cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
State Implementation Planning for Clean Air

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the structural responses, funding, regulatory strategies, and collaborative measures in state responses since the 1970 Clean Air Act amendments. It incorporates survey responses from state environmental officials as part of a study conducted by the Environmental Research Institute at the University of California, Riverside, and supported by a grant from the Andrew J. Mellon Foundation. As enacted, the 1970 Clean Air Act amendments required states to submit implementation plans to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval. States could attain these levels by regulating emission sources or indirectly through transportation planning and other means. Under the Clean Air Act, states are required to monitor air quality, regulate motor vehicle emissions, and ensure that stationary pollution sources do not significantly degrade air quality. State program administrators coordinate their activities with EPA, multistate coalitions, industries, substate districts, and local governments. They initiate and participate in technical advisory committees, partnership programs, and negotiated policy development. Managers also interact directly with industries, businesses emitting toxic pollutants, and with motor vehicle owners. Title V administration and finance create additional challenges.
Performance visualization for distributed shared memory systems

Distributed shared memory (DSM) systems allow programmers to use a shared memory programming model on distributed systems. However, DSM systems present new challenges to performance evaluation and debugging. While programmers write programs with a shared memory model using shared variables and shared memory synchronization primitives to coordinate processes, most performance problems arise from the implementation of these abstractions with messages. Because the DSM abstraction hides the underlying message passing, it is difficult to identify the sources of performance problems. We have developed an instrumentation system and performance evaluation techniques for DSM systems that correlate message passing behavior in the lower levels of a DSM system with the higher-level shared memory programming abstractions. We have developed a prototype tool called Xunify to demonstrate the feasibility of such an approach. Xunify provides graphical animations of DSM programs at three distinct levels and offers a powerful event filtering facility capable to help show system behavior corresponding to specific DSM constructs.
Big Subgroups of Automorphism Groups of Doubly Homogeneous Chains

We seek new maximal subgroups of the group A(R) of order-automorphisms of the real line R. This leads us to investigate supplements of the normal subgroup B(R) consisting of the elements of bounded support. (A supplement of B is a subgroup H of A such that BH = A.) Here R could be replaced by the rational line Q, and often by any doubly homogeneous chain Ω.
Simple Single Species Population Models

We will start by looking at some simple models for the growth of an animal population. The models which we consider are not intended to be very realistic. Instead, by their simplicity, they illustrate a number of the difficulties which arise typically in building mathematical models.
The Archaeology of Climate Change: Is Unbridled Commodity Production Sustainable?

Much of the discussion concerning climate change has understandably focused on providing proof that it is an empirically verifiable process whose trajectory has been accelerating. This chapter focuses on one of the prime drivers, commodity production, and asks whether it is sustainable. What the historical archaeology of the modern era clearly has established is the critical role that commodity production has played in the growth of an ever-expanding world economy. The impact this has had on the environment from the micro- to the macro-scale is also revealed by this archaeology. Ultimately, we may be confronted by the need to drastically curtail commodity production. Here I will explore the ramifications of such a future and what it suggests about issues such as universal employment.
Overuse of organ biopsies in immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis: The consequence of failure of early recognition.

e19532Background: The diagnosis of amyloidosis requires histological confirmation of Congo-red (CR) deposits. The tissue source is preferably fat and/or bone marrow biopsy, but at times organ biops...
On maximal primitive quotients of infinitesimal Cherednik algebras of gln

Abstract We prove analogues of some of Kostantʼs theorems for infinitesimal Cherednik algebras of gl n . As a consequence, it follows that in positive characteristic the Azumaya and smooth loci of the center of these algebras coincide.
Synthesis and structure of 4- R ,5- R -[5-(hydroxy-diphenyl-methyl)-2, 2-dimethyl-[1,3]dioxolan-4-yl]-phenyl-methanone, a chiral ligand building block

A triphenyl analog of taddol, 4-R,5-R-[5-(hydroxy-diphenyl-methyl)-2,2-dimethyl-[1,3]dioxolan-4-yl]-phenyl-methanone, has been synthesized and structurally characterized. This molecule could act as a chiral ligand building block in the creation of tuned taddol analogs. Structural analysis of the title compound reveals that the hydroxyl group is involved in an intramolecular hydrogen bond and does not take part in any intermolecular interaction. Crystal packing is influenced by C–H ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ O hydrogen bonding and phenyl ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ phenyl interactions. Crystal data: Triclinic, P1 (No. 1), a = 5.9343(4) A, b = 8.2367(17) A, c = 10.987(2) A, α = 88.290(6)○, β = 75.442(4)○, γ = 80.655(6)○, V = 512.86(15) A3, Z = 1, D calc = 1.258 mg/m3. Final residual values were R 1 = 0.0407 for 3022 observed data (I > 2s(I) ) and wR 2 = 0.0941 for all 3524 unique data.
Abstract P445: Pulmonary Function is Associated With the Subendocardial Viability Ratio

