cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Income-Related Inequality In Affordability And Access To Primary Care In Eleven High-Income Countries

A high-performing health care system strives to achieve universal access, affordability, high-quality care, and equity, aiming to reduce inequality in outcomes and access. Using data from the 2020 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey, we report on health status, socioeconomic risk factors, affordability, and access to primary care among US adults compared with ten other high-income countries. We highlight health experiences among lower-income adults and compare income-related disparities between lower- and higher-income adults across countries. Results indicate that among adults with lower incomes, those in the US fare relatively worse on affordability and access to primary care than those in other countries, and income-related disparities across domains are relatively greater throughout. The presence of these disparities should strengthen the resolve to find solutions to eliminate income-related inequality in affordability and primary care access.
Removal of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria and Genes by UV-Assisted Electrochemical Oxidation on Degenerative TiO2 Nanotube Arrays

Antibiotic resistance has become a global crisis in recent years, while wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been identified as a significant source of both antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) ...
Cetylpyridinium chloride and peracetic acid to lessen Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, and total aerobic bacterial contamination on chicken liver

SUMMARY Undercooked chicken liver dishes have been implicated in human outbreaks of campylobacteriosis. Campylobacter is readily isolated from the surface and internal tissue of chicken livers at slaughter and retail. We treated fresh liver lobes with 15-min immersion in cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) or peracetic acid (PAA) at concentrations ranging from 0 (control) to the highest allowable concentration and enumerated naturally occurring Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, and total aerobic bacteria from the surface and within the whole blended lobe. The highest allowable concentration of CPC (8,000 ppm) was required to significantly lessen the number of Campylobacter on the surface and in the whole blended liver lobe. Concentrations of 2,000 and 4,000 ppm were ineffective. With PAA, even the highest allowable concentration (2,000 ppm) did not significantly lessen Campylobacter numbers on liver surface or within the whole blended lobe. Application of PAA at 500 or 1,000 ppm was ineffective. Liver lobe surface color was changed when treated with the highest concentration of either processing aid, especially PAA. Blending livers, as would be done for a pâte type product, did not negate the color change observed in PAA treated lobes. Based on these data, CPC and PAA do not show tremendous promise as a practical means to eliminate Campylobacter from chicken liver.
Guilt Without Mens Rea: How Florida’s Elimination of Mens Rea for Drug Possession is Constitutional

The Florida Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act is almost unique among criminal drug statutes in the United States. Like all states, Florida prohibits the possession, sale, and delivery of certain controlled substances. However, a recent revision of the Florida Comprehensive Drug Act removed Florida’s burden of proving one aspect of defendants’ mens rea in drug cases. Although several cases have challenged the Florida Comprehensive Drug Act for disregarding the traditional role of mens rea in criminal law and for subjecting innocent people to prosecution, the state of Florida continues to prosecute and obtain convictions under the statute. This Note addresses the constitutionality of the Florida Comprehensive Drug Act, specifically in light of the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Part I examines the legislative history of the Florida Comprehensive Drug Act and courts’ application of the Act. Part II analyzes state and federal cases with differing views about the statute’s constitutionality. Part III argues that under existing U.S. Supreme Court precedent the Florida Comprehensive Drug Act is constitutional and does not exceed the limits of the Due Process Clause. Finally, Part IV explores the likely future of the Florida Comprehensive Drug Act and some principles that limit its perceived impact. This Note concludes by suggesting that the U.S. Supreme Court should defer to the discretion of state legislatures in eliminating the mens rea element from criminal statutes except in the most egregious cases. INTRODUCTION 1698 I. THE FLORIDA COMPREHENSIVE DRUG ACT 1700 A. The Act as Interpreted: An Implied Element of Mens Rea 1701 B. The Act as Amended: An Assertion of Legislative Intent 1703 C. The Act as Applied: A Sample of Cases 1704 ∗ J.D. 2014, University of Florida Levin College of Law. I would like to thank my mother, father, and sister for their unfailing love, counsel, and support. Many others encouraged me throughout the writing process, and I deeply appreciate their support as well. Lastly, I wish to express gratitude to the Florida Law Review and its members for providing this opportunity and for assisting in the publication of this work. 1 Hernandez: Guilt Without Mens Rea: How Florida’s Elimination of Mens Rea for Published by UF Law Scholarship Repository, 2015 1698 FLORIDA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 66 II. STATUS OF THE ACT: DISAGREEMENT AMONG THE COURTS 1707 A. Unconstitutional in Federal Court: Shelton v. Secretary, Department of Corrections 1708 B. Constitutional in State Court: State v. Adkins 1710 C. A Lack of Clearly Established Federal Law: Shelton Revisited 1714 III. THE LIMITS OF STRICT LIABILITY UNDER THE DUE PROCESS CLAUSE 1715 A. The Traditional and Evolving Roles of Mens Rea 1716 B. A Survey of Other States and Other Strict Liability Crimes 1718 C. Due Process Analysis and the Act’s Constitutionality 1720 IV. THE FUTURE OF THE ACT AND LIMITING PRINCIPLES 1726 CONCLUSION 1729
Improved publication scores for online digital libraries via research pyramids

