOX CED injection several orders of magnitude smaller than traditional IV doses. Overall, this study underscores the potential of nanoscale chemotherapeutic CED using virus-like particles and illustrates the need for further studies into how the overall morphology of VLPs influences their drug delivery properties.
The petal effect of parahydrophobic surfaces offers low receding contact angles that promote effective boiling

Abstract Despite extensive study of boiling processes and their widespread use in industry, critical interactions between the fluid and surface during boiling remain poorly understood. Simplistic, static descriptions of the contact angle are still relied upon to describe the effects of surface wettability on dynamic interfacial processes that govern boiling. This work demonstrates the critical role of the dynamic wettability characteristics of a surface on bubble growth dynamics and boiling performance. In spite of their superior nucleation behavior, hydrophobic surfaces have received little attention for boiling applications due to their typically premature transition from efficient nucleate boiling to inefficient film boiling. Evaluation of hydrophobic surfaces with high contact angle hysteresis reveals that the heat transfer efficacy of these surfaces can be exploited in boiling, so long as the receding contact angle of the surface is sufficiently small to mitigate vapor spreading and thereby extend the nucleate boiling regime. A new paradigm of textured boiling surfaces – parahydrophobic surfaces that exhibit the “petal effect” and mimic the wetting behavior of a rose petal – are shown to have untapped potential in boiling applications resulting from highly hydrophobic behavior coupled with low receding contact angles.
Ignore, Refactor, or Rewrite

Most of the guidance applies to smaller chunks of code and decisions implemented in hours or days, not weeks or months. There were a great book on architecture scale refactoring with distilled wisdom and case studies of successes and failures. This article only touches on that but it covers some topics that augment the good advice you will find in Martin Fovvler's Refactoring book and Michael Feathers' Working Effectively with Legacy Code.
Continuous theta burst stimulation over right pars triangularis facilitates naming abilities in chronic post-stroke aphasia by enhancing phonological access

Abstract Background Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been used experimentally to facilitate naming abilities in individuals with chronic post-stroke aphasia. However, little is known about how rTMS confers clinical improvement, hampering its therapeutic value. The present study investigated the characteristics of naming failure that improve following administration of continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS)—an inhibitory form of rTMS—to the right pars triangularis (rPTr) in persons with chronic aphasia. Methods Eleven participants with chronic aphasia following left hemisphere stroke named pictures prior to and immediately following cTBS of the rPTr and a control site (vertex) in separate sessions. Prior to stimulation, we obtained two baseline measurements of picture naming ability to determine the extent and type (i.e., phonological vs. semantic) of naming impairment. Items presented for naming during stimulation were those that were named incorrectly in one or both of the baseline sessions (i.e., inconsistent vs. wrong items, respectively). Analyses assessed whether cTBS effects differed depending on the severity and/or type of naming impairment. Results Relative to vertex, cTBS of the rPTr improved naming of inconsistent, but not wrong, items for individuals with more severe baseline naming impairment. Critically, baseline phonological but not semantic naming impairment severity marginally correlated with improved accuracy overall, and significantly correlated with decreased phonological errors following rPTr stimulation. Conclusion CTBS of the rPTr enhances naming by facilitating phonological access during word retrieval, indicating that individuals whose naming impairment is localized to this stage of processing may be most likely to benefit from this rTMS approach.
Chapter 16 Economics and mental health

Abstract This paper is concerned with the economics of mental health. We argue that mental health economics is like health economics only more so: uncertainty and variation in treatments are greater; the assumption of patient self-interested behavior is more dubious; response to financial incentives such as insurance is exacerbated; the social consequences and external costs of illness are more formidable. We elaborate on these statements and consider their implications throughout the chapter. “Special characteristics” of mental illness and persons with mental illness are identified and related to observations on institutions paying for and providing mental health services. We show that adverse selection and moral hazard appear to hit mental health markets with special force. We discuss the emergence of new institutions within managed care that address longstanding problems in the sector. Finally, we trace the shifting role of government in this sector of the health economy.
Using SOM-Based Visualization to Analyze the Financial Performance of Consumer Discretionary Firms

