cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Constitution of the Atmospheric Layers and the Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrum of Hot Hydrogen-rich White Dwarfs

An analysis is presented of the atmospheric properties of hot, H-rich, DA white dwarfs that is based on optical, UV, and X-ray observations aimed at predicting detailed spectral properties of these stars in the range 80-800 A. The divergences between observations from a sample of 15 hot DA white dwarfs emitting in the EUV/soft X-ray range and pure H synthetic spectra calculated from a grid of model atmospheres characterized by Teff and g are examined. Seven out of 15 DA stars are found to consistently exhibit pure hydrogen atmospheres, the remaining seven stars showing inconsistency between FUV and EUV/soft X-ray data that can be explained by the presence of trace EUV/soft X-ray absorbers. Synthetic data are computed assuming two other possible chemical structures: photospheric traces of radiatively levitated heavy elements and a stratified hydrogen/helium distribution. Predictions about forthcoming medium-resolution observations of the EUV spectrum of selected hot H-rich white dwarfs are made.
Cardio-selective Beta-adrenergic Therapy in a Patient with Asthma and Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy

A patient is described with the unusual combination of severe asthma and hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. Cardioselective β -adrenergic therapy was instituted using the β -1 antagonist pindolol and the β -2 agonist albuterol. Pindolol proved effective as a β -1 antagonist; however, its use was precluded by deterioration in pulmonary function demonstrating moderate β -2 antagonistic properties. Albuterol was an effective β -2 agonist producing sustained bronchodilation without inducing symptoms related to the hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
The Surface Charge of Isolated Toad Bladder Epithelial Cells Mobility, effect of pH and divalent ions

The surface charge of epithelial cells isolated from the toad bladder has been determined by the microscope method of cell electrophoresis. The cells possess a net negative charge, and a net surface charge density of 3.6 x 104 electronic charges per square micron at pH 7.3. Estimates of net surface charge over the alkaline pH range indicate (a) that an average distance of the order of 40 A separates the negatively charged groups, and (b) that amino as well as acid groups are present at the electrophoretic surface of shear. A significant increase in mobility following cyanate treatment of the cells suggests that a large proportion of the amino groups are the e-amino groups of lysine. In view of the known effects of calcium and other divalent ions on cell permeability and cell adhesion, the extent of binding of calcium and magnesium to the cell surface was determined by the electrophoretic technique. Mobility was significantly decreased in the presence of calcium or magnesium, indicating that these ions are bound by surface groups. When the pH was lowered from 7.3 to 5.2, calcium binding was markedly decreased, an observation consistent with competition between calcium and hydrogen ions for a common receptor site.
Ultrasound of the Pediatric Scrotum

Clinical evaluation of pediatric scrotal pathologies can be challenging. Different pathologies have similar presentations, and scrotal tenderness may limit physical examination. Ultrasound (US) is the imaging modality of choice for the pediatric scrotum. It provides excellent anatomical detail and assessment of testicular perfusion by color Doppler without ionizing radiation. Scrotal US examination should also include the inguinal area; inguinal canal pathology can extend into the scrotum. In the pediatric acute scrotum, US can differentiate between testicular torsion requiring scrotal exploration and other pathologies with conservative management. This article will review scrotal US anatomy and demonstrate how US can guide management in a variety of scrotal abnormalities including trauma, masses, varicocele, and cryptochydism.
Origins of Aleuts and the Genetic Structure of Populations of the Archipelago: Molecular and Archaeological Perspectives

We summarize the results of a field and laboratory research program (1999-2006) in the Aleutian Islands on the origins of the inhabitants of the archipelago and the genetic structure of these populations. The Aleuts show closest genetic affinity to the contemporary Siberian Eskimos and Chukchi of Chukotka and differ significantly from the populations of Kamchatka (the terminus of the archipelago) and Alaskan Eskimos. Our findings support the hypothesis that the ancestors of the Aleuts crossed Beringia and expanded westerly into the islands approximately 9,000 years ago. The Monmonier algorithm indicates genetic discontinuity between contemporary Kamchatkan populations and western Aleut populations, suggesting that island hopping from Kamchatka into the western Aleutian Islands was highly unlikely. The primary determinant of the distribution of genes throughout the archipelago is geography. The most intimate relationship exists between the genetics (based on mtDNA sequences and intermatch/mismatch distances) and geographic distances (measured in kilometers). However, the Y-chromosome haplogroup frequencies are not significantly correlated with the geography of the Aleutian Islands. The underlying patterns of precontact genetic structure based on Y-chromosome markers of the Aleut populations is obscured because of the gene flow from Russian male colonizers and Scandinavian and English fishermen. We consider alternative theories about the peopling of the Americas from Siberia. In addition, we attempt a synthesis between archaeological and genetic data for the Aleutian Islands.
Agrarian Tenure Institution Conflict Frames, and Communitarian Identities The Case of Indigenous Southern Mexico

