cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maintaining class, producing gender: Enhancement discourses about amphetamine in entertainment media

Abstract Background Since the 1930s, amphetamine has been used for a variety of socially and medically condoned purposes including personal and performance enhancement. In the contemporary U.S., although amphetamine and its derivatives share a history, similar chemical composition, and physiological and psychiatric effects, they are typically treated and researched as two distinct groups: illegally produced methamphetamine and prescription amphetamine. This study is an examination of the social meanings of these categories and their users as represented in popular media. Methods To complement existing research on drug discourses in popular news media, this study analysed entertainment media: ten novels, three seasons of Breaking Bad, six television episodes, and eight movies. Media were coded inductively and deductively using tenets of critical discourse analysis and rhetorical criticism. The author identified discourses about user subject positions and ideologies pertaining to enhancement-related motivations for use. Results Two important themes emerged from this analysis that construct amphetamine use and users in ways that reflect, legitimize and reproduce class and gender ideologies. First, discourses illustrate that distinct meanings of methamphetamine versus prescription amphetamine are linked to expectations about the respective socioeconomic class and social status of their users. Second, the discourses reflect gendered values and ideals about productivity and sexuality. Conclusion In reality, American cultural and political–economic contexts may encourage the use of amphetamine to meet a variety of social expectations and economic needs. However, many policy and prevention efforts surrounding amphetamine use disproportionately target methamphetamine users and women. Because policy and prevention efforts can be influenced as much by social values as by data, it is important to examine the many arenas in which social values are produced and disseminated.
Negative regulation of autophagy

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process that involves the invagination and degradation of cytoplasmic components through an autophagosomelysosome track. Autophagy functions as a quality control of cellular milieu and is implicated in a wide variety of pathological conditions. However, excessive or imbalanced autophagic flux may also be associated with cellular toxicity and may potentially contribute to the development of pathological conditions. Just as all membrane trafficking systems need to constantly strike a balance in their level of activation and inhibition to ensure proper spatial and temporal delivery of their cargo, autophagy must also be tightly regulated. Here, we provide an overview of the current knowledge regarding the negative regulation of mammalian autophagy in an effort to understand its physiological relevance and potential clinical importance.
Facing Victims: Forensics, Visual Technologies, and Sexual Assault Examination

This article analyzes a particular legal-medical artifact: the photos of wounds and injuries collected by forensic nurses who work with sexual assault victim-patients. I show how forensic expertise draws on multiple medical practices and adapts these practices with the goal of preserving the integrity of the evidence collection processes. In particular, forensic nurse examiners practice a rigid regime of draping and avoiding the victim-patient's gaze at some points in the forensic routine while engaging the victim's gaze at other points in the examination. Unlike the examination, the photograph itself deliberately pictures the patient's gaze to break the plane of the image, giving the photographic artifact an affective charge as a truth-preserving object within a juridical process. Focusing on forensic photography sheds light on the techno-scientific possibilities that enable forensic encounters as they align therapeutic techniques with legal directives in new and problematic ways.
Determination of Boundary Shape of Cooled Porous Region

The shape of a cooled porous wall section is found that will provide a uniform surface temperature, as dictated by material limitations, when the surface is subjected to spatially nonuniform heating. In the analysis, local temperatures and pressures in the porous material are expressed in terms of a potential function. From the imposed thermal conditions, this potential function is governed by the dual constraints of both its value and its normal derivative being specified along the heated surface. The unknown shape of this surface is obtained by meeting these dual conditions. The analytical method uses a generalized conformal mapping procedure that includes a curved boundary. The coolant flow can be compressible or incompressible, and its viscosity can depend on temperature.
A hybrid approach to optimal control problems with bounded state