Introduction: Pulmonary function is reduced and arterial stiffening is increased in type 1 diabetes. While increased arterial stiffness is associated with greater risk of cardiovascular disease in ...
Comparison of Definitions for Identifying Urgent Care Centers in Health Insurance Claims

Studies show increasing use of urgent care centers (UCCs) and there is interest in evaluating their potential for cost savings. Previous research provides limited information on generalizable methods of identifying urgent care centers and does not validate these methods. The objective of this study is to describe and validate two claims-based UCC definitions. We used FAIR Health insurance claims from 444,263 organization National Provider Identifiers (NPIs) with at least 10 claims, January 2016–March 2019 and merged this data with National Plan and Provider Enumeration System data. The first definition required (1) a UCC place of service code (POS), (2) ≥ 10% Current Procedure Terminology (CPT) codes specific to UCCs, or (3) a UCC taxonomy code in the primary field. The second definition relaxed these criteria. A random sample of 5% of NPIs identified as UCCs were validated through internet searches. Prevalence and positive predictive value (PPV) were calculated for both definitions. The first definition identified 6669 (1.5%) of NPIs as UCCs resulting in a PPV of 92%. The second definition identified 8261 (1.9%) of NPIs as UCCs and had a PPV of 87%. Out of NPIs identified under the first definition, 96% were identified using POS codes, 50% were identified using taxonomy codes, and 46% using CPT codes, with 62% of NPIs meeting multiple criteria. Findings suggest that these methods may be used by researchers to identify UCCs in studies of cost or utilization in different healthcare settings.
Role of Bio-cutting Fluids Under Minimum Quantity Lubrication: An Experimental Investigation of a Sustainable Machining Technique

Cutting fluids with their important characteristics like cooling, lubrication and chip removal functions are always admired highly in the machining industries. Earlier studies show the improvements in overall machining performance with respect to tool life, surface quality, process efficiency and reduced cutting forces. However, environmental and health problems are noted with the use of traditional cutting fluids. Therefore, time demands for alternative to synthetic oil, so bio-cutting fluids are the best possible solution for the same. This study emphasizes on investigations of surface roughness and chip thickness with bio-cutting fluids under the application of minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) condition using Taguchi method. Taguchi orthogonal array has been used for finding best vegetable cutting fluid from three cutting fluids, namely cotton seed, canola and palm oil. Surface finish and chip thickness during turning of AISI 316 is measured. Spindle speed, feed rate and depth of cut are considered as machining parameters. Investigations indicate that the least surface roughness is the outcome of lower feed rate, whereas cutting speed and depth of cut have least impact on surface finish. Shear angle is calculated to find the lowest specific energy required for machining using canola and palm oil.
Profiles of teacher & child talk during early childhood classroom shared book reading

Abstract Although shared book reading is an extensively studied activity with young children, limited research has focused on typical, holistic patterns of teacher–child interactions during this routine classroom activity. This study sought to describe profiles of teacher talk during shared book reading in 98 pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms. We also considered how identified profiles predicted a subset of students’ (n = 300) end-of-year language and literacy performance. Video recordings of teacher–child interactions during reading of a narrative text were transcribed and analyzed for the timing, content, and form of utterances. Results of latent profile analysis revealed three distinct teacher profiles of talk during book reading that we termed: Moderate Comprehenders (MC, 68% of sample), Discuss & Reflect Comprehenders (DRC, 19%), and Preview & Discuss Comprehenders (PDC, 12%). These profiles differed most in the timing (e.g., before versus after reading for PDC and DRC, respectively) and content of talk (e.g., low- versus high-cognitive demand topics for MC vs. PDC/DRC). The less common DRC and PDC teacher profiles were associated with higher amounts of child talk and more elaborate child utterances within the reading session. However, no teacher profiles or features of teacher/child utterances during this one reading session predicted children's gains in language and literacy skills across the school year. Notably, the first profile in the present study differed from a past, seminal study of shared reading; however, the other two profiles were similar to earlier work on holistic styles of shared reading.
"Randomized trial of physical activity on quality of life and lung cancer biomarkers in patients with advanced stage lung cancer: a pilot study".