Drawing on a survey of more than 4,000 respondents, this article argues that contrary to claims by the 1994 Zapatista insurgency, indigenous and nonindigenous respondents in southern Mexico have been united more by socioeconomic and land tenure institution variables than by ethnic identity. Based on statistical models, it concludes that in rural southern Mexico, ethnicity alone is less important in shaping peoples' attitudes than whether the dominant land tenure institutions are the “communitarian” state-penetrated ejidos (communitarian collective farms) of Chiapas or the more “individualist” so-called communal lands of Oaxaca. It concludes by affirming that—contrary to many analysts of Chiapas's 1994 indigenous rebellion—external influences (here state-established land tenure institutions) can trump ideology in framing social movements. Rural Chiapas's prevalent communitarian attitudes seem to have resulted partly from exogenous land tenure institutions (ejidos) rather than from endogenous indigenous ide...
O042: Study on adopting the WHO 5-moment of hand hygiene for practices in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinics

Hand hygiene (HH) is effective to prevent nosocomial infections in healthcare settings. However, the application of the WHO 5-moment for HH in TCM practices has not been reported. This study was performed to explore the feasibility of applying the WHO 5-moments for HH using alcohol-based handrub (ABHR) in TCM clinics. The objectives were to study when HH should be practiced, the feasibility of adopting the WHO 5-moments and the practicality of using ABHR in TCM practices.
Sample bounded distributed reinforcement learning for decentralized POMDPs

Decentralized partially observable Markov decision processes (Dec-POMDPs) offer a powerful modeling technique for realistic multi-agent coordination problems under uncertainty. Prevalent solution techniques are centralized and assume prior knowledge of the model. We propose a distributed reinforcement learning approach, where agents take turns to learn best responses to each other's policies. This promotes decentralization of the policy computation problem, and relaxes reliance on the full knowledge of the problem parameters. We derive the relation between the sample complexity of best response learning and error tolerance. Our key contribution is to show that sample complexity could grow exponentially with the problem horizon. We show empirically that even if the sample requirement is set lower than what theory demands, our learning approach can produce (near) optimal policies in some benchmark Dec-POMDP problems.
Fault tolerance measures for m-ary n-dimensional hypercubes based on forbidden faulty sets

In this paper, we study fault tolerance measures for m-ary n-dimensional hypercubes based on the concept of forbidden faulty sets. In a forbidden faulty set, certain nodes cannot be faulty at the same time and this model can better reflect fault patterns in a real system than the existing ones. Specifically, we study the bounds of the minimum vertex cut set for m-ary n-dimensional hypercubes by requiring each node to have at least k healthy neighbors. Our result enhances and generalizes a result by Latifi et al. for binary hypercubes. Our study also shows that the corresponding result based on the traditional fault model (where k is zero) tends to underestimate network resilience of large networks such as m-ary n-dimensional hypercubes.
INSEMINATION REACTION IN DROSOPHILA: FOUND IN SPECIES WHOSE MALES CONTRIBUTE MATERIAL TO OOCYTES BEFORE FERTILIZATION.

Etude pour tester l'hypothese que la variabilite interspecifique qui se manifeste dans la reaction a l'insemination (secretion massive par la paroi vaginale) est liee a la variabilite interspecifique d'apparition de substances derivees de l(ejaculat dans le soma et les oeufs de la femelle.
Clearing the Cassini division

Abstract A numerical simulation shows that the field of Mimas will clear a narrow gap in Saturn's rings just outside the 2: 1 resonance with its orbital motion. This most likely corresponds to the 170-km-wide gap discovered by Voyager 1, rather than the much wider region referred to as the Cassini division.
A mixture toxicity approach for environmental risk assessment of multiple insect resistance genes

Multiple substance considerations applied to chemical mixtures in ecological risk assessments can be logically extended to nontarget organism (NTO) risk assessment for pyramided trait crops expressing multiple insect resistance genes. A case instance is developed that considers a two-protein pyramid of Cry1F and Cry1Ac synthetic proteins expressed in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). A mixture toxicity approach was used to arrive at the aggregated multisubstance potentially affected fraction (msPAF) of NTOs that may be at risk from exposure to Cry1F + Cry1Ac cotton in representative-use environments. Development of the msPAF for putative susceptible NTOs considered laboratory toxicity data for Lepidoptera expressed in terms of additive mixture toxicity as well as data on in planta expression of the Cry1F and Cry1Ac proteins and their translation into environmental loads and exposure concentrations. The msPAF based on tier 1 estimated environmental concentrations (EECs) and toxicity to Lepidoptera species—used as surrogate data for adverse effects to a putative susceptible species—provided a highly conservative estimate of effects on beneficial species and therefore is a ready means to conduct screening-level NTO risk assessments for pyramided crops. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011; 30:763–772. © 2011 SETAC
Case Study of the Evaluation and Verification of a PackBot Model in NRMM

