cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the LiPA MYCOBACTERIA Assay for Identification of Mycobacterial Species from BACTEC 12B Bottles

The LiPA MYCOBACTERIA (Innogenetics NV, Ghent, Belgium) assay was used to identify mycobacterial isolates using culture fluid from positive BACTEC 12B bottles. The LiPA method involves reverse hybridization of a biotinylated mycobacterial PCR fragment, a 16 to 23S rRNA spacer region, to oligonucleotide probes arranged in lines on a membrane strip, with detection via biotin-streptavidin coupling by a colorimetric system. This system identifies Mycobacterium species and differentiates M. tuberculosis complex, M. avium-M. intracellulare complex, and the following mycobacterial species: M. avium, M. intracellulare, M. kansasii, M. chelonae group, M. gordonae, M. xenopi, and M. scrofulaceum. The mycobacteria were identified in the laboratory by a series of tests, including the Roche AMPLICOR Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) test, the Gen-Probe ACCUPROBE, and a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis of the 65-kDa heat shock protein gene. The LiPA MYCOBACTERIA assay detected 60 mycobacterium isolates from 59 patients. There was complete agreement between LiPA and the laboratory identification tests for 26 M. tuberculosis complex, 9 M. avium, 3 M. intracellulare complex, 3 M. kansasii, 4 M. gordonae, and 5 M. chelonae group (all were M. abscessus) isolates. Three patient samples were LiPA positive for M. avium-M. intracellulare complex, and all were identified as M. intracellulare by the PCR-RFLP analysis. Seven additional mycobacterial species were LiPA positive for Mycobacterium spp. (six were M. fortuitum, and one was M. szulgai). The LiPA MYCOBACTERIA assay was easy to perform, and the interpretation of the positive bands was clear-cut. Following PCR amplification and gel electrophoresis, the LiPA assay was completed within 3 h.
A new genus Gadimyxa with three new species (Myxozoa, Parvicapsulidae) parasitic in marine fish (Gadidae) and the two-host life cycle of Gadimyxa atlantica n. sp.

The myxozoans Gadimyxa atlantica n. sp. and G. sphaerica n. sp., and G. arctica n. sp. (Myxozoa, Parvicapsulidae), are described from Gadus morhua L. and Arctogadus glacialis (Peters) (Gadidae), respectively. They develop coelozoic in bisporic plasmodia in the urinary systems. Two morphological forms of spores were found in all 3 species, i.e., wide and (sub)spherical forms. Both spore types are bilaterally symmetrical along the suture line. The wide spores, semicircular in frontal view and elliptical in apical view, have 2 spherical polar capsules, which open in the sutural or median plane mid on the flat side of the spore. Mean widths of the wide spores of G. atlantica, G. sphaerica, and G. arctica are 7.5, 10.0, and 10.0 μm, respectively. The older, more thick-walled, (sub)spherical spores with binucleate sporoplasm are 8.0, 5.3, and 7.3 μm in mean width, respectively. The mean diameters of the polar capsules of (sub)spherical spores are 2.4, 1.7, and 2.2 μm, respectively. The (sub)spherical forms of G...
Quantifying hydrate solidification front advancing using method of characteristics

We develop a one-dimensional analytical solution based on the method of characteristics to explore hydrate formation from gas injection into brine-saturated sediments within the hydrate stability zone. Our solution includes fully-coupled multiphase and multicomponent flow and the associated advective transport in a homogeneous system. Our solution shows that hydrate saturation is controlled by the initial thermodynamic state of the system, and changed by the gas fractional flow. Hydrate saturation in gas-rich systems can be estimated by 1−cl0clewhen Darcy flow dominates, where cl0 is the initial mass fraction of salt in brine, and cle is the mass fraction of salt in brine at three-phase (gas, liquid, and hydrate) equilibrium. Hydrate saturation is constant, gas saturation and gas flux decrease, and liquid saturation and liquid flux increase with the distance from the gas inlet to the hydrate solidification front. The total gas and liquid flux is constant from the gas inlet to the hydrate solidification front, and decreases abruptly at the hydrate solidification front due to gas inclusion into the hydrate phase. The advancing velocity of the hydrate solidification front decreases with hydrate saturation at a fixed gas inflow rate. This analytical solution illuminates how hydrate is formed by gas injection (methane, CO2, ethane, propane) at both the laboratory and field scales.
Transport of Asian ozone pollution into surface air over the western United States in spring

