cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Expiratory Pause Maneuver to Assess Muscle Pressure During Simulated Assisted Mechanical Ventilation Part 2: Intra- and Inter-Observer Reproducibility

Background: In Part 1 of our study we demonstrated that simulated breathing effort (ie, inspiratory muscle pressure or ΔPmus) during AMV could be measured accurately by introducing an airway occlusion at end expiration to measure ΔPaw during the subsequent patient-triggered inspiration. In Part 2 of this bench study we examined the variability of Pmus measurements by EPM made by individual clinicians and between clinicians. Methods: Spontaneous breathing was simulated using an Ingmar ASL-5000 (Ingmar, Pittsburgh, PA) with a compliance of 80 mL/cm H2O and resistance of 5 cm H2O per L/s. The breathing pattern was f of 20 at 3 ΔPmus levels reflecting mild, moderate and high effort (5, 10, 15 cm H2O) using a 20% pressure rise, 10% hold and 10% decay (inspiratory time or Ti: 1.2s). The test series consisted of 15 breaths/Pmus. A PB-980 ventilator (Medtronics, Minneapolis, MN) was used with 3 modes: continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP: 5 cm H2O), pressure support ventilation (PSV: Δ15/5 cm H2O), and volume control ventilation (VCV: tidal volume: 500mL, f: 15, peak flow: 60L/m, Ti: 0.9s, positive end-expiratory pressure: 5 cm H2O). Trigger sensitivity was set at 3 L/m. EPM measured Pmus by using the ventilator9s Negative Inspiratory Force function and releasing the pause-hold as soon as a negative Paw deflection was observed. There were 45 observation periods (ie, 9 Pmus and mode conditions and 5 clinicians). For each test condition intra-individual measurement variability was assessed by the magnitude of the standard deviation (SD) whereas measurement variability between clinicians was assessed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey Kraemer post-test. Alpha was set at 0.05. Results: In 37 of 45 (82%) observation periods the individual observer SD ranged from 0 to 0.5 cm H2O (ie. upper 95% of measurement variation of 1 cm H2O). In only 2 observation periods (4%) the SD was 1 and 1.3 cm H2O (upper 95% of measurement variation of 2 and 2.6 cm H2O) that occurred during VCV. Measurement comparisons between observers although statistically significant were in general clinically insignificant (Table). In only 3 instances were these differences > 1 cm H2O. Conclusions: With a minimum practice period (approximately 5m) clinicians are able to produce highly consistent measurements of Pmus during simulated AMV using the EPM technique.
Botanical Medicines for Oral Health

The use of natural medicines for dental care is an ancient cross-cultural practice that persists in the majority of cultures today. Medicinal plants have been employed in dentistry since prehistori...
A Sub-pA Current Sensing Front-End for Transient Induced Molecular Spectroscopy

We report an 8-channel array of low-noise (30.3fA/√Hz) current sensing front-ends with on-chip sensors for label-free, restriction-free biosensing. The analog front-end (AFE) consists of a 1st-order continuous-time delta-sigma (CT-ΔΣ) modulator that achieves 123fA sensitivity and 139dB cross-scale dynamic range over a 10Hz bandwidth while consuming 50 μW and occupying 0.11mm2 per channel. A digital IIR filter and a tri-level pulse width modulated (PWM) current-steering DAC are used to realize the equivalent performance of a multi-bit ΔΣ in an area/power efficient manner. This platform was used to observe protein-ligand interactions in real-time.
The Impact of Proliferating Polyclonal Plasma Cells on Outcome after Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Multiple Myeloma

Introduction Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is the standard-of-care for fit/younger patients with multiple myeloma. Outcomes are heterogeneous for those achieving less than a complete response (CR) after transplant; novel predictors of early relapse are needed to guide consolidation, maintenance and disease monitoring strategies. The post-ASCT proliferative index of clonal plasma cells (cPC) predicts for survival.1 In the present study, we evaluated nonmalignant proliferating polyclonal plasma cells (pPC) for an independent effect on outcome. Methods From January 1 2013 to January 1 2014, 176 consecutive patients with multiple myeloma underwent their first ASCT at our institution and had a bone marrow (BM) specimen collected approximately 100 days post-ASCT. All BM was subject to multi-parametric flow cytometry using a BD FACS Canto IITM as previously described. Briefly, proliferating (S-phase) pPC were classified using DAPI staining and reported as a percentage of total pPC, which was calculated if there were at least 150 pPC/500000 events (Figure 1). Those with less than 150 pPC were deemed “non-evaluable.” Time to next therapy (TNT) was calculated from ASCT Day 0 to the initiation of a new therapy (not including maintenance or consolidation), with patients censored at time of last follow-up or death without further therapy. Overall survival (OS) was calculated from Day 0 to death, with living patients censored at time of last follow-up. Statistics were performed using R 3.5.2. Results Responses at Day 100 were as follows: 71 (40%) CR, 48 (27%) very good partial response, 57 (33%) partial response or less. Among the 77 of 105 (73%) patients with Conclusion Patients with multiple myeloma who failed to achieve CR by Day 100 post-ASCT with ≥3% proliferating pPC had significantly shorter TNT, independent of proliferating cPC. This is the first study to evaluate proliferating pPC as a prognostic marker, which could be a surrogate for a pro-proliferative BM microenvironment.
Robust Scheduling of Microgrids With Resiliency Constraints

