cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chapter 5 – Thermoeconomics

Thermodynamic principles describe the flow, conservation, and conversion of energy and hence have implications for energy management and economics. The economies of processes always involve matter, energy, entropy, and information and the consideration of economics leads to certain structures with minimum overall costs. Thermodynamic formulations impose directions and limits on the probability of processes; they also imply the use of scarce resources and compare the efficiencies of conversion between different kinds of energies, which may be a necessary step in net energy analyzes and energy policy discussions. Thermoeconomics combines thermodynamic principles with economic analysis and brings some fundamental changes in the economic evaluation, design, and maintenance of processes. The optimization of subsystems individually does not guarantee an optimum for the overall system, and often various design variables must be considered and optimized simultaneously. In the optimization, the cost of the thermal energy source plays an important role; change in fuel cost from one year to another and from one place to another will eventually affect the overall design and hence the economic considerations. The process engineer should minimize the input cost of a process by reducing exergy loss due to thermodynamic imperfections. Taking such a perspective, thermodynamic analysis considers the interrelations among energy, economy, and ecology. Such considerations may have a positive impact on sustainable development and environmental protection. For example, a thermodynamic analysis of a solar desalination unit shows that the thermoeconomic evaluation of the system is closely related to a complete economic analysis of the possible improvements, leading to a unit in which fewer irreversible processes occur.
Discontinuing Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy in the Intensive Care Unit

An end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patient is placed on CRRT because of hypotension with no improvement after many days in the ICU. Explore criteria for continuing and stopping CRRT in the setting of ESRD. Learn compassionate goals of care conversation tools to engage patient and family. Remember to be aware of and manage team member distress at “stopping” an intervention to allow a natural death.
The Effect of Post Operative Tracheostomy on Outcomes in Lung Transplant Patients

Purpose Tracheostomy (trach) placement after lung transplantation (LTx) may be required in patients with prolonged ventilator dependence. However, little research exists on predictors and outcomes for recipients with post-LTx trachs. We examined baseline data and compared short and intermediate term patient outcomes with and without post-LTx trachs. Methods Baseline data, short/long term outcomes from patients s/p LTx performed between 1/1/12 and 6/31/19 who required trach during the index hospitalization were evaluated and compared with the trach-free cohort. Results Compared to trach-free patients, the trach cohort patients were younger (51.6±13.6 vs. 56.9±10.8, p=0.034) and had a higher mean lung allocation score (LAS) (66.6±22.8 vs. 55.2±20.7, p=0.014). They were more likely to be inpatient at time of LTx (54.2% vs 32.1%, p=0.035), had a bilateral LTx (60.8% vs 35.9%, p=0.001) and require extracorporeal life support (ECLS) pre- (16.7% vs. 1.9%, p=0.0005) and post-LTx (16.7% vs. 0.6%, p=0.001). Trach cohort patients had longer mechanical ventilation (p=0.0001) and hospital length of stay (HLOS) (p=0.0001). More patients in the trach cohort required acute rehab on discharge (p=0.0016). Although index in-hospital mortality of the trach cohort was higher (16.7% vs 2.5%, p=0.013), there was no difference in 1 year mortality (16.7% vs 8.3%, p=0.229) c/w trach-free cohort. There was significantly reduced long-term survival in trach patients (Fig.1) with limited follow up. Conclusion LTx recipients requiring post-op trach appear to be sicker, as evidenced by higher LAS and greater ECLS use pre-LTx. Trach cohort had longer duration of mechanical ventilation, post-op HLOS and discharge to acute rehabilitation. In our study, the need for post-LTx trach was associated with increased short term mortality. Although 1 year post-LTx mortality was similar between the groups, long term survival was worse in trach cohort with larger and longer studies needed.
Theoretical Estimations of the 298 K Gas-Phase Acidities of the Pyrimidine-Based Nucleobases Uracil, Thymine, and Cytosine

Theoretical estimations at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ//B3LYP/6-31+G(d) level for the 298 K gas-phase acidities (GPAs) of all the possible deprotonation sites of the most stable tautomers of uracil, thymine, and cytosine are reported. The gas-phase acidities of the nucleobases estimated by direct calculations and derived from isodesmic reactions are very similar. For uracil, the GPAs of the N1, N3, C5, and C6 sites are 332.8 ± 2.2, 345.1 ± 2.2, 380.2 ± 0.5, and 366.2 ± 0.5 kcal/mol, respectively. For thymine, the GPAs of the N1, N3, C5−CH3, and C6 sites are 334.5 ± 2.2, 345.7 ± 2.2, 376.1 ± 2.1, and 367.5 ± 0.5 kcal/mol, respectively. For keto cytosine, the GPAs of N1, N4−Hb, N4−Ha, C5, and C6 are 345.6 ± 2.2, 348.7 ± 2.1, 353.5 ± 2.1, 379.3 ± 0.5, and 371.2 ± 0.5 kcal/mol, respectively. For trans-enol cytosine, the GPAs of the hydroxyl group, N4−Hb, N4−Ha, C5, and C6 are 347.2 ± 2.1, 351.9 ± 2.1, 355.4 ± 2.1, 386.4 ± 0.5, and 393.8 ± 0.5 kcal/mol, respectively. For uracil, thymine, and keto cytosine, N1 is the...
Dosimetry of local failure with single dose 19 Gy high-dose-rate brachytherapy for prostate cancer.

