cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of LiFePO4 Using an Ionic Liquid/Water Composite Medium

In this work, we investigate a novel synthesis route for the synthesis of LiFePO4 material that utilizes an ionic liquid/water composite medium. The effect of reaction time and reaction temperature on the crystallinity of synthesized material is investigated through X-ray diffraction (XRD). Morphology is analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is observed that the intensity of peaks corresponding to LiFePO4 increase as reaction time increases, but unwanted peaks are present as well. SEM characterization indicates that various structures are initially formed, but as the reaction time progresses product morphology changes in size.
Ablation of atrial fibrillation: single-shot techniques poised to dominate rhythm control strategies/the future is here

Over the recent years, the advent of single-shot techniques, such as circular catheter and cryoballoon ablation, has ushered in a new era in the catheter ablation approach and rhythm control strategies of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). These techniques make it easier to navigate the heart and have the potential to decrease the threshold for, expand the access to, and increase patient and physician acceptance of rhythm-control therapies, that may lead to reduction of the AF disease burden and its socioeconomic impact. Due to technical issues the circular catheter technique is lagging behind, however the cryoballoon approach is progressing at a faster pace both in the field of technical advancements and clinical studies, all contributing to its rapid penetration in the electrophysiological community and rhythm management approaches toward the commonest cardiac arrhythmia. Comparative studies of the conventional point-by-point radiofrequency (RF) ablation technique and the cryoablation approach to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), which constitutes the cornerstone of all ablation methods, seem to favor the cryoablation technique in certain aspects. The results of current studies converge in their conclusion that cryoablation employing current generation cryoballoons is a simplified and faster method compared to the conventional technique in achieving effective and durable PVI. Furthermore, investigators have recently proposed particular tips and parameters to serve as reliable predictors of successful and durable PVI that may enhance the clinical success of this single-shot ablation technique. These issues will be discussed in this overview and placed into perspective.
Use of carbon paste electrodes for the voltammetric detection of silver leached from the oxidative dissolution of silver nanoparticles

The widespread use of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in consumer goods has raised concerns about the release of silver in environmental waters. Of particular concern is the oxidative dissolution of Ag NPs to release Ag+ ions, which are highly toxic to many aquatic organisms. Here, we have investigated the application of differential pulse stripping voltammetry (DPSV) with carbon paste electrodes (CPEs) in monitoring the oxidation of Ag NPs. Using a commercially available, unmodified carbon paste and 60-s deposition times, a detection limit of 3 nM Ag+ could be achieved. We demonstrate its selectivity for free Ag+ ions over Ag nanoparticles, allowing for analysis of the oxidation of Ag NPs without the need for separation of ions and nanoparticles prior to analysis. We applied this approach to investigate the effect of pH in the oxidative dissolution of Ag NPs, demonstrating the usefulness of CPEs in studies of this type.
Using machine learning and surface reconstruction to accurately differentiate different trajectories of mood and energy dysregulation in youth

Difficulty regulating positive mood and energy is a feature that cuts across different pediatric psychiatric disorders. Yet, little is known regarding the neural mechanisms underlying different developmental trajectories of positive mood and energy regulation in youth. Recent studies indicate that machine learning techniques can help elucidate the role of neuroimaging measures in classifying individual subjects by specific symptom trajectory. Cortical thickness measures were extracted in sixty-eight anatomical regions covering the entire brain in 115 participants from the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms (LAMS) study and 31 healthy comparison youth (12.5 y/o;-Male/Female = 15/16;-IQ = 104;-Right/Left handedness = 24/5). Using a combination of trajectories analyses, surface reconstruction, and machine learning techniques, the present study aims to identify the extent to which measures of cortical thickness can accurately distinguish youth with higher (n = 18) from those with lower (n = 34) trajectories of manic-like behaviors in a large sample of LAMS youth (n = 115; 13.6 y/o; M/F = 68/47, IQ = 100.1, R/L = 108/7). Machine learning analyses revealed that widespread cortical thickening in portions of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, right inferior and middle temporal gyrus, bilateral precuneus, and bilateral paracentral gyri and cortical thinning in portions of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and right parahippocampal gyrus accurately differentiate (Area Under Curve = 0.89;p = 0.03) youth with different (higher vs lower) trajectories of positive mood and energy dysregulation over a period up to 5years, as measured by the Parent General Behavior Inventory-10 Item Mania Scale. Our findings suggest that specific patterns of cortical thickness may reflect transdiagnostic neural mechanisms associated with different temporal trajectories of positive mood and energy dysregulation in youth. This approach has potential to identify patterns of neural markers of future clinical course.
Introducing Undergraduate Students to Metabolomics Using a NMR-Based Analysis of Coffee Beans

