cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cost-effectiveness analysis of varenicline versus existing smoking cessation strategies in Central America and the Caribbean using the BENESCO model.

AbstractObjectives: In Central American countries, the economic burden of tobacco has not been assessed. In Costa Rica, a study demonstrated that tobacco-related diseases represent high costs for the health care system. The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of varenicline compared with other existing strategies for smoking cessation within a 10-year time horizon in an adult population cohort from Central American and Caribbean countries using the health care payer's perspective. Methods: The Benefits of Smoking Cessation on Outcomes simulation model was used for an adult cohort in Costa Rica (n = 2 474 029), Panama (n = 2 249 676), Nicaragua (n = 3 639 948), El Salvador (n = 4 537 803), and the Dominican Republic (n = 6 528 125) (N = 19 429 581). Smoking cessation therapies compared were varenicline (0.5–2 mg/day) versus bupropion (300 mg/day), nicotine replacement therapy (5–15 mg/day), and unaided cessation. Effectiveness measures were: life-years (LYs) gained and quality-adjusted l...
Olfactory reflexes in the newborn infant

Clinical responses to peppermint odor were observed in 100 healthy term and preterm infants during active sleep on two successive days. Thirty-six asphyxiated term infants and three infants with holoprosencephaly also were tested. Olfactory reflexes were regularly elicited in normal infants after 32 weeks' gestation, but some premature infants as young as 28 weeks also responded. Responses included initiation of sucking and arousal-withdrawal. Habituation occurred after two or three trials. A Moro response was seen only in a few asphyxiated infants; loss of olfactory reflexes appeared to parallel suppression of brainstem reflexes. Olfactory reflexes are useful in excluding cerebral malformations associated with agenesis of the olfactory bulbs.
ENTEROSTATIN (VAL-PRO-ASP-PRO-ARG)-LIKE IMMUNOREACTIVITY IN RAT URINE : RELATIONSHIP TO CORTICOSTERONE OUTPUT

Numerous studies have documented a role for enterostatins in appetitive behavior. However, due to the lack of knowledge about the distribution of enterostatins in tissues and body fluids, it has not been possible to examine the role of endogenous enterostatin in this process. To this end, using a polyclonal antibody raised against enterostatin -- Val-Pro-Asp-Pro-Arg (VPDPR), we examined the nature and distribution of enterostatin-like immunoreactivity in the rat urine by ELISA and chromatography. The results reported here show for the first time the presence of VPDPR-like immunoreactivity (VPDPR-LI) in rat urine. Further characterization of rat urine VPDPR-LI revealed that it is not due to VPDPR but to another peptide similar to VPDPR. Furthermore, as urinary excretion of corticosterone increases, the level of VPDPR-LI in urine decreases.
Short-period interplanetary and polar magnetic field variations

Abstract It is shown that the dependence of the variations of vertical component of the polar cap magnetic field on the sector structure (actually, the azimuthal or Y component) of the interplanetary magnetic field as first discovered by Svalgaard (1968) and Mansurov (1969) extends to variations as brief as 1 hr or even less. The relation between sector structure dependent variations and substorm fields as indicated by the southward-directed component of the interplanetary magnetic field is investigated by comparing brief variations over selected intervals of time. The independence of the variations of the polar cap vertical and horizontal components suggests that there are at least two different current systems which produce brief variations in the polar cap. One of the current systems is related to the substonn field; the other is strongly seasonally dependent and is confined to the dayside sector of the Earth.
Phylogeny of the Grassland Leafhopper GenusFlexamia(Homoptera: Cicadellidae) Based on Mitochondrial DNA Sequences

Abstract Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) are a highly diverse group of sap-sucking insects, many species of which specialize on grasses. Past attempts to examine the roles of host transfer or host plant coevolution in the diversification of leafhopper species using cladistic methods have been hindered by a paucity of discrete, phylogenetically informative morphological characters. To demonstrate the utility of DNA sequence data for species-level phylogenetic studies of Cicadellidae, we estimated phylogenetic relationships among species in the North American grassland leafhopper genus Flexamia DeLong using partial nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial 16S rDNA and NADH dehydrogenase 1, totaling 1496 base pairs and 810 potentially informative characters. Analyses of the partitioned and combined sequence data using maximum parsimony, neighbor-joining, and maximum likelihood criteria yielded similar estimates of relationships in which most nodes were well-supported by bootstrap and decay indices. These estimates largely agreed with a previously published, intuitive, morphology-based phylogeny for the genus. A parsimony reconstruction of host associations based on these results suggests that the origins of various Flexamia clades coincided with host transfers among grass subfamilies or genera. Nevertheless, associations with certain subfamilies, genera, or species of grasses appear to have been largely conserved in the evolutionary diversification of Flexamia.
Surface chemistry of five-membered heteroaromatics at Pt(III) electrodes studied by EELS, LEED, Auger spectroscopy and electrochemistry: furan, pyrrole and thiophene

