cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effective Antisense Gene Regulation via Noncationic, Polyethylene Glycol Brushes

Negatively charged nucleic acids are often complexed with polycationic transfection agents before delivery. Herein, we demonstrate that a noncationic, biocompatible polymer, polyethylene glycol, can be used as a transfection vector by forming a brush polymer-DNA conjugate. The brush architecture provides embedded DNA strands with enhanced nuclease stability and improved cell uptake. Because of the biologically benign nature of the polymer component, no cytotoxicity was observed. This approach has the potential to address several long-lasting challenges in oligonucleotide therapeutics.
Sequential Monte Carlo Methods for Shallow Water Tracking Using Multiple Sensors with Adaptive Frequency Selection

We propose a matched-field processing framework for tracking problems in shallow water environments where the conventional plane-wave assumptions do not hold. Multiple passive acoustic sensors are employed to collect observation data, and sequential Monte Carlo techniques are used for tracking due to the high nonlinearity in the dynamic state formulation. In order to enhance the tracking performance, we design a frequency selection algorithm which adaptively chooses the optimal observation frequency for the sensors at each time instant. The improved tracking performance is demonstrated using simulations.
A multi-response multilevel model with application in nurse care coordination

ABSTRACTDue to the aging of our society, patient care needs to be well coordinated within the health care team in order to effectively manage the overall health of each patient. Staff nurses, as the patient's “ever-present” health care team members, play a vital role in the care coordination. The recently developed Nurse Care Coordination Instrument (NCCI) is the first of its kind that enables quantitative data to be collected to measure various aspects of nurse care coordination. Driven by this new development, we propose a multi-response multilevel model with joint fixed effect selection and joint random effect selection across multiple responses. This model is particularly suitable for modeling the unique data structure of the NCCI due to its ability of jointly modeling of multilevel predictors, including demographic and workload variables at the individual/nurse level and characteristics of the practice environment at the unit level and multiple response variables that measure the key components of nu...
Is Trauma Memory Special? Trauma Narrative Fragmentation in PTSD: Effects of Treatment and Response

Seminal theories posit that fragmented trauma memories are critical to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; van der Kolk & Fisler, 1995; Brewin, 2014) and that elaboration of the trauma narrative is necessary for recovery (e.g., Foa, Huppert, & Cahill, 2006). According to fragmentation theories, trauma narrative changes, particularly for those receiving trauma-focused treatment, should accompany symptom reduction. Trauma and control narratives in 77 men and women with chronic PTSD were examined pre- and post-treatment, comparing prolonged exposure (PE) and sertraline. Utilizing self-report, rater coding, and objective coding of narrative content, fragmentation was compared across narrative types (trauma, negative, positive) by treatment modality and response, controlling for potential confounds. Although sensory components increased with PE (d = 0.23 - 0.44), there were no consistent differences in fragmentation from pre- to post-treatment between PE and sertraline or treatment responders and non-responders. Contrary to theories, changes in fragmentation may not be a crucial mechanism underlying PTSD therapeutic recovery.
Using the National Cancer Data Base for quality evaluation to assess adherence to treatment guidelines for nonmetastatic inflammatory breast cancer.

BACKGROUND Guidelines for the treatment of nonmetastatic inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) using trimodality therapy (TT) (chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy) have remained largely unchanged since 2000. However, many patients with nonmetastatic IBC do not receive TT. It is unknown how patient-level (PL) and facility-level (FL) factors contribute to TT use. METHODS Using the National Cancer Data Base, patients with nonmetastatic IBC who underwent locoregional treatment from 2003 through 2011 were identified. The authors correlated PL factors, including demographic and tumor characteristics, with TT use. An observed-to-expected ratio for the number of patients treated with TT was calculated for each hospital by adjusting for significant PL factors. Hierarchical mixed effects models were used to assess the percentage of variation in TT use attributable to PL and FL factors, respectively. RESULTS Of the 542 hospitals examined, 55 (10.1%) and 24 (4.4%), respectively, were identified as significantly low and high outliers for TT use (P<.05). The percentage of the total variance in the use of TT attributable to the facility (11%) was nearly triple the variance attributable to the measured PL factors (3.4%). The nomogram generated from multivariate logistic regression of PL factors only allows a facility to assess TT use given their PL data. CONCLUSIONS FL factors rather than PL factors appear to contribute disproportionately to the underuse of TT in patients with nonmetastatic IBC. To improve treatment guideline adherence for patients with nonmetastatic IBC, it is critical to identify the specific FL factors associated with TT underuse. More organized FL intervention is required to train physicians and to build multidisciplinary teams. Cancer 2017. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Food habits of a small Florida black bear population in an endangered ecosystem

