cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human Rights as an Imperialist Ideology

This chapter has three main points. In the first place, I look at the imperialist ideology, focusing on the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, because this period corresponds to the formal imperialism which consecrated the domination of the rest of world by the West. Now paying attention to that period shows that the formal imperialism thrived because of the work of international law. Thus, the second point analyzes the relationship between international law and imperialist ideology. Hoping that these two first points will have highlighted the content of imperialist ideology, the third and last point will then expose how the rhetoric of human rights incarnates this imperialist ideology. But before I develop all these points, the chapter offers some delimitation to the definitional scope of the concept of imperialist ideology, succinctly analyzing each term before bringing them together.
Malaria: epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment--an update.

An estimated 300 million cases of malaria occur each year, annually accounting for 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths (1). Most of these deaths are due to infection with Plasmodium falciparum and occur among children and pregnant women in the developing world, especially sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, mortality during severe or complicated malaria still exceeds 10% to 30% (2). Due to increasing resistance among malaria parasites to chemotherapeutic agents, dissolution of malaria control programs, and increasing international travel, the incidence of malaria is increasing worldwide. Large scale multinational efforts have been initiated to “roll back malaria,” including major commitments of financial, clinical, and research resources (3,4).
Mechanisms contributing to mechanical property changes in composites of polypropylene reinforced with spray-dried cellulose nanofibrils

This study revealed the effects of spray-dried cellulose nanofibril (SDCNF) addition (3,10 and 30 wt%) and maleic anhydride polypropylene (MAPP) coupling agent (2 wt%) on the mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP). Results indicated that the elastic moduli of the PP composites increased as the SDCNF content increased above 10 wt%. The addition of MAPP into the SDCNF/PP composites did not improve the elastic moduli. Flexural strength of PP was improved when the SDCNF content increased above 10 wt%, while the tensile strength of PP decreased as the SDCNF content increased. The addition of MAPP into the SDCNF/PP composites increased the strength of the composites when the SDCNF content was above 10 wt%. Without the addition of MAPP, the composite’s impact strength did not exhibit a significant increase among the pure PP and SDCNF/PP composites. No significant differences in crystallinity or crystal forms were found in the pure PP and PP/MAPP/SDCNF composites. The spherulitic size of PP was reduced after adding SDCNF into the PP.
The determinants and consequences of website credibility in e-retailing: examining the roles of ethical issues

In the e-tailing context, little is known about ethical determinants of consumers' perceptions of the credibility of a retailer's website (i.e., website credibility). Thus, this study examines the impact of ethical issues (i.e., privacy, security, fulfilment, and non-deception) on website credibility and its subsequent influence on consumers' attitudes toward site and behavioural intentions. Results show that fulfilment and non-deception are related positively to website credibility, which ultimately influences consumers' attitudes toward retailer's website. However, security and privacy were not significant predictors of website credibility. Attitude toward the website is significantly related to purchase intent, revisit intent, and positive word-of-mouth.
CR1 and CR2: Receptors Mediating Cellular Recognition in the Complement System

Publisher Summary The complement system is a mechanism for the recognition of microorganisms that proceeds through two phases, the first being the covalent attachment of two complement system proteins—C3 and C4—to other proteins and to carbohydrates that are part of the complement-activating complex, and the second phase being the receptor-mediated binding of these complexes by various cell types, such as lymphocytes and phagocytes. Activation of C4 by the proteolytic enzyme, C1s, releases the C4a peptide from the α-chain, inducing a major conformational alteration of the C4b fragment that exposes or catalyzes a transacylation reaction involving an internal thiolester in the α-polypeptide. Attachment of C3b after activation of C3 by C3 convertases of either pathway occurs by the same mechanism: proteolytic release of the C3a peptide from the α-polypeptide of C3, causing a major conformational change in the C3b fragment that activates the thiol ester and induces transacylation to —OH groups. The second phase of recognition by complement is the binding of complexes containing covalently bound fragments of C3 and C4 by cells having receptors specific for these fragments. This chapter explains the structure/function relationships of CR1 and CR2 and presents a novel approach to antiinflammatory therapy that employs a recombinant soluble form of CR1. It also discusses the relationship between the natural ligand-binding site in CR2 to the binding site for the Epstein–Barr virus.
Capital as the lens that Bourdieu Pierres through: Public relations, social theory, and rhetoric

Abstract In this paper, I explore the limitations of Bourdieu’s “capital” with the help of Burke’s four master tropes: metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, and irony. Both Bourdieu and Burke were concerned with theoretical reductionism. I claim that Bourdieu could not help but be reductive insofar as his metaphor of capital became the totalizing lens through which he understood society. First, I review Bourdieu’s forms of capital, noting how capital serves as the sine qua non of his theory of practice. Second, I situate Bourdieu within the PR literature. Third, I read Bourdieu’s “capital” through Burke’s (1941) four master tropes. Reading Bourdieu through Burke enables PR scholars to better understand the limitations in Bourdieu’s terminology, which leads to debunking, materialist reductionism, and relativism. I conclude with implications for future research adopting Bourdieusian and Burkean approaches to public relations.
Sensitivity and Specificity of Metal Ion Level in Predicting Adverse Local Tissue Reactions Due to Head-Neck Taper Corrosion in Primary Metal-on-Polyethylene Total Hip Arthroplasty

