cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plant and Controller Optimization for Power and Energy Systems With Model Predictive Control

This article explores the optimization of plant characteristics and controller parameters for electrified mobility. Electrification of mobile transportation systems, such as automobiles and aircraft, presents the ability to improve key performance metrics such as efficiency and cost. However, the strong bidirectional coupling between electrical and thermal dynamics within new components creates integration challenges, increasing component degradation and reducing performance. Diminishing these issues requires novel plant designs and control strategies. The electrified mobility literature provides prior studies on plant and controller optimization, known as control co-design (CCD). A void within these studies is the lack of model predictive control (MPC), recognized to manage multi-domain dynamics for electrified systems, within CCD frameworks. This article addresses this through three contributions. First, a thermo-electro-mechanical hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) model is developed that is suitable for both plant optimization and MPC. Second, simultaneous plant and controller optimization is performed for this multi-domain system. Third, MPC is integrated within a CCD framework using the candidate HEV model. Results indicate that optimizing both the plant and MPC parameters simultaneously can reduce physical component sizes by over 60% and key performance metric errors by over 50%.
Management of type 2 diabetes with oral semaglutide: Practical guidance for pharmacists.

Purpose To provide pharmacists with information on counseling patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) receiving oral semaglutide. Summary Oral semaglutide, the first oral glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), was approved for the treatment of adults with T2D by the US Food and Drug Administration in September 2019. Semaglutide has been coformulated with the absorption enhancer sodium N-(8-[2-hydroxybenzoyl] amino) caprylate to improve bioavailability of semaglutide following oral administration. Oral semaglutide has been shown to have efficacy and safety profiles similar to those of other GLP-1RAs. Many patients with T2D have a complex oral medication regimen to manage their T2D and concomitant chronic comorbid conditions. Therefore, it is important that patients follow the dose administration instructions closely: Oral semaglutide should be taken on an empty stomach upon waking with a sip (≤120 mL) of plain water and at least 30 minutes before the first food, beverage, or other oral medications of the day. The most common adverse effects of oral semaglutide are gastrointestinal (typically nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting). It is important for pharmacists to counsel patients prescribed oral semaglutide about optimal oral dosing, why correct dosing conditions are necessary, expected therapeutic response, and effective strategies to mitigate potential gastrointestinal adverse events. Conclusion Information and practical strategies provided by pharmacists may facilitate initiation and maintenance of oral semaglutide therapy and ensure that each patient achieves an optimal therapeutic response.
Metabolic and bariatric surgery is likely safe, but underutilized in adolescents aged 13-17 years.

Abstract Background Bariatric surgery is now accepted for adolescents; however, we may need to improve access to surgery for this vulnerable age group. Objectives To compare the demographic characteristics and short-term safety outcomes of adolescents, college-aged individuals, and young adults who have had metabolic and bariatric surgery. Setting Bariatric surgery centers. Methods Patients aged 13–25 years in the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) database from 2015–2018 with a Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code for sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or gastric bypass (GB) were included. Patients were stratified by operation and analyzed by age: adolescents (13–17 yr), college-aged (18–21 yr), and young adults (22–25 yr). Results Of the 760,076 patients in the database, 1047 adolescents (.1%), 10,429 college-aged individuals (1.4%), and 24,841 young adults (3.8%) underwent SG or GB. The majority of patients in each group were female and white. Diabetes was most common among adolescents, hypertension among college-aged individuals. The most prevalent co-morbidity among young adults was diabetes. Preoperative BMI was 47 across all age strata. SG was performed in 27,292 patients: 879 (3.2%) adolescents, 7955 (29.2%) college-aged, and 18,447 (67.6%) young adults. Postoperative complications occurred in approximately 1% of individuals and were similar between age groups (P = .23). A total of 8292 patients underwent GB: 146 (1.8%) adolescents, 2207 (26.6%) college-aged, and 5939 (71.6%) young adults. There was no difference in 30-day complication rates between age groups (P = .32). Conclusions There may be a disparity in access to metabolic and bariatric surgery among adolescents, particularly for racial and ethnic minorities; however, these procedures are likely safe in adolescents as young as 13.
Space-time histories approach to fast stochastic simulation of bimolecular reactions.

