cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social Structure and Status of the Aged: Toward Some Valid Cross-Cultural Generalizations

Through an examination of social structural elements in Meso-American peasant communities, six “structural determinants” of status of the aged are derived. These are almost identical with determinants proposed independently by Cowgill, derived from a number of cross-cultural sources. It is suggested that these determinants have universal validity, and that status of the aged in all societies is dependent upon them. It is further proposed that these determinants can be economically reduced to four basic “prestige generating” components: (1) advisory, reflected in the degree to which the advice or opinion of the aged individual is actually heeded; (2) contributory, reflected in the extent to which older society members still participate actively in various spheres; (3) control, reflecting the degree of direct control which the aged have over behavior or welfare of others; (4) residual, reflecting residual prestige from previous statuses. These four components of prestige may vary independently, and one or m...
MECHANISTIC STUDIES ON THE RADIOLYTIC DECOMPOSITION OF PERCHLORATES ON THE MARTIAN SURFACE

Perchlorates—inorganic compounds carrying the perchlorate ion (ClO4 - )—were discovered at the north polar landing site of the Phoenix spacecraft and at the southern equatorial landing site of the Curiosity Rover within the Martian soil at levels of 0.4–0.6 wt%. This study explores in laboratory experiments the temperature-dependent decomposition mechanisms of hydrated perchlorates—namely magnesium perchlorate hexahydrate (Mg(ClO4)2·6H2O) —and provides yields of the oxygen-bearing species formed in these processes at Mars-relevant surface temperatures from 165 to 310 K in the presence of galactic cosmic-ray particles (GCRs). Our experiments reveal that the response of the perchlorates to the energetic electrons is dictated by the destruction of the perchlorate ion (ClO4 - ) and the inherent formation of chlorates (ClO3 - ) plus atomic oxygen (O). Isotopic substitution experiments reveal that the oxygen is released solely from the perchlorate ion and not from the water of hydration (H2O). As the mass spectrometer detects only molecular oxygen (O2) and no atomic oxygen(O), atomic oxygen recombines to molecular oxygen within the perchlorates, with the overall yield of molecular oxygen increasing as the temperature drops from 260 to 160 K. Absolute destruction rates and formation yields of oxygen are provided for the planetary modeling community.
Do 3rd Grade Math Scores Determine Students’ Futures? A Statewide Analysis of College Readiness and the Income Achievement Gap

This study explores the relationship between large, early income-achievement gaps and subsequent low rates of college readiness in mathematics among low-income high school students. Within-school course taking patterns in math are examined for the same students from 3rd through 12th grade, conditional on previous grade math scores and socioeconomic status, using detailed, statewide longitudinal data. The study asks the following at each grade level: i) are advanced classes identifiable within schools; ii) conditional on previous scores, do students in these classes advance faster; and iii) conditional on previous scores, are these classes more likely to be assigned to one group than another? Together, the findings indicate that, in terms of college readiness opportunities, it is better to be a low-performing high-income student than a high-performing low-income student, at every grade level, and that the share of students in each of these categories is quite large in most schools.
ESB Based Information Integration of Distribution Automation and Management System

To achieve automation and informationization of distribution operational control and management,comprehensive information integration is necessary.According to multi-source information integration,the information exchange mode among systems related to distribution management is analyzed,and the architecture of the integrated information system is designed.A scheme for information integration of the distribution automation and management system based on the enterprise service bus(ESB)is proposed,which is in accordance with the idea that IEC 61968 standard is intended to facilitate inter-application integration,with Abstract middleware services of the various distributed software application systems supporting the management of electric utility distribution networks.It is pointed out that establishment of service-oriented architecture(SOA)based power ESB is the ideal solution for resolving distribution automation information integration.In this way,the existing applications of power systems can be integrated or inherited,and the expansion of new business systems can also be facilitated with good dynamic scalability.
Immunologic Staging of Prostatic Carcinoma: Three Years of Experience

The immunological specificity of prostatic acid phosphatase has been demonstrated previously in the laboratory and used in a small number of patients. Our findings in 96 patients using gel immunodiffusion with an acid phosphatase antiserum in the study of bone marrow aspirates and lymph nodes are reported.
Econometric Forecasts of Health Services and Health Manpower

This paper presents the Human Resources Research Center (H.R.R.C.) macroeconometric model of the health care systems of the United States and examples of its use in the study of health services and health manpower. This model contains 37 behavioral equations and identities treating both demand and supply factors in the markets for health services and health manpower. The model explains utilization rates and prices of health services, occupancy rates and beds for inpatient institutions, and employment and wages for health manpower. The model is used for structural analysis by studying estimated coefficients and implied elasticities. The paper reports estimated price, income and insurance elasticities of demand for hospital inpatient and outpatient care and for visits to medical specialists and to surgical specialists. The model is also used for policy evaluation via simulating future values of variables of the health care system under alternative assumptions as to policy variables. The paper reports analyses of two types of policy initiatives, the first involving features of various national health insurance plans and the second involving policies designed to increase the total number of physicians.
The SUDEP Risk Inventory: Association with Postictal Generalized EEG Suppression (P6.362)

