cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crystal structure analysis of recombinant rat kidney long chain hydroxy acid oxidase.

Long chain hydroxy acid oxidase (LCHAO) is a member of an FMN-dependent enzyme family that oxidizes l-2-hydroxy acids to ketoacids. LCHAO is a peroxisomal enzyme, and the identity of its physiological substrate is unclear. Mandelate is the most efficient substrate known and is commonly used in the test tube. LCHAO differs from most family members in that one of the otherwise invariant active site residues is a phenylalanine (Phe23) instead of a tyrosine. We now report the crystal structure of LCHAO. It shows the same β8α8 TIM barrel structure as other structurally characterized family members, e.g., spinach glycolate oxidase (GOX) and the electron transferases yeast flavocytochrome b2 (FCB2) and Pseudomonas putida mandelate dehydrogenase (MDH). Loop 4, which is mobile in other family members, is visible in part. An acetate ion is present in the active site. The flavin interacts with the protein in the same way as in the electron transferases, and not as in GOX, an unexpected observation. An interpretation...
A Unified Compiler Framework for Control and Data Speculation

Control speculation refers to the execution of instructions before it has been determined that they would be executed in the normal flow of execution. Data speculation refers to the execution of instructions with potentially incorrect operand values, and a typical example is to execute a load before its preceding aliasing stores. Both types of speculation are effective techniques to enrich instruction level parallelism, but the research work for these two types of speculation have remained largely independent so far and the required compiler support has not been well studied. This paper proposes a unified compiler framework to exploit both control and data speculation and provides an in-depth discussion of various compilation issues. The adopted recovery mechanism guarantees the original program semantics including exceptions fully recoverable from a mis-speculation. Cascaded speculation and predication are also addressed. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the compiler optimization techniques for control and data speculation in terms of run-time performance improvements and code size increases through experimental results.
Persistence of abnormal neural responses to a meal in postobese individuals.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether abnormal obese-like neural responses to a meal persist in postobese individuals, who achieved and maintained a normal body weight despite a past history of severe obesity. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: Cross-sectional study of the brain's response to tasting and consuming a satiating meal in 11 postobese (age: 40±6 y, body mass index (BMI): 23.6±1.9 kg/m2), 23 obese (age: 29±6 y, BMI: 39.6±3.8 kg/m2) and 21 lean (age: 33±9 y, BMI: 22.8±2.1 kg/m2) subjects. MEASUREMENTS: Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF, a marker of neural activity) at baseline (after a 36-h fast), after tasting and after consuming a satiating liquid meal was assessed using positron emission tomography and state-dependent changes (taste-baseline; satiation-baseline), and compared across groups. Subjective ratings of hunger and fullness were measured by a visual analogue scale and body fatness by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: In response to tasting the liquid meal, changes in rCBF were different in the obese as compared to the lean individuals (P<0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons) in the middle insula (peak voxel, x=−41, y=1, z=8; Montreal Neurological Institute coordinates) and posterior cingulate cortex (peak voxel, x=17, y=−47, z=40). The middle insular cortex exhibited a similar increase of neural activity in the obese and postobese subjects, whereas in the lean subjects the regional activity did not change. In the posterior cingulate cortex, the changes in rCBF in the postobese subjects were not different from those in the other groups. In response to a satiating amount of the same liquid meal, changes in rCBF were different in the obese as compared to the lean individuals (P<0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons) in the posterior hippocampus (peak voxel, x=21, y=−45, x=4), posterior cingulate cortex (peak voxel, x=17, y=−47, z=40), and amygdala (peak voxel, x=27, y=1, z=−24). The posterior hippocampus exhibited a similar decrease of neural activity in the obese and postobese subjects, whereas in the lean subjects the regional activity increased. In the posterior cingulate cortex and amygdala, the changes in rCBF were not different between the postobese and lean individuals. None of the changes in neural activity were correlated with the age of the individuals, the subjective ratings of hunger and fullness, or the meal induced-changes in plasma glucose, insulin, or serum free fatty acids. CONCLUSION: Persistence of abnormal neural responses to a meal in the postobese individuals, a group at high risk for relapse, indicates that a predisposition to obesity may involve areas of the brain that control complex aspects of eating behavior including anticipation and reward, chemosensory perception, and autonomic control of digestion (insular cortex), as well as enteroception and learning/memory (hippocampus).
On Coded Partially Phase-Coherent Communication Over a Gaussian Channel

Error probabilities for 2northogonal signals under partially phase-coherent reception are derived by a simple method and then illustrated. The amount of phase coherence is related to the efective signal energy per bit to noise density ratio. The joint effect of timing error and noisy phase reference on system performance is examined in detail.
Viscoelastic characterization of in-vitro canine liver tissue

