cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Preliminary Phylogenetic Hypothesis for the Cotingas (Cotingidae) Based on Mitochondrial DNA

The cotingas (Cotingidae) are a diverse family of Neotropical suboscines that are thought to be closely related to manakins (Pipridae) and tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) in the superfamily Tyrannoidea (Lanyon 1985; McKitrick 1985; Sibley and Ahlquist 1985, 1990; Prum 1990). The cotingas include species with a great variety of plumages, breeding systems, and ecologies, and they exhibit the largest range in body size of any passerine family (Snow 1982). Understanding the evolutionary history of variation in these traits requires a corroborated phylogenetic hypotheses for the group. Toward this goal, we have conducted a preliminary molecular phylogenetic analysis to identify the major cotinga clades and reconstruct their interrelationships. Modern phylogenetic studies of the cotingas have included five analyses of morphological and molecular data. Some cotingas were included in phylogenetic studies based on allozyme electrophoresis (Lanyon 1985) and DNA-DNA hybridization (Sibley and Ahlquist 1985, 1990; Sibley et al. 1985). Furthermore, Prum (1990) performed a test of the monophyly of the cotingas based on morphology. Prum and Lanyon (1989) did a phylogenetic analysis of the Schiffornis group based on morphology, and Lanyon and Lanyon (1988) analyzed the relationships among the genera of the Phytotoma group using morphology and allozyme electrophoresis. Here, we analyze data from sequences of mitochondrial DNA from individuals of 32 cotinga species in 26 genera and 7 outgroup taxa. Monophyly of cotingas.—First recognized in nearly its modern form by Sclater (1888), the Cotingidae has varied somewhat in taxonomic composition over the last century (Ridgway 1907; Hellmayr 1929; Snow 1979, 1982). Garrod (1876) first recognized the close relationship between manakins and cotingas based on the presence of an enlarged femoral artery. Prum (1990) established that the majority of cotingas and manakins possess the derived femoral artery condi-
A further experimental study of satire as persuasion

(1966). A further experimental study of satire as persuasion. Speech Monographs: Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 184-185.
Do Governmental Markets Recognize State Pension Obligations? Some Additional Evidence of Governmental Market Efficiency

The purpose of this study is to provide additional insight into the relationship between states' unfunded pension obligations and borrowing costs. We developed separate models for short, intermediate, and long-term maturities to examine the relationship between pension underfunding and borrowing costs for bond issues with different maturities. We hypothesize that the relationship will be insignificant for bond issues with short-term maturities as pension funding will not have to increase for several years. We hypothesize that there will be a significant relationship for bond issues with longer maturities as pension funding will represent a competing claim on states' resources in the long term. The results of the analysis support our hypotheses as there is an insignificant relationship for the issues with shorter maturities and a significant relationship for the intermadiate andlong-term maturities.
Base-pairing configurations between purines and pyrimidines in the solid state. I. Crystal and molecular structure of a 1:2 purine-pyrimidine hydrogen-bonded complex: 9-ethyladenine-1-methyl-5-iodouracil.

Abstract 9-Ethyladenine and 1-methyl-5-iodouracil form a 1:2 hydrogen-bonded complex in the crystalline state. The structure has been determined by three-dimensional X-ray diffraction methods and refined by block diagonal least squares to a final residual of 9.2%. The crystals are monoclinic, space group P2 1 c , with a = 15.13 A , b = 8.60 A , c = 20.11 A and β = 119 ° 42′. Two iodouracil residues interact with one adenine residue to form a planar trimer complex containing two different hydrogen-bonded configurations. One configuration is similar to that found in previous co-crystallization studies of adenine and uracil derivatives, and involves a Hoogsteen type base-pairing arrangement. The other base-pairing configuration resembles the Watson-Crick adenine-thymine base-pairing configuration, except that the iodouracil residue is reversed in its orientation, hydrogen-bonding involving the O(2) carbonyl oxygen, rather than O(4) as in the Watson-Crick scheme. The over-all crystal structure consists of an angulated sheet-like arrangement of trimer base pairs, held together by van der Waals' type interactions. The relationship of this structure to previous structures containing adenine and uracil derivatives is discussed.
Distribution of water in hardwoods: a mathematical model

A mathematical model was developed for evaluating moisture uptake, swelling, and moisture distribution during longitudinal penetration of water in once-dried hardwoods. The model takes into account volume changes in the wood during moisture uptake and can be used to predict water penetration up to the complete saturation of the wood. Bound and free moisture penetration constants were calculated from swelling and uptake data for different hardwood species at different temperatures. These constants best fit the model at low temperatures in hardwoods with obstructed vessels. Although steep moisture gradients were measured near the surface of the wood, away from the wood-water interface, moisture content was uniform. Moisture content distribution was somewhat affected by vessel moisture uptake. In hardwoods with unobstructed vessels, the initial penetration of moisture in vessels contributed at most 9% to the moisture uptake.
Fracture and Growth Are Competing Forces Determining the Fate of Conformers in Tau Fibril Populations