Objective: To examine the strength of association between the individual risk factors in the Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP)-7 Inventory and postictal generalized EEG suppression (PGES), an electrophysiological biomarker of SUDEP risk. Background: To help identify patients at greatest risk for SUDEP, screening inventories can be useful. One such tool is the SUDEP-7 Inventory. Some studies have raised concerns that certain SUDEP-7 risk factors (particularly >=3 antiepileptic drugs, AEDs) should not be considered markers of SUDEP risk. Design/Methods: We performed a reanalysis of data from an epilepsy monitoring unit study of 37 children with focal dyscognitive and primary/secondarily generalized tonic clonic seizures (GTCS). In that study, the medical records were reviewed to calculate SUDEP-7 Inventory scores. We performed a 2 by 2 contingency table analysis to determine the strength of association between “yes” responses on each of the inventory questions and PGES following at least one seizure. Results: A history of >3 GTCS in the past year had the strongest association with PGES (Pearson chi-square p=1 GTCS in the past year was also strongly associated with PGES (Pearson chi-square p50 seizures of any type per month (Pearson chi-square p=0.14, Cramer’s V=0.241) and intellectual disability (Pearson chi-square p=0.04, Cramer’s V=0.337) were not as robustly associated with PGES. Use of >=3 AEDs had the weakest association with PGES (Pearson chi-square p=0.66, Cramer’s V=0.072). All patients had >=1 seizure per year and were <=18 years of age. Therefore, the strength of association with these questions and PGES could not be analyzed. Conclusions: Our results argue that historical risk factor inventories for SUDEP should take GTCS frequency/intractability into account. Conversely, the low strength of association between use of >=3 AEDs and PGES suggest this question may be of limited value in stratifying SUDEP risk. Study Supported by: No outside funding was utilized. Disclosure: Dr. Martin has nothing to disclose. Dr. DeGiorgio gas received personal compensation for activities with Neurosigma as a consultant. Dr. Moseley has received personal compensation for activities with UCB Pharma, Cyberonics, and Eisai.
Studies of in Vivo Phagocytosis. I. Inhibition of Phagocytosis by Intact Neoplastic Body Fluids

1. By means of a modified skin window technic, the phagocytic response of rabbit leukocytes to external stimuli has been observed. 2. Suspensions of particulate antigens, such as rice starch and Candida albicans , made in serums or urines from patients with leukemias and lymphoproliferative disorders, were not phagocytized normally when compared to similar suspensions in normal media. 3. These results suggest that exogenous or endogenous factors, individually or in combination, interfere with normal phagocytic activity in the rabbit and, by analogy, may exercise a similar function in the human.
Bounding the HL-index of a graph: a majorization approach.

In mathematical chemistry, the median eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix of a molecular graph are strictly related to orbital energies and molecular orbitals. In this regard, the difference between the occupied orbital of highest energy (HOMO) and the unoccupied orbital of lowest energy (LUMO) has been investigated (see Fowler and Pisansky in Acta Chim. Slov. 57:513-517, 2010). Motivated by the HOMO-LUMO separation problem, Jaklic et al. in (Ars Math. Contemp. 5:99-115, 2012) proposed the notion of HL-index that measures how large in absolute value are the median eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix. Several bounds for this index have been provided in the literature. The aim of the paper is to derive alternative inequalities to bound the HL-index. By applying majorization techniques and making use of some known relations, we derive new and sharper upper bounds for this index. Analytical and numerical results show the performance of these bounds on different classes of graphs.
Local Social Media Policies Governing Teachers’ Professionally Oriented Participation Online: a Content Analysis

In light of recent scholarship about teachers leveraging social media to support their continuing professional development, this article documents an investigation of school board policies governing teachers’ use of social media. Focusing on 30 traditional public school systems within a 10-county region in the Midwestern United States, the author collected social media policies and conducted an ethnographic content analysis to build an understanding of the policies that stand to guide teachers’ professionally oriented participation online. Of the 30 public school districts included in the study, 19 districts published policies specific to teachers’ use of social media. Reporting the study’s findings, the author addresses the districts’ efforts to craft policies that define social media, reiterate relevant pre-existing policies and support educational uses of social media. Implications for teachers, teacher educators and policymakers are included.
Modal forcing functions for structural vibration from turbulent boundary layer flow