Computational models of reaction–diffusion systems involving low copy numbers or strongly heterogeneous molecular spatial distributions, such as those frequently found in cellular signaling pathways, require approaches that account for the stochastic dynamics of individual particles, as opposed to approaches representing them through their average concentrations. Efforts to remedy the high computational cost associated with particle-based stochastic approaches by taking advantage of Green’s functions are hampered by the need to draw random numbers from complicated, and therefore costly, non-standard probability distributions to update particle positions. Here, we introduce an approach that permits the reconstruction of entire molecular trajectories, including bimolecular encounters, in retrospect, after a simulated time step, while avoiding inefficient draws from non-standard distributions. This means that highly accurate stochastic simulations can be performed for system sizes that would be prohibitively costly to simulate with conventional Green’s function based methods. The algorithm applies equally well to one, two, and three dimensional systems and can be readily extended to include deterministic forces specified by an interaction potential, such as the Coulomb potential.
The Impact of Spinal Cord Injury on Participation in Human-Centered Research

Individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) can have multiple cognitive and physical disabilities because of their injury. Appropriately-designed technology can be empowering and transformative for this population. Unfortunately, just like most technologies, user-centered research methods do not directly account for differing motor and communication abilities. This paper synthesizes SCI literature and leverages our own experiences in three research projects spanning five years with SCI users to highlight significant challenges that HCI researchers might face while employing user-centered methods with this population; communication disabilities, motor disabilities, and difficult contextual or environmental factors can make it difficult or impossible to use standard HCI methods when working with SCI users. We conclude with a set of guidelines and challenges for the HCI community to consider, which can be used both when evaluating papers that work with this population, and to fuel development of new methods or approaches that better-serve them.
Transportation of Suspended Sediment by Water

Measurements of the sediment and velocity distributions in a laboratory flume were made for various values of rate of flow, slope of channel, and size and amount of suspended load. The experimental...
Structures and Mechanical Properties of Natural and Synthetic Diamonds

A revolution in diamond technology is in progress as the low-pressure process becomes an industrial reality. It will soon be possible to take advantage of the demanding properties of diamond to develop a myriad of new applications, particularly for self-lubricating, wear, and superhard coatings. The production of large diamond films or sheets at low cost, a distinct possibility in the not-too-distant future, may drastically change tribology technology, particularly solid lubricants and lubricating materials and systems. This chapter reviews the structures and properties of natural and synthetic diamond to gain a better understanding of the tribological properties of diamond and related materials to be described in the following chapters. Atomic and crystal structure, impurities, mechanical properties, and indentation hardness of diamond are described.
Sedimentary, volcanic, and tectonic processes of the central Mariana Arc: Mariana Trough back-arc basin formation and the West Mariana Ridge

[1] We present new multichannel seismic profiles and bathymetric data from the central Marianas that image the West Mariana Ridge (WMR) remnant arc, both margins of the Mariana Trough back-arc basin, the modern arc, and Eocene frontal-arc high. These data reveal structure and stratigraphy related to three periods of arc volcanism and two periods of arc rifting. We interpret the boundary between accreted back-arc basin and rifted arc crust along the Mariana Trough and support these findings with drilling results and recent seismic refraction and gravity studies. We show that with the exception of a few volcanoes behind the volcanic front that straddle the boundary between crustal types, the modern Mariana Arc is built entirely on rifted arc crust between 14 and 19°N. Our data indicate that there is more accreted back-arc seafloor to the west of the Mariana Trough spreading axis than to the east, confirming previous evidence for an asymmetric basin. The rifted margin of the WMR remnant arc forms a stepped pattern along the western boundary of the Mariana Trough, between 15°30′ and 19°N. In this region, linear volcanic cross chains behind the WMR are aligned with the trend of Mariana Trough spreading segments, and the WMR ridges extend into the back-arc basin along the same strike. These ridges are magmatic accommodation zones which, to the north along the Izu-Bonin Arc, punctuate tectonic extension. For the WMR we hypothesize that rift basins are more commonly the sites where spreading segment offsets nucleate, whereas magmatic centers of spreading segments are sites where magmatism continues from arc volcanism, through rifting to back-arc spreading. The Mariana Trough is opening nonrigidly and is characterized by two predominant abyssal hill trends, NNW–SSE in the north and N–S in the south. Between the only two basin-crossing fracture zones at ∼15.5 and 17.5°, N–S axes propagated north at the expense of NNW axes.
Emergent Stories in Massively Multiplayer Online Games: Using Improvisational Techniques to Design for Emotional Impact

In this poster, we discuss the application of Theatrical Improvisational Techniques to address game design challenges of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs), and we suggest how applying these techniques can create structure for emergent storytelling. We propose a common improv structure, CROW (Character, Relationship, Objective, Where), as a framework for designing MMOGs with compelling emergent stories.
Women Travel Writers and the Language of Aesthetics, 1716–1818: Aesthetics, gender, and empire in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! — Great God! Mary Shelley was well acquainted with the growing tradition of women writing the language of aesthetics. She records in her journal reading Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho and The Italian . Like Radcliffe, Shelley was a traveler and the author of a scenic tour, History of a Six Weeks' Tour through a part of France, Switzerland, Germany, and Holland (1817), in which she refers to the castle of Nimeguen, “mentioned in the letters of Lady Mary Montague.” In Paris she and Percy sought her parents' friend Helen Maria Williams, hoping for a loan. And, of course, she knew the writings of both her famous parents. In History of a Six Weeks' Tour Mary, Percy, and Claire Clairmont float down the Rhine: “the sun shone pleasantly, S [helley] read aloud to us Mary Wollstonecraft's Letters from Norway, and we passed our time delightfully” (61-62). Amid the picturesque scenes of the Rhine, the daughter pays tribute to her dead mother's revisionist aesthetics. Shelley carries forward Wollstonecraft's and her fellow women travelers' subversive insistence on representing the voices and subjectivities of those normally objectified by aesthetic discourse. Frankenstein's creature, that memorable character, combines a hideous exterior with an eloquent voice. His relation to the communities that exclude him, beginning with the Frankenstein and De Lacey families, has the charged ambivalence of women writers' relation to aesthetics.
Regret, Pride, and the Disposition Effect

