cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Language variation: Perspectives for teachers

Language variation has long been debated in the teaching literature. This debate arises out of sensitive social, political, and cultural beliefs which intertwine with questions of educational opportunity, linguistic competence, and the school's obligations not only to its clients but to its many constituencies as well. Teaching children whose language varies from the local standard requires that teachers distinguish between linguistic fact and social prejudice, and that teachers be clear about how language is actually learned and how linguistic variety arises. When teachers choose among competing educational values, they must examine carefully their own beliefs about language before deciding upon a proper course for improving children's effectiveness with language. While in most cases teachers have been well-prepared to handle the traditional formal aspects of teaching English, they have been ill-equipped to cope with language differences among children as well as between school and home.
On the deep water of the Greenland Sea

Abstract A volumetric census of the Greenland Sea indicates a seasonal variation in the Deep Water volume of 30×103 km3, corresponding to an outflow rate of 3×106 m3 sec−1 during summer. Winter data imply that Bottom Water is not formed at the sea surface, but rather by a sub-surface modification of Atlantic Water within the Greenland Gyre. The formation mechanism appears to involve two separate large-scale convective regimes coupled by a double-diffusive process.
Oxygen, arterial blood gases and ventilation are unchanged during dialysis in patients receiving pressure support ventilation

This study was undertaken to observe whether dialysis-induced alveolar hypoventilation and arterial hypoxaemia occur during bicarbonate haemodialysis in patients receiving partial mechanical support with pressure support ventilation. Nineteen patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit requiring mechanical ventilation and haemodialysis were enrolled. Arterial blood gas, white blood cell (WBC) count, minute ventilation, respiratory rate, breathing pattern and blood pressure were measured according to the following time schedule: pre-dialysis (time 0), and at 15, 30, 60, 120, 180, 240 min thereafter. Results showed that, with the use of cuprammonium dialyser, the WBC count dropped immediately and reached the nadir 15 min after haemodialysis. Thereafter, it recovered and overshot the pre-dialysis values until the end of dialysis. The bicarbonate dialysate indeed resulted in rapid and significant metabolic alkalosis. However, no decrease of PaO2 occurred throughout haemodialysis. The tidal volume, minute ventilation and breathing pattern remained stable during haemodialysis. We conclude that neither dialysis-induced alveolar hypoventilation nor arterial hypoxaemia developed during bicarbonate dialysis in patients mechanically ventilated with the pressure support ventilation.
Anticrossing spectroscopy of K Rydberg atoms using 300-K blackbody radiation.

The avoided crossings in an electric field of K s and p states with the nearly hydrogenic Stark manifold states have been investigated using 300-K blackbody radiation. Anticrossings between states of the same \ensuremath{\Vert}${m}_{j}$\ensuremath{\Vert} for which the \ensuremath{\Vert}${m}_{l}$\ensuremath{\Vert} values are the same or differ by one are encountered. The anticrossings between states of the same \ensuremath{\Vert}${m}_{l}$\ensuremath{\Vert} are quite wide as they are due to core penetration and polarization effects. The anticrossings for which \ensuremath{\Vert}${m}_{l}$\ensuremath{\Vert} differs by one are produced by the spin-orbit interaction and are accordingly quite small. We present results for the ns states for n in the range 18\char21{}29 and for the np states for n in the range 19\char21{}23.
Tryptophan Pyrrolase Induced in Human Liver by Hydrocortisone: Effect on Excretion of Kynurenine

Administration of hydrocortisone causes two- to fourfold increase in the level of activity of tryptophan pyrrolase in human liver, as measured in needle-biopsy specimens. Correlation of the higher levels of the enzyme with the amounts of urinary kynurenine suggests that the tryptophan pyrrolase level, which is regulated by adrenocortical hormones, may be the important variable in the increased excretion of tryptophan metabolites that accompanies various diseases.
Self-reported at-home postoperative recovery.

Although 75% of elective surgery is performed on an outpatient basis, no measures of patients' at-home postoperative recovery were found in the literature. The postdischarge surgical recovery (PSR) scale was designed to serve as a dependent variable capable of measuring variations in perceived recovery in patients dismissed within 24 hours of their surgical procedure. Five concepts: health status; activity; fatigue; work ability; and expectations, derived from an ethnographic analysis, are represented in the 15-item 10-point semantic differential scale. The PSR scale exhibited strong internal consistency in two samples (alpha=.88-.91). The concurrent validity coefficient between the PSR scale and the previously tested Wolfer-Davis Recovery Inventory (1970) was .76 (n = 163; p< or =.001). Construct validity was supported by the relationship (r=.72, p< or =.001) between patients' reported percentage of recovery (0-100%) and PSR scores. Construct val idity was also supported by correlations between the PSR scale and in-home assessment by a master clinical nurse specialist (r=.77, p=.003, n=12) and by trained in-home observers (r=.71, p< or =.001, n=59). Clinicians or researchers interested in the extent of perceived at-home Postoperative recovery may now search for symptom patterns and changes over time in a variety of ambulatory surgery patients using the PSR scale.
The EPEC Algorithm for Vision Guided Manipulation: Analysis and Validation

