cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Head group-modified sophorolipids: Synthesis of new cationic, zwitterionic, and anionic surfactants

Amino acid-glycolipid conjugates were prepared using carbodiimide-mediated coupling methods. The amino acid units were multifunctional and possessed a para-aminobenzoic acid linker. The glycolipid used was a stearic sophoroside. The aim of preparing these modified sophorolipids was to increase their water solubility as well as to introduce sites at the polar head groups that permitted further chemical derivatization. After acidolytic or hydrogenolytic deprotection of the amino acid N-terminus or side chain, water-soluble compounds were obtained that displayed good surfactant properties. Critical micelle concentration values were clustered in the range of high 10−6 to low 10−5 M, and minimum surface tension values were below 40 mN m−1. Two of the compounds represented more complicated structural classes, namely, gemini and bolaform surfactants.
Computer Adaptive Testing: A Shift in the Evaluation Paradigm

Evaluating and/or testing individuals is utilized in a wide range of instructional situations. This article reviews the development and use of mass testing procedures commonly employed to evaluate large groups of relatively homogeneous individuals and suggests computer adaptive testing (CAT) as a viable alternative to conventional testing in many situations. The CAT process is outlined and briefly described.
Attitudes Toward Tax Evasion and the Choice of Self-Employment

It is generally believed that self-employment offers ample opportunities for tax evasion. Therefore, this paper examines whether attitudes toward tax evasion has any influence on the choice of self-employment. The authorâ€™s analysis based on a random sample of Americans indicates that an individual who believes that tax evasion is â€œnot wrong and a bit wrongâ€ is more likely to be self-employed as compared to an individual who believes that tax evasion is â€œwrong and seriously wrong.â€ This decision is not affected by the gender. In addition, this analysis finds that a self-employed person earns more income than a person who works for someone else. However, an individual who believes that tax evasion is â€œwrong and seriously wrongâ€ earns more than an individual who believes that tax evasion is â€œnot and a bit wrongâ€ . Moreover, a self-employed person who believes that tax evasion is â€œnot and a bit wrongâ€ earns less than all other people, everything else being the same.
PET imaging in pediatric Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Advances in diagnostic imaging technology, especially functional imaging modalities like positron emission tomography (PET), have significantly influenced the staging and treatment approaches used for pediatric Hodgkin's lymphoma. Today, the majority of children and adolescents diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma will be cured following treatment with non-cross-resistant combination chemotherapy alone or in combination with low-dose, involved-field radiation. This success produced a greater appreciation of long-term complications related to radiation, chemotherapy, and surgical staging that prompted significant changes in staging and treatment protocols for children and adolescents with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Contemporary treatment for pediatric Hodgkin's lymphoma uses a risk-adapted approach that reduces the number of combination chemotherapy cycles and radiation treatment fields and doses for patients with localized favorable disease presentation. Advances in diagnostic imaging technology have played a critical role in the development of these risk-adapted treatment regimens. The introduction of computed tomography (CT) provided an accurate and non-invasive modality to define nodal involvement below the diaphragm that motivated the change from surgical to clinical staging. The introduction of functional imaging modalities, like positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, provided the means to correlate tumor activity with anatomic features generated by CT and modify treatment based on tumor response. For centers with access to this modality, PET imaging plays an important role in staging, evaluating tumor response, planning radiation treatment fields, and monitoring after completion of therapy for pediatric Hodgkin's lymphoma. This trend will likely increase in the future as a result of PET's superior sensitivity in correlating sites of tumor activity compared to other available functional imaging modalities. Ongoing prospective studies of PET in pediatric patients will increase understanding about the optimal use of this modality in children with cancer and define the characteristics of FDG-avid nonmalignant conditions that may be problematic in the interpretation of tumor activity.
Living environmentalisms: coalition politics, social reproduction, and environmental justice

This paper examines the intersectional, coalition politics forged by activists in US environmental justice and women's rights organisations. This coalitional politics articulates environmental and feminist concerns and rejects the limitations of a narrow-focused politics in favour of a more strategic, relational vision of social and environmental change. Framed by the Marxist-feminist concept of ‘social reproduction’, the analysis addresses the complex ways that globalised capitalism has transformed state and corporate responsibilities for social reproduction. The neoliberal policies of privatisation and deregulation have eroded the assurance of a liveable wage, affordable healthcare, decent education, breathable air, and clean water. Drawing on several examples from grassroots movements and community-based organisations, the essay discusses how diverse women activists conceptually link environmental justice and reproductive rights issues in their communities' struggles to sustain everyday life (or, to ac...
Embedding Bosnia-Herzegovina in Euro-Atlantic Structures: From Dayton to Brussels

