cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of drop aerodynamic fragmentation in the bag and sheet-thinning regimes by crossed-beam, two-view, digital in-line holography

Abstract When a spherical liquid drop is subjected to a step change in relative gas velocity, aerodynamic forces lead to drop deformation and possible breakup into a number of secondary fragments. To investigate this flow, a digital in-line holography (DIH) diagnostic is proposed which enables rapid quantification of spatial statistics with limited experimental repetition. To overcome the high uncertainty in the depth direction experienced in previous applications of DIH, a crossed-beam, two-view configuration is introduced. With appropriate calibration, this diagnostic is shown to provide accurate quantification of fragment sizes, three-dimensional positions and three-component velocities in a large measurement volume. These capabilities are applied to investigate the aerodynamic breakup of drops at two non-dimensional Weber numbers, We, corresponding to the bag (We = 14) and sheet-thinning (We = 55) regimes. Ensemble average results show the evolution of fragment size and velocity statistics during the course of breakup. Results indicate that mean fragment sizes increase throughout the course of breakup. For the bag breakup case, the evolution of a multi-mode fragment size probability density is observed. This is attributed to separate fragmentation mechanisms for the bag and rim structures. In contrast, for the sheet-thinning case, the fragment size probability density shows only one distinct peak indicating a single fragmentation mechanism. Compared to previous related investigations of this flow, many orders of magnitude more fragments are measured per condition, resulting in a significant improvement in data fidelity. For this reason, this experimental dataset is likely to provide new opportunities for detailed validation of analytic and computational models of this flow.
Circulating midkine in children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura: Clinical implications

Abstract Background Midkine (MK) is a heparin-binding growth factor, which behaves like a cytokine, involved in various cellular processes such as cellular proliferation, differentiation, survival, adhesion, and migration. Studies provided evidence for a role of MK in acute and chronic inflammatory processes. The association between midkine and Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) has not yet been explored. The aim of our study was to investigate the potential role of midkine in children with HSP. Methods A total of 152 cases consisting of 92 children with HSP and 60 age- and sex-matched healthy control children were enrolled in this prospective study. Circulating midkine, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF, IFN-γ, and IL-17A was measured in all of the 92 patients and 60 healthy controls. Midkine diagnostic value was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results Renal involvement occurred in 36 of the 92 patients. Circulating midkine level was elevated in children with HSPN than those of patients without renal involvement and of the controls (326.58 (266.58–459.25) pg/ml versus 280.72 (233.67–384.36) pg/ml and 217.3 (198.98–243.65) pg/ml, respectively; P ROC ) of MK was 0.902. Conclusions MK seems to be involved in the development of HSP. Measurement of serum levels of MK is helpful in confirming the diagnosis of HSP and predicting HSPN.
Cardiac Myosin Strutural Kinetics Modulated by Small Molecules

Myosin's lever arm undergoes structural changes that are coupled to its biochemical state during ATPase cycling in muscle. Structural states of myosin's lever can be detected directly using the high-precision, high-throughput technique of transient time-resolved FRET, (TR)2FRET, revealing kinetics, thermodynamics, and allosteric coupling. We have previously used this technique to investigate mechanochemical coupling in skeletal myosin and cardiac myosin perturbed by the heart failure drug omecamtiv mecarbil. Here we investigate other small molecule modulators of cardiac myosins mechanochemistry: arachidonic acid, EMD 57003, and compounds developed by MyoKardia, under investigation for treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. We find that one Myk compound dramatically decreases the amplitude of the fast phase of the power stroke, but does not significantly affect the rate of this transition. These data suggest that the compound shifts the equilibrium constant for hydrolysis toward the pre-hydrolysis state. This is in sharp contrast to the effect of omecamtiv mecarbil (Cytokinetics) under investigation for systolic heart failure, which shifts the equilibrium constant toward the post-hydrolysis states. This work was supported by NIH AR032961 & AR057220 (DDT), American Heart Association Scientist Development Grant (JMM), and Graduate Excellence Fellowship-University of MN (JAR).
THE ACCUMULATION OF ELECTROLYTES : VII. ORGANIC ELECTROLYTES PART 1.

The inorganic constituents of the sap of Rheum (rhubarb), Rumex (field sorrel), and Oxalis (wood sorrel) show a great preponderance of cations over anions, as would be expected if the cations entered chiefly as hydrates (other possibilities will be discussed in Part 2).
Abstract 048: Identifying Genetic Modifiers for Cardiomyopathy via Mutagenesis Screening

