cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Review of Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency

Limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) can be secondary to multiple etiologies including contact lens wear, chemical or thermal trauma, and systemic disease, any of which can result in the reduction of the number of stem cells or their decreased functionality. Primary LSCD is seen with a variety of congenital anterior segment disorders. Often LSCD can be stabilized and timely diagnosis is the key. The use of topical corticosteroids and artificial tear lubricants, along with treatment of any underlying conditions, and discontinuation of contact lenses are important initial treatment strategies. Advance treatments include amniotic membranes, limbal stem cell transplantation and keratoprostheses.
PROSPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT AND RENOVATION OF POWER SYSTEMS IN CHINA

In this paper following problems on development and renovation of power industry in China from 20001 to 2021 are analyzed and studied, which include the development of power systems and power industry, the renovation of administration frame of power system, the source of the fund for power system construction and renovation in the period of the 10th five year plan, how to strengthen the power network planning work, how to expand the application range of 750kV (800kV) voltage grade, how to improve the economic effect of power system, etc.Corresponding suggestions are put forward.
Spectroscopic study of the pH dependence of the optical properties of a water-soluble molecular photo-switch.

Abstract In this report we present a UV–Vis spectroscopic study of the pH dependent optical properties of 4,4′-azobenzene dicarboxylic acid in aqueous solution. A combination of chemical (acid-base) and light stimuli is combined to demonstrate that the system undergoes two types of optical switching cycles. At neutral pH the azobenzene undergoes photo-induced cis-trans isomerisation. Upon pH reduction the UV–Vis spectra show changes consistent with aggregation of the azobenzene photo-switch. The photo-responsive behaviour is dependent on the pH and conformation of the azobenzene. The optical properties of the system are dependent on the mode of pH reduction and the isomeric cis/trans composition of the photo-switch, showing hierarchical control of self-assembly.
Intergranular aragonite cement as evidence for widespread cryogenic brine formation during Quaternary glaciation in the McMurdo Sound region, Antarctica

Abstract Briny groundwater is present below the extremely cold and dry surface of the McMurdo Dry Valleys and below the seafloor of the adjacent McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. The lack of reliable groundwater samples in the region, however, has long limited understanding of its origin, nature, and spatial distribution. In this regard, intergranular carbonate cements, widespread in subsurface Cenozoic strata and recently recognized as brine precipitates, provide an indirect means of solving these issues. This study examines the petrography and isotope geochemistry of intergranular aragonite cement phases that occur in subsurface Pliocene-Quaternary sedimentary sections that formed in the lower Taylor Valley (cores DVDP-10, -11) and in offshore McMurdo Sound (core AND-1B). Aragonite cement in the coastal Taylor Valley sections is characterized by very low δ18O values (−26.9 to −19.4‰ VPDB) compared to values in the offshore section (−12.5 to −2.7‰ VPDB). These differences are interpreted to reflect two settings for cryogenic brine formation, which produced isotopically distinct brines during Quaternary glaciation. In the coastal region, seawater-meltwater mixtures were isolated and cryogenically concentrated in an ice-dammed lake setting that formed in response to the expansion of the East and West Antarctic Ice Sheets into the lower Taylor Valley. In McMurdo Sound, cryogenic concentration of seawater occurred in a semi-isolated flexural trough that was deepened by lithospheric depression of volcanic edifices and the expanded West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Aragonite cement phases serve as excellent proxies for tracing the extents of subsurface brine bodies along the continental margin of Antarctica. Given the propensity for cryogenic brine formation in glaciomarine settings, the likelihood of brine cements in rock records from other analogous high-latitude, cold settings must not be overlooked.
Rapid Evaluation of Low-Thrust Transfers from Elliptical Orbits to Geostationary Orbit

Low-thrust orbit transfers to geostationary equatorial orbit (GEO) will likely use a combination of chemical and electrical propulsion stages to strike a balance between transit time, minimal power...
Using machine learning to predict risk of incident opioid use disorder among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries: A prognostic study.

