cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Incidence of Postoperative Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Infections Graft Choice Makes a Difference

Background:Infections after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) can be devastating. Hamstring tendon autografts may be more susceptible to infections than other graft types.Purpose:To determine the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs) in a large sample of patients who underwent ACLR and to evaluate the risk of superficial and deep SSIs associated with grafts used for ACLR.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.Methods:All primary ACLRs performed between February 2005 and September 2010 registered in the Kaiser Permanente ACLR registry were included in the study. The graft types evaluated included the bone–patellar tendon–bone (BPTB) autograft, hamstring tendon autograft, and allograft (all types). The main end point of the study, SSIs (deep and superficial), was prospectively ascertained using an electronic screening algorithm and adjudicated by the principal investigator. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the cohort, and logistic regression models were used to eva...
Repositioning Radio: NBC and the “Kitchen Radio Campaign” of 1953

As television advanced into homes, NBC radio executives sought a way to reposition NBC and build a stronger daytime radio audience. The “Kitchen Radio Campaign” of 1953 was a major Christmas promotion campaign by NBC designed to build the daily “Housewife” audience. Using clever jingles, the spots urged family members to buy a radio for Mom to use while she did her chores. Using letters, memos, and scripts from the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) archives at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, this study examines NBC's Kitchen Radio Campaign and its attempt to reposition radio's place in the American culture.
Networks and Cultural Consumption

Scholars of culture have been increasingly concerned with the roles played by interpersonal social networks in relational cultural processes. This article highlights the ways that social network composition and dynamics can shape individuals' cultural consumption choices and the ways that consumption can shape the structure of individuals' social networks. Attention is given to symbolic aspects of cultural consumption as well as practical aspects of consumption. While much of the research on this topic emerges from the sociology of culture, a broader focus illustrates productive links with health-based and cognitive perspectives.
Speaking Our Minds: Why human communication is different, and how language evolved to make it special, by Thom Scott-Phillips

Speaking Our Minds: Why human communication is different, and how language evolved to make it special , by Thom Scott-Phillips, Palgrave MacMillan (2014), 212 pp, £24.99. Language evolution is a notoriously complex problem. As such, the central topic of how and why language evolved tends to split into a number of questions that are often tackled separately. Why are humans the only species to have such a complex communication system? How were the first communicative conventions established, and how did they develop into languages that take on the forms we observe? What explains our motivation to communicate, and what pressures allow language to remain evolutionarily stable? In Speaking Our Minds , Thom Scott-Phillips offers an account that aims to address all of these questions. The central argument is that language is made possible by an evolutionarily novel form of communication that is uniquely human: ostensive-inferential communication. In this form of communication, signallers provide evidence for their intentions, and receivers interpret this evidence to infer the meaning the signaller intends to convey. This ability relies on sophisticated forms of social cognition which, in turn, arose in our species as a consequence of selection pressure for the ability to better track others’ intentions, as the size and complexity of social groups increased. Scott-Phillips marshals a broad range of evidence in support of this view, from non-human primate communication to the creation, learning and use of artificial languages by human participants in the lab. An unstated assumption in both mainstream and evolutionary linguistics is that language is fundamentally a code, enriched and made flexible by our inferential abilities. The key insight underpinning the book is that this mainstream view is wrong. Specifically, it is backwards. Ostensive-inferential communication makes language possible, and the conventional codes we are able to create as a result make it flexible and productive. This is not just a terminological quibble. The implication is that the traditional view rests on a mechanistically wrong account … casilvey{at}uchicago.edu
Variable Moving Average Transform Stitching Waves

A moving average transform in the plane with a variable size and shape window depending on the position and the ’time’ is studied. The main objective is to select the window parameters in such a way that the new transform converges smoothly to the identity transform at the boundary of a prescribed bounded plane region. A new approximation of solitary waves arising from Korteweg-de Vries equation is obtained based on results in the paper. Numerical implementation and examples are included.
Egidio da Viterbo’s Book on Hebrew Letters: Christian Kabbalah in Papal Rome*

Egidio da Viterbo (1469–1532) wrote his Book on Hebrew Letters (Libellus de litteris hebraicis) in 1517 to persuade Pope Leo X to reform the Roman alphabet. Behind this concrete, if farfetched, proposal was a millenarian theology that Egidio revealed by introducing his Christian readers to Kabbalah, whose first Christian advocate, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, had done his pioneering work only a few decades before. Inspired by Pico and by Johann Reuchlin, Egidio also absorbed the Platonism of Marsilio Ficino, applying it in the Libellus to a Kabbalist analysis of the Aeneid, which he reads as a prophecy of papal victory over the Jews at the end of time, while also seeing Pope Leo as a modern-day Etruscan. But the main source of Egidio’s apocalyptic theology is a medieval Hebrew book, the Sefer ha-Temunah, which in Italy was new to Jews at the time Egidio read it.
The Impact of Leukocyte Dose during Autologous Stem Cell Transplant on Lymphocyte Recovery in Lymphoma Patients

s / Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 21 (2015) S147eS170 S162 sequence based typing (SBT) and LuminexTMsequence-specific oligonucleotide primed PCR (PCR-SSO). Both methods showed a homozygous phenotype for HLA class I loci (A, B, C) and heterozygosity for HLA class II alleles (DRB1,DQB1). After consolidation, increasing minimal residual disease (MRD) measured by a close NPM1, monitoring was observed in September 2013 and the patient was scheduled for an allogeneic stem cell transplantation. No blasts were present in the peripheral blood of the patient at the time point of molecular relapse. To initiate search for an unrelated donor a confirmatory patient HLA-typing was performed. Due to poor S2 DNA quality a new blood sample (S3) was ordered and used for secondary typing. Whereas HLA class II results were consistent, SBT and PCR-SSO showed discrepant class I typing results when compared to S1, with heterozygosity for all three loci. Consultation of the transplantation center revealed that S1 + S2 were taken while the patient had 84% blasts in the peripheral blood. Heterozygous patient HLA status was finally confirmed by typing of a saliva sample (S4) with SBT and SSO-PCR, respectively. According to the information about S1 (primary diagnosis, peripheral blasts), S3 (increasing MRD, no peripheral blasts) and S4 (blast free material) we assumed that in S1 cells with somatic HLA class I phenotype were highly outnumbered by blasts bearing a complete class I LOH. In regard to this casewestrongly recommend confirmatory typing to be carried out on blast free samples only, or by using a highly sensitive PCR-SSP in case of a substantial amount of blasts in the blood. This should help to prevent the otherwise potentially fatal selection of a highly mismatched donor. As a consequence we established a routinely feedback on the peripheral blast status of the sample on our test request form. IMMUNE RECONSTITUTION
Dynamic probability control limits for risk‐adjusted CUSUM charts based on multiresponses

For a patient who has survived a surgery, there could be several levels of recovery. Thus, it is reasonable to consider more than two outcomes when monitoring surgical outcome quality. The risk-adjusted cumulative sum (CUSUM) chart based on multiresponses has been developed for monitoring a surgical process with three or more outcomes. However, there is a significant effect of varying risk distributions on the in-control performance of the chart when constant control limits are applied. To overcome this disadvantage, we apply the dynamic probability control limits to the risk-adjusted CUSUM charts for multiresponses. The simulation results demonstrate that the in-control performance of the charts with dynamic probability control limits can be controlled for different patient populations because these limits are determined for each specific sequence of patients. Thus, the use of dynamic probability control limits for risk-adjusted CUSUM charts based on multiresponses allows each chart to be designed for the corresponding patient sequence of a surgeon or a hospital and therefore does not require estimating or monitoring the patients' risk distribution. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Battle for Iron between Humans and Microbes.

BACKGROUND Iron is an essential micronutrient for bacteria, fungi, and humans; as such, each has evolved specialized iron uptake systems to acquire iron from the extracellular environment. OBJECTIVE To describe complex 'tug of war' for iron that has evolved between human hosts and pathogenic microorganisms in the battle for this vital nutrient. METHODS A review of current literature was performed, to assess current approaches and controversies in iron therapy and chelation in humans. RESULTS In humans, sequestration (hiding) of iron from invading pathogens is often successful; however, many pathogens have evolved mechanisms to circumvent this approach. CONCLUSION Clinically, controversy continues whether iron overload or administration of iron results in an increased risk of infection. The administration of iron chelating agents and siderophore- conjugate drugs to infected hosts seems a biologically plausible approach as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of infections caused by pathogens dependent on host iron supply (e.g. tuberculosis, malaria, and many bacterial and fungal pathogens); however, thus far, studies in humans have proved unsuccessful.
Retention of Stabilometer Performance over Extended Periods of Time

Abstract A series of 11 trials on a stabilometer was administered. Three groups, matched on the basis of these 11 trials, were then retested after 3 months, 6 months, or 12 months. There was a significant loss on trial one of the retest by all three groups, with the 12-month group losing the greatest amount of proficiency. While relearning was rapid, the 12-month group took longer to relearn than either the 3-month or 6-month group. The relation between final prerest performance and initial postrest performance was highly significant (3 months = .73, 6 months = .66, and 12 months = .67) and fairly constant over the varying nonpractice periods.
Identifying Multivariate Imaging Patterns: Supervised, Semi-Supervised, and Unsupervised Learning Perspectives