A political geographer reviews the strategy of the international community to incorporate Bosnia-Herzegovina into Western geopolitical structures, placing Bosnia on the road toward possible European Union and NATO membership. The author argues that the strategy is revising the strictures of the Dayton Peace Accords, although it astutely works within the framework of that settlement. The shift from the era of Dayton to the era of Brussels is generating an identity crisis within the Bosnian Serb entity, Republika Srpska. Its political class faces a dilemma. In order to preserve their entity, they must turn on its "founding fathers" through proactive cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal on the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: I31, O15, O19. 1 figure, 1 table, 40 references.
Assessing the accuracy of U.S. Department of Labor ES202 files in locating new rural businesses

Abstract U.S. Department of Labor unemployment insurance files, ES202, are increasingly used to study new business start-ups, but their accuracy is questionable, and this could negatively influence some theories of entrepreneurship. This study assesses the accuracy of ES202 new business data from four states: Iowa, North Dakota, Maine, and Arkansas, and discusses the theoretical implications of the study for entrepreneurship. Rural areas in each state were scientifically selected. In each area, telephone directories, community/business leader surveys, on-site inspections, newspaper stories, and postal records were used to develop a list of all new businesses. Telephone interviews with about 1,500 entrepreneurs from the lists were undertaken to verify information about their firms. The ES202 list was then compared with the composite list developed from alternative data sources. The ES202 list failed to include many new businesses in the study areas. Because ES202 lists are so biased, researchers should not use them to build or test theories of entrepreneurship. ES202 lists can be used when supplemented with other lists.
Movement and habitat use of feral swine near domestic swine facilities

Feral swine (Sus scrofa), a successful invasive species in the United States, have established growing populations in 38 states and are a reservoir of diseases important to domestic swine. An under- standing of habitat use and movements is important for the prevention of disease transmission between feral and domestic swine. To assess risk posed to neighboring domestic swine facilities in East and South Texas, we determined habitat use and movement patterns of feral swine within 10 miles of domestic swine facilities, identified similarities in habitat preferences and vegetation types directly surrounding facilities, assessed effects of wet and dry conditions on general habitat use, and determined whether landscape features such as corridors or boundaries influenced movements across utilized habitats. Kernel area values (95% isopleths) for wet and dry periods were different (F2,16 ¼ 6.38, P ¼ 0.005) between East and South Texas. Feral swine preferred habitat characteristics commonly found surrounding domestic swine facilities. Feral swine also demonstrated disproportionate use of specific vegetation types as compared to availability during both wet and dry periods. Additionally, the presence of paved, 2-lane roads influenced movements of feral swine. The new knowledge of habitat use and landscape movements we present can be used for more efficient application of targeted management and eradication strategies near domestic swine facilities, particularly in emergency situations such as disease outbreaks. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
The Riverside Behavioral Q-sort: a tool for the description of social behavior

The Riverside Behavioral Q-sort (RBQ) is a flexible technique for gathering a wide-ranging description of the behavior of individuals in dyadic social interaction. Ratings of RBQ items can attain adequate reliability to reflect behavioral effects of experimental manipulations and to manifest meaningful correlations with a variety of personality characteristics. The RBQ's flexibility, validity, and relative ease of use may facilitate the more frequent inclusion of behavioral data in personality and social psychology.
Sodium transport antagonism reduces thrombotic microangiopathy in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats

We examined whether amiloride, an agent that possesses epithelial sodium channel (ENaC)- and sodium/hydrogen exchange (NHE)-inhibitory activities, would exhibit renal vascular protection in saline-...
An Analysis Of Chirpp Data To Predict Severe ATV Injuries Using Artificial Neural Networks

This paper describes the development of a tool to predict the severity of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) injuries using artificial neural networks (ANNs). The data was obtained from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP). The main objective of the study was to identify the contribution of input variables in predicting severe injury or death. An ANN architecture with 9 hidden nodes and one hidden layer resulted in optimal performance: a logarithmic-sensitivity index of 0.099, sensitivity of 47.3%, specificity of 80.8%, correct classification rate (CCR) of 68.6% and receiver operating curve (ROC) area of 0.711. The minimum data set that can help predict injury severity is discussed
A possible emerging role of phytochemicals in improving age-related neurological dysfunctions: a multiplicity of effects.

