cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Scintillation counter for soft X-ray spectroscopy

Abstract The phosphor P31 is shown to be a suitable and convenient detector for spectroscopy in the soft X-ray region. Visible light emitted by the phosphor is detected by a photomultiplier tube. The detector is compatible with vacuum, but does not require it. To illustrate its capabilities, gas phase spectra of CO 2 in the region of the oxygen K edge are presented.
Female College Students Who Are Parents: Motivation Clarified by the Ages of Their Children

The ages of student-parents' children are a defining factor for clarifying enrollment and persistence in the attainment of college degrees. A secondary factor for women's academic persistence (women with older children) is the dominance and control of males. The participants in this study were diverse, including student-parents most prominent in research who are single mothers living in poverty—both traditional and non-traditional aged—and those not found in existing literature: married students, those not living in poverty, and one grandparent raising her grandchildren. The findings suggest a need for further definition to understand who student-parents are and their motivations to persist toward degree attainment on two-year campuses.
γ-Aminobutyrate, α-carboxy-2-nitrobenzyl ester selectively blocks inhibitory synaptic transmission in rat dentate gyrus

Abstract γ-Aminobutyrate, α-carboxy-2-nitrobenzyl ester (cGABA) is a stable photoactivatable probe used to study γ-aminobutyrate (GABA) receptors. GABA is released from this compound when it is exposed to ultraviolet light, but little is known about the electrophysiological effects of the compound itself. Whole cell patch clamp recordings on rat hippocampal slices demonstrated that cGABA blocked polysynaptic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) evoked in dentate granule cells by antidromic stimulation of the mossy fibers. It also reduced monosynaptically evoked IPSCs with an IC 50 of 28 μM. In contrast, cGABA had no effect on excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) evoked by perforant path stimulation. The effect of cGABA was not mediated by depression of GABA release through activation of presynaptic GABA B receptors. cGABA inhibited muscimol-evoked currents by only 15% at a concentration of 40 μM. At this same concentration, it reduced the mean frequency of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic potentials by 71%, their mean peak amplitude by 44%, their mean decay time constant by 26% and the mean charge transfer per event by 52%. These effects may be explained by a phenothiazine-like modification of GABA A receptor kinetics and/or a selective block of somatic GABA synapses.
Spatial Discrimination Systems and Cerebral Lateralization

Summary In the performance of certain spatial discrimination tasks differential performance between visual fields was found. In the first experiment, Ss identified the position of dots appearing on a blank field. This task of personal spatial discrimination revealed a right visual field superiority and thus implicates processes within the left cerebral hemisphere. In addition, stimuli appearing in lateral positions of either visual field were identified with fewer errors than those in medial positions. In the second experiment, Ss identified the position of dots appearing within the framework of referent objects. The results of this extrapersonal spatial task demonstrated no field superiority, and no pattern of errors within visual fields was found. In both experiments there was evidence of visual allesthesia.
The cross-sectional areas of molecules adsorbed on solid surfaces

Abstract Values have been assigned to the cross-sectional area of adsorbed molecules on solid surfaces for 23 different molecules. In calculating the areas, a value of 15.4 A 2 /molecule has been taken as standard for nitrogen adsorbed at −196°C. The results are consistent with the areas predicted for the molecules on the basis of their liquid densities and two-dimensional van der Waals' constants. The values are based on adsorption isotherms that are in agreement with the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller theory of physical adsorption. None of the more recently-published theories of physical adsorption has been applied to a sufficient number of experimental isotherms to justify its use in cross-sectional area calculations.
Lexical boosting of noise-band speech in open- and closed-set formats

Abstract Recognition of spoken words in noise and in quiet is more accurate for Lexically Easy words (high frequency words with few similar-sounding neighbors) than for Lexically Hard words (low frequency words with many similar-sounding neighbors). Using monosyllables, the present set of two experiments extends this finding to a perceptually interesting class of stimuli and test formats. In both open- and closed-sets, listeners attempted to identify amplitude-modulated and bandpass-filtered words [Shannon, R., Zeng, F., Kamath, V., Wgonski, J., Ekelid, M., 1995. Speech recognition with primarily temporal cues. Science 270, 303–304]––noise-band speech––shown to simulate the performance of cochlear implant (CI) patients using the same number of frequency channels. The words were synthesized from a database that controls for Lexical Difficulty, Talker Identity and Talker Gender. Word recognition was significantly more accurate for Easy words in both the open- and the closed-set experiments. These results indicate that, even when spoken word recognition is challenged by noise-band speech, the Easy–Hard effect survives the perceptually uncertain conditions of word variability. Consequences for models of spoken word recognition are explored.
Two-beam coupling in liquids via stimulated Rayleigh-wing scattering

