cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Luenberger-Sliding Mode Observer for On-line Parameter Estimation and Adaptation in High-Performance Induction Motor Drives

The performance and efficiency of an induction motor drive system can be enhanced by online estimation of the critical parameters, such as the rotor time constant and stator resistance. A novel Luenberger-sliding mode observer with parameter adaptation algorithm is proposed in this paper to compensate for the parameter variation effects. The observer is simple and robust when compared with the previously developed observers, and suitable for online implementation. A field-programmable-gate-array-based controller has been implemented, and demonstrated using hardware-in-the-loop simulation setup. An experiment has been carried out with an induction motor using the controller to verify the algorithm.
Molecular Simulations of Membrane Based Separations of Supercritical Electrolyte Solutions

Abstract Computer simulations of solutions of electrolytes (NaCl and KCl) in supercritical water undergoing membrane based separations have been carried out. These studies used a technique developed recently, in which the system is maintained at steady state by periodically recycling the solvent molecules that permeated the membrane. Our results showed that ionic clusters, formed as a result of water molecules surrounding the ions, play a significant role in these separations. The effect of the main osmotic driving forces, such as pressure, temperature, concentration, and electric fields on the rate of permeation across the membrane was studied. In addition, we also looked at the effect of changes in the pore size and the attractive force between the membrane and solvent/solute. Finally, we examined the stability of the ionic clusters in these simulations.
Optical characterization of ceramic thin films: Applications in low-temperature solid oxide fuel-cell materials research

Characterization of thin film solid oxide fuel-cell materials can be difficult due to the range of porosities in electrodes and electrolytes as well as the nano-sized pores and particles. In this study, optical characterization techniques such as ultraviolet-visible transmission and reflection spectrophotometry are illustrated as methods for achieving information about the film density from the film refractive index as well as the film thickness. These techniques were used to investigate the sintering process of colloidal CeO2 on sapphire substrates and polymeric precursor-derived ZrO2:16%Y (YSZ) thin films on silicon over the temperature range 400–1000 °C, and the results were compared with traditional characterization techniques such as electron microscopy, profilometry, ellipsometry, and x-ray diffraction line broadening analyses. Most of the techniques were in good agreement with the CeO2 grain size changing from 5–65 nm and the film thickness changing from 0.8–0.5 μm. Comparisons of transmission and reflection spectrophotometry with ellipsometry illustrated that scattering effects from the porous CeO2 films caused an overestimation of the refractive index from ellipsometry, but allowed for accurate grain size measurements from transmission and reflection data. Both techniques were in good agreement during the sintering of the YSZ thin films, with the density changing from 90–100% theoretical after heating between 400 and 800 °C.
Computer-aided diagnosis of renal obstruction: utility of log-linear modeling versus standard ROC and kappa analysis.

Background The accuracy of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) software is best evaluated by comparison to a gold standard which represents the true status of disease. In many settings, however, knowledge of the true status of disease is not possible and accuracy is evaluated against the interpretations of an expert panel. Common statistical approaches to evaluate accuracy include receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and kappa analysis but both of these methods have significant limitations and cannot answer the question of equivalence: Is the CAD performance equivalent to that of an expert? The goal of this study is to show the strength of log-linear analysis over standard ROC and kappa statistics in evaluating the accuracy of computer-aided diagnosis of renal obstruction compared to the diagnosis provided by expert readers.
Research Needs Regarding Sediment and Urbanization

Sediment derived from construction in areas of urban growth has profound impact on downstream channels and water resources. Such sediment pollution is usually much more dynamic and intense than sediment derived from rural areas. Research needs concerning urban derived sediment are similar to those already underway in rural areas; however, new emphasis must be given to exposed subsoils, to problems in existing stream channels, to pollution of existing and future water resources, and to more effective planning and phasing of construction. Some of the needed soils and stream channel research can be accomplished in laboratories, but much needs to be done on small areas at the construction sites. Although many urban research methods can be adapted from related rural programs, consideration must be given to the fact that the extent and location of the exposed subsoils in the drainage basin will change rapidly and that extremely high and variable sediment loads will be imposed upon the stream channels. Better planning and legal backing will make research findings more useful.
Disseminating Research Findings to Service Providers and Communities

Investigators are funded with the expectation that advances made in research will be actively shared with others, communicated to them, and thereby become part of the collective body of knowledge in the field. Findings reported in high-quality scientific journals remain a major benchmark of success for work supported by a research grant. There is a growing recognition, however, that funded researchers also have an obligation to disseminate results of their work to other constituencies, including taxpayers, who are the true funders of publicly supported research grants; service providers, who are the intended users of many public health research findings; and communities that either can directly benefit from research results or whose members made the work possible by participating in research studies. Only when your intervention program is being delivered to clients as part of a sustained effort will it have a positive impact on improving public health. This chapter focuses on the dissemination of grant research findings to service providers and to communities that are stakeholders in a research area. Through the steps discussed in this chapter, you can ensure that results and methods used in your research reach those practitioners, providers, service agencies, and public health agencies who can use them. This chapter will draw on examples from an HIV prevention project, although the same principles also hold true for other areas of public health intervention research.
Marital Sexuality in Four Cultures of Poverty

