cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Diffusion Parameters of Heavy Water

Measurements of the diffusion parameters of heavy water were made using a 1-Mev Van de Graaff accelerator utilizing the Be/sup 9/(d,n) reaction under pulsed operation. The measurements were made at temperatures of 10, 20, 31, 40, and 50 deg C for buckling values ranging from 0.063 to 0.100 cm/sup -2/. The decay of the neutron density was measured by a BF/sub 3/ counter, located under the moderator container, in conjunction with a 26-channel time analyzer. The mean-life for each buckling was computed using Peierls' method; and values of the diffusion parameters were computed by the method of least squares. The value of the diffusion constant, (2.00 plus or minus 0.04) x 10/sup 5/ cm/sup 2//sec at 10 deg C, agreed within the limits of experimental error with that found by Raievski and Horowitz, who used the modulated source method. The coefficient of the B/sup 4/ term, usually referred to as the diffusion cooling coefficient, was found to be (3.72 plus or minus 0.50) x 10/sup 5/ cm/sup 4//sec as compared with (3.5 plus or minus 0.8) x 10/sup 5/ cm/sup 4//sec as reported by Sjostrand. (auth)
Characterizing and predicting rates of delirium across general hospital settings

Abstract Objective To better understand variation in reported rates of delirium, this study characterized delirium occurrence rate by department of service and primary admitting diagnosis. Method Nine consecutive years (2005–2013) of general hospital admissions (N=831,348) were identified across two academic medical centers using electronic health records. The primary admitting diagnosis and the treating clinical department were used to calculate occurrence rates of a previously published delirium definition composed of billing codes and natural language processing of discharge summaries. Results Delirium rates varied significantly across both admitting diagnosis group ( X 2 10 =12786, p X 2 6 =12106, p p p Conclusions The frequency of delirium varies significantly across admitting diagnosis and hospital department. Both admitting diagnosis and department of care are even stronger predictors of risk than age; as such, simple risk stratification may offer avenues for targeted prevention and treatment efforts.
Liquidity Risk and Bank Stock Returns

We document that higher measures of liquidity risk on banks balance sheets are associated with lower expected stock returns. We first calculate a measure of liquidity risk, referred to as the liquidity gap (LG), which reflects how much of a bank's volatile liabilities are covered by its stock of liquid assets. We show that the standard factor models -- even when augmented with bond risk, market liquidity, and financial-size factors -- do not fully explain the cross section of bank stock returns sorted according to this measure. A portfolio that is long in low liquidity risk banks and short in high liquidity risk banks delivers a statistically significant alpha of 6 percent annually. This effect is not driven by bank characteristics such as size, profitability, or risk measures related to leverage or asset quality, but appears to be partly due to the degree of complexity of banking organizations and potential valuation errors pre-crisis.
Structural Approaches Are Building Power: South Africa’s National HIV Response Among Female Sex Workers (1990–2016)

Unlike HIV epidemics in other southern and eastern African nations, South Africa’s HIV epidemic was characterized by concentrated epidemics among key populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM) and female sex workers (FSW) before its high-prevalence general population epidemic took off. Eventually, as HIV cases began to appear among women and men with no apparent history of sex work, male same-sex sexual activity, or injection drug use, it became clear that a generalized, heterosexually transmitted epidemic similar to those in other southern and eastern African nations was taking root. The impact of the missteps and misuse of science in South Africa’s national response to the generalized HIV epidemic during early post-apartheid years has been explored in prior research. However, less well-understood is how national political discourse among the scientific community, government actors, and civil society contributed to the erasure of MSM and FSW from the national HIV agenda – an erasure that is all the more remarkable given South Africa’s comparatively favorable legal, human rights, and civil society contexts for an effective response among these groups. This chapter critically examines the social and structural context in which FSW were made invisible and now are mobilizing to have their needs and voices heard, as the importance of this group in curbing the ongoing HIV epidemic becomes clear in South Africa and other settings characterized by generalized epidemics.
Mental Model Consensus and Shifts During Navigation System-Assisted Route Planning:

A major barrier to effective spatial decision-making in human-agent teams is that humans and algorithms use different mechanisms to solve spatial problems, frequently leading them to produce differ...
Murder in the shadows: evidence for an institutional legitimacy theory of crime

The focus on the institutional control of violent crime has increased over the past few decades, stimulated largely by Messner and Rosenfeld’s “institutional anomie theory.” A related theory, refer...
Counterexample-Guided Bit-Precision Selection

Static program verifiers based on satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) solvers often trade precision for scalability to be able to handle large programs. A popular trade-off is to model bitwise operations, which are expensive for SMT solving, using uninterpreted functions over integers. Such an over-approximation improves scalability, but can introduce undesirable false alarms in the presence of bitwise operations that are common in, for example, low-level systems software. In this paper, we present our approach to diagnose the spurious counterexamples caused by this trade-off, and leverage the learned information to lazily and gradually refine the precision of reasoning about bitwise operations in the whole program. Our main insight is to employ a simple and fast type analysis to transform both a counterexample and program into their more precise versions that block the diagnosed spurious counterexample. We implement our approach in the SMACK software verifier, and evaluate it on the benchmark suite from the International Competition on Software Verification (SV-COMP). The evaluation shows that we significantly reduce the number of false alarms while maintaining scalability.
The Spatial Thinking Workbook: A Research-Validated Spatial Skills Curriculum for Geology Majors

Spatial visualization is an essential prerequisite for understanding geological features at all scales, such as the atomic structures of minerals, the geometry of a complex fault system, or the arc...
Comparison of Two Point-of-Care CYP2C19 Genotyping Assays for Genotype-Guided Antiplatelet Therapy.