Abstract : The NATO Reference Mobility Model (NRMM)[1] is the primary mobility software used by the US Department of Defense, its contractors and NATO countries to evaluate various metrics of proposed vehicle systems for acquisition. The NRMM is a vehicle mobility performance model developed in the 1970's[2] that combines mobility related technologies into one comprehensive software package designed to predict the physically constrained vehicle and terrain interaction while operating in both on and off road environments. The empirically based relationships within NRMM are measurements taken from actual vehicles run over a variety of terrains and are geared towards vehicles weighing more than 1500 pounds. As the Army focuses on a lighter, faster and more mobile fighting force, standard military vehicles are decreasing in size with many new ultra lightweight autonomous systems being designed. This fundamental shift in the size and weight of military vehicle systems, questions, the NRMM predictions for on and off road performance. The following paper describes a case study comparing NRMM predictions of the current Future Combat System (FCS) Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV), This paper defines required extensions in the existing data fields for the terrain and vehicle to support predictions of SUGV's in NRMM.
Two-year assessment of nowcasting performance in the CASA system

Nowcasting refers to short-term automated forecasting (0–6 hours or less) of high-impact weather events such as heavy rainfall that can produce severe flooding. Accurate and efficient nowcasting can be used to assist emergency managers in the decision-making process. This paper presents an evaluation of nowcasting performance within the Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA) system from the 2009–2010 Integrative Project 1 (IP1) experiment. The nowcasting methodology consists of the Dynamic and Adaptive Radar Tracking of Storms (DARTS) method for motion estimation and a sinc kernel-based advection method. Radar reflectivity fields were predicted up to 10 min into the future. Previous analysis is extended to include data over a two year period using Critical Success Index (CSI), False Alarm Ratio (FAR), Probability of Detection (POD), and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) scores for evaluation. Analysis of the categorical scores (i.e., CSI, POD, FAR) relative to scoring threshold and neighborhood is also presented.
Large persistent photochromic effect due to DX centers in AlSb doped with selenium

A large photochromic effect has been observed in bulk AlSb crystals doped with Se. Illumination with light of energy higher than 1 eV leads to an increase of the absorption coefficient in the spectral range 0.1 to 1.6 eV. The enhanced absorption is persistent at temperatures below about K. The effect is a manifestation of a DX-like bistability of Se donors. The illumination transfers the from the DX center to a metastable hydrogenic level. The increased absorption with peaks around 0.2 eV and 0.5 is due to photoionization from the donor level to X{sub l} and X{sub 3} minima of the conduction band.
Are Politicians Really Paid Like Bureaucrats

We provide the first empirical analysis of gubernatorial pay. Using US data for 1950-90 we document, contrary to widespread assumptions, substantial variation in the wages of politicians, both across states and over time. Gubernatorial wages respond to changes in state income per capita and taxes, after controlling for state and time fixed effects. The economic effects seem large: governors receive a 1 percent pay cut for each ten percent increase in per capita tax payments and a 4.5 percent increase in pay for each ten percent increase in income per capita in their states. There is strong evidence that the tax elasticity reflects a form of "reward-for-performance". The evidence on the income elasticity of pay is less conclusive, but is suggestive of "rent extraction" motives. Lastly, we find that democratic institutions seem to play an important role in shaping pay. For example, voter-initiatives and the presence of significant political opposition lead to large reductions in the income elasticity of pay, and to large increases (at least double) in the tax elasticities of pay, relative to the elasticities that are observed when these democratic institutions are weaker.
Impaired cortical mitochondrial function following TBI precedes behavioral changes

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) pathophysiology can be attributed to either the immediate, primary physical injury or the delayed, secondary injury which begins minutes to hours after the initial injury and can persist for several months or longer. Because these secondary cascades are delayed and last for a significant time period post TBI, they are primary research targets for new therapeutics. To investigate changes in mitochondrial function after a brain injury, both the cortical impact site and ipsilateral hippocampus of adult male rats 7 and 17 days after a controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury were examined. State 3, state 4 and uncoupler-stimulated rates of oxygen consumption, respiratory control ratios were measured and membrane potential quantified, and all were significantly decreased in 7 day post-TBI cortical mitochondria. By contrast, hippocampal mitochondria at 7 days showed only nonsignificant decreases in rates of oxygen consumption and membrane potential. NADH oxidase activities measured in disrupted mitochondria were normal in both injured cortex and hippocampus at 7 days post-CCI. Respiratory and phosphorylation capacities at 17 days post-CCI were comparable to naive animals for both cortical and hippocampus mitochondria. However, unlike oxidative phosphorylation, membrane potential of mitochondria in the cortical lining of the impact site did not recover at 17 days, suggesting that while diminished cortical membrane potential at 17 days does not adversely affect mitochondrial capacity to synthesize ATP, it may negatively impact other membrane potential-sensitive mitochondrial functions. Memory status, as assessed by a passive avoidance paradim, was not significantly impaired until 17 days after injury. These results indicate pronounced disturbances in cortical mitochondrial function 7 days after CCI which precede the behavioral impairment observed at 17 days.
Model-Guided Determination of Maximum Tolerated Dose in Phase I Clinical Trials: Evidence for Increased Precision