Abstract Purpose/objective Long-term follow up of single dose high-dose rate brachytherapy (HDR BT) for localised prostate cancer has revealed higher than expected rates of biochemical and local failure. This study aimed (i) to investigate the pattern of relapse within the prostate with reference to the initial site of disease in those patients; and (ii) to examine if there were any relationships between the HDR BT dosimetric parameters to these areas of recurrence. Materials/methods A retrospective review of treatment records of patients who received 19 Gy single fraction of HDR BT was carried out. A matched pair analysis used one control for each biochemical recurrence case matched with pre-treatment Clinical target volume (CTV) size, Gleason score, T stage, risk category and presence of an identifiable dominant intraprostatic nodule (DIL) for each biochemical recurrence case identified. For all datasets, the pre HDR BT DILs were delineated on the diagnostic pre-treatment T2-weighted MRI and planning CT images. For patients with local recurrence post HDR BT, the recurrent nodules were contoured on the diagnostic T2-weighted MRI and choline PET which were registered to the original HDR BT planning CT. Dosimetric parameters of CTV, planning target volume (PTV), DIL and organs at risk (OARs) were evaluated. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed to investigate if there were any significant differences in dosimetric parameters between cases and controls. Cox regression analysis was performed to explore if there were any clinical and dosimetric parameters predicting for biochemical progression free survival (bPFS), local recurrence free survival (LR-PFS) and DIL recurrence free survival (DIL-PFS). Results Between 2013 and 2018, 180 patients received 19 Gy HDR-BT monotherapy. With a median follow up of 36 months, 19 (10.6%) patients developed biochemical recurrence. Of the 19 patients with biochemical failure, 13 had a local recurrence, including 7 who occurred at the site of DIL. Thirty-eight intermediate/high risk patients were included in the matched pair analysis. No statistically significant differences were found in all CTV, PTV, DIL and OAR dosimetric parameters between cases and controls (p > 0.05). For the Cox regression analysis, none of the covariates investigated were found to be statistically significant factors to predict for bPFS, LC-PFS and DIL-PFS. Conclusion No associations between biochemical recurrences and HDR BT dosimetry were identified in our cohort of patients receiving 19 Gy single fraction HDR BT. A large proportion of recurrences occurred at the site of original disease. HDR BT for intermediate/high risk prostate cancer should be undertaken using a minimum of two fractions.
Molecular Evolution across Mouse Spermatogenesis

Genes involved in spermatogenesis tend to evolve rapidly, but we still lack a clear understanding of how different components of molecular evolution vary across this complex developmental process. We used fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) to generate expression data for both early (meiotic) and late (postmeiotic) cell types across thirteen inbred strains of mice (Mus) spanning ~7 million years of evolution. We used these comparative developmental data to investigate the evolution of lineage-specific expression, protein-coding sequences, and expression levels. We found increased lineage specificity and more rapid protein-coding and expression divergence during late spermatogenesis, suggesting that signatures of rapid testis molecular evolution are punctuated across sperm development. Despite strong overall developmental parallels in these components of molecular evolution, protein and expression divergences were only weakly correlated across genes. We detected more rapid protein evolution on the X chromosome relative to the autosomes, while X-linked gene expression tended to be relatively more conserved likely reflecting chromosome-wide regulatory constraints. Using allele-specific FACS expression data from crosses between four strains, we found that the relative contributions of different regulatory mechanisms also differed between cell-types. Genes showing cis-regulatory changes were more common late in spermatogenesis, and tended to be associated with larger differences in expression levels and greater expression divergence between species. In contrast, genes with trans-acting changes were more common early and tended to be more conserved across species. Our findings advance understanding of gene evolution across spermatogenesis and underscore the fundamental importance of developmental context in molecular evolutionary studies.
Reduced Order Model of Transactive Bidding Loads

Transactive energy (TE) has been identified to provide better grid efficiency and reliability by market-based transactive exchanges between energy producers and energy consumers. Simulations of TE systems are crucial to evaluate the benefits and impacts of different transactive mechanisms. However, such simulations can be time consuming due to the information exchange between various participants and complex co-simulation environments. In this paper, we develop a reduced order model to speed up the simulation of transactive systems in TE simulation platform (TESP) while achieving very low error between the reduced order and full model results. Specifically, the developed reduced order model consists of an aggregate responsive load agent which utilizes two Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) with Long Short-Term Memory units (LSTMs) to enable transactive elements to collectively participate in the TE system. The proposed aggregate responsive load (ARL) agent is able to produce similar transactive behaviours to the full simulation model while achieving significant simulation time reduction. We also show that the developed model enables generalization of simulation results across different dates and across different number of loads included in the simulations.
Amifostine (WR-2721) Mitigates Cognitive Injury Induced by Heavy Ion Radiation in Male Mice and Alters Behavior and Brain Connectivity