Metabolomics applies multivariate statistical analysis to sets of high-resolution spectra taken over a population of biologically derived samples. The objective is to distinguish subpopulations within the overall sample population, and possibly also to identify biomarkers. While metabolomics has become part of the standard analytical toolbox in many areas of chemical research, its principles and methods have not yet been generally incorporated into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. Identification of the arabica and robusta varieties of green coffee beans using 1H NMR-based principle component analysis provides an inexpensive teaching laboratory experiment that introduces students to the methods of metabolomics. The experiment does not require any expensive chemicals, or unique equipment or software, or access to higher-field instruments. Because there is a general curiosity among students about the chemical composition of coffee, the experiment is also particularly engaging to the students’ interest...
The Concept of Collective Rights in Quebec

Aspects of Quebec's political and legal system that have been characterized in terms of "collective rights" often rely upon a mischaracterization of that concept, especially in terms of strict definitions of that concept. One result of that mischaracterization is the tendency to perceive the relationship between Quebec and Canada in terms of a conflict between individual and collective rights claims, particularly in relation to language. Those perceptions have resulted in a tendency to identify Quebec as non-liberal and anti-individualist. However, understanding the distinction between group interests (which all liberal societies seek to manage and promote), claims to sovereignty, and a meaningful definition of rights and liberties may reveal a Quebec that is much more liberal and individualist than popular claims and misplaced judicial semantics might, otherwise, indicate.
Spreading and Mixing of the Hudson River Effluent into the News York Bight

Abstract Results are presented from three Hudson River plume sampling cruises made in the New York Bight, in August 1976. The data show that the set and shape of the spreading effluent vary widely over time periods ∼6 days, and are clearly influenced by local wind stress. Application of Takano's model of a steady state plume spreading into a stagnant ocean suggests a horizontal eddy viscosity ~10 8 cm 2 sec −1 , and a strong anticyclonic deflection of the plume. This value is considered to be an overestimate, since interfacial shear stress is neglected in the model. More careful measurements and calculations are needed to separate out the effects of horizontal and vertical viscosities, Coriolis force, advection by a prevailing coastal current and local wind stress, on plume dynamics.
Caspases and Their Natural Inhibitors as Therapeutic Targets for Regulating Apoptosis

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a physiological cell suicide program that occurs in all animal species (STELLER 1995). Apoptosis ensures that the genesis of new cells via division is appropriately controlled and offset by cell loss. Cell death is a natural accompaniment of the physiology of fully differentiated cells in the skin, intestine, immune system, mammary gland and uterus. Developmental organization requires removal of many cells for achieving the final desired structures and ensures proper cyto-architectures of most organs such as the kidney, heart and brain. Moreover, elimination of cells that have been compromised by viral infection, oxidation, hypoxia and DNA damage is important for maintaining healthy tissues. Thus, it can be appreciated that dysfunctional programmed cell death contributes to several human diseases (DUKE et al. 1998). An illustration of this concept is that apoptotic defects appear to be the primary lesion in some types of cancer and leukemia, allowing malignant cells to survive longer than their intended life span and endowing these cells with a selective survival advantage relative to their normal counterparts. Therefore, cell death can contribute to neoplastic expansion in the absence of increased cellular division (REED 1998). Multiple examples exist where excessive apoptosis has been implicated with human disease including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), Alzheimer’s disease, myocardial infarction and stroke (DUKE et al. 1998).
KINETICS OF SULFUR CONTAINING INTERMEDIATES DURING DESULFURIZATION OF COAL WITH SUPERCRITICAL METHANOL

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the kinetics of sulfur-containing intermediates during desulfurization of coal with supercritical methanol. Twenty-three possible reaction products were proposed that could result from the reaction of dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) in supercritical methanol. The chapter presents a thermodynamic analysis whereby the equilibrium composition was determined by minimization of the total Gibbs free energy for the reaction mixture at reaction conditions. The fugacity coefficients necessary for the calculation were determined by use of the Redlich–Kwong equation of state. The resulting equations were solved employing a matrix procedure, utilizing a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet for the trial and error solution to the equation set. The results of the calculation indicated that about 99.3% of the sulfur will be H2S when equilibrium is attained. The thermodynamic analysis implies that the reaction pathway cannot involve H2S as an intermediated product, because if it were formed, it would remain. At longer reaction times at 400°C, there is a trend toward formation of very high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide, as predicted by the thermodynamic analysis.
Savings Needed for Health Expenses in Retirement: An Examination of Persons Ages 55 and 65 in 2009