Abstract One of the limitations of conventional mass-univariate group analyzes using voxel-wise statistical tests is their inability to provide sensitive and specific markers of diseases on an individual basis, and thus to serve as diagnostic and prognostic tools. Recent advances in machine learning methods and their applications to neuroimaging studies have shown that multivariate imaging patterns have the potential to identify and predict diagnoses based on the imaging information at an individual subject level. At the same time, different clinical questions warrant the use of specific computational tools whose applicability depends on a number of factors, not the least of which is the availability of reliable diagnostic information that is used to design the predictive models. In this chapter, we provide a summary of selected works that address the task of identifying descriptive imaging patterns from different learning perspectives, including supervised, semi-supervised, and unsupervised learning paradigms. We pay special attention to analyzing diseases and conditions characterized by high heterogeneity and continuous progression. The application focus of this chapter is on designing neuroimaging descriptors of aging, Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, and schizophrenia.
A Combined Heat- and Power-Driven Membrane Capacitive Deionization System

Here, we experimentally investigate an alternative membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) system cycle, which aims to reduce the required electrical energy demand for water treatment. The proposed heat and power combined MCDI system utilizes waste heat to control the electrostatic potential of the charged electrodes during the charging (desalination) and discharging (energy recovery) processes. The experimental findings suggest that with an increase in the temperature of the brine from 20 to 50 °C, the electrical energy consumed can be reduced by nearly 10%. We also show that the dependence of electrostatic potential on concentration may limit energy recovery performance (power), when moving toward higher water recoveries. Alternative desalination cycles can be further explored through evaluating non-isothermal and non-adiabatic system operation.
Detectability of long gamma-ray burst afterglows from very high redshifts

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are promising tools for tracing the formation of high-redshift stars, including the first generation. At very high redshifts the reverse shock emission lasts longer in the observer frame, and its importance for detection and analysis purposes relative to the forward shock increases. We consider two different models for the GRB environment, based on current ideas about the redshift dependence of gas properties in galaxies and primordial star formation. We calculate the observed flux as a function of the redshift and observer time for typical GRB afterglows, taking into account intergalactic photoionization and Lyα absorption opacity, as well as extinction by the Milky Way. The fluxes in the X-ray and near-IR bands are compared with the sensitivity of different detectors such as Chandra, XMM, Swift XRT, and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Using standard assumptions, we find that Chandra, XMM, and Swift XRT can potentially detect GRBs in the X-ray band out to very high redshifts z 30. In the K and M bands, the JWST and ground-based telescopes are potentially able to detect GRBs even 1 day after the trigger out to z ~ 16 and 33, if present. While the X-ray band is insensitive to the external density and to reverse shocks, the near-IR bands provide a sensitive tool for diagnosing both the environment and the reverse shock component.
An eight-channel sodium/proton coil for brain MRI at 3 T

The purpose of this work is to illustrate a new coil decoupling strategy and its application to a transmit/receive sodium/proton phased array for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the human brain. We implemented an array of eight triangular coils that encircled the head. The ensemble of coils was arranged to form a modified degenerate mode birdcage whose eight shared rungs were offset from the z-axis at interleaved angles of ±30°. This key geometric modification resulted in triangular elements whose vertices were shared between next-nearest neighbors, which provided a convenient location for counter-wound decoupling inductors, whilst nearest-neighbor decoupling was addressed with shared capacitors along the rungs. This decoupling strategy alleviated the strong interaction that is characteristic of array coils at low frequency (32.6 MHz in this case) and allowed the coil to operate efficiently in transceive mode. The sodium array provided a 1.6-fold signal-to-noise ratio advantage over a dual-nuclei birdcage coil in the center of the head and up to 2.3-fold gain in the periphery. The array enabled sodium MRI of the brain with 5-mm isotropic resolution in approximately 13 min, thus helping to overcome low sodium MR sensitivity and improving quantification in neurological studies. An eight-channel proton array was integrated into the sodium array to enable anatomical imaging.
Citizen Participation and Public Funding in Ohio

Citizen participation is a key element in publicly funded community development projects, but the key to citizen engagement is not yet fully understood. In Ohio, applications for a competitive element of the Community Development Block Grant were declining, and program administrators were considering scrapping the program entirely based on community feedback on the difficulty of the requisite citizen participation. In urban areas, a direct connection between traditionally disenfranchised populations, neighborhood identity, and increased participation has been observed. However, in rural areas, the link between socioeconomic indicators and engagement is often harder to find, as demographics are often more homogenous than urban areas. Neighborhood identity may also stretch to a broader regional definition in small cities. This research seeks to discover if demographics or neighborhood identity play a strong role in citizen engagement, in order to develop a predictive model for participation.
Agonistic character displacement of genetically based male color patterns across darters

A growing number of studies are demonstrating that interspecific male-male competitive interactions can promote trait evolution and contribute to speciation. Agonistic character displacement (ACD) occurs when selection to avoid maladaptive interspecific aggression leads to the evolution of agonistic signals and/or associated behavioral biases in sympatry. Here we test for a pattern consistent with ACD in male color pattern in darters (Percidae: Etheostoma). Despite the presence of traditional sex roles and sexual dimorphism, male color pattern has been shown to function in male-male competition in several darter species, rather than female mating preferences. A pattern consistent with divergent ACD in male behavioral biases has also been documented in darters. Males bias their aggression towards conspecific over heterospecific males in sympatry but not in allopatry. Here we use a common garden approach to show that differences in male color pattern among four closely related darter species are genetically based. We also demonstrate that male color pattern exhibits enhanced differences in sympatric compared to allopatric populations of two darter species. This study provides evidence that interspecific male-male aggressive interactions alone can promote elaborate male signal evolution both between and within species. We discuss the implications this has for male-driven ACD and cascade ACD.
Gastric mucosal injury in the rat. Role of iron and xanthine oxidase.

