cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Importance of Clean Techniques and Speciation in Assessing Water Quality for Metals

Trace metals in aquatic and soil systems exist in a number of different soluble and particulate forms that impact the effect of the metals on these ecosystems. Appropriate methods of sampling and analysis are required to accurately determine the low concentrations present. Although assessment of metals in many regulatory programs is based on data for total metal concentrations, such values rarely correlate with effects. Consequently, other means are needed for the prediction of risk. Bioavailability of metals depends on their speciation, whose importance was first established for copper in aquatic systems where the toxicity of metals is related to the activity of the free metal ion. Small concentrations of natural organic matter strongly complex metals ameliorating toxicity. Several electroanalytical techniques are available that allow the assessment of metal species. Recently, a modeling approach, the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM), has been applied to the prediction of acute toxicity. The model accounts for ...
Age-related disruptions of circadian rhythm and memory in the senescence-accelerated mouse (SAMP8)

Common complaints of the elderly involve impaired cognitive abilities, such as loss of memory and inability to attend. Although much research has been devoted to these cognitive impairments, other factors such as disrupted sleep patterns and increased daytime drowsiness may contribute indirectly to impaired cognitive abilities. Disrupted sleep–wake cycles may be the result of age-related changes to the internal (circadian) clock. In this article, we review recent research on aging and circadian rhythms with a focus on the senescence-accelerated mouse (SAM) as a model of aging. We explore some of the neurobiological mechanisms that appear to be responsible for our aging clock, and consider implications of this work for age-related changes in cognition.
Phospholipase D: enzymology, mechanisms of regulation, and function

Phospholipase D exists in various forms that differ in their regulation but predominantly hydrolyze phosphatidylcholine. The Ca(2+)-dependent isozymes of protein kinase C regulate phospholipase D in vitro and play a major role in its control by growth factors and G protein-linked agonists in vivo. Recent studies have demonstrated that small G proteins of the ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) and Rho families activate the enzyme in vitro, and evidence is accumulating that they also are involved in its control in vivo. Both types of G protein play important roles in cellular function, and the possible mechanisms by which they are activated by agonists are discussed. There is also emerging evidence of the control of phospholipase D and Rho proteins by soluble tyrosine kinases and novel serine/threonine kinases. The possible role of these kinases in agonist regulation of phospholipase D is discussed. The function of phospholipase D in cells is still poorly defined. Postulated roles of phosphatidic acid produced by phospholipase D action include the activation of Ca(2+)-independent isoforms of protein kinase C, the regulation of growth and the cytoskeleton in fibroblasts, and control of the respiratory burst in neutrophils. Another important function of phosphatidic acid is to act as a substrate for a specific phospholipase A2 to generate lysophosphatidic acid, which is becoming increasingly recognized as a major intercellular messenger. Finally, it is possible that the phospholipid changes induced in various cellular membranes by phospholipase D may per se play an important role in vesicle trafficking and other membrane-associated events.
Review of 1027 Patients With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma

Objective To determine the clinical and laboratory features of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Patients and Methods Records of all patients in whom multiple myeloma was initially diagnosed at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn, from January 1, 1985, to December 31, 1998, were reviewed. Results Of the 1027 study patients, 2% were younger than 40 years, and 38% were 70 years or older. The median age was 66 years. Anemia was present initially in 73% of patients, hypercalcemia (calcium level ≥11 mg/dL) in 13%, and a serum creatinine level of 2 mg/dL or more in 19%. The β2-microglobulin level was increased in 75%. Serum protein electrophoresis revealed a localized band in 82% of patients, and immunoelectrophoresis or immunofixation showed a monoclonal protein in 93%. A monoclonal light chain was found in the urine in 78%. Nonsecretory myeloma was recognized in 3% of patients, whereas light-chain myeloma was present in 20%. Conventional radiographs showed an abnormality in 79%. The plasma cell labeling index was 1% or more in 34% of patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that age, plasma cell labeling index, low platelet count, serum albumin value, and the log of the creatinine value were the most important prognostic factors. Conclusion The median duration of survival was 33 months and did not improve from 1985 through 1998.
Delay analysis of all-optical packet-switching ring and bus communications networks

We study the delay performance of all-optical packet communication networks configured as ring and bus topologies employing crossconnect switches (or wavelength routers). Under a cross-connect network implementation, a packet experiences no (or minimal) internal queueing delays. Thus, the network can be implemented by high speed all-optical components. We further assume a packet-switched network operation, such as that using a slotted ring or bus access methods. We also derive the delay performance for networks under a store-and-forward network operation. We show these implementations to yield very close average end-to-end packet queueing delay performance. We note that a cross-connect network operation can yield a somewhat higher queueing delay variance levels. However, the mean end-to-end queueing delay for all traffic flows are the same for a cross-connect network operation (under equal nodal traffic loading), while that in a store-and-forward network increases as the path length increases. Similar delay performance results are obtained for bus networks.
Usefulness of vascular stenting with and without transvenous pacing leads for vena caval obstruction among children and adults with repaired congenital heart disease.

