cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stochastically accelerated molecular dynamics: Application to 1-D

Abstract In this work, we develop a method to accelerate molecular dynamics simulations by boosting the kinetic energy of an atom. Preliminary results have been obtained for several 1-D potentials and show very good agreement with direct simulations. Furthermore, the speed-up factors are promising, over 10 2 (with T =1000 K and E c =0.5 eV). The formalism presented here should be equally applicable to the 3-D case.
Population and Personalized Medicine in the Modern Era

Classic health care research has centered on studying a group of individuals and then extrapolating the findings to the general population. In this context, evaluating the association between nonrandomized exposures and clinical outcomes can yield interesting, hypothesis-generating correlations, but assembling evidence to suggest a causal relationship has focused on testing the relationship between randomized exposures and clinical outcomes 1 (Figure). Clinical research has reached a pivotal moment, not only with the exponential expansion of tools for data capture as well as data sources, but also with the opportunity to reevaluate how to integrate the information to optimize medical decision making. First, increasingly more data will beavailableintheformofadvanceddiagnostics,electronic health records, and mobile digital technologies. It is now possible to define more precisely individuals or cohorts of individuals when planning clinical studies. Second, data sources are coalescing. Instead of extrapolating findings to a broader population, it is possible to study that broader population.Ifrigorousmethodologicapproachesthathave emerged from epidemiology studies and clinical trials are applied in these settings, then the promise of delivering on population and personalized medicine could be realized. Examples are emerging for which medical strategies
Mechanism of salutary effects of finasteride on post-traumatic immune/inflammatory response: upregulation of estradiol synthesis.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate whether pretreatment with finasteride, a 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, improves immune functions after trauma-hemorrhage. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA A number of studies have provided evidence for a gender dimorphism in host defense after trauma. Under stress conditions, such as trauma-hemorrhage, androgenic hormones have immunosuppressive effects, leading to increased susceptibility to sepsis, morbidity, and mortality. Testosterone is converted by 5alpha-reductase to 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a more potent androgen. METHODS Male C3H/HeN mice (8-10 weeks) were randomly assigned to receive finasteride or vehicle for 2 days and were then subjected to trauma-hemorrhage or sham operation. Trauma-hemorrhage was induced by a midline laparotomy and approximately 90 minutes of hemorrhagic shock (blood pressure, 35 mm Hg), followed by fluid resuscitation. Animals were killed 2 hours after resuscitation or sham procedure. Plasma levels and Kupffer cell production of cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-10, MCP-1, KC, and MIP-1alpha), lung neutrophil infiltration, and edema were evaluated. RESULTS Finasteride administration prevented the increase in cytokine plasma levels, decreased DHT, and increased 17beta-estradiol plasma concentrations. In addition, neutrophil infiltration and edema formation in the lung were reduced by finasteride. The salutary effects of finasteride were abrogated after coadministration with an estrogen receptor inhibitor (ICI 182,780). Increased Kupffer cell cytokine production normally observed after trauma-hemorrhage was prevented by treatment with finasteride. CONCLUSION These results suggest that inhibition of 5alpha-reductase leads to the conversion of testosterone to 17beta-estradiol, which produces salutary effects on the post-traumatic immune response.
Biologically relevant models of infantile nystagmus syndrome: the requirement for behavioral ocular motor system models.

Infantile nystagmus syndrome (INS) is a combination of several types of nystagmus, each representing dysfunction in one subsystem of the ocular motor system (OMS) and having characteristic waveforms. Eye-movement recordings are the only certain way to identify IN and differentiate it from other types. The waveform classification scheme in use for 30 years is both accurate, inclusive, and suggests the underlying subsystem instabilities. In different individuals, they may appear at birth (hard wired) or in early infancy (developmental). The primary subsystem instability in IN is hypothesized to lie in the normally underdamped smooth pursuit system; vestibular dysfunction (imbalance) may also be present. Less often, the nucleus of the optic tract may be involved. Ocular motility studies over the past 40 years have demonstrated that saccades and gaze holding are normal in the INS and saccades contained within IN waveforms are always corrective; i.e., they cannot be the initiating movement responsible for IN. ...
Radiometric calibration and mission simulation testing of sensor systems in the AEDC 7V and 10V chambers

The Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) has performed characterization and calibration of space-based, airborne, and interceptor sensor systems for over 35 years. The 7V and 10V Chambers provide a suite of IR and visible target systems that operate in a simulated space background (< 20K) and allow complete evaluation of sensor performance within a single test installation. Test facility upgrades are continuously pursued to keep pace with evolving sensor technologies. This paper describes the methodology used to perform calibration and characterization of sensor systems in the AEDC 7V and 10V test chambers. Complex target systems that provide the ability to evaluate system performance against representative mission scenarios are included in both test chambers. Representative results associated with the calibration and mission simulation capabilities are shown. The overall status of the 7V and 10V Chamber facilities is described, and plans to implement improved calibration capabilities are discussed. Results from analysis performed on data collected during checkout testing of source systems included in both sensor test chambers are presented. The results illustrate the ability of the 7V and 10V Chambers to facilitate complete characterization of sensor performance with a high degree of accuracy in a representative mission operating environment.
Beyond Runs Expectancy