This paper updates earlier EBRI research on estimated savings needed to cover health insurance to supplement Medicare and out-of-pocket expenses for health care services in retirement. It finds that men retiring at age 65 in 2009 will need anywhere from $68,000 to $173,000 in savings to cover health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses in retirement if they want a 50-50 chance of being able to have enough money, and $134,000 to $378,000 if they prefer a 90 percent chance. With their greater longevity, women will need more: a woman retiring at age 65 in 2009 will need anywhere from $98,000 to $242,000 in savings to cover health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses in retirement for a 50-50 chance of having enough money, and $164,000 to $450,000 for a 90 percent chance. For those seeking a median (50 percent) chance of having enough money for health care in retirement, these estimates are about 9 percent higher than a year ago for men and married couples, and 16 percent higher for single women. Many individuals will need more money than the amounts cited in this report because this analysis does not factor in the savings needed to cover long-term care expenses, nor does it take into account the fact that many individuals retire prior to becoming eligible for Medicare. However, some workers will need to save less than what is reported if they choose to work during retirement and receive health benefits as active workers. The PDF for the above title, published in the June 2009 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the fulltext of another June 2009 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: “Many 401(k) Sponsors Suspending Matching Contributions Are Funding Defined Benefit Pension Plans.”
Community-driven leadership: Mexican-origin farmworking mothers resisting deficit practices by a school board in California

We examine how the community-driven leadership (CDL) of farmworker mothers challenged deficit practices of the local school board, which decided to close the school in the community. CDL is the abi...
Computation of a regularized Brinkmanlet near a plane wall

In this study, we derive a solution for Brinkman flow induced by a regularized point force in the presence of a plane wall. The process involves solving two coupled subproblems: one for the forced Brinkman flow in free-space and one for the unforced Brinkman flow in a half-space that enforces the no-slip boundary condition on the plane wall. Both subproblems are solved in the Fourier domain and a specific regularization of the force is designed so that the transformed solutions have Gaussian decay properties in certain limits. Similar to the singularly forced case, however, and as shown previously by others, there is no analytic inverse transform and thus it must be approximated numerically. The Gaussian decay of our solutions make the numerical approximation of the inverse transform more efficient. We provide detailed methodology to compute velocities from collections of regularized point forces and to solve for the forces at collections of points where the Brinkman velocity is prescribed. Because the unsteady Stokes equations can be recast as the Brinkman equations, our technique is applicable when solving for either type of flow, in the presence of a plane wall.
What Mathemagenic Effects and Cognitive Styles Research Should Mean to the Reading Educator.

(1975). What Mathemagenic Effects and Cognitive Styles Research Should Mean to the Reading Educator. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Western College Reading Association: Vol. 8, Proceedings of the Eight Annual Conference of the WCRA. College Learning Skills Today and Tomorrowland, pp. 173-177.
Compost and Geneva® series rootstocks increase young ‘Gala’ apple tree growth and change root-zone microbial communities

Abstract Rootstocks are used in commercial apple (Malus ×domestica Borkh.) orchards to create dwarf trees that are highly precocious, but there are gaps in understanding how soil fertility management practices may affect soil health, tree nutrient status, plant associated soil microbial communities, and orchard productivity when different rootstock genotypes are used. For three consecutive years, we tested six fertilizer treatments, on five rootstock genotypes (each was scion grafted with ‘Brookfield Gala’). The fertilizer treatments included, (1) a no fertilizer control, 40 kg/ha plant available N from (2) calcium nitrate Ca(NO3)2 fertigation, (3) chicken litter compost, or (4) yard waste compost, and, two integrated compost-Ca(NO3)2 treatments, which were comprised of 20 kg/ha N from either (5) chicken litter or (6) yard waste compost and 20 kg/ha from Ca(NO3)2. The rootstock genotype treatments included, ‘Budagovsky 9’, ‘Geneva® 41’, ‘G.214’, ‘G.935’, and ‘Malling 9’. Trees were planted into 38 L pots containing local soil and Stalite®. After three years, total tree biomass was greater in the chicken litter, chicken litter-Ca(NO3)2, yardwaste, and yardwaste-Ca(NO3)2 treatments than the non-fertilized control, regardless of the rootstock genotype. In 2015, the Ca(NO3)2, chicken litter, and the two integrated compost-Ca(NO3)2 treatments had greater leaf tissue N than the control and yardwaste treatments. Leaf tissue P and B were consistently greater in the Geneva® rootstocks than B.9 or M.9. In the third year of the experiment, the compost and integrated treatments had greater soil organic matter, cation exchange capacity, potentially mineralizable soil nitrogen, and soil microbial respiration than the control. Additionally, bacterial and fungal microbial community compositions were affected by rootstock genotype, fertilizer treatment, and time and these effects were correlated with changes in tree growth and soil properties. These results suggest that compost and integrated compost-Ca(NO3)2 nutrient applications can be used to increase plant growth, leaf mineral content, soil fertility, and microbial activity in newly established apple orchards. Additionally, the Geneva® rootstocks that we tested appear to be more effective at acquiring soil minerals than other dwarfing genotypes and, therefore, may be well suited for use in fertility management plans that derive all or part of their nutrients from compost. Further research into the roles played by microbial communities in apple tree growth and soil fertility is supported.
Moving From Interprofessional Education Toward Interprofessional Practice: Bridging the Translation Gap