Vena caval obstruction (VCO) is a common complication after vascular manipulation for congenital heart disease. Long-term efficacy of stent therapy for relief of VCO and long-term stent patency with and without intrastent transvenous pacing leads (TPLs) is not well described. This was a retrospective review of patients treated for VCO, including those who received intrastent TPLs, between 1995 and 2012. Patient demographics, diagnoses, vascular pressure gradients, and vessel diameters were analyzed. Forty-one patients (mean age 23.5 ± 10.3 years) with and without congenital heart disease underwent stent implantation, 26 of whom also received intrastent TPLs. Short-term stent implantation success in relieving obstructions was 93%. Poststent vascular pressure gradients and percentage vascular narrowing significantly improved (from 6.2 ± 4.5 to 1.1 ± 1.6 mm Hg and from 63.1 ± 19.5% to 18.0 ± 17.1%, respectively, p
Business communication experiences in the US, Mexico, and China

Outsourcing can provide companies with a competitive advantage in cost. Finding the right company to outsource operations can be a challenge. Part of this challenge is communicating with prospective suppliers. Requests for quotations were sent to injection molders in the U.S., Mexico, and China. U.S. suppliers were found to be more responsive to e-mail and requested more information regarding the quoted component. Chinese manufactures were more willing to provide quotes and did so in a timely manner. Mexican manufacturers were the least responsive and required the longest lead time to provide a quote. The implications of supplier communication are discussed.
Lung transplant for interstitial lung disease: outcomes for single versus bilateral lung transplantation.

This study was undertaken to evaluate outcomes for single (SLT) vs. bilateral lung transplantation (BLT) in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). One hundred and eleven patients with ILD who underwent lung transplantation between January 1993 and March 2009 were evaluated. Recipients with BLT were younger (43 ± 12 vs. 57 ± 7 years), and significantly more patients with non-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) received BLT (50%) vs. patients with IPF (18%). BLT recipients had a significantly longer mean waitlist time (240 vs. 125 days), significantly higher systolic (51 ± 18 vs. 40 ± 11 mmHg) pulmonary artery pressures, were placed on cardiopulmonary bypass more frequently (67 vs. 31%), had a higher incidence of primary graft dysfunction (63 vs. 17%), more frequently were given prolonged peri-operative inhaled nitric oxide and more frequently required prolonged post-operative mechanical ventilatory support (6.0 vs. 1.7 days). Additionally, BLT recipients had a significantly longer intensive care unit (8 vs. 4 days) and hospital (24 vs. 15 days) length of stay. We did not detect a difference in survival (Kaplan–Meier) for SLT vs. BLT. Our findings suggest that outcomes for SLT for patients with ILD are comparable or somewhat superior to those for BLT, and short- and long-term survival are not significantly different for the two procedures.
Excel Competency for the Professional Accountant: Advanced Applications, Controls, and Audit Add­ins

Personal experience indicates that many accounting students do not understand Excel sufficiently well to master spreadsheet controls required for Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption. Students are typically exposed to Excel at various levels of intensity in high school and college, but the exposure is inadequate in the breadth and depth necessary for compliance within the regulatory requirements and professional accounting standards. Some authors are forecasting extensive use of spreadsheets or manual processes to reconcile dual reporting of traditional U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) (Difazio and Gannon 2010; Steele 2010). Moreover, error rates of over 90% have been documented in accounting applications using Excel before SOX compliance (Panko 2008). Given this environment, we argue that an Accounting Information Systems (AIS) curriculum can be enhanced by first teaching th...
A World-Ecological Perspective on Socio-Ecological Transformation in the Appalachian Coal Industry

This article discusses the exhaustion of socio-ecological relations in the coalfields of West Virginia. We use the term socio-ecological to signify "the interwoven character and the indispensable unity of social and natural life" (Araghi 2009: 115). In particular we use classic literatures on labor history in the coalfields of central Appalachia and contemporary studies of mountaintop removal to think about phases of socio-ecological relations of the coal industry. We argue for the interrelationality of the social and the ecological in place of conventional eco-M arxist approaches which treat these as relatively independent units. This enables us to situate nature as an active component of capitalist developmental processes. We argue that the exhaustion of socio-ecological relations in the coalfields of West Virginia is an outcome of material practices within the phase of extraction using mountaintop removal, historical changes in the conditions of production in the coalfields, and of new forms of competition from other regions and energy sources. We find that the relative exhaustion of central Appalachian coal is tempered by favorable international markets and a specialization in metallurgical coal.
Dot-like focal contacts in adherent eosinophils, their redistribution into peripheral belts, and correlated effects on cell migration and protected zone formation