George Lindsey was one of the first to present run scoring distributions of teams of Major League Baseball. One drawback of Lindsey's approach is that his calculations represented a situation where the team is average. By use of a multi- nomial/multilevel modeling approach, we look more carefully how run-scoring distributions vary between teams and how run-scoring is affected by different covariates such as ballpark, pitcher quality, and clutch situations. By use of exchangeable models over ordinal regression coefficients, one gets a better understanding which covariates represent meaningful differences between run-scoring of teams.
Multivariate graphical methods provide an insightful way to formulate explanatory hypotheses from limited categorical data

Objective Graphical methods for generating explanatory hypotheses from limited categorical data are described and illustrated.
Local regulation of gonadotroph function by pituitary gonadotropin-releasing hormone.

Cultured rat pituitary cells and immortalized pituitary gonadotrophs (αT3–1 cells) express specific messenger RNA transcripts for GnRH and exhibit positive immunostaining for the GnRH peptide. Each cell type released GnRH during both static culture and perifusion, albeit in lesser amounts than cultured hypothalamic cells and GT1–7 neurons. In perifused pituitary cells, exposure to a GnRH agonist stimulated the release of GnRH as well as LH. In contrast, treatment with a GnRH receptor antagonist or with GnRH antiserum decreased basal LH release. In pituitary cell cultures, a small proportion of gonadotrophs exhibited high amplitude and low frequency baseline Ca2+ oscillations in the absence of GnRH stimulation. Such spontaneous oscillations were comparable to those induced by picomolar concentrations of GnRH and could be abolished by treatment with a GnRH antagonist. These in vitro findings indicate that locally produced GnRH causes low level activation of pituitary GnRH receptors, induces spontaneous intr...
MicroRNA-Deficient NK Cells Exhibit Decreased Survival but Enhanced Function

NK cells are innate immune lymphocytes important for early host defense against infectious pathogens and malignant transformation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules that regulate a wide variety of cellular processes, typically by specific complementary targeting of the 3'UTR of mRNAs. The Dicer1 gene encodes a conserved enzyme essential for miRNA processing, and Dicer1 deficiency leads to a global defect in miRNA biogenesis. In this study, we report a mouse model of lymphocyte-restricted Dicer1 disruption to evaluate the role of Dicer1-dependent miRNAs in the development and function of NK cells. As expected, Dicer1-deficient NK cells had decreased total miRNA content. Furthermore, miRNA-deficient NK cells exhibited reduced survival and impaired maturation defined by cell surface phenotypic markers. However, Dicer1-deficient NK cells exhibited enhanced degranulation and IFN-γ production in vitro in response to cytokines, tumor target cells, and activating NK cell receptor ligation. Moreover, a similar phenotype of increased IFN-γ was evident during acute MCMV infection in vivo. miRs-15a/15b/16 were identified as abundant miRNAs in NK cells that directly target the murine IFN-γ 3'UTR, thereby providing a potential mechanism for enhanced IFN-γ production. These data suggest that the function of miRNAs in NK cell biology is complex, with an important role in NK cell development, survival, or homeostasis, while tempering peripheral NK cell activation. Further study of individual miRNAs in an NK cell specific fashion will provide insight into these complex miRNA regulatory effects in NK cell biology.
Topological Semantics for Hybrid Systems

This procedure for strengthening correctness to correctness relative to small changes in any interesting parameters can be extended to apply to any hybrid systems language, with slight changes in primitive relations. The key idea is that the physical systems are dynamical systems equipped with topologies on state spaces, that finite automata have to work relative to finite space quotient topologies, and that one needs to respect observational equivalence to get correctness proofs that allow small variations, which means using Intuitionistic deductions.
Postoperative mortality and need for transitional care following liver resection for metastatic disease in elderly patients: a population-level analysis of 4026 patients

Objectives The goal of this study was to characterize the association of age with postoperative mortality and need for transitional care following hepatectomy for liver metastases.
Effect of Neutral Liposomes on Corneal and Conjunctival Transport of Didanosine

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of various neutral liposomes on corneal and conjunctival permeability of didanosine (ddI), an antiviral drug. Multi-lamellar vesicles (MLVs), large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs), and sonicated multi-lamellar vesicles (SMLVs) encapsulating ddI (with trace quantities of 3HddI) were prepared using distearoyl phosphatidylcholine (DSPC), a neutral lipid. The liposomes contained 14C-cholesteryl oleate as a lipid tracer. Liposome formulations containing free and encapsulated drug (f + e) and those containing only encapsulated drug (e) of an equal quantity were compared with free drug in this study. The permeability studies were conducted in the mucosal to serosal direction across excised rabbit cornea and conjunctiva. The percent encapsulation of ddI in MLVs, LUVs, and SMLVs was 25.66 0.30, 26.56 0.57, and 19.41 0.30, respectively. The mean particle size of MLVs, LUVs, and SMLVs containingfree and encapsulated drug was 3058, 774, and 270 nm, respectively. With...
Silence and Policy Talk: Historical Puzzles About Gender and Education