The deep space environment contains many risks to astronauts during space missions, such as galactic cosmic rays comprised of naturally occurring heavy ions. Heavy ion radiation is increasingly being used in cancer therapy, including novel regimens involving carbon therapy. Previous investigations involving simulated space radiation have indicated a host of detrimental cognitive and behavioral effects. Therefore, there is an increasing need to counteract these deleterious effects of heavy ion radiation. Here, we assessed the ability of amifostine to mitigate cognitive injury induced by simulated galactic cosmic rays in C57Bl/6J male and female mice. Six-month-old mice received an intraperitoneal injection of saline, 107 mg/kg, or 214 mg/kg of amifostine 1 hour prior to exposure to a simplified 5-ion radiation (protons, 28Si, 4He, 16O, 56Fe) at 500 mGy or sham radiation. Mice were behaviorally tested 2-3 months later. Male mice that received saline and radiation exposure failed to show novel object recognition, which was reversed by both doses of amifostine. Conversely, female mice that received saline and radiation exposure displayed intact object recognition, but those that received amifostine prior to radiation did not. Amifostine and radiation also had distinct effects on males and females in the open field, with amifostine affecting distance moved over time in both sexes, and radiation affecting time spent in the center in females only. Whole-brain analysis of cFos immunoreactivity in male mice indicated that amifostine and radiation altered regional connectivity in areas involved in novel object recognition. These data support that amifostine has potential as a countermeasure against cognitive injury following proton and heavy ion irradiation in males.
Vanadyl(IV) electron nuclear double resonance/electron spin echo envelope modulation spin probes.

Publisher Summary The oxycation vanadyl (IV), VO 2+ , has been historically used as an electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin probe of metal binding sites in proteins. More recently, VO 2+ has been employed as an electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) and electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM)) spin probe. These higher resolution resonance techniques provide more detailed information about the metal binding site than is possible with EPR spectroscopy alone. In particular, magnetic nuclei with couplings less than the natural width of 5-15 G of the EPR line can be identified and studied by ENDOR or ESEEM. In favorable cases, one can obtain information about the geometrical arrangement of magnetic nuclei in the vicinity of the electron spin as well. This chapter discusses some of the salient features of the EPR spectra of vanadyl(IV)-protein complexes and then gives a synopsis of some recent ENDOR and ESEEM work.
Trace Metals in Soils, Plants, and Animals

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the trace metals found in soils, plants, and animals. Metal sources in soils include: (1) metals contained natively in rocks and minerals, from which the soil was formed; (2) metals added as impurities in fertilizers and lime, as constituents of pesticides and manure or as contaminants of sewage sludge; (3) metals in debris from industrial and mining wastes, fossil fuel combustion products, wind-eroded soil particles, atomic testing, pollen, sea spray, and meteoric and volcanic material that settles or rains out; and (4) metals in soil particles displaced through water erosion or metals dissolved or suspended in the water itself. The nature of the plant, including its species, size, growth rate, extent and depth of rooting, transpiration rate, and nutritional requirements, may affect its efficiency for metal absorption from soils. Trees are especially effective, in absorbing many trace metals (including many rare earths), from great depths and translocating them to the leaves as determined by their transpiration rate. The toxicological implications of metals in water are very complex. Metals may exist in water as dissolved ions, in organic complexes, adsorbed on clay particles, as suspended precipitates, contained in decaying organisms and other forms. Heavy metals are absorbed across the entire body surface of fish as well as the gills. They may attach to proteins during this passage and may be tightly protein-bound in the blood. Absorption from the digestive tract also is important since consumed marine plants contain virtually all trace metals in amounts that reflect metal concentrations in the contacting water.
Thermodynamics of solutions containing reactive species: A guide to fundamentals and applications

Abstract Abbott, M.M., Van Ness, H.C., 1992. Thermodynamics of solutions containing reactive species. Fluid Phase Equilibria , 77: 53-119. When species in solution undergo solvation or association reactions the solution may be treated conventionally as though composed of unreacted parent species or as a solution of all species actually present. With respect to the thermodynamic properties of the solution, these two points of view are reconciled by chemical theory, which is here developed from fundamental thermodynamic principles. Several illustrations of its application are presented to show that when judiciously used chemical theory has its appropriate place in solution thermodynamics.
A systematic approach to controller design for SVC to enhance damping of power system oscillations

This paper describes a systematic approach to design of a supplementary controller for static VAR compensator (SVC) to improve the damping of power system oscillatory modes. This problem is analyzed from the control point of view. The reduced order model of the power system is obtained using Prony identification method; the residue and root locus methods are then used for the controller design and selection of the input signal to the controller. Dynamic simulations were performed to investigate the effect of SVC controller in increasing system small signal stability, as well as increasing the damping of inter-area modes when SVC is used in combination with PSSs under large disturbances.
Controlled Fluid Recirculation for Efficient Hydraulic Actuation of Conservative Loads

A hydraulic circuit and optimal control law for controlled fluid recirculation have been devised to reduce energy consumption from that of a conventional four-way servo valve. The simulations for moving a 100 lb. mass horizontally 5 inches in 0.210 sec. show an energy savings of 28%. The control history was simplified and implemented on a breadboard system and the successful operation verified experimentally.
Possible immune factors in spontaneous regression of bronchogenic carcinoma. Ten year survival in a patient treated with minimal (1,200 r) radiation alone.

