cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimum size and placement of distributed generators in microgrid based on reliability concept

Integration of various on-site distributed generators in a micorgrid, which can either be operated in grid-connected or islanded mode, helps to satisfy the local demand. The optimum sizing and placement with a techno-economical optimization of a microgrid is done with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The problem of optimum placement and size is formulated as a nonlinear integer minimization problem which minimizes the sum of the total capital, operational, maintenance and replacement cost of Distributed Generators (DGs), subject to constraints such as voltage, energy limits of each DG, exchanged power with utility and the constraints of system reliability. The exchanged power with the main grid, economics of DG units and penalty for not supplying the loads are taken into consideration. In this paper, some notions of reliability indices are calculated in order to evaluate the performance of a microgrid in both grid-connected and islanded mode, and the effect of reliability on total cost of microgrid is evaluated. The uncertainty of PV output is also considered which plays an important role in optimization technique.
Conclusion: What Is the Nature of Small State Proliferation?

Conventional wisdom has it that the more arms a state has; the more likely that state will use them for either blackmail or conquest. This study disproved this idea. We took from sociologist the concept of the state and ruling elite contribute to a shared pseudo-environment, as Walter Lippman observed the behaviors produced by the pseudo-environment is manifested in the real environment, causing unintended consequences and misunderstandings of behaviors, which leads to crisis and if one is not careful war. Combining this perceptional phenomenon, this study applied John Boyd’s dialect engine and the Observe, Orient, Decision, and Action (OODA) Loop to the decision making process of small states and found small states who choose to pursue nuclear and missile technology have the common characteristics: charismatic leadership of the ruling elite, tacit knowledge of the scientific elite, the ability to control the natural environment as infrastructure, and the state’s capacity to harness and mobilize resources necessary to develop the technology. The conclusion of the study is; small state proliferationis not a strategic activity and the world should encourage proliferation not hinder it in small states. However, the use of these weapons, should be understood by all states, will ensure the death of the ruling elite and the state which uses them.
Die Evolution der Wechselwirkung zwischen Arten

Eine der grosten Herausforderungen fur die Evolutionsbiologie ist die Erklarung, wie Interaktionen zwischen Arten die Evolutionsraten und Muster der adaptiven Radiation beeinflust haben und wie Evolution die interspezifischen Interaktionen und dadurch die Struktur der okologischen Gemeinschaften beeinflust. Dies ist vor allem deshalb eine grose Aufgabe, da sie eine Synthese von zwei komplexen und unvollstandigen Theorien erfordert: der genetischen Evolutionstheorie und der okologischen Theorie der Gemeinschaftsstruktur. Die Synthese dieser Theorien hat gerade erst begonnen. In diesem Kapitel werden Fragen behandelt, die erst seit kurzem gestellt werden. Und es werden Probleme beschrieben, die gegenwartig zu den aufregendsten in der Evolutionsbiologie gehoren. Forschung in diesem Gebiet hat — wie wir gesehen haben — Implikationen fur unser Verstandnis des historischen Wandels der Diversitat (Kapitel 12) und der Biogeographie (Kapitel 13).
Methodological individualism: Singular causal systems and their population manifestations

The purpose of this essay is to investigate the properties of singular causal systems and their population manifestations, with special concern for the thesis of methodological individualism, which claims that there are no properties of social groups that cannot be adequately explained exclusively by reference to properties of individual members of those groups, i.e., at the level of individuals. Individuals, however, may be viewed as singular causal systems, i.e., as instantiations of (arrangements of) dispositional properties. From this perspective, methodological individualism appears to be an ambiguous thesis: some properties of collections of (independent) systems of the same kind are reducible, but other properties of collections of (dependent) systems of the same kind are not. In cases of the first kind, therefore, methodological individualism is true, but trivial; while in cases of the second kind, it is significant, but false. Hence, if the arguments that follow are correct, at least some of the properties of social groups should qualify as emergent.
Appreciating Scientificity in Qualitative Research

I wish to situate this essay in an educational paradigm that is concerned with the education of itself, its peers and its students. From here, we acknowledge the necessity for knowledge and that in learning we discover knowledge either through ourselves, through our peers or through synthesizing a dialectic between the governing bodies of knowledge and an educational system. We might understand that we discover knowledge in an educational setting by processes that are akin to scientific discovery.
Labor induction with continuous low-dose oxytocin infusion: a randomized trial.