Transient energy transfer or two-beam coupling is demonstrated in CS2 and other transparent Kerr liquids using frequency chirped, 17 picosecond (HW1/eM) 532 nm pulses with several polarization combinations. As the temporal delay between pulses in a standard pump-probe geometry is varied within the coherence time, the first pulse always loses energy while the second pulse gains this energy. Scattering from phase gratings can lead to coherent energy coupling only if the nonlinearity has a finite relaxation time. This two-beam coupling in Kerr media such as CS2 is associated with stimulated Rayleigh-wing scattering (SRWS). The frequency difference needed for beam coupling can be achieved with chirped pulses or with short pulses in nonlinear materials if irradiance dependent phase shifts are being developed during the laser pulse due to self and cross-phase modulation. Here we consider the interaction between linearly chirped pulses obtained from our modelocked, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. This leads to an energy transfer linearly proportional to irradiance, so that the signal can be observed at irradiances lower than those needed for induced phased modulation. The measurements are performed on CS2 but the results are valid for any Kerr liquid that has a nonlinear index of refraction with a relaxation time on the order of the laser pulse width. We demonstrate that the interaction follows the polarization dependence of SRWS. The only parameters needed for the theoretical fittings are the nonlinear index n2, its relaxation time and the linear chirp of the laser pulse. The first two are well known for CS2 and the laser chirp is independently measured using first and second order autocorrelations.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Brown Leucitic Tuff of Roccamonfina Volcano (Roman Region, Italy)

The Brown Leucitic Tuff (BLT) is a poorly to strongly lithified compositionally zoned pyroclastic-flow deposit with a minimum volume of 3 to 5 km3. It erupted from Roccamonfina Volcano about 385000 years ago, after formation of the summit caldera. Individual flow units are grouped into three facies (white, brown, and orange) which primarily differ in pumice color, lithic content, and matrix cementation. Pumices from the BLT range from phonolitic leucite-tephrites to leucite-trachytes (7.0 to 2.2 wt% CaO), covering over half of the total spectrum of High-K Series magmas known from Roman Region volcanoes. White-facies units dominate in lower stratigraphic levels and their pumices have the lowest CaO contents, indicating a general trend toward more basic compositions as the eruption evolved. At higher stratigraphic levels, however, orange- and brown-facies units are interbedded with other whitefacies units, indicating reversals in the dominant compositional progression. BLT pumices have crystal contents of 9.9 to 0.6 vol%, with green salite>plagioclase>sanidine>biotite>titanomagnetite>analcime (after leucite)>apatite>pyrrhotite. In most samples, plagioclase (An85–95) and sanidine (Or75–90) have much lower Na2O contents than usually found in coexisting feldspars, yet these are interpreted as equilibrium pairs. Primary leucite has been almost completely replaced by analcime. All samples also contain xenocrysts of colorless diopside and forsteritic olivine (Fo83–92). Recurrent alternations from colorless diopside to green salite are present in single clinopyroxene crystals and appear to reflect a complex history of magma mixing. Whole-rock BLT pumice compositions conform closely to High-K Series lavas from Roccamonfina for all elements except Na2O and K2O. The former is relatively enriched and the latter relatively depleted in mafic BLT pumices with >5.6% CaO; these differences reflect strong analcimization of abundant groundmass leucite crystals in these pumices. Otherwise, major and trace element data support fractionation of observed minerals in generating the compositional diversity among BLT pumices. Mineral assemblages and compositions of cumulate monzonite and syenite nodules carried to the surface during the BLT eruption correspond closely to the fractionated phases predicted by least-squares modeling.
Sterile Neutrinos and Light Dark Matter Save Each Other

Short baseline neutrino experiments such as LSND and MiniBooNE seem to suggest the existence of light sterile neutrinos. Meanwhile, current cosmic microwave background and big bang nucleosynthesis measurements place an upper bound on the effective number of light neutrinos, ${N}_{\mathrm{eff}}$ and the PLANCK satellite will measure ${N}_{\mathrm{eff}}$ to a much higher accuracy and further constrain the number of sterile neutrinos allowed. We demonstrate that if an MeV dark matter particle couples more strongly to electrons and/or photons than to neutrinos, then $p$-wave annihilation after neutrino decoupling can reduce the value of ${N}_{\mathrm{eff}}$ inferred from big bang nucleosynthesis and PLANCK. This mechanism can accommodate two eV sterile neutrinos even if PLANCK observes ${N}_{\mathrm{eff}}$ as low as the standard model theoretical value of 3.046, and a large neutrino asymmetry is not needed to obtain the correct primordial element abundances. The dark matter annihilation also weakens the cosmological upper bounds on the neutrino masses, and we derive a relationship between the change in these bounds and the corresponding change in ${N}_{\mathrm{eff}}$. Dark matter with an electric dipole moment or anapole moment is a natural candidate that exhibits the desired properties for this mechanism. Coincidentally, a dark matter particle with these properties and lighter than 3 MeV is precisely one that can explain the 511 keV gamma-ray line observed by INTEGRAL. We show that the addition of two eV sterile neutrinos allows this kind of dark matter to be lighter than 3 MeV, which is otherwise ruled out by the cosmic microwave background bound on ${N}_{\mathrm{eff}}$ if only active neutrinos are considered.
Tundra Constellation Design and Stationkeeping