Ranking publications of Online Digital Libraries (ODLs) is useful for (i) providing comparative assessment of publications and (ii) listing relevant ODL search results first in search outputs, enabling users to aggregate pertinent results quickly and easily. Studies show that effective citation-based scoring functions, namely, PageRank, HITS and Citation Count, are highly skewed, and have accuracy problems, possibly due to topic diffusion. In this paper, based on the notion of research pyramids, we propose an a priori technique to assign more effective publication scores. Using the ACM SIGMOD Anthology ODL as a testbed, we show that our approach provides more accurate and less skewed publication scores.
Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the Changing Arab Information Order

This article explores the impact of Arab reality television on Arab governance. Reality television activates hypermedia space (Kraidy, 2006c), a broadly defined inter-media symbolic field, because its commercial logic promotes ostensibly participatory practices like voting, campaigning and alliance building via mobile telephones and the Internet. How does hypermedia space contribute to changing the ways in which Arab citizens and regimes access, use, create and control information? How do the new information dynamics affect the way citizens and governments relate to each other? To address these questions, this article focuses on recent social and political developments in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, treating the two countries as a dynamic pair whose multi-faceted interactions shape a pan-Arab hypermedia space. This article will endeavor to explain how various Saudi and Lebanese actors have appropriated the reality TV show Star Academy for social and political purposes, and how increased public awareness of the hypermedia space engendered by the program has affected the nature of governance in the two countries. This article concludes with a discussion of how hypermedia space contributes to shifts in the nature and boundaries of social and political agency.
Irrigation-induced erosion

Irrigation-induced erosion is one of the most serious sustainability issues in agriculture, impacting not only the future strategic and commercial viability of irrigation agriculture, but also the survival and comfort of earth's human population. Preventing irrigation-induced erosion to maintain the high crop yield and quality advantages of irrigated agriculture is also a key to the preservation of natural ecosystems. This is because replacement of irrigated production requires two to three times the equivalent rainfed production area to match any lost irrigated production (Sojka, 1998).
A Bayesian space‐time analysis of acid deposition data combined from two monitoring networks

[1] In some studies of atmospheric pollution, deposition data may be available from several distinct monitoring networks. Systematic differences may exist between networks, and an effective statistical analysis of the data combined from all networks should account for this possibility. This article develops a Bayesian modeling approach for spatiotemporal data from two monitoring networks that accounts for possible network differences in measurement error biases and variances. Wet sulfate deposition data from two networks in the eastern United States, the National Acid Deposition Program/National Trends Network and the Clean Air Status and Trends Network, are combined and analyzed via our modeling approach. We examine whether the temporal trend in deposition from 1989–1997 varies regionally and whether the measurement error biases and variances differ between networks. We also demonstrate how prediction uncertainty is reduced using the combined data from levels obtained when basing prediction on data from only one of the networks.
Comparative Analysis of Disulfide Bond Determination Using Computational-Predictive Methods and Mass Spectrometry-Based Algorithmic Approach

Identifying the disulfide bonding pattern in a protein is critical to understanding its structure and function. At the state-of-the-art, a large number of computational strategies have been proposed that predict the disulfide bonding pattern using sequence-level information. Recent past has also seen a spurt in the use of Mass spectrometric (MS) methods in proteomics. Mass spectrometry-based analysis can also be used to determine disulfide bonds. Furthermore, MS methods can work with lower sample purity when compared with x-ray crystallography or NMR. However, without the assistance of computational techniques, MS-based identification of disulfide bonds is time-consuming and complicated. In this paper we present an algorithmic solution to this problem and examine how the proposed method successfully deals with some of the key challenges in mass spectrometry. Using data from the analysis of nine eukaryotic Glycosyltransferases with varying numbers of cysteines and disulfide bonds we perform a detailed comparative analysis between the MS-based approach and a number of computational-predictive methods. These experiments highlight the tradeoffs between these classes of techniques and provide critical insights for further advances in this important problem domain.
Extra Lactate Dehydrogenase Isoenzyme Band in Serum of Patients with Severe Liver Disease

In a study of lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme patterns in the sera of patients with severe liver disease, who were primarily selected because of an abnormally high serum bilirubin, 42 of 76 patients had an additional band (LDH-T) between isoenzymes 4 and 5 on acrylamide gel. Thirty of the 42 patients died during followup, 24 within a month of recognition of the extra band.
Direct and adaptive cytoprotection.