Abstract Reported here are studies of the chemisorption, surface vibrational spectroscopy, elemental and molecular packing densities, and electrochemical reactivity of three related five-membered heterocycles at Pt(III): pyrrole (PRR), furan (FRN), and thiophene (TPE). Packing density and stoichiometry were investigated by the use of Auger spectroscopy. None of the adsorbed layers exhibited long-range order detectable by LEED. Vibrational spectra of the chemisorbed species were obtained by means of electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), and were compared with infrared spectra of the unadsorbed compounds. Electrochemical oxidation of the adsorbed molecules was explored by the use of cyclic voltammetry (CV). The results reveal that PRR adsorbs at Pt(III) mainly in a horizontal orientation with the ring intact; electrochemical oxidation of adsorbed PRR proceeds completely to NO2 and CO2. However, FRN is converted by hydrolytic, ring-opening isomerization to adsorbed pi-bonded butenoic acid (BTA); electrochemical oxidation of adsorbed BTA proceeds to CO2. TPE forms a mixed layer consisting of S atoms and adsorbed TPE molecules S-bonded and near-vertically oriented; adsorbed TPE is oxidized to CO2 and SO42−.
A Characteristic Approach to Bipartite Graphs and Incidence Graphs

Abstract A ‘bipartite characteristic’ parameter is defined for bipartite graphs that mimics the (Euler) characteristic—the number of vertices, minus the number of edges, plus the number of triangles, minus the number of 4-cliques, etc.—of general graphs. This allows the characterization of linear, totally balanced, acyclic, tree, and biacyclic hypergraphs in terms of the bipartite characteristic values of their incidence graphs.
Recreational catfish harvest in reservoirs in the USA

The recreational catfish harvest was classified in 349 reservoirs larger than 200 ha distributed over 40 states of the contiguous USA. Harvesting occurred in 282 reservoirs, averaged 2.8 kg ha−1 year−1 and represented 15.6% of the total fish yield. The genus Ictalurus contributed most to catfish fisheries (mean = 2.0 kg ha−1), followed by Ameiurus (1.1 kg ha−1) and Pylodictis (0.4 kg ha−1). Five distinct clusters of reservoirs were identified, differing relative to geographical distribution, catfish harvests, angler favouritism towards catfish and physicochemical characteristics. Reservoir clusters across the northern USA had low harvests and essentially featured reservoirs in the upper periphery of the native range of catfish. Harvesting in reservoirs in the south-west of the country, where catfish have been introduced, was higher than in the north, yet yield remained low. Within their native range, three overlapping clusters included one with medium and another with high harvests, both types dominated by Ictalurus, and a cluster with very high harvest dominated by Ameiurus. Variability in harvests was attributed to zoogeography, reservoir physicochemical characteristics and fishing effort. Management of catfish fisheries of the three less-productive clusters may focus on enhancement through habitat manipulation and stocking; the two more productive clusters offer the greatest flexibility for management through regulation of harvest.
Computer-aided detection of lung nodules: false positive reduction using a 3D gradient field method

We are developing a computer-aided detection system to aid radiologists in diagnosing lung cancer in thoracic computed tomographic (CT) images. The purpose of this study was to improve the false-positive (FP) reduction stage of our algorithm by developing and incorporating a gradient field technique. This technique extracts 3D shape information from the gray-scale values within a volume of interest. The gradient field feature values are higher for spherical objects, and lower for elongated and irregularly-shaped objects. A data set of 55 thin CT scans from 40 patients was used to evaluate the usefulness of the gradient field technique. After initial nodule candidate detection and rule-based first stage FP reduction, there were 3487 FP and 65 true positive (TP) objects in our data set. Linear discriminant classifiers with and without the gradient field feature were designed for the second stage FP reduction. The accuracy of these classifiers was evaluated using the area Az under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The Az values were 0.93 and 0.91 with and without the gradient field feature, respectively. The improvement with the gradient field feature was statistically significant (p=0.01).
Aerosol measurement by combined light scattering and centrifugation

Abstract An instrument for measuring aerosol size distributions which combines centrifugation with light scattering is described. The device is a flat cylindrical chamber in which an aerosol sample is centrifuged while undergoing solid body rotation. The time variation of the scattered light intensity at a fixed radial location is used to characterize aerosol size distributions. The basic sedimentation-diffusion theory of the disk centrifuge is described. Successful data inversion techniques are discussed. Results of numerical inversion of simulated signals of various log-normal distributions are given. Experimental results of measuring monodisperse and polydisperse aerosols are given which support the theoretical development and show the utility of the device.
Expression and Purification of Human Interleukin-1β Converting Enzyme fromTrichoplusia niInsect Cells Using a Baculovirus Expression System

Abstract Employing a baculovirus expression system, human interleukin-1β converting enzyme (ICE) has been expressed inTrichoplusia niHigh-Five insect cells and purified. ICE was expressed with an N-terminal T7 epitope, thus allowing its purification using immobilized anti-T7 antibodies. The recombinant ICE was purified to >95% homogeneity, the one minor contaminant being the baculovirus anti-apoptotic protein (P35) which was copurified. The purified recombinant ICE was biologically active, cleaving both pIL-1β and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase substrates. The kinetic properties of the purified recombinant ICE compare favorably with native ICE purified from a THP-1 monocytic line.
Overview of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Subsonic Rotary Wing Aeronautics Research Program in Rotorcraft Crashworthiness