Abstract Background There is increasing concern regarding the occurrence of adverse local tissue reactions (ALTRs) in metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients due to mechanically assisted crevice corrosion at the head-neck modular taper junction. The utility of metal ion levels in evaluating MoP patients with head-neck taper has not been fully characterized. This study aimed to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of serum metal ions as a predictor of ALTR in MoP THA patients. Methods A total of 62 MoP THA patients in 2 cohorts were investigated: (1) ALTR on metal artifact reduction sequence magnetic resonance imaging (n = 43) and (2) without ALTR on metal artifact reduction sequence magnetic resonance imaging (n = 19). Receiver-operating characteristic curve was constructed to determine the sensitivity and specificity using different metal ion thresholds and the optimal metal ion cutoff values. Results The presence of ALTR was associated with significantly higher cobalt (8.9 ng/mL vs 0.3 ng/mL, P P P Conclusions Although metal ion levels alone should not be relied on as the sole parameter to determine revision surgery, serum cobalt level of >1 ng/mL (1 ppb) and Co/Cr ratio >2 thresholds provide evidence-based practical information for surgeons when interpreting metal ion levels in MoP THA patients for clinically relevant head-neck taper corrosion.
Going Bone Deep: Osseous Rosai–Dorfman Disease in an Adult with Recurrent, Culture-Negative Osteomyelitis

A patient presented for medical care on three separate occasions over the course of two years with recurrent right knee pain attributed to chronic osteomyelitis. Careful assessment revealed that his symptoms were caused by osseous Rosai-Dorfman disease. This case presents an alternative diagnostic possibility for culture-negative chronic osteomyelitis.
Legionnaires Disease Surveillance in US Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facilities and Assessment of Health Care Facility Association.

Importance Legionnaires disease (LD) incidence is increasing in the United States. Health care facilities are a high-risk setting for transmission ofLegionellabacteria from building water systems to occupants. However, the contribution of LD in health care facilities to national LD rates is not well characterized. Objectives To determine the burden of LD in US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) patients and to assess the amount of LD with VA exposure. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective cohort study of reported LD data in VA medical facilities in a national VA LD surveillance system from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2016. The study population included total veteran enrollees and enrollees who used the VA health care system. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was assessment of annual LD rates, categorized by VA and non-VA exposure. Legionnaires disease rates for cases with VA exposure were determined on both population and exposure potential levels. Rates by VA exposure potential were calculated using inpatient bed days of care, long-term care resident days, or outpatient encounters. In addition, types and amounts of LD diagnostic testing were calculated. Case and testing data were analyzed nationally and regionally. Results There were 491 LD cases in the case report surveillance system from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2016. Most cases (447 [91%]) had no VA exposure or only outpatient VA exposure. The remaining 44 cases had VA exposure from overnight stays. Total LD rates from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2016, increased for all VA enrollees (from 1.5 to 2.0 per 100 000 enrollees;P = .04) and for users of VA health care (2.3 to 3.0 per 100 000 enrollees;P = .04). The LD rate for the subset who had no VA exposure also increased (0.90 to 1.47 per 100 000 enrollees;P Conclusions and Relevance Data in the VA LD databases showed an increase in overall LD rates over the 3 years, driven by increases in rates of non-VA LD. Inpatient VA-associated LD rates decreased, suggesting that the VA’s LD prevention efforts have contributed to improved patient safety.
Dissociation of the Prothoracic Glands of ManducaSexta into Hormone-Responsive Cells

Prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) is a cerebral neuropeptide which stimulates the synthesis of the steroid prohormone, ecdysone, by the insect prothoracic glands. In the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, both calcium and cAMP have been found to play important roles in the steroidogenic action of PTTH (see Smith and Gilbert, 1986). These second messengers appear to act sequentially, with PTTH stimulating a calcium-dependent increase in cAMP formation, and the cyclic nucleotide in turn activating cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein phosphorylation in a calcium-independent manner.
The MIMIC Virtual Reality Trainer: Stepping into Three-Dimensional, Binocular, Robotic Simulation

The dramatic increase in the number of robotic surgeries performed has prompted a need for more rigorous robotics training during or after residency, yet training in robotic surgery requires the instructing surgeon to partially relinquish control of the procedure, which makes this training difficult. The MIMIC® virtual reality trainer, MdVT (Mimic Technologies Inc., Seattle, WA), provides a means for trainees to acquire skills prior to entering the operating room. In this chapter, the features of the MdVT as well as the available training exercises are reviewed. Preliminary face, content, and construct validity of the trainer has been established using basic exercises and will be discussed. Finally, the future development of this robotic trainer in terms of further establishing validity and creating new training exercises will be summarized.
Representative Sets for Stochastic Dominance Rules

