cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Techniques for Practical Cloud-based Network Intrusion Detection

Machine learning and anomaly detection techniques are commonly used to perform network intrusion detection. Though a great deal of research exists in this domain, many publications focus on a single technique applied to a single dataset instead of demonstrating baseline results for a suite of techniques applied to multiple datasets. Variations in experimental procedures complicate comparison across research efforts. Furthermore, the limited scope of many research efforts often does not translate to usefulness in real-world environments. As services continue to be migrated to cloud-based infrastructures, attack surfaces increase in size, providing more opportunity for attackers and increasing the need for network-based protections. We present a set of experiments and insights demonstrating how commonly applied anomaly detection and machine learning techniques perform against three of the most frequently used and highly regarded intrusion detection datasets. In many cases, our results are comparable to those reported in prior work, but our results indicate how techniques generalize to other datasets.
Perceived Fatigue Impact and Cognitive Variability in Multiple Sclerosis.

Objective People with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) and healthy controls (HCs) were evaluated on cognitive variability indices and we examined the relationship between fatigue and cognitive variability between these groups. Intraindividual variability (IIV) on a neuropsychological test battery was hypothesized to mediate the group differences expected in fatigue. Method Fifty-nine PwMS and 51 HCs completed a psychosocial interview and battery of neuropsychological tests and questionnaires during a 1-day visit. Fatigue in this study was measured with the Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS), a self-report multidimensional measure of fatigue. IIV was operationalized using two different measures, a maximum discrepancy score (MDS) and intraindividual standard deviation (ISD), in two cognitive domains, memory and attention/processing speed. Two mediation analyses with group (PwMS or HCs) as the independent variable, variability composite (memory or attention/processing speed) measures as the mediators, total residual fatigue (after accounting for age) as the outcome, and depression as a covariate were conducted. The Baron and Kenny approach to testing mediation and the PROCESS macro for testing the strength of the indirect effect were used. Results Results of a mediation analysis using 5000 bootstrap samples indicated that IIV in domains of both attention/processing speed and memory significantly mediated the effect of patient status on total residual fatigue. Conclusion IIV is an objective performance measure that is related to differences in fatigue impact between PwMS and HCs. PwMS experience more variability across tests of attention/processing speed and memory and this experience of variable performance may increase the impact of fatigue.
Elongational Stresses and Cells

Fluid forces and their effects on cells have been researched for quite some time, especially in the realm of biology and medicine. Shear forces have been the primary emphasis, often attributed as being the main source of cell deformation/damage in devices like prosthetic heart valves and artificial organs. Less well understood and studied are extensional stresses which are often found in such devices, in bioreactors, and in normal blood circulation. Several microfluidic channels utilizing hyperbolic, abrupt, or tapered constrictions and cross-flow geometries, have been used to isolate the effects of extensional flow. Under such flow cell deformations, erythrocytes, leukocytes, and a variety of other cell types have been examined. Results suggest that extensional stresses cause larger deformation than shear stresses of the same magnitude. This has further implications in assessing cell injury from mechanical forces in artificial organs and bioreactors. The cells’ greater sensitivity to extensional stress has found utility in mechanophenotyping devices, which have been successfully used to identify pathologies that affect cell deformability. Further application outside of biology includes disrupting cells for increased food product stability and harvesting macromolecules for biofuel. The effects of extensional stresses on cells remains an area meriting further study.
Kant and the power of imagination

In this book Jane Kneller focuses on the role of imagination as a creative power in Kant's aesthetics and in his overall philosophical enterprise. She analyzes Kant's account of imaginative freedom and the relation between imaginative free play and human social and moral development, showing various ways in which his aesthetics of disinterested reflection produce moral interests. She situates these aspects of his aesthetic theory within the context of German aesthetics of the eighteenth century, arguing that Kant's contribution is a bridge between early theories of aesthetic moral education and the early Romanticism of the last decade of that century. In so doing, her book brings the two most important German philosophers of Enlightenment and Romanticism, Kant and Novalis, into dialogue. It will be of interest to a wide range of readers in both Kant studies and German philosophy of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Behavior of Shock Waves Entering Model Bomb Shelters

Spark shadowgraph with effective exposure time of fraction of microsecond has enabled very sharp pictures to be obtained of time sequence of shock wave advance, reflection, diffraction, and turbulent breakup in models placed in 4×4-in. sq cross section shock tube; results show that viscous forces play important part in kinetic energy dissipation.
Complications of Robotic Prostatectomy

Prostate cancer is the most common solid organ malignancy in men in the United States. Over the past 80 years, the radical prostatectomy has been the most common form of surgical treatment for prostate cancer.
Prospective assessment of outcomes in 411 patients treated with hyperbaric oxygen for chronic radiation tissue injury.

