cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A simulation GUI for renewable grid integrated system assessment

This paper presents a design of simulation software for performance and economical assessment of Distributed Renewable Energy Systems as they get integrated in the utility power grid system. The simulation system aims at providing technical support to systems of integrating renewable energy resources of PV and WT at the Residential, Commercial and Industrial electric load levels. The system considered is based on a typical integrated configuration that combines a grid-connected, battery-based PV and/or WT integrated system, and operates on a concept of storing energy in the batteries when the utility rate is low and using this power locally when the rate is high. The model used in the simulation system includes techniques developed to optimize the photovoltaic (PV) power and wind energy generation as well as to maintain proper operation with grid system. The simulation software also provides an economical feasibility assessment of the renewable resources to be used, and has been developed in MATLAB environment [8]. It includes an effective Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the simulation system utilization. The GUI includes a panel that is designed and incorporated in an executable program that provides effective and easy graphical interactions to access the powerful mathematical simulation models used for different system components. A case study is presented to show the effective features of the simulation system.
Pre-filtering and post-filtering in gain-scheduled output-feedback H∞ control

Summary Linear matrix inequality (LMI) design conditions for gain-scheduled output-feedback H∞ control rely on assumptions constraining either system or controller matrices. Throughout the literature, it is common practice to avoid imposing restrictive assumptions on the controller, which may appear undesirable, in favor of state augmentations via pre-filtering and post-filtering to construct auxiliary augmented systems that comply with the alternative assumptions on the system matrices. This technique brings in the additional cost of increased state dimensions of the resulting gain-scheduled output-feedback controllers. In this paper, we explore the interplay and inherent trade-offs between state augmentation, controller structure, and performance. We revisit LMI design conditions for quadratic output-feedback H∞ control and demonstrate that state augmentation via pre-filtering and post-filtering in order to avoid constraints on the controller matrices is never advantageous even without taking into account the added complexity and propensity for numerical issues associated with state augmentation. As an additional contribution, we extend this observation to recently introduced modified LMI conditions allowing combined – however less restrictive – assumptions on system and controller matrices. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Small-Magnitude Effect Sizes in Epigenetic End Points are Important in Children's Environmental Health Studies: The Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center's Epigenetics Working Group.

Background:Characterization of the epigenome is a primary interest for children’s environmental health researchers studying the environmental influences on human populations, particularly those stu...
Mass spectrometric directed system for the continuous-flow synthesis and purification of diphenhydramine

A highly integrated approach to the development of a process for the continuous synthesis and purification of diphenhydramine is reported. Mass spectrometry (MS) is utilized throughout the system for on-line reaction monitoring, off-line yield quantitation, and as a reaction screening module that exploits reaction acceleration in charged microdroplets for high throughput route screening. This effort has enabled the discovery and optimization of multiple routes to diphenhydramine in glass microreactors using MS as a process analytical tool (PAT). The ability to rapidly screen conditions in charged microdroplets was used to guide optimization of the process in a microfluidic reactor. A quantitative MS method was developed and used to measure the reaction kinetics. Integration of the continuous-flow reactor/on-line MS methodology with a miniaturized crystallization platform for continuous reaction monitoring and controlled crystallization of diphenhydramine was also achieved. Our findings suggest a robust approach for the continuous manufacture of pharmaceutical drug products, exemplified in the particular case of diphenhydramine, and optimized for efficiency and crystal size, and guided by real-time analytics to produce the agent in a form that is readily adapted to continuous synthesis.
Immature patients in a mature system: Regional analysis of Florida's pediatric trauma system.

Background The state of Florida's trauma system is organized into seven regions, two of which lack designated pediatric trauma centers. Injured children residing in these regions often require transfer out of their home region for definitive care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the current regionalization approach, focusing on variations between regions. Methods Using the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration database, we identified all trauma patients 15 years old or younger admitted between 2009 and 2014. Patients with high-risk injury (ICD-9 Injury Severity Score 0.9), required no procedures or ICU monitoring, and were discharged within 48 hours, were considered to have received potentially avoidable out-of-region treatment. Regions were compared, and patients treated in-region were compared to those treated out-of-region. Regression models were used to adjust for covariates. Results Of 34,816 patients, 8% had high-risk injuries and the overall mortality rate was 1%. Risk-adjusted outcomes were generally similar across all regions. Regional rates of undertriage varied from 0.4% to 4.7% and were highest in regions lacking a PTC. Eleven percent of patients required definitive treatment outside their home region; these patients had higher hospital charges and stayed in the hospital 0.96 days longer (least-squares mean). Rates of potentially avoidable out-of-region treatment ranged from 7% to 12% in the two regions lacking a PTC. After adjustment for confounders, significant unexplained differences in potentially avoidable out-of-region treatment remained between these two regions (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.6-2.6). Conclusions Florida's regionalized pediatric trauma system performs effectively, with low undertriage and acceptable outcomes. Out-of-region treatment, an inevitable byproduct of the current regionalization approach, imposes a measurable burden on the treating facility and patient/family. Unexplained variations in potentially avoidable out-of-region treatment suggest improvements can be made in system efficiency. Level of evidence Economic/decision study, level III.
A binary mixing model for characterizing stony-soil water retention