BACKGROUND A widely used phase I design in clinical trials of chemotherapy for cancer and for AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) allows for dose escalation in cohorts of three to six patients. Escalation continues until a predefined percentage of patients experience unacceptable toxic effects at a given dose level. A safe and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) for phase II study is then determined. This standard phase I study design has serious inadequacies. MTD is not a model-based estimate of the true dose that would yield the targeted dose-limiting toxicity rate. Moreover, this simplistic study design allows some patients in the phase I study to be treated at doses unlikely to have therapeutic efficacy. PURPOSE We constructed a novel quantitative assessment design that repetitively evaluates accumulating dose-toxicity data by repeatedly fitting and updating a pharmacodynamic model after small cohorts of patients are treated. The goal was to more accurately estimate the MTD. METHODS One hundred phase I studies were simulated by both the standard and quantitative assessment phase I designs. We compared determination of MTD, frequency of grade 0 leukopenia (no toxicity), and study size in the studies simulated using the standard design with those in the studies simulated using the quantitative assessment design. RESULTS The median MTD determined from the 100 studies was nearly identical for the two designs: 100 and 95 mg/m2 per day for standard and quantitative assessment designs, respectively. However, the interstudy variation in the MTD was decreased in the quantitative assessment design. Moreover, the study size was significantly reduced (P < .0001), and the median percentage of patients treated at subtoxic doses (no leukopenia) was significantly lower for the quantitative assessment design (44% versus 48%; P < .0001). CONCLUSION Our results show clear evidence that a phase I study design using dose and toxicity data in a repetitive and quantitative manner can identify the MTD with more accuracy than the standard design. IMPLICATIONS New approaches must be explored to improve our ability to identify the optimal dose for phase II studies of chemotherapy for cancer and for AIDS. There is evidence that the quantitative assessment design will identify the MTD with fewer patients, more precision, and fewer patients exposed to suboptimal doses.
The Quieted Voice: The Rise and Demise of Localism in American Radio

For the 8 decades that the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) and then the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have regulated broadcasting, localism has been a key component of the public interest ...
Two-stage spatial filtering for diffraction pattern analysis

The use of optical power spectrum analysis for feature detection and classification is often restricted by the superposition of the aperture spectrum. A spatial frequency filtering technique using a circular aperture and filters has been previously proposed to separate the object and aperture spectra. An adaptation of this technique using square apertures and an opaque cross spatial filter offers improved performance for some applications. Numerical calculations and experimental results are given comparing the two techniques.
Chinese Justice, the Fiction: Law and Literature in Modern China

During the first thirty years under communism, China completely banned crime fiction. After Mao, however, crime genres of all kinds-old and new, Chinese and Western-sprang up in profusion. Crime narrative again became one of the most prolific and best-loved forms of Chinese popular culture, and it often embodied the Chinese people's most trenchant and open critiques of their newly restored socialist legal system. This is the first full-length study in any language of Chinese crime fiction in all eras: ancient, modern, and contemporary. It is also the first book to apply legal scholars' "law and literature" inquiry to the rich field of Chinese legal and literary culture. Familiar Holmesian, quintessentially Chinese, and bizarre East-West hybrids of plots, crimes, detectives, judges, suspects, and ideas of law and corruption emerge from the pages of China's new crime fiction, which is alternately embraced and condemned by the Chinese establishment as it lurches uncertainly toward post-communist society. Informed by contemporary comparative and theoretical perspectives on popular culture and the fiction of crime and detection, this book is based on extensive readings of Chinese crime fiction and interviews-in China and abroad-with the communist regime's exiled and still-in-power security and judicial officers. It was in the Orwellian year of 1984 that the authorities set out to control China's crime fiction and even to manufacture it themselves-only to find that fiction, like the social phenomena it depicts, seems destined to remain one step ahead of the law.
Detailed kinetics of titanium nitride synthesis

