cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive analytical testing of cannabis and hemp

Abstract Across the globe, the wave of new cannabis and hemp legislation for growing and exportation, medicinal use programs, and adult recreational use of marijuana and cannabinoid products has grown tremendously. Analytical testing defined in the U.S. and Canada includes cannabinoid quantitation, pesticides and mycotoxins analysis, heavy metals analysis, residual solvents analysis, terpene profiling, and microbial screening. Conventional food testing assays like water activity, moisture content, and “filth” may also be regulated in the various regions. This chapter will describe the required chromatographic analytical testing platforms needed to perform these tests with an emphasis on cannabinoid quantitation, residual pesticide analysis, and residual solvent analysis. Any of these methods described in this chapter are translatable to hemp and hemp products since hemp and cannabis are the same plant differentiated only by total THC content.
Covert Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access

We consider hiding a covert (private) message in non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) systems by superimposing (embedding) it under non-covert (public) messages. We determine the total detection error probability (sum of false alarm and missed detection probability), the adversary’s optimum detection strategy that minimizes the total detection error probability, and the communicator’s optimum message hiding strategy that maximizes the total detection error probability. Additionally, we explore exploiting the channel variations to further increase the total detection error probability. We show that the total detection error probability increases and converges to 1 as the number of users increases and that the total detection error probability can be increased by increasing the transmission power when the channel variation is exploited.
Tau protein, biomarker for traumatic brain injury

Abstract Traumatic brain injury results in functional as well as structural changes in the brain. These structural changes are a result of axonal injury and can manifest as neurologic, cognitive, and behavior abnormalities. There is a growing need to supplement and enhance the clinical diagnosis of traumatic brain injury with objective diagnostic biomarkers. Using tau protein as a biomarker for traumatic brain injury may aid in the diagnosis of traumatic brain injury and potentially help us better characterize and measure the degree of brain injury and dysfunction as well as assist in determining prognosis and outcomes. Evidence thus far suggests that tau proteins may prove useful as a biomarker for traumatic brain injury.
Computing with logarithmic number system arithmetic: Implementation methods and performance benefits

Abstract The logarithmic number system (LNS) has found appeal in digital arithmetic because it allows multiplication and division to be performed much faster and more accurately than with widely-used floating-point (FP) number formats. We present a comprehensive review and comparison of various techniques and architectures for performing arithmetic operations efficiently in LNS, using the sign/logarithm format, and focus on the European Logarithmic Microprocessor (ELM), a device built in the framework of a research project launched in 1999, as an important case study. Comparison of the arithmetic performance of ELM with that of a commercial superscalar pipelined FP processor of the same vintage and technology confirms that LNS has the potential for successful deployment in general-purpose systems. Besides paying due attention to LNS attributes beyond computational speed and accuracy, novel contributions of this survey include an exploration of the relationship of LNS with the emerging field of approximate computing and a discussion of the discrete logarithmic number system.
The Golden Age of Hysteria

The nineteenth century saw a gradual evolution in the clinical profile of hysteria from predominantly motor symptoms such as paralysis and fits to sensory symptoms such as headache, backache, fatigue and dizziness. By the end of the century, the classical picture of hysteria was rarely seen and the diagnosis of hysteria was largely replaced with more socially acceptable diagnoses such as neurosis and neurasthenia. In America, symptoms of neurasthenia were attributed to a stressful lifestyle and treatments focused on rest and avoidance of stress. It wasn’t until the twentieth century, however, that the link between chronic stress and psychosomatic symptoms became firmly established.
When the weak are mighty: A two-sided matching approach to alliance performance

Research Summary Network centrality is an important determinant of alliance performance. However, estimating how each alliance member's centrality affects alliance performance is challenging because the end market might value each partner's contribution differently. We solve this empirical question with a two‐sided matching model that accounts for the partners' endogenous selection and estimates the effect of each side's centrality and input quality on performance. We implement the method in the novel context of the Thoroughbred horse industry, in foal‐sharing alliances between buyers and suppliers. We find that buyer centrality has a larger marginal effect on the alliance performance than the supplier centrality because buyers, who on average are less central in our context, are more likely to diffuse valuable information to the end market. Managerial Summary Alliance partners often struggle with identifying what their contributions and their partner's contribution are to the alliance performance. We use a new method to identify each side's contribution to their alliance. Our findings offer a few recommendations to firms forming similar alliances. First, we find that the less central partner in the business network has greater impact on the alliance performance due to their ability to diffuse more valuable information to the market. Second, our results suggest that product input quality that is relatively unknown impacts alliance performance more than low and average quality. Alliance partners may benefit more from experimenting with unknown inputs. Third, more central actors may reduce spending on mass communications if valuable information comes to the market through their less central partners.
Predictors of Daily Steps at 1-Year Poststroke: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background and purpose Walking has the potential to improve endurance and community participation after stroke. Obtaining ≥6000 daily steps can decrease subsequent stroke risk. Early identification of those prone to low daily steps could facilitate interventions that lead to increased walking and improved health. The purpose of this study was to (1) determine which factors at 2 months poststroke can predict daily step counts at 1 year and (2) determine what step count at 2 months corresponds to obtaining ≥6000 daily steps at 1-year poststroke. Methods This was a secondary analysis of data from the Locomotor Experience Applied Post Stroke trial, which enrolled participants with walking speeds Results Data from 206 participants, mean age=63 (13) years, 43% female, mean baseline daily step count=2922 (2749) steps, were analyzed. The final model to predict daily steps at 1 year poststroke contained daily steps at 2 months and balance (Berg Balance Scale score); these factors explained 38% of the variability in daily steps at 1 year (P≤0.001). Participants obtaining ≥1632 daily steps at 2 months were 1.86 (95% CI, 1.52-2.27) times more likely to reach ≥6000 daily steps at 1-year poststroke. Conclusions Daily steps and balance at 2 months poststroke were the strongest predictors of future daily steps. Improving daily physical activity and targeting balance early after stroke may be necessary to increase physical activity at 1-year poststroke.
Quasi-stable localized excitations in the β-Fermi Pasta Ulam Tsingou system