Summary A case is reported of ten year survival after thoractomy for inoperable bronchogenic carcinoma. Apparent spontaneous regression has been followed by freedom from development of a new pulmonary tumor in spite of the patient's continued smoking. Immunologic factors affecting this course are suggested by the demonstration of immune lymphocytes in the patient's peripheral blood which depress the growth of tumor cells from a donor with lung cancer.
Hydrocarbon contamination on the Antarctic Peninsula: I. Arthur harbor—Subtidal sediments☆

Abstract Near-field contamination in Arthur Harbor can be traced to spills, ship and boating activities, and run-off. Soil samples from Palmer Station and Old Palmer Station contain hydrocarbons derived from diesel fuel, lubrication oil, and hydraulic fluid. The majority of contamination in subtidal sediments around Palmer Station is due to diesel fuel spills. Subtidal sediments below an abandoned open incineration site also contain combustion-derived polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Soils collected at Old Palmer Station were also contaminated with diesel fuel residues and combustion-derived PAH. High concentrations of these contaminants were detected in nearby subtidal sediments. Small amounts of diesel fuel contamination are detectable throughout Arthur Harbor. Despite being abandoned for years, soils in the vicinity of Old Palmer Station and Base N represent the most concentrated source of contaminants in Arthur Harbor. Environmentally sound practices at Palmer Station have helped to minimize localized contamination.
Unequal error protection QPSK modulation codes

The authors use binary linear UEP (LUEP) codes, in combination with a QPSK signal set and Gray mapping, to obtain new efficient block QPSK modulation codes with unequal minimum squared Euclidean distances. They give several examples of codes that have the same minimum squared Euclidean distance as the best QPSK modulation codes of the same rate and length. A new suboptimal two-stage soft-decision decoding is applied to LUEP QPSK modulation codes. >
Management of Mycotic Aneurysms and Graft Infection

The incidence of graft infection is 0.9% to 1.9% following thoracic aortic surgery, and 0.7% to 2.5% following abdominal aortic surgery. The mortality following thoracic aortic graft infections is between 17% and 75%. The possible complications from thoracic aortic graft infections are rupture, pseudoaneurysm formation, graft thrombosis, septic embolism, aortic valve insufficiency, septic shock, and aorta-enteric and/or aorta-bronchial fistulas.
MONOTONICITY VERSUS NON-MONOTONICITY IN RANDOM OPERATORS

The past two decades have brought widespread interest and a large number of publications in the mathematical theory of random operators. While this has lead to many deep results and considerable mathematical insights, there are still important open problems which are far from being solved. This becomes particularly clear when looking at what is known for models other than the relatively well understood Anderson model and its generalizations. Of course, there are big challenges left in the Anderson model as well (delocalization!), but for other physically significant models (e.g. Poisson model, random displacement model) even the seemingly better understood phenomenon of localization is mathematically far from being settled.
Cholesterol uptake by the ‘selective’ pathway of ovarian granulosa cells: early intracellular events

Although the ‘selective' pathway is a major cholesteryl ester (CE) uptake pathway used by steroidogenic cells, essentially nothing is known about the itinerary of the CE once it is extracted from lipoproteins at the cell surface. In the current report we have begun to trace ‘selective' pathway internalized-CE using both native and reconstituted human (h) high density lipoproteins (hHDL3) with variously labeled and tagged CEs to provide information from either a biochemical or morphological perspective. It appears that the amount of hHDL3-CE that is internalized and processed through the ‘selective' pathway is directly related to the amount of cholesterol used for steroidogenesis at any given time point. There is a time-related correlation between the level of the Bt2cAMP-stimulated cell steroidogenic response, the level of conversion of freshly obtained hHDL3-CE into progestins, increases in hHDL3-derived CE internalization, hHDL3-CE hydrolysis, re-esterification and/or storage. None of this processing takes place in non-stimulated (non-Bt2cAMP treated) cells which do not secrete progestins despite the availability of hHDL3 as a cholesterol source. The data suggest that the ‘selective' pathway has a special role in steroidogenic cells-one of providing sufficient cholesterol to fuel the required production of steroid hormones.
Resources, Masculinities, and Gender Differences Among Pro-life Activists

Abortion politics are often about “pro-choice” and “pro-life” countermovements trying to gain power by winning the support of political bystanders. While more is known about the reasons people become pro-choice activists, far less research has examined the motives for pro-life men and women. To address the factors that mobilize abortion activism, this study examined the role of education, religious contexts, and gendered expectations in predicting pro-life activism. After surveying 820 college students, our data highlights the importance of activist networks in inspiring activism among pro-life advocates. In gender subsamples, being a biblical literalist, being married, and endorsing patriarchal family structures were linked to more pro-life activism among women, while embracing authoritarian outlooks, having less education, being poorer, and attending religious services did so for men. Implications for gender differences in pro-life activism and the complex ways in which pro-life attitudes intersect with traditional gender roles were explored.
Field measurement of lead in workplace air and paint chip samples by ultrasonic extraction and portable anodic stripping voltammetry

