cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A longitudinal mixed methods study describing 4th year baccalaureate nursing students' perceptions of inclusive pedagogical strategies.

Abstract Background Creating inclusive learning environments—those in which all students thrive—is a priority as nursing educators are charged with preparing a diverse workforce to care for a diverse patient population. Yet, faculty are hindered by a dearth of evidence-based pedagogical strategies to promote inclusion. Purpose This longitudinal mixed methods study uniquely addresses this evidence gap by describing relationships among inclusive pedagogical strategies and student outcomes in 81 4th-year baccalaureate nursing students. Methods Across the academic year, students participated in two focus groups and completed surveys at three timepoints on classroom and clinical belongingness, self-confidence and satisfaction with learning, and self-efficacy in the clinical setting. Results Students' reports of satisfaction and confidence in learning, clinical self-efficacy, and clinical belongingness were significantly higher when they characterized their learning environment as inclusive. Underrepresented students, however, reported significantly lower classroom and clinical belongingness at all three survey timepoints and shared examples of unaddressed breaches in inclusivity which undermined confidence and belongingness. Focus group participants evaluated pedagogical strategies and highlighted faculty's pivotal role in creating inclusive learning environments. Conclusion Inclusive pedagogical strategies may increase students' sense of belongingness, satisfaction and confidence in learning, and self-efficacy. Study results may assist faculty and inform future interventions.
Research Note: A baseline survey of thermotolerant Campylobacter in retail chicken in southern Brazil.

Abstract Chicken is a leading source of thermotolerant Campylobacter, which triggers human foodborne enteritis. This study evaluated thermotolerant Campylobacter contamination of retail chicken in southern Brazil, using qualitative and quantitative analyses. Selective enrichment in Bolton broth for 24 and 48 h after plating onto modified charcoal–cefoperazone–deoxycholate (mCCD) agar and Preston agar was assessed. The combined results of the detection and enumeration methods revealed a frequency of 70% occurrence of thermotolerant Campylobacter in chicken samples. Campylobacter was enumerated in 60% of the samples, whereas 46% of the samples were positive in the qualitative analysis. Quantitative analysis showed average counts of 3.10 ± 0.15 log10 CFU/sample. Higher numbers of Campylobacter-positive samples were found using 24-h enrichment before plating onto Preston agar (46%) than onto mCCD agar (2%). The majority of isolated strains were identified as Campylobacter jejuni, and Campylobacter coli was also found but to a lesser extent. Subtyping revealed a clear distinction between strains isolated from different chicken sources. The enriched samples plated onto mCCD agar showed extensive spreading of nonproducing extended-spectrum β-lactamases Proteus mirabilis that hampered the identification of Campylobacter colonies. P. mirabilis strains showed resistance to cefoperazone, trimethoprim, and polymyxin B present in broth and plate media used and were inhibited by rifampicin present in Preston agar. The results underline the effect of the spread of contaminant strains on Campylobacter cultures, which might be prevented using a recently revised International Organization for Standardization method for qualitative analysis of chicken.
The Rheumatologist's Role in COVID-19.

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has spread rapidly throughout the planet. It is believed to have originated in the Wuhan province of China, but this highly contagious respiratory virus has spread to over 140 countries on 6 continents as of mid-March 2020 according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Worldwide, there have been over 164,000 cases identified and over 6,500 deaths attributed to the viral infection. As of March 15, 2020, there are over 3,700 confirmed cases and 68 deaths ascribed to Covid-19 (the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2) in the United States [https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-updates-unitedstates.html].
Normalization by Other Means—Technological Infrastructure and Political Commitment in the North Korean Nuclear Crisis

The 1994 Agreed Framework called for North Korea to dismantle its plutonium-production complex in exchange for civilian light water reactors (LWRs) and the promise of political normalization with t...
Event-triggered Multi-agent Optimal Regulation Using Adaptive Dynamic Programming

This paper develops an event-triggered multi-agent control method based on adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) techniques. Different from the traditional ADP-based multi-agent control with fixed sampling period, our method designs an adaptive controller only based on the efficiently reduced samples. The sampling instants are decided by an adaptive triggering condition to guarantee the stability of the event-triggered learning process. The theoretical analysis of the proposed method is also provided in this paper. It is proved that the designed event-triggered ADP controller can make all the agents synchronize to the leader’s dynamics with reduced sampled data, and also reach Nash equilibrium at the same time. Therefore, the proposed method can save the computational resources in the learning process. Finally, the simulation results verify the theoretical analysis and also demonstrate the performance of the developed method.
PPE Circuits: Formal Definition to Software Automation

