cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Alkaline Potassium Salts on Calcium and Bone Metabolism

Diets in industrialized nations are no longer based predominately on potassium rich fruit and vegetables, resulting in substantially lower potassium intakes as well as the alkaline anions such as bicarbonate and citrate that accompany potassium in fruit and vegetables. The reduction in potassium and alkali intake while maintaining adequate dietary protein intake leads to an imbalance between the acid producing and the base producing components of the diet. This dietary net acid load is theorized to require mobilization of skeletal base to aid in acid neutralization, leading to ongoing skeletal resorption to maintain systemic acid base homeostasis. Short-term calcium balance studies suggest that supplementing the diet with alkaline potassium salts lowers urine calcium losses with no increase in stool calcium, resulting in a net improvement in calcium balance. The majority of studies examining potassium supplements also suggest bone resorption is reduced by potassium citrate or bicarbonate. However, not all studies show a reduction in bone turnover and the two existing bone density trials provide conflicting results. In particular, controversy remains over whether the benefits to calcium metabolism demonstrated in the short-term calcium balance studies persist. To address this controversy, we conducted a randomized, placebo controlled trial in 52 men and women (mean age 65.2 + 6.2 years) who were randomly assigned to potassium ­citrate 60, 90 mmol, or placebo daily with measurements of bone turnover markers, net acid excretion, and calcium metabolism including intestinal fractional calcium absorption and calcium balance at baseline and 6 months. At 6 months, 24-h urine calcium was significantly reduced in both potassium treatment groups and fractional calcium absorption was not changed by potassium citrate supplementation. In subjects randomized to potassium citrate 90 mmol/day, net calcium balance was significantly improved compared to placebo. Serum C-telopeptide, a marker of bone resorption, decreased significantly in both potassium citrate groups compared to placebo, while bone specific alkaline phosphatase did not change. Our study supports the hypothesis that supplementation with alkaline potassium salts such as potassium citrate has the potential to improve skeletal health. Studies with definitive outcomes such as bone density and fracture are needed.
Differential structured illumination microendoscopy for in vivo imaging of molecular contrast agents and cervical dysplasia (Conference Presentation)

Fiber-optic microendoscopes have shown promise as an imaging tool capable of visualizing molecular contrast agents used to study disease in vivo. The small size and flexibility of fiber-bundle probes make them ideal for in vivo use. However, image contrast can be severely limited when imaging highly scattering tissue. Optical sectioning techniques such as confocal or structured illumination can improve image contrast in microendoscopes by rejecting out-of-focus light generated in highly scattering tissue. However, optical sectioning techniques can reduce imaging speed or require complex opto-mechanical components to be installed on the distal end of the fiber-bundle. Here we present differential structured illumination microendoscopy (DSIMe) capable of performing structured illumination imaging in a fiber-optic microendoscope. Sectioning can be performed at video rates without the need for opto-mechanical components attached to the distal end of the fiber-bundle. Improved axial response of DSIMe is demonstrated using an optical phantom and we show image contrast enhancement in highly scattering mouse tissue imaged ex vivo. We also demonstrate contrast enhancement using DSIMe to image cervical tissue in vivo in patients diagnosed with cervical adenocarcinoma in situ and an improved ability to identify cellular changes associated with neoplasia.
Intracellular Signalling in Glutamate Excitotoxicity

The excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate is a potent and effective neurotoxin. When applied in vitro, a. brief exposure to a moderate concentration of glutamate is sufficient to kill neurons.1,2 In vivo, glutamate-induced neuronal injury probably contributes to damage that results from cerebrovascular accidents and trauma.2–4 A number of important studies have characterized the temporal and pharmacological characteristics of glutamate excitotoxicity in vitro.5–6 It is now clear that glutamate-induced activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors for about 5 minutes is sufficient to kill neurons, and that death is expressed within 24 hours of glutamate application. Activation of non-NMDA receptors by, for example, kainate requires exposures of more than 30 minutes; death ensues over a similar time frame.
Indications and Use of the Gluten Contamination Elimination Diet for Patients with Non-Responsive Celiac Disease

For the majority of patients diagnosed with celiac disease, once a gluten-free diet is initiated, symptoms improve within weeks and may completely resolve in months. However, up to 30% of patients may show signs, symptoms or persistent small intestinal damage after one year on a gluten-free diet. These patients require evaluation for other common GI etiologies and assessment of their celiac disease status in order to make a diagnosis and suggest treatment. Here, we propose an approach to evaluating patients with celiac disease with persistent symptoms, persistently elevated serology, and or persistent villous atrophy despite a gluten-free diet. We detail how to diagnose and distinguish between non-responsive and refractory celiac disease. Finally, we introduce the indications for use of the gluten contamination elimination diet and provide information for practitioners to implement the diet when necessary in their practice.
Electron Velocity in Sub-50-Nm Channel Mosfets