Objective To develop and validate a machine-learning algorithm to improve prediction of incident OUD diagnosis among Medicare beneficiaries with ≥1 opioid prescriptions. Methods This prognostic study included 361,527 fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries, without cancer, filling ≥1 opioid prescriptions from 2011–2016. We randomly divided beneficiaries into training, testing, and validation samples. We measured 269 potential predictors including socio-demographics, health status, patterns of opioid use, and provider-level and regional-level factors in 3-month periods, starting from three months before initiating opioids until development of OUD, loss of follow-up or end of 2016. The primary outcome was a recorded OUD diagnosis or initiating methadone or buprenorphine for OUD as proxy of incident OUD. We applied elastic net, random forests, gradient boosting machine, and deep neural network to predict OUD in the subsequent three months. We assessed prediction performance using C-statistics and other metrics (e.g., number needed to evaluate to identify an individual with OUD [NNE]). Beneficiaries were stratified into subgroups by risk-score decile. Results The training (n = 120,474), testing (n = 120,556), and validation (n = 120,497) samples had similar characteristics (age ≥65 years = 81.1%; female = 61.3%; white = 83.5%; with disability eligibility = 25.5%; 1.5% had incident OUD). In the validation sample, the four approaches had similar prediction performances (C-statistic ranged from 0.874 to 0.882); elastic net required the fewest predictors (n = 48). Using the elastic net algorithm, individuals in the top decile of risk (15.8% [n = 19,047] of validation cohort) had a positive predictive value of 0.96%, negative predictive value of 99.7%, and NNE of 104. Nearly 70% of individuals with incident OUD were in the top two deciles (n = 37,078), having highest incident OUD (36 to 301 per 10,000 beneficiaries). Individuals in the bottom eight deciles (n = 83,419) had minimal incident OUD (3 to 28 per 10,000). Conclusions Machine-learning algorithms improve risk prediction and risk stratification of incident OUD in Medicare beneficiaries.
Higher maternal reflective functioning is associated with toddlers' adaptive emotion regulation.

Parental reflective functioning (RF), the ability to consider the child's behavior as a function of mental states (cognitions, emotions), is theorized to promote emotion regulation in children via its positive impact on parenting sensitivity. Using a sample of mothers and toddlers (N = 151 dyads; 41% Latinx; 54% girls; MAge = 21 months; SDAge = 2.5 months), we measured mothers' self-reported RF (high RF = low certainty/high interest-curiosity/low prementalizing), toddlers' distress during a standardized challenging behavioral task (toy removal), and three methods of children's coping with distress. Then, we tested whether RF moderated the association between children's observed distress and coping during the task (mother-directed adaptive coping, task-directed adaptive coping, maladaptive aggression) as an index of emotion regulation. Although RF was not associated with toddlers' distress, indices of RF moderated the associations between distress and coping. As maternal RF increased, the positive association between toddler distress and mother-oriented behavior increased, whereas the association between toddler distress and child aggression decreased. Findings were present only for certainty of mental states, whereas no effects were present for prementalizing or interest/curiosity. We discuss these findings in terms of their contributions to theory regarding parent-child relationships, maternal RF, and child emotion regulation.
Glycerol metabolism in humans: validation of2H- and13C-labelled tracers

For a tracer to be valid it must follow the metabolism of the tracee without distortion. Especially when the tracer contains several deuterium substitutions, the tracer can be altered or degraded differently from the metabolite it is to trace or be subject to distorting isotope effects. To determine whether2H5-glycerol is a valid tracer for following glycerol kinetics,2H5-glycerol and [2-13C] glycerol tracers were infused simultaneously in six healthy postabsorptive adult subjects. After 90 min of tracer infusion, epinephrine was also infused for 60 min to stimulate lipolysis and increase glycerol flux. Glycerol flux increased from 2.2±0.3 to 6.7±0.4 μmol/kg per minute (with the13C tracer) and from 2.2±0.3 to 6.7±0.3 μmol/kg per minute (with the2H tracer) when epinephrine was infused. There was no significant difference in glycerol flux measured with the2H tracer compared to the13C tracer either under basal or a stimulated flux condition. These results indicate that2H5-glycerol is a valid tracer for measuring glycerol metabolism in humans.
The Sea Will Rise, Barbuda Will Survive: Environment and Time Consciousness

In this article, we examine the link between environmental consciousnesses and time consciousness. We argue that the way people think about time shapes their experience of climate change threats. We contrast western hegemonic concepts of time—the Gregorian Calendar, the Dooms Day Clock, linear time—with the way Barbudans of Antigua and Barbuda, an island nation in the Caribbean experience time—cyclical, through boom and bust cycles. We found that this boom and bust framework was indeed supported by climate change and weather experiences on the island—hurricanes, droughts, changes in the lagoons—as well as economic experiences—cargo boat delays bringing supplies, paycheck delays. By understanding local explanatory models of time, especially those that contrast to western climate science frameworks of time, better solution-driven work can be achieved in the face of climate change realities.
Violation of Conditional Independence in the Many-Facets Rasch Model

Estimation of parameters for the many-facets Rasch model requires that conditional on the values of the facets, such as person ability, item difficulty, and rater severity, the observed responses w...
Cash Flows of Instituting Reproductive Programs