Lung cancer survivors need more options to improve quality of life (QoL). It is unclear to what extent patients with advanced stage disease are willing to participate in home-based physical activity (PA) and if these interventions improve QoL. The goal of our study was to determine interest in participating in our 3-month home-based walking regimen in patients with advanced stage lung cancer. We used a randomized design to evaluate for potential benefit in PA and patient-reported outcomes. We performed an open-label, 1:1 randomized trial in 40 patients with stage III/IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) evaluating enrollment rate, PA, QoL, dyspnea, depression, and biomarkers. Compared to usual care (UC), the intervention group (IG) received an accelerometer, in-person teaching session, and gain-framed text messages for 12 weeks. We enrolled 56% (40/71) of eligible patients. Participants were on average 65 years and enrolled 1.9 years from diagnosis. Most patients were women (75%), and receiving treatment (85%) for stage IV (73%) adenocarcinoma (83%). A minority of patients were employed part-time or full time (38%). Both groups reported low baseline PA (IG mean 37 (Standard deviation (SD) 46) vs UC 59 (SD 56) minutes/week; p = 0.25). The IG increased PA more than UC (mean change IG + 123 (SD 212) vs UC + 35 (SD 103) minutes/week; p = 0.051)). Step count in the IG was not statistically different between baseline (4707 step/day), week 6 (5605; p = 0.16), and week 12 (4606 steps/day; p = 0.87). The intervention improved EORTC role functioning domain (17 points; p = 0.022) with borderline improvement in dyspnea (− 13 points; p = 0.051) compared to UC. In patients with two blood samples (25%), we observed a significant increase in soluble PD-1 (219.8 (SD 54.5) pg/mL; p < 0.001). Our pilot trial using a 3-month, home-based, mobile health intervention enrolled over half of eligible patients with stage III and IV NSCLC. The intervention increased PA, and may improve several aspects of QoL. We also identified potential biomarker changes relevant to lung cancer biology. Future research should use a larger sample to examine the effect of exercise on cancer biomarkers, which may mediate the association between PA and QoL. Clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT03352245 ).
Estimated Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in the Texas Pediatric Population, 2021

Background: The extent of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in children and adolescents at a population level in 2021 remains unclear. Children and adolescents have been considered to play an important role in transmission regardless of presence of symptoms. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody status in children ages 5-to-19 years in a sample from the State of Texas in the presence and absence of symptoms. Methods: The TX CARES (Texas Coronavirus Antibody Response Survey) is an ongoing prospective population-based sample from the Texas general population (~29·8 million) that commenced in October 2020. For the current analysis, volunteers ages 5-to-19 years were recruited throughout the state from large pediatric healthcare systems, Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers, urban and rural pediatric and family medicine practices, health insurance providers, and a social media campaign. SARS-CoV-2 antibody status measured via the Roche Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Immunoassay. Prevalence of IgM, IgA, or IgG antibodies were adjusted using sampling weights and post-stratification of age and sex. We report here findings from January 1-June 1, 2021. Findings: This analysis that included 503 children ages 5-to-19 years showed 38·7% (95% CI, 34·5-43·1) of the sample was SARS-CoV-2 antibody positive in fully adjusted estimates. A total of 30·1% (95% CI, 29·4-31·5) of adults (N=6992) in the sample were antibody positive. Over half (55·8%) of those with positive antibody status were reportedly asymptomatic. Headache (25·4%), congestion/runny nose (20·8%), and fatigue (20·3%) and were the most frequently reported symptoms among those with a positive antibody result. The odds of having a positive antibody status was 37% higher in 15-to-19 year olds versus adults (OR 1·37, 95% CI, 1·03-1·83). Interpretation: These results highlight that a majority of the pediatric population remains immunologically naive to SARS-CoV-2, emphasizing the important role vaccines may play in reaching whole population herd immunity. Funding: Texas Department of State Health Services. Declaration of Interest: We declare no competing interests. Ethical Approval: All protocols were reviewed and approved by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Institutional Review Board (IRB), but also deemed public health practice by the Texas Department of State Health Services IRB.
Vehicle-to-Grid Based Microgrid Modeling and Control

A vehicle-to-grid based microgrid system consist of multiple renewable energy sources and distributed generation units is modeled and tested in this study. Realistic EV penetration and PV solar contributions are modeled in the microgrid to improve the validity of the responses. An optimal control method is utilized to minimize the frequency deviations resulted from the generation and load changes during 24-h simulations. The analysis results show the effect of stochastic signals on the frequency and power flow responses of the system and prove improvement in the stability of the system with implementing the proposed secondary control.
Identification of Leech Swim Neurons Using a Resonance Technique

We have developed a technique to identify neuronal oscillators and to predict the period in the oscillations. The technique involves injecting subthreshold sinusoidal current over a range of frequencies into the neuron of interest and recording the resulting membrane potential oscillations. The analysis requires the decomposition of these oscillations into their harmonic components and the determination of the amplitude and phase of the first harmonic for each frequency. We have shown that neuronal oscillators exhibit a resonance peak in the membrane potential amplitude as well as positive and negative phase angles. In addition, the frequency at which the resonance peak occurs predicts the normal oscillating frequency. In applying this technique to the mathematical model of the squid axon (Hodgkin and Huxley 1952) we predicted accurately the range of firing frequencies for this model. Our preliminary results suggest that this technique can be applied to neuronal circuit oscillators as well, for we found a resonance peak at approximately 1 Hz in the membrane potential of a leech motor neuron (part of the leech swim circuit), which agrees well with the normal swimming frequency of the leech (0.5 to 2.0 Hz).
6 Beyond Boundaries, Beyond the Whale