Cytoprotection confers increased cellular resistance to various damaging challenges. For example, the administration of certain prostaglandins (PG) prevents injury or facilitates recovery from injury in tissues exposed to noxious substances, such as ethanol, aspirin, and indomethacin. In addition, naturally occurring PG (E and I types) may play a physiological role in protecting the gastroduodenal mucosa against corrosion by gastric juice. Within a responsive tissue, not all cells may be protected by PG against severe damage. Thus, while PG will not prevent necrosis of the gastric epithelial monolayer during exposure to 100% ethanol, it does protect the deeper gastric cells of the mucosa from destruction. Cytoprotection of the gastroduodenal mucosa is independent of the antisecretory activity of PG. The ED100 cytoprotective dose of a prostaglandin may be less than 1% of the ED50 antisecretory dose of the same agent, and some cytoprotective prostaglandins are not antisecretory in some animal models. The best of the proposed mechanisms to account for cytoprotection include stimulation of mucus or HCO3 secretion, and mucosal vasodilation. However, there are no definitive data to substantiate these hypotheses and, in fact, evidence does exist to disprove each theory. Gastric mucosal exposure to mildly damaging concentrations of an agent will increase mucosal resistance to subsequent exposure to a much greater and more damaging concentration of the same agent. This “adaptive cytoprotection” can be abolished by indomethacin, an inhibitor of endogenous prostaglandin synthesis.
Liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry of organoselenium compounds with postcolumn crown ether complexation.

Postcolumn addition is an effective means of alleviating or solving ionization-related problems in liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESIMS). In the current study, initial attempts to develop a direct LC/ESIMS method for an organoselenium compound, 4-hydroxyphenyl 2-methyl-2-aminoethyl selenide (HOMePAESe), were unsuccessful because of extensive fragmentation which occurred even under the mildest in-source collision-induced dissociation (CID) conditions. To reduce the extent of compound fragmentation, a crown ether, 18-crown-6, was added postcolumn to the system, forming a complex with HOMePAESe, which survived the electrospray ionization process with reduced fragmentation and hence improved sensitivity for the major ions. The general applicability of this crown ether complexation approach to clinical samples was demonstrated by the analysis of HOMePAESe in human urine, using a structural analogue, 4-fluorophenyl 2-aminoethyl selenide (FPAESe) as an internal standard. The ...
Shelf Loathing: Cross Docking at an Online Retailer

Online customers expect to wait, sometimes for a delay of many days. At the fulfillment center, there might be an opportunity to fill customer orders earlier than the due date through a cross-docking transaction: rather than picking the item from inventory, the item moves directly from the receiving to the shipping dock, saving shelving and picking transactions. While cross docking reduces shelving and picking costs, it risks changing customer expectations for how soon a product will be delivered. Given customer order arrivals random in quantity and due dates, random replenishment arrivals, and costs (or benefits) for shipping a product early, we characterize the optimal decision as to whether to cross dock a replenishment item to fulfill demand that is not immediately due or to wait to (hopefully) cross dock in later periods. With multiple demands and due dates, the cross-docking decision depends on the number of unfulfilled demands in each period across the horizon, the number of units that have just arrived (available for cross docking), picking and shelving costs, and the delay cost (or benefit). We formulate the problem as a Markov decision process, determine the structure of the optimal policy, and propose a well-performing heuristic.
Construct validity estimation for the African-American and Hispanic versions of the Oucher Scale

This study examined the construct validity of the African-American and Hispanic versions of the Oucher Scale as measures of pain in 104 children ages 3 to 12 years old. Scores on the Oucher Scale, Analogue Chromatic Continuous Scale, and Child Medical Fear Scale were obtained after being administered concurrently on one occasion, either before or after surgery. Additionally, Oucher scores were obtained before and after analgesic administration. Significant correlations were found between the two pain intensity measures, while weak, nonsignificant relationships were revealed between the pain and fear measures. Preanalgesic scores were significantly higher than postanalgesic scores. These findings support the construct validity of the two new ethnic versions of the Oucher.
Persistent atypical lymphocytic hyperplasia following tick bite in a child: Report of a case and review of the literature

We report a 6-year-old girl who developed a red papule on the posterior neck at the site of a previous tick bite. Initial biopsy was performed a year after the bite and the specimen showed a dense lymphoid infiltrate with admixed CD30+ cells. The patient was referred to our center because of concern about the development of a CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorder. The lesion was completely excised. Histology showed no evidence of a clonal lymphoproliferative disorder or Borrelia infection, but persistence of CD30+ cells. This case demonstrates that a tick bite reaction can persist for more than 1 year and show immunophenotypic and morphologic overlap with a CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorder. Complete history with thorough clinical and histopathologic evaluation is necessary to arrive at the correct diagnosis.
Using Cartoons to Teach About Perfectionism Supporting Gifted Students’ Social-Emotional Development

Cartoon interpretation and production are teaching strategies that can assist students in a deeper understanding of concepts and practice of higher level thinking skills while motivating them throu...
Association of early-onset pre-eclampsia in first pregnancy with normotensive second pregnancy outcomes: a population-based study.