Abstract In this paper, several approaches for combining large-scale finite-element structural vibration models with turbulent boundary layer (TBL) forcing functions are evaluated. The objective is to determine an efficient method to predict the surface displacement and radiated acoustic power. The overall formulation is based on a standard modal summation approach, and the focus of this work is the calculation of the modal force matrix. Direct numerical integration of the modal force is shown to be very computationally intensive and requires overly resolved structural models. However, an asymptotic approximation to the TBL model provides a very efficient method to compute the modal force at high frequencies. The asymptotic results are equivalent to full numerical integration when the TBL correlation lengths are roughly an order of magnitude smaller than the structural wavelengths. Additionally, the asymptotic solution also removes any dependence of the structural mesh resolution. Analytical formulas using this approach are derived for structures with and without free edges. Example results are shown for a simple isotropic plate and for a complex rib-stiffened plate at low speed in water.
Behavioral and Neural Sustained Attention Deficits in Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), characterized by severe irritability, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are highly comorbid. This is the first study to characterize neural and behavioral similarities and differences in attentional functioning across these disorders. Method Twenty-seven healthy volunteers, 31 patients with DMDD, and 25 patients with ADHD (8 to 18 years old) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging attention task. Group differences in intra-subject variability in reaction time (RT) were examined. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging analytic approach precisely quantified trial-wise associations between RT and brain activity. Results Group differences manifested in the relation between RT and brain activity (all regions: p F > 2.54, partial eta-squared [η p 2 ] > 0.06). Patients with DMDD showed specific alterations in the right paracentral lobule, superior parietal lobule, fusiform gyrus, and cerebellar culmen. In contrast, patients with DMDD and those with ADHD exhibited blunted compensatory increases in activity on long RT trials. In addition, youth with DMDD exhibited increased activity in the postcentral gyrus, medial frontal gyrus, and cerebellar tonsil and declive (all regions: p F > 2.46, η p 2 > 0.06). Groups in the imaging sample did not differ significantly in intra-subject variability in RT ( F 2,79 = 2.664, p = .076, η p 2 = 0.063), although intra-subject variability in RT was significantly increased in youth with DMDD and ADHD when including those not meeting strict motion and accuracy criteria for imaging analysis ( F 2,96 = 4.283, p = .017, η p 2 = 0.083). Conclusion Patients with DMDD exhibited specific alterations in the relation between pre-stimulus brain activity and RT. Patients with DMDD and those with ADHD exhibited similar blunting of compensatory neural activity in frontal, parietal, and other regions. In addition, patients with DMDD showed increased RT variability compared with healthy youth. This work is the first to identify common and unique behavioral and neural signatures of DMDD and ADHD.
Identities Welcome and Unwelcome in College

College loves selectively. Some identities are not as welcome as others. Christian Clown, boxer, non-standard dialect speaker, silent student: these are all identities I have come across that are not embraced by the secular, historically upper middle class institution of college. Still other aspects of identities are not prioritized by college, including being a parent, being a caretaker of a family member, or needing to work many hours.
Investigation of Creeping Wave Propagation Around the Human Head at ISM Frequencies

The concept of wireless body area network (WBAN) technology holds great potential for many applications such as continuous, remote healthcare monitoring. To develop a power-efficient and reliable wearable system, a fundamental understanding of the propagation medium must be developed. This letter investigates the creeping wave transmission path loss and phase delay of a horizontal path and a vertical path around the human head from 300 MHz to 3 GHz. Measurements are compared to numerical simulations and a theoretical model of the same scenario. The dominant wave mechanisms are extracted from measurement data and compared with theory predictions.
An overview of research methods in technical communication journals (2012–2016)

This study reports an empirical content analysis of research methods utilized by technical communication researchers over the past five years. In the study, we coded 117 articles for their topical content, research method, and whether the research presented was RAD (replicable, aggregagble, and data-driven). We found clear patterns emerging and discuss potential implications for research in technical communication.
Quality function deployment: An extended framework for service quality and customer satisfaction in the hospitality industry

Abstract Research on service quality and customer satisfaction has become significant in the hospitality industry. Nonetheless, most previously proposed or introduced research paradigms have focused exclusively on customers without equally emphasizing the intra-organizational service generation and delivery processes. In contrast, this study considers both external and internal service management issues and subsequent service innovations based on the framework of Quality Function Deployment (QFD). QFD and its relationship to similar concepts are explained. Next, this study provides an overview of the QFD process and develops a hypothetical application in the lodging industry in order to illustrate future application and analysis strategies. Some benefits and disadvantages of the QFD process are discussed as compared to extant service quality and customer satisfaction paradigms. Finally, suggestions and directions are offered for future applications, with particular interest in hospitality-specific service management issues.
Time-Dependent Exciton Delocalization Size in the B850 Band of Purple Bacterial LH2

Several ultrafast coherence spectroscopies are employed to study initially delocalized excitons and their subsequent sub-100 fs localization dynamics in LH2. Rigorous simulations of the exciton relaxation process allow for determination of the timedependent exciton size.
The Post-Merger Underperformance Anomaly: Evidence from REITs