We develop a dynamic portfolio choice model which incorporates anticipated regret and pride in individual's preferences and show that those preferences can cause investors to sell winning stocks and hold on to losing stocks; that is, anticipating regret and pride can help explain the disposition effect.
Peritoneal dissemination from high-grade appendiceal cancer treated with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC)

Background: Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) have shown variability in survival outcomes when used to treat peritoneal surface disease (PSD) from appendiceal and colorectal cancers. The primary goal of this study was to examine outcomes for high-grade appendiceal (HGA) and high-grade colonic primaries after CRS-HIPEC to determine if a significant difference exists between the two groups. Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients with peritoneal dissemination from appendiceal and colonic primaries were identified in a prospectively maintained database of 1,223 CRS-HIPEC procedures performed between 1991 and 2015. Patient demographics, performance status resection status, tumor grade, nodal status, morbidity, mortality, and survival were reviewed with biopsy-proven PSD being classified according to primary site. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed, and outcomes compared. Results: The study identified 171 CRS-HIPEC procedures for 165 patients: 110 (66.7%) for HGA and 55 (33.3%) for high-grade colonic lesions. Observed median disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for both groups were the same at14.4 and 18 months, respectively. Median survival according to resection status for R0/R1, R2a, and R2b/c were 36, 15.6, and 8.4 months (P Conclusions: Preoperative chemotherapy offered no clear DFS or OS benefit, for HGA or high-grade colon cancer patients. Complete cytoreduction offered the greatest survival benefit to both groups with a correlating drop in survival to resection status. Outcomes for high grade appendiceal cancer are remarkably similar to colon cancer.
The use of multiple OpticRam cameras for robotics applications

Stand-alone personal computers equipped with an OpticRam camera are successfully used for simple vision tasks. This includes color identification segmentation of simple shapes, and classification. A simple network configuration utilizing a number of these cameras is described. Each camera resolves one simple feature in a complicated decision tree. Initial evaluation of the network showed that it can be used efficiently in real-time vision tasks. >
In vitro evaluation of the effects of 4-aminopyridine on cytochrome P450 enzymes.

AbstractBackground:Dalfampridine extended release tablets (dalfampridine-ER, known as prolonged-, modified, or sustained-release fampridine tablets in some countries) are approved for the improvement of walking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Dalfampridine-ER is an extended release formulation of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP). Dalfampridine-ER is incorporated into MS management strategies that may include disease-modifying and symptomatic therapies. Since several symptomatic therapies are partially or fully metabolized by enzymes of the hepatic cytochrome P450 system (CYP450) it is important to evaluate drug–drug interactions through potential effects of dalfampridine-ER on CYP450.Methods:The ability of 4-AP to inhibit CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, and CYP3A4/5 in a direct and time-dependent manner was evaluated using pooled human liver microsomes. 4-AP concentrations were 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, 10, and 30 μM, representing 0.1–100-times the average plasma 4-AP concentr...
Direct fabrication of nanoporous graphene from graphene oxide by adding a gasification agent to a magnesiothermic reaction.

CaCO3 acts as a gasification agent during magnesiothermic reduction of graphene oxide, thus preventing the newly formed graphene from restacking. The surface area of the obtained graphene increases from 66 m2 g−1 to 603 m2 g−1 by adding CaCO3 with a high yield of ∼70% based on the carbon content in graphene oxide.
CARTER, REAGAN, AND THE QUEST FOR LEADERSHIP

Books reviewed in this article. Laurence E. Lynn, Jr., and David deF. Whitman, The President as Policymaker: Jimmy Carter and Welfare Reform Anthony King (Ed.), Both Ends of the Avenue: The Presidency, the Executive Branch, and Congress in the 1980s Fred I. Creenstein (Ed.), The Reagan Presidency: An Early Assessment
Sustained Effect of Travoprost on Diurnal and Nocturnal Intraocular Pressure

