cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimization of Component Yields and Thermal Properties by Organosolv Fractionation of Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) Using Response Surface Design

Lignin, a low value by-product of biomass fractionation, is of current particular interest for the production of value added materials such as carbon fibers within a biorefinery. Accordingly, we have isolated lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose by organosolv fractionation of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) under the influence different fractionation severities (2.50–3.31). A designed experimental matrix targeted maximum lignin and pulp yields and lignin glass transition temperature (Tg) as a function of several process parameters. Optimal fractionation conditions were estimated from an enhanced regression model of the statistically significant variables generated using response surface design (RSD). The most significant factor influencing lignin and pulp yields was solvent composition (p-value < 0.0001). A maximum lignin yield of 94.71 wt% and maximum cellulose yield of 74.96 wt% were determined at combined severities of 3.21 and 2.63, respectively. The lowest Tg of 132.83 °C was found at a combined severity of 2.82.
Pathophysiologie der Azidose bei Sepsis

Die Sepsis geht in der Regel mit einer Anzahl von metabolischen Storungen einher: Erhohte Plasmalaktatkonzentration, metabolische Azidose, verstarkte Glykolyse und ein abnormer „transportabhangiger“ Sauerstoffverbrauch. Es bestehen heute zwei Hypothesen zur Erklarung dieser Veranderungen: a) Die zellulare Hypoxie resultiert aus einer pathologisch veranderten Mikrozirkulation. b) Es besteht eine primare Storung im zellularen Energiestoffwechsel.
Lubrication in Hydrostatic Extrusion

As in most metalforaing processes, considerations of friction and lubrication are of vital importance in hydrostatic extrusion. An efficient lubrication system will reduce the pressure required for a given reduction ratio by lowering friction at the billet-die interface. This will reduce the container strength or number of steps required for a particular product with attendant reductions in cost.
Cognitive, behavioral, and situational influences on relapse to smoking after group treatment for tobacco dependence

Socioeconomic disparities in treatment failure rates for evidence-based tobacco dependence treatment are well-established. Adapted cognitive behavioral treatments are extensively tailored to meet the needs of lower socioeconomic status (SES) smokers and dramatically improve early treatment success, but there is little understanding of why treatment failure occurs after a longer period of abstinence than with standard treatment, why early treatment success is not sustained, and why long-term treatment failure rates are no different from standard treatments. We sought to understand the causes of treatment failure from the perspective of diverse participants who relapsed after receiving standard or adapted treatment in a randomized control trial. We used a qualitative approach and a cognitive-behavioral framework to examine themes in responses to a semi-structured post-relapse telephone interview. The primary causes of relapse were familiar (i.e., habit, stress, unanticipated precipitating events). The adapted treatment appeared to improve the management of habits and stress short-term, but did not adequately prepare respondents for unanticipated events. Respondents reported that they would have benefited from continued support. New therapeutic targets might include innovative methods to reduce long-term treatment failure by delivering extended relapse prevention interventions to support early treatment success. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02785536.
uAssign: Scalable Interactive Activities for Teaching the Unix Terminal

We describe uAssign, an assignment system for teaching and assessing command line terminal skills. uAssign allows instructors to create auto-graded terminal assignments that require students to perform a high-level action that can be completed in many ways. Assignments can be randomized so that students can't re-use old solutions. uAssign is implemented via an in-browser terminal emulator that uses WebSockets to connect to a Docker container. Performance testing and its use in a large-enrollment lecture course show that it is efficient enough to handle a large number of concurrent users. A survey of students shows significant improvement in terminal skill confidence after using uAssign and that students have a high level of satisfaction with uAssign assignments.
El Movimiento Popular Neuquino y la construcción de una identidad política populista: la neuquinidad. Aportes desde una lectura laclauniana (1963-1983)

In this article, the historical process of structuring the identity discourse of neuquinidad was analyzed as a pretense of populist political articulation promoted by the Neuquenian Popular Movement, a provincial party that has managed to maintain itself, uninterruptedly, in power since 1963. For this purpose, we took care of the electoral conjunctures of 1963, 1973 and 1983, circumstances of updating and continual updating of identities that, through an elastic bordering process and, therefore, a logic of displacements, resignifies, all the time, the place of the homogeneity. For this purpose, the contributions of Ernesto Laclau on populism were taken as a special and particular way of political articulation and construction of the political.
Concepts and conflicts in polymer electrolytes: The search for ion mobility

