cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic Diversity Within Clostridium botulinum Serotypes, Botulinum Neurotoxin Gene Clusters and Toxin Subtypes

Clostridium botulinum is a species of spore-forming anaerobic bacteria defined by the expression of any one or two of seven serologically distinct botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) designated BoNT/A-G. This Gram-positive bacterium was first identified in 1897 and since then the paralyzing and lethal effects of its toxin have resulted in the recognition of different forms of the intoxication known as food-borne, infant, or wound botulism. Early microbiological and biochemical characterization of C. botulinum isolates revealed that the bacteria within the species had different characteristics and expressed different toxin types. To organize the variable bacterial traits within the species, Group I–IV designations were created. Interestingly, it was observed that isolates within different Groups could express the same toxin type and conversely a single Group could express different toxin types. This discordant phylogeny between the toxin and the host bacteria indicated that horizontal gene transfer of the toxin was responsible for the variation observed within the species. The recent availability of multiple C. botulinum genomic sequences has offered the ability to bioinformatically analyze the locations of the bont genes, the composition of their toxin gene clusters, and the genes flanking these regions to understand their variation. Comparison of the genomic sequences representing multiple serotypes indicates that the bont genes are not in random locations. Instead the analyses revealed specific regions where the toxin genes occur within the genomes representing serotype A, B, C, E, and F C. botulinum strains and C. butyricum type E strains. The genomic analyses have provided evidence of horizontal gene transfer, site-specific insertion, and recombination events. These events have contributed to the variation observed among the neurotoxins, the toxin gene clusters and the bacteria that contain them, and has supported the historical microbiological, and biochemical characterization of the Group classification within the species.
Characterization and use of the World Bank water and sanitation database

In 2010, the World Bank began its Open Data Initiative in an effort to publicize data that was previously limited to an audience within the organization, its associates, and subscribers. The goal of the initiative is to assure widespread access to a robust, comprehensive database that contains plentiful information regarding the world’s developing economies, including information about projects in which the World Bank is, or was, involved. This capstone project was established in order to characterize the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) Database in an effort to clarify and map important components of the database, and then utilize the database to identify relevant predictors of project success, both in terms of return on investment for financial contributors and in terms of social progress for the loan recipient. However, due to discrepancies in data quality and comprehensiveness across projects, a comprehensive statistical analysis was not feasible. In an effort to make the aforementioned type of analysis possible, the capstone project focused on documentation of the current state of the WATSAN database’s structure, the specific indicators available, inconsistencies that are found in the data, and a recommendation for an ideal future state of the database. This paper will outline the stages of documentation and analysis that was employed for the project.
Studies of flavin-adenine dinucleotide-requiring enzymes and phenothiazines. 3. Inhibition kinetics with highly purified D-amino acid oxidase.

Abstract The inhibition of a very highly purified d -amino acid oxidase apoenzyme preparation (specific activity: 300–330 μl O 2 /min/mg protein) by a variety of phenothiazine derivatives has been studied. Only derivatives possessing antipsychotic activity were found to be inhibitors. The inhibition was coenzyme-competitive and the following K i 's could be calculated: (1) chlorpromazine, 5 × 10 −5 M, (2) triflupromazine, 3 × 10 −5 M; (3) perphenazine, 2.7 × 10 −5 M;(4) fluphenazine, 2.4 × 10 − 5M; (5) trifluoperazine, 2.0 × 10 −5 M; and (6) thioridazine, 1.6 × 10 −5 M. The inhibitory capacities of these compounds were generally in good agreement with their relative clinical efficacy and potency in antipsychotic therapy. Phenothiazine derivatives with little or no clinical efficacy as tranquilizing agents (promazine, trimeprazine, promethazine, and the sulfoxides of chlorpromazine and thioridazine) did not inhibit d -amino acid oxidase even in concentrations as high as 4 × 10 −4 M; neither did imipramine, an antidepressant which is structually similar to the phenothiazines. However, chlorprothixene, a thiaxanthene derivative with definite utility in antipsychotic management, was also a coenzymecompetitive inhibitor and had a K i of 4 × 10 −5 M. Since the K i ′s were low enough to represent concentrations that might be encountered in vivo , the hypothesis that phenothiazines could act by inhibiting flavoenzymes appears to gain further significance.
Integrating role-play into software engineering courses

The primary goal of an introductory software engineering course is to provide a complete introduction to software engineering. Typically this includes concepts, terms, processes, tools, and history. However, for students to fully understand software engineering and be prepared for software development careers, courses must also consider the sociological and communication aspects, often called the socio-technical aspects. Unfortunately, these aspects are difficult to teach and do not receive much coverage in the most widely used software engineering textbooks. Faculty have used various approaches to address the socio-technical aspects. One popular method is to use role-playing exercises. The software engineering education literature contains many papers advocating role-play. However, these papers describe role-play integrated in semester-long projects and often provide little detail about the exercises. Using these published approaches in an existing software engineering course requires significant work by the instructor. This paper presents a set of ready to use role-play exercises that can be downloaded and easily integrated into an existing course. Student reaction is also reported.
Arctic perennial ice cover over the last 14 million years

