cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Navigating the Internship Application Process

For many, anxiety regarding the internship application process begins shortly after the excitement of graduate school acceptance subsides. The predoctoral internship is a curriculum requirement in all accredited doctoral programs in psychology, typically occurring during the final or penultimate year of doctoral training. It is not uncommon for students just beginning their graduate education already to feel inundated with information regarding internship opportunities, strategies for improving one’s potential for securing a desired placement, and even tales of distress regarding the application procedure itself. Indeed, although an arduous, time-consuming, and occasionally stressful process, the internship application procedure offers many an opportunity to contemplate and organize their career goals, establish a professional identity beyond the walls of their doctoral program, and develop important networking relationships that will last years after internship training has ended. This chapter will review some important facts, strategies, and suggestions to minimize anxiety and maximize success throughout the application process (see also Williams-Nickelson, Prinstein, & Keilin, 2012).
Covalent Linkage Between Ribonucleic Acid Primer and Deoxyribonucleic Acid Product of the Avian Myeloblastosis Virus Deoxyribonucleic Acid Polymerase

Initiation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis by the avian myeloblastosis virus DNA polymerase was previously suggested to involve a ribonucleic acid (RNA) primer, the initial product being a DNA molecule joined by a phosphodiester bond to the RNA primer. The existence and nature of such an RNA-DNA joint was investigated by assaying for transfer of a 32P atom from an {alpha}-32P-deoxyribonucleotide to a 2'(3')-ribonucleotide after alkaline hydrolysis of the polymerase product. Such a transfer was observed, but only from {alpha}-32P-deoxyadenosine triphosphate and only to 2'(3')-adenosine monophosphate. This same transfer was observed in both the endogenous DNA polymerase reaction of purified virions and the reconstructed reaction of purified DNA polymerase plus purified 60 to 70S viral RNA. These results indicate a high level of specificity for the initiation process and support the idea of a low-molecular-weight initiator RNA as part of the 60 to 70S RNA complex.
Efficacy of Monitoring the Sensory Taste Characteristics in Pomegranate Juice with Electronic Tongue and Chemical Measurements

Taste is imperative in pomegranate juice and is influenced by many production and processing factors. Measuring sweetness, sourness, bitterness, astringency and toothetch without a sensory panel makes economic sense. This investigation compares descriptive sensory evaluation (DSE) with physical methods. Brix degree (Brix), titratable acidity (TA), pH, methyl cellulose precipitable tannin assay (MCPTA) and electronic tongue (e-tongue) techniques were measured in six commercial juices. The MCPTA correlated with astringent (r = 0.57, Pr = 0.01) and bitter (r = 0.58, Pr = 0.01), while pH negatively correlated with sour (r = −0.53, Pr = 0.02). DSE and physical measurements sufficiently differentiated brands. DSE could differentiate between five of the six brands. TA, Brix, pH and MCPTA tests differentiated between all six juice brands. The e-tongue resulted in large differences within four of the brand as well as between brands. Evaluation of these methods by diluting one juice brand facilitated distinguishing how the methods work on the same compounds at declining concentrations. Practical Applications This study compares pomegranate juice chemical measures (Brix, pH, TA, MCPTA) with actual sensory taste and mouth feeling characteristics as well as introduces the e-tongue as an application to monitor quality in processed pomegranate juice. The MCPTA assay reasonably correlated with astringency and can be utilized for estimating pomegranate juice astringency in place of sensory evaluation. The information reported is useful for testing juices in research settings and in monitoring juice production for quality assurance purposes.
The failure of neuronal protective agents versus the success of thrombolysis in the treatment of ischemic stroke: The predictive value of animal models

Abstract: Agents claimed to be neuroprotective in animal stroke models have all failed in human trials. Thrombolysis has been reported as beneficial in animal and human stroke. We explore the reasons for this disparity, using a review of published results of agents tested both in animal stroke models and in human stroke trials. In animals the effect of neuroprotective agents and of thrombolytic agents on infarct size is time-dependent: early initiation of treatment works best; and benefit is progressively—and eventually totally—lost with increasing delay of time of first treatment. The animal data also show that, overall, the beneficial effects of the neuroprotective agents are weaker, and are totally lost sooner, than those of thrombolytics. The human data show that the failed trials of the neuroprotective agents had entry windows that went far beyond the windows of (any) success seen in tests of these agents in animals. By contrast, human thrombolysis trials uniformly restricted time of entry to windows in which these agents have shown beneficial effect in animals. In clinical stroke trials, neuroprotective agents failed to produce benefit because their effects at best are too weak, and they were used at times predictable from the animal models as too late. Thrombolytic therapy, which has a stronger effect than neuroprotective agents in animal models, was used clinically during the early window of optimal effectiveness, and produced beneficial results. “Too little/too late” is the recipe for failure in the treatment of ischemic stroke.
Fiscal Challenges: Counting the Ways: The Structure of Federal Spending

