cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Household material hardships impact emergency department reliance in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease

BACKGROUND In sickle cell disease (SCD), high emergency department (ED) utilization is associated with worse outcomes and increased costs. A metric called ED reliance (EDr), the percentage of healthcare visits that occur in the ED, attempts to identify ED overutilization. It is unknown if household material hardships (HMH)-housing, utility, or food insecurity-impact reliance on the ED. As these may represent modifiable risk factors for high ED utilization, we aimed to estimate the association between HMH and EDr in pediatric patients with SCD. METHODS We reviewed the electronic medical records of pediatric patients with SCD who received care in the Boston Medical Center network in Massachusetts, USA, to collect data on HMH and healthcare utilization. Using linear regression to control for potential confounders, we modeled the association between material hardships and EDr. RESULTS Of 101 eligible patients, 60 (59%) reported one or more HMH. The mean EDr was 12% overall, with significant differences between those with and without HMH (15.9 vs 5.9, P = 0.0001). Each additional hardship experienced was associated with an increased average EDr of 7.7 percentage points (R2 = 0.34, P < 0.0001). Housing and utility hardships were each independently associated with increased EDr. CONCLUSION HMH are associated with significantly increased EDr in children with SCD, independent of transportation hardship or insurance type. Through screening for HMH, providers and health systems could identify at-risk patients with modifiable risk factors for high EDr in order to provide them additional support.
Molecular modeling of scorpion toxin binding to voltage-gated K+ channels

Mutational studies have identified part of the S5-S6 loop of voltage-dependent K+ channels (P region) responsible for tetraethylammonium (TEA) block and permeation properties. Several scorpion peptide toxins – charybdotoxin (ChTX), kaliotoxin (KITX), and agitoxin (AgTX) – also block the channel with high affinity and specificity. An interaction surface for the toxins has been identified by mutation-induced alteration in toxin binding, and some of the interaction partners have been identified by mutation of channel residues using mutant cycle analysis. This has provided a general picture for the channel vestibule. Here, we examine the interaction predicted when the scorpion toxins are docked onto a molecular model of the K+ channel pore (the Kv1.3 isoform) that we recently proposed [1]. In the optimal alignment of the toxin with the pore, Arg-24 of KITX or AgTX forms a hydrogen bond with the Asp-386 carboxyl of one subunit, and Asn-30 is in immediate contact with Asp-386 of the opposing subunit in the channel tetramer. Toxin residues in proximity to the side chain of Lys-27 (Phe-25, Thr-36, Met-29, and Ser-11 in KITX) interact with the outer ring of four C-end His-404 residues. For ChTX the interaction with Asp-386 is reduced, but this is compensated by additional non-bonded interactions formed by Tyr-36 and Arg-34. Comparison of calculated energy of interaction of these specific toxin-channel residue pairs with experimental studies reveals good agreement. The similar total calculated energy of interaction is consistent with the similar IC50 for Kv1.3 block by KITX and ChTX. Molecular modeling shows complementarity of the pore model to toxin spatial structures, and contributes to our understanding of the surface topology to the K+ channel outer vestibule.
Engineering Alfalfa to Produce 2-O-Caffeoyl-L-Malate (Phaselic Acid) for Preventing Post-harvest Protein Loss via Oxidation by Polyphenol Oxidase.

Many plants accumulate high levels of hydroxycinnamoyl esters and amides in their tissues, presumably to protect against biotic and abiotic stress. Red clover (Trifolium pretense) leaves accumulate high levels (5-15 mmol/kg fresh weight [FW]) of caffeic acid derivatives, including phaselic acid (2-O-caffeoyl-L-malate). Oxidation of caffeoyl-malate by an endogenous polyphenol oxidase (PPO) has been shown to help preserve forage protein after harvest and during storage as silage, which should improve N use efficiency in dairy and other ruminant production systems. The widely grown forage alfalfa lacks both PPO and PPO substrates and experiences substantial loss of protein following harvest. We previously identified a hydroxycinnamoyl-coenzyme A (CoA):malate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (HMT, previously called HCT2) responsible for phaselic accumulation in red clover. With the goal of producing PPO-oxidizable compounds in alfalfa to help preserve forage protein, we expressed red clover HMT in alfalfa. Leaves of these alfalfa accumulated mainly p-coumaroyl- and feruloyl-malate (up to 1.26 and 0.25 mmol/kg FW, respectively). Leaves of HMT-expressing alfalfa supertransformed with an RNA interference (RNAi) construct to silence endogenous caffeoyl-CoA acid O-methyltransferase (CCOMT) accumulated high levels of caffeoyl-malate, as well as the p-coumaroyl and feruloyl esters (up to 2.16, 2.08, and 3.13 mmol/kg FW, respectively). Even higher levels of caffeoyl- and p-coumaroyl-malate were seen in stems (up to 8.37 and 3.15 mmol/kg FW, respectively). This level of caffeoyl-malate accumulation was sufficient to inhibit proteolysis in a PPO-dependent manner in in vitro experiments, indicating that the PPO system of post-harvest protein protection can be successfully adapted to alfalfa.
Quinine di­hydro­chloride hemihydrate