Recent studies have implicated oxygen free radicals in ischemia-reperf usion injury to the gastric mucosa. The aims of the present study were to (a) test the hypothesis that the enzyme xanthine oxidase is the source of the oxygen radicals in the ischemic stomach and (b) determine the importance of the ironcatalyzed Haber—Weiss reaction in,generating the cytotoxic oxygen radicals. Gastric mucosal clearance of 5 'Cr-labeled red blood cells was measured during a 30-min control period, a 30-min ischemic period (hemorrhage to 25 mmHg arterial pressure), and a 60–80-min reperf usion period (reinf usion of shed blood). In untreated (control) rats, a dramatic rise (100-fold) in the leakage of 51 Cr-labeled red blood cells into the gastric lumen was observed only during the reperf usion period. A f ter the reperf usion period, gastric mucosal damage was further assessed using gross lesion area and histology. Rats were placed on a sodium tungstate diet (to inactivate xanthine oxidase), or treated with either de f eroxamine (an iron chelating agent) or superoxide dismutase (a superoxide scavenger). All three interventions substantially reduced 51 Cr-labeled red blood cell clearance and gross lesion area relative to untreated rats. However, tissue injury assessed histologically was similar in both treated and untreated animals. The results of this study support the hypothesis that oxygen free radicals mediate the hemorrhagic shock-induced extravasation of red blood cells. The data also indicate that xanthine oxidase is the source of the oxy-radicals and that the ironcatalyzed Haber—Weiss reaction is largely responsible for hydroxyl radical generation in this model.
Littoral zone production of oligotrophic lakes

Littoral zone primary production can be expressed as the summation of the integral production of its phytoplanton and benthic components: $$littoral prod.(mgC \cdot {m^{ - 1}}tim{e^{ - 1}}) = \mathop \smallint \limits_0^z \mathop \smallint \limits_0^x phyto prod, dzdx + \mathop \smallint \limits_0 benthic prod. dx.$$ .
Adhesion, Catalysis and Signaling: A Commonality of Association Followed by Distinctive Events Driving Function.

In this issue of Structure, Ranaivoson et al. (2019) highlight neuronal adhesion molecules with an extracellular exposure in synapses that have the potential to open new avenues in the study of the development and organization of the nervous system and their role in health and disease.
Endoplasmic reticulum associated degradation preserves hematopoietic stem cell quiescence and self-renewal by restricting mTOR activity

Summary Many tissue-specific stem cells require quiescence to sustain stem cell pool and maintain lifelong tissue integrity. It remains unclear whether protein quality control is required for stem cells in quiescence when RNA content, protein synthesis and metabolic activities are significantly reduced. Here, we report that endoplasmic reticulum associated degradation (ERAD) is required to preserve the function of quiescent hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). The Sel1L/Hrd1 ERAD genes are enriched in the quiescent and inactive HSCs, and conditional knockout of Sel1L in hematopoietic tissues drives HSCs to hyper-proliferation which leads to reduced self-renewal and HSC depletion. ERAD deficiency induces a non-apoptotic ER stress and activates unfolded protein response (UPR). Furthermore, Sel1L knockout leads to mTOR activation, and mTOR inhibition rescues the HSC defects in Sel1L knockout mice. Protein quality control is, therefore, tightly regulated and actively engaged in quiescent HSCs. Sel1L/Hrd1 ERAD maintains HSC quiescence and self-renewal via restricting mTOR activity.
Cactus-induced keratoconjunctivitis in Texas: A case series of three dogs and one cat.

