cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Active transport of GSSG from reconstituted erythrocyte ghosts

Human erythrocyte ghosts were loaded with 35S-labeled GSSG and with a sucrose marker, and the transport of GSSG to the suspending medium was studied. GSSG transport from ghosts occurred only when ATP was also present in the ghosts, proceeded against a concentration gradient, and was inhibited by fluoride. The rate of transport was dependent upon the intracellular concentration of GSSG. The relationship between GSSG concentration and rate of transport was sigmoidal. Half-maximal transport was observed at a GSSG concentration of approximately 9.6mM. The maximal velocity was estimated to be in the range of 0.27 umole GSSG per ml of ghosts per hr. These data suggest that the rate of GSSG transport a physiologic concentrations of GSSG is not sufficiently rapid to account for the turnover of glutathione by red cells. It seems more likely that the GSSG transport system serves an emergency function of erythrocytes.
Reconstruction of Directed Acyclic Graphs and fundamental limitations

The concept of d-Separation is a key tool to analyze stochastic models defined by probability distributions of random variables that admit a factorization described by a Directed Acyclic Graph. However, in the area of dynamical systems, and especially control theory, it is common to find network models involving stochastic processes that influence each other according to a directed network where feedback loops may be present as well. For the case of networks with loops, we show that the concept of d-Separation can still be applied to infer properties of least square estimators defined on subsets of stochastic processes, at least if their mutual influences are described by linear operators. This result helps to determine fundamental limitations in the classes networks the structure of which can be correctly identified.
A Social Ecology Analysis of Childbirth Among Females Emancipating From Foster Care.

Abstract Purpose No research has examined childbirth from a national perspective among females emancipating from foster care. The present study fills this gap by: (1) documenting the rates of initial and repeat births among females ages 17 and 19 in a national prospective study and (2) identifying risk and protective factors at age 17 that predict childbirth between ages 17 and 19. Methods This study used data from the National Youth in Transition Database and Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System to identify risk and protective factors associated with childbirth in a national sample of transition-age female youth (N = 3,474). Results The cumulative rate of childbirth by age 19 was 21%, with higher rates reported between ages 17 and 19 (17%; n = 602) compared with age 17 or earlier (9%; n = 313). In logistic regression analysis, black race and Hispanic ethnicity, placement with relatives, runaway status, trial home visit placement, early emancipation from foster care, and lifetime incarceration histories were associated with increased likelihood of childbirth. In contrast, school enrollment and employment skills were associated with decreased likelihood of childbirth. The multivariate odds of childbirth between ages 17 and 19 increased 10-fold if youth already had a child by age 17. Conclusions Sexual health and pregnancy prevention programs should specifically target youths who already have children. Increased attention should be paid to adolescents placed with biological families and those with histories of criminal involvement.
Implementation of Health Information Exchange at the Pima County Adult Detention Complex: Lessons Learned:

Successful transition of patients between health care entities is difficult. Historically, the process of transitioning individuals through the corrections system with regard to health care was made even more challenging by the limitation of paper records. Recently, the advent of electronic medical records has improved health care nationwide. The use of health information exchange (HIE) systems in areas such as emergency medicine has also impacted patient outcomes. To date, this technology has not been used in the corrections system. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 correctional health care professionals, corrections staff, and public health entities to evaluate the novel implementation of HIE at a local correctional facility. This article describes the challenges and successes that occurred during the implementation and their implications for successful implementations in the future.
Carceral horror: Punishment and control in Silent Hill:

Prisons have become regular fixtures in late modern media. Despite this ubiquity, little research has been conducted examining representations of prisons and punishment within one of the most popul...
Chlorophyll Fluorescence for High-Throughput Screening of Plants During Abiotic Stress, Aging, and Genetic Perturbation

Chlorophyll (Chl) is nature’s gift to oxygenic photosynthetic organisms which capture solar radiation and convert it into chemical energy to drive the whole process of photosynthesis for proper growth and development of plants. Understanding the responses of photosynthetic apparatus in crop plants under various stress conditions has become a major target for many research programs. In this chapter, we describe the principal of Chl fluorescence and the recent advances in the application of Chl fluorescence. Chl fluorescence measurement is one of the most useful, cost-effective, and non-invasive tools to measure efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry. Incorporated with improved imaging and computer technologies, it can be utilized on a small or large scale for examination of photosynthetic performance, stress tolerance, and aging. Further advancements are being made to develop efficient more tools to apply Chl fluorescence measurement for large-scale high-throughput photosynthesis phenotyping, forestry and crop management.
Normal measures and strongly compact cardinals