It is rare to see a day pass in which we are not told through some popular medium that the population is becoming older. Along with this information comes the "new" revelation that as we enter the next millennium there will be increases in age-associated diseases (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular disease) including the most devastating of these, which involve the nervous system (e.g., Alzheimer's disease [AD] and Parkinson's disease [PD]). It is estimated that within the next 50 years approximately 30% of the population will be aged 65 years or older. Of those between 75 and 84 years of age, 6 million will exhibit some form of AD symptoms, and of those older than 85 years, over 12 million will have some form of dementia associated with AD. What appears more ominous is that many cognitive changes occur even in the absence of specific age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Common components thought to contribute to the manifestation of these disorders and normal age-related declines in brain performance are increased susceptibility to long-term effects of oxidative stress (OS) and inflammatory insults. Unless some means is found to reduce these age-related decrements in neuronal function, health care costs will continue to rise exponentially. Thus, it is extremely important to explore methods to retard or reverse age-related neuronal deficits as well as their subsequent, behavioral manifestations. Fortunately, the growth of knowledge in the biochemistry of cell viability has opened new avenues of research focused at identifying new therapeutic agents that could potentially disrupt the perpetual cycle of events involved in the decrements associated with these detrimental processes. In this regard, a new role in which certain dietary components may play important roles in alleviating certain disorders are beginning to receive increased attention, in particular those involving phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables.
Network Routing Topology Inference from End-to-End Measurements

Inference of the routing topology and link performance from a node to a set of other nodes is an important component of network monitoring and application design. In this paper we propose a general framework for designing topology inference algorithms based on additive metrics. Our framework allows the integration of both end-to-end packet probing measurements and traceroute type measurements. Based on this framework we design several computationally efficient topology inference algorithms. In particular, we propose a novel sequential topology inference algorithm to address the probing scalability problem and handle dynamic node joining and leaving. We provide sufficient conditions for the correctness of our algorithms and derive lower bounds on the probability of correct topology inference. We conduct Internet experiments to evaluate and demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithms.
Prevalence of nonadherence with maintenance mesalamine in quiescent ulcerative colitis

OBJECTIVE: There are scant data regarding outpatient adherence in quiescent ulcerative colitis aside from patients enrolled in controlled clinical trials. We conducted a prevalence study to determine the medication adherence rate of maintenance therapy and to identify possible risk factors for nonadherence. METHODS: Outpatients with clinically quiescent ulcerative colitis for 6 months on maintenance mesalamine (Asacol, Procter and Gamble, Cincinnati, OH) were eligible. Patients were interviewed regarding disease history, and demographics were obtained from medical records. Refill information for at least 6 months was obtained from computerized pharmacy records. Adherence was defined as at least 80% consumption of supply dispensed. Using nonadherence as the outcome of interest, stratified analysis and regression modeling were used to identify significant associations. RESULTS: Data were complete for the 94 patients recruited. The overall adherence rate was found to be 40%. The median amount of medication dispensed per patient was 71% (8 ‐130%) of the prescribed regimen. Nonadherent patients were more likely to be male (67% vs 52%, p 0.05), single (68% vs 53%, p 0.04), and to have disease limited to the left side of the colon versus pancolitis (83% vs 51%, p 0.01). Sixty-eight percent of patients who took more than four prescription medications were found to be nonadherent versus only 40% of those patients taking fewer medications (p 0.05). Age, occupation, a family history of inflammatory bowel disease, length of remission, qualityof-life score, or method of recruitment (telephone interview vs clinical visit) were not associated with nonadherence. Logistic regression identified that a history of more than four prescriptions (odds ratio [OR] 2.5 [1.4 ‐5.7]) and male gender (OR 2.06 [1.17‐ 4.88]) increased the risk of nonadherence. Two statistically significant variables, which were protective against nonadherence, were endoscopy within the past 24 months (OR 0.96 [0.93‐ 0.99]) and being married (OR 0.46 [0.39 ‐ 0.57]). CONCLUSION: Nonadherence is associated with multiple concomitant medications, male gender, and single status. These patient characteristics may be helpful in targeting those patients at higher risk for nonadherence. (Am J Gastroenterol 2001;96:2929 ‐2933. © 2001 by Am. Coll. of Gastroenterology)
The Supply of Physicians Waivered to Prescribe Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorders in the United States: A State-Level Analysis.

Objective:The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of buprenorphine in 2002 expanded options for treating opioid use disorder (OUD). Physicians who intend to treat OUD patients with buprenorphine must seek a waiver to prescribe it, which may contribute to state-by-state variation in the supply of waivered physicians.Method:This study integrates data extracted from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s database of waivered physicians with state-level indicators of the macro environment, health-related resources, and treatment demand.Results:In December 2013, the average state had 8.0 waivered physicians per 100,000 residents (SD = 5.2). Large regional differences between states in the Northeast relative to states in the Midwest, South, and West were observed. The percentage of residents covered by Medicaid as well as the population-adjusted availability of opioid treatment programs and substance use disorder treatment facilities were positively associated with buprenorphine physician supply. Buprenorp...
Resin flow responses to fertilization, wounding and fungal inoculation in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) in North Carolina