Purpose To assess the diurnal and nocturnal persistency of intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction after omission of up to two doses of once-daily topical travoprost in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Design Prospective, open-label study. Methods Twenty subjects underwent three sessions of 24-hour IOP monitoring. The first session occurred before initiating treatment of newly diagnosed patients or after a four-week washout in patients already receiving medical therapy. The second session occurred after four weeks or more of travoprost treatment. The third session was performed 41 to 63 hours after the last travoprost dose. Results IOP lowering persisted after omission of one to two doses. Between 41 to 63 hours after the last dose, diurnal IOP reduction was attenuated, but nocturnal IOP reduction sustained. Conclusions IOP lowering effect after omission of one to two doses of travoprost is attenuated in the diurnal period but sustained in the nocturnal period, the time corresponding to the highest baseline habitual IOP.
mRNA sequences influencing translation and the selection of AUG initiator codons in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The secondary structure and sequences influencing the expression and selection of the AUG initiator codon in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were investigated with two fused genes, which were composed of either the CYC7 or CYC1 leader regions, respectively, linked to the lacZ coding region. In addition, the strains contained the upf1-delta disruption, which stabilized mRNAs that had premature termination codons, resulting in wild-type levels. The following major conclusions were reached by measuring beta-galactosidase activities in yeast strains having integrated single copies of the fused genes with various alterations in the 89 and 38 nucleotide-long untranslated CYC7 and CYC1 leader regions, respectively. The leader region adjacent to the AUG initiator codon was dispensable, but the nucleotide preceding the AUG initiator at position -3 modified the efficiency of translation by less than twofold, exhibiting an order of preference A > G > C > U. Upstream out-of-frame AUG triplets diminished initiation at the normal site, from essentially complete inhibition to approximately 50% inhibition, depending on the position of the upstream AUG triplet and on the context (-3 position nucleotides) of the two AUG triplets. In this regard, complete inhibition occurred when the upstream and downstream AUG triplets were closer together, and when the upstream and downstream AUG triplets had, respectively, optimal and suboptimal contexts. Thus, leaky scanning occurs in yeast, similar to its occurrence in higher eukaryotes. In contrast, termination codons between two AUG triplets causes reinitiation at the downstream AUG in higher eukaryotes, but not generally in yeast. Our results and the results of others with GCN4 mRNA and its derivatives indicate that reinitiation is not a general phenomenon in yeast, and that special sequences are required.
Serum Sickness from Iron-Dextran Administration

Hypersensitivity vasculitis occurs in response to various exogenous agents. A case of a serum sickness syndrome with cutaneous vasculitis is described in a patient given an intravenous iron-dextran infusion.
Stereotyped fetal brain disorganization is induced by hypoxia and requires lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPA1) signaling.

Fetal hypoxia is a common risk factor that has been associated with a range of CNS disorders including epilepsy, schizophrenia, and autism. Cellular and molecular mechanisms through which hypoxia may damage the developing brain are incompletely understood but are likely to involve disruption of the laminar organization of the cerebral cortex. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive lipid capable of cortical influences via one or more of six cognate G protein-coupled receptors, LPA1–6, several of which are enriched in fetal neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Here we report that fetal hypoxia induces cortical disruption via increased LPA1 signaling involving stereotyped effects on NPCs: N-cadherin disruption, displacement of mitotic NPCs, and impaired neuronal migration, as assessed both ex vivo and in vivo. Importantly, genetic removal or pharmacological inhibition of LPA1 prevented the occurrence of these hypoxia-induced phenomena. Hypoxia resulted in overactivation of LPA1 through selective inhibition of G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 expression and activation of downstream pathways including Gαi and Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1. These data identify stereotyped and selective hypoxia-induced cerebral cortical disruption requiring LPA1 signaling, inhibition of which can reduce or prevent disease-associated sequelae, and may take us closer to therapeutic treatment of fetal hypoxia-induced CNS disorders and possibly other forms of hypoxic injury.
Investigation of Scuffing Resistance of Piston Rings Run against Piston Ring Grooves

The hot scuffing phenomenon of a piston ring in a ring groove is one of the important failure mechanisms in an automotive engine. The dynamic motion of a piston ring against the ring groove is very complicated. Five motions are usually involved, including radial sliding, circumferential sliding, impacting, rocking, and tilting. Experimental or theoretical studies in this field are rarely reported. To investigate the hot scuffing behavior of piston rings run against various coated ring grooves, a previously developed tester with the capability of simulating most of the relative motions between the ring and the ring groove at an elevated temperature has been further modified and engineered. Several coating materials on piston top ring grooves have been evaluated in terms of their scuffing resistance using the tester. The results have indicated that the anodized aluminum piston groove has the best scuffing resistance when run against a stainless steel ring, and the Ni-based composite coated aluminum ring gro...
Cross reaction of serotypes 51 A, 51 B, and 51 D of Paramecium aurelia, variety 4.