We prove four theorems concerning the number of normal measures a non- $$(\kappa + 2)$$ -strong strongly compact cardinal $$\kappa $$ can carry.
Revised Framingham Stroke Risk Score, Nontraditional Risk Markers, and Incident Stroke in a Multiethnic Cohort

Background and Purpose— Limited data exist on the performance of the revised Framingham Stroke Risk Score (R-FSRS) and the R-FSRS in conjunction with nontraditional risk markers. We compared the R-FSRS, original FSRS, and the Pooled Cohort Equation for stroke prediction and assessed the improvement in discrimination by nontraditional risk markers. Methods— Six thousand seven hundred twelve of 6814 participants of the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) were included. Cox proportional hazard, area under the curve, net reclassification improvement, and integrated discrimination increment analysis were used to assess and compare each stroke prediction risk score. Stroke was defined as fatal/nonfatal strokes (hemorrhagic or ischemic). Results— After mean follow-up of 10.7 years, 231 of 6712 (3.4%) strokes were adjudicated (2.7% ischemic strokes). Mean stroke risks using the R-FSRS, original FSRS, and Pooled Cohort Equation were 4.7%, 5.9%, and 13.5%. The R-FSRS had the best calibration (Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fit, χ 2 =6.55; P =0.59). All risk scores were predictive of incident stroke. C statistics of R-FSRS (0.716) was similar to Pooled Cohort Equation (0.716), but significantly higher than the original FSRS (0.653; P =0.01 for comparison with R-FSRS). Adding nontraditional risk markers individually to the R-FSRS did not improve discrimination of the R-FSRS in the area under the curve analysis, but did improve category-less net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination increment for incident stroke. The addition of coronary artery calcium to R-FSRS produced the highest category-less net reclassification improvement (0.36) and integrated discrimination increment (0.0027). Similar results were obtained when ischemic strokes were used as the outcome. Conclusions— The R-FSRS downgraded stroke risk but had better calibration and discriminative ability for incident stroke compared with the original FSRS. Nontraditional risk markers modestly improved the discriminative ability of the R-FSRS, with coronary artery calcium performing the best.
An Exploratory Evaluation of Bystander Intervention Training for Resident Assistants

Abstract The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a modified Green Dot bystander intervention training for resident assistants (RAs). Twenty-four RAs underwent a 2-h bystander i...
A Variational Method for Finding Periodic Solutions of Differential Equations

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a method for finding periodic solutions of ordinary and partial differential equations. More accurately, it is a procedure for finding critical points of indefinite functionals. Rather than give an abstract formulation of this method, the chapter presents it in a more concrete setting. The chapter describes some applications along with their detailed treatment by means of a procedure. The chapter focuses on the setting of Hamiltonian systems of ordinary differential equations.
Elements to Enhance Private Sector Engagement in Disaster Risk Reduction in Central America

Private sector plays an important role in disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Central America. The countries have already incorporated private sector DRR promotion in their respective national policy instruments. Despite this promotion by the national policy framework, progress in the private sector’s DRR engagement has seen limited success in the region. The aim of this article is to discuss the elements that may enhance private sector DRR engagement. Interviews were conducted in Costa Rica, focused on two important private sectors of the country: agriculture and tourism. The study found that private entities in Costa Rica have recently started implementing some DRR related activities. Analyzing the reason for these recent activities in the country, this study finally found that the majority of the interviewees were more concerned about the impacts of climate change rather than disaster risk. Finally, this study found three elements that may enhance the private sector’s engagement in DRR.
The addition of cycles of irinotecan/temozolomide (i/T) to cycles of vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide (VDC) and cycles of ifosfamide, etoposide (IE) for the treatment of Ewing sarcoma (ES).

10533Background: Treatment for ES in North America has evolved to include cycles of VDC and IE. A regimen including these 5 agents with interval dose compression has achieved 5 year EFS of 73% for ...
Insights Gained from Analysis of Citations in Clinical Laboratory Science

This study describes a citation analysis conducted on publications in Clinical Laboratory Science from 2010-2014. References were gathered and sorted according to format and publication date; for references to journal articles, the journal title was also recorded. At 71.0%, the journal article was found to be the most frequently cited format. Over 54% of the references were five years old or less, and over 91% were from the last two decades. A total of 815 unique journal titles were cited. The 22 most frequently cited journals provided approximately one-third of the references, while over 85% of the journals were cited three times or less. The most frequently cited journals were drawn from general medicine, pathology/laboratory medicine, the pre-clinical sciences, and general science. Results of the study can be used by faculty, students, practitioners, and researchers to support scholarship and research, and to advance the long-term goals of the profession. ABBREVIATIONS:ASP - Academic Search Premier, CINAHL - Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PNAHS - ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source, SCIE - Science Citation Index Expanded
Prevalence and Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest in Dermatology Patient Advocacy Organizations.