We have examined the organization of F-actin and focal contacts in eosinophils and the functional consequences correlated with their predistribution. In activated eosinophils adherent to laminin, F-actin is localized in large, uniformly distributed, dot-like structures. Co-localized with the F-actin are a variety of typical components of focal contacts including: the alpha 6 and beta 1 integrins subunits (which mediate eosinophil adhesion to laminin), vinculin, talin, pp125FAK, paxillin, and tyrosine phosphorylated proteins, but not the beta 2 integrin subunit which is not involved in eosinophil adhesion to laminin. In unactivated eosinophils on laminin (which do not adhere well) and in activated eosinophils on non-adhesive surfaces (human serum albumin, tenascin, or a mixture of tenascin and laminin), dot-like accumulations of F-actin do not form. When activated eosinophils are incubated on laminin in the presence of low concentrations of 1,1′-ethylidenebis(L-tryptophan), a remarkable rearrangement occurs. Both conventional and confocal microscopy suggest that the dot-like structures rearrange from a uniform distribution into thick, peripheral belts surrounding each cell with few dot-like structures internal to the belt. Functional consequences occur as a result of this rearrangement of focal contacts and the cytoskeleton. The belt of focal contacts acts as a size-dependent permeability barrier; fluorescent 8 kDa polyethylene glycol does not label the substrate underneath the cells whereas 3.5 kDa polyethylene glycol labels the substrate uniformly. The formation of belts of focal contacts also blocks the ability of eosinophils to migrate on laminin in response to a chemotactic gradient. While the mechanism of 1,1′-ethylidenebis(L-tryptophan) action remains to be determined, experiments indicate that the function of 1,1′-ethylidenebis(L-tryptophan) is distinct from the function of drugs that alter tyrosine kinase and serine/threonine kinase activities. Our observations reveal a novel mechanism for regulating cell behavior in invasive cells in which the rearrangement of focal contacts and the associated cytoskeleton may control cell migration and the sequestration of secreted cytotoxic and degradatory molecules. We propose that 1,1′-ethylidenebis(L-tryptophan) may mimic the function of an endogenous regulator of eosinophil morphology and behavior.
WAVEFORM WINDOW #33. "How Are You Feeling"?

Background: A 45-year-old woman with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, migraines, chronic pain, and bipolar disease comes to the lab for an EEG. Her spells started two years ago with electric...
Raising Barns

Who stands watch over a software engineering project to ensure that a job is well done and every individual has learned what he or she needs to know?
THE BEHAVIOR OF SHORT INTERFACE EDGE-CRACKS IN BONDED BIMATERIAL LAYERS

Dissimilar bonded materials occur in a variety of aerospace applications, such as thin films and coatings, layered microelectronic devices, and layered manufacturing of aerospace components. In many such applications, differential expansion stresses can lead to interface cracking near free-edges. In this study, the susceptibility to debonding of short interface edge- cracks is investigated for the general global problem configuration of a bimaterial strip with a uniform edge load applied to the top layer (a general model of differential expansion). The goal of this study is to determine the maximum crack length L for which interface crack extension is inhibited, or more specifically, for which the singular interface normal stresses are compressive. This is equivalent to a maximum allowable flaw size, which is of interest to both designers and inspectors of bimaterial systems. The critical crack length L has been extracted from parametric finite element analyses over a wide range of bimaterial configurations using the commercial software package ABAQUS. Results indicate that the critical crack length L increases with both the relative stiffness and thickness of the top layer, and may represent a significant inspectable flaw size for a variety of practical bimaterial configurations.
THE PERSONAL INCENTIVES FOR EXERCISE QUESTIONNAIRE: PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT '

Drawing from the Theory of Personal Investment (Maehr & Brapkamp, 1986), preliminary work has been done on the development of an instrument, Personal Incentives for Exercise Questionnaire, to assess an individual's personal in exercise. The initial version of 85 items was administered to 212 male and 313 female undergraduates from a large midwestern university. The items reflected a variety of reasons for participating in exercise activities and were generated from a review of literature on exercise psychology, Maehx and Braskamp's classification of personal incent~ves, and the open-ended responses of 165 adult exercise participants. Subjects indicated theu agtcement on a 5-point Likert scale for each reason. Principal component factor analyses (oblique and orthogonal rotations) yielded nine factors (eigenvalue> 1.00). The factors were labeled Appearance (e.g., "I exercise because I want a nice body"), Competition (e.g., "I find competitive physical activities fun"), Mental Benefits (e.g., "I exercise to control my anxiety"), Affiliation (e.g., "I try to exercise with others whenever I <mu), Mastery (e.g., "When exercising, I like to do as well as I can"), Flexibility/Agility (e.g., "I exercise to increase my agility"), Social Recognition (e.g., "I exercise to gain the attention of other ~eo~le"), Health Benefits (e.g., "I exercise to avoid illness"), and Weight Management (e.g., "Physical activity helps me to lose weight"). Based on these data, a 48-item version was administered to a second samole of 135 male and 217 female colleee students. " Factor analyses indicated a stable structure across the two samples. Mean scale scores (sum/ number of items) were calculated and Cronbach alpha reliability coefficients for the nine subscales ranged from .74 to .94 (Sample 1) and .77 to .92 (Sample 2). A subsample (n = 106) was readministered Version 2 after two weeks which yielded test-retest correlations from .58 to .86. Our recent work has further refined the questionnaire and concerned its convergent, construct, and predictive validity (e.g., Duda & Tappe, 1988). The latest or fourth version has 10 subscales. New items further clarify the Mastery, Flexibility/Agility, and Weight Management subscales and support the existence of a Fitness (StrengthIEndurance) exercise incentive.
Pierre Bayle et Voltaire Avant Les Lettres Philosophiques