Economic returns associated with improved reproductive performance in dairy herds depend upon a wide variety of factors, including initial level of reproductive performance, future value of milk and of the calves produced, cash cost of replacement heifers, and many other factors. A variety of synchronization programs have been developed that may help improve the overall pregnancy rate (PR) of the herd, but the profitability of each program varies. A spreadsheet model was designed to compare the potential profitability of an improved estrus-detection program, an estrus-detection program combined with presynchronization and a single timed insemination, and a program relying completely upon timed insemination. Each of these scenarios was compared to a baseline program based upon estrus-detection and AI. The baseline herd was designed to have an estrus-detection risk and conception risk of approximately 50% and 31%, respectively, consistent with herds at or slightly above average reproductive performance in the US. Each of the modeled scenarios predicted better future returns than the initial baseline program, but the two involving timed AI also incurred substantial costs upfront. Adoption of either of these programs carries significant potential risk if not properly implemented and managed. Poor compliance to either timed AI program dramatically decreases both the resulting PR and the predicted economic returns. Dairies that implement programs such as these should work diligently to ensure that compliance levels consistently exceed 90% in order to maximize the profitability of either approach.
Gridded daily weather data for North America with comprehensive uncertainty quantification.

Access to daily high-resolution gridded surface weather data based on direct observations and over long time periods is essential for many studies and applications including vegetation, wildlife, soil health, hydrological modelling, and as driver data in Earth system models. We present Daymet V4, a 40-year daily meteorological dataset on a 1 km grid for North America, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, providing temperature, precipitation, shortwave radiation, vapor pressure, snow water equivalent, and day length. The dataset includes an objective quantification of uncertainty based on strict cross-validation analysis for temperature and precipitation results. The dataset represents several improvements from a previous version, and this data descriptor provides complete documentation for updated methods. Improvements include: reductions in the timing bias of input reporting weather station measurements; improvement to the three-dimensional regression model techniques in the core algorithm; and a novel approach to handling high elevation temperature measurement biases. We show cross-validation analyses with the underlying weather station data to demonstrate the technical validity of new dataset generation methods, and to quantify improved accuracy. Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.14538075
Rethinking the design of resilience and adaptation indicators supporting coastal communities

As resilience and adaptation considerations become mainstreamed into public policy, there is an overarching desire to measure and quantify metrics and indicators that seek to evaluate the efficienc...
CD137 agonist potentiates the abscopal efficacy of nanoparticle-based photothermal therapy for melanoma

Despite the promise of immunotherapy such as the immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 for advanced melanoma, only 26%–52% of patients respond, and many experience grade III/IV immune-related adverse events. Motivated by the need for an effective therapy for patients non-responsive to clinically approved ICIs, we have developed a novel nanoimmunotherapy that combines locally administered Prussian blue nanoparticle-based photothermal therapy (PBNP-PTT) with systemically administered agonistic anti-CD137 monoclonal antibody therapy (aCD137). PBNP-PTT was administered at various thermal doses to melanoma cells in vitro, and was combined with aCD137 in vivo to test treatment effects on melanoma tumor progression, animal survival, immunological protection against tumor rechallenge, and hepatotoxicity. When administered at a melanoma-specific thermal dose, PBNP-PTT elicits immunogenic cell death (ICD) in melanoma cells and upregulates markers associated with antigen presentation and immune cell co-stimulation in vitro. Consequently, PBNP-PTT eliminates primary melanoma tumors in vivo, yielding long-term tumor-free survival. However, the antitumor immune effects generated by PBNP-PTT cannot eliminate secondary tumors, despite significantly slowing their growth. The addition of aCD137 enables significant abscopal efficacy and improvement of survival, functioning through activated dendritic cells and tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells, and generates CD4+ and CD8+ T cell memory that manifests in the rejection of tumor rechallenge, with no long-term hepatotoxicity. This study describes for the first time a novel and effective nanoimmunotherapy combination of PBNP-PTT with aCD137 mAb therapy for melanoma.
Accuracy of the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision for Identifying Infantile Eye Disease.

PURPOSE To determine the predictive value of International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) codes for identifying infantile eye diagnoses. METHODS Population-based retrospective cohort study of all residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota diagnosed at ≤1 year of age with an ocular disorder. The medical records of all infants diagnosed with any ocular disorder from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2014, were identified. To assess ICD-9 code accuracy, the medical records of all diagnoses with ≥20 cases were individually reviewed and compared to their corresponding ICD-9 codes. Main outcome measures included positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), sensitivity, and specificity of ICD-9 codes. RESULTS In a cohort of 5,109 infants with ≥1 eye-related ICD-9 code, 10 ocular diagnoses met study criteria. The most frequent diagnoses were conjunctivitis (N = 1,695) and congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (N = 1,250), while the least common was physiologic anisocoria (N = 23). The PPVs ranged from 8.3% to 88.0%, NPVs from 96.3% to 100%, sensitivity from 3.0% to 98.7%, and specificity from 72.6% to 99.9%. ICD-9 codes were most accurate at identifying physiologic anisocoria (PPV: 88.0%) and least accurate at identifying preseptal cellulitis (PPV: 8.3%). In eye specialists versus non-eye specialists, there was a significant difference in PPV of ICD-9 codes for conjunctivitis (26.8% vs. 63.9%, p < .001), pseudostrabismus (85.9% vs. 25.0%, p < .001), and physiologic anisocoria (95.5% vs. 33.3%, p = .002). CONCLUSION The predictive value of ICD-9 codes for capturing infantile ocular diagnoses varied widely in this cohort. These findings emphasize the limitations of database research methodologies that solely utilize claims data to identify pediatric eye diseases.Abbreviations/Acronyms PPV: positive predictive value; NPV: negative predictive value; CNLDO: congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction.
Multiscale theory for linear dynamic processes. Part 1. Foundations