Abstract Homogenates of lyophylized preparations of serotypes 51 A, 51 B and 51 D of Paramecium aurelia cross react to a large extent with the sera prepared against each type. This is in contrast to the high specificity found when live animals are used for the titration. The homogenates can be separated into a fraction that is not sedimented at 24 000 × g and a fraction that is sedimented. The latter fraction is much less type specific than the soluble fraction.
The future value of ambulatory endoscopy centers in the United States: Challenges and opportunities

i In the late 1970s, GI services began the “great migration” from the inpatient facility to the outpatient facility. The initial stage of this migration resulted in the shift of endoscopic services to the hospital outpatient department (HOPD). However, many of the inefficiencies of inpatientbased GI services affected the HOPD as well. The final phase of this migration occurred with the opening of the first Medicare-certified ambulatory surgery center (ASC) dedicated to endoscopy in 1987.1 In 2011, there were more than 5700 Medicare-certified ASCs in the United States, more than 500 of these being ambulatory endoscopy centers dedicated to endoscopy, ie, endoscopic ambulatory surgery centers (EASCs). The most important forces driving the migration of endoscopic services from the HOPD to the office or ASC were cost and reimbursement.
Measurements of total body and extracellular water in cirrhotic patients with and without ascites.

Using H2[18O] tracer isotope dilution and corrected bromide space as standard reference techniques, we determined total body water and extracellular water in cirrhotic patients with (four men and four women) and without (seven men and six women) ascites and compared them with a normal control group (eight men and six women). These results were then compared with calculations of total body and extracellular water determined by the bioelectrical impedance analysis technique. According to H2[18O] dilution, total body water was similar in cirrhotic patients without ascites and in controls (60.8% ± 2.1% vs. 60.3% ± 1.4% body wt), but was increased in patients with ascites (69.7% ± 1.2% body wt; p < 0.002). Correlation was excellent between the H2[18O] dilution and bioelectrical impedance measurements of total body water in controls and cirrhotic patients without ascites (r = 0.98; p < 0.0001). However, this correlation was poor in cirrhotic patients with ascites (r = 0.17; not significant). According to the bromide space, extracellular water (expressed as a percentage of total body water) was increased in cirrhotic patients with (57.8% ± 1.8%; p < 0.001) and without (44.0% ± 1.2%; p < 0.001) ascites compared with controls (36.6% ± 1.0%). A poor correlation (r = 0.41; p < 0.13) was seen for extracellular water measurements between the bromide space method and the bioelectrical impedance method, which failed to detect the differences among the three groups observed with the bromide space technique. Furthermore, bioelectrical impedance failed to detect any change in total body or extracellular water after paracentesis, with a degree of inaccuracy that increased linearly as the amount of ascitic fluid removed increased (r = 0.97; p < 0.001). All these intergroup comparisons remained the same, whether the analysis was of both men and women combined or for each gender individually. However, we saw differences between men and women in the control group and cirrhotic group without ascites. These results demonstrate that abnormalities in water homeostasis and compartmentalization between intracellular (the difference between total body and extracellular water fluid) and extracellular water may exist in cirrhosis whether or not fluid accumulation is clinically evident. These data further indicate that alterations in the metabolically active body cell mass (as represented by intracellular water) in cirrhosis may occur independently of total body water and calculated fat-free body mass. In addition, gender is an important variable to control for in studies of this type. Finally, bioelectrical impedance alone is inaccurate for determining total body water and extracellular water in cirrhosis. The combined measurements of total body water by bioelectrical impedance and extracellular water by bromide dilution appear adequate for estimating fluid compartments in cirrhotic patients without ascites. However, if ascites is present, dilution techniques for both total body and extracellular water are necessary. (HEPATOLOGY 1991;14:1102–1111.)
Polarised fluorescence from the thymine family of DNA bases in neutral aqueous solution at ≈ 300 K

Abstract Determination of the polarisation of the very weak emissions ( φ f≈10 4 of the thymine family of DNA bases across the emission band is reported at a precision of ±0.012 in the degree of polarisation. The emission of the bases is depolarised slightly with increasing wavelength and from comparison with the constant polarisation from the longer-lived 2,4-diethoxythymine was suggest this is due to some solvation occurring during the very short lifetime of the excited state. The O O′ polarisation of thymidine-5′-phosphate (TMP) is 0.43 ± 0.01; this is identical with the value at −120°C and we conclude that there is no brownian rotational relaxation at room temperature, probably because the lifetime is too short. The observed polarisation deficit is suggested to be due to either inertial rotation or torsional vibration.
Kinetics of binding to opiate receptors in vivo predicted from in vitro parameters