This paper describes the simulated performance and experimental validation of a computationally efficient algorithm for improving positioning accuracy of robot arms using low speed feedback from fixed stereo cameras. The algorithm, called End-Effector Position Error Compensation (EPEC) is robust to visual occlusion of the end-effector and does not require high fidelity calibration of either the arm or stereo camera. The algorithm works by calculating an error vector between the locations of a fiducial on the arm's end-effector as predicted by arm kinematics and detected by a stereo camera triangulation. With this knowledge, the commanded target pose is adjusted to compensate for positioning errors. A simulation environment where arbitrary error can be introduced into arm-camera systems is introduced and used to provide an assessment of the performance of the algorithm under both ideal and degraded conditions. Experimental results in the laboratory and on Mars are presented to validate the simulated performance estimates.
Polymerization ability of cis‐ and trans‐4,5‐epoxy‐2‐pentenal with ionic and free radical initiators. Cyclopolymerization of the cis isomer

The behavior of the readily available cis- (1) and trans- (2) 4, 5-epoxy-2-pentenals toward classical cationic, anionic, and free radical initiators has been examined. Only the cationic polymerization of 1 gave soluble polymer of moderate molecular weights. This polymer possessed predominantly the cyclopolymerized furanose structure 12. Cationic initiation of 2 and anionic initiation of both 1 and 2 gave only crosslinked materials, and free radical initiators with 1 and 2 gave no polymer.
Tomato Bushy Stunt Virus Recombination Guided by Introduced MicroRNA Target Sequences

Previously we described Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) vectors, which retained their capsid protein gene and were engineered with magnesium chelatase (ChlH) and phytoene desaturase (PDS) gene sequences from Nicotiana benthamiana. Upon plant infection, these vectors eventually lost the inserted sequences, presumably as a result of recombination. Here, we modified the same vectors to also contain the plant miR171 or miR159 target sequences immediately 3' of the silencing inserts. We inoculated N. benthamiana plants and sequenced recombinant RNAs recovered from noninoculated upper leaves. We found that while some of the recombinant RNAs retained the microRNA (miRNA) target sites, most retained only the 3' 10 and 13 nucleotides of the two original plant miRNA target sequences, indicating in planta miRNA-guided RNA-induced silencing complex cleavage of the recombinant TBSV RNAs. In addition, recovered RNAs also contained various fragments of the original sequence (ChlH and PDS) upstream of the miRNA cleavage site, suggesting that the 3' portion of the miRNA-cleaved TBSV RNAs served as a template for negative-strand RNA synthesis by the TBSV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), followed by template switching by the RdRp and continued RNA synthesis resulting in loss of nonessential nucleotides.
Improved physics-based permanent magnet synchronous machine model obtained from field computation

The physics-based phase variable model of permanent magnet synchronous machines is developed for the simulation study of machine control. The parameters of the physics-based phase variable model, inductances and flux linkages are calculated from the solutions of nonlinear FE computation covering a complete ac cycle to consider the geometry details, the rotor position, the armature currents, and the magnetization nonlinearity. In the previously developed model, the impact of the armature currents on inductances is ignored considering the fact that field of PM machines is dominated by permanent magnets. In the improved model, presented in this paper, the variation of inductances with the armature currents is evaluated and added to meet the demand from those control applications which require highly accurate inductances. In this paper, three issues associated with the development of the improved model are presented. First is the method used to describe the inductances variation with the armature currents. L(θ, i d , i q ) is used instead of L(θ, i a , i b , i[inc}) ; the reasons are thoroughly explained. Second is the verification of the improved model, given by the comparison of the improved model with the FE model. Third is the comparison between the previous model and the improved model, clarifying the validity of each model from the application point of view.
Preserved Knowledge of Self in a Case of Alzheimer's Dementia

Abstract We report the case of K. R., an individual with Alzheimer's dementia. Although K. R. has difficulty retrieving even mundane facts about the world, she has accurate knowledge of her own personality. But the self she knows is out-of-date. K. R.'s inability to update her trait self-knowledge stands in contrast to other neuropsychological cases in which individuals can acquire and update their fund of personality knowledge despite impairments to semantic and episodic memory. Results add to the growing body of literature suggesting that semantic memory contains a subsystem devoted to the acquisition and representation of trait self-knowledge.
Functional assessment of infant breastfeeding patterns.