Abstract This paper considers the numerical solution of optimal control problems involving a functional I subject to differential constraints, a state inequality constraint, and terminal constraints. The problem is to find the state x(t), the control u(t), and the parameter π so that the functional is minimized, while the constraints are satisfied to a predetermined accuracy. The approach taken is a sequence of two-phase processes or cycles, each composed of a gradient phase and a restoration phase. The gradient phase involves a single iteration and is designed to decrease the functional, while the constraints are satisfied to first order. The restoration phase involves one or several iterations and is designed to restore the constraints to a predetermined accuracy, while the norm of the variations of the control and the parameter is minimized. The principal property of the algorithm is that it produces a sequence of feasible suboptimal solutions: the functions x(t), u(t), π obtained at the end of each cycle satisfy the constraints to a predetermined accuracy. Therefore, the functionals of any two elements of the sequence are comparable. The technique employed is of the hybrid type, in an attempt to combine some of the best features of both the indirect and direct approaches. While a predetermined number and sequence of subarcs are assumed (a feature of direct methods), enforcement of the state inequality constraint is obtained through a Valentine-type representation (a feature of indirect methods). By properly choosing the analytical form of certain non-differential constraints to be satisfied by the augmented control along each subarc composing the extremal arc (these nondifferential constraints are arrived at through the Valentine-type transformation), one ensures satisfaction of the state inequality constraint everywhere. Specifically, strict inequality is enforced for the subarcs internal to the state boundary and strict equality is enforced for the subarcs lying on the state boundary. To facilitate the numerical solution on digital computers, the actual time θ is replaced by the normalized time t, defined in such a way that each subarc composing the extremal arc has a normalized time length Δt = 1. In this way, variable-time corner conditions and variable-time terminal conditions are transformed into fixed-time corner conditions and fixed-time terminal conditions. The actual times θ1, θ2, τ at which (i) the state boundary is entered, (ii) the state boundary is exited, and (iii) the terminal manifold is reached are regarded to be components of the parameter π being optimized. The numerical examples illustrating the theory demonstrate the feasibility as well as the rapidity of convergence of the technique developed in this paper.
Predictive factors in head and neck cancer.

The introduction of new treatment paradigms using induction chemotherapy and focused radiation for patients with advanced cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract 11,21,39 has opened new possibilities for more selective treatment alternatives that offer preservation of structure and function. Several randomized trials have now shown that these approaches, integrated with appropriate surgical salvage, can achieve survival rates similar to conventional treatment. 27,42 Major shortcomings of such treatment are the high costs, long treatment duration, and potential morbidity associated with integration of multiple modalities, especially when eventual salvage surgery is required in 30% to 40% of treated patients. 41 Predicting which patients are likely to benefit from an organ-preservation approach would decrease the need for salvage surgery. Furthermore, improved combinations of chemotherapy and radiation could be designed for selected patients that would achieve shorter treatment duration, lower cost, enhanced quality of life, and perhaps improved survival. Recent evidence suggests that tumor factors such as tumor volume, cell kinetics, and the expression of regulatory oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes may determine tumor sensitivity to chemotherapy and radiation. 5,8,17,40 In vitro evidence for the relationship between the expression or mutation of specific genes and either chemotherapy or radiation sensitivity cannot be extrapolated directly to the clinic but may provide clues to the mechanism of such sensitivity.
Does pure robotic partial nephrectomy provide similar perioperative outcomes when compared to the combined laparoscopic–robotic approach?

Laparoscopic and robotic partial nephrectomy have become the preferred option for surgical management of incidentally discovered small renal tumors. Currently there is no consensus on which aspects of the procedure should be performed laparoscopically versus robotically. We believe that combining a laparoscopic exposure and hilar dissection followed by tumor extirpation and renorrhaphy with robotic assistance provides improved perioperative outcomes compared to a pure robotic approach alone. We performed a comparison of perioperative outcomes between combined laparoscopic-robotic partial nephrectomy-or hybrid procedure-and pure robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN). A multi-center retrospective analysis of patients undergoing RPN and hybrid PN using the da Vinci S system(®) was performed. Patient data were reviewed for demographic and perioperative variables. Statistical analysis was performed using the Welch t test and linear regression, and nonparametric tests with similar significance results. Thirty-one patients underwent RPN while 77 patients underwent hybrid PN between 2007 and 2011. Preoperative variables were comparable in both groups with the exception of lesion size and nephrometry score which were significantly higher in patients undergoing hybrid PN. Length of surgery, estimated blood loss and morphine used were significantly less in the hybrid group, while warm ischemia time was significantly longer. The difference in WIT was accounted for in this data by adjusting for nephrometry score. In our multi-center series, the hybrid approach was associated with a shorter operative time, reduced blood loss and lower narcotic usage. We believe this approach is a valid alternative to RPN.
The Osler-Cushing Covenant

In 1900 William Osler established a friendship with Harvey Cushing that encompassed the personal and professional aspects of their lives for over two decades. Their shared participation in the covenant of medicine shaped an intense friendship and mentoring relationship that profited both individuals immeasurably. The choice of Cushing as the recipient of Osler's mentoring had its origins in their rearing, avocations, and in the way of life that they shared. In Cushing, Osler identified a surrogate son who joined with him in defining the course of medicine and surgery over the next century.
Use of Non-Amplified RNA Samples for Microarray Analysis of Gene Expression