One hundred twenty-three women were randomized to receive either of two regimens of oxytocin for labor induction. Sixty-one received a low-dose regimen, with oxytocin increases at intervals of not less than 60 minutes. Patients with unripe cervices received prolonged low-dose oxytocin priming before membrane rupture. Sixty-two others received a traditional protocol, with oxytocin increased every 20 minutes as required. Both groups had amniotomy when deemed safe and feasible. Oxytocin was adjusted for uterine hyperstimulation or abnormal fetal heart rate patterns in 29 and 58% of low-dose and traditional protocol subjects, respectively (P less than .001, odds ratio 3.6). No significant increase in time to delivery was seen with low-dose oxytocin infusion. Cesarean delivery and cesareans for fetal distress were more frequent in the traditional protocol group. This study demonstrates that a continuous low-dose protocol for oxytocin induction of labor is effective in establishing active labor and achieving vaginal delivery in women with both ripe and unripe cervices. It is also associated with fewer episodes of uterine hyperstimulation requiring adjustments of oxytocin infusion than is the traditional protocol of this institution.
Safety of Outpatient Single-level Cervical Total Disc Replacement: A Propensity-Matched Multi-institutional Study.

STUDY DESIGN A retrospective cohort comparison study. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the perioperative adverse event profile of cervical total disc replacement (CTDR) performed as an outpatient relative to inpatient procedure. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Recent reimbursement changes and a push for safe reductions in hospital stay have resulted in increased interest in performing CTDRs in the outpatient setting. However, there has been a paucity of studies investigating the safety of outpatient CTDR procedures, despite increasing frequency. METHODS Patients who underwent single-level CTDR were identified in the 2005 to 2016 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Outpatient versus inpatient procedure status was defined by length of stay, with outpatient being less than 1 day. Patient baseline characteristics and comorbidities were compared between the two groups. Propensity score matched comparisons were then performed for 30-day perioperative complications and readmissions between the two cohorts. In addition, perioperative outcomes of outpatient single-level CTDR versus matched outpatient single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) cases were compared. RESULTS In total, 373 outpatient and 1612 inpatient single-level CTDR procedures were identified. After propensity score matching was performed to control for potential confounders, statistical analysis revealed no significant difference in perioperative complications between outpatient versus matched inpatient CTDR. Notably, the rate of readmissions was not different between the two groups. In addition, there was no difference in rates of perioperative adverse events between outpatient single-level CTDR versus matched outpatient single-level ACDF. CONCLUSION The perioperative outcomes evaluated in the current study support the conclusion that, for appropriately selected patients, single-level CTDR can be safely performed in the outpatient setting without increased rates of 30-day perioperative complications or readmissions compared with inpatient CTDR or outpatient single-level ACDF. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3.
Impact of Moisture on Photoexcited Charge Carrier Dynamics in Methylammonium Lead Halide Perovskites.

Organic–inorganic metal halide perovskites are notoriously unstable in humid environments. While many studies have revealed the morphology and crystal structure changes that accompany exposure to humidity, little is known about changes to the photophysics that accompany the degradation process. By combining in situ steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence with Hall effect measurements, we examined the changes in the photoexcited carrier dynamics for methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) and bromide (MAPbBr3) films exposed to nitrogen gas containing water vapor at 80% relative humidity. The changes in the photophysics of MAPbI3 interacting with water follow a four-stage process, consisting of surface passivation, free electron doping, interfacial hydration, and bulk hydration. In contrast, MAPbBr3 exhibits only features associated with the first two stages, which occur at a faster rate. Our results elucidate the degradation mechanisms of perovskite films in high humidity from the perspective of the p...
Rector Father Castañeda’s artistic patronage at the Jesuit College of Oaxaca as revealed in his personal correspondence

The Jesuits carried out a noteworthy educational mission in the Viceroyalty of New Spain. For that purpose they built capable edifices and decorated them with artistic contents that facilitated that endeavor, and allowed it to thrive. One of those complexes was the College of Oaxaca, the primary educational institution in one of the most prosperous viceregal cities and third in importance among the more than thirty colleges that the Jesuits founded in New Spain, representing a clear example of the process of spiritual, intellectual, and material expansion that the Society of Jesus carried out in Spanish America. The discovery, among other documents, of a set of letters penned by one of its last rectors has revealed that it once featured a significantly rich artistic program, one that, unfortunately, has been progressively disappearing since the banishment of the Jesuits from Oaxaca in 1767.
The Mathematics of Palladio’s Villas

Much has been written about the mathematical qualities of Andrea Palladio's architecture, including his own I quattro libri dell'architettura. Often this has been analyzed within the context of a larger collection of architectural treatises, underscoring the importance of proportion, symmetry and geometry in Renaissance Italy. This essay provides a review of the mathematical aspects of Palladio’s work as it has been discussed in the literature and offers a novel perspective on his mathematical approach to architectural design. The author argues that, given the amount of discussion already focused on the role that harmonic proportions played in the Palladio's architecture, it is now time to search further for other mathematical facets of his design philosophy. The analysis is arranged in three sections: geometry, proportion and symmetry.
Polyploid giant cancer cells: Unrecognized actuators of tumorigenesis, metastasis, and resistance.