Abstract The lifetimes of localized nonlinear modes in both the β -Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou ( β -FPUT) chain and a cubic β -FPUT lattice are studied as functions of perturbation amplitude, and by extension, the relative strength of the nonlinear interactions compared to the linear part. We first recover the well known result that localized nonlinear excitations (LNEs) produced by a bond squeeze can be reduced to an approximate two-frequency solution and then show that the nonlinear term in the potential can lead to the production of secondary frequencies within the phonon band. This can affect the stability and lifetime of the LNE by facilitating interactions between the LNE and a low energy acoustic background which can be regarded as “noise” in the system. In the one dimensional FPUT chain, the LNE is stabilized by low energy acoustic emissions at early times; in some cases allowing for lifetimes several orders of magnitude larger than the oscillation period. The longest lived LNEs are found to satisfy the parameter dependence A β ≈ 1.1 where β is the relative nonlinear strength and A is the displacement amplitude of the center particles in the LNE. In the cubic FPUT lattice, the LNE lifetime T decreases rapidly with increasing amplitude A and is well described by the double log relationship log 10 log 10 ( T ) ≈ − ( 0.15 ± 0.01 ) A β + ( 0.62 ± 0.02 ) .
Perspectives on COVID-19 vaccination among kidney and pancreas transplant recipients living in New York City.

PURPOSE: Solid organ transplant recipients are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but limited vaccine access and vaccine hesitancy can complicate efforts for expanded vaccination. We report patient perspectives and outcomes from a vaccine outreach initiative for a vulnerable population of transplant recipients living in New York City. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of qualitative perspectives from a COVID-19 vaccine outreach initiative. In the outreach effort, kidney and pancreas transplant recipients under care at the transplant center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital were initially contacted electronically with educational material about vaccination followed by telephone outreach to eligible unvaccinated patients. Calls were used to schedule vaccine appointments for patients who agreed, answer questions, and assess attitudes and concerns for patients not yet ready to be vaccinated, with conversational themes recorded. RESULTS: Of the 1,078 patients living in the 5 New York City boroughs who had not reported receiving COVID-19 vaccination, 320 eligible patients were contacted by telephone. Of these, 210 patients were scheduled for vaccination at our vaccine site (including 13 who agreed to vaccination after initially declining), while 110 patients were either not ready or not interested in being vaccinated. The total number of patients willing to be vaccinated was 554 when also including those already vaccinated. Unwillingness to be vaccinated was associated with younger age (median age of 47 vs 60 years, P < 0.001), Black race (P = 0.004), and residence in Bronx or Brooklyn counties (P = 0.018) or a zip code with a medium level of poverty (P = 0.044). The most common issues raised by patients who were ambivalent or not interested in vaccination were regarding unknown safety of the vaccines in general, a belief that there was a lack of data about the vaccines in transplant recipients, and a lack of trust in the scientific process underlying vaccine development, with 34% of the patients contacted expressing vaccine hesitancy overall. CONCLUSION: Our qualitative summary identifies determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in a diverse transplant patient population, supporting the need for transplant centers to implement tailored interventions to increase vaccine acceptance in this vulnerable population.
Aryl hydrocarbon receptor and TGF-β inducible early gene mediate a transcriptional axis modulating immune homeostasis in mosquitoes

