cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Primary Care Considerations for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth

1. Jason R. Rafferty, MD, MPH, EdM*,†,‡ 2. Abigail A. Donaldson, MD†,‡ 3. Michelle Forcier, MD, MPH†,‡ 1. *Thundermist Health Centers, Woonsocket, RI 2. †Rhode Island Hospital/Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Providence, RI 3. ‡Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI * Abbreviations: FDA: : Food and Drug Administration GnRH: : gonadotropin-releasing hormone HEEADSSS: : Home, Education/Employment, Eating, Activities, Drugs, Sexuality, Safety, Suicide, Strengths PPCP: : pediatric primary care provider TGD: : transgender and gender diverse Pediatric primary care providers must recognize that developmentally appropriate, gender-affirming approaches to the care of transgender and gender-diverse youth are necessary to reduce comorbidities, including high rates of suicide. After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Describe the developmental context for emerging gender identity in children. 2. Identify ways in which clinicians can explore gender development as a part of routine pediatric care. 3. Recognize that early identification and affirmation of gender identity is essential to engaging supports and promoting positive mental health outcomes. 4. Describe approaches and options for care available to transgender and gender-diverse youth and their families. 5. Recognize the potential medical and mental health disparities and risks faced by this historically marginalized population. Pediatric primary care providers (PPCPs) establish care with patients at birth and manage individuals throughout childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. Thus, pediatricians are uniquely situated to screen, identify, and care for transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth. Large, systematic prevalence studies of TGD identity in children have not been conducted. (1) A 2016 national survey estimated that 0.6% of adults in the United States identify as transgender. This is approximately 1.5 million people and is twice the prevalence found a decade earlier. (2) Estimates suggest that today’s adolescents identify as transgender more often than adults. (1) As children and adolescents become increasingly aware of gender diversity, PPCPs should be attentive to physical and emotional cues that point to gender-related distress. Early identification of potential distress, supported exploration of identity, and affirmation foster healthy growth and development in a particularly vulnerable …
Femoral venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation using a novel biatrial cannula for venous drainage and left ventricular venting.

Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is an expanding technology for patients in cardiogenic shock. The majority of patients requiring ECLS can be managed with percutaneous venoarterial (VA) femoral cannulation. Despite sufficient extracorporeal circulatory support, a unclear number of patients develop left ventricular distension which can result in increased wall tension and stress as well as worsening pulmonary edema. Indications to vent the left ventricle can be controversial. When venting is indicated, a number of additional procedures may be considered including inotropic support, intra-aortic balloon pump, impella, balloon atrial septostomy, or placement of a transseptal cannula. We present a unique case of a femoral VA extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to transplant with left-sided venting using a Bio-Medicus NextGen cannula (Medtronic) with a transseptal approach.
Prediction of Type II Diabetes Onset with Computed Tomography and Electronic Medical Records.

Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a significant public health concern with multiple known risk factors (e.g., body mass index (BMI), body fat distribution, glucose levels). Improved prediction or prognosis would enable earlier intervention before possibly irreversible damage has occurred. Meanwhile, abdominal computed tomography (CT) is a relatively common imaging technique. Herein, we explore secondary use of the CT imaging data to refine the risk profile of future diagnosis of T2DM. In this work, we delineate quantitative information and imaging slices of patient history to predict onset T2DM retrieved from ICD-9 codes at least one year in the future. Furthermore, we investigate the role of five different types of electronic medical records (EMR), specifically 1) demographics; 2) pancreas volume; 3) visceral/subcutaneous fat volumes in L2 region of interest; 4) abdominal body fat distribution and 5) glucose lab tests in prediction. Next, we build a deep neural network to predict onset T2DM with pancreas imaging slices. Finally, motivated by multi-modal machine learning, we construct a merged framework to combine CT imaging slices with EMR information to refine the prediction. We empirically demonstrate our proposed joint analysis involving images and EMR leads to 4.25% and 6.93% AUC increase in predicting T2DM compared with only using images or EMR. In this study, we used case-control dataset of 997 subjects with CT scans and contextual EMR scores. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to show the ability to prognose T2DM using the patients’ contextual and imaging history. We believe this study has promising potential for heterogeneous data analysis and multi-modal medical applications.
Tolerance and dependence following chronic alprazolam treatment in rhesus monkeys: Role of GABAA receptor subtypes.