This paper proposes a novel microgrid scheduling model considering the resiliency requirements. The resiliency of the microgrid is guaranteed by quickly adjusting the output of committed local resources to supply the local demands continuously when the supply of power from the main grid is interrupted. To capture the prevailing uncertainties in renewable generation and demand, a two-stage robust optimization model is formulated to minimize the total operating cost under the worst realization of the modeled uncertainties. The column and constraint generation (CCG) method is used to solve the problem in an iterative manner. The solution of the proposed robust scheduling model guarantees the resiliency of the microgrid by supporting a quick islanding without consumer interruption and ensures the robustness against uncertainties in renewable generation and demand.
Pan-tissue transcriptome analysis of long noncoding RNAs in the American beaver Castor canadensis

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have roles in gene regulation, epigenetics, and molecular scaffolding and it is hypothesized that they underlie some mammalian evolutionary adaptations. However, for many mammalian species, the absence of a genome assembly precludes the comprehensive identification of lncRNAs. The genome of the American beaver (Castor canadensis) has recently been sequenced, setting the stage for the systematic identification of beaver lncRNAs and the characterization of their expression in various tissues. The objective of this study was to discover and profile polyadenylated lncRNAs in the beaver using high-throughput short-read sequencing of RNA from sixteen beaver tissues and to annotate the resulting lncRNAs based on their potential for orthology with known lncRNAs in other species. Using de novo transcriptome assembly, we found 9528 potential lncRNA contigs and 187 high-confidence lncRNA contigs. Of the high-confidence lncRNA contigs, 147 have no known orthologs (and thus are putative novel lncRNAs) and 40 have mammalian orthologs. The novel lncRNAs mapped to the Oregon State University (OSU) reference beaver genome with greater than 90% sequence identity. While the novel lncRNAs were on average shorter than their annotated counterparts, they were similar to the annotated lncRNAs in terms of the relationships between contig length and minimum free energy (MFE) and between coverage and contig length. We identified beaver orthologs of known lncRNAs such as XIST, MEG3, TINCR, and NIPBL-DT. We profiled the expression of the 187 high-confidence lncRNAs across 16 beaver tissues (whole blood, brain, lung, liver, heart, stomach, intestine, skeletal muscle, kidney, spleen, ovary, placenta, castor gland, tail, toe-webbing, and tongue) and identified both tissue-specific and ubiquitous lncRNAs. To our knowledge this is the first report of systematic identification of lncRNAs and their expression atlas in beaver. LncRNAs—both novel and those with known orthologs—are expressed in each of the beaver tissues that we analyzed. For some beaver lncRNAs with known orthologs, the tissue-specific expression patterns were phylogenetically conserved. The lncRNA sequence data files and raw sequence files are available via the web supplement and the NCBI Sequence Read Archive, respectively.
WILD-TYPE TRANSTHYRETIN AMYLOID CARDIOMYOPATHY PREDICTS THROMBOEMBOLIC RISK IN ATRIAL FIBRILLATION

The impact of wild-type transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CA wt) on thromboembolic risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is unknown. We studied patients who underwent Tc-99m pyrophosphate scintigraphy (PYP) between 6/2015 and 6/2019. Those with positive PYP, negative serum for AL
State Feedback Control of Ship Electric Propulsion System

This article describes the synthesis of a state feedback control of an electric propulsion system of a ship propulsion using for such a synchronous motor. The highly nonlinear characteristics of the studied system make it difficult to control. A state feedback control is then necessary. The technique adopted control tested by computer simulation has shown the validity and usefulness of this approach to the pursuit of speed and stator current of the synchronous motor to control the ship speed.
Minimally invasive coronary bypass versus percutaneous coronary intervention for isolated complex stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery.

Abstract Objective Debate continues as to the optimal minimally invasive treatment modality for complex disease of the left anterior descending coronary artery, with advocates for both robotic-assisted minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass and percutaneous coronary intervention with a drug-eluting stent. We analyzed the midterm outcomes of patients with isolated left anterior descending disease, revascularized by minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass or drug-eluting stent percutaneous coronary intervention, focusing on those with complex lesion anatomy. Methods A retrospective review was undertaken of all patients who underwent coronary revascularization between January 2008 and December 2016. From this population, 158 propensity-matched pairs of patients were generated from 158 individuals who underwent minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass for isolated complex left anterior descending disease and from 373 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention using a second-generation drug-eluting stent. Midterm survival and incidence of repeat left anterior descending intervention were analyzed for both patient groups. Results Overall 9-year survival was not significantly different between patient groups both before and after propensity matching. Midterm mortality in the matched minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass group was low, irrespective of patient risk profile. By contrast, advanced age (hazard ratio, 1.10; P = .012) and obesity (hazard ratio, 1.09; P = .044) predicted increased late death after drug-eluting stent percutaneous coronary intervention among matched patients. Patients who underwent minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass were significantly less likely to require repeat left anterior descending revascularization than those who had percutaneous coronary intervention, both before and after propensity matching. Smaller stent diameter in drug-eluting stent percutaneous coronary intervention was associated with increased left anterior descending reintervention (hazard ratio, 3.53; P = .005). Conclusions In patients with complex disease of the left anterior descending artery, both minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass and percutaneous coronary intervention are associated with similar excellent intermediate-term survival, although reintervention requirements are lower after surgery.
Influence of pediatric nurses children's funny name and identification on improving nursing quality