This paper analyzes financial ratios of 27 consumer discretionary firms listed on the S&P 500 over an eleven-year period from 2006–2016. It adopts a two-step approach wherein first a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the financial time-series is conducted and the resulting constructs’ scores are then used to perform a cluster analysis using self-organizing maps (SOMs). The consumer discretionary sector is considered an economic and stock market predictor. It consists of non-essential goods and services which in an economic slump are more likely to be foregone. The suggested approach is expected to be a useful reference guide to help understand the past performance of inter- and intra-sector companies. It also enriches the body of literature on the application of machine learning techniques to the analysis of firm- and sectoral-level performance.
Involving Students in Implementing a Campus Culture of Sustainability

Courses in sustainability studies are garnering significant interest across U.S. colleges and universities and are increasingly represented in a wider range of disciplines including economics. The latter addition is consistent with the Brundtland recommendation and offers a significant opportunity to foster understanding of both the basis for present decision-making as well as the values foundation required for the shift from a consumerism-fostered culture to one of sustainable economic development based on intergenerational equity. This paper provides an overview of the Economics of Sustainability course offering at Northeastern University in Boston. Students in two sections of a same semester offering of the course were assigned to groups wherein they determined a group-based semester long project. The parameters of the project required a life cycle or cost benefit assessment inclusive of externalities and projects were specific to a current university action that could be modified to promote campus sustainability. Given that sustainability was an objective and a marketing stance of the institution, the projects, which ranged from a consignment store to local food sourcing to resource measurement and efficiency, were aligned to the publicly stated university goals and were designed to be shared with university administration and ultimately, implemented. The latter aspect provided students with both an incentive and tangible outcome that promoted their longer-term educational goals. Overall, the assignment process is one that can be replicated and offers an opportunity to incorporate a campus-based cultural orientation to sustainability within a course design.
Water relations and root activities of Buchloe dactyloides and Zoysia japonica in response to localized soil drying

Effects of localized soil drought stress on water relations, root growth, and nutrient uptake were examined in drought tolerant ‘Prairie’ buffalograss [Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.] and sensitive ‘Meyer’ zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.). Grasses were grown in small rhizotrons in a greenhouse and subjected to three soil moisture regimes: (1) watering the entire 80-cm soil profile (well-watered control); (2) drying 0–40 cm soil and watering the lower 40 cm (partially dried); (3) and drying the entire soil profile (fully dried). Drying the 0–40 cm soil for 28 days had no effect on leaf water potential (Ψ leaf ) in Prairie buffalograss compared to the well-watered control but reduced that in Meyer zoysiagrass. Root elongation rate was greater for Prairie buffalograss than Meyer zoysiagrass under well-watered or fully dried conditions. Rooting depth increased with surface soil drying; with Prairie buffalograss having a larger proportion of roots in the lower 40 cm than Meyer zoysiagrass. The higher rates of water uptake in the deeper soil profile in the partially dried compared to the well-watered treatment and by Prairie buffalograss compared to Meyer zoysiagrass could be due to differences in root distribution. Root 15N uptake for Prairie buffalograss was higher in 0–20 cm drying soil in the partially dried treatment than in the fully dried treatment. Diurnal fluctuations in soil water content in the upper 20 cm of soil when the lower 40 cm were well-watered indicated water efflux from the deeper roots to the drying surface soil. This could help sustain root growth, maintain nutrient uptake in the upper drying soil layer, and prolong turfgrass growth under localized drying conditions, especially for the deep-rooted Prairie buffalograss.
DLBricks: Composable Benchmark Generation to Reduce Deep Learning Benchmarking Effort on CPUs (Extended)