Advising someone as to his best course of conduct is always treacherous and trying to steer his economic course can be perilous to personal relationships. If we knew his utility function, economists might say, we could confidently and with courage make optimal selections for anyone. But economic counselors would likely know, at most, only some salient characteristics of the advisee. Depending on what and how much we know about a client’s utility function we could more or less sharply delineate the options which are inferior for him. This idea is at the root of all studies under the topic of “stochastic dominance rules.” Given incomplete information about a person’s utility function the best that we can do is to classify him accordingly to one or more sets of utility functions. He may be one of any number of people whose utility functions are members of some given set. We know no more or less about his utility function than any other in the set. Any choice between two uncertain prospects appropriate to him would likewise be appropriate to anyone else whose utility function is in the same set because this set defines the limits of information about the utility functions we consider. It is equivalent then to ask; “If we know Tom’s utility function can be characterized as thus and so which choice should he make?” or, “If everyone we consider has utility functions which can be characterized as thus and so, which choice should they unanimously make?” The latter question is in the spirit of stochastic dominance research. Primarily, stochastic dominance rules dictate procedures for discovering unanimous orderings of uncer?tain prospects appropriate for utility functions within specified sets.
Electronic Inefficiencies in Inter- and Intra-Molecular Energy and Electron Transfer

The efficiency of exciton or charge migration from the center of photon absorption to a neighboring reaction center depends on the product of nuclear and electronic retardation factors Knu and Kel, respectively. Some relatively recent energy (ENT) and electron (ELT) transfer studies have delineated important features of the often elusive electronic factors. It has been shown that ENT and ELT processes can be electronically inefficient in bimolecular reactions of simple transition metal complexes. In such situations, superexchange couplings of the reaction partners with CT-donor or -acceptor species in the condensed phase matrix can lead to appreciable increases in the reaction efficiencies. In a simple treatment applicable in the surface crossing limit, K el 1/2 ≅ (JRP/ERP) exp (−αrDA) and JRP ≅ H RP ° + (HXCT)2 ∑(ECT)−1, values of the inferred transition state superexchange coupling parameters span a range 0.2 ≤ HXCT/eV ≤ 2.5, comparable to those found for donor-acceptor couplings in charge transfer complexes. Near resonance transfer may be important when reactants and products have the same nuclear coordinates. Some preliminary observations are presented regarding photoinduced ENT and ELT in covalently linked (bpy)2RuII[(CN)MIII (NH3)5] 2 6+ complexes.
The Lost Story of Notice and Personal Jurisdiction

Notice and personal jurisdiction have long been fellow procedural law travelers because of their common origins in the mechanics of service of process and the shared due process ancestor in Pennoyer v. Neff. They have a tangled history that is more than just a historical quirk. Notice was once a reliable feature of personal jurisdiction jurisprudence, but slowly faded from prominence in personal jurisdiction analysis after the International Shoe and Mullane decisions, and then fell away almost completely in the post-Asahi era. This Article attempts to answer a few important but surprisingly overlooked questions, namely: when and why did notice break off from personal jurisdiction? And why, despite decades of nearly constant hand-wringing about confusion and chaos in personal jurisdiction, did so few commentators or jurists seem to take note of this development? Once the Supreme Court tied personal jurisdiction to due process, notice was critical in shaping the direction of jurisdictional doctrine. Its role extended beyond that of a mere instrument of doctrinal development. The use of notice was integral to the mode of legal reasoning that the Court employed in its personal jurisdiction journey. This was on account of two key attributes of notice. First, notice, with its tangibility and dependence on mechanical service of process, allowed the Court to navigate the strict formalism of the pre-International Shoe era and the Court’s many returns to formalism in the era of minimum contacts. Second, when the Court wanted to engage in a more functional mode of analysis, notice allowed the Court to continually tie personal jurisdiction to due process because of the intuitive fairness appeal of the ideas of notice and opportunity to be heard. Thus, the Court could lean on notice to provide a veneer of fairness and process, even while supposedly privileging arguments about sovereignty and territoriality. Finally, when the Court made several efforts to limit the scope of personal jurisdiction between International Shoe and the early 1990s, the Court seized upon a different but related concept of notice – notice of jurisdiction – as a due process justification for restricting personal jurisdiction. Restoring notice to personal jurisdiction might be a small yet helpful part of a strategy to impose normative and doctrinal order on personal jurisdiction chaos. This “notice-inclusive approach” focuses on reestablishing comfort with the inclusion of easily-satisfied due process considerations while also stressing that constitutional notice doctrine itself might be strengthened in small but strategic ways, thus adding some additional due process protections both to notice and to personal jurisdiction. Reincorporating notice in specific jurisdiction analysis would broaden the doctrine and sharpen its boundaries by refocusing analysis on the relationship between personal jurisdiction and other procedural protections with a due process component. Finally, returning notice to personal jurisdiction might pave the way for a less restrictive, yet still appropriately constrained, approach to general jurisdiction.
Energy oversupply to tissues: a single mechanism possibly underlying multiple cancer risk factors