Background CYP2C19 polymorphisms contribute about 12% of the variability in the antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel, which is commonly prescribed for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. For these patients, rapid turnaround time of CYP2C19 genotyping may be critical. We validated and compared the performance of two point-of-care CYP2C19 genotype tests, Nanosphere Verigene CYP2C19 Nucleic Acid Test and Spartan RX CYP2C19 System. Materials and methods Our CLIA certified Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory performed 99 Verigene tests and 108 Spartan RX CYP2C19 assays. We compared performance and genotype results between the two platforms, across runs, and among technologists. Based on our validation results, we started offering CYP2C19 genotyping using the Spartan RX CYP2C19 assay for post-percutaneous coronary intervention patients. Results Laboratory validation genotype results were consistent between both assays when the assays produced results (100% accuracy); however, the Verigene CYP2C19 had a 33% no call rate. In contrast, Spartan consistently showed accurate results. Using a newly established clinical workflow, we assayed 342 post-percutaneous coronary intervention patients with the Spartan test. Within one hour of submitting patient samples, ordering physicians were notified of any clinically significant results and provided clinical decision support. Conclusions Every approach has its limitations, but our practice of using the Spartan RX CYP2C19 test in our acute cardiac workflow provides accurate and rapid results to guide clinical decision-making at the point-of-care. Prospective follow-up is ongoing to evaluate outcomes and effectiveness of CYP2C19 testing.
Hydrogel delivery of lysostaphin eliminates orthopedic implant infection by Staphylococcus aureus and supports fracture healing

Orthopedic implant infections are a significant clinical problem, with current therapies limited to surgical debridement and systemic antibiotic regimens. Lysostaphin is a bacteriolytic enzyme with high antistaphylococcal activity. We engineered a lysostaphin-delivering injectable PEG hydrogel to treat Staphylococcus aureus infections in bone fractures. The injectable hydrogel formulation adheres to exposed tissue and fracture surfaces, ensuring efficient, local delivery of lysostaphin. Lysostaphin encapsulation within this synthetic hydrogel maintained enzyme stability and activity. Lysostaphin-delivering hydrogels exhibited enhanced antibiofilm activity compared with soluble lysostaphin. Lysostaphin-delivering hydrogels eradicated S. aureus infection and outperformed prophylactic antibiotic and soluble lysostaphin therapy in a murine model of femur fracture. Analysis of the local inflammatory response to infections treated with lysostaphin-delivering hydrogels revealed indistinguishable differences in cytokine secretion profiles compared with uninfected fractures, demonstrating clearance of bacteria and associated inflammation. Importantly, infected fractures treated with lysostaphin-delivering hydrogels fully healed by 5 wk with bone formation and mechanical properties equivalent to those of uninfected fractures, whereas fractures treated without the hydrogel carrier were equivalent to untreated infections. Finally, lysostaphin-delivering hydrogels eliminate methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections, supporting this therapy as an alternative to antibiotics. These results indicate that lysostaphin-delivering hydrogels effectively eliminate orthopedic S. aureus infections while simultaneously supporting fracture repair.
Relapse to smoking after basic military training in the U.S. Air Force

This study examined predictors of smoking relapse in the year after the mandatory smoking ban during basic military training (BMT) in the U.S. Air Force. Participants were all smokers who completed BMT from August 1995 to August 1996 and relapsed to smoking in the subsequent year (N = 4,303). Results demonstrated that the vast majority of airmen (69.8%) returned to smoking within 1 month after BMT and that most (90%) were still in training status when they smoked their first cigarette after BMT. Relapsed smokers appeared more motivated to quit smoking at 1-year follow-up compared with when they were in BMT. Individuals making serious quit attempts after BMT were younger and had greater levels of physical activity, more confidence in quitting, and more favorable perceptions of the BMT ban than individuals not attempting to quit. Based on these findings, recommendations are discussed for improving abstinence rates after BMT.
Gemcitabine for the Treatment of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Platinum-based chemotherapy regimens have been the mainstay of treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer because they improve survival. Although there is no standard platinum-based regimen, combination regimens with newer agents (e.g., gemcitabine [Gemzar], paclitaxel [Taxol], and vinorelbine [Navelbine]) are superior to platinum alone or in combination with older agents (e.g., etoposide). Four phase III clinical studies demonstrate the favorable activity and toxicity profile of gemcitabine in combination with cisplatin (Platinol) for the treatment of patients with stage IIIB or IV non-small-cell lung cancer. These studies show overall response rates of approximately 30% to 60% with gemcitabine regimens versus overall response rates of 11% with cisplatin alone, 22% with cisplatin plus etoposide, 25% with cisplatin plus vinorelbine, and 40% with cisplatin plus mitomycin and ifosfamide (Ifex). Median survival time with gemcitabine regimens ranged from 8.1 to 9.8 months. Thrombocytopenia and anemia are the principal toxicities with gemcitabine regimens. Because of the favorable results with gemcitabine regimens, this drug is being evaluated in combination with carboplatin (Paraplatin) in newly diagnosed patients with stage IIIB or IV disease and good performance status, or as single-agent therapy in patients with poor performance status.
Constant Flag Curvature Spaces and Akbar-Zadeh’s Theorem