Samples of in-vitro canine liver tissue have been subjected to mechanical testing in order to determine their viscoelastic properties, namely, the frequency-dependent complex modulus. Samples include normal tissue, as well as thermal lesions prepared by radiofrequency ablation at various temperatures and cook times. Results are fitted according to the Kelvin-Voigt and Kelvin-Voigt fractional derivative models. The data agrees much better with the Kelvin-Voigt fractional derivative model, suggesting that this model may better represent the viscoelastic properties of some soft tissues. Results are then used in introducing the concept of the complex modulus contrast, whose applications to elastography are discussed.
A class-C power amplifier/antenna interface for wireless sensor applications

A class-C power amplifier (PA) for operation as an antenna interface in body sensor network (BSN) applications is presented. It is fabricated in a 0.13 µm RF CMOS process for operation in the 400 MHz MedRadio band. It achieves a measured peak output power of −4 dBm and drain efficiency of 43%.
Phase calibration of imaging radar polarimeter Stokes matrices

It is shown that the Stokes matrices measured by an imaging radar polarimeter provide enough information for the accurate phase calibration of the observed polarimetric characteristics of a surface. This is important because it allows the data to be reduced in volume in an operational synthetic aperture radar correlator with no prior knowledge of the conditions at the surface, and the end user can later select the particular region where he or she is comfortable with making an assumption regarding the relative phases of the hh and nu nu signals. No ground calibration equipment is necessary, as all important parameters are derived from the data themselves. >
GENOMIC ANALYSIS OF EIMERIA SPP. POPULATIONS IN RELATION TO PERFORMANCE LEVELS OF BROILER CHICKEN FARMS IN ARKANSAS AND NORTH CAROLINA

The impact of coccidiosis outbreaks on the productivity of broiler chicken farms can be substantial, depending on the severity of disease caused by particular species and strains of Eimeria. We examined the genetic diversity of Eimeria species present in commercial broiler farms in relation to their performance level. Four groups of broiler chicken farms in Arkansas (AR) and North Carolina (NC), having either high or low performance levels, were sampled for Eimeria spp. oocysts. We amplified gDNA from oocysts by using genus-specific primers targeting 18S ribosomal RNA, the first and second internal transcribed spacer regions, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I as the established species-specific primers. Eimeria spp. diversity was not homogenous among the 4 farm groups, with less-pathogenic species (E. mitis and E. mivati-like) associated with AR and NC high-performance farms, respectively, and a pathogenic species (E. brunetti) associated with AR low-performance farms. Sequence analyses identified multiple E. maxima and E. mitis genetic variants, from which 2 E. maxima variants were unique to low-performance farms. Distinct populations of sequences at the NC high-performance farms were identified as E. mivati-like, based on homology searches. Our study demonstrated the utility of analyzing multiple genomic loci to assess composition and polymorphisms of Eimeria spp. populations.
Meta-analysis of effectiveness of technology use in undergraduate engineering education

The purpose of this study is to synthesize recent quantitative research on the effects of teaching and learning with technology on student outcomes in undergraduate engineering education. An extensive search of 26 engineering education journals and 10 electronic databases included a review of 21,353 articles and yielded 45 studies that met all the search criteria. Representing over 11,700 students, these studies reported 123 outcomes for which effect sizes were calculated. Although empirical evidence in the engineering education literature is very limited as indicated by the small number of studies qualifying for this meta-analysis, the combined effect size indicates that technology has a moderate, positive impact on cognitive student outcomes. The combined weighted effect size across all outcomes is 0.433 with a standard error of 0.067 and a 95% confidence interval from 0.302 to 0.564. No characteristics of the technology, methodology or instruction were found to have a significant impact on the overall effect size, although this may be partially due to a lack of sufficient detail in the primary study reports. This study represents a significant contribution to engineering education by synthesizing quantitative reports on the effect of educational technology on student outcomes.
The double arrow: How qualitative social work researchers use reflexivity:

While much has been written about the central role of reflexivity in qualitative research, there has been no empirical study of how researchers actually ‘do’ reflexivity. As interest in qualitative...
Carisoprodol Legal Status and Patterns of Abuse

Objective:To review the current legal status and patterns of abuse of carisoprodol.Data Sources:A literature search was conducted through MEDLINE (1950-August 2010), PubMed (1966-August 2010), EMBASE (1966-August 2010), and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-August 2010) using the search terms carisoprodol and abuse. In addition, reference citations from publications identified were reviewed. State laws and regulations were accessed through NABP LAW Online (2010) using the search term carisoprodol. Federal proposed rules were accessed through the Federal Register (1995 Volume 59-2010 Volume 75) using the search term carisoprodol.Study Selection and Data Extraction:State laws and federal proposed rules regarding carisoprodol were examined. Case reports and studies involving carisoprodol abuse were evaluated.Data Synthesis:Carisoprodol is not federally scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). However, carisoprodol is scheduled in 36% (n = 18) of states of the US. The Drug Enforcement A...
Civil Liberties vs. Security: Public Opinion in the Context of the Terrorist Attacks on America