A thermogravimetric analyzer is used to study the synthesis of TiN from Ti powder over a wide range of temperature, conversion and heating rate, and for two Ti precursor powders with different morphologies. Conversions to TiN up to 99% are obtained with negligible oxygen contamination. Nonisothermal initial rate and isothermal data are used in a nonlinear least-squares minimization to determine the most appropriate rate law. The logarithmic rate law offers an excellent agreement between the experimental and calculated conversions to TiN and can predict afterburning, which is an important experimentally observed phenomenon. Due to the form of the logarithmic rate law, the observed activation energy is a function of effective particle size, extent of conversion, and temperature even when the intrinsic activation energy remains constant. This aspect explains discrepancies among activation energies obtained in previous studies. The frequently used sedimentation particle size is a poor measure of the powder reactivity. The BET surface area indicates the powder reactivity much better.
Dynamics of Rapid Solidification in Silicon

Real-time techniques were used to study rapid melt and solidification dynamics in silicon. In crystalline Si, the interface response function was characterized and found to be asymmetric for large deviations from the melting temperature, which will require reevaluation of conventional transition state treatments of melt and solidification. In amorphous Si, the mechanism of explosive crystallization was studied. The explosive transformation is mediated by a buried liquid layer, and detailed measurements have led to the suggestion that polycrystalline Si nucleates at the moving liquid-amorphous interface. For certain conditions, this process could yield fine-grained polycrystalline Si; for other conditions it permits epitaxial regrowth from the underlying crystalline Si for maximum melt thickness much less than the original amorphous layer thickness.
Prenatal Exposure to Sex Steroid Hormones and Behavioral/Cognitive Outcomes

Experimental studies in animals indicate that androgen exposure in fetal or neonatal life largely accounts for known sex differences in brain structure and behavior. Clinical research in humans suggests similar influences of early androgen concentrations on some behaviors that show sex differences, including play behavior in childhood and sexual orientation in adulthood. Available research also suggests that sex steroid hormone exposure may contribute to sex differences in the risk of autism and affective disorders in schizophrenia. However, findings have been inconsistent for other characteristics that show sex differences, including aggression and spatial ability. Moreover, social and environmental factors may modulate some of the associations observed. This article reviews the evidence that early-life exposure to sex steroid hormones contributes to sexually dimorphic behavior and cognitive abilities in humans.
An Improved Coupled Model for ENSO Prediction and Implications for Ocean Initialization. Part I: The Ocean Data Assimilation System

Abstract An improved forecast system has been developed for El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) prediction at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction. Improvements have been made both to the ocean data assimilation system and to the coupled ocean–atmosphere forecast model. In Part I of a two-part paper the authors describe the new assimilation system. The important changes are 1) the incorporation of vertical variation in the first-guess error variance that concentrates temperature corrections in the thermocline and 2) the overall reduction in the magnitude of the estimated first-guess error. The new system was used to produce a set of retrospective ocean analyses for 1980–95. The new analyses are less noisy than their earlier counterparts and compare more favorably with independent measurements of temperature, currents, and sea surface height variability. Part II of this work presents the results of using these analyses to initialize the coupled forecast model for ENSO prediction.
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE BREACH OF SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY

Breaches of scientific integrity have been with us for centuries. However, the dependence of societies on scientific integrity has increased with the immense advances and complexities of science especially since Second World War.
Technology Is Becoming Integral to the Success of Patient Engagement

Health systems can adopt the most advanced information systems and employ a facility full of progressive providers, but many of their efforts may fail if patients are not engaged. Blending the outputs of electronic health records in every transition, sharing and exchanging health information, and populating personal health records are among the technologies that are increasingly being used to bring patients inside the process and participating in the circle of care.
Comparison of characteristics and attitudes of entry-level bachelor's and master's degree students in physical therapy.

Background and Purpose. The objective of this study was to examine the relationships between type of entry-level education and selected student variables. Subjects. Students in their final year of education in entry-level bachelor's and master's degree programs in the United States (N=766) participated in the study. Methods. Questionnaires were mailed to these students, who represented 22 entry-level physical therapy programs selected at random from the December 1991 issue of Physical Therapy . Two-tailed t tests for independent means and chi-square analyses were performed to determine statistical significance for interval data and categorical data, respectively. Results. Five hundred twelve surveys were returned, for a response rate of 66.8%. Master's degree respondents anticipated greater involvement in research and teaching and felt better prepared to practice across a broad spectrum of clinical practice and to perform activities related to research, teaching, management, and direct access practice. Baccalaureate programs, however, appeared to attract a greater percentage of minority individuals (14.9% versus 5.8%, respectively). Conclusion and Discussion. These results suggest that differences exist between entry-level bachelor's and master's degree students in physical therapy. Findings of this study may have implications for curriculum planning, recruitment and scholarship efforts, and policy formation in physical therapy education.
EEG, Polysomnography and Basal Ganglia Disorders