Pairing-based cryptography is widely used for its efficiency and functionality. When designing pairing-based schemes, one common task is to devise algorithms for verifying a set of untrusted group elements with respect to a set of trusted group elements. One might be searching for a verification algorithm for a signature scheme or a method for verifying an IBE/ABE private key with respect to the IBE/ABE public parameters. In ACM CCS 2019 Hohenberger Vusirikala, the AutoPPE software tool was introduced for automatically generating a set of pairing product equations (PPEs) that can verify the correctness of a set of pairing group elements with respect to a set of trusted group elements. This task is non-trivial. Some schemes (e.g., those based on dual system encryption) provably do not support any efficient algorithm for verifying the private keys with respect to the public parameters. Other schemes (e.g., the Boyen-Waters anonymous IBE) were left in a gray area by Hohenberger-Vusirikala (CCS 19) -- no conjunction of PPEs was known for testing them, but no proof of untestability either. In this work, we significantly generalize and expand on the foundation of Hohenberger-Vusirikala (CCS 19). Specifically, we consider a larger space of verification algorithms, which we call PPE Circuits, to verify a set of untrusted group elements with respect to a set of trusted group elements. Informally, a PPE Circuit supports AND, OR, NOT and PPE gates, thus capturing all of the capability of AutoPPE while novelly enabling the verification algorithm to include arbitrary logic (as opposed to only conjunctions of PPEs). Our contributions include a formalization of PPE circuits, a provably-correct algorithm for searching for a PPE circuit given a description of the trusted and untrusted elements to be verified, and a new open-source software tool called AutoCircuitPPE that realizes this algorithm. AutoCircuitPPE was tested on a host of test cases and it output PPE circuits for all "gray area" schemes left unresolved in Hohenberger-Vusirikala (CCS 19) as well as several new test cases, usually in 100 seconds or less.
Perception in Black and White: Effects of Intonational Variables and Filtering Conditions on Sociolinguistic Judgments With Implications for ASR.

This study tests the effects of intonational contours and filtering conditions on listener judgments of ethnicity to arrive at a more comprehensive understanding on how prosody influences these judgments, with implications for austomatic speech recognition systems as well as speech synthesis. In a perceptual experiment, 40 American English listeners heard phrase-long clips which were controlled for pitch accent type and focus marking. Each clip contained either two H* (high) or two L+H* (low high) pitch accents and a L-L% (falling) boundary tone, and had also previously been labelled for broad or narrow focus. Listeners rated clips in two tasks, one with unmodified stimuli and one with stimuli lowpass filtered at 400 Hz, and were asked to judge whether the speaker was “Black” or “White”. In the filtered condition, tokens with the L+H* pitch accent were more likely to be rated as “Black”, with an interaction such that broad focus enhanced this pattern, supporting earlier findings that listeners may perceive African American Language as having more variation in possible pitch accent meanings. In the unfiltered condition, tokens with the L+H* pitch accent were less likely to be rated as Black, with no effect of focus, likely due to the fact that listeners relied more heavily on available segmental information in this condition. These results enhance our understanding of cues listeners rely on in making social judgments about speakers, especially in ethnic identification and linguistic profiling, by highlighting perceptual differences due to listening environment as well as predicted meaning of specific intonational contours. They also contribute to our understanding of the role of how human listeners interpret meaning within a holistic context, which has implications for the construction of computational systems designed to replicate the properties of natural language. In particular, they have important applicability to speech synthesis and speech recognition programs, which are often limited in their capacities due to the fact that they do not make such holistic sociolinguistic considerations of the meanings of input or output speech.
Development and Evaluation of Scales for Measuring Self-Efficacy and Teaching Beliefs of Students Facilitating Peer-Supported Pedagogies

Two scales measuring teaching self-efficacy and beliefs were developed from previous instruments for use with near-peer facilitators assisting with peer-supported pedagogies. Construct and face validity, measurement reliability, and factor structure were determined using a population of near-peer facilitators working in a peer-led team learning chemistry classroom at a large research-intensive postsecondary institution in the Southeast United States. Results suggest that the scales produce valid and reliable data. Teaching self-efficacy and beliefs were found to increase between pre and post administrations with small to medium effect sizes. The scales can provide a means to evaluate peer-supported pedagogies and as discussion points for faculty members training near-peer facilitators.
306 Decr2 regulates tumor cell ferroptosis and is required for immunotherapy efficacy

