cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MOS device degradation due to total dose ionizing radiation in the natural space environment : a review

Abstract This paper presents a review for the non-specialist of MOS device degradation due to total dose ionizing radiation in the natural space environment. Interface and oxide charge introduced in MOS dielectrics during ionizing radiation exposure cause changes in a number of device electrical parameters. Observed effects include: shifts in MOSFET threshold voltage, reduction of channel mobility, loss of drive capability and increase of leakage currents. Complex trade-offs between the interface and oxide trapped charge can occur in the natural space environment where the total dose is accumulated at a very low dose-rate.
US consumers' willingness to pay for green electricity

Abstract We analyze US consumers’ demand for environmental attributes of deregulated residential electricity services using results from a survey designed to elicit consumers’ willingness to pay for such attributes and using results from a hedonic analysis of actual price premiums charged for green electricity in several deregulated markets. Survey results suggest that many population segments are willing to pay for decreased air emissions even if there is no alteration in fuel source. Furthermore, several groups are willing to pay significantly more when emissions reductions stem from increased reliance upon renewable fuels. The hedonic analysis suggests that several product features not considered in the survey help explain real price premiums, including fuel mix from newly created renewable generation capacity, Green-e certification, brand name and state of offer. While survey and hedonic results are not easily compared due to limitations of the survey, both point to similar values for key environmental attributes, though the survey results are likely to overstate actual willingness to pay. In sum, the results suggest that consumer driven purchases can, in part, support the future of renewable generation capacity in the United States, though reliance upon other policy alternatives may be needed if energy prices spike.
Address tracing for parallel machines

Recently implemented parallel system address-tracing methods based on several metrics are surveyed. The issues specific to collection of traces for both shared and distributed memory parallel computers are highlighted. Five general categories of address-trace collection methods are examined: hardware-captured, interrupt-based, simulation-based, altered microcode-based, and instrumented program-based traces. The problems unique to shared memory and distributed memory multiprocessors are examined separately. >
Framework for strategic IT decisions

Strategic IT decisions have significant impact, but can be rather difficult to formulate in an objective manner. This article takes a fresh look at the e‐business adoption and vendor selection problems, and introduces new concepts to derive a decision‐making framework. The authors present a framework for the adoption of e‐business best practices and IT vendor selection. Development of this framework entailed the utilization of concepts from statistics and forecast verification, and their adoption in the context of the problems presented. A couple of key insights are developed. First, adoption of best practices for e‐business is reduced to three key determinants: the impacts on corporate knowledge management, performance management, and strategic management. Second, the corresponding IT e‐business vendor selection is described, in turn, through three determinants: strengths or capabilities in terms of collaboration and analytics, metrics and reports, and breadth of footprint. The proposed framework can be useful for strategic decision‐making in e‐business enabled enterprises as well as for designing the product strategies of IT vendors, as illustrated through references and examples. The paper takes a fresh look at the e‐business adoption and vendor selection problems, and introduces new concepts to derive a decision‐making framework. Future research needs to further validate the determinants and frameworks via case studies across and within business verticals.
Two for the price of one: a bifunctional intron-encoded DNA endonuclease-RNA maturase

Homing endonucleases are enzymes that are typically encoded by intervening sequences of various kinds—introns that splice at the RNA level, or inteins that splice at the protein level (for review, see Belfort et al. 2002). The endonucleases function primarily to mobilize these elements, which are often self-splicing, by facilitating their integration to new sites in DNA. Because these sites are most often allelic intronless or inteinless sites, this form of mobility is termed homing, and the target sequences are termed homing sites. Homing endonucleases sometimes do double duty, also functioning as maturases, which promote RNA splicing (for review, see Lambowitz and Perlman 1990; Lambowitz and Belfort 1993). Maturases are usually intron specific, and act as cofactors that bind their introncontaining precursor RNA to facilitate splicing. Nevertheless, catalysis required for splicing remains a property of the RNA.
Effect of hyperthermia on protein biosynthesis in l5178y murine leukemic lymphoblasts.

The effects of elevated temperatures upon protein biosynthesis were determined in L5178Y murine leukemic lymphoblasts. The rate of protein synthesis was inhibited proportionately to the increase in temperature. Efforts were made to determine the mechanism of heat inactivation of protein synthesis by studying the requirements for recovery of activity after the cells were returned to 37°C. The ability of actinomycin to block the recovery process suggests that elevated temperatures destroy or inactivate a species of RNA required for protein synthesis. Loss of RNA during heating of the cells is apparently at least partially dependent on protein synthesis, since the presence of cycloheximide during heat shock, is capable of ameliorating the effects of short duration heat treatment.
A psychiatrist's reflections on the workers' compensation system

