cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Did Mortgage Forbearance Reach the Right Homeowners? Income and Liquid Assets Trends for Homeowners during the COVID-19 Pandemic (preprint)

COVID-19 devastated the US labor market threatening homeowners’ ability to stay current on their mortgage. During the Great Recession, payment relief was more difficult to come by whereas the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided most impacted homeowners with up to 12 months of payment relief if they attested to COVID-related hardship. However, the CARES Act did not cover everyone—it was silent on non-federally backed mortgage holders and those experiencing non-COVID related hardship. Furthermore, many borrowers were either not aware of mortgage relief options and/or were worried about potential balloon payments after forbearance ends. How well did this widespread intervention work? Did it reach all those who might have benefitted? Is there evidence of widespread moral hazard? Using checking account data linked to loan-level mortgage servicing data, we explore these questions. We find that while a third of homeowners in forbearance made all payments to date, a small fraction of homeowners not in forbearance did miss payments. Also, we find little evidence of widespread moral hazard. Families using forbearance to miss mortgage payments showed larger drops in total income than other homeowners and experienced income changes similar to those who have gone delinquent without the protection of forbearance. Also, families in forbearance were more likely to have lost labor income and received UI than families not in forbearance. Finally, we find that forbearance helped families with low levels of liquid assets to maintain their cash buffers. Together these results suggest that CARES Act mortgage forbearance policies helped homeowners experiencing financial hardship in a material way by allowing them to miss payments without adversely affecting their credit scores and maintain their small cash buffers in a world with a lot more economic uncertainty. In addition, these benefits came with little evidence of material moral hazard. However, there is room for improvement in future legislation as a small fraction of homeowners facing hardship did not benefit from forbearance and one main impediment was confusion around balloon payments. All in all the CARES Act forbearance policies appear so far to have been a large step in the right direction relative to policies during the Great Recession.
The effects of thoracoplasty on immediate post-operative recovery in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in pain, opiate utilization and oxygen (O2) consumption during the immediate post-operative course for patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion (PSF) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) with and without thoracoplasty. Patients aged 10–21 years old that had undergone PSF for AIS were identified from 1/1/16–8/1/18. A cohort of patients that did not have a thoracoplasty group was used as a control group. A standardized pain protocol (rapid response pathway) was implemented on all patients. A retrospective chart review was performed. Pre-operative, operative and post-operative data and SRS scores were analyzed. Forty-six patients (38 girls, 8 boys) were included, 23 in each group. The average age was 15.2 years (range 12.0–19.3) and BMI was 20.9 (range 13.1–37.6). Differences in visual analog scores, post-operative oxygen and narcotic consumption were not statistically significant on any POD. Total opiate utilization was 146.06 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) in the control group and 149.41 MME in the thoracoplasty group (p = 0.78). One-year SRS self-image scores were higher in the thoracoplasty group (4.24 vs 3.96) (p = 0.007). There was no difference in length of hospitalization (3.6 vs 3.5 days), levels fused (12.9 vs 12.9) or blood loss (334.1 vs 413.5 mL). There was one pleural effusion and no instances of intercostal neuralgia or pneumothorax in the thoracoplasty group. There is no increase in immediate post-operative pain, narcotic use or oxygen consumption when a thoracoplasty is performed with a PSF for AIS. Improved SRS self-image scores were seen after thoracoplasty.
Influence of Agricultural Managed Aquifer Recharge (AgMAR) and Stratigraphic Heterogeneities on Nitrate Reduction in the Deep Subsurface

Author(s): Waterhouse, H; Arora, B; Spycher, NF; Nico, PS; Ulrich, C; Dahlke, HE; Horwath, WR | Abstract: Agricultural managed aquifer recharge (AgMAR) is a strategy whereby surface water is used to intentionally flood croplands to recharge underlying aquifers. However, nitrate (NO3−) contamination in agriculturally intensive regions poses a threat to groundwater resources under AgMAR. We use a reactive transport model to understand the effects of AgMAR management strategies (i.e., by varying the frequency, duration between flooding events, and amount of water) on NO3− leaching to groundwater under different stratigraphic configurations and antecedent moisture conditions. We examine the potential of denitrification and nitrogen retention in deep vadose zone sediments (∼15nm) using variable AgMAR application rates on two-dimensional representations of differently textured soils, soils with discontinuous bands/channels, and with preferential flow paths characteristic of agricultural fields. Simulations indicate finer textured sediments, alone or embedded within/adjacent to high flow regions, are important reducing zones providing conditions needed for denitrification. Simulation results suggest that applying water all-at-once rather than in increments transports higher concentrations of NO3− deeper into the profile, which may exacerbate groundwater quality. This transport into deeper depths can be aggravated by wetter antecedent soil moisture conditions. However, applying water all-at-once also increases denitrification within the vadose zone by promoting anoxic conditions. We conclude that AgMAR can be designed to enhance denitrification in the subsurface and reduce NO3− leaching to groundwater, while specifically accounting for lithologic heterogeneity, antecedent soil moisture conditions, and depth to the water table. Our findings are potentially relevant to other systems that experience flooding inundation such as floodplains and dedicated recharge basins.
A novel accessory muscle in the flexor compartment of anterior forearm inserting into the tenosynovium of the flexor pollicis longus.