Inverse modeling of state-of-the-art NMOSFETs is used to investigate electron transport models and in particular to extract the effective velocity of electron injection from source to channel. It is found that this velocity is less than 50% of the maximum possible velocity, i.e. the thermal velocity of electrons in the source. Based on the Landauer formulation, as adapted by Lundstrom to silicon MOSFETs this indicates that modern NMOSFETs are quite far from their ballistic transport limit and therefore their current is still limited by momentum scattering as manifested in the electron mobility. Investigation of mobility in those transistors reveals that it is reduced with channel length, most likely due to Coulomb scattering by the ionized dopant atoms in the source and drain halos that are necessary for well-tempered ultra-short-channel MOSFETs, and possibly remote scattering by the source dopants.
Mesenteric Ischemia Following Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair

Intestinal infarction following abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair is lethal. Prevention is the key to combating this complication. It has been shown that heightened vigilance to avert, detect, and intervene early on intestinal ischemia in the setting of AAA repair can decrease the incidence and mortality of this frequently lethal disease.
DNA methylation inhibits transcription of procollagen α2(I) promoters

Our previous studies have demonstrated that a 2-[N-(acetoxyacetyl)amino]fluorene-transformed rat epithelial-like cell line, W8, contains a transcriptionally inactive alpha 2(I) gene with a hypermethylated promoter/first-exon region. We have cloned the rat promoter/first-exon region (-211 to +207) from W8 cells and their parent cell line, K16, which expresses alpha 2(I) collagen. There were no sequence differences between the clones from the two cell lines, indicating that a mutation was not responsible for transcriptional inhibition. The alpha 2(I) rat promoters were cloned upstream of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene. Both constructs were equally active in both cell lines, suggesting that trans-activating factors for alpha 2(I) transcription are present in W8 cells. Finally, methylation of plasmids at all CpG sites with SssI methylase completely inhibited transcription using alpha 2(I) promoters, but methylation did not inhibit simian-virus-40 promoter-driven transcription. Certain methylation sites partially inhibit promoter activity. An HhaI methylation site inhibited transcriptional activity of the alpha 2(I) promoter 8-fold, whereas methylation at the HpaII site in the rat alpha 2(I) promoter did not decrease transcriptional activity. This provides further evidence that methylation at specific sites in the collagen alpha 2(I) promoter is responsible for the inactivation of transcription in W8 cells.
The causes of the disruptive tearing instabilities of the ITER Baseline Scenario in DIII-D

Analysis of the evolving current density (J), pedestal and rotation profiles in a database of 200 ITER Baseline Scenario (IBS) demonstration discharges in the DIII-D tokamak identifies the current profile as a key determinant of the disruptive instability limiting both high and low torque operation of these q 95 = 3 plasmas. The m = 2/n = 1 tearing modes, occurring after several pressure-relaxation times, are linked to the shape of the current profile in the outer region of the plasma. The q = 2 surface is located at ρ ~ 0.78, near a minimum in J. A steeper 'well' around the q = 2 surface is correlated with the instabilities, and this finding is consistent for modes that occur both early ( 2 τ R) on the β N flattop, at high and low input torque, for discharges with and without direct electron heating. Low rotation or differential rotation in the core plasmas is shown to not be the direct cause of the onset of these instabilities. The current profile trends identified in this work indicate that the modes limiting the Q = 10 operation in the ITER demonstration plasmas are likely due to the slow evolution of the current profile, and reveal which shape of the current profile is more prone to the 2/1 tearing instability.
Germany and the European Central Bank

After an initial period when each German state had its own central bank, Germany’s first nationwide central bank, the Reichsbank, was established in 1876. The initial currency issued was the goldmark, which was successively replaced by the papiermark, the rentenmark and the reichsmark, until the Deutsche mark and the East German mark were introduced in West and East Germany respectively in 1948. The Deutsche mark became the sole legal tender of unified Germany on July 1, 1990. The Deutsche Bundesbank was established in 1957 by the Bundesbank Act. Since the inception of the Eurozone, the bank is no longer responsible for the day-to-day conduct of monetary policy or for acting as the lender of last resort. Instead, it focuses on assessing risks to the German financial and monetary system and issues euro bank notes in conjunction with the European Central Bank. The Deutsche Bundesbank is guaranteed statutory independence and has served as the model for the European Central Bank in some ways. The ECB guides the monetary policy of the Eurozone, the primary goal of which is price stability. Its Governing Council assesses the economic situation and monetary developments and makes its monetary policy decisions every six weeks.
A case of a contained uterine rupture.