In the ‘looking-glass land’ of workers' compensation psychiatry, symptoms are not always what they seem, treatments may have little or no positive effect, and workers' claims of continued disability may puzzle and perplex. Disability is in part a social role, and a simple medical model cannot explain the complex interactions of sociology, psychology, anthropology, medicine, economics, and law characteristic of the workers' compensation system. Psychiatrists functioning within and reciprocally shaped by this semi-adversarial system will rarely encounter an ‘ideal’ patient. Factors in all areas of workers' lives, including those integral to the workers' compensation system, influence their movement along a health-illness, ableddisabled axis. This paper identifies a number of interacting factors that may prolong, or even subvert, the recovery process following a work-incurred injury or illness.
A Grounded Theory of Text Revision Processes Used by Young Adolescents Who Are Deaf

This study examined the revising processes used by 8 middle school students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing as they composed essays for their English classes. Using grounded theory, interviews with students and teachers in one middle school, observations of the students engaging in essay creation, and writing samples were collected for analysis. Constant comparison was used during open, axial, and selective coding to develop the grounded theory. Two major themes emerged as central concepts to the students’ revision processes: Interacting with Language and Interacting with Instruction. Findings indicate that students did not participate much in revising their texts and teachers assumed most of the cognitive burden of writing. These findings are reported along with implications for practice and research.
Water relations and photosynthesis in the cryptoendolithic microbial habitat of hot and cold deserts

Two cryptoendolithic microbial communities, lichens in the Ross Desert of Antarctica and cyanobacteria in the Negev Desert, inhabit porous sandstone rocks of similar physical structure. Both rock types adsorb water vapor by physical mechanisms unrelated to biological processes. Yet the two microbial communities respond differently to water stress: cryptoendolithic lichens begin to photosynthesize at a matric water potential of -46.4 megaPascals (MPa) [70% relative humidity (RH) at 8 degrees C], resembling thallose desert lichens. Cryptoendolithic cyanobacteria, like other prokaryotes, photosynthesize only at very high matric water potentials [> -6.9 MPa, 90% RH at 20 degrees C].
Using TPACK as a framework to understand teacher candidates' technology integration decisions

This research uses the technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) framework as a lens for understanding how teacher candidates make decisions about the use of information and communication technology in their teaching. Pre- and post-treatment assessments required elementary teacher candidates at Brigham Young University to articulate how and why they would integrate technology in three content teaching design tasks. Researchers identified themes from student rationales that mapped to the TPACK constructs. Rationales simultaneously supported subcategories of knowledge that could be helpful to other researchers trying to understand and measure TPACK. The research showed significant student growth in the use of rationales grounded in content-specific knowledge and general pedagogical knowledge, while rationales related to general technological knowledge remained constant. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Impact of the Mobility Model on Delay Tolerant Networking Performance Analysis

Delay tolerant networks (DTNs) are a class of networks that experience frequent and long-duration partitions due to sparse distribution of nodes. The topological impairments experienced within a DTN pose unique challenges for designing effective DTN routing protocols. For an important class of DTNs nodes depend on their mobility to carry message to the destination. It is therefore essential to understand the impact of commonly-used mobility models on performance analysis of DTN routing schemes. This paper shows how the underlying statistical properties of a frequently used mobility model can be used to enhance our understanding of DTN simulation results. Using these results we also analyze several DTN routing techniques, including direct transmission, Spray and Wait, and a novel core-assisted routing schemes
Towards multimodal sentiment analysis: harvesting opinions from the web

With more than 10,000 new videos posted online every day on social websites such as YouTube and Facebook, the internet is becoming an almost infinite source of information. One crucial challenge for the coming decade is to be able to harvest relevant information from this constant flow of multimodal data. This paper addresses the task of multimodal sentiment analysis, and conducts proof-of-concept experiments that demonstrate that a joint model that integrates visual, audio, and textual features can be effectively used to identify sentiment in Web videos. This paper makes three important contributions. First, it addresses for the first time the task of tri-modal sentiment analysis, and shows that it is a feasible task that can benefit from the joint exploitation of visual, audio and textual modalities. Second, it identifies a subset of audio-visual features relevant to sentiment analysis and present guidelines on how to integrate these features. Finally, it introduces a new dataset consisting of real online data, which will be useful for future research in this area.
Effect of Test Administration Set on the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS)

The Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS) was administered to 160 male prisoners on admission to a medium-security federal correctional facility. A total of 106 of these inmates completed the PICTS a second time 6 months later in a routine follow-up of the intake PICTS; the other 54 inmates completed the PICTS a second time approximately 6 months later during the initial session of a psychological group. Results showed that inmates participating in the psychological group were less defensive and endorsed more criminal thinking items on the second administration of the PICTS, whereas inmates participating in the routine follow-up were more defensive and less likely to endorse criminal thinking items on the second PICTS. Despite a general increase in the magnitude of PICTS scores for program participants, the overall pattern of scale elevations (correlations between scales and high-point pairs) was comparable across the two groups.
Three-dimensional direct numerical simulation of a turbulent lifted hydrogen jet flame in heated coflow: flame stabilization and structure