Abstract Background To assess GABAA receptor subtypes involved in benzodiazepine tolerance and dependence, we evaluated the ability of subtype-selective and non-selective ligands to substitute for (i.e., produce “cross-tolerance”) or precipitate withdrawal during chronic alprazolam treatment. Methods Four female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were implanted with chronic intravenous catheters and administered alprazolam (1.0 mg/kg every 4 h). Following 14+ days of chronic alprazolam, acute administration of selected doses of non-selective and subtype-selective ligands were substituted for, or administered with, alprazolam, followed by quantitative behavioral observations. The ligands included alprazolam and midazolam (positive modulators, non-selective), zolpidem (positive modulator, preferential affinity for α1-containing GABAA receptors), HZ-166 (positive modulator, preferential efficacy at α2- and α3-containing GABAA receptors), and βCCT (antagonist, preferential affinity for α1-containing GABAA receptors). Results Acutely, alprazolam and midazolam both induced observable ataxia along with a mild form of sedation referred to as “rest/sleep posture” at a lower dose (0.1 mg/kg, i.v.), whereas at a higher dose (1.0 mg/kg, i.v.), induced deep sedation and observable ataxia. With chronic alprazolam treatment, observable ataxia and deep sedation were reduced significantly, whereas rest/sleep posture was unchanged or emerged. Zolpidem showed a similar pattern of effects, whereas no behaviors engendered by HZ-166 were changed by chronic alprazolam. Administration of βCCT, but not HZ-166, resulted in significant withdrawal signs. Conclusions These results are consistent with a role for α1-containing GABAA receptor subtypes in tolerance and dependence observed with chronic alprazolam, although other receptors may be involved in the withdrawal syndrome.
Disruption of gallbladder smooth muscle function is an early feature in the development of cholesterol gallstone disease.

BACKGROUND; Decreased gallbladder smooth muscle (GBSM) contractility is a hallmark of cholesterol gallstone disease, but the interrelationship between lithogenicity, biliary stasis, and inflammation are poorly understood. We studied a mouse model of gallstone disease to evaluate the development of GBSM dysfunction relative to changes in bile composition and the onset of sterile cholecystitis. METHODS: BALB/cJ mice were fed a lithogenic diet for up to 8 weeks, and tension generated by gallbladder muscle strips was measured. Smooth muscle Ca(2+) transients were imaged in intact gallbladder. KEY RESULTS: Lipid composition of bile was altered lithogenically as early as 1 week, with increased hydrophobicity and cholesterol saturation indexes; however, inflammation was not detectable until the fourth week. Agonist-induced contractility was reduced from weeks 2 through 8. GBSM normally exhibits rhythmic synchronized Ca(2+) flashes, and their frequency is increased by carbachol (3 ?m). After 1 week, lithogenic diet-fed mice exhibited disrupted Ca(2+) flash activity, manifesting as clustered flashes, asynchronous flashes, or prolonged quiescent periods. These changes could lead to a depletion of intracellular Ca(2+) stores, which are required for agonist-induced contraction, and diminished basal tone of the organ. Responsiveness of Ca(2+) transients to carbachol was reduced in mice on the lithogenic diet, particularly after 4-8 weeks, concomitant with appearance of mucosal inflammatory changes. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: These observations demonstrate that GBSM dysfunction is an early event in the progression of cholesterol gallstone disease and that it precedes mucosal inflammation.
A planar quasi-optical SIS receiver suitable for array applications

A novel planar, quasi-optical SIS (superconductor-insulator-superconductor) receiver operating at 230 GHz is described. The receiver consists of a 2*5 array of half-wave dipole antennas with ten niobium-aluminium-oxide-niobium SIS junctions on a quartz dielectric-filled parabola. The 1.2-GHz intermediate frequency is coupled from the mixer via coplanar strip transmission lines and 4:1 balun transformers. The receiver is operated at 4.2 K in a liquid-helium immersion cryostat. Accurate measurements of the performance of single receiver elements are reported. A mixer noise temperature of 148 K DSB, receiver noise temperature of 259 K DSB, and conversion loss of 10 dB into a matched load have been obtained. >
Astrophysical gamma ray lines from accelerated particle interactions.

We review the theory of gamma ray line production due to accelerated particle interactions. We discuss in detail solar flares, as the Sun has so far been the prime astrophysical site from which such gamma ray lines are observed. We briefly review the solar flare particle data which distinguish acceleration in impulsive flares from acceleration in gradual flares. We also discuss the relationship of the solar gamma ray data to this classification. We then consider the COMPTEL observations of Orion which have recently revealed gamma ray line emission from accelerated particle interactions in this molecular cloud complex. The comparison of the solar and Orion observations suggests that there are significant differences between the acceleration mechanism operating in impulsive flares (thought to be acceleration by gyroresonance with plasma turbulence) and that operating in Orion. The acceleration mechanism in Orion seems to be more closely related to that responsible for particle acceleration in gradual flares, which is generally thought to be shock acceleration.
Properties of reticulum cell sarcomas in SJL/J mice. II. Fate of labeled tumor cells in normal and irradiated syngeneic mice.

