cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Implications of strain- and species-level sequence divergence for community and isolate shotgun proteomic analysis.

The recent surge in microbial genomic sequencing, combined with the development of high-throughput liquid chromatography-mass-spectrometry-based (LC/LC-MS/MS) proteomics, has raised the question of the extent to which genomic information of one strain or environmental sample can be used to profile proteomes of related strains or samples. Even with decreasing sequencing costs, it remains impractical to obtain genomic sequence for every strain or sample analyzed. Here, we evaluate how shotgun proteomics is affected by amino acid divergence between the sample and the genomic database using a probability-based model and a random mutation simulation model constrained by experimental data. To assess the effects of nonrandom distribution of mutations, we also evaluated identification levels using in silico peptide data from sequenced isolates with average amino acid identities (AAI) varying between 76 and 98%. We compared the predictions to experimental protein identification levels for a sample that was evaluated using a database that included genomic information for the dominant organism and for a closely related variant (95% AAI). The range of models set the boundaries at which half of the proteins in a proteomic experiment can be identified to be 77-92% AAI between orthologs in the sample and database. Consistent with this prediction, experimental datamore » indicated loss of half the identifiable proteins at 90% AAI. Additional analysis indicated a 6.4% reduction of the initial protein coverage per 1% amino acid divergence and total identification loss at 86% AAI. Consequently, shotgun proteomics is capable of cross-strain identifications but avoids most crossspecies false positives.« less
Catalytic Activation of Methane and Ethane by Metal Compounds

Methane and ethane are the most abundant and the least reactive members of the hydrocarbon family, and their selective conversion to useful chemical products is of great scientific, as well as practical, interest. This review highlights some of the recent advances in the area of low temperature, catalytic, activation and functionalization of methane and ethane. Particular emphasis has been placed on C-H and C-C activation processes leading to the formation of oxygenates.
An analog technology integrates bipolar, CMOS, and high-voltage DMOS transistors

This paper describes the development of an analog technology that integrates bipolar, CMOS, and DMOS transistors on a single chip. The architecture of the process was chosen for its simplicity and versatility. The influence of the process variables and trade-offs in the performance of the devices have been outlined. Some key elements of DMOS and bipolar transistor behavior are discussed. The successful application of the technology to a plasma display driver has been demonstrated.
Progesterone binding to plasma membrane and cytosol receptors in the amphibian oocyte.

We have found a single class of progesterone binding sites at the amphibian oocyte plasma membrane, whereas two progesterone receptor forms, similar to those in chick and human, are present in the cytosol. In this study both plasma membranes and 105,000 x g cytosol from Rana pipiens oocytes were photoaffinity labeled with the synthetic progestin [3H]R5020. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the photolabeled proteins in the oocyte cytosol indicate that the two forms have molecular weights essentially identical to that found for human breast tissue and chick oviduct, i.e., 80 and 110 kDa, and that the forms were present in approximately equimolar ratios. In contrast, the plasma membrane form is present as a single 110 kDa species and accounts for at least 50% of the total 110 kDa species. The presence of large amounts of the 110 kDa protein in both membrane and cytosol suggests that the plasma membrane receptor may not be unique, and that the 110 kDa form may function both in membrane and cytosol and/or that part of the cytosolic 110 kDa form represents progesterone receptor in the process of being transported to or from the plasma membrane.
Maternally inherited transposon excision in Drosophila simulans

A mutation in the white gene of Drosophila mauritiana resulting from insertion of the transposable element mariner exhibits genetic instability in germline and somatic cells. The instability is greatly enhanced in the presence of the trans-acting autosomal factor Mos, giving eye-color mosaics with pigmented sectors of tissue on an otherwise peach-colored background. The Mos factor, when introduced into the genome of the sibling species Drosophila simulans, exhibited a dramatic maternal effect on expression of the mosaic phenotype. When D. simulans mosaic females (heterozygous for Mos) were crossed with non-mosaic males, two distinct classes of mosaic offspring occurred, one resulting from a maternal effect in which the non-Mos offspring were nevertheless mosaic. The maternal effect was mediated by a product acting after fertilization, and was expressed to varying extents in different backcross strains.
A graph-theoretic heuristic for designing loop-layout manufacturing systems

Abstract In flexible manufacturing systems, the type of materials handling system strongly influence the machine layout. For layouts where the machines are arranged in a loop and the material handling system is uni-directional, a measure of congestion for a part is the number of times the part traverses the loop before its processing is completed. This paper investigates the problem of determining a machine layout for uni-directional loop networks which minimizes the maximum number of loop traversals for a family of parts. Based on graph-theoretic arguments, a heuristic is developed which constructs a layout from a solution to the linear-programming relaxation of the problem. Preliminary computational results are also presented.
On Prions, Proteasomes, and Mad Cows