(1983). EEG, Polysomnography and Basal Ganglia Disorders. American Journal of EEG Technology: Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 93-106.
Hostile_work_environment.com

In this paper I discuss the behaviors and efforts of the male employees of one small software development company, which was born and died during the gold rush mentality that captivated many start-ups during the Dot.Com Bubble. From evidence drawn from interviews, observations, self-reported organizational charts and time diaries, I argue that the organizational culture, created by the original and managerial employees of this company, made it nearly impossible for female employees to be hired. I also claim that once a few female employees were hired, the organizational culture made the work environment so hostile that it drove them to leave and seek alternative employment. I argue these points from both a social constructivist and an individual differences theoretical points of view. The conclusions that I draw from this case study are that the Dot Com Bubble did more to impede women from the IT workforce than to facilitate their entrance.
Soluble Sugar and Starch Extraction and Quantification from Maize (Zea mays) Leaves

An easy-to-perform protocol for isolating and quantifying soluble sugars (sucrose, glucose, and fructose) and starch from maize (Zea mays) leaf tissue is described. The method has been optimized to extract non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) from frozen, finely ground tissue in a methanol:chloroform:water solution. Three rounds of tissue extraction for 30 min each at 50°C provide quantitative recovery of soluble sugars. The use of alternative extraction solvents is discussed, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of these solvents. Additionally, we provide two support protocols. The first quantifies the isolated NSC via commercially available enzymatic kits that couple the amount of each specific sugar to the production of NADPH, which is detected using equipment readily available to most laboratories. The second describes the preparation of a purification column to remove strongly charged or hydrophobic molecules from the extracted sugar solution, which is required prior to quantification with high-pressure liquid chromatography or high-performance anion-exchange chromatography. The protocols are robust and easily adapted for use in measuring NSC extracted from other plant species or tissues, making them ideal for new users. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: CPA column; fructose; glucose; maize leaf; MCW; non-structural carbohydrate; NSC; soluble sugars; starch; sucrose
Examination of body fluids: evaluating gross appearance; performing cell counts.

1. Leilani Collins, MS MT(ASCP)SH CLS(NCA)[⇑][1] 1. is associate professor, Clinical Laboratory Science Program, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis TN 1. Address for correspondence: Leilani Collins MS MT(ASCP)SH CLS(NCA), associate professor, Clinical Laboratory Science Program, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, 930 Madison Avenue, Suite 670, Memphis TN 38163.. (901) 448-6299. lcollins{at}utmem.edu. 1. Describe the normal appearance of cerebrospinal fluid, serous fluids, and synovial fluid. 2. Define gross findings that distinguish a traumatic tap from a pathologic bleed when a bloody CSF is encountered. 3. Name laboratory findings that aid in identifying a serous fluid as a transudate or exudate. 4. Describe how the appearance of a fluid can be used to determine the correct dilution for accurate cell counts. Evaluating gross appearance: CSF Spinal fluid is the only fluid that is normally available in quantities sufficient to sample. Adults have 90-150 mL of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and neonates 60-90 mL.1 The spinal fluid bathes the brain and spinal column providing nutrients to, removing waste products from, and acting as a protective cushion for the central nervous system (CNS). Since this fluid circulates around the brain and spinal column, it is an excellent source of information for the condition of the CNS. CSF is collected by lumbar puncture and, ideally, is placed into three or four sterile tubes labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the order in which it is collected. If multiple tubes are received and multiple tests are ordered, tube #1 should be used for chemistry and immunology testing, tube #2 for microbiology, tube #3 for cell counts and differential, and tube #4 for any other tests.1 The normal appearance of CSF is colorless and crystal clear, resembling water. A cloudy or turbid fluid indicates increased WBCs or protein. A bloody fluid can indicate a traumatic tap in which a blood vessel is inadvertently punctured in the process of collection or blood can mean an intracranial hemorrhage or pathologic bleed. If multiple tubes are collected, there is clearing of the blood from the first tube to the last tube collected in the case of a traumatic tap but a consistent amount of blood in all tubes in the case of a pathologic bleed. If only one tube… ABBREVIATIONS: CNS = central nervous system; CSF = cerebrospinal fluid; RBC = red blood cell; WBC = white blood cell. 1. Describe the normal appearance of cerebrospinal fluid, serous fluids, and synovial fluid. 2. Define gross findings that distinguish a traumatic tap from a pathologic bleed when a bloody CSF is encountered. 3. Name laboratory findings that aid in identifying a serous fluid as a transudate or exudate. 4. Describe how the appearance of a fluid can be used to determine the correct dilution for accurate cell counts. [1]: #corresp-1
Current concepts of tibial lengthening.