Importance Patient advocacy organizations are nonprofit organizations that represent patients with medical conditions. Although these organizations may increase disease awareness and influence health care policy, reports have suggested financial relationships between organizations and drug, device, and biotechnology companies, which may lead to potential conflicts of interest. The extent of these conflicts has not been explored among patient advocacy organizations in dermatology. Objective To examine potential financial conflicts of interest and characterize disclosure practices among dermatology patient advocacy organizations. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study of the largest dermatology patient advocacy organizations using the Kaiser Health News database acquired data on total revenue from each organization’s Form 990 for the year 2015. Tax forms and annual reports from 2017 were used for 2 organizations that were missing donor information for 2015. Annual reports, websites, and LinkedIn profiles were manually examined to ascertain donations and determine disclosure practices pertaining to financial support and board membership. Main Outcomes and Measures The amount and minimum proportion of donations attributable to industry sponsorship among organizations as well as the proportion of organizations disclosing (1) industry-sponsored financial support, (2) the amount of industry-derived donations, and (3) current and past relationships between governing board members and industry sponsors. Results This study identified 24 dermatology patient advocacy organizations with annual revenues that exceeded $500 000. Of these, 5 (21%) had total donations that exceeded $5 million and 4 (17%) reported industry donations that exceeded $500 000. Two organizations (8%) reported having at least 40% of total donations from industry sponsorship. Overall, 17 organizations (71%) reported receiving donations from industry on the annual report or the website and 12 (50%) reported the amount of donations in ranges. None of the organizations reported the exact amount or use of donations. On the basis of annual reports and websites, 3 organizations (13%) reported having a current or former industry executive on the organization’s governing board. When this search was replicated using LinkedIn, this figure was at least 54%. Conclusions and Relevance These findings suggest inconsistent disclosure of industry-derived financial support and board membership that may represent conflicts of interest. Policies that support the transparency and consistency of disclosure practices between industry and patient advocacy organizations appear to be needed to fully characterize the extent of conflicts of interest among patient advocacy organizations in dermatology and maintain trust in these important institutions.
Courses of blockchain technology to teach at a career-oriented college

Blockchain technology has evolved from a hype to a technical reality and is quickly becoming a demanded skill. Career-oriented colleges are facing the challenge to incorporate blockchain technology into existing curriculum. While lacking instructional and curriculum models, educators must (a) identify the knowledge domains of blockchain technology, (b) classify their topical areas, and (c) place them in suitable academic subjects (programming, management, or business laws), before being able to determine the appropriate level of instructions and pedagogies. This paper describes a model designed and used to evaluate what topical areas of blockchain technology are practical to teach at a career-oriented college. The evaluation is based on seven factors: (1) maturity of technology, (2) impacts on management, (3) real-world applications, (4) subject classification, (5) knowledge prerequisites, (6) textbook readiness, and (7) recommended pedagogies. The evaluation results are presented by a rating scale ranging from 1 to 5 indicating the degree of "appropriateness" of instruction at college level. A set of territorial indicators also help to clarify the subject territory (computer science, business, or law). This paper suggests to: (1) offer all majors with an introductory course for students to understand what blockchain is and how it applies to business, (2) teach a cryptocurrency-centered course that engages students of technical majors with in-depth discussion of sciences and technologies that drive blockchain, and, if instructionally feasible, (3) guide CS and CIS majors through a project-based programming course for experiencing how to code blockchain applications.
Small Businesses Are Important to the Economy

Small businesses are critical to the US economy. While most politicians and the public say they agree with this statement, small businesses are excluded from economists’ macroeconomic models, and often exert less influence in Washington policymaking circles. Yet small businesses contribute disproportionately to job creation and innovation. Moreover, the ability to start and own a small enterprise embodies the American Dream. Small businesses support a vibrant middle class and strong communities, providing a pathway for social mobility. Contrary to popular perception, not all small businesses are the same. The author describes four distinct small business segments: sole proprietorships, Main Street, supply chain, and high growth businesses. Each has different needs, particularly with regard to access to capital.
Getting Students to Choose to Do More Work: Evidence of the Effectiveness of the Interspersal Procedure

College students were exposed to two sets of mathematics assignments. For each set students were given an experimental and a control assignment. The control assignments contained 15 three-digit by two-digit target problems. The experimental assignments contained 18 similar target problems as well as six one-digit by one-digit multiplication problems interspersed after every third target problem. In the first assignment set, students were asked to work each assignment for 5 minutes. Although the experimental assignments contained more target problems, results showed that significantly more students chose the experimental assignment and rated it as less difficult and as requiring less effort to complete. In the second assignment set, students were asked to complete both assignments. Again significantly more students rated the experimental assignment as being less difficult and as requiring less effort to complete. Although more students chose the experimental assignment for homework, this difference was not significant. Discussion focuses on using the interspersal procedure to enhance students' perceptions of assignments and alter their choice behavior.
Thyroid Function Screening in Children and Adolescents With Mood and Anxiety Disorders