Numerous non-covalent inter­actions link together discrete mol­ecules in the crystal structure of the title compound, 2C20H26N2O22+·4Cl−·H2O {systematic name: 4-[(5-ethenyl-1-azonia­bicyclo­[2.2.2]octan-2-yl)(hy­droxy)meth­yl]-6-meth­oxy­quinolin-1-ium dichloride hemihydrate}. A combination of hydrogen bonding between acidic H atoms and the anions in the asymmetric unit forms a portion of the observed hydrogen-bonded network. π–π inter­actions between the aromatic portions of the cation appear to play a role in the formation of the long-range ordering. One ethyl­ene double bond was found to be disordered. The disorder extends to the neighboring carbon and hydrogen atoms.
Smoothed Differential Privacy.

Differential privacy (DP) is a widely-accepted and widely-applied notion of privacy based on worst-case analysis. Often, DP classifies most mechanisms without external noise as non-private [Dwork et al., 2014], and external noises, such as Gaussian noise or Laplacian noise [Dwork et al., 2006], are introduced to improve privacy. In many real-world applications, however, adding external noise is undesirable and sometimes prohibited. For example, presidential elections often require a deterministic rule to be used [Liu et al., 2020], and small noises can lead to dramatic decreases in the prediction accuracy of deep neural networks, especially the underrepresented classes [Bagdasaryan et al., 2019]. In this paper, we propose a natural extension and relaxation of DP following the worst average-case idea behind the celebrated smoothed analysis [Spielman and Teng, 2004]. Our notion, the smoothed DP, can effectively measure the privacy leakage of mechanisms without external noises under realistic settings. We prove several strong properties of the smoothed DP, including composability, robustness to post-processing and etc. We proved that any discrete mechanism with sampling procedures is more private than what DP predicts. In comparison, many continuous mechanisms with sampling procedures are still non-private under smoothed DP. Experimentally, we first verified that the discrete sampling mechanisms are private in real-world elections. Then, we apply the smoothed DP notion on quantized gradient descent, which indicates some neural networks can be private without adding any extra noises. We believe that these results contribute to the theoretical foundation of realistic privacy measures beyond worst-case analysis.
On the Path to Mental Health in the Andes

I arrived in Ayacucho, Peru on a Monday morning in January 2012 shortly after completing a three-week general medicine elective in a small clinic in southern Ecuador. I was set to begin a six-week psychiatry elective, observing and participating in patient encounters in mental health clinics and hospitals in both the Andean city of Ayacucho and Lima, Peru’s capital. Providing supervised medical care to patients in Ecuador had exposed me to some of the health issues commonly faced by a rural Andean population of farmers or campesinos, as well as the challenges of working in low-resource settings. Patients largely reported ailments related to a lifetime of hard physical labor, such as back and joint pain, and were also treated for a range of common medical conditions, including hypertension and acid reflux. Occasionally, my supervising doctor commented that he suspected some patients’ physical symptoms reflected elements of “somatization,” the embodiment of mental distress. Having studied medical anthropology prior to medical school, I was familiar with this phenomenon and other “local idioms of distress,” or the “particular ways in which members of sociocultural groups convey affliction.”1 However, in this busy medical clinic, there was rarely time to meaningfully explore the etiologies of such complaints with patients. Deeply interested in further exploring how health and experience are shaped by complex interactions between social, cultural, political and economic factors, I sensed the unique nature of the opportunity to work in Ayacucho, a city that simultaneously epitomizes the beauty of the Andes and embodies the region’s darker history of political violence and economic oppression. Strongly considering a career in global mental health, I was curious to learn about the models of mental health care being employed in the clinics and hospitals I would encounter and the ways they were addressing the astonishing treatment gap that characterizes this field. Currently, more than three-quarters of individuals with serious cases of mental illness in less developed countries do not receive adequate treatment.2 The great challenge for the field of global mental health is to address this “moral failure of humanity” in contextually appropriate ways that promote human rights and avoid detrimentally imposing Western systems of diagnosis and treatment.3
The Framing of Disc Golf in News Media

Ultimately, the future of a sport depends on people’s perceptions of it. Even a sport movement with promising internal characteristics—a cohesive culture, a pronounced identity, strong leadership, and long-term investors—depends on outside organizations and institutional players to convert these resources into increased legitimacy and new participants. Non-normative movements like disc golf face the added challenge of breaking through the public’s indifference, negative perceptions, and stereotypes. Building on the inward-looking perspective of resource mobilization theory, this chapter and Chap. 9 utilize a cultural approach to social movements and examine the role of news media in the development of non-normative sports. This chapter shows how both the volume of coverage and the framing of disc golf in news media are positively correlated with reliable measures of the sport’s growth over a twenty-year period. The sport received more news coverage and more favorable portrayals as the number of disc golf courses, PDGA members, and events increased.
Discovery in a Screening Model of Final Offer Arbitration