Resin flow is the primary means of natural defense against southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis Zimm.), the most important insect pest of Pinus spp. in the southern United States. As a result, factors affecting resin flow are of interest to researchers and forest managers. We examined the influence of fertilization, artificial wounding and fungal inoculation on resin flow in 6- and 12-year-old stands of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and determined the extent of that influence within and above the wounded stem area and through time. Fertilization increased constitutive resin flow, but only the younger trees sustained increased resin flow after wounding and inoculation treatments. An induced resin flow response occurred between 1 and 30 days after wounding and inoculation treatments. Wounding with inoculation resulted in greater resin flow than wounding alone, but increasing amounts of inoculum did not increase resin flow. Increased resin flow (relative to controls) lasted for at least 90 days after wounding and inoculation. This increase appeared to be limited to the area of treatment, at least in younger trees. The long-lasting effects of fungal inoculation on resin flow, as well as the response to fertilization, suggest that acquired resistance through induced resin flow aids in decreasing susceptibility of loblolly pine to southern pine beetle.
Subvalvular left ventricular outflow obstruction for patients undergoing aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis: echocardiographic recognition and identification of patients at risk.

Persistently high gradients after aortic valve replacement (AVR), potentially caused by prosthesis–patient mismatch or superimposed but unrecognized nonvalvular obstruction, are associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Concomitant valvular and subvalvular left ventricular outflow obstruction was first hypothesized in 1957, and identified and further characterized in the 1960s, before the availability of echocardiography. Although obstruction as a result of subvalvular hypertrophy complicating valvular aortic stenosis has been subsequently described using echocardiography, it has largely fallen from consciousness in the preoperative and intraoperative echocardiographic assessment of patients undergoing AVR for aortic stenosis. As such, subvalvular left ventricular outflow obstruction complicating valvular aortic stenosis is a potentially preventable cause of persistently high gradients that remains relatively frequently encountered after AVR. This review is intended to draw attention to this phenomenon, to describe its mechanisms, and to provide guidance for its preoperative or intraoperative recognition using echocardiographic imaging techniques, with the goal that recognition and appropriate intervention at the time of AVR will decrease its clinical impact.
Exit or Developmental Impact? The Role of ‘Graduation’ in Social Protection Programmes

The framework developed in this article illustrates how social protection with a developmental approach can deepen socioeconomic impact at individual and household level and effectively address apprehension over dependency. The starting point examines various definitions of ‘graduation’ within a social protection context – as exit from poverty, or from the social protection system, or alternatively as a process of continually strengthening household developmental outcomes. Appropriately designed and effectively implemented, a ‘graduation’ approach can sustainably promote dynamic outcomes, with inclusive economic expansion reinforcing poverty reduction, which in turn contributes to further growth and development. These micro-oriented initiatives will likely work best when embedded within a broader macro development framework that integrates and strengthens the range of social and economic policy instruments implemented by government. This article maps out a path for policymakers aiming to strengthen the pro-poor and inclusive economic growth and development impacts of social protection by incorporating a graduation approach.
Fortification of Foods with Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

A $600 million nutritional supplements market growing at 30% every year attests to consumer awareness of, and interests in, health benefits attributed to these supplements. For over 80 years the importance of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) consumption for human health has been established. The FDA recently approved the use of ω-3 PUFAs in supplements. Additionally, the market for ω-3 PUFA ingredients grew by 24.3% last year, which affirms their popularity and public awareness of their benefits. PUFAs are essential for normal human growth; however, only minor quantities of the beneficial ω-3 PUFAs eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are synthesized by human metabolism. Rather PUFAs are obtained via dietary or nutritional supplementation and modified into other beneficial metabolites. A vast literature base is available on the health benefits and biological roles of ω-3 PUFAs and their metabolism; however, information on their dietary sources and palatability of foods incorporated with ω-3 PUFAs is limited. DHA and EPA are added to many foods that are commercially available, such as infant and pet formulae, and they are also supplemented in animal feed to incorporate them in consumer dairy, meat, and poultry products. The chief sources of EPA and DHA are fish oils or purified preparations from microalgae, which when added to foods, impart a fishy flavor that is considered unacceptable. This fishy flavor is completely eliminated by extensively purifying preparations of n-3 PUFA sources. While n-3 PUFA lipid autoxidation is considered the main cause of fishy flavor, the individual oxidation products identified thus far, such as unsaturated carbonyls, do not appear to contribute to fishy flavor or odor. Alternatively, various compound classes such as free fatty acids and volatile sulfur compounds are known to impart fishy flavor to foods. Identification of the causative compounds to reduce and eventually eliminate fishy flavor is important for consumer acceptance of PUFA-fortified foods.
Interconnect and circuit modeling techniques for full-chip power supply noise analysis