The past few years have seen a surge of applying Deep Learning (DL) models for a wide array of tasks such as image classification, object detection, machine translation, etc. While DL models provide an opportunity to solve otherwise intractable tasks, their adoption relies on them being optimized to meet latency and resource requirements. Benchmarking is a key step in this process but has been hampered in part due to the lack of representative and up-to-date benchmarking suites. This is exacerbated by the fast-evolving pace of DL models. This paper proposes DLBricks, a composable benchmark generation design that reduces the effort of developing, maintaining, and running DL benchmarks on CPUs. DLBricks decomposes DL models into a set of unique runnable networks and constructs the original model's performance using the performance of the generated benchmarks. DLBricks leverages two key observations: DL layers are the performance building blocks of DL models and layers are extensively repeated within and across DL models. Since benchmarks are generated automatically and the benchmarking time is minimized, DLBricks can keep up-to-date with the latest proposed models, relieving the pressure of selecting representative DL models. Moreover, DLBricks allows users to represent proprietary models within benchmark suites. We evaluate DLBricks using $50$ MXNet models spanning $5$ DL tasks on $4$ representative CPU systems. We show that DLBricks provides an accurate performance estimate for the DL models and reduces the benchmarking time across systems (e.g. within $95\%$ accuracy and up to $4.4\times$ benchmarking time speedup on Amazon EC2 c5.xlarge).
Utilization and outcomes in biventricular assist device support in pediatrics

Abstract Objective Patients with biventricular assist devices (BiVADs) have worse outcomes than those with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). It is unclear whether these outcomes are due to device selection or patient factors. We used propensity score matching to reduce patient heterogeneity and compare outcomes in pediatric patients supported with BiVADs with a similar LVAD cohort. Methods The Pedimacs registry was queried for patients who were supported with BiVAD or LVAD. Patients were analyzed by BiVAD or LVAD at primary implant and the 2 groups were compared before and after using propensity score matching. Results Of 363 patients who met inclusion criteria, 63 (17%) underwent primary BiVAD support. After propensity score matching, differences between cohorts were reduced. Six months after implant, in the BiVAD cohort (LVAD cohort) 52.5% (42.5%) had been transplanted; 32.5% (40%) were alive with device, and 15% (10%) had died. Survival was similar between cohorts (P = .31, log-rank), but patients with BiVADs were more likely to experience a major adverse event in the form of bleeding (P = .04, log-rank). At 1 week and 1 and 3 months' postimplant, the percentage of patients on mechanical ventilation, on dialysis, or with elevated bilirubin was similar between the 2 groups. Conclusions When propensity scores were used to reduce differences in patient characteristics, there were no differences in survival but more major adverse events in the patients with BiVADs, particularly bleeding. Differences in unmatched patient outcomes between LVAD and BiVAD cohorts likely represent differences in severity of illness rather than mode of support.
Prelimbic-dependent activation of amygdala somatostatin interneurons signals non-aversive cues to promote discrimination.

The amygdala and prelimbic cortex (PL) communicate during fear discrimination retrieval, but how they coordinate to discriminate a non-threatening stimulus is unknown. Here, we show that somatostatin interneurons (SOM) in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) activate specifically during learned non-threatening cues and block sensory-evoked phase resetting of theta-oscillations. SOM activation is PL-dependent, and prevents generalization. Thus, fear discrimination engages PL-dependent coordination of BLA responses to non-threatening stimuli.
Reliability evaluation based on modal parameters of carbon-nanotube-reinforced-polymer-composite material using multiscale finite element model