Tau fibrils are pathological aggregates that can transfer between neurons and then recruit soluble Tau monomers by template-assisted conversion. The propagation of different fibril polymorphs is thought to be a contributing factor to phenotypic diversity in Alzheimer disease and other Tauopathies. We found that a homogeneous population of Tau fibrils composed of the truncated version K18 (residues 244–372) gradually converted to a new set of fibril conformers when subjected to multiple cycles of seeding and growth. Using double electron-electron resonance (DEER) spectroscopy, we observed that the distances between spin labels at positions 311 and 328 in the fibril core progressively decreased. The findings were corroborated by changes in turbidity, morphology, and protease sensitivity. Fibrils that were initially formed under stirring conditions exhibited an increased fragility compared with fibrils formed quiescently after multiple cycles of seeding. The quiescently formed fibrils were marked by accelerated growth. The difference in fragility and growth between the different conformers explains how the change in incubation condition could lead to the amplification of a minor subpopulation of fibrils. Under quiescent conditions where fibril breakage is minimal, faster growing fibrils have a selective advantage. The findings are of general importance as they suggest that changes in selective pressures during fibril propagation in the human brain could result in the emergence of new fibril conformers with varied clinicopathological consequences.
Reducing I/O variability using dynamic I/O path characterization in petascale storage systems

In petascale systems with a million CPU cores, scalable and consistent I/O performance is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain mainly because of I/O variability. The I/O variability is caused by concurrently running processes/jobs competing for I/O or a RAID rebuild when a disk drive fails. We present a mechanism that stripes across a selected subset of I/O nodes with the lightest workload at runtime to achieve the highest I/O bandwidth available in the system. In this paper, we propose a probing mechanism to enable application-level dynamic file striping to mitigate I/O variability. We implement the proposed mechanism in the high-level I/O library that enables memory-to-file data layout transformation and allows transparent file partitioning using subfiling. Subfiling is a technique that partitions data into a set of files of smaller size and manages file access to them, making data to be treated as a single, normal file to users. We demonstrate that our bandwidth probing mechanism can successfully identify temporally slower I/O nodes without noticeable runtime overhead. Experimental results on NERSC's systems also show that our approach isolates I/O variability effectively on shared systems and improves overall collective I/O performance with less variation.
Prognostication in Adults

The neurophysiology of the central nervous system can be evaluated by electroencephalography (EEG) and evoked potentials (EP). Both provide an extension of the neurological examination by assessing electrical function through critical pathways to the cortex. In the critically ill, these pathways may be disrupted reversibly or irreversibly as a result of primary injury, sedation, temperature modulation, or secondary injuries. EEG and EP data in the critically ill provides a window both into current brain functioning and, particularly in patients who are comatose, may provide additional information to help guide decision-making.
Theoretical Insights to Bulk Activity Towards Oxygen Evolution in Oxyhydroxides

The nature of the electrochemical water splitting activity of layered pure and Fe-doped NiOOH is investigated using density functional theory calculations. We find similar thermodynamics for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) intermediates between the layers of oxyhydroxides, that is, in the bulk of the materials as on the (001) surface. The effect of interlayer spacing on adsorption energy is affected by both the crystal structure and the level of hydrogenation of the active sites. For the Fe-doped NiOOH, we observe general weakening of binding between the different OER intermediates and the catalyst material. The calculated OER activity depends both on doping and interlayer spacing, and our results are generally congruent with available experimental data. These results suggest that such interlayer “bulk” sites may contribute to measured OER activity for both the pure and Fe-doped NiOOH catalysts.
Analysis of classification in interval-valued information systems

The problem of classification has been studied by many authors, and different methods have been developed. Frequently the data for the different attributes is obtained from sources, where the obtained values for each attribute may change due to noise, equipment imprecision, etc. Under this condition becomes useful to define intervals, where those parameters may change values. Using these intervals, and applying rough sets, it is possible in many cases to optimize or reduce the number of attributes that will be used in the classification. When the object can not be completely determined from the rules obtained from the rough set analysis, fuzzy logic results a useful approach. This paper analyzes the conditions for which the classification is possible using a combination of rough sets and fuzzy logic. Examples are included for clarification purposes.
Oxidation States and Structure of the Manganese Cluster in the S0 State of the Oxygen Evolving Complex

Photosystem II (PS II) catalyzes the light driven oxidation of water to molecular oxygen and the reduction of plastoquinone to plastohydroquinone. Water oxidation occurs in the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) of PS II that is known to cycle through five different redox states, referred to as the S states (S0,..,S4). A cluster of four Mn, one Ca and Cl− is thought to form the central unit of the OEC which stores most of the oxidizing equivalents and binds the substrate water.
Aerial electrostatic spray deposition and canopy penetration in cotton