Please cite this paper as: Chang J, Muglia L, Macones G. Association of early-onset pre-eclampsia in first pregnancy with normotensive second pregnancy outcomes: a population-based study. BJOG 2010;117:946–953. Objective To evaluate pregnancy outcomes in normotensive second pregnancy following pre-eclampsia in first pregnancy. Design Population-based retrospective cohort study. Setting State of Missouri in the USA. Sample White European origin or African-American women who delivered their first two non-anomalous singleton pregnancies between 20 and 44 weeks of gestation in Missouri, USA, 1989–2005, without chronic hypertension, renal disease or diabetes mellitus (n = 12 835). Methods Pre-eclampsia or delivery at 34 weeks of gestation or less in first pregnancy was defined as early-onset pre-eclampsia, whereas late-onset pre-eclampsia was defined as pre-eclampsia with delivery after 34 weeks of gestation. Multivariate regression models were fitted to estimate the crude and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Main outcome measures Preterm delivery, large and small-for-gestational-age infant, Apgar scores at 5 minutes, fetal death, caesarean section, placental abruption. Results Women with early-onset pre-eclampsia in first pregnancy were more likely to be younger, African-American, recipients of Medicaid, unmarried and smokers. Despite a second normotensive pregnancy, women with early-onset pre-eclampsia in their first pregnancy had greater odds of a small-for-gestational-age infant, preterm birth, fetal death, caesarean section and placental abruption in the second pregnancy, relative to women with late-onset pre-eclampsia, after controlling for confounders. Moreover, maternal ethnic origin modified the association between early-onset pre-eclampsia in the first pregnancy and preterm births in the second pregnancy. Having a history of early-onset pre-eclampsia reduces the odds of having a large-for-gestational-age infant in the second pregnancy. Conclusion A history of early-onset pre-eclampsia is associated with increased odds of adverse pregnancy outcomes despite a normotensive second pregnancy.
Strike-induced chemosensory searching occurs in lizards

Strike-induced chemosensory searching (SICS), previously known only in snakes, is experimentally demonstrated in a lizard,Varanus exanthematicus. Tongue-flicking rate was significantly greater after striking the prey than following three control conditions. The occurrence of SICS in a varanid lizard suggests that SICS may serve to help relocate dropped or escaped prey not only in snakes, but in other squamates that use the tongue as a chemosensory sampling device during foraging. This in turn suggests the need for further studies of the taxonomic distribution of SICS in squamates and of its relationship to tongue use during foraging and feeding.
Zone-folded direct band gaps and energetics in strained (Si)4/(Ge)4 superlattices.

Based on first-principles pseudopotential calculations, we analyze the energetics and the evolution of band energies as a function of Ge-Ge interlayer spacings for the (Si${)}_{4}$/(Ge${)}_{4}$ superlattice pseudomorphic to Si(001). It is demonstrated that the recently proposed occurrence of stretched bulklike Ge-Ge bonds is energetically unfavorable, and yields transition energies in disagreement with electroreflectance and photocurrent data.
The effects of response bias in the survey assessment of the mental health of puerto rican migrants

An index of psychiatric symptomatology was administered to a Puerto Rican sample living in a Midwestern industrial community. Five hypotheses were tested. (1) It was hypothesized that those Puerto Ricans who had migrated to the Continental United States would have higher symptomatology scores than the Puerto Ricans who were raised in the Continental United States. (2) It was hypothesized that, across the entire Puerto Rican sample, high anomia scores would be accompanied by high symptomatology scores. (3) It was hypothesized that, among all Puerto Ricans, women would have higher symptomatology scores than men. (4) Age was hypothesized to be positively related to the symptomatology scores of the entire Puerto Rican sample. (5) Education was hypothesized to be inversely related to Puerto Rican symptomatology scores. All five hypotheses were rejected. The results indicated that a high degree of response set bias was present. It was recommended that researchers engaging in the field study of mental disorders include controls for response set bias in their survey instruments.
VARIABLES DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN EFFECTIVE AND INEFFECTIVE WRITERS IN THE TENTH GRADE