Constellations of satellites in Tundra orbits provide an innovative alternative to the increasingly crowded geostationary orbit belt. The Tundra constellation uses three or more spacecraft in inclined geosynchronous orbits. The nominal orbit design for the constellation must minimize any undesirable perturbation effects to provide affordable stationkeeping costs. We describe a study of the Tundra orbit regime and design of constellations given a sample set of basic constraints. Frozen and partially frozen orbits are then sought from which to construct constellations allowing for reduced stationkeeping requirements. Perturbation effects from third-body and geopotential sources are quantified and used to select orbits that will provide the needed coverage while providing a reasonable propellant budget.
Missing the forest for the trees?: Incongruous local perspectives on ecotourism in Nicaragua converge on ethical issues

Recent writings on ethics in tourism do little to represent local hosts' perceptions of the ethical nature of tourism and instead focus primarily on the role of industry and tour operators. In this paper, we bring local perceptions to the fore in comparing the ideal and the real in ecotourism. Using ethnographic observations and interviews, we describe how local residents near an ecotourism lodge along the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua first perceive and assess the ideals and sustainability of ecotourism in locally-grounded, realistic ways, often taking into account the broader social, economic, and environmental context of Nicaragua. Though people tend to be highly critical of the operation, they also acknowledge many relative merits of the ecotourism project's work. We then focus on narratives related to the ethical performance of this project. Here, people were less generous in their remarks and found little about the ecotourism project to support. This analysis demonstrates how failing to capture critica...
Children's Counter-Narratives of Care: Towards Educational Justice.

The paper draws from a longitudinal ethnographic study of a group of diverse children growing up in an urban, low-income, predominantly immigrant community in the northeastern United States, who were given cameras to portray their everyday family, school and community lives. It analyses the images, narratives, activities and intimacies of their care worlds in light of neo-liberal policies of disinvestment in education and family care. The children tell and live stories that recognise and place value on caring as a relational activity and collective responsibility rather than an individual, private matter, thus challenging the logic of neo-liberal market politics.
Adapting to Changes in Design Requirements Using Set-Based Design

Ship design is a highly intensive and complex process mainly due to the large number of components and competing requirements. With advancement in technology, design, and evaluation processes, more emphasis has been placed on obtaining not just a feasible design, but also an optimal one. Advanced design methods such as set-based design (SBD) can provide a structured approach to evaluating the design space in order to make accurate and informed decisions toward a more globally optimal design. This paper presents the general application of the SBD process for US Naval vessels as well as a specialized focus on changes in design requirements. Specifically, the two main objectives are an evaluation of how delaying decisions using SBD could cause higher adaptability to changes later in the design process and development of a tradeoff space for evaluating reduced sets. A design experiment that simulated cycles of the SBD process was developed and implemented to provide insight into this objective. The different stages of the experiment included determining intersections between design components in the design space, narrowing variable sets to eliminate infeasible regions, and evaluating the effects of changing design requirements.
Microwave moisture meter for granular and particulate materials

A low-cost microwave moisture meter operating at a single frequency for instantaneous and nondestructive determination of moisture content of granular and particulate materials was developed, calibrated and tested with different kinds of grain and seed. The meter operates at a single microwave frequency of 5.8 GHz and uses the principle of free-space transmission measurement for the determination of attenuation, phase shift, and dielectric properties of a layer of material. Moisture content is determined independent of bulk density from the dielectric properties with a permittivity-based algorithm.
Accuracy of AH n equilibrium geometries by single determinant molecular orbital theory

A simple level of ab initio molecular orbital theory with a split-valence shell basis with d-type polarization functions (6–31G*) is used to predict equilibrium geometries for the ground and some low-lying excited states of AHn molecules and cations where A is carbon, nitrogen, oxygen or fluorine. The results are shown to be close to the limit for single determinant wave functions in cases where corresponding computations with more extensive bases are available. Comparison with experimental results also shows good agreement although a systematic underestimation of bond lengths up to 3 per cent is evident. For systems where no experimental data are available, the results provide predictions of equilibrium geometry.
Research Needed to Strengthen Science and Programs for the Control of Iron Deficiency and Its Consequences in Young Children