We develop screening models of final offer arbitration (FOA) in which the uninformed party makes a demand to the informed party. We consider models in which settlement occurs before and after the submission of binding offers, and in each we analyze costly discovery. Our results are compared to conventional arbitration (CA) which may viewed as a litigation model. Overall, the incentive to invoke discovery is stronger in FOA than in CA, due in part, to informational rents often present in FOA, but not in CA. Moreover, submitted proposals under FOA contain information which raise the benefit of invoking discovery.
Juggling Work and Home Selves: Low Identity Integration Feels Less Authentic and Increases Unethicality

This research investigates the effect of individuals’ subjective perceptions of the overlap among different identities on their feelings of authenticity and the likelihood of engaging in unethical behavior. Across four studies we found that low (vs. high) identity integration led to greater feelings of in-authenticity and a higher likelihood of engaging in unethical behavior. Manipulation of low (vs. high or control) identity integration led to higher feelings of in-authenticity (Study 1) and greater cheating behavior (Study 2). Feelings of in-authenticity mediated the causal effect of low identity integration on dishonesty (Study 3). In a field survey, using supervisor–employee dyads, we replicated the results from the lab to show that employees who reported lower identity integration felt more inauthentic and were more likely to behave unethically as measured by their supervisors’ report of interpersonal and organizational deviance (Study 4). Our results demonstrate that the manner in which individuals view their multiple identities influences feelings of in-authenticity and unethical behavior.
Recommendations for the use of the acetaminophen hepatotoxicity model for mechanistic studies and how to avoid common pitfalls

Abstract Acetaminophen (APAP) is a widely used analgesic and antipyretic drug, which is safe at therapeutic doses but can cause severe liver injury and even liver failure after overdoses. The mouse model of APAP hepatotoxicity recapitulates closely the human pathophysiology. As a result, this clinically relevant model is frequently used to study mechanisms of drug-induced liver injury and even more so to test potential therapeutic interventions. However, the complexity of the model requires a thorough understanding of the pathophysiology to obtain valid results and mechanistic information that is translatable to the clinic. However, many studies using this model are flawed, which jeopardizes the scientific and clinical relevance. The purpose of this review is to provide a framework of the model where mechanistically sound and clinically relevant data can be obtained. The discussion provides insight into the injury mechanisms and how to study it including the critical roles of drug metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, necrotic cell death, autophagy and the sterile inflammatory response. In addition, the most frequently made mistakes when using this model are discussed. Thus, considering these recommendations when studying APAP hepatotoxicity will facilitate the discovery of more clinically relevant interventions.
A Review of the Year in Family Law: Erisa, Jurisdiction, and Third-Party Cases Multiply

This year federal and state courts heard a large volume of cases involving the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The intricacies of federal pension law require lawyers to be more knowledgeable than simply being able to draft a Qualified Domestic Relations Order. In 2005, census data reveals that for the first time non-marital households outnumber marital households. Instead of using the traditional divorce codes to divide property and determine residential arrangements for children, family lawyers may have to prove a relationship that will support some type of property division or convince a judge to define a "parent" beyond just biological or legal parentage. Courts also balanced parental rights with grandparents, former spouses, cohabitants, and same-sex partners, who alleged de facto parenthood and entitlement to seek visitation with children. In addition, many cases involved jurisdictional conflicts between states and countries.
Editors’ Note Added in Proof: On the Significance of Environmental Xenoestrogens

Because of the well-established connection between estrogens and neoplasia, a widely publicized 1993 epidemiological study [M. S. Wolff et al.: J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 85, 648 (1993)] focused attention on the cancer risk of exposure to environmentally distributed chemical agents, which are either estrogenic themselves or affect estrogen production and metabolism (i.e., are xenoestrogens). This case-control study of 58 prospectively gathered cases from a cohort of 14,000 women found that women having the highest serum levels of DDE (a metabolite of the pesticide DDT) had a fourfold greater risk of breast cancer than women with the lowest levels. However, a second epidemiological study which revisited the topic one year later [N. Krieger et al.: J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 86, 589 (1994)] came to a diametrically opposite conclusion and found no association between risk of breast cancer and serum levels of DDE in 150 women who developed breast cancer in an average of 14 years after the samples have been collected. Despite the overall inconclusive outcome of these two recent epidemiological studies, other results support the association between chlorinated organics and breast cancer. In one study the breast lipids of women with cancer at biopsy had about 40% more of certain chlorinated pesticides, such as metabolites of DDT and higher levels of PCBs [F. Falck, Jr., et al.: Arch. Environ. Health 47, 143 (1992)]. In another study 50% more hexachlorocyclohexane was detected in pooled blood of breast cancer cases compared to a pooled reference group [H. Mussalo-Rauhamaa et al.: Cancer 66, 2124 (1990)].
The role of ammonium oxidizing communities in mediating effects of an invasive plant on soil nitrification