This paper provides an overview of rotorcraft crashworthiness research being conducted at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Langley Research Center under sponsorship of the Subsonic Rotary Wing aeronautics program. The research is focused in two areas: development of an externally deployable energy attenuating concept and improved prediction of rotorcraft crashworthiness. The deployable energy absorber (DEA) is a composite honeycomb structure, with a unique flexible hinge design that allows the honeycomb to be packaged and remain flat until needed for deployment. The capabilities of the DEA have been demonstrated through component crush tests and vertical drop tests of a retrofitted fuselage section onto different surfaces or terrain. The research on improved prediction of rotorcraft crashworthiness is focused in several areas including simulating occupant responses and injury risk assessment, predicting multiterrain impact, and utilizing probabilistic analysis methods. A final task is to perform a system-integrated simulation of a full-scale helicopter crash test onto a rigid surface. A brief description of each research task is provided along with a summary of recent accomplishments.
Microfluidic Chip-Based Detection and Intraspecies Strain Discrimination of Salmonella Serovars Derived from Whole Blood of Septic Mice

Salmonella is a zoonotic pathogen that poses a considerable public health and economic burden in the United States and worldwide. Resultant human diseases range from enterocolitis to bacteremia to sepsis and are acutely dependent on the particular serovar of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica, which comprises over 99% of human-pathogenic S. enterica isolates. Point-of-care methods for detection and strain discrimination of Salmonella serovars would thus have considerable benefit to medical, veterinary, and field applications that safeguard public health and reduce industry-associated losses. Here we describe a single, disposable microfluidic chip that supports isothermal amplification and sequence-specific detection and discrimination of Salmonella serovars derived from whole blood of septic mice. The integrated microfluidic electrochemical DNA (IMED) chip consists of an amplification chamber that supports loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), a rapid, single-temperature amplification method as an alternative to PCR that offers advantages in terms of sensitivity, reaction speed, and amplicon yield. The amplification chamber is connected via a microchannel to a detection chamber containing a reagentless, multiplexed (here biplex) sensing array for sequence-specific electrochemical DNA (E-DNA) detection of the LAMP products. Validation of the IMED device was assessed by the detection and discrimination of S. enterica subsp. enterica serovars Typhimurium and Choleraesuis, the causative agents of enterocolitis and sepsis in humans, respectively. IMED chips conferred rapid (under 2 h) detection and discrimination of these strains at clinically relevant levels (<1,000 CFU/ml) from whole, unprocessed blood collected from septic animals. The IMED-based chip assay shows considerable promise as a rapid, inexpensive, and portable point-of-care diagnostic platform for the detection and strain-specific discrimination of microbial pathogens.
Sedimentation analysis and some related problems

With the development of the ultracentrifuge by Svedberg there was provided a group of methods for the determination of solute molecular weight and of distribution of molecular weights in proper solutions. In addition to the sedimentation equilibrium and the sedimentation velocity experiments, there are other closely related molecular kinetic phenomena which, when taken together, form a collection of very useful tools in an area of macromolecular chemistry. The principal past use of the ultracentrifuge has been in the determination of the molecular weight and the homogeneity of proteins. In this report the attempt has been made to point the way for concerted action in the return to the original problem–that of investigating the dispersity of macromolecular and other colloidal solutions. Among other things, there is proposed in outline a combination of the sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium experiments to provide mass distribution data in macromolecular systems. While the main emphasis is devoted to the theory of the sedimentation methods and their unique usefulness to this end, there have been presented shorter discussions of diffusion and osmotic pressure as such and in their relationships to the sedimentation problems. Recognition is also made of the fact that the optical systems for the study of the redistribution of the components in the diffusion and sedimentation cells are now in a state of change, with a rapid adaptation of several interference methods to take the place of the more classical refractometric schemes. The change is being made in the interest of a greatly enhanced accuracy, even to the point that diffusion behavior in systems which contain two solutes can properly be observed.
Binary And Ternary Amorphous Alloys of Ion-Implanted Fe-Ti-C