Cancer led to the deaths of more than 9 million people worldwide in 2018, and most of these deaths were due to metastatic tumor burden. While in most cases, we still do not know why cancer is lethal, we know that a total tumor burden of 1 kg-equivalent to one trillion cells-is not compatible with life. While localized disease is curable through surgical removal or radiation, once cancer has spread, it is largely incurable. The inability to cure metastatic cancer lies, at least in part, to the fact that cancer is resistant to all known compounds and anticancer drugs. The source of this resistance remains undefined. In fact, the vast majority of metastatic cancers are resistant to all currently available anticancer therapies, including chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and systemic radiation. Thus, despite decades-even centuries-of research, metastatic cancer remains lethal and incurable. We present historical and contemporary evidence that the key actuators of this process-of tumorigenesis, metastasis, and therapy resistance-are polyploid giant cancer cells.
Regulating Hate Speech: Damned If You Do and Damned If You Don't

Although the choice of free speech issues—campus speech codes, pornography, Holocaust revisionism, and the honor of German soldiers—seem unrelated at first sight, a comparable ongoing controversy is taking place in Germany and the United States in the area of free speech. The underlying question is whether free speech should be limited when the target of offensive speech is a group that has historically been discriminated against.
Treat-to-Target Approach in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Quality Improvement Trial.

OBJECTIVE Using a quality improvement approach, our objective was to integrate a treat-to-target approach for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through routine electronic collection of patient-reported disease activity scores and a multidisciplinary learning collaborative for rheumatologists. METHODS RA patients completed a patient-reported outcome measure, the Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3), at check-in. Nine rheumatologists and their patients were allocated to a learning collaborative intervention group focused on a treat-to-target approach and 13 were allocated to a control group. The primary outcome was documentation of a treat-to-target implementation score: disease activity score, disease activity score used in the medication change decision, the presence of a treatment target, and an indication of shared decision-making. A primary analysis of patient visits with medication changes was conducted using an interrupted time-series analysis. RESULTS We studied 554 individual rheumatology patients with 709 patient visits. Treat-to-target implementation scores among intervention rheumatologists (mean ± SD 44.6% ± 1.63%) were 12.4% higher than in the control group (mean ± SD 32.2% ± 1.50%; P < 0.0001). We observed differences in treat-to-target implementation score components, comparing intervention group to control group rheumatologists: disease activity score present, 77.2% versus 68.0% (P = 0.02); disease activity score used in the medication change decision, 45.2% versus 30.0% (P < 0.01); treatment target, 9.0% versus 0.4% (P < 0.01); and shared decision-making, 46.9% versus 30.0% (P < 0.01). Secondary analysis of patient visits with high RAPID3 scores found that medication changes were 54% less likely in the intervention versus control group (odds ratio 0.46 [95% confidence interval 0.27-0.79], P = 0.005). CONCLUSION This nonrandomized, interrupted time-series trial demonstrated a modest but significant impact of a learning collaborative intervention on rheumatologist documentation of a treat-to-target approach in RA.
The Means and the End Teaching Digital Literacy to Nonprofit Students

For their future career, nonprofit students need to attain the necessary skills and knowledge to leverage the power of technology appropriately to serve their communities. As faculty, we need to design our courses to improve the digital literacy of our students and therefore improve their ability to effectively communicate, manage, and lead public service organizations. This article examines an undergraduate course called Community Organizations in a Digital World that responds to the new demands for innovations in nonprofit organizations. We present the overall course design, including assignments, and the findings of a pretest and a posttest of individual student digital literacy and student reflections on their digital literacy. Based on the two-stage survey, students’ digital literacy significantly improved when they completed the course. Moreover, students appreciated the importance and the difficulty of using social media in their future career. They also recognized the effect of algorithms and social justice issues of accessing technology. This evidence demonstrates the active learning exercises used in this course successfully improved students’ digital literacy. Subscribe to JNEL
Turbulence profiling with a dual beacon Hartmann turbulence sensor using simulation derived weighting functions

Atmospheric turbulence profiles were estimated for a horizontal path based upon measurements made with a dual beacon Hartmann Turbulence Sensor (HTS) using simulation derived weighting functions. These results are compared to estimates made using a weighting functions computed from theory. These results are further compared to anemometer and scintillometer based turbulence estimates for the same path. The previously published theoretical weighting functions for this situation are based upon some presumptions of geometric optics and thus ignore both diffraction and scintillation effects. All of these weighting functions quantify how turbulence at different distances along the path contributes to the expected value of the differential tilt variances measured by the HTS. In the experiment, the HTS used a 16” Meade telescope with 700 subapertures along a 511 m path roughly 2 meters above the ground. Two HeNe lasers separated by 11 cm served as beacons, each was beam expanded to well overfill the telescope aperture. The same situation was simulated with wave optics. To create simulated weighting functions, a single (usually weak) random turbulence screen was inserted at a single plane perpendicularly to the propagation path. Light from one beacon was then numerically propagated to the telescope aperture where the tilts were computed over each subaperture and saved. This propagation was then carried out for the second beacon. This random phase screen was then inserted at a different propagation plane and this procedure was repeated. When all the desired positions along the beam path had been sampled a new random phase screen was generated and this whole procedure was repeated hundreds of times. The desired weighting functions were then generated by computing the differential tilt variance between the beacons and all pairs of horizontally separated subapertures for each path position. All equivalent subaperture separations within each range bin were then averaged together to produce weighting functions which depend on path position and subaperture separation distance. The weighting functions produced in this fashion showed some differences from the theoretical ones. They were a little weaker far from the telescope, and they showed a somewhat broadened notch where the beacons overlapped compared to the theoretical ones. The effect of these differences on the resulting turbulence profile estimates will be discussed.
Palmore v. Sidoti: The Troubling Effects of