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) of the near field of a three-dimensional spatially developing turbulent lifted hydrogen jet flame in heated coflow is performed with a detailed mechanism to determine the stabilization mechanism and the flame structure. The DNS was performed at a jet Reynolds number of 11,000 with over 940 million grid points. The results show that auto-ignition in a fuel-lean mixture at the flame base is the main source of stabilization of the lifted jet flame. A chemical flux analysis shows the occurrence of near-isothermal chemical chain branching preceding thermal runaway upstream of the stabilization point, indicative of hydrogen auto-ignition in the second limit. The Damkoehler number and key intermediate-species behaviour near the leading edge of the lifted flame also verify that auto-ignition occurs at the flame base. At the lifted-flame base, it is found that heat release occurs predominantly through ignition in which the gradients of reactants are opposed. Downstream of the flame base, both rich-premixed and non-premixed flames develop and coexist with auto-ignition. In addition to auto-ignition, Lagrangian tracking of the flame base reveals the passage of large-scale flow structures and their correlation with the fluctuations of the flame base. In particular, the relative position of themore » flame base and the coherent flow structure induces a cyclic motion of the flame base in the transverse and axial directions about a mean lift-off height. This is confirmed by Lagrangian tracking of key scalars, heat release rate and velocity at the stabilization point.« less
Issues In Teaching English To Speakers Of Other Languages (Tesol): A Review Of Literature

The article aims to review English language teaching to speakers of other languages and other related aspects such as the use of technology and the first language in classroom practices. As the need for English language competency develops, efforts to support students’ learning also change. In addition to the teaching techniques, the technology development has also gained attention for improving effective teaching and learning. Because English is a language that is not used in daily communication and the variety of students’ language competence, the use of first language in a foreign language classroom has also become another point to encourage the students’ foreign language acquisition.
Comparison of parameter estimation methods in stochastic chemical kinetic models: Examples in systems biology

Stochastic chemical kinetics has become a staple for mechanistically modeling various phenomena in systems biology. These models, even more so than their deterministic counterparts, pose a challenging problem in the estimation of kinetic parameters from experimental data. As a result of the inherent randomness involved in stochastic chemical kinetic models, the estimation methods tend to be statistical in nature. Three classes of estimation methods are implemented and compared in this paper. The first is the exact method, which uses the continuous-time Markov chain representation of stochastic chemical kinetics and is tractable only for a very restricted class of problems. The next class of methods is based on Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques. The third method, termed conditional density importance sampling (CDIS), is a new method introduced in this paper. The use of these methods is demonstrated on two examples taken from systems biology, one of which is a new model of single-cell viral infection. The applicability, strengths and weaknesses of the three classes of estimation methods are discussed. Using simulated data for the two examples, some guidelines are provided on experimental design to obtain more information from a limited number of measurements.
Chemotactic effects of nutrients on spores of the kelps Macrocytis pyrifera and Pterygophora california

Fertile Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C. Ag. and Pterygophora californica Rupr. were collected in California, USA in 1987 to 1988. Spores of the kelps exhibited both positive and negative chemotaxis to a variety of chemical nutrients. Chemotaxis was measured by counting the number of spores that swam into flattened capillary tubes with the chemical relative to the number that swam into control tubes. Video-motion-analysis also showed that P. californica spores swam towards a nitrogen source more often than they swam away. Similar chemotactic effects were observed in both 2 and 8 h-old preparations. M. pyrifera spores swam towards nitrate, ammonium (1 to 90 μM), glycine, aspartate iron (1 μm), boron, cobalt, and manganese. Negative chemotaxis was elicited by ammonium (1 000 μM) and iron (45 μM). Neither phosphate nor zinc had significant effects. P. californica spores were attracted by nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, and boron. Negative chemotactic effects were recorded with iron (45 μM) and manganese. Iron (1 μM), cobalt, and zinc had no effect. It is suggested that chemotactic behavior is an adaptation which allows the kelp spores to find and settle in microhabitats suitable for gamatophytic growth and reproduction.
Extinction‐colonization dynamics structure genetic variation of spotted sunfish (Lepomis punctatus) in the Florida Everglades