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of abnormal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) measures in youth with severe mood and anxiety disorders and to examine clinical and demographic predictors of abnormal TSH measures. METHODS We retrospectively examined screening TSH concentrations in psychiatrically hospitalized children and adolescents (3-19 years) with mood/anxiety disorders (DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria) at a large, urban, pediatric hospital between September 2013 and April 2017. Symptoms were extracted from the medical record using adaptive natural language processing algorithms, and the utility of demographic, clinical, and treatment variables as predictors of abnormal TSH measures was evaluated using logistic regression. RESULTS In this sample (N = 1,017, mean ± SD age = 14.7 ± 2.24 years), 62 patients had a TSH concentration > 3.74 μIU/mL (5.3% [n = 6] of patients < 12 years of age and 6.2% [n = 56] of patients ≥ 12 years of age), and 7 patients had a TSH concentration < 0.36 μIU/mL. Elevated TSH concentrations were associated with a recent weight gain (odds ratio [OR] = 3.60; 95% CI, 1.13-9.61; P = .017), a history of thyroid disease (OR = 6.88; 95% CI, 2.37-10.7; P ≤ .0001), abnormal menstrual bleeding/menometrorrhagia (OR = 2.03; CI, 1.04-3.63; P = .024), and benzodiazepine treatment (OR = 2.29; 95% CI, 1.07-4.52; P = .02). No association was observed for sex, age, or body mass index z score. Among patients with elevated TSH measures, 12.9% (n = 8, mean ± SD age = 16.5 ± 1.5 years, 87.5% female) had an abnormal free/total thyroxine (T₄) level or other biochemical findings consistent with thyroid disease. Patients with thyroid disease (compared to those patients with elevated TSH and normal active thyroid hormone concentrations) were older (16.5 ± 1.5 vs 14.6 ± 2.3 years, P = .020) but did not differ in sex distribution (87.5% vs 63.6% female, P = .444). CONCLUSIONS TSH concentrations are abnormal in approximately 6% of psychiatrically hospitalized youth, although thyroid disease was present in < 1% of the total sample. Targeted screening should focus on patients with recent weight gain, those treated with benzodiazepines, and girls with a history of abnormal uterine bleeding/menometrorrhagia.
Is metastasectomy a worthy option?-the role of surgery in metastatic colon cancer to liver and lungs.

Background: The role of surgery and metastasectomy is controversial in the treatment of stage IV colon cancer (CC). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between primary tumor resection (PTR) with metastasectomy and survival in patients diagnosed with metastatic CC. Methods: The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was retrospectively queried for patients diagnosed with colon adenocarcinoma from 2004 to 2013. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and short-term outcomes were collected. Groups were generated based on if surgery was performed and, if so, was metastasectomy involved. Associations between groups were evaluated using Kruskal-Wallis and Pearson Chi-square tests. Overall survival (OS) was summarized using standard Kaplan-Meier methods. The association between surgical group and OS was evaluated using the log-rank test. Results: Of 31,172 patients, 13,214 (42.4%) had surgery while 17,958 (57.6%) did not. Among these, 81.3% of patients had liver metastases only, while 18.7% of patients had both liver and lung metastases. Median OS was 15.1 months (95% CI: 14.8 to 15.5 months) for the entire cohort. However, median OS was significantly better for those who had surgery (either PTR alone or PTR with metastasectomy) compared to those who did not (21.8 vs . 7.5 months, P vs . 21.8 months, P=0.035) compared to those who only received PTR (P=0.211). Conclusions: PTR in select patients diagnosed with metastatic CC provides a remarkable improvement to survival rate. The role of metastasectomy remains controversial as no difference in survival outcomes exists between patients who received it and who did not.
On process intensification through storage reactors: A case study on methane steam reforming

Abstract In this work, the novel storage reactor (SR) process is introduced. A SR consists of two physically distinct domains, designated as the reactor domain and the storage domain, which are allowed to communicate with each other through a semipermeable boundary. It is envisioned that the SR is operated in a dynamic (periodic) manner, that enables the loading and unloading of the storage domain. In this introductory work, a 0-D first principle SR model is developed that quantifies SR dynamic behavior. The resulting governing equations are nondimensionalized, and two dimensionless groups are shown to uniquely determine SR performance, which is quantified through the use of several proposed metrics. An illustrative case study on Steam Methane Reforming is then carried out, involving parametric studies on the two aforementioned dimensionless groups. It is established that the SR outperforms an equivalent Steady-State Reactor (SSR), in regard to the outlined performance criteria
Urinary monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 associated with calcium oxalate crystallization in patients with primary hyperoxaluria