Quoique l'influence de Pierre Bayle sur l'esprit philosophique et critique de Voltaire soit generalement reconnue et consacree par la critique, elle n'a pas encore subi l'examen qu'elle comporte, et il reste a la demontrer et a la preciser. Sans doute, au premier abord, l'atmosphere baylienne regne supreme dans les œuvres de Voltaire. Voltaire lui-meme, tout le premier, dans de nombreux passages, rend hommage a celui qu'il nomme complaisamment “son pere spirituel.” Les epithetes elogieuses que Voltaire adresse au philosophe de Rotterdam abondent, mais elles ne sont souvent qu'un mot d'ordre et de ralliement et ne doivent etre acceptees qu'avec reserve et caution. De plus, il se peut que la ressemblance de pensee et de methode entre deux auteurs tels que Pierre Bayle et Voltaire soit purement accidentelle et ne releve d'aucune influence directe. Un ecrivain du caractere de Voltaire, toujours en eveil, curieux de tout savoir, doue d'une memoire remarquable, pret a assimiler et a transformer tout ce qui l'interesse, se joue a derouter l‘etude la plus minutieuse. Les influences francaises ou anglaises qui ont pu agir sur le developpement intellectuel de Voltaire sont multiples et complexes: elles s'entremelent et s'entrecroisent. Comment donc les definir et en tracer la source? Si Voltaire loue Pierre Bayle jusqu’ aux nues, il ne loue pas moins l'Angleterre, “l‘ile barbare des Cassiterides, ”Locke et Newton. La part exacte de l'influence du milieu francais et de celle de l'Angleterre sur Voltaire est encore a etablir d'une facon definitive. La presente etude ne s'interesse qu‘a la periode de Voltaire qui precede la publication des Lettres philosophiques. Elle se borne a preciser la pensee philosophique et critique de Voltaire a cette epoque et a en suggerer les sources probables; elle cherche surtout a decouvrir quelques indices de l'influence de Pierre Bayle sur l'esprit du jeune Voltaire et a indiquer certains rapports de pensee et de methode entre ces deux ecrivains.
Novel Nonsense Calmodulin-Binding Transcription Activator 1 Mutation Presenting as a Tremor-Predominant Phenotype

A 25-year-old right-handed male presented with head and bilateral arm and leg tremor. His symptoms began at age 10 years with action tremor of both hands and progressed in severity with time. He had difficulty with social interactions but did not have intellectual disabilities. His past medical history was significant for obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and scoliosis; and his family history was significant for tremor in his father and paternal grandfather. Genetic testing was performed and identified a deleterious sequence variation in exon 19 of the calmodulin-binding transcription activator 1 (CAMTA1) gene. The presence of this sequence variation was confirmed in the patient and in his affected father. The case is novel because of tremor predominance and because the mutation is a sequence variation rather than a deletion or duplication.
The application of HCV test strategy

丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)引起丙型肝炎,因临床症状不明显,易造成漏诊或误诊,延误治疗;因此,临床医生将HCV实验室检测结果作为主要的诊断依据,以便及时采取相应措施,有利于疾病诊断、治疗和阻断HCV传播;血站通过HCV检测筛查献血员可以有效阻断血液传播这一途径,保障血液及血液制品安全; HCV检测也为公共卫生人员进行人群监测,掌握人群HCV感染情况提供依据[1].各国HCV感染情况有差别,且HCV检测的目的不同,因此,制定的HCV检测策略既需能达到预期目标,又需符合成本-效益原则。
TUNEL Assay on Skeletal Tissue Sections to Detect Cell Death

At least two distinct modalities of cell death, apoptosis and necrosis, can be distinguished based on differences in morphological, biochemical, and molecular changes of dying cells. Cell death is involved both in physiological and pathological conditions of the skeleton: for example, apoptosis is a crucial event during limb development. Therefore, detection of cell death by using a simple stain is a powerful tool to study molecular and cellular mechanisms of skeletal development and repair.
LLNL's Big Science Capabilities Help Spur Over $796 Billion in U.S. Economic Activity Sequencing the Human Genome