Abstract Transplantable reticulum cell sarcoma (RCS) cells were labeled with 3 H-uridine or 3 H-thymidine in vitro and injected intravenously into normal and irradiated syngeneic SJL/J mice. RCS cells exhibited typical B cell migration characteristics in peripheral lymphoid organs in both normal and irradiated recipients, localizing in follicles in a pattern resembling that of labeled normal bone marrow cells. However, over the first 72 hr after transfer, RCS cells diluted their label much less in irradiated than in normal recipients, reflecting their inability to proliferate in the irradiated hosts. The presence of unlabeled tumor cells did not significantly affect the distribution of labeled normal bone marrow or lymph node cells in the recipients. Thus, RCS fails to grow in irradiated recipients in spite of undisturbed homing characteristics and in the absence of any evidence of cytotoxic influences from the host.
Watch Out! A Framework for Evaluating Steering Behaviors

Interactive virtual worlds feature dynamic characters that must navigate through a variety of landscapes populated with various obstacles and other agents. The process of navigating to a desired lo- cation within a dynamic environment is the problem of steering . While there are many approaches to steering, to our knowledge there is no standard way of evaluating and comparing the quality of such solutions. To address this, we propose a diverse set of benchmarks and a flexi- ble method of evaluation that can be used to compare different steering algorithms. We discuss the challenges and criteria for objectively eval- uating steering behaviors and describe the metrics and scoring method used in our benchmark evaluation. We hope that, with constructive feed- back from the community, our framework will eventually evolve into a standard and comprehensive approach to debug, compare and provide an overall assessment of the effectiveness of steering algorithms.
Chapter 6 Global Solution Branches and Exact Multiplicity of Solutions for Two Point Boundary Value Problems

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the solutions of the two point boundary value problems. The chapter describes the equation curves of solutions, u = u(x,λ) . The advantage of this approach is that some parts of the solution curve are easy to understand, and it also becomes clear what are the tougher parts of the solution curve that one needs to study—the turning points. The most detailed results are obtained when one considers positive solutions of autonomous problems, i.e. when f = f (u) . Since in that case both the length and the position of the interval (a, b) are irrelevant, and since positive solutions are symmetric with respect to the midpoint of the interval, it is convenient to pose the problem on the interval (- 1, 1).
Modeling spatial and spatio-temporal co-occurrence patterns

As the volume of spatial and spatio-temporal data continues to increase significantly due to both the growth of database archives and the increasing number and resolution of spatio-temporal sensors, automated and semi-automated pattern analysis becomes more essential. Spatial and spatio-temporal (ST) data analyses have emerged in recent decades to develop understanding of the spatial and spatio-temporal characteristics and patterns. However, in the last decade, the growth in variety and volume of observational data, notably spatial and spatio-temporal data, has out-paced the capabilities of analytical tools and techniques. Major limitations of existing classical data mining models and techniques include the following. First, these do not adequately model richer temporal semantics of data observations (e.g. co-occurrence patterns of moving objects, emerging and vanishing patterns, multi-scale cascade patterns, periodic patterns). Second, these do not take into account time dimension of the data observations. Third, these do not provide sufficient interest measures and computationally efficient algorithms to discover spatial and spatio-temporal co-occurrence patterns. These limitations represent critical barriers in several application domains that require to analyze huge datasets. In this dissertation, I proposed addressed these limitations by (i) providing a framework to model the rich semantics of the ST patterns of data observations by developing a taxonomy of spatial and ST co-occurrence patterns, (ii) designing new techniques that are taking into account the time dimension of the data, and (iii) developing new monotonic composite interest measures and scalable algorithms. The proposed approaches reduced the manual effort by reducing the plausible set of hypotheses. Major focus would be on developing scalable algorithms to mine spatial and ST co-occurrence patterns.
Iso‐chi‐squared testing of 2 × k: ordered tables

The Pearson chi-squared statistic for testing the equality of two multinomial populations when the categories are nominal is much less appropriate for ordinal categories. Test statistics typically used in this context are based on scorings of the ordinal levels, but the results of these tests are highly dependent on the choice of scores. The authors propose a test which naturally modifies the Pearson chi-squared statistic to incorporate the ordinal information. The proposed test statistic does not depend on the scores and under the null hypothesis of equality of populations, it is asymptotically equivalent to the likelihood ratio test against the alternative of two-sided likelihood ratio ordering.
EFFECT OF AGE ON THEOPHYLLINE CLEARANCE AND DOSAGE REQUIREMENTS DURING CHILDHOOD

Previous recommendations for weight adjusted theophylline dosage have not considered age as a contributing variable. The current data was collected in two parts. First, 23 children with chronic asthma, ages 4-15, received .8 mg/kg/hr intravenous infusions of theophylline until steady-state serum concentrations were documented. Clearance was then calculated (clearance = infusion rate % steady-state serum concentration). Subsequently, 156 children with chronic asthma, ages 2½ months to 16 years, received chronic oral theophylline in 4 doses/day titrated to achieve peak serum concentrations in the therapeutic range of 10 to 20 μg/ml (mean was 15 μg/ml). Clearances among the 23 children receiving the intravenous infusion averaged 1.35 ± .46 ml/kg/min (mean ± standard deviation), but correlated inversely with age (rS = −.46, p < .025). The 7 children over age 12 averaged .88 ± .25 ml/kg/min while the younger children averaged 1.56 ± .37 ml/kg/min. Mean oral dosage requirements also varied with age. Seventy-seven children under age 9 required 24.1 ± 5.5 mg/kg/day of theophylline to maintain therapeutic levels, and no significant correlation with age was observed in this group. Among the 79 children from 9-16 years of age. however, doses averaged 19.4 ± 4.9 mg/kg/day and correlated significantly with age (r = −.32, p < .01). Thus, weight adjusted dosage guidelines for theophylline must be age specific.
Foreign body giant cells on intraocular lens implants.