Eyes are a central motif in Xavier Cortada’s artistic portrayal of Palmore v. Sidoti, and appropriately so. The disembodied and disapproving eyes, in (as Cortado puts it) ‘a sea of Caucasian skin’, surround the three figures forming a family tableau at the center of the painting: Linda Sidoti Palmore, a white mother holding onto her young daughter, Melanie, also white, who in turn holds the hand of Clarence Palmore, a Black man, who became Linda’s new husband, and for a brief period, Melanie’s stepfather. This interracial family tableau so alarmed Linda’s ex-husband (and Melanie’s father), Anthony Sidoti, that, in 1982, he succeeded in persuading a state court judge in Tampa, Florida, where they all resided, to transfer custody of Melanie, then five years old, from Melanie’s mother to him. Two years later, a unanimous United States Supreme Court reversed that ruling, agreeing with Linda Sidoti Palmore that it violated the Constitution to remove her child from her because of her interracial marriage. It was unusual for a custody determination, typically the province of state courts, to reach the Supreme Court, but, as Chief Justice Burger explained in his opinion for the Court, the state court’s reliance on ‘what it regarded as the damaging impact on [Melanie] from remaining in a racially mixed household’ as a reason for transferring custody away from the mother raised ‘important federal concerns arising from the Constitution’s commitment to eradicating discrimination based on race.’
Transnationalism Contextualized in Miami: The Proposed Component of Dialectal Spanish Negotiations in Undergraduate TESOL Courses

The chapter suggests integrating dialectal Spanish negotiations in undergraduate TESOL courses at Florida International University (FIU), as an approach to contextualize and localize TESOL curriculum. FIU is the largest Hispanic-Serving Institution in the U.S. for awarded undergraduate and graduate degrees. In addition to giving a rationale for our proposal to reflect and represent demographics and translingual interactions of the diverse student population, we provide concrete examples of FIU courses to embed Spanish components in TESOL teacher education curricula via possible disciplinary bridging. Even though the context of our chapter is FIU in Miami, it has wider implications to other areas having large and growing populations of domestic and overseas immigrants. In this sense, the locality of this chapter will represent more universities in the future, when it comes to dissecting transnationalism into the level of languages and dialects in the light of contextualizing curriculum and pedagogical practice.
Preemption by Fiat: The Department of Labor's Usurpation of Power over Noncitizen Workers' Right to Unemployment Benefits

The right to unemployment insurance benefits is a property right protected by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, which apply to noncitizen unemployment applicants as well as to United States citizens. Certain actions being undertaken by the United States Department of Labor ("DOL") violate both procedural and substantive due process as well as the Administrative Procedure Act ("APA"). The challenged actions involve the DOL's issuance of internally-created missives, termed Unemployment Insurance Program Letters ("Program Letters"), that purport to interpret the meaning of a requirement under federal unemployment law; the letters actually alter the meaning of that requirement. The requirement at issue is that, to be eligible for benefits, certain noncitizen unemployment applicants must qualify as "permanently residing in the United States under color of law" ("PRUCOL"). By changing the meaning of PRUCOL through Program Letters rather than the appropriate rulemaking process, the DOL has both thwarted congressional design and reversed court decisions that have been developing for the past fifteen years.
Variation in hepatitis B immunization coverage rates associated with provider practices after the temporary suspension of the birth dose