This paper describes the interconnect and circuit modeling techniques to analyze the on-chip power supply noise for high-performance very large scale integration (VLSI) design. To reduce the complexity of full-chip analysis, a hierarchical power supply distribution model, which consists of a 12/spl times/12 package model, a 50/spl times/50 on-chip power bus model, and a distributed switching circuit model, is developed. This integrated chip-and-package model provides a complete analysis of the resistive IR drop, inductive delta-I noise, and the on-chip Vdd distribution. It also allows designers to identify the hot spots on the chip and optimize design variables to minimize the noise. Analysis results of our benchmark microprocessor chips will be presented to demonstrate the various applications of this methodology.
Conversion of Nitro to Carbonyl by Ozonolysis of Nitronates: 2,5‐Heptanedione

Conversion of nitro to carbonyl by ozonolysis of nitronates: 2,5-heptanedione intermediate: 5-nitroheptan-2-one product: 2,5-heptanedione Keywords: distillation, apparatus, Kugelrohr distillation oven
Unstable expansion of the CAG trinucleotide repeat in MAB21L1: report of a second pedigree and effect on protein expression

MAB21L1, originally termed CAGR1, is the human homologue of the C. elegans cell fate determining gene mab21. MAB21L1, mapped to 13q13, contains a highly polymorphic 5' untranslated CAG repeat that normally ranges from six to 31 triplets in length. A pedigree has been previously reported in which the repeat length is expanded to 45-50 triplets and is transmitted unstably between generations; the expansion did not correlate to a clinical phenotype but did exhibit somatic mosaicism. We now report a second pedigree with an expanded and unstably transmitted MAB21L1 CAG repeat of similar length. The expansion is not clearly associated with a clinical phenotype, though the complexity of the pedigree renders any conclusion concerning phenotype-genotype relationships speculative. The expansion did not result in decreased expression of MAB21L1 protein. The length, C-G rich composition, somatic mosaicism, and unstable transmission of the expanded CAG repeat in MAB21L1 resemble the premutations observed in other genes, such as FMR1 and MDPK, in which longer expanded repeats are associated with a clinical phenotype. This raises the possibility that longer expansions in the MAB21L1 repeat may also be associated with a clinical phenotype.
Measurement of Tax Progressivity: Application:

The S index of tax progressivity is used to classify a number of tax/financing alternatives and is applied to the issue of transit financing. Potential household-based funding sources can be compared using data from the 1972-1973 Consumer Expenditure Survey. Subject to certain qualifications, it was found that most funding sources were regressive, but with significant variation. The most regressive alternatives were household tax, cigarette tax, and transit fares; the least regressive were parking, income tax, and stock transfer taxes. The results can be used to compare the progressivity of one source vis-a-vis another or to choose a source to minimize negative distributional impacts.
IgE-regulated loss, not IgE-regulated synthesis, controls expression of FcεRI in human basophils

Expression of the high-affinity receptor on basophils and mast cells is modulated by immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody. Recent studies have shown that modulation occurs through interaction of IgE with the receptor itself, but the mechanisms underlying this control are not understood. Taking both a theoretical and experimental approach, we examined several competing models that focus on whether there is IgE-regulated loss, IgE-regulated synthesis, or both regulated loss and synthesis of the Fc receptor for IgE (FcepsilonRI). We report that removing IgE from occupied FcepsilonRI resulted in an accelerated loss only in the unoccupied receptor, with no loss of occupied receptors and no loss of total receptors when all receptors were occupied. Together with previous studies, these results establish that there was IgE-regulated loss of receptors. An examination of synthetic rates of FcepsilonRIalpha using pulse-labeling with (35)S-methionine indicated no difference in synthetic rates in the presence or absence of IgE. Similarly, the presence or absence of IgE had no influence on the levels of mRNA for either alpha, beta, or gamma subunits of FcepsilonRI. Using model simulations, we found that regulated-synthesis models could be distinguished from regulated-loss/constant-synthesis models on the basis of the relationship between starting FcepsilonRI densities and changes in density after culture for 1 week in the absence of IgE. Experimental data from this type of study fit a regulated-loss model that did not include regulation of synthesis. Taken together, these results suggest that IgE regulates cell surface expression of FcepsilonRI only by regulating the rate that receptor is lost from the cell surface.
QCRA-a packet data multiple access protocol for ESMR systems

A high performance packet data link protocol has been designed for enhanced special mobile radio (ESMR) systems using the Motorola integrated radio system (MIRS) technology to provide packet data services for wireless mobile computing applications. The paper describes a new multiple access data protocol, queued contiguous reservation aloha (QCRA), designed for packet data services in ESMR systems. QCRA extends the concepts of reservation aloha to include reservation queueing and allocation of contiguous time slots within the context of a TDM land-mobile radio data system such as MIRS. These extensions provide the efficiency advantages of reservation aloha while providing improved delay performance during conditions of light channel load. It is shown via analysis and simulation that this new protocol is highly efficient and well-suited to a wide range of land-mobile data system applications.
Another step in the study of race relations