A common variant of accessory muscles in the anterior forearm is the Gantzer's muscle (GM). GM arises as a muscle belly from flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) or ulnar coronoid process to merge distally with the flexor pollicis longus (FPL) muscle. In the present case report, we describe a novel accessory muscle in the flexor compartment of the forearm. The proximal attachment was tendinous and came from three sources: FDS muscle, ulnar coronoid process, and the medial aspect of the proximal radius. The distal tendon of the novel accessory muscle ran parallel to FPL, passed through the carpal tunnel, and entered the palmar aspect of the hand. In the hand, the tendon thinned out and blended with the tenosynovium of the FPL, contributing to the sheath around the FPL tendon. This accessory muscle of the FPL is comparable to the frequently documented Gantzer muscle (GM); however, the present case exhibited fundamental nuances that distinguish it from the previously described iterations of the GM in the following ways: 1) The novel accessory muscle is tendinous from its proximal origin and throughout the upper one-third of the forearm, and one component of its origin arose from the medial aspect of the radius. Gantzer muscles with an origin on the radius have not been previously reported. 2) In the middle one-third, the tendinous proximal attachment transitioned to a muscle belly that passed through the carpal tunnel and entered the hand. 3) In the hand, the novel tendon widened, thinned, and merged with the tenosynovium of the FPL. Accessory muscles are a common finding in the anterior forearm during cadaveric dissection. In patients, they can be the cause of neuropathies due to compression of the anterior interosseous nerve. Awareness of variations is also important for clinicians who examine the forearm and hand, as well as hand and surgeons.
Lessons learned: Notes on the natural history of the Plains Hognose Snake (Heterodon nasicus) in Minnesota

The Plains Hognose Snake (Heterodon nasicus) has been the focus of many studies due, in part, to this species' interesting morphological characteristics and death-feigning behavior. However, significant gaps exist in our understanding of this species' natural history. Often perceived to be a semi-fossorial species in the literature, our data suggests that this species spends the majority of its time during the active season above ground. In addition, we provide some of the first data on communal hibernation for this species. Also discussed are observations on nocturnality, oophagy, and reproduction. Given that the plain Hognose Snake is imperiled in many of the states and provinces in which it occurs, additional research is needed to better inform in-situ conservation efforts.
Feedback Linearizing Control of Vehicle Longitudinal Acceleration

This paper describes the application of recently developed feedback linearization techniques to controlling the powertrain of an automobile. one objective of powertrain control is to regulate the output torque of the engine and transmission system to achieve a desired longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle. With higher model order and increasing system complexity, the necessary and sufficient conditions for a nonlinear system to be feedback linearizable become harder to satisfy. The nonlinear control design method introduced in this paper uses local feedback (i) to force linear operation, and simultaneously, (ii) to achieve a time-scale separation of the powertrain subsystems. This time-scale separation decouples the powertrain into two simpler subsystems each satisfying the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a feedback linearizing control, and guarantees a prespecified input-output behavior of the overall system.
Linear Response Theory and Macroscopic Measurements

We discuss how linear response theory can be used to interpret macroscopic experiments which measure the transport properties of non-equilibrium systems. The results of these experiments can be related to the results of measurements of fluctuations in equilibrium systems. It is possible to obtain the macroscopic equations describing transport and equilibrium correlation function expressions for transport coefficients from the molecular theory. It is also possible to obtain explicit expressions for the dependence of equilibrium correlation functions of macroscopic variables on the time in terms of correlation functions of non conserved variables and certain small coupling parameters. Wir diskutieren, wie eine Theorie mit linear angesetzten Kraftwirkungen dazu benutzt werden kann, makroskopische Experimente zur Messung der Transporteigenschaften in Nichtgleichgewichtssystemen zu interpretieren. Die Ergebnisse solcher Messungen konnen mit Ergebnissen von Fluktuationsmessungen in Gleichgewichtssystemen in Beziehung gesetzt werden. Es ist moglich, makroskopische Gleichungen fur den Transport sowie Ausdrucke der Gleichgewichtskorrelationsfunktionen fur Transportkoeffizienten aus der molekularen Theorie herzuleiten. Auserdem erhalt man explizite Ausdrucke fur die Zeitabhangigkeit der Gleichgewichtskorrelationsfunktionen makroskopischer Variabler in Form von Korrelationsfunktionen von Variablen, die nicht erhalten bleiben, sowie gewisser kleiner Kopplungsparameter.
MAPLE SYRUP DISEASE Isolation and Identification of Organic Acids in the Urine

A mixture of alpha-keto acids, the most important of which has been identified as alpha-ketoisocaproic acid, was found to be excreted in large quantities in the urine of beta-methyl-n-valeric acid were present in smaller amounts. Their excretion would suggest an impairment of the degradative metabolism of the branched-chain amino acids as an important cause of the cerebral degeneration in this condition.
Systems of Reaction—Diffusion Equations