Summary 1. Tibial lengthening by mechanical means has been proved to be a practical and effective procedure. 2. The indications for and against lengthening are often very subtle and many factors are involved. 3. The decision to accomplish lengthening requires that these factors be weighed against the complications. 4. The complication rate is very high, but most are reversible adverse effects. Some, however, may be permanent, leading in some cases to ablation of the foot. 5. The anticipation, prevention, and management of the complications are briefly discussed.
Application of electric coagulation treatment via bronchoscopy in the management of congenital vallecular cyst in children

Objective To discuss the effect of electric coagulation through bronchoscopy in diagnosis and treatment of congenital vallecular cyst in children. Method Ten cases of congenital vallecular cyst in the study with age ranged from 21 days to 4 years and 10 months were treated with electric coagulation through bronchoscopy.The therapeutic effect was evaluated by endoscopic and clinical manifestation.And all the patients were followed-up for 6-12 months. Result All the patients obtained 3-5 times electric coagulation.After the operation, the cyst decreased in size, epiglottis softening was subsided, uplift uncompression, dyspnea and laryngeal stridor were improved obviously.After follow-up periods of 6-12 months, no capsule wall were left, and the activity of the epiglottis resumed.No severe complication was found in any patient. Conclusion Electric coagulation through bronchoscopy is a simple, effective and safe method to treat congenital vallecular cyst in children. Key words: Cysts; Epiglottis; Bronchoscopy; Electrocoagulation; Child
A study of the validity and reliability of the Teacher Homework Involvement Scale: A psychometric evaluation

Abstract The aim of the present investigation is to validate the Teacher Homework Involvement Scale (THIS) based on the data from 918 secondary school students. Using a randomized split of the sample, we performed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on Group 1 (n = 459) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on Group 2 (n = 459). The results indicated that the THIS consisted of three distinct yet related subscales: Homework Quality, Feedback Quality, and Autonomy Support. In addition, the present investigation found an adequate level of factor loading invariance across gender. Results further revealed that, in line with theoretical expectations, the THIS were positively related to motivational belief (value belief and expectancy belief), homework behavior (effort, management, and completion), and math achievement.
Solving Mixed PPW And AC Problems

Learning outcome: Be able to solve mixed PPW and AC word problems with the diagram equations Materials Needed: Diagrams Part-Part-Whole (PPW) Diagram Equation Posters PPW and AC WP Story Grammar Posters Overhead Modeling Modeling PPW and AC Problem Solving 1, 2, 3, and 4 Student Worksheets Modeling PPW and AC Problem Solving 1, 2, 3, and 4 Try-It-Out–mixed PPW and AC problem solving 5 & 6 Independent worksheet- mixed PPW and AC problem solving 7, 8, 9, & 10 Reference Guide Reference Guide –mixed PPW and AC problem solving 1–10.
Is There a Right to Be Free from Corruption

Scholars and policymakers have, for some time, focused on the link between corruption and human rights. This has been to illustrate that corruption is not a victimless crime. While this has publicized the impact of corruption on individuals and on society, it has not changed the lack of political will to prosecute many instances of corruption. Thus citizens often stand by as their leaders plunder national treasuries. Rather than focusing solely on human rights, or trying to create a new “human right” to be free from corruption, this article explores the right to a legal remedy for victims of corruption as set forth in Article 35 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption. This treaty-based right provides a foundation from which civil society can build an enforceable right to be free from corruption. This article also examines recent challenges brought by civil society groups trying to reclaim assets that were obtained through grand corruption and otherwise hold accountable their political leaders. These groups have used novel theories of legal standing in attempts to recover stolen assets or seek a remedy for public harm caused by systemic corruption. Based on Article 35 and emerging case law, the author argues that the emerging treaty right is one that can be broadly construed, and which forms the basis for further policy and legislative reforms.
Schedules of interresponse time reinforcement.

In the experiments reported in this study, data were obtained with rats on the effects of interresponse time (IRT) contingent reinforcement of the lever press response. It was found that (1) as the width of the reinforced IRT interval decreased, recoverability following exposure to other interval widths decreased; (2) exposure to one value of the lower bound of the reinforced IRT interval did not affect the final performance under a new value of the lower bound; (3) individual differences in the form of the IRT distributions were maintained to a considerable extent across different values of the lower bound; (4) in one set of experiments, homogeneous response chains intervened between lever presses; and decreases in the width of the reinforced IRT interval resulted in increases in the pause after reinforcement and decreases in the modal IRT; however in other experiments little chaining was observed and no relation between the pause after reinforcement or the mode of the IRTs and the width of the reinforcement interval was obtained; these discrepancies were tentatively attributed to differences in the magnitude of reinforcement; (5) the peakedness of the IRT distributions was a positive function of the width of the reinforcement interval and probability of reinforcement, a negative function of the value of the lower bound of the reinforcement interval, and unaffected by upper bounds which were no smaller than twice the value of the lower bound; (6) when the IRT distributions were computed with the class interval widths proportional to the lower bounds, the distributions tended to become congruent regardless of the value of the lower bound, although there was still a slight positive relation between the lower bound and the flatness of the distribution; (7) for schedules involving the reinforcement of IRTs in either of two intervals, as the probability of reinforcement in the first interval increased, the principal mode of the IRT distribution shifted from the lower bound of the second interval to that of the first interval, while at intermadiate probabilities the mode lay between the two lower bounds; and (8) at small widths of the first interval, a mode was present near both lower bounds.
Extraction efficiency and quantification of dissolved metabolites in targeted marine metabolomics