In §3.9, we encountered the flag curvature. As the name suggests, this quantity (denoted K) involves a location x ϵ M, a flagpole l:= with y ϵ T x M, and a transverse edge V ϵ T x M. The precise formula is quite elegantly given by (3.9.3): $$K(\ell ,V): = \frac{{{V^i}({\ell ^j}{R_{jikl}}{\ell ^l}){V^k}}}{{g(\ell ,\ell )g(V,V) - {{[g(\ell ,V)]}^2}}} = \frac{{{V^i}{R_{ik}}{V^k}}}{{g(V,V) - {{[g(\ell ,V)]}^2}}}$$ .
Regulatory Safeguards for Accountable Ecosystem Service Markets in Wetlands Development

The use of environmental markets creates the potential for achieving environmental protection goals more efficiently than traditional regulation is capable of doing. Past experience with emissions trading programs and other forms of environmental markets that operate in conjunction with traditional regulatory programs, however, illustrates the risks that accompany reliance on market-based strategies. In particular, participants in environmental regulatory markets have in some instances manipulated them to enhance private gain while undercutting public environmental objectives. Using the wetlands mitigation component of the federal Clean Water Act’s dredge and fill permit program as an example, this essay recommends that market-based environmental programs incorporate five different types of safeguards to promote the accountability of both market participants and the agencies supervising the operation of those programs. Reliance on financial safeguards, verifiable performance standards, transparency and public participation safeguards, oversight mechanisms such as monitoring and inspections, and rule of law safeguards can preserve opportunities for efficient achievement of environmental protection goals while reducing the risk that markets will be used to subvert those goals.
Measures of Financial Knowledge and Management

This chapter includes instruments designed to measure general financial knowledge and financial literacy, as well as o bjective, subjective, and perceived financial knowledge. This chapter also contains scales, indexes, and one-item measures for use in assessing financial management practices, roles, and satisfaction. Several specific topic areas are addressed, such as credit cards, time horizons, debt use, investment allocation, net worth adequacy, income adequacy, and financial problems. These instruments have the potential to be used by researchers or practitioners. Descriptive information for each instrument is provided and includes background information on the sample norm, as well as the reliability and validity of each instrument.
Strong Heart, Low Ceramides.

Serum ceramides have emerged as potential biomarkers of insulin resistance, diabetes, and heart disease. In this issue of Diabetes , Lemaitre et al. (1) report the largest longitudinal study to date correlating sphingolipids with insulin resistance, profiling a cohort of 2,086 American Indians at high risk for diabetes. With the analytical power that derives from profiling such a large number of samples obtained at two visits, 5 years apart, the data from the Strong Heart Family Study (SHFS) revealed that several ceramide species correlated with hyperinsulinemia and the HOMA of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in this at-risk population. Here, we summarize these results in the context of other preclinical and clinical studies investigating roles for ceramides as drivers of cardiometabolic dysfunction. Ceramides are central intermediates in the biosynthetic pathway that produces the large family of sphingolipids, which includes more than 4,000 distinct molecular entities. Much of the complexity in the cellular sphingolipid pool derives from the large number of acyl chains that can be incorporated into the ceramide scaffold. Over the past 20 years, a large number of studies in preclinical models suggest that ceramides may be among the most pathogenic nutrient metabolites that accumulate in obesity, linking overnutrition to insulin resistance and its sequelae of comorbidities. In cultured cells or isolated tissues, ceramides inhibit insulin signaling and action and inhibit lipid oxidation (2). In rodents, numerous ceramide-lowering interventions have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and ameliorate diabetes and cardiovascular pathologies (2). Because of these data, a handful of companies have started to develop ceramide-reducing interventions in hopes of producing insulin-sensitizing therapeutics. Despite the strongly consistent findings obtained in preclinical models, the role of ceramides in human cardiometabolic pathologies has been controversial. The debate stems largely from discordance in …
Characterizing allele-by-environment interactions using maize introgression lines