Objective To describe the historical, clinical, and diagnostic features of small animal patients affected by cactus-induced keratoconjunctivitis and their response to therapy. Animals studied Three dogs and one cat. Procedures Ophthalmic examination directed subsequent selected diagnostic tests in each case including light microscopy of extracted foreign bodies, in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM), corneal histopathology, and corneal bacterial culture. Treatments consisted of foreign body surgical extraction with concurrent medical therapy (three cases), or medical therapy alone (one case). Results Clinical histories obtained supported acute cactus injury in all cases. Ophthalmic abnormalities were unilateral in each case and included ulcerative keratoconjunctivitis associated with linear, microscopic conjunctival and/or corneal penetrating cactus spines, known as glochids. Light microscopy and IVCM showed glochids to be heavily barbed, consistent with the spine morphology Prickly Pear (Opuntia) cactus species. Bacterial culture yielded Proprionicimonas sp. in one case with keratomalacia. Surgical extraction of spines was challenging, and residual conjunctival and/or corneal glochids were present in all cases. Patient discomfort resolved at a median of 21 days (range 10-51 days). Vision-threatening complications were not observed in any case at the time of last follow-up examination. Epithelial downgrowth, demonstrated by IVCM and histopathology, was present in one case at 108-day follow-up. Conclusions Cactus-induced keratoconjunctivitis should be considered as a differential in regions in which Opuntia cacti are prevalent, and microscopic ocular foreign bodies are observed. Although glochids are difficult to extract, positive clinical outcomes can occur in small animal patients despite the presence of residual organic corneal foreign material.
Decreasing the Ion Diffusion Pathways for the Intercalation of Multivalent Cations into One-Dimensional TiS2 Nanobelt Arrays.

The sparse selection of available cathode materials that allow for reversible intercalation (deintercalation) of Al3+ species represents a major hurdle in the development of efficient Al-ion batteries. Herein, we developed cathodes based on TiS2 nanobelts that are capable of withstanding the high charge density of Al-ion species with minimal host lattice/ion interactions. The fabricated TiS2 nanobelts are highly anisotropic and are directly grown on a carbon current collector yielding a spatially controlled array. The sum of evidence presented in this work indicates that one-dimensional TiS2 nanobelt arrays can reversibly accommodate an unprecedented amount of Al ion species within their layered structure with no significant volume expansion as well as full retention of the nanobelt morphology. Thus, the one-dimensional morphology, nanoscale dimensions, short ion diffusion paths, high electrical conductivity, and absence of additives that hinder ion migration lead to Al-based TiS2 electrochemical devices exhibiting high specific capacity, less capacity fade, and resilience under higher cycling rates at both room temperature and elevated temperatures when compared to TiS2 platelets. We also present the effects of sulfur vacancies on the electrochemical performance of Al-based TiS2-x nanobelt array batteries. Although Al-ion batteries are still in their infancy, we believe our TiS2 nanobelt array cathode insertion hosts may play an important role in addressing the poor kinetics of solid-state Al-ion diffusion to enable efficient alternatives beyond lithium energy storage devices.
Signaling by AWC Olfactory Neurons Is Necessary for Caenorhabditis elegans' Response to Prenol, an Odor Associated with Nematode-Infected Insects

Chemosensation plays a role in the behaviors and life cycles of numerous organisms, including nematodes. Many guilds of nematodes exist, ranging from the free-living Caenorhabditis elegans to various parasitic species such as entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), which are parasites of insects. Despite ecological differences, previous research has shown that both EPNs and C. elegans respond to prenol (3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol), an odor associated with EPN infections. However, it is unclear how C. elegans responds to prenol. By utilizing natural variation and genetic neuron ablation to investigate the response of C. elegans to prenol, we found that the AWC neurons are involved in the detection of prenol and that several genes (including dcap-1, dcap-2, and clec-39) influence response to this odorant. Furthermore, we identified that the response to prenol is mediated by the canonically proposed pathway required for other AWC-sensed attractants. However, upon testing genetically diverse isolates, we found that the response of some strains to prenol differed from their response to isoamyl alcohol, suggesting that the pathways mediating response to these two odorants may be genetically distinct. Further, evaluations leveraging natural variation and genome wide association revealed specific genes that influence nematode behavior and provide a foundation for future studies to better understand the role of prenol in nematode behavioral ecology.
Anaesthesia for Paediatric Liver Transplantation

Paediatric liver transplantation is performed in specialist centres, by dedicated and experienced multidisciplinary teams, capable of providing the medical and pastoral care required by these children and their families. Children with liver disease often have complex medical histories requiring a co-ordinated and thorough multidisciplinary assessment. The clinical implications for the anaesthetist depend on the extent of the liver disease, coupled with the presence and magnitude of the extra-hepatic manifestations. It is important to gauge the physiological reserve of the recipient during preoperative assessment, as the transplant operation will truly test it. A good working knowledge of the challenges faced in the care of these children will help all anaesthetists who may encounter survivors presenting for perhaps unrelated future surgeries. Despite improving survival rates (attributable to better immunosuppressive drugs, surgical techniques, graft availability and assessment of end-stage liver disease), complications are always possible; transplantation remains challenging and risk can never be eliminated completely.
L'Etat-providence et les jeunes

La jeunesse est de plus en plus presente au coeur des preoccupations publiques. En temoignent l'insistance du president Francois Hollande a se presenter comme le president de la jeunesse et sa proposition d'une allocation d'autonomie. Cet ouvrage compare les deux periodes ou la question de la mise en place de cette allocation a ete discutee, et explique comment la politique familiale a ete privilegiee, aux depens de ce type de prestation favorisant l'independance des jeunes.
Promoting Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Speech Science Courses