Abstract The Highlands–Glades subpopulation (HGS) of Florida, USA, black bears (Ursus americanus floridanus) is small, genetically depauperate, and resides primarily within the endangered Lake Wales Ridge ecosystem, which has lost >85% of native habitat to land development. Habitat loss can reduce availability of critical natural foods and cause bears to increase reliance on anthropogenic foods (i.e., human-sourced); lands supporting the HGS are expected to lose >50% of remaining Florida black bear habitat in coming decades. We used scat analysis to describe seasonal food habits, investigate potential dietary responses to food shortages, and inform habitat conservation and human–bear conflict management. Florida black bears in the HGS mostly relied on native soft and hard mast and invertebrates, which are all available in endangered scrub habitat communities. Corn dispensed at hunter-operated feeding stations was a dominant food item in scats; and other alternative foods, such as citrus fruit and white-ta...
Whistling in a noisy ocean: bottlenose dolphins adjust whistle frequencies in response to real-time ambient noise levels

AbstractCommon bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) use complex acoustic behaviours for communication, group cohesion and foraging. Ambient noise from natural and anthropogenic sources has implications for the acoustic behaviour of dolphins, and research shows that average ambient noise levels alter dolphin acoustic behaviour. However, when background noise levels are highly variable, the relationships between noise and acoustic behaviour over short time periods are likely important. This study investigates whether bottlenose dolphins altered the temporal and spectral qualities of their whistles in relation to the ambient noise present at the time the whistles were produced. Dolphin groups were recorded in Tampa Bay (western Florida) between 2008 and 2015. Six whistle parameters were analysed in spectrogram software (minimum frequency, maximum frequency, bandwidth, peak frequency, duration and number of inflection points) and ambient noise levels were calculated immediately prior to each whistle. Line...
Containing hydrogen deflagrations

Abstract Schroeder and Holtappels (2005) published data on the explosion characteristics of hydrogen-air mixtures, looking at the effect of pressure and temperature on upper and lower explosive limits and the effect of pressure, temperature, and composition on explosion ratio, PEX/PO. They showed that the effect of increasing pressure on UEL and LEL is negligible to slightly advantageous, while the effect of increasing temperature was disadvantageous. They also showed that the explosion ratio was largely independent of operating pressure, but very dependent on temperature and composition of hydrogen-air mixtures. However, they did not develop their data to the point that it could be used as the basis of design and risk assessment. This paper uses the data published by Schroeder and Holtappels to develop equations that can be used to predict the extent of a hydrogen-air deflagration in a vessel and correlates those predictions to the nature of pressure vessel failures that are likely to be experienced as a result of such a deflagration.
Applying semantic web technologies for diagnosing road traffic congestions

Diagnosis, or the method to connect causes to its effects, is an important reasoning task for obtaining insight on cities and reaching the concept of sustainable and smarter cities that is envisioned nowadays. This paper, focusing on transportation and its road traffic, presents how road traffic congestions can be detected and diagnosed in quasi real-time. We adapt pure Artificial Intelligence diagnosis techniques to fully exploit knowledge which is captured through relevant semantics-augmented stream and static data from various domains. Our prototype of semantic-aware diagnosis of road traffic congestions, experimented in Dublin Ireland, works efficiently with large, heterogeneous information sources and delivers value-added services to citizens and city managers in quasi real-time.
Chapter 7 – The tax deferred exchange

The private real estate investors add entrepreneurial labor to their capital investment. While this complicates the investment return calculation, it offers significant and often overlooked tax benefits. This chapter explores a particularly powerful strategy available to the real estate investors, who plan transactions in their properties carefully. The investor who adds entrepreneurial labor to increase his rate of return and delays his income tax for a long time is able to build terminal wealth faster. For investors where entrepreneurial issues do not apply and annual returns are moderate, the conclusions are less certain. Given the costs, explicit and implicit, the investor who merely plods along with the rest of the economy must be very careful when undertaking an exchange. In addition, scale factors come into play. The size of the acquired property relative to the disposed property strongly influences whether the cost of an exchange can be justified. For real estate, a sequential taxation policy incrementally taxes each property in a series as it is sold. This encourages more borrowing either for non-taxable refinance and repurchase strategies that reduce investor efficiency, by adding multiple locations or for borrowing to keep ownership levels where they would have been if a tax deferred exchange strategy were available.
Self-Perceptions of Relations with Parents, Attitudes Toward School, and Delinquency Among African-American, Caribbean American, and Ghanaian Adolescents

This chapter presents findings of a research project that assessed parent–child relationships, attitudes toward school, and delinquency among Black adolescents of African-American, Caribbean American, and Ghanaian ethnic backgrounds. This study describes the similarities and differences between Black adolescents from diverse cultures, nationalities, and ethnic background self-perceptions of their relationships with their parents and their attitude toward school, future orientation, and involvement in delinquent behavior. The purpose of the study is to address the gap in the literature relative to youth of African descent and to offer policy recommendations to address academic and career opportunities for Black adolescents, from a global perspective. Significant associations were between adolescent’s self-perceptions of their relations with their parent(s) (mother and/or father), attachment, and their attitudes toward schooling, future aspirations, and delinquent behavior.
Globalized Nostalgia: Tourism, Heritage, and the Politics of Place