In the tradition of research on political tolerance and democratic rights in context, this study uses a national survey of Americans conducted shortly after the September 11, 2001 attack on America to investigate people’s willingness to trade off civil liberties for greater personal safety and security. We find that the greater people’s sense of threat, the lower their support for civil liberties. This effect interacts, however, with trust in government. The lower people’s trust in government, the less willing they are to trade off civil liberties for security, regardless of their level of threat. African Americans are much less willing to trade civil liberties for security than whites or Latinos, even with other factors taken into account. This may reflect their long-standing commitment to the struggle for rights. Liberals are less willing to trade off civil liberties than moderates or conservatives, but liberals converge toward the position taken by conservatives when their sense of the threat of terrorism is high. While not a forecast of the future, the results indicate that Americans’ commitment to democratic values is highly contingent on other concerns and that the context of a large-scale threat to national or personal security can induce a substantial willingness to give up rights.
A Miniature 2 mW 4 bit 1.2 GS/s Delay-Line-Based ADC in 65 nm CMOS

A delay-line-based analog-to-digital converter for high-speed applications is introduced. The ADC converts the sampled input voltage to a delay that controls the propagation velocity of a digital pulse. The output digital code is generated based on the propagation length of the pulse in a fixed time window. The effects of quantization noise, jitter, and mismatch are discussed. We show that because of the averaging mechanism of the delay-line, this structure is more power efficient in the presence of noise and mismatch in deep sub-micron CMOS. To show the feasibility of this approach, a 4 bit 1.2 GS/s ADC is designed and fabricated in 65 nm CMOS in an active area of 110 μm × 105 μm. The measured INL and DNL of the ADC are below 0.8 bits and 0.5 bits and it achieves an SNDR of 20.4 dB at Nyquist rate. This delay-line-based ADC consumes 2 mW of power from a 1.2 V supply resulting in 196 fJ/conversion step without using any calibration or post-processing.
Phantom studies and preliminary clinical experience with the BSD 2000

The BSD 2000 system is an array of microwave antennas operating in the 60–120 MHz range. It is a four-quadrant regional hyperthermia device with phase control permitting the operator to choose the point of constructive interference. A computer preplanning system is provided. We have compared the computer predictions with measured relative specific absorption rate (SAR) distributions in muscle equivalent phantoms and pig cadaver. The predicted SAR distribution is in qualitative agreement with observation, although differences of approximately 3–5 cm in the location of iso- SAR contours were noted. The longitudinal dependence of relative of distance cephalad to the central plane of the power distribution was measured, and it was found that a length of 15–20 cm was covered by the 50% iso-SAR. SAR measurements in the spinal canal of a pig cadaver showed that, even at resonance frequency, the measured SAR in the cervical spine was small (0.07 of central axis SAR). However, the spinal canal SAR as measured in t...
Interiorized feminism and gendered nostalgia of the ‘daughter generation’ in Ning Ying's Perpetual Motion

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The original publication is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1386/jcc.5.3.253_1
A Bayesian method for triangulation and its application to finding corresponding points

The problems of finding corresponding points from multiple perspective projection images, and estimating the 3-D points from which these points have arisen, are addressed. The problem of finding corresponding points is formulated as a hypothesis verification problem. Given a set of 2-D points, one from each of N perspective projection images, under the hypothesis that the points are projections of the same 3-D point, the coordinates of the 3-D point are estimated. The triangulation problem-the problem of estimating the coordinates of a 3-D point, given its projections in N perspective projection images-is posed as a Bayesian estimation problem, taking into account the uncertainties in the observed image points and the camera parameters. Based on the Bayesian estimate of the triangulated point, a statistical test is derived for verifying the hypothesis that the given set of image points is in correspondence. For finding N-tuples of corresponding points from N perspective projection images, this test can be used on each N-tuple of points to verify the hypothesis that that N-tuple of points is in correspondence, selecting those N-tuples that pass the hypothesis test. Experiments are described for characterizing the distance of the 3-D point estimated by the Bayesian triangulation from the true 3-D point, and characterizing the misdetection and false alarm rates of this method of finding corresponding points.
Activation of the Heart by Donor Brain Death Accelerates Acute Rejection After Transplantation