Patterns of marital sexuality in four countries-the United States, England, Puerto Rico, and Mexico-indicate that among the lower classes of these countries, significant similarities exist in the sentiments expressed by husbands and wives concerning sexual experience and their expectations about sexual role performances by marital partners. The generally negative attitudes toward wives' enjoyment of sexual relations in these "cultures of poverty" can be seen as an example of a more general hypothesis: In societies where there is a high degree of segregation in the role relationships of husbands and wives, the couple will tend not to develop a close sexual relationship, and the wife will not look upon sexual relations with her husband as gratifying.
Abstract LB-128: Synthetic lethal RNAi screening identifies inhibition of Bcl-2 family members as sensitizers to 5-Azacytidine in myeloid cells

In order to identify novel targets and clinically exploitable vulnerabilities, we performed high-throughput RNA-interference (RNAi) synthetic lethality screening using myeloid cell lines TF-1 and ML-2 in combination with the hypomethylating agent 5-Azacytidine. A custom small interfering RNA (siRNA) library targeting nearly 1000 cancer-associated genes, including the human kinome, was utilized. Bcl-XL emerged as the strongest 5-Azacytidine sensitizing target in the erythroid cell line TF-1 but not in ML-2 cells. Additional siRNA sequences targeting Bcl-XL were transfected into a panel of myeloid cell lines and tested in drug dose response experiments using a ten-point serial dilution of 5-Azacytidine. The erythroid differentiated myeloid cell lines TF-1 and HEL both exhibited a 3 to 4-fold reduction in the IC50 of 5-Azacytidine upon knockdown of Bcl-XL, whereas IC50 values for non-erythroid, myeloid cell lines ML-2, THP-1 and MDS-L were unchanged. Furthermore, we tested lentiviral delivery of short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting Bcl-XL in additional cell lines. Lentiviral knockdown of Bcl-XL confirmed 2 to 3-fold 5-Azacytidine sensitization in TF-1 and HEL cells while U937, HL-60, ML-2, THP-1 and MDS-L were not sensitized by Bcl-XL knockdown. Interestingly, while Bcl-XL knockdown with shRNA potentiated the effects of 5-Azacytidine in TF-1 and HEL, Bcl-XL knockdown alone resulted in considerable reductions in cell viability in TF-1 and HEL cells. These results demonstrate erythroid lineage-specific responses to Bcl-XL knockdown and suggest that Bcl-XL may represent an erythroid lineage-specific therapeutic vulnerability. To begin to explore this possibility we examined the putative BH3 mimetics Gossypol, Obatoclax and ABT-737 with 5-Azacytidine drug dose response experiments in myeloid cell lines. Neither Gossypol nor Obatoclax potentiated the effects of 5-Azacytdine. In striking contrast, ABT-737 resulted in a 2 to 4-fold reduction in the IC50 of 5-Azacytidine in all cell lines tested to date (TF-1, HEL, ML-2 and THP-1). ABT-737 sensitization to 5-Azacytidine was dose dependent. Furthermore, Combination Index (CI) values calculated with Calcusyn software demonstrate synergy between ABT-737 and 5-Azacytidine at clinically relevant concentrations. These results suggest that inhibition of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members with a BH3 mimetic may represent an effective strategy for 5-Azacytidine combination therapy that can be directly translated into design of combination clinical trials in patients with myeloid leukemias. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-128.
Nanotherapy for Cancer: Targeting and Multifunctionality in the Future of Cancer Therapies

Cancer continues to be a prevalent and lethal disease, despite advances in tumor biology research and chemotherapy development. Major obstacles in cancer treatment arise from tumor heterogeneity, drug resistance, and systemic toxicities. Nanoscale delivery systems, or nanotherapies, are increasing in importance as vehicles for antineoplastic agents because of their potential for targeting and multifunctionality. We discuss the current field of cancer therapy and potential strategies for addressing obstacles in cancer treatment with nanotherapies. Specifically, we review the strategies for rationally designing nanoparticles for targeted, multimodal delivery of therapeutic agents.
Inequalities in Discrete Subgroups of PSL(2, R)