目的 探讨儿科护士童趣化别名及标识对提高护理质量的影响。 方法 选取杭州市儿童医院2018年1－6月收治的患儿200例为观察对象，根据时间段分为对照组和观察组，每组100例。对照组采用传统方法进行自我介绍，观察组责任护士以童趣化别名及标识的方式进行自我介绍。测试两组患儿家长对责任护士的知晓率、患儿家长寻求帮助的主动性、家长满意度、护士责任感并进行统计学分析。 结果 观察组患儿家长对责任护士的知晓率(95.0%)、患儿家长寻求帮助的主动性(92.0%)、家长满意度(96.0%)均明显高于对照组的80.0%、77.0%、79.0%(χ2＝10.286、8.589、13.211，均P<0.05)；采用新型方法进行自我介绍时具备高度责任感的护理人员所占比率为100.0%，显著高于采用传统方法进行自我介绍时的68.4%，差异有统计学意义(P＝0.020)。 结论 采用童趣化别名及标识进行自我介绍可显著提高患儿家长对责任护士的知晓率、患儿家长寻求帮助的主动性、家长满意度及护士责任感，提高临床护理质量。
Comorbidity Management in Black Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer: the Role of Primary Care in Shared Care.

Black women are more likely to have comorbidity at breast cancer diagnosis compared with White women, which may account for half of the Black-White survivor disparity. Comprehensive disease management requires a coordinated team of healthcare professionals including primary care practitioners, but few studies have examined shared care in the management of comorbidities during cancer care, especially among racial/ethnic minorities. To examine whether the type of medical team composition is associated with optimal clinical care management of comorbidities. We used the Women’s Circle of Health Follow-up Study, a population-based cohort of Black women diagnosed with breast cancer. The likelihood of receiving optimal comorbidity management after breast cancer diagnosis was compared by type of medical team composition (shared care versus cancer specialists only) using binomial regression. Black women with a co-diagnosis of diabetes and/or hypertension at breast cancer diagnosis between 2012 and 2016 (N = 274). Outcome—optimal clinical care management of diabetes (i.e., A1C test, LDL-C test, and medical attention for nephropathy) and hypertension (i.e., lipid screening and prescription for hypertension medication). Main predictor—shared care, whether the patient received care from both a cancer specialist and a primary care provider and/or a medical specialist within the 12 months following a breast cancer diagnosis. Primary care providers were the main providers involved in managing comorbidities and 90% of patients received shared care during breast cancer care. Only 54% had optimal comorbidity management. Patients with shared care were five times (aRR: 4.62; 95% CI: 1.66, 12.84) more likely to have optimal comorbidity management compared with patients who only saw cancer specialists. Suboptimal management of comorbidities during breast cancer care exists for Black women. However, our findings suggest that shared care is more beneficial at achieving optimal clinical care management for diabetes and hypertension than cancer specialists alone.
Quantification of Translaminar Pressure Gradient (TLPG) With Continuous Wireless Telemetry in Nonhuman Primates (NHPs).

Purpose Recent retrospective clinical and animal studies suggest that cerebrospinal fluid pressure (CSFP) is important in glaucoma pathogenesis. Intraocular pressure (IOP) and CSFP are the driving components of translaminar pressure (TLP = IOP - CSFP), which acts across the lamina cribrosa (LC) thickness to create the translaminar pressure gradient (TLPG = TLP/LC thickness). Methods We developed an implantable wireless telemetry system based on a small piezoelectric sensor with low temporal drift. IOP, measured in the anterior chamber, and intracranial pressure (ICP), measured in the brain parenchyma (as a surrogate for CSFP) were measured at 200 Hz in three male rhesus macaques (nonhuman primates, NHPs) on a 10% duty cycle (15 seconds of every 150-second period). Three-dimensional LC thickness was autosegmented as the mean thickness of the visible hyperreflective band in 48 radial spectral-domain optical coherence tomography b-scans centered on the optic nerve head. Results Results indicated the rank order of IOP, ICP, TLP, and TLPG for waking, sleeping, and 24-hour periods averaged across all days. NHP 150110 had the highest IOP and ICP in all periods; however, it had the lowest TLPG in all periods due to its relatively thick LC. The other two NHPs showed similar shifts in the rank order of possible glaucoma risk factors. Conclusions IOP is the only modifiable and readily measurable pressure-based risk factor for glaucoma. However, other potential risk factors such as ICP, TLP, and TLPG, as well as their rank-order patterns, differed compared to IOP across subjects, demonstrating that a comprehensive view of relevant risk factors is warranted. Translational Relevance Future studies should consider including CSFP, TLP, and TLPG in addition to IOP as potential risk factors when assessing eye-specific glaucoma susceptibility.
Bitten by the System that Cared for them: Towards a Trauma-Informed Understanding of Patients’ Healthcare Engagement