This patient was a 27-year-old gravida 2 para 1 at 40 weeks and 2 days in gestation, who presented with a leakage of fluid and occasional irregular contractions. She was found to have a rupture of ...
Post-implantation depth profiling using time-domain Brillouin scattering

Abstract The unique capabilities of time domain Brillouin scattering (TDBS) for studying post-implantation effects on optical and opto-elastic properties of semiconductors are discussed. This method utilizes coherent acoustic phonons to measure depth-dependent optical and opto-elastic changes arising from structural damage caused by ion implantation. This non-destructive technique is shown to be two orders of magnitude more sensitive than Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. Results are presented for silicon carbide (SiC), gallium arsenide (GaAs) and diamond. Using the TDBS approach, we have obtained depth-dependent profiles of the complex refractive index in hydrogen implanted 4H-SiC, and of the photoelastic coefficient in hydrogen implanted GaAs. In helium implanted diamond samples, both the complex refractive index and the photoelastic coefficient have been determined. A comparison between indirect (4H-SiC, diamond) and direct (GaAs) band gap semiconductors shows the sensitivity of TDBS to the particular optical properties of different semiconductors. These studies provide basic insight into the dependence of optical properties on defect densities created by ion implantation, which is of relevance to the fabrication of photonic and optoelectronic devices. Further development of TDBS shows promise for measuring the depth dependent positions of specific defects (color centers) in wide band gap semiconductors.
Reexamination of hemoglobin adjustments to define anemia: altitude and smoking.

The correct interpretation of hemoglobin (Hb) to identify anemia requires adjusting for altitude and smoking. Current adjustments were derived using data collected before 1985, from low-income preschool-aged children (PSC) in the United States and indigenous men in Peru for altitude, and from White women of reproductive age (WRA) in the United States for smoking. Given the oldness and limited representativeness of these data, we reexamined associations between Hb and altitude and/or smoking using 13 population-based surveys and 1 cohort study each conducted after 2000. All WHO regions except South-East Asia were represented. The dataset included 68,193 observations among PSC (6-59 months) and nonpregnant WRA (15-49 years) with data on Hb and altitude (-28 to 4000 m), and 19,826 observations among WRA with data on Hb and smoking (status or daily cigarette quantity). Generalized linear models were used to assess the robustness of associations under varying conditions, including controlling for inflammation-corrected iron and vitamin A deficiency. Our study confirms that Hb should be adjusted for altitude and/or smoking; these adjustments are additive. However, recommendations for Hb adjustment likely need updating. Notably, current recommendations may underadjust Hb for light smokers and for those residing at lower altitudes and overadjust Hb for those residing at higher altitudes.
Clinical Reasoning: A 65-year-old man with asymmetric weakness and paresthesias

A 65-year-old man with well-controlled diabetes presented with 3 months of progressive left-side predominant weakness accompanied by painless paresthesias of his bilateral upper and lower extremities. The onset was with tingling and numbness in his toes, which later involved his fingers. Over a few weeks, he developed progressive weakness of his left lower extremity followed by the right lower extremity and later involvement of both upper extremities. By the time of presentation, the patient was unable to sit or walk without support and reported weight loss of 35 pounds over 3 months. The patient denied any toxic substance exposure, insect bites, recent illness or travel, family history of neuropathy, or any episodes suggestive of recurrent compressive neuropathies. His examination showed moderately severe asymmetric weakness (Medical Research Council scale: 3–4/5 on the left, 4–5/5 on the right) of the upper and lower extremities (distal more than proximal). There was asymmetric muscle atrophy; however, deep tendon reflexes were 2+ in the right biceps and triceps, 1+ in the left biceps, triceps, and bilateral ankles, and absent in the knees bilaterally. The sensory examination revealed left-sided predominant loss of pinprick in a patchy distribution in legs and loss of vibration sense in the toes. The remaining neurologic examination was unremarkable.
Effect of temperature-control liner materials on long-term outcomes of lower limb prosthesis use: a randomized controlled trial protocol.

In people living with limb loss, addressing the resulting functional deficit with prostheses increases the risk for secondary conditions such as pressure sores, impaired blood perfusion, and injuries from accidental falls. Any of those occurrences can render the prosthesis temporarily useless, making it challenging for users to engage in many activities of daily life, including work, exercise, and social participation. Many of the described issues originate at the interface between residual limb and prosthetic socket, where the objectives of sufficient weight distribution and suspension are conflicting with the necessity to facilitate heat exchange and limit contact pressure and friction. Recently, prosthesis liners that contain phase-change material have become commercially available, holding the promise that the micro climate at the interface between the residual limb skin and the prosthetic socket can be regulated to reduce the users’ tendency to sweat. Preliminary studies on these liners indicate that the socket temperatures inside the socket stayed lower and rose slower than in conventional liners. However, the clinical relevance of those findings remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether longer (6+ months) periods of use of phase-change material based temperature-control liners have clinically meaningful effects. The protocol is a double-blind longitudinal cross-over research design. A sample of trans-tibial prosthesis users are wearing their regular gel or silicone liners for six months and phase-change material liners for another six months in a randomized sequence. Their prostheses is equipped with activity monitors to detect days when they could not wear their prosthesis. In six-week intervals, individuals’ activity, physical performance, and overall prosthesis assessment is recorded using standardized methods. Expected results will inform prescription and reimbursement practice of phase-change material-based prosthesis liners and will help improve and economize prosthetic fitting for people with limb loss. The design and duration of the protocol, including randomization, blinding, and within-subject comparison, will generate scientific evidence of a comparably high level. Inclusion of a comparably large sample and different climates, e.g. across all four seasons, will make findings applicable to a large number of prosthesis users. Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03428815. Registered on 12 February 2018.
Sharing and Archiving Data Science Course Projects to Support Pedagogy for Future Cohorts