The population genetics of aquatic animals in the Florida Everglades may be strongly influenced by extinction and colonization dynamics. We combined analyses of allozyme and microsatellite loci to test the hypothesis that two levels of population structure are present for spotted sunfish (Pisces: Centrarchidae: Lepomis punctatus) inhabiting the Everglades. We hypothesized that annual cycles of marsh dry-down increase local-scale genetic variation through a process of local extinction and colonization; we hypothesized that barriers to gene flow by levee/canal systems create a second, regional level of genetic variation. In 1996 and 1997, we sampled spotted sunfish from 11 Everglades sites that were distributed in three regions separated by levees. We documented patterns of genetic variation at 7 polymorphic allozyme loci and 5 polymorphic microsatellite loci. Most genetic variation was present among local populations, according to both types of genetic markers. Furthermore, samples from marsh sites were heterogeneous, while those from canals were not. These data supported our hypothesis that dry-down events and local population dynamics in the marsh have a significant effect on population genetic structure of spotted sunfish. We found no support for our hypothesis that water-management structures superimpose a second level of genetic structure on this species, possibly because canals obscure historical structure by facilitating gene flow or because the complete canal system has been in place for fewer than 20 generations of this species. Our data suggests a continent-island (canal-marsh) structure of populations with high gene flow among regions and recurrent mixing in marshes from canal and creek habitats.
Fully Unsupervised Word Segmentation with BVE and MDL

Several results in the word segmentation literature suggest that description length provides a useful estimate of segmentation quality in fully unsupervised settings. However, since the space of potential segmentations grows exponentially with the length of the corpus, no tractable algorithm follows directly from the Minimum Description Length (MDL) principle. Therefore, it is necessary to generate a set of candidate segmentations and select between them according to the MDL principle. We evaluate several algorithms for generating these candidate segmentations on a range of natural language corpora, and show that the Bootstrapped Voting Experts algorithm consistently outperforms other methods when paired with MDL.
An Update on Pile-CPTu Direct Correlations

The axial pile capacity can be estimated from the cone penetration test (CPT) using either indirect methods or direct methods. The indirect methods employ a dual-phase methodology of estimating the geoparameters for evaluating the shaft and base resistance (fp and qb, respectively) of the pile capacity. The direct methods use the penetrometer readings to directly obtain fp and qb. These correlation efforts from the results of pile and penetrometer testing have resulted in a large variety of design methodologies. The newer multi-channel piezocone test (CPTu) device allows for derivation of more elaborate correlations. To update the pile design formulations, a quick review of the CPTu-based methods is presented, followed by the results of a comprehensive study, where the most updated and the largest pile-CPTu database were used. Simplified correlations, based on cone soil classification index (Ic), are presented for fp and qb for different pile types.
Hydrodynamic pressures on rigid dams during earthquakes

The hydrodynamic pressures acting on the surface of a rigid dam during earthquakes are examined both analytically and numerically by a two-dimensional potential-flow theory. Analytical solutions are obtained for the cases where the inclined upstream dam face has a constant slope and the reservoir has a triangular shape. A general numerical scheme via an integral-equation formulation is also presented for complex geometries. Analytical and numerical solutions are compared with experimental data (Zangar 1953) with good agreement.
Kinetoplast DNA minicircles encode guide RNAs for editing of cytochrome oxidase subunit III mRNA

Abstract Guide RNAs (gRNAs) for the editing of sites 1–8 of COIII mRNA and an "unexpected" partially edited COIII mRNA are encoded in the variable regions of specific kinetoplast DNA minicircles. The gRNAs can form 37 and 44 nucleotide perfect hybrids (allowing for G-U base pairs) with edited mRNAs. The gRNAs were detected on Northern blots and shown to have unique 5′ ends situated close to the beginning of the potential base pairing with the edited mRNAs. We suggest that kinetoplast DNA minicircle molecules in general may encode gRNAs for editing of cryptogene mRNAs by a mechanism similar to that previously proposed for editing by maxicircle-encoded gRNAs.
Complement in neuroprotection and neurodegeneration

Acute neurodegeneration is associated with high morbidity and mortality, and there are few effective treatments. Inflammation is central to the process of neuronal death, yet the roles of the complement cascade in this process have proven to be complex and hard to unravel. The complement cascade is involved in triggering cell death and recruiting cells of the immune system to sites of inflammation, including the brain. However, complement might also have important neuroprotective roles that are only now coming to light. Recent evidence suggests that targeted activation of complement might be a potential approach for treatment of stroke and other acute neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we review these novel neuroprotective roles of the complement cascade, focusing on signaling pathways that might provide new therapeutic targets in acute neuronal injury.
Cystic Kidney Disease in a Patient With Systemic Toxicity From Long-term d-Penicillamine Use

d-penicillamine, used to treat cystinuria, is known to cause impaired collagen deposition and dysfunction in elastic fibers. d-penicillamine also has been associated with glomerular abnormalities, typically membranous glomerulonephritis. We describe a patient with severe bilateral cystic kidney disease that developed after long-term d-penicillamine use for treatment of cystinuria. The cysts in the kidneys were noted during an evaluation for acute kidney injury. The patient had no evidence of cysts on prior renal imaging at a time when his kidney function was normal. Simultaneously, he presented with multiorgan manifestations of d-penicillamine toxicity, including the skin findings of cutix laxa and elastosis perforans serpiginosa. Consequently, d-penicillamine treatment was discontinued, after which the progression of cystic kidney disease gradually ceased, along with the other systemic manifestations of toxicity. To our knowledge, this is the first report of cystic kidney disease associated with and perhaps caused by long-term d-penicillamine therapy. The proposed mechanism of cyst formation is the malfunction of the extracellular matrix of the kidney by d-penicillamine that leads to an impaired repair process after kidney injury.
Non-GPS navigation for security personnel and first responders