In recent years, systems of reaction-diffusion equations have received a great deal of attention, motivated by both their widespread occurrence in models of chemical and biological phenomena, and by the richness of the structure of their solution sets. In the simplest models, the equations take the form $$ \frac{{\partial u}}{{\partial t}}{\mkern 1mu} = {\mkern 1mu} D\Delta u{\mkern 1mu} + {\mkern 1mu} f(u),\quad {\mkern 1mu} x \in {\mkern 1mu} \Omega {\mkern 1mu} \subset {\mkern 1mu} {R^k},{\mkern 1mu} t > {\mkern 1mu} 0, $$ (14.1) where u ∈ R n , D is an n x n matrix, and f(u) is a smooth function. The combination of diffusion terms together with the nonlinear interaction terms, produces mathematical features that are not predictable from the vantage point of either mechanism alone. Thus, the term DΔu acts in such a way as to “dampen” u, while the nonlinear function f(u) tends to produce large solutions, steep gradients, etc. This leads to the possibility of threshold phenomena, and indeed this is one of the interesting features of this class of equations.
Red Riding Hood for All Ages: A Fairy-Tale Icon in Cross-Cultural Contexts

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Sandra L. Beckett Year: 2008 Pages: 244 Publisher: Wayne State University Press ISBN: 9780814333068 (soft cover). Prices: $29.95 USD(soft cover).
GROUP 13 AMIDES. SYNTHESES AND MOLECULAR STRUCTURES OF [(i-Bu)2Al-N(H)Mes]2,[(i-Bu)Al-N(H)Ph(t-Bu)2-μ-(CMe2CH2)]2, [Me2In-N(H)Ph′]2, AND [(i-Bu)2Al-N(H)Ada]2

Abstract The sterically demanding Group 13 amide dimers [(i-Bu)2Al-N(H)Mes]2 (I), [(i-Bu)Al-N(H)Ph(t-Bu)2-μ-(CMe2CH2)]2 (II), [Me2In-N(H)Ph′]2 (III), and [(i-Bu)2Al-N(H)Ada]2 (IV) (Ada = adamantyl; Bu=butyl; Mes = Ph(Me)3; Ph = phenyl; Ph′= 2-biphenyl) have been prepared by reaction of (i-Bu)2AIH or Me3In with the respective primary amine and characterized by 1H NMR, elemental analyses, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. I crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1 with unit cell parameters a = 9.272(1), b = 9.718(2), c = 11.585(2)A, α = 101.76(1)°, β = 106.69(1)°, γ = 109.70(1)°, V=887.5(2)A3, and Dcalc = 1.03g cm−3 for Z = 1. Least-squares refinement based on 1644 observed reflections with intensities I > 3σ(I) in the range 3.5 < 2 < 45.0° converged at R = 0.043 and R w = 0.054. II crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with unit cell parameters a = 11.292(5), b = 17.544(9), c = 11.532(5)A, β = 107.99(4)°, V = 2173(2)A3, and Dcalc = 1.05 g cm−3 for Z = 2. Least-squares refinement based on...
Changes in Ceruloplasmin during Anuran Metamorphosis

A major change in the plasma oxidase activity has been observed during the metamorphosis of the bullfrog tadpole. This activity was associated with a blue copper protein similar to human ceruloplasmin. An 880-fold purification of frog ceruloplasmin was achieved and some of its properties described. Contrary to an earlier report, several other amphibian species also have been shown to contain plasma oxidase activity. A unique feature of purified frog ceruloplasmin is its inhibition by HCO3- in contrast to human ceruloplasmin which is not affected by HCO3-. Tadpole and frog ceruloplasmin are also inhibited by certain dialyzable plasma constituents, providing a potential regulatory mechanism for plasma oxidase activity. However, in contrast to frog plasma, the inhibition of tadpole ceruloplasmin activity cannot be accounted for in terms of the HCO3- and Cl- content of the blood. The basis for this inhibition and the relationship of frog plasma oxidase activity to other plasma metalloproteins is also discussed.
Evolution of the extracorporeal life support circuitry.

The first reported cases of the successful use of extracorporeal life support systems (ECLS) occurred in the early 1970s. The circuit included a DeBakey-type roller pump and a spiral wound silicone membrane oxygenator. Until recently there have only been some small changes to the design and components of the circuit. During the Sixth International Conference on Pediatric Mechanical Support Systems and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Perfusion (May 6–8, Boston, MA, USA), we conducted a survey on the components of the circuits as well as the monitoring strategies of ECLS procedures. As a result, we received over 40 replies from the attendants of the conference from 32 institutions and 10 countries all over the world. Based on these replies, we have the opportunity to better understand the current changes in the ECLS circuits around the globe. The objectives of this study are to share the recent survey results with the rest of the ECLS community and share the significant changes in our new Penn State Hershey ECLS circuitry.
Will Law Schools Go the Distance? An Annotated Bibliography on Distance Education in Law

Distance education is clearly looming in the immediate future of the legal academyandhas the potential to revolutionize legal education. This short, yet comprehensive, bibliography has been prepared to assist and inform law librarians and legal educators about selective topics arising on the distance legal education horizon.
Nonlinear microrheology: bulk stresses versus direct interactions.