The purpose of this article is to highlight critical research needs for the effective prevention and control of iron deficiency and its consequences in children living in low-income countries. Four types of research are highlighted: The first involves scaling up interventions that we know are effective, namely iron supplementation of pregnant women, delayed cord clamping at delivery, immediate and exclusive breast-feeding, and continued exclusive breast-feeding for approximately 6 mo. The second entails evaluation research of alternative interventions that are likely to work, to find the most cost-effective strategies for a given social, economic, and epidemiological context. This research is especially needed to expand the implementation of appropriate complementary feeding interventions. In this area, research needs to be designed to provide causal evidence, to measure cost-effectiveness, and to measure potential effect modifiers. The third is efficacy research to discover promising practices where we lack proven interventions. Examples include how to detect infants younger than 6 mo who are at high risk of iron deficiency, efficacious and safe interventions for those young high-risk infants, and best protocols for the treatment of severe anemia. The fourth includes basic research to elucidate physiological processes and mechanisms underlying the risks and benefits of supplemental iron for children exposed to infectious diseases, especially malaria. Strategic research in all 4 areas will ensure that interventions to control pediatric iron deficiency are integrated into national programs and global initiatives to make pregnancy safer, reduce newborn deaths, and promote child development, health, and survival.
Diagnosis and treatment of psychogenic parkinsonism

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common movement disorder encountered in movement disorder clinics but psychogenic parkinsonism (PP) is relatively rare. Based on a study of 32 patients, coupled with a comprehensive review of the literature, the diagnosis, clinical phenomenology, epidemiology, natural history, imaging and treatment, this article provides a critical review of PP. In addition to other PD-like symptoms, patients with PP often exhibit abrupt onset, typically in response to a stressful event, followed by a fluctuating course, early disability, bilateral shaking and slowness, non-decremental slowness when performing repetitive movements, voluntary resistance against passive movement without cogwheel rigidity, distractibility, generalised and 'give-way' weakness, stuttering speech, bizarre gait and a variety of behavioural, sexual and other motor and non-motor symptoms. Levodopa related motor complications do not occur even in the setting of chronic, high dose therapy. In some cases, differentiation between PD and PP is very difficult, and in those cases the response to placebo may be helpful. A comprehensive, multidisciplinary assessment of patients with PP, when combined with insight oriented psychotherapy, physiotherapy and treatment of comorbid depression, is often helpful, although the prognosis for this group of disorders remains relatively poor.
Protein Interactome Reveals Converging Molecular Pathways Among Autism Disorders

To uncover shared pathogenic mechanisms among the highly heterogeneous autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), we developed a protein interaction network that identified hundreds of new interactions among proteins encoded by ASD-associated genes. We discovered unexpectedly high connectivity between SHANK and TSC1, previously implicated in syndromic autism, suggesting that common molecular pathways underlie autistic phenotypes in distinct syndromes. ASD patients were more likely to harbor copy number variations that encompass network genes than were control subjects. We also identified, in patients with idiopathic ASD, three de novo lesions (deletions in 16q23.3 and 15q22 and one duplication in Xq28) that involve three network genes (NECAB2, PKM2, and FLNA). The protein interaction network thus provides a framework for identifying causes of idiopathic autism and for understanding molecular pathways that underpin both syndromic and idiopathic ASDs.
Longitudinal assessment of quality of life and lifestyle in newly diagnosed ovarian cancer patients: the roles of surgery and chemotherapy.

Abstract Objectives. To prospectively evaluate quality of life (QoL), use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and diet/exercise changes in ovarian cancer patients during the first 6 months following diagnosis. Methods. Patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer were enrolled pre- or post-operatively and surveyed at 3 and 6 months. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-G), Medical Outcomes Survey (SF-36), and CAM/diet/exercise questionnaires were used. Independent samples t test and repeated measures ANOVA were used. Results. Forty-two patients underwent surgical debulking and staging prior to chemotherapy. Patients completing the initial surveys post-operatively had significantly lower physical FACT-G and SF-36 physical scores compared to patients completing the surveys pre-operatively. In patients completing the baseline survey pre-operatively, there was a decrease in physical scores at 3 months (after surgery and during chemotherapy). There was no change observed at 3 months relative to baseline when patients completed the baseline survey post-operatively. Increases in physical and functional well-being were seen at 6 months relative to 3 months. There were no changes in emotional or social scores over time. CAM use increased over time; main reasons were to improve QoL and relieve symptoms. Alterations in diet and exercise were not seen. Conclusions. These data highlight the need to conduct assessments before and after surgery to identify effects due to surgery and/or chemotherapy. Patients may be using CAM during chemotherapy to deal with symptoms and compensate for decreased QoL. Intervention trials should be implemented to increase QoL following surgery and during adjuvant chemotherapy.
Cross-talk of integrin α3β1 and tissue factor in cell migration