Abstract Multiscale models of linear dynamic systems offer a representation that links states at different time scales over distinct time periods. As such they allow a natural bridging of scales (ranges of frequencies) and time, and are more attractive than models defined in the time- or frequency-domain, alone. The term “multiscale model”, as used in this two-part series, is quite different from the notion of a “multiscale model”, as this is used in recent publications, where in essence such model bridges the states of a system at two distinct scales (an atomistic scale of fast elementary phenomena, and a macroscopic scale characterizing slow continuum-based physics), described by two distinctly different physical models. The multiscale dynamic models, introduced in this paper, link state dynamics over a number of distinct time scales, and are in essence “multiresolution” facets of a single model. The outgrowth of a series of developments, which came about with the advent of the wavelet decomposition for the analysis of discrete signals, multiscale models are defined on dyadic trees, which span the time-scale space. The nodes of such trees are used to index the values of states, inputs and outputs, modeling errors, and measurement errors of dynamic systems. These values are localized in both time and scale (range of frequencies), and thus they offer a hybrid domain that is particularly conducive for estimation and control problems. In Part 1 of this series, which focuses on the foundations of a multiscale systems theory, we will describe the generation of multiscale models from their time-domain counterparts, and develop conditions governing their stability, controllability and observability. In addition, we will address the development of algorithms for the solution of basic problems, such as: optimal control, state estimation, and optimal fusion of measurements and control actions at various scales. It will be shown that multiscale models lend themselves nicely to construction of very effective parallelizable algorithms. In Part 2 of this series, we will apply all these developments to the formulation of a Multiscale Model Predictive Control (MS-MPC) approach and we will show that MS-MPC is a more attractive framework for the design and implementation of multivariable control systems.
Assemblage patterns of fish functional groups relative to habitat connectivity and conditions in floodplain lakes

Miyazono S, Aycock JN, Miranda LE, Tietjen TE. Assemblage patterns of fish functional groups relative to habitat connectivity and conditions in floodplain lakes. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 578–585. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract – We evaluated the influences of habitat connectivity and local environmental factors on the distribution and abundance patterns of fish functional groups in 17 floodplain lakes in the Yazoo River Basin, USA. The results of univariate and multivariate analyses showed that species–environmental relationships varied with the functional groups. Species richness and assemblage structure of periodic strategists showed strong and positive correlations with habitat connectivity. Densities of most equilibrium and opportunistic strategists decreased with habitat connectivity. Densities of certain equilibrium and opportunistic strategists increased with turbidity. Forested wetlands around the lakes were positively related to the densities of periodic and equilibrium strategists. These results suggest that decreases in habitat connectivity, forested wetland buffers and water quality resulting from environmental manipulations may cause local extinction of certain fish taxa and accelerate the dominance of tolerant fishes in floodplain lakes.
Rethinking decentralization and state/civil society distinctions: the state as a problematic of governing 1

In a variety of national contexts, there have been discussions about the changing relations of the state to the educational arena. Often, these discussions talk about centralization and decentralization of the state or of the devolution of power, the latter referring to shifts in the loci of power to geographically local contexts, for example through community governance of education. These discussions, it is argued in this essay, tend to position state power as dualistic, pitting one set of actors against another without inquiring into the patterns that locate different actors. The structuring of oppositions between state and civil society, public and private, government and economy does not adequately characterize the diverse ways that rule is exercised. The purpose in this essay is to relocate the problem of the state in the problematic of governing; to consider the state as networks of relations among various actors and discursive strategies that regulate and discipline the citizen. Pedagogy is explor...
Assessing the virtual depository program: The Arizona experience

Abstract A decade after passage of the Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993, a pilot study at the University of Arizona examined the impact of one selective depository library's decision to select, whenever possible, Web-based government information instead of tangible formats such as print and microfiche. The pilot project focused on three key areas: (1) revision of the library's selection profile to prefer electronic over tangible formats; (2) identification and verification of government publications on the Web; and (3) assessment of, and experiences with, Web-based government information among the library's staff and customers. This paper focuses on the assessment of library staff and customer experiences. Several complementary methods, including computer-assisted questionnaires, were used for assessing the ways in which individuals interact with government information resources and the advantages of, and barriers to, Web-based access. Although the transition to virtual depository status requires ongoing monitoring, staff commitment, and assessment to ensure that individuals benefit from the move to more electronic access, the pilot study suggests that it is feasible for a depository library to begin making the transition.
On multidimensional modeling of auto-ignition in spark-ignition engines