A recent study showed that the toxic prion protein causing “mad cow disease” inhibits proteasome function.
A SHARPENED GOODMAN‐KRUSKAL STATISTIC AND ITS SYMMETRY PROPERTY*

The goal of the present article is to formulate a precise and easily understood measure of dependence in contingency tables in which each of the two classifications is ordered and in which the order relationship is of primary interest. The measure presented here is a simplification of that suggested by Goodman and Kruskal in their pioneering 1954 paper, “Measures of Association for Cross Classifications” [3].
Multiple limit cycles in predator-prey models

A series of one-predator one-prey models are studied using two parameter Hopf bifurcation techniques which allow the determination of two periodic orbits. The biological implications of the results, in terms of domains of attraction and multiple stable states, are discussed.
Metallographic Examination of Thermal Effects in Hypervelocity Gouging

In this work, a gouged section of 1080 railroad rail steel is examined using metallographic techniques to characterize the nature of the damage. The gouging was performed by a rocket sled at Holloman Air Force Base, riding on VascoMax 300 steel shoes at 1.5 to 3.0 km/sec. Similar in approach to Gerstle, et al. [1], the damaged rail is evaluated in detail to examine material phase changes, shear bands, and heat effects. The results can be compared to samples of the virgin material, machined and prepared exactly as the rail and shoe are prior to the Holloman AFB High Speed Test Track (HHSTT) runs. The gouged section was examined longitudinally and in a transverse manner using optical microscopy and a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Pictures are presented of the resulting microstructure. Comparisons to the virgin material confirm material mixing consistent with a high energy gouging event. In addition, the material phase change evident in this approach allows us to estimate the non-equilibrium thermal conditions present during the formation of the gouge. The creation of shear bands, predicted by the previous modeling efforts, is also confirmed.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Microglial disruption in young mice with early chronic lead exposure

The mechanisms by which early chronic lead (Pb) exposure alter brain development have not been identified. We examined neuroimmune system effects in C57BL/6J mice with Pb exposure, including levels that may be common among children in lower socioeconomic income environments. Pups were exposed via dams’ drinking water from birth to post-natal day 28 to low, high or no Pb conditions. We compared gene expression of neuroinflammatory markers (study 1); and microglial mean cell body volume and mean cell body number in dentate gyrus, and dentate gyrus volume (study 2). Blood Pb levels in exposed animals at sacrifice (post-natal day 28) ranged from 2.66 to 20.31 μg/dL. Only interleukin-6 (IL6) differed between groups and reductions were dose-dependent. Microglia cell body number also differed between groups and reductions were dose-dependent. As compared with controls, microglia cell body volume was greater but highly variable in only low-dose animals; dentate gyri volumes in low- and high-dose animals were reduced. The results did not support a model of increased neuroinflammation. Instead, early chronic exposure to Pb disrupted microglia via damage to, loss of, or lack of proliferation of microglia in the developing brains of Pb-exposed animals.
Cyber-physical security of Wide-Area Monitoring, Protection and Control in a smart grid environment.

Smart grid initiatives will produce a grid that is increasingly dependent on its cyber infrastructure in order to support the numerous power applications necessary to provide improved grid monitoring and control capabilities. However, recent findings documented in government reports and other literature, indicate the growing threat of cyber-based attacks in numbers and sophistication targeting the nation’s electric grid and other critical infrastructures. Specifically, this paper discusses cyber-physical security of Wide-Area Monitoring, Protection and Control (WAMPAC) from a coordinated cyber attack perspective and introduces a game-theoretic approach to address the issue. Finally, the paper briefly describes how cyber-physical testbeds can be used to evaluate the security research and perform realistic attack-defense studies for smart grid type environments.
Applying the object-oriented paradigm to discrete event simulations using C++ language

This paper demonstrates the appropriateness of an object- oriented programming lan guage, C++, for developing discrete event simulations. An introduction to the concept of object-oriented programming and the C++ language is followed by an example simula tion of a single-server queuing system. The example shows the general advantages of the C++ language for simulations.
Quit your YAPing: a new target for cancer therapy

The Hippo pathway is an evolutionarily conserved signaling module that plays multiple roles in embryonic development. Components of the pathway, which includes a kinase cascade and a downstream complex composed of YAP and TEAD transcription factors, are dysregulated in a significant fraction of human cancers. In this issue of Genes & Development, Liu-Chittenden and colleagues (pp. 1300–1305) use genetic and pharmacological means to disrupt the active YAP–TEAD complex. As this intervention impedes tumorigenesis in the liver with no apparent effect on normal liver homeostasis, the work paves the way for the development of new strategies to target this pervasive oncogenic pathway.
The Stigma of Hearing Loss