Conditions for a subgroup, F, of PSL(2, R) to be discrete have been investigated by a number of authors. Jorgensen's inequality [5] gives an elegant necessary condition for discreteness for subgroups of PSL(2, C). Purzitsky, Rosenberger, Matelski, Knapp, and Van Vleck, among others [12, 13, 14, 9, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 7, 21] studied two generator discrete subgroups of PSL(2, R) in a long series of papers. The complete classification of two generator subgroups was surprisingly complicated and elusive. The most complete result appears in [20]. In this paper we use the results of [20] to prove that a nonelementary subgroup F of PSL(2, R) is discrete if and only if every non-elementary subgroup, G, generated by two hyperbolics is discrete (Theorem 5.2) and that F contains no elliptics if and only if each such G is free (Theorem 5.1). Thus, we produce necessary and sufficient conditions for a non-elementary subgroup F of PSL(2, R) to be a discrete group without elliptic elements (Theorem 6.1) or a discrete group containing only hyperbolic elements (Theorem 7.1).
Uptake of Telodrin by Fall Armyworm Larvae Exposed to Residues

Different instars of the fall armyworm, Laphygma frugiperda (J. E. Smith), were exposed to residues of Telodrin® (1,3,4,5,6,7,8,8-octachloro- l,3,3a,4,7,7a-hexahydro-4,7-methanoisobenzofuran). Insecticide residues were determined by gas-liquid chromatography employing electron affinity detection, radiometrically, and by paper chromatography of C14-labeled Telodrin. Volatilization of Telodrin from open bioassay jars was considerable within 8 to 24 hr. The quantity of toxicant required internally to produce mortality could not be precisely determined for first-instar larvae, although the range was 1.19 to 5.59 ppm. The lethal dosage of Telodrin in the integument and internal organs of third-instar larvae was 5.86 to 6.05 ppm, with about 3.5 ppm in the internal organs. There was no correlation between total lipid content and the lethal dose in individual grown larvae, although there was an indication that mortality of grown larvae was directly related to unsaturatcd fat content. No detectable metabolism of Telodrin occurred on or in the 3 larval instars examined under the conditions of these experiments.
Residential-Scale Biomass Boiler Emissions and Efficiency Characterization for Several Fuels

Detailed particulate and gaseous emission characterizations were conducted on six commercially available residential-scale wood pellet boilers. The objective of the study was to define emission factors for these six different appliances burning wood pellets, grass pellets, and a blend of grass pellets and corn as fuels under low and high loads. Continuous monitoring of criteria pollutants, including PM2.5, NOx, SO2, and CO, was conducted using an EPA CTM-039 dilution sampling system. The PM10 emissions with wood as the fuel ranged between 14 and 17 mg/MJ and between 16 and 21 mg/MJ at low and high loads, respectively. The PM10 emissions from grass were found to be higher for all of the appliances compared to wood pellets at both low and high loads (28–33 and 37–44 mg/MJ, respectively). CO emissions, an indication of combustion efficiency, were found to be higher for the grass pellets, indicating less complete combustion. NOx and SO2 emissions were also higher for grass and grass/corn blends, attributable ...
Effect of vitamin D3 supplementation level on the postmortem tenderization of beef from steers.

The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of different doses of vitamin D3 (VITD) on beef feedlot performance, plasma and muscle Ca 2+ , tissue residues, and improvement of Warner- Bratzler shear force (WBS) and panel tenderness. A total of 167 steers were fed one of six levels of VITD. The VITD treatments (28 steers/treatment) were 0, 0.5 × 10 6 ,1 × 10 6 , 2.5 × 10 6 ,5 × 10 6 , and 7.5 × 10 6 IU/ steer daily of VITD fed nine consecutive days before slaughter. Feedlot performance and plasma Ca 2+ were measured during the last 21 days on feed. Warner- Bratzler shear force was measured on strip loin and top round steaks at 7, 10, 14, and 21 d postmortem. The VITD treatments of 5 and 7.5 × 10 6 IU/steer daily decreased (P 0.05), but muscle Ca 2+ was increased (P 0.05) carcass quality or yield traits.
Delayed onset seroma formation 'opting out' at 5 years after ventral incisional hernia repair.

We present a case of delayed onset seroma formation presenting 5 years after ventral incisional hernia repair (VIHR) with mesh. The patient presented with several months of progressive abdominal fullness and eventual spontaneous drainage from a prior abdominal surgical incision site. Surgical drainage was performed with evolvement of mesh infection. After 5 months of conservative management, the patient remained symptomatic and continued to show evidence of infection. Subsequently, she underwent mesh explantation and definitive repair with complex abdominal wall reconstruction. To the best of our knowledge, this case represents the longest delay in the onset of seroma formation post-VIHR, reported in the literature.
Local density-based similarity matrix construction for spectral clustering

According to local and global consistency characteristics of sample data points' distribution,a spectral clustering algorithm using local density-based similarity matrix construction was proposed.Firstly,by analyzing distribution characteristics of sample data points,the definition of local density was given,sorting operation on sample point set from dense to sparse according to sample points' local density was did,and undirected graph in accordance with the designed connection strategy was constructed;then,on the basis of GN algorithm's thinking,a calculation method of weight matrix using edge betweenness was given,and similarity matrix of spectral clustering via data conversion was got;lastly,the class number by appearing position of the first eigengap maximum was determined,and the classification of sample point set in eigenvector space by means of classical clustering method was realized.By means of artificial simulative data set and UCI data set to carry out the experimental tests,results show that the proposed spectral algorithm has better clustering capability.
Epidemiological Study of Clonorchiasis in Futian District of Shenzhen