In order to determine the relationship between in vitro and in vivo binding of opiates in the CNS, the in vitro and in vivo binding properties of 9 opiates, including agonists and antagonists, were studied in mouse brain. Equilibrium dissociation constants (K d ) were measured in the presence and absence of 100 mM NaCl and 100 μM 5-guanylylimidodiphosphate (GMP-PNP) at 37°C in mouse brain homogenates. The rate constants describing the exponential clearance of the specifically-bound (i.e. receptor-bound) fraction of ligand in vivo were measured in the striatum, thalamus and cortex. A mathematical model was formulated which relates the in vivo clearance rate for the specifically-bound fraction to the association and dissociation rate constants, the local density of receptors and a parameter which determines the rate at which ligand can diffuse out of the local receptor compartment. The diffusion parameter takes on two forms depending on whether ligand is transported out of the local receptor compartment by simple diffusion or by permeation of a non-polar membrane barrier. In the case of membrane permeation, the model is dependent on the diffusion constant and the lipophilicity of the ligand. A correlation between the in vitro and in vivo measurements is obtained only when K d is measured in the presence of 100 mM NaCl and 100 μM GMP-PNP and when the lipophilicity of the ligand is incorporated into the model. The model corresponds to the physical situation where continuous rebinding of ligand to receptors takes place in the vicinity of a high local density of receptors (possibly at a synapse), thereby retarding the clearance of the specifically-bound ligand from the brain. The rebinding effect is accentuated by:(1) a high local density of receptors; (2) a small K d (measured in the presence of 100mM NaCl and 100 μM GMP-PNP); (3) a low lipophilicity; and (4) a high molecular weight.
The life and times of Big Bertha: lunar breccia 14321

The assembly and metamorphic history of polymict breccia 14321 are reconstructed. The earliest formed fragmental component of 14321 (microbreccia-1) is dominated by KREEP-rich norite, extruded and subsequently brecciated and lithified in an ejecta blanket at approximately 1000 C in the general region of Mare Imbrium after the Serenitatis impact but prior to the Imbrium impact. This early microbreccia component and lesser amounts of mare-type basalt, microgranite, rhyolite glass, anorthosite and olivine microbreccia were assembled at the Apollo 14 site as part of the Fra Mauro ejecta blanket from the Imbrium impact. The resulting microbreccia-3 incorporates all the lithic types above and accretionary lapilli structures (microbreccia-2) in a dark matrix annealed at approximately 700 C. A later impact on the Fra Mauro excavated and mutually abraded microbreccia-3 and a local, 14321-type, basalt which were assembled into polymict breccia 14321. Final placement of 14321 at its sampling location was accomplished during the minor Cone Crater impact event.
Isolation of a rat liver plasma membrane fraction of probable canalicular origin. Preparative technique, enzymatic profile, composition, and solute transport.

A technique currently used for isolation of brush border membranes from renal and intestinal epithelium that involves vigorous tissue homogenization and sedimentation of non-luminal membranes in the presence of Mg2+ has been adapted to rat liver. Liver plasma membranes so prepared consisted almost exclusively of vesicles by electron microscopy, showed some contamination with endoplasmic reticulum and minimal contamination with mitochondria or Golgi by marker enzymes, were highly enriched in alkaline phosphatase, Mg2+-ATPase, and 5′-nucleotidase activity compared with homogenate, and showed little enrichment in (Na+,K+)-ATPase. Comparison of this enzymatic profile with cytochemical studies localizing (Na+,K+)-ATPase and alkaline phosphatase to the sinusoidal/lateral and canalicular membranes, respectively, suggested that these membranes were predominantly of canalicular origin. They had a lower (Na+ + K+)-ATPase specific activity, lower lipid content, and higher cholesterol to phospholipid molar ratio than a conventional plasma membrane preparation believed to be enriched in canaliculi. Moreover, it was possible to measure movement of d-[3H]glucose into an osmotically sensitive space bounded by these membrane vesicles.
Clinical use of β‐thromboglobulin levels in diagnosing and treating consumptive and immune thrombocytopenia

Plasma beta-thromboglobulin (beta-TG), a platelet-specific protein, is a marker of intravascular platelet degranulation. We measured plasma beta-thromboglobulin by radioimmunoassay in 13 patients with thrombocytopenia of various etiologies to determine whether or not the test is clinically useful in the differential diagnosis of thrombocytopenia. Four patients with intravascular platelet consumption (three with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and one with vasculitis) had significantly higher plasma beta-thromboglobulin levels than four patients with extravascular platelet destruction due to idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Five patients with thrombocytopenia and decreased numbers of megakaryocytes in the bone marrow also had beta-thromboglobulin levels that were not elevated. Two patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura achieved clinical remission associated with a decrease in beta-TG level to the normal range. Plasma beta-thromboglobulin determination can be useful in determining the mechanism of thrombocytopenia when bone marrow examination demonstrates adequate megakaryocyte numbers.
Influence of Stock Density and Rate and Temporal Patterns of Forage Allocation on the Diet Mixing Behavior of Sheep Grazing Sagebrush Steppe