Purpose: To explore dimensions of stigma experienced by older adults with hearing loss and those with whom they frequently communicate to target interventions promoting engagement and positive aging. Design and Methods: This longitudinal qualitative study conducted interviews over 1 year with dyads where one partner had hearing loss. Participants were naive to or had not worn hearing aids in the past year. Data were analyzed using grounded theory, constant comparative methodology. Results: Perceived stigma emerged as infl uencing decision-making processes at multiple points along the experiential continuum of hearing loss, such as initial acceptance of hearing loss, whether to be tested, type of hearing aid selected, and when and where hearing aids were worn. Stigma was related to 3 interrelated experiences, alterations in selfperception , ageism , and vanity and was infl uenced by dyadic relationships and external societal forces, such as health and hearing professionals and media. Implications: Findings are discussed in relation to theoretical perspectives regarding stigma and ageism and suggest the need to destigmatize hearing loss by promoting its assessment and treatment as well as emphasizing the importance of remaining actively engaged to support positive physical and cognitive functioning.
Design of organic tandem solar cells using low- and high-bandgap polymer:fullerene composites

Abstract Organic tandem solar cells were investigated using modeling and simulation methods to determine the optimal structural design and to predict device efficiencies. Each tandem structure comprised two subcells composed of varying combinations of low- and high-bandgap donor polymers and acceptor fullerene materials. The subcell employing the low-bandgap polymer, poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b′]dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT), was combined with either C 61 - or C 71 -based acceptor fullerene ([6,6]-phenyl C 61/71 butyric acid methyl ester—PC 61/71 BM). Similarly, a subcell employing the high-bandgap polymer, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), was modeled after including either PC 61 BM or PC 71 BM components. The mutual effects of both subcells in tandem were analyzed to determine such parameters as current density, open circuit voltage, fill factor, and power conversion efficiency. Our results indicate that appropriate spatial ordering of the subcells can allow achievement of device efficiencies exceeding 9%.
Targeted Automatic Integer Overflow Discovery Using Goal-Directed Conditional Branch Enforcement

We present a new technique and system, DIODE, for auto- matically generating inputs that trigger overflows at memory allocation sites. DIODE is designed to identify relevant sanity checks that inputs must satisfy to trigger overflows at target memory allocation sites, then generate inputs that satisfy these sanity checks to successfully trigger the overflow. DIODE works with off-the-shelf, production x86 binaries. Our results show that, for our benchmark set of applications, and for every target memory allocation site exercised by our seed inputs (which the applications process correctly with no overflows), either 1) DIODE is able to generate an input that triggers an overflow at that site or 2) there is no input that would trigger an overflow for the observed target expression at that site.
Effects of forest clearcutting on leaf breakdown in a southern Appalachian stream

SUMMARY. Effects of forest clearcutting on rates of leaf breakdown were studied in Big Hurricane Branch, a second-order stream located at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in the southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, USA. Breakdown rates of leaves of three tree species were measured in the stream before, during and after the catchment was clearcut. Changes in the stream attributable to logging and associated activities—principally road building—were increased stream flow, increased sediment transport, elevated water temperatures, increased nitrate concentrations and decreased allochthonous organic inputs. Breakdown rates of all three leaf species were slowed during clearcutting and accelerated later. Following logging the breakdown rate of dogwood leaves was equal to the pre-treatment rate, and white oak and rhododendron leaves broke down faster than prior to treatment. We attribute the slow breakdown during treatment to burial of the leaf packs in sediment. Subsequent acceleration may have been due to a lack of alternative food sources for invertebrate detritivores.
Prospective observational study with an abbreviated protocol in the management of blunt renal injury in children

Abstract Background There are no published management schemes for blunt renal injuries. We are conducting a 2-center prospective observational study with a fixed management scheme. Methods Children with CT proven renal injuries were enrolled with permission. Ambulation is allowed when able regardless of grade. Discharge occurs when tolerating a diet and pain is controlled regardless of hematuria. Urinalysis occurs at follow up in 2–4weeks and repeated as indicated. Results Between 9/2008 and 9/2012, 70 patients were enrolled. Mean age was 11.8years (3–17), and 70% were male. The mean grade of injury was 2.8±1.1 [1–5]. One nephrectomy (1.4%) was performed for a grade 5 injury. Other renal interventions included an embolization for the hilar bleed and one cystotomy for a clot. Mean LOS was 2.9days±2.4days. In patients without other major injury, LOS was 1.9±1.7days (0.4–8days). There were 5 (7%) readmissions: 3 for pain, 1 for hematuria, and 1 for a bladder clot. 58 patients (83%) gave urinalysis samples at initial follow up (med 18days), where 31 (53%) were positive for blood. Conclusions Children with blunt renal injury may benefit from management without strict bedrest guidelines. Hematuria appears to have little influence on recovery.
Designing a power quality strategy for telecommunication systems protects your investments