Immune homeostasis ensures effective pathogen defense and avoids overactivity, which is achieved through an orchestrated transcriptional network. Here we demonstrate that mosquito AhR and TIEG mediate a transcriptional axis to modulate the immune response. The AhR agonist compromised the immunity with reduced survival upon the challenge with bacterium Serratia fonticola, while the AhR antagonists enhanced the immunity with increased survival. The phenotype of pharmacological immune enhancement was corroborated genetically by the AhR gene silencing. The transcriptome comparison following AhR manipulations highlighted a set of AhR regulated genes, from which transcription factor TIEG, the ortholog of Kruppel-like factor 10, was chosen for further study. TIEG was required for the AhR mediated immune modulation. Silencing TIEG increased survival and reversed the immune suppression mediated by agonist-activated AhR. Among the transcriptomes, there were genes sharing co-expression patterns in the cohorts with AhR manipulation pharmacologically or genetically. Moreover, the mosquitoes with silenced TIEG and AhR shared 68% altered genes upon infection. Together, the data suggest TIEG is downstream of AhR, acting as a major transcription factor mediating the immune modulation. The TIEG targets include genes involved in sugar metabolism and circadian rhythms, both processes are critical for immune homeostasis. In the naive mosquitoes, the AhR-TIEG axis prevents the adverse effect of the overactivated IMD pathway created by silencing the inhibitor Caspar. In summary, AhR and TIEG constitute a transcriptional axis that mediates a gene network critical for maintaining immune homeostasis.
Analysis of Free Hydrogen Sulfide in Wines Using Gas Detection Tubes

Summary Goals: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S, “rotten egg” aroma) concerns winemakers due to its contribution to sulfur-like off-aromas (SLOs). However, there are a lack of inexpensive, convenient methods for quantitation of H2S in wines at or below its reported odor threshold. The use of selective, colorimetric gas detection tubes (GDT) for measurement of H2S during fermentation has been previously described, but this approach has not been adapted and validated for finished wines. We developed and validated protocols for rapid, inexpensive analysis of H2S using GDTs and Aeration-Oxidation (A-O) glassware commonly available in wineries. Video demonstration of the approaches is also provided (Supplemental Video 1). Key Findings: Two approaches were validated for GDT-based quantitation of H2S in wine. In the first approach, H2S was sparged from the sample with N2 gas, analogous to Monier-Williams analyses of SO2. In the second approach, H2S was sparged by a vacuum-generated air stream, analogous to A-O analyses of SO2. Both approaches require The limits of detection were 12-13 ng H2S for the methods, or ~0.2 μg/L using a 60 mL sample. The mean coefficients of variance (%CV) were Using the new method, we observed that commercially purchased wines stored in aluminum cans have significantly higher H2S than commercial wines in glass packaging. Significance: The novel methods can be used for routine H2S analysis in wineries without the need for significant investment in new equipment. In addition to cost savings, the ability to test H2S onsite rather than send samples to an external lab decreases the risk of H2S losses through oxidation or volatilization. These new analytical tools can be used for benchmarking, diagnosing faulty wines, or evaluating the effects of winemaking parameters, such as yeast selection, remediation treatments, and packaging options on H2S.
El Niño Southern Oscillation and enhanced arid land vegetation productivity in NW South America

Abstract El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a periodic disruption of coupled oceanic-atmospheric conditions in the tropical Pacific, which changes global precipitation regimes. One area strongly affected by positive (el Nino) phases is the Pacific Coast of South America. The specific effects of ENSO on Andean ecological communities have received little attention, however. We examine vegetation gross primary productivity (GPP) on Peru's north coast arid-lands during a recent (2016–2017) el Nino, using a time series of Sentinel 2 imagery. By comparing GPP time-series in three agricultural subregions and three endemic desert vegetation communities, we demonstrate that levels of primary productivity in desert regions during ENSO-positive phases meet or exceed thresholds of adjacent agricultural lands. These results, the first that quantify and spatialize changing GPP between ENSO-neutral and ENSO-positive phases for South American arid-land biomes, both outline the scale and distribution of the el Nino effects on terrestrial ecosystems and highlight the resulting opportunities for human inhabitants. The dramatic changes to endemic vegetation on the normally hyperarid coastal desert of Peru revealed by reconstructed GPP suggest that periodic el Nino precipitation plays a critical role in arid land ecodynamics by enhancing establishment, green growth, and seedbank development. These findings improve our understanding of ENSO's net effects and highlight the roles of abrupt climate events in the arid land ecology of NW South America.
New Understanding of the Epidemiology of Lyme Disease

Following the discovery of Borrelia burgdorferi (Burgdorfer et al. 1982), the etiologic agent of Lyme borreliosis, numerous investigations were conducted to identify tick vectors and determine the prevalence of human infections. It is well established that Lyme borreliosis is globally distributed (Schmid 1985; Sigal 1988; Steere 1989). Tick vectors, primarily those of the Ixodes ricinus complex, or human cases have been reported in Europe, the Orient, Australia, and North America. Moreover, a complex of closely related strains of B. burgdorferi exist on different continents (Barbour et al. 1985) and even in small, geographic settings (Anderson et al. 1989). During the past 8 years, our knowledge of tick vectors, transmission, and human infections has increased, and with continued research, there are new understandings. It is appropriate to briefly review some recent advances in the epidemiology of Lyme borreliosis.
A logic-based language for database updates