BACKGROUND: Although hyperbaric oxygen is used to treat chronic radiation tissue injury, clinical evidence supporting its efficacy has been limited to date. The authors report prospectively collected patient outcomes from a single center's large experience using hyperbaric oxygen to treat chronic radiation injury. METHODS: Since 2002, patient outcomes at the conclusion of a course of hyperbaric oxygen treatment for chronic radiation tissue injury at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle have been graded by a board-certified hyperbaric physician and prospectively recorded. From 2002 to 2010, a total of 525 patients received treatment for 1 of 6 forms of radionecrosis analyzed. After excluding 114 patients for incomplete records or treatment courses or for previous receipt of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, records of 411 patients were retrospectively reviewed in 2010, and outcomes were regraded by a second board-certified physician. A positive clinical response was defined as an outcome graded as either “resolved” (90%-100% improved) or “significantly improved” (50%-89% improved). RESULTS: A positive outcome from hyperbaric treatment occurred in 94% of patients with osteoradionecrosis of the jaw (n = 43), 76% of patients with cutaneous radionecrosis that caused open wounds (n = 58), 82% of patients with laryngeal radionecrosis (n = 27), 89% of patients with radiation cystitis (n = 44), 63% of patients with gastrointestinal radionecrosis (n = 73), and 100% of patients who were treated in conjunction with oral surgery in a previously irradiated jaw (n = 166). CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes of 411 patients collected prospectively over 8 years strongly supported the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen treatment for the 6 conditions evaluated. The response rates previously reported in numerous small series were supported by the responses achieved in this large, single-center experience. Cancer 2012. © 2011 American Cancer Society.
Struggling for Legitimacy: Trajectories of Membership and Naturalization in the Sorting Out of Engineering Students

Situated learning theory proposed the notion of legitimate peripheral participation as central to newcomers’ trajectories toward membership in communities of practice. Left underdeveloped were questions of how legitimacy is conferred or denied. Leigh Star’s work suggests ways of addressing these questions by considering how identifications of participants are made on the basis of classification systems. This article examines how classification of “calculus-readiness,” tied to an identification of engineering with mathematics, shapes the activity of students, staff, and faculty involved in a diversity program at a U.S. college of engineering, and is used to organize trajectories for students in the program.
Calibration and Estimation in Multiply Redundant Measurement Systems

For multiply redundant measurements, a calibration and estimation technique has been developed in the framework of a fault detection and isolation (FDI) methodology where the decisions are made on the basis of consistencies among all measurements. The consistent measurements are calibrated on-line such that their residuals are minimized. An estimate of the measured variable is obtained as a weighted average of the calibrated measurements where the individual weights are updated on-line on the basis of the respective a posteriori probabilities of failure instead of being a priori fixed. The calibration and estimation algorithm has been computer-coded for real time applications and verified by on-line demonstrations in an operating nuclear reactor.
What Becomes of Undergraduate Dance Majors

This paper examines the earnings, work patterns, and work histories of individuals employed in the field of dance using data from a survey of graduates of the Five College Dance Department. The respondents to our survey include not only those currently working in dance, but also some who never entered the profession and many others who entered but later left the field. We find that graduate education in dance, age, and prior dance experience are highly correlated with employment in the field of dance. Our findings are similar to those of other studies on artists, in showing that the returns to dance are low and that many of those employed in dance rely on non-dance jobs to supplement their dance earnings.
Etomidate: A New Intravenous Anesthetic Induction Agent