Abstract: As breastfeeding rates have increased in the United States, the need has arisen for coordinated approaches to the assessment of normal and problem situations. Since some difficulties are related to the manner in which baby feeds, guidelines are discussed for the visual assessment of breastfeeding. These include the when, why, and how of assessing seven common situations or problems: initial breastfeeding experiences, inadequate infant weight gain or low milk intake, insufficient milk supply (real or perceived), nipple problems, latch-on and sucking disorganization, high-risk situations, and the good baby syndrome.
The Amplification of East Pacific Madden–Julian Oscillation Convection and Wind Anomalies during June–November

Abstract Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) wind and convection anomalies are locally amplified over the northeast Pacific warm pool during June–November. Composite analysis using NCEP reanalysis data indicates that perturbation available potential energy (PAPE) production through the positive correlation of intraseasonal temperature and convective diabatic heating anomalies supports the local intensification of MJO-related east Pacific warm pool wind anomalies. PAPE production is maximum during periods of strong MJO convection and low-level westerly wind perturbations. PAPE is converted to perturbation kinetic energy through positive correlations between intraseasonal temperature and vertical velocity. Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) temperature and NOAA outgoing longwave radiation data support the energy budget results derived from NCEP reanalysis. The amplified east Pacific circulation enhances surface convergence and latent heat flux anomalies during MJO convective periods. The surface convergence anomalie...
Diversity within: subgroup differences of youth problem behaviors among asian pacific islander American adolescents

This study compares problem behaviors across a range of adolescent Asian Pacific Islander (API) subgroups using the Add Health data, and controlling for parental education or immigrant status. The study finds that Filipino, “other” API, and multiethnic API American youth are at higher risk for poorer outcomes than Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese American counterparts. Many of these differences remained after adjusting for parental education. Controlling for immigrant status explained only some of the subgroup differences. The results suggest several shortcomings to the “model minority” stereotype that is often applied to API American youth. Research and practice should not overlook the higher risk for problem behaviors among certain API American subgroups. The findings highlight the need for more resources for API Americans, especially for the API subgroups facing higher risks. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pluralism in the Thought of Oakeshott, Shils and Weber

Michael Oakeshott recognized the existence of categorially distinct modes of being related that, while subsisting in conjunction with one another, could not be reduced to any particular one. This recognition was shared by Edward Shils, who wrote of the incommensurate plurality of orientations of the human mind; and by Max Weber when he wrote of both the types of social action and the various directions of the religious rejections of the world. While this convergence is of interest, it is especially so insofar as it helps us to understand better the nature of human cognition and action.
Forgotten Workers: British West Indians and the Early Days of the Banana Industry in Costa Rica and Honduras

The Central America of books, and indeed of our imaginations, does not have very many black actors. That is not because blacks have not been present in the unfolding of Central American history. It is because their participation has been selectively ignored. During the last decade there have been a few welcome exceptions to this trend; however, a lacuna still remains. This article focuses on the role played by the first generation of black British West Indian immigrants in the development of the Costa Rican and Honduran labour movements - an area of history in which blacks have been particularly ignored. To this day the populations of black British West Indian descent living on the Atlantic Coast of Costa Rica and Honduras have remained outside the mainstream of political and cultural life in these two countries. It is not surprising, therefore, that they have also been neglected historically. Nowhere is this tendency more glaring than in the literature on labour history – especially that concerned with the important banana exporting sector. With few exceptions, the role of the British West Indian workers in the early period of the banana industry is dismissed. Those that acknowledge their role minimise the workers' importance by arguing that they failed to act collectively in challenging their employers. In brief, this view argues that black West Indian workers are not important to a study of labour politics in Honduras and Costa Rica. Historical evidence renders this suggestion invalid. The British West Indian workers who came to Honduras and Costa Rica during the last century in search of employment were neither indifferent to, nor totally accepting of, their situation.
Evaluation of Low‐protein Alternative Diets for Pond‐raised Hybrid Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus × Ictalurus furcatus

A study was conducted to evaluate low-protein traditional or alternative diets for pond-raised hybrid catfish, Ictalurus punctatus × Ictalurus furcatus. Three 24% protein diets containing decreasing levels of soybean meal (30, 20, and 15%) and increasing levels of cottonseed meal and corn germ meal were compared with a 28% protein control diet. Hybrid catfish fingerlings (mean initial weight = 71 g/fish) were stocked into 20 earthen ponds (0.04 ha) at a density of 14,826 fish/ha with five ponds per dietary treatment. Fish were fed once daily to apparent satiation for a 191-d growing season. There were no significant differences in total diet fed, net yield, weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), survival, or fillet proximate nutrient composition among dietary treatments (P ≥ 0.10). However, regression analysis showed for fish fed 24% protein diets there was a linear increase in FCR as soybean meal levels decreased (P = 0.06). Compared with fish fed the 28% protein control diet, fish fed 24% protein diets had lower carcass and fillet yield. Results demonstrate a 24% protein alternative diet containing 20% soybean meal may be substituted for 28% protein diets for hybrid catfish during food fish production.
THE LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS OF A MAYFLY FROM UTAH

While collecting at Birch Glen in Logan Canon, Utah, on June 18th, 1926, I first came upon the nymph of the mayfly ( Rhithrogena mimus Eat.) that is the subject of this article. I was gathering aquatic insects from among the larger stones in a swift portion of the river. Dipterous larvae of Simulium and Bibiocephala were common, and the nymphs of the big mayfly Ephemerella doddsi (locally called the “ginger quill”) were appearing on my hand screen, when along with them appeared a few peculiar mayfly nymphs with broadly expanded gills of a bright rose-red color. I quickly got some of them into a rearing cage and in a few days had sub-imagos, and later adult reared specimens, of the species described below.
A GEFA Assessment of Observed Global Ocean Influence on U.S. Precipitation Variability: Attribution to Regional SST Variability Modes