Background—Donor brain death upregulates expression of inflammatory mediators in the heart. It is hypothesized that these nonspecific changes trigger and amplify acute rejection in unmodified recipients compared with hearts from normal living donors. We examined the inflammatory and immunological consequences of gradual-onset donor brain death on cardiac allografts after transplantation. Methods and Results—Functioning hearts were engrafted from normotensive donors after 6 hours of ventilatory support. Hearts from brain-dead rats (Fisher, F344) were rejected significantly earlier (mean±SD, 9.3±0.6 days) by their (Lewis) recipients than hearts from living donor controls (11.6±0.7 days, P=0.03). The inflammatory response of such organs was accelerated, with rapid expression of cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules and brisk infiltration of associated leukocyte populations. Upregulation of major histocompatibility class II antigens increased organ immunogenicity. Acute rejection evolved in hearts fro...
Using Analytic Tools with California School Library Survey Data

Abstract Objective — California school libraries have new state standards, which can serve to guide their programs. Based on pre-standard and post-standard library survey data, this research compares California school library programs to determine the variables that can potentially help a school library reach the state standards, and to develop a predictive model of those variables. Methods – Variations of decision trees and logistic regression statistical techniques were applied to the library survey data in order to create the best-fit model. Results – Best models were chosen within each technique, and then compared, concluding that the decision tree using the CART algorithm had the most accurate results. Numerous variables came up as important across different models, including: funding sources, collection size, and access to online subscriptions. Conclusion – School library metrics can help both librarians and the educational community analyze school library programs closely and determine effective ways to maximize the school library’s impact on student learning. More generally, library resources and services can be measured as data points, and then modeling statistics can be applied in order to optimize library operations.
Thoracic spinal cord intramedullary aspergillus invasion and abscess

Invasive central nervous system aspergillosis is a rare form of fungal infection that presents most commonly in immunocompromised individuals. There have been multiple previous reports of aspergillus vertebral osteomyelitis and spinal epidural aspergillus abscess; however to our knowledge there are no reports of intramedullary aspergillus infection. We present a 19-year-old woman with active acute lymphoblastic leukemia who presented with several weeks of fevers and bilateral lower extremity weakness. She was found to have an intramedullary aspergillus abscess at T12-L1 resulting from adjacent vertebral osteomyelitis and underwent surgical debridement with ultra-sound guided aspiration and aggressive intravenous voriconazole therapy. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of spinal aspergillosis invading the intramedullary cavity. Though rare, this entity should be included in the differential for immunocompromised patients presenting with fevers and neurologic deficit. Early recognition with aggressive neurosurgical intervention and antifungal therapy may improve outcomes in future cases.
Factors influencing discrepancies between premortem and postmortem diagnoses.

A study of 2067 autopsies collected from 32 university and community hospitals of various sizes located throughout the United States showed the rate of discrepancies between premortem and postmortem diagnoses to be influenced by the type and size of hospital, the age and sex of the patient, and the disease responsible for the patient's death. Of equivocal or no influence were the length of the terminal hospitalization, the degree of clinical involvement in the case of the person responsible for establishing the discrepancy level, and the autopsy rate, at least as it applies to community hospitals. (JAMA1987:258:339-344)
Lateral Vibrations of Plane Curved Bars

A practical method of calculating the frequencies of free lateral vibrations of plane curved bars is presented. The accuracy of the results was found to be high. At least half as many natural frequencies as the number of degrees of freedom were observed to be within 2% error. A general program for IBM 7040 is written and can solve for the natural frequencies of lateral vibrations of any plane bar with not more than two segments meeting at any division point. Numerical examples are shown to demonstrate the theory, and the results compared with the available solutions.
The Jury Returns to Continental Europe: Russia and Spain Return to the Classic Jury as a Catalyst in a Move to a More Adversary Form of Criminal Trial

This paper briefly compares the provisions of the Russian Jury Law of 1993 and the Spanish Jury Law of 1995 and their application in the first trials, with special attention to the effect of the re-injection of a classic jury. Citations in regard to Russia rely on the author’s exhaustive study of the legislative history of the new Russian Jury Law, its provisions, and its application in the first 114 trials in the years 1993-1994. The Spanish discussion relies on information gathered by the author on the first trials held in Spain since the law went into effect, and delves into the most notorious case so far, that of Mikel Otegi, a young Basque nationalist, who was acquitted of murdering two Basque policemen on March 7, 1997.
Making Exascale Computing Tractable by Enabling Effective Data Communication and Synchronization

Copyright: © 2013 Dechev D. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Exascale systems, featuring the capability of executing quintillion 1018 operations per second, are expected to be deployed in 2018 and will bring significant advancements in a number of scientific fields of immediate global importance (such as medicine, biology, national security, and energy). Exascale platforms will be qualitatively different from current high-performance computing systems. The main driving force for the growth in computational power will be the increase of parallelism on-chip. It is expected that over the next decade the number of nodes will grow by a factor of 10× while on-chip parallelism will grow by a factor of 100×. Adapting software applications for exascale computing will be difficult as the architectural complexity of exascale systems will be extremely high in terms of their degree of concurrency and heterogeneity, sensitivity to communications and data movement, and requirements for locality.
Anthropological Applications of Ancient DNA: Problems and Prospects