We study long-horizon shareholder returns in a comprehensive sample of Real Estate Investment Trust mergers. REITs enjoy tax-advantaged status if they conform to net income pay-out requirements. This unique feature results in limitations on management's ability to command free cash flows and to accumulate reserves for financing projects. One manifestation of this is that public-public REIT mergers are stock financed events. Because stock financing is expected, the signal that is sent by the choice of stock financing in conventional firms is cancelled for the case of REITs. This allows us to use REIT mergers as a control experiment to gain knowledge about mergers in the conventional corporate finance world. We find evidence that post-merger underperformance is related to a signal of asymmetric information sent by management's decision to use stock financing, and does not result from the structural implications of stock financing itself.
Extended Water-Level Drawdowns in Dammed Rivers Enhance Fish Habitat: Environmental Pool Management in the Upper Mississippi River

Environmental Pool Management (EPM) can improve ecosystem function in rivers by restoring aspects of the natural flow regime lost to dam construction. EPM recreates summer baseflow conditions and promotes the growth of terrestrial vegetation which is inundated in the fall, thereby improving habitat heterogeneity for many aquatic taxa. A three-year experiment was conducted wherein terrestrial floodplain areas were dewatered through EPM water-level reductions and the resulting terrestrial vegetation was (1) allowed to remain or (2) removed in paired plots in Mississippi River pool 25. Fish assemblage and abundance were quantified in paired plots after inundation. Abundances of many fish species were greater in vegetated plots, especially for species that utilize vegetation during portions of their life history. Fish assemblages varied more between plot types when the magnitude of EPM water-level drawdowns was greater, which produced greater vegetation growth. Young-of-year individuals, especially from small, early maturing species and/or species reliant on vegetation for refuge, feeding, or life history, utilized vegetated plots more than devegetated plots. Vegetation growth produced under EPM was heavily used by river fishes, including young-of-year individuals, which may ultimately positively influence recruitment. Increased habitat heterogeneity may mitigate some of the negative impacts of dam construction and water-level regulation on river fishes. Annual variability in vegetation responses that occurs under EPM enhances natural environmental variability which could ultimately contribute to increased fish diversity. Low-cost programs like EPM can be implemented as a part of adaptive management plans to help maintain biodiversity and ecosystem health in anthropogenically altered rivers.
Cuba-US Relations: Obama and Beyond by Arnold August

August, Arnold. Cuba-US Relations: Obama and Beyond . Halifax, Canada: Fernwood Publishing, 2017.
The Habeas Corpus Suspension Clause as a Limit on Executive Discretion

This article seeks to understand the concept of suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus as that concept is used in the Suspension Clause, which provides that the writ may be suspended only "when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it." Important recent scholarship shows that the clause is aimed mainly at substantive legislation that authorizes confinement by the executive that otherwise would be unlawful. Thus a grant of detention authority that leaves the judicial habeas corpus remedy intact can constitute a suspension subject to the clause. This article emphasizes that at the time of the framing the central example of a suspension of the writ was a grant of extremely broad discretion to the executive to confine people the executive believed to be dangerous. It maintains that broad executive discretion to confine is a necessary condition for a grant of detention authority to qualify as a suspension. Therefore legislative authorization of executive detention for reasons of national security is not a suspension as long as the executive's discretion is substantially bounded; for example, the confinement of enemy aliens during war does not require suspension of the writ. Grants of legally determinate detention authority are thus not limited to cases of rebellion and invasion by the Suspension Clause, because they are not suspensions.
Utilizing Social Media to Promote Civic Engagement in the Social Studies Classroom.

The United States of America's government relies on the people. Unfortunately, research illuminates a gradual decline in the civic and political participation among youth, ages 18-29, in the U.S. s...
Effects of the Mean Flow on Martian Transient Eddy Activity: Studies with an Idealized General Circulation Model

AbstractThe extent to which the eddy statistics of the Martian atmosphere can be inferred from the mean state and highly simplified assumptions about diabatic and frictional processes is investigat...
The Association Between Perception of Caring and Intrinsic Motivation: A Study of Urban Middle School Students:

Spanning the course of two decades, educational leaders have invested government finances into the social-emotional needs of adolescents. Government programs provide student questionnaires to surve...
Synthesis of [3,3-2H2]-Dihydroartemisinic Acid to Measure the Rate of Nonenzymatic Conversion of Dihydroartemisinic Acid to Artemisinin