By the year 2000, over 30% of all electrical power generated in the US will be consumed by electronic or electronically controlled systems. This includes all aspects of fixed and wireless systems, from analog and digital cellular communications to personal communication systems (PCS) to computer networks. A power quality strategy (PQS) requires a new approach, one that involves the entire telecommunication company's electrical distribution system beginning at the fixed facility and extending to remote sites. PQS for the year 2000 integrates power quality protection products with the electrical distribution system design. No longer is standalone power sufficient. PQS 2000 integrates the grounding, bonding, wiring, surge protective devices (AC/DC), electrical line noise filtering, harmonic filters and accommodating techniques, voltage generators, automatic transfer switches (ATS), voltage regulators, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), static switches, system wide monitoring, preventative maintenance and redundancy. In a power quality (PQ) network, PQ engineers must understand the benefits, limitations, and interaction of all aspects of power protection products and electrical system design to provide an interactive approach.
Resources and Rebels: A Study of Identity Management in Indian Call Centers

This article is an ethnographic study of Indian call center employees, seeking to determine the effects that these jobs have on their identities as Indians as well as consumers and citizens of the global economy. It engages with the large, skilled, cost-effective, English-speaking workforce in this industry in India to explore and nuance dichotomous media discourses of emancipation and regression and to place identity formation within these constructions. The article investigates call centers as specific urban imaginaries, which while indicative of strategies of globalization are also local specificities creating and fostering subjectivities encompassing a particular moment in the trajectory of economic liberalization in India. The discussion is anchored by the insistence on an urban reality that inscribes global capital in tension, collusion and coalition with the microcosmic practices of the local.
High resolution hemoglobin oxygen saturation level imaging using Morlet wavelet transformed spectroscopic Optical Coherence Tomography

In this work, we use Spectroscopic Optical Coherence Tomography and Morlet wavelet transformation to deduce hemoglobin oxygen saturation in blood sample. The technique makes use of the different absorption properties of hemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin around 800 nm. In order to test the technique, we combined three superluminescent light emitting diodes together in a Fourier Domain Common Path OCT set-up. The result shows that this technique is promising in differentiating blood oxygenation status
Enhancement of ethanol-induced withdrawal convulsions by blockade of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors

Male Swiss-Webster mice were made physically dependent on ethanol using the ethanol vapour inhalation technique. Animals pretreated with methysergide, a known 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor blocking agent, had significantly greater alcohol-induced withdrawal convulsions than saline pretreated controls. These findings suggest that the reduction of 5-HT at receptor sites may result in the augmentation of the withdrawal convulsions.
Design and manufacture of metal/dielectric long-wavelength cutoff filters

Thin films of high reflecting metal, such as Ag, have a high reflectance in the long-wavelength region. When they are combined with dielectric layers, it is possible, through thin film interference effects, to induce transmission in certain shorter wavelength regions. Thus, they are useful components for the design of long-wavelength cutoff filters with a broad rejection region. In this paper, metal/dielectric multilayer designs based on this principle are numerically investigated. Three designs with different cutoff wavelengths and with very broad transmission regions in the visible or near-IR spectral ranges are presented. An excellent rejection on the long-wavelength side extends beyond 20μm. Experimental results for one of the designs produced in our magnetron sputtering system are given.
Transnational terrorism 1968-2000: Thresholds, persistence, and forecasts

This article applies a threshold autoregression (TAR) model to a casualties time series to show that the autoregressive nature of such events depends on the level of terrorism at the time of a shock. Following a shock, persistence of heightened attacks characterizes low-terrorism regimes, but not high-terrorism regimes. Similar findings are associated with incidents with deaths, bombings with deaths, and hostage-taking. In contrast, the assassinations series indicates some persistence even in the high-terrorism state, whereas the threats/hoaxes series displays persistence in only the high-terrorism state. For all series studied, the TAR model outperforms a standard autoregressive representation. A forecasting method is engineered based on the TAR estimates and nicely tracks resource-using events.
Low-Dose Methotrexate: A Mainstay in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Methotrexate administered weekly in low doses is a mainstay in the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis. Although originally developed as a folate antagonist for the treatment of cancer, its mechanism of action in the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis remains less clear. Several mechanisms have been proposed including inhibition of T cell proliferation via its effects on purine and pyrimidine metabolism, inhibition of transmethylation reactions required for the prevention of T cell cytotoxicity, interference with glutathione metabolism leading to alterations in recruitment of monocytes and other cells to the inflamed joint, and promotion of the release of the endogenous anti-inflammatory mediator adenosine. These mechanisms of action and the role of methotrexate in the suppression of rheumatoid arthritis are reviewed.
Case-Specific Reliability Assessment for Improved False Positive Reduction with an Information-Theoretic CAD System

The study presents an application of the case-specific reliability analysis framework for quality evaluation of mammographic CAD detections. First, the original framework is modified so that it can be applied to a featureless case-based CAD system that relies on principles of information theory (IT). Then, the IT-CAD system is applied for false positive reduction of visual cues provided by a pre-screening algorithm. The study is based on mammograms from the Digital Database of Screening Mammography (DDSM) and is focused on mass detection. Experimental results show that assessment of the expected accuracy for each individual CAD cue facilitates 11%-18% further reduction of false positives while operating at high mass detection rates.
Quantifying Undiagnosed Organic Mental Disorder in Geriatric Inpatients