Purpose Speech conveys information about a speaker's identity—their age, gender, size, health, region of origin, language learning background, sexual orientation, and race—through a variety of acou...
Development and Initial Validation of a Scale Measuring Young Children’s Self-Perceptions of Trait Cognitive Control

Cognitive control skills in early life are vital to success throughout the lifespan. Such skills have been positively linked to a host of important short- and long-term outcomes across many diverse...
Interactions of wind energy project siting, wind resource potential, and the evolution of the U.S. power system

Abstract The interactions of wind energy project siting, resource potential, and power system evolution are critical to understand given interest in high renewable energy systems, particularly as wind costs have fallen and grid operators implement solutions to manage variable generation. This study applies an integrative approach that combines spatially-explicit resource potential analysis with high spatial resolution U.S. electricity system modeling. Multiple wind supply curves, representing variations in siting regimes that account for interactions with built infrastructure, regulatory, physical, and social land use factors, are evaluated to determine how siting could influence prospective wind development. Different siting regimes lead to variations in future wind capacity, with the greatest impacts observed under scenarios with high demand for clean energy. With the tightest emissions limit modeled, 2050 onshore wind capacity varied by +7% (49 GW) in the least-restrictive siting regime to a decrease of 37% (270 GW) under the most-constrained case. More-stringent siting restrictions lead to higher electricity prices and emissions that should be weighed with local impacts. Under restrictive siting regimes, wind deployment is also sensitive to transmission availability and wind plant design. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of local land use considerations in regional and national power system planning.
Integrating Computation and Experiment to Investigate Photoelectrodes for Solar Water Splitting at the Microscopic Scale

ConspectusPhotoelectrochemical water-splitting is a promising and sustainable way to store the energy of the sun in chemical bonds and use it to produce hydrogen gas, a clean fuel. The key components in photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) are photoelectrodes, including a photocathode that reduces water to hydrogen gas and a photoanode that oxidizes water to oxygen gas. Materials used in photoelectrodes for PECs must effectively absorb sunlight, yield photogenerated carriers, and exhibit electronic properties that enable the efficient shuttling of carriers to the surface to participate in relevant water-splitting reactions. Discovering and understanding the key characteristics of optimal photoelectrode materials is paramount to the realization of PEC technologies.Oxide-based photoelectrodes can satisfy many of these materials requirements, including stability in aqueous environments, band edges with reasonable alignment with the redox potentials for water splitting, and ease of synthesis. However, oxide photoelectrodes generally suffer from poor charge transport properties and considerable bulk electron-hole separation, and they have relatively large band gaps. Numerous strategies have been proposed to improve these aspects and understand how these improvements are reflected in the photoelectrochemical performance. Unfortunately, the structural and compositional complexity of multinary oxides accompanied by the inherent complexity of photoelectrochemical processes makes it challenging to understand the individual effects of composition, structure, and defects in the bulk and on the surface on a material's photoelectrochemical properties. The integration of experiment and theory has great potential to increase our atomic-level understanding of structure-composition-property relationships in oxide photoelectrodes.In this Account, we describe how integrating experiment and theory is beneficial for achieving scientific insights at the microscopic scale. We highlight studies focused on understanding the role of (i) bulk composition via solid-state solutions, intercalation, and comparison with isoelectronic compounds, (ii) dopants for both the anion and cation and their interactions with oxygen vacancies, and (iii) surface/interface structure in the photocurrent generation and photoelectrochemical performance in oxide photoelectrodes. In each instance, we outline strategies and considerations for integrating experiment and theory and describe how this integration led to valuable insights and new directions in uncovering structure-composition-property relationships. Our aim is to demonstrate the unique value of combining experiment and theory in studying photoelectrodes and to encourage the continued effort to bring experiment and theory in closer step with each other.
Public demand estimation following disasters through Bayesian-based information integration

Abstract Public demand estimation is essential to effective relief resource distribution following disasters. However, previous studies are limited mainly due to the strong complexity, dynamicity, and nonlinearity of public demand. This research proposes an innovative data-driven approach to use the sample information (i.e., social media and surveys) to estimate public demand for the entire population. Twitter-based demand percentage (TDP) is applied as the predictor of actual demand percentage, while survey-based demand percentage (SDP) is taken as the ground truth of the actual demand percentage. The sampling bias of social media users is removed through a systematic process that contains the prediction of social media users’ races/ethnicities and the weighted aggregation of demand percentages. The sampling uncertainty of TDP and SDP is modeled with a Bayesian-based approach that integrates prior knowledge and observations from social media and surveys. The relationship between TDP and SDP is learned through a polynomial model, which is used to estimate future actual demand percentage solely using TDP. To illustrate the feasibility and applicability of the research, we studied public demand for COVID-19 vaccines in the US. Results demonstrate that TDP is a strong predictor of actual demand percentage. This research fully makes use of the advantages of sample information, i.e., the near-real-time nature of social media and the high reliability of surveys, to achieve a reliable and rapid estimation of public demand of the entire population.
Harmonic analysis of a PZT poly-actuator