Public discussion of federal fiscal policy typically focuses on several familiar metrics of performance, including the total deficit, the level of public debt and percentage of federal spending committed to mandatory spending and net interest payments. While useful, these measures are based on accounting conventions developed years ago, and do not capture many of the ways in which the federal government now commits public resources, including obligated budget authority, guarantees associated with various government insurance programs, retirement benefits for federal workers and military personnel, and - most substantially - federal social insurance programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Collectively these programs and activities represent substantial and largely overlooked current commitments of future federal resources. After reviewing current measures of fiscal performance, the article presents several alternative ways to quantify federal financial performance over the first half of this decade utilizing more comprehensive measures of mounting federal financial obligations. So, for example, while the commonly reported total deficit of the federal government in FY2005 was $318 billion, a more comprehensive measure of fiscal results over the course of the same year would have shown a deterioration in the country's net financial position in excess of $3.3 trillion - that is, an order of magnitude larger. To promote more informed debate and encourage more responsible public leadership, the more comprehensive measures of fiscal performance described in this article should be adopted as the primary metrics for reporting the financial performance of the federal government. (US, Canada).
Decentralized Formation Control Part I: Geometric Aspects

In this paper, we develop new methods for the analysis of decentralized control systems and we apply them to formation control problems. The basic set-up consists of a system with multiple agents corresponding to the nodes of a graph whose edges encode the information that is available to the agents. We address the question of whether the information flow defined by the graph is sufficient for the agents to accomplish a given task. Formation control is concerned with problems in which agents are required to stabilize at a given distance from other agents. In this context, the graph of a formation encodes both the information flow and the distance constraints, by fixing the lengths of the edges. A formation is said to be rigid if it cannot be continuously deformed with the distance constraints satisfied; a formation is minimally rigid if no distance constraint can be omitted without the formation losing its rigidity. Hence, the graph underlying minimally rigid formation provides just enough constraints to yield a rigid formation. An open question we will settle is whether the information flow afforded by a minimally rigid graph is sufficient to insure global stability. We show that the answer is negative in the case of directed information flow. In this first part, we establish basic properties of formation control in the plane. Formations and the associated control problems are defined modulo rigid transformations. This fact has strong implications on the geometry of the space of formations and on the feedback laws, since they need to respect this invariance. We study both aspects here. We show that the space of frameworks of n agents is CP(n-2) x (0,\infty). We then illustrate how the non-trivial topology of this space relates to the parametrization of the formation by inter-agent distances.
Reinterpreting al-Buhturī's Īwān Kisrā Ode: Tears of Affection for the Cycles of History

Scholars have conventionally interpreted the Iwan Kisra Ode as an anti-imperial ode critical of the Abbasids in a time of decline evinced by the murder of the Caliph al-Mutawakkil and the emerging power of the Turkic guards at Samarra. This article re-examines al-Buhturi's own motives to demonstrate that an anti-imperial ode would be anathema to his interests and posits an alternative interpretation. The analysis is based on extensive Abbasid lore and a close reading of the ode. It suggests that the ode had the effect of redeeming the Abbasids in order to avoid civil strife in a time of danger.
Specifying subtypes in SCJ programs

Modular reasoning about programs that use subtypes requires that an overriding method in a subtype obeys the specifications of all methods that it overrides. For example, if method m is specified in a supertype T to take at most 42 nanoseconds to execute, then m cannot take more than 42 nanoseconds to execute in any subtype of T. Subtyping is an important aid to maintenance of programs, since it allows one to write polymorphic code (reducing code size and increasing reuse), and allows for convenient extension and enhancement of programs, all of which could be very useful in real-time programming. In this paper we show how to specify timing constraints for subtypes in a way that: permits modular reasoning about timing constraints, supports subtype polymorphism and object-oriented design patterns, and still permits precise reasoning about execution times. This technique supports object-oriented coding and design patterns based on subtype polymorphism, with all their maintenance advantages, to be used in real-time software.
Foreign direct investment and innovation in China's e-commerce sector

Abstract By comparing the business practices and performance of foreign-invested and local Internet companies in China, this article outlines the important factors that multinational corporations must address to gain competitive advantages in China's e-commerce sector. Specifically, this research compares EachNet (eBay) with Taobao in the consumer-to-consumer market; eLong (Expedia) with Ctrip and Joyo (Amazon) with Dangdang in the business-to-consumer market; and the online search engines Google China and Baidu. The author underscores the importance of local knowledge for firm performance and success. Foreign firms must improve their understanding of and ability to adapt to local cultural, social, economic, and political environments.
Dual-tracer fluorescence thermometry measurements in a heated channel