On-site measurement of lead in workplace air filter samples and paint chip samples by ultrasonic extraction and anodic stripping voltammetry (UE-ASV) was evaluated in the field during renovation and remodeling activities in residences having leaded paint. Aerosol and paint samples were collected using standard techniques, and the samples were analyzed on-site for lead content by portable UE-ASV. Lead in sample extracts was subsequently determined by atomic absorption (AA) spectrometry in a fixed-site laboratory. The remaining sample extracts plus undissolved material (air filters or paint particles) were then subjected to hot plate digestion in concentrated nitric acid–30% hydrogen peroxide prior to AA analysis for lead. Field UE-ASV lead data were thereby compared to UE-AA and hot plate digestion-AA results from fixed-site laboratory lead measurement. Determination of lead in air filter samples by UE-ASV (over the range of 5 µg to ∼800 µg Pb per sample) was extremely well correlated with lead measurement by UE-AA and hot plate digestion-AA procedures. However, a significant negative bias associated with ASV measurement was observed, and this was attributed to a matrix effect. Lead measurement in paint chip samples by UE-ASV (over the range of ∼10 to ∼550 µg Pb g−1) was well correlated with lead measurement by UE-AA and hot plate digestion-AA procedures. However, correlation and precision were lower for lead measurement in paint samples as compared to aerosol samples, and a negative bias was also observed. Lead measurements by UE-AA were compared to lead determinations by hot plate digestion-AA; these data were highly correlated and demonstrated no significant bias. Thus it was concluded that the ultrasonic extraction procedure performed equivalently to hot plate digestion. It was reasoned that matrix effects due to the preparation and analysis of paint chip particles resulted in greater imprecision as well as negative bias by ASV measurement. Despite significant negative bias in this sample set, UE-ASV offers promise for on-site measurement of lead in samples of interest in occupational and environmental health.
Acute rheumatic infection in children; clinical studies with special reference to the initial phase and the valuation of the cardiologic and hematologic signs.

Summary. A material is presented comprising 446 children treated during the period 1914–43 in Kronprinsessan Lovisa's Children's Hospital in Stockholm for acute rheumatic infection. (Polyarthritis rheum.: 248 cases, Chorea rheum.: 198 cases.) Ekg and Fkg were systematically performed on 83 children during 1933–43. Age, year division, family disposition, mortality and recurrence percentage are investigated. Certain characteristic symptoms in the initial stage (abdominal pain, tonsillitis, free interval and monarticular appearance) are described.— The results of tonsillectomy are discussed The frequency, diagnostic and prognostic value of erythema annulare, multiform erythema, rheumatic nodules and rheum. erythema nodosum are mentioned. Concerning the involvement of the heart, attention is drawn to the »primary» carditis, and the importance of Fkg for the early diagnosis of endocarditis is stressed (particularly phonocardiographic registration of gallop rhythm, systolic and diastolic murmurs are emphasized). The value of Fkg in the differential diagnosis between cong. heart disease, rheumatic carditis and »physiological» murmurs are discussed.— Some details as to rheumatic anaemia and the sedimentation rate during the course of ac. e. rheum, inf. are demonstrated.
Evolution of a Tobacco Cessation Curriculum for Dental Hygiene Students at Indiana University School of Dentistry

Barriers to consistent implementation of tobacco cessation strategies by dental hygiene students in practice may be overcome through mentoring by expert faculty members. This article describes a pilot study using an innovative method to achieve higher levels of student-perceived confidence and skill in delivering cessation messages to patients. Following completion of the didactic course content, each student selected a tobacco user to complete the Indiana University Nicotine Dependence Program Patient Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ). Detailed analysis of the questionnaire and development of specific cessation strategies were accomplished in a one-to-one interchange with expert faculty members. Students provided suggestions to patients, wrote papers summarizing their experiences, and were asked to complete an anonymous survey. Forty-four of forty-six students completed the survey. Eighty percent reported the mentored session was useful in learning specific cessation strategies; 83 percent reported the session helped to boost their confidence levels in approaching patients in tobacco cessation; 83 percent believed they would use learned strategies with other patients; and 86 percent recommended this educational approach for future students. Additional mentoring may overcome barriers to approaching patients in tobacco cessation by increasing levels of confidence and skill when delivering cessation messages. This may translate into continued application of these strategies in private practice, resulting in potential benefits to the health of the public.
Identification of Novel Retroid Agents in Danio rerio, Oryzias latipes, Gasterosteus aculeatus and Tetraodon nigroviridis