Abstract This paper presents a comprehensive assessment of the observed influence of the global ocean on U.S. precipitation variability using the method of Generalized Equilibrium Feedback Assessment (GEFA), which enables an unambiguous attribution of the influence from multiple ocean basins within a unified framework. The GEFA assessment based on observations for 1950–99 suggests that the tropical Pacific SST variability has the greatest consequence for U.S. precipitation, as both ENSO and meridional modes are associated with notable responses in seasonal mean precipitation. The anomalously cold tropical Indian Ocean is a good indicator for U.S. dry conditions during spring and late winter. The impact of North Pacific SST variability is detected in springtime precipitation, yet it is overshadowed by that of the tropical Indo-Pacific on seasonal-to-interannual time scales. Tropical Atlantic forcing of U.S. precipitation appears to be most effective in winter, whereas the northern Atlantic forcing is likel...
Clinically plausible hyperventilation does not exert adverse hemodynamic effects during CPR but markedly reduces end-tidal PCO2

Abstract Aims Ventilation at high respiratory rates is considered detrimental during CPR because it may increase intrathoracic pressure limiting venous return and forward blood flow generation. We examined whether ventilation at high, yet clinically plausible, tidal volumes could also be detrimental, and further examined effects on end-tidal pCO 2 (P ET CO 2 ). Methods Sixteen domestic pigs were randomized to one of four ventilatory patterns representing two levels of respiratory rate (min −1 ) and two levels of tidal volume (ml/kg); i.e., 10/6, 10/18, 33/6, and 33/18 during chest compression after 8min of untreated VF. Results Data (mmHg, mean±SD) are presented in the order listed above. Ventilation at 33/18 prompted higher airway pressures ( p p p =0.055); however, neither the coronary perfusion pressure (23±1, 17±6, 18±6, and 21±2; NS ) nor the cerebral perfusion pressure (32±3, 23±8, 30±12, and 31±3; NS ) was statistically different. Yet, increasing minute-volume reduced the P ET CO 2 demonstrating a high dependency on tidal volumes delivered at currently recommended respiratory rates. Conclusions Increasing respiratory rate and tidal volume up to a minute-volume 10-fold higher than currently recommended had no adverse hemodynamic effects during CPR but reduced P ET CO 2 suggesting that ventilation at controlled rate and volume could enhance the precision with which P ET CO 2 reflects CPR quality, predicts return of circulation, and serve to guide optimization of resuscitation interventions.
Adolescent suicide and suicidal behavior

This review examines the descriptive epidemiology, and risk and protective factors for youth suicide and suicidal behavior. A model of youth suicidal behavior is articulated, whereby suicidal behavior ensues as a result of an interaction of socio-cultural, developmental, psychiatric, psychological, and family-environmental factors. On the basis of this review, clinical and public health approaches to the reduction in youth suicide and recommendations for further research will be discussed.
Analysis of Shellfish Growing Areas of Alabama, Florida and Georgia, USA - Using the Pearl Shellfish Sanitation Model

According to the United States (U.S.), National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) standards, the shellfish growing areas in modeling, shellfish sanitation, water quality, shellfish closure rules the U.S. must be closed for harvest when the estimated 90th percentile of fecal coliform concentrations exceeds the NSSP limit of 14/43 Most Probable Number/100 mL (NSSP, 2009, NSSP, 2011). Pearl is a model that identifies harvest areas at risk for fecal coliform contamination (Conte and Ahmadi, 2012). Once the risk areas are identified, the Aquarius model can be used to adjust closure rules (Conte and Ahmadi, 2011). In multi-state analyses using the Pearl model, we have developed a hypothesis that state agencies are inadvertently applying the model's Pearl Limit of 8/26 MPN/100 mL in place of the NSSP limit of 14/43 MPN/100 mL for a 5-tube test to guard against shellfish-related illnesses (Conte and Ahmadi, 2012; 2013; 2014). The datasets used to develop the hypothesis were from Oakland Bay, Washington (Pacific Northwest), Arcata Bay, California (Pacific Northern California), and seven shellfish bays of the Texas Gulf Coast (Western Gulf of Mexico). The main purpose of this paper is to test this hypothesis using different datasets from shellfish growing areas in the states of Alabama (Eastern Gulf of Mexico), Florida (Eastern Gulf of Mexico and south Atlantic Coast) and Georgia (South Atlantic Coast), all located in the southeastern United States. An additional objective is to use the state’s datasets in Pearl analyses to detect the shellfish growing areas that pose a possible health risk to shellfish consumers during some periods
PDGFRB-rearranged T-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma occurring with myeloid neoplasms: The missing link supporting a stem cell origin