In Globalized Nostalgia, Christina Ceisel shows how national identity is being remade for the global marketplace. Through media, cultural events, foodways, and personal narratives, we see how notions of the past are mobilized towards varied political, economic, and cultural ends. In Galicia, Spain, Ceisel points towards tourism as one mode of cosmopolitan engagement, revisiting food festivals, wine tours, fishing excursions and reality television shows. She identifies globalized nostalgia as a feeling deeply connected to national identity – that these ‘performances’ of tourist activity rely on claims to an authentic past based on "heritage" for value to the consumer. While such strategies work to brand the nation, Ceisel demonstrates how they may also be employed towards emancipation and an inclusive participatory democracy. Placing her own lived experience within the context of our historical present, relying on interpretive methods, including performance autoethnography, Ceisel highlights the tensions embedded in contemporary transnational cultural politics. Through the development of innovative methodological tools, Ceisel points towards new ways of thinking about the politics of belonging. Ultimately, Ceisel argues that we need to reorient our understandings of authenticity and heritage to accommodate the realities of hybridity and diaspora.
Data-driven discovery of a novel sepsis pre-shock state predicts impending septic shock in the ICU

Septic shock is a life-threatening condition in which timely treatment substantially reduces mortality. Reliable identification of patients with sepsis who are at elevated risk of developing septic shock therefore has the potential to save lives by opening an early window of intervention. We hypothesize the existence of a novel clinical state of sepsis referred to as the “pre-shock” state, and that patients with sepsis who enter this state are highly likely to develop septic shock at some future time. We apply three different machine learning techniques to the electronic health record data of 15,930 patients in the MIMIC-III database to test this hypothesis. This novel paradigm yields improved performance in identifying patients with sepsis who will progress to septic shock, as defined by Sepsis- 3 criteria, with the best method achieving a 0.93 area under the receiver operating curve, 88% sensitivity, 84% specificity, and median early warning time of 7 hours. Additionally, we introduce the notion of patient-specific positive predictive value, assigning confidence to individual predictions, and achieving values as high as 91%. This study demonstrates that early prediction of impending septic shock, and thus early intervention, is possible many hours in advance.
A Review of Hip-Spine Syndrome

This review is aimed at summarizing our current understanding of hip-spine syndrome. In particular, the review discusses the clinical assessment and diagnosis of commonly implicated conditions to help a practitioner realize an efficient and organized approach to the evaluation and management of pain in the setting of hip-spine syndrome. While initially described as the concurrent presence of hip osteoarthritis and lumbar spinal stenosis, the catalog of diagnoses associated with hip-spine syndrome has expanded and includes femoroacetabular impingement, acetabular dysplasia, hip osteoarthritis, sacroiliac joint-mediated pain, facet arthropathy, and lumbar spinal stenosis. There is a limited body of evidence describing clinical findings and treatment recommendations when these diagnoses present concurrently. From the available literature, it seems that patients may be successfully managed with a multimodal approach, although absolute resolution of symptoms is not always plausible. In the context of hip-spine syndrome, identification of a primary pain generator or etiology, when present, is important to guide successful management. Lingering symptoms may persist and can suggest the presence of a more co-dependent relationship between the hip and the spine (so-called complex hip-spine syndrome). Further research is needed to clarify the influences that underlie hip-spine syndrome, particularly in these more complex cases, and in turn better define diagnostic and treatment algorithms.
Using tellability to analyze entrepreneurial narratives in the classroom

Abstract A comprehensive theoretical review suggests that tellability can be used to understand life stories, how stories are constructed, the social context shaping storytelling, and how stories function as a mode of thought. However, the complex and multi-dimensional nature of tellability has been overlooked. This study analyzes one Chinese teacher’s storytelling of six entrepreneurs’ stories as an example, aiming to demonstrate that tellability is structurally embedded within an entire story. Interpreting the stories with reference to the classroom setting reveals that entrepreneurial narratives are tellable because they institutionalize culturally salient values and beliefs about entrepreneurship, they are pedagogically meaningful, and they provide an epistemological tool for listeners to constitute their future reality. This paper argues that an analysis on tellability, informed by multiple theories and recognizant of its structural, social, ontological and epistemological nature, is effective to understand teachers’ storytelling in classrooms and unpack the meanings of stories in more detail.
Change in Mitral Valve Geometry after Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation in Patients with Functional Mitral Regurgitation