The microstructure of Fe implanted with up to 50 at.% C was found to consist of hexagonal iron carbide precipitates oriented with respect to the Fe matrix. For higher C concentrations, an amorphous phase forms. This concentration dependence is explained in terms of the lattice structure of the iron carbide. In Ti-implanted Fe, substitutional Ti was found in the bcc Fe lattice for concentrations ≤ 15 at.% Ti. The work of others suggests that amorphous phases form for ≥ 33 at.% Ti. These results are discussed in terms of concentration boundaries of the ternary Fe(Ti,C) amorphous phase. Ion beam alloying methods are currently being used to form metastable alloys [1], both for fundamental investigations of such alloys as well as for potential use to improve physical properties of components [2]. An important consideration in metal alloys is what phase will form upon implantation; one aspect of this question is to determine when amorphous phases will form. Rules are currently being advanced to predict alloy systems which will yield amorphous phases. By using ion irradiation and ion beam mixing as well as ion implantation, such rules can be evaluated over entire composition ranges. To gain insight into amorphous phase formation, we have studied Fe alloys implanted with C, Ti and Ti + C. The Fe(C) alloys exhibit compound precipitation and amorphous phase formation; the precipitation and the concentrations at which the amorphous phase appears can be accounted for by considerations of the structure of the hexagonal carbide which forms. Based on conventional uses of the Fe(C) system, such alloys may be useful for improving mechanical properties by implanting C into ferrous components. Iron implanted with Ti is examined to a limited extent here, but by including ion irradiation studies by others [3], a more complete characterization of Fe(Ti) alloys is obtained. The microstructures of Fe(C) and Fe(Ti) are examined along with the known composition limits of amorphous Fe(Ti,C) alloys, which are important for their improved mechanical properties [2]. Taken together, a more complete determination of amorphous phase formation in this ternary system is obtained.
Integrated Decoupling Capacitors Using Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 Thin Films

Thin-film decoupling capacitors based on ferroelectric PLZT (PbLaZrTiO{sub 3}) films are being developed for advanced packaging. The increased integration that can be achieved by replacing surface- mount capacitors should lead to decreased package volume and improved high-speed performance. For this application, chemical solution deposition is an appropriate fabrication technique since it is a low- cost, high-throughput process. Relatively thick Pt electrodes (1{mu}m) are used to minimize series resistance and inductance in fabricating these devices. Also, important electrical properties are discussed, with emphasis on lifetime measurements, which suggest that resistance degradation will not be a severe limitation on device performance. Finally, some of the work being done to develop methods of integrating these thin-film capacitors with integrated circuits and multichip modules is presented.
Molecular characterization and detection of a tripartite cryptic virus from rose.

SUMMARY Three dsRNA molecules with estimated molecular weights of c. 1.7, 1.5 and 1.4 kbp were extracted from a symptomless hybrid tea rose cv. Sheer Bliss, and further characterized. Analysis of complete sequences showed that they represent genome segments of a tripartite cryptic virus with the proposed name Rose cryptic virus 1 (RCV-1). All three segments were monocistronic, with the dsRNA-1 encoding a protein containing conserved motifs of RNA-dependent RNA polymerases. The two proteins encoded by dsRNA 2 and 3 shared c. 20% common amino acids and are probably involved in the make up of the viral capsid. Phylogenetic analysis based on the viral RdRp gene showed closest relationships of RCV-1 with Fragaria chiloensis cryptic virus (FCCV) and Raphanus sativus cryptic virus 2 (RsCV-2), both recently described tripartite cryptoviruses. Interestingly, this group of viruses appears to be phylogenetically closer to mycoviruses belonging in the genus Partitivirus than to plant-infecting cryptoviruses. The virus was detected by RT-PCR in ca. 30% of the tested samples belonging to different cultivars/hybrids, indicating that it may be quite common in rose germplasm.
Interactions Between Cement Minerals and Hydroxycarboxylic‐Acid Retarders: I, Apparent Adsorption of Salicylic Acid on Cement and Hydrated Cement Compounds

A RADIOISOTOPE ASSAY METHOD WAS DEVELOPED TO MEASURE THE APPARENT ADSORPTION OF SALICYLIC ACID ON CEMENT AND HYDRATED CEMENT COMPOUNDS AT CONCENTRATIONS OF SALICYLIC ACID IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION UP TO 0.2 WT%, THUS INCLUDING THE RANGE OF CONCENTRATIONS USED FOR HYDROXYCARBOXYLIC-ACID RETARDERS IN CONCRETE. PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED DATA WERE AVAILABLE ONLY FOR CONCENTRATIONS BELOW 0.01%. THE RESULTS CONFIRM THAT THERE IS ONLY LIMITED APPARENT ADSORPTION ON DICALCIUM AND TRICALCIUM SILICATES, WHEREAS APPARENT ADSORPTION ON PASTE- AND BOTTLE-HYDRATED PRODUCTS OF THESE COMPOUNDS IS SIGNIFICANT. APPARENT ADSORPTION ON TRICALCIUM ALUMINATE IS STRONG AND IS GREATER AT INTERMEDIATE CONCENTRATIONS THAN NEAR SATURATION. A SIMILAR PATTERN WAS OBSERVED FOR APPARENT ADSORPTION ON TETRACALCIUM ALUMINOFERRITE BUT THE AMOUNTS REMOVED FROM SOLUTION WERE MUCH LESS. EXPERIMENTS WITH HYDRATED TETRACALCIUM ALUMINATE, HYDRATED TRICALCIUM ALUMINATE, AND ETTRINGITE REVEALED THAT HYDRATED CALCIUM ALUMINATE AND ALUMINATE SULFATE COMPOUNDS ALSO REMOVE MAJOR AMOUNTS OF SALICYLIC ACID FROM SOLUTION. /AUTHOR/
Student-run usability testing