Objective To study the epidemiological features of Clonorchiasis sinensis infection in Futian district of Shenzhen.Methods Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay paws used to test for Clonorchis sinensis in the blood samples.Questionnaire type survey on the patients' life styles was also conducted.Results 2176 subjects were studied.2.30% were found to have Clonorchis sinensis infection.The positive rate of infection in male and female was 3.02% and 1.73%,respectively.Analysis of the age distribution revealed that the highest score was found in the age group of 30 to 49 year old.73% of the interviewees had a history of consuming raw fish,and 55% of them using the same chopping board for handling both cooked and raw foods.Conclusion Infection rate of Clonorchis sinensis is high in Futian.Consuming raw fish and using the same utensils were the risk factors of Clonorchis sinensis infection.Education on food handling and eating habits should be strengthen.
“Palestine as a Woman”: Feminizing Resistance and Popular Literature

At the present time, when desires to resist are being conscripted, the rich history of historic Palestine is being devalued, and significant concepts (such as resistance) have become inferiorized, but particular powerful metaphors such as “Palestine as a woman” are maintained to subvert dominant thinking that re-inscribes colonial relations, and Palestinian women have collectively defied oppression, firmly wielded the weapons of the struggle contained in their culture, spoken a united language of resistance, and unearthed the colonial cultural matrix by feminizing resistance. The significance of the representation of Palestinian women in popular literary works reverberates in the symbols of Palestine, Beirut, Resistance, and the Palestinian Uprising (Intifada). Three renowned Palestinian intellectuals whose work informed the popular and national liberation discourse after the Nakba (the occupation of Palestine in 1948) have elaborated significantly on the interlacing of social and national liberation in t...
Insight into Transmetalation Enables Cobalt-Catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura Cross Coupling.

Among the fundamental transformations that comprise a catalytic cycle for cross coupling, transmetalation from the nucleophile to the metal catalyst is perhaps the least understood. Optimizing this elementary step has enabled the first example of a cobalt-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura cross coupling between aryl triflate electrophiles and heteroaryl boron nucleophiles. Key to this discovery was the preparation and characterization of a new class of tetrahedral, high-spin bis(phosphino)pyridine cobalt(I) alkoxide and aryloxide complexes, (iPrPNP)CoOR, and optimizing their reactivity with 2-benzofuranylBPin (Pin = pinacolate). Cobalt compounds with small alkoxide substituents such as R = methyl and ethyl underwent swift transmetalation at 23 °C but also proved kinetically unstable toward β–H elimination. Secondary alkoxides such as R = iPr or CH(Ph)Me balanced stability and reactivity. Isolation and structural characterization of the product following transmetalation, (iPrPNP)Co(2-benzofuranyl), established a pl...
Myth 5: The Economy Has Superior Efficiency

Myth: America has a highly efficient economy mainly because of government’s comparatively small role. People earn according to their productivity. Firms are subject to the discipline of the market. The economy is marked by dynamism, openness to technological and organizational change induced by the pro-market changes of recent decades.
Use of Interactive Graphics in Editing and Validating Scientific Data

A computerized technique for editing time-series plots of meteorological surface data by use of interactive graphics equipment is described and is compared with traditional semiautomated techniques that require considerable manual work. Editing features and selected data editing cases are discussed that illustrate the great advantages of the interactive graphics system.
46-P : CLEARING THE FOG: A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO SAVE $$

Aim HLA antibody testing is commonly performed using a panel of color-coded beads coated with purified Human Leukocyte Antigens in various configurations including mixed, phenotype, or single antigen. Any HLA antibodies present in the test serum bind to the antigens and are labeled with R-Phycoerythrin (PE)-conjugated Goat anti-human IgG. Serum samples which demonstrate a high degree of non-specific binding may be treated with Adsorb Out™ (AD) beads– One Lambda, Inc. AD beads consist of microparticles without any specific antigen coating. The AD beads remove reactivity to latex beads from test sera with high levels of non-specific binding. Samples can then be re-tested and the non-specific binding should no longer interfere with result interpretation. Non-specific binding is commonly observed in all samples obtained from a subset of patients. Our laboratory has implemented a process to identify and flag these patients for proactive AD treatment. We present an overview of our data and estimated savings. Methods Samples are tested with LABScreen™ Single Antigen Class I Combi Beads and Single Antigen Class II Beads – One Lambda, Inc. Patients are identified as requiring AD in our lab after two separate sera require repeat testing. The patient is flagged in our computer system for pre-treatment with AD beads before clinical testing is completed. Results In 2012 our lab tested a total of 6100 samples for Class I and Class II Single Antigen bead testing. Of these samples, 10% required AD Treatment. [ Table 1 ] Pre-treating samples has saved 4% in reagent cost, technologist time, and decreased our turn around time of samples by one day as the samples do not require repeat testing. Conclusions We will continue to proactively treat samples with Adsorb Out™ to decrease cost and turn around time for those patient samples that are affected by non-specific binding.
Changes in geometrical and biomechanical properties of immature male and female rat tibia.