Rationale: The generation of animal models for human cardiomyopathy creates opportunities to uncover mechanisms of diseases’ pathogenesis and to identify genes that modify the progression of pathogenesis. In contrast to candidate gene-based approaches, the phenotype-based forward genetic screening approach is less effectively employed in a vertebrate, mainly due to the prohibitively enormous colony management efforts. Objective: To identify genetic modifiers of cardiomyopathy through developing an unbiased forward genetic approach in the vertebrate Danio rerio. Methods and Results: Using an expression-based insertional mutagenesis screening strategy, we identified 49 Zebrafish Insertional Cardiac (ZIC) mutants from a collection of ~300 gene break-transposon (GBT) lines. By applying doxorubicin (DOX) stress to these heterozygous ZIC mutants, we initially identified four GBT lines that either enhanced or suppressed DOX-induced cardiomyopathy phenotypes. Here, we focus on the GBT0411 line which significantly enhances DOX-induced cardiomyopathy phenotypes. We cloned the gene and identified a single transposon insertion that disrupts the long nuclei isoform of dnajb6b in this GBT0411 mutant. Consistent with its cardiomyopathy modifier function, we detected a predominant expression of dnajb6b in the heart. While mutations affecting the cytoplasmic functions of DNAJB6 were recently reported to cause limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 1D, our study suggested that the impaired balance between Dnajb6b long (nuclei) and short (cytoplasmic) isoform accounted for the cardiomyopathy modifier effect. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated the feasibility of identifying genetic modifiers of cardiomyopathy using a forward genetic approach in a vertebrate. Specifically, our data implicate DNAJB6 as a new genetic risk factor for DOX-induced cardiomyopathy. Without any presumption, this forward genetic strategy opens the door to systematically identify genetic factors that modify the progression of cardiomyopathy, which will facilitate the practice of personalized medicine and the development of novel therapies.
Management of Gait Changes and Fall Risk in MCI and Dementia

Gait disorders and falls are very prevalent in aging, especially in older adults with cognitive impairment: older adults with dementia are 2-3 times more likely to fall than their non-demented counterparts. The management of gait disorders and falls in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia begins by their identification with the use of specific screening tools, such as measuring gait speed, use of dual-task gait tests, or diagnosing motoric cognitive risk syndrome, a newly described pre-dementia syndrome. This clinical approach is useful to reveal subtle gait changes that may lead to an increased risk of falls in older adults. Various non-pharmacological interventions have been tested in older adults with MCI or dementia to reduce risk of falls. Physical activity interventions are feasible in older adults with cognitive impairments, and may improve gait, and thereby decrease risk of falls. Besides non-pharmacological interventions, identification and removal of potentially inappropriate medications (i.e., psychotropic drugs) is part of a comprehensive falls management strategy in older patients. The use of anti-dementia drugs, such as cholinesterase inhibitors or memantine, may help to improve gait in demented older adults. Adopting a multidisciplinary care strategy that integrates general practitioners, geriatricians, neurologists, cardiologists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists to identify older adults at increased risk of falling or with subtle gait changes, prior to applying individualized non-pharmacological and/or pharmacological interventions, is essential to reduce the burden of gait disorders and falls in older adults with cognitive impairment.
What Constitutes an Act Discreditable to the Profession? A Philosophical Look at a Practical Ethical Question

Rule 501 of the AICPA's Code of Professional Conduct prohibits acts that are discreditable to the profession. A few examples are given but the Rule is basically open-ended. Supposedly aimed at protecting the public interest, the Rule can be quite self-serving. Rather than protecting the public, application of the Rule can be used to protect the profession, perhaps at the expense of the general public or at the expense of individual rights. The author suggests that the Rule be repealed.
The Potential Role of SGLT2 Inhibitors in the Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a difficult disease to treat due to the relative paucity of therapeutic options other than injectable insulin. The latter, however, can induce hypoglycemia, which has been linked to enhanced cardiovascular risk. Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a new class of oral anti-hyperglycemic medications that do not increase the hypoglycemia risk and are US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved in type 2 diabetes mellitus. SGLT2 inhibitors may also be of benefit in type 1 diabetic patients, in addition to insulin, although they have not yet been approved for this indication. By blocking SGLT2 in the early proximal tubules of the kidney, these drugs decrease renal glucose retention, which is enhanced in hyperglycemia, thereby improving blood glucose control, in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patents. Their low hypoglycemia risk is due to the compensating reabsorption capacity of another glucose transporter, SGLT1, in the downstream late proximal tubule and the body’s metabolic counter-regulation, which remains intact during SGLT2 inhibition. When insulin dosage is lowered too much, SGLT2 inhibitors can enhance ketogenesis to the extent that the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis increases, particularly in type 1 diabetic patients. SGLT2 inhibitors improve the renal and cardiovascular outcome in type 2 diabetic patients. The mechanisms likely include a reduction in glomerular hyperfiltration, blood pressure, volume overload, and body weight, as well as lowering blood glucose without increasing the hypoglycemia risk. The same mechanistic effects are induced in type 1 diabetic patients. More studies are needed with SGLT2 inhibitors in type 1 diabetic patients, including renal and cardiovascular clinical outcome trials, to fully evaluate their therapeutic potential in this specific population.
Basic Biology of Microbial Fermentation