Foreign body giant cells in cellular membranes on the surface of intraocular lens implants are a typical part of the reaction of the inner eye to these implants. These giant cells are spread to an extremely large size, they may exhibit up to a hundred nuclei, and they often contain phagocytised pigment in their protoplasm. To start a detailed morphological description of these giant cells on lens implants in their appearance and relation to other cells under different conditions is the purpose of the present communication.
Molecular mechanism for 3:1 subunit stoichiometry of rod cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels

Molecular determinants of ion channel tetramerization are well characterized, but those involved in heteromeric channel assembly are less clearly understood. The heteromeric composition of native channels is often precisely controlled. Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels from rod photoreceptors exhibit a 3:1 stoichiometry of CNGA1 and CNGB1 subunits that tunes the channels for their specialized role in phototransduction. Here we show, using electrophysiology, fluorescence, biochemistry, and X-ray crystallography, that the mechanism for this controlled assembly is the formation of a parallel 3-helix coiled-coil domain of the carboxy-terminal leucine zipper region of CNGA1 subunits, constraining the channel to contain three CNGA1 subunits, followed by preferential incorporation of a single CNGB1 subunit. Deletion of the carboxy-terminal leucine zipper domain relaxed the constraint and permitted multiple CNGB1 subunits in the channel. The X-ray crystal structures of the parallel 3-helix coiled-coil domains of CNGA1 and CNGA3 subunits were similar, suggesting that a similar mechanism controls the stoichiometry of cone CNG channels.
EPR and magnetic susceptibility measurements on CeB 6

We report measurements of temperature and magnetic field dependent magnetic susceptibility and electron paramagnetic resonance in the paramagnetic phase of ${\mathrm{CeB}}_{6}.$ From calculations of the possible ground state level structure of the interacting $4f$ electrons it is found that the fourfold degenerate ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{8}$ is split into two doublets with equal g factors and an energy separation of the order of 30 K.
Practice as Research in the Arts: Principles, Protocols, Pedagogies, Resistances by Robin Nelson

In this text, Robin Nelson articulates a rationale for the inclusion of practice as research within the academy, and outlines an approach to conceiving and supporting such projects that is likely t...
Light-induced 18O2 uptake by epoxy xanthophylls in New Zealand spinach leaves (Tetragonia expansa)☆

Abstract 1. The effects of light on 18 O 2 incorporation by epoxy xanthophylls in spinach leaves ( Tetragonia expansa ) were investigated. The major epoxy xanthophylls incorporated 18 O 2 more rapidly in the light than in the dark. Incorporation was highest in antheraxanthin, less in violaxanthin and only slight in neoxanthin. This light-stimulated incorporation which occurred without large net changes in pigment concentrations shows that the major epoxy xanthophylls derived their epoxy oxygen from O 2 and confirms recent interpretations of kinetic data that the violaxanthin cycle takes up O 2 through light-induced reactions. 2. The rate of 18 O 2 incorporation under 3770 lux light and 33% O 2 atmosphere was determined. The rates of 18 O 2 incorporation by antheraxanthin, violaxanthin and neoxanthin were 7, 100 and 5 mμmoles epoxy oxygen/μmole chlorophyll per h, respectively.
Quality control for a network of SeaSonde HF radars

The proliferation of HF radar networks around the globe has made them a vital component of the ocean observing endeavor. There are approximately thirty-four nations with oceanographic HF radar networks, eight of which have over 10 radar stations in their network. Providing high quality measurements for sustained periods of time is of the utmost importance. The global HF radar network has been established to meet this goal. The network was established in 2012 with the goal of increasing the number of coastal radars, develop emerging applications of the data and to deliver a set of easy to use standard products. The network was established under the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) work plan for 2012-2015. The work plan endorses a task to plan a Global HF Radar Network for data sharing and data delivery and to promote the proliferation of HF radar surface current velocity measurements. The goal of this paper is to propose quality standards for this global network. In this paper we will take inventory of the existing quality assurance and quality control measures that have been proposed at the radial level and offer measures to manage the systems on a network level. We have developed a best practices checklist for validating and operating a HF radar stations in the Mid Atlantic - a checklist that can be transferred to other regions nationally and internationally. Some of these techniques include the comparison of radials from measured and ideal beam patterns. We have also performed beam pattern sensitivity tests, first order line settings tests, angular segmentation tests and different time averaging schemes on the radial data. We share the results of those tests here so that they may be replicated by other operators to strengthen the methodology. We propose best practices for the operation of a High Frequency radar network. The techniques outlined in this paper have shown an increased accuracy of the measured radial currents and a better understanding of the data processing stream associated with the particular HF radar system. The other networks around the globe can adopt the methods and best practices outlined in this paper. The other networks can also provide input to these methods and best practices which will result in an improved surface current measurement.
The Development of Parallel Adaptive Sampling Algorithms for Analyzing Biological Networks