Three puzzles arise in looking at the history of public education through the lens of gender. Why did some major shifts in gender practices, like the emergence of coeducation in the early 19th century, take place with only minor controversy and in relative silence? Conversely, why did certain kinds of vehement policy talk—for example about the way hard study ruined girls' health or about the way women teachers “feminized” boys—affect practice so little? And finally, how did reforms that, on their face, had little to do with gender actually alter the two sexes' educational opportunities? This essay focuses on the complexities of silent institutional change and stability, the reasons why conscious gender policies often left checquered results, and the implications of this history for gender policy and practice today.
Reliability comparison of multi-level inverters for motor drive

Due to the unique interconnecting nature of hexagram inverter, it can tolerate one leg failure without adding major power component. In the event of one leg failure, the whole power module is disabled and new control method will be initiated for hexagram inverter. Another widely used multi-level topology is Cascaded H-bridge Inverter, which proves to have extremely high reliability when contactors are added to the topology. This paper gives the control method of hexagram inverter under faulty condition, and is compared to Cascaded H-bridge inverter in this regards. Reliability analysis shows that without adding any major power components, the hexagram inverter has higher reliability than cascaded H-bridge inverter due to its simple structure and less components. Considering N+1 redundancy, Hexagram inverter proves to have higher reliability than Cascaded H-bridge inverter, in which additional contactors are required for fault tolerant control design.
Ultra high Q embedded inductors in highly miniaturized family of low loss organic substrates

This paper presents the design, fabrication and measurement of high Q miniaturized inductors on a new family of ultra thin organic substrates. This paper for the first time discusses the design and fabrication of embedding ultra miniaturized RF inductors in ultra thin (100 - 150 microns thickness) organic substrates. The substrate described in this paper belongs to a new family of ultra low profile organic laminates with a loss tangent of about 0.0034 - 0.0045 and a dielectric constant of 3.4. Innovative inductor designs on this ultra thin substrate resulted in unloaded quality factors of about 100 - 150 in the frequency range of 1- 15 GHz and have line widths in the range of 2 - 4 mils and occupying an area of 0.062 - 0.64 mm2. Design optimization, modeling and simulations performed are discussed in detail. Two test vehicles - test vehicle 1 (TV1) made up of two metal layers, having a thickness of 100 microns and test vehicle 2 (TV2), consisting of four metal layers and 150 microns in thickness have been used for the design of these inductors.
Molecular mechanism underlying a Cx50-linked congenital cataract.

Mutations in gap junctional channels have been linked to certain forms of inherited congenital cataract (D. Mackay, A. Ionides, V. Berry, A. Moore, S. Bhattacharya, and A. Shiels. Am. J. Hum. Genet...
Once initiated, how does toxic tissue injury expand?

Once initiated, how tissue injury expands after high toxicant doses, even after their complete elimination, is not understood. Free-radical generation was initially proposed to mediate progression of injury. However, mechanisms proposed thus far have remained unsubstantiated. Necrotic injury is characterized by loss of osmoregulation, cell swelling, blebbing, and cell rupture. This exposes cytosolic enzymes, including proteases, phospholipases, and lysosomal Ca 2+ -dependent enzymes, to high extracellular calcium (Ca 2+ ). Activated hydrolytic enzymes, termed ‘death proteins,' hydrolyze their substrates in the plasma membrane of neighboring cells, commencing self-perpetuated injury progression. Likewise, ischemia–reperfusion injury exposes the hydrolytic enzymes to high Ca 2+ , fuelling the progression of tissue injury. This mechanism is independent of the offending toxicant that initiates the injury. I present here a case for therapeutic intervention with inhibitors directed against death proteins as a means to avert organ failure and death well after the poisoning event.
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of bulk aqueous solutions at oceanic pressures: evaluation of key measurement parameters

The development of in situ chemical sensors is critical for present-day expeditionary oceanography and the new mode of ocean observing systems that we are entering. New sensors take a significant amount of time to develop; therefore, validation of techniques in the laboratory for use in the ocean environment is necessary. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a promising in situ technique for oceanography. Laboratory investigations on the feasibility of using LIBS to detect analytes in bulk liquids at oceanic pressures were carried out. LIBS was successfully used to detect dissolved Na, Mn, Ca, K, and Li at pressures up to 2.76×107 Pa. The effects of pressure, laser-pulse energy, interpulse delay, gate delay, temperature, and NaCl concentration on the LIBS signal were examined. An optimal range of laser-pulse energies was found to exist for analyte detection in bulk aqueous solutions at both low and high pressures. No pressure effect was seen on the emission intensity for Ca and Na, and an increase in emission intensity with increased pressure was seen for Mn. Using the dual-pulse technique for several analytes, a very short interpulse delay resulted in the greatest emission intensity. The presence of NaCl enhanced the emission intensity for Ca, but had no effect on peak intensity of Mn or K. Overall, increased pressure, the addition of NaCl to a solution, and temperature did not inhibit detection of analytes in solution and sometimes even enhanced the ability to detect the analytes. The results suggest that LIBS is a viable chemical sensing method for in situ analyte detection in high-pressure environments such as the deep ocean.
A registration and matching method for remote sensing images