Usability testing is performed by software development companies to determine whether their software systems are usable. Not only development companies but also end-user companies run usability studies. Given the importance of usability testing in industry, it seems equally important to teach students the basic elements of usability testing. Usability testing can be incorporated into a capstone course. Students can learn about user-centered design and what makes software usable by running usability tests. Usability testing consists of three phases-preparing for the resting, running the actual test, and analyzing test results. Each phase is described in detail in this article, which also contains a description of how usability testing can be incorporated as an assignment in a capstone course or a software engineering sequence.
Preconditioning for dual-time-stepping simulations of the shallow water equations including Coriolis and bed friction effects

Diagonal preconditioners for implicit-unsteady and steady discretizations of the shallow water equations at low- and high-Rossby and drag-number limits are analyzed. For each case, sub and supercritical flow conditions are also considered. Based on the analysis, a preconditioner is derived for use with a multigrid cycle that performs as well as possible under all conditions. In addition, a streamwise-upwind Petrov-Galerkin discretization of the system is presented that is derived from the preconditioned system. Using this discretization, it is demonstrated that for most conditions, the preconditioner gives rapid convergence that is independent of the grid resolution and the flow parameters. Practical tests including an equatorial Rossby soliton and tide propagation over variable bathymetry are simulated to demonstrate the performance of this approach.
Prenatal Development of Interlimb Motor Learning in the Rat Fetus.

The role of sensory feedback in the early ontogeny of motor coordination remains a topic of speculation and debate. On E20 of gestation (the 20th day after conception, 2 days before birth), rat fetuses can alter interlimb coordination after a period of training with an interlimb yoke, which constrains limb movement and promotes synchronized, conjugate movement of the yoked limbs. The aim of this study was to determine how the ability to express this form of motor learning may change during prenatal development. Fetal rats were prepared for in vivo study at 4 ages (E18–21) and tested in a 65-min training-and-testing session examining hind limb motor learning. A significant increase in conjugate hind limb activity was expressed by E19, but not E18 fetuses, with further increases in conjugate hind limb activity on E20 and E21. These findings suggest substantial development of the ability of fetal rats to modify patterns of interlimb coordination in response to kinesthetic feedback during motor training befor...
Methodology for development of guidelines for lung cancer: Diagnosis and management of lung cancer, 3rd ed: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.

Background The objective was to develop high-quality and comprehensive evidence-based guidelines on the diagnosis and management of lung cancer. Methods A carefully crafted panel of lung cancer experts, methodologists, and other specialists was assembled and reviewed for relevant conflicts of interest. The American College of Chest Physicians guideline methodology was used. Population, intervention, comparator, outcome (PICO)-based key questions and defined criteria for eligible studies were developed to inform the search strategies, subsequent evidence summaries, and recommendations. Research studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, where they existed, were assessed for quality and summarized to inform the recommendations. Results Each recommendation was developed with supporting evidence and the consensus of the writing committees. Controversial recommendations were identified for further consultation by the entire panel, with anonymous voting to achieve consensus. Conclusions The final recommendations can be trusted by health-care providers, patients, and other stakeholders since they are based on the current evidence in these areas and were developed with trustworthy processes for guideline development.
Application-specific customization of parameterized FPGA soft-core processors

Soft-core microprocessors mapped onto field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) represent an increasingly common embedded software implementation option. Modern FPGA soft-cores are parameterized to support application-specific customization, wherein pre-defined units, such as a multiplication unit or floating-point unit, may be included in the microprocessor architecture to speed up software execution at the expense of increased size. We introduce a methodology for fast application-specific customization of a parameterized FPGA soft core, using synthesis and execution to obtain size and performance data in order to create a tool that can be used across a variety of tool platforms and FPGA devices. As synthesizing a soft core takes tens of minutes, developing heuristics that execute in an acceptable time of an hour or two, yet find near-optimal results, is a challenge. We consider two approaches, one using a traditional CAD approach that does an initial characterization using synthesis to create an abstract problem model and then explores the solution space using a knapsack algorithm, and the other using a synthesis-in-the-loop exploration approach. We compare approaches for a variety of design constraints, on 11 EEMBC benchmarks, using an actual Xilinx soft-core processor, and for two different commercial Xilinx FPGA devices. Our results show that the approaches can generate a customized configuration exhibiting roughly 2x speedups over a base soft core, reaching within 4% of optimal in about 1.5 hours, including complete synthesis of the soft-core onto the FPGA, compared to over 11 hours for exhaustive search. Our results also show that including synthesis-in-the-loop, compared to a traditional CAD approach, improved speedups by an average of 20% when size constraints were tight. The approaches may also be applicable to soft-core processors targeted to ASICs in addition to FPGAs
Identification of LpxL, a Late Acyltransferase of Francisella tularensis

