In-Space technology experiments program. A high efficiency thermal interface (using condensation heat transfer) between a 2-phase fluid loop and heatpipe radiator: Experiment definition phase

Space Station elements and advanced military spacecraft will require rejection of tens of kilowatts of waste heat. Large space radiators and two-phase heat transport loops will be required. To minimize radiator size and weight, it is critical to minimize the temperature drop between the heat source and sink. Under an Air Force contract, a unique, high-performance heat exchanger is developed for coupling the radiator to the transport loop. Since fluid flow through the heat exchanger is driven by capillary forces which are easily dominated by gravity forces in ground testing, it is necessary to perform microgravity thermal testing to verify the design. This contract consists of an experiment definition phase leading to a preliminary design and cost estimate for a shuttle-based flight experiment of this heat exchanger design. This program will utilize modified hardware from a ground test program for the heat exchanger

Sludge Digestion By Anaerobic Fluidized Beds. II: Kinetic Model

A model has been developed to describe the gas production and soluble-COD variations from the digestion of waste-activated sludge in the anaerobic fluidized-bed reactor. It indicates that a substantial rate increase can be attained by prehydrolysis of the biological sludge, external to the reactor. The model indicates that the rate-limiting step is in the sludge hydrolysis. The model is developed from an assumption of first-order kinetics in a set of series and parallel, irreversible reactions. That is, the formation of soluble substrate is first order with respect to the particulate biomass present, and that the production of methane is first order with respect to the soluble substrate present. The amount of particulate biomass can be approximated by the sludge-suspended solids and that the amount of soluble substrate can be approximated by the soluble COD present in the reactor. The model correlates well with the laboratory data observed in the study. © ASCE

Multichannel EEG abnormalities during the first 6 hours in infants with mild hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy

Background: Infants with mild HIE are at risk of significant disability at follow-up. In the pre-therapeutic hypothermia (TH) era, electroencephalography (EEG) within 6 hours of birth was most predictive of outcome. This study aims to identify and describe features of early EEG and heart rate variability (HRV) (<6 hours of age) in infants with mild HIE compared to healthy term infants. Methods: Infants >36 weeks with mild HIE, not undergoing TH, with EEG before 6 hours of age were identified from 4 prospective cohort studies conducted in the Cork University Maternity Services, Ireland (2003-2019). Control infants were taken from a contemporaneous study examining brain activity in healthy term infants. EEGs were qualitatively analysed by two neonatal neurophysiologists and quantitatively assessed using multiple features of amplitude, spectral shape and inter-hemispheric connectivity. Quantitative features of HRV were assessed in both the groups. Results: Fifty-eight infants with mild HIE and sixteen healthy term infants were included. Seventy-two percent of infants with mild HIE had at least one abnormal EEG feature on qualitative analysis and quantitative EEG analysis revealed significant differences in spectral features between the two groups. HRV analysis did not differentiate between the groups. Conclusions: Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the EEG before 6 hours of age identified abnormal EEG features in mild HIE, which could aid in the objective identification of cases for future TH trials in mild HIE. Impact: Infants with mild HIE currently do not meet selection criteria for TH yet may be at risk of significant disability at follow-up. In the pre-TH era, EEG within 6 hours of birth was most predictive of outcome; however, TH has delayed this predictive value. 72% of infants with mild HIE had at least one abnormal EEG feature in the first 6 hours on qualitative assessment. Quantitative EEG analysis revealed significant differences in spectral features between infants with mild HIE and healthy term infants. Quantitative EEG features may aid in the objective identification of cases for future TH trials in mild HIE

Engagement with consumer smartwatches for tracking symptoms of individuals living with multiple long-term conditions (multimorbidity): A longitudinal observational study

From SAGE Publishing via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-07-16, accepted 2021-11-08, epub 2021-11-30Publication status: PublishedFunder: University of Manchester/Medical Research Council; Grant(s): Confidence in Concepts funding scheme 6Introduction: People living with multiple long-term conditions (multimorbidity) (MLTC-M) experience an accumulating combination of different symptoms. It has been suggested that these symptoms can be tracked longitudinally using consumer technology, such as smartphones and wearable devices. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate longitudinal user engagement with a smartwatch application, collecting survey questions and active tasks over 90 days, in people living with MLTC-M. Methods: ‘Watch Your Steps’ was a prospective observational study, administering multiple questions and active tasks over 90 days. Adults with more than one clinician-diagnosed long-term conditions were loaned Fossil® Sport smartwatches, pre-loaded with the study app. Around 20 questions were prompted per day. Daily completion rates were calculated to describe engagement patterns over time, and to explore how these varied by patient characteristics and question type. Results: Fifty three people with MLTC-M took part in the study. Around half were male ( = 26; 49%) and the majority had a white ethnic background (n = 45; 85%). About a third of participants engaged with the smartwatch app nearly every day. The overall completion rate of symptom questions was 45% inter-quartile range (IQR 23–67%) across all study participants. Older patients and those with greater MLTC-M were more engaged, although engagement was not significantly different between genders. Conclusion: It was feasible for people living with MLTC-M to report multiple symptoms per day over 3 months. User engagement appeared as good as other mobile health studies that recruited people with single health conditions, despite the higher daily data entry burden

The Center for Environmental Kinetics Analysis: an NSF- and DOE-funded Environmental Molecular Science Institute (EMSI) at Penn State