Retroid agents are genomes that encode a reverse transcriptase (RT) and replicate or transpose by way of an RNA intermediate. The Genome Parsing Suite (GPS) is software created to identify and characterize Retroid agents in any genome database (McClure et al. 2005). The detailed analysis of all Retroid agents found by the GPS in Danio rerio (zebrafish), Oryzias latipes (medaka), Gasterosteus aculeatus (stickleback) and Tetraodon nigroviridis (spotted green pufferfish) reveals extensive Retroid agent diversity in the compact genomes of all four fish. Novel Retroid agents were identified by the GPS software: the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) in O. latipes, G. aculeatus and T. nigroviridis and a potential TERT in D. rerio, a retrotransposon in D. rerio, and multiple lineages of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) in D. rerio, O. latipes and G. aculeatus.
All‐X Models

All-X models refer to applications of confirmatory factor analytic procedures in which the researcher treats all latent variables as exogenous. Model specification requires estimation of three sets of parameters including (a) loadings of measured variables on the underlying construct(s), (b) measurement errors associated with the observed variables, and (c) relationships, if any, between the latent exogenous constructs. Keywords: structural equation model; exogenous variables; confirmatory factor analysis; measurement model; all-Y model
Brainstem auditory evoked potentials in near-miss sudden infant death syndrome

EPISODES during sleep, in which parents believe that their infants almost died, have been called "near-miss for sudden infant death syndrome. TM The relationship between sudden infant death syndrome and near-miss for SIDS is still controversial. Even if there were no basis for comparison between these populations, the occurrence of NMSIDS raises important questions. Health care profes, sionals have witnessed cyanosis, apnea, and loss of consciousness in these infants? Abnormal cardiorespiratory events have been documented by prolonged polygraphic monitoring? After examination and observation of these infants, no clear explanation for NMSIDS events is often found. Abnormal brainstem auditory evoked potentials have been reported in NMSIDS infants/and it was suggested that BAEPs may be a useful tool for predicting SIDS. As a clinical and research unit involved in the study of NMSIDS infants (104 referred to Stanford University Medical Center in 1979), we were prompted to evaluate the possible diagnostic significance of BAEPs in these infants. We performed a controlled study, involving a ..... Sl,_,~, infants an group of clearly ~,~,;~A ,~,Tr,,f Tr, e
Enhanced neutrophil extravasation and rapid progression of proteoglycan-induced arthritis in TSG-6-knockout mice

Objective To gain insight into the mechanisms of the antiinflammatory effect of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)–induced protein 6 (Tnfip6) in arthritis, using Tnfip6-deficient animals. Methods TNFα-stimulated gene 6 (TSG-6) coding for Tnfip6 was disrupted. Tnfip6-deficient mice were backcrossed into proteoglycan-induced arthritis (PGIA)–susceptible BALB/c mice, and arthritis was induced by systemic immunization with cartilage proteoglycan (PG). Thioglycollate-induced sterile peritonitis was also assessed, to monitor the early events of neutrophil extravasation in wild-type and Tnfip6-deficient mice in the presence or absence of treatment with recombinant murine Tnfip6. Results The onset of PGIA was similar, but progression and severity were significantly greater, in Tnfip6-deficient mice compared with wild-type BALB/c mice. However, this was not associated with enhanced T or B cell responses to cartilage PGs, but rather, an early and more extensive infiltration of the synovium with neutrophil leukocytes was the most prominent histopathologic feature of PGIA in Tnfip6-deficient mice. This was accompanied by elevated serum levels of interleukin-6 and amyloid A, and significantly increased activities of the enzymes plasmin, myeloperoxidase, and neutrophil elastase in the inflamed paw joints of Tnfip6-null mice, when compared with that of the wild-type littermates. Loss of control over several components of inflammation resulted in extensive and rapid cartilage degradation, bone erosion, joint ankylosis, and deformities in Tnfip6-null animals. In support of the antiinflammatory effect of Tnfip6 via the inhibition of polymorphonuclear (PMN) cell efflux, neutrophil invasion during thioglycollate-induced peritonitis was 2-fold higher in Tnfip6-deficient animals than in wild-type animals, but was dramatically suppressed by intravenous injection of recombinant murine Tnfip6. Conclusion Tnfip6 is a multifunctional antiinflammatory protein that is produced at the site of inflammation and can be retained by the hyaluronan-rich extracellular matrix. A major effect of Tnfip6 is the inhibition of the extravasation of PMN cells, predominantly neutrophils, into the site of inflammation, most likely via a CD44/hyaluronan/Tnfip6-mediated blocking mechanism.
Recent trends in airway management: we are not ready to give up fiberoptic endoscopy

The purpose of this correspondence is to discuss recent findings related to current trends in airway management and to discuss the utilization rates of video laryngoscopes versus traditional techniques in USA, UK, and Canada. To highlight the increased use of video laryngoscopes in difficult airway situations, data on the use of alternative airway devices at our institution collected from 2008 to 2010 are presented alongside the results of previously published surveys collected from 2002 to 2013.
Carbohydrate Metabolism in Photosynthetic and Nonphotosynthetic Tissues of Variegated Leaves of Coleus blumei Benth.