The 2008 WHO classification scheme of hematolymphoid neoplasms recognizes a category of myeloid and lymphoid neoplasms (MLNs) with eosinophilia and abnormalities of PDGFRA, PDGFRB, or FGFR1.1 The postulated cell of origin for PDGFRA or FGFR1-rearranged diseases is a pluripotent progenitor capable of giving rise to myeloid neoplasms (myeloproliferative neoplasms and acute leukemias) and to lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma. Historically, PDGFRB translocations have not been associated with malignancies of the lymphoid lineage. Myeloid neoplasms with abnormalities of PDGFRB have been described to have hematologic features of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), sometimes with eosinophilia, or as various other myeloproliferative and/or myelodysplastic neoplasms.2 In recognition of this distinction, the classification scheme designates specific categories of “MLNs” with PDGFRA and FGFR1 rearrangement, but omits the word “lymphoid” from the PDGFRB-associated entity.1 To call attention to the rare occurrence of lymphoid and mixed MLNs with abnormalities of PDGFRB, we present the clinical and pathological details of 2 cases.
Optimizing Constraint Solving to Better Support Symbolic Execution

Constraint solving is an integral part of symbolic execution, as most symbolic execution techniques rely heavily on an underlying constraint solver. In fact, the performance of the constraint solver used by a symbolic execution technique can considerably affect its overall performance. Unfortunately, constraint solvers are mostly used in a black-box fashion within symbolic execution, without leveraging any of the contextual and domain information available. Because constraint solvers are optimized for specific kinds of constraints and heavily based on heuristics, this leaves on the table many opportunities for optimizing the solvers' performance. To address this problem, we propose a novel optimization strategy that uses domain and contextual information to optimize the performance of constraint solvers during symbolic execution. We also present a study in which we assess the effectiveness of our and other related strategies when used within dynamic symbolic execution performed on real software. Our results are encouraging, they show that optimizing constraints based on domain and contextual information can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of constraint solving and ultimately benefit symbolic execution.
6‐methylene progesterone is cytotoxic to human cancer cell lines independent of its 5‐α‐reductase activity

This investigation examined the effects of 6-methylene progesterone (6MP), an irreversible inhibitor of 5-alpha-reductase, on prostatic cancer (PC) cell lines. Dose titration microculture tetrazolium assays were used to evaluate cytotoxicity in cultures treated for 72 hr with 6MP (0-20 micrograms/ml). An androgen-sensitive cell line, LNCaP, was drug-sensitive with a mean 50% lethal dose value (LD50) of 2.632 +/- 0.103. Hormone-resistant PC cell lines 1-LN, DU 145, and PC3 also demonstrated sensitivity with LD50 values between 0.8579-1.110 micrograms/ml with a group average of 1.023 +/- 0.082 micrograms/ml. Increasing dosages of dihydrotestosterone in the growth media did not alter 6MP cytotoxicity in androgen-insensitive prostatic cancer cell lines. No correlation between androgen-responsiveness and 6MP-induced cytotoxicity was observed. In nonprostatic malignancies, 6MP inhibited adenocarcinoma cell lines with a mean group LD50 value of 0.7772 micrograms/ml +/- 0.110. J82, a transitional cell carcinoma cell line of bladder origin, exhibited an average LD50 value of 1.041 +/- 0.260. In an epidermoid cervical cancer cell line, ME180, an LD50 value of 0.5356 micrograms/ml +/- 0.010 was noted. In a melanoma cell line, Du Mel 6, a mean LD50 of 0.7428 +/- 0.023 micrograms/ml was achieved with 6MP. We conclude that 6MP, a novel 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor, has potential as a cytotoxic agent in prostatic carcinoma and additional human malignancies. Further study is justified.
Intersex, a temperature-sensitive mutant of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract A temperature-sensitive mutation, isx-1(hc17), is reported in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans which alters the sexual phenotypes of both genotypic sexes. At the restrictive temperature, XX animals are functionally female rather than hermaphroditic due to the absence of spermatogenesis, and XO animals develop as intersexes. These intersexes have normal male head and tail structures and exhibit some mating behavior, but possess hermaphrodite-like gonads which produce no sperm and usually contain a few oocytes. An abortive vulva is usually present and evidence is presented which suggests that the formation of the vulva by the hypodermis is induced by the underlying gonad. The direct effects of the mutation are confined to the descendants of four primordial gonad cells. Gametogenesis and gonad sheath development do not seem to be tightly coupled and are shown to differ in their responses to X-chromosome dosage. The interaction of the intersex mutation with mutant alleles of two transformer genes tra-1 and tra-2 is discussed and a model for the action of these genes in gonad development and sex determination is proposed.
Using Accounting Information For Financial Planning And Forecasting: An Application Of The Sustainable Growth Model Using Coca-Cola

The purpose of this paper is to provide a case example to teach students how to estimate a companys sustainable growth by using an extension of the DuPont System of financial analysis on Coca-Cola Corporation. The DuPont system is based on a companys return on equity that is decomposed into three components: net profit margin, total asset turnover, and the equity multiplier. The extended DuPont system of financial analysis multiplies return on equity by the earnings retention rate to calculate sustainable growth. Sustainable growth is the highest level of growth in sales that a company can achieve using internally generated funds only.
Steady state average evoked potentials as a measure of tracking difficulty