Purpose The purpose of this article was to propose the use of a translational model as a tool for identifying limitations of current interprofessional education (IPE) research. Translational models...
Can Machines Think

Much has been written about the Turing Test in the last few years, some of it preposterously off the mark. People typically mis-imagine the test by orders of magnitude. This essay is an antidote, a prosthesis for the imagination, showing how huge the task posed by the Turing Test is, and hence how unlikely it is that any computer will ever pass it. It does not go far enough in the imagination-enhancement department, however, and I have updated the essay with a new postscript.
Proton Pump Inhibitor Utilization in Veteran Patients on Combined Antithrombotic Therapy and Validation of Simplified Bleeding Risk Score.

BACKGROUND Concomitant use of anticoagulant and antiplatelet agents can increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleed (GIB). Use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) has been proposed to decrease the risk of GIB in patients on combined antithrombotic therapy (CAT). OBJECTIVE To describe the current utilization of PPIs in veteran patients on CAT and associated clinical predictors of GIB. METHODS This retrospective study included patients on CAT receiving PPIs, with at least one of the CAT agents initiated between January 1, 2018 and October 30, 2018. Data were extracted from the computerized patient record system. Primary end point included estimating proportion of patients on CAT receiving PPI co-therapy, describing patient characteristics, and identifying clinical predictors of GIB. Secondary outcomes included reporting GIB events and all-cause mortality. Additional outcome was to validate the five-factor risk score (FFRS) for GIB in patients on CAT and compare its overall predictive performance to HAS-BLED score. RESULTS This study reports an overall rate of PPI co-therapy in patients on CAT of 40.9% (484/1181), with only 22.3% of patients on CAT receiving PPI for GIB prophylaxis. There was no difference in the mean follow up duration of PPI users and PPI co-therapy (264.01 vs 271.92 days; p=0.3761). Current alcohol use (p=0.005), current smokers (p=0.022), chronic kidney disease (p=0.004), peptic ulcer disease (p<0.001), and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use (p=0.048) were significant predictors of GIB in multivariate analyses of our study cohort. We further provide exploratory validation that use of a simplified FFRS to predict GIB showed a trend towards better overall predictive performance as compared to HAS-BLED score (C-statistic: 0.738; 95% CI 0.684-0.787 for FFRS vs C-statistic: 0.596; 95% CI 0.538-0.653 for HAS-BLED; p=0.0094). CONCLUSION This study reports lower rate of PPI co-therapy in veteran patients on CAT per currently available guidance. Further we explore utilization of simplified FFRS model to predict GIB in patients on CAT with long-term PPI co-therapy.
Heterogeneity in the Paraventricular Thalamus: The Traffic Light of Motivated Behaviors

The paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT) is highly interconnected with brain areas that control reward-seeking behavior. Despite this known connectivity, broad manipulations of PVT often lead to mixed, and even opposing, behavioral effects, clouding our understanding of how PVT precisely contributes to reward processing. Although the function of PVT in influencing reward-seeking is poorly understood, recent studies show that forebrain and hypothalamic inputs to, and nucleus accumbens (NAc) and amygdalar outputs from, PVT are strongly implicated in PVT responses to conditioned and appetitive or aversive stimuli that determine whether an animal will approach or avoid specific rewards. These studies, which have used an array of chemogenetic, optogenetic, and calcium imaging technologies, have shown that activity in PVT input and output circuits is highly heterogeneous, with mixed activity patterns that contribute to behavior in highly distinct manners. Thus, it is important to perform experiments in precisely defined cell types to elucidate how the PVT network contributes to reward-seeking behaviors. In this review, we describe the complex heterogeneity within PVT circuitry that appears to influence the decision to seek or avoid a reward and point out gaps in our understanding that should be investigated in future studies.
COVID-19 vaccine trial ethics once we have efficacious vaccines.

Some placebo-controlled trials can continue ethically after a candidate vaccine is found to be safe and efficacious
Body-worn cameras: Technological frames and project abandonment

Abstract This case study examines the technological frames of administrators and users regarding the implementation of body-worn cameras at the Pennybridge Police Department, a mid-sized police organization (
Developing Spatial Visualization Skills with Virtual Reality and Hand Tracking