Background and objectives Several major risk factors for cancer involve vascular oversupply of energy to affected tissues. These include obesity, diabetes and chronic inflammation. Here, we propose a potential mechanistic explanation for the association between energy oversupply and cancer risk, which we call the metabolic cancer suppression hypothesis: We hypothesize that oncogenesis is normally suppressed by organismal physiology that regulates and strictly limits normal energy supply to somatic cells, and that this protection is removed by abnormal oversupply of energy. Methodology We evaluate this hypothesis using a computational model of somatic cell evolution to simulate experimental manipulation of the vascular energy supply to a tissue. The model simulates the evolutionary dynamics of somatic cells during oncogenesis. Results In our simulation experiment, we found that under plausible biological assumptions, elevated energy supply to a tissue led to the evolution of elevated energy uptake by somatic cells, leading to the rapid evolution of both defining traits of cancer cells: hyperproliferation, and tissue invasion. Conclusions and implications Our results support the hypothesis of metabolic cancer suppression, suggesting that vascular oversupply of energetic resources to somatic cells removes normal energetic limitations on cell proliferation, and that this accelerates cellular evolution toward cancer. Various predictions of this hypothesis are amenable to empirical testing, and have promising implications for translational research toward clinical cancer prevention.
Atmospheric Turbulence Effects on Infrared and Near-Millimeter Wave Propagation [1]

Scintillation of electromagnetic energy traversing the turbulent atmosphere is caused by refractive index inhomogeneities in the path that cause phase shifts, giving rise to selective reinforcement or degradation of the energy across the beam. The resulting energy distribution is log normal [2], characterized by a variance s E 2 that is a function of the degree of atmospheric turbulence. These inhomogeneities also cause angle of arrival fluctuations, depolarization, frequency shift, and thermal blooming; although the latter three effects are thought to be of minor importance in the NMMW spatial region.
Disassembling 2D van der Waals crystals into macroscopic monolayers and reassembling into artificial lattices

Two-dimensional materials from layered van der Waals (vdW) crystals hold great promise for electronic, optoelectronic, and quantum devices, but technological implementation will be hampered by the lack of high-throughput techniques for exfoliating single-crystal monolayers with sufficient size and high quality. Here, we report a facile method to disassemble vdW single crystals layer by layer into monolayers with near-unity yield and with dimensions limited only by bulk crystal sizes. The macroscopic monolayers are comparable in quality to microscopic monolayers from conventional Scotch tape exfoliation. The monolayers can be assembled into macroscopic artificial structures, including transition metal dichalcogenide multilayers with broken inversion symmetry and substantially enhanced nonlinear optical response. This approach takes us one step closer to mass production of macroscopic monolayers and bulk-like artificial materials with controllable properties.
Pre-transit vitamin C injection improves post-transit performance of beef steers

Although cattle can synthesize vitamin C (VC) endogenously, stress may increase VC requirements above the biosynthetic threshold and warrant supplementation. This study investigated the effects of a VC injection delivered before or after a long-distance transit event on blood parameters and feedlot performance of beef steers. Fifty-two days prior to trial initiation, 90 newly weaned, Angus-based steers from a single source were transported to Ames, IA, USA. On day 0, 72 steers (356 ± 17 kg) were blocked by BW and randomly assigned to intramuscular injection treatments (24 steers/treatment): saline injection pre- and post-transit (CON), VC (Vet One, Boise, ID, USA; 5 g sodium ascorbate/steer) injection pre-transit and saline injection post-transit (PRE) or saline injection pre-transit and VC injection post-transit (POST). Following pre-transit treatment injections, steers were transported on a commercial livestock trailer for approximately 18 h (1675 km). Post-transit (day 1), steers were sorted into pens with one GrowSafe bunk/pen (4 pens/treatment; 6 steers/pen). Steers were weighed on day 0, 1, 7, 30, 31, 56 and 57. Blood was collected from 3 steers/pen on day 0, 1, 2 and 7; liver biopsies were performed on the same 3 steers/pen on day 2. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design (experimental unit = steer; fixed effects = treatment and block) and blood parameters were analyzed as repeated measures. A pre-transit VC injection improved steer average daily gain from day 7 to 31 (P = 0.05) and overall (day 1 to 57; P = 0.02), resulting in greater BW for PRE-steers on day 30/31 (P = 0.03) and a tendency for greater final BW (day 56/57; P = 0.07). Steers that received VC pre- or post-transit had greater DM intake from day 31 to 57 (P = 0.01) and overall (P = 0.02) v. CON-steers. Plasma ascorbate concentrations were greatest for PRE-steers on day 1 and POST-steers on day 2 (treatment × day; P < 0.01). No interaction or treatment effects were observed for other blood parameters (P ≥ 0.21). Plasma ferric-reducing antioxidant potential and malondialdehyde concentrations decreased post-transit (day; P < 0.01), while serum non-esterified fatty acids and haptoglobin concentrations increased post-transit (day; P < 0.01). In general, blood parameters returned to pre-transit values by day 7. Pre-transit administration of injectable VC to beef steers mitigated the decline in plasma ascorbate concentrations and resulted in superior feedlot performance compared to post-transit administration.
The Association Between Income and Incident Homebound Status Among Older Medicare Beneficiaries.