Abstract Proposed mechanisms and models for engine knock are reviwed and the so-called “Shell” global model for the low-temperature ignition chemistry of hydrocarbon/air mixtures is selected. The model is first applied to spatially uniform charges in a constant volume bomb and in a rapid compression machine. The trends computed are found to compare favorably with experiments. Next, cool flames in isooctane/air and n-heptane/air mixtures in a stirred reactor are computed and compared with experiments. Trends match closely but magnitudes do not. Finally the charge in a spark-ignition engine is considered and a fully coupled two-dimensional model (with a finite-thickness flame) is used to study engine knock. It is found that the structure of the finite-thickness flame determines whether it is accelerated by the preflame reactions or is not affected by them. The two limits are studied and the trends computed in the latter one are found to be in better agreement with the majority of the experiments. It is also found that, while single stage ignition is sufficient to model strongly knocking cycles, it is inadequate for those of marginal knock, which are the more important ones in practice, in which cool flames precede and, in fact, delay the onset of knock.
Comparison of the effects of anticonvulsant drugs with diverse mechanisms of action in the formalin test in rats

The purpose of the present studies was to compare anticonvulsant drugs with diverse mechanisms of action in a persistent pain model, the formalin test. In addition, the anticonvulsant effects of the compounds were determined in the threshold electroshock tonic seizure test and the 6-Hz limbic seizure test. The effects of the compounds were also determined on locomotor activity. Carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, lamotrigine, gabapentin and ethosuximide all produced statistically significant analgesic effects in the formalin test whereas phenytoin, topiramate, zonisamide, phenobarbital, tiagabine, valproate and levetiracetam did not. All compounds were anticonvulsant. In addition, morphine and phenobarbital increased locomotor activity while ethosuximide had no effect and all other compounds decreased locomotor activity. For those compounds that were analgesic, the doses required to produce analgesia were larger in magnitude than the anticonvulsant ED50 values in the threshold electroshock and 6-Hz tests, as well as larger than doses that altered locomotor activity. The present results demonstrate that the anticonvulsant and analgesic effects of clinically used antiepileptic drugs do not necessarily correlate and therefore suggest that the anticonvulsant and analgesic efficacy of these drugs may be due to different pharmacologic mechanisms.
Oestrogen metabolites in relation to isoprostanes as a measure of oxidative stress

Summary Objective Oestradiol (E2) and its metabolites 2-hydroxyoestrone (2-OHE1) and 16 α -hydroxyoestrone (16 α -OHE1) are thought to curtail the greater oxidative stress found in the development and progression of disease conditions including atherosclerosis. We related oestrogen levels to F 2a -isoprostane levels, a biomarker of oxidative stress. Design and participants Data were obtained from 1647 women, aged 47‐57 years, participating in the fifth annual follow-up of the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), a study of the menopausal transition. Measurements Serum E2 and urinary 2-OHE1 and 16 α -OHE1 concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and urinary F 2a -isoprostanes were measured by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Results F 2a -isoprostane concentrations were elevated in women who smoked, a behaviour associated with increased oxidative stress, but not in stages of the natural menopause. Mean F 2a -isoprostane concentrations among pre- and postmenopausal women who smoked were 1082 and 1064 pg/ml, respectively, values double those in pre- (343 pg/ml) and postmenopausal (379 pg/ml) nonsmoking women. 2-OHE1 and F 2a -isoprostane concentrations were positively and highly correlated (partial correlations ρ Y|X = 0·44 and ρ Y|X = 0·43 in pre- and postmenopausal women, respectively). Similarly, 16 α OHE1 concentrations were positively and highly correlated with F 2a -isoprostane concentrations ( ρ Y|X = 0·52 and ρ Y|X = 0·59 in preand postmenopausal women, respectively). E2 was significantly correlated with F 2a -isoprostanes only in postmenopausal women ( ρ Y|X = 0·20). Associations were adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI), race/ethnicity, lipids, physical activity level and alcohol consumption.
A Pattern for Adaptive Behavior in Safety-Critical, Real-Time Middleware

Patterns are a valuable method for communicating software engineering expertise about proven solutions for common problems. This paper evaluates the use of domainindependent patterns in a case study of Etherware, a middleware for networked control with a real-time, safety-critical applications model. The case study illustrates the positive and negative impact that four existing patterns have on availability, reliability, and robustness for real-time, safety-critical systems. In particular, we observe Etherware?s specialized usage of the Filter pattern, confirm this usage among other middleware technologies, and subsequently present the Adaptive Control Filter, a design pattern for real-time, safety-critical middleware which can mitigate timing dependencies in networked control.
Affordable solar-assisted biogas digesters for cold climates: Experiment, model, verification and analysis

Abstract Energy sources are scarce in the chilly, high mountains of the developing world. Solar-assisted biogas digesters have recently been adapted to this climate providing an alternative cooking fuel for some rural families, but little is known about the thermal performance of these digesters. Internal slurry temperature is one of the important design factors in bio-digesters. This study conducted a series of field experiments on an experimental bio-digester in Cusco, Peru to investigate the thermal performance of these affordable bio-digesters. The study further improved and validated a one-dimensional thermal computer simulation model using the experimental results. A set of design recommendations for small-scale, cold-climate digesters is presented based on parametric analysis of the validated model for several key design parameters.
Simulation-based assessment of paramedic pediatric resuscitation skills.