The field of metabolomics seeks to characterize the suite of small molecules that comprise the end-products of cellular regulation. Metabolomics has been used in biomedical applications as well as environmental studies that explore ecological and biogeochemical questions. We have developed a targeted metabolomics method using electrospray ionization–liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry to analyze metabolites dissolved in seawater. Preparation of samples from the marine environment presents challenges because dilute metabolites must be concentrated and desalted. We present the extraction efficiencies of 89 metabolites in our targeted method using solid phase extraction (SPE). In addition, we calculate the limits of detection and quantification for the metabolites in the method and compare the instrument response factors in five different matrices ranging from deionized water to spent medium from cultured marine microbes. High background organic matter content reduces the instrument response factor for only a small group of metabolites, yet enhances the extraction efficiency for other metabolites on the SPE cartridge used here, a modified styrene-divinylbenzene polymer called PPL. Aromatic or larger uncharged compounds, in particular, are reproducibly well retained on the PPL polymer. This method is suitable for the detection of dissolved metabolites in marine samples, with limits of detection ranging from < 1 pM to ∼ 2 nM dependent on the dual impacts of seawater matrix on extraction efficiency and on instrument response factors.
Paleogenomics of echinoids reveals an ancient origin for the double-negative specification of micromeres in sea urchins.

Abstract Establishing a timeline for the evolution of novelties is a common, unifying goal at the intersection of evolutionary and developmental biology. Analyses of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) provide the ability to understand the underlying genetic and developmental mechanisms responsible for the origin of morphological structures both in the development of an individual and across entire evolutionary lineages. Accurately dating GRN novelties, thereby establishing a timeline for GRN evolution, is necessary to answer questions about the rate at which GRNs and their subcircuits evolve, and to tie their evolution to paleoenvironmental and paleoecological changes. Paleogenomics unites the fossil record and all aspects of deep time, with modern genomics and developmental biology to understand the evolution of genomes in evolutionary time. Recent work on the regulatory genomic basis of development in cidaroid echinoids, sand dollars, heart urchins, and other nonmodel echinoderms provides an ideal dataset with which to explore GRN evolution in a comparative framework. Using divergence time estimation and ancestral state reconstructions, we have determined the age of the double-negative gate (DNG), the subcircuit which specifies micromeres and skeletogenic cells in Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. We have determined that the DNG has likely been used for euechinoid echinoid micromere specification since at least the Late Triassic. The innovation of the DNG thus predates the burst of post-Paleozoic echinoid morphological diversification that began in the Early Jurassic. Paleogenomics has wide applicability for the integration of deep time and molecular developmental data, and has wide utility in rigorously establishing timelines for GRN evolution.
High-resolution wide-field human brain tumor margin detection and in vivo murine neuroimaging

Current in vivo neuroimaging techniques provide limited field of view or spatial resolution and often require exogenous contrast. These limitations prohibit detailed structural imaging across wide fields of view and hinder intraoperative tumor margin detection. Here we present a novel neuroimaging technique, speckle-modulating optical coherence tomography (SM-OCT), which allows us to image the brains of live mice and ex vivo human samples with unprecedented resolution and wide field of view using only endogenous contrast. The increased effective resolution provided by speckle elimination reveals white matter fascicles and cortical layer architecture in the brains of live mice. To our knowledge, the data reported herein represents the highest resolution imaging of murine white matter structure achieved in vivo across a wide field of view of several millimeters. When applied to an orthotopic murine glioblastoma xenograft model, SM-OCT readily identifies brain tumor margins with near single-cell resolution. SM-OCT of ex vivo human temporal lobe tissue reveals fine structures including cortical layers and myelinated axons. Finally, when applied to an ex vivo sample of a low-grade glioma resection margin, SM-OCT is able to resolve the brain tumor margin. Based on these findings, SM-OCT represents a novel approach for intraoperative tumor margin detection and in vivo neuroimaging.