Spatial visualization skills are the cognitive skills required to mentally comprehend and manipulate 2D and 3D shapes. Spatial visualization skills are recognized as a crucial part of STEM education. Moreover, these skills have been linked to both students’ capacity for self-monitored learning and GPA in STEM programs. Also, many STEM fields have reported a correlation between spatial visualization skills and the level of academic success of students. Unfortunately, many students have significantly underdeveloped spatial visualization skills. Students traditionally learn spatial visualization skills via the manipulation of 3D objects and drawings. Because Virtual Reality (VR) facilitates the manipulation of 3D virtual objects, it is an effective medium to teach spatial visualization skills. In addition, it has been found that students are more motivated to learn and perform better when taught in an immersive VR environment. Several studies have presented promising results on leveraging VR to teach spatial visualization skills. However, in most of these studies, the users are not able to naturally interact with the 3D virtual objects. Additionally, many of the current VR applications fail to implement spatial presence for the user, which would lead to more effective instruction. The level of immersivity a VR application offers can have a direct impact on the users’ “first-person” experience and engagement. In light of this, a VR application integrated with hand tracking technology designed to develop spatial visualization skills of STEM students is presented. The inclusion of a user’s hand in the virtual environment could increase the users’ sense of spatial presence and first-person experience. In addition, this could act as an intuitive input method for beginners. The objective of this work is to introduce this VR application as well as future work on how to leverage Reinforcement Learning to automatically generate new 3D virtual objects [github.com/lopezbec/VR_SpatialVisualizationApp].
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Materials: Beyond Pair Interactions

Basic understanding of the structure and dynamics of materials and their properties often requires knowledge on a microscopic level of the underlying energetics and interaction mechanisms, whose consequences we observe and measure. Answers to material science problems are in principle possible, embodied in solutions to the Schrodinger equation subject to the appropriate boundary conditions. However, the full irnplementation of such a program is impossible for most (one may dare say all) materials science and condensed matter systems and we must resort to various approximations and simplification. The degree of microscopic detail with which we probe physical phenomena is determined mainly by the resolution of our experimental tools, by the ability to found the theoretical analysis on microscopic principles and by the complexity, hence solubility, of the model. In many situations the level of complexity of the model, which is necessary in order to describe faithfully the physical phenomena, is such that analytical approaches fail to provide a solution. In these situations, which include the majority of material systems and phenomena, the use of computer-based methods [1–7] is essential.
Distance between Histograms with Shuffled Cost Matrix

Comparing two distributions is of fundamental importance to statistics and pattern recognition. The earth mover's distance (EMD ) has been considered an excellent distance measure between two distributions. It is defined to minimize the cost using a given cost matrix and formulated as the transportation problem which is a hard optimization problem. There are three special type cost matrices where efficient algorithms are known: nominal, ordinal, and modulo. Here the problem of identifying whether a given cost matrix has the shuffled ordinal property is considered and if so, the linear time complexity algorithm can be applied to compute the EMD efficiently.
The Oak Ridge relativistic isochronous cyclotron: Part III. Analysis of ion orbits in the isochronous cyclotron

Abstract Calculations of radial and axial beam stability limits in three- and four-sector azimuthally varying magnetic fields are reviewed. The use of the radial instability at v r = 1 to provide a resonance method of beam deflection is discussed.
Large transient fault current test of an electrical roll ring

The space station uses precision rotary gimbals to provide for sun tracking of its photoelectric arrays. Electrical power, command signals and data are transferred across the gimbals by roll rings. Roll rings have been shown to be capable of highly efficient electrical transmission and long life, through tests conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center and Honeywell's Satellite and Space Systems Division in Phoenix, AZ. Large potential fault currents inherent to the power system's DC distribution architecture, have brought about the need to evaluate the effects of large transient fault currents on roll rings. A test recently conducted at Lewis subjected a roll ring to a simulated worst case space station electrical fault. The system model used to obtain the fault profile is described, along with details of the reduced order circuit that was used to simulate the fault. Test results comparing roll ring performance before and after the fault are also presented.
An Adapted Assessment Model for Emergent Literacy Conducted via Telepractice

Children with complex communication needs (CCN) exhibit multiple needs in a variety of domains, including language, literacy, and speech. Children with CCN often require augmentative/alternative co...
Collection-limited theory interprets the extraordinary response of single semiconductor organic solar cells

The bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaic (OPV) architecture has dominated the literature due to its ability to be implemented in devices with relatively high efficiency values. However, a simpler device architecture based on a single organic semiconductor (SS-OPV) offers several advantages: it obviates the need to control the highly system-dependent nanoscale BHJ morphology, and therefore, would allow the use of broader range of organic semiconductors. Unfortunately, the photocurrent in standard SS-OPV devices is typically very low, which generally is attributed to inefficient charge separation of the photogenerated excitons. Here we show that the short-circuit current density from SS-OPV devices can be enhanced significantly (∼100-fold) through the use of inverted device configurations, relative to a standard OPV device architecture. This result suggests that charge generation may not be the performance bottleneck in OPV device operation. Instead, poor charge collection, caused by defect-induced electric field screening, is most likely the primary performance bottleneck in regular-geometry SS-OPV cells. We justify this hypothesis by: (i) detailed numerical simulations, (ii) electrical characterization experiments of functional SS-OPV devices using multiple polymers as active layer materials, and (iii) impedance spectroscopy measurements. Furthermore, we show that the collection-limited photocurrent theory consistently interprets typical characteristics of regular SS-OPV devices. These insights should encourage the design and OPV implementation of high-purity, high-mobility polymers, and other soft materials that have shown promise in organic field-effect transistor applications, but have not performed well in BHJ OPV devices, wherein they adopt less-than-ideal nanostructures when blended with electron-accepting materials.
Influence of phencyclidine on the translocation of pentobarbital in mice.