The availability of biological data in massive scales continues to represent unlimited opportunities as well as great challenges in bioinformatics research. Developing innovative data mining techniques and efficient parallel computational methods to implement them will be crucial in extracting useful knowledge from this raw unprocessed data, such as in discovering significant cellular subsystems from gene correlation networks. In this paper, we present a scalable combinatorial sampling technique, based on identifying maximum chordal sub graphs, that reduces noise from biological correlation networks, thereby making it possible to find biologically relevant clusters from the filtered network. We show how selecting the appropriate filter is crucial in maintaining the key structures from the original networks and uncovering new ones after removing noisy relationships. We also conduct one of the first comparisons in two important sensitivity criteria -- the perturbation due to the vertex numbers of the network and perturbations due to data distribution. We demonstrate that our chordal-graph based filter is effective across many different vertex permutations, as is our parallel implementation of the sampling algorithm.
Nitrogen limitation on land and in the sea: How can it occur?

The widespread occurrence of nitrogen limitation to net primary production in terrestrial and marine ecosystems is something of a puzzle; it would seem that nitrogen fixers should have a substantial competitive advantage wherever nitrogen is limiting, and that their activity in turn should reverse limitation. Nevertheless, there is substantial evidence that nitrogen limits net primary production much of the time in most terrestrial biomes and many marine ecosystems. We examine both how the biogeochemistry of the nitrogen cycle could cause limitation to develop, and how nitrogen limitation could persist as a consequence of processes that prevent or reduce nitrogen fixation. Biogeochemical mechansism that favor nitrogen limitation include: A number of mechanisms could keep nitrogen fixation from reversing nitrogen limitation. These include: The possible importance of these and other processes is discussed for a wide range of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.
Effect of insulin on human aortic endothelial nitric oxide synthase.

It has recently been shown that insulin induces vasodilation in human arteries and veins in vivo. This effect of insulin has been shown to be a direct one on the human vein. In view of these observations and the fact insulin-induced vasodilation is impaired in insulin-resistant states like type 2 diabetes and obesity, we have investigated the hypothesis that insulin may induce the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (e-NOS) in endothelial cells grown from human aortae (HAECs), human lower-limb veins, and human umbilical veins (HUVECs), and microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) from human adipose tissue. The expression of e-NOS was maximal in HAECs, and therefore, further experiments were performed on these cells. When cells reached 90% confluence, they were induced with different concentrations of insulin (0, 25, 100, and 1,000 μU/mL) for 6 days. The cells were homogenized and e-NOS expression was examined by Western blotting. A dose-dependent induction by insulin of e-NOS in the endothelial cells was clearly demonstrated. There was no detectable level of the inducible NOS isoform (i-NOS), and this effect of insulin was independent of cell proliferation. We conclude that insulin induces a dose-dependent induction of e-NOS in human aortic cells (and possibly arterial/endothelial cells), and this effect may contribute to the overall vasodilatory effect of insulin.
The treatment of intraabdominal infections in surgery

Intraabdominal sepsis is frequently seen following penetrating or blunt abdominal trauma as well as with perforated appendicitis or diverticulitis. The initial leakage of endogenous gastrointestinal microflora into the peritoneal cavity results in peritonitis and secondary septicemia, which often results in a localized intraabdominal abscess. These infections are commonly polymicrobial and correlate directly with the unique endogenous microflora at various levels of the gastrointestinal tract. The successful treatment of intraabdominal sepsis is primarily associated with prompt, appropriate surgical intervention. Parenterally administered antibiotics are also required to decrease the incidence of local bacterial infection or septicemia. The choice of the appropriate agent(s) to be used initially, before obtaining the results of culture and sensitivity tests, depends primarily on both the clinical presentation and on whether the intraabdominal infection occurred in the community or as a result of hospitalization. Clinical and experimental studies of intraabdominal sepsis have primarily emphasized the use of antibiotic agents that have a spectrum of activity effective against aerobic coliforms and the anaerobe Bacteroides fragilis.
A tissue-engineered approach towards retinal repair: Scaffolds for cell transplantation to the subretinal space

Background Several mechanisms of retina degeneration result in the deterioration of the outer retina and can lead to blindness. Currently, with the exception of anti-angiogenic treatments for wet age-related macular degeneration, there are no treatments that can restore lost vision. There is evidence that photoreceptors and embryonic retinal tissue, transplanted to the subretinal space, can form new synapses with surviving host neurons. However, these transplants have yet to result in a clinical treatment for retinal degeneration.
Party Polarization and Legislative Gridlock

