Limits and Confidence Intervals in the Presence of Nuisance Parameters

We study the frequentist properties of confidence intervals computed by the method known to statisticians as the Profile Likelihood. It is seen that the coverage of these intervals is surprisingly good over a wide range of possible parameter values for important classes of problems, in particular whenever there are additional nuisance parameters with statistical or systematic errors. Programs are available for calculating these intervals.Comment: 6 figure

EL DIÁLOGO PERFECTO: the language of lesbian love in Sonia Rivera Valdés’s Cuban-American Confessions

De acordo com a omnipresença dos tropos homoeróticos os quais sostêm o imaginário nacional, a exclusão das vozes queer do discurso oficial cubano resulta paradoxal, a continuada invisibilidade de uma Cuba lésbica na literatura e na história da Ilha reforça a tenacidade das interpretações androcêntricas d nação. Este artículo examina alguns dos assuntos políticos relacionados com a escritura de uma Cuba lésbica. Establece algumas das preocupações essenciais do emergente discurso lésbico forxado interna e diaspóricamente; assim também, coloca os conflitos através de uma leitura da narrativa confessional de Sonia Rivera-Valdés, produzida nos Estados Unidos. Assim, exploram-se, desde as perspectivas de identidades lesbianas múltiplas, tanto o passado colonial de Cuba, como o governo de Castro e a reconstrução cultural dos últimos anos da década de 1990. Principalmente, as confessões ficticias propõem uma viagem desde o monólogo heterosexista até o diálogo lésbico, entendido como um mecanismo de construção de narrativa nacional.Palabras-chave: Cuba lésbica. Estados Unidos. Sonia Rivera-ValdésResumenDada la omnipresencia de los tropos homoeróticos que sostienen el imaginario nacional, la exclusión de las voces queer del discurso oficial cubano resulta paradójica, la continuada invisibilidad de una Cuba lésbica en la literatura y la historia de la Isla refuerza la tenacidad de las interpretaciones androcéntricas de la nación. Este artículo examina algunos de los asuntos políticos relacionados con la escritura de una Cuba lésbica. Establece algunas de las preocupaciones esenciales del floreciente discurso lésbico forjado interna y diaspóricamente; asimismo, pone de manifiesto los conflictos concomitantes a través de una lectura de la narrativa confesional de Sonia Rivera-Valdés, producida en los Estados Unidos. Así pues, se exploran, desde las perspectivas de identidades lesbianas múltiples, tanto el pasado colonial de Cuba, como el gobierno de Castro y la reconstrucción cultural de los últimos años de la década de 1990. Principalmente, las confesiones ficticias proponen un viaje desde el monólogo heterosexista hasta el diálogo lésbico, entendido como un mecanismo de construcción narrativa y nacional.Palabras Clave: Cuba lésbica. Los Estados Unidos. Sonia Rivera-ValdésAbstractIf, given the pervasiveness of homoerotic tropes which underpin the national imaginary, the exclusion of queer voices from official Cuban discourse is paradoxical, the continuing invisibility of a lesbian Cuba in the island’s literature and history reinforces the tenacity of androcentric understandings of the nation. This paper examines some of the political issues involved in writing a lesbian Cuba. It establishes some of the major preoccupations of a burgeoning lesbian discourse forged at home and in the disapora and demonstrates the related conflicts through a reading of Sonia Rivera-Valdés’s confessional narratives produced 96in the USA. Cuba’s colonial past, the Castro regime and the cultural reconstruction of the late 1990s are all explored from the perspectives of multiple lesbian identities. Most crucially, the fictional confessions propose a journey from heterosexist monologue to lesbian dialogue as the mechanism for narrative and national construction.KeyWords: Lesbian Cuba. The United States. Sonia Rivera-Valdé

EL DIÁLOGO PERFECTO: the language of lesbian love in Sonia Rivera Valdés’s Cuban-American Confessions

De acordo com a omnipresença dos tropos homoeróticos os quais sostêm o imaginário nacional, a exclusão das vozes queer do discurso oficial cubano resulta paradoxal, a continuada invisibilidade de uma Cuba lésbica na literatura e na história da Ilha reforça a tenacidade das interpretações androcêntricas d nação. Este artículo examina alguns dos assuntos políticos relacionados com a escritura de uma Cuba lésbica. Establece algumas das preocupações essenciais do emergente discurso lésbico forxado interna e diaspóricamente; assim também, coloca os conflitos através de uma leitura da narrativa confessional de Sonia Rivera-Valdés, produzida nos Estados Unidos. Assim, exploram-se, desde as perspectivas de identidades lesbianas múltiplas, tanto o passado colonial de Cuba, como o governo de Castro e a reconstrução cultural dos últimos anos da década de 1990. Principalmente, as confessões ficticias propõem uma viagem desde o monólogo heterosexista até o diálogo lésbico, entendido como um mecanismo de construção de narrativa nacional.Palabras-chave: Cuba lésbica. Estados Unidos. Sonia Rivera-ValdésResumenDada la omnipresencia de los tropos homoeróticos que sostienen el imaginario nacional, la exclusión de las voces queer del discurso oficial cubano resulta paradójica, la continuada invisibilidad de una Cuba lésbica en la literatura y la historia de la Isla refuerza la tenacidad de las interpretaciones androcéntricas de la nación. Este artículo examina algunos de los asuntos políticos relacionados con la escritura de una Cuba lésbica. Establece algunas de las preocupaciones esenciales del floreciente discurso lésbico forjado interna y diaspóricamente; asimismo, pone de manifiesto los conflictos concomitantes a través de una lectura de la narrativa confesional de Sonia Rivera-Valdés, producida en los Estados Unidos. Así pues, se exploran, desde las perspectivas de identidades lesbianas múltiples, tanto el pasado colonial de Cuba, como el gobierno de Castro y la reconstrucción cultural de los últimos años de la década de 1990. Principalmente, las confesiones ficticias proponen un viaje desde el monólogo heterosexista hasta el diálogo lésbico, entendido como un mecanismo de construcción narrativa y nacional.Palabras Clave: Cuba lésbica. Los Estados Unidos. Sonia Rivera-ValdésAbstractIf, given the pervasiveness of homoerotic tropes which underpin the national imaginary, the exclusion of queer voices from official Cuban discourse is paradoxical, the continuing invisibility of a lesbian Cuba in the island’s literature and history reinforces the tenacity of androcentric understandings of the nation. This paper examines some of the political issues involved in writing a lesbian Cuba. It establishes some of the major preoccupations of a burgeoning lesbian discourse forged at home and in the disapora and demonstrates the related conflicts through a reading of Sonia Rivera-Valdés’s confessional narratives produced 96in the USA. Cuba’s colonial past, the Castro regime and the cultural reconstruction of the late 1990s are all explored from the perspectives of multiple lesbian identities. Most crucially, the fictional confessions propose a journey from heterosexist monologue to lesbian dialogue as the mechanism for narrative and national construction.KeyWords: Lesbian Cuba. The United States. Sonia Rivera-Valdé

