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Introduction Proteomic analysis of human plasma by LC–ESI–MS/MS has discovered a limited number of new cellular protein biomarkers that may be confirmed by independent biochemical methods. Analysis of COVID-19 plasma has indicated the re-purposing of known biomarkers that might be used as prognostic markers of COVID-19 infection. However, multiple molecular approaches have previously indicated that the SARS-COV2 infection cycle is linked to the biology of mitochondria and that the response to infections may involve the action of heme containing oxidative enzymes. Methods Human plasma from COVID-19 and ICU-ARDS was analyzed by classical analytical biochemistry techniques and classical frequency-based statistical approaches to look for prognostic markers of severe COVID-19 lung damage. Plasma proteins from COVID-19 and ICU-ARDS were identified and enumerated versus the controls of normal human plasma (NHP) by LC–ESI–MS/MS. The observation frequency of proteins detected in COVID-19 and ICU-ARDS patients were compared to normal human plasma, alongside random and noise MS/MS spectra controls, using the Chi Square (χ2) distribution. Results PCR showed the presence of MT-ND1 DNA in the plasma of COVID-19, ICU-ARDS, as well as normal human plasma. Mitochondrial proteins such as MRPL, L2HGDH, ATP, CYB, CYTB, CYP, NDUF and others, were increased in COVID-19 and ICU-ARDS plasma. The apparent activity of the cytochrome components were tested alongside NHP by dot blotting on PVDF against a purified cytochrome c standard preparation for H2O2 dependent reaction with luminol as measured by enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) that showed increased activity in COVID-19 and ICU-ARDS patients. Discussion The results from PCR, LC–ESI–MS/MS of tryptic peptides, and cytochrome ECL assays confirmed that mitochondrial components were present in the plasma, in agreement with the established central role of the mitochondria in SARS-COV-2 biology. The cytochrome activity assay showed that there was the equivalent of at least nanogram amounts of cytochrome(s) in the plasma sample that should be clearly detectable by LC–ESI–MS/MS. The release of the luminol oxidase activity from cells into plasma forms the basis of a simple and rapid test for the severity of cell damage and lung injury in COVID-19 infection and ICU-ARDS. Graphical Abstract

Atheist moral philosopher Erik Wielenberg recently argued that Divine Command Theory is implausible as an explanation of objective morality because it fails to explain how psychopaths have moral obligations. In this paper I explain that everyone agrees the consciences of psychopaths don’t work as they should, but there’s disagreement among experts as to whether: A. The consciences of psychopaths don’t inform them of what’s right and wrong and that they should do what’s right or B. The consciences of psychopaths do inform them of these things but merely don’t generate the appropriate moral emotions. I argue that, based on the psychological research, a strong case can be made for B and thus under DCT psychopaths do have moral obligations because their consciences inform them of what’s right from wrong and that they should do what’s right. I also argue that even if A is true, God can, and does, make psychopaths aware of what’s right and wrong and that they should do what’s right through other means such as rationality, society, parents, culture, direct verbal commands, etc. Therefore, even if A is true, then psychopaths still have moral obligations under DCT because they do know what’s right from wrong and that they should do what’s right. Lastly, I turn the tables on Wielenberg and point out that his theory is even worse than DCT when it comes to providing an explanation for the moral rights and obligations of psychopaths

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The article is a literature review of the development of mindfulness practices in the treatment of substance use disorders, with attention to the roots of mindfulness studies in the West and in Buddhist traditions. There is a focus on substance use disorders, but also consideration is given to wider dynamics of human suffering and the effectiveness of mindfulness practices.

This chapter is a transcript of the live “Questions and Answers” time that occurred at the debate. Both Craig and Wielenberg explain that this is an issue that should be decided according to which view is most plausible, that is, which one has the balance of evidence and argument in its favor. Both debaters respond to several different questions and then respond to the answer given by the other.

Richard Caswell was the first and fifth governor of North Carolina, a member of the Continental Congress, and the co-author of the North Carolina constitution of 1776. Caswell’s political success owed much to his role as a leader of North Carolina forces at the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge, one of the first American victories in the southern phase of the American Revolution. The American defeat at the Battle of Camden in 1780, where Caswell was a militia commander, tarnished his reputation only slightly. Citing ill health, he declined an appointment to serve in the federal Constitutional Convention, although he supported strengthening the national government. Caswell might best be described as a popular conservative who often supported reform, including the creation of a public school system and a state university.