Recent qualitative researchers have argued the need for a more sensitizing approach to race research that elevates in importance the concerns and interests of those under study. This article illust...
Estimating Wealth Effects without Expenditure Data or Tears: With an Application to Educational Enrollments in States of India

The relationship between household wealth and educational enrollment of children can be estimated without expenditure data. A method for doing so - which uses an index based on household asset ownership indicators - is proposed and defended in this paper. In India, children from the wealthiest households are over 30 percentage points more likely to be in school than those from the poorest households, although this gap varies considerably across states. To estimate the relationship between household wealth and the probability that a child (aged 6 to 14) is enrolled in school, Filmer and Pritchett use National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data collected in Indian states in 1992 and 1993. In developing their estimate Filmer and Pritchett had to overcome a methodological difficulty: The NFHS, modeled closely on the Demographic and Health Surveys, measures neither household income nor consumption expenditures. As a proxy for long-run household wealth, they constructed a linear asset index from a set of asset indicators, using principal components analysis to derive the weights. This asset index is robust, produces internally coherent results, and provides a close correspondence with data on state domestic product and on state level poverty rates. They validate the asset index using data on consumption spending and asset ownership from Indonesia, Nepal, and Pakistan. The asset index has reasonable coherence with current consumption expenditures and, more importantly, works as well as - or better than - traditional expenditure-based measures in predicting enrollment status. The authors find that on average a child from a wealthy household (in the top 20 percent on the asset index developed for this analysis) is 31 percent more likely to be enrolled in school than a child from a poor household (in the bottom 40 percent). This paper - a product of Poverty and Human Resources, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to inform educational policy. The study was funded by the Bank`s Research Support Budget under the research project Educational Enrollment and Dropout (RPO 682-11).
Metabolic Turnover of the Polar Lipids of Mycoplasma laidlawii Strain B

The fatty acyl groups of the membrane polar lipids of Mycoplasma laidlawii B were radioactively labeled by growth in the presence of 14C-palmitic, oleic, or linoleic acids. No loss of radioactivity from any of the polar lipids occurred during incubation of radiolabeled cells in growth medium containing various nonradioactive fatty acids, although growth and lipid biosynthesis continued throughout the incubation period. The metabolism of the glucose and phosphate moieties was also studied in a similar fashion by utilizing growth in 14C-glucose or 32P-inorganic phosphate to radioactively label these groups. As before, no loss of radioactivity from any of the polar lipids occurred during subsequent growth in medium containing unlabeled glucose or phosphate. The results establish that the glyco- and phospholipids of M. laidlawii B are metabolically stable in actively growing cells. The absence of metabolic turnover is discussed in terms of proposed relationships between lipid metabolism and function in this organism.
The sensitivity of payouts to corporate financing decisions

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to empirically explore the sensitivity of payouts to cash flows and the other financing decisions, such as debt and investment, of firms. Design/methodology/approach – Using panel regressions based on COMPUSTAT data for 7,544 public firms during the period 1973–2013, we estimate the sensitivity of total payouts. Specifically, following the theory presented in Lambrecht and Myers (2012), we test the interdependent financing decisions of the firm. First, we compute total payout as the sum of cash dividends and net stock repurchases; second, we examine the sensitivity of total payouts to changes in the firm’s net income, debt and investment. Furthermore, we present several tests to demonstrate the robustness of our results. Findings – We suggest evidence in support of the theory in Lambrecht and Myers (2012) showing that there is a negative relationship between total payouts and investment. Furthermore, we find that total payouts are positively associated with net inc...
Working Together, Not Sharing the Burden: A Collaborative Approach to Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge with Secondary Social Studies Pre-service Teachers

This chapter offers a description of the secondary social studies program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, which was revised during the 2009–2010 academic year. The focus of the revised program was to strengthen pre-service teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge by bridging the instructional gap between the School of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences. This collaboration resulted in the development of content courses designed specifically for social studies teacher licensure candidates and methods courses taught within both the School of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences. Based on our observations and feedback received from cooperating teachers, the combination of these efforts have strengthened our pre-service teachers’ classroom instruction. In this chapter, we describe our collective efforts, which we believe offer a blueprint for developing positive working relationships between faculty in Schools of Education and the content experts in Colleges of Arts and Sciences.
The Asymptotic Expansion of Kummer Functions for Large Values of the a-Parameter, and Remarks on a Paper by Olver ?