Abstract Invasive plants often benefit from changes that they impose on soil microbes via positive plant–soil feedback, but the mechanisms that underlie these changes, and the legacy of their effects, remain poorly quantified. We investigated the impacts of an invasive annual grass, Microstegium vimineum, on the structure and functioning of soil microbial communities in a multi-year, field-based common garden experiment. Given previous reports that M. vimineum can both elevate nitrification rates in soil and benefit from enhanced nitrate availability, we sought to answer the following questions: 1) Does M. vimineum alter the abundance or composition of soil nitrifying microbial communities (ammonia oxidizing archaea and bacteria, AOA and AOB, respectively)? 2) Are such effects reversible or do soil legacy effects persist after M. vimineum is no longer present? After three years, invaded plots had greater AOA abundances than uninvaded native dominated plots, as well as different AOA community structure. However, after seven years, and following a period of M. vimineum replacement by native plants in the invaded plots, AOA abundances and nitrification rates declined toward levels found in uninvaded plots. Collectively, our results suggest that while the impacts of M. vimineum invasions on nitrogen cycling likely relate to their association with AOA, these effects may not persist if M. vimineum declines over time and native plants and their associated microbes are able to re-establish.
Magnetic Stimulation of the Nervous System

ABSTRACT.Magnetic stimulation is a painless and promising new technique for studying the nervous system. The basic theory and electronic circuits are straightforward. The magnetic field easily activates cerebral cortex and deep nerves that are inaccessible to conventional stimuli. Most applications thus far have been in the motor system. Thousand of patients with different neurological diseases have been studied clinically without adverse effects, and research applications are expanding.
Evidence Regarding the UV Sunscreen Role of a Mycosporine-Like Compound in the Cyanobacterium Gloeocapsa sp.

The UV sunscreen role commonly ascribed to mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) was investigated with an isolate of the terrestrial cyanobacterium Gloeocapsa sp. strain C-90-Cal-G.(2), which accumulates intracellularly an MAA with absorbance maximum at 326 nm but produces no extracellular sunscreen compound (i.e., scytonemin). The intracellular concentrations of MAA achieved were directly related to the intensity of the UV radiation (maximum at 320 nm) received by the cells. However, the presence of high concentrations of MAA was not necessary for the physiological acclimation of the cultures to UV radiation. The measured sunscreen factor due to MAA in single cells was 0.3 (the MAA prevented 3 out of 10 photons from hitting potential cytoplasmic targets). High contents of MAA in the cells correlated with increased resistance to UV radiation. However, when resistance was gauged under conditions of desiccation, with inoperative physiological photoprotective and repair mechanisms, cells with high MAA specific contents were only 20 to 25% more resistant. Although UV radiation centered around both 320 and 365 nm resulted in chlorophyll a photobleaching and photoinhibition of photosynthesis, the difference in sensitivity correlated with MAA accumulation occurred only at 320 nm (absorbed by MAA) and not at 365 nm (not absorbed by MAA). This difference represents the maximal protection ascribable to the presence of MAA for single cells, i.e., if one does not consider the enhancing effects of colony formation on protection by sunscreens.
CONSTRUCTION AND ANALYSIS OF A MODIFIED TN4001 CONFERRING CHLORAMPHENICOL RESISTANCE IN MYCOPLASMA PNEUMONIAE

Abstract TheStaphylococcus aureustransposon Tn4001and derivatives thereof have been transformed successfully in several mycoplasma species. In order to expand the versatility of Tn4001for other genetic manipulations and for use in mycoplasma species resistant to gentamicin (Gm), chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (Cat) fromS. aureuswas evaluated as a selectable marker. Thecatgene was cloned in both orientations into a modified Tn4001and transformed intoMycoplasma pneumoniae,conferring resistance to Cm and Gm. Replacement of the gene for GmRin Tn4001withcatlikewise conferred CmRwhen transformed intoM. pneumoniae.The minimum inhibitory concentration to Cm in transformants withcatderivatives of Tn4001was 300–500 μg/ml, and Cat enzyme activity was demonstrated by using a fluorescent substrate.
Elicit: Efficiently identify computation-intensive tasks in mobile applications for offloading

As mobile devices are battery powered and have less computing resources, plenty of research has been conducted on how to efficiently offload computing-intensive tasks in a mobile application to more powerful counterpart. However, prior research either implicitly assumes that the computing-intensive tasks are known in advance or the application developers will make special notations about them. In this paper, we design a framework Elicit to efficiently identify the computation-intensive tasks in mobile applications for offloading. Furthermore, we also consider the response time savings dynamically when deciding whether to offload a task based on the runtime system resources. A prototype of Elicit is built based on the Dalvik VM. Our evaluation with some popular Android applications from Google Play shows that Elicit can efficiently find an application's computing-intensive task and save response time and energy consumption when these tasks are offloaded.
Use of lanthanum to accurately quantify insulin-like growth factor binding to proteins on cell surfaces

Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) are found both associated with cells and in extracellular fluids. Cell-associated IGFBPs increase [125I]-IGF binding to cell monolayers, whereas extracellular (soluble, released) IGFBPs decrease binding. In the current study, we show that either IGFBP-3 or IGFBP-5 are the major forms of IGFBP released from monolayers of human GM10 fibroblasts, T98G glioblastoma cells and forskolin-treated bovine MDBK cells. IGFBPs represent the most abundant [125I]-IGF-I binding site on GM10 and T98G cell monolayers, but 4-17% of the total cell-associated IGFBPs are released from the cell monolayer at 8 degrees C during their quantification. Most of the IGFBPs (> 70%) are released from MDBK cells. Quantitative estimates of [125I]-IGF binding to the cell monolayers are altered because of the ability of the released IGFBPs to reduce the amount of radiolabeled ligand that is available to bind to the cell surface. Lanthanum (La3+) depresses IGFBP release from all three cell types (> 80% for GM10 and T98G cells and > 65% for MDBK cells). The effect was cation specific, noted with La3+ or Zn2+ but not with either Mn2+, Sr2+ or Se3+. The effect was also IGFBP specific; La3+ markedly depressed the release of IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5, but had less of an effect on IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-4. Concomitant with a decrease in IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5 release, La3+ caused an increase in [125I]-IGF-I binding to cell-associated IGFBPs and type I IGF receptors. The released soluble IGFBPs have a three- to 20-fold greater affinity (Ka) for [125I]-IGF-I compared to cell-associated IGFBPs. La3+ did not alter the affinity constants of cell-associated IGFBPs. In summary, we have identified a means to prevent loss of IGFBPs from cell monolayers during binding assays. This procedure will be useful in accurately quantifying the levels of IGFBPs on cell monolayers and in determining the role of cell-associated IGFBPs in controlling IGF activity. Retention of cell-associated low affinity IGFBPs may be important in controlling the size of the pericellular IGF pool and in regulating IGF-I access to the type IIGF receptor.
60 nm self-aligned-gate InGaAs HEMTs with record high-frequency characteristics

We have developed a new self-aligned gate technology for InGaAs High Electron Mobility Transistors with non-alloyed Mo-based ohmic contacts and a very low parasitic capacitance gate design. The new process delivers a contact resistance of 7 Ohm-µm and a source resistance of 147 Ohm-µm. The non-alloyed Mo-based ohmic contacts show excellent thermal stability up to 600 °C. Using this technology, we have demonstrated a 60 nm gate length self-aligned InGaAs HEMT with g m = 2.1 mS/µm at V DS = 0.5 V, and f T = 580 GHz and f max = 675 GHz at V DS = 0.6 V. These are all record or near record values for this gate length.
Federal Child Abuse and Child Neglect Policy in the United States Since 1974: A Review and Critique:

This article examines key federal legislation concerning child abuse and child neglect over the past tree decades. It analyzes how shifting and contradictory policies concerning how best to achieve "permanency planning" for abused and neglected children have characterized federal legislation. Two key federal acts are examined: the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 and the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. The assumptions behind the stated objectives of each act are analyzed and a critique of the problems and shortcomings of each is presented. The article also critical examines the reluctance of federal policy to fully address the relationship between poverty and child abuse and child neglect. It also evaluates why current and pet policies are not in the best interests of Children.
Experiments with Granular Material Motion for Extraterrestrial Applications

In this study, a horizontal drum tumbler, filled at variable depths with spherical media, was rotated at constant speeds. An exposed monoplane layer of aggregate was photographed with a high-speed camera, in order to perform a particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) algorithm followed by image registering. The algorithms extracted both the translational and rotational velocities. To our knowledge, this is the first reported experimental measurement of rotational velocities in a rotary drum tumbler with granular media. The objective of this study, companioned with David Helminiak’s “ Simulations with Granular Material Motion for Extraterrestrial Applications ” , sought to measure the induced rotational velocity of individual grains and characterize the distribution of energy, both translational and rotational. The study not only proposes an addition to the existing idea of force chains, namely rotational “Bro - chains”, but also suggests that within industry, mass finishing can benefit from complete energy characterization.
Effects of shoreline hardening on nitrogen processing in estuarine marshes of the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast

Multiple stressors affect estuarine shorelines including erosion, sea level rise and impacts from human development of adjacent lands. Increasingly common features of coastal development are vertical shoreline stabilization structures such as bulkheads. Bulkheads are designed to prevent land loss and flooding through the construction of a vertical wall anchored to the land. However, they break the connection between land and water and are barriers to upland plant migration. This disconnect can affect hydrology, alter nutrient and sediment supplies, and lead to marsh loss. We measured the effects of bulkheads on sediment nitrogen fluxes, including denitrification (DEN), at three representative estuarine shoreline types: natural marsh (no bulkhead), bulkhead without marsh, and bulkheads with marshes of varying widths. Sediment cores were taken mid-marsh or, 2 m seaward of bulkhead in sites lacking marsh in northern, central and southern coastal regions of North Carolina. Concentrations of N2 and O2 were measured using a membrane inlet mass spectrometer. In addition, sediment organic matter and inorganic nitrogen concentrations were quantified. Average DEN rate was 93.1 ± 7.0 µmol N m−2 h−1 with the highest rates in the summer and lowest rates in the winter. Sediment oxygen demand was positively correlated with DEN rate (R2 = 0.43, p < 0.01), which suggests that DEN is affected by carbon lability. DEN was not affected by bulkhead presence (R2 = 0.01, p = 0.52), but marsh presence significantly affected yearly DEN rates (R2 = 0.13, p < 0.01). These data indicate that bulkheads do not directly affect nitrogen processing, but indirectly reduce cycling rates through marsh loss.
Nonsurgical Management of Binocular Diplopia Induced by Macular Pathology