The great majority of what we know about microbial fermentations was discovered before 1950 (See review by Wood (1)). Since then microbial and biochemical science has passed on to questions of structure and function of macromolecules, organelles and cells thought to be more intriguing or deserving of attention. Now for economic and strategic reasons, attention is once again focused on microbial fermentations for their potential to produce useful and energy-containing products from starch, waste materials or currently unusable biomass. Further, strategists in this area have a kind of tacit belief that, somewhere in the tremendous explosion of biological and chemical knowledge since 1950, there are missing pieces of information and techniques, that when capitalized upon, will propel microbial fermentations from their current state of near obliyion back to center stage, being caught up in a new wave of bioinnovation. In such a scenario the task will be to couple the new knowledge with the old science and technology of fermentation. In such a new endeavor those with the old knowledge need to know what opportunities the new knowledge makes possible, and the practitioners of new science need to know a fair amount about the old science rather than attempting to “reinvent the wheel”.
Pharmacologically directed design of leukemia therapy.

Most nucleoside analogues require intracellular metabolism, usually to the 5’-triphosphate, to produce cytotoxicity. This reflects one mechanism of action of these drugs: inhibition of DNA synthesis through effects on enzymes whose natural substrates are nucleotides. Strong correlations have been demonstrated between cytotoxity in experimental systems and the cellular pharmacology and pharmacodynamics of nucleotides of nucleoside antimetabolites [1, 2]. Recently, analytical procedures used in experimental studies, principally high-pressure liquid chromatography, have been adapted for investigations of nucleoside analogue metabolites in human leukemia cells during therapy [3].
Precision Farming Technology and Risk Management

Farm fields have numerous areas that differ from one another with respect to soil type, topography, microclimate, and other factors that influence crop yields. Crop response to a particular input may differ across these areas within a field. Furthermore, differences in inherent soil properties across a field may result in non-uniform temporal variation in yield response to stochastic events such as weather, disease, insect pressure, and weed pressure. Thus, spatial variation in temporal production risk could occur as stochastic temporal yield-limiting factors interact with inherent yield-limiting soil properties (Nielsen 2001). With the availability of so-called “precision farming” technologies (also referred to as variable-rate, prescription, site-specific, or soil-specific farming), the cost of gathering information about within-field variability has decreased, making it possible for farmers to consider using site-specific management practices in crop production (Lowenberg-DeBoer and Swinton 1997). Farmers can now gather information about variation in yield-limiting soil properties within a farm field to make management choices about applying crop inputs using variable rate technology. Thus, the potential for precision farming as a risk management tool is in allowing farmers to gather more and better information and gaining increased control over production (Lowenberg-DeBoer 1999).
Financial Accounting Consequences of Temporary Tax Law: Evidence from the R&D Tax Credit.

This paper investigates the extent to which expirations of a temporary tax law reduce the ability of market participants to predict and understand corporate earnings. Examining evidence from eight separate expirations of the R&D tax credit, I find that analysts’ forecast errors, abnormal bid-ask spreads and abnormal volume increase surrounding quarterly earnings announcements for firms that are affected by the R&D tax credit. These increases suggest difficulties in interpreting earnings that are affected by the expired R&D tax credit. Further, I find that analyst revisions just following extensions of the R&D tax credit are relatively less accurate than other revisions. The results of this study call attention to previously unexplored costs of temporary tax laws, namely, capital market confusion related to corporate earnings affected by expired tax laws.
Into the Ocean: Vikings, Irish, and Environmental Change in Iceland and the North

Kristjan Ahronson. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2015. xvi and 245 pp., maps, illustrations, notes, bibliography. $61.50 cloth (ISBN 978–1442646179).Kristjan Ahronson asks a simple ...
Preparing for their Future: Perspectives of High School Students with Learning Disabilities about Transition Planning

High school students perspectives related to school facilitation of involvement of students in the transition process were examined. Qualitative interviews with 40 high school students with Learnin...
Flujos comerciales en la cuenca del Plata (S. XIX - S. XX). Ensayo teórico-metodológico desde las perspectivas de red en arqueología

On this paper I will develop a theoretical and methodological approach to the spatial distribution of trade flows in the River Plate sector of River Plate Basin, from a network perspective. Based on the theoretical background of various disciplines, historiographic bibliography, and edict written sources, port-cities, among others, are defined as territorial nodes, whose links will be expressed on two comparative maps for the second half of XIXth c. and the beginnings of XXth c. From there, the general structure of this trade networks will be traced, highlighting the hegemony of the “River Plate trading complex” position during the study period. Finally, I’ll propose some future archaeological research lines, seeking to contribute to the analysis of material culture flows and consumption practices on the area, based on networks concepts.
On Connectivity of Interdependent Networks