The exponential growth of component density in microelectronics has renewed interest in compact and high heat flux thermal management technologies that can handle local heat fluxes exceeding 1 kW/cm2. Accurate and spatially resolved thermometry techniques that can measure liquid-phase temperatures without disturbing the coolant flow are important in developing new heat exchangers employing forced-liquid and evaporative cooling. This paper describes water temperature measurements using dual-tracer fluorescence thermometry (DFT) with fluorescein and sulforhodamine B in laminar Poiseuille flow through polydimethyl siloxane-glass channels heated on one side. The major advantage of using the ratio of the signals from these two fluorophores is their temperature sensitivity of 4.0–12% per °C—a significant improvement over previous DFT studies at these spatial resolutions. For an in-plane spatial resolution of 30 μm, the average experimental uncertainties in the temperature data are estimated to be 0.3°C.
The effect of photoperiod on larval culture performance of two marine finfish species

Abstract Light can have significant impacts on larval growth and survival of many marine fish species. Here, we study the effect of photoperiod on larvae from captive populations of two marine finfish species, California yellowtail (CYT; Seriola lalandi) and white seabass (WSB; Atractoscion nobilis). Two photoperiod treatments were tested: 12 h light and 12 h dark (12-L), and 24 h light and 0 h dark (24-L). CYT larvae were significantly heavier (240 ± 16 μg dry weight) in the 24-L treatment group than the 12-L group (155 ± 25 μg dry weight) at 10 dph. Similarly, WSB were significantly heavier (685 ± 77 μg dry weight) in the 24-L treatment group than the 12-L group (455 ± 44 μg dry weight) at 18 dph. CYT larvae also had significantly greater survival (16.6 ± 6.2%) in the 24-L treatment over the 12-L conditions (7.6 ± 4.9%). In contrast, WSB larvae showed no significant difference in survival between treatments. Food consumption was significantly greater in the 24-L treatment for both species up until 6 dph, after which time no difference was observed. Swim bladder inflation rates were not significantly affected by the photoperiod treatments. These results indicate that photoperiod is a significant factor in early larval performance for both CYT and WSB, although it is unknown if continuous light becomes detrimental as larvae develop.
A Three-State Nanofluidic Field Effect Switch

We report a three-state nanofluidic field effect switch in an asymmetrically gated device with a forward (positive), off (zero), and a reverse (negative) current state for tunable control of ionic transport by systematically controlling the gate potential. The embedded gate electrode allows for modulation of the ionic current through the 16 nm deep channels as a function of electrolyte concentration and gate electrode location for a fixed streamwise potential.
Nano-Technology, Ethics, and Risks

Nanotechnology is developing far faster than our understanding of its effects. This lapping of our understanding by speedy development is typical of new technologies, and in the United States we let development occur, introducing new artifacts into the world, without any serious attempt to understand beforehand their effects, long-term or short-term. We have been willing to pay the price of pushing the technological envelope, but pushing the nanotechnological envelope has some special risks, requiring more caution.
Localization of tumor necrosis factor-stimulated DNA synthesis in the liver.

Tumor necrosis factor and other cytokines mediate the body's response to infection and inflammation. Long-term administration of tumor necrosis factor causes liver hypertrophy, and our laboratory has shown that tumor necrosis factor acutely increases hepatic DNA synthesis. The purpose of this study was to determine which specific cell types in the liver undergo DNA synthesis in response to tumor necrosis factor. Light microscopic autoradiographs of 3H-thymidine incorporation demonstrate that tumor necrosis factor stimulates DNA synthesis in nonparenchymal cells, whereas the low level of DNA synthesis normally found in hepatocytes remains unaffected. Tumor necrosis factor increased labeling in sinusoidal cells that appeared to be Kupffer cells and in cells localized to the portal tracts. With electron microscopy and histochemical staining for endogenous peroxidase, the sinusoidal cells were clearly identified as Kupffer cells. The exact identity of the cells in the portal tract is less certain, but some of the cells shared the characteristics of bile duct precursors. With long-term administration of tumor necrosis factor, a striking proliferation of bile ducts was seen. The functional role of the proliferation of bile ducts in response to tumor necrosis factor is unclear, and it is not known whether the increase is a beneficial or deleterious response. The increased DNA synthesis in Kupffer cells could result in a potentially beneficial response to infection by increasing an animal's ability to phagocytize and clear microorganisms. However, under some circumstances, an expansion of the number of Kupffer cells could be deleterious by increasing an animal's ability to produce tumor necrosis factor and other cytokines that in large quantities can have toxic effects. (HEPATOLOGY 1991;13:773–779.)
Making "Safe": Community-Centered Practices in a Virtual World Dedicated to Children with Autism

The use of online games and virtual worlds is becoming increasingly prominent, particularly in children and young adults. Parents have concerns about risks their children might encounter in these online spaces. Parents dynamically manage the boundaries between safe and unsafe spaces online through both explicit and implicit means. In this work, we use empirical data gathered from a digital ethnog-raphy of a Minecraft server, Autcraft, to explore how par-ents of children with autism continually create a "safe" virtual world through both implicit and explicit means. In par-ticular, we demonstrate how their actions in these spaces define and produce "safety," shedding light on our theoreti-cal understanding of child safety in online spaces.
An aging un-American.