Dihydroartemisinic acid is the biosynthetic precursor to artemisinin, the endoperoxide-containing natural product used to treat malaria. The conversion of dihydroartemisinic acid to artemisinin is a cascade reaction that involves C-C bond cleavage, hydroperoxide incorporation, and polycyclization to form the endoperoxide. Whether or not this reaction is enzymatically controlled has been controversial. A method was developed to quantify the nonenzymatic conversion of dihydroartemisinic acid to artemisinin using LC-MS. A seven-step synthesis of 3,3-dideuterodihydroartemisinic acid (23) was accomplished beginning with dihydroartemisinic acid (1). The nonenzymatic rates of formation of 3,3-dideuteroartemisinin (24) from 3,3-dideuterodihydroartemisinic acid (23) were 1400 ng/day with light and 32 ng/day without light. Moreover, an unexpected formation of nondeuterated artemisinin (3) from 3,3-dideuterodihydroartemisinic acid (23) was detected in both the presence and absence of light. This formation of nondeuterated artemisinin (3) from its dideuterated precursor (23) suggests an alternative mechanistic pathway that operates independent of light to form artemisinin, involving the loss of the two C-3 deuterium atoms.
Minimizing Power Module Size with Low Stray Inductance and High Heat Dissipation

Parasitic inductance and heat dissipation are crucial in power module design. This study attempted to minimize the size of a silicon carbide module while maintaining high power output capacity and low parasitic inductance. The discussion herein describes the derivation of the basic specifications, wire bonding analysis, current density analysis, and calculations of the currents for parallel-connected power chips, stray inductance of the commutation loop, thermal stress, and the temperature of each layer of the module. The commutation loop inductance and current density of the power module were modeled and estimated in ANSYS Q3D Extractor, and the thermal stress and module layer temperature were analyzed in Abaqus and ANSYS Icepak respectively. The analysis results indicate that the module can achieve high power output with minimal parallel chips, and the thermal stress and fatigue life meet the requirements.
Chapter 7 – Developmental Physiology of the Pulmonary Circulation

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the physiologic regulation of the developing pulmonary circulation, including mechanisms that regulate vascular tone and reactivity in the fetal lung; mechanisms that contribute to adaptive changes at birth and the early postnatal period; and mechanisms that may contribute to the failure of pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) to fall in neonates with severe pulmonary hypertension. Postnatal survival depends upon the ability of the pulmonary circulation to undergo rapid and dramatic vasodilation during the first minutes after birth. Normal development of the lung circulation is determined by the precise coordination of numerous signals from multiple cell types, which include diverse transcription factors, growth factors, chemokines, cytokines, vasoactive products, matrix proteins and others. Physiologically, the fetal pulmonary circulation is characterized by the presence of high vascular resistance, and the ability to oppose vasodilation and maintain low blood flow in utero. The ability to respond to vasoactive stimuli increases with maturation. The NO-cGMP cascade plays an important role in the regulation of vascular tone and reactivity of the fetal and transitional pulmonary circulation, and abnormalities in this system contribute to abnormal pulmonary vascular tone and reactivity in an experimental model of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).
Room temperature quantum cascade laser with ∼31% wall-plug efficiency

In this article, we report the demonstration of a quantum cascade laser emitting at λ ≈ 4.9 μm with a wall-plug efficiency of ∼31% and an output power of ∼23 W in pulsed operation at room temperature with 50 cascade stages (Ns). With proper fabrication and packaging, this buried ridge quantum cascade laser with a cavity length of 5 mm delivers more than ∼15 W output power, and its wall-plug efficiency exceeds ∼20% at 100 °C. The experimental results of the lasers are well in agreement with the numerical predictions.
A touch of the outside on the inside: the effect of animal contact on the pains/strains of imprisonment

Prison animal programs have been rapidly becoming commonplace in many correctional facilities around the world. However, the research on their effects are still forthcoming. This study analyzes the...
Guidelines for Space Qualification of GaN HEMTs and MMICs

GaN HEMTs and MMICs are candidates for use in space system because of their many advantages especially as Rf/microwave amplifiers. To date however, although efforts are underway, no GaN has successfully been qualified for a Class A or B space mission (high reliability, long duration). No GaN devices have yet achieved the “standard military part” status as defined by the network of US military performance requirements for semiconductor devices. One problem is that the GaN technology is not well represented in the existing requirements making a meaningful qualification difficult. The purpose of this paper is to recommend GaN-specific test protocols and guidelines to attempt to amend this situation. Tests for both intrinsic and extrinsic reliability determination are proposed. A document expanding upon the details of the material in this paper is now available, and a working group continues to refine it.
Outcomes of kidney transplant recipients with ESKD due to plasma cell dyscrasia: A case series.