In cancer and angiogenesis, coagulation-independent roles of tissue factor (TF) in cell migration are incompletely understood. Immobilized anti-TF extracellular domain antibodies induce cell spreading, but this phenomenon is epitope specific and is not induced by anti-TF 5G9. Spreading on anti-TF is β1 integrin–dependent, indicating functional interactions of the TF extracellular domain 5G9 epitope (a presumed integrin-binding site) and integrins. Recombinant TF extracellular domain supports adhesion of cells expressing αvβ3 or certain β1 integrin heterodimers (α3β1, α4β1, α5β1, α6β1, α9β1) and adhesion is blocked by specific anti-integrin antibodies or mutations in the integrin ligand-binding site. Although several studies have linked TF to cell migration, we here demonstrate that TF specifically regulates α3β1-dependent migration on laminin 5. Expression of TF suppresses α3β1-dependent migration, but only when the TF cytoplasmic domain is not phosphorylated. Suppression of migration can be reversed by 5G9, presumably by disrupting integrin interaction, or by the protease ligand VIIa, known to induce PAR-2–dependent phosphorylation of TF. In both cases, release of α3β1 inhibition is prevented by mutation of critical phosphorylation sites in the TF cytoplasmic domain. Thus, TF influences integrin-mediated migration through cooperative intra- and extracellular interactions and phosphorylation regulates TF's function in cell motility.
Catalytic etching of platinum in NH3 oxidation

Abstract The etching which occurs when platinum is heated in NH3-air mixtures has been studied by exposing high purity wires to gases at different compositions and temperatures. Scanning electron microscopy indicates that etching is much more extensive and rapid in mixtures than in either pure O2 or pure NH3. Depending on the composition and temperature, etching produces either flat facets, curved surfaces, pitting, or a combination of several modes. A “phase diagram” for catalytic etching is constructed from micrographs of ~80 specimens. The structures are similar to those observed when metals are heated in oxygen, but they develop in much shorter times and at lower temperatures. Crystallographic variations in surface tension and volatile oxide formation appear to be inadequate to explain these observations. A mechanism for catalytic etching which includes effects of both the surface reaction and the gas-phase boundary layer is proposed. Volatile oxide transport could be the transport mechanism under O2-rich operation but surface diffusion is probably dominant in the NH3-rich regime. Pit formation appears to be associated with preferential attack at line defects for certain temperatures and compositions.
Analysis of the effect of using two different strain rates on the acoustic emission in bone

To study the effect of strain rate on the acoustic emission amplitude signature of bone, bovine cortical bone was milled into standard tensile specimens which were tested at two different strain rates while being monitored with acoustic emission equipment. It was demonstrated that the amplitude distribution of the acoustic events in bone is dependent on strain rate. Greater numbers of events occurred with the slower strain rate (0.0001 s-1), but these events were of lower amplitude than those emitted during the more rapid strain rate (0.01 s-1). The plot of the cumulative event amplitude distribution followed the power-law model, and the slope of this output, the b-value, represented a signature of the amplitude distribution. The mechanical test results were consistent with the behavior of a viscoelastic multi-phase composite material.
Fast food for family meals: relationships with parent and adolescent food intake, home food availability and weight status.

Objective The purpose of the present study was to examine the prevalence of fast-food purchases for family meals and the associations with sociodemographic variables, dietary intake, home food environment, and weight status in adolescents and their parents. Design This study is a cross-sectional evaluation of parent interviews and adolescent surveys from Project EAT (Eating Among Teens). Subjects Subjects included 902 middle-school and high-school adolescents (53% female, 47% male) and their parents (89% female, 11% male). The adolescent population was ethnically diverse: 29% white, 24% black, 21% Asian American, 14% Hispanic and 12% other. Results Results showed that parents who reported purchasing fast food for family meals at least 3 times per week were significantly more likely than parents who reported purchasing fewer fast-food family meals to report the availability of soda pop and chips in the home. Adolescents in homes with fewer than 3 fast-food family meals per week were significantly more likely than adolescents in homes with more fast-food family meals to report having vegetables and milk served with meals at home. Fast-food purchases for family meals were positively associated with the intake of fast foods and salty snack foods for both parents and adolescents; and weight status among parents. Fast-food purchases for family meals were negatively associated with parental vegetable intake. Conclusions Fast-food purchases may be helpful for busy families, but families need to be educated on the effects of fast food for family meals and how to choose healthier, convenient family meals.
The Impact of Retail Work Experience, Career Expectation, and Job Satisfaction on Retail Career Intention:

The purpose of our study was to examine the impact of retail work experience, career expectation, and job satisfaction on college students' intention to pursue retail careers. The 470 students who completed self-administered questionnaires were enrolled in academic programs with a merchandising focus. Using multiple regression analyses to test the hypothesized relationships, work experience and job satisfaction were significantly related to career intention. Emotional satisfaction was the most robust determinant of students' career intention. However, students' expectation concerning opportunity and success also were predictors of career intention. Understanding these relationships is beneficial for educators as they prepare students for retail careers.
Continuous Random Variables