Founded in 2018, the Halicioglu Data Science Institute (HDSI) is a significant new organization on the UC San Diego campus. As part of their pedagogical processes, HDSI faculty desired a way to store and share student capstone projects with future cohorts, so students could easily access reusable, raw datasets and analytical workflows, with the potential to expand on work done by previous cohorts. The UC San Diego Library has been managing an institutional data repository for over a decade, with established ingest workflows and tools. The Library's Digital Collections accommodates collections of objects, complex organization of data and metadata, batch ingest options, and deposit of large datasets. Curators review data submissions and work with data depositors to enrich collections with descriptive metadata, controlled vocabularies, and persistent identifiers. HDSI faculty are working with the Library's Data Science Librarian and members of the Library's Research Data Curation program to design a custom workflow to facilitate ingest of an entire class worth of projects within a relatively quick time frame and have students prepare their materials with minimal one-on-one instruction from Library staff. The first test of this workflow ingests project materials from the Data Science & Engineering Master of Advanced Study capstone course into the Library's digital repository and makes the materials available using community-standard discoverability tools. This process represents the first ingestion of data- and computationally-intensive student projects into the repository and is intended to provide a template for a scalable workflow to accommodate other courses, ultimately creating a series of course data collections to support teaching and learning.
Rheology and stability of nanoparticle-stabilized CO2 foam under reservoir conditions

Abstract This study investigates the rheology and stability of nanoparticle-stabilized CO2 foams under reservoir conditions (high temperature and high pressure) for fracturing applications. The effects of different parameters on foam apparent viscosity and foam stability were experimentally investigated including the effects of nanoparticle concentration, salinity, foam quality ( Γ ), shear rate and temperature. The power law model was applied to calculate foam apparent viscosity owing to its pseudo-plastic behavior, and the changes of foam heights over time were used to evaluate foam stability. Results showed that the CO2 foam apparent viscosity featured a mountain-shaped curve versus Γ , with the peak apparent viscosity obtained at 70% foam quality. The increase of salinity (up to 11%) in the continuous phase improved both foam stability and rheology. Higher nanoparticle concentration could contribute to better foam stability, but there was a threshold concentration, above which the foam apparent viscosity remained stabilized. The CO2 foam stabilized by nanoparticles displayed a shear-thickening behavior as the experiment flow rate increased from 6 mL/min to 18 mL/min. Further studies showed that as the total flow rate increased, the CO2 foam became finer-textured with better stability. Elevated temperatures could undermine foam apparent viscosity and long-term stability. The results of this study could provide guidelines as to the design of foam fracturing systems for field applications.
Synthesis of Bio-Based Methylcyclopentadiene from 2,5-Hexanedione: A Sustainable Route to High Energy Density Jet Fuels

The sustainable, bio-based, platform chemical, 2,5-hexanedione [HD (1)], was efficiently converted to methylcyclopentadiene [MCPD (4)] through a three-step process consisting of intramolecular aldol condensation, catalytic chemoselective hydrogenation, and dehydration. Base-catalyzed aldol condensation of 1 resulted in the formation of 3-methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one [MCO (2)], which was then converted to 3-methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-ol [MCP (3)] by chemoselective reduction with a ternary Ru catalyst system [RuCl2 (PPh3 )3 /NH2 (CH2 )2 NH2 /KOH]. The hydrogenation proceeded with 96 % chemoselectivity. 3 was then dehydrated over AlPO4 /MgSO4 at 70 °C under reduced pressure to yield 4, which can undergo an ambient temperature [4+2]-Diels-Alder cyclization to generate dimethyldicyclopentadiene (DMDCPD), a commodity chemical useful for the preparation of high-performance fuels and polymers. Through this approach, advanced jet fuels and materials can be conveniently produced from sustainable cellulosic feedstocks.
Turbulence-parameter estimation for current-energy converters using surrogate model optimization

Abstract Surrogate models maximize information utility by building predictive models in place of computational or experimentally expensive model runs. Marine hydrokinetic current energy converters require large-domain simulations to estimate array efficiencies and environmental impacts. Meso-scale models typically represent turbines as actuator discs that act as momentum sinks and sources of turbulence and its dissipation. An OpenFOAM model was developed where actuator disc k-e turbulence was characterized using an approach developed for flows through vegetative canopies. Turbine-wake data from laboratory flume experiments collected at two influent turbulence intensities were used to calibrate parameters in the turbulence-source terms in the k-e equations. Parameter influences on longitudinal wake profiles were estimated using Gaussian process regression with subsequent optimization minimizing the objective function within 3.1% of those obtained using the full model representation, but for 74% of the computational cost (far fewer model runs). This framework facilitates more efficient parameterization of the turbulence-source equations using turbine-wake data.
Population-Based Frequency of Ophthalmic Adverse Events in Melanoma, Other Cancers, and After Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment.