Patients with primary hyperoxaluria (PH) often develop kidney stones and chronic kidney disease. Noninvasive urine markers reflective of active kidney injury could be useful to gauge the effectiveness of ongoing treatments. A panel of biomarkers that reflect different nephron sites and potential mechanisms of injury (clusterin, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), 8-isoprostane (8IP), monocyte-chemoattractant protein 1(MCP-1), liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP), heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP), and osteopontin (OPN)) were measured in 114 urine specimens from 30 PH patients over multiple visits. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess associations between biomarkers and 24 h urine excretions, calculated proximal tubular oxalate concentration (PTOx), and eGFR. Mean (±SD) age at first visit was 19.5 ± 16.6 years with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 68.4 ± 21.0 ml/min/1.73m2. After adjustment for age, sex, and eGFR, a higher urine MCP-1 concentration and MCP-1/creatinine ratio was positively associated with CaOx supersaturation (SS). Higher urine NGAL and NGAL/creatinine as well as OPN and OPN/creatinine were associated with higher eGFR. 8IP was negatively associated with PTOx and urinary Ox, but positively associated with CaOx SS. In PH patients greater urine MCP-1 and 8IP excretion might reflect ongoing collecting tubule crystallization, while greater NGAL and OPN excretion may reflect preservation of kidney mass and function. CaOx crystals, rather than oxalate ion may mediate oxidative stress in hyperoxaluric conditions. Further studies are warranted to determine whether urine MCP-1 excretion predicts long term outcome or is altered in response to treatment.
The Path to Political Incorporation: Place and Race Matter

An established literature describes political incorporation as the extent to which a group has achieved significant representation and influence in political decision-making (Browning, Marshall, and Tabb 1984; Bobo and Gilliam 1990). Political incorporation theory is largely developed through studies of the elections of black mayors in large central cities. Because central cities tend to share characteristics, and because there is little variation in the sociopolitical context of these cities, the cases used to construct political incorporation theory account for a narrow sociopolitical context. The minimum variation between the sociopolitical contexts in these cities means that political incorporation theory cannot account for the degree to which place matters to the achievement of incorporation. This paper is shaped by John Mollenkopf’s (1986) use of an anomalous New York City to convey the point that the specificities of place matter more to political incorporation than Browning, Marshall, and Tabb (1984) initially recognized. What are the different paths that cities take toward incorporation? How do place-related characteristics determine the path that each city takes? This paper uses a case study methodology to deepen our knowledge of the process of political incorporation. Because there is minimum variation in the sociopolitical context of central cities, this paper uses a comparative case study of two Chicago suburbs – Shoreland and North Point. This research used qualitative methods – including interviews and focus groups with residents, political activists, civil rights organization members, educators, and political officials, and analysis of historical documents – to demonstrate that despite the demographic similarities between Shoreland and North Point, both cities have vastly different sociopolitical contexts, opposite paths to incorporation, and different resulting levels of black political incorporation. This research demonstrates that the achievement of political incorporation is context-specific. There are key differences in the local sociopolitical contexts of both cases. Their respective paths toward political incorporation were paved far earlier than Civil Rights era struggles for incorporation, and a significant black population was often insufficient for overcoming place-related obstacles to incorporation. This paper outlines the aspects of sociopolitical context that are most closely related to incorporation: local political culture and leadership, civic fabric and opportunities for civic engagement, and the local racial climate. These two cases demonstrate that we know little about cities (central cities and the multitude of suburbs) where incorporation has not resulted – especially those cities with significant black populations. This paper adds complexity to the political incorporation literature and reveals that place shapes the path to incorporation significantly more than the current literature suggests.
Before the Big Bang

The Big Bang has been typically identified as the beginning of the Universe: t = 0 if you extrapolate back our expanding Universe to a state of arbitrarily high temperatures and densities. While you can naively do exactly that in an expanding Universe under the rules of General Relativity, those conditions lead to observable effects that run contrary to what we see. Instead, the Universe is better described by cutting off the matter-and-radiation dominated Universe at some early time, patching on an inflationary epoch where space is expanding exponentially and dominated by some sort of vacuum energy. This is not mere theory nearly 40 years on, but is supported by a vast suite of observable evidence. The case for this conclusion, even in the absence of B-mode polarization in the CMB, is laid out here.
Safety, feasibility, and efficacy of strengthening exercise in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