and satellite measurements in May–June 2010 with a new global high-resolution (50 50 km 2 ) chemistry-climate model (GFDL AM3). We find that AM3 with full stratosphere-troposphere chemistry nudged to reanalysis winds successfully reproduces observed sharp ozone gradients above California, including the interleaving and mixing of Asian pollution and stratospheric air associated with complex interactions of midlatitude cyclone air streams. Asian pollution descends isentropically behind cold fronts; at 800 hPa a maximum enhancement to ozone occurs over the southwestern U.S., including the densely populated Los Angeles Basin. During strong episodes, Asian emissions can contribute 8–15 ppbv ozone in the model on days when observed daily maximum 8-h average ozone (MDA8 O3) exceeds 60 ppbv. We find that in the absence of Asian anthropogenic emissions, 20% of MDA8 O3 exceedances of 60 ppbv in the model would not have occurred in the southwestern USA. For a 75 ppbv threshold, that statistic increases to 53%. Our analysis indicates the potential for Asian emissions to contribute to high-O3 episodes over the high-elevation western USA, with implications for attaining more stringent ozone standards in this region. We further demonstrate a proof-of-concept approach using satellite CO column measurements as a qualitative early warning indicator to forecast Asian ozone pollution events in the western U.S. with lead times of 1–3 days.
Terms of engagement: Political boundaries of work engagement–work outcomes relationships

Although research to date has established the criterion validity of work engagement, little research has examined relevant boundary conditions capable of altering its documented positive effects on important workplace outcomes, despite widespread appeals to do so (e.g. Parker and Griffin, 2011). In the present four-sample investigation, a competing hypotheses format was adopted, pitting against each other perspectives of ‘politics as a hindrance stressor’ and ‘politics as a challenge stressor’ as moderators of work engagement–work outcomes relationships (e.g. job tension, job satisfaction, work intensity, job performance). Cross-sample findings demonstrated that organizational politics perceptions strengthened positive work engagement–work outcomes relationships, such that engaged individuals were less stressed, more satisfied, worked with greater intensity and exhibited greater performance when they perceived their job environments to be political. This series of results affirms the challenge/opportunity...
Some new rearrangement inequalities having application in stability analysis

The Sylvester test for establishing the positivity of quadratic forms is a basic tool For nonquadratic forms, however, necessary and sufficient conditions for positivity are generally not known. Given here are some simple necessary and suffcient conditions for forms of the type \sum\min{k,l=1}\max{n} x_{k}m_kl}f(x_{1}) to be positive. These results are derived by combining a classic result of Hardy, Littlewood, and Polya with the Birkhoff characterization of doubly stochastic matrices. The results are applied to the difference equations governing a nonlinear feedback loop. In this setting they yield new and quite general conditions for stability.
Intra-abdominal Sepsis in Elderly Persons

Elderly patients represent a greater percentage of the population now than ever before, with 12.4% of North Americans being 165 years of age. Intra-abdominal illnesses in this population often have different etiologies than those seen in younger populations. Because of a variety of physiologic changes that occur as people age, elderly persons have different sites of infection, may present with vague symptoms and longer histories, are more gravely ill, and, overall, have worse prognoses. The major causes of intra-abdominal sepsis in elderly persons are reviewed, explanations for the differences in presentation and prognosis are offered, and the treatments of each cause are reviewed. Individuals aged 165 years constituted 6.2% of the world’s population in 1992 and are expected to constitute 120% by 2050 [1]. In the US 2000 census, persons aged 165 years accounted for 12.4% of the US population, a number that is similarly expected to increase [2]. Elderly persons use 125% of all prescription drugs and are the major recipients of medical interventions. Intraperitoneal infections that affect persons aged 165 years are challenging to manage, because the etiology, presentation, severity, and outcome differ from those of younger populations. Intra-abdominal sepsis, although it affects all age groups, takes a greater toll on the elderly population than it does on younger populations. As individuals age, a variety of physiologic alterations become manifest, many of which affect such vital functions as wound healing, oxygen delivery to tissues, immunosurveillance, and eradication of infection. A loss of physiologic reserve, together with concomitant systemic illness, results in worse outcomes for intra-abdominal sepsis. Less ability to tolerate illness and a relative immunoincompetence affects how and when elderly patients present to health care providers with infections. Nutritional status can be deficient in aged persons because of poor dentition, which renders chewing difficult. Appetite may be decreased as a result of a reduction in the number of taste buds. Thinning of the stomach mucosa, ac
THE INSENSITIVITY OF PARAMECIUM TO CYANIDE AND EFFECTS OF IRON ON RESPIRATION

1. The effects of KCN and iron salts on oxygen consumption has been studied in the cell of Paramecium caudatum by manometric methods. 2. KCN solutions of strengths from M/200 to M/10,000 have been shown to produce no decrease in oxygen consumption, but have in most cases produced a very slight increase in the respiration rate. 3. The pH values were found to have little or no effect on these results. 4. Iron salts produce either no effect or a great diminution of oxygen consumption, in no case causing stimulation of rates of respiration. 5. Iron salts in neutral solutions do not penetrate the Paramecium cell nor do they cause so marked an effect as in an acid state. 6. The iron-content of Paramecium was found to be extremely small and not demonstrable by delicate tests. It is believed that iron is not combined in the cell in the form of a respiration-catalyst sensitive to cyanide.
Strategic and Political Challenges to Large-Scale Federal Job Creation