Background Checkpoint blockade therapies have transformed the landscape of cancer care. Durable clinical responses have been observed in a subset of patients. However, many patients do not respond, and understanding the mechanisms underlying tumor resistance to checkpoint blockade drugs could potentially expand clinical benefit. We therefore performed an unbiased CRISPR library screen to identify novel gene alterations sufficient to mediate resistance to T cell-mediated killing. Methods B16.SIY cells were transduced with a genome-scale gRNA lentivirus to generate loss of function mutants. In vitro-primed CD8+ T cells isolated from 2C/Rag2–/– TCR transgenic mice specific for the SIY antigen were co-cultured with transduced B16.SIY tumor cells. Resistant cells were collected and targeted genes were identified by sequencing the gRNAs. The gene encoding Decr2, a peroxisomal 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase, was identified. To investigate the role of Decr2 in tumor growth and immune responses in vivo, the Decr2 knock-down or Decr2 overexpressed tumors were transplanted into C57BL/6 mice for studies of anti-PD-L1 efficacy and immune response analysis. Based on a hypothesized role in ferroptosis, RNA-seq was performed and lipid reactive oxygen species were quantified. Results Decr2 mutants were relatively resistant to CD8+ T cell killing in vitro. In vivo, Decr2 knock-down tumors showed almost complete loss of anti-PD-L1 efficacy, without affecting early T cell priming or immune cell infiltration. However, tumor-infiltrating T cells failed to expand following anti-PD-L1 therapy in Decr2 knock-down tumors. RNA-seq analysis revealed upregulation of ferroptosis-related genes in Decr2-deficient tumor cells, and these tumor cells were relatively resistant to ferroptosis-inducers in vitro. Decr2 knock-down cells also showed defective induction of lipid ROS in response to CD8+ T cells in vitro, or when analyzed following anti-PD-L1 treatment ex vivo. Analysis of tumor RNA-seq data from human melanoma patients treated with checkpoint blockade revealed decreased Decr2 levels in non-responding patients. Conclusions Our results identify tumor cell-expressed Decr2 as novel regulator of ferroptosis and implicate the process of ferroptosis as a major mechanism of immune-mediated tumor cell killing in vivo. Pharmacologic strategies to facilitate tumor cell ferroptosis could have therapeutic utility.
Substance P and Neurotensin: Actions in the Gastrointestinal Tract

Publisher Summary The partially purified substance P markedly reduced blood pressure and contracted gastrointestinal (GI) smooth muscle. It was found to be a peptide of 11 amino acids. SP bears a C-terminal sequence and spectrum of biological activities similar to those of other peptides collectively named “tachykinins”. These peptides have largely been isolated from the amphibian skin with the exception of eledoisin that is present in octopus salivary glands. In the course of purifying SP, another substance was discovered that produced cutaneous vasodilation and cyanosis and was chemically distinguishable from SP. This preparation was named neurotensin (NT) and was subsequently determined to be a tridecapeptid. Structures of SP, neurotensin (NT), and natural homologs are explained in this chapter. The anatomical and physiological characteristics of these peptides in the GI tract and structural requirements for their biological activity in this and other peripheral systems are discussed in the chapter. Substance P's distribution in the gut, biological activity, and structure–activity relationships are also discussed in this chapter. The relative biological activities of SP and its fragments are tabulated. Natural analogs of SP are discussed in the chapter. For neurotensin, distribution in the gut, biological activity, and structure–activity relationships are described in the chapter. The relative biological activities of NT and its fragments are tabulated. Natural analogs of SP are discussed in the chapter. SP and NT, peptides with a dual localization in the mammalian brain and gut, have many potent actions upon GI and other peripheral organ systems. Recent investigations have disclosed determinants within their structures responsible for the biological activity; the C-terminal amino acids of both peptides are important in this respect. The design and synthesis of the novel peptide analogs may yield biologically-stable compounds of high potency for the treatment of disorders of intestinal motility or ion transport, cardiovascular disease, or endocrine abnormalities.
A Case Study of Cluttering Treatment Outcomes in a Teen

Abstract Cluttering is a type of fluency disorder characterized by perceived rapid and/or irregular speech rate and at least one of the following symptoms: excessive disfluencies, the majority of which are non-stuttering-like disfluencies; atypical placement of pausing in speech; and/or excessive over-coarticulation of sounds (St. Louis & Schulte, 2011). Various treatments have been implemented to decrease the rate and increase the clarity of speech in persons who clutter (PWC). This study compared the efficacy of two types of cluttering treatments, pausing and overemphasis, to determine which would reduce the occurrence of over-coarticulation in conversational speech of a teenage male. A decrease in over-coarticulation was exhibited with use of both strategies; however, pausing was determined to reduce the percentage of over-coarticulated words in conversational speech more than overemphasis. This strategy was also the strategy most likely to be implemented in carryover by the participant.
Another case of profitable destabilizing speculation: A comment

Abstract This paper examines Williamson's example of destabilizing speculation using an explicit difference equation specification of speculative behavior. The type of nonconvergent cyclical movements of the exchange rate that Williamson describes are found to result from expectations based on a fixed notion of the ‘normal’ rate, together with a specific level of speculation activity. A lower level of speculation results in a divergent system; a higher level in one which is dynamically stable.
Formalizing rework in software processes