Abstract Nanocomposite materials exhibit a more extensive range of scatter in material properties than that of conventional materials. The objective of the present work is to develop a computational framework to perform a probabilistic analysis of Carbon-Nanotube-Reinforced-Polymer-Composite (CNRPC) material by using a 3D multiscale finite element model of the Representative Volume Element of the nanocomposite material to determine the dynamic reliability and dynamic hazard based on its modal parameters. The consideration of the frequency sweep of the excitation and the nearness to resonance of the material system is used as a basis for the evaluation of dynamic reliability and dynamic hazard. A computational model consisting of a polymer matrix, an imperfect Single-Walled-Carbon-Nanotube (SWCN) and an imperfect interface region has been constructed for this purpose. The polymer matrix is modeled with the Mooney-Rivlin strain energy, while the imperfect interface region is modeled via van der Waals links. The imperfect SWCN possesses structural vacancies, which are characterized by using the Monte Carlo simulation technique, and is modeled using the Morse potential. The challenge-capacity model and the Maximum Entropy Method are used to calculate the dynamic reliability and dynamic hazard of the CNRPC material for its natural frequencies associated with bending and axial modes.
Knowing but not doing: the state of global enhanced recovery after surgery in gynecologic oncology.

Surgical habits initiated in the early 20th century, such as preoperative fasting, bowel cleansing, liberal intravenous fluid administration, and intraperitoneal drainage, arose in response to the condition of medical care at the time. Infections were common, suture materials were crude, and
RNA-Seq Analysis of Cisplatin and the Monofunctional Platinum(II) Complex, Phenanthriplatin, in A549 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and IMR90 Lung Fibroblast Cell Lines

Phenanthriplatin is a new monofunctional platinum(II) complex that binds only one strand of DNA and acts by blocking gene transcription, but its effect on gene regulation has not been characterized relative to the traditional platinum-based complex, cisplatin. A549 non-small cell lung cancer and IMR90 lung fibroblast cells were treated with cisplatin, phenanthriplatin, or a control and then their RNA transcripts were subjected to next generation sequencing analysis. DESeq2 and CuffDiff2 were used to identify up- and downregulated genes and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes databases were used to identify pathways and functions. We found that phenanthriplatin may regulate the genes GPRC5a, TFF1, and TNFRSF10D, which act through p53 to control apoptosis, differently or to a greater extent than cisplatin, and that it, unlike cisplatin, could upregulate ATP5MD, a gene which signals through the Wnt/β catenin pathway. Furthermore, phenanthriplatin caused unique or enhanced effects compared to cisplatin on genes regulating the cytoskeleton, cell migration, and proliferation, e.g., AGAP1, DIAPH2, GDF15, and THSD1 (p < 0.05; q < 0.05). Phenanthriplatin may modulate some oncogenes differently than cisplatin potentially leading to improved clinical outcome, but this monofunctional complex should be carefully matched with cancer gene data to be successfully applied in chemotherapy.
Curcumin Delivery on Metal–Organic Frameworks: The Effect of the Metal Center on Pharmacokinetics within the M-MOF-74 Family

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have gained considerable attention as drug delivery platforms over the past decade owing to their tunable physiochemical properties, biodiversity, and capability to ...
Tuning the Surface Reactivity and Tribological Performance of Phosphonium-Based Ionic Liquid at Steel/Steel Interfaces by Bromide/Phosphate Anion Mixtures

Abstract Phosphonium phosphate ionic liquids (ILs) are promising lubricant additives for engine oils owing to a combination of good tribological performance and attractive properties, such as high thermal stability and good miscibility with mineral and synthetic oils. Here, we evaluate the dependence of the lubricating performance of trihexyltetradecylphosphonium ([P6,6,6,14])-based ILs when used in steel/steel contacts on the relative concentration of bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate ([DEHP]) and bromide (Br-) anions. The results indicate no changes in friction and wear upon increasing the [P6,6,6,14]Br-to-[P6,6,6,14][DEHP] volume ratio up to 0.2:1, while a further increase in this ratio leads to a reduction of friction and wear. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry measurements highlight that the dependence of the lubricating properties of the ILs on the [P6,6,6,14]Br-to-[P6,6,6,14][DEHP] ratio originates from the balance between corrosivity and surface reactivity of this IL: while [DEHP] acts as corrosion inhibitor in the non-contact region, the formation of species containing phosphorus-oxygen moieties in the wear track as a result of the hydrolysis of phosphonium ions increases the surface coverage of phosphorus. This is proposed to decrease friction by decreasing adhesion at steel/steel contacts and lowering the interfacial shear strength.
Dynamic optimization of human stair-climbing motion