The differences in the geometry and mechanical properties of immature male and female rat tibiae were detailed in order to provide comparative data for spaceflight, exercise, or disease experiments that use immature rats as an animal model. The experiment focuses on the particularly rapid period of growth that occurs in the Sprague-Dawley rat between 40 and 60 d of age. Tibial length and middiaphysical cross-sectional data were analyzed for eight different groups of rats according to age and sex, and tibial mechanical properties were obtained via three-point bending tests to failure. Results indicate that, during the 15 d period of rapid growth, changes in rat tibial geometry are more important than changes in bone material properties for influencing the mechanical properties of the tibia. Male tibiae changed primarily in structural properties, while in the female rats major changes in mechanical properties of the tibia were only attributable to changes in the structural properties of the bone.
Soluble Cytochrome Synthesis in Rhodobacter Sphaeroides

Purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria such as Rhodobacter sphaeroides can grow by aerobic respiration, by photosynthesis under anaerobic conditions in the light, or by anaerobic respiration in the dark if electron acceptors such as dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), trimethylamine-Noxide or nitrous oxide are present (1) (R. sphaeroides sp. denitrificans can also use nitrate or nitrite; 2,3). Given this metabolic and energetic versatility, it is not surprising that this Gram-negative bacterium contains many cytochromes whose synthesis can be environmentally regulated.
Tools and Development Systems

The availability of neural network shells has allowed rapidly-increasing development of neural network applications, just as was the case historically for expert systems. Now that hybrid system development tools are starting to emerge, a similar surge in applications should occur.
Un viaje por la poesía de José Antonio Mazzotti: a propósito de El Zorro y la Luna. Poemas reunidos 1981-2016

Esta historia comienza en Lima, 1978 cuando conoci al joven poeta Jose Antonio Mazzotti (Lima, 1961). Ambos estudiabamos literatura en la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Lo conoci –podria decirse– antes de conocerlo: nuestro profesor, el poeta y novelista Edgardo Rivera Martinez, me hablo de un joven cachimbo (como se denomina en el Peru a los ingresantes) que le habia llamado la atencion por su talento.
From Financial History to History & Finance

Financial history studies facts and institutions of the past. Such facts and institutions are interesting subjects in themselves, or they can help us interpret the present through analogy. History & Finance reverses the role of history in finance research: it exploits natural experiments of the past as a means to directly explaining current financial outcomes through the long-run persistence of economic and social phenomena. I first define the History & Finance approach and its relationship to Economic and Financial history. Then, I survey the work based on History & Finance across the subfields of finance. I discuss the challenges raised by History & Finance, and how researchers have thus far tackled them. Finally, I comment on the avenues for future research that History & Finance opens to finance scholars and economic historians alike.
A multi-amplicon 16S rRNA sequencing and analysis method for improved taxonomic profiling of bacterial communities.

Metagenomic sequencing of bacterial samples has become the gold standard for profiling microbial populations, but 16S rRNA profiling remains widely used due to advantages in sample throughput, cost, and sensitivity even though the approach is hampered by primer bias and lack of specificity. We hypothesized that a hybrid approach, that combined targeted PCR amplification with high-throughput sequencing of multiple regions of the genome, would capture many of the advantages of both approaches. We developed a method that identifies and quantifies members of bacterial communities through simultaneous analysis of multiple variable regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. The method combines high-throughput microfluidics for PCR amplification, short read DNA sequencing, and a custom algorithm named MVRSION (Multiple 16S Variable Region Species-Level IdentificatiON) for optimizing taxonomic assignment. MVRSION performance was compared to single variable region analyses (V3 or V4) of five synthetic mixtures of human gut bacterial strains using existing software (QIIME), and the results of community profiling by shotgun sequencing (COPRO-Seq) of fecal DNA samples collected from gnotobiotic mice colonized with a defined, phylogenetically diverse consortium of human gut bacterial strains. Positive predictive values for MVRSION ranged from 65%-91% versus 44%-61% for single region QIIME analyses (p < .01, p < .001), while the abundance estimate r2 for MVRSION compared to COPRO-Seq was 0.77 vs. 0.46 and 0.45 for V3-QIIME and V4-QIIME, respectively. MVRSION represents a generally applicable tool for taxonomic classification that is superior to single-region 16S rRNA methods, resource efficient, highly scalable for assessing the microbial composition of up to thousands of samples concurrently, with multiple applications ranging from whole community profiling to targeted tracking of organisms of interest in diverse habitats as a function of specified variables/perturbations.
Performance Perspectives on Undergraduate Student Success at Public Metropolitan Research Universities