Medical language struggles to differentiate aging from disease, healthy aging from unhealthy aging, and optional aging from obligatory aging. Dr. Kate Scannell writes that accepting the reality of aging may be uniquely problematic in the United States, because aging is so downright un-American.
Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome-Associated Burkitt Lymphoma After Combination Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV-Infected Patients

HIV/AIDS-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is defined as a paradoxical worsening or unmasking of infections and autoimmune diseases, following initiation of combination anti-retroviral therapy (cART). More recently, the case definition of IRIS has been broadened to include certain malignancies including Kaposi’s sarcoma, and less frequently Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Here in we describe 3 patients infected with HIV who began cART and within a median of 15 weeks each achieved non-detectable HIV viral loads, and yet within 6 months presented for medical attention with fevers, night sweats, weight loss and bulky lymphadenopathy. Laboratory studies included elevated lactate dehydrogenase and β-2 microglobulin levels and well preserved CD4+ lymphocyte counts in excess of 350 cells/µL. In each patient lymph node biopsies were diagnostic of Burkitt lymphoma (BL). Patients were managed with multi-agent chemotherapy in conjunction with cART. We also survey the medical literature of other cases of IRIS-associated BL. Although the pathogenesis of IRIS-associated BL is not well elucidated, chronic antigenic stimulation coupled with immune deterioration, followed by subsequent restoration of the immune response and aberrant cytokine expression may be a pathway to lymphomagenesis. IRIS-associated BL should be suspected in patients with normal or near normal CD4+ lymphocyte counts who develop progressive lymphadenopathy post-initiation of cART.
Computer Simulation Comparisons Of Speckle Image Reconstruction Techniques

Two phase retrieval methods are tested with two-dimensional simulated noisy speckle image data: a simple phase unwrapping algorithm and a Knox-Thompson algorithm. These are used in combination with the blind deconvolution and the Welter-Worden autocorrelation seeing correction methods. The final images are retouched with the iterative Fienup method.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Developing your idea for a research project.

People may find themselves in school with a requirement to develop a research proposal or even to conduct a study. Others, for example, military officers, may be required to conduct research as they seek promotion through the ranks. These people are often at a loss about even how to begin. There are numerous strategies for identifying research problems of interest. First, identify the problems or issues that come up repeatedly in your practice area. What are the unsolved problems that take considerable staff time? What client/ family or institutional issues often give rise to frustration among the staff? What processes of care could be done better? What nursing practices or protocols are under review in your institution for revision? Any of these ideas could give rise to various types of studies. A survey or qualitative study could be designed to identify and better understand issues, or to explore how clients, families, or staff perceive them. A quasiexperimental or experimental study could be designed to compare the usual way of doing something with a new, improved way. An outcomes study could be designed to assess the impact of a policy or protocol change, or to test a clinical pathway. Such a study might be based on findings of the quality assurance staff. Perhaps in your institution there is a debate about resource allocation or shifting lines of authority, which may directly affect the way your unit cares for patients. Perhaps a study could be designed that will bolster your ability to advocate effectively on behalf of your clients and colleagues. I often suggest that people interested in identifying a research topic keep a pocket notebook in which they jot down their ideas as they arise. Nurses are often amazed at the long list of ideas that they quickly generate. Another fruitful approach is to consider what research the current literature in your area of clinical practice or expertise suggests. Most published research will include mention of further questions for study that have been raised. State-of-the-science review articles are extremely useful in identifying what is known about a given clinical topic as well as where the knowledge gaps or uncertainties lay. In addition, many clinical articles identify issues about which little is known, or about which the available information is contradictory or inconclusive.
A Non-intrusive Multi-tenant Database Software for Large Scale SaaS Application

Multi-tenant is a key characteristic for cost effective Software as a Service (SaaS) applications which drive down total cost of ownership for both service consumers and providers. This paper describes our research in designing & building a cost-effective, secure, customizable, scalable and non-intrusive multi-tenant database which greatly accelerates the migration and development of SaaS applications. We analyze the requirements and gaps in traditional database when supporting SaaS scenario, and then propose a novel nonintrusive multi-tenant database framework to address these challenges. Some key considerations and different implementation approaches in designing and implementation such a framework are discussed and compared. This paper also identifies some potential database performance optimization approaches in the multi-tenant scenario.
High-throughput IP-lookup supporting dynamic routing tables using FPGA