Objective To treat binocular diplopia secondary to macular pathology. Methods Seven patients underwent evaluation and treatment. All had constant vertical diplopia caused by various maculopathies, including subretinal neovascularization, epiretinal membrane, and central serous retinopathy. Visual acuity ranged from 20/20 to 20/30 in the affected eye. All except 1 patient had a small-angle, comitant hyperdeviation with no muscle paresis. Sensory evaluation demonstrated peripheral fusion and reduced stereoacuity. Neither prism correction nor manipulation of the refractive errors corrected the diplopia. A partially occlusive foil (Bangerter) of density ranging from 0.4 to 1.0 was placed in front of the affected eye to restore stable, single vision. Results The Bangerter foil eliminated the diplopia in all patients. Two patients elected not to wear the foil; 1 patient was afraid of becoming dependent, and the other was bothered by the visual blur. Visual acuity in the affected eye was reduced on average by 3 lines. All patients maintained the same level of sensory fusion, with only 2 having reduced stereoacuity. Symptoms returned when the foil was removed or its density was reduced. Conclusion Low-density Bangerter foils provide an effective, inexpensive, and aesthetically acceptable management for refractory binocular diplopia induced by macular pathology, allowing peripheral fusion to be maintained.
Capillary scale admittance detection.

Techniques that have been variously termed oscillometric detection or (capacitively coupled) contactless conductivity detection (C4D) are known actually to respond to the admittance. It is not often appreciated that the frequency range (f) over which such systems respond (quasi)linearly with the cell conductance decreases acutely with increasing cell resistance. Guidance on optimum operating conditions for high cell resistance, such as for very small capillaries/channels and/or solutions of low specific conductance (σ), is scant. It is specially necessary in this case to take the capacitance of the solution into account. At high frequencies and low σ values, much of the current passes through the solution behaving as a capacitor and the capacitance is not very dependent on the exact solution specific conductance, resulting in poor, zero, or even negative response. We investigated, both theoretically and experimentally, capillaries with inner radii of 5–160 μm and σ ≈ 1–1400 μS/cm, resulting in cell resist...
Grain-scale permeabilities of synthetic quartzite with volumetrically minor phlogopite, corundum, or aluminosilicate

Abstract In order to examine grain-scale permeabilities in materials that are microstructurally similar to those of the lower crust and upper mantle, we produced porous synthetic quartzites with small fractions of an additional minor mineral. Powdered quartz was mixed with minor amounts of either corundum or phlogopite and run in Ag capsules at 800–850 °C and 1.4 GPa for 5 to 10 days. The resulting quartzites generally exhibited microstructural equilibrium and contained phlogopite, corundum, or aluminosilicate. The minor mineral in all runs typically resided along quartz grain boundaries at low volume fractions (X) but increasingly occurred as porous clusters within corner pores at higher X. In all polished sections, the smallest quartz-bound pores appeared free of the minor mineral. Pore geometry of all materials differed from that observed in pure synthetic quartzite: pores exhibited an increased number of facets, a small decrease in the dihedral angle, and partial filling of larger pores by the minor phase. Measurements of permeability (k) were both higher and lower than those of monomineralic quartzite with similar ϕ, with k decreasing as a function of X. This decrease is likely the result of pore-throat reduction, either through fluid redistribution or obstruction of fluid pathways.
Externally-driven charge transfer in silicates at high pressure and temperature: A XANES study

Abstract Modest perturbations induced by an externally-applied electric field can generate significant variations in effective oxygen fugacity in high temperature silicates. This result has at least two-fold importance: first, it is a new petrologic technique to examine the behavior of a single sample under a large range of effective oxygen fugacity; and second, it is a mechanism for planetary electric fields to generate potentially significant chemical heterogeneities within planetary interiors. The redox state of Fe and V within a partially melted basaltic andesite was manipulated in situ in a piston-cylinder experiment with a DC power supply providing a source and sink of electrons to the sample. A 1 V electrical potential difference was applied across vanadium-doped synthetic basalt samples for 24 h. at 20 kbar and 1400 °C in a specially-designed piston cylinder sample assembly. Three experiments were performed: a control sample with no applied voltage, one with bottom ground and top anode (+ 1 V), and a third with top ground and bottom anode (+ 1 V). Synchrotron-based X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy (XANES) was used to provide maps of iron and vanadium oxidation states with 5 μm × 5 μm spatial resolution throughout the recovered samples. Systematic increasing oxidation states of V and Fe were observed approaching the anode. Oxidation states were mapped to corresponding local oxygen fugacities by comparison with a series of samples synthesized under known oxygen fugacity conditions from previous studies. Both Fe and V markers indicate that the 1 V potential drop across the sample induces effective oxygen fugacity perturbations of 10 orders of magnitude. Therefore, it is possible that the presence of modest poloidal electric fields (∼ 10− 6 V/m) within the Earth’s outer core may provide an electrochemical driving force for localized charge transfer reactions in certain overlying mantle areas, generating local order-of-magnitude differences in effective oxygen fugacity.
Neuromuscular Function in Painful Knee Osteoarthritis