Currently available anesthetic induction agents provide adequate hypnosis but are not ideal, particularly in the high risk patient (ASA class III-V), because most cause myocardial and/or respiratory depression and some have other important side effects. Etomidate was recently marketed as an intravenous anesthetic induction agent. It is a non-barbiturate hypnotic without analgesic properties that has less cardiovascular and respiratory depressant actions than sodium thiopental, even in patients with minimal cardiovascular reserve. Laboratory studies indicate that etomidate is approximately 25 times more potent and has a therapeutic index six times greater than sodium thiopental. In contrast to most other induction agents, etomidate does not cause histamine release. Furthermore, tolerance does not occur with repeated administration. Etomidate's rapid distribution half life (t 1/2 alpha = 2.81 +/- 1.64 min), short elimination half life 1/2 beta = 3.88 +/- 1.11 hr) and rapid clearance (954 +/- 178 ml/min) explain its rapid onset and short duration of action. The compound produces electroencephalographic changes and effects on cerebral blood flow, metabolism and intracranial pressure that are similar to sodium thiopental, suggesting that it may have a place in neurosurgery and as a "brain protective" agent in patients at risk of a brain hypoxic insult. Etomidate did not affect hepatorenal and hematologic function after repeated injections in animal toxicology studies, but few investigations addressing its effects on hepatic, renal, and neuromuscular function in man have been accomplished. The most noticeable side effects of etomidate include myoclonia, pain on injection and postoperative nausea and vomiting.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Entropy of dynamical systems and perturbations of operators

In the papers [9, 10, 3, 11] on perturbations of Hilbert space operators, we studied an invariant (τ) where is a normed ideal of compact operators and τ a family of operators. The size of an ideal for which (τ) vanishes or does not vanish is an upper, respectively lower, bound for a kind of dimension of τ. In the case of systems of commuting self-adjoint operators τ, the results of [9,3] relate (τ) with (an ideal slightly smaller than the Schatten von Neumann class ) to the way the spectral measure of τ compares to p -dimensional Hausdorff measure.
Preterm Factors Influencing Surfactant Deficiency

Surfactant deficiency has come to be understood as equivalent clinically to lung immaturity, except in situations of extreme prematurity or lung hypoplasia. Thus, surfactant deficiency and the diagnosis respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) have been applied quite uniformly to preterm infants with respiratory distress who have no other identifiable problems. While the diagnosis can be made more specific by assay of surfactant phospholipid composition (12), such measurements are seldom made in clinical practice. Perinatal discussions of the premature with respiratory distress also have been focused toward surfactant by the availability of multiple tests of “lung maturation” based on the assay of surfactant components in amniotic fluid (19). While surfactant is necessary for normal lung function, adequate surfactant is not sufficient to assure normal gas exchange in the preterm. There are no simple ways to separate surfactant deficiency states clearly from other aspects of lung development, such as airway development, alveolarization, and the development of the pulmonary vasculature in the preterm infant. The anatomic data of Hislop et al. (13) and Langston et al. (22) indicate a considerable variability in the number of alveoli in the preterm infant at each gestational age, resulting in large differences in potential gas exchange surfaces in different infants. Airway development also differs between infants of comparable gestational ages, as is evident clinically by susceptibility to the development of pulmonary interstitial emphysema. Assuming that surfactant treatments for RDS fully correct the surfactant deficiency, a realistic expectation based on animal studies (16), surfactant treatments should be useful in the near future to eliminate the surfactant deficiency component of lung immaturity syndromes. Any residual lung disease can then be better characterized.
On a conjecture of Wang and Williams

Wang and Williams defined a threshold assignment for a graph G as an assignment of a non-negative weight to each vertex and edge of G, and a threshold t, such that a set S of vertices is stable if and only if the total weight of the subgraph induced by S does not exceed t - 1. This is always possible with zero vertex-weights, unit edge-weights, and t = 1. By definition, a threshold graph is a graph having a threshold assignment with zero edge-weights. The threshold weight of G is the minimum total edgeweight of a threshold assignment of G. A graph G = (V,E) is called heavy if its threshold weight is |E|. A clique C of G is called big if |E(C)| > |E(G - C)|. Wang and Williams showed that graphs with a big clique are not heavy, and conjectured the converse. They verified the conjecture for triangle-free graphs. We disprove the conjecture in general, but prove it for perfect graphs.
Antimony assisted low-temperature processing of CuIn1 − xGaxSe2 − ySy solar cells