Abstract Daylight visible fluorescent dye (10% v/v) mixed with water was aerially applied on mature field cotton with electrostatic and rotary atomizer nozzles. The spray rates for the electrostatic and rotary atomizer nozzles were 9.4 and 28 L/ha, respectively. Images of spray droplets on cotton leaves were digitally analyzed with ImageJ software. Charged spray cloud increased deposition nearly two to three times on adaxial and abaxial surfaces, respectively, of top canopy leaves compared to uncharged spray. Canopy penetration of the spray into the lower layers of the plant foliage was unaffected by spray application method.
The scientific use of 'representation' and 'function': Avoiding explanatory vacuity

Nearly all of the ways philosophers currently attempt to define the terms ‘representation’ and ‘function’ undermine the scientific application of those terms by rendering the scientific explanations in which they occur vacuous. Since this is unacceptable, we must develop analyses of these terms that avoid this vacuity.
Autonomous sailing for blind sailors using GPS

Blind sailors often rely on sighted guides to convey information while sailing. This information includes the location of other boats, buoys, or obstacles. However, certain types of races — such as match races — do not permit sighted guides on the vessel. Students and faculty from Olin College of Engineering are collaborating with visually-impaired sailors and sighted guides at Community Boating Incorporated, Boston MA, in order to design a solution to allow blind sailors to race without an onboard, sighted guide. This system incorporates a Raspberry Pi computer, a GPS unit, a tack sensor, an audio device, and a keypad for each boat, which wirelessly communicate to provide the sailors with information about their immediate surroundings and the position of various course landmarks.
Developmental changes in the feedback related negativity from 8 to 14 years.

Abstract The study examined age related changes in the magnitude of the Feedback Related Negativity (FRN) in 8–14 year old children performing a variation of a Go/No-Go task. Participants were presented with four stimuli and tasked with mapping each of them either to a response or to a “no response” by trial and error guided by feedback. Feedback was valid for two stimuli (Go and No-Go) and invalid (.5 positive; .5 negative feedback) for the other two stimuli. The amplitude of the FRN was evaluated as a function of age separately for Go and No-Go trials. The results indicated that while performance on valid Go trials improved with age, accuracy on valid No-Go trials remained stable with age. FRN amplitude was found to be inversely related to age such that smaller FRN amplitudes were observed in older children even after controlling for variance in learning. Additionally, the FRN was found as a predictor of post-learning performance on Go trials but not on No-Go trials, regardless of age. These results do not provide support to the link between the FRN and inhibition control as measured by No-Go performance, but do suggest a link with other executive control abilities called for by the Go condition.
Highly conductive porous Na-embedded carbon nanowalls for high-performance capacitive deionization

Abstract Highly conductive porous Na-embedded carbon nanowalls (Na@C), which were recently invented, have exhibited excellent performance for dye-sensitized solar cells and electric double-layer capacitors. In this work, Na@C was demonstrated as an excellent electrode material for capacitive deionization (CDI). In a three-electrode configuration system, the specific capacity of the Na@C electrodes can achieve 306.4 F/g at current density of 0.2 A/g in 1 M NaCl, which is higher than that (235.2 F/g) of activated carbon (AC) electrodes. Furthermore, a high electrosorption capacity of 8.75 mg g−1 in 100 mg/L NaCl was obtained with the Na@C electrodes in a batch-mode capacitive deionization cell. It exceeds the electrosorption capacity (4.08 mg g−1) of AC electrodes. The Na@C electrode also showed a promising cycle stability. The excellent performance of Na@C electrode for capacitive deionization (CDI) can be attributed to its high electrical conductivity and large accessible surface area.
Synthesis and formation mechanism of iron nanoparticles in graphitized carbon matrices using biochar from biomass model compounds as a support

Abstract Biochar, a carbon-rich valuable by-product obtained from the hydrothermal carbonization of biomass model compounds (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin), was utilized as a support for synthesis of carbon encapsulated iron nanoparticles (CEINP) to promote green chemistry and engineering. Core-shell structures consisting of dark metal cores ranging from 40 to 80 nm and a light matrix with graphitic structure appeared in the CEINP. Rietveld refinement analysis applied to the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of cellulose and hemicellulose biochar revealed similar phase compositions (graphite, α-Fe, Fe3C, CFe15.1 and CFe21.2). Interestingly, poorly ordered graphite phase was detected in the XRD diffractogram of CEINP from lignin biochar and HRTEM images have also shown the presence of disordered graphitic layers encapsulating the iron nanoparticles. CEINP from cellulose and hemicellulose on the other hand showed distinct graphite (crystalline) phases. Nitrogen physisorption measurements showed that the graphitization induced by iron nanoparticles introduced mesopores into the carbon matrix of CEINP from cellulose and hemicellulose biochar while CEINP from lignin biochar retained microporous structure due to low graphitization. Based on the characterization results, a detailed dissolution-precipitation mechanism is discussed in the context of bulk iron-carbon equilibrium phase diagram to explain the formation of different phases observed in the CEINP.
Immune Modulators and Other Agents