Abstract The influence of phencyclidine (PCP) on the tissue distribution of pentobarbital in male Swiss mice (20–25 g) was investigated. Animals pretreated with PCP (179 μmol/kg/day) for 4 days, i.p., were administered pentobarbital (60 mg/kg, i.p.) 24 h after the PCP injection, sacrificed at various time intervals, and tissues (serum, brain, liver and kidney) were collected. Pentobarbital levels in tissues were determined by the gas liquid chromatography. When compared to the control group, PCP treatment decreased the pentobarbital level by 68% in liver and increased the level by 97% in kidney at 45 min post-injection. No significant change in serum and brain pentobarbital level was noted with either group. These data indicate that PCP influences the translocation of pentobarbital.
Reactions of palladium and gold complexes with zinc-thiolate chelates using electrospray mass spectrometry and X-ray diffraction: molecular identification of [Pd(bme-dach)], [Au(bme-dach]+ and [ZnCl(bme-dach)]2Pd.

The reaction between the complexes [MCl(L)]Clx (L = 2,2′,2′′-terpyridine, terpy and dien, diethylenetriamine; M = Pd, x = 1; M = Au, x = 2) and [Zn(bme-dach)]2, an N2S2-Zn-thiolate bridged dimer used to mimic zinc finger protein sites, was studied by Electrospray Ionisation Mass Spectrometry and the structures of some of the products confirmed by X-ray crystallography. All reactions investigated in this work gave heteronuclear (Zn-thiolate)-metal products, the predominant species being the trinuclear dithiolate-bridged aggregate {[Zn(bme-dach)]2M}n+ (M = Pd, Au). X-Ray diffraction studies verified the molecular structure of [{ZnCl(bme-dach)}2Pd], and further confirmed that the zinc within the [Zn(bme-dach)]2 unit was retained within the N2S2 binding site. The Zn-bound thiolates form stable thiolate bridges to Pd2+ in a stair-step shape, held together by a planar PdS4 center. In addition, both zinc atoms maintained penta-coordinate coordination with apical chloride ligands rather than the more commonly observed tetrahedral geometry. Further, [Pd(bme-dach)] was directly synthesized for X-ray structural characterization of the metal exchanged product observed in mass spectrometry experiments. In the case of Au compounds, the reactions were very fast and the products were similar for both [AuCl(L)]Cl2 (L = terpy and dien) starting materials. In addition to the multimetallic Zn,Au,Zn aggregate formation, the predominant species from the reaction between [Zn(bme-dach)]2 and both Au compounds was the [Au(bme-dach]+ cation observable via ESI-MS, suggesting Zn/Au metal exchange immediately after mixing the compounds. The direct synthesis of [Au(bme-dach)]BPh4 confirmed the molecular structure of this species through X-ray crystallography. The reactivity profile of Pd2+ and Au3+ species is compared with previous studies using the isostructural Pt compounds and the biological relevance of the results discussed.
Retention of Ascorbic Acid, Changes in Oxidation–Reduction Potential, and the Prevention of an Oxidized Flavor During Freezing Preservation of Milk

Outstanding among beverage milk problems is the prevention of the flavor described as oxidized, tallowy or cappy, that tends to develop in milk that is produced under sanitary conditions and has a low bacterial content. Preservation of milk by freezing is a means of studying the oxidized flavor problem which has been little utilized. In the frozen state, milk is more stable than in the unfrozen state, and its changing characteristics can be studied over a longer period. Babcock et al. (1), using samples packaged in paper at a large dairy, found the milk of acceptable beverage quality after storage at --32.8 ° C. for 115 days. At higher temperatures frozen milk is not as stable and, in the author's experience, always eventually becomes oxidized in flavor. The onset of this defect is a limiting factor in the preservation of milk by freezing and, therefore, is of economic importance. There are at least four forms of ascorbic acid--two that are levorotatory and are called ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid and two that are dextrorotatory. The latter two are not biologically active. Of the former, each of which is equally biologically active, ascorbic acid is the only form of vitamin C present in milk in the mammary gland (6). The oxidized flavor ordinarily is detected in milk containing dehydroascorbic acid, the first oxidation product of ascorbic acid, as well as ascorbic acid. Krukovsky and Guthrie (7) concluded that ascorbic acid oxidation is an essential link in the chain of the reactions resulting in the development of the tallowy (oxidized) flavor in milk, and that apparently the oxidation of the lipid fraction of milk is coupled to that of ascorbic acid when a certain equilibrium between ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid has been established. Greenbank (4) believes that the development of an oxidized flavor in milk is related to a change in the oxidation-reduction potential, and that variations in milks can be explained on the basis of differences in their poising action. DahIe and Palmer (3) have expressed the situation as follows: " A condition in the milk which is favorable to the production of the oxidized flavor is apparently favorable to the destruction of vitamin C." They found that the ascorbic acid content gradually decreased during the holding period in all cases, regardless of the development of off-flavor. The reduction in vitamin C was nearly as great in the normal milk as in the milk that developed the off-flavor.
Convection-diffusion of solutes in media with piecewise constant transport properties