This paper introduces a “Personal Dead-reckoning” (PDR) navigation system for walking persons. The system is useful for monitoring the position of emergency responders inside buildings, where GPS is unavailable. The PDR system uses a six-axes Inertial Measurement Unit attached to the user’s boot. The system’s strength lies in the use of a technique known as “Zero Velocity Update” (ZUPT) that virtually eliminates the ill-effects of drift in the accelerometers. It works very well with different gaits, as well as on stairs, slopes, and generally on 3-dimensional terrain. This paper explains the PDR and presents extensive experimental results, which illustrate the utility and practicality of the system.
Distributed diagnosis for wafer scale systems

The increasing demand for high performance systems has led to the design of systems comprised of a large number of processing elements on a single wafer. This paper presents a distributed diagnosis algorithm for wafer scale systems. Unlike other approaches, the algorithm does not assume diagnostic circuits are fault-free. The algorithm is simple enough to be realized with small circuit overhead. Computer simulation has shown that even for low unit yields, extremely high performance (fault coverage) can be achieved by properly tuning the algorithm parameters. >
Observer-participant models of neural processing

A model is proposed in which the neuron serves as an information channel. Channel distortion occurs through the channel since the mapping from input Boolean codes to output codes are many-to-one in that neuron outputs consist of just two distinguished states. Within the described model, the neuron performs a decision-making function. Decisions are made regarding the validity of a question passively posed by the neuron. This question becomes defined through learning hence learning is viewed as the process of determining an appropriate question based on supplied input ensembles. An application of the Shannon information measures of entropy and mutual information taken together in the context of the proposed model lead to the Hopfield neuron model with conditionalized Hebbian learning rules. Neural decisions are shown to be based on a sigmoidal transfer characteristic or, in the limit as computational temperature tends to zero, a maximum likelihood decision rule. The described work is contrasted with the information-theoretic approach of Linsker. >
EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT AND MORPHOMETRY IN THE BLUE KING CRAB PARALITHODES PLATYPUS STUDIED BY USING IMAGE AND CLUSTER ANALYSIS

Abstract In this paper the embryonic development of laboratory-reared blue king crab, Paralithodes platypus, from the Pribilof Islands in the eastern Bering Sea is described. Developing embryos were removed from a female crab at various intervals, digitally photographed under a compound microscope and analyzed using Image-Pro Plus. Nine morphometric parameters were used, including seven measurements (total area, yolk area, embryo length and width, average diameter, eye length and width) and two calculated indices (percent yolk and elongation). First cell division was not apparent until day 4, after which divisions occurred daily until the blastopore appeared at day 28. A “V”-shaped embryo became apparent on day 114, followed by rapid appendage development. The eyes became pigmented by day 192. Hatching occurred from day 381 to day 409, and required at least 33 d to complete. Embryo area declined from an initial value of 0.95 mm2 on day 1–0.83 mm2 on day 72 and then increased to 1.28 mm2 on day 388. Growth...
How Should Congress Address the Medicare Crisis

The Medicare program was initiated in 1965 when the federal Social Security Act of 1965 was passed. Title 18 of this act established a two section provision for the Medicare program. Part A, which provides health benefits to its beneficiaries, protects them against hospital related costs. This provision is financed through a 2.9% Social Security payroll tax. Part B provides supplemental medical insurance benefits to protect enrollees against the costs of physician services, supplies, tests and some home health services. This provision is financed through voluntary premiums and matched by funds from general revenues.
THE EFFECT OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT ON WORD-OF-MOUTH INTENTIONS IN RECRUITMENT IN CHINA

The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationships between three components of organizational commitment and word-of-mouth intentions among the staff employed in two hotels located in mainland China. A total of 120 hotel employees participated in a questionnaire survey. The results indicate that there are direct correlations between the three components of organizational commitment and word-of-mouth intentions. The effects of normative commitment in predicting the amount of word-of-mouth intentions is especially significant. Implications for the industry and directions for future research are presented.
Persistent Photoconductivity And Thermal Recovery Kinetics Of Low Energy Ar + Bombarded GaAs