AbstrastBackground. Emergency medical services (EMS) providers infrequently encounter seriously ill and injured pediatric patients. Clinical simulations are useful for assessing skill level, especially for low-frequency, high-risk problems. Objective. To identify the most common performance deficiencies in paramedics' management of three simulated pediatric emergencies. Methods. Paramedics from five EMS agencies in Michigan were eligible subjects for this prospective, observational study. Three clinical assessment modules (CAMs) were designed and validated using pediatric simulators with varying technologic complexity. Scenarios included an infant cardiopulmonary arrest, sepsis/seizure, and child asthma/respiratory arrest. Each scenario required paramedics to perform an assessment and provide appropriate pediatric patient care within a 12-minute time limit. Trained instructors conducted the simulations by following strict guidelines for sequences of events and responses. Videos of CAMs were reviewed by an...
Is refractory hypotension in preterm infants a manifestation of early ductal shunting

Clinicians frequently use hydrocortisone (HC) to treat vasopressor-resistant hypotension even before establishing its cause. To identify the etiologic factors leading to development of refractory hypotension, and to assess if patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is associated with refractory hypotension during the first week of life. The medical records of 290 consecutively born infants ⩽30 weeks' gestational age (GA) were reviewed to identify the escalating need for vasopressors to maintain mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) at or above a level equal to the GA in completed weeks. Refractory hypotension was defined as MABP unresponsive to fluid boluses and high-dose vasopressors (dopamine and dobutamine at doses 20 μg/kg/min each and/or epinephrine) prompting the use of HC. Eighty-nine (30.7%) of 290 infants had refractory hypotension between postnatal days 2 and 7. Infants with refractory hypotension were more likely to have a lower birth weight and GA (P<0.001), been treated with surfactant (P=0.004) and received indomethacin for a symptomatic PDA (P<0.001). To identify the etiologic factors, a univariate analysis revealed that the use of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, presence of air leaks, PDA, sepsis, hyperkalemia and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) were significantly associated with refractory hypotension. However, multivariate analysis confirmed the independent association of only PDA (odds ratio (OR) 7.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.3–17.7, P=0.000), severe IVH (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.1–6.4, P=0.03) and GA (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.6–0.8, P=0.001). Evaluation for early ductal shunting and closure of the ductus, if patent, should be attempted before HC is considered in hypotensive infants with escalating needs for vasopressors.
Comparison of two brief tests of organic brain impairment, the MSQ and the short portable MSQ.

A rapid means of validly assessing the presence or absence of organic brain impairment among the elderly is valuable for clinicians whose practice includes geriatric patients. Two such measures are the Mental Status Questionnaire (MSQ) and the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ). The similarity of content of these two 10-item questionnaires has led to the suggestion that their capacity to identify organic impairment may be similar. The question was examined in this study. Data were obtained on 83 elderly community residents on whom the validity of the SPMSQ had been tested. In 29 the diagnosis was organic brain syndrome (OBS), and the other 54 were classified as non-OBS. After making minor changes in the scoring of the SPMSQ to improve discriminability (omissions were scored as errors), the MSQ and the SPMSQ were found to be equivalent in discriminating power. Both questionnaires accurately identified almost all (96 percent) of the non-OBS subjects but missed nearly half of the subjects with a diagnosis of OBS. Item analysis indicated that two items in the MSQ and three items in the SPMSQ could explain nearly as much variance as did the total set of items. Thus the capacities of these two scales to identify the presence of diagnosed OBS among elderly community residents appeared to be equivalent. If test brevity is desired, the questionnaires could be made still shorter, with little loss of effectiveness.
Construction of 3D-QSAR Models Using the 4D-QSAR Analysis Formalism

4D-QSAR analysis incorporates conformational and alignment freedom into the development of 3D-QSAR models for training sets of structure−activity data by performing ensemble averaging, the fourth “dimension”. The descriptors in 4D-QSAR analysis are the grid cell (spatial) occupancy measures of the atoms composing each molecule in the training set realized from the sampling of conformation and alignment spaces. Grid cell occupancy descriptors can be generated for any atom type, group, and/or model pharmacophore. A single “active” conformation can be postulated for each compound in the training set and combined with the optimal alignment for use in other molecular design applications including other 3D-QSAR methods. The influence of the conformational entropy of each compound on its activity can be estimated. Serial use of partial least-squares, PLS, regression and a genetic algorithm, GA, is used to perform data reduction and identify the manifold of top 3D-QSAR models for a training set. The unique manifo...
Classic specific immunotherapy and new perspectives in specific immunotherapy for food allergy