Abstract Relatively small genomic introgressions containing quantitative trait loci can have significant impacts on the phenotype of an individual plant. However, the magnitude of phenotypic effects for the same introgression can vary quite substantially in different environments due to allele-by-environment interactions. To study potential patterns of allele-by-environment interactions, fifteen near-isogenic lines (NILs) with >90% B73 genetic background and multiple Mo17 introgressions were grown in 16 different environments. These environments included five geographical locations with multiple planting dates and multiple planting densities. The phenotypic impact of the introgressions was evaluated for up to 26 traits that span different growth stages in each environment to assess allele-by-environment interactions. Results from this study showed that small portions of the genome can drive significant genotype-by-environment interaction across a wide range of vegetative and reproductive traits, and the magnitude of the allele-by-environment interaction varies across traits. Some introgressed segments were more prone to genotype-by-environment interaction than others when evaluating the interaction on a whole plant basis throughout developmental time, indicating variation in phenotypic plasticity throughout the genome. Understanding the profile of allele-by-environment interaction is useful in considerations of how small introgressions of QTL or transgene containing regions might be expected to impact traits in diverse environments. Key Message Significant allele-by-environment interactions are observed for traits throughout development from small introgressed segments of the genome.
Characteristics and Trends of Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in a Large, Public Safety-Net Hospital

Abstract Background Management of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in a socioeconomically vulnerable population without ready access to a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) center and clinical trials is challenging. Data regarding the outcomes of such patients are sparse. Patients and Methods This retrospective analysis included 90 consecutive patients with ALL who presented to Harbor-UCLA between 2003 and 2018. The primary objective was overall survival (OS), whereas secondary objectives included leukemia-free survival, toxicities of therapy, and referral for HCT and incidence of successful HCT. Results Most patients were male (56.7%) and Hispanic (72.2%). The median age of diagnosis was 36 years (range, 18-63 years). The median OS was 26.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 17.4-59.0 months). In patients who achieved complete remission with therapy, the median leukemia-free survival was 16.4 months. Fifty percent of patients experienced at least 1 episode of bacteremia, and nearly 25% of patients developed an invasive fungal infection. Thirty-six percent (n = 32) of patients were referred for HCT. The referral rate increased over time, which led to improved OS in patients who underwent evaluation at a tertiary cancer center (hazard ratio, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.21-0.89; P = .02). Patients who underwent HCT had significantly better OS compared with those who did not (OS not reached vs. 21.9 months; hazard ratio, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.04-0.68; P = .01). Conclusion Risk stratification and evidence-based treatment approaches are important for patients with ALL treated in a resource-limited setting. Most patients can be induced successfully and achieve complete remission with therapy. Partnership with a cancer center with early referral for HCT can facilitate curative HCT to be performed.
Association of Volume Overload With Kidney Function Outcomes Among Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Abstract Introduction In patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) volume overload is associated with mortality. There are few studies that have examined the relation between volume and long term kidney function outcomes in HFrEF. Methods Using data from the Efficacy of Vasopressin Antagonism in Heart Failure Outcome Study With Tolvaptan (EVEREST) trial, we used multivariable Cox regression models to evaluate the association between volume overload as evaluated by b-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and a clinical congestion score (scale of 0-12) comprised of pedal edema, jugular venous distension, rales and orthopnea with the occurrence of eGFR decline by >40%, and incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) Stage > 4 defined by eGFR of Results Among 3,718 patients (mean eGFR 59±22 ml/min/1.73m2), 340 (9%) reached an eGFR decline >40% and 337 (10%) developed incident CKD Stage > 4. In multivariable models, compared to those in the quartile of lowest NT-proBNP, those within the highest quartile had a significantly higher risk of eGFR decline by >40% (HR=2.62 [95% CI 1.62, 4.23]) and incident CKD Stage > 4 (HR=2.66 [1.49, 4.77]), with similar trends for BNP. Similarly in multivariable models, patients in the quartile of highest congestion score had a 48% increased risk for eGFR decline by >40% (HR=1.48 [1.07, 2.06]), and a 42% increased risk for CKD Stage > 4 (HR=1.42 [1.01, 1.99]), compared to the lowest quartile. Conclusion Volume overload, as indicated both by elevated natriuretic peptides as well as clinical signs and symptoms, is associated with increased risk for clinically important kidney function outcomes in HFrEF.
Sensitivity and resonance frequency evaluations for a cantilever type hetero-core fiber optic accelerometer

This paper proposes a novel cantilever-type fiber accelerometer using a hetero-core fiber optic sensor for a compact and environmental diagnosis sensing. The developed sensing scheme is immune to electromagnetic interference and cost-effective due to the intensity-based principle. The proposed accelerometer is based on a cantilever-type hetero-core optical fiber beam to detect acceleration via deflection given on the cantilever beam including a hetero-core sensory portion. Vibration responses have been investigated from a series of experiments in which the resonance frequency and sensitivity were arbitrarily changed from 400 to 1980 Hz and from 7.1 × 10-2 to 1.1 × 10-1 dB/g, respectively, by changing the fiber beam length. The amplitude of optical loss linearly increased with the amplitude of input acceleration up to 2.8 g.
Seven-day COVID-19 quarantine may be too short: assessing post-quarantine transmission risk in four university cohorts