We mentioned in Chapter 4 that discrete random variables serve as good examples to develop probabilistic intuition, but they do not account for all the random variables that one studies in theory and applications. In this chapter, we introduce the so-called continuous random variables, which typically take all values in some nonempty interval; e.g., the unit interval, the entire real line, etc. The right probabilistic paradigm for continuous variables cannot be pmfs. Discrete probability, which is based on summing things, is replaced by integration when we deal with continuous random variables and, instead of pmfs, we operate with a density function for the variable The density function fully describes the distribution, and calculus occupies the place of discrete operations, such as sums, when we come to continuous random variables. The basic concepts and examples that illustrate how to do the basic calculations are discussed in this chapter. Distinguished continuous distributions that arise frequently in applications will be treated separately in later chapters.
Recovery of Sublethally Injured Bacteria Using Selective Agar Overlays

Isolation of bacteria from mixed environmental or clinical samples typically necessitates the use of one or more selective and differential media. Selective media may be either agaror broth-based bacteriological media that support the growth of only certain groups of bacteria. One or several components in the selective medium actively exclude or inhibit growth from undesired microorganisms, while allowing growth from a subgroup of microbes in a mixed sample (the latter of which tolerate the selective components of the medium). Differential media are those containing an indicator system of some sort that allows the researcher to distinguish between two or more microorganisms that differ in their physiological characteristics. For example, some bacteria readily ferment the sugar sucrose, while others do not. Since acid products of fermentation decrease the pH in/on the medium, a pH indicator tied to an obvious color change easily allows the researcher to visually determine biochemical characteristics of the microorganisms in question. The same approach may be employed in detecting alkaline products of bacterial metabolism, or certain enzymes. Frequently, media are both selective and differential. In many cases, bacteria in a sample have been subjected to multiple types of physical or chemical stresses that preclude their immediate growth in the midst of selective agents. Food pathogens, for example, may receive sublethal heat, acid, cold, or osmotic shock during the course of various processing treatments. Listeria monocy-
Atmospheric Carbon Reduction by Urban Trees

Trees, because they sequester atmospheric carbon through their growth process and conserve energy in urban areas, have been suggested as one means to combat increasing levels of atmospheric carbon. Analysis of the urban forest in Oakland, California (21 % tree cover), reveals a tree carbon storage level of 11.0 metric tonslhectare. Trees in the area of the 1991 fire in Oakland stored approximately 14 500 metric tons of carbon, 10% of the total amount stored by Oakland's urban forest. National urban forest carbon storage in the United States (28% tree cover) is estimated at between 350 and 750 million metric tons. Establishment of 10 million urban trees annually over the next 10 years is estimated to sequester and offset the production of 363 million metric tons of carbon over the next 50 years-less than I % of the estimated carbon emissions in the United States over the same time period. Advantages and limitations of managing urban trees to reduce atmospheric carbon are discussed.
Development of the Adult PedsQL™ Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Module: Initial Feasibility, Reliability and Validity

Background: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common autosomal dominant genetic disorder with significant impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Research in understanding the pathogenetic mechanisms of neurofibroma development has led to the use of new clinical trials for the treatment of NF1. One of the most important outcomes of a trial is improvement in quality of life, however, no condition specific HRQOL instrument for NF1 exists. The objective of this study was to develop an NF1 HRQOL instrument as a module of PedsQL™ and to test for its initial feasibility, internal consistency reliability and validity in adults with NF1. Methods: The NF1 specific HRQOL instrument was developed using a standard method of PedsQL™ module development – literature review, focus group/semi-structured interviews, cognitive interviews and experts’ review of initial draft, pilot testing and field testing. Field testing involved 134 adults with NF1. Feasibility was measured by the percentage of missing responses, internal consistency reliability was measured with Cronbach’s alpha and validity was measured by the known-groups method. Results: Feasibility, measured by the percentage of missing responses was 4.8% for all subscales on the adult version of the NF1-specific instrument. Internal consistency reliability for the Total Score (alpha =0.97) and subscale reliabilities ranging from 0.72 to 0.96 were acceptable for group comparisons. The PedsQL™ NF1 module distinguished between NF1 adults with excellent to very good, good, and fair to poor health status. Conclusions: The results demonstrate the initial feasibility, reliability and validity of the PedsQL™ NF1 module in adult patients. The PedsQL™ NF1 Module can be used to understand the multidimensional nature of NF1 on the HRQOL patients with this disorder.
The History of Time in Colonial Latin America

Historians, like many academics, are increasingly specialized in their topics, research questions, and methods. While some defend this as a healthy development, the natural byproduct of a vigorous community of experts engaged in pure research, many both inside and outside the academy consider it more of a pathology, a symptom of a balkanized discipline whose practitioners find it difficult to exchange ideas across the boundaries of their various subfields. In this context, the history of time might seem like another tiny piece in the mosaic of historiographical hyper-specialization. I want to propose, however, that time history could in fact play a useful role as a bridge between communities of historians, since the history of time is found in various subfields, draws eclectically on different historical methods, and prompts interesting comparative questions. This article reviews works on colonial Latin America that include elements of time history, paying special attention to their methodology.
Survival function estimates for champions tour golfers.