Organic mental disorder often goes undetected in geriatric patients who have coexisting psychiatric symptoms. To determine the preyaknce of organic mental disorders in geriatric patients admitted to a large metropolitan psychiatric inpatient service, charts for 95 patients over the age of 60 were reviewed, and diagnoses at admission and discharge were compared. Despite the facility's admission policy of excluding patients with only organic mental disorder, 32 patients required evaluation for organic mental disorder during hospitalization, and on reevaluation 15 patients received a primary diagnosis of organic mental disorder. The author discusses the mental health care and fiscal considerations of accurately assessing geriatric patients, especially in the context of the new federal regulations prohibiting most nursing home admissions for mentally ill patients.
A Paleozoic age for some charnockitic-anorthositic rocks

The Arden pluton, consisting of anorthosite, charnockite, and related rocks, is located within the granulite-facies Wilmington Complex of northern Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania. Samples from the Arden body have a Rb-Sr whole-rock age of 502 ± 20 m.y. and an initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio of 0.7065. The data indicate primary crystallization about 500 m.y. ago and metamorphism roughly 440 m.y. ago, in early Paleozoic time. Thus, the formation of massif-type anorthosites and related rocks is apparently not restricted to a limited part of Proterozoic time and, therefore, does not require conditions unique to Precambrian time.
PP08.6 – 2786: Relapsing MOG antibody associated encephalomyelitis: A case report

Background Antibodies to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) occur in about 25% of children with multiple sclerosis (MS) and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). We present a rare case of relapsing MOG antibody associated encephalomyelitis in a child, not associated with MS or ADEM. Case A previously well eleven year old girl presented with double vision, paraplegia, and lower limb hypersensitivity. An MRI scan showed changes consistent with transverse myelitis and she was treated with systemic steroids. After an initial improvement, she worsened with significant lower limb weakness and lost bowel and bladder control. Extensive investigations revealed positive serum MOG antibodies with negative CSF oligoclonal bands. Despite multiple cycles of plasmapheresis, she continued to deteriorate, requiring intubation and ventilation and a subsequent tracheostomy. With aggressive immune therapy using rituximab and cyclophosphamide for twelve months, she had no further relapses but remained ventilator dependent with severe paraparesis. Two months later, she re-presented with diplopia, acute lower limb hypersensitivity and subcortical myoclonus. Repeat investigations were in keeping with a relapse. She was treated with steroids, rituximab and cyclophosphamide with resolution of the new symptoms. Discussion MOG antibodies have been shown to induce demyelination. However, the clinical course of MOG antibody associated encephalomyelitis in a child without MS or ADEM is poorly described in literature. A recent study suggests that positive serum MOG antibodies may confer a better prognosis in relation to the clinical course of encephalomyelitis. However, cases associated with relapse are now emerging as part of an expanding spectrum and are much more difficult to manage despite aggressive immunotherapy. Conclusion Our case highlights the potential relapsing nature of MOG antibody associated encephalomyelitis, posing a challenge to management. Clinicians should be alert to this possibility, enabling appropriate counselling for patients and their families regarding potential long-term adversities.
Instructional Design and Development Utilizing Technology: A Student Perspective

The sequence Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate (ADDIE) provides a powerful methodology for designing computer-based educational materials. Helping students to understand this design process sequence may be achieved by providing them with direct, guided experience. This article examines such help and guidance and the overall learning process from a student’s personal experience. Keywords—ADDIE, education, instructional design, web design. HE following narrative is a student’s view of the processes involved in learning the essential procedures of designing instruction with an emphasis on the production of instructional media. The student is the first author, currently completing Walden University’s Ph.D. program in Educational Technology. The narrative was validated by the second author, who served as the instructor for the course in question. For purposes of clarity, the narrative is expressed in the first person who in all cases refers to the first author.
Figuring Culture and Literacy in Willa Cather's "Paul's Case"

AbstractLiteracy, both as a theme and as a narrative structuring device, marks much literature and takes on specific shapes and forms, depending on its relationship to its generic and historical contexts. Set in Pittsburgh, Willa Cather's "Paul's Case: A Study in Temperament" (1905/1983) features the steel world of indus-trialists and laborers, the world of monied capitalists (Carnegie, Mellon, West-inghouse, and Heinz) and of workers aspiring to middle-class safety or, in their daydreams, to the wealth of an employer like Carnegie, who began as one of them and who advanced, as he claims in his autobiographical accounts, in part through literacy. By studying Cather's short story, we can learn how literacy shapes construction of character in fiction and biography as well as construc-tion of persona in autobiographical material. That is, we can learn the integral role that figurations of literacy play in literary narratives. (Literary criticism, dialogic approach and biographical criticism; composition and literacy studies) Dreams are neither ideologically neutral nor politically innocent. (Giroux, 1990)
Separatist Conflict In Eurasia and Beyond: Exploring Communist Bloc Exceptionalism