Abstract Despite four decades of effort the promise of polymer matrices as hosts for highly mobile ionic species has not been realized. Initially a problem caused by the binding of cations to the basic oxygens of polyether type backbones, and partly solved by strategies that yield conductivities some ten orders of magnitude larger than expected from polymer backbone relaxation times at their Tg, the polymer electrolytes still fail to yield the target conductivity of 10−2 S/cm at ambient temperature, unless used in the gel form in which the ion motion occurs in a liquid medium out of reach of the dilute polymer chains. We review the different attempts made in our lab and others to achieve a complete decoupling of ion motion from segmental relaxation. Concluding that there is some fundamental problem in the original salt-in-polymer solvent (and anionic polymer) physics, due to the ion proximity to the mobility-limiting polymer chains, we look to other ways of employing the strength of polymer materials while supporting ionic conducting phases of high intrinsic conductivity. Our best answer, to date, is an alkali ion-conducting plastic solid phase that can be impregnated into a tough microporous membrane, such as Celgard, of pore dimensions such that the large majority of the alkali cations see only free anions in the course of their migration from cathode to anode, during discharge and recharge of electrochemical devices.
Scn1b deletion in adult mice results in seizures and SUDEP.

Pathogenic loss-of-function variants in SCN1B are linked to Dravet syndrome (DS). Previous work suggested that neuronal pathfinding defects underlie epileptogenesis and SUDEP in the Scn1b null mouse model of DS. We tested this hypothesis by inducing Scn1b deletion in adult mice that had developed normally. Epilepsy and SUDEP, which occur by postnatal day 21 in Scn1b null animals, were observed within 20 days of induced Scn1b deletion in adult mice, suggesting that epileptogenesis in SCN1B-DS does not result from defective brain development. Thus, the developmental brain defects observed previously in Scn1b null mice may model other co-morbidities of DS.
LAMINAR OSCILLATING FLOW STREAMING POTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS (I)

There exists a large class of materials whose electro-kinetic properties cannot be studied by measurement of their electrophoretic mobility. This experimental limitation may be due to inherent properties of the material, e.g., density, size distribution, or from the necessity of using a continuous surface rather than a particulate one. In such cases the measurement of either the streaming potential or current can be used to provide a method of surface characterization. Such measurements have usually been done under conditions of unidirectional Hagen-Poiseuille flow. In aqueous solutions only a small potential difference is produced which requires further amplification. In order to circumvent the experimental difficulties of the unidirectional flow system, e.g., noise, electrode rest potential drift, and D.C. amplification, we have developed an alternating laminar flow system to measure the zeta potential of any material which may be fabricated as a capillary or coated onto a supporting capillary. In this system the sinusoidally oscillating flow streaming potential is measured as a function of both frequency and applied pressure and the zeta potential is determined by using both classical electro-kinetic theory and the theory of oscillating laminar flow developed by Uchida. The reliability of this experimental procedure has been confirmed by measuring the streaming potential over a range of frequencies and computing the zeta potential.
Fighting a smarter war on cancer.

In my practice as an oncologist specializing in gastrointestinal tract cancers, a recent week was fairly typical. I saw 50 patients, ranging in age from 32 to 87, equally divided between men and women. Though a couple of them have inherited a gene that may have caused their GI cancers, I have no explanation for why most developed their disease. It is as if they were simply struck by lightning.
Current endovascular management of complex pararenal aneurysms.

Introduction Endovascular approach to abdominal aortic aneurysm has increased in frequency over the last decade and is preferred by many practitioners and patients alike. However, its role in "complex" aneurysms with challenging anatomy, short neck length, or borderline landing zone for grafts is less well understood. Additionally, the endovascular role in complex urgent or emergent repairs has not been adequately studied. Several techniques have been developed in order to address these concerns and further the endovascular approach. This article seeks to describe incidents in which an endovascular approach may be challenging, describe the most popular techniques now available for approaching these cases, and present the best literature available for considering these techniques. Evidence acquisition Medline searches were performed with the key words "complex endovascular aneurysm repair," "fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair," "chimney grafts" and "snorkel grafts" to gain access to available data. Evidence synthesis Articles were reviewed for results and technical considerations. Conclusions By employing increasingly complex endovascular techniques, complex pararenal aneurysms can be successfully treated in an endovascular fashion.
Daily Associations between Helping Behavior, Gratitude, and Selfishness in Members of Alcoholics Anonymous

The idea that helping others and practicing gratitude are associated with lower selfishness among members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is discussed in AA literature, in AA meetings, and among AA me...
A new three-point sixth-order THAGE iteration method for mildly nonlinear two-point boundary value problems with engineering applications

We study a new sixth-order compact discretization using uniform three-grid point for the mildly nonlinear differential equation $$\phi ''=g(t,\phi )$$ , subject to the values of ϕ given at two end points of the regular solution interval. We also discuss three-step AGE (THAGE) iteration method as an application to the resulting difference equation as a powerful numerical computation device. In this algorithm, the common term is evaluated first to save the CPU time in comparison with the corresponding two-step algorithm. In addition, the error analysis is studied. Numerical performance is compared with the exact solution, and with the two-step AGE and SOR iteration methods.
Familial Clustering of Erosive Hand Osteoarthritis in a Large Statewide Cohort