Abstract We propose a logic programming language for writing database update programs. The language is called DLP, for Dynamic Logic Programming. Update programs in the language are logic programs augmented with simple update operations; they have a declarative semantics in a dynamic logic of updates. This semantics provides a logical theory of database updates. DLP supports data-definition, view definition, querying, updating, and general computing; therefore, it can serve as a uniform interface to a logic database. We present an application of DLP and its semantics to the view update problem. A view update translator is an update program in DLP and must satisfy certain conditions for correctly translating update requests on a particular view. It is shown that very simple syntactic transformations on a view definition can be used to obtain correct view update translators for the view.
A New Serological Group (E) of Neisseria meningitidis

A new serological group of encapsulated Neisseria meningitidis, tentatively classified as group E, produced halo precipitates with homologous antiserum. Group-specific complement-fixing antibodies were produced in rabbits by inoculation with lysed cells. The group E isolates are immunologically related to group C, as shown by precipitation and quantitative agglutination. Antisera to group E strains did not protect mice challenged with groups A, B, or C organisms. Until now, a comparison of group E strains with the X, Y, and Z strains of Slaterus has not been conducted.
Genetic Variation within a Lotic Population of Janthinobacterium lividum.

An understanding of the genetic variation within and between populations should allow scientists to address many problems, including those associated with endangered species and the release of genetically modified organisms into the environment. With respect to microorganisms, the release of genetically engineered microorganisms is likely to increase dramatically given the current growth in the bioremediation industry. In this study, genetic variation within a lotic, bacterial population of Janthinobacterium lividum was measured with restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Chromosomal DNA from 10 Kettle Creek (Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Kempton, Pa.) J. lividum isolates was digested with six restriction endonucleases and probed with a 7.5-kb pKK3535 fragment containing the E. coli rrnB rRNA operon. Genetic variation, as measured in terms of nucleotide diversity, was high within the population. The 0.0781 value for genetic variation was especially high given the conservative nature of the genetic probe. The average percent similarity among isolates within the population was 67.25%. Pairwise comparisons of nucleotide diversity values (π) and similarity coefficients (F) yielded values ranging from 0.0032 to 0.1816 and 0.3363 to 0.9808, respectively. Putative clonemates were not present within the group of isolates; however, all isolates shared 14 fragments across a spectrum of six restriction enzymes. The presence of these common fragments indicates that restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis may provide population- or species-specific diagnostic markers for J. lividum. Data that suggest a plume effect with respect to the downstream movement of J. lividum are also presented. An increase in genetic variation within groups of isolates along the longitudinal gradient of Kettle Creek is also suggested.
Our Daily Bread: Wages, Workers, and the Political Economy of the American West

Review of: "Our Daily Bread: Wages, Workers, and the Political Economy of the American West," by Geoff Mann.
Freezing of nonwoody plant tissues: III. Videotape micrography and the correlation between individual cellular freezing events and temperature changes in the surrounding tissue

Abstract A new technique was developed for the observation and recording on videotape of thermal and microscopic changes that occur simultaneously during the freezing of cucumber tissue. The freezing process occurs in two steps. Nucleation and growth of ice crystals in the continuous extracellular liquid phase is followed by nucleation and growth of ice crystals in individual supercooled cells. The freezing of cells in rapid succession causes the average temperature to remain constant for a short time. This mechanism explains the second freezing plateau found in most plant tissue freezing curves.
Evolving defensive strategies against iterated induction attacks in cognitive radio networks

This paper investigates the use of Genetic Algorithms (GAs) to evolve defensive strategies against iterated and memory enabled induction attacks in cognitive radio networks. Security problems in cognitive radio networks have been heavily studied in recent years. However, few studies have considered the effect of memory size on attack and defense strategies. We model cognitive radio network attack and defense as a zero-sum stochastic game. Our research focuses on using GAs to recognize attack patterns from different attackers and evolving defensive strategies against the attack patterns so as to maximize network utility. We assume attackers are not only able to attack high utility channels, but are also capable of attacking based on the history of high utility channel usage by the secondary user. In our simulations, different memory lengths are used by the secondary user against memory enabled attackers. Results show that the best performance strategies evolved by GAs gain more payoff, on average, than the Nash equilibrium. Against our baseline memory enabled attackers, GAs quickly and reliably found the theoretically globally optimal defensive strategy. These results indicate that GAs is a viable approach for generating strong defenses against arbitrary memory based attackers.
Discovering large dense subgraphs in massive graphs

We present a new algorithm for finding large, dense subgraphs in massive graphs. Our algorithm is based on a recursive application of fingerprinting via shingles, and is extremely efficient, capable of handling graphs with tens of billions of edges on a single machine with modest resources.We apply our algorithm to characterize the large, dense subgraphs of a graph showing connections between hosts on the World Wide Web; this graph contains over 50M hosts and 11B edges, gathered from 2.1B web pages. We measure the distribution of these dense subgraphs and their evolution over time. We show that more than half of these hosts participate in some dense subgraph found by the analysis. There are several hundred giant dense subgraphs of at least ten thousand hosts; two thousand dense subgraphs at least a thousand hosts; and almost 64K dense subgraphs of at least a hundred hosts.Upon examination, many of the dense subgraphs output by our algorithm are link spam, i.e., websites that attempt to manipulate search engine rankings through aggressive interlinking to simulate popular content. We therefore propose dense subgraph extraction as a useful primitive for spam detection, and discuss its incorporation into the workflow of web search engines.
The Resistance of the Diffusion Barrier in Nodules of Myrica gale L. Changes in Response to Temperature but Not to Partial Pressure of O2