In passive microrheology, the linear viscoelastic properties of complex fluids are inferred from the Brownian motion of colloidal tracer particles. Active (but gentle) forcing may also be used to obtain such linear-response information. More significant forcing may drive the material significantly out of equilibrium, thus potentially providing a window into the nonlinear response properties of the material. In leaving the linear-response regime, however, the theoretical underpinning for passive microrheology is lost, and a variety of issues arise. Most generally, what exactly can be measured, and how can such measurements be interpreted? Here we motivate and discuss a variety of theoretical issues facing the interpretation of active microrheology. First, in the continuum limit, the inhomogeneous velocity field around the probe gives rise to rheological inhomogeneities, whereupon an assumed generalized Stokes drag yields a weighted average of the viscosities around the probe rather than the (homogeneous) v...
Pregnancy in women with kidney disease

The outlook for pregnancy in gravidas with kidney disorders and the effect of gestation on the remote outcome of the underlying disease remain uncertain, and conception in such women continues to generate anxiety for them as well as their physicians. There is general agreement that a moderately severe decrease in renal function (that is, a serum creatinine concentration in excess of 2 mg/dl), especially in the presence of significant hypertension, reduces drastically the chances for conception, and all the more for a successful outcome of the gestation [1–7]. Women with preserved kidney function and normal blood pressure have an increased incidence of preeclampsia; but except for this complication, the outlook for the pregnancy does not seem to be worse than it is in other gravidas [1–7]. The situation is less clear in regards to the effects of gestation on the mother's kidney disease: Most investigators believe that pregnancy does not affect adversely the natural course of renal disorders as long as kidney function is, at most, mildly impaired and hypertension is absent at conception [1, 3–11]. In contrast, several reports in the older literature (reviewed in Ref. 2) and more recent studies describing mainly patients from Australia maintain that in such women pregnancy often leads to a worsening of the morphologic lesions and a deterioration of renal function [12–15]. The cause of these divergent views is not readily apparent, but it is probably due in no small measure to the lack of studies where the diagnosis was established by renal biopsy and in which clinical, functional, and pathologic observations were correlated in sufficiently large numbers of gravidas studied prospectively. We organized the present study as a joint project between three medical centers with a long-standing interest in the subject, in order to include a large number of patients originating from various types of medical practice and geographic location: The University of Chicago Lying-in Hospital is a perinatal referral center that also serves a large inner-city population; Yale University School of Medicine is a referral center for most of the State of Connecticut; and the Princess Mary Maternity Hospital serves the population of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the surrounding area of Northern England. Analysis of renal-function profiles and pregnancy outcome was based on the same criteria for patients from all three centers. The gravidas were selected for inclusion in the study by the availability of a biopsy diagnosis, and their course was studied through subsequent gestations, if any, or for various periods until the end of followup. This survey represents therefore a combined prospective and retrospective study that, although not free of some of the shortcomings of earlier reports, we hope contributes useful information on a subject of obvious interest to obstetricians and nephrologists alike.
Effects of Subphase on Collapse Behavior of Lung Surfactant

The phase behavior of binary fluids next to interfaces can be complex. If one fluid has a more favored interaction with the interface the fluids can phase separate in some interfacial region extending into the bulk. Using neutron and x-ray reflectivity, we show phase separation of water/glycerol mixtures next to lipid monolayer interfaces. The glycerol forms a thin layer ten angstroms deep underneath the monolayer. This non-equillibrium interfacial phase separation greatly impacts the mechanical properties of the lipid monolayer. Moreover, the thermodynamic driving force for this de-mixing is complex. Usually such de-mixing is observed when two miscible fluids have significantly different surface tensions at a given interface. However glycerol and water are miscible and have nearly identical surface tensions at the air/water interface. Our work probes what surface tension and interfacial free energy mean in the setting of more complex interfaces. The preference partitioning of glycerol to the interface affects the collapse behavior of the lipid film and has implications on the collapse mechanism of lung surfactant which sits atop an alveolar lining fluid enriched in sugar biopolymers.
The contribution of cross-links to protein stability: a normal mode analysis of the configurational entropy of the native state.

The vibrational entropy of native BPTI, with three disulfide bonds, was determined by use of normal mode calculations and compared with that of folded variants having either one less disulfide bond or lacking a peptide bond at the trypsin-reactive site. Favorable contributions to the free energy of 2.5–5.1 kcal/mol at 300 K were calculated for the reduction of disulfide bonds in the folded state, whereas no favorable contribution was found for the hydrolysis of the peptide bond cleaved by trypsin. This is on the order of the effect of disulfides in the unfolded state. The implications of these results for the stabilization of a folded protein by the introduction of crosslinks are discussed. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Legal Analog of the Principle of Bivalence