Abstract A century of research focused primarily on agricultural soils has largely ignored stony soils, which dominate some forests and are poorly understood in terms of the stone influence on soil hydraulic properties. Motivated by this knowledge gap, we quantified the influence of soil-containing stone fragments on bulk soil hydraulic properties by determining the water retention curve (WRC) of soil, stone and stone-soil mixtures with varied volumetric stone content. The measured WRC for seven different stone types based on their composition showed maximum and minimum saturated water contents of 0.55 m3 m−3 in pumice and 0.025 m3 m−3 in fine sandstone, respectively. The stony soil water retention function was measured using the simplified evaporation method. Contrasting scenarios were studied considering a broad range of stone inclusions; (i) negligibly porous, (ii) significantly porous but less porous than the background soil, (iii) more porous than the background soil. An averaging scheme to describe the WRC of stony soil was proposed based on the individual WRC of the background and stone inclusion which was in good agreement with the experimental data. The HYDRUS-3D model was also employed to simulate the evaporation experiment used for the WRC measurements. The model simulations supported the basic assumptions of the proposed averaging scheme.
Distributed Control of Collaborating and Learning Expert Systems for Street Traffic Signals

Abstract The paper describes our long-term activity aimed at the control of traffic signals by a network of distributed processors situated at street intersections. Every processor runs an identical expert system (possibly with a somewhat different knowledge base) and communicates directly with the four adjacent processors. Messages can reach also indefinitely distant processors, modulated by the needs of intervening ones. The information transmitted can be raw data, processed information or expert advice. The rule-base of the expert systems has a natural segmentation, corresponding to different prevailing traffic patterns and the respective control strategies. Multi-dimensional learning programs optimize both the hierarchy of the rules and the parameters embedded in individual rules. Different measures of effectiveness can be selected as the criterion for optimization. Traffic scenarios are automatically generated for a ‘characteristic period’ — for a certain part of the day (e.g., morning rush hours), a certain type of day in the week (e.g., regular work day), a certain season of the year (e.g., vacation time). The results of our first implementation, a running prototype simulation program, has proven the feasibility and utility of the approach.
Effectiveness of a Web-Based Personalized Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk Tool With or Without a Health Educator for Knowledge of Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk Factors.

OBJECTIVE To assess knowledge of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk factors among unaffected first-degree relatives (FDRs) and to study whether a personalized RA education tool increases risk factor knowledge. METHODS We performed a randomized controlled trial assessing RA educational interventions among 238 FDRs. The web-based Personalized Risk Estimator for RA (PRE-RA) tool displayed personalized RA risk results (genetics, autoantibodies, demographics, and behaviors) and educated about risk factors. Subjects were randomly assigned to a Comparison arm (standard RA education; n = 80), a PRE-RA arm (PRE-RA alone; n = 78), or a PRE-RA Plus arm (PRE-RA and a one-on-one session with a trained health educator; n = 80). The RA Knowledge Score (RAKS), the number of 8 established RA risk factors identified as related to RA, was calculated at baseline and post-education (immediate/6 weeks/6 months/12 months). We compared RAKS and its components at each post-education point by randomization arm. RESULTS At baseline before education, few FDRs identified behavioral RA risk factors (15.6% for dental health, 31.9% for smoking, 47.5% for overweight/obesity, and 54.2% for diet). After education, RAKS increased in all arms, higher in PRE-RA and PRE-RA Plus than Comparison at all post-education points (P < 0.05). PRE-RA subjects were more likely to identify risk factors than those who received standard education (proportion agreeing that smoking is a risk factor at 6 weeks: 83.1% in the PRE-RA Plus arm, 71.8% in the PRE-RA arm, and 43.1% in the Comparison arm; P < 0.05 for PRE-RA versus Comparison). CONCLUSION Despite being both familiar with RA and at increased risk, FDRs had low knowledge about RA risk factors. A web-based personalized RA education tool successfully increased RA risk factor knowledge.
Hurricane Overwash and Decadal-Scale Evolution of a Narrowing Barrier Island, Ocracoke Island, NC