Arthur Scherr. Thomas Jefferson's Haitian Policy: Myths and Realities. Plymouth UK: Lexington Books, 2011. Pp. x. 715.Arthur Scherr, an independent scholar who has taught history at the City Univer...

To evaluate the validity of blood lead analysis for clinical specimens.We submitted blood lead samples with a known lead concentration, in a blinded fashion, as clinical specimens to 18 laboratories. These laboratories were surveyed for the following characteristics that were hypothesized to be related to assay validity: laboratory ownership (state vs private), participation in the Centers for Disease Control Blood Lead Proficiency Program, assay method, and price. Each laboratory received 6 specimens with an actual blood lead (ABPb) concentration of 0.43 mumol/L (9 micrograms/dL) and 3 additional specimens--each with an ABPb concentration of 0.33, 0.89, and 1.59 mumol/L (6.9, 18.4, and 32.9 micrograms/dL, respectively).Misclassification error rates for reporting an elevation (or = 0.48 mumol/L [or = 10 micrograms/dL) in the blood lead concentration, the within-laboratory mean and coefficient of variation (CV) (for multiple specimens with an ABPb concentration of 0.43 mumol/L [9 micrograms/dL]), and the adjusted odds of a reported blood lead concentration differing from those of an ABPb concentration by more than 0.14 mumol/L (3 micrograms/dL).Blood lead results were obtained for 157 of 162 submissions. One laboratory reported all blood lead specimens as "below 0.48 mumol/L (10 micrograms/dL)." Two (11%) of 18 specimens with an ABPb concentration of 0.89 mumol/L (18.4 micrograms/dL) and 1 (6%) of 17 with an ABPb concentration of 1.59 mumol/L (32.9 micrograms/dL) were classified as below 0.48 mumol/L (10 micrograms/dL); 2 (11%) of 18 with an ABPb concentration of 0.33 mumol/L (6.9 micrograms/dL) and 44 (42%) of 104 with an ABPb concentration of 0.43 mumol/L (9 micrograms/dL) were classified as 0.48 mumol/L or greater (or = 10 micrograms/dL). For specimens with an ABPb concentration of 0.43 mumol/L (9 micrograms/dL), the within-laboratory mean ranged from 0.23 to 0.52 mumol/L (4.8-10.7 micrograms/dL); the CV ranged from 3% to 37%. Laboratories that used anodic stripping voltammetry were 6.3 (95% confidence interval, 1.4-28.6) times more likely to report a specimen that differed from the ABPb concentration by more than 0.14 mumol/L (3 micrograms/dL) than those that used atomic absorption methods. No other laboratory characteristic predicted discordance between the reported blood lead and ABPb concentrations.This study documents wide variation in the validity of the blood lead measurement among clinical laboratories. While the performance of some laboratories far exceeded the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control Blood Lead Proficiency Program, others made large errors that could have resulted in the false-negative misclassification of children with significant lead exposure. Given these differences, the purchasers of laboratory services may require access to laboratory proficiency data to make rational choices among clinical laboratories. Further study of laboratory performance on clinical specimens is required to determine if order-of-magnitude errors occur with sufficient frequency to warrant routine submission of blinded quality control specimens by proficiency programs and to determine the cause of the poor performance of laboratories that used the anodic stripping voltammetry methodology.

(1999). Exchanging Our Country Marks: The Transformation of African Identities in the Colonial and Antebellum South. History: Reviews of New Books: Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 111-112.

Sir William Elderton's Frequency Curves and Correlation was first published in 1906 and subsequently three new editions were published. It has long enjoyed popularity as a source of clear descriptions of the practical use of Pearson and also Gram-Charlie systems of frequency curves. Professor Johnson has substantially revised this book. The material on correlations has been omitted; descriptions of further kinds of frequency curves have been added; the treatment of frequency surfaces has been recast and broadened; and the opportunity has been taken to amend the original text in the light of later research. The aim of this book remains essentially practical. There is no attempt at encyclopaedic coverage of all known systems of frequency curves and surfaces. It should be of especial value as a quick reference book (for statisticians and non-statisticians alike) for formulae and methods used in fitting frequency curves.

Excerpt The patient concerned in this report was a man 70 years of age who presented an unusual combination of clinical and pathological findings. The diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease was based entir...