This article identifies and explores means of meeting political and strategic challenges to the enactment of a federal job creation program sufficiently large and well-targeted to cope with mass unemployment. The challenges include: anti-government ideology; perceived failure of the Obama stimulus; exaggerated concern over federal deficits; shortcomings of the New Deal model for job creation; limited scope and/or sponsorship of legislative initiatives; and organizing a movement on behalf of the unemployed and large-scale job creation.
(U, B, K) Coordinates: A natural system for studying magnetospheric convection

The formulation of the magnetospheric convection problem involves a coordinate system consisting of the electric potential, the magnetic field intensity, and the modified longitudinal invariant. The mapping is extended to include all particles and not just those mirroring in the magnetic equator. Equations of motion for the particle mirror points in this representation are presented. The analysis results in a natural division of the magnetosphere into accelerator and dynamo regions and use of the coordinate system permits trajectory-dependent effects to be distinguished from source- or sink-dependent effects. The representation is illustrated by application to the analysis of the nose structure protons observed by Smith and Hoffman (1974).
Assessing search strategies for flexible docking

We assess the efficiency of molecular dynamics (MD), Monte Carlo (MC), and genetic algorithms (GA) for docking five representative ligand–receptor complexes. All three algorithms employ a modified CHARMM-based energy function. The algorithms are also compared with an established docking algorithm, AutoDock. The receptors are kept rigid while flexibility of ligands is permitted. To test the efficiency of the algorithms, two search spaces are used: an 11-A-radius sphere and a 2.5-A-radius sphere, both centered on the active site. We find MD is most efficient in the case of the large search space, and GA outperforms the other methods in the small search space. We also find that MD provides structures that are, on average, lower in energy and closer to the crystallographic conformation. The GA obtains good solutions over the course of the fewest energy evaluations. However, due to the nature of the nonbonded interaction calculations, the GA requires the longest time for a single energy evaluation, which results in a decreased efficiency. The GA and MC search algorithms are implemented in the CHARMM macromolecular package. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 19: 1623–1631, 1998
Visual navigation of an autonomous robot using white line recognition

This paper proposes a navigation system for an autonomous mobile robot that is designed to participate in the annual international robot competition, ABU (Asian Broadcast Union) Robocon 2002. The self-localization of the robot is done by detecting the position and orientation of vertically intersecting white guide lines laid on the game field, with a USB camera pointing to the ground perpendicularly. Given the information of the playground, the robot can decide where to go autonomously by calculating its position and comparing it with the predetermined routine coordinate in the map. With the visual navigation system the vehicle can follow the line promptly and stop at any given intersection precisely.
Diversification of 99Mo/99mTc Supply

The article by Benard et al. in this month’s issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine ([1][1]) is an important work, showing the feasibility of producing large quantities of 99mTc on a biomedical cyclotron and extraction of the 99mTc from the target material, converting it to a chemical form
A principle of equivalent states for transport properties of multicomponent liquid systems

The principle of equivalent states, previously developed for binary and dilute ternary systems, is extended to concentrated multicomponent liquid systems. Inferences are drawn from absolute rate theory to allow construction of working equations for the concentration variation of transport properties. The results are tested with available data. On applique par extension a des systemes de liquides concentres et a composants multiples le principe des etats equivalents deja mis au point pour des systemes binaires et des systemes ternaires dilues. On tire des conclusions de la theorie de vitesse absolue pour permettre la mise au point d'equations satisfaisantes qui ont trait a la variation dans la concentration des proprietes de transport. On compare les resultats obtenus avec les donnees disponibles.
An updated review of target-specific oral anticoagulants used in stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation, venous thromboembolic disease, and acute coronary syndromes.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in the adult population. It is associated with up to a 5-fold increased risk of stroke and contributes to a higher morbidity and mortality compared with non–AF-related strokes.[1][1] The current prevalence of AF in the adult population, estimated at
Stability of backwater‐influenced river bifurcations: A study of the Mississippi‐Atchafalaya system

[1] In this paper I use numerical modeling to show that the hydraulic backwater profile creates a feedback that may stabilize river bifurcations. The numerical model simulates flow and sediment transport in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River system without the Old River Control Structure. The results show that bifurcation evolution strongly depends on the discharge upstream of the bifurcation. At upstream discharges greater than 12600 m 3 s 1 the Atchafalaya River discharge increases through time at the expense of the Mississippi River. Interestingly, at upstream discharges lower than 12600 m 3 s 1 the opposite occurs and the Mississippi River discharge increases at the expense of the Atchafalaya River. The capture direction changes because the backwater profile of each river varies enough at high and low discharge to invert the water surface slope ratio. These results suggest that the capture direction would change at high and low flow, which would have a stabilizing effect by preventing the runaway growth of one channel. Accounting for this, I calculate that in the absence of the Old River Control Structure capture would not happen catastrophically, but rather the Atchafalaya River would capture the Mississippi River in 300 years from present day. Citation: Edmonds, D. A. (2012), Stability of backwater-influenced river bifurcations: A study of the MississippiAtchafalaya system, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L08402, doi:10.1029/ 2012GL051125.
Applying double loop learning to interpret implications for information systems security design