LLNL’s successful history of taking on big science projects spans beyond national security and has helped create billions of dollars per year in new economic activity. One example is LLNL’s role in helping sequence the human genome. Over $796 billion in new economic activity in over half a dozen fields has been documented since LLNL successfully completed this Grand Challenge.
The verification of linguistic characterisations

How do I know the sorts of things about language that I claim to know? Even assuming that I do not need to back my intuitions by appeal to criteria of certain sorts, still if they are to be shown to be valid must they not be backed by something? What sorts of explanation, or account, or justification could I offer for the claim that such and such a string of words is a sentence or that ‘oculist’ means eye doctor or that it is analytically true that women are females? How, in short, are such claims to be verified? These questions acquire a particular urgency if they are taken as expressions of the following underlying question: ‘It is not the case that all such knowledge, if really valid, must be based on an empirical scrutiny of human linguistic behaviour?’ How could one know such things unless one had done a really exhaustive statistical survey of the verbal behaviour of English speakers and thus discovered how they in fact used words? Pending such a survey, is not all such talk mere pre-scientific speculation?
Bacterial physiology: Life minus Z.

The surprising discovery of viable mutants that retain a peptidoglycan cell wall but lack the essential director of normal cytokinesis, FtsZ, reveals that Escherichia coli can proliferate in a completely unexpected manner.
STEM High Schools Teachers' Belief Regarding STEM Student Giftedness.

Teachers’ beliefs about students influence many of the decisions they make in the classroom. While much work has been done exploring teachers’ beliefs as they relate to the nomination of students for gifted programs, little work has yet explored the ways in which teachers’ beliefs about student giftedness possibly affect instructional decisions. In this article, within the context of specialized STEM schools, the beliefs of teachers as related to their students’ giftedness and ability are explored. Findings indicated that teachers believe their students to be gifted regardless of designation. Teachers articulated beliefs around the type of learning opportunities gifted students need as well as the amount of work required to stimulate these students. Specifically, teachers stated that gifted students flourish under heavy workloads with intense amounts of independent and inquiry-based learning. Students were also queried to determine their own perceptions of these instructional practices on their learning a...
The Role of Computed Tomography

For over one hundred years since its original description by (1889), acute pancreatitis has remained a ubiquitous and somewhat perplexing disease. The clinical entity called pancreatitis can be better defined as a “syndrome” distinguished by the sudden onset of a nonspecific acute inflammatory reaction of the pancreas and by its secondary morphologic and physiologic consequences. It is further characterized by an unusually diverse etiology, by protean clinical manifestations, by an unforeseen clinical course and outcome and by a relatively high morbidity and mortality (Beger et al. 1997; Malfertheiner and Dominguez-Munoz 1993; Renner et al. 1985; Banks 1994). Its clinical importance, potential health hazards and medical financial implications stem from its frequent occurrence, particularly in the more developed countries and affluent economic environments. A prevalence of about 30 patients with acute pancreatitis per 100,000 inhabitants per year has been reported, with over 100,000 hospitalizations a year in the USA (National Hospital Discharge Survey 1989; National Center for Health Statistics 1987).
Health promotion for people with intellectual disabilities – A concept analysis

Background Whereas ‘health promotion’ is a well-known concept for healthcare professionals, the concept of ‘health promotion for people with intellectual disabilities’ and its unique associated challenges are not well understood. Aims and Objective This article provides a systematic analysis of how health promotion is being conceptualised for people with intellectual disabilities and how health promotion can work best in the light of this group's specific needs and limitations. Design Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis. Method MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and SocINDEX were searched using the search terms ‘health promotion’, ‘people with intellectual disabilities’ and ‘developmental disabilities’. This review includes studies published between 1992 and 2014. A total of 52 articles were included. Results Health promotion for people intellectual disabilities, as discussed in the literature, focuses on four aspects, namely supporting a healthy lifestyle, providing health education, involving supporters and being person-centred. Antecedents of the concept ‘health promotion for people with intellectual disabilities’ were healthcare access and sensitised healthcare providers. The outcomes were improved health, being empowered, enhanced quality of life and reduced health disparities. Conclusion This analysis provides a solid foundation for healthcare stakeholders' planning, implementing and evaluating health-promotion activities for people with intellectual disabilities at the policy level and in the community.
On the progenitor of the Type Ibc supernova 2012fh

Little is observationally known about the progenitors of Type Ibc supernovae (SNe) or the typical activity of SNe progenitors in their final years. Here, we analyse deep Large Binocular Telescope imaging data spanning the 4 yr before and after the Type Ibc SN 2012fh using difference imaging. We place 1σ upper limits on the detection of the progenitor star at M_U > −3.8, M_B > −3.1, M_V > −3.8 and M_R > −4.0 mag. These limits are the tightest placed on a Type Ibc SN to date and they largely rule out single star evolutionary models in favour of a binary channel as the origin of this SN. We also constrain the activity of the progenitor to be small on an absolute scale, with the RMS UBVRoptical variability ≲ 2500 L⊙ and long-term dimming or brightening trends ≲ 1000 L⊙ yr^(−1) in all four bands.
Reconstructing Alliterative Verse: The Pursuit of a Medieval Meter