Rates of C2H2 reduction and CO2 evolution by nodules were measured in a flowthrough system using intact plants of Myrica gale L. Both activities increased linearly with increasing partial pressure of O2 (pO2) up to 18 kPa. The linear relationship between CO2 evolution and pO2 at pO2 values between 6 and 18 kPa suggests that the diffusion barrier has a constant resistance. The lack of a variable resistance was further supported by sustained increases and decreases in nodule activities in response to changes in pO2 in the range of 6 to 20 kPa O2. When pO2 was increased above 20 kPa, C2H2 reduction and CO2 evolution continually declined with time. These results confirm that the diffusion barrier in nodules of M. gale is not variable in response to changes in pO2. The effect of temperature was examined at 8 and 20 kPa O2. Rates of C2H2 reduction and CO2 evolution increased with increasing temperature from 10 to 30[deg]C at both pO2 values. These results indicate that the diffusion resistance of the barrier changes as temperature changes, with the resistance decreasing as temperature increases.
A comparison of three methods for discrete-time signal extrapolation

Methods for the extrapolation of a band-limited signal based on three different approaches for solving systems of linear equations--singular value decomposition, conjugate gradients, and A-minimal iterations--are compared with respect to the computational complexity of their implementations, the effect of noise on their performance, and the manner in which each addresses the problem of a poorly conditioned system. It is observed that the solution obtained by the SVD approach is theoretically best in the least squares sense, although it is computationally the most expensive. Decreases in computational costs are paralleled by decreases in the expected and observed quality of the extrapolation produced by the three methods. The use of decimation with the SVD approach to reduce computation as discussed in previous work [1] is seen to make SVD competitive with the two conjugate direction techniques in this respect.
The expanding equilibrium algorithm

Spatial-equilibrium models are the primary framework for applied equilibrium modeling and policy analysis. An effective procedure for solving single commodity problems is described based on a variable dimension, complementary pivoting algorithm of Jones, Saigal, and Schneider. An implementation of this approach called the expanding equilibrium algorithm is described using network data structures and sparse graphs. The data structure that is used presorts the graph to avoid using linked lists while maintaining the flexibility to add arcs to the graph as the algorithm is executing. A computational experiment is developed showing the algorithm's ability to exploit the problem's underlying network and economic structure. Computational results are presented for a computer code written in C and tested on a large-scale, randomly generated problem.
Investigation of the Effects of Head Irradiation with Gamma Rays and Protons on Startle and Pre-Pulse Inhibition Behavior in Mice

With the increased international emphasis on manned space exploration, there is a growing need to understand the impact of the spaceflight environment on health and behavior. One particularly important aspect of this environment is low-dose radiation. In the present studies, we first characterized the γ- and proton-irradiation dose effect on acoustic startle and pre-pulse inhibition behaviors in mice exposed to 0–5 Gy brain-localized irradiation, and assessed these effects 2 days later. Subsequently, we used 2 Gy to assess the time course of γ- and proton-radiation effects on startle reactivity 0–8 days after exposure. Exposures targeted the brain to minimize the impact of peripheral inflammation-induced sickness behavior. The effects of radiation on startle were subtle and acute. Radiation reduced the startle response at 2 and 5 Gy. Following a 2-Gy exposure, the response reached a minimum at the 2-day point. Proton and γ-ray exposures did not differ in their impact on startle. We found there were no eff...
Exceptionally Small Attenuation Factors in Molecular Wires

Molecular-wire behavior, that is, an exceptionally small attenuation factor (β) of 0.01 ± 0.005 A-1, has been established in novel C60-based donor−acceptor ensembles covalently connected through a series of fully conjugated phenylenevinylene oligomers of precise length and constitution.
Tightened analytical bounds on the impact of dispatching rules in automated guided vehicle systems

Abstract Rule-specific formulations of the expected volume of empty travel for vehicle recirculation are developed for random and distance-minimizing/maximizing dispatching rules used in automated guided vehicle systems. These formulations are also used in developing upper and lower bounds on the volume of empty vehicle travel associated with other types of dispatching rules. It is shown that these bounds are significantly tighter than those reported in previous literature. Example problems are used to illustrate the bounding procedures.
Necessary and sufficient conditions for one variable weighted interpolation inequalities

Etablissement des conditions necessaires et suffisantes de validite des inegalites d'interpolation ponderees a une variable
Mitral-valve-induced microangiopathic hemolytic anemia.