The analysis of a remote sensing image usually requires the comparison of the analyzed image with another image taken from the same spot. This paper describes a general-purpose, representation independent method for registering and matching remote sensing images. The method is based on the iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm. The algorithm requires a procedure to find the closest point on a geometric entity to a given point to measure the required deformation. A dynamic programming method is used for finding the best approximation of the deformation above. The corresponding points are then mapped into each other. A hypothesis propagation and verification method finds the features that match in the two images. An example from the Ottawa area illustrates the procedure. >
Residual electrostatic effects in the unfolded state of the N-terminal domain of L9 can be attributed to nonspecific nonlocal charge-charge interactions.

Residual electrostatic interactions in the unfolded state of the N-terminal domain of L9 (NTL9) were found by Kuhlman et al. [(1999) Biochemistry 38, 4896−4903]. These residual interactions are analyzed here by the Gaussian-chain model [Zhou, H.-X. (2002) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99, 3569−3574]. The original model is made more realistic by replacing “standard” model-compound pKa values for ionizable groups by those measured by Kuhlman et al. in peptide fragments of NTL9. The predicted pH dependence of the unfolding free energy is in agreement with experiment over the pH range of 1−7 at ionic strengths of 100 and 750 mM. This indicates that the residual electrostatic effects in the unfolded state of NTL9 can be attributed to nonspecific nonlocal charge−charge interactions.
Instability in Leapfrog and Forward–Backward Schemes

This papershowsthat in the linearizedshallow-water equations,the numericalschemescan becomeweakly unstable for the 2Dx wave in the C grid when the Courant number is 1 in the forward‐backward scheme and 0.5 in the leapfrog scheme because of the repeated eigenvalues in the matrices. The instability can be amplified and spread to other waves and smaller Courant number if the diffusion term is included. However, Shuman smoothing can control the instability.
In‐mold multivariate sensing of colored polystyrene

The role of colorant in polymer processing was investigated with respect to pressure and infrared (IR) sensing. Polystyrene was combined with blue, black, and purple color additives using twin-screw extrusion. Injection molding was then conducted using these three materials with a mold instrumented with a suite of commercial sensors as well as a custom multivariate sensor (MVS) capable of sensing melt temperature, mold temperature, melt pressure, melt velocity, and melt viscosity. Melt pressure and melt temperature are, respectively, obtained through the incorporation of a piezoceramic element and IR thermopile within the sensor head. Melt velocity was derived from the initial response of the melt temperature as the melt flows across the sensor's lens. The apparent melt viscosity was then derived based on the melt velocity and the time derivative of the increasing melt pressure given the cavity thickness. The accuracy of the temperature, pressure, velocity, and viscosity results were evaluated. Results indicated that the velocity estimates obtained with the commercial sensors and MVS had a coefficient of determination, R2, of about 0.99 regardless of colorant. The temperature measurements and viscosity estimates were similarly and correctly found to be invariant of the colorant blend. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:2794–2800, 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers
Low-temperature correlation functions via forward–backward quantum dynamics

Abstract We present an extension of forward–backward quantum dynamics suitable for evaluating finite-temperature time correlation functions for one-dimensional systems at low temperatures. The procedure relies on the cooling action of the Boltzmann operator, which produces a state similar to the lowest energy eigenstate with the given symmetry. As we have shown earlier, the quantum trajectories of near-eigenstates can be integrated by a numerical procedure based on a generalization of Hamilton’s principle of stationary action. Evaluation of the trace may be performed in a generic basis set, obviating the need to calculate eigenstates. Numerical applications illustrate the method.
Survey and Analysis of the Use of Hepatitis B Vaccine Immunization Program in Dabu in 2007

Objective To understand the condition of the immunization program HB vaccine and provide the scientific basis for the reasonable use HB vaccine and the making HB vaccine use plan.Methods The verification vaccination unit vaccine account,with a kind of vaccine report form in the HB vaccine reported that the number carries as the comparison,the reference differential value appraisal law carries on the appraisal.Results In 2007 Dapu County altogether HB vaccine 16550,reported that vaccination HB vaccine 17865,the HB vaccine actual use number reported number few 7.36%,finally "is incredible".16 vaccination unit result determines for "is incredible",7 vaccination unit HB vaccine actual use number is bigger than the report number,9 vaccination unit HB vaccine actual use number is smaller than the report number.Conclusion The Dapu County HB vaccine's use also insufficient standard,the non-goal crowd uses the vaccine and makes a false report the vaccination number situation coexisting.Suggested that the administration of public health department increases the supervising dynamics,corrects the existence question promptly.
Determination About Preventive Maintenance Time of the Repairable System