This paper indicates how effective software-process programming languages can lead to improved understandings of critical software processes, as well as improved process performance. In this paper we study the commonly mentioned, but seldom defined, rework process. We note that rework is generally understood to be a major software development activity, but note that it is poorly defined and understood. In this paper we use the vehicle of software-process programming to elucidate the nature of this type of process. In doing so we demonstrate that an effective language (i.e. one incorporating appropriate semantic features) can help explain the nature of rework, and also raise hopes that this type of process can be expedited through execution of the defined process. The paper demonstrates the key role played in effective rework definition by such semantic features as procedure invocation, scoping, exception management, and resource management, which are commonly found in programming languages. A more ambitious program of research into the most useful process-programming language semantic features is then suggested. The goal of this work is improved languages, for improved understandings of software processes, and improved support for software development.
Single crystal neutron diffraction studies of partially oxidized K2Pt(CN)4Br0.3 · 3.OH2O, K2Pt(CN)4Cl0.3 · 3.OH2O, and K1.75Pt(CN)4 · 1.5H2O: New results and a summary

Abstract The present status of the structures of the partially-oxidized metal-chain forming compounds K2Pt(CN)4Br0.3 · 3.OH2O, K2Pt(CN)4Cl0.3 · 30H2O and K1.75Pt(CN)4 · 1.5H2O, as determined by neutron and x-ray diffraction studies, is reviewed. New thermogravimetric analysis results are presented which prove that deuterated KCP(Br) normally has water content different from the hydrogenous samples, viz., K2Pt(CN)4Br0.3 - 3.2D2O vs. K2Pt(CN)4Br0.3 · 3.0H2O. The relationship of this finding to the previously reported structural results is discussed in detail. Entirely new findings regarding the now-linear Pt-Pt chain observed in K1.75Pt(CN)4 · 1.5H2O are presented. While superlattice formation is known to occur for K2Pt(CN)4Br0.3 · 3(H/D)2O, no such findings have as yet been observed for cation deficient K1.75Pt(CN)4 · 1.5H2O, K(def)TCP. Both KCP(Br) and KCP(Cl) are disordered by virtue of the halide ion non-stoichiometry. K(def)TCP is also non-stoichiometric and the asymmetric unit contains three crystallo...
Image science with photon-processing detectors

We introduce and discuss photon-processing detectors and we compare them with photon-counting detectors. By estimating a relatively small number of attributes for each collected photon, photon-processing detectors may help understand and solve a fundamental theoretical problem of any imaging system based on photon-counting detectors, namely null functions. We argue that photon-processing detectors can improve task performance by estimating position, energy, and time of arrival for each collected photon. We consider a continuous-to-continuous linear operator to relate the object being imaged to the collected data, and discuss how this operator can be analyzed to derive properties of the imaging system. Finally, we derive an expression for the characteristic functional of an imaging system that produces list-mode data.
Genetic Counselling: Psychological Issues

Psychological issues in genetic counselling arise from the genetic risk or condition affecting patients. Genetic counselling is psycho-educational but the practice has a psychotherapeutic approach that attends to the cognitive, affective and behavioural aspects of the genetic information. As such, genetic counselling strives to help clients make informed choices and when there is no choice to make, to cope effectively, and ultimately adapt, to their risk or condition. The psychological issues emanate from the nature of the condition, clients' informational needs and risk perceptions, as well as their lived experiences, personality traits and socioeconomic resources. Overall, evidence suggests that most clients and patients cope with the stress of a risk or condition successfully and adapt over time. Genetic counselling can be instrumental in facilitating that process through helping clients capitalise on their personal strengths and resources. Psychologically vulnerable clients may be referred for longer-term psychotherapy. Key Concepts Genetic counselling is psychoeducational as clients learn how genetics contributes to their health risks and then process what this means and how it feels. Genetic counselling clients experience genetic conditions or risk according to their own illness perceptions and this predicts their overall quality of life. Genetic counselling clients often have to make a decision on whether to use genetic testing to help them manage a familial risk for disease. Shared decision-making may enhance informed choice among genetic counselling clients. Genetic counselling aims to help clients adapt to living with a genetic condition or risk, often by enhancing coping effectiveness. Keywords: genetic counselling; psychology; counselling interventions; decision making; informed choice; coping; adaptation; living with uncertainty; stigmatisation; parental guilt
FELIX Construction Status and Experimental Program

FELIX (Fusion Electromagnetic Induction eXperiment) is an experimental test facility being constructed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for the study of electromagnetic effects in the first wall/blanket/shield (FWBS) systems of fusion reactors. The facility design, construction status, experimental program, instrumentation, and associated computer-code comparisons are described.
Intrusion Masking for Distributed Atomic Operations

Distributed database transactions are treated as atomic operations. This paper considers intrusion masking atomic operations among replica groups. The paper proposes two Byzantine fault tolerant two-phase commit protocols (BFT-2PC) to tolerate both malicious coordinator and malicious participants. When the total number of malicious replicas is no more than a specific threshold the protocols can mask attacks. Even if the number of faulty replicas is more than the threshold our protocols are still survivable in some cases. We analyzed the expected survivability and efficiency of our protocols. The analytic results demonstrate that our protocols are practical.
CONTROL-ID: an integrated framework for system identification and process control