A 76-year-old man underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and a mitral valve annuloplasty for severe mitral regurgitation. Four months later he was admitted to the hospital with severe anemia (Hct, 24.9%) as well as other laboratory findings consistent with hemolysis, including a reticulocyte count of 7.5 percent, an LDH level of 2850 IU per L (normal < 275 IU/L), and a haptoglobin level of < 20 mg per dL. His direct antiglobulin test was negative. A smear revealed spherocytes and schistocytes (left panel). Discontinuation of diltiazem and treatment with steroids were ineffective. Transthoracic color Doppler echocardiography (right panel) demonstrated severe mitral regurgitation; in this apical four chamber view, the left atrium is moderately dilated, and the multi-colored segment (arrow) in the left atrium represents regurgitant flow. Mitral valve replacement was recommended. At surgery, the native valve had a 2-mm hole near the right mitral commissure on the posterior valve leaflet. Blood flow through this hole, in addition to regurgitation through the valve itself, was thought to be the cause of the hemolysis. Approximately 5 to 15 percent of all heart valve replacement surgeries are complicated by valve-induced hemolysis. This is especially common with mechanical (carbon alloy) valves. By contrast, hemolytic anemia following mitral valve annuloplasty, where the native valve is left in place but repaired, is extremely rare. In all situations, mechanical damage to RBCs occurs because of blood flow disturbances, with rapid acceleration and deceleration of the regurgitant jet, and high shear stresses on the RBC. Because of these torrential blood currents, this picture is also known as the Waring blender syndrome.
X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy Study of the Effects of pH and Ionic Strength on Pb(II) Sorption to Amorphous Silica

Pb(II) sorption to hydrous amorphous SiO2 was studied as a function of pH and ionic strength using XAS to characterize the sorption products formed. Pb sorption increased with increasing pH and decreasing ionic strength. The XAS data indicated that the mechanism of Pb(II) sorption to the SiO2 surface was pH-dependent. At pH < 4.5, a mononuclear inner-sphere Pb sorption complex with ionic character dominated the Pb surface speciation. Between pH 4.5 and pH 5.6, sorption increasingly occurred via the formation of surface-attached covalent polynuclear Pb species, possibly Pb−Pb dimers, and these were the dominant Pb complexes at pH ≥ 6.3. Decreasing ionic strength from I = 0.1 to I = 0.005 M NaClO4 significantly increased Pb sorption but did not strongly influence the average local coordination environment of sorbed Pb at given pH, suggesting that the formation of mononuclear and polynuclear Pb complexes at the surface were coupled; possibly, Pb monomers control the formation of Pb polynuclear species by dif...
Large-scale identification of ubiquitination sites by mass spectrometry

Ubiquitination is essential for the regulation of cellular protein homeostasis. It also has a central role in numerous signaling events. Recent advances in the production and availability of antibodies that recognize the Lys-ɛ-Gly-Gly (K-ɛ-GG) remnant produced by trypsin digestion of proteins having ubiquitinated lysine side chains have markedly improved the ability to enrich and detect endogenous ubiquitination sites by mass spectrometry (MS). The following protocol describes the steps required to complete a large-scale ubiquitin experiment for the detection of tens of thousands of distinct ubiquitination sites from cell lines or tissue samples. Specifically, we present detailed, step-by-step instructions for sample preparation, off-line fractionation by reversed-phase chromatography at pH 10, immobilization of an antibody specific to K-ɛ-GG to beads by chemical cross-linking, enrichment of ubiquitinated peptides using these antibodies and proteomic analysis of enriched samples by LC-tandem MS (MS/MS). Relative quantification can be achieved by performing stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) labeling of cells. After cell or tissue samples have been prepared for lysis, the described protocol can be completed in ∼5 d.
Effects of particle drift on cosmic ray transport. II - Analytical solution to the modulation problem with no latitudinal diffusion

An analytical solution to a model of the modulation of galactic cosmic rays in the presence of particle drifts is presented and discussed. The solution assumes an energy-independent radial diffusion coefficient proportional to distance and no latitudinal diffusion, and includes energy-independent particle drift velocities similar to those expected in a Parker spiral magnetic field with an equatorial current sheet. The solutions clearly demonstrate the large effects of drifts on the modulated cosmic-ray intensity. For values of the radial diffusion coefficient and particle drift velocity which are plausible for 1-GV-rigidity protons, the logarithmic radial gradient in the inner solar system is reduced by more than a factor of 5 over the value calculated in the absence of drifts. It is found that even for much smaller values of particle drift velocity and radial diffusion coefficient, such as might be expected for protons with energies of the order of 10 MeV, the effects of the drifts can be substantial.
A comparison by species, age and sex of cysteinesulfinate decarboxylase activity and taurine concentration in liver and brain of animals.