This article investigates how parties affect legislative gridlock-the inability of government to enact significant proposals on the policy agenda. Conventional accounts suggest that divided party control of government causes such stalemate. I offer an alternative partisan model of gridlock that incorporates party polarization, party seat division, and the interaction between these two factors. Using an original data set of major legislative proposals considered between 1975 and 1994, I find that divided government does not affect gridlock once party polarization and party seat division are taken into account. Instead, I find that higher party polarization increases the likelihood of encountering gridlock on a given proposal, but that the magnitude of this increase diminishes to the extent that a party is close to having enough seats to thwart filibusters and vetoes. The persistence of divided party control of the legislative and executive branches of government over most of the last three decades has prompted an extensive, and as yet unresolved, debate about whether or not this phenomenon leads to the stalemate in the lawmaking process which is often referred to as gridlock. In the meantime, however, another phenomenon has been taking place in American politics that has received scant attention in studies of legislative gridlock: the policy preferences of the two parties have become increasingly polarized. Since 1990, more than half of all congressional votes have featured a majority of one party opposing a majority of the other party. This level of party polarization represents a steady increase over the 47 percent of such votes in the 1980s and 39 percent in the 1970s. To date, despite the indisputable rise in party polarization, few scholars have included a thorough investigation of party polarization in their studies of gridlock. This article expands our understanding of legislative gridlock by examining how party polarization, in conjunction with varying partisan seat arrangements,
Low-energy differential elastic scattering of Ar* by HBr: Comparison with the scattering of K by HBr

Abstract Differential elastic cross section measurements of electronically excited, metastable argon atoms Ar* by HBr molecules a shallow rainbow. Parameters are deduced assuming an L-J (12,6) potential and are compared to those which have been reported for the scattering of K by HBr. The location of the potential minima for the two systems is identical but the potential well depth for Ar* + HBr is 10–20 percent lower than for K + HBr.
Summary report of a symposium: genes and gene delivery for diseases of alcoholism.

: This article represents a summary of a symposium on genes and gene delivery for diseases of alcoholism that was held at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, on May 7–10, 2001. The purpose of the meeting was to examine two key technologies: gene chip-microarrays and gene delivery. Three main pathologies associated with alcoholism—addiction, liver disease, and birth defects—were discussed. This summary of the meeting is grouped into sections on the brain, liver, and fetus.
Experimental tests of separating electroweak and flavor symmetry breaking

Abstract We introduce a model in which a scalar doublet breaks SU(2) × U(1) but not the fermions' flavor symmetries. The latter are broken in heavy Dirac SU(2)-singlet fermions. We discuss direct searches for those fermions and their effects on Z-pole physics.
Ultrasound-induced lung hemorrhage is not caused by inertial cavitation.

In animal experiments, the pathogenesis of lung hemorrhage due to exposure to clinical diagnostic levels of ultrasound has been attributed to an inertial cavitation mechanism. The purpose of this article is to report the results of two experiments that directly contradict the hypothesis that ultrasound-induced lung hemorrhage is caused by inertial cavitation. Elevated hydrostatic pressure was used to suppress the involvement of inertial cavitation. In experiment one, 160 adult mice were equally divided into two hydrostatic pressure groups (0.1 or 1.1 MPa), and were randomly exposed to pulsed ultrasound (2.8-MHz center frequency, 1-kHz PRF, 1.42-μs pulse duration, 10-s exposure duration). For the two hydrostatic pressure groups (80 mice each), 8 in situ peak rarefactional pressure levels were used that ranged between 2.82 and 11.8 MPa (10 mice/group). No effect of hydrostatic pressure on the probability of hemorrhage was observed. These data lead to the conclusion that lung hemorrhage is not caused by iner...
Inhibition and dispersion of proteobacterial biofilms

A small molecule derived from a marine natural product with the ability to inhibit biofilm formation and also disperse established proteobacterial biofilms is presented.
A new rearrangement inequality for multiple integrals

In this paper we prove a rearrangement inequality that generalizes inequalities given in the b∞k by Hardy, Littlewood and Polya1 and by Luttinger and Friedberg.2 The inequality for an integral of a product of functions of one variable is further extended to the case of functions of several variables.
Novel determinations of picloram by gas—liquid chromatography

Abstract The herbicide 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid (Picloram, Tordon) can be analyzed by gas—liquid chromatography both in trimethylsilylated and decarboxylated forms. The latter compound, 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropyridine, may be obtained either directly from soil samples or from suitable extracts. It is easily purified by column chromatography on silica gel and can be found in a minimum amount of three picograms by Ni-63 electron capture detection. Using the decarboxylation of soil extracts, linear calibration curves can be established for the range between 10 and 1000 p.p.b. The minimum residue level detectable by this method is less than 5 p.p.b., startint from a 1 g sample.
Reciprocal approximation theory with table compensation