Demand for high quality gene expression data has driven the development of revolutionary microarray technologies. The quality of the data is affected by the performance of the microarray platform as well as how the nucleic acid targets are prepared. The most common method for target nucleic acid preparation includes in vitro transcription amplification of the sample RNA. Although this method requires a small amount of starting material and is reported to have high reproducibility, there are also technical disadvantages such as amplification bias and the long, laborious protocol. Using RNA derived from human brain, breast and colon, we demonstrate that a non-amplification method, which was previously shown to be inferior, could be transformed to a highly quantitative method with a dynamic range of five orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the correlation coefficient calculated by comparing microarray assays using non-amplified samples with qRT-PCR assays was approximately 0.9, a value much higher than when samples were prepared using amplification methods. Our results were also compared with data from various microarray platforms studied in the MicroArray Quality Control (MAQC) project. In combination with micro-columnar 3D-Gene™ microarray, this non-amplification method is applicable to a variety of genetic analyses, including biomarker screening and diagnostic tests for cancer.
ELECTROMAGNETIC MASS SHIFTS, EQUAL-TIME COMMUTATORS, AND JOST--LEHMANN REPRESENTATION.

Electromagnetic mass shifts, equal-time commutators (ETC), and their relation are analyzed, using the Jost-Lehmann representation for the forward Compton amplitude. The divergences in δ m are determined by Lorentz scalars associated with the ETC (when these exist). These results are illustrated by models with currents bilinear and linear in canonical fields. Existence of the ETC implies that the Jost-Lehmann representation is unsubtracted.
Structure and Dynamics of Cu3Au(001) Studied by Elastic and Inelastic Helium Atom Scattering

Abstract We have recently measured the surface phonon spectrum of the ordered binary alloy Cu 3 Au(001). In addition to the Rayleigh wave, we observe a higher energy mode which may be interpreted as the “folded” Rayleigh mode or “optical” surface mode. Using a harmonic pair potentials fit to the inelastic neutron scattering data of Katano et al , 13 we find that the force constant between the first and second layer Cu atoms must be stiffened by 20% with respect to the bulk value in order to match the “folded” Rayleigh mode.
Charge distribution in plasmas with field constraint.

The charge distribution around an atom in a strongly coupled plasma is calculated for equilibrium states constrained to produce a specified electric field at the atom. It is shown that recently developed methods for electric microfield distributions can be applied directly to calculation of the charge distribution functions as well. Two such methods are considered: effective-field independent-particle models and integral equations with complex potential.
Epigenetic alteration of Wnt pathway antagonists in progressive glandular neoplasia of the lung

Background: Atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) is now recognized as a precursor lesion from which lung adenocarcinomas arise and thus represents an ideal target for studying the early genetic and epigenetic alterations associated with lung tumorigenesis such as alterations of the Wnt pathway. Methods: We assessed the level of Wnt signaling activity in lung cancer cell lines by determining the level of active β-catenin and determined the level of expression of Wnt antagonists APC, DKK1, DKK3, LKB1, SFRP1, 2, 4, 5, WIF1 and RUNX3 using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Using multiplex nested methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction, we analyzed promoter region methylation of these genes in resected lung tissue in the histopathologic sequence of glandular neoplasia (normal lung parenchyma, low-grade and high-grade AAH, adenocarcinoma). Results: The majority of non-small cell lung cancer cell lines (11 of 16, 69%) have evidence of active Wnt signaling and silencing of Wnt antagonists correlated with promoter hypermethylation. Promoter region methylation of Wnt antagonists was common in primary lung adenocarcinoma and there was a significant increase in the frequency of methylation for Wnt antagonist genes and the number of genes methylated with each stage of tumorigenesis (test for rend P ≤ 0.01). Additionally, odds ratios for promoter hypermethylation of individual or multiple Wnt antagonist genes and adenocarcinomas were statistically significantly elevated and ranged between 3.64 and 48.17. Conclusion: These results show that gene silencing of Wnt antagonists by promoter hypermethylation occurs during the earliest stages of glandular neoplasia of the lung and accumulates with progression toward malignancy.
Photoinjected energy recovery linac upgrade for the National Synchrotron Light Source

We describe a major paradygm shift in in the approach to the production of synchrotron radiation This change will considerably improve the scientific capabilities of synchrotron light sources. We introduce plans for an upgrade of the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS). This upgrade will be based on the Photoinjected Energy Recovering Linac (PERL). This machine emerges from the union of two technologies, the laser-photocathode RF gun (photoinjector) and superconducting linear accelerators with beam energy recovery (Energy Recovering Linac). The upgrade will bring the NSLS users many new insertion device beam lines, brightness greater than 3rd generation light-source's and ultra-short pulse capabilities, not possible with storage ring light sources.
Comparison of shunt infection incidence in high-risk subgroups receiving antibiotic-impregnated versus standard shunts.