Abstract Application of the Sb-doping method to low-temperature (≤ 400 °C) processing of CuIn1 − xGaxSe2 − ySy (CIGS) solar cells is explored, using a hydrazine-based approach to deposit the absorber films. Power conversion efficiencies of 10.5% and 8.4% have been achieved for CIGS devices (0.45 cm2 device area) processed at 400 °C and 360 °C, respectively, with an Sb-incorporation level at 1.2 mol % (relative to the moles of CIGS). Significant Sb-induced grain size enhancement was confirmed for these low processing temperatures using cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy, and an average 2–3% absolute efficiency improvement was achieved in Sb-doped samples compared to their Sb-free sister samples. With Sb inclusion, the CIGS film grain growth temperature is lowered to well below 450 °C, a range compatible with flexible polymer substrate materials such as polyimide. This method opens up access to opportunities in low-temperature processing of CIGS solar cells, an area that is being actively pursued using both traditional vacuum-based as well as other solution-based deposition techniques.
Limits of sludge dewaterability

Water in sludge appears to be of four kinds; free water which freezes at normal freezing temperatures; interstitial water, which freezes at lower temperature due to high dissolved solids concentrations; vicinal water which is associated with solid surfaces and freezes only at very low temperatures; and water of hydration, which does not enter the ice crystal and which can be removed from the sludge only by thermal means. Using the classical technique of freezing in dilatometers, unfrozen water is measured in sludge at different temperatures and at different solids concentrations. Not all water appears to be frozen even down to −30°C. At low solids concentrations, where the sludge does not form large flocs, the only unfrozen water is most likely vicinal water and the water of hydration. At intermediate solids concentrations, the flocs capture the interstitial water which does not freeze, apparently due to its high dissolved solids concentration. At high solids concentrations, the interstitial water is squeezed out of the flocs and only the vicinal water and the water of hydration remain unfrozen. It is not possible to remove vicinal water or the water of hydration by mechanical means, but it is theoretically possible to remove the interstitial and free water. A knowledge of these fractions of water can provide practical limits of mechanical dewatering.
Neurotransmitter Systems in Morphologically Undifferentiated Human Y‐79 Retinoblastoma Cells: Studies of GABAergic, Glycinergic, and β‐Adrenergic Systems

Elements of three neurotransmitter systems were investigated in morphologically undifferentiated human Y-79 retinoblastoma cells in suspension culture. Specific gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) uptake, GABA binding, and glycine binding were absent from these cells, although the cells had been shown to exhibit an active uptake and release of [3H]glycine. Binding and competition studies using both alpha- and beta-adrenergic ligands indicated the presence of a beta-adrenergic receptor. This finding was confirmed by treatment of the cells with beta-agonists in competition with a beta-antagonist and with an alpha-antagonist; the level of cyclic AMP was competitively stimulated. Therefore, human Y-79 cells in suspension culture contain beta-adrenergic receptors, and not glycinergic or GABAergic ones. Thus, the Y-79 cells may be of use in studying the factors involved in developmental regulation of neurotransmitter function.
VISCOSITY OF STEAM AT ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE

Abstract This paper gives the experimental results of the measurement of the viscosity of steam at atmospheric pressure in the temperature range 110–1071 °C. This work was instigated because of the lack of agreement among the results of earlier workers in the range 100–600°C, the relatively few observations above 600°C, and the need to obtain reliable atmospheric values for the correlation of the high pressure measurements. It is believed that the results reported here adequately meet these demands. Two apparatus were designed and developed, both of which were transpiration capillary type viscometers enabling absolute determinations to be made. The design of the apparatus was such that the capillary bores could be checked before and after use and that capillaries of different lengths and bores could be introduced. The first apparatus, which was a single capillary glass viscometer, was developed as a prototype for the second apparatus. Two different capillaries having approximately the same length, were used used over the temperature range 110–460°C. The second apparatus, which was made of quartz, utilized two capillaries in series. Three of which had a different ratio of the lengths of the capillaries in a set, to the other three. The apparatus was used over the temperature range 110–1071 °C. Over 500 separate observations are reported and the accuracy of the recommended values is thought to be better than 2 per cent. A fifth degree polynomial in the temperature and a Sutherland type equation have been fitted to the results of the present work.
On the Solution of Plane, Orthotropic Elasticity Problems by an Integral Method