A method was proposed to determine preventive maintenance time for repairable and maintainable systems. The life cycle w as defined by building the joint density function of w orking time and maintenance time. Considering the profit during w orking time and the loss during maintenance time,the function betw een unit time profit expectation and preventive maintenance time T in a life cycle w as confirmed by applying the theory of mathematical expectation of random variable function. The optimal objective is to maximize the unit time profit expectation. Newton's method w as used to confirm the optimal preventive maintenance time,then the corresponding reliability w ould be confirmed based on the optimal objective. A numerical example show ed that the proposed model is valid. The distribution parameter effect on the optimum preventive maintenance time w as analyzed.
Research on Implementation of G.729 on VC++6.0 Platform

G.729 can be widely used in the field of individual mobile communication,IP phone,multimedia communication,satellite communication,ISDN and so on.A detailed analysis on the C source code of G.729 at first is taken,then showed a study on the implementation method and realization process of G.729 on VC++6.0 platform.It gives out the implementation result,and according to the implementation result the Characteristics of G.729 using MATLAB.
Research on Eliminating Extra Torque in Loading System of Helicopter Rotor

The couple model was described in order to eliminate the extra torque in loading system of helicopter rotor.A feedforward compensation was discussed,different structure parameters and effects as the feedforward to eliminate extraneous force were investigated and compared,the conclusion is useful for loading system experiment.
Protective effect of carbon monoxide for organ injury

Heme oxygenase (HO) catabolizes heme into three products: carbon monoxide (CO), biliverdin and free iron. HO-1, inducible form of HO, has been shown to be protective against various stress. CO at a low concentration has been shown to be protective in several disease models mimicking the action of HO-1. We suggest that CO, the byproduct of heme degradation, could be valuable therapeutic agents. We review the functional role of HO-1 and CO and its potential application to clinical settings.
Melt-cast organic glasses as high-efficiency fast neutron scintillators

In this work we report a new class of organic-based scintillators that combines several of the desirable attributes of existing crystalline, liquid, and plastic organic scintillators. The prepared materials may be isolated in single crystalline form or melt-cast to produce highly transparent glasses that have been shown to provide high light yields of up to 16,000 photons/MeVee, as evaluated against EJ-200 plastic scintillators and solution-grown trans-stilbene crystals. The prepared organic glasses exhibit neutron/gamma pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) and are compatible with wavelength shifters to reduce optical self-absorption effects that are intrinsic to pure materials such as crystalline organics. In conclusion, the combination of high scintillation efficiency, PSD capabilities, and facile scale-up via melt-casting distinguishes this new class of amorphous materials from existing alternatives.
Letter to the Editor for the Special Issue on Military Social Work

This special issue of the Journal of Social Work Education, which focuses on military and veteran social work, will be beneficial to those working in the social work field, those enrolled in formal...
A Method for Validating Mutations Associated with Malignant Hyperthermia using CRISPR/Cas9 and Dual Integrase Cassette Exchange

Malignant Hyperthermia (MH) is a pharmacogenetic disorder characterized by a hypermetabolic skeletal muscle response to volatile anesthetics. While there are hundreds of mutations in the Ryanodine Receptor 1 gene (RyR1) associated with MH, the current diagnostic protocol has only confirmed 35 mutations to be causative. This study aims to develop a more efficient method for validating mutations. The CRISPR/Cas9 system has emerged as an efficient and targetable gene-editing tool used to assist in homology-driven repair (HDR) for the insertion of donor templates in vitro. Serine integrase site-specific recombination offers a more efficient method of gene editing but requires specific recognition sites. In this study, we use CRISPR/Cas9 and Dual Integrase Cassette Exchange (DICE) to create RyR1-mutant cell lines. Using calcium imaging, myotubes consisting of differentiated myoblasts are tested for their sensitivity to the calcium-releasing triggers KCl, caffeine, and 4-chloro-m-cresol. The sensitivities of RyR1-mutant myotubes are compared to wild-type myotubes. An increase in sensitivity is indicative of MH and is used to classify the mutations as likely causative. The study is performed on primary murine myoblasts that have been immortalized via lentiviral transduction of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4). We have designed and tested guide RNAs (gRNAs) used in the CRISPR/Cas9 system, identifying three gRNAs with DNA-cleavage efficiencies of 25-30%. The combined use of CRISPR/Cas9 and DICE allows for the efficient and rapid creation of RyR1-mutant cell lines in which the mutations can subsequently be functionally validated. In doing so, we hope to expedite the validation of MH-associated mutations for the purpose of assisting the development of a genetic screen. In addition, our methods can be applied to other regions of the genome to create an improved, high-throughput method of genomic engineering.
Practical approach to detection and management of acute kidney injury in critically ill patient

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in critically ill patients and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. This paper provides a critical review of the etiologies of AKI and a systematic approach toward its diagnosis and management with emphasis on fluid volume assessment and the use of urine biochemical profile and microscopy in identifying the nature and the site of kidney injury. The search of PubMed and selection of papers had employed observational designs or randomized control trials relevant to AKI. AKI is defined by the rate of rise of serum creatinine and a decline in urine output. The pathophysiology is diverse and requires a careful and systematic assessment of predisposing factors and localization of site of injury. The majority of AKIs are due to prerenal causes such as fluid volume deficit, sepsis, or renal as in acute tubular injury. The use of central venous and arterial blood pressure monitoring and inferior vena cava echocardiography complemented by urine analysis and microscopy allows assessment of fluid volume status and AKI etiology. Timely intervention by avoidance of fluid volume deficit and nephrotoxic agents and blood pressure support can reduce the incidence of AKI in critically ill patients.
High-spin states in /sup 92/Zr