Importance A large and growing population of older adults with multimorbidity, cognitive impairment, and functional disability live in the community, but many never or rarely leave their homes. Being homebound is associated with decreased access to medical services, poor health outcomes, and increased mortality. Yet, it is unknown what factors, in particular socioeconomic factors, are associated with new onset of homebound status. Objective To evaluate the association between income and risk of becoming homebound. Design Observational cohort study using 2011 to 2018 data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older. Setting Population-based study in the United States. Participants A total of 7,042 initially nonhomebound community-dwelling older adults. Exposure Total annual household income at baseline (in 2011) measured via self-report. Outcome Annual measure of homebound status, defined as leaving home an average of 1 d/wk or less. Results Over 7 years, 15.81% of older adults in the lowest income quartile (≤$15,003) became homebound, compared with only 4.64% of those in the highest income quartile (>$60,000). In a competing risks analysis accounting for risks of death and nursing home admission, and adjusted for clinical and demographic characteristics, those in the lowest income quartile had a substantially higher subhazard of becoming homebound than those in the highest income quartile (1.65; 95% confidence interval = 1.20-2.29). Moreover, we see evidence of a gradient in risk of homebound status by income quartile. Conclusion and relevance Our work demonstrates that financial resources shape the risk of becoming homebound, which is associated with negative health consequences. In the context of existing income disparities, more support is needed to assist older adults with limited financial resources who wish to remain in the community.
Remote Sensing Application for Sinkhole Monitoring Along Roadways

Several regions in the United States including Florida, Texas, and Kentucky are known to have overwhelming destruction caused by sinkholes due to various soil structures prone to subsurface voids. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, over $300 million per year on average is spent on sinkhole related damage in the United States [1]. When a sinkhole is detected early, the department of transportation can track the growth rate to make decisions when to disrupt travel flow for repair, and to budget the repair from a maintenance perspective rather than a hazardous emergency. Current practices used for detection include Standard Penetration Test, Ground Penetration Radar, and multi-channel seismic survey can typically cost from $1,000 -$10,000. This study focuses on a potential real-time remote sensing sinkhole monitoring system that is different from the standard practice used today by the Department of Transportation. The primary function of the early detection device is designed on the principle of a hollow-core auger with a free-falling mass displacement trigger. At the top, an electronic enclosure is placed and is used to power the device from a normally “off” state to an “on” state when a void is detected below the device. This triggering function allows the system to conserve its energy and have an in-situ period of several years. In order to test the certainty of the response of the auger exposed to the environmental conditions, a test was conducted at a construction fill pit. To simulate a cover-collapse sinkhole, a cavity was dug out approximately three inches below the estimated bottom of the auger. After two months of being in the ground, the test resulted in no sinkhole forming from the tunnel dug beneath the auger. The device during development tested as expected with some modifications needed.
Controllable immobilization of enzymes in metal-organic frameworks for biocatalysis

In this issue of Chem Catalysis, Yang and co-workers describe the preparation of enzyme@metal-organic framework composites for efficient biocatalysis under both weakly acidic and basic conditions. This work unambiguously provides a general and green co-precipitation method of orderly immobilizing enzymes in metal-organic frameworks, which will be instructive for research in both academia and industry.
Immediate Postpartum IUD Training Within a Regional Network of Family Medicine Residencies.

Background and Objective Immediate postpartum placement of intrauterine devices (PPIUD) offers important benefits to patients. Little is known about PPIUD training or knowledge within family medicine residency programs. We evaluated PPIUD experience and prior training among family medicine residents and faculty. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of residents and faculty in 24 regional family medicine residency programs in 2018. Survey questions focused on reception of PPIUD training and experience with PPIUD counseling and placement. Results The final survey sample included 203 residents and 100 faculty with an overall response rate of 39%. About 26% (n=79) of all participants reported receiving prior training for counseling and placement of PPIUDs, while 16% (n=48) of participants had ever placed a PPIUD. Twenty-six percent (n=78) of participants reported that their residency programs offered PPIUD training. Residents and faculty who reported past PPIUD training and/or placement experience were more likely to have ever counseled patients about PPIUD (P<.001) and report that their primary training hospital offered PPIUD to patients (P<.001) and their residency programs offered PPIUD training (P<.001). Conclusions Few programs offer routine PPIUD training opportunities for family medicine residents and faculty, which may contribute to limited availability of PPIUD to patients. There is a need to improve PPIUD training and placement opportunities for both family medicine residents and faculty.
The Unavoidability of Greed