In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics and U.S. Public Health Service recommended suspending the birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine due to concerns about potential mercury exposure. A previous report found that overall national hepatitis B vaccination coverage rates decreased in association with the suspension. It is unknown whether this underimmunization occurred uniformly or was associated with how providers changed their practices for the timing of hepatitis B vaccine doses. We evaluate the impact of the birth dose suspension on underimmunization for the hepatitis B vaccine series among 24-month-olds in five large provider groups and describe provider practices potentially associated with underimmunization following the suspension. Retrospective cohort study of children enrolled in five large provider groups in the United States (A-E). Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between the birth dose suspension and a child's probability of being underimmunized at 24 months for the hepatitis B vaccine series. Prior to July 1999, the percent of children who received a hepatitis B vaccination at birth varied widely (3% to 90%) across the five provider groups. After the national recommendation to suspend the hepatitis B birth dose, the percent of children who received a hepatitis B vaccination at birth decreased in all provider groups, and this trend persisted after the policy was reversed. The most substantial decreases were observed in the two provider groups that shifted the first hepatitis B dose from birth to 5–6 months of age. Accounting for temporal trend, children in these two provider groups were significantly more likely to be underimmunized for the hepatitis B series at 24 months of age if they were in the birth dose suspension cohort compared with baseline (Group D OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.7 – 4.4; Group E OR 3.1, 95% CI 2.3 – 4.2). This represented 6% more children in Group D and 9% more children in Group E who were underimmunized in the suspension cohort compared with baseline. Children in the reversal cohort in these groups remained significantly more likely to be underimmunized compared with baseline. In contrast, in a third provider group where the typical timing of the third dose was unchanged and in two other provider groups whose hepatitis B vaccination schedules were unaffected by the birth dose suspension, hepatitis B vaccination coverage either was maintained or improved. When the hepatitis B birth dose was suspended, provider groups that moved the first dose of vaccination to 5–6 months of age or later had decreases in hepatitis B vaccine coverage at 24 months. These findings suggest that as vaccine policy changes occur, providers could attempt to minimize underimmunization by adopting vaccination schedules that minimize delays in the recommended timing of vaccine doses.
Application of a Predictive Coke Temperature Model to Heat Stress Experimentation

An interactive procedure for evaluating and maintaining an individual's core temperature at a predetermined level was developed and tested. The procedure involved the use of previously developed models for predicting core temperature changes during work and rest. Various levels of metabolic activity were used for rapid core temperature elevation and adjustments in dry-bulb temperature and relative humidity maintained the desired core temperature level. Evaluation of the procedure was made using five female subjects at four different levels of elevation. Results are presented which show the accuracy of the control.
Why Broadband Internet Should Not Be the Priority for Developing Countries

With broadband Internet connectivity progressing, the focus of attention has shifted to those left behind. The shorthand word for this concern is the classic “digital divide.” Underlying virtually every discussion about a gap in broadband penetrations is the implicit assumption that overcoming such a divide is a priority (Meschi et al., 2004; Crandall et al., 2007). But maybe we first should pause for a moment and understand the implications of ending this divide. If we do that, we might end up changing our perspective on Internet policy in an important way: away from a focus on broadband Internet connectivity, and towards universal connectivity and the creation of E-transactions, E-commerce, and E-content.
Realization of differentiated quality of service for wideband code division multiple access core network

The development of 3G (the 3rd generation telecommunication) value-added services brings higher requirements of Quality of Service (QoS). Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) is one of three 3G standards, and enhancement of QoS for WCDMA Core Network (CN) becomes more and more important for users and carriers. The dissertation focuses on enhancement of QoS for WCDMA CN. The purpose is to realize the DiffServ (Differentiated Services) model of QoS for WCDMA CN. Based on the parallelism characteristic of Network Processors (NPs), the NP programming model is classified as Pool of Threads (POTs) and Hyper Task Chaining (HTC). In this study, an integrated programming model that combines both of the two models was designed. This model has highly efficient and flexible features, and also solves the problems of sharing conflicts and packet ordering. We used this model as the programming model to realize DiffServ QoS for WCDMA CN. The realization mechanism of the DiffServ model mainly consists of buffer management, packet scheduling and packet classification algorithms based on NPs. First, we proposed an adaptive buffer management algorithm called Packet Adaptive Fair Dropping (PAFD), which takes into consideration of both fairness and throughput, and has smooth service curves. Then, an improved packet scheduling algorithm called Priority-based Weighted Fair Queuing (PWFQ) was introduced to ensure the fairness of packet scheduling and reduce queue time of data packets. At the same time, the delay and jitter are also maintained in a small range. Thirdly, a multi-dimensional packet classification algorithm called Classification Based on Network Processors (CBNPs) was designed. It effectively reduces the memory access and storage space, and provides less time and space complexity. Lastly, an integrated hardware and software system of the DiffServ model of QoS for WCDMA CN was proposed. It was implemented on the NP IXP2400. According to the corresponding experiment results, the proposed system significantly enhanced QoS for WCDMA CN. It extensively improves consistent response time, display distortion and sound image synchronization, and thus increases network efficiency and saves network resource.
Immobilized electrolyte biodegradable batteries for implantable MEMS