WHILE THE teaching of composition is assumed j to be both good and necessary for the English class room, little research has been done to aid the Eng lish teacher in determining what is the best sequence of composition principles, what is the best method for what kinds of papers, or what is the best evalu ation technique for what kinds of teachers. Many reasons may contribute to the lack of knowledge about composition, but one reason may be that little | attention has been paid to the factors which make up I the effective or the ineffective writer. True, there are the pedagogical cliches about the effective writ er that the student is more likely to be a girl, that she is brighter than the average, that she comes from a favored home, that she reads more widely and more often than the average, and that she is col lege-oriented. But few investigations have made any effort to search for many of the variables that separate the effective from the ineffective writer. Research recently completed by the author may sug| gest some variables for present consideration and future research.
Characterizations of Hirudo medicinalis DNA promoters for targeted gene expression.

Abstract The expression of exogenous genes in neurons and other cells has become a powerful means for studying the function of encoded proteins. We report here on the isolation and functional analysis of three Hirudo medicinalis actin gene promoters and the 5′ UTR of a leech elongation factor-1α ( Hm EF-1α) gene. In situ hybridization labeling revealed that the EF-1α gene and one of the actins had pan-neuronal expression, whereas, the other two actin genes were expressed by the embryo's body wall musculature. Comparative analysis shows that they all display many features typical of actin and EF-1α promoters from other species, including canonical TATA box sequences and predicted general transcription factor binding sites (such as CCATT, CarB boxes and CG-rich regions). The ability of these 5′ UTR sequences to drive expression of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), leech cytoplasmic actin and leech synaptobrevin was examined. Direct intracellular nuclear, but not cytoplasmic, microinjection of each of the promoter sequences was found to produce reliably cellular expression of the reporter construct in both neuronal and muscle cells. These results introduce reliable and effective methods to selectively express genes in individual cells of the leech in vivo during embryonic development.
Superexchange interaction in orbitally fluctuating RVO3.

Changes in pressure and magnetic field in the orbital and magnetic ordering temperatures of $R{\mathrm{VO}}_{3}$ perovskites are reported; they reveal a competition between two magnetic orbitally ordered phases that have opposite preferences for the $e$-orbital component in the localized $^{3}T_{1g}$ ground state of the ${\mathrm{V}}^{3+}$ ion. This competition is shown to be biased by the ${\mathrm{VO}}_{6/2}$ site distortion intrinsic to the orthorhombic structure. A remarkable enhancement of ${T}_{N}$ with pressure is found where the competition leads to enhanced orbital critical fluctuations.
Coordination numbers of alkali metal ions in aqueous solutions.

Abstract The level of complexity with which any biological ion interaction mechanism can be investigated, whether it is a binding mechanism in proteins or a permeation mechanism in ion channels, is invariably limited by the state-of-the-art of our understanding of the characteristic properties of ion solvation. Currently, our understanding of the energetic properties of ion solvation in aqueous phase is considered adequate enough to have helped us obtain satisfactory descriptions of the role of energetics in several biological ion interaction processes. In contrast, the lack of consensus among all the experimental structural hydration data determined more than 10 years ago, particularly regarding ion hydration numbers, has limited us to nothing better than speculation regarding the roles of local spatial environments in these mechanisms. Here we revisit experimental and theoretical work applied to probe hydration numbers of three alkali metal ions, Li + , Na + and K + , and analyze them to clarify the current state-of-the-art of our understanding of their structural hydration properties. We find that with substantial improvements over the past 10 years in areas of experimental techniques, data analysis strategies, and theoretical and computational approaches for interrogating ion hydration structures, there is now growing consensus regarding the hydration numbers of these ions. We see that under physiological conditions, ab initio methods suggest that all three ions prefer strong coordination with exactly 4 water molecules, a result we find consistent with some older experimental measurements. Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations invariably identify additional “loosely” coordinated water molecules at the far slopes of the principle maxima of the radial distribution profiles for Na + and K + ions. We suggest that these statistical admixtures of additional oxygen atoms have resulted in the most recent experimentally determined hydration numbers of Na + ions to be 5 and K + ions to be 6.
Multiple Timescale Flight Control Using Reconfigurable Sliding Modes

Adual-timescaleaircrafte ight-controlproblemisaddressedviacontinuoussliding-modecontrol.Sliding-surface boundary-layer recone guration is used to account for actuator dynamics, dee ection limits, and rate limits. A recone gurable sliding-mode e ight controller is designed that achieves robust, high-accuracy tracking of outerloop command angles before and after damage to an aircraft. Angular rate commands are robustly tracked in an inner loop. The recone gurable e ight-control strategy is based on a continuous sliding-mode controller with direct boundary-layer adaptation for recone guration. On-line explicit system or damage identie cation is not required. Therecone gurablesliding-modee ight-controltechniqueisapplied to anonlineare ight-dynamicsmodelofan F-16 aircraft. Computer simulations demonstrate stability and high-accuracy tracking performance without violation of actuator limits.
On the effectiveness of dislocation loops as sites for the adsorption of implanted ions