It is shown that a known asymptotic expansion of the Kummer functionU(a;b;z) as a tends to infinity is valid for z on the full Riemann surface of the logarithm. A corre- sponding result is also proved in a more general setting considered by Olver (1956).
Effect of Alloying in Secondary Ion Emission from AgPd and CrNi Systems

Secondary ion emission during sputtering depends very much on the local atomic environments of the sputtered atoms. For example, sputtering with 02 + significantly enhances positive ion formation [1]. This enhancement is attributed to the incorporation of oxygen atoms in the target. The formation of the oxide bonds intensifies the secondary ion yields. In this experiment we moved a step further and tried to see whether the presence of a second metallic component in the sample could influence this oxygen enhancement effect. We also tried to look for any corresponding changes in the oxide bonds with X-ray photoemission (XPS). We examined two alloy systems: CrNi and AgPd. Both Cr and Ni form strong oxides, while both Ag and Pd form weak ones.
Myocardial flow estimation using a truncated 82Rb PET acquisition

203 Objectives We examined the accuracy and precision of flow estimates as a function of scan duration in a 82Rb PET myocardial exam. Our hypothesis was that flow information is concentrated in the time period immediately following activity administration so a short-duration scan could be sufficient. Methods Typical time activity curves (TACs) for an image-derived input function and tissue region were generated from experimental data. A one-compartment kinetic model was used to estimate an index of flow K1, backward constant k2 and blood-tissue fraction fv. The effect of noise on estimated parameter values was analyzed using Monte Carlo simulation with simulated noise ranging from 1% to 50% standard deviation (SD). Also, based on an assessment of the experimental design using the D-optimality criterion, scan durations ranging from 0.8 to 4.0 minutes were considered. For each noise level and scan duration, parameter values were estimated for 1000 realizations. Estimation error was calculated as a percentage of the true parameter value. Estimation errors were visualized via a box-plot and bias and precision quantified using mean and SD. Results Estimation error increased with noise level. With the longest scan duration, 4 min, precision of K1, k2 and fv estimates were, respectively, 25%, 65% and 93% SD with 50% simulated noise and 14%, 39% and 22% with noise typical of clinical studies. Reducing the scan duration from 4 to 2.5 min caused only a slight worsening of K1 precision, with SD increasing from 14% to 19%; further reducing to 1.5 min increased SD to 40%. k2 required a longer scan duration: SD increased from 39% (4 min) to 87% (2.5 min). Bias in K1 was observed (p Conclusions PET acquisitions used only for estimating flow from the K1 parameter of a one-compartment model may be shortened significantly from those typically used for MPI, while retaining much of the available precision. Research Support State of Ohio Department of Development: Ohio Third Frontier Grant TECH-11-04
Spectral and Dynamical Properties of Single Excitons, Biexcitons, and Trions in Cesium-Lead-Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots.

Organic–inorganic lead-halide perovskites have been the subject of recent intense interest due to their unusually strong photovoltaic performance. A new addition to the perovskite family is all-inorganic Cs–Pb-halide perovskite nanocrystals, or quantum dots, fabricated via a moderate-temperature colloidal synthesis. While being only recently introduced to the research community, these nanomaterials have already shown promise for a range of applications from color-converting phosphors and light-emitting diodes to lasers, and even room-temperature single-photon sources. Knowledge of the optical properties of perovskite quantum dots still remains vastly incomplete. Here we apply various time-resolved spectroscopic techniques to conduct a comprehensive study of spectral and dynamical characteristics of single- and multiexciton states in CsPbX3 nanocrystals with X being either Br, I, or their mixture. Specifically, we measure exciton radiative lifetimes, absorption cross-sections, and derive the degeneracies o...
pH-triggered echogenicity and contents release from liposomes.

Liposomes are representative lipid nanoparticles widely used for delivering anticancer drugs, DNA fragments, or siRNA to cancer cells. Upon targeting, various internal and external triggers have been used to increase the rate for contents release from the liposomes. Among the internal triggers, decreased pH within the cellular lysosomes has been successfully used to enhance the rate for releasing contents. However, imparting pH sensitivity to liposomes requires the synthesis of specialized lipids with structures that are substantially modified at a reduced pH. Herein, we report an alternative strategy to render liposomes pH sensitive by encapsulating a precursor which generates gas bubbles in situ in response to acidic pH. The disturbance created by the escaping gas bubbles leads to the rapid release of the encapsulated contents from the liposomes. Atomic force microscopic studies indicate that the liposomal structure is destroyed at a reduced pH. The gas bubbles also render the liposomes echogenic, allow...
Identification of Immunogenic Antigen Candidate for Chlamydophila pneumoniae Diagnosis