The studies in fault-tolerance in networks mostly focus on the connectivity of the graph as the metric of fault-tolerance. If the underlying graph is k-connected, it can tolerate up to k -1 failures. This metric in various forms, has been used extensively for robust design of communication networks, which may be viewed as a single layer network. In the last few years, there is an increasing awareness in the research community that critical infrastructure networks, such as the power grid and the communication network are highly interdependent. This inter-dependency has become critical in a {smart-grid} environment, where the electric power transmission/distribution network is highly integrated with the communication network. This dependency realization has led to a fairly large number of studies on robustness and resiliency of interdependent multi-layer networks. Unfortunately, many of the proposed models of inter-dependency that appeared in the literature in the last few years fail to capture the complex inter-dependency that exists between entities of power grid and communication networks, involving a complex combination of conjunctive and disjunctive relations. The Boolean logic based model of inter-dependency proposed in \cite{sen2014identification} overcomes this limitation. Using this dependency model, in this paper we explore ''connectivity'' of a two-layer interdependent network and formally define a new metric, Two-Layered connectivity (TL-connectivity), that is a counterpart of the traditional connectivity metric for a single-layer network (SL-connectivity). We provide an algorithm for computation of TL-connectivity. The problem can be solved in polynomial time in some special cases, whereas for some others, the problem is NP-complete. Finally, we evaluate the technique with a specific case study.
Predicting Postpartum Hemorrhage After Vaginal Birth by Labor Phenotype.

Introduction Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is an important contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality. Predicting which laboring women are likely to have a PPH is an active area of research and a component of quality improvement bundles. The purpose of this study was to identify phenotypes of labor processes (ie, labors that have similar features, such as duration and type of interventions) in a cohort of women who had vaginal births, estimate the likelihood of PPH by phenotype, and analyze how maternal and fetal characteristics relate to PPH risk by phenotype. Methods This study utilized the Consortium for Safe Labor dataset (2002-2008) and examined term, singleton, vaginal births. Using 16 variables describing the labor and birth processes, a latent class analysis was performed to describe distinct labor process phenotypes. Results Of 24,729 births, 1167 (4.72%) women experienced PPH. Five phenotypes best fit the data, reflecting labor interventions, duration, and complications. Women who had shorter duration of admission after spontaneous labor onset (admitted in latent or active labor) had the lowest rate of PPH (3.8%-3.9%). The 2 phenotypes of labor progress characterized by women who had complicated prolonged labors (spontaneous or induced) had the highest rate of PPH (8.0% and 12.0%, respectively). However, the majority of PPH (n = 881, 75%) occurred in the phenotypes with fewer complications. Prepregnancy body mass index did not predict PPH. Overall, the odds of PPH were highest among nulliparous women (odds ratio [OR], 1.52; 95% CI, 1.30-1.77), as well as Black women (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.13-1.73) and Hispanic women (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.56-2.20). Within phenotypes, maternal race and ethnicity, nulliparity, macrosomia, hypertension, and depression were associated with increased odds of PPH. Discussion Women who were classified into a lower-risk labor phenotype and still experienced PPH were more likely to be nulliparous, a person of color, or diagnosed with hypertension.
Sexually Transmitted Infections: Part I: Genital Bumps and Genital Ulcers

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) affect young people in a disproportionate way, with more than half of the infections occurring in 15- to 25-year-olds, although as an age group they constitute only 25% of the sexually active population. Pediatricians should be familiar with the social, behavioral, and biological factors that predispose adolescents to STIs. Preventive visits for teens and pre-teens should incorporate education and counseling about sexuality, safe sexual behavior, and STIs. Pediatricians should be able to identify, diagnose, and manage STIs presenting as genital “bumps” and genital “ulcers.” Pediatricians should also offer human immunodeficiency virus testing and expedited partner treatment to all adolescents who are diagnosed as having an STI.
Fatigue-Induced Hip-Abductor Weakness and Changes in Biomechanical Risk Factors for Running-Related Injuries.

CONTEXT Despite overlap between hip-abductor (HABD) weakness and fatigue-induced changes in running, the interaction of these theorized contributors to running injuries has been underevaluated. OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of a fatiguing run on HABD torque and evaluate the correlation between HABD torque and previously identified running-related injury pathomechanics while participants were rested or fatigued. DESIGN Crossover study. SETTING Laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS A total of 38 healthy, physically active males (age = 21.61 ± 4.02 years, height = 1.78 ± 0.08 m, body mass = 76.00 ± 12.39 kg). INTERVENTION(S) Data collection consisted of rested-state collection, a fatiguing treadmill-run protocol, and fatigued-state collection. For the HABD measures, side-lying handheld-dynamometer isometric tests were performed and converted to torque using femur length. For the gait analysis, kinematic (240 Hz) and kinetic (960 Hz) running (4.0 m/s) data were collected for 3 trials. The fatigue protocol involved a graded exercise test and 80% o2max run to exhaustion. Immediately after the run, fatigued-state measures were obtained. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Variables of interest were HABD torque and peak angles, velocities, and moments for hip and knee adduction and internal rotation. Differences between conditions were compared using paired t tests. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate relationships between HABD torque and biomechanical variables. RESULTS Fatigue decreased HABD torque and increased hip-adduction angle, knee-adduction velocity, and hip and knee internal-rotation velocities and moments (all P values < .05). In the rested state, HABD torque was correlated with hip-adduction velocity (r = -0.322, P = .049). In the fatigued state, HABD torque was correlated with hip-adduction velocity (r = -0.393, P = .015), hip internal-rotation velocity (r = -0.410, P = .01), and knee-adduction angle (r = 0.385, P = .017) and velocity (r = -0.378, P = .019). CONCLUSIONS Changes in joint velocities due to fatigue and correlations between HABD torque and hip- and knee-joint velocities highlight the need to consider not only the quantity of HABD strength but also the rate of eccentric control of HABDs.
Cultural differences in the effects of contextual factors and privacy concerns on users’ privacy decision on social networking sites