Purpose Previous studies have shown remarkable decrease in severity of functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation with mechanical unloading. This study aimed to identify the change of FMR and mitral geometry in LVAD patients. Methods We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent LVAD implantation and had significant FMR without mitral valve procedure between January 2010 and December 2017. All patients underwent echocardiographic examination preoperatively and 1 month after LVAD implantation. We defined significant FMR as MR color jet area / left atrial area g 0.2. We measured mitral annular diameter (MAD) and posterior (Dp) and apical (Da) displacement of the coaptation point of mitral leaflets on echocardiogram. Patients were divided into 2 groups, patients with and without AF. Results 106 patients were identified, 82 with no AF and 24 with AF. Mitral geometry significantly changed after LVAD insertion in both groups (table). Preoperative MAD was smaller in patients without AF (39.0 +/-4.5 vs. 41.2 +/-3.8mm; P=0.04) and reduced following LVAD in both postoperative (30.3+/-5.4 vs. 36.5 +/-4.1mm; P Conclusion LVAD implantation significantly changed mitral geometry, however, the changes were less in patients with AF resulting in greater residual FMR.
An Important Role for CD4+ T Cells in Adaptive Immunity to Toxoplasma gondii in Mice Lacking the Transcription Factor Batf3

ABSTRACT Immunity to Toxoplasma gondii at early stages of infection in C57BL/6 mice depends on gamma interferon (IFN-γ) production by NK cells, while at later stages it is primarily mediated by CD8 T cells. We decided to explore the requirement for CD4 T cells during T. gondii infection in Batf3−/− mice, which lack CD8α+ dendritic cells (DCs) that are necessary for cross-presentation of cell-associated antigens to CD8 T cells. We show that in this immunodeficient background on a BALB/c background, CD4 T cells become important effector cells and are able to protect Batf3−/− mice from infection with the avirulent strain RHΔku80Δrop5. Independently of the initial NK cell activation, CD4 T cells in wild-type and Batf3−/− mice were the major source of IFN-γ. Importantly, memory CD4 T cells were sufficient to provide protective immunity following transfer into Batf3−/− mice and secondary challenge with the virulent RHΔku80 strain. Collectively, these results show that under situations where CD8 cell responses are impaired, CD4 T cells provide an important alternative immune response to T. gondii. IMPORTANCEToxoplasma gondii is a widespread parasite of animals that causes zoonotic infections in humans. Although healthy individuals generally control the infection with only moderate symptoms, it causes serious illness in newborns and those with compromised immune systems such as HIV-infected AIDS patients. Because rodents are natural hosts for T. gondii, laboratory mice provide an excellent model for studying immune responses. Here, we used a combination of an attenuated mutant strain of the parasite that effectively vaccinates mice, with a defect in a transcriptional factor that impairs a critical subset of dendritic cells, to studying the immune response to infection. The findings reveal that in BALB/c mice, CD4 memory T cells play a dominant role in producing IFN-γ needed to control chronic infection. Hence, BALB/c mice may provide a more appropriate model for declining immunity seen in HIV-AIDS patients where loss of CD4 cells is associated with emergence of opportunistic infections.
Use of the Internal Ureteral Stent in Surgery of the Kidney and Ureter

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the use of the internal ureteral stent in surgery of the kidney and ureter. Stent is a device or mold of any suitable material used to hold a graft in place or to provide support for tubular structures that are being anastomosed. Generally ureteral stents consists of placing a length of silastic tubing from the renal pelvis into the urinary bladder, thus completely enclosing the device within the anatomically reconstructed urinary system. The stent may be positioned during renal surgery by passing it into the bladder through a nephrotomy, pyelotomy, or ureterotomy. Silastic internal stents provide free egress of the urine from the kidney to the bladder at physiological pressures. Stents are also readily removable, adjustable, and replaceable through the panendoscope, they are remarkably free of complications. They are so well tolerated that patient comfort is immeasurably superior to any other form of artificial renal drainage.
Translation and Genettean Hypertextuality: Catherine Magdalen Evelyn, Catherine of Bologna, and English Franciscan Textual Production, 1618–40

Drawing on the ideas of Gerard Genette, this article argues for the value of reading translations as “hypertexts,” or as works grafted onto earlier texts (“hypotexts”), on the basis of the intriguing case study of The Admirable Life of the Holy Virgin S. Catharine of Bologna (1621), translated by Catherine Magdalen Evelyn of the Gravelines Poor Clares. Little-known today despite Evelyn’s importance as the most prolific female translator of the early Stuart period, this publication sublimates the voice of the translator through its laconic paratextual materials and its misattribution of Evelyn’s work to another nun. In spite of this carefully engineered authorial opacity, the stakes of Evelyn’s translation become clearer when it is read as part of a hypertextual system of Franciscan writings published in English, French, Italian, and Portuguese over the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. An analysis of how her text is grafted onto this series of hypotexts through bibliography, intertextuality, and translation results in a detailed, albeit speculative, account of Evelyn’s motivations for reading, translating, and publishing The Admirable Life. This seemingly modest publication is thus revealed as a rich hypertext that participated in a wider European project to chronicle the history of the Franciscan order. A concluding discussion of hypertextuality in early modern England briefly gestures more broadly toward the relevance of this method for studies of Renaissance literature.
Initial outcomes at a nascent tertiary pediatric thyroid surgical center