Purpose To examine the frequency of ophthalmic immune-related adverse events (OirAEs) in melanoma, other cancers, and after immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment. Design Retrospective clinical cohort study. Methods This study identified patients diagnosed with OirAEs between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2018, in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California electronic health records. The primary exposures of interest were prior initiation of ICIs and underlying cancer diagnosis. Risk-adjusted prevalence of OirAEs was evaluated in patients with melanoma, with nonmelanoma cancer, and without cancer. The 1-year incidence of OirAEs and recurrence of prior ophthalmic disease were identified in ICI-receiving patients with melanoma and nonmelanoma. Results Among 4,695,669 unique patients identified, 9.9% had a cancer diagnosis, of whom 2.8% had a diagnosis of melanoma. Overall prevalence for uveitis and selected neuro-ophthalmic diagnoses was 341.8/100,000 patient-years in patients with melanoma and 369.6/100,000 patient-years in patients with nonmelanoma cancer regardless of ICI treatment, compared with 142.2/100,000 patient-years in patients without cancer. A total of 2,911 unique patients received ICI therapy. Compared with patients with nonmelanoma cancer, patients with melanoma on any ICI had elevated 1-year incidence rates of uveitis (1.2% vs 0.2%; risk-adjusted odds ratio, 6.45). High 1-year recurrence rates for uveitis in ICI patients with a prior uveitis history were also observed. Conclusions The prevalence of all OirAEs was substantially higher in patients with cancer, with ICI-related uveitis risk specifically increased in patients with melanoma compared with patients with nonmelanoma cancer. Evidence-based guidelines for ophthalmic monitoring of patients undergoing ICI treatment may require different risk stratifications based on underlying cancer diagnosis, specific ICI used, and prior history of uveitis.
Histone Tail Conformations: A Fuzzy Affair with DNA

The core histone tails are critical in chromatin structure and signaling. Studies over the past several decades have provided a wealth of information on the histone tails and their interaction with chromatin factors. However, the conformation of the histone tails in a chromatin relevant context has remained elusive. Only recently has enough evidence emerged to start to build a structural model of the tails in the context of nucleosomes and nucleosome arrays. Here, we review these studies and propose that the histone tails adopt a high-affinity fuzzy complex with DNA, characterized by robust but dynamic association. Furthermore, we discuss how these DNA-bound conformational ensembles promote distinct chromatin structure and signaling, and that their fuzzy nature is important in transitioning between functional states.
Impact of COVID-19 on School-Aged Male and Female Health-Related Fitness Markers.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the Coronavirus disease 2019 on male and female anthropometric variables and physical performance. METHODS: This study utilized a mixed (time [PRE vs POST], gender [male vs female]) methods design to examine changes in the body mass index and physical fitness performance measures prior to and following closures. Data were collected from 264 third through eighth graders. This sample consisted of 131 males and 133 females. The data was collected through anthropometric (body mass index) and physical performance measures and was analyzed with separate 2 × 2 mixed-factorial analyses of variance (time [PRE, POST] × gender [male, female]). RESULTS: The findings indicated both males and females exhibited mean increases in the body mass index (+10.6%; 18.8-20.8 kg·m-2, P < .001, partial I·2 = .627) and decreases in push-ups (-35.6%; 7.3-4.7 repetitions, P < .001, partial I·2 = .371), sit-ups (-19.4%; 22.7-18.3 repetitions, P < .001, partial I·2 = .420), and the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run test (-26.7%; 31.4-22.4 laps, P < .001, partial I·2 = .644) scores from PRE to POST. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate that both males and females exhibited significant anthropometric and physical performance losses during the Coronavirus disease 2019 shutdown.
Gastroenterology in the Aging Male

Gastrointestinal symptoms are common in aging men and have a unique pathophysiology as well as special diagnostic and management considerations. Gastroesophageal reflux disease tends to cause fewer symptoms with aging, but the risk of complications such as erosive esophagitis, Barrett’s esophagus, and esophageal adenocarcinoma increases with age. Diarrhea is a frequent symptom with significant impacts upon patients’ quality of life. The elderly are susceptible to diarrhea from infection, adverse effects of medications, and nutrient malabsorption. Diarrhea may also be secondary to fecal impaction with subsequent overflow incontinence. Constipation likewise is commonly due to underlying comorbidity, physical inactivity, or adverse effects of medications. With aging, colonic dysmotility also becomes more common. Lastly, iron deficiency anemia and occult gastrointestinal bleeding increase in frequency with age. Thorough evaluation must be undertaken for an underlying etiology such as gastrointestinal malignancies or vascular anomalies including angiodysplasia. More frequent use of antiplatelet and anticoagulant medications in the elderly may exacerbate this problem. Endoscopic procedures such as esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy carry increased burden and risk of complications in older patients and must be used judiciously.
Modular Analysis via Specifications as Values