Abstract 1. 1. Cysteinesulfinate decarboxylase activity and taurine concentration were determined in liver and brain of rats, mice, cats, guinea-pigs and sheep. 2. 2. Values were compared for male and female animals and in some cases measurements were also made in animals of different ages. 3. 3. Cysteinesulfinate decarboxylase activity and taurine concentration were also measured in liver and brain of male and female rat pups during the postnatal period. 4. 4. Hepatic cysteinesulfinate decarboxylase activity increased in both male and female rat pups during the postnatal period and then declined markedly in female rats so that activity in adult males was 16-fold that in adult females. 5. 5. Cysteinesulfinate decarboxylase activity in liver of 5- to 6-week old kittens was 73 times that observed in liver of 15-month old cats. 6. 6. Taurine level in liver of guinea-pigs was much lower than that in liver of any other species studied.
Towards a social history of the Chinese revolution: A review: Part 1 : The evolution of a field 1

(1992). Towards a social history of the Chinese revolution: A review: Part 1 : The evolution of a field. Social History: Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 1-21.
Pulsed-laser kinetic evidence for an oscillating reaction in the photoiniated autocatalytic chain decomposition (pacd) reaction of phenyl azide and of phenyl isocyanate

Abstract 266 nm pulsed-laser excitation of 5.0 × 10 −1 M solutions of phenyl azide and of phenyl isocyanate affords a transient absorption which decays non-exponentially with at least six cycles of increasing/decreasing intensity, which are not sensitive to oxygen or argon gas, or monitoring wavelength. Oscillations occur on an ≈ 10 μs timescale, their number decreases With decreasing concentration, and are not observed for a 1.0 × 10 −2 M phenyl azide solution containing 0.8 × 10 −2 M tetracyano-ethylene. At 5.0 × 10 −4 M phenyl azide a single exponential decay is also observed. The oscillatory intensity is thought due to the reaction of phenylnitrene with phenyl azide and with phenyl isocyanate.
A scheme for designing fault-tolerant microprogrammed processors using bit-slice chips

Abstract With the high speed of bipolar technology and the flexibility of user-microgrammability, bit slice chips are being increasingly used in critical applications. This paper presents a scheme for designing processors using bit slice devices, so that these processors will remain operational even in the pressece of faulty components. Since the first step in fault-tolerant design is on-line error detection, an appropriate technique for this developed first. This technique has the capability of identifying the source of error at the chip level. Once a faulty chip is identified, it is automatically replaced by a spare without interrupting the normal operation of the processor. If an error is detected in a microinstruction cycle, the erroneous result produced in that cycle is discarded. The correct result corresponding to the microinstruction is regenerated by re-executing the microinstruction on the reconfigured processor.
Community-tourism ties

Abstract Many small tourism firms lack the resources to create consumer awareness and must depend upon other organizations to provide consumer information. In order to examine this relationship, consumer information on charter and head boat fishing opportunities was requested from coastal chambers of commerce and tourism bureaus in Texas. Analysis of these materials indicated that responding and nonresponding organizations could not be differentiated using measures of local tourism economic importance and that some of the communities most dependent on tourism were not portrayed as attractive destinations. An area-wide strategy rather than a focus on a single community was suggested to increase attractiveness.
DETERMINATION OF TOTAL IMIDACLOPRID RESIDUES IN COFFEE BY GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY–MASS SPECTROMETRY

ABSTRACT The insecticide imidacloprid and its metabolites in green beans, roasted beans, and freeze–dried coffee were extracted with a mixture of methanol and 1% H2SO4 (1/3, v/v). The cleanup procedure involved hexane partitioning and XAD-4 resin cleanup eluted with methanol. Imidacloprid and its metabolites in the 5-hydroxy-, olefin-, and desnitro-forms in the extracts were oxidized with KMnO4 (pH 14) to 6-chloronicotinic acid which was then recovered with methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE). The residue was dissolved in acetonitrile after the evaporation of MTBE, and 6-chloronicotinic acid was derivatized with methyl trimethylsilyl trifluoroacetamide for gas chromatography-mass spectrometric quantification. Recoveries of total imidacloprid residues ranged from 90 to 110% at different fortification levels. The method was applied to the analysis of coffee samples collected from trees that received five foliar applications of the insecticide. All treated samples of green and roasted beans, and freeze–dried coffee ...
Women’s Longitudinal Smoking Patterns from Preconception Through Child’s Kindergarten Entry: Profiles of Biological Mothers of a 2001 US Birth Cohort

To identify longitudinal patterns of women’s smoking during the pre-conception, perinatal, and early parenting period and describe risk factors distinguishing the different profiles. We conducted longitudinal latent class analysis of maternal smoking status over a 6–7 year period in a sample of 8,650 biological mothers of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, nationally representative of US births in 2001. Five latent classes were identified: pregnancy-inspired quitters (4.3 %), delayed initiators (5.1 %), persistent smokers (8.5 %), temporary quitters (10.4 %), and nonsmokers (71.7 %). These classes were distinguished by age, race/ethnicity, education, poverty status, marital status, parity, drinking behavior, and depression. For example, when compared to those with college degrees, those with less than a high school degree were at least five times as likely to be in the delayed initiator, temporary quitter, or persistent smoker classes (vs. the nonsmoker class). Heterogeneous longitudinal smoking patterns indicate the need for both prevention messages and cessation treatment continuing past parturition, tailored to fit individual profiles in order to achieve better health outcomes for both mothers and children.
Remembering the past to imagine the future: A cognitive neuroscience perspective