The present paper is concerned with the application of integral equation techniques to problems in plane orthotropic elasticity. Two approaches for solving such problems are outlined, both of which are characterized by embedding the real body in a “fictitious” body for which the appropriate influence functions are known. Fictitious tractions are then introduced such that the boundary conditions on the real body are satisfied. This results in a coupled set of integral equations in the fictitious traction components. Once these are found the unknowns, i.e., stresses, etc., are found in a straightforward manner. The difficulty is in introducing the fictitious traction field such that the resulting integral equations are useful computationally, i.e., are Fredholm equations of the second rather than the first kind. A sufficient condition for this is that the fictitious traction field is applied to the boundary of the real body. The two approaches just mentioned differ in the choice of influence function used, in one case the influence function being singular in the field and the other singular on the boundary. A solution method already exists in the isotropic case using the boundary influence function [3]. An alternate formulation is presented using an internal influence function which is shown to have computational advantages in the anisotropic (orthotropic) case. To illustrate the methods, the stress field is found in a “truncated” orthotropic quarter space, under the condition of a given traction on the truncated surface, traction-free elsewhere. This problem is of interest in certain Rock Mechanics calculations, e.g., to a first approximation the stress field is that due to a rigid wedge penetrating a brittle, orthotropic elastic solid (prior to chip formation).
A worker-based approach for modeling variability in task completion times

Three sources of variability in task completion times are identified: the task itself, the worker performing the task, and the environment where the task is performed. Although all three sources might play a role, for practical purposes researchers seek a parsimonious model of variability in task completion times which identifies the most significant source. It is typically assumed that the most significant sources are the task itself or the environment where the task is performed. In this paper we investigate the notion that the worker performing the task may be the most significant source of variability in task completion times, and propose a modeling approach for this situation. We also present the results of a field experiment that support the proposed modeling approach.
Acute Mitochondrial and Chronic Toxicological Effects of 1-Methyl-4-Phenylpyridinium in Human Neuroblastoma Cells

At low micromolar concentrations, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), the toxic metabolite of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) selectively kills nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons by mechanisms believed to involve impairment of mitochondrial complex I. A human neuroblastoma cell line expressing the dopamine transporter (DAT) was utilized to examine the effects of MPP+ on acute physiologic responses and subsequent cell death. Acute responses were measured by microphysiometry and by monitoring mitochondrial membrane potential with [3H]tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP+) uptake. MPP+ (10 microM) increased extracellular proton excretion in DAT-expressing cells within 2-3 min, but had no effect in untransfected cells. The lipophilic complex I inhibitor, rotenone, increased proton excretion in both cell lines. In DAT-expressing cells, mitochondrial membrane potential was reduced within I h of 10 microM MPP+ exposure. Rotenone reduced mitochondrial membrane potential in both cell lines. MPP+ caused apoptotic death of DAT-transfected cells 2-3 days after drug application, but did not kill untransfected cells. Thus, MPP+ produces immediate mitochondrial impairment only in cells that express DAT, and these changes occur days before overt cellular toxicity. The magnitude, time course and nature of these changes were similar to those produced by rotenone, confirming the site of action of MPP+ as mitochondrial complex I. These immediate mitochondrial effects appear to be an accurate predictor of subsequent cell death.
Project control- evaluation of a brief HIV counseling video to improve risk reduction behavior of teenagers

Background This study compared the effectiveness of a brief theorybased, youth-friendly HIV counseling video series with the standard practice (an HIV counselor) in improving risk reduction behavior among teens recruited in an urban Emergency Department (ED). Methods A two-armed randomized controlled trial was conducted on a convenience sample of 203 non-critically ill, sexually active individuals aged 15-21 in an urban emergency department. Participants in the control (counselor) group received HIV information and counseling from a counselor while those in the intervention (video) group watched a series of youth-friendly counseling videos tailored to patients’ stages of change. All participants completed pre- and post-intervention measures on three mediating variables hypothesized to reduce unsafe sexual behavior: condom intention, condom outcome expectancy, and condom self-efficacy. HIV testing was optional for both arms. Results 203 patients were enrolled and randomized, 102 in the video group and 101 in the counselor group. The groups were similar with respect to age, gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual history. The video intervention performed as well as in-person counseling at improving several condom use measures. The mean difference between groups (video-counselor) in improvement over time (from preto post-counseling) in condom self-efficacy was 0.26, CI (0.03,0.50), in male outcome expectancy was 0.15, CI (0.02,0.28), and in female outcome expectancy was 0.20, CI(-0.01,0.40). Participants in the video group improved their condom use intention score significantly more than those in the counselor group, with a mean difference between arms for change over time of 1.02, pvalue= 0.01, CI(.24,1.80). The intervention effect on condom intention score did not differ by gender or ethnicity.
Aqueous Synthesis at 200°C of Sub‐10 Nanometer Yttria Tetragonally Stabilized Zirconia Using a Metal‐Ligand Approach