Food allergy is a major cause of life-threatening hypersensitivity reactions. Food-induced anaphylaxis is the most common reason for someone to present to the emergency department for an anaphylactic reaction. The avoidance of the allergenic food is the only method of preventing further reactions that is currently available for sensitized patients. Strict avoidance of specific foods is the accepted treatment of food-induced allergic reactions but is often an unrealistic therapeutic option for food-induced hypersensitivity reactions for the many reasons previously described. Desirable therapeutic strategies for the treatment and prevention of food allergies must be safe, relatively inexpensive and easily administered. Recent advances in the understanding of the immunological mechanisms underlying allergic disease and better characterization of food allergens have greatly expanded the potential therapeutic options for future use. Several different forms of immunomodulatory therapies are currently under investigation: peptide immunotherapy, mutated protein immunotherapy, allergen DNA immunization, vaccination with immunostimulatory DNA sequences and anti-immunoglobulin E (Anti-IgE) therapy.
Geometry of Optimal Control for Control-Affine Systems

Motivated by the ubiquity of control-affine systems in optimal control theory, we investigate the geometry of point-affine control systems with metric structures in dimen- sions two and three. We compute local isometric invariants for point-affine distributions of constant type with metric structures for systems with 2 states and 1 control and systems with 3 states and 1 control, and use Pontryagin's maximum principle to find geodesic tra- jectories for homogeneous examples. Even in these low dimensions, the behavior of these systems is surprisingly rich and varied.
The impact of culturally relevant violence prevention models on school-age youth.

The Family and Community Violence Prevention (FCVP) Program was established in 1994 to address the escalation of youth violence among ethnic minorities. This federally funded program adapted the public health model and organized Family Life Centers throughout the country to serve youth who were considered to be at risk for violence and other abusive behaviors. The purpose of this three-year study, 1999–2002, was to determine the effectiveness of the FCVP Program's six-component curriculum in reducing violence among participants. Results from posttest scores of 2,315 youth showed girls 12 and over to be most at risk for deviant behaviors; the program was most effective with boys under age 12. Academic performance and bonding to school were protective factors whereas exposure to violence was a risk factor for all four ethnic groups studied—African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiians. Editors' Strategic Implications: Cultural anthropologists, public health specialists, and school officials should know that prevention programs can be designed to reflect the unique, culturally appropriate norms of specific ethnic minority groups, even as these programs address shared risk factors. The authors discuss the promising strategy of enhancing academic performance and school bonding to serve as protective factors against school violence, but they also describe age, gender, and cultural differences that must be addressed in future research.
Synthesis of rosin-based flexible anhydride-type curing agents and properties of the cured epoxy

BACKGROUND: Although rosin acid derivatives have received attention in polymer synthesis in recent years, to the best of our knowledge, they have rarely been employed as epoxy curing agents. The objective of the study reported here was to synthesize rosin-based flexible anhydride-type curing agents and demonstrate that the flexibility of a cured epoxy resin can be manipulated by selection of rosin-based anhydride-type curing agents with appropriate molecular rigidity/flexibility. RESULTS: Maleopimarate-terminated low molecular weight polycaprolactones (PCLs) were synthesized and studied as anhydride-type curing agents for epoxy curing. The chemical structures of the products were confirmed using 1H NMR spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Mechanical and thermal properties of the cured epoxy resins were studied. The results indicate that both the epoxy/anhydride equivalent ratio and the molecular weight of PCL diol play important roles in the properties of cured resins. CONCLUSION: Rosin-based anhydride-terminated polyesters could be used as bio-based epoxy curing agents. A broad spectrum of mechanical and thermal properties of the cured epoxy resins can be obtained by varying the molecular length of the polyester segment and the epoxy/curing agent ratio. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry
Hole burning and population pulsations in semiconductor laser media (Invited Paper)

Interactions of sidemodes in a semiconductor gain medium in the presence of an oscillating mode are studied both for beat frequencies comparable to interband relaxation rates as well as those comparable to intraband relaxation rates. The former applies to the complete many-body theory, provided the strong mode Rabi frequency is small compared to the intraband relaxation rates. Population pulsations play an important role in both cases, with spectral hole burning playing an equally important role for the large beat frequency case.
Cadmium adsorption to mixtures of soil components: Testing the component additivity approach