Abstract Objectives Previous studies on pediatric thyroid surgical complications suggest that high-volume centers achieve improved outcomes. We hypothesize that initial outcomes from a nascent pediatric surgical practice may be comparable to higher volume centers. Furthermore, we determine whether a low-volume center can safely transition to an intermediate or high-volume center. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed for all pediatric patients undergoing thyroid surgery at a single institution from 2014 to 2020. Surgeries were performed by two pediatric otolaryngologists. All patients were managed postoperatively by a multidisciplinary team of physicians that included pediatric otolaryngologists and endocrinologists. Data collection focused on patient demographics and postoperative complications, including rates of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury and permanent hypoparathyroidism. Results From 2014 to 2020, a total of 31 patients underwent thyroid surgery at our pediatric thyroid surgery center, 9 of whom underwent neck dissection. The mean age of our cohort was 14.4 ± 3.9 years (range 8 months–20 years). Postoperative pathology results revealed that 15 patients (46.9%) were diagnosed with PTC, 6 (18.8%) with follicular adenoma, and 4 (15.6%) with benign thyroid tissue. One (2.0%) patient had permanent unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis and one patient experienced permanent hypoparathyroidism (2.7%). Conclusions Our initial low complication rate as a nascent pediatric thyroid surgery center suggests that favorable outcomes can be achieved at lower volume surgery centers. In order to increase patient access to high-volume pediatric thyroid surgery centers, new centers must start with lower volumes before ultimately becoming high-volume centers. Our study shows that this can be safely achieved. Level of evidence IV.
Child Support & Joint Custody

Child custody has evolved to the point where, at a minimum, states provide a mediated process by which parents may formulate parenting plans with court-appointed assistance. At a maximum state legislatures and courts increasingly consider joint physical custody awards. While joint physical custody safeguards the fundamental rights of parents, it nonetheless prompts practical concerns in awarding child support. Today, child support begins with state statutory guidelines, but the guidelines often fail to adequately address the economic consequences of two complete residences, one supported by a parent with fewer economic resources, and the fact that oftentimes the child drifts from one to the other soon after the court order. This Article argues that child custody and child support should be formulated in the similar fashion. That is, borrowing the approach proposed by the American Law Institute, it is prudent for separating couples to be assisted in developing a child support plan, just as they are assisted in developing a child parenting (custody) plan. The federalization of child support, the guidelines, and the enforcement mechanisms involved, distract states from the urgency of involving parents, together with professionals, in formulating workable child support plans. The child support guidelines are and will remain the first step, but they cannot be the last if child support is to be equal with child custody in providing for the best interest of the child.
Comparison of Outcomes between Cage Materials Used for Patients Undergoing Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion with Stand-Alone Cages: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION Interbody cages are currently being used to address diseases of the vertebra requiring surgical stabilization. Titanium cages were first introduced in 1988. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages are utilized frequently as one of the alternatives to titanium cages in current practice. This study aimed to compare available cage materials by reviewing the surgical and radiographic outcomes following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). METHODS A comprehensive search of several electronic databases was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Baseline characteristics, operative outcomes, arthrodesis rates, subsidence rates and complications were collected from included studies. Collected outcomes were further stratified according to the procedure type, the number of levels operated, and graft used to compare cage materials. RESULTS Following the screening for inclusion criteria, a total of 37 studies with 2,363 patients were included. The median age was 49.5 years and the median follow-up was 26 months. Overall, no significant differences were found between PEEK and titanium cages regarding fusion, neurologic deficit, subsidence rates, or "good and excellent" outcome according to Odom criteria. However, the standalone comparison between PEEK, titanium, and PMMA cages showed a significantly lower fusion rate for PMMA. (PEEK: 94%, PMMA: 56%, Titanium: 95%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION In the present systematic review and meta-analysis, a comparison of the long-term patient reported and the radiographic outcomes associated with the use of titanium and PEEK, intervertebral body cages showed similar findings. However, there were significantly lower fusion rates for PMMA cages when using a standalone cage without graft material.
Matsushita at Twenty: A Conference Introduction

On September 29, 2006, the Institute for Consumer Antitrust Studies1 hosted a symposium at Loyola University Chicago School of Law exploring the legacy of the Supreme Court’s seminal decision in Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp.2 This is the latest in a long series of antitrust symposia at Loyola dating back to the founding of the Institute in 1994. Since that time, the Institute has been fortunate to present symposia organized around important, timely, and controversial topics in antitrust and consumer protection. These symposia have included antitrust and health care;3 antitrust and the new millennium;4 competition, consumer protection and energy deregulation;5 and the future of private rights of action in antitrust.6
Methodological modifications for accurate and efficient determination of contaminant biodegradation in unsaturated calcareous soils.