Advances in optical networking technology are pushing internet link rates up to 100 Gbps. Such line rates demand a throughput of over 150 million packets per second at core routers. Along with the increase in link speed, the size of the dynamic routing table of these core routers is also increasing at the rate of 25–50K additional prefixes per year. These dynamic tables require high prefix deletion and insertion rates. Therefore, rapid prefix update without disrupting router operation has also emerged as a critical requirement. Furthermore, IPv6 standard extends the current IPv4 prefix length from 32 to 128 bits. Thus, it is a major challenge to scale the existing solutions to simultaneously support increased throughput, table size, prefix length and rapid update. While the existing solutions can achieve high throughput, they cannot support large routing tables and rapid update at the same time. We propose a novel scalable, high-throughput linear pipeline architecture for IP-lookup that supports large routing tables and single-cycle non-blocking update. Using a state-of-the-art Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) along with external SRAM, the proposed architecture can support over 2M prefixes. Our implementation shows a throughput of 348 millions lookups per second, even when external SRAM is used.
Neutralization of cardiac toxins oleandrin, oleandrigenin, bufalin, and cinobufotalin by digibind: Monitoring the effect by measuring free digitoxin concentrations

Abstract Oleandrin plant poisoning is common in children and the plant extract is used in Chinese medicines. The toxicity is due to oleandrin and the deglycosylated metabolite oleandrigenin. Bufalin and cinobufotalin (toad cardiac toxins) are also widely used in Chinese medicines like Chan SU, and Lu-Shen -WU. Severe toxicity from bufalin after consumption of toad soup has been reported. Taking advantage of structural similarities of these toxins with digitoxin, we demonstrated that these compounds can be rapidly detected in blood by the fluorescence polarization immunoassay for digitoxin. The cross reactivities of these compounds with digoxin assay were much lower. For example, when a drug free serum was supplemented with 10 μg/ml of oleandrin, we observed 127.7 ng/ml of digitoxin equivalent but only 2.4 ng/ml of digoxin equivalent concentration. Digibind neutralized all cardiac toxins studied as evidenced by significant fall of free concentrations. When aliquots of serum pool containing 50.0 ug/ml of oleandrin were supplemented with 0, 10.0, 25.0, 50.0, 100, and 200 μg/ml of digibind, the mean free concentrations were 30.6, 23.3, 16.0, 10.7, 7.8 and 5.5 μg/ml respectively. Similarly, with 50.0 μg/ml of oleandrigenin (total concentration: 36.2 ng/ml), the free concentration was 14.5 ng/ml digitoxin equivalent in the absence of digibind and 5.4 ng/ml in the presence of 200 μg/ml of digibind. In another specimen containing 500 ng/ml bufalin (total concentration: 156.9 ng/ml), the free concentration was 8.6 ng/ml in the absence of digibind and none detected in the presence of 100.0 μg/ml digibind. Because such neutralization may also occur in vivo, digibind may be useful in treating patients exposed to these toxins.
Supramolecular Control of Valence-Tautomeric Equilibrium on Nanometer-Scale Gold Clusters

This communication describes the preparation and characterization of a valence tautomer complex covalently attached to gold nanoparticles. Variable-temperature IR spectroscopy is used to determine the equilibrium thermodynamic parameters for the valence tautomerization. These results are compared with a nonsurface combined valence tautomer complex. The results show that surface confinement attenuates both ΔH° and ΔS°. We attribute these changes to a reduced accessible molecular surface area.
Nonsense Mutations in ADTB3A Cause Complete Deficiency of the β3A Subunit of Adaptor Complex-3 and Severe Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome Type 2

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is an autosomal recessive disease consisting of oculocutaneous albinism and a storage pool deficiency resulting from absent platelet dense bodies. The disorder is genetically heterogeneous. The majority of patients, including members of a large genetic isolate in northwest Puerto Rico, have mutations in HPS1. Another gene, ADTB3A, was shown to cause HPS-2 in two brothers having compound heterozygous mutations that allowed for residual production of the gene product, the β3A subunit of adaptor complex-3 (AP-3). This heterotetrameric complex serves as a coat protein–mediating formation of intracellular vesicles, e.g. the melanosome and platelet dense body, from membranes of the trans-Golgi network. We determined the genomic organization of the human ADTB3A gene, with intron/exon boundaries, and describe a third patient with β3A deficiency. This 5-y-old boy has two nonsense mutations, C1578T (R→X) and G2028T (E→X), which produce no ADTB3A mRNA and no β3A protein. The associated μ3 subunit of AP-3 is also entirely absent. In fibroblasts, the cell biologic concomitant of this deficiency is robust and aberrant trafficking through the plasma membrane of LAMP-3, an integral lysosomal membrane protein normally carried directly to the lysosome. The clinical concomitant is a severe, G-CSF–responsive neutropenia in addition to oculocutaneous albinism and platelet storage pool deficiency. Our findings expand the molecular, cellular, and clinical spectrum of HPS-2 and call for an increased index of suspicion for this diagnosis among patients with features of albinism, bleeding, and neutropenia.
Comparison of Seed Bank Estimation Techniques Using Six Weed Species in Two Soil Types