Abstract It is commonly found that when conventional dopant ions are implanted into a semiconductor, only a fraction of the total number implanted will exhibit the electrical behavior that would be expected for an atom of that type in a regular substitutional position. In this paper we present semi-quantitative calculations which suggest that many of the implanted ions can be adsorbed on dislocation loops that are produced when the implanted layer is annealed. The effect is particularly large when there is a significant size mismatch between the implanted ion and the host atom. The theory gives a reasonable fit to experimental results if it is assumed that the adsorbed ions are either electrically inactive or else characterized by relatively large carrier ionization energies.
The binding of low density lipoprotein by liver membranes in the pig

Abstract Porcine liver membranes are capable of high affinity binding of homologous low density lipoproteins (LDL). Binding is time and temperature dependant and substrate saturable. High affinity binding sites are half saturated at 11 μg/ml lipoprotein-protein. The binding of 125 I-LDL is inhibited by unlabelled homologous LDL, very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL) and also be human LDL and HDL, but not by unrelated proteins tested. The binding and displacement patterns with membranes from several other porcine tissues are similar to those of liver membranes. These results suggest the presence of “lipoprotein binding sites” in liver membranes which recognize structural features common to the lipoproteins and further indicate that liver membranes are not unique in their ability to bind LDL.
Copper antimony sulfide (CuSbS2) mesocrystals: A potential counter electrode material for dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye sensitized solar cells are commonly fabricated using expensive platinum as a counter electrode material. We demonstrate for the first time the use of CuSbS2 as a replacement for platinum in dye sensitized solar cells. The performance of solar cells using CuSbS2 is found to be comparable with that using platinum counter electrode. & 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Geologic History of Reefs: ABSTRACT

A reef, whether fossil or modern, is the physical expression of a community of calcium carbonate-secreting organisms which grew in one place for an extended period of time, forming either isolated structures or cores of complex buildups. These sea-floor highs are not only sites of rapid carbonate fixation and accretion but also locales of internal sedimentation, synsedimentary lithification, and active bioerosion--attributes which set them apart from most other sedimentary deposits. The core facies of large and complex fossil reefs generally illustrate a succession of growth stages, each of which is characterized by specific lithologies and invertibrate taxa. These stages, now recognized in reefs throughout the geologic record, are generally referred to as the pioneer (stabilization), colonization, diversification, and domination (climax) phases of reef growth. They record the transition from shoals of skeletal sand populated by small, rooted invertebrates and/or algae to thickets of branching or lamellar organisms to complexes made up of many different taxa with varied growth forms and life habits to a cap comprising only a few, generally lamellar to encrusting skeletons. Just as the development of any one reef is dependent upon inherently biological factors so the history of reefs in general reflects the evolution of Phanerozoic marine invertebrates. For a reef illustrating all stages to develop, a prerequisite is the existence of metazoans capable of secreting large skeletons of variable growth form. At those times in geologic history when only small, prone, branching sessile invertebrates occur, buildups called reef mounds are present that illustrate only the first two stages of growth. Thus there are times when no reefs occur, periods when reef mounds are the norm, and periods when complex reefs dominate. Although the attributes that characterize all reefs are present in the very earliest Cambrian bioherms, against the backdrop of geologic time, there are two general cycles of reef growth. Each begins with reef mounds which are subsequently populated by sponges and then gradually transformed into complex reefs by the appearance of corals and/or stromatoporoids. The first cycle begins in Early Cambrian time and culminates in the Late Devonian (240 m.y.); the second cycle begins in the Mississippian and has continued to the present (340 m.y.). During the early phases of these cycles reef mounds occur on or around shoal-rimmed platforms; in the latter stages reefs commonly form the rim facies, and control platform evolution. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1681------------
Surgical management of floppy eyelid syndrome.