The security of information systems (IS) continues to be one of the most serious issues of the twenty-first century. Past research indicates human factors to be the prime reason for IS security breaches. Human factors are repertoires of behavior that evolve from the reasoning and actions that individuals follow. These actions become the 'theories of action' individuals espouse and their 'theories-in-use', which are the actions they actually use. We argue that IS security problems occur when an organization's 'espoused theory' and their 'theory-in-use' (what they actually do) are contradictory. It is important, therefore, that human factors be addressed in (IS) security. The current focus on technological methods alone is an incomplete solution. The purpose of this paper is to present double loop learning as a strategy for designing and implementing security actions that bring an organization's 'espoused theory' and their 'theory-in-use' (what they actually do) into congruence . Indeed, by doing so double loop learning is a proactive security method that never becomes outdated.
A Multilevel Fast Multipole Algorithm for Electrically Small Composite Structures

A multi-tree scheme to apply the low-frequency multilevel fast multipole algorithm to composite structures is presented, so that O(N) CPU time and memory usage are obtained. The convenience of “plug and play” in electromagnetic simulation is illustrated in the scenario of contact-region modeling with an inconsistent mesh. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 43: 202–207, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20419
Generalized UWB transmitted reference systems

Maximum-likelihood (ML) and generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT)-based data detection schemes for an ultra-wideband communication system are proposed and compared with the training-based (TB) transmitted reference (TR) receiver. The exact probability of error for the TB receiver and a lower bound for the ML and the GLRT receiver are provided in terms of a doubly noncentral F-variate. An optimization with respect to the integration interval length and the energy allocation between the training and the data symbols is investigated. Analytical and simulation results reveal that the proposed detection schemes provide significant performance improvements in terms of bit-error rate over the TB receiver structure.
Controlling the shape of Al/Ni multilayer foils using variations in stress

Al/Ni multilayer foils were sputter-deposited with an in-plane residual stress state that was altered midway through the thickness of the foils by changing the bilayer spacing. The difference in stress between the top and bottom halves of the foil caused these systems to curl when they were removed from their substrates. As predicted, the radius of curvature increased linearly as the difference in stress between the upper and lower halves decreased and as foil thickness increased, demonstrating the ability to fabricate layered foils with specific curvatures. Unexpectedly, however, the radii of curvature of all the free-standing foils decreased with time after removal from their substrates, suggesting that a time-dependent relaxation mechanism was operating. An explanation based on stress driven, time-dependent deformation is offered to explain the relaxation, and an elasticity-based curvature model is presented for comparison with the measured steady state curvatures.
Defining regional infusion treatment strategies for extremity melanoma: comparative analysis of melphalan and temozolomide as regional chemotherapeutic agents

Five different human melanoma xenografts were used in a xenograft model of extremity melanoma to evaluate the variability of tumor response to regionally administered melphalan or temozolomide and to determine if various components of pertinent drug resistance pathways for melphalan [glutathione S -transferase (GST)/glutathione] and temozolomide [ O 6-alkylguanine DNA alkyltranferase (AGT)/mismatch repair (MMR)] could be predictive of tumor response. Xenograft-bearing rats underwent regional isolated limb infusion with either melphalan (90 mg/kg) or temozolomide (2,000 mg/kg). The levels of AGT activity, GST activity, glutathione level, and GST/AGT expression were examined in this group of xenografts and found to be quite heterogeneous. No correlation was identified between melphalan sensitivity and the GST/glutathione cellular detoxification pathway. In contrast, a strong correlation between the levels of AGT activity and percentage increase in tumor volume on day 30 ( r = 0.88) was noted for tumors treated with temozolomide. Regional therapy with temozolomide was more effective when compared with melphalan for the xenograft with the lowest AGT activity, whereas melphalan was more effective than temozolomide in another xenograft that had the highest AGT activity. In three other xenografts, there was no significant difference in response between the two chemotherapy agents. This study shows that AGT activity may be useful in predicting the utility of temozolomide-based regional therapy for advanced extremity melanoma tumors. Our observations also point out the limited ability of analysis of the GST/glutathione pathway to predict response to chemotherapies like melphalan whose resistance is primarily mediated through a complex mechanism of detoxification. [Mol Cancer Ther 2007;6(5):1492–500]
Elastic Network Models Are Robust to Variations in Formalism