Kinetics of persistent photoconductivity, photoquenching, and thermal and optical recovery observed in low energy Ar+ bombarded on (100) GaAs surfaces have been investigated. Rate and transport equations for these processes were derived and simulated employing transport parameters, trap locations and densities determined by deep level transient spectroscopy. Excellent correlation was obtained between the results of preliminary simulation and the experimentally observed values. The exponential decay of persistent photoconductivity response curve was determined to be due to metastable electron traps with longer lifetime and is consistent with an earlier proposed model.
First physical record of Allen's lappet-browed bat (Idionycteris phyllotis) in Colorado

Abstract We report on the first physical record for Allen's lappet-browed bat (Idionycteris phyllotis) in Colorado. The lone adult female was hanging on a rafter of a picnic structure at James M. Robb State Park, Mesa County, Colorado, on 25 July 2014. On 30 July, the bat was hanging in the same position and was deceased. Our report extends the distribution of this species north by 100 km and east by 15 km.
Nonadherence as 4-day Antiretroviral Therapy Interruptions: Do Depression and Race/Ethnicity Matter as Much in the Modern Antiretroviral Therapy Era?

HIV + White, Latino, and African Americans (N = 1131) completed a survey advertised on social media to re-examine the effect of depressive symptoms (via the Patient Health Questionnaire; PHQ-9) and race/ethnicity on antiretroviral therapy nonadherence (defined as past 3-month, 4-day treatment interruption). An adjusted logistic regression showed a 15 % increase in odds for a treatment interruption per 1-unit increase on the PHQ-9. The effect of depressive symptoms on nonadherence was greater for Latinos (OR = 1.80, p < 0.05), but not for African Americans, compared to Whites. The benefits of modern ART (e.g., simpler, forgiving to minor lapses) may not circumvent the effect of depressive symptomatology.
Using ITS Generated Data to Predict Standardized Test Scores

study suggests that the data generated by intelligent tutoring systems can be used to accurately predict end-of-year standardized state test scores. A traditional model including only past performance on the test yielded an R 2 of 0.38 and an enhanced traditional model that added current class average improved predictions (R 2 =0.50). These models served as baseline measures for comparing an ITS model. Logistic regression models that include features such as hint percentage, average number of attempts and percent correct overall improved the R 2 to 0.57. The predictive power of the data is as effective with only a few months of use. This lends support for the increased use of the systems in the classroom and for nightly homework.
Stoichiometry of Excreta and Excretion Rates of a Stream-dwelling Plethodontid Salamander

Nutrient recycling by fish and amphibians can contribute significantly to ecosystem processes in freshwater ecosystems. Variation in the components that comprise excreta and the factors that control excretion rates may result in differences in the rates and ratios of nutrients excreted by these taxa. These factors can subsequently influence the ecological role of fish and amphibians in freshwater systems. We assessed the composition of excreta of larval Eurycea cirrigera in six headwater streams, and investigated the influence of body size, organismal stoichiometry, and stream nutrient concentrations on mass-specific excretion rates. Excretion components and excretion rates of E. cirrigera were compared to fish in stream and river systems. Excretion of urea comprised the majority of excreted waste in E. cirrigera. This is considerably different from freshwater fish, where the majority of excreted nitrogenous waste is in the form of NH4. Excretion of NH4, soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), and urea by E. c...
Enhanced Steroid Response of a Human Glucocorticoid Receptor Splice Variant

Glucocorticoids remain a recommended therapy in advanced septic shock despite the often unpredictable response, and our understanding of the mechanisms regulating the steroid and stress response remains limited. Since the initial sequencing of the human glucocorticoid receptor α and β gene (hGRα and hGRβ), only three additional splice variants have been identified--all of which have been postulated to contribute to steroid resistance. During a survey of 97 healthy humans' blood, we identified two novel hGR splice isoforms (hGR-S1 and hGR-S1(-349A) retaining intron H between exons 8 and 9. Human GR-S1(-349A) contained a base deletion causing an early termination and a truncated protein of 118 amino acids, whereas hGR-S1 had an early termination occurring within intron H and resulted in a 745-amino acid protein. Both isoforms had decreased transactivation potentials compared with hGRα when tested in the absence of exogenous steroids. However, after treating with exogenous steroids, dose-response studies showed hGR-S1(-349A) had a substantial augmentation in activity at higher concentrations of hydrocortisone and methylprednisolone when compared with hGRα, whereas hGR-S1 did not. Removal of the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of the hGR-S1(-349A) mRNA sequence resulted in a loss of the augmented response. The isoform hGR-S1(-349A) augments the response to steroids, and this significant response appears to be critically regulated by the 3'UTR. The identification and evaluation of these unique hGR isoforms helps further the understanding of the complex genetic regulation of the stress and steroid response.
Ulcerative leg nodules in a transplant recipient.