Liquid electrolyte volume is a key driver in the lifetime and overall size of microfabricated biodegradable batteries. Harnessing liquid from the body to serve as the battery electrolyte may, therefore, be desirable; however, for stable operation, maintaining a constant environment inside the electrochemical cell is required even in the presence of changing body conditions. We report a biodegradable battery featuring a solid electrolyte of sodium chloride (NaCl) and polycaprolactone (PCL). This approach harnesses the body fluid that diffuses into the cell as an element of the electrolyte; however, the large excess of ionic material suspended in the PCL holds intracellular conditions constant. A constant discharge profile can then be achieved even in the presence of varying external aqueous conditions, enabling compact, stably-performing cells.
A fisherwoman in the China Sea: An interview with Dr Anne Tsui, Motorola Professor of International Management (Part II)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present Part II of an interview with Dr Anne Tsui, Motorola Professor of International Management. Part I – the scholarly journey, was published in JCHRM Vol. 2 No. 2, 2011. This part of the interview focuses on the following issues: how Dr Anne Tsui has developed her interest and passion in Chinese management research over the years; how Dr Tsui has contributed to the management field; what researchers should do in order to conduct quality management research in China; and what Dr Tsui has envisioned for the future opportunities and challenges of Chinese management research.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports a recent interview with Dr Anne Tsui, Motorola Professor of International Management at Arizona State University.Findings – Anyone who is interested in quality management research in China should choose interesting topics that are relevant to the Chinese local context and grounded in local phenomena. Qualitative research method and cross‐cultural...
Efficiencies and Unobserved Heterogeneity in Turkish Banking: 1990-2000

Studies of bank efficiency tend to draw conclusions from pooled estimates, assuming that all banks in a sample use the same technology, or estimates based on a priori classifications of the banks. It is well known that efficiency rankings may be corrupted if banks that use different technologies are pooled together in estimating the technological frontier with respect to which inefficiency is estimated. In this paper we model unobserved heterogeneity in banking technologies as a mixture model, and investigate the efficiencies of 53 Turkish banks using likelihood-based stochastic frontier analysis for the period 1990-2000. We use the EC (Estimation-Classification) estimator to obtain data-driven identification of bank-technology-classes in our sample, and to estimate the mixture components of banking technologies therein. We have four dimensions of possible a priori heterogeneity in our sample: Large vs. small, state vs. private, foreign vs. domestic, and Islamic vs. conventional banks. In some cases, multiple a priori criteria may be confounded, e.g. most foreign banks were also small. Simple tests of homogeneity cannot disentangle those confounded effects. Our likelihood-based analysis finds no evidence of heterogeneity along the state vs. private and Islamic vs. conventional dimensions. The estimated classifications and mixture components have intuitive ex post institutional explanations.
Charge-recycling voltage domains for energy-efficient low-voltage operation of digital CMOS circuits

We describe an energy-efficient means to achieve on-chip dc-dc conversion for dynamic energy-performance trade-offs in digital circuits. The approach uses balanced voltage islands running at fractions of the supply voltage. Charge "discarded" by one domain is "recycled" to supply energy for another. When the domains are ideally balanced, all the energy dissipated by electrons in "dropping" to lower potentials is used for active computation. We describe the design of an active on-chip voltage regulation scheme to provide controlled dc-dc conversion with this technique.
Antioxidant enzyme systems in rat liver and skeletal muscle. Influences of selenium deficiency, chronic training, and acute exercise.

The influences of selenium deficiency (Se-D), chronic training, and an acute bout of exercise on hepatic and skeletal muscle antioxidant enzymes, i.e., superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), as well as glutathione S-transferase (GST) and tissue lipid peroxidation, were investigated in post-weaning male Sprague-Dawley rats. Se-D per se depleted GPX in both liver and skeletal muscle but had no effect on SOD or catalase activity. One hour of treadmill running (20 m/min, 0% grade and 27 m/min, 15% grade for untrained and trained rats, respectively) significantly elevated hepatic catalase and cytosolic SOD activity; more prominent activations were found in the Se-D or untrained rats, whereas skeletal muscle antioxidant enzymes were little affected. Ten weeks of training (1 h/day, 5 days/week at 27 m/min, 15% grade) increased hepatic mitochondrial SOD by 23% (P less than 0.05) in Se-D rats. Both hepatic mitochondrial and cytosolic GPX were decreased by training whereas GPX was increased twofold in skeletal muscle mitochondria. Se-independent GPX was elevated by training only in the skeletal muscle mitochondria of Se-D rats. Lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde formation) was increased by an acute bout of exercise in hepatic mitochondria of the untrained rats and in skeletal muscle mitochondria of the Se-D rats. These data indicate that antioxidant enzymes in liver and skeletal muscle are capable of adapting to selenium deficiency and exercise to minimize oxidative injury caused by free radicals.
Reactions of evaporated lithium films with silica surfaces

Abstract Reactions of thin films of clean lithium with freshly cleaved silica surfaces have been characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Reaction rates (near room temperature) are low enough that spectroscopic analysis is possible during the entire course of the reaction. The major product of the reaction is composed of oxidized lithium, a metasilicate (SiO2-3) species, and a unique form of reduced Si, possibly a lithium-rich alloy phase. For confined regions, where the lithium concentration can be made extremely high (as in these thin film depositions) the reaction with the active metal gives a product distribution not predicted by previous thermodynamic arguments.
In vitro systems: standardization of endpoints.