Many techniques for quantifying microbial biodegradation of 14C-labeled compounds use soil-water slurries and trap mineralization-derived 14CO2 in solution wells suspended within the incubation flasks. These methods are not satisfactory for studies of arid-region soils that are highly calcareous and unsaturated because (i) slurries do not simulate unsaturated conditions and (ii) the amount of CO2 released from calcareous soils exceeds the capacity of the suspended well. This report describes simple, inexpensive methodological modifications for quantifying microbial degradation of [14C]benzene and 1,2-dichloro[U-14C]ethane in calcareous soils under unsaturated conditions. Soils at 50% water holding capacity were incubated with labeled contaminants for periods up to 10 weeks, followed by acidification of the soil and trapping of the evolved CO2 in a separate container of 2 N NaOH. The CO2 was transferred from the incubation flask to the trap solution by a gas transfer shunt containing activated charcoal to remove any volatilized labeled organics. The amount of 14CO2 in the trap solution was measured by scintillation counting (disintegrations per minute). The method was tested by using two regional unamended surface soils, a sandy aridisol and a clay-rich riparian soil. The results demonstrated that both [14C]benzene and 1,2-dichloro[U-14C]ethane were mineralized to release substantial amounts of 14CO2 within 10 weeks. Levels of mineralization varied with contaminant type, soil type, and aeration status (anaerobic vs. aerobic); no significant degradation was observed in abiotic control samples. Methodological refinements of this technique resulted in total 14CO2 recovery efficiency of approximately 90%.
On the Influence of North Pacific Sea Surface Temperature on the Arctic Winter Climate

Differences between two ensembles of Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry-Climate Model simulations isolate the impact of North Pacific sea surface temperatures (SSTs) on the Arctic winter climate. One ensemble of extended winter season forecasts is forced by unusually high SSTs in the North Pacific, while in the second ensemble SSTs in the North Pacific are unusually low. High Low differences are consistent with a weakened Western Pacific atmospheric teleconnection pattern, and in particular, a weakening of the Aleutian low. This relative change in tropospheric circulation inhibits planetary wave propagation into the stratosphere, in turn reducing polar stratospheric temperature in mid- and late winter. The number of winters with sudden stratospheric warmings is approximately tripled in the Low ensemble as compared with the High ensemble. Enhanced North Pacific SSTs, and thus a more stable and persistent Arctic vortex, lead to a relative decrease in lower stratospheric ozone in late winter, affecting the April clear-sky UV index at Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes.
Fecal fat concentration in patients with steatorrhea

We predicted that fecal fat concentration (grams of fat per gram of stool wet weight) would be higher in patients with pancreatic steatorrhea than in those with steatorrhea due to gastrointestinal disease. To evaluate this hypothesis, we examined fecal weight, fecal fat excretion, and fecal fat concentration in 19 patients with steatorrhea due to pancreatic insufficiency and in 31 patients whose steatorrhea was due to various gastrointestinal diseases. There was no consistent difference in the severity of steatorrhea or diarrhea between the two groups of patients. Fecal fat concentration, however, was usually higher in patients with pancreatic insufficiency. Fecal fat concentration may be a useful clue in distinguishing pancreatic steatorrhea from steatorrhea due to gastrointestinal disease.
Throughput analysis of pipelined multiprocessor modules

A feasible form of parallel architecture would be one which consists of several pipeline stages, each of which is a multiprocessor module of a large number of processing elements (PEs). In many applications, such as real-time image processing and dynamic control, the optimized computing structure would be in this form. In the present study, the performance of a parallel processing model of such an organization has been analyzed. In particular, the effect of interstage communication on throughput of the model has been investigated to suggest an efficient way of transferring data between stages. The numerical results obtained in this study could be a useful guideline for designing a parallel computer system consisting of pipeline stages each of which contains a large number of PEs. >
Transport of membrane-bound macromolecules by M cells in follicle-associated epithelium of rabbit Peyer's patch.

M cells in Peyer's patch epithelium conduct transepithelial transport of luminal antigens to cells of the mucosal immune system. To determine the distribution of specific lectin-binding sites on luminal membranes of living M cells and to follow the transport route of membranebound molecules, lectin-ferritin conjugates and cationized ferritin were applied to rabbit Peyer's patch mucosa in vivo and in vitro. The degree to which binding enhances transport was estimated by comparing quantitatively the transport of an adherent probe, wheat germ agglutinin-ferritin, to that of a nonadherent BSA-colloidal gold probe. When applied to fixed tissue, the lectins tested bound equally well to M cells and columnar absorptive cells. On living mucosa, however, ferritin conjugates of wheat germ agglutinin and Ricinus communis agglutinins I and II bound more avidly to M cells. Absorptive cells conducted little uptake and no detectable transepithelial transport. Lectins on M cell membranes were endocytosed from coated pits, rapidly transported in a complex system of tubulocisternae and vesicles, and remained adherent to M cell basolateral membranes. Cationized ferritin adhered to anionic sites and was similarly transported, but was released as free clusters at M cell basolateral surfaces. When applied simultaneously to Peyer's patch mucosa, wheat germ agglutinin-ferritin was transported about 50 times more efficiently than was bovine serum albumin-colloidal gold.
ORIENTATION DEPENDENCE OF DIELECTRIC AND PYROELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF 0.65Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3- 0.35PbTiO3 SINGLE CRYSTAL