The analysis of DNA extracted from archaeological specimens to address anthropological questions is becoming increasingly common. Despite widespread interest in ancient DNA (aDNA), the difficulties inherent in aDNA analysis are not generally appreciated by researchers outside of the field. The majority of samples subjected to aDNA analysis often fail to produce results, and successful analysis is typically limited to specimens that exhibit excellent preservation. Contamination of samples with exogenous DNA is an ongoing problem and requires careful design of research strategies to limit and identify all DNA contaminants. Overall, aDNA analysis is a highly specialized and technical field that requires extensive training and can be quite expensive. Thus, each aDNA study should be carefully planned with significant input from archaeologists, physical anthropologists, linguists, and related researchers and should focus on well-preserved samples that are likely to produce a clear answer to a question that is not amenable to nongenetic analysis. In this manuscript, I explain the problems and prospects of various anthropological applications of aDNA technology. I present a series of previously published studies, which are of general anthropological interest, to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of aDNA methods in each case. I also provide a checklist of questions to evaluate the utility of archaeological remains for aDNA analysis and to provide guidelines when designing an aDNA study.
To Analyses the Status of Health Education and Hypertension with Regard to the Elderly of a Certain Neighborhood

OBJECTIVE To analyses the status of health education and hypertension with regard to the elderly of a certain neighborhood (the following is called A neighborhood for short) ,Guangzhou city. So as to investigate the program of health education suited to the regional characteristic. METHODS Aimed at the relational data regarding the hypertension suffers,the related factors,cognition of health education etc.,statistical analysis is executed. RESULTS It is found that the residents are lack of the knowledge of hypertension. There is a large expanse of request with respect to health education and health assistance. CONCLUSIONS It is necessary to conduct health assistance in direct to this region for improving the residents' awareness rates,treatment rates,and control rates of hypertension.
Effects of different health education measures on discovery of pulmonary tuberculosis patients in 45 counties of Hebei Province

Objective To analyze the effects of different health education measures on discovery of pulmonary tuberculosis patients.Methods Different health education measures,such as fly sheets/posters;broadcasting of relevant programs by local radio and TV station;ads/slogans on the wall,propaganda columns in town and village clinics;bulletin/notice by local government in hospital and clinic;local opera,etc.,were used to popularized knowledge of TB among the residents of 45 counties,in Hebei Province from January to December 2004.Then relevant data were collected from the relevant institutions to analyze the rate of seeking medical service by TB suspects and registration rate of smear positive patients.Interview was carried out to 19034 TB patients who visited the TB institutions or doctors for the first time.Regression analysis was made to understand the relation of different measures to the registration rate of smear positive patients.Results There was an imbalance in different propaganda activities among different counties mainly because of limited financial investment.TV programs fly sheet/poster,wall ads/slogans,and bulletin/notice by local government on TV prevention had been developed/issued in all 45 counties.However,propaganda column on TB had not been opened in 4 counties,and programs of local operas with the contents of TB prevention had not been composed/performed in 19 counties.The rate of seeking medical service by TB suspects was 2.87% in 2004,significantly higher than that in 2003 (2.08%,P 0.01),and the registration rate of smear positive TB case in 2004 was 52.8/100 thousand,significantly higher than that in 2003(40.0/100 thousand,P0.01 Interview of the 19034 TB patients who visited the TB institutions or doctors for the first time showed that 26.4% of them got the relevant information through wall slogans,17.4% from TV programs,15.1% from governmental bulletin/notices,and 27.1% from TB columns,local operas,or friends and neighbors,and some of them were transferred by the county,township,or village medical institutions.Regression analysis showed that Number of wall ads/slogans was related with the registration rate of smear positive patients (P0.01). Conclusion Propaganda measures are effective on the increase of case finding rate of pulmonary tuberculosis.Wall slogans/ads,TB propaganda column,TV and radio programs on TB knowledge,and bulletin/notice by local government prove effective measures.
Nasal Steroids for the Treatment of Secretory Otitis Media in Children

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of nasal steroids for the treatment of secretory otitis media in children after adenoidectomy and grommet insertion.MethodsFifty severn children with secretory otitis media were prospectively randomized into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received intranasal mometasone furoate monohydrate 100 ug per day,and the control group received ephedrine hydrochloride nasal drops. All patients were evaluat ed at 4 week post-treatment. The effectiveness rate,relapse rate and middle ear infection rate were compared between the two groups.ResultsThere was no statistically significant difference in the effectiveness rate between the two groups(p 0.05),but there were statistically significant differences in the relapse rate and middle ear infection rate between the two groups(p0.05).ConclusionsNasal steroids in children with secretory otitis media after adenoidectomy and grommet inser tion can reduce the recrudescence rate and middle ear infection rate.
Recession and Post-Recession Efficiency and Productivity Changes in United States Public Universities: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