Abstract Principles are discussed for utilizing cell culture systems to assay for interactions between drugs and radiation. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of using synchronous cultures to determine whether the interaction is independent, additive, or synergistic, and to determine the effect of drugs on recovery from sublethal X-ray damage (SLD). Furthermore, in studies of drug effects on SLD, adequate controls must be included to distinguish between effects associated with the interaction of 2 X-ray doses and the effects associated with interaction of a second X-ray dose with prior drug exposure. Finally, different methods of expressing drug exposure are reviewed, and associated problems related to predicting in vivo effects from in vitro results are mentioned.
Affinity labelling of neuronal acetylcholine receptors localizes acetylcholine-binding sites to their β-subunits

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) from brains of chickens and rats consist of two types of subunits, α and β, of which a shares some antigenic determinants with α-subunits from AChRs of electric organ and muscle [(1986) Biochemistry 25, 2082-2093; (1986) J. Neurosci. G, 3061-3069; (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, in press]. Here we demonstrate that after reduction with dithiothreitol (DTT) the AChRs can be specifically labelled with the acetylcholine-binding site directed reagent 4-(N-maleimido)benzyltri [3H]methylammonium iodide. Labelling of the β-subunits of neuronal nicotinic AChRs indicates that the acetylcholine-binding site, and amino acids which may be homologous to Cys 192–193 of the α-subunits of AChRs from electric organ and muscle, are located on the β-subunit of neuronal AChRs. These results suggest that although neuronal nicotinic AChRs have some structural homologies to AChRs from muscle and electric organs, the AChRs from these sources are quite distant relatives in an extended gene family.
Merleau-Ponty and the trickster: Philosophy as the mytho-logos of ambiguity

A partir du mythe de l'Odyssee d'Homere, l'A. nous presente la philosophie de Merleau-Ponty concernant l'ambiguite. L'A. mentionne Protee (qui reste dans l'anonymat) et le Cyclope (piege par le nom que se donne Ulysse : Personne) : dans les deux cas l'invisible ou l'anonymat transparaissent a travers la volonte des personnages qui dissimulent leur forme, leur identite. En fait, Ulysse, Poseidon et le Cyclope sont trois avatars de Protee l'illusionniste qui possede ainsi plusieurs visages, plusieurs qualites.
Nonlinear constitutive models from nanoindentation tests using artificial neural networks

Abstract This paper presents a new approach using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) models to simulate the response during nanohardness tests of a variety of materials with nonlinear behavior. The ANNs continuous input and output variables usually include material parameters, indentation deflection, and resisting force. Different ANN models, including dimensionless input/output variables, are generated and trained with discrete finite-element (FE) simulations with different geometries and nonlinear material parameters. Only the monotonic loading part of the load–displacement indentation response is used to generate the trained ANN models. This is a departure from classical indentation simulations or tests where typically the unloading portion is used to determine the stiffness and hardness. The experimental part of this study includes nanoindentation tests performed on a silicon (Si) substrate with and without a nanocrystalline copper (Cu) film. The new ANN models are used to back-calculate (inverse problem) the in situ nonlinear material parameters for different copper material systems. The results are compared with available data in the literature. The proposed FE–ANN modeling approach is very effective and can be used in calibrating and predicting the in situ inelastic material properties using the monotonic part of the indentation response and for depths above 50 nm where the overall resisting force represents a continuum response.
Mechanisms of Immunosuppression in Cytomegalovirus Mononucleosis. II. Virus-Monocyte Interactions

Virus-monocyte interactions were evaluated in patients with mononucleosis due to cytomegalovirus (CMV). Group 1 patients studied about two weeks after the onset of symptoms had lymphocyte responses to concanavalin A (con A) that were maximally suppressed and unaffected by in vitro culture or reconstitution with monocytes. Lymphocytes from group 2 patients studied about three weeks after the onset of symptoms had less markedly suppressed responses, which were reversed by in vitro culture or by reconstitution with monocytes. Monocyte depletion resulted in a marked diminution of fresh lymphocyte responses of group 2 patients but not of group 1 patients. CMV was isolated from blood monocytes of four patients with mononucleosis; intact, infected monocytes were capable of suppressing responses of cultured autologous lymphocytes to con A. Monocytes from uninfected control donors were infected in vitro with CMV and evaluated for the induction of suppressor activity. CMV-infected monocytes were significantly more suppressive for autologous lymphocyte responses to con A than were uninfected monocytes.
Temperature-sensitive interactions between RPE and rod outer segment surface proteins.