This study is part of a line of research that focuses on intentional, large-scale, and effective change in complex, dynamical, organizational systems. This research utilizes the behavior analytic perspective of organizational behavior management and connects multiple levels of analysis ranging from individual learning to cultural evolution. This study examined a national sample of public metropolitan research universities (N = 35) regarding their performance in sustained improvement in undergraduate student success with simultaneous improvement in access. The specific objective of the study was to examine university performance from a variety of perspectives, such as Excellence (variable sum) and Improvement (variable change). Data from the Integrated Postsecondary Educational Data System were analyzed over a nine year period, 2008–2016. This study built on an earlier case study of Florida International University, a public metropolitan research university. The objective of the study reported here was to select candidates for future case studies within this same line of research.
The Influence of the Film towards the Attitude of the Indigenous Adolescents on Chinese Ethnic in Indonesia

Film would be considered or viewed in many perspectives, such as tools of communication, art works, and others. Referring to the history, current and past, film has taken central position in society, in Indonesia and whole the world. This research aims to find out the influence of the film on the attitude of the indigenous adolescents on Chinese ethnic in Indonesia. Some researches and authors deliberate and find that films influence significantly to their audience. Film “Ngenest: Kadang Hidup Perlu Ditertawakan,” one of popular movies in Indonesia tells about Chinese ethnic in Indonesia (racial experience or self-outflow being Chinese in Indonesia). The Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) Theory and Social Cognitive Theory took as the framework of this research that allegedly relate to the problem which is a able designate a process of imitation and identification. Used quantitative methods, based on positivism paradigm this study was done. The data collected from cross-sectional survey on 100 respondents who watched the film, 12-25 years old, and the indigenous. Finally, this research found that the correlation of these two variables was -0.031 with very low association and in negative polar, the value of significant was 0.761 which means that hypothesis (h a ) was rejected and null hypothesis (h o ) received, indicating there was no influence of film towards audience attitude, in case of this research was attitude of the indigenous adolescents on Chinese ethnic in Indonesia.
"Am I Going to Be in Trouble for What I'm Doing?": Providing Contraceptive Care in Religious Health Care Systems.

Context Catholic systems control a growing share of health care in the United States. Because patients seeking contraceptives in Catholic facilities face doctrinal restrictions that may affect access to and quality of care, it is important to understand whether and how providers work within and around institutional policies regarding contraception. Methods In 2016-2018, in-depth interviews were conducted in Illinois with 28 key informants-including providers (obstetrician-gynecologists, other physicians, nurse-midwives) and nonclinical professionals (ethicists, administrators, chaplains)-who had experience in secular, Protestant or Catholic health care systems. Interviews addressed multiple aspects of reproductive care and hospital and system policy. A thematic content approach was used to identify themes related to participants' experiences with and perspectives on contraceptive care. Results While respondents working in secular and Protestant systems reported few limitations on contraceptive care, those working in Catholic systems reported multiple barriers. Providers who had worked in Catholic systems described variable institutional policies and enforcement practices, ranging from verbal admonishments to lease agreements prohibiting contraceptive provision in secular clinics on church-owned land. Despite these restrictions, patients' needs motivated many providers to utilize work-arounds; some providers reported having been pressured or directly instructed to document false diagnoses in patients' medical records. Interviewees described how these obstacles burdened patients, especially those with social and financial constraints, and resulted in delayed or lower quality care. Conclusions Providers working in Catholic hospitals are limited in their ability to serve women of reproductive age. Work-arounds intended to circumvent restrictions may inadvertently stigmatize contraception and negatively affect patient care.
Design and analysis of a hybrid concentrated photovoltaic thermal system integrated with an organic Rankine cycle for hydrogen production

Solar is one of the most promising energy sources because of the abundance of solar radiation in certain parts of the world. One of the main limiting factors of using traditional photovoltaic cells is that they require a lot of space to generate a significant amount of power. The alternative method, the concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) module, does not utilize the infrared part of the spectrum; thus, the concentrated photovoltaic thermal (CPVT) module was developed. In this paper, the design of a CPVT system coupling with an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is analyzed where the CPVT thermal receiver acts as a heat exchanger in ORC to generate additional electrical power. The generated power by hybrid CPVT–ORC system is converted to hydrogen by an electrolysis system to store power. The performance of hydrogen production system using an integrated CPVT–ORC power generation system is analytically evaluated, and the results of the modeling and analyses are presented, involving assessments of the influence of varying several design parameters on the rate of hydrogen production. The CPVT and ORC together produce up to 1152 W of electricity under 160 suns solar concentration. When all the electricity is supplied to an electrolyzer, 0.1587 kg of 99.99% pure hydrogen is produced and stored for future use in a fuel cell. The electrolyzer operates at up to 57% efficiency and has an average performance of 725.5 kWh kg−1. The results revealed that coupling ORC to the CPVT enables the system to improve the electrical power generation and consequently diurnal hydrogen production increases up to 30%.
Torture and Torment