CONTROL-ID is a computer aided control engineering (CACE) tool serving as a support environment for computer aided control system design (CACSD) in the chemical process industry. The fundamental basis for this tool is the theory of control-relevant system identification, which takes advantage of the interplay between identification and control design. CONTROL-ID is implemented using MATLAB on a VAXStation 4000 cluster, which is integrated in real-time to an industrial-scale Honeywell TDC 3000 plant information and control system. Control action is computed on the TDC 3000 system using low-order difference equations, which yield superior performance over traditional PID control while resembling the behavior of model predictive control systems. Results from a simulation study using a gas/oil furnace are reported. >
The Second-Person Standpoint and the Law

One of the most exciting and potentially fecund developments in contemporary moral philosophy is due to a recent line of thought developed by Stephen Darwall. In The Second-Person Standpoint: Morality, Respect and Accountability, Darwall has defined a novel and interrelated set of concepts – which include those of the “second-person standpoint” and “second-personal reasons” – and has argued that these concepts shed new light on both the nature of moral obligation and the appropriate methods for justifying moral judgments. Because most traditional views of practical reason (including both Kantian and consequentialist views) are rooted in the first and third-person standpoints, Darwall’s work provides a fundamental challenge to a broad range of views in the literature. This article argues that – despite a number of important controversies surrounding Darwall’s underlying account of morality – there are special reasons to think that three of his core claims should have more powerful, more robust, and more uncontroversial applications to the law. Building on these three core claims, this article also develops a novel and highly integrated account of both legal authority and legal legitimacy, which helps to illuminate a number of the law’s otherwise puzzling features. The article also explains why, in light of these facts, there there are special reasons to apply contractualist (as opposed to consequentialist) standards to test for the legitimacy not only of public but also of private law. For those who are unfamiliar with these contemporary developments in moral philosophy, Section I introduces the concepts of the “second-person standpoint” and “second-personal reasons,” and locates them within the larger intellectual landscape in normative theory. Section II presents three core claims that Darwall makes about second-personal reasons, which are – in my view – most relevant to legal theory. Section III then develops a novel set of reasons for extending these core claims to the law, regardless of whether they apply to morality. Section III also develops a novel, and highly integrated, account of legal authority and legal legitimacy, and describes some of the potentially far-reaching applications that this account may have for legal theory. Section IV, finally, discusses some of the primary objections to Darwall’s views on morality – which arise from Korsgaard, James, Wallace, and Watson – as well as from the so-called “philosophical utilitarians.” It argues that these objections ultimately depend on special features of morality, which the law does not share, and that a close examination of these objections can therefore help explain just why these contemporary developments may have more powerful applications to law than to morality. Indeed, there are – in my view – special reasons for both Kantians and philosophical utilitarians (one branch of which includes many members of the law and economics movement) to think that the law is distinctive in ways that invite a fundamentally contractualist (rather than a fundamentally consequentialist) test for its its legitimacy, on distinctive grounds.
Planning of High-Level Maneuver Sequences on Semantic State Spaces

Highly automated driving is addressed more and more by research and also by vehicle manufacturers. In the past few years several demonstrations of automated vehicles driving on highways and even in urban scenarios were performed. In this context several challenges arose. One challenge is the understanding of complex situations and behavior generation within these especially in urban areas. Trajectory planning in these scenarios can be complex and expensive. Semantic scene modeling and planning can provide vital information to generate reliable and safe trajectories for automated vehicles. In this work we present a novel approach for high-level maneuver planning. It is based on a semantic state space that describes possible actions of a vehicle with respect to other scene elements like lane segments and traffic participants. The semantic characteristic of this state space allow for generalized planning even in complex situations. Concepts like heuristics and homotopies are utilized to optimize planning. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently generate high-level maneuver sequences for automated driving. The approach is tested on synthetic data as well as sensor data of a real test drive. and homotopies are utilized to optimize planning. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently generate high-level maneuver sequences for automated driving. The approach is tested on synthetic data as well as sensor data of a real test drive.
Deformation quantization with separation of variables of an endomorphism bundle

Abstract Given a holomorphic Hermitian vector bundle E and a star-product with separation of variables on a pseudo-Kahler manifold, we construct a star product on the sections of the endomorphism bundle of the dual bundle E ∗ which also has the appropriately generalized property of separation of variables. For this star product we prove a generalization of Gammelgaard’s graph-theoretic formula.
On the effect of fluctuating interstellar density on observed cosmic-ray intensities

The effects of a fluctuating interstellar density on the measured flux of cosmic-ray particles are examined within the framework of stochastic processes. The dispersion of the flux is given as a function of the characteristics of the interstellar medium. Both discrete cloud and fluctuating density field models are developed.
Serum Corticosterone Levels in Embryos, Newly Hatched, and Young Turkey Poults

Abstract The objectives of these experiments were to determine the concentration of corticosterone, the principal adrenocortical steroid in avian species, in serum of turkey embryos (12 to 28 days of development), newly hatched turkey poults (pipped and up to 6 hr posthatch), and poults between 1 and 15 days of age. The effect of giving exogenous doses of corticosterone at a physiological concentration on hatching was also determined. A significant (P
Metabolic theory and taxonomic identity predict nutrient recycling in a diverse food web