Knowledge of the long-term history of the perennial ice is an important issue that has eluded study because the Cenozoic core material needed has been unavailable until the recent Arctic Coring Expedition (ACEX). Detrital Fe oxide mineral grains analyzed by microprobe from the last 14 Ma (164 m) of the ACEX composite core on the Lomonosov Ridge were matched to circum-Arctic sources with the same mineral and 12-element composition. These precise source determinations and estimates of drift rates were used to determine that these sand grains could not be rafted to the ACEX core site in less than a year. Thus the perennial ice cover has existed since 14 Ma except for the unlikely rapid return to seasonal ice between the average sampling interval of about 0.17 Ma. Both North America and Russia contributed significant Fe grains to the ACEX core during the last 14 Ma.
Equational Logic as a Tool

Software tools and methods that approach being formal are not readily used by programmers, software engineers, and even most computer scientists. (There are avid users of mechanical verifiers and proof checkers, but they are a small the minority.) One reason for this is that the foundation of many formalisms —propositional and predicate logic— has been viewed and taught more as an object of study than as a useful tool.
Preparation and Ultrastructure of the Outer Coats of Azotobacter vinelandii Cysts

Cysts of Azotobacter vinelandii were ruptured with 3.0 mm ethylenediaminetetraacetate in 0.05 m tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane buffer ( p H 7.8) and fractionated by differential centrifugation in density gradients of sucrose or Ficoll (polysucrose) at 10,000 × g for 2 hr at 4 C. The average densities of the cyst exine, the cyst central body, the vegetative cell, and the intact cyst were found to be 1.13, 1.26, 1.28, and 1.31 g/cm 3 in sucrose, and 1.08, 1.12, 1.13, and 1.17 g/cm 3 in Ficoll, respectively. These data were utilized to devise procedures for the isolation of cyst components. Cyst exine appeared as a multilayered structure in ultrathin sections. This same sheetlike structure was seen when exines were subjected to detergent treatment, metal-shadowed, and examined in an electron microscope. The exine was lysed by trypsin and was resistant to lysozyme, indicating that protein may be the principal structural material of the outer cyst coat. Images
Pérolas de Sabedoria nas Noites de Sexta-Feira

This text testifies to the pedagogy of Etienne Decroux and, in particular, to his lessons in the early 1970s in the blue basement of his house on the outskirts of Paris. The author presents peculiarities of the teaching of mime with emphasis on Decroux’s theatrical improvisation lessons taught every Friday night, and discusses the ambiguities and the power of Decroux’s thought and contributions to contemporary theatre, especially to acting pedagogy.
Improving the brain machine interface via multiple Tetramethyl Orthosilicate sol-gel coatings on microelectrode arrays

The failure of neurally implanted microelectrode arrays has been highly correlated with the foreign body response (FBR). In order to maintain high fidelity signaling across the brain machine interface, the FBR must be minimized. Multiple thin coatings of Tetramethyl Orthosilicate have the potential to reduce the acute FBR through their ability to release a model therapeutic drug for 4 to 10 days, their positive effects on electrode performance (e.g. a minimal change in impedance at 1kHz, less than 10%, and an increase in charge carrying capacity, up to 49%), and their low impact on device thickness.
Phase III Multicenter Randomized Trial of the Dartmouth Regimen Versus Dacarbazine in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

PURPOSE: Several single-institution phase II trials have reported that the Dartmouth regimen (dacarbazine, cisplatin, carmustine, and tamoxifen) can induce major tumor responses in 40% to 50% of stage IV melanoma patients. This study was designed to compare the overall survival time, rate of objective tumor response, and toxicity of the Dartmouth regimen with standard dacarbazine treatment in stage IV melanoma patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this multicenter phase III trial, 240 patients with measurable stage IV melanoma were randomized to receive the Dartmouth regimen (dacarbazine 220 mg/m2 and cisplatin 25 mg/m2 days 1 to 3, carmustine 150 mg/m2 day 1 every other cycle, and tamoxifen 10 mg orally bid) or dacarbazine 1,000 mg/m2. Treatment was repeated every 3 weeks. Patients were observed for tumor response, survival time, and toxicity. RESULTS: Median survival time from randomization was 7 months; 25% of the patients survived ≥ 1 year.There was no difference in survival time between the two treatmen...
Vertical Distribution of Age-0 Walleye Pollock during Late Summer: Environment or Ontogeny?