In the two decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the study of separatist conflict has been dominated both geographically and theoretically by post-communist cases (see for example Hale 2008; Jenne 2007; Roeder 2007; Toft 2003). Frequently, however, the efforts to extend arguments based on the post-communist experience to the post-colonial world come up short. I argue in this essay that the lack of fit is due largely to the mechanisms by which coherent, durable ethnic identities emerged and were contested inside and outside the communist bloc. Inside the communist bloc, ethno-federalism combined with heavy-handed direct rule generated or reinforced ethnic identities at the titular republican level. On the contrary, ethno-federalism in the post-colonial world (i.e. India and Ethiopia) has generally been a post-colonial state response to early separatist mobilization rather than a cause of it. Moreover, the same early post-colonial rebellions against direct rule have catalyzed long-term trajectories of contentious ethnic politics, but did so only in the context of vertical ethnic ties that enabled collective action in the absence of political organizations. Drawing on two different global datasets and a number of original variables, I show a modest cross-regional difference in the role of past rebellion in shaping separatism and a strong cross-regional difference in the effect of ethno-federalism on nation-state crisis inside and outside the former communist bloc. Where prominent post-Soviet studies find ethno-federal institutions to be at the “front” of their explanations, I suggest that, in the post-colonial world, such institutions have nearly always been endogenous to nationalist mobilization.
Dual Window Pattern Recognition Classifier for Improved Partial-Hand Prosthesis Control

Although partial-hand amputees largely retain the ability to use their wrist, it is difficult to preserve wrist motion while using a myoelectric partial-hand prosthesis without severely impacting control performance. Electromyogram (EMG) pattern recognition is a well-studied control method; however, EMG from wrist motion can obscure myoelectric finger control signals. Thus, to accommodate wrist motion and to provide high classification accuracy and minimize system latency, we developed a training protocol and a classifier that switches between long and short EMG analysis window lengths. Seventeen non-amputee and two partial-hand amputee subjects participated in a study to determine the effects of including EMG from different arm and hand locations during static and/or dynamic wrist motion in the classifier training data. We evaluated several real-time classification techniques to determine which control scheme yielded the highest performance in virtual real-time tasks using a 3-way ANOVA. We found significant interaction between analysis window length and the number of grasps available. Including static and dynamic wrist motion and intrinsic hand muscle EMG with extrinsic muscle EMG significantly reduced pattern recognition classification error by 35%. Classification delay or majority voting techniques significantly improved real-time task completion rates (17%), selection (23%) and completion (11%) times, and selection attempts (15%) for non-amputee subjects, and the dual window classifier significantly reduced the time (8%) and average number of attempts required to complete grasp selections (14%) made in various wrist positions. Amputee subjects demonstrated improved task timeout rates, and made fewer grasp selection attempts, with classification delay or majority voting techniques. Thus, the proposed techniques show promise for improving control of partial-hand prostheses and more effectively restoring function to individuals using these devices.
Dichotomy of Accounting Information Quality: An Explanatory Framework

Accounting information is an important basis for many stakeholders,including investors,to make judgment and decisions.The quality of accounting information will directly affect the decision-making.In this paper,the dichotomy is raised about accounting information: auditors assess accounting information in accordance with accounting standards;while accounting academic researchers evaluate accounting information in the light of accounting order.The dichotomy provides an explanatory perspective for the existence of different evaluations of the same accounting information;then,we make a comparison between the quality of accounting information and that of audit.This paper argues that the accounting standards should steadily improve and be refined towards accounting order,which is the key to narrowing both evaluations while earnings management studies have provided a solution in this regard.
Dance Trend: Pay Rates for Dance Teachers - Concerns and Suggestions

One of the liveliest topics trending in online dance educator conversations is the issue of pay rates for dance teaching, particularly for part-time instructors or visiting artists. Instructors wan...
Benign nonpeptic esophageal strictures. Diagnosis and treatment

This article studies the causes and treatment of benign nonpeptic esophageal strictures. The authors also discuss various therapeutic techniques for esophageal strictures, including esophageal dilatation with various dilators and balloons. Although the goals of stricture therapy are to relieve dysphagia and prevent stricture reoccurrence, only the first of these goals (effective dilatation with bougienage or balloon dilatation) has been achieved. The prevention of stricture reoccurrence remains to be achieved.
Double IGHV DNA gene rearrangements in CLL: influence of mixed-mutated and -unmutated rearrangements on outcomes in CLL.