OBJECTIVE Erosive hand osteoarthritis (OA) is a severe and rapidly progressing subset of hand OA. Its etiology remains largely unknown, which has hindered development of successful treatments. This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that erosive hand OA demonstrates familial clustering in a large statewide population linked to genealogical records, and to determine the association of potential risk factors with erosive hand OA. METHODS Patients diagnosed as having erosive hand OA were identified by searching 4,741,840 unique medical records from a comprehensive statewide database, the Utah Population Database (UPDB). Affected individuals were mapped to pedigrees to identify high-risk families with excess clustering of erosive hand OA as defined by a familial standardized incidence ratio (FSIR) of ≥2.0. The magnitude of familial risk of erosive hand OA in related individuals was calculated using Cox regression models. Association of potential erosive hand OA risk factors was analyzed using multivariate conditional logistic regression and logistic regression models. RESULTS We identified 703 affected individuals linked to 240 unrelated high-risk pedigrees with excess clustering of erosive hand OA (FSIR ≥2.0, P < 0.05). The relative risk of developing erosive hand OA was significantly elevated in first-degree relatives (P < 0.001). There were significant associations between a diagnosis of erosive hand OA and age, sex, diabetes, and obesity (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Familial clustering of erosive hand OA observed in a statewide database indicates a potential genetic contribution to the etiology of the disease. Age, sex, diabetes, and obesity are risk factors for erosive hand OA. Identification of causal gene variants in these high-risk families may provide insight into the genes and pathways that contribute to erosive hand OA onset and progression.
Impacts of COVID-19 on Banking

COVID-19 has had major impacts for banking, with the United States government making various efforts to shore up the financial system. These have included temporary and permanent rule changes, easing Capital requirements in an effort to spur lending and maintain bank solvency. Using publicly available data on bank holdings, we constructed tests for the changes in lending and allocation for pending loan loss. Our study finds that there has been a significant increase in loan loss reserves, yet the ratio of these reserves to total lending is not significant. This work will be extended with 2020-Q2 data when it becomes available.
Abstract 1410: Chemotherapy resistance pathways identified in ovarian cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy using single cell RNA sequencing of matched tumor biopsies

Background: Women with ovarian cancer suffer from a high rate of mortality due to the development of chemotherapy resistance. To better understand the mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance we initiated a prospective study of women with ovarian cancer, which we refer to as the Ovarian Cancer Precision Medicine Initiative (OCPMI) where we collect tumor biopsies and perform comprehensive molecular analyses. Our goal is to use the molecular data from these specimens to understand the mechanisms of chemo-resistance and use that information to improve therapeutic approaches. Methods: In this study, we report our analysis of pairs of matched tumor specimens taken from seven ovarian cancer patients enrolled in OCPMI who were treated using neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). The first tumor specimen was taken at time of initial diagnostic biopsy (pre-NACT), while the matched second tumor biopsy was taken after NACT administration (post-NACT), during interval debulking surgery. All fourteen tumor biopsies were subjected to single cell RNA sequencing to generate gene expression data on 54,827 pre-NACT cells and 30,661 post-NACT cells. Bioinformatic techniques were used to compare the post-NACT tumor cells that had experienced chemotherapy to the chemo-naive pre-NACT tumor cells. Gene/pathway enrichment tests were performed to identify genes and pathways that correlated with the chemo resistance phenotype. Results: In all matched biopsies we found that the majority of cells in the chemo-experienced post-NACT samples could be mapped to a subset of the cells in the chemo-naive, pre-NACT samples based on gene expression patterns. We hypothesize that this subset of pre-NACT cells are the precursor cells that are able to withstand chemotherapy and could be the cause of recurrence. Analysis of the genes and signaling pathways that were upregulated in the chemo-resistant subset of pre-NACT cells identified potential novel therapeutic targets including TNFa signaling, JAK-STAT signaling, interferon signaling, TGFb signaling, and STK33 kinase activation. Conclusions: Single cell RNA sequencing combined with sequential biopsies provides an unprecedented ability to understand mechanisms of response to chemotherapy. This type of analysis can be used to identify novel therapeutic approaches targeting the chemo-resistance phenotype. Citation Format: Timothy K. Starr, Shobhana Talukdar, Zenas Chang, Jason Cepela, Christopher Tastad, Mihir Shetty, Isaac Schneider, Jun Woo, Marissa Macchietto, Christine Henzler, Ying Zhang, Joshua Baller, Constantin Aiferis, Sarah Munro, Andrew C. Nelson, Jinhua Wang, Boris J. Winterhoff. Chemotherapy resistance pathways identified in ovarian cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy using single cell RNA sequencing of matched tumor biopsies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1410.
Insulin Access and Cost at 100 Years: What Would Dr. Banting Think?