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a major component of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria, and the lipid A region of LPS mediates stimulation of the immune system in a structure-dependent manner. Unlike the LPS of many other gram-negative bacteria, the LPS of Francisella tularensis isolated from in vitro cultures is not proinflammatory. This observed lack of proinflammatory prowess may reflect structural features of the lipid A, such as the number and length of the acyl chains and the single-phosphate group. To better understand this phenotype, we have begun to elucidate LPS biosynthesis in F. tularensis. We present complementation, mutational, and chemical data demonstrating that F. tularensis FTT0232c encodes a functional late acyltransferase enzyme with specificity similar to that of the Escherichia coli LpxL ortholog. Expression of this late acyltransferase complemented the temperature-sensitive and hypoacylated lipid A phenotypes of an E. coli lpxL mutant, expression of FTT0232c is increased during intracellular growth relative to that during in vitro growth, and finally, LPS obtained from a mutant of F. tularensis lacking FTT0232c showed an abundant triacyl lipid A species after mass spectrometric analysis, consistent with the loss of an LpxL late acyltransferase.
Experimental investigation into the multiscale behaviour of asphalt concrete

Multiscale modelling is an increasingly popular technique for understanding the mechanisms affecting the performance of asphalt concrete. Significant efforts have been made in computational modelling techniques; however, relatively little experimental data have been gathered on the effect of volumetric composition on the material behaviour, and no published data have been found assessing the sensitivity of computational models to these effects. It is believed that the overall importance of identifying and utilising the material with proper characteristics in these computational models has been largely overlooked. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the findings of an extensive experimental programme to identify the sensitivity of the dynamic shear modulus to changes in material composition. Tests were performed on four different material scales (asphalt binder to asphalt mixture). It is found that these materials can be very sensitive to changes in the volumetric composition, particularly in the case ...
Biochemical Basis of Hepatocellular Injury

The hepatotoxic response elicited by a chemical agent depends on the concentration of the toxicant (parent compound or metabolite) delivered to the hepatocytes across the liver acinus via blood flow. Hepatotoxicants produce characteristic patterns of cytolethality in specific zones of the acinus due to the differential expression of enzymes and the concentration gradients of cofactors and toxicant in blood across the acinus. Most hepatotoxic chemicals produce necrosis, characterized by swelling in contiguous tracts of cells and inflammation. This process has been contrasted with apoptosis, where cells and organelles condense in an orderly manner under genetic control. Biotransformation can activate a chemical to a toxic metabolite or decrease toxicity. Quantitative or qualitative species differences in biotransformation pathways can lead to significant species differences in hepatotoxicity. Fasted rodents are more susceptible to the hepatotoxic effects of many chemicals due to glutathione depletion and cytochrome P-450 induction. Freshly isolated hepatocytes are the most widely used in vitro system to study mechanisms of cell death. Hepatotoxicants can interact directly with cell macromolecules or via a reactive metabolite. The reactive metabolite can alkylate critical cellular macromolecules or induce oxidative stress. These interactions generally lead to a loss of calcium homeostasis prior to plasma membrane lysis. Mitochondria have been shown to be important cellular targets for many hepatotoxicants. Decreasing hepatocellular adenosine triphosphate concentrations compromise the plasma membrane calcium pump, leading to increased cellular calcium concentrations. Calcium-dependent endonucleases produce double-strand breaks in DNA before cell lysis. These biochemical pathways induced by necrosis-causing toxicants are similar to the biochemical pathways involved in apoptosis, suggesting that apoptosis and necrosis differ in intracellular and extracellular control points rather than in the biochemistry involved in cell death.
Private secondary schools in Indonesia: What is driving the demand?

Despite recent evidence that students in public schools significantly outperform their private school counterparts, private schooling continues to account for approximately 40% of secondary school enrolments in Indonesia. In an effort to explain this sustained demand, we combine analyses of PISA data with in-country interviews and school visits. Ultimately, we find that although government dependent private schools are underfunded with a high proportion of uncertified, underpaid teachers (with limited access to training and professional development), demand remains high due to their focus on religious training and education, as well as their ability to increase educational access for low-income families.
The Evolution of Care

Abstract In the past 100 years, institutions providing care to people with Alzheimer's Disease have changed from state mental hospitals, county almshouses, and a smattering of private boarding homes to an industry of more than 16,000 mostly privately owned nursing homes. The story of this change is one of the saddest and most triumphant of the past century. This paper will discuss the evolution of care by examining the intertwining of policy, practice, and theory in shaping the provision of long term care for elders with Alzheimer's Disease. This paper also will identify some of the outstanding contributions made by social workers in this process.
Effects of Increased Flight on the Energetics and Life History of the Butterfly Speyeria mormonia