A function of memory that has been overlooked until recently concerns its role in allowing individuals to imagine or simulate possible future events. However, a growing number of recent studies show that imagining possible future events depends on much of the same cognitive and neural machinery as does remembering past events. This linkage has potentially important implications for understanding decision-making and performance under stress, which may impair the ability to make use of past experiences to simulate or predict upcoming events. This article considers recent neuroimaging, neuropsychological, and cognitive studies that reveal shared processes underlying remembering the past and imagining the future.
First observation of ultraslow group velocity of light in a solid

Summary form only given. Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) has been the subject of many experimental and theoretical studies over recent years. Most recently, substantial experimental and theoretical work in this area has been focused on the use of EIT to give ultraslow group velocities for light in both ultracold atomic gas and hot atomic vapors. Much of this interest is based on the fact that slowing the group velocity of a laser pulse down to the speed of sound in the same material can produce strong coupling between acoustic waves and the electromagnetic field. It has been suggested that a giant nonlinearity obtained by this method might be utilized for efficient multi-wave mixing and quantum nondemolition measurements. Slow light might also allow a very efficient nonlinear interaction between laser pulses of extremely low (down to a single photon) energies. Here, we report the first direct observation of an ultraslow group velocity of light down to 45 m/s in a solid, well below the speed of sound in the medium. This group velocity is fundamentally limited only by the inhomogeneous broadening of the ground state transition. At low coupling beam intensities, the fraction of centers that are pumped into the "dark state" increases with coupling laser power, so that the observed group delay is increasing with coupling beam intensity. At higher intensities, power broadening reduces the sharpness of the dispersive feature and the observed group delay decreases.
Meeting the Standard? A Sample of Christian Schools Libraries/Media Centers in Texas

This article reports a study using structured interviews of librarians of Christian schools in Texas. The study focuses on the librarian, the collections, the financial support and the selection policies, both written and assumed. Standards related to accreditation are also reviewed. Several denominations are included as well as varying size of schools. The libraries range in size from 3,000 to 25,000 volumes with the majority of holdings fewer than 10,000. Issues relating to censorship and selection of materials are discussed. We call for all accreditation agencies for our nation's private schools to investigate whether requiring specific standards for library/media center collections, budget, and their professional staff would make a significant impact on student performance. Also included in the article is a list of recommendations for a private school library selection policy.
Giant negative-magnetoresistance in variable-range hopping

Abstract Earlier results on the negative magnetoresistance of a two-dimensional electron gas in a heterostructure are extended to lower temperatures. In the Mott variable-range hopping regime the resistance decreases with magnetic field by two orders of magnitude. The magnetic field dependence of the localization length is measured for various degrees of disorder.
Thyroid incidentalomas: a new epidemic.

2. TorF:Atotalthyroidectomyandcentralandbilateralneckdissectionshouldbeperformedinallpatientswithsporadicand hereditary MTC even for unilateral tumors smallerthan 1 cm in diameter.3. The radiographic evidence of recurrent MTC is unlikelywhen the serum CT level is:a. 150 pg/ml.b. 250 pg/mLc. 250 pg/mld. 500 pg/mle. 1000 pg/ml4. WhatisthecorrelationbetweenpreoperativeCTlevelsandﬁndinginvasiveMTCinapatientundergoingprophylacticthyroidectomy for hereditary MTC?a. No correlationb. CT levels 50 pg/ml indicate no invasionc. CTlevels 50pg/mlbut 100pg/mlindicateinvasiveMTCd. CT levels 250 pg/ml indicate invasive MTC5. The clinical features of patients with MTC diagnosed after(Group 1) and before (Group 2) the routine use of CTscreening were different only by ______________.6. The incidence of MTC in this study is ________and thismay___________theprevalenceofMTCinpatientswithnodular thyroid disease.
Texture of Yeast Breads Containing Soy Protein Isolates: Sensory and Objective Evaluation

Three soy protein isolates were substituted on an equal protein basis for soy flour in a yeast bread formula. The consumer texture profile technique was used for sensory evaluation of the breads. A compression cage attached to an Instron was used for objective evaluation of textural characteristics. Panelists noted differences in smoothness, uniformity of cell distribution, chewiness, greasiness and crumbliness among the soy-containing breads. Deviations from the perceived ideal bread were shown for most textural characteristics. Soy isolates influenced volume, specific volume, hardness, springiness, gumminess and chewiness of the breads.
Inducible systems see the light.

Advances in our capacity to design and use novel strategies for achieving inducible gene expression will improve our ability to define gene function. An extremely efficient system designed by nature - that of the regulatable phytochrome system in plants - has provided the basis for developing a novel inducible gene expression system.