Summary The discovery of insulin 100 years ago was one of the most important achievements of all time. The plan from the scientists involved was easy access for all. Unfortunately, a century later that idealistic goal was not to be in many places around the world, including the US.
From the Enlightenment to Crawford to Holmes: Address at the Association of American Law Schools Evidence Conference

Thank you very much for that gracious introduction, Michael; and thank you to the organizers and hosts of the conference for inviting me to speak to you today. I can conceive of no higher honor than to be asked by one’s professional peers to address them on topics central to their scholarly interests, and I am thus at once grateful to you all for that honor and humbled by the task. I am humbled because the people in this room—and certainly the people who attended this conference, some of whom understandably have now returned to their home cities—collectively are the most gifted and knowledgeable students of juridical proof and epistemology that have ever been gathered together under one roof. Many of you are young scholars and think perhaps my comments do not apply to you, but they most assuredly do. Your entrance into this field brings with it a level of academic preparation that is accelerating the transformation of the field. I have been engaged with the study of evidence for close to thirty years and have seen close up of what I speak. For the first half of my career evidence was both a research and teaching backwater, the teaching to be done by whoever was at hand, and the research relegated to the chroniclers of the post-Wigmore era fascinated by such deep questions as whether a statement of state of mind was not hearsay or an exception to the hearsay rule. In the mid-80s the complacent view that all the interesting work in the field was done—much like the proposals at the end of the nineteenth century to close the patent office because everything that could had already been invented—was exploded first by the probability debates that moved to the fore the deep questions of rationality and showed that
Comparing High-Performance Computing Techniques for Modeling Structural Impact on Battery Cells

In this study, we have investigated feasibility of using commercial explicit finite element code LS-DYNA on massively parallel super-computing cluster for accurate modeling of structural impact on battery cells. Physical and numerical lateral impact tests have been conducted on cylindrical cells using a flat rigid drop cart in a custom-built drop test apparatus. The main component of cylindrical cell, jellyroll, is a layered spiral structure which consists of thin layers of electrodes and separator. Two numerical approaches were considered: (1) homogenized model of the cell and (2) heterogeneous (full) 3-D cell model. In the first approach, the jellyroll was considered as a homogeneous material with an effective stress-strain curve obtained through experiments. In the second model, individual layers of anode, cathode and separator were accounted for in the model, leading to extremely complex and computationally expensive finite element model. To overcome limitations of desktop computers, high-performance computing (HPC) techniques on a HPC cluster were needed in order to get the results of transient simulations in a reasonable solution time. We have compared two HPC methods used for this model is shared memory parallel processing (SMP) and massively parallel processing (MPP). Both the homogeneous and the heterogeneous models were considered for parallel simulations utilizing different number of computational nodes and cores and the performance of these models was compared. This work brings us one step closer to accurate modeling of structural impact on the entire battery pack that consists of thousands of cells.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Behavior settings and eco-behavioral science: a new arena for mathematical social science permitting a richer and more coherent view of human activities in social systems, part I: Concepts, measurements, and linkages to economic data systems, time-allocation matrices, and social system accounts

Abstract The concept of behavior settings (settings for behavior) was originated by the psychologist Roger Barker in 1950. It was used by him to classify all activities of the residents of a town in the course of a year and to estimate the allocation of their living-time among those activities. The concept has been applied successfully to surveys of other communities and of several types of organizations. The implications of the behavior setting concept for the social sciences are far-reaching. Behavior settings are the immediate environments of all human behavior and experience. They are objectively defined, directly observable entities with clear-cut boundaries in space and clear-cut beginnings, durations, and endings in time. On the descriptive level, behavior settings can be classified into categories analogous to (and in some cases identical with) industries, the roles performed by persons in behavior settings can be classified into occupations and quasi- occupations. Part I of this paper presents Barker's concepts, links them with standard economic data systems, and suggests their use as a basis for time-allocation matrices and social system accounts. Part II discusses the relationships of behavior settings and eco-behavioral science to established disciplines and points out some major areas in need of mathematical and theoretical development.
Analysis of differences in gene expression and the genetic regulation of transcript accumulation in maize inbred and hybrid lines