AbstractVariability in the late-summer vertical distribution of age-0 Walleye Pollock Gadus chalcogrammus in the southeastern Bering Sea has been attributed to a range of physical and biological factors. Using acoustic data (38 and 120 kHz) collected during the 2010 Bering Aleutian Salmon International Survey (BASIS) and dedicated high-resolution surveys (HR1 and HR2), we evaluated whether late-summer distributions could be explained by water column properties (environment) or whether sampling was likely occurring during the ontogenetic shift of age-0 Walleye Pollock from near-surface habitat to demersal habitat (ontogeny). Neither water column attributes (temperature, relative temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and density gradient) nor the acoustic density of zooplankton prey strongly predicted the acoustic estimates of age-0 Walleye Pollock vertical presence or density. At 6 of 10 paired BASIS–HR1 stations, age-0 Walleye Pollock shifted deeper in the water column between BASIS sampling and the HR...
Determination and comparison of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in primary, secondary, and tertiary wastewater treatment plants

A concurrent comparison of the concentration, occurrence, and removal efficiency of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in wastewater from primary, secondary and tertiary wastewater treatment plants was examined. The study area was composed of all three types of wastewater treatment plants in two countries, the United States of America and Mexico. Nineteen PBDEs were analyzed by an environmentally friendly technique, Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction coupled with thermal desorption and gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. This method required no organic solvent and was proven to be effective and sensitive. The most detected PBDEs found in wastewater influent and effluent were BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-100 and BDE-119. The total concentration of PBDEs (∑BDE47,99,100,119) in the influents ranged from 115.3 to 595.0 ng L−1, and from below method detection limit to 388.2 ng L−1 in the effluent. It was observed that tertiary treatment was the most effective process to remove BDE-47, 99, and 100, while the primary...
Strain‐induced crystallization II. Subsequent fibrillar‐to‐lamellar transformation

Part II discusses numerous examples of a morphological fibrillar-to-lamellar transformation that has reportedly been observed in stretched polymers upon additional thermal treatment (or TIC), Stretched polymers containing initially a typical fibrillar morphology for either crystallites in cold-drawn polymers, crystallites induced by stretching, or simply non-crystalline fibrils can yield a more or less lamellar morphology after the thermally-induced transformation. There is no evidence of extended-chain crystals present in either the original fibrils or the transformed lamellae; however, the extent of the transformation is strongly dictated by the annealing conditions and the stretch ratios, and therefore the local strains on tie molecules between the crystallites. Of particular interest is the observation of lamellar formation in conjunction with decreasing stress (or increasing length) during TIG under strain. This is in conflict with the generally expected stress increase if chain folding is presumed to occur during formation of lamellae, Consequently, it leads to the conclusion that lamellae form from prefolded structures during TIC. In the light of this surprising conclusion, available evidence on the presence of structure or non-Gaussian chain segments in the amorphous state is also cited. Included are the most recent neutron scattering results from concentrated solutions of polystyrene.
VEP and PERG acuity in anesthetized young adult rhesus monkeys.

This study used the swept spatial-frequency method to compare retinal and cortical acuity in anesthetized young adult rhesus monkeys. Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and pattern electroretinographic responses (PERGs) were recorded from 25 monkeys (age range: 4-12 years) anesthetized with a continuous infusion of propofol. The stimuli were temporally countermodulated sine-wave gratings that increased in spatial frequency within a 10.24-s period. All animals were refracted using acuity estimated from the zero micro-volt intercept of the linear regression of evoked potential amplitude on spatial frequency. Average sweep acuities were 23.7 cycles/deg +/- 1.5 S.E.M. and 23.1 cycles/deg +/- 1.8 S.E.M. for the PERG and VEP, respectively. VEP and PERG acuities were within the range expected based on acuities estimated from behavioral studies in macaques. PERG and VEP acuities were highly correlated (r = 0.90) and equally sensitive to spherical blur. On a subset of animals, test-retest reliability of animals, and interocular correlations, were high (r = 0.87 and r = 0.83, respectively). Increasing propofol dosage 8-fold did not degrade PERG or VEP acuity. This study demonstrates that high spatial-frequency acuities can be rapidly obtained from young adult rhesus monkeys under a wide dose range of propofol anesthesia using the swept spatial-frequency method.
OPTIMAL PARALLEL PREFIX ON MESH ARCHITECTURES

Algorithms for efficient implementation of computation of prefix produce on mesh-connected processor arrays are presented. Assuming that an arithmetic operation takes unit time and communication/computation ratio for a single input item is τ, we show that the prefixes of n items can be computed in time 2τ√n + O(log n) on a square mesh with n processors. If n processors are configured as a disc with respect to the Manhattan metric, then the parallel time for the problem becomes √2τ√n + O(√τ 4√n. We show that both of these algorithms are asymptotically optimal.
Composition and fine structure of minor veins inTetragonia leaf