Abstract : The objective of this paper is to present our method of predicting and simulating visually realistic and dynamically consistent human stair-climbing motion. The digital human is modeled as a 55-degrees of freedom branched mechanical system with associated human anthropometry-based link lengths, mass moments of inertia, and centers of gravity. The joint angle profiles are determined using a B-spline-based parametric optimization technique subject to different physics-based, task-based, and environment-based constraints. The formulation offers the ability to study effects of the magnitude and location of external forces on the resulting joint angle profiles and joint torque profiles. Several virtual experiments are conducted using this optimization-based approach and results are presented.
Potential and Cost of Carbon Sequestration in the Tanzanian Forest Sector

The forest sector in Tanzania offers ample opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and sequester carbon (C) in terrestrial ecosystems. More than 90% of the country's demand for primary energy is obtained from biomass mostly procured unsustainably from natural forests. This study examines the potential to sequester C through expansion of forest plantations aimed at reducing the dependence on natural forest for wood fuel production, as well as increase the country's output of industrial wood from plantations. These were compared ton conservationoptions in the tropical and miombo ecosystems. Three sequestrationoptions were analyzed, involving the establishment of short rotation and long rotation plantations on about 1.7 × 106 hectares. The short rotation community forestry option has a potential to sequester an equilibrium amount of 197.4 × 106 Mg C by 2024 at a net benefit of 79.5 × 106, while yielding a NPV of 0.46 Mg-1 C. The long rotation options for softwood and hardwood plantations will reach an equilibrium sequestration of 5.6 and 11.8 × 106 Mg C at a negative NPV of 0.60 Mg-1 C and 0.32 Mg-1 C. The three options provide cost competitive opportunities for sequestering about 7.5 × 106 Mg C yr-1 while providing desired forest products and easing the pressure on the natural forests in Tanzania. The endowment costs of the sequestration options were all found to be cheaper than the emission avoidance cost for conservation options which had an average cost of 1.27 Mg-1 C, rising to 7.5 Mg-1 C under some assumptions on vulnerability to encroachment. The estimates shown here may represent the upper bound, because the actual potential will be influenced by market prices for inputs and forest products, land use policy constraints and the structure of global C transactions.
Modeling infrastructure interdependencies using Petri nets

The infrastructure of many nations has become a very complex inter-connection of electric power distribution systems, oil and natural gas production facilities, transportation (pipelines) of these products, water supplies, and communications. In addition, each of these systems is intertwined and heavily dependent on each other. The challenge is to model these interdependencies, identify vulnerabilities, and determine specific recovery strategies. This paper demonstrates the use of Petri nets for addressing this challenge. Petri nets are a graph-based tool and this work has shown that the Petri net incidence matrix captures the relationships between the infrastructure components. The place invariants (P-invariants) have been shown to model the interdependencies and identify vulnerabilities. The transition invariants (T-invariants) determine specific recovery strategies. In addition, the graphical nature of Petri nets allows a simple visualization of the interdependencies by observation of the token flows through the net.
Nicotinamide deamidase from rabbit liver. II. Purification and properties.