Barrier islands are found around the world and are important environmentally and economically. With accelerated sea level rise and relentless storms, their evolution is complex but important to understand, especially from a coastal planning and managing perspective. In this study, shoreline change estimates from aerial photography (1949, 1974, 2006), sedimentological and stratigraphic investigation, and analysis of geomorphic character were used to evaluate the hurricane response and decadal evolution of Ocracoke Island, NC. Between 1949 and 2006, the majority (> 65% of transects) of the entire island eroded at an average rate of − 0.54 m/year. Cross-island width decreased by as much as 40% (180 m) over the period. Hurricane Isabel (2003) represented up to 23% of the long-term net change in some regions of the island. The rate of narrowing of Ocracoke Island appears to have increased in the last half century and is due to a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors. Isabel overwashed a total of 9% of the island based on aerial photographic analysis with an average deposit thickness of 0.24 m based on trench investigation. Assessment with the Storm Impact Scale showed a direct relationship between overwash and the pre-existing dune conditions, which had been affected by long-term erosion. Sedimentological signatures interpreted from cores show up to four distinct stacked overwash deposits, potentially dating back as far as 1944. This multi-pronged analysis shows the complexity of barrier island evolution and highlights the necessity to examine and model a system response in four dimensions (i.e., spatially and with time).
Competition Policy at the Intersection of Equity and Efficiency: The Developed and Developing Worlds

The author tells the tale of her journey to discover the synergy between equity and efficiency.
Diabetic Gastroparesis: Principles and Current Trends in Management

This article is a comprehensive review of diabetic gastroparesis, defined as delayed or disordered gastric emptying, including basic principles and current trends in management. This review includes sections on anatomy and physiology, diagnosis and differential diagnosis as well as management and current guidelines for treatment of diabetic gastroparesis. Diabetic gastroparesis (DGp) is a component of autonomic neuropathy resulting from long-standing poorly controlled type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The diagnostic workup of DGp first excludes obstruction and other causes including medications that may mimic delayed/disordered gastric emptying. Targeting nutrition, hydration, symptomatic relief and glycemic control are mainstays of treatment for DGp. Additionally, optimal treatment of DGp includes good glycemic management, often involving customizing insulin delivery using basal-bolus insulin and technology, including sensor-augmented pumps and continuous glucose monitoring systems. Prokinetic medications may be helpful in DGp symptoms, although only limited number of medications is currently available in the USA. Selected medication-refractory patients with DGp may benefit from gastric neuromodulation, and some from surgical interventions including pyloric therapies that can also be done endoscopically. As is true of any of the diabetic complications, prevention of DGp by early and optimal glycemic control is more cost-effective.Funding: Hansa Medcell, India.
Superspreading: Role of the Substrate Surface Energy

Trisiloxane surfactants are a class of nonionic surfactants that have the unique ability to spread quickly on difficult-to-wet surfaces (i.e., hydrophobic surfaces). There are numerous studies on the spreading of trisiloxane surfactants, but the mechanism of spreading is not fully understood. The trisiloxane surfactant containing 7.5–8.0 mol of ethylene oxide groups (e.g., Silwet L-77) has been found to be one of the best spreading agents for substrates with an intermediate wettability, and is an excellent herbicide adjuvant, causing an aqueous solution to completely spread on leaf surfaces (e.g., “velvetleaf”). It was observed that, at any substrate wetting angle between 35∘ and 115∘ (referred to as the “water phase”), the spreading rate vs. concentration had a maximum. The value of the concentration corresponding to the maximum rate of spreading did not depend on substrate’s wetting angle. The spreading rate had an optimum at a substrate wetting angle between 60–65∘. The optimum in the spreading rate for L77 reported in the literature had a maximum at a surfactant concentration of 0.45 wt% and a substrate wettability of 60–65∘. Here, we present a simple model based on the Marangoni flow over a curved surface illustrating why the rate of spreading vs. substrate wettability has an optimum at a wetting angle of 60–65∘. The model predicts well the value of the spreading rate and the optimum value of the substrate wetting angle.
Prospects for the Ad Hoc Group

This paper addresses the issues currently being considered by the Ad Hoc Group and the prospects for the future. The political rather than the technical intricacies of the issues are considered indicating why these issues are as yet unresolved and what the current position is on them.
Why the Gulf Disaster Happened

Transocean and Halliburton’s crews finished cementing the Macondo well at 12:40 a.m. on April 20, 2010. At 5 p.m. on the same day, or some 16 hours later, the fateful negative pressure test began.
The Significance of Hormone Routes of Administration

Oral administration has been the most popular form of HT, until the findings of the Women’s Health Initiative in 2002. At times, in the form of Premarin, oral HT has been among the top-prescribed drugs in the United States.
Global dynamics of a cancer stem cell treatment model

We provide global stability arguments for a cancer treatment model with chemotherapy and radiotherapy that accounts for the cancer stem cell hypothesis. Employing the method of localisation of compact invariant sets, we resolve the global dynamics of the no-treatment, constant radiation, and combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy cases. In our analysis of the combination treatment model, we show that the presence of a chemotherapy agent lowers the required radiation strength for a globally stable cure state.
Maternal Age and Preeclampsia Outcomes during Delivery Hospitalizations.