The BITTEN theoretical framework of trauma-informed healthcare proposes that each patient presents to a healthcare encounter with a baseline level of historical institutional B etrayal and trauma e...
Leadership Development in Ophthalmology: Current Impact and Future Needs

Importance There is a lack of peer-reviewed literature on leadership development programs (LDP) in ophthalmology. Research into LDP demographics, outcomes, and methodology is needed. Objective The aim of the study is to evaluate the extent to which LDPs targeting ophthalmologists meet the needs of emerging leaders. Design The design type of the study is cross-sectional analysis. Setting This study involves international setting. Participants The participants involved were ophthalmologists at any career level. Methods Routine internet search was used to identify LDPs targeting ophthalmologists. LDPs identified were categorized by the outcome data available into four levels based on prior literature. Participants were assessed using previously validated software for gender (Gender-API, 2020) and race or ethnicity (NamSor, 2020) Results Nine programs were identified which were classified into LDP generations. The first LDP in ophthalmology was the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) LDP, which served as the nidus for the formation of four multinational LDPs, together forming the Global LDP. These LDPs were similar in size and scope; program size ranging from nine to 30 participants; a length of 1 to 2 years; with similar curricular offerings; with funding primarily derived from cost-sharing with a nominating society. The second generation of ophthalmology LDPs in the United States has targeted female scientists or faculty (Women's LDP by ARVO) and academic ophthalmology leaders (Academic LDP by Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology). The AAO's LDP appears increasingly diverse with approximately 13% women at inception, gradually increasing from 40 to 65% women in the last 5 years (n = 389). There has also been a notable increase in ethnic diversity. Conclusion and Relevance AAO LDP is the preeminent leadership training program for ophthalmologists, and it has influenced the creation of a new generation of LDP offerings. There remains a paucity of LDP evaluation metrics and reported outcomes. Newer iterations are successfully targeting academic leadership and attempting to address known disparities in gender and race or ethnicity. Further expansion of LDPs and related research can ensure equity and diversity in the pipeline.
Parallel Decision Fusion with Local Constraints

Motivated by an example by Tenney and Sandell (1981), we discuss the trade-off between performance of local detectors (LDs) and the combined LD/Data Fusion Center system in parallel decision fusion architectures. In these architectures the LDs make observations, translate these observations to local decisions, and send these local decisions forward to a Data Fusion Center (DFC). The DFC uses the local decisions to synthesize a global decision (in our context both local and global decisions are binary and pertain to binary hypothesis testing based on the LD observations; in other words, both LDs and DFC decide whether to accept or reject a hypothesis). The original example demonstrated how the minimization of a global performance index by the combined system may yield an alignment of the local detectors that avoids a high value of the performance index, but otherwise have no value at the LD level (the LDs are directed to make constant decisions that are almost independent of the observations, in order to avoid a local-decision combination that would incur a high penalty). If we require that the global performance index be minimized while the LDs are also allowed to minimize a local performance index (or have constraints on their error probabilities), a trade-off emerges between the local and global performances. In this paper we provide an example similar in nature to the Tenney-Sandell example, and proceed to analyze the impact of performance constraints on the LDs on the design and performance of the parallel decision fusion architecture. If we provide reasonable constraints on the performance of the LDs, a compromise can be established between the global performance index and the local LD performances.
Cumulative vulnerabilities as a potential moderator of response to reduced nicotine content cigarettes.