The utility of steady state average evoked potentials (AEPs) to measure the difficulty of a tracking task will be reported. Medium (14 Hz) and high (50-56 Hz) frequency sine wave modulated light was used to evoke steady state AEPs while subjects performed a tracking task. Three levels of difficulty, based upon each subject's ability, were used in the single axis visual tracking task. The phase lag between stimulus input and the AEP waveform was found to be significantly related to task difficulty. Increasing difficulty levels were associated with greater amounts of phase lag of the AEPs during the high frequency stimulation. Neither the phase lag nor the amplitude of the medium frequency AEPs were significantly affected by the level of tracking difficulty. Each subject was found to have one particular frequency of stimulation in the high range which produced an enhanced AEP amplitude. This suggests that researchers using high frequency stimulation with sine wave modulated light should test each subject to find the frequency which produces the maximal amplitude. Language: en
Leadership Traits and Ghana’s Foreign Policy: The Case of Jerry Rawlings’ Foreign Economic Policy of the 1980s

AbstractThis article examines Ghana’s foreign policy-making with reference to internal and external determinants (structural/systemic). Besides these determinants, political actors (primarily, presidents/heads of state) have shaped the country’s foreign policy outcomes, but this field of enquiry (i.e. the individual-level analysis) has not, received much attention in the literature. To enhance the understanding of leadership and personality traits in foreign policy-making, this study draws on the theory of Leadership Trait Analysis to examine Jerry John Rawlings and Ghana’s foreign economic policy in the early 1980s. It argues that the leadership traits of Rawlings to some extent shaped Ghana’s foreign economic policy decisions in the early 1980s.
Determination of air Stannum in Workplace by L-cysteine and Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry

[Objective]To determine the air stannum in workplaces by hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry,with the existence of L-cysteine.[Methods]After digested by hydrochloric acid,the samples were determined by atomic fluorescence spectrometer with 2% hydrochloric acid as carrier liquid.[Results]The range of measurement was 5.0～200.0 μg/L,the RSD was 2.15%～3.40%,the recoveries ranged from 92.5%～103.5%,and the detection limits of this method was 0.71 μg/L.[Conclusion]Due to the presence of L-cysteine,the hydride generation conditions are improved,the spectrometric signal is enhanced,and the acidity of solution is reduced.In addition,the interferences of the metal elements are significantly inhibited.The method is suitable for determination of air stannum in workplace.
L'Identité du Héros dans les Utopies du Règne de Louis XIV

In this article, I reinterpret the status of the narrator in utopian literature in France at the end of Louis XIV reign. I discovered that two types of utopias exist depending on the status given to their narrator. The first type uses a fragmentary narrator, generally a man that is just a witness without real depth. The second type uses a complete representation of the narrator who becomes a true character in the novel. For the first type, the goal of the utopia is to present a program with pragmatic political implication. The second type offers a mix of genres: memoirs, novel, travel journal in which the narrator is the hero of his own adventures. The utopian episode loses its value and power to become a simple adventure among many. This second type will become increasingly popular in the eighteenth century while the first one will vanish to reappear in the nineteenth century as a political treatise, stripped of its romantic aspects.
Costs and Production

In this chapter we study, in some detail, the concepts of technology set, production function, and cost function. Our presentation is motivated by the desire to provide a rigorous foundation for the theory of costs and production that is usually presented in intermediate microeconomics text books. Therefore, unlike some other advanced microeconomics books, we will not employ the assumption of convex technology sets. Instead, our analysis will be focused on the familiar U-shaped cost curves which are at the center of the traditional theories of perfect and imperfect competition and which are largely the legacy of Alfred Marshall.
Injuries After Natural Disasters

Catastrophic events include earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and, to a lesser scale, avalanches and mudslides. Most climate change experts have predicted an increase in the number and magnitude of natural disasters for the foreseeable future. Contrary to man-made disasters, natural disasters can be sudden, short-lived events where destruction, death, and injury all occur at once. This chapter will describe the challenges faced in different types of natural disasters, the most common injuries encountered, and management recommendations.
Wave Equation Analysis

This chapter discusses wave equation, however prior to that dynamic equations are analyzed. Dynamic equations do not consider stress distribution in the pile, pile diameter, or type of pile. The two piles shown are located in completely different soil conditions. Dynamic equations will not differentiate between the two cases. This chapter is designed to provide information regarding the strength properties of soil under rapid loading situations. During pile driving, the pile is subjected to rapid loading. Geotechnical engineers are required to provide information to wave equation computer programs for analysis.
Historical Change and the Competitive Advantage of Firms: Explicating The'Dynamics' in the Dynamic Capabilities Framework

This working paper aims to deepen the scholarly dialogue between strategy and history. It does so by examining how historical models of change can contribute to theory and research on the competitive advantage of firms during periods of rapid innovation. Focusing on the dynamic capabilities framework, it shows how three models of historical change – evolutionary, dialectical, and constitutive – can be used to extend theory and deepen research about the origins, context, and micro‐foundations of dynamic capabilities. We show how each model of historical change shaped the intellectual development of the dynamic capabilities framework, point to historical research that illustrates these processes, and discuss the methodological and conceptual implications for future research. We conclude by suggesting that recognizing and building on these historical models of change can provide a common conceptual language for a deeper dialogue between historians and strategy researchers.
An Approach for Identifying and Analyzing Implicit Interactions in Distributed Systems