Characterization of Vibrio vulnificus strains using phenotypic and genotypic assays

In this study 143 V. vulnificus isolates of clinical and environmental origin, were examined for growth on differential media, identified to species and tested for antibiotic resistance. A multiplex PCR was created and optimized, and phylogenetic analysis was conducted. The first objective was to compare phenotypic methods to identify V. vulnificus. Colony colors of confirmed V. vulnificus isolates on selective media (Vibrio vulnificus agar, thiosulfate citrate bilesalts sucrose agar, CHROMAgar Vibrio (CAV), and colistin polymyxin B cellobiose agar), mostly matched those characteristic of V. vulnificus. To test the ability of these media to select for V. vulnificus, new presumptive V. vulnificus isolates were collected and grown on the four media. Most of the tested media had very high false positive rates, with isolates not confirmed as V. vulnificus through PCR of the vvhA gene, growing with characteristic V. vulnificus colony colors. CAV was determined to be the most differential. The Biolog Microbial Identification System was used to identify V. vulnificus isolates and had a 96% correct identification rate. Antibiotic resistance of V. vulnificus isolates was assessed and compared with isolate origin. Almost all the V. vulnificus isolates were susceptible to all the antibiotics used. Only five isolates displayed any type of resistance and thus no relationship with origin could be established. A multiplex PCR protocol using amplification of vvhA and the 16S gene was developed, optimized, and tested to identify an isolate as V. vulnificus. Buffer optimization was simultaneously conducted and TBE was determined to be the most effective buffer for gel electrophoresis with the produced amplicons. Finally, a fragment of the vvhA gene from each isolate was sequenced. Analysis of the fragment resulted in phylogenetic trees with two distinct branches related to clinical or XI environmental isolates. Virulence factors associated with the constructed phylogeny but isolate origin did not. This study was conducted to further characterize a group of wellstudied V. vulnificus isolates and to find methods to differentiate clinical from environmental isolates. Continued analysis of these and additional isolates may further our knowledge of the species and reveal more characteristics indicative of pathogenicity

Footprints Fill and Fade

A collection of poems with preface. Poems are inspired by Buddhist thought and the poetry of Ko Un, William Carlos Williams, Robert Creeley, and Rayomond Carver among others

Free Radical Production From Criegee Ozonides.

Allylbenzene ozonide (ABO), a model for poly-unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ozonides, is shown to initiate the autoxidation of methyl linoleate (18:2ME) at 37\sp\circC under 760 torr of oxygen. This process is inhibited by d-alpha-tocopherol ($\alpha$-T) and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT). Rates of initiated autoxidation were measured by appearance of conjugated diene (C.D.) and oxygen-uptake experiments; rates are proportional to the square root of ABO concentration, implying that the usual free radical autoxidation rate law is obeyed. Activation parameters for the thermal decomposition of ABO were determined under N\sb2 in the presence of radical scavengers and found to be E\sb{\rm a} = 28.2 $\pm$ 0.3 kcal mol\sp{-1} and log A = 13.6 $\pm$ 0.2; k\sb{\rm d}(37\sp\circC) is calculated to be (5.1 $\pm$ 0.3) $\times$ 10\sp{-7} sec\sp{-1}. Preliminary autoxidation data are also reported for ozonides of 18:2ME and methyl oleate (18:1ME). Thermal decomposition of ABO at 98\sp\circC in the liquid phase yields toluene, bibenzyl, phenylacetaldehyde, formic acid, and benzyloxymethyl formate as major products; benzyl chloride is formed when chlorinated solvents are employed. In addition to these products, benzyl formate is formed when ABO is decomposed at 37\sp\circC. When ABO is decomposed at 37\sp\circC in the presence of the spin traps 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO), $\alpha$-phenyl-N-tert-butyl-nitrone (PBN), or 3,3,5,5-tetramethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (TMPO), electron spin resonance (ESR) signals are observed that are consistent with benzyl and other carbon- and oxygen-centered radicals. A mechanism for the thermal decomposition of ABO that involves peroxide bond homolysis and subsequent $\beta$-scission is proposed. Thus, Criegee ozonides decompose to give free radicals at quite modest temperatures