BackgroundDespite rising rates of vaccination, quarantine remains critical to control SARS-CoV-2 transmission. COVID-19 quarantine length around the world varies in part due to the limited amount of empirical data. ObjectiveTo assess post-quarantine transmission risk for various quarantine lengths. DesignCohort study. SettingFour US universities, September 2020 to February 2021. Participants3,641 students and staff were identified as close contacts to SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals. They entered strict or non-strict quarantine and were tested on average twice per week for SARS-CoV-2. Strict quarantine included designated housing with a private room, private bathroom and meal delivery. Non-strict quarantine potentially included interactions with household members. MeasurementsDates of exposure and last negative and first positive tests during quarantine. ResultsOf the 418 quarantined individuals who eventually converted to positive, 11%, 4.2%, and 1.2% were negative and asymptomatic on days 7, 10 and 14, respectively. The US CDC recently shortened its quarantine guidance from 14 to 7 days based on estimates of 2.3-8.6% post-quarantine transmission risk at day 7, significantly below the 11% risk we report here. Notably, 6% of individuals tested positive after day 7 in strict quarantine, versus 14% in non-strict quarantine. Ongoing exposure during quarantine likely explains the higher rate of COVID-19 in non-strict quarantine. LimitationsQuarantine should be longer for individuals using antigen testing, given antigen testings lower sensitivity than qPCR. Results apply in settings in which SAR-CoV-2 variants do not affect latent period. ConclusionsTo maintain the 5% transmission risk that the CDC used in its guidance, our data suggest that quarantine with qPCR testing 1 day before intended release should extend to 10 days for non-strict quarantine. Funding SourceNone.
3. Measurement of Rock Deformation at High Temperatures

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the experimental apparatuses and the experimental tests used to study high-temperature flow of rocks and minerals. Three distinctly different types of apparatus—one-atmosphere, gas medium, and solid-medium systems—are used to investigate the high temperature deformation behavior of rocks and minerals. Details of the design and operation as well as the advantages and limitations of each type of apparatus are discussed in the chapter. All three types of equipment are required to study the wide range of problems which are of interest in the solid earth sciences. However, the chapter emphasizes on the gas-medium and one-atmosphere apparatuses, because of the importance of high-pressure experimentation in rock mechanics. Probably the most mechanically complex types of apparatus available for studies of the flow behavior of rocks and minerals at high pressures are those employing a gas confining medium. High-temperature compressive creep experiments at a total pressure of 1 atmosphere, which involve the least complicated of the three types of experimental apparatus, have been used for the past decade to study flow of olivine and quartz single crystals. There are several advantages to performing deformation experiments without a confining pressure.
Influences on decision to breastfeed infants (1016.3)

Factors contributing to mothers’ decisions to breastfeed were explored. Data were collected from 187 mothers delivering at a Midwest medical center, who chose to exclusively breastfeed, were 34% white, 23% black, and 25% Hispanic (mean age: 29). White mothers were more likely (p<.05) to be married (89%) and have a bachelor’s degree or higher (80%) as compared to black (23%, 27%) and Hispanic (52%, 15%) mothers. Mother’s reported the importance (4 pt scale) placed on the baby’s father (m=3.5), her mother (m=3.1), and her friends’ (m=2.4) breastfeeding opinions. Mothers’ scores on the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale were similar across race (scores 68, 66, 64 out of 85, with higher score indicating stronger attitudes towards breastfeeding). Mothers agreed (5 pt scale) that breastfeeding increased mother-infant bonding (m=4.7), was ideal food for their infants (4.5), and was more easily digested (4.4). Most mothers, regardless of race, reported that their doctor (72%), their baby’s doctor (78%), and the h...
Incidence, determinants and significance of fixed retrograde conduction in the region of the atrioventricular node. Evidence for retrograde atrioventricular nodal bypass tracts

Of 104 consecutive patients studied in our laboratory with His bundle electrograms, atrial and ventricular pacing and the atrial and ventricular extrastimulus techniques, 18 patients in whom the existence and utilization of ventriculoatrial (V-A) bypass tracts were excluded demonstrated evidence for fixed and rapid retrograde conduction in the region of the atrioventricular node (A-V) as suggested by the following: (1) short (36 +/- 2 msec [mean +/- standard error of mean]) and constant retrograde H2-A2 intervals during retrograde refractory period studies; (2) significantly (P less than 0.025) better V-A than A-V conduction; (3) significantly (P less than 0.025) shorter retrograde functional refractory period of the V-A conducting system than of the A-V conduction system; and (4) the retrograde effective refractory period of the A=V nodal region was not attainable in any of the 18 patients. Fourteen of the 18 patients (77 percent) had a history of palpitations and 10 (51 percent) had documented paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia; in 13 (72 percent) single echoes or sustained reentrant supraventricular tachycardia, or both, could be induced during atrial pacing or atrial premature stimulation studies, or both. During tachycardia all these 13 patients had a short (37 +/- 2.4 msec) and constant conduction time in the retrograde limb (H-Ae interval) of the reentrant circuit that was identical to the H2-A2 interval. In conclusion, fixed and rapid retrograde conduction in the region of the A-V node (1) is seen in approximately 17 percent of patients, (2) is associated with a large incidence of reentrant paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, and (3) suggests the presence of A-V nodal bypass tracts (intranodal or extranodal functioning in retrograde manner).
Poverty and Child Placement: A New/Old Idea.