Understanding the functions of biomolecules requires insight not only from structures but from dynamics as well. Often, the most interesting processes occur on time scales too slow for exploration by conventional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. For this reason, alternative computational methods such as elastic network models (ENMs) have become increasingly popular. These simple, coarse-grained models represent molecules as beads connected by harmonic springs; the system's motions are solved analytically by normal-mode analysis. In the past few years, many different formalisms for performing ENM calculations have emerged, and several have been optimized using all-atom MD simulations. In contrast to other studies, we have compared the various formalisms in a systematic, quantitative way. In this study, we optimize many ENM functional forms using a uniform data set containing only long (>1 μs) all-atom MD simulations. Our results show that all models once optimized produce spring constants for immediate neighboring residues that are orders of magnitude stiffer than more distal contacts. In addition, the statistical significance of ENM performance varied with model resolution. We also show that fitting long trajectories does not improve ENM performance due to a problem inherent in all network models tested: they underestimate the relative importance of the most concerted motions. Finally, we characterize ENMs' resilience by tessellating the parameter space to show that broad ranges of parameters produce similar quality predictions. Taken together, our data reveal that the choice of spring function and parameters are not vital to the performance of a network model and that simple parameters can by derived "by hand" when no data are available for fitting, thus illustrating the robustness of these models.
Effect of T-cell peptides derived from Fel d 1 on allergic reactions and cytokine production in patients sensitive to cats: a randomised controlled trial.

Summary Background Some patients with asthma who are allergic to cats and are injected intradermally with short, overlapping, T-cell peptides derived from Fel d 1 develop late asthmatic reactions to the peptides, which are associated with a reduction in late-phase skin reactions induced by whole allergens and bronchial hyporesponsiveness to the peptides on the second injection. We aimed to ascertain the effect of multiple injections on the magnitude of the early and late phase skin reactions to intact allergens. Methods After a 9-week run-in period, we randomly assigned patients with asthma and allergies to cats to receive either Fel d 1 peptides (90 μg in increasing divided doses) or placebo. The primary outcome was late-phase cutaneous reactions to whole cat dander. Outcomes were measured at baseline, 4–8 weeks, and 3–9 months. Analysis was by intention to treat. Findings 16 patients were randomly assigned to the peptides, and eight to placebo. All patients completed the course of injections. Four of the 16 patients on Fel d 1 peptides had initial late asthmatic reactions, but could be desensitised to the higher dose of peptide. Patients in the peptide group but not the placebo group had a significant reduction in the size of their late reaction to whole cat dander between baseline and both follow-ups, but the difference between groups was not significant (first follow-up, difference −422·8 mm 2 [95% Cl −1115·0 to 269·4], p=0·43; second follow-up −1180·8 mm 2 [−2216·8 to −144·8], p=0·058). The size of the late reaction to Fel d 1 significantly differed between treatment groups at both follow-ups. At second follow-up, the size of the early reaction to Fel D 1, but not to whole cat dander was significantly reduced in those on peptides compared with those on placebo. The concentration of interferon γ and of interleukin 4 and 13, and the amount of proliferation, significantly decreased between baseline and second follow-up, and the concentration of interleukin 10 was significantly higher in patients on peptides, however, none of these values differed significantly between groups. Patients on peptides had a significantly greater decrease in the concentration of interferon γ and interleukin 13, and in the amount of proliferation between baseline and first follow-up than did those on placebo. Interpretation Several, short, overlapping Fel d 1 T-cell peptides have potential in treatment of cat allergy.
Variable Selection for Screening Experiments

The first step in many applications of response surface methodology is typically the screening process. Variable selection plays an important role in screening experiments when a large number of potential factors are introduced in a preliminary study. Traditional approaches, such as the best subset variable selection and stepwise deletion, may not be appropriate in this situation. In this paper we introduce a variable selection procedure via penalized least squares with the SCAD penalty. An algorithm to find the penalized least squares solution is suggested, and a standard error formula for the penalized least squares estimate is derived. With a proper choice of the regularization parameter, it is shown that the resulting estimate is root n consistent and possesses an oracle property; namely, it works as well as if the correct submodel were known. An automatic and data-driven approach was proposed to select the regularization parameter. Examples are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the newly proposed approach. The computer codes (written in MATLAB) to perform all calculation are available through the authors for an automatic data-driven variable selection procedure.
Solder joint grain boundary structure and diffusivity via molecular dynamics simulations

We investigate the effect of various amounts of Ag and Cu solute atoms on the self-diffusivity of Sn in the (101) symmetric tilt βSn grain boundary. Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations over a temperature range of 300K to 450K, we show that both Ag and Cu decrease the grain boundary self-diffusivity of Sn, as the amount of solute in the interface increases. Additionally, the presence of Ag at the grain boundary interface causes a greater reduction in the self-diffusivity of Sn when compared to Cu. We also analyze the solute effect on the diffusive width of the interface and find that low concentrations of both Ag and Cu shrink the width relative to the pure βSn interface.
Using macromodels to evaluate a process control system's response to voltage sags

This paper describes a modeling technique that quantifies the effect of voltage sags on the output of a complex industrial process. The nodes of entry of the sag are the instrument power supplies. Sub-system macromodels produced from design data and measurements are linked together to form an overall approximate transfer function of the system from sag ingress point to output. While broadly applicable to industrial processes in general, the technique is demonstrated using a model textile process.
Competitiveness and Cost Sensitivity Study of Underground Coal Gasification Combined Cycle Using Lignite