Transplant centers have historically been reluctant to proceed with kidney transplantation in individuals with plasma cell dyscrasias (PCDs) due to concern for high rates of PCD recurrence and PCD-related mortality. As novel therapies for PCDs have improved hematologic outcomes, strategies to optimize kidney transplantation in individuals with PCD-mediated kidney disease are needed. In this single-center case series we discuss our protocol for the transplantation of individuals with ESKD attributed to PCD as well as the hematologic and allograft outcomes of 12 kidney transplant recipients with ESKD attributed to PCD. Median follow-up time after kidney transplantation was 44 months (IQR 36, 84). All patients had a functioning allograft 1 year after kidney transplantation. 9/12 patients were alive and had a functioning allograft 5 years after kidney transplantation. Five patients experienced relapse of PCD (of whom three responded well to subsequent therapies) and four patients developed secondary malignancies, including three patients with urologic malignancies. This case series demonstrates that patients with kidney disease attributed to PCD have favorable outcomes with kidney transplantation. Transplant evaluation in patients with PCDs should involve a multidisciplinary team of transplant nephrologists and oncologists to select appropriate candidates. Providers should consider screening for urologic malignancies pre- and post-transplantation.
Defoe’s Unchristian Colonel: Captivity Narratives and Resistance to Conversion

Daniel Defoe’s fictional autobiographies often contain a puritanical conversion narrative, but Colonel Jack’s narrator is unique in his problematized relationship to Christian conversion. Alert to the negative implications of mercenary conversion, Defoe presents in Colonel Jack a hero who not only revels in his complex ploys to evade the law, but explicitly rejects conversion to Christianity at several points in the narrative. By reading Colonel Jack alongside narratives of European enslavement and incarceration, I suggest that in this text Defoe deliberately reproduces the form of the popular Barbary captivity narrative. This subgenre of narrative portrays conversion as a force to be resisted, informs Jack’s reluctance to embrace Christianity, and ultimately suggests that living in a Christian nation may actually be a hindrance to conversion, making Catholic South America a milieu more conducive to the protagonist’s religious transformation than Protestant Virginia.
Optimal Approach for Resection of Encapsulated Thymoma: Open Versus VATS

Thymomas make up the majority of mediastinal masses in adults and are the most common thymic neoplasm. The standard of care for the treatment of encapsulated thymoma (Masaoka stage I) has classically been total resection via an open approach, most commonly by conventional sternotomy. Minimally invasive techniques have begun to gain application in the resection of these thymomas but the optimal approach remains to be established. Recent studies have explored the technical feasibility and the oncological safety of the minimally invasive approach. This chapter will review the most current literature surrounding the topic and we will provide our assessment and current approach these patients.
Heideggerian dynamics and the monadological role of the 'between': A crossing with quantum brain dynamics

Heideggerian theory is retrieved as a dynamics, the "Godly event" of das Ereignis ("enowning"), which is unexpectedly compatible with a version of quantum brain dynamics. In both the "between" (das Zwischen) has the fundamental role of the dis-closure that is Existenz. Heidegger's harsh critique of technology and science does not apply to revolutionary quantum brain dynamics. The crossing between Heidegger and quantum brain dynamics, as well as one fundamental ontological difference, illuminates both. To our surprise this difference turns out, contra Heidegger, to be monadological. The monadological conception is applied to long-standing problematics of measurement in quantum physics and consciousness in philosophy. Heideggerian Existenz is affirmed as fundamentally non-computational but is reformulated as a dynamical process of monadological dis-closure that radically deconstructs transcendent world.
Omitted Variable Bias in Time Series Estimates of Capital Gains Realizations

This paper addresses the omitted variable problem in time series studies of individual capital gains realizations. While not directly identifying the omitted variables, I use the realizations of corporate capital gains to test for common omitted variables. Jointly estimating individual and corporate realizations provides more efficient estimates than traditional single-equation models. The results provide empirical support for omitted variables being important in time series models. In both single-equation or multi-equation models controlling for omitted variables greatly reduces the estimated elasticities of individual and corporate capital gains.
Presynaptic and postsynaptic ion channel expression in vestibular nuclei neurons after unilateral vestibular deafferentation

Vestibular compensation refers to the recovery of function occurring after unilateral vestibular deafferentation, but some patients remain uncompensated. Similarly, more than half of the operated chickens compensate three days after unilateral vestibular ganglionectomy (UVG), but the rest remain uncompensated. This review focuses on the studies performed on the principal cells of the chick tangential nucleus after UVG. The tangential nucleus is a major avian vestibular nucleus whose principal cells are all second-order, vestibular reflex projection neurons participating in the vestibuloocular and vestibulocollic reflexes controlling posture, balance, and eye movements. Using whole-cell patch-clamp approach in brain slice preparations, spontaneous spike firing, ionic conductances, and spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) are recorded in principal cells from controls and operated chickens three days after UVG. In compensated chickens, the proportion of spontaneous spike firing principal cells and their spike discharge rate are symmetric on the lesion and intact sides, with the rates increased over controls. However, in the uncompensated chickens, the spike discharge rate increases on the lesion side, but not on the intact side, where only silent principal cells are recorded. In all the experimental groups, including controls, silent principal cells are distinguished from spontaneous spiking cells by smaller persistent sodium conductances and higher activation thresholds for the fast sodium channel. In addition, silent principal cells on the intact side of uncompensated chickens have larger dendrotoxin-sensitive potassium conductances, with a higher ratio of immunolabeling for surface/cytoplasmic expression of a dendrotoxin-sensitive, potassium channel subunit, Kv1.1. Finally, in compensated chickens, sEPSC frequency is symmetric bilaterally, but in uncompensated chickens sEPSC frequency increased only on the lesion side, where the expression of Kv1.2 decreased in synaptotagmin-labeled terminal profiles on the principal cell bodies. Altogether, the specific sodium and potassium channels important for the development of spike firing pattern and/or presynaptic glutamate release on vestibular reflex projection neurons may be critically involved in changing postsynaptic neuron excitability after vestibular deafferentation.
Integrated mode-locked lasers in a CMOS-compatible silicon photonic platform