The poetry we call 'alliterative' is recorded in English from the seventh century until the sixteenth, and includes Caedmon's 'Hymn', Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Piers Plowman. These are some of the most admired works of medieval English literature, and also among the most enigmatic. The formal practice of alliterative poets exceeded the conceptual grasp of medieval literary theory; theorists are still playing catch-up today. This book explains the distinctive nature of alliterative meter, explores its differences from subsequent accentual-syllabic forms, and advances a reformed understanding of medieval English literary history. The startling formal variety of Piers Plowman and other Middle English alliterative poems comes into sharper focus when viewed in diachronic perspective: the meter was in transition; to understand it, we need to know where it came from and where it was headed at the moment it died out.
Emergence of dalbavancin non-susceptible, vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) after treatment of MRSA central line-associated bloodstream infection with a dalbavancin- and vancomycin-containing regimen.

Abstract Objectives Dalbavancin is a long-acting lipoglycopeptide with activity against gram-positives, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The potential for lipoglycopeptides, with half-lives greater than 1 week, to select for resistance is unknown. Here we explore a case of MRSA central line-associated bloodstream infection in which dalbavancin and vancomycin non-susceptibility emerged in a urine isolate collected after the patient was treated with vancomycin and dalbavancin sequentially. Methods Isolates from blood and urine underwent susceptibility testing, and whole genome sequencing (WGS). The blood isolate was subjected to successive passage in vitro in the presence of escalating dalbavancin concentrations and the emergent isolate was subjected to repeat susceptibility testing and WGS. Results The blood isolate was fully susceptible to vancomycin; however, MICs of the urine isolate to dalbavancin, vancomycin, telavancin, and daptomycin were at least fourfold higher than the blood-derived strain. Both strains were indistinguishable by spa and variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) typing, and WGS revealed only seven variants, indicating clonality. Four variants affected genes, including a 3bp in-frame deletion in yvqF , a gene which has been implicated in glycopeptide resistance. Vancomycin and dalbavancin non-susceptibility emerged in the blood isolate after successive passage in vitro in the presence of dalbavancin, and WGS identified a single non-synonymous variant in yvqF . Conclusions This is the first case in which VISA has emerged in the context of a dalbavancin-containing regimen. The selection for cross-resistance to vancomycin in vitro by dalbavancin exposure alone is troubling. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility for emergence of dalbavancin non-susceptibility and glycopeptide cross-resistance arising following therapy.
Abstract 9: Involvement of Caveolin-1 in Vascular Remodeling and Inflammation Induced by Angiotensin II

We have recently reported that caveolin-1 (Cav1) enriched membrane microdomains in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) mediate a metalloprotease ADAM17-dependent EGF receptor (EGFR) transactivation...
Assessing criminal thought content: preliminary validation of the criminal thought content inventory (CTCI)

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to evaluate a measure of criminal thought content entitled the Criminal Thought Content Inventory (CTCI). The 30-item CTCI generates a total score and scores for three individual dimensions or scales: Negative Attitudes toward Authority (NAA), Positive Attitudes toward Deviance (PAD), and Criminal Identity (CID). Students from two universities (N = 335 and 456) completed the CTCI, along with measures of criminal thought process and delinquent behavior. According to the results of several analyses, the CTCI possesses adequate internal consistency, good test-retest reliability, and adequate concurrent validity. Confirmatory factor analyses performed on both samples offered support for the three-dimensional structure of the CTCI and an item response theory analysis indicated that over 80% of the items loaded at least moderately on a single latent trait. These results suggest that the CTCI possesses the requisite psychometric properties to warrant inclusion in studies inv...
Moral Development and Sportsmanship in Physical Education and Sport

The purpose of this article is to explore to what degree the subject of sportsmanship, morality and character development is addressed in physical education (PE) and youth sport. It also presents t...
Landmark lecture on surgery: paediatric cardiothoracic surgery - training the next generation of congenital heart surgeons.

Introduction Recent changes in surgical education have had an impact on our congenital training programmes. The mandate of the 8-hour workweek, a rapidly expanding knowledge base, and a host of other mandates has had an impact on the readiness of the fellows who are entering congenital programmes. To understand these issues completely, we interviewed the top congenital experts in the United States of America. The purpose of this paper is to share their insight and offer suggestions to address these challenges. Methods We used a qualitative thematic analysis approach and performed phone interviews with the top five congenital experts in the United States of America. Results Experts unanimously felt that duty-hour restrictions have negatively affected congenital training programmes in the following ways: current fellows do not seem as conditioned as fellows in the past, patient handoffs are not consistent with excellent performance, the mentor–mentee relationship has been affected by duty-hour restrictions, and fellows may be less prepared for real-world practice. Three positive themes emerged in response to duty-hour restrictions: fellows appear to be doing less menial task work, fellows are now better rested for learning, and we are attracting more individuals into the speciality. Experts agreed that congenital fellowships should be increased to 2 years. There was support for both the traditional and integrated residency pathways. Discussion We are in a new era of education and must work together to overcome the challenges that have arisen in recent years.
Discriminative Semi-Coupled Projective Dictionary Learning for Low-Resolution Person Re-Identification