Although heterosis has been exploited commercially for close to a century, the molecular mechanisms underlying hybrid vigor are not well understood. Multiple models, including dominance and complementation, have been proposed. Maize inbred lines B73 and Mo17 produce hybrids that exhibit heterosis and are a model system for studying this phenomenon. Historically, quantitative genetic approaches have been utilized to understand the regulation of heterosis as it affects traits such as yield. Recent technological advances have allowed for global studies of gene expression in inbreds and hybrids. Multiple modes of gene action detected in a microarray comparison of B73, Mo17, and their Mo17xB73 hybrid are consistent with multiple molecular mechanisms contributing to heterosis. The reciprocal hybrids generated by crossing B73 and Mo17 differ phenotypically from each other despite having identical nuclear genomes. Microarray and RNA-sequencing comparisons of the reciprocal hybrids reveal substantial differences in gene expression in vegetative seedlings, suggesting that parent-of-origin effects on expression may contribute to the phenotypic differences observed throughout development. To better understand the regulation of gene expression, eQTL microarray studies were conducted using the IBM RILs and their hybrids generated by crossing the RILs with B73 and Mo17. A predominance of trans-eQTL (~80%) are detected and exhibit non-additive expression patterns consistent with paternal-eQTL regulation of gene expression in hybrids. Together, these studies provide a comprehensive understanding of gene expression patterns and regulation of gene expression between inbred lines and hybrids and support the involvement of complex regulatory mechanisms such as imprinting and small RNAs in heterosis.
Rhetoric Online: Persuasion and Politics on the World Wide Web, Barbara Warnick

Some years ago I saw a video of a motivational speech in which IBM CEO Lou Gerstner spoke of a then-new unit of time, a “Web year,” which he defined as equivalent to about six months of the Gregori...
The utility of contemporary and historical estimates of dispersal in determining response to habitat fragmentation in a tropical forest-dependent bird community.

It is often assumed that species which exhibit a greater propensity for dispersal are less susceptible to the impacts of habitat fragmentation; however, a growing body of literature suggests that such generalizations should be carefully evaluated as not all species appear to be equally sensitive to fragmentation. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Callens et al. (2011) take an innovative approach to compare contemporary estimates of dispersal from an extensive mark-recapture and patch occupancy data set with historical estimates derived from multilocus population genetic models for seven sympatric forest-dependent species in the Taita Hills, Africa. As has been observed for forest-dependent species from the Amazon, populations of sedentary species were more strongly differentiated and clustered when compared to those of more dispersive taxa. The most intriguing result recovered though, was that the five species with similar historical estimates of gene flow (dispersal) differed substantially in their contemporary dispersal rates, suggesting that for some species the propensity for dispersal has decreased over time. As a consequence, the authors suggest that post-fragmentation estimates of dispersal on their own may not be the best predictors of how habitat fragmentation could affect forest-dependent animal communities. This work significantly advances our understanding of the dynamics of habitat fragmentation and makes a strong case for the need to integrate data on historical processes with contemporary data.
Diet-induced obesity compromises lactation through zinc-mediated ER stress and autophagy, promoting premature involution (38.6)

Overweight/obese mothers are less likely to initiate and maintain lactation; however, the biological mechanisms are not understood. During normal involution, the proinflammatory cytokine TNFα stimulates the redistribution of the zinc (Zn) transporter ZnT2 to lysosomes to activate autophagic cell death. Thus, we hypothesized that obesity-associated inflammation compromises lactation by redistributing subcellular Zn pools and promoting premature involution. Female DBA/J2 mice were fed a high fat diet (HFD; 45% kcal fat) until they were >20% heavier than mice fed a control diet (CD; 10% kcal fat). Mice were mated and fed their diets until lactation day 5. 77% of HFD mice failed to nurse their pups to day 5 (CD, 39%; p<0.001). Lactating HFD mice had 55% more macrophages (p<0.001) and elevated TNFα expression (p<0.05) in the mammary gland compared with CD mice. HFD mice had greater ZnT2 abundance in lysosomes, a 41% increase in acid phosphatase activity (p<0.05) and greater LC3-II expression. HFD mice had decr...
Diffracted evanescent wave model for enhancement and suppression of optical transmission of subwavelength hole arrays

A new model of enhanced transmission of hole arrays accounts for both transmission suppression and modest enhancement, without a surface plasmon resonance; the model is valid for nonmetallic systems, and is supported by recent experiments.
Goldoni and the French Theater

Author's summary.— Goldoni was greatly influenced by several French playwrights, including Moliere; he repudiated the unsought title of “the Moliere of Italy”; his knowledge of the French people and the French theater led to the success of his comedy written in French.
Ratcheting, Wrinkling and Collapse of Tubes Induced by Axial Cycling Under Internal Pressure