Objective To characterize risk and temporal trends for preeclampsia and related outcomes by maternal age. Study Design Deliveries to women aged 15 to 54 years in the 1998 to 2014 National Inpatient Sample who had a diagnosis of preeclampsia, eclampsia, or both were included in the analysis. Age was categorized as 15 to 17, 18 to 24, 25 to 29, 30 to 34, 35 to 39, 40 to 44, and 45 to 54 years. The primary outcome was temporal trends in preeclampsia based on maternal age. Secondary outcomes analyzed included risk for severe maternal morbidity. Results The proportion of women with preeclampsia aged 15 to 24 years decreased from 42.3% in 1998 to 30.1% in 2014, while preeclampsia among those 30 to 54 years increased from 32.9 to 43.7%. Preeclampsia risk increased for all groups over the study period. Risk for severe morbidity by age group with and without transfusion was “U-shaped,” with risk highest for women 18 to 24 and 40 to 54 years. The risk for abruption, acute renal failure, acute heart failure or pulmonary edema, and stroke was lowest for women aged 15 to 24 years and increased in a “dose-dependent” manner with increasing maternal age. In contrast, eclampsia risk was highest for women aged 15 to 17 years. Conclusion With a changing demographic profile of preeclampsia, older women accounted for an increasing proportion of preeclampsia and related adverse outcomes.
A Population Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamic Approach To Optimize Tazobactam Activity in Critically Ill Patients.

ABSTRACT The percentage of the time that the free drug concentration remains above a concentration threshold (%fT > concentration threshold) has frequently been identified to be the optimal pharmacokinetic (PK)-pharmacodynamic (PD) target of interest for tazobactam using in vitro infection models. Similar in vitro models suggested that an 85% fT > concentration threshold of 2 μg/ml for tazobactam is required to demonstrate a 2-log10-unit decrease in the number of CFU per milliliter from that at the baseline at 24 h for high-level β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli strains. The objective of this study was to characterize the tazobactam concentrations in a cohort of critically ill patients with Gram-negative bacterial infections, determine if traditional dosing regimens achieve a prespecified PK/PD target of an 80% fT > concentration threshold of 2 μg/ml, and propose alternative dosing regimens. Hospitalized critically ill adult patients receiving piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP) for a culture-positive Gram-negative bacterial infection were eligible to consent for study inclusion. Two blood samples were drawn, one during the midpoint of the dosing interval and one at the time of the trough concentration once the patient achieved PK steady state. A population PK model was developed using Phoenix NLME (v8.1) software to characterize the observed concentration-time profile of tazobactam, explore potential covariates to explain the variability in the clearance and volume parameters, and to simulate potential dosing regimens that would achieve the PK/PD target. The PK of tazobactam were adequately described by a one-compartment model with first-order elimination in 18 patients who provided consent. The final model incorporated creatinine clearance as a covariate on clearance. Simulations demonstrated target attainments of less than 50% for tazobactam using traditional dosing regimens (4/0.5 g over 30 min every 6 h). Target attainments of greater than 75% were achieved when using extended infusion times of 4 to 6 h or when administering TZP as a continuous infusion (16/2 g over 24 h). Traditional tazobactam dosing regimens fail to achieve conservative PK/PD targets in critically ill patients. Increases in the tazobactam dose or prolongation of the infusion rate may be warranted to achieve activity against β-lactamase-producing Gram-negative bacteria.
Prenatal Origins of Chronic Kidney Disease

Adverse exposures during fetal life and early childhood create increased vulnerability to development of later life chronic diseases, including CKD and its major precursors – hypertension, diabetes mellitus, central obesity, and atherosclerotic CVD. These exposures can modify both organ structure and epigenetic regulation of gene expression to yield an altered postnatal phenotype. This cluster of increasingly prevalent chronic diseases, including CKD, has common etiologic roots in abnormal fetal growth and development. Harmful early-life exposures include Maternal/Fetal Undernutrition (MFUN), Maternal/Fetal Energy Excess (MFEE), and sustained Psychosocial Stress (MFPS) during pregnancy. These conclusions are drawn from an integration of human and animal-based studies, together with established nephrologic literature addressing renal responses to nephron loss and renal injury patterns following the CKD precursors.
Comparing Risk Factors for Adverse Outcomes in Virgin Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Implantations and Revisions: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Abstract Introduction Recent studies place the risk of infection following inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) implantation at 1–2%. This risk may be underestimated due to the exclusion of high-risk patients, such as patients undergoing multiple revisions or revision following IPP infection, from data. Aim To calculate the rate of postoperative complications for all patients undergoing IPP implantation and revision, and to determine the risk factors predictive of complications following virgin implantation and revision independently. Methods The charts of 280 patients undergoing 331 IPP implantations performed over the last 20 years at a large academic medical center were reviewed for postoperative complications and suspected preoperative and operative risk factors. Main Outcome Measure This included the prevalence of adverse operative outcomes including postoperative infection and device malfunction. Results 63 (20.7%) surgeries resulted in postoperative complications: 38 (12.5%) resulting in device malfunction and 25 (8.20%) resulting in infection. Smoking (odds ratio [OR] = 4.14, P = .00) was associated with overall postoperative complications. Within subgroups, concomitant procedures (OR = 4.77, P = .03) were associated with infection for those undergoing virgin implantation, but not those undergoing revision procedures. Alternatively, diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR = 28.3, P = .02) was associated with postoperative infection for those undergoing revision procedures, but not those undergoing virgin implantation. Conclusion The rate of postoperative infection for all patients undergoing IPP was found to be 8.20%, a higher estimate than historically recorded. To varying degrees, smoking, concomitant procedures, and DM were associated with adverse operative outcomes. Subset analyses revealed significant associations between postoperative infections and either concomitant procedures or DM in those undergoing virgin implantations or revision surgeries, respectively. Miller JA, Bennett NE. Comparing Risk Factors for Adverse Outcomes in Virgin Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Implantations and Revisions: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J Sex Med 2020;8:388–395.
When perfect is never good enough: The predictive role of discrepancy on anxiety, time spent on academic tasks, and psychological well-being in university students