Abstract Motivated by applications to electrophoretic techniques for bioseparations, we consider transient one-dimensional convection-diffusion through a medium in which the solute diffusivity and convective velocity undergo step changes at a prescribed position. An exact method of solution of the governing transport equations is formulated in terms of a largely analytical approach representing a novel alternative to the self-adjoint formalism advanced by Ramkrishna and Amundson (1974, Chem. Engng Sci. 29 , 1457–1464), and applied recently by Locke and Arce (1993, Chem. Engng Sci. 48 , 1675–1686) and Locke et al. (1993, Chem. Engng Sci. 48 , 4007–4022). A concentration boundary layer of O ( Pe −1 ) thickness is found to form at the upstream side of the interface. No concentration boundary layer exists on the downstream side. The exact solution is supplemented with an asymptotic analysis for large Peclet numbers, Pe . Detailed study of the boundary layer reveals interesting features of the local dynamical processes whereby the interface—infinitesimally thin macroscopically—appears as an effective source or sink of the solute content. The asymptotic analysis has direct utility in accurate prediction of concentration profiles for high Peclet number operations where analytical approaches break down and finite-difference methods require tremendous computational time to achieve sufficient accuracy and resolution.
FISH mapping of a human chromosome 16 constitutional pericentric inversion inv(16)(p13q22) found in a large kindred

Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis (FISH) was used to map the constitutional chromosome 16 pericentric inversion breakpoints inv(16)(p13q22) detected in one individual (II-2) from a large kindred. The breakpoints found in individual II-2 mapped to distinctly different locations than the chromosome 16 pericentric inversion breakpoints commonly acquired in acute nonlymphocytic leukemia. The constitutional pericentric inversion breakpoints also do not map to regions where low abundance repetitive DNA sequences found in bands 16p13 and q22 are located. The results indicate that low abundance, chromosome 16-specific repetitive DNA sequences in bands p13 and q22 are probably not causally related to the inversion that is found in many members of a large kindred. 9 refs., 1 fig.
The effect of labels and instruction on concept attainment in the educable mentally retarded

Abstract The present experiment examined concept attainment in 80 educable mentally retarded and 80 normal boys of high and low mental age. The concept of an equilateral triangle was assessed following random exposure to one of four experimental conditions assessing the influence of verbal labels and instruction on the labels. A 2 × 2 × 4 multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant effect of mental age; however, retarded and normal subjects did not differ in mean performance on any of the five dependent measures. The hypothesized treatment effect was significant at the formal level of concept attainment. The findings were discussed in terms of theoretical and educational implications.
Early Geological Maps of West Virginia

Since Guettard presented his geological map of North America in 1752, over 100 geological maps were produced that cover all or parts of West Virginia up to 1897, when the State Geological Survey was formed. Their quality, accuracy, scale, and general content vary widely, but each contributed to our growing understanding of West Virginia and Appalachian geology. This annotated, chronologic list of maps illustrates this wide diversity and steady improvement of early geological mapping.
Detection of presumptive base-pair substitution and frameshift mutations inSaccharomyces cerevisiae

A rapid, economical method is described that detects presumptive base-pair substitution and frameshift mutations in the yeast,Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
The synthesis of acetyl-CoA by Clostridium thermoaceticum from carbon dioxide, hydrogen, coenzyme A and methyltetrahydrofolate.