The objective of this study was to produce well-dispersed nanosized yttria tetragonally stabilized zirconia (Y-TZP) powder in aqueous suspension. The Y-TZP powder was produced by precipitation from homogeneous solution at 200°C under hydrothermal conditions. A homogeneous solution was created through the use of a complexing agent, which subsequently could be used in a dispersion scheme developed for the nanosized Y-TZP powder. Characterization of the Y-TZP powder was performed using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and high-resolution transmission electron microscope. The overall goal of this study is the eventual production of bulk ceramics from well-dispersed nanosized aqueous ceramic suspensions via wet processing techniques.
Feedlot manure nutrient loadings on South Dakota farmland

A key determinant of whether livestock manure is an asset or liability for agricultural producers and for society more generally is the amount produced relative to the nearby farmland area to which it can be economically transported for application. The objectives of this study are to estimate manure N and P loadings on the cropland and rangeland associated with 78 feedlot farm operations in South Dakota and to determine if they are greater for larger feedlots.A substantial fraction of the feedlot operators studied apply plant-available N and P in livestock manure at rates that exceed crop and grass fertility requirements, and intensity of manure nutrient loadings on cropland is strongly and positively related to feedlot size. These findings raise a warning regarding possible nonpoint-source pollution of vulnerable water resources from manure produced by fed cattle in larger feedlots.
Screening strategies for group B streptococcus in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Purpose To identify the best screening protocol to prevent neonatal group B streptococcal (GBS) sepsis through literature review. Data Sources Selected research articles, texts, and Internet sources. Conclusions Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) have issued guidelines describing methods to identify pregnant women at risk of intrapartum transmission of GBS to their babies. Studies have been conducted to discover the superiority of one prevention method over the other but no consensus has been reached. Implications for Practice Before widely used prevention methods, approximately 8,000 babies each year became infected with GBS; of those, 400 died and many survivors suffered life-long sequelae. Adoption of an appropriate protocol can prevent transmission of GBS from a colonized mother to her infant. Clinicians should implement either universal culture-based or risk factor-based screening guidelines for prenatal diagnosis and intrapartum prophylaxis of GBS disease.
Health policy: Health-care implications of resident duty-hour restrictions

Since 2003, duty hours for US resident physicians have been restricted to 80 h per week. For the first time, a study in a surgical population now demonstrates a reduction in mortality and morbidity associated with the working-hour reform.
World Wide Web Authoring in the Portfolio-Assessed, (Inter)Networked Composition Course.

Abstract This article details an argument for having first-year composition students “publish” electronic portfolios on the World Wide Web (WWW). The major claim is that WWW authoring is “authentic” writing in that it provides an actual writing context that further informs reflective practice, a defining element of portfolio assessment. In support of that claim, the article first provides background on attaining a more fully computer-mediated pedagogy that accounts for its electronic presence and tries to transcend the conventions of traditional classroom practice. Following this, the article provides an extensive demonstration of an actual electronic portfolio, concentrating on the actual audiences and purposes that the writer had to consider and accommodate in constructing the electronic portfolio and its Web site. To accommodate these audiences, reflective practice becomes not just an assigned exercise but a necessary stage through which the portfolio writer and reader must pass to contextualize the portfolio and make sense of its texts. The article concludes by noting that making an electronic portfolio may be one small step toward an epistemological transformation in both student writing and writing pedagogy.
A reagentless enzymatic amperometric biosensor using vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNF)

A reagentless amperometric enzymatic biosensor is constructed on a carbon substrate for detection of ethanol. Yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH), an oxidoreductase, and its cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) are immobilized by adsorption and covalent attachment to the carbon substrate. Carbon nanofibers grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) are chosen as the electrode material due to their excellent structural and electrical properties. Electrochemical techniques are employed to test the functionality and performance of the biosensor using reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) which also determines the oxidation peak potential of NADH. Subsequently, amperometric measurements are conducted for detection of ethanol to determine the electrical current response due to the increase in analyte concentration. The detection range, storage stability, reusability, and response time of the biosensor are also examined.
Adjunctive zonisamide for weight loss in euthymic bipolar disorder patients: A pilot study