The ability to predict the distribution of metals in geologic systems requires a modeling approach that can describe the competition among adsorbing surfaces for the metal of interest. In this study, we test if a component additivity (CA) surface complexation approach can account for the distribution of Cd(II) in mixtures of kaolinite, Bacillus subtilis bacterial cells, iron oxyhydroxide, and a dissolved organic ligand, acetate. We use existing surface complexation models to define the stoichiometries, acidity constants, and site concentrations for the important surface species on each of the sorbents, and we conduct Cd adsorption experiments with each sorbent individually to determine the stability constants for the important Cd-surface complexes on each sorbent. We test the CA approach by comparing CA predictions to measured extents of Cd adsorption in two-, three-, and four-component mixtures of the sorbents at various ratios. Our results indicate that for systems containing B. subtilis, iron oxyhydroxide, and kaolinite, the CA approach is a reasonable predictor of metal distribution, with the accuracy limited by the accuracy of the stability constants of the important surface complexes. However, in systems including acetate, the CA predictions significantly underestimate the extent of adsorption above pH 5, likely due to the formation of ternary Cd-acetate surface complexes on each surface. Metal-organic-surface ternary complexation and site blockage of one sorbent by another are two possible limitations of the applicability of CA surface complexation models to realistic geologic systems. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Lack of toxicity and carcinogenicity of some commonly used cutaneous agents

Abstract The potential carcinogenicity and toxicity of several commonly used cutaneous agents (benzophenone, propylene glycol, isopropyl myristate, resorcinol, 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, p-aminobenzoic acid and pyrogallol) were studied in female Swiss mice by administering repeated applications of the chemicals on the skin for the life-span of the animals. Tumors seen in both control and treated animals were mainly lymphomas, hemangiomas of the liver and lung adenomas, as well as tumors of other organs. A statistically significant increase in tumor incidence caused by the chemical treatment was not seen. Skin lesions, slight inflammation and ulceration were seen, but no persistent cutaneous abnormalities occurred. A few skin tumors were seen in treated areas as well as in untreated areas and in control animals. Thus a carcinogenic or toxic potential which would affect the use of these agents in man was not detected.
Receptor clustering: Activate to accumulate?

Postsynaptic receptor clustering is thought to be of critical importance in central neurotransmission. Recent work suggests that the formation and size of such clusters may depend on synaptic activity, although that dependence appears to vary according to the type of receptor that mediates the postsynaptic response.
Insulin synthesis by isolated rabbit neurons.

Insulin has been identified in the central nervous system of a number of vertebrate species, but the site of synthesis as yet remains unresolved. Two previous studies reported the presence of insulin mRNA in neural tissue, but related efforts to confirm and better localize the cellular origin of the hormone have yielded equivocal results. In the present study we have attempted to clarify this issue by employing both immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization on isolated enriched cultures of rabbit brain neurons and glia. Our data show that a subset (3-5%) of neurons is positively immunoreactive for insulin, but all of the glial cells are negative. The level of staining intensity can be increased by preincubating the neurons with monensin (a Na+ ionophore that prevents cell secretory activity), but not the fraction of positive cells. Similarly, in situ hybridization reveals the presence of mRNA in 3-5% of neurons; but no such signal is detected in glia. Thus, our data not only confirm previous reports o...
Isolation and characterization of 27-O-demethylrifamycin SV methyltransferase provides new insights into the post-PKS modification steps during the biosynthesis of the antitubercular drug rifamycin B by Amycolatopsis mediterranei S699

Abstract The gene rif orf14 in the rifamycin biosynthetic gene cluster of Amycolatopsis mediterranei S699, producer of the antitubercular drug rifamycin B, encodes a protein of 272 amino acids identified as an AdoMet: 27- O -demethylrifamycin SV methyltransferase. Frameshift inactivation of rif orf14 generated a mutant of A. mediterranei S699 that produces no rifamycin B, but accumulates 27- O -demethylrifamycin SV (DMRSV) as the major new metabolite, together with a small quantity of 27- O -demethyl-25- O -desacetylrifamycin SV (DMDARSV). Heterologous expression of rif orf14 in Escherichia coli yielded a 33.8-kDa polyhistidine-tagged polypeptide, which efficiently catalyzes the methylation of DMRSV to rifamycin SV, but not that of DMDARSV or rifamycin W. 27- O -Demethylrifamycin S was methylated poorly, if at all, by the enzyme to produce rifamycin S. The purified enzyme does not require a divalent cation for catalytic activity. While Ca 2+ or Mg 2+ inhibits the enzyme activity slightly, Zn 2+ , Ni 2+ , and Co 2+ are strongly inhibitory. The K m values for DMRSV and S -adenosyl- l -methionine (AdoMet) are 18.0 and 19.3 μM, respectively, and the K cat is 87 s −1 . The results indicate that DMRSV is a direct precursor of rifamycin SV and that acetylation of the C-25 hydroxyl group must precede the methylation reaction. They also suggest that rifamycin S is not the precursor of rifamycin SV in rifamycin B biosynthesis, but rather an oxidative shunt-product.