Mesophyll containing the minor veins from leaves ofTetragonia expansa Murr. was examined in preparation for a study of effects of beet yellows virus on the leaf tissues of this plant. The sieve elements throughout the minor veins exhibit the characteristics commonly found in this type of cell in dicotyledons. The cells are connected with one another by sieve plates and with contiguous parenchyma cells by branched plasmodesmata. Mature sieve elements are enucleate and lack ribosomes. No tonoplast was discerned in these cells. Mitochondria, plastids, and sparse endoplasmic reticulum are retained in mature cells. The plastids, which contain a massive fibrous ring of proteinaceous material, resemble the sieve element plastids ofBeta. The P-protein in the sieve elements is occasionally composed of tubules; more commonly it is represented by loose helices. The tracheary elements have scalariform secondary thickenings. In regions free of these thickenings, the primary wall largely disintegrates; only some loosely arranged fibrils remain. The mesophyll and vascular parenchyma cells contain the various organelles characteristic of living plant cells but vary in degree of vacuolation and in density of cytoplasm. Some vascular parenchyma cells have particularly dense protoplasts. They contain numerous ribosomes and their background matrix consists of a dense population of fine fibrils. Occasional vascular parenchyma cells contain the tubular spiny cell component first recognized inBeta.
Observations on the recent history of drug user counseling

The drug user counselor role is explored in terms of its changing nature over the course of the past 25 years. Initially, the drug user counselor could be characterized as a professional based on his or her experience, or as an ex-addict paraprofessional in the language of that time. Working very largely with a heroin-using clientele, the counselor was the advisor and role model who could not be conned and, thereby, the essential counterpart to the mental health professionals who were entering the drug misuse field. Over time, these latter professionals based on education have become increasingly evident and the "professionals of experience" have become less so in accord with changes in the demography, drug-using characteristics, and psychological functioning of drug user clients. Nonetheless, studies that support the particular efficacy of counselors of education for all but drug user clients with significant psychopathology are lacking. Moreover, aspects of therapeutic interaction that are more largely engaged in by "professionals of experience" are threatened by the diminution in that group's numbers and the credentialing out of nontraditional job functions. Over the past few years, awareness of the significance of the contributions of "professionals of experience" has been reawakened by the threat of AIDS and the recognition of counselors' contributions to outreach and AIDS prevention counseling.
Tempering the wrath of RAGE: an emerging therapeutic strategy against diabetic complications, neurodegeneration, and inflammation

The multiligand receptor RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end-products) is emerging as a central mediator in the immune/inflammatory response. Epidemiological evidence accruing in the human suggests upregulation of RAGE's ligands (AGEs, S100/calgranulins, high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), and amyloid beta-peptide and beta-sheet fibrils) and the receptor itself at sites of inflammation and in chronic diseases such as diabetes and neurodegeneration. The consequences of ligand-RAGE interaction include upregulation of molecules implicated in inflammatory responses and tissue damage, such as cytokines, adhesion molecules, and matrix metalloproteinases. In this review, we discuss the localization of RAGE and its ligand families and the biological impact of this axis in multiple cell types implicated in chronic diseases. Lastly, we consider findings from animal model studies suggesting that although tissue-damaging effects ensue from recruitment of the ligand-RAGE interaction, in distinct settings, adaptive and repair/regeneration outcomes appear to override detrimental effects of RAGE. As RAGE blockade moves further into clinical development, clarifying the biology of RAGE garners ever-increasing importance.
Realms and states: a framework for location aware mobile computing

Location awareness is an important part of context-aware mobile computing. We present the idea of logical location contexts which provides enhanced privacy and supports specialized notions of distance, and offers a paradigm that unifies location with other types of context. This is developed in the form of a framework consisting of realms, which are collections of spatial states, with realm-maps providing mappings between realms. The lowest realm relies on raw (physical) location. Multiple arbitrary realms are allowed to co-exist. Many applications do not necessarily need access to raw location. With our model, such applications access only states in specified realms of interest, thus supporting location privacy. Policies guard such access at the granularity of realms and states. Provision for specialized realm-specific and state-specific notions of distance enables spatial awareness and reasoning. The framework is presented formally. The ensuing architecture has good properties with respect to privacy, manageability, distribution of computation and scalability.
Forum shopping in the Middle East and South Asia: its impact on women and the evolution of inheritance codes

Hindu and Islamic inheritance and divorce laws have coexisted in South Asia for hundreds of years. Yet the two systems of law failed to borrow from each other. On the other hand, Jewish inheritance and divorce laws in the Middle East were influenced by Islamic inheritance and divorce laws. This work posits that this difference may be traced to differences in the nature of legal pluralism in South Asia and the Middle East: in the former region, forum shopping was not permitted, whereas in the latter region, it was allowed. In the Middle East, Jewish litigants could appeal to an Islamic court if one of the litigants was not satisfied with the decision of the Jewish courts. Jewish women frequently appealed to Islamic courts and Jewish courts attempted to prevent such appeals by often interpreting Jewish law in accordance with the Islamic law. In South Asia, Hindus and Muslims could not appeal to the courts of other denomination and thus there was little pressure on the two legal systems to borrow from one an...
The 'disappearance' of Trypillia culture