Modular static analysis requires treating some portion of t he program opaquely. To enable such analysis, we introduce a notion of abstract reduction semantics. Opaque components are approximated by their specifications, which in turn are treated as a bstract values during reduction. We demonstrate the technique by applying it to two kinds of specifications for higher-order languages : types and first-class contracts, showing that each soundly approx imates opaque components. Finally, we derive modular static analyzers from these semantics, soundly predicting evaluation, contract violations, and blame assignment.
Executing Retributivism: Panetti and the Future of the Eighth Amendment

In Panetti v. Quarterman, a 2007 Supreme Court case about the standard of mental competence required for execution, the Court demanded that the defendant must rationally understand why he is being killed. Although the Court's explanation for this new "rational understanding" requirement was somewhat inchoate, this Article argues that the new requirement only makes sense if there is a commitment to the view that state punishment operates primarily as a communicative retributive encounter between the state and the offender. That view of punishment, in other words, is Panetti's ratio decidendi, the implicit rationale which best explains the case's holding.Once properly explicated, this rationale entails two profound and insufficiently appreciated consequences. First, the rationale, properly extended, would decisively erode the constitutional justification for the continued use of the death penalty. Second, this rationale would upend the Court's past Eighth Amendment cases that have required neutrality among sentencing purposes selected by the states. Instead, the rationale would elevate "negative retributivism" to a place of primary importance in constitutional criminal law. Under a commitment to negative retributivism, the Court would need to substantially revise at least three areas of law affecting: the practice of warehousing mentally ill persons in prisons; the treatment of claims of actual innocence; and assessments of noncapital sentencing proportionality. In short, once the foundations for the decision are properly understood, Panetti, a seemingly sleepy case about a doctrinally narrow issue, can change virtually everything we know about the Eighth Amendment.
The 30 S subunit of the Escherichia coli ribosome: Topographical model of its component proteins

This topographical model of the proteins of the 30 S subunit of the Escherichia coli ribosome was built to be consistent with the 37 published spectroscopic and chemical experiments that indicate proximity and with the two neutron diffraction experiments that indicate S3 and S7 as well as S2 and S5 to be separated by 110 A. The model is quite consistent with the protein arrangement suggested by assembly pathways, the various RNA binding sites, and the streptomycin-associated proteins, This consistency is encouraging since none of these data were considered during the construction of the model. The model differs significantly from those proposed by Traut et at. ((1974) Ribosomes 271-308) and by Tischendorf et al. ((1975) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sei. U.S. 72, 4820-4824).
Deglutition Induced Atrial Tachycardia and Atrial Fibrillation

Deglutition induced supraventricular tachycardia is an uncommon condition postulated to be a vagally mediated phenomenon due to mechanical stimulation. Patients usually present with mild symptoms or may have severe debilitating symptoms. Treatment with Class I agents, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, amiodarone and radiofrquency catheter ablation has shown to be successful in the majority of reported cases. We report the case of a 46-year-old healthy woman presenting with palpitations on swallowing that was documented to be transient atrial tachycardia with aberrant ventricular conduction as well as transient atrial fibrillation. She was successfully treated with propafenone with no induction of swallowing-induced tachycardia after treatment. This is also the first case to show swallowing-induced atrial tachycardia and atrial fibrillation in the same patient.
Human plasma fibronectin. Demonstration of structural differences between the A- and B-chains in the III CS region

Fibronectins are a class of cell-adhesion proteins produced from a single gene. The soluble plasma form is synthesized by hepatocytes and the insoluble cellular form by fibroblasts and other cell types. The proteins possess multiple binding domains for macromolecules including collagen, fibrin and heparin along with at least one cell-binding domain. Cellular as well as plasma fibronectins are dimers of similar but not identical polypeptides. Their differences are the result of internal amino acid sequence variability due to alternative RNA splicing in at least three regions (ED-A, ED-B and III CS). We have been studying this polymorphism at the protein level in plasma fibronectin (pFn). Cathepsin D-digested pFn applied to a heparin-agarose column and eluted with an NaCl stepwise gradient (0.1 M, 0.25 M and 0.5 M) released two polypeptides (75 kDa and 65 kDa) in the 0.5 M-NaCl peak. Immunoblots with monoclonal antibodies IST-2 (specific for the C-terminal heparin-binding domain) and AHB-3 (specific for the III CS domain) suggest that both peptides contain the C-terminal heparin-binding (Hep-2) domain, but that only the larger fragment possesses the III CS region. These two polypeptides (75 kDa and 65 kDa) were digested with trypsin, and the resulting peptides were analyzed by fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry and compared with the known cDNA-derived peptide sequence. Peptides that were unique to the III CS region were further characterized by micro sequence analysis. The 75 kDa fragment is derived from the A-chain and contains the III CS region (89 amino acid residues) along with the C-terminal heparin-binding (Hep-2) domain and the fibrin-binding (Fib-2) domain. A single galactosamine-based carbohydrate group was detected at Thr-73/74 of the III CS region present in the 75 kDa fragment. The 65 kDa fragment is derived from the B-chain and lacks the entire III CS region but does contain the Hep-2 and Fib-2 domains.
p‐Tolyl Vinyl Sulfoxide