BACKGROUND This two-part study explored the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of a mild-moderate resistance isometric leg exercise program in ambulatory boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). METHODS First, we used a dose escalation paradigm with varying intensity and frequency of leg isometric exercise to determine the dose response and safety in 10 boys. Second, we examined safety and feasibility of a 12-wk in-home, remotely supervised, mild-moderate intensity strengthening program in eight boys. Safety measures included T2 MRI, creatine kinase levels, and pain. Peak strength and function (time to ascend/descend four stairs) were also measured. RESULTS Dose-escalation revealed no signs of muscle damage. Seven of the eight boys completed the 12-wk in-home program with a compliance of 84.9%, no signs of muscle damage, and improvements in strength (knee extensors P < .01; knee flexors P < .05) and function (descending steps P < .05). CONCLUSIONS An in-home, mild-moderate intensity leg exercise program is safe with potential to positively impact both strength and function in ambulatory boys with DMD.
Incorporating equity in infectious disease modeling: Case study of a distributional impact framework for measles transmission.

Abstract Introduction Deterministic compartmental models of infectious diseases like measles typically reflect biological heterogeneities in the risk of infection and severity to characterize transmission dynamics. Given the known association of socioeconomic status and increased vulnerability to infection and mortality, it is also critical that such models further incorporate social heterogeneities. Methods Here, we aimed to explore the influence of integrating income-associated differences in parameters of traditional dynamic transmission models. We developed a measles SIR model, in which the Susceptible, Infected and Recovered classes were stratified by income quintile, with income-specific transmission rates, disease-induced mortality rates, and vaccination coverage levels. We further provided a stylized illustration with secondary data from Ethiopia, where we examined various scenarios demonstrating differences in transmission patterns by income and in distributional vaccination coverage, and quantified impacts on disparities in measles mortality. Results The income-stratified SIR model exhibited similar dynamics to that of the traditional SIR model, with amplified outbreak peaks and measles mortality among the poorest income group. All vaccination coverage strategies were found to substantially curb the overall number of measles deaths, yet most considerably for the poorest, with select strategies yielding clear reductions in measles mortality disparities. Discussion The incorporation of income-specific differences can reveal distinct outbreak patterns across income groups and important differences in the subsequent effects of preventative interventions like vaccination. Our case study highlights the need to extend traditional modeling frameworks (e.g. SIR models) to be stratified by socioeconomic factors like income and to consider ensuing income-associated differences in disease-related morbidity and mortality. In so doing, we build on existing tools and characterize ongoing challenges in achieving health equity.
Mating Communication of the Variegated Leafhopper, Erasmoneura variabilis, With Notes on Vibrational Signaling of Other Grapevine Cicadellids in California

Leafhoppers in the tribe Erythroneurini are a concern for grape growers in California due to direct feeding damage by piercing the leaves. Management of leafhopper populations in vineyards may be accomplished by insecticide applications, the release of natural enemies, conservation biological control, exploitation of controlled deficit irrigation, or a combination of the above. Based on research on other leafhopper species, a behavioral mating disruption is a viable option, but nothing is known about the mating communication and circadian signaling of these species in vineyards. The objectives of this study were to identify and describe vibrational signals associated with mate selection behavior of Erasmoneura variabilis and Erythroneura ziczac, and evaluate the occurrence of vibrational signals within sympatric populations of E. variabilis, E. ziczac, and Homalodisca vitripennis on grapevines. Analysis of vibrational communication signals revealed that 1) one female signal and two distinct male signals are used in E. variabilis pair formation, 2) the pair formation process in E. variabilis is divided into three communication phases, 3) E. variabilis pre-copulatory communication is longer in the presence than in the absence of male-male rivalry, 4) two distinct signals are used in E. ziczac pair formation, and 5) E. variabilis, E. ziczac, and H. vitripennis sing at night and during the day. Results include detailed descriptions of leafhopper communication signals that are relevant for future development of vibrational disruption as a novel method to suppress populations under field conditions.
Critical Access Hospital Leaders Beat Challenges to Support Their Communities and Staffs.

SUMMARY: Critical access hospitals (CAHs) serve their rural communities as the main access points and communication centers for healthcare, typically with very limited financial, staffing, and support resources. Local residents rely on their CAHs as the only providers for many miles around. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, CAH leaders had to rethink operations and priorities, both internally with staffs and externally with community leaders and organizations. Few critical care beds were available when the need was greatest. Testing was problematic, and cultural barriers complicated care. Now, as virus variants strike where vaccination numbers are low, CAH leaders remain wary of financial hits to elective procedure income, limited resources, and added stress for their staffs. Working with community service organizations and larger regional healthcare centers is a crucial strategy for CAHs as they address care delivery issues and ensure that their caregivers can do their jobs now and in the future.
Belief versus knowledge: An epic battle, but no clear victor