Mature, variegated leaves of Coleus blumei Benth. contained stachyose and other raffinose series sugars in both green, photosynthetic and white, nonphotosynthetic tissues. However, unlike the green tissues, white tissues had no detectable level of galactinol synthase activity and a low level of sucrose phosphate synthase indicating that stachyose and possibly sucrose present in white tissues may have originated in green tissues. Uptake of exogenously supplied [14C]stachyose or [14C]sucrose into either tissue type showed conventional kinetic profiles indicating combined operation of linear first-order and saturable systems. Autoradiographs of white discs showed no detectable minor vein labelling with [14C]stachyose, but some degree of vein labeling with [14C]sucrose. Autoradiographs of green discs showed substantial vein loading with either sugar. In both tissues, p-chloromercuribenzenesulfonic acid had no effect on the linear component of sucrose or stachyose uptake but inhibited the saturable component. Both tissues contained high levels of invertase, sucrose synthase and α-galactosidase and extensively metabolized exogenously supplied 14C-sugars. In green tissues, label from exogenous sugars was recovered as raffinose-series sugars. In white tissues, exogenous sugars were hydrolysed and converted to amino acids and organic acids. The results indicate that variegated Coleus leaves may be useful for studies on both phloem loading and phloem unloading processes in stachyose-transporting species.
Incorporation of molybdenum into the iron-molybdenum cofactor of nitrogenase.

Abstract The biosynthesis of the iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMo-co) of dinitrogenase was investigated using99Mo to follow the incorporation of Mo into precursors. 99Mo label accumulates on dinitrogenase only when all known components of the FeMo-co synthesis system, NifH, NifNE, NifB-cofactor, homocitrate, MgATP, and reductant, are present. Furthermore, 99Mo label accumulates only on the gamma protein, which has been shown to serve as a chaperone/insertase for the maturation of apodinitrogenase when all known components are present. It appears that only completed FeMo-co can accumulate on the gamma protein. Very little FeMo-co synthesis was observed when all known components are used in purified forms, indicating that additional factors are required for optimal FeMo-co synthesis. 99Mo did not accumulate on NifNE under any conditions tested, suggesting that Mo enters the pathway at some other step, although it remains possible that a Mo-containing precursor of FeMo-co that is not sufficiently stable to persist during gel electrophoresis occurs but is not observed. 99Mo accumulates on several unidentified species, which may be the additional components required for FeMo-co synthesis. The molybdenum storage protein was observed and the accumulation of 99Mo on this protein required nucleotide.
In vitro color changes of posterior composites.

Abstract Changes in the color and optical properties of 21 posterior composites caused by accelerated aging were determined from reflection spectrophotometric data and Kubelka's equations. Samples were aged for 300 h at 43°C and 90% relative humidity, intermittent water spray, and continuous exposure to a 2500 W xenon light. After aging, the composites were generally lighter, less chromatic, and more opaque. The optical constants S and K generally increased. When compared to anterior composites tested previously, the posterior composites were typically darker and less chromatic but similar in opacity. The greater changes in color and optical properties of the fine-particle and blended composites compared to the microfilled composites may be the result of greater light scattering of the former materials after surface erosion.
The futurity of the present and the modality of the future: a commentary on Broekhuis and Verkuyl

In this commentary, I address two aspects of Broekhuis and Verkuyl’s (2013) paper Binary Tense and Modality, pertaining to the analysis of the present and the future. Broekhuis and Verkuyl propose an analysis of the morphological present in Dutch as a prospective interval allowing reference to times after the speech time. This renders the Dutch auxiliary zullen redundant as a future marker—and relegates its function to the realm of epistemic modality. The present-as-interval analysis extends to Greek and beyond, but I show that additional language-systemic constrains are needed to precisely specify when a particular present form will be allowed to future-shift, and whether it designates a present or a nonpast. The epistemic use of the future forms is also supported crosslinguistically, as can be seen in recent discussions on the Greek and Italian future words (Giannakidou 2012; Giannakidou and Mari 2012, 2013). I present examples from Greek and Italian showing that future morphemes crosslinguistically induce commitment weakening, and are therefore very similar to modal particles in Dutch and German (Zimmermann 2011) which appear to have exactly the same effect.
An Interdepartmental Survey of Medical Information Services: Evaluating the Impact of an Open House

A survey was developed to evaluate how internal stakeholders at Glaxo Wellcome perceived the Medical Information Department before the department hosted an open house. The objective of the open house was to increase the visibility of the Medical Information Department by emphasizing its services. A postopen house survey was conducted to measure the impact of the open house by reassessing those perceptions. Approximately 1300 internal stakeholders were electronically mailed a survey prior to and again after the open house. The survey included a demographics section and questions regarding the services of medical information. A medical information open house was held at three different sites within the Research Triangle Park campus. Overall, the preopen house survey return rate was almost 20% (257) with a postopen house return rate of about 10% (125). Analysis of the surveys suggests that hosting an open house can raise awareness and change perceptions.
WE‐C‐L100J‐08: Charge Trapping in a Prototype Active Matrix Flat Panel Dosimeter and Its Implications