Person re-identification (re-ID) is a fundamental task in automated video surveillance. In real-world visual surveillance systems, a person is often captured in quite low resolutions. So we often need to perform low-resolution person re-ID, where images captured by different cameras have great resolution divergences. Existing methods cope problem via some complicated and time-consuming strategies, making them less favorable in practice, and their performances are far from satisfactory. In this paper, we design a novel Discriminative Semi-coupled Projective Dictionary Learning (DSPDL) model to effectively and efficiently solve this problem. Specifically, we propose to jointly learn a pair of dictionaries and a mapping to bridge the gap across low(er) and high(er) resolution person images. Besides, we develop a novel graph regularizer to incorporate positive and negative image pair information in a parameterless fashion. Meanwhile, we adopt the efficient and powerful projective dictionary learning technique to boost the our efficiency. Experiments on three public datasets show the superiority of the proposed method to the state-of-the-art ones.
On the Development of the Critique of Political Economy as a Critical Social Theory of Economic Objectivity

This review-essay assays Werner Bonefeld’s timely attempt to unite contemporary critical theory with the critique of political economy. I begin by contextualising Bonefeld’s contribution in relation to the dearth of material on this issue in contemporary anglophone critical theory. I then discuss the anglophone reception of Adornian critical theory and provide an overview of the development of the subterranean critical-theoretical interpretations of the critique of political economy that Adorno influenced which have been occluded by the former. This sets up my discussion of how Bonefeld has taken up, criticised and developed this subterranean strand in critical theory and the critique of political economy. I close with some criticisms of how Bonefeld addresses the relationship between critical theory and the critique of political economy and point toward several areas of further investigation that are intended to extend this approach to the contemporary critical theory of society.
Finding Response Cumulants for Nonlinear Systems With Multiplicative Excitations

A relatively straightforward formulation is presented for deriving the differential equations governing the evolution of the response cumulants and moments of a dynamical system. This is a very general framework which applies to linear and nonlinear systems subjected to external and multiplicative non-Gaussian, delta-correlated processes. This formulation provides an alternative to both the partial differential Fokker Planck equation that has sometimes been used in deriving moment or cumulant equations, and the differential (as opposed to derivative) relationships of the It8 calculus. It is believed that many analysts may find the technique used here to be more obvious than the alternatives, since the derivative relationships for the stochastic process are of the same form as in the more familiar ordinary differential equations.
Correlates of Long-Term Opioid Abstinence After Randomization to Methadone Versus Buprenorphine/Naloxone in a Multi-Site Trial.

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic, relapsing condition with severe negative health consequences. Previous studies have reported that 5-year opioid abstinence is a good predictor of reduced likelihoods of relapse, but factors that shape long-term opioid abstinence are poorly understood. The present study is based on data from a prospective study of 699 adults with OUD who had been randomized to either methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone and who were followed for at least 5 years. During the 5 years prior to the participants’ last follow-up interview, 232 (33.2%) had achieved 5-year abstinence from heroin. Of those 232, 145 (20.7% of the total) had remained abstinent from both heroin and other opioids (e.g., hydrocodone, oxycodone, other opioid analgesics, excluding methadone or buprenorphine). Compared to non-abstinent individuals, those in both categories of opioid abstinence had lower problem severity in health and social functioning at the final follow-up. Logistic regression results indicated that cocaine users and injection drug users were less likely to achieve 5-year heroin abstinence, whereas Hispanics (vs. whites) and those treated in clinics on the West Coast (vs. East) were less likely to achieve 5-year abstinence from heroin and other opioids. For both abstinence category groups, abstinence was positively associated with older age at first opioid use, lower impulsivity, longer duration of treatment for OUD, and greater social support. Reducing cocaine use and injection drug use and increasing social support and retention in treatment may help maintain long-term abstinence from opioids among individuals treated with agonist pharmacotherapy.
Some new results on H summability of Fourier series

In this paper we shall be concerned with Hα summability, for 0 < α ≤ 2 of the Fourier series of arbitrary L1([−π, π]) functions. The methods employed here are a modification of the real variable on...
The Harp Hype Ran Gular Imaging Polarimeter and the Need for Small Satellite Payloads with High Science Payoff for Earth Science Remote Sensing