Torture is one of the central evils of the world. It has all the characteristics of evildoing set out in Chapter 5. Torture violates any standard of moral decency, is unjustifiable and lacks mitigating or exculpating excuses. The torturer inflicts harm on his victims. Torture inverts civilization and disfigures life (from the Latin tortus, having been twisted).
Discrimination and Black Social Media Use: Sites of Oppression and Expression:

The authors investigate the association between self-reported experiences of discrimination and social media use among Black American adults. Experiences of discrimination were assessed using a 10-...
Optimal local estimates of visual motion in a natural environment

Many organisms use visual signals to estimate motion, and these estimates typically are biased. Here, we ask whether these biases may reflect physical rather than biological limitations. Using a camera-gyroscope system, we sample the joint distribution of images and rotational motions in a natural environment, and from this distribution we construct the optimal estimator of velocity based on local image intensities. Over most of the natural dynamic range, this estimator exhibits the biases observed in neural and behavioral responses. Thus, imputed errors in sensory processing may represent an optimal response to the physical signals sampled from the environment.
Microbial response to designer biochar and compost treatments for mining impacted soils

The Oronogo-Duenweg mining belt is a designated United States Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site due to lead-contaminated soil and groundwater by former mining and smelting operations. Sites that have undergone remediation—in which the O, A, and B horizons have been removed alongside the lead contamination—have an exposed C horizon and are incalcitrant to revegetation efforts. Soils also continue to contain quantifiable Cd and Zn concentrations. To improve soil conditions and encourage successful site revegetation, our study employed three biochars, sourced from different feedstocks (poultry litter, beef cattle manure, and lodgepole pine), at two rates of application (2.5%, and 5%), coupled with compost (0%, 2.5% and 5% application rates). Two plant species—switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides)—were grown in the amended soils. Amendment of soils with poultry litter biochar applied at 5% resulted in the greatest reduction of soil bioavailable Cd and Zn. Above-ground biomass yields were greatest with beef cattle manure biochar applied at 2.5% with 5% compost, or with 5% biochar at 2.5% and 5% compost rates. Maximal microbial biomass was achieved with 5% poultry litter biochar and 5% compost, and microbial communities in soils amended with poultry litter biochar distinctly clustered away from all other soil treatments. Additionally, poultry litter biochar amended soils had the highest enzyme activity rates for β-glucosidase, N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase, and esterase. These results suggest that soil reclamation using biochar and compost can improve mine-impacted soil biogeophysical characteristics, and potentially improve future remediation efforts.
Using the Ecological Validity Model to adapt parent-involved interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Latinx community: A conceptual review.

Abstract Background Parent involvement in interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) provides parents with education about ASD diagnosis and treatment, improves parent-child interactions, and offers access to cost-effective resources. The Latinx population represents the fastest growing minority population in the United States and a growing percentage of children seeking ASD intervention services. Aims Identify factors that impact Latinx parent involvement in interventions for children with ASD as an example of cultural considerations for diverse families and communities. Methods and procedures In this conceptual overview, we synthesize literature on cultural considerations for intervention design/adaptation for Latinx families and parent involvement in interventions for children with ASD through the lens of the Ecological Validity Model. Outcomes and results Frameworks such as the Ecological Validity Model can be used when creating or adapting interventions for specific cultural groups. Parent-involved interventions for children with ASD in the Latinx community should consider language of intervention delivery, family make-up, community support, disability knowledge of the family, the therapeutic alliance, and methods of implementation. Conclusions and implications Incorporating cultural components into parent-involved interventions will best support intervention implementation and dissemination in diverse communities. Research is needed into the process and outcomes of intervention programs in order to increase understanding of how specific cultural dimensions impact participation in and efficacy of parent-involved interventions for Latinx families of children with ASD.
Fiend, Coward, Monster, or King: Southern Press Views of Abraham Lincoln

Abstract This article examines Southern editors 'views of Abraham Lin-coln from 1860–1865. The press s role in shaping, defining, and re-flecting the public s views of Lincoln was crucial for the region 's readers, many of whom did not even know the Illinois lawyer in 1860. Southern press views of Lincoln are examined during five key periods: the presidents election and inaugural address; the open-ing of the war; his issuance ofthe Emancipation Proclamation; the election of 1864; and Lincoln's assassination. The research finds a diversity of Southern press views for much of 1860. Once war was declared, however, editorial criticism did not subside until the presi-dent's death. Even then, some newspaper editors voiced happiness at the assassination.
At the foot of the shrew: manus morphology distinguishes closely-related Cryptotis goodwini and Cryptotis griseoventris (Mammalia: Soricidae) in Central America