Safety-critical system domains such as critical infrastructures, aerospace, automotive, and industrial manufacturing and control are becoming increasingly dependent on the use of distributed systems to achieve their functionality. These distributed systems can contain many complex interactions among their constituent components. Despite extensive testing and verification of individual components, security vulnerabilities resulting from unintended and unforeseen component interactions (so-called implicit interactions ) often remain undetected and can have an impact on the safety, security, and reliability of a system. This paper presents an approach for identifying and analyzing the existence and severity of implicit interactions in distributed systems. The approach is based on the modeling framework known as communicating concurrent Kleene algebra (C $^2$ KA). Experimental results confirm that this approach can successfully identify and analyze dependencies in system designs that would otherwise be very hard to find. More broadly, the methods presented in this paper can help address the growing need for rigorous and practical methods and techniques for assuring the safe, secure, and reliable operation of distributed systems in critical domains.
Reforming Iowa Zoning Law by Adopting A 'Practical Difficulties' Standard for Area Variances

Zoning in America attained its 100th year in 2016, but no celebration was observed. From the very beginning the authority of zoning authorities to grant variances to accommodate exceptional circumstances faced by land owners on the ground has been a key part of the zoning system. For many years, local citizen Boards of Adjustment readily granted variances for many types of problematic land uses in zoning districts where they were not permitted under applicable zoning regulations. When it became widely accepted that granting too many use variances threatened the very integrity of the zoning system, state courts almost uniformly tightened up the rules for granting variances. State after state adopted New York’s interpretation of the omnipresent “unnecessary hardship” requirement of the typical zoning ordinance to insist that variances could only be granted if the landowner could prove there was “no reasonable use or no reasonable return possible” under the applicable zoning restrictions. As use variances receded dramatically after this judicial ratcheting up variance requirements, a different type of variance came to the fore – the area variance, which required only the relaxation of one or more technical or dimensional requirements affecting the site of a proposed development. In the beginning, in the absence of statutory language dealing separately with area variances, most state courts subjected them to the same rigorous requirements as use variances. Over time through legislative intervention or judicial recognition that area variances did not pose the same danger to the zoning system as use variances, nearly one-half of the states came to accord area variances some version of a “practical difficulty” standard of review. Iowa is among the states that do not differentiate between use variances and area variances, and Iowa law still applies the strict interpretation of the “unnecessary hardship” standard to area variances. This article argues that Iowa law should be reformed to adopt the less demanding “practical difficulties” standard for area variances, and presents proposals for achieving this result through both judicial reform and legislative change.
Putative Causes and Consequences of Recycling CO2 via Crassulacean Acid Metabolism

The fate of respiratory CO2 released simultaneously with the absorption of atmospheric CO2 at night during crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is inevitable; both sources of CO2 will contribute to the nocturnal accumulation of malate. As a result, determinations of stoichiometric relationships between the amount of malate accumulated overnight and the net amount of CO2 absorbed from the external atmosphere should yield values greater than unity. Surprisingly, this is seldom the case. Studies of numerous CAM species under optimal conditions report ratios of the amount of malate accumulated overnight to the net amount of atmospheric CO2 absorbed (hereafter referred to as “malate/CO2”) consistently near one (Medina and Delgado 1976; Nobel and Hartsock 1978, 1983; Eickmeier 1979; Nobel et al. 1984; Winter et al. 1986; Virzo De Santo et al. 1987). Apparently, either the rate of respiration is too low to contribute substantially to the nocturnal pool of malate, or experimental variability in measurements of CO2 assimilation and malate accumulation during the night might obscure small differences between these measures of CAM.
TRANSVERSUS ABDOMINIS ACTIVATION AND TIMING IMPROVES FOLLOWING CORE STABILITY TRAINING: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL

Background Patients with non-specific low back pain (LBP) often present with a decrease in transversus abdominis (TrA) muscle activation and delayed onset of contraction with extremity movements, potentially contributing to recurrent LBP. Core stability is required for extremity movement and if the timing of when the TrA contracts is not corrected patients may continue to experience LBP. Hypothesis/purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a four-week core stability rehabilitation program on TrA activation ratio and when the TrA initiates contraction during upper extremity movements in subjects with and without LBP. It was hypothesized that those with LBP would experience greater changes in TrA activation and onset of contraction by the TrA compared to the healthy group. Study design Randomized Clinical Trial. Methods Forty-two participants volunteered (21 healthy and 21 LBP). Ultrasound imaging measured the TrA activation ratio and time of initial contraction of the TrA during upper extremity movement into flexion. Half of the healthy and LBP participants were assigned to the exercise group. Participants reported twice a week to the athletic training facility to complete an exercise progression of three exercises. After four weeks, all participants returned to have TrA activation and timing measured again. Results Pertaining to demographics, there were no differences between the healthy and LBP participants. There was a group interaction for both TrA activation ratio (p=.049) and onset of initial contraction (p=.008). Those in the exercise group showed an increase in TrA activation ratio (1.85 ± 0.09) compared to the control group (1.79 ± 0.08), as well as an improvement in the onset of contraction (2.07 ± 0.08 seconds) compared to the control group (2.23 ± 0.09 seconds) after the four-week rehabilitation program. Strong effect sizes for TrA activation ratio (0.71 [0.06-1.35]) and initial onset of TrA contraction (-1.88 [-2.63 - -1.11]) were found indicating clinical differences related to the interventions. Conclusion TrA activation and timing were altered following a four-week core stability program in people with and without LBP. Clinicians should consider incorporating these exercises for improving the function of the TrA. Level of evidence Therapy, level 2b.
Sarcopenia is not associated with morbidity, mortality, or recurrence after esophagectomy for cancer.