C. L. R. James would have insisted that Americanists ask the question, ‘What do they know of America who only America know?’2 The importance of asking this question is made clear in Kwame Anthony Appiah’s In My Father’s House, which highlights the contribution of Africa to the formulation of ideas about culture.3 Such ideas, embodied in particular in the modern concept of race, prevail in both the global academy and American society. To comprehend the genealogy of these ideas, from their invention to their current stranglehold on American political discourse, an understanding of the interaction between Africa and America is vital.
The Mathematics of Finance

Among the difficulties faced by the earliest emerging civilizations was the need for record keeping. Because we have a written language, record keeping is easy enough for us, but the earliest civilizations did not have that tool. Archaeological evidence indicates that the invention of written language was contemporaneous with the development of civilization. In fact, it is hypothesized that the creation of numerical notation for record keeping was the first step in the process of developing written language (see [Sch 94]).
Tom Turner. Roadless rules: The struggle for the last wild forests

During the 1990s, the Clinton administration undertook the enormous task of creating environmental policy, designating areas in national forests that were free of roads as permanently roadless and ...
Inactivation of bee venom phospholipase A2 by manoalide. A model based on the reactivity of manoalide with amino acids and peptide sequences.

Abstract The marine natural product manoalide (MLD), a potent irreversible inhibitor of bee venom phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2 ), was shown to produce a chromophore ( λ max = 437 nm) during incubation with the enzyme. MLD also developed an identical chromophore when incubated with free lysine (Lys), cysteine (Cys) or tryptophan (Trp) but not with their N - α -amino-blocked analogs. These results suggest that the chromophore product was dependent on the presence of two nucleophilic groups which react by an ordered mechanism rather than by simple random collision. Lys polymers prevented MLD from inhibiting PLA 2 , whereas monomeric Lys did not. The optimal active polymer of Lys appeared to be a tetralysine (L 4 ) peptide, and a degree of selectivity was obtained when the Lys residues were in a 1,4-Lys arrangement. The rate of chromophore development with PLA 2 and the rate of inactivation of PLA 2 by MLD appear to be independent processes. Based on these data, it is possible that the irreversible inactivation of PLA 2 may involve an ordered reaction with a peptide sequence in PLA 2 containing a 1,4-Lys arrangement.
Understanding Tire Intermix Through the Cornering Compliance Concept

The relationship between cornering compliances and vehicle response properties, discussed in previous papers, is reviewed. The contribution of tire mechanical properties to cornering compliance is described. Typical compliance levels associated with intermix of generic tire types, wear states, and brands are listed.
Amniotic membrane is a potential regenerative option for chronic non‐healing wounds: a report of five cases receiving dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane allograft

A case series of five patients with a total of six chronic non-healing wounds (>30 day duration) were non-randomly selected to evaluate the performance, safety and handling properties of dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane allograft, an amniotic membrane scaffolding product. The patients had lower extremity wounds that had previously failed standard of care within a university outpatient/inpatient wound healing programme. Five wounds treated with dehydrated amnion/chorion membrane allograft showed a mean 43% area reduction from baseline (51% median) at 3 weeks into treatment and completely healed with a 64-day median time to closure (SD ±27·6 days). One wound worsened at 3 weeks and was found to have a complete central vein obstruction that was treated with long-term mild compression but still eventually healed at 6 months. Removing this outlier, the four responding wounds had a 72% mean and 69% median change in area from baseline, at the 3 week point. All five patients received only one application of dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane allograft, and there were no adverse events. The product was easy to use, administer and handle. In summary, dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane allograft appears to be a safe, effective and easy to use therapy for chronic non-healing wounds. This study describes the details of these clinical cases and provides an overview of the current evidence on the use of amniotic tissue in clinical practice.
Diagnosis and History Taking in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Dealing with the Challenges

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has become one of the most common neurodevelopmental diagnoses, occurring in approximately 1 in 68 children in the United States (1). Physicians caring for children with autism during the child’s acute illness may face challenges in diagnosis and treatment that can negatively impact quality of care. The difficulties stem in large measure from the core features of the syndrome. Specifically, ASD is characterized by impairments in communication skills; impairments in reciprocal social interactions; and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior and interests (2, 3). In addition to these core diagnostic features, ASD is often accompanied by impairments in cognitive and adaptive functioning, attention deficit, sensory processing disorder, and aggression or self-injurious behavior (4). In the presence of an acute illness, it can be extremely difficult to disentangle the core behaviors of autism from other illnesses. This challenge is intensified in a subgroup of these children who have very little or no expressive language (often characterized as “non-verbal” or “minimally verbal”) (5).
A Board's Duty to Monitor