The Trypillia-Cucuteni cultural complex over a period of almost 2000 years was an outstanding phenomenon east of the Carpathians, but it fell into decay. The Late period of Trypillia culture dates back to 3200–2700 BC and is represented by a few local types or so-called ‘post-Trypillia cultures’, all located in regions with different natural conditions and resources, from forest to steppe zones. Local features displayed different trends of change in the economy and material culture and also in social structures. The most conservative were groups with the highest development of social organisation and economy based on a division of labour, with proto-cities, as ‘points of rest’. On the borders of Trypillia culture, intercultural relations took on a special significance and led to changes in material culture and economy that materialised as a process of ‘disappearence’. It seems that these changes had a common point of departure – changes in the environment since 3200 BC.
VARIABLE PHENOTYPIC EXPRESSION IN A FAMILY WITH “CANDIDA ENDOCRINOPATHY SYNDROME”

The Candida endocrinopathy syndrome (CES), an autosomal recessive disorder, has been associated with endocrinopathies and a variety of cell mediated immune defects (CMI). The cell mediated immune responses of a family of 9 members, 3 of which are affected with CES have been investigated by 1) in vivo skin reactivity to Candida extract (CE), phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB); 2) T and B cell resetting; 3) in vitro lymphocyte response to PHA and CE; 4) release of migration inhibition factor (MIF) in response to PHA and CE; 5) the effect of patients' sera on the in vitro response of normal lymphocytes to CE. Results are summarized as follows No abnormal CMI responses were detected in other non-affected members. All the affected individuals had defects in CMI functions. Although it has been reported that family members with CES demonstrate the same defects in CMI, we have demonstrated a variety of defects in this sibship, indicating variable expressivity of the gene involved.
Three-dimensional heat flow and solidification during the autogenous GTA welding of aluminum plates

A theoretical and experimental study of heat flow and solidification during the autogenous GTA welding of aluminum plates was carried out. The theoretical part of the study involves the development of a computer model which describes three-dimensional heat flow during welding. The model, though valid for any plate thickness, is particularly useful for moderately thick plates since both full- and partial-penetration welds can be considered. The experimental part of the study, on the other hand, involves the measurement of the thermal response of the workpiece during welding, and the examination of the configuration, grain structure, and subgrain structure of the fusion zone. The experimental results were compared with the calculated ones and the agreement was very good. With the help of the computer model, the effects of welding parameters on weld penetration in moderately thick plates were discussed. These parameters are the heat input per unit length of the weld, the thickness of the workpiece, the preheating of the workpiece, and the power-density distribution of the heat source.
Fourier domain design of microgrid imaging polarimeters with improved spatial resolution

Microgrid polarimetric imagers sacrifice spatial resolution for sensitivity to states of linear polarization. We have recently shown that a 2 × 4 microgrid analyzer pattern sacrifices less spatial resolution than the conventional 2× 2 case without compromising polarization sensitivity. In this paper, we discuss the design strategy that uncovered the spatial resolution benefits of the 2 × 4 array.
Multifocal Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Arising in a Lingual Thyroid: A Case Report

We report the first case (to our knowledge) of a multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma arising in a lingual thyroid. The patient underwent a transcervical, transhyoid approach for excision, followed by radioiodine ablation, with excellent functional and oncologic results. We also discuss the management, diagnosis, and historical background of a malignant neoplasm arising in a lingual thyroid.
Results of Potato Demonstrations in Michigan 1932

Late potatoes planted on May 15 in Central and Northern Michigan and on June 1 in Southwestern Michigan out-yielded potatoes planted at any later date under the 1932 growing conditions.
The role of lysyl oxidase and collagen crosslinking during sea urchin development

Abstract Lysyl oxidase, the only enzyme involved in collagen crosslinking, is shown to be present in embryos of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. The enzyme specific activity increases over six-fold during development, showing the greatest rise during gastrulation and prism larva formation. The enzyme is inhibited by the specific inhibitor, β-aminoproprionitrile (BAPN). Continuous BAPN treatment of S. purpuratus and Lytechinus pictus embryos from late cleavage stages onward increases the amount of noncrosslinked collagen present in prism larvae. When BAPN is added at the 128- or 256-cell stage it causes developmental arrest at the mesenchyme blastula stage. Embryos can be maintained in the arrested state for at least 96 h and will resume normal development and morphogenesis following BAPN removal. If BAPN is added after the mesenchyme blastula stage, it has little adverse effect on development; consequently nonspecific toxic effects of the drug are unlikely. The results suggest that lysyl oxidase and collagen crosslinking play a vital role in primary mesenchyme migration, gastrulation, and morphogenesis during sea urchin development and indicate that BAPN may be very useful in studying the extracellular matrix -cell interactions at the cellular and molecular level.
Initial strontium isotopic abundances and the resolution of small time differences in the formation of planetary objects

Initial Sr isotopic composition at time of planetary objects formation in solar system and precision measurements for age determination of basaltic achondrites
‘The word isn't there!’: a Foucauldian approach to power negotiation in an instructional interaction across linguistic and cultural boundaries