Abstract The enzyme from rabbit liver which catalyzes the deamidation of nicotinamide has been purified to the point where it is homogeneous by the criteria of ultracentrifugation and electrophoresis. Its molecular weight, amino acid and carbohydrate composition, substrate specificity, and kinetic properties have been studied. The purified enzyme hydrolyzes a variety of amides and esters. Among the amides studied, amides of nicotinic acid are hydrolyzed fastest; and among the esters studied, those of nicotinic acid are hydrolyzed fastest. A kinetic investigation of the hydrolysis of nicotinamide by the deamidase has revealed a number of unusual features including substrate activation, dependence of the pH optimum on substrate concentration, and apparent irreversibility of the reaction. The kinetic analysis of the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl nicotinate has produced results indicative of the involvement of a nicotinyl-enzyme intermediate in the enzymatic reaction.
Greenhouse screening of maize genotypes for deep root mass and related root traits and their association with grain yield under water-deficit conditions in the field

Plant roots play an important adaptive role in drought prone environments. Although there have been many efforts to improve root traits to develop drought tolerant maize varieties but significant progress has not yet made mainly due to difficulty in screening root traits. The aims of the study were to develop an easy and reliable screening method for deep root mass and related root traits of maize in greenhouse and evaluate their association with the grain yield under water-deficit field conditions. Twelve maize hybrids and their corresponding 12 female inbred parents were evaluated for phenotypic variation in deep root mass (dry weight of the root section below 45 cm from the root base), and related root traits, such as root length and total root mass in PVC tubes in greenhouse. The test hybrids were selected based on their grain yield under water-deficit conditions in the field. Plants were grown in three different growing media, and a mixture of sand, vermiculite, perlite and soil was found to be the best growing medium to study root growth. Deep root mass, total root mass and root length differed significantly among the genotypes, and these traits showed positive relationship with grain yield under water-deficit field conditions. The root screening system used is simple and inexpensive, making it suitable for evaluating large number of maize genotypes for root traits in greenhouse for selection for drought tolerance. Several diverse inbred lines for deep root mass have been identified and these could be used as parents to develop appropriate populations to study the genetic basis of deep root mass with a goal to manipulate drought tolerance.
Human Vγ2Vδ2 T Cells Augment Migration-Inhibitory Factor Secretion and Counteract the Inhibitory Effect of Glucocorticoids on IL-1β and TNF-α Production

In immune cells, proinflammatory cytokine gene expression is regulated by glucocorticoids, whereas migration-inhibitory factor (MIF), a pleiotropic cytokine, has the unique property of counteracting the inhibitory effect of glucocorticoids on TNF-α and IL-1β secretion. A few lines of evidence suggest that γδ T cells play an important role in immunoregulation. However, it is unknown whether human γδ T cells participate in regulating MIF secretion, and how γδ T cells, glucocorticoids, and cytokines converge to give a unified physiological response. In this study, we demonstrate that human Vγ2Vδ2 T cells augment MIF secretion. Remarkably, these Vγ2Vδ2 T cells, functioning similarly to MIF in part, counteracted inhibition of dexamethasone on production of IL-1β and TNF-α. SCID mice reconstituted with human PBMC that were mock depleted of Vδ2 T cells and repeatedly infected with lethal dose of Escherichia coli had shorter survival time than those reconstituted with PBMC that were depleted of Vδ2 T cells. Thus, human Vγ2Vδ2 T cells are likely to play broad-spectrum roles in immunoregulation and immunopathology by influencing MIF secretion and the immunomodulatory function of glucocorticoids.
Building packet buffers using interleaved memories

High end routers need to store a large amount of data. Dynamic random access memories (DRAMs) are typically used for this purpose. However, DRAM memory devices don't match the bandwidth requirements, especially in terms of random access speeds. In this paper, we analyze a generalized memory interleaving scheme. This scheme implements a large, fast memory using multiple, slower DRAMs. In the presence of small amount of speed-up, we show that reasonable statistical guarantees (i.e., low drop probabilities) can be provided by using small SRAM buffers that queue read/write requests to DRAMs. We then relate drop probabilities to SRAM buffer size for a wide range of statistical arrival patterns.
Effect of Antagonists of Calcium and Phospholipase A on the Cytopathogenicity of Entamoeba histolytica