At the outset of a critical examination of everyday greed, two basic challenges must be faced. First, there is a need for a clear and determinant enough understanding of greed to enable one to make a reliable assessment of its alleged strengths and weaknesses. This is particularly so when presented with claims by some that, suitably constrained, greed can be good. Does this mean that, at least to some extent, greed can be good as such? Or does it mean that, even if greed at its best has fundamentally undesirable qualities, it can still sometimes serve as an acceptable means to good ends?
A 45 μW bias power, 34 dB gain reflection amplifier exploiting the tunneling effect for RFID applications

RFID applications have power constraints that limit RF tags to short range communications. This article presents the design procedures, validated by experimental results, to make a low-powered reflection amplifier that exploits the quantum mechanical tunneling effect to dramatically enhance the range of passive or semi-passive tags. A return gain of 34.4 dB with bias power of 45 μW at 5.45 GHz and a return gain of 22.1 dB with a bias power of 47 μW at 5.55 GHz have been observed for impinging RF power levels as low as −70 dBm. These results allow, for certain devices, a factor of 7 range improvement to the RFID link while keeping the bias power 10 times lower than any other available reflection amplifier. This prototype could play a key role in enhancing RFID communication ranges without significantly affecting the low power budget typical for RFID technology; the design can be implemented in currently available semi-passive tags and opens the door for a new generation of long-range, passive/semi-passive transponders.
Evidence for a complex regulating the in vivo activities of early enzymes induced by bacteriophage T4.

Abstract An in vivo assay of enzyme activity has been employed to investigate the mechanism of control of enzymes synthesizing deoxyribonucleotides after bacteriophage T4 infection. The assay is based on the release of tritium from 5-labeled pyrimidine nucleotide substrates into water. At least two phage-induced early enzymes, deoxycytidylate hydroxymethylase and thymidylate synthetase, which are synthesized within a few minutes after infection as measured in extracts, do not function in vivo immediately after their formation. Instead, in vivo these enzyme activities initiate about 5 min after infection at 30°. The activities initially increase exponentially, and then become linear. This exponential activation process does not require concomitant protein synthesis. A number of experiments rule against substrate limitation, feedback, or isotope dilution as an explanation of these kinetic data. Thus, the same kinetic behavior in vivo is observed on infection by mutants which are unable to synthesize T4 DNA (DO) and accumulate deoxyribonucleotides. However, amber mutants of gene 43, the structural gene for T4-induced DNA polymerase, are exceptions. Infection by these mutants clearly showed a reduced initial rate of 3H release. Concurrent measurement of DNA synthesis and of in vivo enzyme activity indicates that these two processes follow the same kinetics and coincide in time. These results suggest that the limiting factor in DNA replication is the rate of formation of the deoxyribonucleotide substrates. From these and previous studies we have postulated that dCMP hydroxymethylase and thymidylate synthetase and apparently other enzymes forming deoxyribonucleotides must, to be active in vivo, become part of a complex. We propose that the exponential activation process represents the formation of this complex from its components.
CD4-independent, productive human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection of hepatoma cell lines in vitro.

Five hepatoma cell lines, including CZHC/8571, PLC/PRF/5, Hep3B, HepG2, and HUH7, were inoculated with three diverse isolates of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Productive infection was noted in all hepatoma cell lines, and expression of viral p24 antigen lasted for over 3 months, but its level decreased in proportion to the number of viable cells. HIV-1 antigens were also found in the cells by immunohistochemical staining and radioimmunoprecipitation assay, as were viral RNA by in situ hybridization and HIV-1-like particles by electron microscopy. Virus yield assays were also positive on supernatant fluids collected from hepatoma cultures inoculated with HIV-1. Despite their susceptibility to infection, all five hepatoma cell lines were negative for CD4 by immunofluorescence and for CD4 mRNA by slot-blot hybridization. In addition, HIV-1 infection of hepatoma cell lines was not blocked by anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody or soluble CD4. Together, these findings clearly demonstrate that all five hepatoma cell lines were susceptible to productive infection by HIV-1 in vitro via a CD4-independent mechanism. Images
Solar corona effects on angle of arrival fluctuations for microwave telecommunication links during superior solar conjunction