Abstract Evaluation of the viable seeds in a soil, otherwise known as the seed pool or seed bank, is a crucial component of many weed dynamic and plant ecology studies. Seed bank estimation is used to predict the possibility of future weed infestations in rangelands as well as the nascent native plant diversity within them. However, there is no standardized method of reporting seed bank evaluation techniques, limiting the ability to compare across studies. After sowing known quantities of cheatgrass, Bromus tectorum (L.); brome fescue, Vulpia bromoides (L., S.F. Gray); pigweed, Amaranthus retroflexus (L.); kochia, Kochia scoparia (L. Schrad.); lambsquarters, Chenopodium album (L.); and field pepperweed, Lepidium campestre (L. R. Br.) into sterile soil, we compared two different watering regimes in two soil types to Petri plate germination of these seeds. Seed bank estimations from the emergence method were lower compared to estimations from the Petri plate germination. Top-and-bottom watering increased absolute abundance, and the rank order of abundance among species changed with watering method. Emergence levels were the same between the two soil types. The higher water availability of the top-and-bottom watering method resulted in greater seedling emergence (26.3% ± 10% SD vs. 9.1% ± 7.5% SD). Lower emergence compared to germination (62.3% ± 24.4%) may indicate that emergence is an important postgermination barrier to seedling establishment. While emergence techniques may not accurately portray the volume of seeds in the soil, they may more accurately predict which plants can become established in field conditions. Our different species abundances between watering methods show that multiple emergence methods may need to be employed to forecast a range of future rangeland conditions from the soil seed bank.
Historical forest structure and fire in Sierran mixed-conifer forests reconstructed from General Land Office survey data

Dry forests of the western United States (ponderosa pine, dry mixed conifer) are often considered at risk of uncharacteristic severe fires, but recent research has found historically extensive severe fire. This has left divergent perspectives about how to restore dry forests, protect people and infrastructure from fire, and interpret the ecological effects of large fires, such as the 2013 Rim fire, a human-set 104,000 ha fire in the western Sierra Nevada Mountains. To help resolve this uncertainty, I used new methods to reconstruct historical forest structure and fire and test 11 hypotheses about them, using A.D. 1865–1885 General Land Office surveys, across 330,000 ha of Sierran mixed-conifer forests. The reconstructions show these historical forests were open and park-like in places, but generally dense, averaging 293 trees/ha; shade-tolerant trees and large trees were abundant, but smaller (<60 cm diameter) pines and oaks numerically dominated. These smaller trees, along with common understory seedlings and saplings and almost pervasive shrubs, created abundant ladder fuels. It is not surprising, given these conditions, that just 13–26% of historical Sierran mixed-conifer forests had only low-severity fire, with mixed-severity fire over 43–48%, and high-severity fire over 31–39% of the land area. The high-severity fire rotation was 281 years in the northern and 354 years in the southern Sierra, short enough to contribute to high levels of heterogeneity, including abundant areas and large patches (up to 9400 ha) of early-successional forest and montane chaparral, but long enough to allow recovery of old-growth forest over large land areas. Proposals to reduce fuels and fire severity would actually reduce, not restore, historical forest heterogeneity important to wildlife and resiliency. Sierran mixed-conifer forests are inherently dangerous places to live, which cannot be changed without creating artificial forests over large land areas. However, people can adapt to fires by channeling development to safer areas and modifying ignition zones near houses and communities to survive fire.
Empirically-Erived Teaching Package for Socially Withdrawn Handicapped and Nonhandicapped Children:

A teaching package designed to increase social interaction of handicapped children was evaluated by assessing concurrent changes in teachers' and young children's behavior following introduction of the instructional package. Three questions were addressed in this study: Would the training package increase the teachers' use of specified instructional responses? Would the package enable teachers to identify the appropriate target social responses and to emit their instructional responses in relationship to the targeted responses? If the teachers used the teaching procedure appropriately, would there be accompanying changes in the social behavior of the children? Nine teachers and 21 children (three children per teacher) participated in the study. The results indicated that eight of the nine teachers substantially changed their instructional behavior after the introduction of the teaching materials. Six of the nine groups of children increased their use of the appropriate social interaction as the teachers b...
Urolithiasis in patients with spinal cord injuries: risk factors, management, and outcomes.