One of most difficult questions in corporate law is what is the board’s duty to prevent harm to the corporation? Delaware courts currently excuse boards from responsibility for harmful outcomes not involving wrongful or illegal acts. By doing so, however, Delaware courts have encouraged boards either to be ignorant or unquestioning of aggressive risk-taking by officers. The Delaware conception of the duty to monitor is in notable contrast to calls by regulators, shareholder groups and, most recently, Congress for boards to play a more active and participatory role in the management of risks affecting the corporation. As part of a larger study of the board’s duty to monitor, this particular paper examines in detail Delaware case law defining the scope and application of the duty to monitor and considers why Delaware courts have decided that boards should not be held responsible for monitoring business risks, even if the taking of such risks results in catastrophic losses. As will be more fully argued in a separate article (38 Fla. St. U. L. Rev. (forthcoming 2011)), the current Delaware position is inconsistent with the optimal role of the board in the modern corporation. Consequently, Delaware courts should expand the scope and application of the duty to monitor.
Resolution of Diagonals and Moduli Spaces

This paper is a continuation of [BG]. In that paper, for any smooth complex curve X and n > 1, we constructed a canonical completion of the configuration space of all ordered n-tuples of distinct points of X. The completion is called Resolution of Diagonals. There is a natural stratification of the resolution of diagonals with the set of strata being parametrized by certain graphs. The homology groups of the strata turn out to be closely related to free Lie algebras. That relation played a crucial role in [BG]. It was used there for describing jets of functions on moduli spaces of principal G-bundles, a higher order analogue of the Kodaira-Spencer isomorphism.
Carotinemia in Myxedema Explanation of the Typical Slightly Icteric Tint1

In perusing clinical reports of patients with myxedema, one commonly finds the color of the skin variously described as ‘yellow,’ ‘yellowish,’ ‘waxy,’ or ‘wax-like.’ Descriptive combinations, such as ‘sallow-yellow,’ ‘yellowish pallor,’ and ’slightly icteric,’ are used. The pallor is easily explained by the high incidence of anemia in myxedema; but since the anemia is usually of the secondary or microcytic type, the yellowish color in the blood serum is not due to the degeneration products of hemoglobin. In the consecutive cases presented in this paper, the ‘yellowish’ component invariably has been found to be due to carotinemia. Interest in carotinemia associated with myxedema was first aroused in 1933 by a patient (case 1) with a decidedly yellowish pallor who had most of the internal manifestations of myxedema, including abdominal ascites, but few of the external signs. A marked carotinemia was found which disappeared under treatment with thyroid. The case was reported (3) and the appellation ‘internal...
A Comparison of the Use of Scrambled and Blocked Items in a Multi-Scale School Attitude Inventory

There is no doubt that this is a widely held assumption. Any examina tion of multi-scale inventories reveals that those in most common use employ scrambled items. [Cf., e.g., the Bell Adjustment Inventory (1), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (2), and the Washburne Social Adjustment Inventory (4).] In order to check the v?idity of this assumption, two forms of the writer's School Attitude Inventory were developed: Form BB (with items blocked according to scales) and Form SS (with items scrambled). To insure objective scrambling, scraps of paper numbered from 1 to 90 were thoroughly mixed and then drawn singly from a box. The question (on Form BB) with that number was then assigned the number of that particular draw. Except for the order of the items, the two forms were identical.
Collective radiation from plasmas

Radiations from plasmas are caused by binary collisions between dressed particles which are not point particles. The impulse approximation leads to the result by Dupree. The dressed particle includes naturally the ion correlation as well as the electron correlation, while the screened particle of Birmingham et al. excludes the former. Any cut-off procedures of divergent integrals are made unnecessary by considering both the remote and close collisions. In certain cases the radiation is enhanced by collective interactions. An example is given in which the spectrum is expressed in terms of elementary functions.
Immediate antibody-mediated (hyperacute) rejection in small-bowel transplantation and relationship to cross-match status and donor-specific C4d-binding antibodies: case report.

Abstract Background The role of preformed donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) as a barrier to isolated intestinal transplantation (ITx) remains ambiguous; thus, a positive cross-match has not been a contraindication to ITx. Objective To report the case of a patient with Crohn's disease who underwent ITx and developed immediate antibody-mediated rejection on reperfusion of the allograft. Methods Percent reactive antibody testing was performed using pretransplantation serum samples and at transplantation using bead-based assays (Luminex, Luminex Corp, Austin, Tex) and flow cytometry solid-phase assays (FlowPRA single-antigen beads (One Lambda, Inc, Canoga Park, Calif). Serologic tests, flow cytometry cross-matching, and flow cytometry assays of C4d-binding serum antibodies were also performed. Histologic and immunofluorescent analysis of biopsy specimens was performed. Results HLA typing revealed no sharing of class I or II antigens between donor and recipient. Pretransplantation donor-specific antibodies (DSA) were present at transplantation. Cross-matching (performed during surgery) was positive for class I and II by serologic testing and flow cytometry. After reperfusion, the graft immediately developed severe ischemic injury and arteritis on mucosal biopsy specimens, with immunoglobulin deposition. The DSA C4d binding antibodies were also present. After intense immunosuppression and plasmapheresis, the graft and the biopsy histologic findings showed marked improvement (day 2). By day 7 posttransplantation, patient and graft status were stable. The patient has remained clinically stable for more than a year after transplantation. Conclusions Pretransplant DSA in ITx can be a risk factor for immediate (hyperacute) but potentially reversible antibody-mediated rejection. Thus, pretransplantation DSA and cross-match results are critical components to be considered in patients awaiting or undergoing ITx.
An opto-electronic feedback preamplifier for high-resolution nuclear spectroscopy