Similar to combustion engines comprising multiple cylinders engaged with a crankshaft, multiple piezoelectric stack actuators (PSA) engaged with a common output rod can produce smooth, long stroke motion with desired properties. In particular, when equally spaced multiple units are arranged to push sinusoidal gear teeth on the output rod, the system exhibits unique collective behaviors thanks to “harmonic” effects of the multiple units. For example, although the force-displacement characteristics of individual units are highly nonlinear, the undesirable nonlinearity, including singularity, may be eliminated. Here we present harmonic analysis and control of a class of actuators consisting of multiple driving units engaged with a sinusoidal transmission, termed a harmonic poly-actuator. Through theoretical analysis we obtain 1) conditions on the unit arrangement to eliminate their nonlinearity from the output force, 2) control algorithms for coordinating the multiple units to generate a commanded force with desired force-displacement characteristics, and 3) a method for compensating for output force ripples due to possible misalignment and heterogeneity of individual units. The control algorithms are implemented on a prototype harmonic poly-actuator with six units of PSAs. Experiments demonstrate the unique features of the poly-actuator exploiting the harmonic properties of the system.
Glucocorticoid-Receptor Complexes in Rat Thymus Cells "CYTOPLASMIC"-NUCLEAR TRANSFORMATIONS

Abstract Receptor-bound cortisol in rat thymus cells incubated with cortisol at 37° is shown by a number of criteria to be retained largely in the nuclei, which are obtained by disrupting the cells with hypotonic shock. In cells incubated with cortisol at 3° for up to 2 hours most of the receptor-bound cortisol is not retained in the nuclei; it is referred to as "cytoplasmic," but its location is not firmly established. Upon warming of such cells from 3 to 37° there is a rapid transfer from cytoplasmic to nuclear form. This temperature-sensitive transfer, which is not reversed on cooling, appears to be an obligatory step in the formation of the nuclear cortisol-receptor complex. A "chase" experiment indicates that the transfer probably occurs without dissociation of cortisol from the receptor binding site. At 37° the half-time for transfer is about 30 s, at 26° about 60 s, and at 15° more than 4 min. Cortexolone, a steroid that competes with cortisol for binding to the glucocorticoid receptors but has little glucocorticoid activity, is shown to undergo the temperature-sensitive transfer from cytoplasmic to nuclear form. The inactivity of cortexolone consequently cannot be ascribed entirely to inability to induce transfer to the nucleus.
Degenerate oligonucleotide primers for enzymatic amplification of recA sequences from gram-positive bacteria and mycoplasmas.

RecA protein in gram-negative bacteria, especially in Escherichia coli, has been extensively studied, but little is known about this key enzyme in other procaryotes. Described here are degenerate oligonucleotide primers that have been used to amplify by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) recA sequences from several gram-positive bacteria and mycoplasmas. The DNA sequences of recA PCR products from Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus mutans, Enterococcus faecalis, and Mycoplasma pulmonis were determined and compared. These data indicate that the M. pulmonis recA gene has diverged significantly from recA genes of other eubacteria. It should be possible to use cloned recA PCR products to construct recA mutants, thereby providing the means of elucidating homologous genetic recombination and DNA repair activities in these organisms. Images
The transport of water through monolayers of long-chain n-paraffinic alcohols

The importance of the chain length of the monolayer-forming molecule on evaporation resistance and spreading rate has been emphasized. Evaporation resistance-surface pressure isotherms show that n-hexane as the spreading solvent does not have a deleterious effect on the resistance; whereas benzene, since it is retained to some extent in the monolayer, reduces the resistance of a monolayer at all pressures. Kerosene, although retained at low pressures, is effectively squeezed out of the monolayer at high pressures. We have used resistance-pressure isotherms of high-purity materials to show more conclusively that the forces involved in the formation of a hole in a close-packed monolayer are primarily those of repulsion between the chains. Finally we have shown how the Columbia University quiescent evaporation resistance-surface pressure apparatus (Evaporimeter) is a valuable tool for specifying materials suitable for field tests in respect to many properties.
Duopolistic vertical restraints

Abstract In an industry where competition exists at the wholesale level, vertical restraints are not necessarily desirable from the standpoint of the manufacturers. When vertical restraints are employed, it is never in the form of Retail Price Maintenance, but rather in the form of Franchise Fee pricing. When the products produced by the manufacturers are only slightly differentiated, the producers may benefit from the double marginalization that arises with linear pricing. Such double marginalization results in higher retail prices which relieve competitive pressures.
Recent Advances in Efficient and Robust Two-Way Coupling Between FEA and CFD