To push the underground coal gasification (UCG) technology toward commercialization, its competiveness and cost components still need to be investigated. This paper compares the power generation cost of underground coal gasification combined cycle (UCGCC) with pulverized coal (PC) plants, integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC). Cost sensitivity of the UCGCC as a function of coal seam depth and thickness was also examined. The results indicate that UCGCC is very competitive compared to PC and IGCC. Within the same assumed fuel price range, the power generation cost for UCGCC was $45–48/MWh, whereas it was $45–60/MWh for PC and over $100/MWh for IGCC. The generation cost of UCGCC was as low as NGCC at low natural gas prices, but UCGCC was able to provide a lower CO2 capture cost. Dependent upon the assumed fuel prices, the capture cost for the UCGCC was $27–28/tonne of CO2, whereas it was $47–58/tonne of CO2 for NGCC. It is also found that the cost of UCGCC decr...
Interpretation of Phosphorescence Quenching Measurements Made in the Presence of Oxygen Gradients

The quenching of phosphorescence by molecular oxygen has proved to be a useful, noninvasive technique for determining oxygen tension (PO2) or dissolved oxygen concentration ([O2]) in blood vessels and tissues (Vanderkooi et al., 1987; Shonat et al., 1992 & 1995; Torres Filho and Intaglietta, 1993; Torres Filho et al., 1994 & 1996; Kerger et al., 1995; Zheng et al., 1996). The technique can be calibrated under controlled conditions in vitro (Sinaasappel and Ince, 1996), and, for uniformly distributed free oxygen, PO2 is related to phosphorescence lifetime by the Stern-Volmer equation: l/τ=l/τ0 + kqPO2 (1) where τ is the lifetime in the presence of oxygen, τ0 is the lifetime in the absence of oxygen, and kq is the quenching coefficient (which includes the solubility of oxygen in the calibration medium). Under the condition of uniform PO2, the time course of the phosphorescence decay is monoexponential with lifetime τ.
Ugly Hairy Mounds, Fierce Hairy Armpits, and Sewer-Like Menstruations: Women as Vulgar Commodity in Fuentes’s The Old Gringo

One of the key responsibilities in criticism is not to ignore the seemingly machismo attitude Fuentes has towards women. In The Old Gringo machismo is not only apparent but vulgar and abhorrent. What is replete in The Old Gringo is the valorization of the macho at the expense of the feminine. Fuentes has a propensity for the macho with a certain amount of equanimity since even the elderly, in the shape of the old gringo, still has retained a capacity for machismo which is constantly revealed at the expense of the female character Harriet Winslow, who is not only physically and verbally abused but is also sexually abused in a way that cannot be attributed to a bad translation.
Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a common and often catastrophic thrombohemorrhagic syndrome seen in almost all medical specialties. This review highlights the salient features of the etiology, pathophysiology, clinical and laboratory diagnosis, and management of this common disorder. A firm understanding of the features of DIC will lead to both enhanced awareness of this syndrome and improved patient care.
Beyond The One-Size-Fits-All College Degree

James Rosenbaum, Kennan Cepa, and Janet Rosenbaum examine how commonplace assumptions about higher education limit opportunity.
Significance of Procalcitonin in Monitoring Nosocomial Infection in Neonates With Hypoxic-ischemic Encephalopathy

Objective To study the significance of procalcitonin(PCT) in monitoring nosocomial infection among the neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy(HIE).Methods Semi-quantitative solid-phase immune chromato- graphy was used to detect the serum PCT in 38 cases of neonatal HIE with nosocomial infection( infection group),and 30 cases of neonatal HIE without infection(non-infection group).In addition the serum high-sensitivity C reactive protein(hs-CRP) was assayed for comparative analysis.Results The positive rate of PCT in the infection group was 81.58%,which was significantly higher than that in the non-infection group(6.67%,P＜0.01).The positive rates of hs - CRP in infection group and non-infection group were 73.68% and 60.00% respectively,and there showed no significant difference between the two groups(P＞0.05).The difference between the positive rate of POT and that of hs- CRP was not significant in the infection group(P＞0.05).Conclusions Serum PCT can be helpful in the early recognition and quick diagnosis of nosocomial infec- tions in neonates with HIE.POT seems to be an important index to monitor the nosocomial infection in neonates with HIE.
How Human Rights Shape Social Citizenship: On Citizenship and the Understanding of Economic and Social Rights