Power is often stabilized as status, role, and expertise that create discourse variations in existing studies on nonnative speakers' (NNSs) interactions with native speakers (NSs). The ethnolinguistic approach views NSs as the powerful and dominant group due to their linguistic status. In contrast, the discourse domain approach argues that NNSs are capable of giving a better discourse performance than NSs if they have the expertise on the topic. Drawing on Foucault's conceptualization of power, the present study argues that power is not monolithic and static, but dynamic and negotiable. The discourse under consideration represents an instructional interaction between an NNS teacher and a NS college student. A close analysis of the discourse reveals that neither the NS student's linguistic status nor the NNS teacher's expertise is taken for granted as a given privilege, but both are actually negotiated. Power negotiation involves the use of language resources, interactional skills, and contextual knowledge...
Incorporating Flexibility in the Design of Repairable Systems: Design of Microgrids

The authors have recently proposed a ‘decision-based’ framework to design and maintain repairable systems. In their approach, a multiobjective optimization problem is solved to identify the best design using multiple short and long-term statistical performance metrics. The design solution considers the initial design, the system maintenance throughout the planning horizon, and the protocol to operate the system. Analysis and optimization of complex systems such as a microgrid is however, computationally intensive. The problem is exacerbated if we must incorporate flexibility in terms of allowing the microgrid architecture and its running protocol to change with time. To reduce the computational effort, this paper proposes an approach that “learns” the working characteristics of the microgrid and quantifies the stochastic processes of the total load and total supply using autoregressive time-series. This allows us to extrapolate the microgrid operation in time and eliminate therefore, the need to perform a full system simulation for the entire long-term planning horizon. The approach can be applied to any repairable system. We show that building in flexibility in the design of repairable systems is computationally feasible and leads to better designs.© 2014 ASME
Accuracy and validation of an automated electronic algorithm to identify patients with atrial fibrillation at risk for stroke

Background There is no universally accepted algorithm for identifying atrial fibrillation (AF) patients and stroke risk using electronic data for use in performance measures. Methods Patients with AF seen in clinic were identified based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes. CHADS 2 and CHA 2 DS s -Vasc scores were derived from a broad, 10-year algorithm using IICD-9 codes dating back 10 years and a restrictive, 1-year algorithm that required a diagnosis within the past year. Accuracy of claims-based AF diagnoses and of each stroke risk classification algorithm were evaluated using chart reviews for 300 patients. These algorithms were applied to assess system-wide anticoagulation rates. Results Between 6/1/2011, and 5/31/2012, we identified 6,397 patients with AF. Chart reviews confirmed AF or atrial flutter in 95.7%. A 1-year algorithm using CHA 2 DS 2 -Vasc score ≥2 to identify patients at risk for stroke maximized positive predictive value (97.5% [negative predictive value 65.1%]). The PPV of the 10-year algorithm using CHADS 2 was 88.0%; 12% those identified as high-risk had CHADS 2 scores 2 scores ≥2 (58.5% on anticoagulation) and CHA 2 DS 2 -Vasc scores ≥2 (56.0% on anticoagulation). Conclusions Automated methods can be used to identify patients with prevalent AF indicated for anticoagulation but may have misclassification up to 12%, which limits the utility of relying on administrative data alone for quality assessment. Misclassification is minimized by requiring comorbidity diagnoses within the prior year and using a CHA 2 DS2-Vasc based algorithm. Despite differences in accuracy between algorithms, system-wide anticoagulation rates assessed were similar regardless of algorithm used.
Pion-induced spallation of copper across the (3,3) resonance

Cross sections for about two dozen radioactive spallation products have been measured for 50-, 100-, 190-, and 350-MeV ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$ and for 200- and 350-MeV proton interactions with copper. Sums of measured pion-induced cross sections at 50 and 350 MeV are about the same as for protons of 200 and 590 MeV, respectively. However, at 100 and 190 MeV, nearer to the (3,3) pion-nucleon resonance, these pion-induced cross section sums are 50 to 75% greater than those for protons of similar total energy. Ratios of the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ to ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}$ cross sections are greater than unity for neutron-rich products and less than unity for neutron-deficient products at all four energies, indicating that pion absorption is a substantial reaction mode, even at 190 and 350 MeV. At 100 MeV, and especially at 50 MeV, absorption appears to dominate over inelastic scattering and the $\frac{{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}}{{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}}$ ratios are noticeably changed from those at the higher energies. The intranuclear cascade plus evaporation codes reproduce the proton cross sections fairly well. The pion version of the intranuclear cascade code reproduces the pion results quite well at 350 MeV, but it underestimates them significantly at 50 and 100 MeV.
Modelling and simulation of the conversion of correlated and unbalanced antenna diversity systems

Due to the increasing interest in mobile/wireless communication, there has been a continuous research in antenna diversity to combat fading. And the model of correlated and unbalanced diversity branches reflects the real-world scenario. The diagonalizer is introduced here before the diversity branches are combined, which can transform the correlated and balanced branches to the uncorrelated and unbalanced ones, and vice versa. This paper assumes a generic model, in which noise and interference components are correlated with a correlation equal to or smaller than the correlation of signal components. Discussions on how to maximize diversity gains are made in various signal and noise conditions, and with different combining methods. Modelling and simulation of a real world example and the performance are shown in the paper for various dual diversity scenarios.
Intrathoracic impedance preceding ventricular tachyarrhythmia episodes.