Abstract This study explored the relationships between the discrepancy facet of perfectionism, time spent on academic tasks, task-related and overall anxiety, and general psychological well-being in high-achieving university students (N = 83). Using a lab paradigm, we hypothesized those higher in discrepancy would 1) experience greater task-related state anxiety, 2) invest more time in study tasks, 3) report higher overall anxiety and lower psychological well-being, and that 4) these relationships would remain significant even after taking covariates into account. Results of this preliminary study suggest individuals with elevated discrepancy do not spend more time working than other high-achievers, yet experience greater task-related and overall anxiety, and poorer psychological well-being.
Altered Mental Status in a 5-year-old Girl

1. Tara M. Kopp, MD, MS* 2. Jacob M. Redel, MD†,‡ 3. Holly E. Depinet, MD, MPH§,¶ 1. *Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 2. †Division of Endocrinology, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO 3. ‡Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 4. §Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 5. ¶Department of Pediatric, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH A 5-year-old fully immunized girl with a history of tuberous sclerosis, localization-related epilepsy with remote resection of a seizure focus, developmental delay, oral aversion with gastrostomy tube dependence, and necrotizing pancreatitis presents with reported episodes of gait instability and altered mental status described as her head falling down, sudden diffuse loss of muscle tone, and unresponsiveness lasting 15 to 45 seconds. During the past few hours, the mother has noticed that the child appears wobbly. She had 1 episode of wobbliness with subsequent fall but denies any head injury, loss of consciousness, or tonic-clonic movements. On presentation to the emergency department she had 2 additional episodes of hypotonia and unresponsiveness to verbal stimuli lasting less than 1 minute. She had not recently missed any of her antiepileptic medications, which included levetiracetam, perampanel, vigabatrin, and taurine. In addition, her medications had not been changed in the past 6 months. Due to her oral aversion, her mother assures us that she would not have accidentally ingested any medications or other household substances. Initial temporal temperature is 98.2°F (36.8°C), heart rate is 124 beats/min, blood pressure is 107/77 mm Hg, respiratory rate is 24 breaths/min, and oxygen saturation is 96% on room air. Physical examination reveals a wakeful crying girl fighting medical personnel and intermittently becoming hypotonic and unresponsive to verbal commands. Mucous membranes are moist, and extremities have brisk capillary refill. Respiratory effort is normal except for episodes of periodic shallow breathing. Pupils are midline and reactive but become dilated with minimal responsiveness during the episodes of hypotonia and unresponsiveness. Upper and lower extremity hypotonia is noted (with intermittent worsening during …
Incoherent Imaging at Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Frequencies Using Noise Transmitters

We present recent results of a new form of microwave and millimeter-wave imaging called active incoherent millimeter-wave (AIM) imaging that combines noise radar and sparse interferometric imaging techniques. Illumination of the scene with spatially and temporally incoherent noise enables the use of a sparse receiving array to capture information in the spatial frequency domain and reconstruct the scene intensity via Fourier transform. Whereas current passive interferometric imaging systems require high-gain receivers and long integration times, the use of active illumination enables image formation with comparatively low-gain receivers and fast enough image formation time to support real-time imaging. Compared to traditional active imaging systems, no beam scanning is necessary, simplifying the system architecture and providing a staring architecture. We review the fundamental theory behind AIM imaging and present results of three recent experimental implementations at microwave and millimeter-wave frequencies.
Transgenic expression of late embryogenesis abundant proteins improves tolerance to water stress in Drosophila melanogaster.