This chapter considers the treatment and prevention of HCV with immune modulators and other agents, either as stand-alone treatments, or in combination with directly acting antiviral therapies. The field of HCV therapeutics is rapidly advancing, and it is expected that efficacious and safe directly acting anti-HCV agents will revolutionize the HCV treatment landscape. However, it remains unknown whether interferon (IFN)-free combinations of directly acting antiviral drugs will have the capacity to eradicate HCV without the immunomodulatory effects of IFN. The desire to improve upon the efficacy and safety profile of IFN has driven research into the immunomodulatory therapies that are discussed in this chapter.
Limiting Dilution Assays for the Separation, Characterization, and Quantitation of Biologically Active Particles and Their Clonal Progeny

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the limiting dilution assays (LDA) for the separation, characterization, and quantitation of biologically active particles and their clonal progeny. LDAs detect binary responses generated by BAPs in individual in vivo or in vitro cultures within groups of replicate cultures that vary in the dose of the test preparation from which the BAPs are sampled. Relative frequency LDAs, however, also incorporate an accompanying physicochemical assay for particles of a general type defined by their structural morphology or other physicochemical characteristics and called physicochemically observable particles (POPs). In absolute number LDAs, the number of POPs is never known because any physicochemical assay that could conceivably be used to observe them is not performed because of impracticality or impossibility. As a result of the unstable nature of most biological preparations, it is impractical to assay repeatedly the same biological sample. It is possible to assay repeatedly the same biological population by performing, either simultaneously or serially, a sequence of LDAs on a sequence of biological samples with one assay for each sample.
Latency Minimization Through Optimal User Matchmaking in Multi-Party Online Applications

To improve the user experience in multi-party online applications, i.e., low gaming lag in online gaming, the maximum latency between any pair of users should be minimized. Considering the multiple preferences of users, i.e., which group a user can join, we address the User Latency Minimization (ULM) problem by performing an optimal matchmaking. This paper proves that the ULM problem is NP-hard if users have more than two preferences. We prove that the ULM problem has the sub-modular property and we apply the classic greedy algorithm with an approximation ratio of 1+ n, where n is the number of users with multiple preferences. Furthermore, we observe that a matchmaking priority for users in different locations exists and thus we propose a revised greedy algorithm with an approximation bound and discuss its performance in the tree structure and the general structure. Specifically, the revised greedy algorithm achieves an approximation ratio of m/2 with lower complexity in the tree structure, where m is the number of preferences in the general structure. Finally, we develop a disstributed greedy approach which converges quickly. Extensive trace-driven experiments from Internet measurements demonstrates that our schemes achieve good performances.
Autotuning Numerical Dense Linear Algebra for Batched Computation With GPU Hardware Accelerators

Computational problems in engineering and scientific disciplines often rely on the solution of many instances of small systems of linear equations, which are called batched solves. In this paper, we focus on the important variants of both batch Cholesky factorization and subsequent substitution. The former requires the linear system matrices to be symmetric positive definite (SPD). We describe the implementation and automated performance engineering of these kernels that implement the factorization and the two substitutions. Our target platforms are graphics processing units (GPUs), which over the past decade have become an attractive high-performance computing (HPC) target for solvers of linear systems of equations. Due to their throughput-oriented design, GPUs exhibit the highest processing rates among the available processors. However, without careful design and coding, this speed is mostly restricted to large matrix sizes. We show an automated exploration of the implementation space as well as a new data layout for the batched class of SPD solvers. Our tests involve the solution of many thousands of linear SPD systems of exactly the same size. The primary focus of our techniques is on the individual matrices in the batch that have dimensions ranging from 5-by-5 up to 100-by-100. We compare our autotuned solvers against the state-of-the-art solvers such as those provided through NVIDIA channels and publicly available in the optimized MAGMA library. The observed performance is competitive and many times superior for many practical cases. The advantage of the presented methodology lies in achieving these results in a portable manner across matrix storage formats and GPU hardware architecture platforms.
Soysome: A Surfactant-Free, Fully Biobased, Self-Assembled Platform for Nanoscale Drug Delivery Applications

A new class of biobased nanocarriers, soysomes, has been discovered and investigated. These nanocarriers are derived from a synthetically accessible, scalable macromolecule, methoxylated sucrose soyate polyol (MSSP), derived from chemical building blocks obtained from soybean oil and sucrose. We observed for the first time that MSSP, when dissolved in an organic solvent of different polarity and slowly added to an aqueous phase at a predetermined rate under “nanoprecipitation” conditions, will form a stable, self-assembled structure with a size range from 100 to 200 nm depending on the polarity difference between the precipitating solvent pairs. Without the aid of poly(ethylene glycol) or any surfactants, these soysomes were found to be stable in water for an extended period and can withstand the destabilizing effect of time, temperature, and pH. We also found that the soysomes were able to encapsulate and release a hydrophobic bioactive compound, such as curcumin. Both MSSP and their self-assembled struc...
Forecasting when cells die during antibiotic exposure using stochastic gene expression