Many social network sites (SNSs) have become available around the world and users’ online social networks increasingly include contacts from different cultures. However, there is lack of investigat...
The patient with cirrhosis in the intensive care unit and the management of acute-on-chronic liver failure:

Acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a clinical syndrome characterised by acute hepatic decompensation, multi-organ failure and high mortality, in patients with cirrhosis. Organ dysfunction in ...
Posterior Focal Curettage and Spine Stability Reconstruction by Temporary Pedicle Screw Fixation in Children With Collapsed Vertebrae due to Eosinophilic Granuloma

Study Design:Retrospective case series.Objectives:To evaluate the efficacy of growth-preserving posterior spinal column reconstruction surgery in children with collapsed vertebral eosinophilic gran...
Abstract 839: Association of bowel movement frequency and laxative use with risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in US women and men

Background: Abnormal bowel movements have been associated with dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, and altered metabolism of bile acids and gut microbiota, risks factors also associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, little is known about whether bowel movement frequency affects the risk of HCC. Methods: We followed 88,123 women in the Nurses9 Health Study (NHS) and 21,084 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to calculate multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and confidence intervals (95%CIs). In addition to age, we adjusted for race (white or non-white), gender (female or male), physical activity (lt 3, 3 to 26, ge 27 METS-hours/week), smoking status (never, 1 to 9, ge10 pack-years), alcohol consumption (lt 5, 5 to 14, get 15g/day), aspirin use (yes or no), body mass index (lt 25, 25 to 27.4, 27.5 to 29, ge 30kg/m2), and AHEI-2010 score without alcohol (in quartile) in the multivariable models. Results: We documented 101 incident HCC cases. Compared to those daily bowel movements, participants with bowel movement more than once per day had a multivariable HR of 1.88 (95% CI: 1.15 to 3.09) in the pooled cohorts. The positive association appeared stronger for men (frequent vs. daily, 2.74, 95% CI: 1.15 to 6.49) than for women (frequent vs. daily, 1.57, 95% CI: 0.83 to 2.95) (P-heterogeneity by sex=0.31). We found null associations between infrequent bowel movement and the risk of HCC (HR=1.00, 95%CI: 0.58 to 1.72). The HR (95%CI) for participants who used laxatives regularly relative to those who never used laxatives was 1.03 (0.66 to 1.60). Conclusions: Our results suggest increased bowel movement frequency is associated with a higher risk of HCC. These findings need to be confirmed and potential mechanisms underlying this association need to be elucidated. Citation Format: Lu Long, Xing Liu, Lina Jin, Tracey Simon, Wenjie Ma, Mi Na Kim, Wanshui Yang, Jefferey A. Meyerhardt, Andrew Chan, Edward Giovannucci, Xuehong Zhang. Association of bowel movement frequency and laxative use with risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in US women and men [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 839.
Entropic Independence II: Optimal Sampling and Concentration via Restricted Modified Log-Sobolev Inequalities.

We introduce a framework for obtaining tight mixing times for Markov chains based on what we call restricted modified log-Sobolev inequalities. Modified log-Sobolev inequalities (MLSI) quantify the rate of relative entropy contraction for the Markov operator, and are notoriously difficult to establish. However, infinitesimally close to stationarity, entropy contraction becomes equivalent to variance contraction, a.k.a. a Poincare inequality, which is significantly easier to establish through, e.g., spectral analysis. Motivated by this observation, we study restricted modified log-Sobolev inequalities that guarantee entropy contraction not for all starting distributions, but for those in a large neighborhood of the stationary distribution. We show how to sample from the hardcore and Ising models on $n$-node graphs that have a constant $\delta$ relative gap to the tree-uniqueness threshold, in nearly-linear time $\widetilde O_{\delta}(n)$. Notably, our bound does not depend on the maximum degree $\Delta$, and is therefore optimal even for high-degree graphs. This improves on prior mixing time bounds of $\widetilde O_{\delta, \Delta}(n)$ and $\widetilde O_{\delta}(n^2)$, established via (non-restricted) modified log-Sobolev and Poincare inequalities respectively. We further show that optimal concentration inequalities can still be achieved from the restricted form of modified log-Sobolev inequalities. To establish restricted entropy contraction, we extend the entropic independence framework of Anari, Jain, Koehler, Pham, and Vuong to the setting of distributions that are spectrally independent under a restricted set of external fields. We also develop an orthogonal trick that might be of independent interest: utilizing Bernoulli factories we show how to implement Glauber dynamics updates on high-degree graphs in $O(1)$ time, assuming standard adjacency array representation of the graph.
The subfossil monkey femur and subfossil monkey tibia of the Antilles: A review