Shunt infection is a morbid complication of CSF shunting. Though antibiotic-impregnated shunt (AIS) systems decrease shunt infections by preventing bacterial colonization following device implantation, their effectiveness in populations at high risk for infection has recently been disputed. We set out to determine whether the categorical switch to AIS systems at our institution has resulted in a decreased incidence of shunt infection in high-risk pediatric patients. We retrospectively reviewed the records from all pediatric patients undergoing CSF shunt procedures at The Johns Hopkins Hospital over a 10-year period between January 1997 and December 2007. During the 5.75 years prior to October 2002, all CSF shunts included standard, non-AIS catheters. During the 4.25 years after October 2002, all CSF shunts included AIS catheters. High-risk subgroups were defined a priori as prematurity ( 1 month). A total of 544 pediatric patients underwent 1,072 shunt placement procedures (502 AIS, 570 non-AIS). Of patients with non-AIS catheters, 64 (11.2%) experienced shunt infection, whereas only 16 (3.2%) patients with AIS catheters experienced shunt infection (p 1 month [three (5.3%) vs. 12 (18.5%), p = 0.022]. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common infectious agent for both non-AIS (81.3%) and AIS (75.0%) systems. The introduction of AIS catheters into our institutional practice has reduced the incidence of shunt infection in pediatric populations at highest risk for infection. AIS catheters are effective instruments to prevent peri-operative colonization of CSF shunt components.
A simple technique for detecting small defects of the atrial septum

Abstract A sensitive technique for detecting small defects of the atrial septum is described. A Valsalva maneuver is used to cause right atrial pressure to exceed left atrial pressure. This reversal of the normal interatrial pressure gradient causes a transient right to left shunt across the defect. The right to left shunt is detected by noting an early appearance deflection in standard indicator-dilution curves performed by injecting indocyanine green dye into the inferior vena cava during the Valsalva maneuver. By means of this technique, 7 of 8 surgically induced defects, from 1 to 12 mm in diameter, were detected. There were no false positive results among 9 control animals with an intact atrial septum. This technique presents a sensitive and simple method for detecting small atrial septal defects. The only equipment required is that used to perform standard indicator-dilution curves.
The joys and terrors of fast adaptation: new findings elucidate antibiotic resistance and natural selection.

Experiments of Pranting and Andersson demonstrate how bacteria adapt to the growth limitation caused by antibiotic resistance mutations. The process of adaptation relies on gene copy number changes that arise at high rates, including duplications (10−4/cell/generation), amplifications (10−2/cell/generation) and mutant copy loss (10−2/cell/division). Reversible increases in copy number improve growth by small steps and provide more targets for rare sequence alterations (10−9/cell/division) that can stably improve growth. After sequence alteration, selection favors loss of the still mutant gene copies that accelerated adaptation. The results strongly support the amplification-reversion model for fast adaptation and argue against the alternative idea of “stress-induced mutagenesis”.
Adaptive feature-specific imaging: a face recognition example

We present an adaptive feature-specific imaging (AFSI) system and consider its application to a face recognition task. The proposed system makes use of previous measurements to adapt the projection basis at each step. Using sequential hypothesis testing, we compare AFSI with static-FSI (SFSI) and static or adaptive conventional imaging in terms of the number of measurements required to achieve a specified probability of misclassification (Pe). The AFSI system exhibits significant improvement compared to SFSI and conventional imaging at low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). It is shown that for M=4 hypotheses and desired Pe=10−2, AFSI requires 100 times fewer measurements than the adaptive conventional imager at SNR=−20 dB. We also show a trade-off, in terms of average detection time, between measurement SNR and adaptation advantage, resulting in an optimal value of integration time (equivalent to SNR) per measurement.
A comparison of discrete and continuous hidden Markov models for phrase spotting in text images

In spotting for phrases in text images, speed and accuracy are important considerations. In a hidden Markov model (HMM) based spotter recognition time is dominated by the time required to compute the state conditional observation probabilities. These probabilities are a measure of how well the data match each state in the model. In this paper discrete and continuous hidden Markov models are compared based on speed and accuracy in spotting for phrases in text images. For the discrete HMM, vector quantization is used to associate each continuous feature vector with a discrete value. For the continuous HMMs, the observation distributions for the feature vectors are modeled by either a single Gaussian, or a mixture of two Gaussians. Comparisons were made on a subset of the UW English Document Image Database I. The best accuracy was observed when a mixture of two Gaussians was used in the continuous HMM. The discrete HMM provides for faster spotting particularly when long phrases are used.
Information System Trends at Duke University Medical Center

Over the past two decades, Duke University Medical Center has successfully developed applications of computer technology that address specific needs in patient care, research, education and administration. As these systems have evolved, three trends have emerged that mandate a new methodology and blueprint for direction in information management. First, the entrepreneurial spirit which led to the development of individual systems has changed to a realization that the future demand for information access can only be achieved through integration of the resources that historically have been viewed as separate computing entities. The second trend is the explosive growth that has been experienced in the technology of computer resources. The third trend experienced by the institution is the rapid growth of computer literacy, which has greatly expanded the pool of interested and involved users. These three major trends dictate new growth patterns whose potential depends on the development of an integrated academic information management system (IAIMS).
A Swiss 3T3 variant cell line resistant to the effects of tumor promoters cannot be transformed by src