The principle of bivalence is the assertion that every statement is either true or else false. Its legal analog, however, must be formulated relative to particular legal systems and in terms of validity rather than truth. It asserts that every statement of law that can be formulated in the vocabulary of a given legal system is valid (correct) or else invalid (incorrect) in that system. A line of New York cases is traced, beginning with Thomas v. Winchester (1852). This case, which involved a poison mislabeled as a medicine, established an exception to the rule that a manufacturer or supplier is never liable for negligence to a remote purchaser. The court made an exception because a poison is an “imminently dangerous” thing. How far may this exception be applied to other fact-situations? Some subsequent cases are examined, and it is considered whether there is no correct answer in these instances and, more dramatically, whether more than one correct answer is tenable. In either event the legal analog of bivalence would seem to fail.
Ozone and temperature profiles over Mcmurdo Station Antarctica in the spring of 1989

Ozone and temperature were measured in 39 balloon soundings at McMurdo station Antarctica (78°S) in the spring of 1989. Compared to 1986 and 1988 the stratosphere was colder and ozone depletion worse. Compared to 1987 the stratosphere warmed earlier but ozone depletion was similar, both in the magnitude and rate of depletion. Within regions of the atmosphere in 1989 ozone depletion was between 80 and 98% complete. This was again similar to 1987 and suggests that conditions observed in 1987 exceeded the minimum required for rapid and complete ozone depletion. As in previous years ozone was destroyed primarily between 12 and 20 km and there were several short periods, < 5 days, when rapid depletion was observed.
FIB micro-machined perpendicular writers for media characterization

A focused ion beam (FIB) is used to fabricate single-pole perpendicular writers by micro-machining longitudinal (ring) heads at the HGA. The heads are designed for media characterization, and a comparison is made between the performance of the FIBed and ring heads on perpendicular media. The FIBed heads write much more effectively, approximately 7 dB gain in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and efficiently than their ring-head counterparts. In addition, the FIBed heads generate very reliable (small scatter) thermal decay rates for the evaluated disks whereas the unFIBed ring heads cannot, all of which make them more suitable for characterization of perpendicular media. Our results further demonstrate the value and versatility of FIB-machining as a research tool to design and fabricate novel recording heads with robust performance.
Mechanically stable hydride composites designed for rapid cycling

Abstract A number of porous composites were prepared by combining LaNi5 with copper, aluminium, lead-tin solder, lead, and polyurethane. The preparation methods, hydrogen absorption, electrical and thermal conductivities, and kinetics of these mechanically stable, machinable composites are reported.
The flow of lymph to the cardiac node following saline infusion in the dog

Abstract The flow of lymph in a single afferent channel to the cardiac lymph node of four dogs was measured before and after rapid infusion of 1000 ml of normal saline. The purpose of this experiment was to observe the response of lymph flow to a sudden change in Starling forces, and to relate this observation to the dynamics of exchange between capillaries and tissue spaces during the formation of edema. A lymphatic channel from the heart was chosen because of the relative homogeneity of the tissue spaces contributing to lymph flow at that site, the relative proximity of the sampling site to the tissue spaces, and because cardiac contractions produce a continuous flow of lymph without requiring artificial movement or massage, which is required of studies of lymph flow from skeletal muscle. Changes in the net force of filtration in the capillaries were calculated from measurements of right atrial hydrostatic pressure which served as an index to changes in capillary pressure and of hematocrit. The latter were used to calculate changes in plasma protein concentration. Analysis of the response of lymph flow to calculated Starling forces in the capillaries in terms of linear elements was found to be inadequate, and an alternative nonlinear model for an improved fit to the data is proposed.
Determining the interphase thickness and properties in polymer matrix composites using phase imaging atomic force microscopy and nanoindentation

In polymer matrix composites, the interface between the reinforcing phase and the bulk phase is paramount to the overall performance of the composite as a structural material. This interface is now thought to be a distinct, three-dimensional phase surrounding the reinforcing phase called the interphase. The developments of the atomic force microscope and nanoindentation devices have facilitated the investigation of the interphase. Previously, force modulation atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nanoindentation were the primary methods used to determine the size of the interphase and its stiffness relative to the bulk phase. The present investigation utilized phase imaging AFM and nanoindentation to examine the interphase in a glass fiber-reinforced epoxy matrix composite. Nanoindentation experiments indicated that the relatively stiff fiber might have caused a gradient in the modulus across the interphase region. Specifically, the modulus next to the fiber approached that of the fiber and decreased to that ...
Excitatory effects of synchronized intestinal electrical stimulation on small intestinal motility in dogs

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of synchronized intestinal electrical stimulation (SIES) on small intestinal motility in dogs. Seventeen dogs were equipped with a duodenal cannula ...
High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Cefepime and Cefazolin in Human Plasma and Dialysate

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of cefepime and cefazolin in human plasma and dialysate. For component separation, the method utilized a C18 column with an aqueous mobile phase of dibasic potassium hydrogen phosphate (pH 7.0) and methanol gradient at a flow rate of 1 mL min−1. The method demonstrated linearity from 2.0 to 100.0 μg mL−1 (r > 0.999) with detection limit of 1 μg mL−1 for both cefepime and cefazolin. The method was utilized for evaluation of plasma and dialysate samples in a clinical study evaluating the dialyzer clearance of cefepime and cefazolin using high-flux hemodialysis with varying blood flow rates in chronic kidney failure patients undergoing hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis treatment.
Behavioral effects of δ-opioid receptor agonists: Potential antidepressants?