This Article reconceptualizes citizenship, a notion usually tied to the nation state, as “layered.” Human rights may serve as the international “layer” of citizenship, addressing nationals and non-nationals alike. It took some time, however, for “social” citizenship to emerge as a human rights issue and, hence, for human rights to become an international layer for social citizenship rights granted on the national level. Around 1993, states started to accept a human rights-based obligation toward the poor, requiring social policies to focus on targeted, individual welfare.  Professor of constitutional and administrative law, social law, and comparative law, Faculty of Law, and member of the Institute for World Society Studies, University of Bielefeld. I am most grateful to Sandra Liebenberg for commenting on an earlier draft of this Article and for asking, time and again, critical questions. I also thank Benjamin Davy and Lutz Leisering for joining me in heading the ZiF Cooperation Group, “The Road to Global Social Citizenship? Human Rights Approaches to Global Social Policies,” in the summer of 2011; their suggestions helped me refine my arguments and their moral support was invaluable. I am indebted to Armando Barrientos, Hartley Dean, Harvey M. Jacobs, and Sony Pellissery for sharing their expertise, insights, and doubts about “citizenship” and “human rights.” I have learned a lot from our conversations at the Zentrum fur interdisziplinare Forschung (ZiF) in Bielefeld. My gratitude also extends to the ZiF for providing the peace of mind we needed while exploring global citizenship from the perspectives of various disciplines. The Article was finalized during a fellowship at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (Stias) in early 2013, a time I remember with great joy. The participants of the Franz-Xaver Kaufmann Authors’ Colloquium (2012) and the fellows and the guests of the Stias (2013) were a very passionate audience. Thank you all. Washington University Open Scholarship 202 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY GLOBAL STUDIES LAW REVIEW [VOL. 13:201 Nowadays, poverty mitigation is the human rights core of “social” citizenship.
Has Smoking Cessation Increased? An Examination of the US Adult Smoking Cessation Rate 1990-2014

Introduction We examine the trajectory of adult smoking prevalence in the United States over the period 1990-2014 to investigate whether the smoking cessation rate has changed during this period. Methods We employ a dynamic model of smoking prevalence, and data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), to estimate the adult cessation rate in 6-year intervals. We use weighted nonlinear least squares to perform the estimation. We then employ a meta-regression model to test whether the cessation rate has increased. Results The annual cessation rate has increased from 2.4% in 1990 to 4.5% in 2014 according to the NHIS data, and from 3.2% in 2002 to 4.2% in 2014 according to the NSDUH data. The increasing trend is statistically significant (p value = 1.57×10-6) and the two independent surveys produced nearly identical results, which makes it unlikely that our findings are a product of chance. Conclusions Our analysis finds that the smoking cessation rate in the United States has almost doubled since 1990. This increase is responsible for at least 2 million fewer smokers in 2014. If current conditions persist, by the year 2020 the increase in cessation rates will be responsible for 3.5 million fewer smokers. Our findings can assist in predicting the future path of the smoking epidemic and determining the correct allocation of resources to eradicate it. Implications We show that the adult smoking cessation rate has greatly increased since 1990. We demonstrate this by studying prevalence trajectories from two independent population surveys, which yielded nearly identical results. Different from other studies, we focus on permanent quit rates (net of relapses) which we estimate from a dynamic model of prevalence. Our results do not stem from self-reported quitting behavior, but from the analysis of observed prevalence and its inherent variability. Our findings can contribute to predicting the future path of the smoking epidemic and to determining the optimal allocation of resources to eradicate it.
Utterance, Against Orality, Beyond Textuality

The notion of orality seems always to be haunted by the textuality that it is not (or worse still, is plaintively hoped to be equal to). By extension, the linkage of orality and Blackness is constituted by Euromodernity in two senses. Firstly, by being conceived as “alterity,” it is limited by being defined negatively by the whiteness it is not, just as orality is constructed in reference to the textuality it is not. Secondly, Blackness-cum-orality is constructed along classically Eurological models of peoplehood by dint of a transcendent historicity, erecting an edifice of transcendent identity over a more immanent and locally salient practice of community. This essay proposes a means of engaging aspects of Black ways of being in the world that constitute themselves in their own terms, by examining a non-canonical Black cultural complex: the traditional musical practices of the Black populations of southwestern Colombia. The essay comprises an invitation to observe Black aesthetics less through a hermeneutics of depth—that is, for its underlying syntagmatic structures and hidden historical meanings—than by attending to its surfaces, its gestures, the effects it has as bodily, social and spiritual practice—that is, as a social activity with the concrete political ramifications of building communities and articulating their values out of disparate individuals. If the hermeneutics of depth treat orality as text to be plumbed, I hope to offer instead a means to understand utterance, as a gesture to be traced.
Neoextractivism and Its Contestation in Ecuador