It has been demonstrated that enzymes from Clostridium thermoaceticum catalyze the following reaction in which Fd is ferredoxin and CH3THF is methyltetrahydrofolate. $$\begin{gathered}{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} {\text{ + H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{ + CH}}_{\text{3}} {\text{THF + }} {\text{CoASH}}\xrightarrow{{{\text{ATP, Fd}}}} \hfill \\{\text{CH}}_{\text{3}} {\text{COSCoA + THF + H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}{\text{.}} \hfill \\\end{gathered}$$ The system involves hydrogenase, CO dehydrogenase, a methyltransferase, a corrinoid enzyme and other unknown components. Hydrogenase catalyzes the reduction of ferredoxin by H2; CO dehydrogenase then uses the reduced ferredoxin to reduce CO2 to a one-carbon intermediate that combined with CoASH and with a methyl group originating from CH3THF to form acetyl-CoA. It is proposed that these reactions are part of the mechanism which enables certain acetogenic autotrophic bacteria to grow on CO2 and H2.
The smallest cells pose the biggest problems: High-performance computing and the analysis of metagenome sequence data

New high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies have revolutionized how scientists study the organisms around us. In particular, microbiology - the study of the smallest, unseen organisms that pervade our lives - has embraced these new techniques to characterize and analyze the cellular constituents and use this information to develop novel tools, techniques, and therapeutics. So-called next-generation DNA sequencing platforms have resulted in huge increases in the amount of raw data that can be rapidly generated. Argonne National Laboratory developed the premier platform for the analysis of this new data (mg-rast) that is used by microbiologists worldwide. This paper uses the accounting from the computational analysis of more than 10,000,000,000 bp of DNA sequence data, describes an analysis of the advanced computational requirements, and suggests the level of analysis that will be essential as microbiologists move to understand how these tiny organisms affect our every day lives. The results from this analysis indicate that data analysis is a linear problem, but that most analyses are held up in queues. With sufficient resources, computations could be completed in a few hours for a typical dataset. These data also suggest execution times that delimit timely completion of computational analyses, and provide bounds for problematic processes.
Overview of Emerging Web 2.0-Based Business Models and Web 2.0 Applications in Businesses: An Ecological Perspective

Web 2.0 offers business organizations an array of new ways to interact with customers and partners. Web 2.0 is continuously evolving and offers new business models and support business processes, customer relationship management, and partner relationship management. This study reviews some of the major business applications of Web 2.0, and identifies Web 2.0-based business models. Six emerging Web 2.0-based business models were identified: 1 Broad Online Community, 2 Focused Online Community, 3 Social Shopping, 4 Content Intermediary, 5 Virtual World, and 6 Shared Web 2.0 Services. Along with these new Web 2.0-based business models, this study discusses how Web 2.0 applications are used to support activities of traditional businesses in the areas of customers, value networking, capability, and sustainability. Finally, the interaction dynamics between emerging web 2.0-based businesses, existing businesses, and the Web 2.0 tool and application development industry are analyzed from an ecological viewpoint.
The Ghana Grains Partnership

A surge in international food prices that began in 2008 led to a variety of responses from African governments, ranging from price controls, trade restrictions and food security stocks, to facilitating longer-term increase in supply-side increases in production. In Ghana, the objectives emphasized broad-based, pro-poor agricultural growth, expansion of high-value cash crops and improved production of food crops. A hybrid of crop rotation plus addition of external inputs of fertilizers in a modern intensified farming regime was seen as a way forward. The Ghana Grains Partnership (GGP) was underpinned by this assumption, addressing a national shortfall in maize through a coordinated and market-led value chain development approach. The Partnership was initially made up of international and national agribusinesses, an agricultural development fund, farmers and farmer associations and a commercial bank and coordinated by Prorustica. The GGP adopted innovative approaches such as the coordination of commercial a...
Investigating Group Differences An Explication of the Sociological Potential of Discriminant Analysis

Frequently, sociologists encounter research problems which call for assessing the extent to which two or more categories of people or events can be maximally distinguished from one another with respect to a number of common variable attributes. Unfortunately, predictive models which evidently accomplish just this, in addition to providing rules for the classification of new entities, have been conspicuously absent from the literature. Discriminant analysis, a multivariate technique extensively employed in physical anthropology, clinical psychology, and the biological sciences, has made scant headway in sociology, even though many of our most interesting substantive investigations are clearly amenable to it. The purpose of this paper, then, is first to suggest numerous research situations in which two-group and multiple discriminant analyses might be productively applied. By way of illustration, a brief example of the use of discriminant analysis for data on student politics will be presented. Second, the ...
Aspects of the automatic generation of SQL statements in a natural language query interface

Abstract In Natural Language Interfaces to databases it is currently a widely accepted technique to use an intermediate semantic representation of the NL sentences which is more or less based on First Order Predicate Logic, eventually augmented by some specific functions inherent to the database query language like, e.g. the aggregation functions of SQL. However, in order not to restrict the full power of NL one also has to augment the SQL language in some way, because SQL has some restrictions and shortcomings, of which the lack of a loop capability for handling ordinals (e.g. the 3rd lowest …, the 5th highest …) is the most serious. In this paper such an augmentation (which we call SQL +) is presented, and it is shown that—observing some simple rules—a NL sentence can be mapped from its internal representation to SQL + in a straightforward and uniform manner. Though these SQL + expressions may not always be optimal from a performance point of view, they have some advantages which we consider to be more useful.