The proximal portion of a subfossil monkey femur found in a Jamaican cave shares all the femoral characters of a mature male Cebus apella.The fragment alone, however, does not prove conspecificity. The Jamaican femur is also of a size that could belong to the extinct Xenothrix mcgregoriof the same island. In contrast, the distal portion of a monkey tibia recovered from a kitchen midden in the Dominican Republic cannot be identified with that of any known living platyrrhine or catarrhine monkey. Geological age, geographic locality, and size of fragment point to probable alignment of the tibia with the recently extinct cebid Saimiri bernensis.Although no conclusive identifications are made, the distinctive characters of the two limb bones are described on the basis of comparisons with femurs and tibias representing all genera of living platyrrhines, most genera of catarrhine monkeys, and some strepsirhines.
Tables and Graphs for the Analysis of (1 – 3) γ — γ Directional Correlations

Arfken, Biedenharn and Rose1 ) have pointed out as early as 1952 that the γ — γ directional correlations on the (1–3) cascade with the intermediate transition unobserved can be used to obtain multipolarities of transitions and level spins. Until now, because of poor resolution of the Nal detectors used in γ — γ (θ) experiments, the analysis of the (1–3) correlations has been very complicated. With the recent development of Nal — Ge(Li) and Ge(Li) — Ge(Li) detector systems for γ — γ (θ) experiments, the analysis of skip correlation data has become as feasible and profitable as consecutive cascades. The correlation coefficients for a skip cascade depend also on the spins of the intermediate levels and the multipolarity of the unobserved transition as well as the spins of the upper and lower states and multipolarities of the first and third gamma rays2) (see fig. 1).
A Russian Software Center Ascends the SEI Maturity: Education by Motorola University

We describe how the Institute for Government Informatics Professionals, an educational ann of the Federal Government of Canada, manages the quality of its university-level informatics and professional business courses. The focus is on Course Staging: Course Staging and Course Maintenance refer to the two service quality loops that the Institute and its partners, a Consortium of three Canadian Universities, use to model the Institute's course development process. We describe the initial course development process and subsequent changes; explain the approach to formal course specification in terms of Knowledge Units and Entry/Exit Levels of Competence; list the difficulties encountered with this specification approach; and outline the surveys that we use to get feedback from students during and at the completion of Institute courses. We plan to use this working paper as the basis for consultations with educators in like institutions, sharing with them practical and proven approaches to managing quality in education.
Results from a Model System of Superconducting Solenoids and Phase-Shifting Bridge for Pulsed Power Studies for Proposed Tokamak EF Coils

Superconducting energy storage inductors have been proposed [1] for storing the energy of the OH and EF coils of tokamak power reactors between plasma burn cycles. Because the EF coils of a tokamak must be excited dynamically in response to plasma current, temperature, and position during the burn cycle of the reactor, unique requirements are made of the EF coil power supply system. An energy transfer circuit suggested by Peterson et al. [2] promises to meet the power transfer and control requirements of the EF coil excitation circuit supplied from a storage inductor.
The effect of age on the B-cell repertoire

The antibody repertoire changes with age. This change reflects, in part, the age-associated impairment in the production of a diverse population of naive B cells in the bone marrow and, in part, by the decreased diversification of B cells in the germinal center where affinity maturation and isotype switching takes place. B cell number is strictly regulated and despite the decreased output of B cells by the bone marrow does not decline during aging. Self-renewal of peripheral B cells is sufficient to assure the stability of peripheral B cell number. However, when B cell production is stressed as, for example, following drug-induced lymphopenia, the rate of recovery of B cell number as well as of B cell diversity is compromised in old compared to young mice. Finally, aging is associated with the appearance of B cell clonal expansions which not only limit the diversity of the B cell repertoire but very likely give rise to monoclonal serum immunoglobulins and B cell neoplasms.
Temporal Data Mining: Similarity-Profiled Association Pattern

Temporal data are of increasing importance in a variety of fields, such as financial data forecasting, Internet site usage monitoring, biomedicine, geographical data processing and scientific observation. Temporal data mining deals with the discovery of useful information from a large amount of temporal data. Over the last decade many interesting techniques of temporal data mining were proposed and shown to be useful in many applications. In this article, we present a temporal association mining problem based on a similarity constraint. Given a temporal transaction database and a user-defined reference sequence of interest over time, similarity-profiled temporal association mining is to discover all associated itemsets whose prevalence variations over time are similar to the reference sequence. The temporal association patterns can reveal interesting association relationships of data items which co-occur with a particular event over time. Most works in temporal association mining have focused on capturing special temporal regulation patterns such as a cyclic pattern and a calendar scheme-based pattern. However, the similarity-based temporal model is flexible in representing interesting temporal association patterns using a user-defined reference sequence. This article presents the problem formulation of similarity-profiled temporal association mining, the design concept of the mining algorithm, and the experimental result.
A Case Report of a Vallecular Cyst and Literature Review