Physicochemical and microbiological processes taking place at environmental interfaces influence natural processes as well as the transport and fate of environmental contaminants, the remediation of toxic chemicals, and the sequestration of anthropogenic CO2. A team of scientists and engineers has been assembled to develop and apply new experimental and computational techniques to expand our knowledge of environmental kinetics. We are also training a cohort of talented and diverse students to work on these complex problems at multiple length scales and to compile and synthesize the kinetic data. Development of the human resources capable of translating molecular-scale information into parameters that are applicable in real world, field-scale problems of environmental kinetics is a major and relatively unique objective of the Institute's efforts. The EMSI team is a partnership among 10 faculty at The Pennsylvania State University (funded by the National Science Foundation Divisions of Chemistry and Earth Sciences), one faculty member at Juniata College, one faculty member at the University of Florida, and four researchers drawn from Los Alamos National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (funded by the Department of Energy Division of Environmental Remediation Sciences). Interactions among the applied and academic scientists drives research approaches aimed toward solving important problems of national interest. The Institute is organized into three interest groups (IGs) focusing on the processes of dissolution (DIG), precipitation (PIG), and microbial reactions at surfaces (BIG). Some of the research activity from each IG is highlighted to the right. The IGs interact with each other as each interest group studies reactions across the molecular, microscopic, mesoscopic and, in most cases, field scales. For example, abiotic dissolution and precipitation reactions of Fe oxides as studied in the Dissolution IG provides the baseline for kinetic behavior as the BIG researches the interaction of microorganisms with these same minerals. The attachment of bacteria and redox chemistry that occurs between microorganisms and minerals are critical factors in maintaining groundwater quality and remediation of many toxic waste sites and is one of the main thrusts of research within our EMSI. The IGs also participate in using visualization tools to promote greater understanding of complex environmental data. As a whole, CEKA is also working to compile environmental kinetics data into a cyberinfrastructure and database. The database can be accessed at: http://keystone.ist.psu.edu/

The complement cascade as a mediator of tissue growth and regeneration

Recent evidence has demonstrated that the complement cascade is involved in a variety of physiologic and pathophysiologic processes in addition to its role as an immune effector. Research in a variety of organ systems has shown that complement proteins are direct participants in maintenance of cellular turnover, healing, proliferation and regeneration. As a physiologic housekeeper, complement proteins maintain tissue integrity in the absence of inflammation by disposing of cellular debris and waste, a process critical to the prevention of autoimmune disease. Developmentally, complement proteins influence pathways including hematopoietic stem cell engraftment, bone growth, and angiogenesis. They also provide a potent stimulus for cellular proliferation including regeneration of the limb and eye in animal models, and liver proliferation following injury. Here, we describe the complement cascade as a mediator of tissue growth and regeneration

Improved functionalization of oleic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles can providemultiple benefits for biomedical applications in aqueous environments such asmagnetic separation or magnetic resonance imaging. To increase the colloidal stability and allow subsequent reactions, the introduction of hydrophilic functional groups onto the particles’ surface is essential. During this process, the original coating is exchanged by preferably covalently bonded ligands such as trialkoxysilanes. The duration of the silane exchange reaction, which commonly takes more than 24 h, is an important drawback for this approach. In this paper, we present a novel method, which introduces ultrasonication as an energy source to dramatically accelerate this process, resulting in high-quality waterdispersible nanoparticles around 10 nmin size. To prove the generic character, different functional groups were introduced on the surface including polyethylene glycol chains, carboxylic acid, amine, and thiol groups. Their colloidal stability in various aqueous buffer solutions as well as human plasma and serum was investigated to allow implementation in biomedical and sensing applications.status: publishe

Relationship between the Clinical Frailty Scale and short-term mortality in patients ≥ 80 years old acutely admitted to the ICU: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is frequently used to measure frailty in critically ill adults. There is wide variation in the approach to analysing the relationship between the CFS score and mortality after admission to the ICU. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of modelling approach on the association between the CFS score and short-term mortality and quantify the prognostic value of frailty in this context. METHODS: We analysed data from two multicentre prospective cohort studies which enrolled intensive care unit patients ≥ 80 years old in 26 countries. The primary outcome was mortality within 30-days from admission to the ICU. Logistic regression models for both ICU and 30-day mortality included the CFS score as either a categorical, continuous or dichotomous variable and were adjusted for patient's age, sex, reason for admission to the ICU, and admission Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score. RESULTS: The median age in the sample of 7487 consecutive patients was 84 years (IQR 81-87). The highest fraction of new prognostic information from frailty in the context of 30-day mortality was observed when the CFS score was treated as either a categorical variable using all original levels of frailty or a nonlinear continuous variable and was equal to 9% using these modelling approaches (p < 0.001). The relationship between the CFS score and mortality was nonlinear (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Knowledge about a patient's frailty status adds a substantial amount of new prognostic information at the moment of admission to the ICU. Arbitrary simplification of the CFS score into fewer groups than originally intended leads to a loss of information and should be avoided. Trial registration NCT03134807 (VIP1), NCT03370692 (VIP2)

Inequality and the Emergence of Vigilante Organizations: The Case of Mexican Autodefensas

What explains the emergence of vigilante organizations? Throughout the world, vigilantes emerge to illegally punish perceived criminals, often leading to serious consequences. However, the literature presents partial and conflicting explanations for this phenomenon. This article argues that local economic inequality creates a situation ripe for vigilante organizations. Inequality creates demand for vigilantism because poorer citizens feel relatively deprived of security compared with wealthier neighbors who have advantages regarding private and public security. In addition, inequality suggests a patron-and-worker distribution of labor, and this is ideal for organizing a particular type of group, the patron-funded vigilante group. Empirical tests use original data on the 2013 wave of Mexican vigilante organizations, present in 13 of Mexico’s 32 federal entities. Municipal-level income inequality is robustly associated with organized vigilantism. Less support is found for competing explanations