Reconciling the degree to which ecological processes are generalizable among taxa and ecosystems, or contingent on the identity of interacting species, remains a critical challenge in ecology. Ecological stoichiometry (EST) and metabolic theory of ecology (MTE) are theoretical approaches used to evaluate how consumers mediate nutrient dynamics and energy flow through ecosystems. Recent theoretical work has explored the utility of these theories, but empirical tests in species-rich ecological communities remain scarce. Here we use an unprecedented dataset collected from fishes and dominant invertebrates (n = 900) in a diverse subtropical coastal marine community (50 families, 72 genera, 102 species; body mass range: 0.04–2,597 g) to test the utility of EST and MTE in predicting excretion rates of nitrogen (EN), phosphorus (EP), and their ratio (ENP). Body mass explained a large amount of the variation in EN and EP but not ENP. Strong evidence in support of the MTE 3/4 allometric scaling coefficient was found for EP, and for EN only after accounting for variation in excretion rates among taxa. In all cases, including taxonomy in models substantially improved model performance, highlighting the importance of species identity for this ecosystem function. Body nutrient content and trophic position explained little of the variation in EN, EP, or ENP, indicating limited applicability of basic predictors of EST. These results highlight the overriding importance of MTE for predicting nutrient flow through organisms, but emphasize that these relationships still fall short of explaining the unique effects certain species can have on ecological processes.
Elimination of methane from protonated acetaldehyde: The Ab initio transition state.

The transition state (TS) for loss of CH4 from protonated acetaldehyde has been located at the second-order Moller-Plesset (MP2)/6-31G(d, p) level of theory. The activation energy is predicted to be 263.9 kJ/mol starting from the more stable form (methyl and hydrogen E) and 261.6 kJ/mol starting from the less stable form (methyl and hydrogen Z) that is required for reaction. The products (methane and the formyl ion) are predicted to lie 136.6 kJ/mol below the TS for their formation. MP2 methods underestimate the heats of formation of both the TS and the reaction products by about 40 kJ/mol when compared with experiment. Restricted Hartree-Fock (RHF) calculations give much more accurate relative energies. The MP2 TS leads directly to fragmentation and is described as a protonation of the methyl group by the acidic proton on oxygen. Under RHF theory the reaction is stepwise. An RHF TS similar to the MP2 TS leads to a nonclassical intermediate (which is stable at this level of theory) that has one of the C—H bonds protonated. This mechanism (protonation of an alkyl group) appears to be a general one for high energy 1,2 eliminations from organic cations.
Managing Sustainability Assessment of Civil Infrastructure Projects Using Work, Nature, and Flow

AbstractThe assessment tools available to study the sustainability of the construction processes are limited in their approach and lacking in their content. This can be attributed, for example, to various factors, including (1) differences among the actors within the construction industry; (2) fragmentation of the construction industry and those whom it serves; and (3) regionalism. This paper develops three innovative system-based benchmarks to assess civil infrastructure projects; namely, work, nature, and flow. To this end, work defines the sociobehavioral relationships among the construction products and the actors of the built environment; nature focuses on the effects of the built process on the environment through studying the interaction between the construction actors, their associated processes, and the end products within their host systems; and flow identifies the overall system changes within the community host systems and the effects of these changes on the natural environment and the socioec...
Museums in Kenya: Spaces for Selecting, Ordering and Erasing Memories of Identity and Nationhood

This article discusses representations of ‘nationhood’ at National Museums of Kenya (NMK) and community peace museums (CPMs). The representations range from a virtual absence of exhibitions on nationhood to exhibitions of cultural objects associated with specific ethnic groups and commemoration of local and/or national heroes. The representations at NMK appear to be informed by the expressed and/or assumed wishes of the country's political leadership. As such, the social memory they evoke has suffered episodic interruptions through time. On the other hand, representations at CPMs are, to a large extent, informed by influential individuals or small sections of the community and tend to concentrate on the ethnic group within which they are located, thus articulating local as opposed to national issues. This situation contributes to contestations of ‘nationhood’ in Kenya, a phenomenon that has come to the fore with every general election since the re-introduction of multi-party politics 20 years ago and, in ...
Changes in Consistency of Occlusal Contact in Myofascial Pain-Dysfunction (MPD) Syndrome

The sound patterns produced by tooth contact were recorded in 24 subjects with myofascial pain-dysfunction (MPD) syndrome prior to and following treatment using an Occlusograph. Recordings also were obtained on 12 control subjects. Evaluation of the sound patterns showed a close correlation between the improvement in symptoms of MPD syndrome following treatment and the consistency of repeated occlusal contacts. The consistency following successful treatment of the subjects with MPD syndrome was equivalent to that of the control subjects.
The Impact of Imaging Techniques Based on Vibrational Spectroscopy on the Molecular Characterization of Syndiotactic Polystyrene Co-Crystals