dl-2,3-distearoyloxypropyl-2'-hydroxyethyl ammonium acetate), phosphatidylcholine, and hydrocortisone (10-4M), all pharmacological antagonists of eukaryotic phospholipase A enzymes, inhibited amebic killing of target CHO cells (P < .001). At 37 C quinacrine and hydrocortisone reduced amebic adherence to CHO cells, whereas Rosenthal's inhibitor and phosphatidylcholine did not. Phosphatidylcholine and TMB-8 demonstrated a synergistic inhibitory effect on amebic killing of target CHO cells (P < .001). These studies indicate that extracellular calcium ions, amebic intracellular calcium flux, and amebic phospholipase A activity are required for cytolysis of target cells by E. histolytica.
Random field effects in the three dimensional Ising magnet: Fe x Zn1?x F2

We have carried out a comprehensive neutron scattering study of random field effects in the diluted three dimensional Ising antiferromagnet Fe x Zn1−xF2 withx=0.35 and 0.5. Emphasis is on the global trands from the small to the large random field regimes. It is found, as in previous experiments, that when the system is cooled in a field it evolves from the high temperature paramagnetic state to a low temperature domain wall state. The low temperature peaks are well-described by Lorentzian squared profiles although for thex=0.5 sample extinction made the measurements difficult. In both samples, the results show that in the field-cooled state the correlation length varies asH−v withv=2.2±0.1. In thex=0.35 sample this power law holds over a length scale varying from 2 to 1500 lattice constants. At low fields pretransitional behavior similar to that observed previously in Fe0.6Zn0.4F2 is found. AtT N (H=0) it is found that the correlation length also scales algebraically withH but withv=0.86±0.04. Pronounced history-dependent effects are observed below the phase boundary determined by the peak in the critical scattering. For example, on cooling in zero-field, raising the field and then warming, long range order survives up to the phase boundary; at this point it appears to convert abruptly into the finite correlation length field cooled state although elucidation of the explicit nature of this transition is complicated by rounding due to a concentration gradient. These results are discussed in the context of recent theories incorporating metastability effects as well as recent experiments.
A cost-effectiveness analysis of screening methods for dysphagia after stroke.

Objective To provide a cost-effectiveness analysis of dysphagia screening in the acute poststroke period with use of a videofluoroscopic swallowing study, a clinical bedside swallowing evaluation, or a combined approach. Design Decision-analysis model. Methods A decision-analysis model was used with information derived from multiple data sources, including meta-analyses and other relevant clinical studies. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. Main Outcome Measures The analysis assessed direct medical costs of pneumonia. Strategies were compared on the basis of an incremental cost-effectiveness analysis, with effectiveness measured in quality-adjusted life-years. Results The strategy of having each patient undergo a videofluoroscopic swallowing study for dysphagia was more effective and less costly than the strategies of clinical bedside swallowing evaluation alone or a combined approach. The model was most influenced by the reduction in the risk of pneumonia attributable to the treatment of mild/moderate and severe dysphagia, the effectiveness of treatment with clinical bedside swallowing evaluation, the baseline probability of pneumonia, and the cost of a videofluoroscopic swallowing study. Conclusions A videofluoroscopic swallowing study is cost-effective and often saves costs compared with a clinical bedside swallowing evaluation alone or a combined approach. Research aimed at improving the understanding of the effectiveness of treatment for dysphagia in the prevention of aspiration pneumonia and resulting mortality would improve the model.
Preparation and characterization of silver sulfide nanocrystals generated from silver(I)-thiolate polymers

Silver sulfide nanocrystals have been formed by the conversion of silver thiolate polymers with sodium sulfide in a dual-phase solution preparation. From transmission electron microscopy and laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry, the mean nanocrystalline diameter is estimated to be 5.4 nm. Large-angle X-ray diffraction is qualitatively consistent with the rhombic phase (acanthite) of Ag2S. The removal of the silver thiolate polymer is confirmed by mass spectrometry, and initial results indicate that fractional crystallization may be utilized to separate these large nanocrystalline compounds by their respective core sizes. Optical absorption spectroscopy indicates a band gap of 1.1 eV, which is not shifted appreciably from the bulk value for this direct band gap semiconductor.
Insulin and glucagon binding to isolated hepatocytes of egyptian sand rats (Psammomys obesus): Evidence for an insulin receptor defect