Background: Heart failure is associated with ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VT/VF). Fluid accumulation during worsened heart failure may trigger VT/VF. Increased intrathoracic impedance has been correlated with fluid accumulation during heart failure. Implanted defibrillators capable of daily measures of intrathoracic impedance allow correlation of impedance with occurrence of VT/VF. We hypothesized that VT/VF episodes are preceded by decreases in intrathoracic impedance. The goal was to identify the relationship of intrathoracic impedance measured by implanted cardioverter defibrillators to the occurrence of VT/VF. Method: Implanted defibrillator follow-up data were obtained retrospectively. Those with Medtronic OptiVol (Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA), storing averaged daily and reference impedance values, were reviewed for VT/VF episodes. Impedance changes in the week leading up to VT/VF were analyzed. Results: A total of 317 VT/VF episodes in a cohort of 121 patients’ follow-up data were evaluated. Averaged daily intrathoracic impedance declined preceding 64% of VT/VF episodes, with an average decline of 0.46 ± 0.35 Ohms from the day before the VT/VF episodes. However, the mean values of the averaged daily and reference impedance did not change significantly. A novel measure, ΔTI, the sum of the daily differences between the averaged daily and reference impedance, was negative preceding 66% of VT/VF episodes (P < 0.001). The mean ΔTI was −4.0 ± 1.3 Ohms, which was significantly lower than the theoretically expected value of zero Ohms (P < 0.01). Conclusion: (1) Averaged daily impedance declined preceding 64% of VT/VF episodes, but the overall decline was of small magnitude; (2) a novel measure, ΔTI, was negative preceding 66% of VT/VF episodes, and significantly below zero. (PACE 2010; 33:960–966)
Revolution And Evolution In Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Software

The explosive growth of the use of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometers during the last decade has been due in large part to both revolutionary and evolutionary advances in software developments related to the implementation, practice and applications of FT-IR. Clearly the trends of performance-to-price ratio of digital technology has played a fundamental role in enabling the forward progression of software development but major independent developments have had fundamental impact in their own right. The history of these developments in acquisition and control, spectral recovery, and data processing and their implication on spectrometer hardware design and use are reviewed and critiqued.© (1981) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Border wars: the ongoing temple dispute between Thailand and Cambodia and UNESCO’s World Heritage List

This article traces the history of the ongoing tension between Thailand and Cambodia over a beautiful Khmer temple located on the unresolved border between the two countries. The struggle is noteworthy for its transethnic character, the deep and imbricated history of the players, and the fight’s intersection with dramatic contemporary politics in both countries. The paper argues that the dispute implicates existential challenges to ancient and contemporary political legitimacy. It emphasizes the significant role iconic sites can play in the construction of national identity as well as in the competitive global tourism market. The paper questions UNESCO cultural heritage policy concerning contested nominations to the World Heritage List and offers a recommendation for future treatment of similar cases.
Inheritance of allozymes in the boll weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

The inheritance for allozymes of amylase (AMY), fumarase (FUM), leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) was determined by electrophoretic analysis of specimens from laboratory colonies of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman. Comparison of P1 and corresponding F1 zymograms provided evidence of codominant alleles segregating at autosomal loci for AMY, FUM, LAP, and MDH. Both ME and SOD were monomorphic. A new allele is described and further genetic evidence for the inheritance of aspartate aminotransferase (AAT) is presented.
Point defects and the binding energies of boron near defect sites in Ni3Al: A first-principles investigation

Abstract First-principles local-density-functional calculations have been used to investigate the equilibrium point defect structure and boron-defect interactions in Ni 3 Al. The dominant point defect types in off-stoichiometric Ni 3 Al are substitutional antisite defects on both sublattices. The boron binding energy is dependent on lattice coordination; it is strongest near vacancy sites with a nearst-neighbour nickel coordination number of about four (instead of six as in the defect-free interstitial site) and with no aluminium atom nearest-neighbours. This suggests that boron tends to segregate to “open” defect sites and to enhance cohesion through the formation of localized Ni-B covalent bonds. Comparison of the binding energies of boron and carbon in Ni 3 Al shows that boron has a stronger tendency to segregate to “open” sites than carbon.
Prechallenge Antibodies: Moderators of Infection Rate, Signs, and Symptoms in Adults Experimentally Challenged With Rhinovirus Type 39†‡