[36832-47-0] C9H10OS (MW 166.26) InChI = 1S/C9H10OS/c1-3-11(10)9-6-4-8(2)5-7-9/h3-7H,1H2,2H3 InChIKey = ODAVDFDCUDDZPI-UHFFFAOYSA-N (a vinyl sulfoxide,2 typically used in enantiomerically pure form in conjugate additions,3 cycloadditions,4 and Pummerer-type reactions,5 and to prepare vinyl anions6) Physical Data: bp 110 °C/1.0 mmHg; 79–80 °C/0.04 mmHg; (R)-(+)-enantiomer: [α]26D +421° (c 0.15, EtOH). Solubility: sol most moderately polar to polar solvents. Preparative Method: (R)-(+)-p-tolyl vinyl sulfoxide is usually prepared via Andersen sulfinylation,7 beginning with (1R,2S,5R,SS)-(−)-menthyl p-toluenesulfinate, which is prepared as follows.8 A two-neck round-bottom flask, equipped with N2 inlet and magnetic stirring bar, is purged with N2 and then charged with 2.75 equiv of Thionyl Chloride. Under a N2 atmosphere, anhydrous sodium p-toluenesulfinate (see Sodium Benzenesulfinate) is added in portions over 1 h, with the addition of dry benzene as needed to facilitate stirring. After stirring for an additional 1.75 h, additional benzene is added and the mixture transferred to a one-neck round-bottom flask. The volatiles are removed by rotary evaporation, with occasional addition of benzene to ensure that all excess SOCl2 has been removed. The flask, containing crude p-toluenesulfinyl chloride, is equipped with a magnetic stirring bar and constant pressure addition funnel. Ether is added and the resultant suspension is cooled to 0 °C. 1.0 Equiv of (1R,2S,5R)-(−)-menthol in excess pyridine is added over a few minutes, and the reaction is stirred overnight. The product is isolated by addition of ice, extraction, washing of the ether layer with 20% aq HCl, and drying (Na2SO4 + K2CO3). Filtration and concentration by rotary evaporation, followed by crystallization from acetone at −20 °C, affords the ester, mp 105–106 °C, [α]D25 −199.4° (c 1.5, acetone). The ester is converted into (R)-(+)-p-tolyl vinyl sulfoxide in the following manner.9 A two-neck round-bottom flask equipped with constant pressure addition funnel, N2 inlet, and magnetic stirring bar is charged with a suspension of 1.3 equiv of (1R,2S,5R,SS)-(−)-menthyl p-toluenesulfinate in dry THF under N2. Cooling to −78 °C is followed by dropwise addition of 1.0 equiv of Vinylmagnesium Bromide in THF and slow warming to room temperature. Satd aq NH4Cl is added; separation is followed by drying (MgSO4) and concentration by rotary evaporation. Distillation under reduced pressure affords the sulfoxide. The corresponding (S)-(+)-p-tolyl vinyl sulfoxide may be prepared from (1S,2R,5S,RS)-(+)-menthyl p-toluenesulfinate. Alternative preparations via TBAF-mediated desilylation of (R)-(+)-p-tolyl α-trimethylsilylvinyl sulfone10 and hydrogenation of (R)-(+)-ethynyl p-tolyl sulfoxide2 are possible. Although rarely used, (RS)-p-tolyl vinyl sulfoxide should be available in a manner analogous to the preparation of (RS)-phenyl vinyl sulfoxide, by oxidation of the sulfide.11 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: sulfoxides are known to undergo thermal racemization.12
Gradual appearance of a regulated retinotectal projection pattern in Xenopus laevis.

The topographic projection pattern formed by the retinal ganglion cell axons in the tectum of the lower vertebrate appears to require positional cues that guide the optic nerve fibers to their appropriate targets. One approach to understanding these positional cues or “positional information” has been to investigate changes in the pattern of the retinotectal projection after surgical manipulation of the embryonic eyebud. Analysis of these apparent changes in the patterns of positional information in the eye, termed “pattern regulation,” may provide clues to both the nature of positional information and the mechanisms by which it is assigned to cells in the eyebud. Here we examine pattern regulation in the Xenopus visual system following the replacement of the temporal half of a right eyebud with the temporal half of a left eyebud. This manipulation requires that the left half-eyebud be inverted along its dorsoventral axis. Electrophysiological maps of these compound eyes in postmetamorphic frogs reveal regulated maps; the cells in the temporal half of the NrTl eye project to the tectum with a dorsoventral polarity appropriate for their position in the host eye and not appropriate for the original positions of the grafted cells in the donor eyebud. Paradoxically, the regulated patterns are not apparent in the projections of the original grafted eyebud cells during early larval development. Using fiber-tracing and electrophysiological mapping techniques, we now show that the regulated patterns appear gradually in the projections made by peripheral retinal cells added during mid-larval development. Because the regulation occurs relatively late in development and probably only in the peripheral retinal cells, simple models of epimorphic or morphallactic regulation do not appear to fit this system. Thus, new or more complex models must be invoked to explain the phenomenon of pattern regulation in the developing visual system of Xenopus.
Forced-choice adjectival masculinity-femininity scale.