Movement uses resources that may otherwise be allocated to somatic maintenance or reproduction. How does increased energy expenditure affect resource allocation? Using the butterfly Speyeria mormonia, we tested whether experimentally increased flight affects fecundity, lifespan or flight capacity. We measured body mass (storage), resting metabolic rate and lifespan (repair and maintenance), flight metabolic rate (flight capacity), egg number and composition (reproduction), and food intake across the adult lifespan. The flight treatment did not affect body mass or lifespan. Food intake increased sufficiently to offset the increased energy expenditure. Total egg number did not change, but flown females had higher early-life fecundity and higher egg dry mass than control females. Egg dry mass decreased with age in both treatments. Egg protein, triglyceride or glycogen content did not change with flight or age, but some components tracked egg dry mass. Flight elevated resting metabolic rate, indicating increased maintenance costs. Flight metabolism decreased with age, with a steeper slope for flown females. This may reflect accelerated metabolic senescence from detrimental effects of flight. These effects of a drawdown of nutrients via flight contrast with studies restricting adult nutrient input. There, fecundity was reduced, but flight capacity and lifespan were unchanged. The current study showed that when food resources were abundant, wing-monomorphic butterflies living in a continuous meadow landscape resisted flight-induced stress, exhibiting no evidence of a flight-fecundity or flight-longevity trade-off. Instead, flight changed the dynamics of energy use and reproduction as butterflies adopted a faster lifestyle in early life. High investment in early reproduction may have positive fitness effects in the wild, as long as food is available. Our results help to predict the effect of stressful conditions on the life history of insects living in a changing world.
Harming Irreparably: On Neoliberalism, Kaldor-Hicks, and the Paretian Guarantee

AbstractThe global neoliberal project, which entailed inter alia financial liberalization that accelerated financialization of the world economy, was advocated by leading Austrian, Chicago School neoclassical, and New Keynesian economists, despite awareness that the project would harm many members of society even as it benefitted others. To the extent that they were efficacious in their advocacy, economists contributed to the imposition of serious harm. Often the harm befell the most vulnerable members of society. At least some of the harm was avoidable. This paper examines critically the Kaldor-Hicks compensation test, a primary criterion used in defense of the neoliberal project. The paper finds that the best existing defense of Kaldor-Hicks is Paretian rather than Benthamian in nature: it focuses on the long-run rather than on each individual policy innovation, and claims that all agents benefit by a series of Kaldor-Hicks consistent innovations even if some are harmed in each individual instance. The ...
Experimental anterior chamber maintenance in active versus passive phacoemulsification fluidics systems

Purpose To evaluate the ability of phacoemulsifiers with active versus passive infusion fluidics control systems to maintain target intraocular pressures (IOPs) under varying flow conditions. Setting Alcon Research, Ltd., Lake Forest, California, USA. Design Experimental study. Methods An acrylic test chamber was used to model the anterior chamber of the eye. Two passive (gravity-based) systems were tested using bottle heights yielding infusion pressures of 41, 75, and 109 cm of water under zero-flow conditions. One actively controlled system was tested using equivalent target IOPs of 30, 55, and 80 mm Hg. Test chamber IOPs were measured at aspiration flow rates of 15, 30, 45, and 60 cc/min. Results The measured flow rates were similar between fluidics systems across the range of intended aspiration flow rates. All systems achieved the desired target IOPs under zero-flow conditions. After activation of aspiration flow, however, measured IOPs decreased from target IOPs for the 2 passive systems. Each 15 cc/min increase in the aspiration flow rate produced a pressure drop of 14.0 to 16.2 mm Hg or 9.3 to 14.2 mm Hg, depending on the system. Measured IOPs in the actively controlled system closely matched the targeted IOPs across all tested aspiration flow rates, deviating from targets by no more than 4.3 mm Hg. Conclusions All phacoemulsification aspiration infusion fluidics systems achieved target IOPs under zero-flow conditions. Only the actively controlled system maintained target IOPs across a range of aspiration flow rates. These experimental findings suggest that anterior chamber stability might be better in the clinical setting using an actively controlled system. Financial Disclosure Dr. Dimalanta is an employee of Alcon Research, Ltd. Dr. Miller is an investigator and speaker for and a consultant to Alcon Laboratories, Inc. Dr. Nicoli has no financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Expression Analysis Highlights AXL as a Candidate Zika Virus Entry Receptor in Neural Stem Cells

The recent outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Brazil has been linked to substantial increases in fetal abnormalities and microcephaly. However, information about the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms connecting viral infection to these defects remains limited. In this study we have examined the expression of receptors implicated in cell entry of several enveloped viruses including ZIKV across diverse cell types in the developing brain. Using single-cell RNA-seq and immunohistochemistry, we found that the candidate viral entry receptor AXL is highly expressed by human radial glial cells, astrocytes, endothelial cells, and microglia in developing human cortex and by progenitor cells in developing retina. We also show that AXL expression in radial glia is conserved in developing mouse and ferret cortex and in human stem cell-derived cerebral organoids, highlighting multiple experimental systems that could be applied to study mechanisms of ZIKV infectivity and effects on brain development.
Homo Academicus: The Academic Man: A Study in the Sociology of a Profession