The knowledge-first approach is attractive and consistent with a wide variety of evidence. So is the opposing belief-first picture. I explain why the target article's criticisms of the latter fail, and argue that the outcome is a stalemate.
The ecdysial glands of arthropods.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the the ecdysial glands (EGs) of arthropods. EG are present and producing a molt initiating hormone in those stages of the life cycle of arthropods that will ultimately molt. These glands are located in the anterior region of the body: in the prosoma of arachnids, the second maxillary or antennary segments of crustaceans, and in the head, neck, or thorax of insects. They range in form from the compact oval organs of the Brachyura and certain lower insects, to the extremely diffuse organs of certain Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera. They are typically composed of a single relatively large secretory cell type, but small hemocyte, tracheal epithelial, and glial cells are frequently associated with the glands. Considerable morphological alterations typically characterize their cyclical secretory activity. They are generally found only in those stages of the life cycle that will ultimately molt, for example in immature insects or in most adult malacostracans, and they usually regress after the terminal molt.
Structures of Three Human β Alcohol Dehydrogenase Variants: Correlations with their Functional Differences

Abstract The three-dimensional structures of three variants of human β alcohol dehydrogenase have been determined to 2·5 A resolution. These three structures differ only in the amino acid at position 47 and the molecules occupying the alcohol binding site. Human β1 alcohol dehydrogenase has an Arg at position 47 and was crystallized in a complex with NAD(H) and cyclohexanol. A naturally occurring variant of β1 alcohol dehydrogenase, found in approximately 50% of the Asian population, possesses a His at position 47 (β2 or β47H) and was crystallized in a complex with NAD+ and the inhibitor 4-iodopyrazole. A site-directed mutant of β1 alcohol dehydrogenase in which a Gly is substituted for Arg47 (β47G) was crystallized in a complex with NAD+. By comparing both the common and unique features of these structures, it is clear that position 47 contributes significantly to the strength of protein-coenzyme interactions. The substitution of Arg47 by His produces an enzyme with a 100-fold lower affinity for coenzyme, but creates no larger changes in the enzyme structure. The substitution of Arg47 by Gly produces an enzyme with coenzyme binding characteristics more similar to the wild-type enzyme than to the enzyme with His at position 47, but the structure of the Gly47 variant exhibits differences in and around the coenzyme binding site. These changes involve a rigid-body rotation of the catalytic domain towards the coenzyme domain by approximately 0·8° and local rearrangements of amino acid side-chains, such as a 1·0 A movement of Lys228, relative to the β1 enzyme. These structural alterations may compensate for the loss of coenzyme interactions contributed by Arg47 and can explain the high affinity of the Gly47 variant for coenzyme.
Factors Affecting the Antimicrobial Activity of Vitamin K5

Pure cultures of Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas fluorescens were used in this investigation. The bactericidal concentrations of vitamin K5 required for E. coli, B. subtilis, P. vulgaris, S. aureus, and P. fluorescens; the effect of an absence of oxygen; the effect of contact time with E. coli and S. aureus; and the effect of initial counts per milliliter of E. coli were studied. The bactericidal concentrations ranged from 60 ppm of K5 for S. aureus to 220 ppm for E. coli, with an initial count of 160,000 to 200,000 cells per milliliter and a contact time of 12 hr in nutrient broth. The gram-positive bacteria tested were more susceptible to the antimicrobial activity of vitamin K5 than the gram-negative bacteria. In the studies conducted under nitrogen atmosphere, the per cent inhibition showed an inverse relationship to the bactericidal concentrations required for complete inhibition in studies conducted under air atmosphere. This finding suggested that there might be different factors responsible for inhibition depending on the species of bacteria being tested, and it also might help explain the difference in concentrations necessary for inhibition. Cells of E. coli and S. aureus were not inhibited immediately on coming into contact with vitamin K5; 50% inhibition occurred after 25 and 32 min, respectively. A rapid inhibition rate was maintained until approximately 90% inhibition occurred, after whch a rapid decrease in the rate was noted.
All-Alpha to All-Beta Structural Conversion in the Transcription Factor RfaH

We used combination of replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations with implicit solvent and detailed all-atom simulations with explicit solvent to investigate the α-helix to β-structure transformation of RfaH-CTD. While interacting with the N-terminal domain (NTD), the C-terminal domain (CTD) of RfaH folds to an α-helix bundle but it undergoes an all-α to all-β conformational transformation when it does not interact with the NTD. The RfaH-CTD in the all-α topology is involved in regulating transcription whereas in the all-β topology it is involved in stimulating translation by recruiting a ribosome to an mRNA. Calculations of free-energy landscape and transfer entropy elucidate the details of the RfaH-CTD transformation process. The importance of interfacial interactions between the two domains of RfaH is highlighted by the compromised structural integrity of the helical form of the CTD in the absence NTD.
DEVELOPMENT IN EASTERN INTERIOR BASIN IN 1940