This paper employs data envelopment analysis to investigate the extent to which publicly owned, operated, and managed universities in the United States have undergone efficiency and productivity changes in response to the financial crisis that induced the Great Recession and how post-recessionary conditions have altered those changes. The paper revisits an earlier study of like kind that used panel data covering the 2005-2008 academic years but could not, obviously, capture the dynamic changes of the 2007-2009 recession or the lingering post-recessionary financial and enrollment effects imposed on public universities. The present paper offers many improvements over that previous study by extending the panel data to 250 as compared to 133 universities and the academic years to evaluate efficiency and productivity to 2004-2013. Results indicate that university efficiency and productivity gains arose somewhat earlier during the recession than previous estimated but the significant improvements were in lagged response and arising in the 2010 and 2011 academic years. Post-recession results, however, show a bleaker picture with significant efficiency and productivity regress in both the 2012 and 2013 academic years. Without exception, productivity gains can be attributed to technological improvements with university managerial gains being of lesser value. Yet, the recent productivity declines do not bode well for the future implications of U.S. public universities, especially given
¿Qué Pasa, U.S.A.?: Code-Switching in a Bilingual Sitcom

Language plays an important role in shaping a person’s identity (Myers-Scotton, 1993). In this paper, I will examine one linguistic phenomenon, namely code-switching, and how it relates to identity. I examine code-switching in a bilingual TV show shot in Miami in the 1970s, focusing on the characteristics (sex and generation) of the interlocutors who engage in code-switching and of the grammatical structure of the code-switching itself. The analysis shows that code-switching is high in the middle-aged individuals in this setting and that males engage in code-switching slightly more often than females. Furthermore, intersentential code-switching is the most common grammatical structure of code-switching, followed by code-switching at verb-phrase boundaries and on vocatives. Throughout this study, I show how code-switching and identity are profoundly connected.
CE-13 Is frailty a relevant concept in lupus?

Background Frailty, a clinical syndrome of weight loss, weakness, slowness, exhaustion, and inactivity, has been examined primarily in geriatric populations, and is associated with poor health outcomes, including mortality. Components of the frailty syndrome are relevant to lupus, but frailty has not been examined in lupus. Materials and methods Subjects participated in a research visit in 2008–2009. Frailty was measured according to five components defined by Fried (2001): unintentional weight loss, slow gait (based on 4-metre walk using sex and height criteria), weakness (based on grip strength using gender and BMI criteria), exhaustion (2 specific questions), and inactivity (based on physical activity questionnaire). Accumulation of 3+ components classifies an individual as “frail,” one or two components as “at risk,” and none as “robust.” Outcomes examined were physical function, cognitive function, and mortality. Physical function was measured with the SF-36 Physical Functioning subscale (scored 0–100) and the Valued Life Activities (VLA) disability scale (scored 0–3). Cognitive functioning was measured with a 12-test battery. Each test was classified as “impaired” if the score was below −1.0 SD of age-adjusted population norms. Subjects were classified as cognitively impaired if they were impaired on ≥one third of indices completed. Mortality was determined as of December 2015. Differences in function and two-year changes in function were examined using multiple regression analyses controlling for age, lupus duration, race/ethnicity, glucocorticoid use, obesity, self-reported disease activity and damage, and, for longitudinal analyses, baseline function. Mortality analyses controlled for age, lupus duration, and baseline disease damage scores. Analyses include women (n = 138). Results Mean age was 48 (± 12) years, mean lupus duration was 16 (± 9) years. 65% were white, non-Hispanic. 24% of the sample was classified as frail, and 48% as pre-frail. Frail women had significantly worse physical functioning than both robust and pre-frail women and were more likely to have cognitive impairment (Table 1). Frail women were also more likely to experience declines in functioning and onset of cognitive impairment. Ten women died during the follow-up period. Mortality rates were significantly higher in the frail group (frail 16.7%; pre-frail 4.1%; robust 2.3%). Odds (95% CI) of death for frail women were elevated, even after adjusting for age, lupus duration, and baseline disease damage (5.1 [0.5, 51.3]). Conclusions Prevalence of frailty in this sample of women with lupus was more than double that reported in older adults. Frailty was associated with poor physical and cognitive function, functional declines, and mortality.
L’industrie nucléaire doit changer - ou disparaître