Antibiotic killing does not occur at a single, precise time for all cells within a population. Variability in time to death can be caused by stochastic expression of genes, resulting in differences in endogenous stress-resistance levels between individual cells in a population. This variability can be part of a bet-hedging strategy where cells leverage noise to ensure a subset of the population can tolerate the drug, while decreasing the overall cost of expressing resistance genes. We asked whether single-cell differences in gene expression prior to antibiotic addition were related to cell survival times after antibiotic exposure for a range of genes of diverse function. We quantified the time to death of single cells under antibiotic exposure in combination with expression of reporters. For some reporters, the time to cell death had a strong relationship with the initial expression level of the genes. Reporters that could forecast cell fate included stress response genes, but also genes involved in a variety of other cellular processes like metabolism. Our results highlight the single-cell level non-uniformity of antibiotic killing and also provide examples of key genes where cell-to-cell variation in expression prior to antibiotic exposure is strongly linked to extended durations of antibiotic survival.
Processing of self-repairs in stuttered and non-stuttered speech

ABSTRACTPrevious research suggests that listeners can use the presence of speech disfluencies to predict upcoming linguistic input. But how is the processing of typical disfluencies affected when t...
A Utility-Based Path Planning for Safe UAS Operations with a Task-Level Decision-Making Capability

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are being used more and more every day in almost any area to solve challenging real-life problems. Increased autonomy and advancements in low-cost high-computing technologies made these compact autonomous solutions accessible to any party with ease. However, this ease of use brings its own challenges that need to be addressed. In an autonomous flight scenario over a public space, an autonomous operation plan has to consider the public safety and regulations as well as the task specific objectives. In this work, we propose a generic utility function for the path planning of UAS operations that includes the benefits of accomplishing the goals as well as the safety risks incurred along the flight trajectories, with the purpose of making task-level decisions through the optimization of the carefully constructed utility function for a given scenario. As an optimizer, we benefited from a multi-tree variant of the optimal T-RRT* (Multi-T-RRT* path planning algorithm. To illustrate its operation, results of simulation of a UAS scenario are presented.
Turbulent Times Inside and Outside the Consulting Room: The Politics of Polarization and Hate and the Illusion of the Therapist’s Freedom from Impingement:

Today’s toxic political climate has intruded into the therapeutic space. Both therapists and clients wonder about whether politics is an appropriate subject for therapy. Stronger treatment alliance...
Rise of the 'Quants' in Financial Services: Regulation and Crowding Out of Routine Jobs

We document three stylized facts regarding employment in financial services: (a) the share of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workers grew by 30% between 2011 and 2017; (b) while the earnings premium of working in finance has grown, the STEM premium in finance has declined since 2011; and (c) regulatory restrictions in the financial services have grown faster than other sectors. We investigate three economic mechanisms underlying the employment patterns: (a) capital-skill complementarity, (b) relabeling of non-STEM into STEM degree programs, and (c) regulation. We show that only the rise in regulation can explain these joint dynamics.
Thermo-elasto-plasto-dynamics of ultrafast optical ablation in polycrystalline metals. Part II: Response and damage evaluation

Ablation dynamics focusing exclusively on the thermal field without also considering electron emission and thermal stress is incomplete. The thermo-elasto-plastodynamic model developed in Part I of...
Lessons on Animals and Science with Doctor Rat

The use of animals for scientific research is, of course, highly controversial. It is also a subject addressed frequently in welfare-leaning fiction. Stories about vivisection are particularly valuable as a form of education. Laboratories are not public spaces, so few have direct knowledge about ways animals suffer in them. Creative writers take us there, often raising troubling questions about our self-serving sacrifice of other animals. This chapter considers, among others, H. G. Wells’s The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), C. S. Lewis’s science fiction Ransom trilogy (1938, 1943, 1945), and William Kotzwinkle’s Doctor Rat (1976).
Markups of Chinese Exporters: Export Discount and Product Choice

Economists find that exporters usually have higher markups than non‐exporters. Our work, however, shows that Chinese exporters have lower markups than non‐exporters in China. The result is economically and statistically significant. We argue that Chinese exporters have lower markups because they tend to produce products that usually have low markups. The finding is consistent with the hypothesis that China has a comparative advantage in low‐markup products.
Hepatic Encephalopathy and Liver Transplantation: The Past, Present, and Future Toward Equitable Access.