ABSTRACT Four lines of Drosophila melanogaster were created that expressed transgenes encoding selected late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins originally identified in embryos of the anhydrobiote Artemia franciscana. The overall aim was to extend our understanding of the protective properties of LEA proteins documented with isolated cells to a desiccation-sensitive organism during exposure to drying and hyperosmotic stress. Embryos of D. melanogaster were dried at 57% relative humidity to promote a loss of 80% tissue water and then rehydrated. Embryos that expressed AfrLEA2 or AfrLEA3m eclosed 2 days earlier than wild-type embryos or embryos expressing green fluorescent protein (Gal4GFP control). For the third instar larval stage, all Afrlea lines and Gal4GFP controls experienced substantial drops in survivorship as desiccation proceeded. When results for all Afrlea lines were combined, Kaplan–Meier survival curves indicated a significant improvement in survivorship in fly lines expressing AfrLEA proteins compared with Gal4GFP controls. The percent water lost at the LT50 (lethal time for 50% mortality) for the AfrLEA lines was 78% versus 52% for Gal4GFP controls. Finally, offspring of fly lines that expressed AfrLEA2, AfrLEA3m or AfrLEA6 exhibited significantly greater success in reaching pupation, compared with wild-type flies, when adults were challenged with hyperosmotic stress (NaCl-fortified medium) and progeny forced to develop under these conditions. In conclusion, the gain of function studies reported here show that LEA proteins can improve tolerance to water stress in a desiccation-sensitive species that normally lacks these proteins, and, simultaneously, underscore the complexity of desiccation tolerance across multiple life stages in multicellular organisms.
Maternal nutrient restriction alters thyroid hormone dynamics in placentae of sheep having small for gestational age fetuses.

Abstract Thyroid hormones regulate a multitude of metabolic and cellular processes involved in placental and fetal growth, while maternal nutrient restriction (NR) has the potential to influence these processes. Those fetuses most impacted by NR, as categorized by weight, are termed small for gestational age (SGA), but the role of thyroid hormones in these pregnancies is not fully understood. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to determine effects of NR during pregnancy on maternal and fetal thyroid hormone concentrations, as well as temporal and cell-specific expression of mRNAs and proteins for placental thyroid hormone transporters, thyroid hormone receptors, and deiodinases in ewes having either SGA or normal weight fetuses. Ewes with singleton pregnancies were fed either a 100% NRC (n = 8) or 50% NRC (NR; n = 28) diet from Days 35 to 135 of pregnancy with a single placentome surgically collected on Day 70. Fetal weight at necropsy on Day 135 was used to designate the fetuses as NR NonSGA (n = 7; heaviest NR fetuses) or NR SGA (n = 7; lightest NR fetuses). Thyroid hormone levels were lower in NR SGA compared to NR NonSGA ewes, while all NR fetuses had lower concentrations of thyroxine at Day 135. Expression of mRNAs for thyroid hormone transporters SLC16A2, SLC16A10, SLCO1C1, and SLCO4A1 were altered by day, but not nutrient restriction. Expression of THRA mRNA and protein was dysregulated in NR SGA fetuses with protein localized to syncytial and stromal cells in placentomes in all groups. The ratio of deiodinases DIO2 and DIO3 was greater for NR SGA placentae at Day 70, while DIO3 protein was less abundant in placentae from NR SGA than 100% NRC ewes. These results identify mid-gestational modifications in thyroid hormone-associated proteins in placentomes of ewes having SGA fetuses, as well as a potential for placentomes from NonSGA pregnancies to adapt to, and overcome, nutritional restrictions during pregnancy.
Interventions for English Language Learners: A Review

English Language Learners (ELLs) are individuals who have “sufficient difficulty reading, speaking, writing, or understanding the English language” (US Department of Education, 2014). These individuals require strategic and targeted instruction in order for them to succeed in classroom settings. This population represents a clear area of need in the American education system. ELLs are the fastest growing student population in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). However, general education teachers consistently report feeling underprepared in their ability to accommodate the unique needs of the ELLs in their classroom (Durgunoglu & Hughes, 2010, 35). This review only includes high quality sources. The purpose of this literature analysis is to comprehensively evaluate the experiences of English Language Learners, in order to better ascertain the accommodations that they are receiving in the context of the American education system. Through my analysis it is evident that this population has clear needs that are not currently being met. However, if ELLs are provided with tiered interventions, they show significant improvements in their language acquisition.
Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Electrocardiogram for the Early Detection of Cardiac Amyloidosis.

Abstract Objective To develop an artificial intelligence (AI)–based tool to detect cardiac amyloidosis (CA) from a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). Methods We collected 12-lead ECG data from 2541 patients with light chain or transthyretin CA seen at Mayo Clinic between 2000 and 2019. Cases were nearest neighbor matched for age and sex, with 2454 controls. A subset of 2997 (60%) cases and controls were used to train a deep neural network to predict the presence of CA with an internal validation set (n=999; 20%) and a randomly selected holdout testing set (n=999; 20%). We performed experiments using single-lead and 6-lead ECG subsets. Results The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.91 (CI, 0.90 to 0.93), with a positive predictive value for detecting either type of CA of 0.86. By use of a cutoff probability of 0.485 determined by the Youden index, 426 (84%) of the holdout patients with CA were detected by the model. Of the patients with CA and prediagnosis electrocardiographic studies, the AI model successfully predicted the presence of CA more than 6 months before the clinical diagnosis in 59%. The best single-lead model was V5 with an AUC of 0.86 and a precision of 0.78, with other single leads performing similarly. The 6-lead (bipolar leads) model had an AUC of 0.90 and a precision of 0.85. Conclusion An AI-driven ECG model effectively detects CA and may promote early diagnosis of this life-threatening disease.
Academic Rural Dermatology Offices