Es outline the steps in the development of an M-F scale having as its differentiating items 67 of those included in Ferguson's pair-comparisons self-assessment scale (Ferguson, 1970). Four replications show the scale to have sex-differentiating power.
Direct computation of thermodynamic properties of chemically reacting air with consideration to CFD

This paper details a two-equation procedure to calculate exactly mass and mole fractions, pressure, temperature, specific heats, speed of sound and the thermodynamic and jacobian partial derivatives of pressure and temperature for a five-species chemically reacting equilibrium air. The procedure generates these thermodynamic properties using as independent variables either pressure and temperature or density and internal energy, for CFD applications. An original element in this procedure consists in the exact physically meaningful solution of the mass-fraction and mass-action equations. Air-equivalent molecular masses for oxygen and nitrogen are then developed to account, within a mixture of only oxygen and nitrogen, for the presence of carbon dioxide, argon and the other noble gases within atmospheric air. The mathematical formulation also introduces a versatile system non-dimensionalization that makes the procedure uniformly applicable to flows ranging from shock-tube flows with zero initial velocity to aerothermodynamic flows with supersonic/hypersonic free-stream Mach numbers. Over a temperature range of more than 10000 K and pressure and density ranges corresponding to an increase in altitude in standard atmosphere of 30000 m above sea level, the predicted distributions of mole fractions, constant-volume specific heat, and speed of sound for the model five species agree with independently published results, and all the calculated thermodynamic properties, including their partial derivatives, remain continuous, smooth, and physically meaningful. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Precision-aware soft error protection for GPUs

With the advent of general-purpose GPU computing, it is becoming increasingly desirable to protect GPUs from soft errors. For high computation throughout, GPUs must store a significant amount of state and have many execution units. The high power and area costs of full protection from soft errors make selective protection techniques attractive. Such approaches provide maximum error coverage within a fixed area or power limit, but typically treat all errors equally. We observe that for many floating-point-intensive GPGPU applications, small magnitude errors may have little effect on results, while large magnitude errors can be amplified to have a significant negative impact. We therefore propose a novel precision-aware protection approach for the GPU execution logic and register file to mitigate large magnitude errors. We also propose an architecture modification to optimize error coverage for integer computations. Our approach combines selective logic hardening, targeted checker circuits, and intelligent register file encoding for best error protection. We demonstrate that our approach can reduce the mean error magnitude by up to 87% compared to a traditional selective protection approach with the same overhead.
Plasma and blood volumes in severely malnourished infants.

. Zoumboulakis, D., Anagnostakis, D., Kiossoglou, K., Agathopoulos, A. and Tsenghi, C. (Department of Paediatrics, Athens University, Athens, Greece). Plasma and blood volumes in severely malnourished infants. Acta Wediatr Scand, 63: 507, 1974. —This study was carried out in order to gain some insight into the plasma and blood volume fluctuations in severely malnourished infants. By means of an isotope dilution technique and microhaematocrit measurements, plasma and blood volumes were studied in 18 severely malnourished infants, aged 5 to 20 months and in 5 healthy controls, aged 3 to 20 months. Both plasma and blood volumes were found to be considerably higher in the malnourished infants (79.22±14.5 ml/kg and 119±17.8 ml/kg, respectively) than those in the controls (51.6±6.8 and 76.4±7.7 mg/kg, respectively. The differences in both instances were statistically highly significant. When, however, plasma and blood volumes were expressed not by means of the actual body weight but per kg of the expected body weight for height, there were no significant differences between malnourished (50.6±9.4 ml/kg and 76.1±12.4 ml/kg respectively), and healthy infants (51.6±6.8 ml/kg and 76.4±7.7 ml/kg respectively). These results suggest that the absolute intravascular fluid volume, which plays an important role in maintaining normal homeostasis, is unchanged in malnutrition.
A study on the separation and distribution of the chemical forms of131I produced from thermal neutron-irradiated tellurium compounds by thin-layer chromatography

The separation and distribution of the chemical forms of131I produced from thermal neutron-irradiated tellurium compounds were investigated by thin-layer chromatography using alumina as adsorbent and water as developer as well as the effect of iodine carriers added on the distribution of different chemical forms of131I was studied. The effects of both atmospheric oxygen and light were investigated on the oxidation of carrier-free iodide on the thin-layer plate.
The hidden costs of market-based health care reform.

ties. The best they can do is not to hinder its growth. I am sure that despite all difficulties, sooner or later we shall have in Russia a well-established bioethics. Its evolution, however, can be profoundly accelerated by support from our American colleagues, be it in the form of a continuing Eastern European program or otherwise. It seems to me that today this support can be more concentrated and goaldirected than previously. Big, expensive conferences such as the one in Prague last year seem not to be needed any longer--or at least they can be organized by Eastern Europeans themselves. What will be more helpful now is aid in training postgraduate students from Russia, in establishing small working teams for cooperative efforts to prepare textbooks and manuals directed to the