(1942). Homo Academicus: The Academic Man: A Study in the Sociology of a Profession. The Journal of Higher Education: Vol. 13, No. 8, pp. 453-455.
Regulation of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase by protein phosphorylation

We previously reported that the activity of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCS; EC 6.3.2.2), the rate-limiting enzyme in GSH synthesis, can be acutely inhibited approximately 20-40% by agonists of various signal transduction pathways in rat hepatocytes [Lu, Kuhlenkamp, Garcia-Ruiz and Kaplowitz (1991) J. Clin. Invest. 88, 260-269]. We have now examined the possibility that GCS is phosphorylated directly by activation of protein kinase A (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC) and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CMK). Phosphorylation of GCS was studied using both purified rat kidney GCS and cultured rat hepatocytes by immunoprecipitating the reaction product with specific rabbit anti-(rat GCS heavy subunit) (anti-GCS-HS) antibodies. All three kinases, PKA, PKC and CMK, phosphorylated rat kidney GCS-HS in a Mg(2+)-concentration-dependent manner, with the highest degree of phosphorylation occurring at 20 mM Mg2+. The maximum incorporation of phosphate in mol/mol of GCS was 1.17 for PKA, 0.70 for PKC and 0.62 for CMK. The degree of phosphorylation was correlated with the degree of loss of GCS activity, and no additional inhibition occurred when GCS was phosphorylated by all three kinases, suggesting that the kinases phosphorylated the same site(s). Phosphoamino analysis showed that all three kinases phosphorylated serine and threonine residues. Two-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping demonstrated that all three kinases phosphorylated the same five peptides, both PKA and PKC phosphorylated two other peptides, and only PKA phosphorylated one additional peptide. Phosphorylation of GCS decreased its Vmax for cysteine and glutamate without changing its K(m). Finally, treatment of cultured rat hepatocytes with dibutyryl cAMP and phenylephrine significantly increased the phosphorylation of GCS, suggesting a potentially important physiological role. In summary, we have demonstrated that GCS is phosphorylated and suggest that phosphorylation/dephosphorylation may regulate GCS activity.
Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein is essential for hepatic secretion of apoB-100 and apoB-48 but not triglyceride

Despite a complete lack of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP), L35 rat hepatoma cells secrete triglyceride-containing lipoproteins, albeit at a rate 25% of that of parental FAO hepatoma cells, which express high levels of MTP. The inability to express MTP was associated with a complete block in the secretion of both apolipoprotein (apo)B-100 and apoB-48. Stable expression of a MTP transgene restored the secretion of both apoB-100 and apoB-48 in L35 cells, indicating that MTP is essential for the secretion of both forms of apoB. Treatment with the MTP inhibitor BMS-200150 reduced the secretion of triglyceride by 70% in FAO cells, whereas the inhibitor did not affect the secretion of triglycerides by L35 cells. Thus, in the presence of the MTP inhibitor, both cell types secreted triglycerides at similar rates. Essentially, all of the triglycerides secreted by L35 cells were associated with HDL containing apoA-IV and apoE but devoid of apoB-100 or apoB-48. These results suggest that these triglyceride-containing lipoproteins are assembled and secreted via a pathway that is independent of both apoB and MTP. Our findings support the concept that apoB and MTP co-evolved and provided a means to augment the secretion of triglyceride through the formation of lipoproteins containing large hydrophobic cores enriched with triglycerides.
Development and Validation of a Scale for Measuring E-government User Satisfaction

As the number of electronic services provided by governments to their citizens has increased, so has the need for understanding whether citizens are satisfied with these services. A literature review indicated that, in the United States alone, several government entities, including federal, state, and local governments, have invested large amounts of resources to develop or introduce electronic government (e-Government) to their citizens. However, very little attention has been paid to developing a standard scale for measuring the intended benefits or for justifying the invested resources. The focus of this study was the development and validation of a scale for measuring e-government user satisfaction (EGUS) to close this gap. Through review of extant literature, a 9-dimensional structure with 86 items was extracted to measure EGUS. Then, a preliminary content validity study was conducted with a 10-member panel of experts, who examined the items to ensure the psychometric properties of the scale were theoretically and empirically sound. This process resulted in elimination of 14 items. The main study was conducted based on the remaining 72 items. Data was collected from 225 e-government users via Web-based survey to assess their experience with online engagement. The items were further subjected to iterative test of dimensionality, construct validity, and internal consistency reliability. The end result was a 9-dimensional scale structure with 67 items. The results of the study indicated that all nine dimensions of EGUS (information content, ease of use, accessibility, timeliness, efficiency, security, privacy, interactivity, and format) were significant in influencing e-government user satisfaction. Thus, this research model has resulted in the basis for development of a new instrument to measure user satisfaction within e-government domain and the groundwork for expanding research on user satisfaction studies within the e-government paradigm. Within the body of knowledge, it has revealed insight into the importance of end user satisfaction in electronic government research. The instrument could be used in various fields of study. E-government practitioners and citizens could also use it for better understanding of the benefits of e-government services over traditional government services. Government personnel could use it to justify investments.