This study determined the influence of serum neutralizing antibody titers on infection rate, symptom manifestations, and provoked signs and pathophysiologies in adults experimentally exposed to rhinovirus type 39 (RV-39). Antibody status was determined for 151 healthy volunteers who were then cloistered in a hotel for 6 days. At the end of the first cloister day, the volunteers were challenged with RV39 in a median tissue culture infective dose of 100. On each of the 6 days, a nasal examination was performed, symptoms were scored, and objective tests of nasal mucociliary function, nasal airway patency, secretion production, and middle ear pressures were completed. Both subjects and investigators were blinded to the prechallenge serum homotypic antibody titers of the subjects. Four subjects presented with a wild virus and were excluded from the analysis. Of the 147 included subjects, prechallenge serum antibody titers to RV-39 were low (under 2) in 58 subjects, intermediate (2 to 8) in 51 subjects, and high (above 16) in 40 subjects. The high-titer group was significantly different from the low-titer group with respect to viral shedding, symptom load, subjective extent of illness, and secretion production, as well as in the frequency of subjects with abnormal nasal mucociliary clearance and positive middle ear pressures. The study results document that for experimental RV-39 exposure, high levels of homotypic serum neutralizing antibody titers are associated with protection from infection and a lessened degree of disease expression, but not with a reduction of otologic complications.
Corticosteroid insensitivity in severe asthma: impaired nuclear translocation of glucocorticoid receptor in airway smooth muscle cells

Methods ASMC of the healthy (12), non-severe (NSA; 10) and severe asthma (SA; 10) obtained from endobronchial biopsies were pretreated with dexamethasone (Dex) at 10-10 M followed by stimulation with TNF-a and IFN-g (10 ng/ml each), alone or in combination (T+I). CXCL8 and CCL11 release was determined by ELISA, GR and p65 protein was assessed by Western Blot, mRNA by RT-qPCR and p65 recruitment to the CCL11 promoter by ChIP assay.
Entrepreneurial Leadership of Social Enterprises: Challenges and Skills for Embracing Paradoxes

Social entrepreneurs seek to improve the world through revenue generating businesses. Their resulting social enterprises have much in common with commercial ventures. However, striving to fulfill a social mission is associated with goals, missions, and stakeholders that can be inconsistent with seeking profit, creating strategic paradoxes, and fostering distinct challenges for social entrepreneurs. The current articles aims to advance current understandings of entrepreneurial leadership by identifying unique challenges and necessary leadership skills for social entrepreneurs.
Bis-(N,N′-bis[2-(2-pyridyl)methyl]pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamido)dicopper(II): spontaneous formation of a short double stranded helicate

Abstract In its deprotonated form, the ligand N,N′-bis[2-(2-pyridyl)methyl]pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide (MePy3PH2, where the Hs represent the dissociable amide nitrogens) coordinates to Cu(II) as one strand of a short double helix. The crystal structure of the title complex, bis-(MePy3P)dicopper(II) [Cu2(MePy3P)2], has been determined. The binuclear structure of [Cu2(MePy3P)2] is in contrast to the monomeric Cu(II) complex [Cu(Py3P)] in which the ligand N,N′-bis[2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl]pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide (Py3PH2) differs from MePy3PH2 by only a single methylene linker. The helical structure of [Cu2(MePy3P)2] has now been added to the rapidly growing number of spontaneously forming helical assemblies, for which crystal structures have been determined.
MEMBRANE CHARACTERISTICS AND OSMOTIC BEHAVIOR OF ISOLATED ROD OUTER SEGMENTS

Freshly isolated frog rod outer segments are sensitive osmometers which retain their photosensitivity; their osmotic behavior reveals essentially the same light-sensitive Na+ influx observed electrophysiologically in the intact receptor cell. Using appropriate osmotic conditions we have examined freeze-etch replicas of freshly isolated outer segments to identify the membrane which regulates the flow of water and ions. Under isosmotic conditions we find that the disc to disc repeat distance is almost exactly twice the thickness of a disc. This ratio appears to be the same in a variety of vertebrate rod outer segments and can be reliably measured in freeze-etch images. Under all our osmotic conditions the discs appear nearly collapsed. However, when the length of the outer segment is reduced by hyperosmotic shocks the discs move closer together. This markedly reduces the ratio of repeat distance to disc thickness since disc thickness remains essentially constant. Thus, the length reduction of isolated outer segments after hyperosmotic shocks primarily results from reduction of the extradisc volume. Since the discs are free floating and since they undergo negligibly small changes in volume, the plasma membrane alone must be primarily responsible for regulating the water flux and the light-sensitive Na+ influx in freshly isolated outer segments. On this basis we calculate, from the osmotic behavior, that the plasma membrane of frog rod outer segment has a Na+ permeability constant of about 2.8 x 10-6 cm/s and an osmotic permeability coefficient of greater than 2 x 10-3 cm/s.
Considerations in selecting and validating an adult/elderly hearing screening protocol.

ABSTRACT This article presents important factors related to hearing impairment, medical concerns related to hearing, hearing handicap, and epidemiological principles as considerations in selection of a protocol in adult/elderly hearing screening (18 yr and older). I encourage protocol validation which incorporates a series of criteria: medical conditions, rates of failure for handicap and impairment, handicap perspectives, hearing aid use and satisfaction, and follow-up data when referred. Three different pure-tone fence levels (20 dB, 25 dB, and 40 dB at 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz) are proposed for further study by virtue of their utility for different settings and populations. Finally, a possible protocol is proposed for use with the different pure-tone fences (Ear Hear 12 5337-348).