Cirrhosis is a debilitating chronic disease with high morbidity and mortality, with the only real cure being liver transplantation. Currently, we allocate organs for transplantation based on the model for end-stage liver disease sodium (MELD-Na) score that does not account for hepatic encephalopathy (HE). HE affects patients, families, and the healthcare system because of high rates of recurrence and major readmission burden. Moreover, HE casts a long shadow even after liver transplant (LT). Accounting for HE and incorporating it into the current allocation system has many proponents, but the framework to do this is currently lacking because of differences in consensus or in operationalization parameters. We review the latest evidence of the burden of HE, management of HE pre- and post-LT, and evaluate pros and cons of several methods of diagnosing HE objectively to ensure early and equitable access to LT in this underserved population.
Nobody’s Business

This chapter argues that the persona of Nobody, a recurring presence on stage and in print at the turn of the seventeenth century, expressed the contradictions of an emergent public culture. As the addressee of prefatory epistles, Nobody embodied the anonymous public that writers in print sought to reach, while in the play Nobody and Somebody (1606), he manages to turn anonymity itself into a charismatic object of public attention. Nobody thus discloses something essential about publicity: its simultaneously opposed and conjoined drives to anonymity and to singularity.
Dialogic/Critical Pedagogic for the 21st Century Employable Learners

With the English language acquiring new identities, such as the global language, the language of science and technology, the language of research, the international auxiliary language, and the language of LPG in its various manifestations, it has forged a new indispensable alliance with thinking skills: creative & critical. English language acquisition in the changed and changing scenario calls for the integration of language skills with thinking skills so that learners may be become employable. In turn, the role of English language teacher correspondingly changes from a mere facilitator to an active co-participant along with learners in the classroom. Learners acquire English language skills and thinking skills as one inseparable package. Acquisition of one without the other at a time is no longer is sustainable. The acquisition of LSRW skills plus thinking skills empowers students with employability skills. One caveat: there ought to be a paradigm shift in pedagogy from the positivist to the critical/dialogic pedagogy. This paper advocates the adoption of dialogic/critical pedagogy in the 21st English language classroom.
Predictors of Successful Endoscopic Closure of Gastrointestinal Defects: Experience from a Single Tertiary Care Center

Endoscopic closure is technically feasible in the majority of gastrointestinal defects. The aim of this study is to evaluate the technical and clinical outcomes, and identify variables predicting successful outcomes in patients with attempted closure. This is a retrospective study of patients undergoing endoscopic closure of gastrointestinal defects between December 2007 and May 2013 at a single tertiary care center. Technical success (TS) was defined as successful closure of the defect at the time of endoscopy. Clinical improvement (CI) was defined as improvement in symptoms. Clinical resolution (CR) was defined as documented radiographic closure of defect or clinical resolution of symptoms. Acute defects were diagnosed within 6 weeks, while chronic defects were those that persisted for >6 weeks, prior to index therapeutic endoscopy. Fifty patients underwent 77 endoscopies for leaks (n = 23), fistulas (n = 22), and perforations (n = 5). TS occurred in 46/50 (92 %). Overall, 34/50 (68 %) patients had CR. CR was significantly higher for acute defects as compared to chronic defects (89.7 vs. 38.1 %, OR 14.1, CI 3.19–62.1, p < 0.001). Of 24 patients who required repeat attempts at endoscopic closure, 14 (58 %) achieved CR. Acute defects (p = 0.04) and those with initial CI (p = 0.001) were statistically more likely to achieve CR after a repeat attempt. TS and CR are achieved in majority of patients. Acute defects are more likely to achieve CR. In cases where a defect persists, a repeat attempt at endoscopic closure should be attempted.
ACCIDENT AND LABORATORY STUDIES OF DRIVER INTERACTION WITH THE STEERING SYSTEM IN EUROPEAN CARS

This paper seeks to provide a description of the crash environment in which a steering system has to function. The influence of FMVSS 203 on design is examined by analysing the field performances of two different groups of steering assemblies in accidents in which unrestrained drivers were either seriously or fatally injured. Improvements to both the method of test and the injury criterion are suggested as a result of this work. The frequency and nature of lap-shoulder belt restrained driver head or face contacts with the wheel is analysed. Again, the relationship between these findings and current regulations is examined. Finally the results of these two field studies are compared with those obtained by other workers.
Fracture Mechanics Analysis of Face/Core Debonds

The superior performance of light-weight sandwich structures requires that the face sheets be successfully bonded to the core. Lack of bonding, or inadequate bonding, will compromise the transfer of shear stress between the face and core, and if debonding occurs over a large area, the debond is likely to grow further. It is also obvious that the face/core adhesion may vary in a large panel with composite face sheets due to inadequate wet-out of the face fabrics resulting in “islands” of poor face/core bonding. Service loads are also known to be a potential source for face/core debonding, in particular wave-slamming loads on the bottom of a ship hull or hard object impact loads transverse to the surface of a sandwich structure.
Critical Role for Microglial NADPH Oxidase in Rotenone-Induced Degeneration of Dopaminergic Neurons