In its earlier years, the Correa administration enjoyed a “green” image, thanks to the Yasuni–ITT (Ishpingo, Tambococha, Tiputini) Initiative, a government-sanctioned proposition to leave more than 900 million barrels of crude oil underground, protecting a highly biodiverse forest, mitigating against climate change, and protecting peoples in voluntary isolation, in return for $3.6 billion in donations from the international community. We discuss the ideologies and practices of this Initiative, as proposed in 2007, and of the consequences of its dissolution in 2013. We draw on fieldwork in the Waorani community of Guiyero, within YNP, to highlight the gap between the “pristine wilderness” invoked by the government and the daily, lived experiences of life in the park, and to reflect on the contradictions and inconsistencies surrounding the Initiative, such as the Correa administration’s commitment toward indigenous and environmental concerns while simultaneously neglecting geographic, environmental, and socio-cultural aspects of Waorani life to exploit these lands. Soon after the dissolution of the Initiative, Correa conducted highly publicized meetings with a group of Waorani leaders who voiced their support for oil development in their traditional homelands, a choreographed performance of indigenous citizenship that obfuscated uneven, indigenous support for government policies. By lending their discursive power and symbolic capital in exchange for the socio-economic benefits, these Waorani also conveyed a sense of coherence to the ideologies and practices that constitute the Revolucion. Meanwhile, a collective called Yasunidos formed a grassroots movement against the dissolution of the Initiative, demanding constitutionally guaranteed forms of political participation. Yasunidos faced an aggressive and combative government response that called into question the leftist/populist nature of the administration itself.
Back to the future: The compiler research revival

One of the major functions of compilers is to improve the performance of software through automatic program transformations. After being out of fashion for more than a decade, compiler optimization has suddenly become a hot research topic again, particularly at the high end in developing software for supercomputers and big data applications. This talk will discuss the underlying causes of this revival of interest, give some current examples, and speculate about future research problems.
Postretinal Structure and Function in Severe Congenital Photoreceptor Blindness Caused by Mutations in the GUCY2D Gene.

Purpose To examine how severe congenital blindness resulting from mutations of the GUCY2D gene alters brain structure and function, and to relate these findings to the notable preservation of retinal architecture in this form of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). Methods Six GUCY2D-LCA patients (ages 20-46) were studied with optical coherence tomography of the retina and multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. Measurements from this group were compared to those obtained from populations of normally sighted controls and people with congenital blindness of a variety of causes. Results Patients with GUCY2D-LCA had preservation of the photoreceptors, ganglion cells, and nerve fiber layer. Despite this, visual function in these patients ranged from 20/160 acuity to no light perception, and functional MRI responses to light stimulation were attenuated and restricted. This severe visual impairment was reflected in substantial thickening of the gray matter layer of area V1, accompanied by an alteration of resting-state correlations within the occipital lobe, similar to a comparison group of congenitally blind people with structural damage to the retina. In contrast to the comparison blind population, however, the GUCY2D-LCA group had preservation of the size of the optic chiasm, and the fractional anisotropy of the optic radiations as measured with diffusion tensor imaging was also normal. Conclusions These results identify dissociable effects of blindness upon the visual pathway. Further, the relatively intact postgeniculate white matter pathway in GUCY2D-LCA is encouraging for the prospect of recovery of visual function with gene augmentation therapy.
Explaining is Student and is Industry Differences in Perceptions of Skill Importance

162 Business Computer Information students were administered a survey designed to evaluate the importance they placed on certain technical and interpersonal skills desired by industry. Student results were compared to industry desires from a previous study. Differences in the degree of agreement of different student groups suggested by prior research with industry ratings were examined and results discussed in light of prior research. Gender, international student status and number of classes in major influenced degree of correspondence with industry ratings of skill importance.
Performance of the Cox-maze IV procedure is associated with improved long-term survival in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing cardiac surgery

Abstract Objective Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased mortality risk. The Cox-maze IV procedure (CM4) performed concomitantly with other cardiac procedures has been shown to be effective for restoring sinus rhythm. However, few data have been published on the late survival of patients undergoing a concomitant CM4. Methods Patients undergoing cardiac surgery were retrospectively reviewed from 2001 to 2016 (n = 10,859). Patients were stratified into 3 groups: patients with a history of AF receiving a concomitant CM4 (CM4; n = 438), patients with a history of AF unaddressed during surgery (Untreated AF; n = 1510), and patients without AF history (No AF; n = 8911). Propensity score matching was conducted between the CM4 and Untreated AF groups, and between the CM4 and No AF groups. Results Thirty-day mortality was similar between the matched groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed greater survival for CM4 compared to Untreated AF ( P = .004). Ten-year survival was 62% for CM4 and 42% for Untreated AF. Adjusted hazard ratio was 0.47 (95% confidence interval, 0.26-0.86, P = .014). No difference in survival was found between CM4 and No AF groups with the Kaplan–Meier analysis ( P = .847). Ten-year survival was 63% for CM4 and 55% for No AF. Adjusted hazard ratio was 1.03 (95% confidence interval, 0.51-2.11, P = .929). Conclusions For selected patients with a history of AF undergoing cardiac surgery, concomitant CM4 did not add significantly to postoperative morbidity or mortality and was associated with improved late survival compared with patients with untreated AF and a similar survival to patients without a history of AF.
The Indirect Effect of Ethnic Identity on Marijuana Use Through School Engagement: An African American High School Sample.

Background: African American marijuana use is associated with many negative social, emotional, and health-related consequences. Of significance, over recent years this population has shown an incre...