A buried offshore pipeline is essentially axially constrained by the soil cover. Heating by the passage of hot oil at high pressure can plastically deform it. The deformation involves expansion of the diameter, which for thinner pipes can be accompanied by axisymmetric wrinkling. During a lifetime of 20 or more years, lines experience regular startup and shutdown cycles. This study examines how this cycling affects wrinkling and the hoop expansion of such lines. A set of experiments on super-duplex tubes with D/t of 28.5 was conducted using the following idealized cyclic loading history. A tube is first pressurized and then compressed into the plastic range to a level that initiates wrinkling. It is then cycled under stress control about a compressive mean stress while the pressure is kept constant. The combined loads cause simultaneous ratcheting in the hoop and axial directions as well as a gradual growth of the wrinkles. At some stage the amplitude of the wrinkles starts to grow exponentially with the number of cycles N leading to localization and collapse. The rate of ratcheting and the number of cycles to failure depend on the initial compressive pre-strain, the internal pressure and the stress cycle parameters. The problem is modeled as a shell with initial axisymmetric imperfections. A challenge in the simulations is that the cyclic plasticity model that is used must be capable of capturing correctly the type of biaxial material ratcheting that develops. The Dafalias-Popov two-surface nonlinear kinematic hardening model, enhanced and suitably calibrated is shown to capture the prevalent ratcheting deformations correctly leading to predictions that are in good agreement with the experimental results. The model is then used to evaluate the ratcheting behavior of pipes under thermal-pressure cyclic loading histories seen by buried pipelines.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Configuring wall layers for improved insulation performance

Abstract External walls provide an important barrier between occupied building spaces and variable ambient conditions. Building insulation is often optimized for static performance based on its R -Value rating, but a growing body of literature has begun to assess the dynamic thermal performance of multi-layer walls. The focus of this work is to provide fundamental insight into configuring wall layers for improved insulating performance. Thirty-three different walls are evaluated based on four primary configurations with fixed volumes of insulation and thermal mass. Only the layer distribution is varied. Because the total volume of each material is fixed, the overall thermal resistance and capacitance are equivalent for all configurations studied. An electrical analogy is used to model the one dimensional heat conduction through the wall and determine the magnitude ratio and phase of the frequency response evaluated at the frequency corresponding to a period of 1 day. The two temperatures used to quantify the wall system transfer function are the inside and outside surfaces of the wall (i.e., two surfaces exposed to the indoor and outdoor environments, respectively). The best insulating performance is achieved when insulation layers are positioned as close as possible to the inside and outside layers of the wall (i.e., near the indoor and outdoor environments). In addition, optimal results occur when both the insulation and thermal mass are distributed evenly throughout the wall. Using this optimized configuration, each material is then divided into an increasing number of thinner layers. Results indicate that an optimum number of layers exist such that the magnitude ratio is maximized.
Situation Awareness and Interruption Handling During Medication Administration

Medication administration error remains a leading cause of preventable death. A gap exists in understanding attentional dynamics, such as nurse situation awareness (SA) while managing interruptions during medication administration. The aim was to describe SA during medication administration and interruption handling strategies. A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used. Cognitive task analysis (CTA) methods informed analysis of 230 interruptions. Themes were analyzed by SA level. The nature of the stimuli noticed emerged as a Level 1 theme, in contrast to themes of uncertainty, relevance, and expectations (Level 2 themes). Projected or anticipated interventions (Level 3 themes) reflected workload balance between team and patient foregrounds. The prevalence of cognitive time-sharing during the medication administration process was remarkable. Findings substantiated the importance of the concept of SA within nursing as well as the contribution of CTA in understanding the cognitive work of nursing during medication administration.
Directivity of 100 keV-1 MeV photon sources in solar flares

Stereoscopic observations of 0.1-1.0 MeV photon sources in solar flares made with spectrometers aboard the ISEE 3 and PVO (Pioneer Venus Orbiter) have been analyzed to determine the directivity of the photon sources and its possible dependence on photon energy. During the period October 1, 1978-October 31, 1980, a total of 44 solar flares were observed simultaneously by the two instruments. Of these, 39 flares were in full view of both the instruments, the remaining five being partially occulted by the photosphere from the line of sight of at least one instrument. The view angles theta(P) and theta(I) of the PVO and ISEE 3 instruments with respect to the outward solar radius at the flare site varied from one flare to another and were in the range 9-88 deg. The difference between the two view angles varied from 1 deg to 66 deg. The observations of differential photon energy spectra averaged over more than about 16 s do not indicate any systematic directivity. In most flares the directivity of 0.1-1.0 MeV photon sources is found to be less than about 2.5.
Crystal Structure of an RNA Purine-Rich Tetraplex Containing Adenine Tetrads: Implications for Specific Binding in RNA Tetraplexes