Four patients (five eyes) with the classic findings of floppy eyelid syndrome all had chronic irritative symptoms, with papillary conjunctivitis, and a soft, rubbery, floppy, and easily everted upper eyelid. All affected eyes were treated surgically by a full-thickness eyelid shortening procedure which produced immediate relief of symptoms. Histopathologic study of the resected eyelids showed only an inflammatory infiltrate in the conjunctiva, but failed to identify specific cause-for the lax tarsus.
Iflows: A novel simulation model for predicting the effectiveness of a research community

This paper presents a simulation model for observing the dynamics of a research community in engineering. The objective is to study how parameters, like group expertise and resources, influence the effectiveness of the group and community as a whole. The model implements a game-theoretic approach in which every group maximizes the difference between its rewards and costs (e.g., time and resources). Experiments studied the total reward and the number of problems solved over time by a community made of twenty groups for different conditions, i.e. allocated resources and group characteristics.
Pathways to a STEMM Profession

The inadequate number of American young adults selecting a scientific or engineering profession continues to be a major national concern. Using data from the 23-year record of the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY) and working within the social learning paradigm, this analysis uses a set of 21 variables to predict young people's employment in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or medicine (STEMM) at ages 36 to 39. The LSAY is one of the longest and most intensive longitudinal studies of the impact of secondary education and postsecondary education conducted in the United States. Using a structural equation model, the study found that mathematics continues to be a primary gateway for STEMM professions, beginning with algebra track placement in grade eight and continuing through high school and college calculus courses. Home and family factors such as parent education and parent encouragement of science and mathematics during secondary school also enhanced the likelihood of entering a S...
Neural substrates of choice selection in adults and adolescents: Development of the ventrolateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices

A heightened propensity for risk-taking and poor decision-making underlies the peak morbidity and mortality rates reported during adolescence. Delayed maturation of cortical structures during the adolescent years has been proposed as a possible explanation for this observation. Here, we test the hypothesis of adolescent delayed maturation by using fMRI during a monetary decision-making task that directly examines risk-taking behavior during choice selection. Orbitofrontal/ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (OFC/VLPFC) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) were examined selectively since both have been implicated in reward-related processes, cognitive control, and resolution of conflicting decisions. Group comparisons revealed greater activation in the OFC/VLPFC (BA 47) and dorsal ACC (BA 32) in adults than adolescents when making risky selections. Furthermore, reduced activity in these areas correlated with greater risk-taking performance in adolescents and in the combined group. Consistent with predictions, these results suggest that adolescents engage prefrontal regulatory structures to a lesser extent than adults when making risky economic choices.
The Mars Challenge

This past autumn, I met with all 1700 first-year engineering students at Purdue University. I asked them what their generation?s greatest technological legacy might be. Repeatedly, they told me: sending people to Mars.
Limits of territorially-focused conservation : a critical assessment based on cartographic and geographic approaches

This paper assesses territorially-focused conservation practice from geographic perspectives, focusing particularly on the influence of cartography. Contemporary mapping technologies and practices can favour territorial conservation approaches, perhaps at the expense of other possibilities, and may condition the flexibility and types of conservation feasible. For instance, might mapping practices lead to an emphasis on certain species, ecosystems or conservation concepts over others? How appropriate is the static idea of a mapped conservation space for fluctuating environmental conditions and changing threats? Understanding that many of the challenges outlined here are acknowledged by conservation practitioners, this paper summarizes ways in which these concerns are currently addressed in the conservation biology literature. Advances in geography and cartography might offer further solutions that could assist in confronting conservation challenges. These critiques and potential solutions identify gaps and opportunities that would benefit from increased interdisciplinary engagement across conservation, geographic and cartographic fields.
Effects of a cognitive–behavioral intervention for women with rheumatoid arthritis

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral nursing intervention for women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Ninety adult women with RA participated in 1 of 14 nurse-led groups over an 18-month period. Personal coping resources, pain-coping behaviors, psychological well-being, and disease symptomatology were measured at four time periods. There were significant changes on all of the measures of personal coping resources (p < .001) and psychological well-being (p < .05), half of the pain-coping behaviors (p < .05), and one indicator of disease symptomatology (fatigue, p < .05) from pre- to postintervention. Furthermore, the positive changes brought about by the program were maintained over the 3-month follow-up period. The intervention may be adapted to benefit individuals with a variety of stressful medical conditions.
Arabidopsis thaliana sku Mutant Seedlings Show Exaggerated Surface-Dependent Alteration in Root Growth Vector

Roots of wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings in the Wassilewskija (WS) and Landsberg erecta (Ler) ecotypes often grow aslant on vertical agar surfaces. Slanted root growth always occurs to the right of the gravity vector when the root is viewed through the agar surface, and is not observed in the Columbia ecotype. Right-slanted root growth is surface-dependent and does not result directly from directional environmental stimuli or gradients in the plane of skewing. We have isolated two partially dominant mutations in WS (sku1 and sku2) that show an exaggerated right-slanting root-growth phenotype on agar surfaces. The right-slanting root-growth phenotype of wild-type and mutant roots is not the result of diagravitropism or of an alteration in root gravitropism. It is accompanied by a left-handed rotation of the root about its axis within the elongation zone, the rate of which positively correlates with the degree of right-slanted curvature. Our data suggest that the right-slanting root growth phenotype results from an endogenous structural asymmetry that expresses itself by a directional root-tip rotation.
Examining state environmental regulatory policy design