The application of imaging techniques based on vibrational spectroscopy to the characterization of different sPS systems is described. FTIR micro-spectroscopy was employed to investigate the photoisomerization patterns obtained by irradiation of a norbornadiene/sPS co-crystalline phase. As a further example, the analysis of a mixed polymorphic phase containing both the δ and ϵ helical modifications, is reported. FTIR imaging with polarized radiation allowed us to identify the two crystalline modifications and to determine their spatial distribution within the sample. Finally, the confocal-Raman characterization of a sulfonated sPS film is discussed. In this case, imaging and depth-profile measurements made it possible to quantify the sulfonation degree and the crystallinity along the thickness direction and to verify the distribution of reacted sites within the sample. The usefulness of imaging techniques based on vibrational spectroscopy for the molecular characterization of multicomponent systems based ...
Morphological changes in citrus associated with relatively high concentrations of paclobutrazol

Progressively higher concentrations of Paclobutrazol-markedly reduced germination of Valencia sweet orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) seed and induced significant changes in the morphology, growth, and development of roots of Valencia seedlings and rough lemon (C. limon (L.) Burm. f.) leaves. Threshold concentrations for significant visible effect to radical change ranged from 103 to 105 ppm (2.84×10−4 to 2.84×10−2 M) (ai). Initial change was readily evident in reduced lateral and fibrous root development at the lower concentrations (103 ppm). Higher concentrations (105 ppm) resulted in no secondary root formation and progressive basal enlargement terminating in a bulbouslike apex of the primary root. Lack of secondary roots suggests disruption in the pericycle or severe inhibition of meristematic initial cells. Root system changes were not visibly indicated in shoot growth other than strong inhibition of extensions.
Cognitive biases in the perception of discrimination: The importance of format

Previous work has shown that people seem less able to perceive sex discrimination on a personal level than on a societal level. The present experiment was performed to test the hypothesis that this phenomenon is in part an information-processing bias; that is, the perception of discrimination is more difficult when one makes case-by-case comparisons than when one encounters information in aggregate form. The experiment demonstrated the importance of formatting for the perception of discrimination. Among subjects with little or no emotional investment in the issue of sex discrimination, the format of the pertinent information has a large effect on information processing: subjects perceived less discrimination when they encountered the relevant information in little chunks than when they saw the total picture at a single shot.
Abstract 144: Dietary fat and cholesterol intake in relation to fatal breast cancer.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Dietary fats are not strongly associated with breast cancer incidence in general, but it is unknown whether fat intake influences risk of developing more aggressive, fatal breast cancer. We evaluated intake of total fat, specific types of fat (saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, trans fat; omega 3 polyunsaturated; animal and vegetable), and cholesterol prior to cancer diagnosis in relation to fatal breast cancer risk in 88,627 women in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS; 1980-2008) and 93,372 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHS II; 1991-2009). Diet was assessed every 4 years using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Breast cancer cases were confirmed with pathology reports and deaths were confirmed using the National Death Index. We calculated cumulative average percent calories from fat intake and used substitution models to adjust for macronutrient composition. For cholesterol, we adjusted for total energy intake using the residual method. We defined fatal cases as women with breast cancer who died and had breast cancer listed as their primary cause of death. There were 1149 fatal breast cancer cases in NHS and 206 fatal cases in NHS II. After adjusting for multiple risk factors for breast cancer, neither total fat nor types of fat were associated with risk of fatal breast cancer in NHS or NHS II. For example, compared with those in the lowest quintile of saturated fat intake, those in the highest quintile had a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.02 (95% CI: 0.75, 1.38; p-trend=0.80) in NHS and 1.14 (0.61, 2.13; p-trend=0.61) in NHS II. In NHS there was a suggestive positive association between cholesterol and fatal breast cancer (Q5 vs. Q1 HR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.61; p-trend=0.04); this association did not persist in NHS II (0.73; 95% CI: 0.41, 1.32; p-trend=0.44) but should be examined further. Long-term pre-diagnosis dietary fat intake was not associated with fatal breast cancer in these two large prospective cohort studies. View this table: Cholesterol and percent calories from fat in relation to fatal breast cancer, Nurses” Health Study. Citation Format: Caroline E. Boeke, A. Heather Eliassen, Wendy Y. Chen, Eunyoung Cho, Michelle D. Holmes, Bernard Rosner, Walter C. Willett, Rulla M. Tamimi. Dietary fat and cholesterol intake in relation to fatal breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 144. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-144
Measuring central executive functioning: what's in a reading span?