Suite aux difficultes de Toshiba, Michael Shellenberger plaide pour un « Airbus du nucleaire ». Cet ancien membre de l’ONG environnementale Sierra Club, aujourd’hui a la tete du Breakthrough Institute , est convaincu que la filiere « occidentale » est handicapee par une diversite technologique trop importante. Pour l’auteur, l’essor regulier de nouveaux concepts empeche les acteurs d’acquerir l’experience necessaire pour generer des effets de serie et des gains de competitivite. S’appuyant sur le modele de l’aeronautique, il appelle les industriels et les pouvoirs publics a mutualiser leurs efforts et connaissances, standardiser les modeles de reacteurs, reorganiser la filiere, et mettre en œuvre une strategie pour redimensionner les centrales tout en diminuant les couts.
Clinical Phenotype in a Toddler with a Novel Heterozygous Mutation of the Vitamin D Receptor

We present the clinical phenotype of a toddler who presented with vitamin D-resistant rickets, with one of the highest initial levels of alkaline phosphatase and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels reported in the literature. The toddler had novel compound heterozygous mutations in the ligand-binding site of the vitamin D receptor and had an excellent response to calcitriol (1,25(OH)2D).
Opioids for managing patients with chronic pain : Community pharmacists' perspectives and concerns

Previous studies of pharmacists have suggested poor availability of opioids and apprehension about dispensing these drugs. This pilot study surveyed 52 randomly selected New Jersey community pharmacists (response rate = 69%). Reluctance to stock opioids was attributed to concerns about robbery by 14% and to concerns about federal or state investigation by 17%. No correlation was found between respondents who had a high degree of concern about robbery and those who had incurred previous robbery. Of the 20% of respondents who had incurred a prior federal or state investigation, none expressed more than minimal concern about opioid regulatory issues. Pharmacist confidence in the acceptability of opioids for chronic pain was 75% for malignant pain in patients with no history of opioid abuse and declined to 3% for nonmalignant pain in patients with a history of opioid abuse.
Experimental assessment of continuum breakage models accounting for mechanical interactions at particle contacts

Particle size and shape are major factors in determining the mechanical behavior of granular media. This paper discusses experiments conducted at particle and assembly scales on two materials (i.e., glass beads and quartz sand) and it interprets them in light of fracture mechanics theories. First, diametral compression tests on particles of varying size have been conducted to measure the energy stored in individual grains at the onset of fracture. Then, oedometric compression tests on samples made of the same particles have been performed to measure the yielding pressure, as well as to track the evolution of breakage. These experiments have been used to test the performance of recently proposed scaling laws bridging the energy released by a single particle with the work input required to comminute an assembly. The results show that the variables associated with macroscopic comminution scale with the grain size according to the same power law functions that control the size-dependence of the corresponding particle-scale quantities. Major differences between the scaling laws of glass beads and quartz sands have been found, with the former approaching the size effect law associated with fracture by central splitting and the latter being closer to the trends predicted by fracture at the contacts. These findings emphasize the key role of the particle shape on the energetics of breakage, thus motivating further studies focusing on different shapes, for which even wider ranges of fracture modes and scaling laws may exist.
Perceptions of Christian Women Leaders in Church-Related Organizations:

Research suggests that one's perceptions of an ideal leader do not always match one's perceptions of an ideal woman. The roles are incongruous. This study used a causal-comparative methodology to e...
Myocardial Preservation During Open Heart Surgery

Essential to an understanding of myocardial preservation is a working knowledge of myocardial metabolism. Myocardial metabolism is logically subdivided into two major areas: substrate utilization and oxygen consumption. The energy supply of the heart is liberated primarily from fatty acids and lactate delivered in the coronary blood, although glucose, pyruvate, acetate, and triglycerides can be used (82). The most important fuel for the heart is the free or nonesterified fatty acid (8,97). Palmitic (16-carbon) and oleic (18-carbon) acids are preferred. The uptake of fatty acids by the heart is related almost linearly with the plasma concentration of nonesterified fatty acids once the threshold of 345 umol/L is reached (8,57). The oxidation of nonesterified fatty acids accounts for 90% of myocardial oxygen consumption (9). Oxidation of fatty acids and ketone bodies inhibits glucose uptake, glycolysis, and pyruvate oxidation, and facilitates glycogen synthesis (8).
Time-Domain First Born Approximation to Elastodynamic Backscatter from Composite Materials

The high specific strengths attainable from composite materials can be negated by pores between the plies in the material. Classical acoustic attenuation measurements can indicate the presence of porosity if all other material properties remain constant. Even though attenuation measurements accurately predict the amount of porosity, its spatial distribution cannot be inferred from these data. To make accurate predictions of structural performance, current micromechanical models of composite materials require accurate estimates of the volume fraction of porosity and its spatial distribution. This work is an attempt to model the acoustic interactions that occur between plane compressional waves and the fiber arrays and pores in order to develop an ultrasonic technique to estimate the spatial distribution and volume fraction of porosity.
Rents, Ignorance, and Ideology

This chapter will begin my substantive efforts to explain the small size of the rent-seeking industry. In it I will make some modifications in the theory which are intended to make it fit the world better. The change will not appear gigantic and indeed I do not think it is, but it is a movement toward greater realism. Furthermore, it does not in any way reduce the waste that has normally been blamed on rent seeking. In my “Rents and Rent Seeking,”1 I greatly expanded this waste, and this chapter leaves that expansion intact. In essence, the quantity of waste is left unchanged, but the form of that waste is altered.
Tests of Kramers' Theory at the Single-Molecule Level: Evidence for Folding of an Isolated RNA Tertiary Interaction at the Viscous Speed Limit.