Purine-rich regions in DNA and RNA may contain both guanines and adenines, which have various biological functions. Here we report the crystal structure of an RNA purine-rich fragment containing both guanine and adenine at 1.4 A resolution. Adenines form an adenine tetrad in the N6-H em leader N7 conformation. Substitution of an adenine tetrad in the guanine tetraplex does not change the global conformation but introduces irregularity in both the hydrogen bonding interaction pattern in the groove and the metal ion binding pattern in the central cavity of the tetraplex. The irregularity in groove binding may be critical for specific binding in tetraplexes. The formation of G-U octads provides a mechanism for interaction in the groove. Ba(2+) ions prefer to bind guanine tetrads, and adenine tetrads can only be bound by Na(+) ions, illustrating the binding selectivity of metal ions for the tetraplex.
Correction Equations to Adjust Self-Reported Height and Weight for Obesity Estimates Among College Students

Abstract The purposes of this study were to generate correction equations for self-reported height and weight quartiles and to test the accuracy of the body mass index (BMI) classification based on corrected self-reported height and weight among 739 male and 434 female college students. The BMIqc (from height and weight quartile-specific, corrected self-reported measurements) provided a more accurate estimation of BMI classification than BMIc (from corrected self-reported measurements) and BMIs (from self-reported measurements) by showing a greater ability to predict cases with either a high or a low BMI category while still maintaining a high specificity. However, the equations are applicable only to Caucasian college student populations, so cross-validation in similar populations is needed before they are used more broadly.
Obesity correlates with increased blood pressures in urban native American youth

Although obesity is a growing problem with Native American youth living on reservations, little research has been conducted examining the prevalence of obesity and correlations between age, body composition, dietary intake, and blood pressures (BP) for urban Native youth. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of these variables in urban Native American youth. Height and weight were measured for 155 Native American youth, age 5-18 years, and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated and classified into percentile categories. Skinfold thicknesses at the biceps, triceps, suprailiac, and subscapular sites, arm and waist circumferences, and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures were also measured. There was a high proportion of obesity (>95 percentile) for youth in all age groups. The prevalence was 38% for the 5-10-year-olds and 45% for the 11-18-year-olds youth. There were no significant correlations between SBP and DBP and dietary variables. Mean SBP and DBP increased with increasing BMI percentiles. Stepwise regression analyses showed that waist circumference, age, and BMI were strong predictors for SBP, while waist circumference and age were predictors for DBP in the total sample. The findings suggest that overweight/obesity is very prevalent among urban Native American youth and the increased adiposity is associated with increased SBP and DBP.
Rhenium complexes and clusters supported on γ-Al2O3: Effects of rhenium oxidation state and rhenium cluster size on catalytic activity for n-butane hydrogenolysis

Supported metals prepared from H{sub 3}Re{sub 3}(CO){sub 12} on {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} were treated under conditions that led to various rhenium structures on the support and were tested as catalysts for n-butane conversion in the presence of H{sub 2} in a flow reactor at 533 K and 1 atm. After use, two samples were characterized by X-ray absorption edge positions of approximately 5.6 eV (relative to rhenium metal), indicating that the rhenium was cationic and essentially in the same average oxidation state in each. But the Re-Re coordination numbers found by extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (2.2 and 5.1) show that the clusters in the two samples were significantly different in average nuclearity despite their indistinguishable rhenium oxidation states. Spectra of a third sample after catalysis indicate approximately Re{sub 3} clusters, on average, and an edge position of 4.5 eV. Thus, two samples contained clusters approximated as Re{sub 3} (on the basis of the Re-Re coordination number), on average, with different average rhenium oxidation states. The data allow resolution of the effects of rhenium oxidation state and cluster size, both of which affect the catalytic activity; larger clusters and a greater degree of reduction lead to increased activity.
Effect of aging on the adaptive and proliferative capacity of the small bowel

Our society is aging at a rapid rate; the effects of aging on physiologic functions (e.g., small bowel adaptation) are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of the aged small bowel mucosa to adapt after resection. Young (2-month-old) and aged (24-month-old) F344 rats underwent massive (70%) proximal small bowel resection (SBR) or sham operation; rats were killed at 9 or 16 days after surgery. The remnant small bowel and corresponding sham segments were harvested, weighed, and analyzed for DNA content and villus height. To determine whether the adaptive response after SBR could be enhanced, aged rats underwent SBR or sham operation and were treated with either neurotensin or saline solution (control). SBR resulted in adaptive hyperplasia in the remaining small bowel remnant in both young and aged rats at 9 and 16 days compared with sham animals. At 9 days, significant increases were noted in weight, villus height, and DNA content of the distal remnant in young and aged rats after SBR; the increases were similar in both young and aged rats. At 16 days, both young and aged rats displayed significant increases in remnant weight after SBR. Administration of neurotensin increased the weight of the remnant intestine in aged rats after SBR compared with saline treatment. Our findings demonstrate that aged small bowel mucosa exhibits a proliferative and adaptive capacity in response to SBR that was similar to that of the young animals. In addition, neurotensin administration enhanced the normal adaptive response of the small bowel in aged rats, providing further evidence that neurotensin may be therapeutically useful to augment mucosal regeneration in the early periods after massive SBR.
Sespe Eocene Didelphids.