Abstract Risk for smoking increases in a summative manner corresponding to the number of co-occurring vulnerabilities present (cumulative vulnerability). We examined whether cumulative vulnerabilities moderate response to reduced nicotine content cigarettes in a secondary analysis of results from 775 participants in three 12-week randomized clinical trials examining research cigarettes varying in nicotine content (0.4, 2.4, 15.8 mg nicotine/g tobacco). Participants were categorized as having 0–1, 2–3, or ≥ 4 cumulative vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities included: rural residence, current substance use disorder, current affective disorder, low educational attainment, poverty, unemployment, physical disability. The primary outcome was total cigarettes per day (CPD) during Week 12; secondary outcomes included CPD across weeks, toxin exposure, dependence severity, craving/withdrawal (17 dependent measures). Results were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of covariance and growth-curve modeling. Total CPD during Week 12 increased as cumulative-vulnerability increased (P = 0.004), and decreased as nicotine content decreased (P Clinicaltrials.gov identifiers: NCT02232737 , NCT02250664 , NCT02250534 .
Increasing Safe Sleep Practices in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages healthcare providers to practice and model safe sleep practices (SSPs) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) when it is developmentally and medically appropriate for the infant. Preintervention data were collected as a baseline prior to the quality improvement (QI) initiative and revealed that 87% of eligible infants were in unsafe sleep environments (n = 331/379). This data revealed the need for an improvement project to help increase the percentage of infants placed in safe sleep in this NICU. PURPOSE The purpose of this QI initiative was to increase the percentage of eligible infants being placed in safe sleep environments by registered nurses in a NICU. METHODS The development of an evidence-based safe sleep bundle was implemented in a level IV NICU at an academic medical center in the Southeastern United States. Data were subsequently collected for 5 months via bi weekly crib audits. RESULTS Of the 744 infants audited in the QI period, 604 were observed in a safe sleep environment. From the pre- to postintervention period, SSPs increased by 68% (preintervention: 13%, postintervention: 81%, P value < .001). Adherence to the varying components of SSPs also reflected statistically significant improvements. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE SSPs should be endorsed and modeled in all NICUs. Introducing proper SSPs in the hospital setting may lead to better compliance at home by the infants' caregivers.
Study on a gas flowing diode pumped cesium laser

Because of the low thermal conductivity of the mixture gases in an alkali vapor cell, the temperature of the pumping area of an alkali vapor cell can be extremely high than that of other area. Therefore, thermally-induced effects, such as, consumption of atomic alkali, degradation of output power, glass window contamination by the products of the optically chemical reaction between atomic alkali and buffer gases, etc. can be observed in high temperature heated diode pumped alkali lasers (DPALs) in the case of high power pumping. Generally, a flowing diode pumped alkali laser (FDPAL) system is thought to be a useful way to mitigate thermal effects in a DPAL system. In the paper, a mathematical model of a flowing diode pumped cesium laser (FDPCL) was constructed to systematically study the temperature distribution, the flow filed distribution, and the impacts of pressure of the buffer gases on output power of a FDPCL, etc. The laser kinetics, heat transfer, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are both taken into account at the same time during the simulation. The multi-physics coupling method was utilized to solve such three physics induced problem during the simulation. It has been demonstrated that the temperature distribution of a FDPCL system depends on the distribution of gas flow filed, a gas flow method can decrease thermal effects in a DPAL system, and the output power of a DPAL can be improved by increasing the velocity of gas flow filed.
Major Histocompatibility Complex Genes

Antigen binding by B cells occurs directly with the BCR recognizing epitopes on antigens. T cell recognition of antigens cannot occur unless the antigens are bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins. A deficiency in MHC class I or II proteins results in failure of T cells to express CD4 or CD8 molecules in the thymus. The MHC genes encode proteins responsible for diversity of the immune response in individuals. The MHC genes are the most polymorphic in the human genome and include genes encoding glycoproteins responsible for recognition of alloantigens on foreign tissue such as transplantation antigens. MHC is a cluster of genes encoding class I, II and III proteins. Both class I and II MHC proteins are responsible for T cell restriction in its recognition of antigen. The gene clusters of class I and II are closely linked in all species. The genes are highly polymorphic, closely linked and therefore inherited together. The MHC genes contain many alternate forms referred to as alleles. The alleles are codominantly expressed and inherited as a set of alleles from each parent. Each set is known as a haplotype. There is no self/non-self-discrimination in the interaction with antigens. The selection pressures responsible for maintaining the close link are not well understood. The class III locus contains a cluster of unrelated genes encoding proteins that have importance in immunity but do not directly bind antigens. The MHC gene order on chromosomes varies from mouse to humans. All vertebrate species possess MHC or MHC-like collection of genes. MHC proteins are essential for both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell effector functions. Unlike B lymphocytes, which can recognize antigens directly, and can recognize epitopes that are conformationally constrained, T lymphocytes cannot recognize antigens directly and require that the antigens be processed to reveal internal hydrophobic peptides. These peptides bind to MHC molecules and the MHC-peptide complex becomes expressed on the surface of antigen presenting cells (APCs). In humans, MHC proteins are also known as human leukocyte antigens (HLA).
Is There a Role for Immunotherapy in Central Nervous System Cancers

Glioblastoma has emerged as an immunotherapy-refractory tumor based on negative phase III studies of anti-programmed cell death-1 therapy among newly diagnosed as well as recurrent patients. In addition, although much work on vaccine and cellular approaches is ongoing, therapeutic benefit with these approaches has been underwhelming. Much scientific insight into the multitiered layers of immunosuppression exploited by glioblastoma tumors is emerging that sheds light on the explanation for the disappointing results to date and highlights possible therapeutic avenues that may offer a better likelihood of therapeutic benefit for immune-based therapies.
Thermoelectric topping cycles with scalable design and temperature dependent material properties