Double IGHV DNA gene rearrangements in CLL: influence of mixed-mutated and -unmutated rearrangements on outcomes in CLL
Performance Analysis of Wireless Sensor Network by Varying Reporting Rate

Objective: To analyse the performance of QoS parameters of wireless sensor network by variation in reporting rate using NS-2. The performance metric considered as packet delivery ratio, throughput, delay, routing overheads, avg. energy consumed and avg. residual energy etc. Methods/Analysis: Using NSG tool, 50 nodes are deployed in 1000*1000 m*m area. The nodes 25, 31, 5 are considered as source node and node 3 as sink node. The AODV protocol is considered as packet transmission and CBR is used for traffic generation in network. Findings: To measure the performance of QoS parameters such as packet delivery ratio, throughput, delay, routing overheads, avg. energy consumed and avg. residual energy with 50 nodes were kept static. The graphs plotted by keeping performance metric at Y-axis and reporting rate on X-axis considered as 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 etc. The analysis of performance of QoS parameters shows that for packet delivery ratio the ideal reporting rate is 20 packets per second. As the reporting rate increases delay increases gradually due to congestion. Also the throughput and routing overheads are increased with increasing reporting rate. Minimum energy consumption at 5 packets per second and maximum energy consumes at 50 packets per second. Conclusion: 20 pps is best reporting rate of transmission of packets for proposed network.
Tokamak position control using internal and external magnetic sensor coils

A linear second-order transformer model using magnetic sensor coils has been developed to describe the position control of a tokamak. This model is used to analyze the behavior of a proportional-derivative controller, which has been implemented on TEXT-Upgrade (TEXT-U). The magnetic sensor coils may be placed internal or external to the conducting vacuum vessel. If placed externally, however, eddy currents induced in the vessel wall introduce an error in the position measurement. It is found that this error signal introduces a positive zero in the system transfer function. The transfer function becomes a non-minimum-phase function, which restricts the response speed, stable area, and utilization of the power supply capability. Although the position control system is stabilized by use of a proportional-derivative controller, the controller cannot affect the positive zero. This analysis has been experimentally verified on TEXT-U. With external sensors, the stable operating area is small, and the sensors exhibit an initial undershoot to a step position change, as expected. The observed stable area is predicted by the model, although the model overestimates the size of the actual stable area.
Correlates of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Purchased for Children at Fast-Food Restaurants

Objectives. To determine consumer and fast-food purchase characteristics associated with the purchase of a sugar-sweetened beverage, as well as calories and grams of sugar, for children at a fast-food restaurant.Methods. We completed cross-sectional analyses of fast-food restaurant receipts and point-of-purchase surveys (n = 483) collected during 2013 and 2014 in New York City and Newark and Jersey City, New Jersey.Results. Caregivers purchased beverages for half of all children in our sample. Approximately 60% of these beverages were sugar-sweetened beverages. Fast-food meals with sugar-sweetened beverages had, on average, 179 more calories than meals with non–sugar-sweetened beverages. Being an adolescent or male, having a caregiver with a high school degree or less, having a caregiver who saw the posted calorie information, ordering a combination meal, and eating the meal in the restaurant were associated with ordering a sugar-sweetened beverage. Purchases that included a combination meal or were consu...
Analyzing Flash Mobs in Cybernetic Space and the Imminent Security Threats A Collective Action Based Theoretical Perspective on Emerging Sociotechnical Behaviors

Since the occurrence of the first `flash mob' organized by Bill Wasik (senior editor of the Harper's Magazine) in Manhattan in 2003, flash mob phenomenon has become widespread. Recent journalistic accounts have reported that this form of public engagement can pose significant threats to civil, political, social, and economic stability of a region. Gaps in the scientific understanding of such phenomenon and the imminent security risks posed by such acts call for a need to systematically study them. In this ongoing research, we shed light on the social dynamics of the flash mob phenomenon and build a conceptual model examining the necessary factors for the formation of flash mob and predicting its success or failure. Grounded in the sociological theories of collective action and collective identity formation, we evaluate the motivations of a flash mob practitioner and logically analyze the choices he/she would face with regards to acting or withdrawing from the flash mob. More broadly, this work is an attempt to bridge social and computational sciences that would help clarify and explain manifestations of emerging sociotechnical behaviors such as parkour, campaigns, and social movements that are widely observed.
Contribution of Crystal Structure to the Hardness of Metals

By measuring the hardness of metals at temperatures just above and just below their allotropic change point, it has been established that crystal structure has a real effect upon the strerlgth of metals. The DPH of cobalt, iron, titanium, uranium, and zirconium have been measured at temperatures up to 1000°C. It was found that the body-centered-cubic crystal structure is always the softer structure when it is involved in an allotropic transformation. The close-packed and more complex structures are inherently harder, and may be expected, therefore, to be better base materials for high strength alloys.
Antibody-virus co-evolution in HIV infection: paths for HIV vaccine development.