To study the relationship between oncogenesis by v-src and normal cellular signalling pathways, we determined the effects of v-src on 3T3-TNR9 cells, a Swiss 3T3 variant which does not respond mitogenically to tumor promoters such as 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA). We found that src was unable to transform these variant cells, whether the oncogene was introduced by infection with a murine retrovirus vector or by transfection with plasmid DNA. 3T3-TNR9 cells were not inherently resistant to transformation, since infection with similar recombinant retroviruses containing either v-ras or v-abl did induce transformation. Further analysis of Swiss 3T3 and 3T3-TNR9 cell populations infected with the v-src-containing retrovirus revealed that although the amount of v-src DNA in each was approximately the same, the level of the v-src message and protein and the overall level of phosphotyrosine expressed in the infected variants was much less than in infected parental cells. Cotransfection experiments using separate v-src and neo plasmids revealed a decrease in the number of G418-resistant colonies when transfections of TNR9 cells occurred in the presence of the src-containing plasmid, suggesting a growth inhibitory effect of v-src on 3T3-TNR9 cells, as has also been found for TPA itself. Since v-src cannot transform this variant cell line, which does not respond mitogenically to the protein kinase C agonist TPA, we suggest that src makes use of the protein kinase C pathway as part of its signalling activities.
A novel technique that enables efficient conduct of simultaneous isomerization and fermentation (SIF) of xylose.

Of the sugars recovered from lignocellulose, d-glucose can be readily converted into ethanol by baker’s or brewer’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). However, xylose that is obtained by the hydrolysis of the hemicellulosic portion is not fermentable by the same species of yeasts. Xylose fermentation by native yeasts can be achieved via isomerization of xylose to its ketose isomer, xylulose. Isomerization with exogenous xylose isomerase (XI) occurs optimally at a pH of 7–8, whereas subsequent fermentation of xylulose to ethanol occurs at a pH of 4–5. We present a novel scheme for efficient isomerization of xylose to xylulose at conditions suitable for the fermentation by using an immobilized enzyme system capable of sustaining two different pH microenvironments in a single vessel. The proof-of-concept of the two-enzyme pellet is presented, showing conversion of xylose to xylulose even when the immobilized enzyme pellets are suspended in a bulk solution whose pH is sub-optimal for XI activity. The co-immobilized enzyme pellets may prove extremely valuable in effectively conducting “simultaneous isomerization and fermentation” (SIF) of xylose. To help further shift the equilibrium in favor of xylulose formation, sodium tetraborate (borax) was added to the isomerization solution. Binding of tetrahydroxyborate ions to xylulose effectively reduces the concentration of xylulose and leads to increased xylose isomerization. The formation of tetrahydroxyborate ions and the enhancement in xylulose production resulting from the complexation was studied at two different bulk pH values. The addition of 0.05 M borax to the isomerization solution containing our co-immobilized enzyme pellets resulted in xylose to xylulose conversion as high as 86% under pH conditions that are suboptimal for XI activity. These initial findings, which can be optimized for industrial conditions, have significant potential for increasing the yield of ethanol from xylose in an SIF approach.
On the Uses and Abuses of Eschatology for Life

This paper examines the role of the concluding myth of the Phaedo in the context of the dialogue as a whole, arguing that the myth’s exploration of the relationship between action, condition of soul and form of life provides valuable information about Plato’s conception of the kind of political environment necessary for human flourishing. It identifies three features of the myth essential to this exploration: its self-critical construction of the perspective of the makers of this myth, its focus on the conditions under which violent deeds are committed and its envisaging of the form of human community necessary for the expiation of such deeds.
Long-Term Soil Chemistry Changes in Aggrading Forest Ecosystems

Assessing potential long-term forest productivity requires identification of the processes regulating chemical changes in forest soils. We resampled the litter layer and upper two mineral soil horizons, A and AB/BA, in two aggrading southern Appalachian watersheds 20 yr after an earlier sampling. Soils from a mixed-hardwood watershed exhibited a small but significant decrease in soil pH. Extractable base cation content declined substantially in both mineral horizons. For example, Ca2+ levels in the A horizon fell from 236 kg ha" 1 in 1970 to 80 kg ha" 1 in 1990. Proportionally, the decline was greatest for Mg2"1", which dropped from 111 to 20 kg ha" 1. A white pine (Pinus strobus L.) plantation was planted in 1956, after clear-felling hardwoods and recutting sprouts for 15 yr. Soil pH and base cation concentrations declined in the A horizon from 1970 to 1990. Soil pH declined from 5.9 to 5.0 and Ca2+ levels from 534 to 288 kg ha" 1. Cation content did not change significantly in the AB/BA soil horizon. Nutrient budgets were constructed using these soil and litter data plus existing data on weathering rates, forest productivity, and hydrologic fluxes and associated chemistry. Decreases in soil base cations and soil pH are attributed to leaching and to the sequestration of nutrients in biomass.
A Model of the Effects of Reputational Rankings on Organizational Change