Chlamydophila pneumoniae is a Gram-negative intracellular obligate human pathogen and accounts for 5-10% of cases of community-acquired pneumonia. However, isolating and culturing this pathogen is difficult, so there have been several studies searching for new biomarkers for its diagnosis. In this study, we obtained immunogenic proteins of C. pneumoniae KNIH-1 for diagnosis using immunoproteomics. C. pneumoniae infection sera were selected for the highest index value of C. pneumoniae-specific IgG using microimmunofluorescence (MIF). The detected protein spots in common from C. pneumoniae infection sera using proteome analysis were identified as Omp11, type III secretion system ATPase, and PmpG by LC-MS/MS and MS databases. They were selected as candidate antigens. In addition, using in silico prediction we also identified proteins encoded by Omp11, PmpG and IncA as antigens. And then, IncA acts as an effector by a type III secretion system ATPase, as identified by mass spectrometry, and was selected as a candidate antigen. Thus, we predict proteins encoded by Omp11, the PmpG family and by IncA as candidate diagnostic immunogens.
Effects of Different Sowing Time and Nitrogen Application Amount on Yield of Qianxiangyou 302(Hybrid Rice Variety) in Tongren Prefecture

Qianxiangyou 302,a hybrid rice variety,was tested to investigate effects of different sowing time and nitrogen application amount on its yield.The results show that there is no significant difference among different amount of top dressing(5 kg/667m2,10 kg/667m2 and 15 kg/667m2),the average yield of Qianxiangyou 302 sowing on 15,April is 616.3 kg/667m2 under the middle basic fertilizer and 24 thousand plant/667m2 of density,significantly higher than the average yields sowing on 5,April and 25,April,and the yield sowing on 15,April can be up to 638 kg/667m2 by applying 15 kg/667m2 of urea as top dressing and 15 kg/667m2 of KH2PO4 as foliage dressing.
Severe impairment of male reproductive organ development in a low SMN expressing mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by low levels of survival motor neuron (SMN), a multifunctional protein essential for higher eukaryotes. While SMN is one of the most scrutinized proteins associated with neurodegeneration, its gender-specific role in vertebrates remains unknown. We utilized a mild SMA model (C/C model) to examine the impact of low SMN on growth and development of mammalian sex organs. We show impaired testis development, degenerated seminiferous tubules, reduced sperm count and low fertility in C/C males, but no overt sex organ phenotype in C/C females. Underscoring an increased requirement for SMN expression, wild type testis showed extremely high levels of SMN protein compared to other tissues. Our results revealed severe perturbations in pathways critical to C/C male reproductive organ development and function, including steroid biosynthesis, apoptosis, and spermatogenesis. Consistent with enhanced apoptosis in seminiferous tubules of C/C testes, we recorded a drastic increase in cells with DNA fragmentation. SMN was expressed at high levels in adult C/C testis due to an adult-specific splicing switch, but could not compensate for low levels during early testicular development. Our findings uncover novel hallmarks of SMA disease progression and link SMN to general male infertility.
Implications of abnormal preoperative axillary imaging in the post Z011 era.

We read the recent paper evaluating the benefit of preoperative axillary imaging in clinically node negative patients by Pilewskie et al. in the February 2016 issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons with great interest (1). The authors took an interesting approach to evaluate the role of axillary imaging, more specifically the role of abnormal axillary imaging in predicting the need for axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in T1–T2 breast cancer patients who were deemed node negative by physical exam and managed according to ACOSOG Z011 criteria.
Effect of picumast dihydrochloride on antigen-induced early and late airway responses in allergic sheep.

In this study the effects of picumast dihydrochloride (3,4-dimethyl-7-[4-(4-chlorobenzyl)piperazine-1-yl]propoxycoumarine++ + dihydrochloride) a novel antiallergic agent, on antigen-induced early and late responses in allergic sheep were examined. For all studies picumast dihydrochloride was administered as an aerosol approximately 20 min before airway challenge with Ascaris suum antigen. Allergic sheep were challenged on four occasions each greater than or equal to 14 days apart: one placebo trial and after 1 mg, 2.5 mg, and 5 mg picumast dihydrochloride aerosol (total dose nebulized). Specific lung resistance (SRL) was used as an index of the airway response to antigen and was measured before and serially after antigen challenge. In the placebo trial (n = 11) antigen challenge resulted in significant early and late airway responses (i.e. 382% and 185% increases in SRL, respectively). Picumast dihydrochloride at 1.0 mg (n = 7) did not protect against the antigen-induced increases in SRL. At 2.5 mg (n = 7), picumast dihydrochloride gave 48% and 55% (both p less than 0.05) protection against the early and late airway responses, respectively. These effects were slightly enhanced with 5 mg picumast dihydrochloride (n = 7) giving 63% protection against the early response and 81% against the late response. These results suggest that the antiallergic agent picumast dihydrochloride may provide some benefit in the treatment of allergic airway disease.
Beyond Plain Spatial Knowledge: Determining Where Entities Are and Are Not Located, and For How Long

This paper complements semantic role representations with spatial knowledge beyond indicating plain locations.