Abstract Objective To assess the effectiveness and tolerability of open adjunctive zonisamide in treatment of obesity in euthymic bipolar disorder (BD) patients. Method Zonisamide was administered to recovered, overweight BD outpatients assessed with the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorders (STEP-BD) Affective Disorders Evaluation and followed with the STEP-BD Clinical Monitoring Form. Weight changes (Body Mass Index (BMI) and BMI percentage changes) were assessed prospectively at four weekly visits, one bi-weekly visit, and then five monthly visits, for a maximal duration of six months. Weight loss was assessed with random effects modeling to maximize all available data for analysis. Results Twenty-five BD (10 BD-type I, 15 BD-type II) patients (mean age 41.0 ± 10.4 years, 64% female, 96% Caucasian) on a mean of 2.8 ± 1.5 prescription psychotropic and 1.3 ± 1.4 prescription non-psychotropic medications received zonisamide for a mean duration of 14.2 ± 8.5 weeks, with a mean final dose of 375 ± 206 (range 75–800) mg/day. Slope of weight loss was 0.078 BMI points per week, and non-zero (p Conclusion Adjunctive zonisamide appeared effective and generally physically tolerated, but had high rates of mood adverse events, in obese BD patients. Controlled trials are warranted to systematically explore these preliminary naturalistic observations.
ABNORMAL DIMERCAPTO-SUCCINIC ACID SCANS PREDICT AN INCREASED RISK OF BREAKTHROUGH INFECTION IN CHILDREN WITH VESICOURETERAL REFLUX

ABSTRACT Purpose: The management of high grade vesicoureteral reflux remains controversial, with breakthrough infections being an indication for surgical repair. We sought to determine if 99m technetium dimercapto-succinic acid (DMSA) scan could help predict which children are at risk for breakthrough urinary tract infection. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was performed on children presenting with a febrile urinary tract infection and prenatal hydronephrosis who were found to have vesicoureteral reflux and underwent a DMSA scan. Reflux was tabulated according to the highest grade. DMSA results were graded as 0—normal, no parenchymal or size defects, grade 1—focal parenchymal defects or less than a quarter of a renal unit involved, or grade 2—severe defects to include at least half of a renal unit, bilateral defects or unilateral atrophy. Results: A total of 120 consecutive patients were evaluated. An abnormal DMSA scan was documented in 57 (33 females and 24 males), and 35 with grade 1 and 22 with grade 2 defects. Of the patients 53 females and 10 males had a normal scan. Of the 57 children with an abnormal DMSA scan 6% presented with grades 1 and 2 vesicoureteral reflux, 24% with grade 3, 38% with grade 4 and 26% with grade 5. Of the children with grades 3 to 5 reflux 60% had a subsequent breakthrough infection. Of the 63 children with a normal DMSA scan 11% presented with grade 1 reflux, 28% with grade 2, 48% with grade 3, 11% with grade 4 and 2% with grade 5. Of these children 5 had a subsequent breakthrough infection. Conclusions: An abnormality on DMSA scan in the presence of grade 3 to 5 reflux correlates with a greater chance of having a breakthrough infection (60%). We conclude that children with grade 3 to 5 vesicoureteral reflux and an abnormal DMSA scan are at increased risk for breakthrough urinary tract infection.
Effect of N-octylamine on the reduction of mammalian hepatic microsomal cytochrome B5

Abstract 1. 1. In a preceding paper evidence was presented for the endogenous reduction of NAD(P) + by mammalian hepatic microsomes and the concomitant reduction of cytochrome b 5 . The experiments reported here demonstrate that low concentrations of n -octylamine, in the presence of limiting quantities of NAD + , cause an increased level of cytochrome b 5 reduction by mouse hepatic microsomes and also delays its reoxidation. 2. 2. These effects are both NAD + and n -octylamine dependent and appear to be due to an activation of the microsomal enzyme causing endogenous reduction of NAD(P) + and also, in part, to inhibition of the autooxidation of reduced cytochrome b 5 . 3. 3. Protection from the inhibitory action of sulfhydryl reagents on NADH-cytochrome b 5 reductase was also observed in the presence of n -octylamine. 4. 4. The results suggest that the enzyme(s) involved in the endogenous reduction of NAD(P) + is not the microsomal alcohol dehydrogenase.
Cognitive dysfunction in patients suffering minor head trauma