The development of selective δ-opioid receptor agonists has revealed some very intriguing behavioral properties. δ-Opioid agonists have antinociceptive, seizuregenic and convulsive properties. A number of studies have identified a novel behavioral effect of δ-opioid-receptor agonists, implicating a role for the δ-opioid receptor in depression. Early clinical experiments demonstrated that exogenously administered opioid peptides had antidepressant activity in human patients. Also, enkephalinase inhibitors, which prevent the degradation of endogenous enkephalins, produced antidepressant-like effects mediated through the δ-opioid receptor in animal models of depression. More recently, the selective non-peptidic δ-opioid agonists SNC80 and (+)BW373U86 demonstrated antidepressant-like activity in the forced swim assay in rats. These studies propose that the δ-opioid receptor may provide a new therapeutic target for treating human depression.
Cardiac-specific overexpression of dominant-negative CREB leads to increased mortality and mitochondrial dysfunction in female mice

Cardiac failure is associated with diminished activation of the transcription factor cyclic nucleotide regulatory element binding-protein (CREB), and heart-specific expression of a phosphorylation-deficient CREB mutant in transgenic mice [dominant negative CREB (dnCREB) mice] recapitulates the contractile phenotypes of cardiac failure (Fentzke RC, Korcarz CE, Lang RM, Lin H, Leiden JM. Dilated cardiomyopathy in transgenic mice expressing a dominant-negative CREB transcription factor in the heart. J Clin Invest 101: 2415-2426, 1998). In the present study, we demonstrated significantly elevated mortality and contractile dysfunction in female compared with male dnCREB mice. Female dnCREB mice demonstrated a 21-wk survival of only 17% compared with 67% in males (P < 0.05) and exclusively manifest decreased cardiac peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α and estrogen-related receptor-α content, suggesting sex-related effects on cardiac mitochondrial function. Hearts from 4-wk-old dnCREB mice of both sexes demonstrated diminished mitochondrial respiratory capacity compared with nontransgenic controls. However, by 12 wk of age, there was a significant decrease in mitochondrial density (citrate synthase activity) and deterioration of mitochondrial structure, as demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy, in female dnCREB mice, which were not found in male transgenic littermates. Subsarcolemmal mitochondria isolated from hearts of female, but not male, dnCREB mice demonstrated increased ROS accompanied by decreases in the expression/activity of the mitochondrial antioxidants MnSOD and glutathione peroxidase. These results demonstrate that heart-specific dnCREB expression results in mitochondrial respiratory dysfunction in both sexes; however, increased oxidant burden, reduced antioxidant expression, and disrupted mitochondrial structure are exacerbated by the female sex, preceding and contributing to the greater contractile morbidity and mortality. These results provide further support for the role of the CREB transcription factor in regulating mitochondrial integrity and identify a critical pathway that may contribute to sex differences in heart failure.
Satellites of the Outer Planets: Their Physical and Chemical Nature

Steady-state thermal models for the icy satellites are constructed in which the energy released by radioactive decay in the interiors of the satellites is exactly balanced by the net radiative loss from their surfaces. It is shown that the Galilean satellites of Jupiter and the larger satellites of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune very likely have extensively melted interiors, and most probably contain a core of hydrous silicates, and extensive mantle of ammonia-rich liquid water, and a relatively thin crust of ices. Consequences of this model relating to the Galilean satellites and the rings of Saturn are briefly described. The atmospheric compositions and densities of the large icy satellites and certain features of the retention of volatiles during accretion are discussed.
Indirect adaptive non-linear control of discrete time systems containing a dead-zone

In this paper an indirect adaptive output feedback control result which applies to discrete time systems containing a dead-zone nonlinearity and linear dynamics is presented. A plant parametrization that is linear in a set of unknown parameters is first developed. This is accomplished by forcing the regional descriptions of the dead-zone to be entirely contained in the definition of a regressor. This is convenient for estimation, since adaptation for the parameters of the separate regions of the non-linearities is implicitly accommodated by the regressor. Unfortunately, this parametrization necessitates multiple estimates of the zeros of the plant. To overcome the difficulty of designing a feedback/feedforward controller given multiple estimates of the zeros, we implement a non-linear 'zero-resolving' prefilter. This prefilter to the plant allows one to design a feedback/feedforward controller based on one set of zeros.
Tropomyosin and molecular mimicry.

cyst investiture in nonmuscle tropo- myosin may play a role in immune evasion in the snail host by protecting the sporocyst from amoebocyte attack. If true, this would be a prime example of molecular mimicry in its full and original sense s , which links common structures to the host-parasite relationship. The question of differentiating mol- ecular mimicry from molecular conser- vation, particularly when the shared structures originate in phylogenetically close organisms like flukes and snails (both protostomate metazoans), has been raised elsewhere 6. It was con- cluded that molecular mimicry could be superimposed upon the deeper physio- logical significance of the conserved, shared molecular structures in the special relationship that is parasitism, and that parasites might exploit molecular conservation to minimize their foreign- ness to their hosts. The comparisons made by Dissous
Blood group A active difucosyl glycolipid from hog gastric mucosa.