Summary Induction of HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) to date has only been observed in the setting of HIV-1 infection, and then only years after HIV transmission. Thus, the concept has emerged that one path to induction of bnAbs is to define the viral and immunologic events that occur during HIV-1 infection, and then to mimic those events with a vaccine formulation. This concept has led to efforts to map both virus and antibody events that occur from the time of HIV-1 transmission to development of bnAbs. This work has revealed that a virus-antibody “arms race” occurs in which a HIV-1 transmitted/founder (TF) Env induces autologous neutralizing antibodies that can not only neutralize the TF virus but also can select virus escape mutants that in turn select affinity-matured neutralizing antibodies. From these studies has come a picture of bnAb development that has led to new insights in host–pathogen interactions and, as well, led to insight into immunologic mechanisms of control of bnAb development. Here, we review the progress to date in elucidating bnAb B cell lineages in HIV-1 infection, discuss new research leading to understanding the immunologic mechanisms of bnAb induction, and address issues relevant to the use of this information for the design of new HIV-1 sequential envelope vaccine candidates.
The Individual Element Test Revisited

The subject of the patch test for finite elements retains several unsettled aspects. In particular, the issue of one-element versus multielement tests needs clarification. Following a brief historical review, we present the individual element test (IET) of Bergan and Hanssen in an expanded context that encompasses several important classes of new elements. The relationship of the IET to the multielement forms A, B and C of the patch test and to the single element test are clarified.
Unifying Concepts Linking Dissolved Organic Matter Composition to Persistence in Aquatic Ecosystems.

The link between composition and reactivity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) is central to understanding the role aquatic systems play in the global carbon cycle; yet, unifying concepts driving mo...
A molecular warning system for invasive pneumococcus

A genome-wide association study of Streptococcus pneumoniae identifies and validates bacterial loci associated with invasive infection.
Effects of safrole and isosafrole pretreatment on N- and ring-hydroxylation of 2-acetamidofluorene by the rat and hamster

1. The effects of safrole and isosafrole pretreatment on both N- and ring-hydroxylation of 2-acetamidofluorene were studied in male rats and hamsters. 2. Isosafrole (100mg/day per kg body wt.) pretreatment of rats for 3 days did not have any effect on urinary excretion of hydroxy metabolites of 2-acetamidofluorene. However, similar pretreatment with safrole produced increased urinary excretion of N-, 3- and 5-hydroxy derivatives. 3. Similar treatment with these two chemicals for 3 days increased ring-hydroxylation activity by rat liver microsomal material. Increases in N-hydroxylation were much less than those in ring-hydroxylation. Isosafrole was twice as effective as safrole. 4. Increases in hydroxylating activity due to safrole or isosafrole treatment were inhibited by simultaneous administration of ethionine. Similarly, ethionine inhibition was almost completely reversed by the simultaneous administration of methionine. 5. Safrole or isosafrole (0.1mm and 1mm) inhibited 7-hydroxylation activity by liver microsomal material from control rats. At 1mm these two chemicals inhibited both 5- and 7-hydroxylation activity by liver microsomal material from 3-methylcholanthrene-pretreated rats. 3-Hydroxylation activity was not inhibited by 1mm concentrations of these two chemicals. 6. A single injection of safrole (50100 or 200mg/kg body wt.) 24h before assay had no appreciable effect on either N- or ring-hydroxylation activity by hamster liver microsomal material. However, isosafrole (200mg/kg body wt.) treatment inhibited N-, 3- and 5-hydroxylation activities by hamster liver microsomal material; it had no effect on 7-hydroxylation activity.
Framing fracking: Semantic frames as meta-argumentative indicators for knowledge-driven argument mining of controversies

Abstract This article offers a first large scale analysis of argumentative polylogues in the fracking controversy. It provides an empirical methodology (macroscope) that identifies, from large quantities of text data through semantic frame analysis, the many players, positions and places presumed relevant to argumentation in a controversy. It goes beyond the usual study of framing in communication research because it considers that a controversy’s communicative context is shaped, and in turn conditions, the making and defending of standpoints. To achieve these novels aims, theoretical insights from frame semantics, knowledge driven argument mining, and argumentative polylogues are combined. The macroscope is implemented using the Semafor parser to retrieve all the semantic frames present in a large corpus about fracking and then observing the distribution of those frames that semantically presuppose argumentative features of polylogue (meta-argumentative indicators). The prominent indicators are Taking_sides (indicator of “having an argument”), Evidence and Reasoning (indicators of “making an argument”). The automatic retrieval of the words associated with the core elements of the semantic frame enables the mapping of how different players, positions, and discussion venues are assembled around what is treated as disagreeable in the controversy. This knowledge driven approach to argument mining reveals prototypical traits of polylogues related to environmental issues. Moreover, it addresses a problem in conventional frame analysis common in environmental communication that focuses on the way individual arguments are presented without effective consideration of the argumentative relevance the semantics and pragmatics of certain frames operating across discourses.