Abstract One result of the Republican victories in November 1994 is the suggestion that the children of the poor should be separated from their parents. The removal of children for no other reason than poverty is an old idea. The article examines the historical precedents of child placement, reviews the experience of the poorest group of Americans (Native Americans) and analyzes child placement through the lens of poverty. In addition, the role of the federal government in protecting vulnerable children is examined by comparing two federal laws-the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act.
Isolation of BamHI variants with reduced cleavage activities.

Derivation of the bamhIR sequence (Brooks, J. E., Nathan, P.D., Landry, D., Sznyter, L.A., Waite-Rees, P., Ives, C. C., Mazzola, L. M., Slatko, B. E., and Benner, J. S. (1991) Nucleic Acids Res., in press), the gene coding for BamHI endonuclease, has facilitated construction of an Escherichia coli strain that overproduces BamHI endonuclease (W. E. Jack, L. Greenough, L. F. Dorner, S. Y. Xu, T. Strezelecka, A. K. Aggarwal, and I. Schildkraut, submitted for publication). As expected, low-level constitutive expression of the bamhIR gene in E. coli from the Ptac promotor construct is lethal to the host unless the bamHIM gene, which encodes the BamHI methylase, is also expressed within the cell. We identified four classes of BamHI endonuclease variants deficient in catalysis by selecting for survival of a host deficient for bamHIM gene, transformed with mutagenized copies of the bamhIR gene, and then screening the surviving cell extracts for DNA cleavage and binding activities. Class I variants (G56S, G91S/T153I, T114I, G130R, E135K, T153I, T157I, G194D) displayed 0.1-1% of the wild-type cleavage activity; class II variant (D94N) lacked cleavage activity but retained wild-type DNA binding specificity; class III variants (E77K, E113K) lacked cleavage activity but bound DNA more tightly; class IV variants (G56D, G90D, G91S, R122H, R155H) lacked both binding and cleavage activities. Variants with residual cleavage activities induced the E. coli SOS response and thus are presumed to cleave chromosomal DNA in vivo. We conclude that Glu77, Asp94, and Glu113 residues are essential for BamHI catalytic function.
Spectrophotometric Determination of Microgram Quantities of Copper in Biologic Materials

A procedure for the determination of microgram quantities of copper in biologic material is described. The sample is wet-ashed with a nitric acid-perchloric acid mixture. The copper is extracted from an alkaline solution of the ash with a solution of diphenylcarbazide in benzene. Absorbance of the red complex is read at 540 mµ. The copper in as little as 0.5 ml. of serum can be determined and the method is suitable for routine determinations. The use of microcells makes possible the analysis of 0.1 ml. of serum.
Scene Perception and Memory

Publisher Summary The chapter reviews some basic properties of scenes. Despite a lack of consensus on how to operationalize different scenes, visual scenes share a number of properties that are uncontroversial and three of these characteristics are described. The ability to perceive one's local visual environment is so important for navigation and other daily activities that it is perhaps not surprising that a region of the brain appears to be specialized for processing scene information. To understand how such environmental regularities are represented in the brain, it is useful to consider both behavioral and neuroscientific data. Past findings appear to converge to support a dual-path model of scene processing, where global spatial configuration information is rapidly registered and used to guide how a scene is interrogated with multiple eye movements. The parahippocampal cortex responds to visual scenes, namely, depictions of visual space. This region has been dubbed the parahippocampal place area (PPA). As a step toward understanding scene recognition and memory, this chapter also reviews studies from the literature and identifies my laboratory that describe how visual scenes and scene properties are learned and represented in the brain along with the identification of outstanding issues in scene perception and memory that deserve further research.
UNIONS, PLANTS, JOBS, AND WORKERS: An Analysis of Union Satisfaction and Participation

The relationship between unions and their members is an important, yet neglected, subject in recent studies of the sociology of work. This study develops and tests a theory of union satisfaction and participation that combines recent research in the sociology of work with previous explanations of union satisfaction and participation provided by industrial relations researchers, in an attempt to understand the relationship between unions, plants, jobs, and workers in U.S. manufacturing industries. This theory predicts that union members will be satisfied with their unions and participate more in them if there are extensive ties between workers, employers, and unions. These ties stem from the focus of labor/management relations in particular, and class struggles in general, on market outcomes and the historical linkage of union membership with employment in the United States. The theory also predicts that unions themselves act as ties to specific work settings and that union participation is a forum for voicing dissatisfaction with specific characteristics of workers' jobs. Testing these predictions is complicated by the contradictory nature of the structure and organization of work in advanced industrial societies. The analysis provides qualified support for this theory, with data drawn from more unions, plants, and union members than have been used to date. In addition to discussing modifications to the theory and analysis presented here, the study includes a discussion of its implications for the future of unionization and the organization of work, in light of declines in union membership, increased efforts to decertify unions and resist union organizing efforts, and deindustrialization in the United States.
Accurate reduced RL model for frequency dependent transmission lines