Purpose of review Despite major advances in the urological care of spinal cord injury patients, the incidence of urolithiasis has not changed. Although the incidence of kidneys lost to staghorn calculus disease has decreased considerably, stone disease is still a significant cause of morbidity and concern. The purpose of this review is to summarize the risk factors for the development of stone diseases in the spinal cord injury patient population and present the outcomes of current endourologic treatment modalities. Recent findings Recurrent urinary tract infections, indwelling catheters, vesicoureteral reflux, and immobilization hypercalcuria are a few of the major risk factors for the development of urolithiasis among spinal cord injury patients. Retrograde endourologic techniques are often not possible to address stone disease due to lower extremity contractures, spinal curvature, and pelvic tilt. Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy success rates vary from 50 to 90%, but clearance rates are often delayed. Success rates for percutaneous nephrolithotomy match those quoted in the general population ( > 90%), but at the expense of a higher rate of complications (6-20%). Meticulous planning with regard to appropriate prophylactic antibiotics and body position will maximize efficacious outcomes. Summary Early identification and treatment of urolithiasis in spinal cord injury patients will aid in preserving renal function and minimizing associated complications. Despite variation in common urological practices between spinal cord injury units and the lack of clear cut guidelines for follow-up, the increased incidence of risks associated with urolithiasis lends support for routine genitourinary imaging in order to identify and treat those individuals at highest risk.
Carcinogens and analogs: trace analysis of thirteen compounds in admixture in wastewater and human urine.

Abstract A gas chromatographic method is described for determining traces of 13 carcinogens and related compounds (aromatic amines and estrogens) in admixture in wastewater and human urine. This method was developed for use in toxicological research for monitoring the safe disposal of wastewater and to signal any accidental exposure of personnel to hazardous test substances. Salient elements of the procedure are: extraction of phenolic and neutral residues from the acidified sample, liquid-liquid partitioning cleanup and separation of neutral from phenolic residues at pH 14 and 10.2, acid hydrolysis of the neutral component, subsequent alkalinization of the sample and extraction of the basic residues as the free amines, conversion of all residues to the corresponding pentafluoropropionyl (PFP) derivatives and quantification by electron-capture gas chromatography. Residues were detectable in waste-water and urine at the 0.1 and 1ppb levels, respectively. Additional information is provided concerning partit...
Fundamentals of ice making by convection cooling followed by contact melting

Abstract In this paper we show that the production of ice by convection cooling followed by contact melting can be maximized by properly selecting the frequency of the intermittent freezing and removal cycle. In the first part of the paper, this principle is illustrated in three configurations: water freezing inside a tube cooled externally by convection, freezing on the outside of a tube cooled internally by convection, and freezing on a plane wall with convection cooling on the back side. The proper dimensionless groups are identified, and the optimal regime of intermittent operation is reported in dimensionless charts. The second part of the paper focuses on the contact melting process that occurs during the gravitational removal of the ice piece. This time-dependent process is the result of the coupling between the thin-film fluid mechanics, the acceleration of the ice piece and the variable length of the direct contact region. The ice fall time predicted by the contact melting analysis was validated by experiments with ice columns falling from vertical tubes heated from the side.
Hybridity in Cultural Globalization

Hybridity has become a master trope across many spheres of cultural research, theory, and criticism, and one of the most widely used and criticized concepts in postcolonial theory. This article begins with a thorough review of the interdisciplinary scholarship on hybridity. Then it revisits the trope of hybridity in the context of a series of articles on cultural globalization published in the Washington Post in 1998. This series on “American Popular Culture Abroad” appropriates hybridity to describe the global reception of U.S. American popular culture. Due to the controversy surrounding hybridity, the discourse woven into these articles invites a critical deconstruction. A discussion of the implications of hybridity's conceptual ambiguity follows. Finally, this article makes the case that hybridity is a conceptual inevitability, and proposes an intercontextual theory of hybridity, which comprehends global cultural dynamics by articulating hybridity and hegemony, providing an initial theoretical platform for a critical cultural transnationalism.
Combined Effects of Nanofiber Matrix Elasticity and VEGF-A on the Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Towards Mature Endothelial Cells

The potential of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) in the treatment of vascular diseases is becoming increasingly recognized.[1] The use of MSC to produce a functional endothelium in synthetic vascular grafts is of particular interest as this would prevent common graft failures such as neointima hyperplasia and thrombus. Current attempts to produce a functional endothelial layer with endothelial cells (EC) have limited success due to the need for invasive surgery and the limited expansion capability these cells have in vitro.[2] MSC are a powerful cellular alternative as they are easily obtained through a bone marrow biopsy, have a large expansion capability in vitro, are multipotent, and thromboresistant. Individual factors such as matrix elasticity, matrix structure, growth factors, and mechanical stimulations have all been shown to contribute to MSC differentiation towards vascular phenotypes in vivo. However, the response of MSCs to the combined effects of these factors is not well characterized. Additionally, many experiments studying MSC differentiation are conducted on 2D substrates instead of simulating the 3D nanofiber matrix structure found in-vivo. Furthermore, little is known about the underlying cell signaling pathways that direct vascular differentiation. Currently, researchers have yet to achieve MSC differentiation into mature, functional endothelial cells, a critical step for regenerating healthy vascular tissue. We hypothesize that the combined effects of VEGF-A growth factor and a 3D matrix elasticity that mimicking the mechanochemical properties of in-vivo intima induce more complete MSC differentiation into EC expressing mature markers through the regulation of critical vascular signaling molecules such as MAPK/ERK and RhoA/Rock.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Facilitated transport from ternary cation mixtures through water—chloroform—water membrane systems containing macrocyclic ligands☆