Abstract Analysis and optimization of topping thermoelectric generators with bottoming Rankine cycle is presented. Interface temperature between the two cycles is optimized for fuel efficiency. It is shown that the topping thermoelectric generator may increase the system efficiency by 6% for a coal-fired power plant with approximately 0.2–0.3 $/W in material cost. The topping cycle can be a viable large scale application of thermoelectric generators since peak ZT of the material can be optimized in a narrow temperature range without cascading.
Nondestructive testing: Introduction

A comparison of selected nondestructive evaluation methods is presented. The properties sensed, type of flaws detected, and application for each nondestructive test are shown.
The Application of Inspection Platform in Substation Inspection

Based on the field-operation requirements of electric power companies, the servers and mobile terminals must be combined. In this paper, a field-operation mobile platform has been developed. This platform can improve field-operation management of electric power companies, achieving a new level in aspects of informatization, real-timing performance and paperless. According to this platform, the safety and quality of field-operation system could be improved significantly, and more social and economic benefits could be created.
Actions of mammalian pituitary gonadotropins (FSH and LH) in reptiles: II. Turtles

Abstract The gonadotropic effects of ovine (NIH) FSH and LH were studied in the male turtles Kinosternum subrubrum and Pseudemys scripta and female Chrysemys picta. Both intact and hypophysectomized female Chrysemys were relatively insensitive to ovine FSH, even in the presence of growth hormone. In the males of both species tested, FSH alone appeared capable of stimulating testis growth, recrudescence of spermatogenesis, and hypertrophy of the interstitial cells in hypophysectomized animals. LH was either ineffective or only weakly active relative to FSH. In intact Kinosternum, FSH augmented endogenously stimulated gonadal development but LH tended to inhibit endogenous gonadotropic activity. These results indicate that the chelonians are like squamates (snakes and lizards) with respect to their responsiveness to mammalian pituitary gonadotropins, and that either Reptilia have only a single pituitary gonadotropin (with both “FSH” and “LH” like activities), or the mammalian FSH molecule possesses the properties of both reptilian hormones.
Fasting and refeeding in the lactating dairy cow: 1. The recovery of milk yield and blood chemistry following a six-day fast

Abstract Cows in early lactation were fasted for 6 days and then refed a complete diet for 70 days. The changes in milk yield, milk composition and blood chemistry during fasting were monitored and the time taken for recovery of these parameters following refeeding was determined. During a 6-day fast, milk yield fell by 70 per cent and there was a significant decrease in plasma glucose concentrations. Plasma free fatty acid and plasma lipid concentrations were raised during fasting. Following refeeding, blood concentrations of glucose, free fatty acids and protein, and milk composition, all returned to control levels within 5 days. Milk yield and blood lipid concentrations took up to 49 days to recover fully.
Ion-Molecule Chemistry of Carbon in Shielded Regions

The abundances of neutral carbon and carbon molecules are calculated using the updated chemical model of Graedel and Langer. The inclusion of new reactions and rate coefficients increases substantially the CI abundances in shielded regions even for C/O<1.
The Structure of a Bacterial Ferredoxin

Abstract The structure of the bacterial ferredoxin from Peptococcus aerogenes (54 amino acids) has been determined at 2.8 A resolution. The molecule is a prolate ellipsoid with approximate dimension of 22 x 27A. The iron and sulfur atoms are in two complexes 12 A apart with 4 iron, 4 inorganic sulfur, and 4 cysteine sulfur atoms in each. Cys 8, 11, 14, and 45 are coordinated to iron atoms in one complex and Cys 18, 35, 38, and 41 are coordinated to iron in the other. The two tyrosine groups present in the molecule are oriented in a similar way with respect to the complexes: Tyr 2 is parallel to and apparently in contact with one face of one complex and Tyr 28 is oriented similarly with respect to the other. Both tyrosine rings have an edge exposed to the solvent. The structure was solved with three isomorphous derivatives, at first used independently but later combined, to determine phases for the native data. Refinement of the structure has been initiated with 2 A resolution data.
Overcoming a Fear of Religion in Social Work Education and Practice

This article, as a general theorectical discussion about social work and religion, aspires to address some of the concerns of social work educators may have in dealing with the topic of religion in the teaching of social work. Social work practitioners are also encouraged to consider the religious beliefs and spiritual practices of their clients. Reference is made to discerning religion and social work ethics and values when dealing with difficult issues of homosexuality, divorce, end‐of‐life care, HIV/AIDS, and abortion.
SOURCES OF LARGE-SCALE BIRKELAND CURRENTS

Magnetic field observations conducted from satellites nearly 30 years ago confirmed the presence of field-aligned currents proposed by Kristian Birkeland, criticized by Sydney Chapman, and promoted by Hannes Alfven. Such currents are one of the most important elements in the circuit between interplanetary space, the magnetosphere, and the polar ionosphere, and they also play an important role in the shape of the magnetosphere itself. Much work has been conducted on Birkeland currents in the past few years with ground-based and satellite observations, theory, and simulations. Significant advances have been made in developing improved geomagnetic field maps and particle precipitation patterns and in conducting near-simultaneous multisatellite measurements in critical regions near noon and midnight. The objective of this study is to use this knowledge to identify the many sources of large-scale Birkeland currents.
Computational predictions of properties and applications of unique carbon nanotube configurations