Samples of 0.65Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.35PbTiO3 single crystal cut in three orientations , , were supplied by H. C. Materials Corporation, Urbana, Illinois, U.S.A. The dielectric constant was first measured for these three samples with different orientations. It shows the samples are of high quality. Then we observed the hysteresis loops at different temperatures for these samples. From hysteresis loops we obtained the remnant polarization as a function of temperature. It is found that the remnant polarization changes with temperature rapidly in the temperature region from 80°C to 130°C. The displacement current without sustained applied electric field on it that is supposed to be proportional to the pyroelectric coefficient in different orientation was measured by a Picoammeter under no applied electric field and the comparison of the displacement current density with the pyroelectric coefficient was presented.
Evaluation of methods for analysis of lead in air particulates: an intra-laboratory and inter-laboratory comparison

In 2008, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) set a new National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for lead in total suspended particulate matter (Pb-TSP) which called for significant decreases in the allowable limits. The Federal Reference Method (FRM) for Pb-TSP promulgated in 1978 prescribes analysis of Pb by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS), but the new limits approach the limits of quantitation of FAAS. On August 2, 2013, the USEPA finalized a new FRM for Pb-TSP. This new FRM describes two extraction methods and analysis by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The study described here was performed to evaluate the use of ICP-MS in the analysis of Pb-TSP for implementation of this new FRM. A multi-laboratory study of the new FRM demonstrated acceptable intra- and inter-laboratory precision and comparability for glass fiber, quartz, and PTFE filters, and acceptable accuracy for the analysis of three National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Reference Materials (SRMs). A comparison was made between analytical results obtained using the 1978 FRM and those obtained using the new FRM. The results demonstrate that the ICP-MS method performs acceptably for the determination of Pb-TSP with lower limits of quantitation and strong inter- and intra-laboratory precision.
Contemporary Left‐Right Contestation

Inside the Radical Right: The Development of Anti-Immigrant Parties in Western Europe. By David Art. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011. 272 pp., $25.99 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0-521-72032-8). The Global Right Wing and the Clash of World Politics. By Clifford Bob. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012. 225 pp., $26.99 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0-521-14544-2). What's Left of the Left: Democrats and Social Democrats in Challenging Times. Edited by James Cronin, George Ross, James Shoch. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2011. 413 pp., $26.96 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0-822-35079-8). Any reflection on contemporary left-right contestation cannot but avoid recognition that the relative clarity, if not certainty, of such contestation during capitalism's Golden Age is decidedly a feature of the past. The array of actors engaged in political contestation has broadened to include nonpartisan forces on the left and right, reflecting a plethora of more narrowly defined interests; just as the terrain of contestation itself has moved beyond the confines of national parliaments and subnational legislatures up to the level of international organizations and out on to the street in the form of social movement protest. Even at the partisan level, there are more extensive divisions within both the left and the right, in particular with the emergence of the greens and the radical right. Yet, at the same time, the qualitative differences that historically distinguished the parties of the center-left and center-right appear far less clear and distinct, with a narrowing of policy differences and the increasing similarity of the class backgrounds of their elected representatives. That contemporary left-right contestation is being transformed is reflected in all three works under review here. Yet each book has a markedly different substantive focus, different general goals, and as a consequence of the latter, they adopt very different approaches to their respective subject matters. Inside the Radical Right is a theoretical and empirical account of the relative success/failure of radical-right parties in Western Europe. David Art provides a tightly argued and very well-conceived theoretical framework that focuses on the composition of the activist base of radical-right parties to explain why some achieve sustained electoral success while others ultimately fail to do so. In contrast, Clifford Bob, in The Global Right Wing and the Clash of World Politics , is concerned with exploring the dynamic underlying the global clash between networks of interest …
Optical Implementation Of Systolic Finite Impulse Response Filters

An optical systolic finite impulse response (FIR) filter (or convolution operation) implementation using barrel shifters and a modified signed digit (MSD) adder is discussed. The computational element used in systolic FIR filters in electronics consists of a multiplier and an accumulator. A speedup in the throughput data rate along with a high degree of regularity and concurrency can be achieved by replacing the multiplier with barrel shifters and accumulators. The optical implementation of this architecture offers reconfigurability together with the inherent speed and massive parallelism of optics. It is shown that an FIR filter of order eight can be implemented by using one liquid crystal light valve (LCLV) and one optical MSD adder. All barrel shifters in the architecture are implemented using different areas in the same LCLV structure. The MSD adder is implemented using symbolic substitution logic (SSL), and the input operands in the various cells are arranged on the same input data plane to give all required summation terms.
The Relationship Between Racism and Racial ldentity Among White Americans: An Exploratory Investigation