Dissipation and friction influence the conformational dynamics of biological polymers as they traverse barriers on rugged free energy surfaces. It is well established that the "speed limit" for macromolecular folding is dictated by a combination of (i) solvent friction, which depends on solvent viscosity, η, and (ii) internal friction, which is independent of solvent and depends solely on the molecular folding pathway. In this work, single-molecule Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) confocal spectroscopy is used to study viscosity-dependent folding kinetics of an isolated RNA tertiary motif, that of the GAAA tetraloop receptor, allowing both solvent and internal frictional contributions to be investigated and extracted independently for both flexible PEG- and RNA-based (rU7, rA7) linkers in the unimolecular construct. Specifically, our single-molecule data reveal that (i) folding rate constants scale linearly with the inverse solvent viscosity (η), which supports Kramers'/Grote-Hynes' rate theory for η-dependent RNA folding and that (ii) they provide quantitative upper limits for the intrinsic viscosity, [ηint ≈ 0.1(2) cP], arising from internal friction associated with folding/unfolding of an isolated RNA tertiary interaction. Furthermore, in contrast to strong viscosity-induced shifts in the folding/unfolding rate constants, temperature-dependent studies demonstrate that the enthalpic, entropic, and free energy contributions to the transition state barrier are largely insensitive to the solvent viscosity. This supports a very simple picture for the conformational kinetics of isolated RNA tertiary interactions wherein rate constants for folding/unfolding are both inversely dependent on viscosity and limited by diffusional access to the transition state region on a multidimensional free energy surface. Particularly under cellular conditions, where ηsolv > 1 cp, this suggests that RNAs fold/unfold at a "speed limit" dictated by solvent viscosity and transition-state barrier thermodynamics rather than internal molecular friction.
How Homo economicus lost her mind and how we can revive her.

The target article by Boyer & Petersen (B&P) contributes a vital message: that people have folk economic theories that shape their thoughts and behavior in the marketplace. This message is all the more important because, in the history of economic thought, Homo economicus was increasingly stripped of mental capacities. Intuitive theories can help restore the mind of Homo economicus .
Neuroscience: A Male-Specific Pain Memory Mechanism

Memories of painful events protect us from danger. A new study demonstrates that, in both mice and humans, pain memories elicited by place conditioning are driven by spinal mechanisms, involve stress circuits and are surprisingly only found in males.
Comparative species richness, composition, and abundance of invertebrates in Caribbean seagrass (Thalassia testudinum) meadows (Panamá)

The results of a year-long study in which epibenthic invertebrates were collected monthly from seagrass (Thalassia testudinum) meadows along the Caribbean coast of Panama and the Panama Canal Zone are described in this paper. Differences in species composition and abundance among sites were primarily due to the proximity of surrounding habitats, especially coral reefs, which contain a number of species that utilize the seagrass meadows. In contrast to many previous characterizations of tropical marine habitats, important seasonal fluctuations in both species number and abundance took place at each of the sites. Data on breeding activity among several species of decapod crustaceans indicate year-round reproduction, although considerable seasonal differences occur in the percentage of ovigerous females. These interspecific differences in observed reproductive output may be explained by differences in life-cycle length, a factor not often considered in discussions of seasonal breeding patterns in tropical marine invertebrates. Overall species composition was qualitatively similar to that reported in comparable studies of tropical and subtropical seagrass meadows elsewhere, although caridean shrimp and xanthid orab species were reduced in number and total abundance were much lower than in previous studies.
Finding Museum Visitors with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Will Art Help In The Search?

Visiting a museum can be a tremendously stressful event for families that include children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The goal of this research study was to find what concerns families have when visiting a museum, if there are any intervention materials caregivers prefer, to examine behaviors of children with ASD while in the museum, and to see if an art-making activity after the museum visit could be directly tied to the museum experience. Results indicated that museums continue to be stressful for families, and parents would like materials to help reduce anxiety in their children before and during the visit. While in the museum, parents tried to focus their children’s attention on interesting things, but many children became overly excited and desired spaces within the museum to be more active. Art-making after the museum visit allowed children to reflect back on what they saw and did during their experience.