High-spin states have been investigated with the $^{88}\mathrm{Sr}(^{7}\mathrm{Li},p2n)^{92}\mathrm{Zr}$ reaction by $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-$\ensuremath{\gamma}$ coincidence, $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray angular distribution, and pulsed beam-$\ensuremath{\gamma}$ timing measurements with Ge(Li) detectors. Decay schemes, level energies, and spin-parity information were obtained for $^{92}\mathrm{Zr}$ from the data. The high-spin states involving the ${(\ensuremath{\pi}1{g}_{\frac{9}{2}})}^{2}{(\ensuremath{\nu}2{d}_{\frac{5}{2}})}^{2}$ configuration were identified, with the (${12}^{+}$) member being at 4947 keV. Tentative identification of the members of the $(\ensuremath{\pi}1{g}_{\frac{9}{2}}\ensuremath{\pi}2{p}_{\frac{1}{2}}){(\ensuremath{\nu}2{d}_{\frac{5}{2}})}^{2}$ configuration has also been made. The observed experimental levels in $^{92}\mathrm{Zr}$ are compared with recent theoretical calculations.
Top-Down Proteomics: Ready for Prime Time?

In the post-genomics era, the study of proteins is critical for understanding cellular functions at the molecular level.1-5 Beyond the genetic code, the human proteome is greatly diversified by various genetic variations, alternative splicing of RNA transcripts, and post-translational modifi-cations (PTMs).6,7 In 2013, the term “proteoform” was designated to describe “all of the different molecular forms in which the protein product of a single gene can be found”,6 clearing up the confusion in nomenclature and joining research efforts to develop methodologies for pro-teoform characterization. Top-down proteomics, which analyzes intact proteins without digestion, has proved to be a premier technology for global and comprehensive analy-sis of proteoforms.4,8,9 The top-down approach retains in-tact protein mass information, providing a “bird’s-eye” view of the proteome and allowing for identification of novel proteoforms, in-depth sequence characterization, and quantification of disease-associated PTMs.4,8,9
A Pilot Comparison between Caregiver's and Patient's Perceived Quality of Life in Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Introduction Chronic rhinosinusitis negatively impacts a patient's quality of life, but current studies only address the patient's perception of their disease. Caregivers living with the patient may have an alternative perception of the severity of the quality of life disturbance that patient's experience with chronic rhinosinusitis. Methods This was a prospective cohort study that enrolled patients with a confirmed chronic rhinosinusitis diagnosis who presented to clinic with a caregiver. At the initial visit, patients completed a Rhinosinusitis Disability Index. The caregiver completed a Rhinosinusitis Disability Index based on their perception of the patient's symptoms in addition to a Modified Caregiver Strain Index and a Short Form-36 to assess caregiving strain and overall health, respectively. Statistical analyses were performed with significance defined as P < 0.05 a priori. Results A total of 44 total subjects (22 patient and caregiver pairs) were enrolled. Patients reported a total Rhinosinusitis Disability Index of 36.8 (confidence interval: 26.9, 46.6), and caregivers reported a total Rhinosinusitis Disability Index of 50.4 [confidence interval: 38.8, 61.9] ( P = 0.02). The principal differences between patient and caregiver scores were noted in the emotional and physical domains ( P = 0.01 and P = 0.05, respectively). Only the functional domain was not statistically different ( P = 0.20). The patient's total Rhinosinusitis Disability Index is positively correlated with the caregiver's total Modified Caregiver Strain Index with a spearman coefficient of .60 (p ≤ 0.005). Conclusions Caregivers experience greater strain as the patient's quality of life declines. Caregivers perceive patients to have worse quality of life than patients report. Based on these data, caregivers may provide additional insight to the quality of life disturbance of chronic rhinosinusitis. In addition, the societal impact of chronic rhinosinusitis may be underestimated.
Peptidergic pathways in the central nervous system.