Opportunities for rural experience for both medical students and dermatology residents are few and far between. Whether this education occurs at an urban academic center or in a rural physician’s office, clinical training occurs at the bedside—largely thanks to Sir William Osler. Recruitment and involvement of rural dermatologists in the medical education process can lead to advantages for both the trainee and the attending physician.
Traffic Sensitive Active Queue Management for Improved Multimedia Streaming

The Internet, which has traditionally supported throughput-sensitive applications such as email and file transfer, is increasingly supporting delay-sensitive multimedia applications such as interactive audio. These delay-sensitive applications would often rather sacrifice some throughput for lower delay. Unfortunately, the current Internet does not offer choices in the amount of delay or throughput an application receives, but instead provides monolithic best-effort service to all applications. This paper proposes and evaluates a new Active Queue Management (AQM) technique that employs source hints to provide service at network routers that is sensitive to the Quality of Service (QoS) expectations for a variety of applications. Applications indicate their delay or throughput sensitivity via a delay hint in their outgoing packets. The router, which we call RED-Boston, uses the delay hints to dynamically adjust the router to yield better delay performance for delay-sensitive applications and better throughput for throughput-sensitive applications. Using a new QoS metric, our simulations demonstrate that RED-Boston yields higher QoS than an adaptive version of RED for both throughput-sensitive flows and delay-sensitive flows. RED-Boston operates equally well in all traffic scenarios and fits the current best-effort Internet environment without requiring traffic monitoring.
INTRACTABLE STOKES-ADAMS DISEASE; A METHOD OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

Abstract A method is described for rapid percutaneous implantation of a myocardial electrode for temporary external electrical pacing prior to implantation of an internal pacemaker. This technique is useful in patients who cannot be satisfactorily controlled with intravenous isoproterenol, and would appear to be preferable to the alternative techniques of transcutaneous or transvenous stimulation.
Noninvasive assessment of the role of cyclooxygenases in cardiovascular health: a detailed HPLC/MS/MS method.

Abstract A robust method for the routine quantitation of a selected group of urinary eicosanoid metabolites of interest to cardiovascular research in human and mouse is described and discussed. Included are the addition of stable isotope‐labeled internal standards, solid phase extraction, and quantitation by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) techniques.
Scheduling strategies and long-range dependence

Consider a single server queue with unit service rate fed by an arrival process of the following form: sessions arrive at the times of a Poisson process of rate \lambda, with each session lasting for an independent integer time \tau \geq 1, where P(\tau = k ) = p_k with p_k \sim \alpha k^{-(1 +\alpha)}L(k), where 1<\alpha<2 and L(\cdot) is a slowly varying function. Each session brings in work at unit rate while it is active. Thus the work brought in by each arrival is regularly varying, and, because 1 < \alpha < 2, the arrival process of work is long-range dependent. Assume that the stability condition \lambda E[\tau] < 1 holds. By simple arguments we show that for any stationary nonpreemptive service policy at the queue, the stationary sojourn time of a typical session must stochastically dominate a regularly varying random variable having infinite means this is true even if the duration of a session is known at the time it arrives. On the other hand, we show that there exist causal stationary preemptive policies, which do not need knowledge of the session durations at the time of arrival, for which the stationary sojourn time of a typical session is stochastically dominated by a regularly varying random variable having finite mean. These results indicate that scheduling policies can have a significant influence on the extent to which long-range dependence in the arrivals influences the performance of communication networks.
Education, Punishment, and Responsibility

We know the kinds of answers usually given to questions about why a child is scolded or punished: “He deserved it”; “She knew the rules”; “How else do I get through the lesson?” But these are elliptical answers. Where the student has not harmed other students or obstructed their efforts to learn, answers of this sort avoid the real issues. Why did the child deserve scolding or punishment? Why are there these rules and policies? Why should children be subjected to this sort of regimen?
Optimization of post-column reactor radius in capillary high performance liquid chromatography: Effect of chromatographic column diameter and particle diameter