In this article, the authors present survival function estimates for elite professional golfers who have participated on the Champions professional golf tour. Kaplan–Meier survivor function estimates for these golfers show median survival of 89 years and mean life expectancy of 85 years. The authors find comparable results for winners of the U. S. Professional Golf Association (PGA) Senior Open championship, which is also restricted to players 50 years of age and over. Champions tour golfer life expectancies are high in comparison to the general male population of the United States and at the high end of the life expectancy advantages estimated for other elite athletes.
An initial validation of the Virtual Reality Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test in a college sample

Abstract Background Numerous studies have demonstrated that the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) has utility for the detection of cognitive processing deficits. While the PASAT has demonstrated high levels of internal consistency and test–retest reliability, administration of the PASAT has been known to create undue anxiety and frustration in participants. As a result, degradation of performance may be found on the PASAT. The difficult nature of the PASAT may subsequently decrease the probability of their return for follow up testing. New method This study is a preliminary attempt at assessing the potential of a PASAT embedded in a virtual reality environment. The Virtual Reality PASAT (VR-PASAT) was compared with a paper-and-pencil version of the PASAT as well as other standardized neuropsychological measures. The two modalities of the PASAT were conducted with a sample of 50 healthy university students, between the ages of 19 and 34 years. Equivalent distributions were found for age, gender, education, and computer familiarity. Results Moderate relationships were found between VR-PASAT and other putative attentional processing measures. The VR-PASAT was unrelated to indices of learning, memory, or visuospatial processing. Comparison with existing method(s) Comparison of the VR-PASAT with the traditional paper-and-pencil PASAT indicated that both versions require the examinee to sustain attention at an increasingly demanding, externally determined rate. Conclusions Results offer preliminary support for the construct validity (in a college sample) of the VR-PASAT as an attentional processing measure and suggest that this task may provide some unique information not tapped by traditional attentional processing tasks.
Fetal Exposure to Cocaine Causes Programming of Prkce Gene Repression in the Left Ventricle of Adult Rat Offspring

Previous studies demonstrated that maternal cocaine administration caused a significant decrease in protein kinase C epsilon (PRKCE) abundance in the left ventricle and an increase in susceptibility of the heart to ischemic injury in adult male offspring. The present study tested the hypothesis that epigenetic modification has a key role in cocaine-mediated programming of cardiac Prkce gene repression. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were administered saline or cocaine (30 mg/kg/day i.p.) from Days 15 to 21 of gestational age, and hearts of 3-mo-old adult offspring were studied. Cocaine exposure significantly decreased Prkce mRNA levels in the left ventricle of male but not female offspring. CpG dinucleotides identified in Bhlhb2, Pparg, E2f, and Egr1 binding sites at the Prkce gene promoter were densely methylated in males and females and were unaffected by cocaine exposure. In contrast, methylation of CpGs in the two Sp1 binding sites (−346 and −268) was low and was significantly increased by cocaine exposure in male offspring. In females, methylation of the Sp1 binding site at −268 but not −346 was increased. Reporter gene assays showed that both Sp1 binding sites had a strong stimulatory role in Prkce gene activity. Methylation of the Sp1 binding sites significantly decreased SP1 binding to the Prkce promoter. Cocaine exposure did not affect nuclear SP1 protein levels but decreased the SP1 binding affinity to its binding site at −268. The results demonstrate an epigenetic mechanism of DNA methylation in programming of cardiac Prkce gene repression, linking fetal cocaine exposure and pathophysiological consequences in the heart of adult male offspring in a gender-dependent manner.
Gait selection and the ontogeny of quadrupedal walking in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis)

Locomotor researchers have long known that adult primates employ a unique footfall sequence during walking. Most mammals use lateral sequence (LS) gaits, in which hind foot touchdowns are followed by ipsilateral forefoot touchdowns. In contrast, most quadrupedal primates use diagonal sequence (DS) gaits, in which hind foot touchdowns are followed by contralat- eral forefoot touchdowns. However, gait selection in immature primates is more variable, with infants and juveniles frequently using LS gaits either exclusively or in addition to DS gaits. I explored the developmental bases for this phenomenon by examining the ontogeny of gait selection in juvenile squirrel monkeys walking on flat and simulated arboreal substrates (i.e., a raised pole). Although DS gaits predominated throughout de- velopment, the juvenile squirrel monkeys nonetheless utilized LS gaits in one-third of the ground strides and in one-sixth of pole strides. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that gait selection within the juvenile squirrel monkey sample was not significantly associated with either age or body mass per se, arguing against the oft-cited argument that general neuromuscular matura- tion is responsible for ontogenetic changes in preferred footfall sequence. Rather, lower level biomechanical vari- ables, specifically the position of the whole-body center of mass and the potential for interference between ipsi- lateral fore and hindlimbs, best explained variation in footfall patterns. Overall, results demonstrate the prom- ise of developmental studies of growth and locomotor de- velopment to serve as ''natural laboratories'' in which to explore how variability in morphology is, or is not, asso- ciated with variability in locomotor behavior. Am J Phys Anthropol 000:000-000, 2012. V C 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A low-noise FBAR-CMOS frequency/phase discriminator for phase noise measurement and cancellation