Abstract An animal's ability to select a diet depends on forage availability, the density of herbivores, and the allocation of forage resources. We hypothesized that the temporal and spatial availability of forages in sagebrush steppe vegetation both influence food selection and may encourage lambs to learn to use sagebrush, a shrub that contains high levels of terpenes that limit food intake. We conducted a field study with three treatments of 20 lambs each. Forage resources were manipulated by restricting grazing areas. Lambs in treatment H grazed at a high stock density, whereas lambs in treatment L grazed at a low stock density; both groups were moved to fresh pasture daily. Lambs in treatment H3 had three times the area of treatment H, but they were moved every 3 days, making the total area grazed by H and H3 equal, but with a different temporal allocation of forage. Scan sampling was used to record the incidence of consumption among sagebrush and understory herbs. During 24 days of conditioning, stock density and temporal patterns of forage allocation both influenced the behavior of lambs. Lambs in H spent more time foraging on sagebrush (25%) than lambs in H3 (16%), and lambs in both H and H3 spent more time foraging on sagebrush than lambs in L (1%) (P H3 > L (P
Estimability of thrusting trajectories in 3-D from a single passive sensor with unknown launch point

The problem of estimating the state of thrusting/ballistic endoatmospheric projectiles moving in 3-dimensional (3-D) space using 2-dimensional (2-D) measurements from a single passive sensor is investigated. The location of projectile’s launch point (LP) is unavailable and this could significantly affect the performance of the estimation and the IPP. The LP altitude is then an unknown target parameter. The estimability is analyzed based on the Fisher Information Matrix (FIM) of the target parameter vector, comprising the initial launch (azimuth and elevation) angles, drag coefficient, thrust and the LP altitude, which determine the trajectory according to a nonlinear motion equation. The full rank of the FIM ensures that one has an estimable target parameters. The corresponding Cram´er-Rao lower bound (CRLB) quantifies the estimation performance of the estimator that is statistically efficient and can be used for IPP. In view of the inherent nonlinearity of the problem, the maximum likelihood (ML) estimate of the target parameter vector is found by using a mixed (partially grid-based) search approach. For a selected grid in the drag-coefficient-thrust-altitude subspace, the proposed parallelizable approach is shown to have reliable estimation performance and further leads to the final IPP of high accuracy.
Role of the microenvironment and feedback signaling loops in stabilizing disease states

In this paper, we identify several of the feedback loops that we posit play key roles in establishing and maintaining states of disease in the human body. These routes are established through signaling between the affected cells and cells in their local microenvironment. Signals sent and received by these cells underlie the pathogenesis of diseases ranging from type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis to cancers to various neurodegenerative disorders. In the tumor stroma, the focus in this paper, signaling loops are established between cancer cells, macrophages, fibroblasts, and others. In the disease state, these loops and the cell populations that sustain them are hypothesized to counter beneficial actions of drugs and eventually render them ineffective. A major challenge for systems medicine is to understand how the cellular microenvironment and its signaling routes stabilize disease states and how these impediments may be overcome.
Perpendicular inked versus tangential shaved margins in breast-conserving surgery: does the method matter?

Background In breast-conserving surgery (BCS), the method of margin assessment and the definition of a negative margin vary widely. The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of positive margins and rates of reexcision between two methods of margin assessment at a single institution. Study design In July 2004, our protocol for margin evaluation changed from perpendicular inked margins (Group A, n=263) to tangential shaved margins (Group B, n=261). In Group A, margins were classified as positive, close, and negative. Margins designated as "close" were further defined as: ≤ 1 mm, ≤ 2 mm, and≤3 mm. In Group B, shaved margins (by definition 2 to 3 mm) were reported as positive or negative. Results The rate of reported "positive" margins was significantly higher in Group B: 127 of 261 (49%) versus 42 of 263 (16%), p Conclusions The tangential shaved-margin technique results in a higher proportion of reported positive margins and limits the ability of the surgeon to discriminate among patients with close margins, resulting in a higher rate of reexcision. The fact that many, but not all, patients with positive or close margins in both groups underwent reexcision emphasizes the role of surgical judgment in this setting. Longer followup is required to determine equivalency in rates of local recurrence between these two methods of margin assessment.
The Geographic Spread of the CCR5 Δ32 HIV-Resistance Allele

The Δ32 mutation at the CCR5 locus is a well-studied example of natural selection acting in humans. The mutation is found principally in Europe and western Asia, with higher frequencies generally in the north. Homozygous carriers of the Δ32 mutation are resistant to HIV-1 infection because the mutation prevents functional expression of the CCR5 chemokine receptor normally used by HIV-1 to enter CD4+ T cells. HIV has emerged only recently, but population genetic data strongly suggest Δ32 has been under intense selection for much of its evolutionary history. To understand how selection and dispersal have interacted during the history of the Δ32 allele, we implemented a spatially explicit model of the spread of Δ32. The model includes the effects of sampling, which we show can give rise to local peaks in observed allele frequencies. In addition, we show that with modest gradients in selection intensity, the origin of the Δ32 allele may be relatively far from the current areas of highest allele frequency. The geographic distribution of the Δ32 allele is consistent with previous reports of a strong selective advantage (>10%) for Δ32 carriers and of dispersal over relatively long distances (>100 km/generation). When selection is assumed to be uniform across Europe and western Asia, we find support for a northern European origin and long-range dispersal consistent with the Viking-mediated dispersal of Δ32 proposed by G. Lucotte and G. Mercier. However, when we allow for gradients in selection intensity, we estimate the origin to be outside of northern Europe and selection intensities to be strongest in the northwest. Our results describe the evolutionary history of the Δ32 allele and establish a general methodology for studying the geographic distribution of selected alleles.
Threshold pion photoproduction in 12C and the 15.11 MeV M1 form factor