Although variations of Daneman and Carpenter's (1980) Reading Span Test (RST) have seen increasing use in both cognitive and neuropsychological research, the specific mental operations involved in performing it remain unclear. We tested 80 undergraduates to examine the extent to which speed of processing, manipulation capacity, and susceptibility to interference contributed to RST performance. The results suggest that, rather than unitary central executive or processing speed functions underlying RST performance, at least two factors, manipulation capacity and susceptibility to interference, underlie the task. Further study of RST operations may lead to a better understanding of the nature of the central executive itself.
The Mechanism of Adaptation to Varying Salinity in the Common Eel and the General Problem of Osmotic Regulation in Fishes

The teleost fishes live in two different environments, the fresh water of lakes and rivers, and the salt water of the sea. With few and unimportant exceptions, these habitats are, respectively, very much hypotonic and very much hypertonic to the fish blood. In both cases continual performance of osmotic work is required for the maintenance of the normal blood concentration. The vast majority of fishes are able to exist only in one type of environment, although some variation in that environment is tolerated. The most pronounced exceptions are various species of the eel, Anguilla ; other species showing similar but generally less ability include the salmon, the stickleback (genus Gasterosteus ), and some of the Cyprinodonidae, notably species of Fundulus . All species of teleosts, apparently, show adaptive responses in blood concentration to slight changes in the salinity of the environment, and the work of many investigators, particularly Duval (1925) and Smith (1930), indicates that the adaptive responses and mechanisms in the eel differ only in degree from those in the osmotically less resistant fishes. The “chloride cells” of the eel gills discovered recently (Keys and Willmer, 1932), were found in all species of fish examined, and were present merely in greatest numbers in the eel.
844 A NEW INFANTILE ACUTE LEUKEMIA WITH A UNIQUE CHROMOSOMAL t(4: 11) REARRANGEMENT

An unreported interstitial variation of the t(4;11) that is found in infantile acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is presented that sheds new information on the genetic basis for neoplasia. The chromosome 4 breakpoints are at the q21q31 bands with the interstitial genetic material inserted within chromosome 11 at band q23. The typical t(4;11) shows a non-interstitial translocation with the breakpoints at bands 4q21 and 11q23. A 3 month old female was diagnosed as having non-T/non-B ALL. ALL therapy induced a 14 month remission which was followed by an M3 relapse. The relapse immunological studies suggested poorly differentiated AMMoL. Relapse cytogenetic studies revealed 7 consistent cell lines: normal 46,XX; 46,XX, t(4;11)(q21q31;q23) and 5 derivative clones, with additional chromosome rearrangements, of the t(4;11) cell line. Subsequent cytogenetic studies showed relative frequency changes of the 7 cell lines which appeared to correspond to therapy adjustments. Fewer than 30 cases of t(4;11) infantile ALL have been reported and they show a consistent disease progression: initial diagnosis of non-T/non-B ALL which then evolves into poorly differentiated acute myelomonocytic leukemia (AMMoL). The consistent clinical course of t(4;11) infantile ALL may be defined by the t(4;11) occurring in an undifferentiated-pluripotent stem cell. This case shows not only the classical disease progression of t(4;11) infantile ALL, but the unique t(4;11) rearrangement appears to show a significance of the 4q21 band interfacing with the 11q23 band regarding neoplastic processes.
Understanding the role of thermal fluctuations in DNA looping

Protein-mediated DNA loop formation is an important biological process that regulates key functions such as transcription. We present a mechanical model for these DNA-protein complexes that can take effects of the DNA sequence such induced curvature into account. This model provides the equilibrium shape and elastic energy of the DNA loop, using boundary conditions from the protein crystal structure. We then construct a Hamiltonian for small perturbations of the DNA around the equilibrium shape, which in turn allows us to calculate the eigenmodes and the entropic contributions of the thermal fluctuations to the free energy of the DNA loop. Here we present computations related to the short wild-type lactose repressor loop of Escheria coli (E. coli), and find that the entropic contributions are significant and amount to up to 3.9 k B T of the free energy. We also show that this entropic contribution from the stiffening of the DNA loop depends strongly on the phase angle between the two operator sites, which adds to the known phasing effect of the elastic energy of the loop.
Fair lateness scheduling: reducing maximum lateness in G-EDF-like scheduling

In prior work on soft real-time (SRT) multiprocessor scheduling, tardiness bounds have been derived for a variety of scheduling algorithms, most notably, the global earliest-deadline-first (G-EDF) algorithm. In this paper, we devise G-EDF-like (GEL) schedulers, which have identical implementations to G-EDF and therefore the same overheads, but that provide better tardiness bounds. We discuss how to analyze these schedulers and propose methods to determine scheduler parameters to meet several different tardiness bound criteria. We employ linear programs to adjust such parameters to optimize arbitrary tardiness criteria, and to analyze lateness bounds (lateness is related to tardiness). We also propose a particular scheduling algorithm, namely the global fair lateness (G-FL) algorithm, to minimize maximum absolute lateness bounds. Unlike the other schedulers described in this paper, G-FL only requires linear programming for analysis. We argue that our proposed schedulers, such as G-FL, should replace G-EDF for SRT applications.