Small-eared shrews (Mammalia, Soricidae) of the New World genus Cryptotis are distributed from eastern North America to the northern Andes of South America. One well-defined clade in this genus is the Central American Cryptotis mexicana group, whose members are set off from other species in the genus by their variably broader fore feet and more elongate and broadened fore claws. Two species in the C. mexicana group, Cryptotis goodwini Jackson and Cryptotis griseoventris Jackson, inhabit highlands in Guatemala and southern Mexico and are presumed to be sister species whose primary distinguishing feature is the larger body size of C. goodwini. To better characterize these species and confirm the identification of recently-collected specimens, we obtained digital X-ray images of the manus from large series of dried skins of both species. Measurements of the metacarpals and phalanges successfully separated most specimens of C. goodwini and C. griseoventris. These measurements also show that the fore feet of C. griseoventris from Chiapas, Mexico, are morphologically distinct from those of members of the species inhabiting Guatemala. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses indicate that fore foot characters are more conservative within species of the C. mexicana group than are cranio-mandibular characters. Patterns of evolution of fore foot characters that superficially appear to be linear gradations are actually more complex, illustrating individual evolutionary trajectories. No claim to original US government works. Journal compilation © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 99, 118–134.
Pasteurella multocida toxin as a tool for studying Gq signal transduction

Pasteurella multocida toxin (PMT) stimulates and subsequently uncouples phospholipase C (PLC) signal transduction through its selective action on the Gαq subunit. This review summarizes what is currently known about the molecular action of PMT on Gq and the resulting cellular effects. Examples are presented illustrating the use of PMT as a powerful tool for dissecting the molecular mechanisms involving pertussis toxin (PT)-insensitive heterotrimeric G proteins.
Value in Academic Writing: An Inquiry into Reader Response

Much of the existing research regarding the way college and university writing instructors view undergraduate students and their writing suggests a lack of high regard, potentially leading to a poor long-term student ethos that could have a lasting impact on perceptions of student writing. However, research also shows the emergence of a different way of teaching and working in composition classrooms that values student contributions and strengthens relationships between students and instructors. This essay presents original survey data that reflects instructor views on written work based on the identification of the writer as an undergraduate student or a professor with a PhD. Results indicate that certain students may have established a long-term ethos respected by instructors in spite of students’ academic status, suggesting the potential for student contributions to be valued in ways that may be indicative of closer student and instructor work in composition studies.
Analysis of thymectomy for myasthenia gravis in older patients: a 20-year single institution experience.

Abstract Background: Thymectomy has become recognized as an integral element in the care of the patient with myasthenia gravis. Although the number of elderly patients with myasthenia is substantial, little data exist demonstrating the efficacy and morbidity of thymectomy in this population. Study Design: We retrospectively analyzed 126 cervicomediastinal thymectomies performed at a single university hospital from 1980 to 1998. Patients 55 years or older were compared with those less than 55. Efficacy was measured by determining the change in Osserman score, the rate of remission during followup, and the reduction in medication requirements after thymectomy. Results: Older patients (n = 28) had similar Osserman scores (p = 0.8) and similar rates of complete and partial remission as the younger group (n = 98) at a mean ± SEM followup of 58 ± 5 months. The two groups did not differ in the number (p = 0.4) and doses of medications used to control myasthenic symptoms after operation. Older age was associated with an increased length of hospitalization (13.8 ± 3.2 days versus 9.7 ± 0.6 days, p=0.05) and a higher incidence of reintubation, and longer ventilatory support (2.6 ± 1.3 days versus 0.1 ± 0.1 days, p=0.001). Conclusions: Increased age does not alter the outcomes of thymectomy for myasthenia gravis. Older patients can expect to have similar responses and require a similar number of postoperative medications as younger patients, but with a higher short-term morbidity.
Lanthanides: Amino Acid Compounds

The synthetic and structural chemistry of lanthanide complexes with α-amino acids under low- and high-pH conditions is summarized. The preparative methods, diverse coordination modes, fascinating solid-state structures, and solution behavior of such complexes are discussed. Under acidic conditions, only the carboxylate group of the amino acid participates in the metal coordination. For those with a side-chain carboxylate group, more extensive bridging interactions of the ligand and the lanthanide ions are identified. Under physiological or even higher-pH conditions, both the amino and carboxylate groups, be they skeletal or present in the side chain, could be coordinating, leading to much more diverse coordination modes of these unique ligands in their lanthanide complexes. Distinct from their low-pH counterparts, complexes obtained under higher-pH conditions are products of lanthanide hydrolysis, limited by the supporting amino acid ligands. Presence of structurally well-defined polynuclear lanthanide–oxo/hydroxo cluster motif is characteristic of these interesting compounds that provide fundamental insight into the lanthanide interactions with biological environment. Keywords: lanthanide; amino acid; complex; coordination mode; polynuclear; hydrolysis; cluster