Oil production in the Eastern Interior basin reached a new high in 1940, about 55 per cent above 1939. Most of this increase was due to the drilling of wells in the Devonian limestone in the Salem and Centralia pools, Illinois. Thirty new oil pools were discovered in Illinois, five in southwestern Indiana, and one in western Kentucky. The Indiana discoveries were within about 10 miles of the Wabash River which is the Illinois-Indiana state boundary in this area. Twelve of the 30 new pools discovered in Illinois are in counties bordering the Wabash River. Geological conditions revealed by the new drilling are discussed.
Managing attrition in clinical research

Abstract Attrition can cause serious problems for clinical researchers by introducing biases into an experiment. Preinclusion and postinclusion attrition can threaten both internal and external validity. This article provides a comprehensive approach to attrition, examining the possible impact of this occurrence at each phase of the study. Certain methods of recruitment and types of research protocols may decrease the occurrence of attrition. When attrition does occur, experimental methods are useful for preserving validity, including: completers-only analysis; optimization; endpoint analysis; and time-controlled analysis. Statistical approaches also can be implemented such as standardized change scores, data replacement by regression, endpoint analysis with regression, and worst case scenarios. The application of a single approach to the data will most likely introduce bias; however, a statistical bracketing procedure that compares two methods with opposing biases will yield greater confidence in the validity of the results.
The 2.7 Å crystal structure of deoxygenated hemoglobin from the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus): structural basis for a lowered oxygen affinity and Bohr effect

Abstract Background: The hemoglobins of the sea lamprey are unusual in that cooperativity and sensitivity to pH arise from an equilibrium between a high-affinity monomer and a low-affinity oligomer. Although the crystal structure of the monomeric cyanide derivative has previously been determined, the manner by which oligomerization acts to lower the oxygen affinity and confer a strong Bohr effect has, until now, been speculative. Results: We have determined the crystal structure of deoxygenated lamprey hemoglobin V by molecular replacement to 2.7 A resolution, in a crystal form with twelve protomers in the asymmetric unit. The subunits are arranged as six essentially identical dimers, with a novel subunit interface formed by the E helices and the AB corner using the standard hemoglobin helical designations. In addition to nonpolar interactions, the interface includes a striking cluster of four glutamate residues. The proximity of the interface to ligand-binding sites implicates a direct effect on ligand affinity. Conclusions: Comparison of the deoxy structure with that of the cyanide derivative revealed conformational changes that appear to be linked to the functional behavior. Oligomerization is coupled with a movement of the first half of the E helix by up to 1.0 A towards the heme, resulting in steric interference of ligand binding to the deoxy structure. The Bohr effect seems to result from proton uptake by glutamate residues as they are buried in the interface. Unlike human and mollusc hemoglobins, in which modulation of function is due to primarily proximal effects, regulation of oxygen affinity in lamprey hemoglobin V seems to depend on changes at the distal (ligand-binding) side of the heme group.
The effects of prior chronic stress on cardiovascular responses to acute restraint and formalin injection

Exposure to acute stressors activates both the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and cardiovascular systems. Prior chronic stress enhances HPA responses to novel, acute stressors, but whether it alters cardiovascular responsivity to novel, acute stress is unknown. In the present study, we examined mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) to two distinct stimuli, restraint and formalin, following prior exposure to 7 days of intermittent cold. In two sets of control and chronically stressed animals, we measured MAP and HR for 60 min following onset of 30 min restraint and MAP, HR and behavioral responses to intraplantar injection of formalin. Chronic stress raised MAP and HR under resting conditions and elevated HR during, but not following termination of, restraint. These increases in HR during restraint were due to the differences in resting levels of HR, since both control and chronically stressed animals exhibited similar increases from resting levels in HR during restraint. Conversely, chronically stressed animals exhibited lower changes in MAP and HR from resting levels following termination of restraint. Formalin produced the characteristic biphasic pattern of cardiovascular and behavioral responses. Prior chronic stress did not alter behavior, but increased MAP and HR in Interphase and only MAP in Phase 2. The increases in MAP during Interphase and Phase 2 were a result of the elevations in resting levels of MAP, but even when differences in resting levels were taken into account, HR remained elevated in the Interphase in chronically stressed animals. Together, these data demonstrate that prior chronic intermittent cold stress modifies cardiovascular function both under resting conditions and, in very specific ways, under stimulated conditions produced by restraint and formalin. We propose that these modifications are produced by brain regions that are known to regulate cardiovascular function and which are activated by chronic stress.