Abstract Cation fluxes were determined for various three-component, equimolar mixtures of alkali metal, alkaline earth, and Pb2+ cations in a H2OCHCl3H2O liquid membrane system incorporating macrocyclic polyethers as carriers. Carrier ligands studied were 18-crown-6, dicyclohexano-18-crown-6, 1,10-diaza-18-crown-6, 21-crown-7, dibenzo-24-crown-8, and cryptand [2.2.2]. Correlations were found between transport and relative cation:polyether cavity radii, the type of substituents present on the polyether ring, and the type and number of donor atoms present. All the ligands studied transported Pb2+ at higher rates than the other Mn+ in the mixtures. Transport behavior in these multi-cation systems can be predicted from Mn+—polyether complex stability constant data in most cases.
Inflexibility in Selecting the Optical Basis for Perceiving Speed

Five subjects participated in an experiment designed to test if people could selectively attend to either edge rate (frequency of passing texture units) or flow rate (optical velocity of texture units) as the optical basis for controlling their own forward speed. Subjects continued to use edge rate as the basis for controlling forward speed, even when instructed to use flow rate and given feedback about their success in using it. The results are interpreted as evidence of inflexibility in selectively attending to information for self-speed.
Excess Capacity and Monopolistic Competition

Introduction, 426. — Excess capacity of fixed factors, 427.—Excess capacity of all factors, 431. — Chamberlin's Analysis, 434. — Excess capacity and overinvestment, 440. — Conclusion, 443.
Hepatic vein tumor thrombus as a risk factor for excessive pulmonary deposition of microspheres during TheraSphere therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose To evaluate the impact of identifiable hepatic vein tumor thrombus on the ability to safely deliver TheraSphere (yttrium 90–containing glass microspheres) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods A retrospective review was performed of 87 patients (71 men, 16 women; mean age, 64.5 years; age range, 25–83 y) referred for TheraSphere therapy for HCC during a 2-year period between April 2005 and May 2007. Evaluation included contrast-enhanced computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, selective mesenteric angiography, and radionuclide perfusion scintigraphy to measure the arteriovenous shunting through the tumor. Results Of the 87 patients, 83 underwent angiography and perfusion scintigraphy; 53 were ultimately treated with 65 glass microsphere infusions. Twelve of 83 were identified as having tumor thrombus in a hepatic vein or extending into the inferior vena cava. The mean lung shunt for the patients with hepatic vein tumor thrombus was 30% (range, 11%–60%), compared with 8.2% (range, 3%–23%) for patients without identifiable tumor thrombus. Two of the 12 patients were treated with reduced doses of glass microspheres, and the remaining 10 were offered alternative therapies. Conclusions The presence of hepatic vein tumor thrombus is a risk factor for an increased lung shunt that may prohibit delivery of a therapeutic dose of TheraSphere to hepatic tumor.
Benign Lymphoid Hyperplasia (Castleman's Tumor) Mimicking a Posterior Mediastinal Neurogenic Tumor

A mass in the parietal pleura in paravertebral location with rib erosions diagnosed as a neurogenic tumor is reported. The pathologic diagnosis was benign mediastinal lymphoid hyperplasia. This is the ninth reported case of a Castleman's tumor occurring in the posterior mediastinum.
Fricatives at 18 months as a measure for predicting vocabulary and grammar at 24 and 30 months.

Abstract Purpose Language develops at variable rates in young children, yet markers for different developmental trajectories, have not been identified. Production of fricatives in words may be one marker because they are later developing sounds and contribute to syntactic production. We examined whether children who produced fricatives in words by 18 months had better vocabulary and grammar scores at 18, 24, and 30 months than children who did not. Method The expressive language skills of 37 toddlers who did and did not produce fricatives in words by 18 months of age were compared at 18, 24 and 30 months of age. Results Expressive vocabulary scores and the use of grammatical markers were significantly better for children who produced fricatives by 18 months than for those who did not. This effect was consistent across scores at 18, 24, and 30 months. The total number of consonants and total number of fricatives produced at 18 months did not significantly predict expressive vocabulary scores. Conclusions Because the children who produced fricatives by 18 months demonstrated better expressive language skills than their peers who did not produce fricatives by 18 months, the early production of fricatives by toddlers may be a marker of a faster expressive language developmental trajectory. Learning outcomes: Readers will: (1) describe the relationship between early phonological development and early expressive lexical development, (2) describe the role of perceptual and motor development in speech sound the acquisition, and (3) describe the potential relationship between the production of fricatives and expressive language development.