[1] During the superior solar conjunction of spacecraft, the transmitted signals from a spacecraft to the Earth ground station graze the region near the Sun's photospheric surface, passing through dense and turbulent regions of solar-charged particles. Phase changes due to solar coronal irregularities cause raypath wandering, wavefront tilting, and fluctuations in the apparent angle of arrival when observed from the Earth. This study presents a first theoretical investigation of solar wind and solar coronal effects on the angle of arrival fluctuations for RF signals. On the basis of the Chandrasekhar relationship between phase and angular fluctuations, an analytical integrating solution for angle of arrival fluctuations is derived by applying solar corona and plasma irregularity spectrum models. It is found that angular fluctuations rapidly decrease with increasing heliocentric distance at a rate of ∼r−5.5 and also decrease with increasing frequency at a rate of ∼1/f2. It is found that when using Ka band at α = 0.4° (r = 1.6 solar radii), there is a 19 millidegrees (mdeg) angular scattering, corresponding to a 9 dB gain degradation. In comparison, lower-frequency X and S band signals undergo much worse degradation effects. Beyond α = 2° (r > 8 solar radii), angular fluctuations at microwave frequency bands can almost be neglected (θRMS < 1 mdeg). A solution to minimize this degradation is to use Ka- or higher-frequency bands for the telecommunication link during periods of solar conjunction. This study not only quantifies the angular fluctuations caused by solar corona irregularities but also provides an effective method for diagnosing the plasma density fluctuations in a region very close to the solar photospheric surface.
Effect of loss of first-phase insulin secretion on hepatic glucose production and tissue glucose disposal in humans.

To examine the importance of first-phase insulin secretion on total body glucose homeostasis, six normal subjects (age, 24 +/- 1 yr; ideal body wt, 100 +/- 1%) received three hyperglycemic (+75 mg/100 ml) clamp studies in combination with [3-3H]glucose: study I, 150 min hyperglycemic clamp; study II, hyperglycemic clamp plus somatostatin (6 micrograms/min) plus basal glucagon replacement (0.4 ng.kg-1.min-1) plus an insulin infusion designed to mimic only the second phase of insulin secretion; and study III, hyperglycemic clamp plus somatostatin plus basal glucagon plus an insulin infusion designed to mimic both the first and second phase of insulin secretion. Basal plasma C-peptide concentrations averaged 0.21 +/- 0.01 pmol/ml in the three study protocols. In study I the plasma C-peptide response demonstrated an early burst within the first 10 min followed by a gradually increasing phase of C-peptide secretion that lasted until the end of the study. In studies II and III plasma C-peptide declined within the first 10 min after somatostatin was started and averaged 0.06 +/- 0.01 and 0.05 +/- 0.01 pmol/min, respectively. Basal hepatic glucose production (2.3 +/- 0.2 mg.kg-1.min-1) was suppressed by 90% at 20 min and remained suppressed thereafter in studies I and III. In contrast, in study II hepatic glucose production was inhibited by only 50% (1.1 +/- 0.2 mg.kg-1.min-1) at 60 min (P less than 0.01 vs. studies I and III) and remained incompletely suppressed even after 150 min.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT AND EMOTIONAL AVAILABILITY TELE‐INTERVENTION FOR ADOPTIVE FAMILIES

This study evaluated the new online Emotional Attachment and Emotional Availability (EA2) Intervention for use with adoptive families in enhancing parent-child EA, parental perceptions of EA, child attachment behaviors, parent-child emotional attachment, and reducing parent-reported child behavioral problems and parenting-related stress. Participants in this study were adoptive parents and their adopted children ages 1.5 to 5 years old (N = 15 dyads). Participants were placed in an immediate intervention group (IG) or a delayed intervention group (DG) that would receive the 6-week EA2 Tele-Intervention after the IG. Results revealed significant differences in the IG in child behavioral problems, parent-child EA, parental perceptions of EA, and parent-child emotional attachment, improvements not seen in the DG. Analysis of effects of the DG after receiving the EA2 Tele-Intervention revealed significant differences over time also in most of these qualities.
Cystic fibrosis carrier screening: steps in the development of a mutation panel.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has now officially recommended that cystic fibrosis (CF) carrier screening be offered to all Caucasian pregnant couples. The American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) has officially recommended that CF-carrier screening be performed using a 25-mutation panel. Data is presented to indicate that an expanded pan-ethnic mutation panel, containing at least 47 mutations, would provide significantly greater CF-carrier identification in the ethnically diverse U.S. population.
Estimation of residential demand for electricity with the cross-sectionally correlated and time-wise autoregressive model

Abstract Following Taylor (Taylor, L.D., 1975, The demand for electricity: a survey,Bell Journal of Economics and Management Science 6, 74–110) and Houthakker (Houthakker, H.S., 1980, Residential electricity revisited, Energy Journal 1, 29–41), we estimate residential demand for electricity for five Southern states during 1981–1990 with the cross-sectionally correlated and time-wise autoregressive model (CSCTWA) that simultaneously takes into consideration heteroscedasticity, autocorrelation, and spatial correlation that are likely to be detected when a pooled sample is used. There are a number of interesting findings. The CSCTWA model yields more efficient estimates with smaller standard errors than the OLS and the CSHTWA models. The price of natural gas is insignificant if the CSCTWA model is not considered. The log-linear form can not be rejected, whereas the linear form can be rejected. Thus, the elasticity of demand remains constant, but the slope is expected to vary.
A Cost-Effective Method for High-Throughput Construction of Illumina Sequencing Libraries