Reputational rankings published by the media have emerged as important sources of institutional isomorphic pressures on organizations. However, organizations vary in the extent to which they respond to the pressures exerted by the rankings, and research to date has not examined why some organizations change in response to the rankings and others do not. This study develops and tests a model that examines how top managers' sensemaking of rankings affects organizational change. Specifically, the model proposes direct and moderated effects of a perceived discrepancy between the position assigned to an organization in the rankings and the position implied by the organization's identity in the minds of its top managers (referred to here as a "perceived identity-reputation discrepancy"), on the extent of change undertaken by the organization. The research context used for the study was U.S. graduate schools of business. The results show that, as expected, schools whose top managers believed that their rankings were discrepant from their own perceptions of their school's standing in the industry, were more likely to undertake organizational change. This relationship was moderated by top managers' perceptions of the strategic impact of the rankings, and by the strength and external orientation of organizational identity; the relationship was not moderated by the perceived validity of the rankings. Overall, the results suggest that managerial interpretations and organizational identity work in concert to explain variation across organizations in the extent to which rankings motivate organizational change.
Deciding to change: An event sequence analysis of consumer adoption behavior

A qualitative empirical study explores the behavioral decision process by which transportation consumers adopt alternatives to single occupancy vehicles. The study's findings give rise to a theoretical framework that explains consumer adoption behavior in terms of interplay between three conscious, cognitively distinct processes: selecting is the process of choosing a technology in response to an immediate need; evaluating is the process of forming beliefs about a technology; maintaining is the process of determining the functional status of a technology. Selecting is a relatively simple process, but it requires the decision maker to maintain a train of thought; interrupting the selecting process requires it to be restarted from the beginning. Evaluating and maintaining constitute event-driven behavior that may be interrupted any number of times without disruption. The primary contribution of the paper is a theory of technology adoption that is solidly grounded in empirical observations and prior literature. It is the first theory to explain some of the inner mental decision processes associated with adoption, and it lays the foundation for a more comprehensive causal theory of the consumer technology adoption process.
Using Classroom Assessment Techniques to Improve Foreign Language Composition Courses

: Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) are formative assessment tools that require, essentially, knowledge of one's discipline and a clear desire to increase student learning. CATs can assist instructors and students in setting realistic goals for a course and in shifting the focus of instruction from teaching to learning. Although the examples described in this article are from a Spanish grammar and composition course, the techniques presented may be adapted for use in nearly any second language course.
Megator, an essential coiled-coil protein that localizes to the putative spindle matrix during mitosis in Drosophila

We have used immunocytochemistry and cross-immunoprecipitation analysis to demonstrate that Megator (Bx34 antigen), a Tpr ortholog in Drosophila with an extended coiled-coil domain, colocalizes with the putative spindle matrix proteins Skeletor and Chromator during mitosis. Analysis of P-element mutations in the Megator locus showed that Megator is an essential protein. During interphase Megator is localized to the nuclear rim and occupies the intranuclear space surrounding the chromosomes. However, during mitosis Megator reorganizes and aligns together with Skeletor and Chromator into a fusiform spindle structure. The Megator metaphase spindle persists in the absence of microtubule spindles, strongly implying that the existence of the Megator-defined spindle does not require polymerized microtubules. Deletion construct analysis in S2 cells indicates that the COOH-terminal part of Megator without the coiled-coil region was sufficient for both nuclear as well as spindle localization. In contrast, the NH2-terminal coiled-coil region remains in the cytoplasm; however, we show that it is capable of assembling into spherical structures. On the basis of these findings we propose that the COOH-terminal domain of Megator functions as a targeting and localization domain, whereas the NH2-terminal domain is responsible for forming polymers that may serve as a structural basis for the putative spindle matrix complex.
The Use of Ultraviolet Radiation at the Congruent Sublimation Temperature of Indium Phosphide to Produce Enhanced InP “Schottky” Barriers

This paper describes an ultraviolet radiation-assisted process, optimized around the congruent sublimation temperature of InP, which fabricates a very thin insulating layer on InP. In developing this process, we demonstrate, among other effects, that the increase in the barrier height is not caused by the oxidation of the surface enhanced by the presence of ozone, but enhanced by a photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process. In the past, some researchers have considered similar devices to be enhanced metal-semiconductor Schottky diodes
Colonies of the Little Motherland: Membership, Space, and Time in Mexican Migrant Hometown Associations