[Sch93] demonstrates the reuse of a multiplier partial product array (PPA) to approximate higher order functions such as the reciprocal, division, and square root. Schwarz generalizes this technique to any higher order function that can be expressed as A*B=C. Using this technique, the height of the PPA increases exponentially to increase the result precision. Schwarz added compensation terms within the PPA to reduce the worst case error. This work investigates the approximation theory of higher order functions without the bounds of multiplier reuse. Additional techniques are presented to increase the worst case precision for a fixed height PPA. A compensation table technique is presented in this work. This technique combines the approximation computation with a compensation table to produce a result with fixed precision. The area-time tradeoff for three design points is studied. Increasing the computation decreases the area needed to implement the function but also increases the latency. Finally, the applicability of this technique to the bipartite ROM reciprocal table is discussed. We expect that this technique can be applied to the bipartite ROM reciprocal table to significantly reduce the hardware area needed at a minimal increase in latency. In addition, this work focuses on hardware reconfigurability and the ability of the hardware unit to be used to perform multiple higher order functions efficiently. The PPA structure can be used to approximate several higher order functions that can be expressed as a multiply.
TWO AUTOMATIC SPANNING TREES IN SMALL CANCELLATION GROUP PRESENTATIONS

Gersten and Short showed that group presentations satisfying certain minimal small cancellation conditions are automatic. The automatic structure they described does not have unique group element representatives. It is easy, however, to modify their language to produce an automatic spanning tree of geodesics: that is, an automatic structure of geodesics which is both prefix-closed and has unique representatives. When combined with a construction showing that all geodesic representatives of a group element are encoded in a tiling of a particular geometric form, this shows that in fact the language of lexicographically least geodesics is also automatic (it is clearly a spanning tree).
Occurrence and distribution of monomethylalkanes in the freshwater wetland ecosystem of the Florida Everglades

Abstract A series of mono-methylalkanes (MMAs) with carbon numbers from C10 to C23 and C29 were detected in freshwater wetlands of the Everglades. A decrease in concentration and molecular complexity was observed in the order from periphyton and floc, to surface soil and deeper soil horizons. These compounds were present in varying amounts up to 27 μg gdw−1 in periphyton, 74 μg gdw−1 in floc, 1.8 μg gdw−1 in surface soil,
MORPHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ACHLOROPHYLLOUS MUTANT SOYBEAN VARIETY SUSTAINED TO MATURATION VIA GRAFTING

A B STRA CT An achlorophyllous lethal-yellow (LY) soybean mutant was demonstrated to be capable of survival when provided with a suitable carbon source. In this study the carbon source was a normally pigmented soybean plant to which the LY was grafted. When grafted to a green plant the LY grew to maturity and produced viable seeds. Under moderate to high light intensities the LY leaves possessed virtually no chlorophyll; however, under low levels of continuous illumination the chlorophyll content of LY leaves increased greatly and these leaves were then capable of limited photosynthetic activity. Under the low-light conditions, LY plants could survive, independent of grafting, for several weeks. A major genetic difference in the LY when compared to its chlorophyllous counterparts appears to be a tendency for rapid chlorophyll degradation rather than inability to synthesize it. IN the past ten years grafting has been employed in soybean studies with a variety of objectives in mind. Caldwell and Hanson (1968) used reciprocal grafts among soybean genotypes to determine the importance of the root system, compared to above-ground plant parts, in regulation of protein and oil accumulation. A similar study was done by Kleese (1967) to determine whether differential accumulation of 45C and 89Sr could be demonstrated. Caldwell and Polson (1972) used grafting to determine whether roots from various soybean varieties had any effect on productivity in scions; and Polson and Smith (1972) studied scion control of mineral accumulation in soybean, where a variety of grafting combinations were employed. In the present study grafting has been employed for the first time to prolong the survival of an achlorophyllous soybean mutant which would otherwise die shortly after emergence. Maintenance of this so-called "lethal" permits morphological and physiological comparisons which were not previously possible and also provides a new research model for those interested in photosynthesis, translocation, and possibly growth regulators.
The biochemical identification of fibronectin in the sea urchin embryo.

We report the biochemical identification of fibronectin in the basal lamina of the sea urchin embryo. A.punctulata gastrula stage embryos were solubilized in Triton X-100 and the insoluble basal laminae extracted by incubation in buffer containing 8M urea, 2% 2-mercaptoethanol and 2% SDS. Extracted proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE, electrophoretically transferred to nitrocellulose filters and probed with monospecific antibodies directed against human plasma fibronectin (pFN). Incubation in 125I-labelled secondary antibody revealed a single band which co-migrates with human pFN at an apparent molecular weight of 220,000. This is the first direct biochemical demonstration of a fibronectin-like molecule in the sea urchin embryo which cross reacts with antibodies to vertebrate fibronectin.
Environmental and spontaneous localization