Abstract 1. 1. To determine whether a defect in insulin bincling could contribute to insulin resistance in Egyptian sand rats (Psammomys obesus), insulin bincling to isolated hepatocytes from euglycemic sand rats was compared to that of normal Sprague-Dawley rats (Rattus norvegiens). Because of its potential importance in glucoregulation, glucagon bincling to hepatocytes from these species was also measured. 2. 2. Hepatocytes of sand rats exhibit an almost complete lack of insulin receptors compared to hepatocytes from Sprague-Dawley rats, whereas there are numerous high affinity glucagon binding sites on sand rat hepatocytes. 3. 3. The lack of insulin bincling to sand rat tissues is sufficient to entirely explain the insulin resistance seen in this species. Glucagon may be primarily responsible for glucose homeostasis in Psammomys obesus.
Mouse blastocyst immunosurgery with commercial antiserum to mouse erythrocytes

Immunosurgery is a useful technique for the isolation of inner cell masses from murine blastocysts. Conventionally, rabbit antisera made ad hoc against murine splenic or fetal cells or fibroblasts have been used as antibody sources. We investigated the feasibility of using commercially available rabbit antiserum to murine erythrocytes (anti-RBC) and compared it with rabbit antiserum generated ad hoc to murine L-cells (anti-L-cell). Our results indicate that anti-RBC is at least as effective as anti-L-cell serum for the immunosurgical isolation of inner cell masses, which became either mini-blastocysts (later forming outgrowths) or embryoid bodies (undergoing ectoderm-endodermlike differentiation within 48 h). Because anti-RBC is commercially available, the technical modification described herein increases the accessibility of the immunosurgical protocol for the isolation of murine inner cell masses.
Female patients with late-onset legg-calvé-perthes disease are frequently gymnasts: is there a mechanical etiology for this subset of patients?

Background The cause of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (LCPD) is unknown. We have observed a relatively high prevalence of female gymnasts presenting with LCPD. The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) the percentage of LCPD patients exposed to high-level gymnastics training, (2) the demographics of this subset of patients, and (3) their clinical outcomes. Methods Several adolescent female gymnasts presented to our clinic with recent-onset LCPD. We reviewed our cases to discern the prevalence and treatment of the disorder in this patient cohort. From 1999 to 2010, 572 patients were evaluated for a diagnosis of LCPD at our tertiary referral center. Clinical records were retrospectively reviewed. Of those, 13 patients had a history of gymnastics participation with 8 patients (all females) having competitive participation. Results For females aged 10 years and older presenting with LCPD, 7 of 9 patients (78%) were involved in high-level competitive gymnastics. These patients had disease onset between 10 and 12 years of age (mean, 11 y). Competitive gymnasts represented 6.6% (8 of 120) of females with LCPD and 1.4% (8 of 572) of all patients evaluated with LCPD during the study period. Only 1 of 111 females below 10 years with LCPD participated in competitive gymnastics (χ, P Conclusions At our center, competitive gymnasts comprise >75% of the female patients over the age of 10 who presented with late-onset LCPD. Results in general were poor. Further studies are needed to explore the association between the physical demands of advanced gymnastic training and the development of LCPD in this subset of patients. Level of evidence IV, case series.
Detecting lung injury in patients with pulmonary edema.

Objective. Current entry rules for clinical trials of acute lung injury (ALI) depend on clinical criteria and arterial blood gas measurements. The objective of this study was to determine whether estimates of pulmonary vascular permeability could be used to more accurately identify patients with ALI for this purpose.