The established FEA and CFD codes ANSYS and CFX have been coupled to support transient and strongly coupled interaction between structures and fluids analyses. The presentation will outline the technical approaches used for the communications technology, data interpolation, non-linear convergence of the implicit condition, and the mesh morphing problem. For the communications a TCP/IP socket communication system has been used that is very efficient and very portable, including within parallelized simulations. The data interpolation issue is addressed to ensure full conservation of forces and energy flow. For stability under highly interacting or non-linear conditions, the fully coupled implicit problem must be solved, or converged, at each time step. The algorithm that manages this iteration and data exchange is explained. Finally, some of the approaches used to smoothly morph the moving mesh are detailed. These capabilities are all supported in the ANSYS 10.0 software release (summer 2005).Copyright © 2005 by ASME
PlanetLab application management using plush

Support for application deployment and monitoring in large-scale distributed systems such as PlanetLab remains in its early stages. While a number of solutions exist for specific subtasks of deployment and monitoring, these tools suffer from a lack of integration. Most tools were developed specifically to deploy and manage a particular service or application on a single platform and were not designed to be general enough to support different environments. In this paper, we consider three different classes of PlanetLab applications to distill a set of requirements for a general application-control infrastructure. We then discuss initial experiences and lessons learned during the development and PlanetLab deployment of Plush, a tool designed to manage applications running over large-scale distributed systems.
An Efficient Parallel Algorithm for Extreme Eigenvalues of Sparse Nonsymmetric Matrices

Main memory accesses for shared-memory systems or global communications synchronizations in message passing systems decrease the computation speed. In this paper, the standard Arnoldi algorithm for approxi mating a small number of eigenvalues, with largest or smallest real parts for nonsymmetric large sparse ma trices, is restructured so that only one synchronization point is required; that is, one global communication in a message passing distributed-memory machine or one global memory sweep in a shared-memory ma chine per each iteration is required. We also introduce an s-step Arnoldi method for finding a few eigenvalues of nonsymmetric large sparse matrices. This method generates reduction matrices that are similar to those generated by the standard method. One iteration of the s-step Arnoldi algorithm corresponds to s itera tions of the standard Arnoldi algorithm. The s-step method has improved data locality, minimized global communication, and superior parallel properties. These algorithms are implemented on a 64-node NCUBE/7 Hypercube and a CRAY-2, and performance results are presented.
Future therapy for hepatitis B

Therapy for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the most common worldwide cause of viremia and chronic liver disease, is currently limited to interferon preparations and nucleoside or nucleotide analogs. Although these treatments result in suppression of HBV replication, virologic rebounds are common when treatment is ended or when viral resistance emerges. This review considers novel approaches targeting viral or host factors involved in the HBV lifecycle, as well as immunomodulatory strategies that are likely to be used concomitantly with antiviral drugs in future research.
A mutant of escherichia coli defective in removing 3' terminal nucleotides from some transfer RNA precursor molecules.

Abstract The conversion of precursor RNA into bacteriophage T4 proline and serine transfer RNAs includes two steps for the enzymatic removal of nucleotides from the 3′ ends of RNA chains. Neither of these steps occur following infection of a mutant of Escherichia coli that was previously shown to block the suppressor function of T4 serine transfer RNA. Cell-free extracts of this mutant are furthermore deficient in a wild type enzyme activity that removes nucleotides from the 3′ ends of one of the RNA chains described above. The relation of this enzyme to other 3′ ribonucleases is not known. We subsequently examined the mutant for its ability to support the biosynthesis of other bacteriophage transfer RNAs. In one instance that is analogous to the proline-serine precursor RNA, maturation of the precursor RNA was blocked during infection of mutant cells. In another instance, precursor RNA maturation was normal, even though this involved the removal of 3′ nucleotides. These observations point to the possible existence of at least two 3′ ribonucleases for the biosynthesis of transfer RNAs.
μ-PhotoZ: Photometric Redshifts by Inverting the Tolman Surface Brightness Test

Surface brightness is a fundamental observational parameter of galaxies. We show, for the first time in detail, how it can be used to obtain photometric redshifts for galaxies, the μ-PhotoZ method. We demonstrate that the Tolman surface brightness relation, μ ∝ (1 + z)-4, is a powerful tool for determining galaxy redshifts from photometric data. We develop a model using μ and a color percentile (ranking) measure to demonstrate the μ-PhotoZ method. We apply our method to a set of galaxies from the SHELS survey, and demonstrate that the photometric redshift accuracy achieved using the surface brightness method alone is comparable with the best color-based methods. We show that the μ-PhotoZ method is very effective in determining the redshift for red galaxies using only two photometric bands. We discuss the properties of the small, skewed, non-Gaussian component of the error distribution. We calibrate μr, (r - i) from the SDSS to redshift and tabulate the result, providing a simple but accurate look-up table to estimate the redshift of distant red galaxies.