The dynamical elimination or reduction of macroscopic superpositions has long been of interest, particularly with regard to the quantum theory of measurement. A number of models have demonstrated this for the reduced density matrix of a system interacting with an environment. Alternatively, Ghirardi, Rhimini, and Weber [Phys. Rev. D 34, 470 (1986)] have proposed a fundamental modification of the Schr\"odinger equation, quantum mechanics with spontaneous localization (QMSL), which provides a master equation similar in mathematical form. In this paper we consider an isotropic environment that is elastically scattered by the system of interest with negligible momentum transfer, extending a previous result of Joos and Zeh [Z. Phys. B. 59, 223 (1985)] from small length scales to all length scales. We discuss the physical nature and relevance of the differences between our result and similar open systems calculations. We describe the mathematical similarity between our extended environmental model and the QMSL dynamics determining the QMSL parameters that allow calculations using QMSL to be used as a model for the effect of the environment. That gives us access to a number of interesting results obtained for the QMSL master equation. Finally, we discuss some experimental considerations for the purposes of detecting effective nonunitary evolution of this form.
Efficient embedded system algorithm mapping

For many embedded systems it is critical to reduce power and area consumption to the absolute minimum. For example, in hearing aid processing, the processors must be made small enough to fit the smallest ear canal and also provide sufficient battery life for approximately one week of operation. Implantable Cardioverter Defibrilator ICD devices require much longer lifetime but significantly less processing. Accordingly, they must have extremely low leakage and maintain sufficient reserve to provide a therapeutic action - in the case of an ICD, a pulse of up to 10J. In the absence of significant activations, these devices require a battery life of 5 years.
The Operation of the Massachusetts Income Tax

I. The Administration of the tax, 525. — II. The financial results, 528. — III. Comparison with the taxation of intangible property under the general property tax, 531.
An algebraic approach to the calculation of the magnetic moment of the Δ

A fully relativistic, gauge invariant, and nonperturbative calculation of the Δ++ magnetic moment, μΔ++, is made using equal-time commutation relations (ETCRs) and the dynamical concepts of asymptoticSUF(2) flavor symmetry and asymptotic level realization. Physical masses of the Δ and nucleon are used in this broken-symmetry calculation. It is found that μΔ++=2.04μp, where μp is the proton magnetic moment. This result is very similar to that obtained by usingSU(6)⊗O(3) symmetry or the static quark model.
The electrostatic transformer

Abstract The electrostatic transformer (EST) has been developed to match the large-capacitance hadronic signal towers of liquid ionization calorimeters to relatively low-capacitance, low-noise preamplifiers. The intrinsically fast internal impedance transformation by the EST preserves the fast rise time required for effective calorimetry in the high-rate environment of the SSC/LHC. Another advantage of the EST over an external ferrite-core transformer (FTC) is that the former is unaffected by the large magnetic field required in most detector configurations. The performance of the EST is limited primarily by crosstalk to neighboring towers, which delocalizes the signal and degrades the signal to noise ratio. In practical applications both these effects can be made small. To aid in the evaluation and design of useful ESTs we have studied an aluminum model of a hadronic tower section of typical dimensions. The measurements on the model agree well with calculations using a simple electrical model.
Differentiation of factor V-like coagulant activity from catalytic phospholipid-like surface activity in membrane fractions derived from human platelets

Abstract To investigate the role of the platelet membrane as a catalytic surface in thrombin generation, a relatively physiologic clotting assay was devised that was based on the kaolin-activated partial thromboplastin time. Frozen-and-thawed lysed platelets from normal and Factor V-deficient donors were used as a model for maximally activated normal or V-deficient platelets. An aqueous dispersion of brain phospholipids was employed as an analogue of the lipid portion of a platelet membrane. This test system made it possible to distinguish quantitatively between the contributions of an intrinsic platelet-associated Factor V-like activity (platelet factor 1 or PF1) and phospholipid-like catalytic surface activity (platelet factor 3 or PF3). The degree to which a particular membrane preparation shortened the clotting time was related to its overall catalytic surface activity which was the sum of the contributions of PF1 and PF3. In platelet preparations, both PF1 and PF3 were associated with a membrane-rich fraction that was not easily sedimentable at 12,000g-min. The log-log slope obtained for dilutions of a membrane preparation was taken as catalytic surface effectiveness and was dependent upon the parametric level of Factor V in the test system. The observed dependence was different for each membrane preparation. Effectiveness appeared to be a combined function of both the availability and occupancy of Factor V binding sites as well as the specific affinity of such sites for Factor V(Va).
Possible effect of oxygen content on the under-doped characteristics of the La2−xSrxCuO4+δ compound

Abstract The effect of oxygen non-stoichiometry on the superconducting characteristics of the La 2− x Sr x CuO 4+ δ compound in the underdoped region ( x La 2− x Sr x CuO 4+ δ compound can be unambiguously attributed to the holes in the CuO 2 sheet in the structure, the hole content (ϱ sh ) cannot be regarded as equal to the Sr content, x , as was frequently assumed. The parabolic relation between T c and x for La 2− x Sr x CuO 4+ δ is shown to not fully represent the intrinsic relation between T c and hole content for the p-type high- T c cuprates, but to be related to the variation of oxygen non-stoichiometry in the under-doped region. It is demonstrated that the intrinsic relation of T c vs. ϱ sh can be derived from the parabolic T c - x relation in the under-doped region of this system, and vice versa, provided that the variation of oxygen content with x is properly taken into account.