Abstract Phagocytosis of rod outer segments by the retinal pigment epithelium is distinguished by the two distinct temperature-dependent steps of binding and ingestion. This study was designed to see if retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) plasma membrane proteins interact with ROS plasma membrane proteins at temperatures favoring either binding or ingestion. A modified blot overlay assay was used whereby Western blots of RPE plasma membrane proteins were overlaid with biotinylated ROS plasma membrane proteins. RPE/ROS interactions were detected by streptavidin-HRP and the ECL method at 25°C (ingestion), 15°C (binding), and 4°C (little or no binding or ingestion). Unlabeled ROS proteins served as the negative control. Competition with excess unlabeled ROS proteins were used to test the specificity of the protein interactions. Some protein interactions were somewhat temperature dependent. For example, two RPE plasma membrane proteins (200 kDa and 173 kDa) interacted with ROS plasma membrane proteins at both 25°C and 15°C, but not at 4°C. A strongly labeled protein at 50 kDA protein was present at 25°C but weakly labeled at 15°C and at 4°C. Other protein interaction were more clearly temperature dependent. For example, a 110 kDa RPE protein interacted with ROS proteins only at 25°C. Another RPE protein (55 kDa) interacted only at 15°C. These latter data provide correlations between binding events in the assay and previously described stages of phagocytosis.
Characterization of a Putative Helix-Loop-Helix Motif in Nucleotide Excision Repair Endonuclease, XPG

Complementation group G of xeroderma pigmentosum (XPG) is one of the most rare and pathophysiologically heterogeneous forms of this inherited disease. XPG patients exhibit varying phenotypes, from having a very mild defect in DNA repair to being severely affected, and a few cases are also associated with the neurological degeneracy and growth retardation of Cockayne's syndrome. The XPG gene encodes a 134-kDa nuclear protein that is essential for the incision steps of nucleotide excision repair. XPG protein contains a putative helix-loop-helix (HLH) motif in the region that is most conserved among the members of structure-specific endonuclease family. To establish the functional significance of the HLH motif, we used several approaches, including theoretical modeling, functional complementation assay, structure-specific endonuclease assay, and DNA binding assay. A secondary structure of the motif was predicted by energy minimization and the Monte Carlo simulation and empirically proven using the circular dichroism to contain a high content of α-helix. When an XPG mutant lacking the HLH was overexpressed in UV135 cells, which have defects in the hamster homolog of XPG, the mutant gene failed to confer to the hamster cells the resistance to UV light. A recombinant XPG protein lacking the HLH motif was purified from insect cells and tested for a structure-specific endonuclease activity. The mutant protein failed to cleave the flap strand. A recombinant peptide containing the HLH (amino acids 758–871) was expressed in and purified from bacteria, tested for DNA binding activity, and found to bind to a DNA substrate with the flap structure. These results suggest that the HLH motif is required for the catalytic and DNA binding activities of XPG.
Translocation (X;19) with involvement of the inactive X chromosome in oligoblastic granulocytic leukemia

Abstract A 72-year-old female with metastatic breast cancer developed oligoblastic granulocytic leukemia 6 months after initiation of chemotherapy. Cytogenetic examination of the bone marrow cells revealed a balanced t(X;19)(q12;q13.3) as the sole abnormality in 50% of the metaphases. The remaining cells showed a normal female karyotype. The der(19) chromosome displayed consistent folding in the Xq13–q23 region in all metaphases, indicating involvement of the inactive X chromosome in translocation.
Realistic expectations and leadership in the era of work hour reform.

Background Work hour guidelines and core competencies were introduced to improve surgical education and are changing the landscape of surgical training. We sought to examine perceptions and attitudes regarding the impetus and impact associated with these changes. Materials and Methods Anonymous surveys were distributed to faculty and surgeons-in-training in an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, university-based, training program. Results Faculty (F, n = 30) and trainees (T, n = 30) agree that lifestyle expectations and long work hours are the principal issues facing surgical education (F = 80%, T = 56%; P = 0.03). Implementation of ACGME guidelines is perceived as NOT improving patient care or clinical experience (F = 100%, T = 90%; P = 0.03) while reducing operative experience (F = 50%, T = 70%). More faculty (>80%) than trainees (33%) are concerned that ACGME guidelines will diminish patient care experiences. Although most (F = 77%, T = 83%; P = NS) agree that hiring additional providers will improve guideline compliance, many oppose ACGME guideline implementation fearing a loss of professionalism. Although both (F = 50%, T = 47%) admonish deficient interpersonal and communication skills as the major impediment to implementing ACGME guidelines, opinions regarding implementation differ. Most faculty (67%) believe ACGME-imposed deadlines are the most influential reason; however, trainees (57%) believe guidelines should be promptly implemented to address long-awaited changes in work environment and surgical graduate medical education. Conclusions Although faculty and trainees’ perception of the issues surrounding ACGME guidelines converge, perception of changes following implementation is quite divergent. For successful implementation, leadership must address prevailing attitudes and set realistic expectations. These trends have important implications for planning the future of surgical education, unifying multi-generational colleagues, and improving systems-based practice.