In segregating a number of tiny insectivore and primate jaws from the Sespe deposits of California, several specimens were noted that clearly belong to marsupials. These are all incomplete but possess interest because they record didelphids for the first time in the North American upper Eocene and secondly because this group of mammals has not been known heretofore in Tertiary faunas west of the Rocky Mountains except for a single occurrence in the upper Oligocene John Day assemblage of north-central Oregon.
RKKY in half-filled bipartite lattices: Graphene as an example

We first present a simple proof that for any bipartite lattice at half filling, the RKKY interaction is antiferromagnetic between impurities on opposite (i.e., $A$ and $B$) sublattices and is ferromagnetic between impurities on the same sublattices. This result is valid on all length scales. We then focus on the honeycomb lattice and examine the theorem in the long distance limit by performing the low energy calculation using Dirac electrons. To find the universal (cutoff-free) result, we perform the calculation in smooth cutoff schemes, as we show that the calculation based on a sharp cutoff leads to wrong results. We also find the long distance behavior of the RKKY interaction between ``plaquette'' impurities in both coherent and incoherent regimes.
Three-dimensional computed tomography imaging of Eagle's syndrome

The patient is a 41-year-old woman who presents with the chief complaint of longstanding, worsening, constant bilateral neck pain. Her neck pain increases with swallowing and can be reproduced by turning her head laterally to either side. The patient had suffered a 40-pound weight loss secondary to her odynophagia. Her past medical history is significant for having had a previous tonsillectomy. On physical examination, her pain can be duplicated by palpation of the tonsillar fossa bilaterally. A computed tomography scan was ordered, which showed remarkably elongated styloid processes bilaterally (Fig 1). She was given the diagnosis of Eagle’s syndrome. Eagle’s syndrome is characterized by head and neck pain secondary to calcification of the stylohyoid ligament or elongated styloid processes greater then 30 mm. Normally, the styloid process inferior most tip sits at the junction of C1 to C2. Our 3D computed tomography scan shows elongated styloid processes near the junction of C2 to C3 measuring 50 mm in length bilaterally. Several pathophysiologic mechanisms leading to Eagle’s syndrome have been proposed, but all revolve around mechanical compression of the styloid processes on adjacent structures resulting in direct or referred pain. Palpation of the tonsillar fossa with reproduction of the characteristic pain is a hallmark sign of Eagle’s syndrome. Treatment is primarily surgical through an intraoral or extraoral approach. Our patient was taken to the operating room, and both styloid processes were removed through an intraoral surgical approach. On follow-up, the patient’s pain has completely resolved.
Investigation of thermally-induced loads in modified bituminous roofing membranes

Abstract When exposed to various thermal conditions, installed roofing membrane experiences dimensional change, which creates induced, loads on the membrane material. These loads can cause a number of undesirable effects such as the membrane separating away from the parapet wall, seam components splitting, membrane tear at the vicinity of fasteners and membrane slag causing blistering. This paper deals with two kinds of thermally-induced loads, namely, reversible thermal expansion/contraction and irreversible stress releasing. The mechanisms for each type of induced load have been explored in detail on two membrane types of different internal structure. Thermal conditions are configured in the experiments to simulate typical Canadian summer and winter temperatures on a black roofing membrane surface. This study also explores the role of the membrane's length and pre-loading on the induced loads. Based on limited data, some practical recommendations are given, such as regarding the influence of the induced loads in the membrane and on the performance integrity of the roofing assembly constructions when subjected to various exposure conditions.
The influence of suckling on the hypothalamic and pituitary secretion of immunoreactive α-melanocyte stimulating hormone

The effect of suckling on the secretion of α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) from the hypothalamus and pituitary was determined by a specific radioimmunoassay. There was an increase in the neurointermediate lobe (NIL) content of α-MSH w h after the onset of suckling. The values were restored to control levels within 3 h. The anterior lobe content of α-MSH was not affected by suckling. Plasma α-MSH levels were also unaffected by suckling, indicating that suckling probably affects the synthesis of NIL α-MSH, and not its release. Suckling lowered the α-MSH content in the mediobasal hypothalamus of lactating rats, and had no effect on the median eminence content of this peptide. In vitro, hypothalami from lactating rats released more α-MSH than hypothalami of random cycling females under basal, and stimulated (56 mM potassium) conditions. These results suggest that hypothalamic α-MSH may play a role in mediating some of the hormonal changes occurring during lactation.