Three weeks after undergoing bilateral lung transplantation, the patient has developed new nodules on his leg. What is the cause?
Key Findings of Liquefied Natural Gas Pool Fire Outdoor Tests with Expansion Foam Application

The unique properties of expansion foam in blanketing the surface of most hydrocarbon fuels have made it possible to be used as a mitigation measure against a boiling and evaporating pool of flamma...
Analysis on Technical Index of Leading Guards in the Final Stage of NBA in 2007

Through using the method of video observation,mathematical statistics,literature review and logical analysis,this paper analyzes the technical condition of leading guards in the final stage of NBA in 2007.The result shows that on the whole,the leading guards' ability to shoot and score is strong and they have many scoring ways,they have high scoring rate,and they are desire to break in to inside to got shot and want to get the rebound.
The Ultrastructural Localization of Prostatic Specific Antigen and Prostatic Acid Phosphatase in Hyperplastic and Neoplastic Human Prostates

A low temperature embedding, protein A-gold technique was used to localize prostatic specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase at the ultrastructural level in hyperplastic and neoplastic human prostates. Prostatic specific antigen immunoreactivity was localized over the endoplasmic reticulum, cytoplasmic vesicles and vacuoles, and within the lumina of prostatic glands. In contrast, prostatic acid phosphatase immunoreactivity was localized to lysosomal granules. The pattern of labelling was similar in both hyperplastic glands and adenocarcinomas. This is the first localization of prostatic specific antigen at the ultrastructural level. The localization of prostatic acid phosphatase by an immunochemical technique confirms and expands previous histochemical observations.
Exploring three perspectives on feasibility of a patient portal for older adults.

INTRODUCTION It is not clear whether older adults with chronic disease and their caregivers are likely to use patient portals. METHODS Older adults with a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or congestive heart failure were evaluated as well as their caregivers. We explored whether these patients and/or their caregivers were able to use common portal elements. The perspective of informatics experts was ascertained using cognitive walkthrough methodology. RESULTS Fourteen patients and nineteen caregivers were evaluated. Patients required more time on all tasks than caregivers. Patient comments included a request for written instructions for using the system and a guide for interpreting lab results. Caregiver suggestions included improving color contrast and presentation of the current medication list. In the cognitive walkthrough, numerous problems were identified. CONCLUSIONS Older adults with chronic illness and caregivers were interested in using a patient portal however multiple barriers were identified.
Met-X dipeptidase

Publisher Summary This chapter elaborates the structural chemistry and the biological aspects of Met-X dipeptidase. This enzyme was first reported in the cell lysates of Escherichia coli strain B by Brown & Krall (1971) during a search for peptidases that could remove N-terminal Met residue of bacterial proteins once they underwent a deformylase reaction. The enzyme was purified and given the name dipeptidase M, based on facile cleavage of certain methionyl dipeptides and failure to cleave any peptides of length greater than two residues. The name methionyl dipeptidase has also been used, but the NC IUBMB adopted the name Met-X dipeptidase when the enzyme was added to 1975 Supplement. The enzyme is strictly a dipeptidase and has no aminopeptidase action on tripeptides. The amino group of the N-terminal amino acid must be free. The primary sequence of Met-X dipeptidase is unknown. The Mr determined by molecular sieving is approximately 94,000 and the enzyme comprises two identical subunits of Mr 47000.
Concurrence of Serum Creatinine and Albumin With Lower Risk for Death in Twice-Weekly Hemodialysis Patients

Objective Markers of better nutritional status including both higher levels of serum albumin (as a measure of visceral proteins) and creatinine (as a measure of the muscle mass) are associated with lower mortality in conventional (thrice weekly) hemodialysis patients. However, data for these associations in twice-weekly hemodialysis patients, in whom less frequent hemodialysis may confound nutritional predictors, are lacking. Design and Subjects We identified 1,113 twice-weekly and matched 4,448 thrice-weekly hemodialysis patients from a large national dialysis cohort of incident hemodialysis patients over 5 years (2007-2011). Mortality risk, adjusted for potential confounders, was examined across two-by-two combinations of serum creatinine ( Results Patients were aged 70 ± 14 years and included 48% women and 55% diabetics. Using the thrice-weekly hemodialysis patients with creatinine ≥ 6 mg/dL and albumin ≥ 3.5 g/dL as reference, patients with creatinine P -for-interaction = .7667). Conclusions Surrogate markers of higher visceral protein and muscle mass combined may confer greatest survival in both twice-weekly and thrice-weekly hemodialysis patients.
xMSannotator: An R Package for Network-Based Annotation of High-Resolution Metabolomics Data.