A sensitive low-noise frequency/phase discriminator and its applications in phase noise measurement and phase noise cancellation are presented. The discriminator uses a high quality factor thin Film Bulk Acoustic Resonator (FBAR) in a notch filter configuration with common-mode traps to reduce the low-frequency noise up-conversion. The performance of the notch filter, the discriminator transfer function, output noise, and phase noise floor are measured and compared with simulations. A feed-back feed-forward phase noise cancellation scheme is proposed based on the frequency/phase discriminator. Two chips were fabricated in 0.13 μm CMOS technology integrating the discriminator and the phase noise cancellation schemes, respectively. The 1.5 GHz discriminator shows phase noise floor of -128 dBc/Hz at 20 kHz,-142 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz, -162 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz and-166 dBc/Hz at 4 MHz, while consuming 26 mW of power. The measured phase noise of the feedback cancellation circuitry reaches the phase noise floor of the discriminator, verifying the proposed concepts.
Applications of the universal joint task list to joint exercise results

The foundation of readiness is training. The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) Joint Training Program institutes methods for identifying training requirements through review of the Commander-in-Chief’s (CINC) missions and the compilation of Joint Mission Essential Task Lists. The Universal Joint Task List comprehensively outlines these joint essential tasks, providing a summary of CINC missions, joint tasks, and corresponding supporting and enabling tasks. Computer aided exercises (CAXs) are tools available for monitoring and training a staff in these tasks. CAXs are an essential part of staff training, although one of their major weaknesses is their inability to accurately measure the level of training received by the players. This paper develops an exercise analysis methodology for evaluating critical event causal audit trails. Specific objectives are to determine quantifiable measures of effectiveness designed to work with data manipulated by computer simulations and to test MOEs using the Joint Theater Level Simulation (JTLS). This includes the development of post-exercise analysis techniques for wargame data. This paper provides a methodology for extracting appropriate data from a CAX to develop causal audit trails for critical events. The results of a CAX will then be more available for trend analysis and feedback.
Architectural Distortion on Mammography: Correlation With Pathologic Outcomes and Predictors of Malignancy.

OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to determine the risk of malignancy associated with architectural distortion and to evaluate the imaging and clinical features that may contribute to the prediction of malignancy in the setting of architectural distortion. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We performed a retrospective review of architectural distortion cases from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2013. Imaging findings and pathology outcomes were reviewed. RESULTS. Over the 10-year study period, architectural distortion that was considered to be suspicious for or highly suggestive of malignancy was present in 435 of 231,051 (0.2%) mammographic examinations. Cases were excluded if the main finding described was a mass with an associated feature of architectural distortion (n = 62) or if no pathology results were available (n = 4). Two hundred seventy-five cases of invasive adenocarcinoma or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) were identified; the positive predictive value (PPV) was therefore 74.5% (275/369). DCIS ...
Salvage total laryngectomy after external-beam radiotherapy: A 20-year experience.

Background The purpose of this study was to present our evaluation of the clinical and functional outcomes after salvage total laryngectomy (STL). Methods We conducted a retrospective review of 218 patients who underwent STL between 1994 and 2014. Results Seventy percent of patients originally had T1 or T2, N0 tumors and 73% had definitive external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) alone. A majority utilized tracheoesophageal prosthesis (77%) and were gastrostomy free (80%) at last follow-up. The 5-year disease control and overall survival (OS) rates were 65% and 57%, respectively. Patients with a disease-free interval after initial treatment 5-year disease-free interval and 60% for <2-year disease-free interval. Conclusion Most patients remain disease-free after STL, achieve intelligible tracheoesophageal speech, and maintain an oral diet. Delayed recurrence after initial treatment portends better survival and may indicate a distinct biological profile. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E1962–E1968, 2016
Effect of Metal in M3(btc)2 and M2(dobdc) MOFs for O2/N2 Separations: A Combined Density Functional Theory and Experimental Study

Computational screening of metal–organic framework (MOF) materials for selective oxygen adsorption from air is used to identify new sorbents for oxyfuel combustion process feedstock streams. A comprehensive study on the effect of MOF metal chemistry on gas binding energies in two common but structurally disparate MOFs has been undertaken. Dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT) methods were used to calculate the oxygen and nitrogen binding energies with each of 14 metals, respectively, substituted into two MOF series, M2(dobdc) and M3(btc)2. The accuracy of DFT methods was validated by comparing trends in binding energy with experimental gas sorption measurements. A periodic trend in oxygen binding energies was found, with greater oxygen binding energies for early transition-metal-substituted MOFs compared to late transition metal MOFs; this was independent of MOF structural type. The larger binding energies were associated with oxygen binding in a side-on configuration to the metal, with con...