The hometown associations (HTAs) formed by international migrants sharing a place of origin are considered the quintessential “transnational” institution linking migrants to family and townspeople who stayed behind. Scholars of transnationalism present HTAs as the expression of a new kind of “transnational community” or “transnational social field” that is redefining what it means to belong to a community by including people who are physically absent but who make their presence felt through regular visits and remittances and by sponsoring charity and development projects in their hometown. New transportation and communication technologies stretching the limits of space and time are said to be the driving forces that allow migrants to belong to a single community anchored in multiple, distant geographic localities. Such migrants transcend the old boundaries of territorial belonging that depended on a sedentary population, and call into question basic social scientific concepts like “citizenship,” “community,” “nation-state,” and “migration.” Even the most recent transnationalism literature, which has retreated from some earlier claims of novelty to rediscover transborder practices of older migrations, continues to claim that new conceptions of membership are necessary to understand both new and older practices (Basch, Schiller, and Blanc 1994; Levitt 2001; Portes and Landolt 2002; Smith 2006).
Non-invasive Positive-Pressure Ventilation

NIPPV can be delivered nasally or by face mask, using either a conventional mechanical ventilator or a machine designed specifically for this purpose. NIPPV has two major modes of supplying ventilatory support, namely continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP). CPAP provides continuous positive pressure throughout the respiratory cycle. CPAP recruits underventilated alveoli by increasing lung volume at the end of expiration, resulting in improved gas exchange. CPAP is also effective in decreasing the work of breathing compared with unsupported ventilation.1
A Game-Theoretic Approach to IP Address Randomization in Decoy-Based Cyber Defense

Networks of decoy nodes protect cyber systems by distracting and misleading adversaries. Decoy defenses can be further enhanced by randomizing the space of node IP addresses, thus preventing an adversary from identifying and blacklisting decoy nodes over time. The decoy-based defense results in a time-varying interaction between the adversary, who attempts to identify and target real nodes, and the system, which deploys decoys and randomizes the address space in order to protect the identity of the real node. In this paper, we present a game-theoretic framework for modeling the strategic interaction between an external adversary and a network of decoy nodes. Our framework consists of two components. First, we model and study the interaction between the adversary and a single decoy node. We analyze the case where the adversary attempts to identify decoy nodes by examining the timing of node responses, as well as the case where the adversary identifies decoys via differences in protocol implementations between decoy and real nodes. Second, we formulate games with an adversary who attempts to find a real node in a network consisting of real and decoy nodes, where the time to detect whether a node is real or a decoy is derived from the equilibria of the games in first component. We derive the optimal policy of the system to randomize the IP address space in order to avoid detection of the real node, and prove that there is a unique threshold-based Stackelberg equilibrium for the game. Through simulation study, we find that the game between a single decoy and an adversary mounting timing-based attacks has a pure-strategy Nash equilibrium, while identification of decoy nodes via protocol implementation admits only mixed-strategy equilibria.
Minority Overrepresentation in Criminal Justice Systems: Causes, Consequences, and Cures

This piece introduces Prosecution and Racial Justice, a panel discussion with Wayne McKenzie of the Vera Institute for Justice, by outlining the legal-historical context for reform strategies that detect and correct effects of racial bias in prosecutorial decision-making.
Pulmonary surfactant protein a is expressed in mouse retina by Müller cells and impacts neovascularization in oxygen-induced retinopathy.

PURPOSE Surfactant protein A (SP-A) up-regulates cytokine expression in lung disease of prematurity. Here we present data that for the first time characterizes SP-A expression and localization in the mouse retina and its impact on neovascularization (NV) in the mouse. METHODS Retinal SP-A was localized in wild-type (WT) mice with the cell markers glutamine synthetase (Muller cells), neurofilament-M (ganglion cells), glial acid fibrillary acid protein (astrocytes), and cluster of differentiation 31 (endothelial cells). Toll-like receptor 2 and 4 (TLR-2 and TLR-4) ligands were used to up-regulate SP-A expression in WT and myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88) protein (necessary for NFκB signaling) null mouse retinas and Muller cells, which were quantified using ELISA. Retinal SP-A was then measured in the oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mouse model. The effect of SP-A on retinal NV was then studied in SP-A null (SP-A(-/-)) mice. RESULTS SP-A is present at birth in the WT mouse retina and colocalizes with glutamine synthetase. TLR-2 and TLR-4 ligands increase SP-A both in the retina and in Muller cells. SP-A is increased at postnatal day 17 (P17) in WT mouse pups with OIR compared to that in controls (P = 0.02), and SP-A(-/-) mice have reduced NV compared to WT mice (P = 0.001) in the OIR model. CONCLUSIONS Retinal and Muller cell SP-A is up-regulated via the NFκB pathway and up-regulated during the hypoxia phase of OIR. Absence of SP-A attenuates NV in the OIR model. Thus SP-A may be a marker of retinal inflammation during NV.
The Politics of Investment By the Nationalized Sector