Increasing evidence has suggested an important role for environmental toxins such as pesticides in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Chronic exposure to rotenone, a common herbicide, reproduces features of Parkinsonism in rats. Mechanistically, rotenone-induced dopaminergic neurodegeneration has been associated with both its inhibition of neuronal mitochondrial complex I and the enhancement of activated microglia. Our previous studies with NADPH oxidase inhibitors, diphenylene iodonium and apocynin, suggested that NADPH oxidase-derived superoxide might be a major factor in mediating the microglia-enhanced rotenone neurotoxicity. However, because of the relatively low specificity of these inhibitors, the exact source of superoxide induced by rotenone remains to be further determined. In this study, using primary mesencephalic cultures from NADPH oxidase—null (gp91phox-/-) or wild-type (gp91phox+/+) mice, we demonstrated a critical role for microglial NADPH oxidase in mediating microglia-enhanced rotenone neurotoxicity. In neuron—glia cultures, dopaminergic neurons from gp91phox-/- mice were more resistant to rotenone neurotoxicity than those from gp91phox+/+ mice. However, in neuron-enriched cultures, the neurotoxicity of rotenone was not different between the two types of mice. More importantly, the addition of microglia prepared from gp91phox+/+ mice but not from gp91phox-/- mice to neuron-enriched cultures markedly increased rotenone-induced degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. Furthermore, apocynin attenuated rotenone neurotoxicity only in the presence of microglia from gp91phox+/+ mice. These results indicated that the greatly enhanced neurotoxicity of rotenone was attributed to the release of NADPH oxidase-derived superoxide from activated microglia. This study also suggested that microglial NADPH oxidase may be a promising target for PD treatment.
The next epidemic.

We are witnessing an explosion of people well past their reproductive years. Older, non-reproducing organisms consume resources that might better serve their younger. And chief among these resources is medical care.
Crossing the threshold : an analysis of IBRD graduation policy

According to World Bank policy, countries remain eligible to borrow from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development until they are able to sustain long-term development without further recourse to Bank financing. Graduation from the Bank is not an automatic consequence of reaching a particular income level, but rather is supposed to be based on a determination of whether the country has reached a level of institutional development and capital-market access that enables it to sustain its own development process without recourse to Bank funding. This paper assesses how International Bank for Reconstruction and Development graduation policy operates in practice, investigating what income and non-income factors appear to have influenced graduation decisions in recent decades, based on panel data for 1982 through 2008. Explanatory variables include the per-capita income of the country, as well as measures of institutional development and market access that are cited as criteria by the graduation policy, and other plausible explanatory variables that capture the levels of economic development and vulnerability of the country. The authors find that the observed correlates of Bank graduation are generally consistent with the stated policy. Countries that are wealthier, more creditworthy, more institutionally developed, and less vulnerable to shocks are more likely to have graduated. Predicted probabilities generated by the model correspond closely to the actual graduation and de-graduation experiences of most countries (such as Korea and Trinidad and Tobago), and suggest that Hungary and Latvia may have graduated prematurely -- a prediction consistent with their subsequent return to borrowing from the Bank in the wake of the global financial crisis.
A Review of Modelling Techniques for the Open and Closed-Loop Dynamics of Large Space Structures

This paper reviews the steps in the development of mathematical models that can be used to simulate the in orbit dynamic behavior of large flexible systems. A general continuum formulation is compared with the hybrid coordinate formulation and also a finite element representation of the total system. A review of structural analysis routines emphasizes the use of computer generated graphics to help understand the different modal elastic shape functions of complex systems. Numerical techniques employed to synthesize shape and attitude control laws are summarized. Finally, the modelling of environmental disturbance torques due to the interaction of solar radiation pressure on vibrating and thermally deflected systems is discussed.
More than Black: Afro-Cubans in Tampa

More than Black: Afro-Cubans in Tampa. Susan D. Greenbaum. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2002. 383 pp.
Proactive Communications in Agent Teamwork

The capabilities for agents in a team to anticipate information-needs of teammates and proactively offer relevant information are highly desirable. However, such behaviors have not been fully prescribed by existing agent theories. To establish a theory about proactive information exchanges, we first introduces the concept of ”information-needs”, then identify and formally define the intentional semantics of two proactive communicative acts, which highly depend on the speaker’s awareness of others’ information-needs. It is shown that communications using these proactive performatives can be derived as helping behaviors. Conversation policies involving these proactive performatives are also discussed. The work in this paper may serve as a guide for the specification and design of agent architectures, algorithms, and applications that support proactive communications in agent teamwork.
Validation of the modified Sgarbossa criteria for acute coronary occlusion in the setting of left bundle branch block: A retrospective case-control study