This research explored the relationship between White racial identity attitudes and racism. Participants were 100 White students from a large midwestern university who were asked to complete the New Racism Scale and the White Racial Identity Inventory. Multiple regression analyses found that White racial identity attitudes were predictive of racism. The study, however, also found gender differences in White racial identity. Results of the study are discussed in terms of implications for developing racial awareness on college campuses.
Transgenic rescue of SNAP-25 restores dopamine-modulated synaptic transmission in the coloboma mutant

Many of the molecular components constituting the exocytotic machinery responsible for neurotransmitter release have been identified, yet the precise role played by these proteins in synaptic transmission, and their impact on neural function, has not been resolved. The mouse mutation coloboma is a contiguous gene defect that leads to electrophysiological and behavioral deficits and includes the gene-encoding SNAP-25, an integral component of the synaptic vesicle-docking/fusion core complex. The involvement of SNAP-25 in the hyperactive behavior of coloboma mice, which can be ameliorated by the indirect dopaminergic agonist, amphetamine, has been demonstrated by genetic rescue using a SNAP-25 transgene. Coloboma mice also exhibit increased recurrent inhibition, reduced theta rhythm by tail-pinch and reduced long-term potentiation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus that, as the hyperkinesis seen in these mutants suggests, may reflect impaired monoaminergic modulation. We sought to identify neurophysiological correlates of the rescued hyperactivity within hippocampal synaptic circuitry of SNAP-25 transgenic coloboma mutant mice. In contrast to the differences between coloboma and wild-type mice, there was no significant difference in the duration or amplitude of theta rhythmic activity (4-6 Hz) induced by tail-pinch (10 s), afferent-evoked field potentials, or paired-pulse responses recorded in the dentate gyrus of SNAP-25 transgenic coloboma and wild-type mice. Amphetamine (3.0 mg/kg, i.p.) produced disinhibition of dentate paired-pulse responses in both SNAP-25 transgenic and wild-type mice but increased inhibition in non-transgenic coloboma mice. These findings support the hypothesis that alteration of monoaminergic neurotransmission, which can be reversed by the indirect agonist, amphetamine, is particularly sensitive to alterations in the expression of SNAP-25.
A location-based services system (LBSS) designed for an arboretum

This paper describes the research efforts at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), for establishing a Location-Based Services System (LBSS) at the Arboretum. An LBSS is a networked, computer-based service which provides location-aware, mobile devices access to context-sensitive information. The LBSS has greater potential to meet the challenges and educational needs of generating enthusiasm, interest and appreciation and of fostering learning in an interactive way. In order to accurately locate the plants and/or facilities in the garden, Differential-GPS (DGPS) with RTK capability is used. For places where GPS's positioning performance is adversely affected by obstacles like tree-cover and buildings, the possibility of using computer visual recognition techniques to aid DGPS for identifying the plants is discussed. Since cameras are readily available in many mobile devices such as in a smart-phone, the use of computer visual aids is preferred, as the initial approach, over the use of inertial navigation measurements. Finally, results from the preliminary design phase, where a laptop computer with Windows operating system was used to access the location-based services, are discussed.
SURVIVING CREDIT MARKET COMPETITION

Empirical studies have documented that improvements in credit supply have important effects on entry in nonfinancial industries. This article shows that changes in credit supply conditions have much deeper effects on firms' population dynamics, well above and beyond the experience of entry. I explore the hypothesis that changes in credit supply have important effects on the demand side as well. I conjecture that when financial capital is difficult to obtain, while fewer firms may enter, those entering are drawn from a population with a better distribution of entrepreneurial quality. In an environment where financial capital is easily obtainable instead, the population of loan applicants changes as well, including those in a tougher environment who would not have tried entrepreneurship in the first place. These changes in the population of applicants imply significant effects on firms' life expectancy profile, and these effects are heterogeneous across firms of different vintage. Modifications in life expectancy are likely to affect firms' incentives in undertaking future capital investment and likewise investments in technological innovation. Hence, these changes in overall firms' population dynamics characterize an explicit mechanism through which finance can affect real economic activity. (JEL G21, L11, L16)
The American City: From the Civil War to the New Deal

Contents: "Toward an "Imperial City" Daniel H. Burnham and the City Beautiful Movement, "Mario Manieri-Elia; "From Parks to the Region: Progressive Ideology and the Reform of the American City," Francesco Dal Co; "The City in Agrarian Ideology and Frank Lloyd Wright: Origins and Development of Broadacres," Giorgio Cuicci; "The Disenchanted Mountain: The Skyscraper and the City," Manfredo Tafuri.