Carbon nanotubes are thin cylindrical molecular tubes with nanometer length scale cross-sections. Their unique shape and nanoscale dimensions give them extraordinarily interesting mechanical, chemical and electrical properties that can be exploited to create unique useful devices. In this work, we examine different configurations of carbon nanotubes and predict their properties and applications through accurate atomic-level classical and quantum mechanical computer simulation techniques. Firstly, we examined in detail the configuration changes in single wall carbon nanotubes as the diameter was increased. We found that for diameters over 4 nanometers, van der Waal attraction forces cause single wall carbon nanotubes to energetically prefer a flattened cross-section over a round one. This flattened nanotube structure can be dynamically transitioned into a round nanotube structure by application of a static electric charge greater than .4 electrons/atom on the nanotube walls. Furthermore, we found that the introduction of a substrate reduced the diameter requirement for stable flattened nanotubes to only 2.6 nanometers. However, we also calculated that these results applied only to perfectly straight nanotubes and that the introduction of small bends along the nanotube axis created a structure which prefers the round configuration state. We also studied in detail the electronic structure of the flattened nanotube configuration and found significantly different electronic behavior from the round nanotube configuration. Based on these results, we proposed novel applications such as nanometer-scale fluid pumps and electrical switches. We also offer a possible explanation for some experimental result anomalies previously attributed to measurement error. Secondly, we conducted a detailed analysis of the binding energy of atomic hydrogen as a function of increasing hydrogen coverage. The possibility of making use of the highly controllable curvature of the flattened SWNT structure has provided impetus to understanding the general principles of hydrogen chemisorption on single wall carbon nanotubes. We found that hydrogen preferred to bind to the nanotube in such a way as to (1) create high curvature "kink" areas where the H atoms are adsorbed to allow for the larger sp 3 bonding angles; (2) create large low curvature regions for remaining non-hydrogen bonded carbon atoms due to increased π-bonding among the sp2 bonded atoms. Based on these results, we deduced the maximum spontaneous hydrogen coverage to be between 50% and 75% with an energy preference of approximately 25meV against increasing hydrogen coverage despite calculating that binding energies were stable up to 100% coverage consistent with other studies.
High current low contact resistance platinum-coated CMOS-MEMS probes

We report on high current, low contact resistance, platinum-coated, lever-based CMOS-MEMS electrothermal probes with embedded displacement and force sensors for MEMS Instrumented Self-Configuring Integrated Circuits (MISCICs). The MISCIC vision is to use MEMS conductive probes to reconfigure ICs, mainly RF ICs such as inductors, by mechanically addressing and passing current pulses through resistance change vias which are embedded within chip circuitry. With a platinum-coated conductive tip of 2.6 × 2.6 µm2 and a contact force of around 20 µN, the achieved contact resistance is 0.64 Ω. The tip and its routing path survive after passing a 20 mA DC current for 60 minutes without failure.
Detection of High-Frequency and Novel DNMT3A Mutations in Acute Myeloid Leukemia by High-Resolution Melting Curve Analysis

DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) is mutated in a subset of de novo acute myeloid leukemia patients and is associated with poor overall and event-free survival. Because routine Sanger sequencing of the 23 DNMT3A exons is impractical in clinical laboratories, we developed a high-throughput method using high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis, which identifies sequence variants by detecting subtle changes in the melting patterns of mutant DNA in comparison with WT sequences. DNA from 104 acute myeloid leukemia patients was tested for mutations in 12 exons encoding 3 major functional domains of DNMT3A: the PWWP (proline-tryptophan-tryptophan-proline) domain (exons 8 to 10), the ADD (ATM-DNMT3-DNMT3L) zinc finger, and the methyltransferase domains encoded by exons 15 to 23. HRM analysis identified 20 of 104 patient samples as variants, which we confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Codon 882 of exon 23 was mutated at the highest frequency with an occurrence rate of 11.5%. All HRM WT calls were confirmed to be devoid of mutations by Sanger sequencing. We also identified seven novel and previously unreported DNMT3A mutations. Structural modeling showed seven of the eight missense mutations detected in our study increased the free energy, destabilized protein, and altered solvent accessibility, suggesting their loss-of-function nature. These data demonstrate HRM analysis to be a higher throughput, sensitive, and efficient alternative to Sanger sequencing for detecting DNMT3A mutations in the clinical diagnostic laboratory.
Observation of very-short-lived radiation effects in rare-earth solids following Coulomb excitation

We have observed changes in the M\"ossbauer recoilless fraction $f$ associated with short-lived radiation effects for a number of different rare earths with short-lifetime M\"ossbauer transitions. A simple thermal model is used to interpret these effects in terms of transient "thermal spikes."
Effect of Doxazosin on Endothelial Dysfunction in Hypercholesterolemic/Antioxidant-Deficient Rats

Hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, and coronary heart disease are associated with abnormal endothelium-dependent, nitric oxide-mediated vasorelaxation. In rats, hypercholesterolemia in combination with deficiencies of vitamin E and selenium results in increased endogenous lipid oxidation and endothelial dysfunction. Two hydroxymetabolites of doxazosin, an alpha 1-adrenergic blocking antihypertensive agent, inhibit human lipid oxidation in vitro in a dose-dependent fashion. The present studies were performed to determine the effect of in vivo treatment with doxazosin on endothelial dysfunction in hypercholesterolemic/ antioxidant-deficient rats. Dahl rats were fed 1) a standard diet, 2) a high cholesterol (4%) diet, or 3) a high cholesterol, vitamin E- and selenium-deficient diet. A subgroup of animals in each group were administered doxazosin (3.5 mg/100 g/day) for 16 weeks. In the aortas, vascular relaxations induced by acetylcholine were significantly decreased (P < .05) in high cholesterol/antioxidant-deficient rats compared with normal and high cholesterol animals. Doxazosin treatment prevented the impairment in endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation in the high cholesterol/antioxidant-deficient group. Vasorelaxation in response to the exogenous nitric oxide donor diethylamine nanoate, which was significantly impaired (P < .05) in aortas from high cholesterol/antioxidant-deficient animals compared with normal and high cholesterol animals, was normalized in aortas from high cholesterol/ antioxidant-deficient animals that had received doxazosin. The antioxidant effect of doxazosin may have therapeutic implications in diseases associated with endothelial dysfunction linked to products of lipid oxidation.
The Oklahoma City Micronet

The Oklahoma City Micronet (OKCNET) is an operational surface observing network designed to improve atmospheric monitoring across the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, metropolitan area. The 40 station network consists of 4 Oklahoma Mesonet stations and 36 micronet stations mounted on traffic signals at an average station spacing of approximately 3 km. Using several technical innovations as well as existing infrastructure in Oklahoma City, data are collected and quality assured in near real-time at an interval of 1 min for the traffic signal sites and 5 min for the Mesonet sites. Because OKCNET also spans a land use gradient from rural to urban, the spatial and temporal densities of OKCNET observations have shed new insights on atmospheric processes (e.g. the urban heat island, severe thunderstorm evolution) across the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society
Information theoretic characterizations of compressive-sensing-based space object identification

The solar-reflected brightness distribution of a man-made space object has regions of spatially uniform brightness and spectral content that are interrupted only by boundaries separating one material region from another. The relatively simple structure of this distribution permits, as we demonstrate here, spectral-correlation-based strategies to extract information about the boundaries and material constituents of the segments of the object surface. Still simpler compressive-sensing (CS) based approaches that require no specific spectral analysis can also efficiently perform such information extraction, which is a critical task of any space-object identification (SOI) system. We analyze here these latter approaches by means of statistical information theory (IT) in the context of a highly idealized satellite model with rectilinear material boundaries and quasi-one-dimensional (1D) brightness distribution. Our analysis includes spectrally dependent diffractive blur as well as detector noise against which we optimize, via our IT calculations, the choice of the CS mask set, the bandwidth of the spectral measurements, and the minimum number of measurements needed for extracting information about the boundary locations and material identities.
Prolonged Muscular Activity without Phosphate Exchange

ALTHOUGH there is a paucity of direct supporting evidence for the postulate that the immediate source of the energy for muscular contraction is the dephosphorylation of adenosine triphosphate, this view has been accepted by most authors1–3. The usual finding that there is no net decrease in the amount of adenosine triphosphate present in the working muscle is attributed to its rapid resynthesis by transfer of the phosphate group of phosphocreatine. However, Fleckenstein et al. 4 found no evidence for such transfers of phosphate groups in a tracer study on drug-induced contracture of muscles of the frog, and Dixon and Sacks5 found no evidence for equilibration of isotopic phosphorus between the terminal phosphorus of adenosine triphosphate and phosphocreatine in the course of a tetanic contraction of the cat gastrocnemius muscle of 30 sec. duration. Nor was there any equilibration of the isotope between the middle phosphorus of adenosine triphosphate and the corresponding phosphorus of adenosine diphosphate, such as would be expected to result from mixing of any adenosine diphosphate formed during the tetanus with that initially present in the resting muscle.
A gerontological distance metric for analysis of survival dynamics.

Abstract A metric for quantifying a gerontological mapping ‘distance’ or displacement consistent with the historical concept of velocity of aging and with the more recent concept of acceleration of aging, is introduced using the paradigm of a simple linear dynamics system of elementary physics. This analysis is extended to recent analytical methods utilizing intrinsic or internal time scaling so that biological or gerontological similarity can be distinguished from chronological age similarity, not only among various intraspecies populations but also among interspecies populations which may not even have the same underlying mechanisms of senescence or survival distributions. Illustrative examples are provided and discussed. Also, applications involving the comparison of an individual from one population to an individual from another population, when both can be assessed with respect to their respective group properties, are considered.