Abstract A new type of preamplifier is described that promises a significant improvement in the energy resolution of semiconductor detector spectrometers. While other applications of the principles are anticipated, this paper deals only with their use for X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. We have achieved a total electronic contribution to the resolution of about 150 eV (fwhm-silicon) with further small improvements considered likely in the near future. This includes the detector leakage noise contribution. A conventional system using components of the same inherent quality exhibits a resolution of nearly 300 eV.
Microsporidiosis: Not just in AIDS patients

Purpose of Review: Microsporidia have emerged as causes of opportunistic infections associated with diarrhea and wasting in AIDS patients. This review describes recent reports of microsporidiosis in HIV-infected individuals and the growing awareness of microsporidiosis in non-HIV-infected populations. Recent Findings: Microsporidia were only rarely recognized as causes of disease in humans until the AIDS pandemic. Implementation of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) to curtail HIV replication and restore immune status drastically reduced the occurrence of opportunistic infections including those due to microsporidia in HIV-infected individuals. In developing countries where cART is not always accessible microsporidiosis continues to be problematic. Improvement of diagnostic methods over the previous 25 years led to identification of several new species of microsporidia many of which disseminate from enteric to systemic sites of infection and contribute to some unexpected lesions. Among non-HIV-infected but immune-suppressed individuals microsporidia have infected organ transplant recipients children the elderly and patients with malignant disease and diabetes. In otherwise healthy immune-competent HIV seronegative populations self-limiting diarrhea occurred in travelers and as a result of a foodborne outbreak associated with contaminated cucumbers. Keratitis due to microsporidiosis has become problematic and a recent longitudinal evaluation demonstrated that non-HIV-infected individuals seropositive for microsporidia who had no clinical signs continued to intermittently shed organisms in feces and urine. Summary: Greater awareness and implementation of better diagnostic methods are demonstrating that microsporidia contribute to a wide range of clinical syndromes in HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected people. As such microsporidia should be considered in differential diagnoses if no other cause can be defined.
Existence of slices on a tame context

We study the ramification theory for actions involving group schemes, focusing on the tame ramification. We consider the notions of tame quotient stack introduced in Abramovich et al. (Ann Inst Fourier (Grenoble) 58(4):1057–1091, 2008) and of tame action introduced in Chinburg et al. (Duke Math J 82(2):269–308, 1996). We establish a local slice theorem for unramified actions, prove interesting lifting properties for linearly reductive group schemes, and establish a slice theorem for actions by commutative group schemes inducing tame quotient stacks. We show that these actions are induced from an action of an extension of the inertia group on a finitely presented flat neighborhood. Finally, we consider the notion of tame action and its relation to tame quotient stacks.
Engineering education yesterday, today, and tomorrow

IF A HIGH SCHOOL BOY were to ask any one of us how to come by an engineering education, I suppose we would immediately answer: “By attending a recognized College of Engineering.” Now you, who are practicing engineers, and I, who have been a teacher of engineering for nearly 40 years, know this would be far from the complete answer. An engineering education is a jewel of many facets, the polishing of each of which requires different disciplines, some acquired in college, some elsewhere. It has been said that if you wish to educate a man you should begin with his grandfather; but if you wish to educate a man as an engineer it would seem that there is no beginning and no end. You take what you can find, you soften it up with a little heat, you hammer it into rough form in the forge, you temper it with the oil of precedence, you polish it with the abrasive of experience. Eventually, you will have an instrument which is serviceable for a time, and then, before you know it, the thing becomes obsolete and you have to begin all over again.
Polarization of collisionally redistributed light from the far wings of strontium-rare-gas systems

We have made systematic measurements of the polarization of fluorescence from Sr-rare-gas systems excited off resonance by linearly polarized light. Measurements of this type give information about the evolution during a collision after the absorption of a photon. This information is important in obtaining and verifying aspects of the interaction potential that cannot be studied using conventional line-broadening experiments. We have also measured the collisional-alignment decay rates for Sr-rare-gas systems by observing the perturber-pressure dependence of the polarization of the fluorescence. To the best of our knowledge this is a new technique for measuring these decay rates.
Mitogenic synthetic polynucleotides suppress the antibody response to a bacterial polysaccharide