Cysts in the vallecula are rare entities and seldom have been reported in the literature. However, these masses can have very important clinical implications. When they are small, they are usually asymptomatic. When they reach a large enough size, they can cause dysphagia, odynophagia, and acute airway complications. With the expanded scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery, the proper diagnosis and management of vallecular lesions could become a routine part of oral and maxillofacial surgical practice and aid in further development of the specialty. This report describes the case of a benign lymphoepithelial cyst of the vallecula.
Measurement of thermal effects on the Advanced Photon Source storage ring vacuum chamber

From the start of operations of the Advanced Photon Source storage ring, we have observed small thermally related dipole sources appearing soon after filling. Because there are many like sources occurring at about the same time, it has been difficult to locate them. Some sources have recently been located with a specially configured orbit correction running while the vacuum chamber temperature is changed. Vacuum chamber motion, seen as an apparent orbit change can also be estimated from the results.
QuarkOS: pushing the operating limits of micro-powered sensors

As sensors penetrate into deeply embedded settings such as implantables, wearables, and textiles, they present new challenges due to their tiny energy buffers and extremely low harvesting conditions under which they need to operate. However, existing low-power operating systems are not designed with the goal of scaling down to such severely constrained environments. We address these challenges with QuarkOS, an OS that scales down by carefully dividing every communication, sensing, and computation task into tiny fragments (e.g. half-bit, one pixel) and introduces sleeps between such fragments to re-charge. In addition QuarkOS is designed to have minimal run-time overhead, while still adapting performance to harvesting conditions. Our results are promising and show continuous communication from an RF-powered CRFID can occur at a third of the harvesting levels of prior approaches, and continuous image sensing to be performed with a tiny solar panel under natural indoor light.
Mindfulness-Based Psychoeducation for Parents of Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: An Applied Clinical Project

Topic Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects more than 5 million American children; the likelihood of their parents experiencing stress is high, which may lead to negative outcomes. Mindful parenting is a parent training modality that teaches compassion, listening, and creative engagement with one's child, and has been shown to be effective in decreasing levels of parental stress. Purpose An 8-week evidence-based applied clinical project (N = 7) was designed to answer the question: In parents of children with the diagnosis of ADHD, or exhibiting ADHD traits, what is the effect of providing mindful parenting psychoeducation in addition to standard of care treatment on levels of parental stress post intervention? Sources Used An exhaustive literature search was performed using the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the Cochrane Library, Psyc-INFO, and PubMed. Conclusions Outcomes were measured using the Parenting Stress Index, Fourth Edition Short Form (PSI-4-SF). Scores on the Total Stress scale decreased significantly after 8 weeks (p = .018); a significant decrease also occurred across two of the three PSI-4-SF subscales (Parental Distress and Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction). Recommendations for practice change, suggestions for future clinical inquiry, and project limitations are discussed.
US-Listed Chinese Firms in Credibility Crisis: Who are They? Where are They?

Chinese economy has been growing fast in the past 30 years and there have emerged a great number of enterprises in China. In the first decade of the 21st century, more and more Chinese firms started being listed overseas, especially in the US markets, including the NYSE, Amex and Nasdaq. Those stocks were popular among investors as they were naturally connected with the fast growing industry and business in China and they were called ”China concepts stocks”. However, since year 2006 an increasing number of US-listed Chinese firms have been found out forging documents and making fraudulent financial reports. American investors and regulators including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) were cheated before the scandals were public. Then various investigations were started toward those China concepts stocks by short sellers and professionals. Whenever there was evidence that a firm was exaggerating its performance in balance sheets, its stocks were shorted. After the confirmation of the fraudulent behaviors, those dishonest firms were forced to be delisted. In this paper I identify 263 stocks listed in the US exchanges with Chinese background and analyze their characteristics like headquarters, incorporation countries, auditing firms, listing method and delisting situation. Data analysis reveals interesting results that companies headquartered in small Chinese cities, audited by smaller auditing firms and listed via reverse merger transactions have a higher probability of being delisted. ∗Department of Economics, Columbia University. Address: 10th Floor, International Affairs Building, 420 West 118th Street, New York, NY 10027. Email: zw2160@columbia.edu. The author thanks Tri Vi Dang, Joseph Stiglitz and Shang-jin Wei for helpful discussion. All errors are mine.
Suicide by Jumping from Bridges

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg, Florida, has crisis emergency telephones and a police presence. Although the number of suicides from the bridge has declined, it is too soon to test the statistical significance of the decline.
Iterated real-time path integral evaluation using a distributed approximating functional propagator and average-case complexity integration.