Before detailed studies of the physiology and pharmacology of central peptidergic neurons can be undertaken, the location of these neurons must be determined and the mechanism(s) by which they synthesize their peptide products must be explored. In the previous paper, Dr Hokfelt described his elegant immunohistochemical studies, which are designed to answer the questions: Where are peptidergic perikarya?; Where do these perikarya send their processes?; Do these processes branch extensively and innervate several structures?; and Do peptidergic cells contain more than one active product? By studying the effects of lesions on peptide levels in microdissected tissue samples, immunocytochemical data can be confirmed and extended. The microanalytical approach also allows one to determine the nature of the immunologically active substances in a tissue extract, and in vivo or in vitro pulse-chase studies provide the ultimate validation of immunohistological localization of peptidergic perikarya and new information about the biosynthesis of peptides and regulation of this biosynthetic process. Our recent studies of central proopiocortin- and neurophysin/vasopressin-producing neurons will illustrate the above points.
The effects of fitness functions on genetic programming-based ranking discovery for Web search: Research Articles

Genetic-based evolutionary learning algorithms, such as genetic algorithms (GAs) and genetic programming (GP), have been applied to information retrieval (IR) since the 1980s. Recently, GP has been applied to a new IR task—discovery of ranking functions for Web search—and has achieved very promising results. However, in our prior research, only one fitness function has been used for GP-based learning. It is unclear how other fitness functions may affect ranking function discovery for Web search, especially since it is well known that choosing a proper fitness function is very important for the effectiveness and efficiency of evolutionary algorithms. In this article, we report our experience in contrasting different fitness function designs on GP-based learning using a very large Web corpus. Our results indicate that the design of fitness functions is instrumental in performance improvement. We also give recommendations on the design of fitness functions for genetic-based information retrieval experiments. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Thirty-year trends in aortofemoral bypass for aortoiliac occlusive disease.

Abstract Objective Endovascular intervention has supplanted open bypass as the most frequently used approach in patients with aortoiliac segment atherosclerosis. We sought to determine whether this trend together with changing demographic and clinical characteristics of patients undergoing aortobifemoral bypass (ABFB) for aortoiliac occlusive disease (AOD) have an association with postoperative outcomes. Methods Using a prospectively maintained institutional database, we identified patients who underwent ABFB for AOD from 1985 to 2015. Patients were divided into two cohorts: the historical cohort (HC) included patients who underwent ABFB for AOD from 1985 to 1999 and the contemporary cohort (CC) who underwent ABFB for AOD from 2000 to 2015. Medical and demographic data, procedural information, postoperative complications, and follow-up data were extracted. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate associations with the end point of primary patency. A similar analysis was performed for major adverse limb events (MALEs; the composite of above-ankle amputation, major reintervention, graft revision, or new bypass graft of the index limb) in the subset of patients with critical limb ischemia. Results There were a total of 359 cases: 226 in the HC and 133 in the CC. The CC had more women (56.4% vs 43.8%; P = .02), smokers (87.2% vs 67.7%; P = .001), and patients who failed prior aortoiliac endovascular intervention (17.3% vs 4.8%; P = .0001), but fewer patients with coronary artery disease (32.3% vs 47.3%; P = .005). Thirty-day mortality was less than 1% in both cohorts, but 10-year survival was higher in the CC (67.7% vs 52.6%; P = .02). Five-year primary, primary-assisted, and secondary patency were higher in the HC (93.3% vs 82.2%; P = .005; 93.8% vs 85.7%; P = .02; 97.5% vs 90.4%; P = .02, respectively). CC membership, decreasing age, prior aortic surgery, and decreasing graft diameter were significant independent predictors of loss of primary patency after adjustment (hazard ratio [HR], 7.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.80-17.63; P Conclusions Compared with the pre-endovascular era, demographic and clinical characteristics of patients undergoing ABFB for AOD in the CC have changed. Although long-term patency is slightly lower among patients in the CC during which a substantial subset of AOD patients are being treated primarily via the endovascular approach, durability remains excellent and limb salvage unchanged. After adjustment, the time period of index ABFB independently predicted primary patency and MALE, as did graft diameter and prior aortic surgery. These changing characteristics should be considered when counseling patients and benchmarking for reintervention rates and other outcomes.
Comparing material and structural set theories

Abstract We study elementary theories of well-pointed toposes and pretoposes, regarded as category-theoretic or “structural” set theories in the spirit of Lawvere's “Elementary Theory of the Category of Sets”. We consider weak intuitionistic and predicative theories of pretoposes, and we also propose category-theoretic versions of stronger axioms such as unbounded separation, replacement, and collection. Finally, we compare all of these theories formally to traditional membership-based or “material” set theories, using a version of the classical construction based on internal well-founded relations.
Time domain stochastic finite element simulation towards probabilistic seismic soil-structure interaction analysis

Abstract This paper exploits the recent advances in the field of stochastic finite elements in time-domain simulation of the seismic behavior of soil-foundation-structure systems in three-dimension considering the soil parameters to be heterogeneous, anisotropic, non-Gaussian random fields, structural material parameters to be non-Gaussian random variables, and earthquake motion to be a non-stationary random process. Both the formulation and its implementation are discussed. Scalable numerical schemes for distributed memory parallel computing of hundreds of millions stochastic degrees of freedom, that may arise for any typical uncertain soil-structure interaction (SSI) problem, are presented. Although the presented approach allows for treatment of material nonlinearity, behaviors of only linear systems are illustrated in this study. Through comparisons of the stochastic SSI analysis results with that of the deterministic SSI, deterministic rigid base structural response history, and 1-D deterministic geotechnical site response analyses, and through an extensive parametric study by varying the input uncertainty parameters, the shortcomings of the conventional deterministic approaches are highlighted.
Pulse sequence considerations for quantification of pyruvate‐to‐lactate conversion kPL in hyperpolarized 13C imaging