In this paper, we provide a new algorithm to model the frequency dependent RL parameters of transmission lines. Each set of the parameters is modeled by the input impedance of a single RL port. The modeling process consists of two steps. In the first step, a model with high enough order is generated to fit the given data precisely, and in the second step, model order reduction is applied to reduce the model order while keeping the accuracy of the model high enough. Experiments show that this algorithm generates models with low order and high accuracy.
Analysis of heavy metal deposition in renal tissue by sectional mapping using PIXE

This study uses particle induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE) to examine the localization of metals in renal tissue removed from rabbits exposed to HgCl2, K2Cr2O7, or NaAsO2, or a binary combination. A small beam diameter (10 μm) and the ability to raster this beam over areas of up to 125 μm × 125 μm has allowed the mapping of non-endogenous metal concentrations over the entire cross-section of the kidney. The use of step-wise sectional mapping has produced data and revealed trends in heavy metal deposition that are difficult to reproduce with other analytical methods. The combination of small beam size, high resolution, and simultaneous multi-element detection makes PIXE spectroscopy a powerful tool for investigating the impact of non-endogenous metals on the kidney.
Three modes of synaptic vesicular recycling revealed by single-vesicle imaging

Synapses recycle their spent vesicles in order to keep up with on-going neurotransmitter release. To investigate vesicle recycling in the small synapses of hippocampal neurons, we have used an optical recording method that permits us to resolve single-vesicle events. Here we show that an exocytic event can terminate with three modes of vesicle retrieval: a fast (400-860 ms) 'kiss-and-run' mode that has a selective fusion pore; a slow (8-21 s) 'compensatory' mode; and a 'stranded' mode of recycling, in which a vesicle is left on the cell surface until a nerve impulse triggers its retrieval. We have also observed that, in response to a nerve impulse, synapses with low release probability primarily use the kiss-and-run mode, whereas high release probability terminals predominantly use the compensatory mode of vesicle retrieval.
Report on AAAS 2010: on bridging science and society

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the 2010 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), its 176th meeting, held February 18‐22, 2010 in San Diego.Design/methodology/approach – Provides an overview of nine presentations as well as internet links (or bibliographic citations) of pertinent research, on each topic covered, for further understanding of the subject matter.Findings – There is plenty of research on which to report.Originality/value – The paper provides information on the latest research on: current technological advances relating to connectivity to the internet; key questions relating to the voluminous amount of data generated annually; and, how computational science, and its enabling cyberinfrastructure, is tackling some of the “grand challenges” facing science and society today.
The Stromberg-Carlson XY Dial Telephone System

This paper describes a flat type of step-by-step switch and its associated equipment which recently has been introduced in the United States for dial telephone switching systems. ``Truly, this (the automatic telephone system) seems the very high-water mark of human creative power.'' This remark was made by Doctor J. A. Fleming, the eminent British electrical engineer, about 1920 when referring to the step-by-step and other dial telephone systems. The step-by-step system, which previously had been developed by Strowger and others,1 at that time was being widely installed in England and other locations, both here and in Europe, and since has become the most universally adopted method of dial switching.
Foraging and food hoarding of wild Rattus norvegicus in an urban environment

The foraging activities of a free-living population of wild Rattus norvegicus was confined to the nighttime hours. Peak feeding occurred during the early evening hours. Subsequent excavation of the burrow systems of these animals revealed no evidence that food had either been consumed or stored in the burrows.
FGL2 prothrombinase messenger RNA expression in gravid and nongravid human myometrium.

Abstract Objective: Thrombin is a potent uterotonic agent that may play an important role in human parturition. FGL2 is a prothrombinase that cleaves prothrombin to thrombin. The purpose of this study was to determine FGL2 messenger RNA expression in human myometrium and to assess its relationship to the expression of EP3-6 prostaglandin receptor and inducible nitric oxide synthase. Study Design: Myometrium was obtained from gravid women who underwent cesarean delivery (n = 19), from premenopausal (n = 10) and menopausal (n = 10) women who underwent hysterectomy, and from nonpregnant women who received 200 mg of misoprostol vaginally 12 hours before hysterectomy (n = 8). FGL2 messenger RNA expression was determined with the use of semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction and was compared with previously determined messenger RNA expression levels for EP3-6 and inducible nitric oxide synthase for the same samples. Statistical analysis was performed with the use of independent t test, Fisher exact test, analysis of variance, and linear regression, where appropriate. Results: All samples that were analyzed contained demonstrable quantities of FGL2 messenger RNA. The highest FGL2 expression was found in gravid women, followed by women who were treated with misoprostol, by premenopausal nonpregnant women, and by menopausal women ( P P P P r = 0.55, P r = 0.67, P Conclusion: The expression of FGL2 messenger RNA is increased in gravid myometrium compared with nonpregnant samples. Its expression significantly correlates to EP3-6 and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression. FGL2 prothrombinase expression may mediate the role of thrombin in human parturition. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003;188:1057-62.)
EXTRACTION OF PROTEIN FROM CHLOROPLASTS ISOLATED FROM ALFALFA LEAF