Despite the plummeting cost of next-generation sequencing, the preparation of sequencing libraries using commercially available kits still remains expensive. The cost can be prohibitive for large-scale comparative or experimental studies, where hundreds to thousands of samples need to be analyzed. The increasing use of multiplexing dozens to hundreds of samples underscores the urgent need to develop a cost-effective and time-efficient high-throughput method for library preparation. By optimizing and scaling down the steps in library construction and using commonly available reagents, the protocol described here allows for the preparation of DNA libraries in a 96-well format using no specialized equipment and at a substantial savings in both reagent cost and personnel hours. Utilizing this optimized high-throughput format results in a 10-fold cost reduction, compared to commercially available kits, making per library or pooled sample costs ∼$12.60-14.90 for individually prepared libraries and ∼$8.60-10.60 for pooled libraries with individual barcodes; both techniques allow for up to 144 samples to be pooled on a single lane with the barcodes tested herein.
THE EVOLUTION OF SOMA IN THE VOLVOCALES

The presence of soma and the manner in which it segregates from the germ line is a fundamental aspect of development. This article examines the origin and evolution of soma in the Volvocales, the flagellated forms of green algae, by analyzing data on cell division and development of 370 species. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the cell wall is a preadaptation for the evolution of large multicellular colonies with deterministic development. The allometry of soma and germ supports the idea that soma functions to provide functional flagella during the embryogenesis of large colonies (Volvocaceae). The need for soma arises from a constraint that prevents simultaneous flagellation and cell division of cells surrounded by rigid walls: basal bodies cannot remain attached to their flagella while migrating to the mitotic poles. The constraint is different from those that may cause the separation of flagellation and cell division in metazoan cells. Apart from a few developmental variations, which may represent ...
Altered growth and attachment of rabbit crypt colonocytes isolated from different developmental stages

The rabbit colon was used to establish an in vitro model for examining development-related cellular changes in colonocyte function. Colonic epithelia from newborn, weanling, and adult animals were separated from the muscle and subjected to enzymatic digestion. A mixture of 0.05% Pronase, 0.015% collagenase IV, and 0.023% DTT was determined to be optimal for the isolation of newborn and weanling colonocytes. This solution yielded significantly more cells and of greater viability than a 0.1% Pronase, 0.03% collagenase IV, 0.07% DTT mixture that is optimal for adult colonocytes. The epithelial origin of the colonocytes was confirmed by immunofluorescent staining of cytokeratins. The isolation procedure resulted in a crypt-enriched population and the cell yield/g of mucosa increased with age as did the crypt depth. Colonocyte viability of adults but not of newborns and weanlings, declined from 24 to 72 h. When grown on plastic, the newborn and weanling colonocytes show a approximately 2-fold increase in number, DNA and protein content over 48 h. In contrast, for all three parameters the adult colonocytes revealed only a approximately 10% increase. The colonocytes also showed an age-related decline in attachment to extracellular matrices. Colonocytes showed maximal attachment to Matrigel and collagen IV; newborn and weanling colonocytes show > 80% attachment, whereas adult colonocytes showed only a 45% attachment. The efficacy of attachment to Matrigel compared with that on plastic also differed with age, representing 9.3-, 5.5-, and 4.4-fold increase in adult, weanling, and newborn colonocytes, respectively. Newborn and weanling colonocytes grown on Matrigel for 48 h, showed a significant, 15% increase in cell number, DNA, and protein content compared with those grown on plastic. There was no difference in these parameters when adult colonocytes grown on Matrigel were compared with those grown on plastic. In summary, we have established an in vitro model for studying colonic epithelial cells at different stages of development.
Clinician Documentation on Receipt of Trauma-Focused Evidence-Based Psychotherapies in a VA PTSD Clinic

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is implementing two trauma-focused, evidence-based psychotherapies (TF-EBPs) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure therapy (PE). Veterans with PTSD often do not receive these treatments, and little is known about the reasons veterans may not receive TF-EBPs. The aim of this qualitative study was to summarize clinician-reported reasons in medical records for nonreceipt of TF-EBPs. All veterans (N = 63) identified through PTSD screening who were newly engaged in mental health care and received individual evaluations in a PTSD specialty clinic in fiscal year 2008 were included in the sample. Content analysis of electronic medical records revealed multiple potential reasons for nonreceipt of TF-EBPs including referral to other PTSD treatments, other clinical priorities, poor engagement in care, practical barriers, negative beliefs, and receipt of care in other settings. Eight veterans (13 %) initiated TF-EBPs. Further interventions to promote engagement in PTSD treatment are warranted.