Pain is a major cause of impaired mobility in elderly patients with chronic osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Central sensitization and impaired nociceptive inhibitory mechanisms have both been identified as contributing factors to heightened pain in this patient population. While central sensitization has been shown to produce enhanced pain responses and spread of pain to adjacent and remote body regions, conditioned pain modulation has also been shown to be adversely affected, and may be characteristic of those patients with chronic pain. Alterations of quantitative sensory testing measures have been demonstrated in patients with knee OA, and may serve as a clinical means of staging chronic musculoskeletal pain, including assessment of hyperalgesia and hypoesthesia. In addition, pain and altered somatosensation commonly associated with OA may be correlated with functional deficits.
Volatile N-nitrosamines in Environment Tobacco Smoke: Sampling,Analysis, Smission Factors, and Indoor Air Exposures

A more convenient sampling and analysis method for the volatile N-nitrosamines (VNA) in ETS, using commercially available TherrnosorbIN cartridges, was developed and validated. Using the method, emission factors for the two major VNA in environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) were determined in a room-sized environmental chamber for six commercial cigarette brands, which together accounted for 62.5% of the total market in California in 1990. The average emission factors were 565 {+-} 115 and 104 {+-} 20 ng per cigarette for N-nitrosodimethylamine and N-nitrosopyrrolidine, respectively. The emission factors were used to estimate VNA exposures from ETS in a typical office building and an average residence. Indoor concentrations of N,N dimethylnitrosamine from ETS for these scenarios were less than 10% of the reported median outdoor concentration. This median outdoor concentration, however, includes many measurements made in source-dominated areas and may be considerably higher than one based on more representative sampling of outdoor air.
A comparative first-principles study of martensitic phase transformations in TiPd2 and TiPd intermetallics.

Martensitic phase transformations in TiPd2 and TiPd alloys are studied employing density-functional, first-principles calculations. We examine the transformation of tetragonal C11b TiPd2 to the low-temperature orthorhombic phase (C11b → oI6), and the transformation of cubic B2 TiPd under orthorhombic (B2→B19) and subsequent monoclinic transformations (B19→B19') as the system is cooled. We employ a theoretical approach based on a phenomenological Landau theory of the structural phase transitions and a mean-field approximation for the free energy, utilizing first-principles calculations to obtain the deformation energy as a function of strains and to deduce parameters for constructing the free energy. The predicted transition temperature for the TiPd2 C11b → oI6 transition is in good agreement with reported experimental results. To investigate the TiPd B2→B19 transformation, we employ both the Cauchy–Born rule and a soft-mode-based approach, and elucidate the importance of the coupling between lattice distortion and atomic displacements (i.e. shuffling) in the formation of the final structure. The calculated B2→B19 transition temperature for TiPd alloy agrees well with the experimental results. We also find that there exists a very small but finite (0.0005 eV/atom) energy barrier of B19 TiPd under monoclinic deformation for B19→B19' structural phase transformation.
THE ASSOCIATION OF DIABETES INSIPIDUS AND DIABETES MELLITUS

The term diabetes has been used since the days of Aretaeus to describe a condition characterized by the passage of an abnormally large quantity of urine. He spoke of it as a melting down of the flesh into water. Willis described diabetes in “Pharmaceutice rationale” in 1674, and is usually credited with making the distinction between the saccharine and nonsaccharine forms of the disease. However, this is not exactly true. Willis recognized the sweet taste of urine in certain cases of diabetes which came under his observation, and this established the basis for distinguishing the two forms of the disease. His description is as follows: “But. that, as many authors affirm the drink to be little or nothing changed, is very far from the truth, because the urine in all (that I have known who hath happened to have it, and I believe it to be so in all) very much differing both from the drink taken in, and also from any humour that is wont to be begot in our Body, was wonderfully sweet, as it were imbued Avith Hon...
Determination of the impacts of high impedance faults on protection of power distribution systems using a probabilistic model

Abstract The effects of fault impedance on overcurrent protection of electric power distribution systems are investigated in this paper. The Weibull probability distribution function is used to model fault impedance. Single-line to ground fault conditions on distribution systems are simulated with this model of fault impedance. The probabilities with which power system protection devices, such as relays, reclosers and fuses, are able to clear faults are determined. An expression to determine the probability of nondetection of faults based on a critical value of impedance is presented. The effects of fault impedance, device pickup current, source impedance, and distance of point of fault to source on the capability of protection devices to detect faults are considered. Results based on the analysis of two examples consisting of standard distribution system configurations are presented. It is determined that even small fault impedance values drastically reduce the chances of detection. The present overcurrent protection systems are shown to be inadequate for protection against high impedance faults.
Response of diffusion capacity in the treatment of tropical eosinophilia.