A post-column reactor consisting of a simple open tube (Capillary Taylor Reactor) affects the performance of a capillary LC in two ways: stealing pressure from the column and adding band spreading. The former is a problem for very small radius reactors, while the latter shows itself for large reactor diameters. We derived an equation that defines the observed number of theoretical plates (Nobs) taking into account the two effects stated above. Making some assumptions and asserting certain conditions led to a final equation with a limited number of variables, namely chromatographic column radius, reactor radius and chromatographic particle diameter. The assumptions and conditions are that the van Deemter equation applies, the mass transfer limitation is for intraparticle diffusion in spherical particles, the velocity is at the optimum, the analyte’s retention factor, k′, is zero, the post-column reactor is only long enough to allow complete mixing of reagents and analytes and the maximum operating pressure of the pumping system is used. Optimal ranges of the reactor radius (ar) are obtained by comparing the number of observed theoretical plates (and theoretical plates per time) with and without a reactor. Results show that the acceptable reactor radii depend on column diameter, particle diameter, and maximum available pressure. Optimal ranges of ar become narrower as column diameter increases, particle diameter decreases or the maximum pressure is decreased. When the available pressure is 4000 psi, a Capillary Taylor Reactor with 12 μm radius is suitable for all columns smaller than 150 μm (radius) packed with 2–5 μm particles. For 1 μm packing particles, only columns smaller than 42.5 μm (radius) can be used and the reactor radius needs to be 5 μm.
Modulation of lysyl oxidase activity toward peptidyl lysine by vicinal dicarboxylic amino acid residues

The substrate specificity of purified lysyl oxidase has been explored with synthetic, 11-mer oligopeptides. -Glu-Lys-in Ac-Glyn(Glu,Lys)Glym-NH2 was a more favorable substrate than the glutamate-free control peptide and considerably more favorable than the -Lys-Glu- sequence as well as sequences in which Glu was separated from Lys by intervening Gly residues. The kcat for the -Asp-Glu- sequence was markedly reduced from that of the -Glu-Lys- sequence, indicating that lysyl oxidase responds to the side chain length of vicinal Asp or Glu at this position. -Asp-Glu-Lys-within an 11-mer was not oxidized, although this sequence is oxidized within the N-telopeptide of the α 1(I) chain in type I collagen fibrils. Thus, lysyl oxidase exhibits distinct preferences for sequences vicinal to lysine. These results are discussed with respect to a model requiring collagen fibril formation prior to oxidation of lysine in collagen by lysyl oxidase.
Structural and segregational stability of various replicons in Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans.

Abstract Few vectors suitable for cloning inActinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans,a periodontal pathogen, have been described. These plasmids were based either on the nativeA. actinomycetemcomitansreplicon, pVT736-1, or derivatives of the IncP and IncQ family of plasmids. Their usefulness as cloning vectors is limited because of instability or size. Therefore, the ability of additional replicons to function inA. actinomycetemcomitanswas evaluated. Derivatives of p15A, ColE1/f1, and pWV01 transformedA. actinomycetemcomitansefficiently and exhibited no structural instability in the new host. The stable maintenance ofA. actinomycetemcomitans-specific DNA fragments inserted into the p15A derivative, pDMG4, demonstrated the ability of this plasmid to function as a cloning vector. In addition, pVT736-1 was used to clone selectable markers directly intoA. actinomycetemcomitans.These constructs were structurally and segregationally stable.
Morphology and function of the lateral line of juvenile steelhead trout in relation to gas‐bubble disease*

General morphology of the lateral line of juvenile steelhead trout, Salmo gairdneri, is described. Through electrophysiological monitoring of individual nerve fibres, control patterns for spontaneous activity and reaction to sensory receptor stimulation were established. Spontaneous activity has a positive correlation with temperature and number of receptors innervated. Presence of directional sensitivity and response to near field water displacement at different frequencies is similar to that found in other fishes and amphibians. Normal lateral line response to a standardized set of stimuli was compared with the response of fish affected by gas-bubble disease. Results show that as gas emboli formed in the scale pockets of the trunk lateral line of stressed fish, the ability to respond to stimuli was either diminished or completely disappeared. Further testing demonstrated that this sensory loss was reversible and that upon return to equilibrated water gas emboli disappeared and normal function was regained. This sublethal effect of gas-bubble disease on the lateral line sensory system may be an important element contributing to indirect mortality.
The Henrietta Lacks legacy grows

Now that the NIH has reached an agreement with Henrietta Lacks's family concerning the use of the HeLa cell line, what lessons can we learn about informed consent and the unforeseen use of biological samples?
Stability within the self: A longitudinal study of the structural implications of self-discrepancy theory.

Self-discrepancy theory emphasizes the emotional significance of patterns of relations between the self-concept and ideal and ought self-guides and predicts stability within the self related to structural characteristics independent of specific self-beliefs. It was hypothesized that whereas participants' specific self-descriptions would vary substantially over time, magnitude of self-discrepancy, regulatory focus (the individual's dominant self-guide domain), and other structural features would be stable. Participants (N = 47) were recruited from 2 samples that had completed a self-belief interview and a childhood memory cued-recall task 3 years earlier (T. J. Strauman, 1990). As expected, participants' self-descriptions varied, but magnitude and type of self-discrepancy, associations between self-guide domains and childhood memories, and correlates of regulatory focus were stable.