The distributed approximating functional-path integral is formulated as an iterated sequence of $d$-dimensional integrals, where $d$ is the intrinsic number of degrees of freedom for the system under consideration. This is made practical for larger values of $d$ by evaluating these integrals using average-case complexity integration techniques, based on deterministic ``low discrepancy sequences,'' as opposed to products of one-dimensional quadratures or basis functions. The integration converges as $(\mathrm{log}P{)}^{d\ensuremath{-}1}/P,$ where P is the number of sample points used, and the dimensionality of the integral does not increase with the number of time slices required.
Pipeline Leak Detection by Impulse Response Extraction

A system's response to an impulse can be used to detect and diagnose abnormalities. The impulse response can be extracted by using cross-correlations between a low amplitude pseudo random binary disturbance input and the system's output. This fact is applied to pipeline hydraulics as a means of real-time non-interruptive integrity monitoring. A method of generating the pseudo random binary disturbance is proposed. The extraction of a pipeline's impulse response with the presence of noise is investigated. The features of the response of an intact pipeline and characteristic changes in the impulse response as a result of a leak are established. The feasibility of using impulse response to detect and to locate a leak in real-time is demonstrated.
Fc and Fab fragments from IgG 2 human immunoglobulins characterized.

Papain digestion of 7S immunoglobulin G (IgG) produces two 3.5S Fab fragments and one 3.5S Fc fragment1–8. The Fab fragment contains one light chain and one Fd fragment and is still able to combine specifically univalently with antigen. The Fc fragment is a dimer of the carboxyl terminal half of the heavy chain. Pepsin splits 7S IgG into some small peptides derived from Fc and one 5S F(ab′)2 fragment, which contains both antigen-binding sites. Based on this information, some investigators6,7 have postulated that pepsin splits the γ chains at the C-terminal side of the inter-heavy chain disulphide bridges, whereas papain splits at the N-terminal side of the inter-heavy chain disulphide bridges. We report here evidence that this model does not apply to all IgG subclasses. In the case of human IgG2 subclass myeloma proteins, papain splits initially at the C-terminal side of inter-heavy chain disulphide bridges. We also show that the amino-acid sequence of the Fc fragment of human IgG2 subclass so far determined has approximately 95% homology with that of human IgG1 and IgG4 subclasses reported by others9–15.
A Monte Carlo study of the U(2) chiral model

Abstract We investigate via the Monte Carlo method the non-linear U(2) matrix sigma model. The average link and specific heat measurements indicate that the apparent phase transition is higher than second order. The U(1) susceptibility and determinantal correlation functions turn out to be order parameters and yield 0.41 as the approximate critical coupling. The role played by topological excitations particularly in the critical region is studied. We also use our work as a stepping stone to obtain a glimpse of the matrix large-N problem. The results all support the conclusions of Green and Samuel. Finally, the implications for gauge theories are discussed.
MITOCHONDRIAL MRNA 3' CLEAVAGE/POLYADENYLATION AND RNA EDITING IN TRYPANOSOMA BRUCEI ARE INDEPENDENT EVENTS

The organization of the mitochondrial maxicircle genome of Trypanosoma brucei is unique in the close packing of the mRNA genes. For many of them, the 5' and 3' ends of adjacent transcripts overlap and formation of the proper 3' or 5' end can eliminate a portion of the coding sequence of the adjacent gene. Large, polycistronic transcripts have been detected. suggesting that mechanisms for precise cleavages at both 5' and 3' gene boundaries must exist. However, no common sequences near the ends of the mRNAs that could be candidates for control regions have been detected. In addition, nothing is known about how RNA editing interacts with and affects 5' and 3' processing and/or polyadenylation. Edited precursor transcripts have been detected, indicating that editing complexes can assemble prior to transcript cleavage. Because editing often initiates near the 3' end of the mRNA, the assembly of an editing complex in this region may influence the cleavage selection process. In order to determine the extent that RNA editing and 3' end-processing interact, RNAs were analyzed to determine the extent of editing in precursor RNAs and to determine if unedited transcripts can be cleaved and polyadenylated. Two overlapping RNA junctions were analyzed; the junction between NADH dehydrogenase (ND) subunit 7 and cytochrome oxidase (CO) subunit III, and the junction between CO subunit II and maxicircle unidentified reading frame (MURF) II. For both of these RNAs, editing affects restriction endonuclease recognition sequences, allowing us to analyze editing patterns by differential restriction digests. These analyses suggest that when the gRNA is supplied in trans, RNA editing and cleavage/polyadenylation are independent events and while they may influence one another, one event is not dependent on the other. Conversely, for the COII transcript, where the gRNA is located at the 3' end of the mRNA and appears to be supplied in cis, edited precursors were not detected. This suggests a requirement for a precise intramolecular interaction for COII editing that cannot form prior to 3' end-maturation.