The largest uncertainties on estimating climate change revolve around the lack of quantitative information on aerosol and cloud microphysical properties, which limits our understanding of cloud-aerosol interaction processes and cloud feedbacks in the climate system. Part of this limitation comes from the small number of global satellite sensors which in turn only measures a restricted subset of aerosol and cloud microphysical properties. Enabling small satellites to perform high quality cloud and aerosol microphysical measurements is an important pathway to resolve this puzzle. The reduced cost of small satellites can enable the use of multiple platforms or even constellations to increase spatial and temporal coverage for the required measurements. The HARP (HyperAngular Rainbow Polarimeter) is a 3U CubeSat sensor designed for the measurement of aerosol, clouds and surface properties with a wide FOV that enables nearly global coverage from multiple wavelengths and tens of different along track viewing angles. The technology developed for HARP allows for all these characteristics to be packaged within the envelope of a CubeSat sensor while preserving strict science requirements.
Vat photopolymerization 3D printing of acid-cleavable PEG-methacrylate networks for biomaterial applications

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM) is an emerging processing platform in clinical applications because of its ability to fabricate customized 3D structures for patient-specific needs. Vat photopolymerization additive manufacturing creates high-resolution, complex structures with excellent accuracy to fulfill these demands. However, materials selection for vat photopolymerization is limited. Many materials lack the biocompatibility and stimuli-responsive properties for biomaterial function in physiological environments. In this work, a vat photopolymerization AM process photocured acid-labile crosslinker within a methacrylate terminated poly(ethylene glycol) polymer network to yield biocompatible 3D structures with diverse architectures. At physiological temperature (37 °C), photocrosslinked networks exhibited thermal stability and tunable water sorption with respect to crosslinker amount. Crosslinker amount and geometry were varied to control dissolution in aqueous physiological environments. Acid-cleavable crosslinker amount increased dissolution in acidic (pH ˜1) environments. In neutral (pH ˜7) environments, acid-cleavable crosslinker amount did not increase dissolution to the same extent. Geometry, specifically cube and lattice structures exhibited differences in dissolution due to surface area driven diffusion. Structural by-products after dissolution demonstrated good in vitro cytocompatibility after 72-hours in culture. This class of 3D-printed biomaterials offer potential for drug delivery, tissue engineering scaffolds and wound dressing applications.
Postgrowth Imaginaries: New Ecologies and Counterhegemonic Culture in Post-2008 Spain - Part 3, Chapter 4

This chapter focuses on catastrophe fiction that explores the disturbing ecological consequences of sudden disruptions caused by extreme environmental events set in motion or exacerbated by growth-oriented activity. In this scenario, rapid anthropogenic changes in the earth’s ecological systems unleash a massive catastrophe at a regional or global level. This kind of fiction has commonly been assumed to have pedagogical implications because it highlights the destructive practices that humanity should abandon and promotes an activist lifestyle. By studying some of the most popular contemporary catastrophe audiovisual narratives in Spain (TV show El Barco and the movie The Impossible), I demonstrate that the pedagogical interpretation of catastrophe should be revisited for several reasons. Catastrophe-oriented fiction tends to ignore or, in the worse cases, conceal the pervasive structural violence against humans and nonhumans resulting from global neoliberal policies and growth economic dynamics. In order to encourage an effective political ecology, I argue that other kinds of narratives are much more effective and resistant to co-optation by the dominant imaginary: stories and projects that envision and perform desirable postgrowth imaginaries
Taxonomy and multi-locus phylogeny of cylindrocarpon-like species associated with diseased roots of grapevine and other fruit and nut crops in California.

Black foot disease is a common and destructive root disease of grapevine caused by a multitude of cylindrocarpon-like fungi in many viticultural areas of the world. This study identified 12 cylindrocarpon-like fungal species across five genera associated with black foot disease of grapevine and other diverse root diseases of fruit and nut crops in the Central Valley Region of California. Morphological observations paired with multi-locus sequence typing of four loci, internal transcribed spacer region of nuclear rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS), beta-tubulin (TUB2), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1), and histone (HIS), revealed 10 previously described species; Campylocarpon fasciculare, Dactylonectriaalcacerensis, D. ecuadoriensis, D. macrodidyma, D. novozelandica, D. torresensis, D. valentina, Ilyonectriacapensis, I. liriodendri, I. robusta, and two new species, Neonectria californica sp. nov., and Thelonectria aurea sp. nov. Phylogenetic analyses of the ITS+TUB2+TEF1 combined dataset, a commonly employed dataset used to identify filamentous ascomycete fungi, was unable to assign some species, with significant support, in the genus Dactylonectria, while all other species in other genera were confidently identified. The HIS marker was essential either singly or in conjunction with the aforementioned genes for accurate identification of most Dactylonectria species. Results from isolations of diseased plant tissues revealed potential new host associations for almost all fungi recovered in this study. This work is the basis for future studies on the epidemiology and biology of these important and destructive plant pathogens.
Effect of bio-derived/chemical additives on HMA and WMA compaction and dynamic modulus performance

Previous work with Isosorbide Distillation Bottoms (IDB), and other isosorbide and soybean derived materials as additives in polymer-modified warm mix asphalt (WMA) showed that said materials were ...