A case is presented of tropical eosinophilia in which the effect of therapy with diethylcarbamazine on lung function, in particular its effect on DCO, is documented through two courses of therapy and an intervening relapse. (Chest 1991; 99:776–77)
Aminoglutethimide-Induced Protein Free Radical Formation on Myeloperoxidase: A Potential Mechanism of Agranulocytosis

Aminoglutethimide (AG) is a first-generation aromatase inhibitor used for estrogen-dependent breast cancer. Unfortunately, its use has also been associated with agranulocytosis. We have investigated the metabolism of AG by myeloperoxidase (MPO) and the formation of an MPO protein free radical. We hypothesized that AG oxidation by MPO/H2O2 would produce an AG cation radical that, in the absence of a biochemical reductant, would lead to the oxidation of MPO. We utilized a novel anti-DMPO antibody to detect DMPO (5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide) covalently bound to protein, which forms only by the reaction of DMPO with a protein free radical. We found that AG metabolism by MPO/H2O2 induced the formation of DMPO–MPO, which was inhibited by MPO inhibitors and ascorbate. Glutethimide, a congener of AG that lacks the aromatic amine, did not cause DMPO–MPO formation, indicating the necessity of oxidation of the aniline moiety in AG. When analyzed by electron spin resonance spectroscopy, we detected a phenyl radical adduct, derived from AG, which may be involved in the free radical formation on MPO. Furthermore, we also found protein–DMPO adducts in MPO-containing, intact human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60). MPO was affinity-purified from HL-60 cells treated with AG/H2O2 and was found to contain DMPO. These findings were also supported by the detection of protein free radicals with electron spin resonance in the cellular cytosolic lysate. The formation of an MPO protein free radical is believed to be mediated by one of two free radical drug metabolites of AG, one of which was characterized by spin trapping with 2-methyl-2-nitrosopropane. These results are the first demonstration of MPO free-radical detection by the anti-DMPO antibody that results from drug oxidation. We propose that drug-dependent free radical formation on MPO may play a role in the origin of agranulocytosis.
Resolving dynamic parameters of the August 2007 Titania and Ariel occultations by Umbriel

Abstract We observed the 15 August 2007 occultation of the uranian satellite Titania and the 19 August 2007 occultation of Ariel by Umbriel using the Agile high-speed photometer on the APO 3.5 m telescope. We find that the Titania event midpoint occurred at 09:16:39.20 UT and the Ariel event midpoint at 07:59:49.4 UT, which was 26.2 s and 37.4 s later than predicted, respectively. Our best fit impact parameter was 71.0 km for the Titania occultation and 476.9 km for the Ariel event, both of which were less than predicted.
Development of larvae of Ascaris suum from the third to the fourth stage in a chemically defined medium

Abstract Third stage larvae of Ascaris suum , recovered from the lungs of rabbits 7 days after oral infection with eggs, were cultured to the fourth larval stage in chemically defined, low molecular weight medium. The medium consisted of tissue culture medium 199, supplemented with glucose and glycyl-hystidyl-lysine and gassed with a mixture of N 2 -CO 2 -O 2 (90:5:5). Growth and development in this medium were similar to that in media supplemented with whole serum or with a serum dialysate.
FastV: from-point visibility culling on complex models

We present an efficient technique to compute the potentially visible set (PVS) of triangles in a complex 3D scene from a viewpoint. The algorithm computes a conservative PVS at object space accuracy. Our approach traces a high number of small, volumetric frusta and computes blockers for each frustum using simple intersection tests. In practice, the algorithm can compute the PVS of CAD and scanned models composed of millions of triangles at interactive rates on a multi-core PC. We also use the visibility algorithm to accurately compute the reflection paths from a point sound source. The resulting sound propagation algorithm is 10–20x faster than prior accurate geometric acoustic methods.
Free vibrations of anisotropic laminated doubly curved shells

Abstract Free vibration characteristics of laminated composite shells are presented using an isoparametric doubly curved quadrilateral shear flexible element. First-order shear deformation theory is accounted for using an extension of Sanders' shell theory. The effects of in-plane inertia and rotary inertia are considered in the formulation of the mass matrix. Numerical results are presented for the doubly curved composite shells to study the influence of various important aspects of the problem such as change in shell geometry, orientation of layers, material parameters, and boundary conditions on the frequencies. Results for plates and cylindrical shells are also presented as special cases and are compared with those available in the literature.