Unmethylated bacterial DNA containing a high frequency of the CpG motif, is mitogenic and induces T-cell independent, murine B-cell proliferation. These stimulatory effects are also induced by synthetic oligonucleotides that contain one or more unmethylated CpG dinucleotides (CpG oligo). Such mitogenicity is not seen with highly methylated vertebrate DNA, which has a lower prevalence of the CpG motif than bacterial DNA. Due to their stimulatory effects, CpG oligo have been proposed for use as vaccine adjuvants. In order to determine if a synthetic CpG oligo that was stimulatory for B-cell proliferation could augment the murine antibody response to protective bacterial polysaccharide epitopes (Pseudomonas aeruginosa LPS-O polysaccharide side chain; high-molecular-weight polysaccharide or high-MW PS), BALB/c mice were injected with mitogenic doses of CpG oligo simultaneously with high-MW PS, and antibody titers were measured by ELISA weekly for 4 weeks. Controls received PBS, a nonstimulatory control oligo plus PS, CpG alone, or PS alone. Despite evidence of B-cell mitogenicity and an increase in total IgM in CpG oligo-treated mice, CpG oligo treatment plus PS significantly decreased the high-MW PS antibody response compared to PS alone. The blunting of the anti-PS antibody response could be eliminated by vaccinating the animals with PS prior to CpG oligo. We conclude that despite in vitro and in vivo evidence of B-cell proliferation, this CpG oligo reduces PS-specific antibody responses in an animal model when given simultaneously with a bacterial polysaccharide. Based on results in this model, oligonucleotides containing stimulatory unmethylated CpG dinucleotides may not be useful adjuvants when given simultaneously with bacterial PS vaccines.
Simultaneous and successive olfactory bulb removal: Influences on the mating behavior of male mice

Abstract Simultaneous olfactory bulb removal abolished mating behavior in sexually experienced male mice. In contrast to simultaneous bulbectomy, removal of both olfactory bulbs in two operations separated by an interval of 30 days had no effect on the mating behavior of male mice. In successively bulbectomized males, the occurrence or nonocurrence of the opportunity for mating behavior in the interval between the removal of each bulb had no influence on the degree to which mating behavior was spared. It was concluded that the abolition of mating behavior produced by simultaneously removing both olfactory bulbs in male mice is not a consequence of a sensory deficit, but is due to the destruction of tissues directly involved in the mediation of sexual behavior.
Analysis of DNA from Ethnoarchaeological Stone Scrapers

Analysis of DNA residues on stone tools provides a direct method of determining what the tools were used on. However, little is known about the taphonomy of DNA on tools. The discovery of present-day, stone-tool using hide workers in Ethiopia therefore provides a unique opportunity to study the survival and authenticity of DNA residues on stone tools. We collected stone scrapers from contexts ranging from excavated to confirmed use, as well as unused scrapers to test for the presence of DNA residues. We amplified segments of the mitochondrial genome with PCR to determine which animal species a tool was used on. We were able to recover authentic DNA from scrapers of known use and from a subset of excavated scrapers. We did, however, also obtain DNA unrelated to the use of the tools. Thus, caution must be used when interpreting results of DNA analysis of stone tools.
Optical Properties of Carbon Nanotubes: Near-Infrared Induced Hyperthermia as Therapy for Brain Tumors

In this work chemical functionalization of carbon nanotubes was conducted with the aim of improving their ability to be integrated into biological systems. Functionalized SWNT demonstrated to be an excellent vehicle to translocate a highly conjugated organic fluorophore across the cell membrane while causing little toxicity to the cells. Functionalized SWNT were introduced into different lines of the primary brain tumor cells Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). Once within the cell interior, the optical properties of the SWNT were used for both fluorescent imaging characterization and selective killing of tumor cells that had exhibited high SWNT uptake levels upon exposure to NIR radiation. Propidium iodide (PI) was employed as an indicator to determine the number of cells with compromised plasma membrane. Cell surviving ratio of as little as 10-20 percent were found in samples with intracellular nanotubes exposed to NIR radiation while a cell surviving ratio of about 95 percent was typical in irradiated samples without intracellular nanotubes. Control samples showed cell surviving ratios comparable to exposed samples without intracellular nanotubes. This study reveals new insights upon the influence of SWNT optical properties in the physicochemical processes within cells and how they can be used to develope therapy for cancerous brain tumors.
Jamming avoidance response of big brown bats in target detection

When searching for prey, big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) enhance the range of their sonar by concentrating more energy in the nearly constant-frequency (CF) tail portion of their frequency-modulated (FM) sweeps. We hypothesize that this portion of their signals may be vulnerable to interference from conspecifics using the same frequencies in their own emissions. To determine how bats modify their signals when confronted with an interfering stimulus, we compared the echolocation calls of bats when a CF jamming tone was on and off. The bats performed a two-alternative forced-choice detection task in the laboratory that required the use of echolocation. All three bats shifted the tail-end CF component of their emitted frequency bidirectionally away from the CF jamming stimulus only when the jamming frequency was within 2-3 kHz of the preferred baseline frequency of the bat. The duration of their emissions did not differ between the jamming and no-jamming trials. The jamming avoidance response of bats may serve to avoid masking or interference in a narrow range of frequencies important for target detection.
Screening for bacterial-fungal associations in a south-eastern US salt marsh using pre-established fungal monocultures.