Abstract Considerable improvement in the agreement between the Kroll-Ruderman prediction for 12C(γ, π−)12Ngs and the measurements of Bernstein et al.[1] is obtained by using nuclear wave functions consistent with our present acknowledgement of the 12C 15.11 MeV M1 form factor.
Intraoperative Adrenal Insufficiency in a Patient with Prader-Willi Syndrome

Prader-Willi syndrome (PW) is a rare genetic disorder with multi-organ system involvement. These patients present many perioperative challenges including sleep-related breathing disorders, morbid obesity, thick salivary secretions, mental retardation, and difficult intravenous access. PW has been suggested to be associated with central adrenal insufficiency. We report a novel case of persistent severe hypotension from previously undiagnosed and asymptomatic adrenal insufficiency in a pediatric patient with Prader-Willi syndrome during spine surgery that resolved upon treatment with hydrocortisone. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4021/jocmr1039w
Genetic predictors of medically refractory ulcerative colitis

Background: Acute severe ulcerative colitis (UC) remains a significant clinical challenge and the ability to predict, at an early stage, those individuals at risk of colectomy for medically refractory UC (MR-UC) would be a major clinical advance. The aim of this study was to use a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in a well-characterized cohort of UC patients to identify genetic variation that contributes to MR-UC. Methods: A GWAS comparing 324 MR-UC patients with 537 non-MR-UC patients was analyzed using logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards methods. In addition, the MR-UC patients were compared with 2601 healthy controls. Results: MR-UC was associated with more extensive disease (P = 2.7 × 10−6) and a positive family history of UC (P = 0.004). A risk score based on the combination of 46 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with MR-UC explained 48% of the variance for colectomy risk in our cohort. Risk scores divided into quarters showed the risk of colectomy to be 0%, 17%, 74%, and 100% in the four groups. Comparison of the MR-UC subjects with healthy controls confirmed the contribution of the major histocompatibility complex to severe UC (peak association: rs17207986, P = 1.4 × 10−16) and provided genome-wide suggestive association at the TNFSF15 (TL1A) locus (peak association: rs11554257, P = 1.4 × 10−6). Conclusions: A SNP-based risk scoring system, identified here by GWAS analyses, may provide a useful adjunct to clinical parameters for predicting the natural history of UC. Furthermore, discovery of genetic processes underlying disease severity may help to identify pathways for novel therapeutic intervention in severe UC. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2010)
Multivariate distribution models with prescribed marginals and covariances

Abstract Two multivariate distribution models consistent with prescribed marginal distributions and covariances are presented. The models are applicable to arbitrary number of random variables and are particularly suited for engineering applications. Conditions for validity of each model and applicable ranges of correlation coefficients between the variables are determined. Formulae are developed which facilitate evaluation of the model parameters in terms of the prescribed marginals and covariances. Potential uses of the two models in engineering are discussed.
Renal cell carcinoma with massive osseous metaplasia and bone marrow elements

Focal calcifications are frequently seen in renal masses and may be present in renal cell carcinomas. Metaplastic bone formation, on the other hand, is a rare event. We report a unique case of a large calcified renal cell carcinoma with massive osseous metaplasia and bone marrow elements. The clinical and pathologic differential diagnosis for this tumor is discussed along with a review of the literature on this unusual phenomenon.
Evaluation of the Tensor Polynomial Strength Theory for Wood

The tensor polynomial (Tsai-Wu) strength theory with the interaction stress coeffi cient, F12, determined from the Hankinson formula, has been applied in this study to predict the strength of wood ...
Recent advances in understanding transfer ions across aqueous interfaces

Understanding the composition of aqueous interfaces and the mechanism for ion transport across these interfaces is of fundamental importance for biological, environmental, and industrial processes. Molecular dynamics simulations, using the potential of mean force technique, can map the free energy profile across interfaces. In some cases, where the free energy of ion transfer between two phases has been determined experimentally, the potential of mean force technique can validate the results obtained from simulations against the experimental results. In addition, the inclusion of polarizability in the interaction potential can be of paramount importance for understanding interfacial properties and the ion transfer mechanism in interfacial environments. This review discusses recent studies of ion transport across aqueous interfaces, and provides insight into the ion transport mechanism and why certain interfacial behavior is observed.