Abstract Background Sarcopenia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in hepatic, pancreatic and colorectal cancer. We examined the effect of sarcopenia on morbidity, mortality, and recurrence after resection for esophageal cancer. Methods Retrospective review of consecutive esophagectomies from 2010 to 2015. Computed tomography studies were analyzed for sarcopenia. Morbidity was analyzed using Fischer's test and survival data with Kaplan Meier curves. Results The sarcopenic group (n = 127) had lower BMI, later stage disease, and higher incidence of neoadjuvant radiation than those without sarcopenia (n = 46). There were no differences in morbidity or mortality between the groups (p = .75 and p = .31, respectively). Mean length of stay was similar (p = .70). Disease free and overall survival were similar (p = .20 and p = .39, respectively). Conclusion There is no association between sarcopenia and increased morbidity, mortality and disease-free survival in patients undergoing esophagectomy for cancer. Sarcopenia in esophageal cancer may not portend worse outcomes that have been reported in other solid tumors.
Fabrication and Characterization of Perovskite Solar Cells: An Integrated Laboratory Experience

Perovskite solar cells have garnered exponential research interest due to their facile fabrication, solution processability, and low cost. However, there have been limited efforts to integrate this class of materials into the undergraduate laboratory curriculum. Therefore, we designed an integrated laboratory experiment in our upper-division integrated laboratory sequence to teach students about research procedures and tools used in physical, organic, inorganic, and materials chemistry. This laboratory sequence involves conversion of sunlight to electricity, which is one of the most challenging renewable energy issues we are facing as a society. In this work, upper-level undergraduates study four variables affecting the morphology and optical properties of perovskites: solvent treatment, percent of water added to a precursor mixture, cation substitution, and precursor temperature. To do so, students deposit uniform films of the material using spin-coating and annealing, and then probe the resulting film p...
Early phase adaptations in muscle strength and hypertrophy as a result of low-intensity blood flow restriction resistance training.

Low-intensity venous blood flow restriction (vBFR) resistance training has been shown to promote increases in muscle strength and size. Eccentric-only muscle actions are typically a more potent stimulus to increase muscle strength and size than concentric-only muscle actions performed at the same relative intensities. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to examine the time-course of changes in muscle strength, hypertrophy, and neuromuscular adaptations following 4 weeks of unilateral forearm flexion low-intensity eccentric vBFR (Ecc-vBFR) vs. low-intensity concentric vBFR (Con-vBFR) resistance training performed at the same relative intensity. Thirty-six women were randomly assigned to either Ecc-vBFR (n = 12), Con-vBFR (n = 12) or control (no intervention, n = 12) group. Ecc-vBFR trained at 30% of eccentric peak torque and Con-vBFR trained at 30% of concentric peak torque. All training and testing procedures were performed at an isokinetic velocity of 120° s−¹. Muscle strength increased similarly from 0 to 2 and 4 weeks of training as a result of Ecc-vBFR (13.9 and 35.0%) and Con-vBFR (13.4 and 31.2%), but there were no changes in muscle strength for the control group. Muscle thickness increased similarly from 0 to 2 and 4 weeks of training as a result of Ecc-vBFR (11.4 and 12.8%) and Con-vBFR (9.1 and 9.9%), but there were no changes for the control group. In addition, there were no changes in any of the neuromuscular responses. The Ecc-vBFR and Con-vBFR low-intensity training induced comparable increases in muscle strength and size. The increases in muscle strength, however, were not associated with neuromuscular adaptations.
The Impoverished Aesthetic of Modern Management: Beauty and Ethics in Organizations

Taking an embodied approach to ethics, I draw upon Brady’s (1986. Aesthetic components of management ethics. Academy of Management Review 11/2: 337–344) idea that ethical action is largely determined by the prevailing aesthetics. I then trace the prevailing aesthetics of modern businesses from the aesthetics of craft, to a more impoverished aesthetics of efficiency, and finally to an even more impoverished aesthetics of ideas. A broader, fuller, richer aesthetic is better than a narrower, impoverished aesthetic—the richer aesthetic includes ethics, while the impoverished aesthetic does not.