Purpose: This work models charge trapping behavior of a prototype Active Matrix Flat Panel Dosimeter (AMFPD) using three parameters and explains a number of published observations. An understanding of charge trapping and release is necessary to estimate non‐linearities in the AMFPD response due to trapping and to correct artifacts in the resulting dose image. Method and Materials: The AMFPD consisted of an amorphous silicon flat panel imaging array operated without a phosphor screen. Fluoroscopic and radiographic modes were used to obtain a series of fixed field dosimetric measurements at different doses and dose rates. Data were acquired in order to test the assumptions upon which the model was based: (1) Trapped charge density in the metastable defects can be described by a stretched exponential function, N ( t )= N 0 exp [−( t /τ) β ] . (2) Trapped charge starts to release from the trapping centers when the photodiode is recharged. (3) Charge release is not affected by subsequent irradiations when the dose per frame is small. (4) The charge trapping rate depends on bias voltage and varies slowly with dose when the dose is small. Model stretch parameter β, time constant τ, and the charge trapping rate p were determined from a fit to the pixel signal decay following irradiation. These parameters were then applied to simulate results for the AMFPD operated in fluoroscopic mode based on the above assumptions. Results: The simulated results agreed well with the measurements. It was determined that β is constant for a detector array, τ depends on bias voltage, and the charge trapping rate depends on bias voltage and dose. Furthermore, the model qualitatively explains observations reported in published papers on charge trapping. Conclusion: A three parameter model was found to successfully describe the behavior of charge trapping and release at different values of bias voltage, frame rate, dose rate and dose.
Potential Temperature Analysis for Mountainous Terrain

Abstract Potential temperature (θ) analysis supplies needed information that is not obtainable by other methods of graphical analysis. Terrain surface θ maps and large-scale θ cross sections are constructed by using data from weather stations, raobs, and aircraft soundings. Interpretation of the isentropes gives a fairly detailed picture of temperature, stability, and potential wind conditions at and above the surface in mountainous terrain. Applications include weather analyses for fire and pest control and studies of smoke dispersion.
3D imaging: where do we stand?

3D imaging is the science of the methods of defining, visualizing, manipulating, and analyzing 3D object information captured in multidimensional images acquired from multiple modalities. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of this science and to identify the major challenges currently faced in its medical applications. It describes the 3D imaging operations under four groups: preprocessing, visualization, manipulation, and analysis. Preprocessing operations go toward defining objects in given images. Visualization operations facilitate seeing and comprehending objects in their full dimensionality. Manipulation allows altering object structures and relationship among objects. Analysis deals with methods of quantifying object information. The paper describes the concepts underlying these operations. It draws two main conclusions: (1) There are two classes of approaches to 3D imaging--those based directly on image intensities and those based on object shape. (2) There are two main groups of challenges, related to object delineation and validation.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Optimizing Endpointing Thresholds using Dialogue Features in a Spoken Dialogue System

This paper describes a novel algorithm to dynamically set endpointing thresholds based on a rich set of dialogue features to detect the end of user utterances in a dialogue system. By analyzing the relationship between silences in user's speech to a spoken dialogue system and a wide range of automatically extracted features from discourse, semantics, prosody, timing and speaker characteristics, we found that all features correlate with pause duration and with whether a silence indicates the end of the turn, with semantics and timing being the most informative. Based on these features, the proposed method reduces latency by up to 24% over a fixed threshold baseline. Offline evaluation results were confirmed by implementing the proposed algorithm in the Let's Go system.
Cold plus hot dark matter cosmology in the light of solar and atmospheric neutrino oscillations.

We explore the implications of possible neutrino oscillations, as indicated by the solar and atmospheric neutrino experiments, for the cold plus hot dark matter scenario of large-scale structure formation. We find that there are essentially three distinct schemes that can accommodate the oscillation data and which also allow for dark matter neutrinos. These include (i) three nearly degenerate (in mass) neutrinos, (ii) nondegenerate masses with ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\tau}}}$ in the eV range, and (iii) a nearly degenerate ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}$-${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\tau}}}$ pair (in the eV range), with the additional possibility that the electron neutrino is cosmologically significant. The last two schemes invoke a ``sterile'' neutrino which is light (\ensuremath{\lesssim}eV). We discuss the implications of these schemes for \ensuremath{\nu}${\mathrm{\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}$-\ensuremath{\nu}${\mathrm{\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}}}_{\mathit{e}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}$-${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\tau}}}$ oscillation, and find that scheme (ii), in particular, predicts them to be in the observable range. As far as structure formation is concerned we compare the one neutrino flavor case with a variety of other possibilities, including two and three degenerate neutrino flavors. We show, both analytically and numerically, the effects of these neutrino mass scenarios on the amplitude of cosmological density fluctuations. With a Hubble constant of 50 km ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ ${\mathrm{Mpc}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$, a spectral index of unity, and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{\mathrm{baryon}}$=0.05, the two and three flavor scenarios fit the observational data marginally better than the single flavor scheme. However, taking account of the uncertainties in these parameters, we show that it is premature to pick a clear winner. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.