Background The modified Sgarbossa criteria were proposed in a derivation study to be superior to the original criteria for diagnosing acute coronary occlusion (ACO) in left bundle branch block (LBBB). The new rule replaces the third criterion (5 mm of excessively discordant ST elevation [STE]) with a proportion (at least 1 mm STE and STE/S wave ≤−0.25). We sought to validate the modified criteria. Methods This retrospective case-control study was performed by chart review in 2 tertiary care center emergency departments (EDs) and 1 regional referral center. A billing database was used at 1 site to identify all ED patients with LBBB and ischemic symptoms between May 2009 and June 2012. In addition, all 3 sites identified LBBB ACO patients who underwent emergent catheterization. We measured QRS amplitude and J-point deviation in all leads, blinded to outcomes. Acute coronary occlusion was determined by angiographic findings and cardiac biomarker levels, which were collected blinded to electrocardiograms. Diagnostic statistics of each rule were calculated and compared using McNemar's test. Results Our consecutive cohort search identified 258 patients: 9 had ACO, and 249 were controls. Among the 3 sites, an additional 36 cases of ACO were identified, for a total of 45 ACO cases and 249 controls. The modified criteria were significantly more sensitive than the original weighted criteria (80% vs 49%, P P P = .5) but was significantly greater than the original unweighted criteria (99% vs 94%, P = .004). Conclusions The modified Sgarbossa criteria were superior to the original criteria for identifying ACO in LBBB.
Embryological study of a t/t locus mutation (tw73) affecting trophectoderm development.

Mouse embryos homozygous for the recessive lethal mutation tw73 show specific defects in trophectoderm shortly after implantation. The trophectoderm and ectoplacental cone fail to form the usual close association with the uterine decidua, and proliferation is markedly reduced. The embryo proper ceases to develop beyond the two-layered stage and degenerates and dies within 5 days of implantation.
X‐Ray Diffraction by Polymers

This article introduces X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques as applicable to structural characterization of macromolecules. General XRD principles and instrumentation are presented. Special attention is put on the analysis of small- and wide-angle scattering data of polymers forming crystalline or amorphous structures. For each type of XRD experiment and specimen type (eg, powder, fiber, thin film, and dispersed particles) representative data analysis are presented including, for example, crystallite size and orientation, polymer chain conformation, and density fluctuations. Keywords: small-angle x-ray scattering; Bragg reflection; polymer fiber diffraction; Porod's law
Dynamics of pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus duorarum) recruitment potential in relation to salinity and temperature in Florida Bay

Progress is reported in relating upstream water management and freshwater flow to Florida Bay to a valuable commercial fishery for pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus duorarum), which has major nursery grounds in Florida Bay. Changes in freshwater inflow are expected to affect salinity patterns in the bay, so the effect of salinity and temperature on the growth, survival, and subsequent recruitment and harvest of this ecologically and economically important species was examined with laboratory experiments and a simulation model. Experiments were conducted to determine the response of juvenile growth and survival to temperature (15°C to 33°C) and salinity (2‰ to 55‰), and results were used to refine an existing model. Results of these experiments indicated that juvenile pink shrimp have a broad salinity tolerance range at their optimal temperature, but the salinity tolerance range narrows with distance from the optimal temperature range, 20–30°C. Acclimation improved survival at extreme high salinity (55‰), but not at extremely low salinity (i.e., 5‰, 10‰). Growth rate increases with temperature until tolerance is exceeded beyond about 35°C. Growth is optimal in the mid-range of salinity (30‰) and decreases as salinity increases or decreases. Potential recruitment and harvests from regions of Florida bay were simulated based on local observed daily temperature and salinity. The simulations predict that potential harvests might differ among years, seasons, and regions of the bay solely on the basis of observed temperature and salinity. Regional differences in other characteristics, such as seagrass cover and tidal transport, may magnify regional differences in potential harvests. The model predicts higher catch rates in the September–December fishery, originating from the April and July settlement cohorts, than in the January–June fishery, originating from the October and January settlement cohorts. The observed density of juveniles in western Florida Bay during the same years simulated by the model was greater in the fall than the spring, supporting modeling results. The observed catch rate in the fishery, a rough index of abundance, was higher in the January–June fishery than the July–December fishery in most of the biological years from 1989–1990 through 1997–1998, contrary to modeling results and observed juvenile density in western Florida Bay.
The Management of the Sibling Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donor

Hematopoietic stem cell transplants are procedures with curative potential for patients with diseased, damaged, or absent stem cells. Because a sibling has the best chance of immunocompatibility wi...
Measurement of reverse triiodothyronine for the newborn screening of thyroid disorders.

Neonates were tested for filter paper blood spot reverse T3 (rT3) and Thyroxine (T4). A significant correlation was found between T4 and rT3 levels, however, there was no correlation between low rT4 and corresponding rT3 levels. The study shows rT3 measurement is not more sensitive than T4 for screening neonates for thyroid disorders and measurement of both T4 and rT3 levels does not help in screening out false low T4 values commonly observed in screening programs.