he notion of political manipulation of the economy-elected officials implementing policies to enhance their chances of reelection is widely accepted by scholars. And yet, empirical support is far from conclusive, which is astonishing given the extent to which we assume that politicians are driven by reelection goals.2 Why is the evidence not more compelling? This article argues that political models of the economy can be improved by a more refined specification of the variables. First, because incumbents have different perceptions of what macroeconomic manipulations serve their political interests, the independent variables should reflect a broader range of specific political goals. Three distinct political goals serve as independent variables: the Political Business Cycle, macroeconomic stabilization policy, and partisan or constituency benefits. Second, the dependent variable is measured as a narrow economic instrument-capital investment by nationalized firms-as opposed to broadly conceived macroeconomic outcomes. Finally, institutional factors are incorporated in the model on the assumption that they determine the likelihood and nature of political manipulation of the economy. Based on an analysis of capital investment by government-owned enterprises, I conclude that there is evidence of political manipulation of the economy by elected officials.
The Effects of Direct and Indirect Semantic Cues on Consumer Price Perceptions: Some Preliminary Evidence

The manner in which price information is utilized by consumers is not well understood. This paper presents a descriptive model of the consumer price perception process with special attention paid to various types of semantic cues. Effects of these cues on price-related responses were hypothesized for two different types of products. Experimental results indicated different price-related response patterns for each product.
EFFECTS OF ESTRONE, ESTRADIOL AND ESTRIOL PRETREATMENT ON HEPATIC, LUNG, AND INTESTINAL ARYL HYDROCARBON HYDROXYLASE ACTIVITIES IN FEMALE RATS

Forty day old female rats were given 1 mg/kg estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), or estriol (E3), i.p., acutely or chronically. The data indicate that alterations of AHH activity are organ specific and depend upon the estrogen administered as well as the duration of steroid pretreatment. The differences observed may be explained on the basis of estrogen receptors.
Is Writing Performance Related to Keyboard Type? An Investigation From Examinees’ Perspectives on the TOEFL iBT

ABSTRACTTo investigate whether the type of keyboard used in exams introduces any construct-irrelevant variance to the TOEFL iBT Writing scores, we surveyed 17,040 TOEFL iBT examinees from 24 countries on their keyboard-related perceptions and preferences and analyzed the survey responses together with their test scores. Results suggest that controlling for their TOELF iBT Reading, Listening, and Speaking scores, examinees’ Writing scores were statistically significantly associated with examinees’ prior awareness of the TOEFL iBT keyboard policy, the type of keyboard they used during the test, or examines’ perceptions of the type of keyboard used. However, the score differences associated with these factors were negligible, supporting the argument that the current practice of mandatorily using the U.S. standard keyboard poses limited threat to the validity of test scores. Survey results also revealed that although most examinees considered the keyboard used during the test convenient and efficient, two-fif...
Locally repairable codes with the optimum average information locality

Locally repairable codes (LRCs) have been proposed and used in practice as effective coding methods for distributed storage systems (DSSs). In a DSS, information block recovery is a critical task performed in the case of data node permanent failure or temporal unavailability. Temporal node unavailability accounts for 90% of all block recoveries triggered in DSS. Since parity blocks are not needed to be recovered during a temporal node unavailability, special attention should be given to reconstruction of information blocks when trying to minimize the average bandwidth needed for block recovery. Motivated by this, in this work, we study the average locality ofinformation blocks. We obtain a lower bound on the average locality of information blocks of LRCs and design LRCs that achieve the bound. In addition to obtaining the optimal average locality for the information blocks, our codes achieve the optimal maximum locality for all the information blocks as well as some parity blocks (in some cases all the parity blocks).
Warm-up: Der Kontext der Organisationen befindet sich im Wandel

Fur den alltaglichen Sprachgebrauch kaum gefahrlich, erweist sich das Gleichsetzen von komplex und kompliziert fur die Entwicklung von Organisationen als eher toxisch. Das hat einen ganz einfachen Grund: Konnen wir komplizierte Probleme mit allem, was wir in den letzten Jahrzehnten gelernt haben, ohne Probleme optimal und mit hoher Wirksamkeit losen, so versagen meist all unsere Herangehensweisen, sobald wir es mit komplexen Problemen zu tun haben.