Abstract A new difucosyl glycolipid exhibiting blood group A activity was isolated from water-soluble glycolipid fraction of hog gastric mucosa. The structure of this glycolipid was identified by partial acid hydrolysis, sequential degradation with specific glycosidases and methylation analysis, as:
Entropy and the complexity of graphs: IV. Entropy measures and graphical structure

The structural information contentIg(X) of a graphX was treated in detail in three previous papers (Mowshowitz 1968a, 1968b, 1968c). Those investigations ofIg point up the desirability of defining and examining other entropy-like measures on graphs. To this end the chromatic information contentIc(X)of a graphX is defined as the minimum entropy over all finite probability schemes constructed from chromatic decompositions having rank equal to the chromatic number ofX. Graph-theoretic results concerning chromatic number are used to establish basic properties ofIc on arbitrary graphs. Moreover, the behavior ofIc on certain special classes of graphs is examined. The peculiar structural characteristics of a graph on which the respective behaviors of the entropy-like measuresIc andIg depend are also discussed.
Facile magnesiation of carbon brønsted acids with electrophilic, donor-free alkylmagnesium compounds

Abstract A solution of n-butyl (s-butyl)magnesium in an alkane reacts readily between 25 and 110° C with a series of carbon Bronsted acids to produce the corresponding unsolvated diorganomagnesium derivatives in excellent yields. Such facile magnesiations provide a superior preparative route to donor-free compounds of the R2Mg type, where R is cyclopentadienyl, indenyl, 9-fluorenyl or 1-alkynyl. Furthermore, sulfones form isolable 1/1 complexes with n-butyl (s- butyl)magnesium and these complexes then undergo automagnesiation between 25 and 85° C. Methyl phenyl sulfone undergoes magnesiation on the methyl group, while diaryl sulfones are magnesiated at the ring carbon ortho to the sulfur.
Spatiotemporal development of the embryonic nervous system of Saccoglossus kowalevskii.

Defining the organization and temporal onset of key steps in neurogenesis in invertebrate deuterostomes is critical to understand the evolution of the bilaterian and deuterostome nervous systems. Although recent studies have revealed the organization of the nervous system in adult hemichordates, little attention has been paid to neurogenesis during embryonic development in this third major phylum of deuterostomes. We examine the early events of neural development in the enteropneust hemichordate Saccoglossus kowalevskii by analyzing the expression of 11 orthologs of key genes associated with neurogenesis in an expansive range of bilaterians. Using in situ hybridization (ISH) and RT-PCR, we follow the course of neural development to track the transition of the early embryonic diffuse nervous system to the more regionalized midline nervous system of the adult. We show that in Saccoglossus, neural progenitor markers are expressed maternally and broadly encircle the developing embryo. An increase in their expression and the onset of pan neural markers, indicate that neural specification occurs in late blastulae – early gastrulae. By mid-gastrulation, punctate expression of markers of differentiating neurons encircling the embryo indicate the presence of immature neurons, and at the end of gastrulation when the embryo begins to elongate, markers of mature neurons are expressed. At this stage, expression of a subset of neuronal markers is concentrated along the trunk ventral and dorsal midlines. These data indicate that the diffuse embryonic nervous system of Saccoglossus is transient and quickly reorganizes before hatching to resemble the adult regionalized, centralized nervous system. This regionalization occurs at a much earlier developmental stage than anticipated indicating that centralization is not linked in S. kowalevskii to a lifestyle change of a swimming larva metamorphosing to a crawling worm-like adult.
A Multiwave Model of the Quasi-biennial Oscillation

Abstract A simple one-dimensional model of the quasi-biennial oscillation is discussed. Our model is essentially a generalization of the Holton–Lindzen models. We consider a large number of vertically propagating internal waves interacting simultaneously with the mean flow. Effects of both wave damping and critical level absorption are included, but wave–wave interaction is neglected. The effects of momentum advection due to the Hadley circulation are also parameterized. This model is used to study how the mean flow in the equatorial lower stratosphere would respond to forcing by a tropospheric wave spectrum with a significant amount of momentum flux at slow horizontal phase speeds. We find that a “continuous” wave spectrum forces mean flow oscillations in a manner quite similar to a “discrete” two-wave spectrum. But the factors that control the period and amplitude of the oscillations, in the case of a continuous spectrum, seem to be quite different. Our results also suggest that mean rising motion in th...
Steady state pharmacokinetics of oral voriconazole and its primary metabolite N-oxide voriconazole pre and post autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation

Voriconazole (VCZ) is frequently utilized for prevention and treatment of invasive fungal infections in peripheral stem cell transplant (PSCT) patients. We performed an open-label pharmacokinetic study to compare VCZ and N-oxide voriconazole (N-oxide VCZ) pharmacokinetics in patients pre- and post-PSCT. Ten patients completed both sampling periods. The pharmacokinetics of VCZ were unchanged; however, those of N-oxide VCZ were significantly different pre- and post-PSCT.
The Development of NP Selection in School-Age Children: Reference and Spanish Subject Pronouns