Integrated components necessary for a mode-locked laser are demonstrated on a platform that allows for monolithic integration with active silicon photonics and CMOS circuitry. CW lasing and Q-switched mode-locking are observed in the full structures.
Computers and Health Care

The history of medical computing has been closely tied to the growing capability of computers. In general, there has been a lag of 5 years between a technical advance in the computer field and its use in medical computing. It is convenient, therefore, to divide computer development into phases by decade and medical applications into 10-year phases that span the decades. By following this convention, it is possible to describe the state-of-the-art in medical computing in the context of the computer technology available to support it. It is also possible to project—based on current trends in computer technology—what the next phase of medical computing may bring.
Contributions of Language Modeling to the Theory and Practice of Information Retrieval

This paper presents an analysis of what language modeling (LM) is in the context of information retrieval (IR). We argue that there are two principal contributions of the language modeling approach. First, that it brings the thinking, theory, and practical knowledge of research in related fields to bear on the retrieval problem. Second, that it makes patent that parameter estimation is important for probabilistic IR approaches. In particular, it has brought to the attention of the IR community the idea that explicit consideration needs to be given to variance reduction in the design of statistical estimators. We describe a simulation environment which has been developed for the study of theoretical issues in information retrieval. Results obtained from the simulation are presented, which show quantitatively how variance reduction techniques applied to parameter estimation can improve performance for the ad-hoc retrieval task.
Evaluation of a fiberoptic-based system for measurement of optical properties in highly attenuating turbid media

Background Accurate measurements of the optical properties of biological tissue in the ultraviolet A and short visible wavelengths are needed to achieve a quantitative understanding of novel optical diagnostic devices. Currently, there is minimal information on optical property measurement approaches that are appropriate for in vivo measurements in highly absorbing and scattering tissues. We describe a novel fiberoptic-based reflectance system for measurement of optical properties in highly attenuating turbid media and provide an extensive in vitro evaluation of its accuracy. The influence of collecting reflectance at the illumination fiber on estimation accuracy is also investigated.
Face Constituting Theory

Face Constituting Theory explains how human beings create relationships as they use language in social interaction. Relationships with others are fundamental to human existence, and people create them as they create what is known as “face.” Face Constituting Theory defines face as one's understanding of one's connection with and separation from other people, and it is constituted in everyday interaction as people work conjointly to constitute turns at talk, actions, and meanings. Connecting with and separating from others are the dialectical push and pull that lie at the core of relating to others, hence constituting face in using language lies at the heart of constituting human relationships. Keywords: communication theory; interpersonal communication; interpersonal theory; language and social interaction; models of communication
The ovary of the lobster, Homarus americanus. II. Structure of the mature follicle and origin of the chorion.

We have analyzed the structure of the mature ovarian follicle from the lobster, Homarus americanus. Mature follicles are composed of five parts which from inside to outside are: (i) the oocyte, (ii) the chorion, (iii) the follicle cells, (iv) a thick basal lamina, and (v) cells associated with the follicle's surface. The oocyte comprises most of the mass of the follicle; it is packed with yolk and green in color due to the presence of ovoverdin. The oolemma forms thick microvilli which project into the perivitelline space and through the chorion or oocyte investing coat. The chorion is composed of two regions, an endochorion containing “bottlebrush” inclusions and a thinner exochorion. The chorion is completely surrounded by a single layer of follicle cells which are polygonal in shape. The follicle cells exhibit at least four types of synthetic activity. The components of the endochorion are synthesized in smooth vesicles in the supranuclear region of follicle cells. Rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, and associated electron-dense granules are present throughout the cells; the granules appeared to be released at the cell's basal surface and contribute to chorion formation. An extensive network of tubular smooth endoplasmic reticulum and associated vesicles containing moderately electron-dense material was present in the subnuclear zone; the organization of this network suggests the follicle cells are active in steroid synthesis. Lamellar bodies composed of alternating electron-dense and lucid bands were common, especially in the basal cytoplasm; their function is not yet known. The entire follicle is surrounded by a thick basal lamina. Often this basal lamina forms the outermost surface of the follicle. However, in some regions it was covered by surface cells including fibroblasts, blood vessels, muscle cells, hemocytes, and epithelial cells. This description of the ultrastructure of the lobster ovarian follicle will provide a framework for future investigations on ovarian physiology.
The Role of Taxes, Financial Reporting, and Other Market Imperfections in Structuring Divisive Reorganizations