Improved analytical technologies and data extraction algorithms enable detection of >10 000 reproducible signals by liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry, creating a bottleneck in chemical identification. In principle, measurement of more than one million chemicals would be possible if algorithms were available to facilitate utilization of the raw mass spectrometry data, especially low-abundance metabolites. Here we describe an automated computational framework to annotate ions for possible chemical identity using a multistage clustering algorithm in which metabolic pathway associations are used along with intensity profiles, retention time characteristics, mass defect, and isotope/adduct patterns. The algorithm uses high-resolution mass spectrometry data for a series of samples with common properties and publicly available chemical, metabolic, and environmental databases to assign confidence levels to annotation results. Evaluation results show that the algorithm achieves an F1-measure ...
The Effect of the Pit Closure on Futures Trading

Motivated by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s (CME) decision to close down most of the futures pits in July of 2015, we analyze how this event may have affected the livestock and treasury futures markets. We find that although the already declining futures pit trading decreased further after the pit closure, it has not completely disappeared. Execution costs, following the pit closure, appear to have increased for livestock futures and declined for treasury futures transactions on the electronic platform. We, also, find that pit users, who had been active in both trading venues, remain active in the electronic market. However, there is no evidence of pit traders (locals) transitioning to the electronic market. Nevertheless, some of them are still active in options pits. When we explore the changes in daily trading patterns, we observe an ongoing shift in the timing of trading hours for livestock futures, but we note that this shift is unlikely to be driven by the pit closure.
The suburbanization of rural life in an arid and rocky village in western Turkey

Abstract In this longitudinal and qualitative study of rural life in western Turkey, I argue that ecological conditions, state policies, and villagers’ agency play a significant role in the suburbanization of villages. This paper traces the history of how villagers in the Yuntdag north of Manisa, an arid and rocky region, used nomadic heritage and Islamic culture as economic resources. I argue that villagers have gone from being cultural heritage entrepreneurs to wage laborers, incorporating and identifying with the ethno-national identity of the nation while adjusting their lives to the state. In so doing and with the bureaucratic redefinition of the villages in the region as urban neighborhoods, the meaning and definition of rural life gradually is erased. Based on over fifteen years of ethnographic fieldwork, 2000–2015, this paper considers the suburbanization of rural life and the highly gendered economic decisions villagers make.
A Multi-level Fuzzy Evaluation Method for Smart Distribution Network Based on Entropy Weight

Smart distribution network is considered as the future trend of distribution network. In order to comprehensive evaluate smart distribution construction level and give guidance to the practice of smart distribution construction, a multi-level fuzzy evaluation method based on entropy weight is proposed. Firstly, focus on both the conventional characteristics of distribution network and new characteristics of smart distribution network such as self-healing and interaction, a multi-level evaluation index system which contains power supply capability, power quality, economy, reliability and interaction is established. Then, a combination weighting method based on Delphi method and entropy weight method is put forward, which take into account not only the importance of the evaluation index in the experts' subjective view, but also the objective and different information from the index values. Thirdly, a multi-level evaluation method based on fuzzy theory is put forward. Lastly, an example is conducted based on the statistical data of some cites' distribution network and the evaluation method is proved effective and rational.
When Love Becomes Self-Abuse: Gendered Perspectives on Unpaid Labor in Academia

During the 1970s, feminist scholar Silvia Federici maintained that one of the main challenges in the Wages for Housework campaign lay in the fact that women’s domestic labor was presented as an act of love, a natural attribute of the female personality that required no monetary compensation. Today, academic labor is often presented as a labor of love. Especially for young, female academics, scholarly labor is treated as a form of self-expression that fulfills an affective need, hence turning the actual conditions of labor into afterthoughts. In this chapter, I tell the stories of precarious academics in Italy: researchers, postdocs, and adjunct professors who often work long hours in hopes for nebulous rewards such as co-authoring papers, receiving recommendation letters or vague promises of future employment. Drawing on data collected during an online survey administered to 1864 precarious academics and 20 in-depth interviews, I show how adjunct professors and precarious scholars in Italy barely make a living, often live in overcrowded homes and on occasion turn to deviant behavior to make ends meet. Although the mainstream discourse tends to present academic labor as being both elitist and out of touch, the privilege of young scientists that “do what they love”, these interviews often portray academia as a de facto exploitative labor market where young women are expected to provide high-skilled labor for extremely low or no wages. Trapped in the urge to be competitive in the labor market, young women often endure financial hardships and long periods of isolation while they accept the promise of future employment as the affective currency of unpaid work (Bascetta, Economia politica della promessa. Roma: Ilmanifestolibri, 2015). Rather than a labor of love, academic labor sometimes appears as an abusive relationship, an exploitative system chronicled by costly sacrifices and uncertain prospects.
Imitating the Shazam App with Wavelets

SummaryWith the Shazam smartphone app, a listener captures a short excerpt of a recorded song with the smartphone's microphone, and in a matter of moments the app reports the name of the song and the artist. Fourier analysis is a key mathematical tool that powers the app. In this paper, we describe a wavelet-based method that captures the basic process used by the Shazam app to search a database of number sequences (signals) to find those that are similar to a test signal. We will describe our implementation with a different source of signals: continuous glucose monitor data from the management of type-1 diabetes.