Hyperpolarized 13 C MRI takes advantage of the unprecedented 50 000-fold signal-to-noise ratio enhancement to interrogate cancer metabolism in patients and animals. It can measure the pyruvate-to-lactate conversion rate, kPL , a metabolic biomarker of cancer aggressiveness and progression. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate kPL reliably. In this study, three sequence components and parameters that modulate kPL estimation were identified and investigated in model simulations and through in vivo animal studies using several specifically designed pulse sequences. These factors included a magnetization spoiling effect due to RF pulses, a crusher gradient-induced flow suppression, and intrinsic image weightings due to relaxation. Simulation showed that the RF-induced magnetization spoiling can be substantially improved using an inputless kPL fitting. In vivo studies found a significantly higher apparent kPL with an additional gradient that leads to flow suppression (kPL,FID-Delay,Crush /kPL,FID-Delay = 1.37 ± 0.33, P < 0.01, N = 6), which agrees with simulation outcomes (12.5% kPL error with Δv = 40 cm/s), indicating that the gradients predominantly suppressed flowing pyruvate spins. Significantly lower kPL was found using a delayed free induction decay (FID) acquisition versus a minimum-TE version (kPL,FID-Delay /kPL,FID = 0.67 ± 0.09, P < 0.01, N = 5), and the lactate peak had broader linewidth than pyruvate (Δωlactate /Δωpyruvate = 1.32 ± 0.07, P < 0.000 01, N = 13). This illustrated that lactate's T2 *, shorter than that of pyruvate, can affect calculated kPL values. We also found that an FID sequence yielded significantly lower kPL versus a double spin-echo sequence that includes spin-echo spoiling, flow suppression from crusher gradients, and more T2 weighting (kPL,DSE /kPL,FID = 2.40 ± 0.98, P < 0.0001, N = 7). In summary, the pulse sequence, as well as its interaction with pharmacokinetics and the tissue microenvironment, can impact and be optimized for the measurement of kPL . The data acquisition and analysis pipelines can work synergistically to provide more robust and reproducible kPL measures for future preclinical and clinical studies.
MiPepid: MicroPeptide identification tool using machine learning

Micropeptides are small proteins with length < = 100 amino acids. Short open reading frames that could produces micropeptides were traditionally ignored due to technical difficulties, as few small peptides had been experimentally confirmed. In the past decade, a growing number of micropeptides have been shown to play significant roles in vital biological activities. Despite the increased amount of data, we still lack bioinformatics tools for specifically identifying micropeptides from DNA sequences. Indeed, most existing tools for classifying coding and noncoding ORFs were built on datasets in which “normal-sized” proteins were considered to be positives and short ORFs were generally considered to be noncoding. Since the functional and biophysical constraints on small peptides are likely to be different from those on “normal” proteins, methods for predicting short translated ORFs must be trained independently from those for longer proteins. In this study, we have developed MiPepid, a machine-learning tool specifically for the identification of micropeptides. We trained MiPepid using carefully cleaned data from existing databases and used logistic regression with 4-mer features. With only the sequence information of an ORF, MiPepid is able to predict whether it encodes a micropeptide with 96% accuracy on a blind dataset of high-confidence micropeptides, and to correctly classify newly discovered micropeptides not included in either the training or the blind test data. Compared with state-of-the-art coding potential prediction methods, MiPepid performs exceptionally well, as other methods incorrectly classify most bona fide micropeptides as noncoding. MiPepid is alignment-free and runs sufficiently fast for genome-scale analyses. It is easy to use and is available at https://github.com/MindAI/MiPepid. MiPepid was developed to specifically predict micropeptides, a category of proteins with increasing significance, from DNA sequences. It shows evident advantages over existing coding potential prediction methods on micropeptide identification. It is ready to use and runs fast.
On the Control of a Solid State Transformer for Multi-MW Utility-Scale PV-Battery Systems

The utility-scale photovoltaic (PV)-battery systems typically include multiple power converters connected to the grid via traditional line frequency transformers (LFT), which may be considered bulky, and inefficient when compared with the emerging solid state transformers (SST). This paper proposes a SST with power and voltage controls for utility-scale PV-battery systems. The PV system was modeled based on available data from a universal solar facility located in Kentucky, USA. Furthermore, this paper provides detailed controller designs for the proposed utility-scale PV-battery system based on a SST which includes: the PV-side dual-active bridge (DAB) converter tracks the maximum power point, the PV inverter for steady power transformation to the grid, battery-side DAB converter for maintaining stiff dc bus voltage, and the battery inverter for voltage support and balanceing the power mismatch between the grid demand and the PV generation. Moreover, medium frequency transformer (MFT) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs are utilized in the DAB converters and inverters, to improve the efficiency of the PV-battery system. The simulation results based on the data retrieved from an operational PV facility, on one hand, are presented to confirm the benefits of the proposed SiC SST based PV-battery system; on the other hand, provide an alternative analysis on power losses and efficiency for the utilityscale PV farms.