We examine the relative importance of taxes and nontax factors in explaining companies' decision to divest using a sale to a third party versus a spinoff to existing shareholders. We find that taxes outweigh financial reporting motives for unaggressive financial reporters, but that the two factors are weighted equally by aggressive reporters. This finding adds to the literature on firms' willingness to forsake tax benefits in order to increase reported income. Additional results indicate that funds constraints, buyer demand for the divested unit, and transaction costs of spinoffs also influence firms' restructuring behavior in ways that impede the use of spinoffs when they would reduce taxes.
The Population of Europe: A History

The Population of Europe:. History. Massimo Livi-Bacci. Cynthia De Nardi Ipsen and Carl Ipsen. trans. Maiden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. 220 pp.
Using Genetic Approaches To Delineate the Pathway of Contact-Dependent Growth Inhibition

The study of the phenomenon of contact-dependent growth inhibition (CDI) began with the observation that in mixed cultures of Escherichia coli, an E. coli strain from the intestine of a rat designated EC93 inhibited the growth of differentially marked (antibiotic resistances) K-12 bacteria in the same culture. The authors say that they are not aware of the function(s) of contact-dependent growth inhibition (CDI) systems in the many different bacterial genera containing CDI homologues at the time of the writing this chapter, although progress in this area is being made. The chapter is an account of the genetic approaches the authors have used to explore CDI, including some anomalies and stumbling blocks that may be of interest to the reader. To identify the cellular factors that play roles in CDI, the authors took a series of genetic approaches. Initially, a transposon EZ-Tn5 library was constructed in E. coli EPI100 ( Epicentre) target cells. To identify the cellular factors that play roles in CDI, the authors took a series of genetic approaches. They observed a number of mucoid colonies in selection scheme described from which acrB insertions conferring CDI resistance were identified, as well as a similar mutant selection using chemical mutagenesis. To study the mechanism of contact-dependent growth inhibition, the authors developed a CDI autoinhibition system in which growth inhibition is regulated by controlling expression of the cdiI immunity gene. The necessity of an energy source for growth recovery raised the question of what role metabolism plays in CDI.
CHARACTERIZATION OF ENTEROCOCCUS BACTERIOPHAGES FROM THE SMALL INTESTINE OF THE RAT.

Abstract Rogers, C. G. (University of Wisconsin, Madison) and W. B. Sarles. Characterization of enterococcus bacteriophages from the small intestine of the rat. J. Bacteriol. 85:1378–1385. 1963.—Enterococcus bacteriophages were isolated by an enrichment procedure from the contents of the small intestines of Sprague-Dawley white rats. After purification by single-plaque isolation, the phages were maintained in Tryptose broth by propagation on strains of Streptococcus faecalis var. zymogenes of similar intestinal origin. The presence of two phage strains was suggested from host range studies, and confirmed by antiserum neutralization tests, whereby the bacteriophages were placed in two distinct, but serologically related, groups. When the characteristics of one phage from each group were studied, differences were observed in antigenic properties, as shown by the ability to stimulate antibody production in rabbits, and in single-step growth characteristics. At 32 C, the latent period was 21 min, and the burst size was 88 plaque-forming particles (PFP) for phage 1; and 34 min and 147 PFP for phage 2. The bacteriophages were similar in temperature of inactivation, sensitivity to pH, and in rates of adsorption to host cells (K = about 2 × 10−9 ml/min at 32 C). In electron micrographs, the viruses were characterized by slightly elongated heads and long tails, and resembled one another closely. The dimensions of the phage particles were similar to those reported for other phage-host systems within the genus Streptococcus.
Autonomy and the genetics of behaviour

A ideia de que a conduta, tracos de personalidade, preferencias e opcoes possam originar-se em um tipo de programa biologico de tomada de decisoes, modelado pela evolucao e contido no DNA colide com a ideia de autonomia. O termo autonomia realmente envolve a ideia de liberdade e capacidade de autodeterminacao, controle da propria vida e vai alem de qualquer influencia de forcas compulsivas biologicas, psicologicas e sociais, inclusive os genes. Politicas direcionadoras da atividade cientifica devem ser baseadas tanto em um momento de universalidade, representado pelo determinismo, quanto nas demandas pragmaticas postas pela indeterminacao e autonomia. As vezes os cientistas parecem nao compreender isso.