Both bacteria and fungi play critical roles in decomposition processes in many natural environments, yet only rarely have they been studied as an integrated community. We examined whether physical associations exist between individual bacterial and fungal species that co-occur on decaying smooth cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, in a south-eastern US salt marsh. Fungal-pervaded decaying Spartina was used as “bait” for potential bacterial associates. The bundles (infiltrated with one of three dominant fungal members of the decomposer assemblage, or an autoclaved control) were placed in a salt marsh and collected biweekly for 6 weeks during the first experiment (late summer 2002), and weekly for 3 weeks during the second experiment (early summer 2003). Terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of 16S rRNA genes was used to track colonization by bacterial taxa in association with the established fungal species. T-RFLP analysis of 18S-to-28S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions was used to monitor changes in fungal communities once bundles had been placed in the field. Results from both years were nearly identical, and showed that invasion by fungi other than the bait species was slow, resulting in a virtual fungal monoculture for several weeks into the experiments. Surprisingly, bacterial communities were unaffected by the identity of the fungal bait. Regardless of the fungal species, and even in the absence of prior fungal colonization, bacterial 16S rRNA profiles were remarkably similar. These results suggest that few species-specific associations, either positive or negative, exist between bacterial and fungal members of the Spartina decomposer community during initial colonization.
Management of chronic pancreatitis in the pediatric patient: endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography vs operative therapy.

Abstract Purpose The management of chronic pancreatitis (CP) in children is challenging. We compare endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to operative therapy (OR). Methods The study involved review of patients younger than 18 years with CP who underwent ERCP or OR from 1973 to 2007. Follow-up was complete in 95% of patients (median, 6 years; range, 1-23 years). Results We identified 37 children with CP; 25 (68%) were managed by OR with 20 of these previously failing ERCP. Twelve (32%) were managed by ERCP alone. Mean follow-up was longer in the OR group (5.1 vs 2.1 years; P = .02). Patients with idiopathic pancreatitis (58% vs 13%; P = .04) and patients with a later onset of pancreatitis (12.0 vs 7.4 years; P = .002) were more likely to be managed with ERCP alone. The patients who underwent OR had a lower rate of recurrent pancreatitis (39% vs 75%; P P P = .04) compared to OR. Conclusion Patients with CP managed by OR have a lower rate of recurrent pancreatitis and hospitalization compared to ERCP.
Proteomic analysis of the genotoxicant methylazoxymethanol (MAM)-induced changes in the developing cerebellum.

The genotoxicant methylazoxymethanol (MAM) is a widely used developmental neurotoxin, and its glucoside is an etiological factor for western Pacific amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS/PDC). Identification of global protein expression changes that occur in response to MAM in the developing cerebellum could provide valuable insight into the potential mechanisms involved in the neurodegeneration process. We have utilized fluorescence 2-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE), to determine the protein expression changes that occur during normal cerebellar development and in response to MAM. Three day-old postnatal C57BL/6 mice (PND3) received a single injection of MAM, and the cerebella of postnatal day 4 (PND4) and day 22 (PND22) were analyzed. Approximately, 1400 unique spots were matched and quantified in all samples. Comparison of PND4 and PND22 developing cerebellum showed that a significant fraction of the proteome (∼68%) changes at this stage. The immediate ...
Is there evidence for a common amino acid sequence in proteins with membrane attaching ability

A comparison between the primary sequence of staphylococcal protein A (SpA) and a wide range of published protein sequences revealed a limited, but striking homology in approximately two-thirds of them. The region in the SpA sequence with the common homology was identified as the octapeptide repeats comprising the cell wall peptidoglycan-binding domain. Available structural information and the known location of the proteins within their host cells suggests that this common octapeptide may be important in interaction of the protein with the cell surface (either membrane or wall).
Approximation of the dielectric properties of Maxwellian plasmas: dispersion functions and physical constraints

The dielectric properties of Maxwellian plasmas are approximated using high Pade approximants to the dispersion function and direct approximation of the distribution. Physical constraints on permissible approximations are discussed, and it is found that some previously published results can lead to predictions of qualitatively incorrect wave properties, including unphysical negative damping. Approximate dispersion functions for Maxwellian distributions are given explicitly, and some of the effects of these approximations on the resulting dispersion are discussed. The approximations discussed here are of use both in analytical work and in accelerating large-scale numerical computations.
Humoral antibody response to autologous lymphoid cell cultures.

Abstract Sera of five patients who were given multiple injections of autologous lymphoid-cell cultures were studied for humoral antibodies. Three patients developed, as a result of the injections, alloantibodies detectable by mixed agglutination and/or lymphocytotoxicity tests. Absorption experiments showed that antigens corresponding to antibodies of these patients were present on their own lymphoid cell cultures. The possibility was discussed that cultured lymphoid cells acquired new alloantigens in the process of propagation. Consistent with this hypothesis was identification of three antigens (2, 3, 9) controlled by the first HL-A sublocus, on cultured lymphoid cells of patient BH. Significantly, this patient formed antibodies with HL-A2 specificity.