Relatively intact chloroplasts were isolated from alfalfa leaf. It was determined that the chloroplasts accounted for an average of 39.2% of the total nitrogen in the leaf tissue. When extracted with Tris-sucrose buffer, approximately 55% of the chloroplastic nitrogen was insoluble, some 28% was soluble, and approximately 16% was nonprotein nitrogen. Thus approximately 11% of the total crude nitrogen of alfalfa leaf comes from soluble protein of the chloroplasts. During the normal process of tissue disruption to extract leaf proteins this chloroplastic soluble protein, or a good part of it, would be included in the pool of leaf soluble proteins. The distribution of nitrogen between the insoluble and soluble protein fractions and the NPN fractions was determined by extraction into a Tris-sucrose buffer solution after sonication. Triton X-100, sodium desoxy-cholate, sodium trichloracetate, sodium perchlorate, trypsin, and phospholipase A were tested for their efficacy in converting insoluble to soluble nitrogen. All of these agents except phospholipase gave some improvement in the extraction of nitrogen from the chloroplasts. The, greatest increase was given by the chaotropic agent, sodium perchlorate. The perchlorate, however, interfered with the micro-Kjeldahl procedure for nitrogen determination. Therefore, the solution had to be dialyzed before protein could be determined. Considerable amounts of NPN were obtained after dialysis which could have been produced by the action of proteolytic enzymes during the extended period required for the dialysis procedure. Trypsin increased the extraction but produced excessive amounts of NPN.
Critical Temperature and the Transition from Quantum to Classical Order Parameter Fluctuations in the Three-Dimensional Heisenberg Antiferromagnet

We present results of extensive quantum Monte Carlo simulations of the three-dimensional $S\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}1/2$ Heisenberg antiferromagnet. Finite-size scaling of the spin stiffness and the sublattice magnetization gives the critical temperature ${T}_{\mathrm{c}}/J\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0.946\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.001$. The critical behavior is consistent with the classical 3D Heisenberg universality class, as expected. We discuss the general nature of the transition from quantum mechanical to classical (thermal) order parameter fluctuations at a continuous ${T}_{\mathrm{c}}g0$ phase transition.
The effect of violating phrase structure rules and selectional restrictions on TEP patterns

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of violating phrase-structure rules and selectional restrictions on the TEP patterns in sentence learning tasks. It was found that violating selectional restrictions affected the between- and within-phrase pattern of responding. When phrase-structure rules were violated, the strings were found to be learned word by word. These findings were related to the problem of surface structure and deep structure analysis of sentence processing.
Cloning of a gene required for tryptophan biosynthesis from Leptospira biflexa serovar patoc into Escherichia coli.

Abstract A clone bank, consisting of approx. 8100 colonies, has been created for the spirochete Leptospira biflexa serovar patoc in Escherichia coli using pBR322 as the vector. One of these clones contains the genetic information needed to complement a defect in the trpE gene of E. coli . The information resides on a 20.5-kb plasmid designated pYCl, which carries a 16-kb insert consisting of three Hind III fragments. It does not complement defects in other genes needed for the biosynthesis of tryptophan in E. coli .
Nanoelectromechanical contact switches

Nanoelectromechanical (NEM) switches are similar to conventional semiconductor switches in that they can be used as relays, transistors, logic devices and sensors. However, the operating principles of NEM switches and semiconductor switches are fundamentally different. These differences give NEM switches an advantage over semiconductor switches in some applications--for example, NEM switches perform much better in extreme environments--but semiconductor switches benefit from a much superior manufacturing infrastructure. Here we review the potential of NEM-switch technologies to complement or selectively replace conventional complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology, and identify the challenges involved in the large-scale manufacture of a representative set of NEM-based devices.
The effect of anions on the optical properties of rat liver nuclei isolated in glycerol solutions.

Abstract A simple, rapid method is presented for the isolation of nuclei from rat liver, with the use of glycerol and cation-binding reagents. Nuclei showing three different types of optical appearance were isolated, depending upon the concentrations of the reagents incorporated in the glycerol solution. These nuclear textures have been designated as granular, homogeneous, and hyaline. This progressive increase in optical clarity has been interpreted in terms of the influence of metal-binding reagents upon the hydrated state of nuclear structures. The present work emphasizes the role of negatively-charged ions in maintaining the homogeneous appearance of unfixed interphase nuclei.