To investigate the development of the NP selection process, preferences for overt or null Spanish subject pronouns were elicited from 139 children (5;09 to 15;08) and 30 adults in Mexico. Participants were told stories in which consecutive grammatical subjects shared the same referent (same-reference), or did not (switch-reference). In the stories, overt pronouns in same-reference were redundant, and null pronouns in switch-reference rendered reference ambiguous. Adult participants preferred null pronouns in same-reference contexts and overt pronouns in switch-reference contexts, demonstrating an avoidance of redundancy and ambiguity. Children demonstrated a tolerance for redundancy well into adolescence. A tolerance for ambiguous reference declined at age eight/nine and then progressively decreased with age. We interpret the tolerance for ambiguity as an indication that children have difficulty with perspective taking when faced with complex structures and tasks.
WISEngineering: Supporting precollege engineering design and mathematical understanding

Introducing engineering into precollege classroom settings has the potential to facilitate learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts and to increase interest in STEM careers. Successful engineering design projects in secondary schools require extensive support for both teachers and students. Computer-based learning environments can support both teachers and students to implement and learn from engineering design projects. However, there is a dearth of empirical research on how engineering approaches can augment learning in authentic K-12 settings. This paper presents research on the development and pilot testing of WISEngineering, a new web-based engineering design learning environment. Three middle school units were developed using a knowledge integration learning perspective and a scaffolded, informed engineering approach with the goal of improving understanding of standards-based mathematical concepts and engineering ideas. Seventh grade math students from two teachers in a socioeconomically diverse and low-performing district participated in three WISEngineering units over the course of a semester. Students significantly improved their mathematical scores from pretest to posttest for all three projects and on state standardized tests. Student, teacher, and administrator interviews reveal that WISEngineering projects promoted collaboration, tolerance, and development of pro-social skills among at-risk youth. Results demonstrate that informed engineering design projects facilitated through the WISEngineering computer-based environment can help students learn Common Core mathematical concepts and principles. Additionally, results suggest that WISEngineering projects can be particularly beneficial for at-risk and diverse student populations.
The Lateral Structure of Cosmic-Ray Air Showers

The lateral distributions of the electrons and penetrating particles in extensive cosmic-ray air showers have been measured directly, and as a function of the size of the showers. No evidence was found for multiple cores in the showers. The lateral distribution of the electrons was found to agree well with that calculated by Moli\`ere, taking into account only Coulomb scattering of the electrons. The density of penetrating particles at a given distance from the core was found to be proportional to that of the electrons. The ratio of p.p. to electrons seems to increase slowly with distance from the core, but changes only by a factor of about 2 between 5 and 100 m from the core, while the electron density decreases by a factor of about 100.
Off-Shell Effects in Nuclear Matter

We examine the binding energy of nuclear matter for exactly phase-shift-equivalent potentials. We generate these potentials by applying a short-range unitary transformation to the Reid soft-core potential. All potentials have a one-pion-exchange tail. We find that, for the potentials studied, variations of up to 9.5 MeV in the binding energy and 0.33 F in the saturation density occur. The variations in binding energy Are linearly correlated with the wound integral K for those potentials that give nearly the same deuteron electric form factor. An increase in K leads to less binding in nuclear matter. The sensitivity of the binding energy is somewhat greater to the S&+ D& contribution to K than to the So contribution to K. We give a theoretical explanation, based on the modified Moszkowski-Scott separation approximation, to account for the sensitivity of the binding energy to the So and S&+ D& contributions to K. We also discuss the relation of K and the binding energy of nuclear matter to the off-shell elements of the T matrix. We discover that far-off-shell elements (q 6 F ) play a significant role in nuclear matter. The two-nucleon elastic scattering data and certain bound-state properties provide the only direct experimental criteria one can apply to the two-nucleon interaction. The scattering data only fix the asymptotic form of the two-nucleon wave function; the wave function at short distances, aside from meson-theoretic constraints, ' ' is undetermined. Equivalently, the scattering data determine the onenergy-shell matrix elements of the transition (T) matrix; the off-energy-shell T matrix is undetermined by the two-nucleon data. The question arises — how sensitive are the properties of three- and more-nucleon systems to the short-range part of the two-nucleon wave function or to the off-energyshell T matrix~ This paper considers this question for infinite nuclear matter. The investigation of off-shell effects in nuclear matter is especially important in view of the disagreement between the binding energies obtained from "realistic" local potentials (10 to ll MeV/A) ' 8 and the semiempirical mass formula prediction of 16 MeV/A. Recently a number of investigators have studied off-shell effects in proton-proton bremsstrahlung. ' The results of these studies indicate only small off-energy-shell effects. Investigations into the off-shell effects in the three-nucleon boundstate problem are still in the preliminary stages. "" On the other hand, several investigators''3' " have suggested that off-shell effects in