Abstract This paper develops a scheme for characterizing variation in the structure of state environmental regulatory policy design. The rules, policy tools and incentives built into regulatory policies affect the manner in which policies are implemented, and, ultimately, the actions of target populations toward the ambient environment. Variation in state concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) regulation is examined as a specific case of subnational regulatory policy design. These operations can have substantial environmental impacts on local communities and large cumulative impacts on waterways. Using a content analysis of CAFO policy across states, the paper shows state policy designs to vary on three dimensions: scope, stringency and prescription. This research calls attention to the use of more detailed measures of environmental policy design rather than unitary measures typically used in environmental policy research.
Variation in the lysyl oxidase (LOX) gene is associated with keratoconus in family-based and case-control studies.

Purpose. Keratoconus is a bilateral noninflammatory progressive corneal disorder with complex genetic inheritance and a common cause for cornea transplantation in young adults. A genomewide linkage scan in keratoconus families identified a locus at 5q23.2, overlapping the gene coding for the lysyl oxidase (LOX). LOX encodes an enzyme responsible for collagen cross-linking in a variety of tissues including the cornea. Corneal collagen cross-linking with long-wave ultraviolet light and riboflavin is a promising new treatment for keratoconus. To determine whether LOX is a genetic determinant of the pathogenesis of keratoconus, we analyzed association results of LOX polymorphisms in two independent case-control samples and in keratoconus families.
Polysaccharide production by a reduced pigmentation mutant of the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans

A reduced pigmentation mutant was isolated from Aureobasidium pullulans ATCC 42023 by chemical mutagenesis and was subsequently characterized. The pigment melanin was present not only in A. pullulans cells but also contaminated the elaborated polysaccharide and thus, was measured in both fractions. Cellular and polysaccharide melanin levels of the mutant strain were at least 11-fold and 18-fold reduced, respectivelu, compared toits parent strain after 7 days of growth at 30°C whether sucrose or glucose served as the carbon source in the culture medium. Polysaccharide and cell dry weight levels of the mutant were very similar to those observed for the parent after growth on sucrose or glucose as the source of carbon over a period of 7 days at 30°C. The pullulan content of the polysaccharide produced by the parent or mutant strain was lower for sucrose-grown cells than for glucose-grown cells. It was also noted that the pullulan content of the polysaccharide elaborated by the mutant strain was slightly higher than that of the polysaccharide produced by the parent strain after growth on either sucrose or glucose.
Prospective trial comparing solid-state catheter and water-perfusion triple-lumen catheter for sphincter of Oddi manometry done at the time of ERCP

Background Sphincter of Oddi manometry is the reference standard for the diagnosis of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. Numerous studies have established ranges of normal values as well as typical readings in pathologic conditions. All these studies have been done using a water-perfused, triple-lumen catheter (TLC). A recently approved, new generation, solid-state catheter (SSC) has potential advantages, but concerns have been raised as to whether the pressures obtained by TLCs are reproducible by SSCs. To date, no data exist on the accuracy of sphincter of Oddi pressure measurements with the new-generation SSCs. Objective To evaluate the accuracy of the SSC by using the TLC as the reference standard. Design Prospective crossover trial. Setting A tertiary academic center. Patients Thirty patients with clinical indications for sphincter of Oddi manometry. Interventions Sphincter of Oddi manometry with TLC and SSC in the same patient. Main Outcome Measurements Accuracy of sphincter of Oddi pressure measurements. Results A total of 376 pressure measurements in 47 sphincter segments (24 biliary, 23 pancreatic) were obtained. Manometry results were abnormal in 10 of 24 biliary sphincters and 12 of 23 pancreatic sphincters. There was complete agreement on the final results of the sphincter of Oddi manometry (normal/abnormal) between the TLC and SSC (accuracy 100%). A split-plot analysis of the 378 individual measurements was performed. The P value of .9966 was insignificant, consistent with no catheter effect on the measurements. Limitations Lack of blinding. Conclusions Measurement of sphincter of Oddi pressures with the SSC is accurate, and results were essentially identical to those of the water-perfused catheter system.
Synthesis of the monomethyl isomers of naphtho[1',2':4,5]thieno[2,3-c]quinoline

The synthesis of naphtho[1′,2′:4,5]thieno[2,3-c]quinoline (11) and four monomethyl isomers is described.
Art in the library: Should academic libraries manage art?

Abstract This article discusses the current role of some academic libraries as art managers and the potential for librarians expanding this role. As trained collection managers for print and non-print media, academic librarians are well positioned to manage campus art collections.