Intellectual deficits, memory impairment, and psychological sequelae have been well recognized after severe head injury.’ The existence of these sequelae in the subset of head-injured patients that have been termed “minor” has been minimally investigated. Those patients are generally defined as having sustained a head injury but present with a Glascow coma scale of 13 to 15. Additional definitions have included a loss of consciousness of no more than 20 minutes and hospitalization of less than 48 hours.’ It is these minor head-injured patients that comprise the majority of the estimated 8 million head injuries per year. Rime1 et al were among the first to attempt to determine incidence and extent of symptoms persisting in minor head trauma patients at a 3-month follow-up.’ One of the concerns with the sample pointed out in the article was that inclusion was limited to patients admitted because of history of head trauma and loss of consciousness less than 20 minutes. This would exclude a large number of minor head trauma patients who present to emergency departments (EDs) and are discharged home. Additionally, two reports on minor head trauma patients found that loss of consciousness was absent in 50% of sober patients’ and 67% of ethanol intoxicated patients3 with cranial computed tomographic evidence of craniocerebral injury. In another study, Struger et al found that loss of consciousness did not predict memory impairment in patients suffering minor head trauma.4 Therefore, excluding patients without loss of consciousness from a minor head trauma study would seem to introduce a significant bias. Therefore, the present study was designed to determine the incidence of symptoms persisting up to 4 weeks after trauma in all patients presenting to the ED with or without loss of consciousness.
Catastrophizing, depression and pain-related disability.

Abstract Objective The objective of the study was to examine catastrophizing, depression and their interactive effects in predicting disability in patients with chronic pain. Method A battery of questionnaires was mailed to primary care patients in a large integrated health care delivery system. The Patient Health Questionnaire was used to assess major depression, the Coping Strategies Questionnaire assessed catastrophizing and the Graded Chronic Pain Scale was used to assess pain intensity and two measures of disability, including self-report of pain interference and days missed from usual activities. Patient medical records were used to assess severe medical illness. Of the 5808 respondents, 2618 met criteria for chronic pain. Multiple regression analyses, covarying for age, gender, severe medical illness and pain intensity, estimated the main and interactive effects of catastrophic thinking and depression on two measures of pain-related disability. Results Both catastrophic thinking and depression were statistically significant predictors of both measures of pain-related disability, with larger effect sizes observed for catastrophic thinking. Conclusions Routine assessment of both catastrophic thinking and depression is important in the treatment of chronic pain patients, and modification of these factors may reduce disability and increase the ability of chronic pain patients to participate in daily life activity.
The Role of Sexual Compulsivity in Casual Sexual Partnerships among College Women

The purpose of this study was to assess the associations between sexual compulsivity and the sexual behaviors of college women. Data were collected from 170 college women through an Internet-based cross-sectional survey. Measures included recent and lifetime sexual history, intentions to have sex during an upcoming special event on campus, and the Sexual Compulsivity Scale. Women who were higher in sexual compulsivity had more lifetime sexual partners, were more likely to engage in sex with partners outside of a relationship, and were more likely to report intentions to engage in sexual behavior with non-relationship partners.
The ground-state stabilization of the keto tautomer of 7-hydroxyquinoline in methanol/argon matrices at 10 K

The stabilization of the ground-state keto tautomer of 7-hydroxyquinoline (7HQ) has been observed in methanol/argon mixed matrices at 10 K. The stabilized tautomer has been ascribed to the isolated 7HQ-(MeOH)2 bridged complex based on the observation that the open-chain methanol dimer concentration reaches a maximum concomitantly with the fluorescence excitation spectrum of the keto tautomer centered at 420 nm. Also discussed are the excited-state proton-transfer processes for the 7HQ-methanol unbridged complexes.
A modified TnphoA useful for single-stranded DNA sequencing.

Abstract The TnphoA transposon constructed by Manoil and Bcckwith [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82 (1985) 8129–8133] has been modified to permit easy isolation of single-stranded (ss) DNA of target plasmids. The intergenic region (IG) of filamentous phage f1, which consists of the phage origin of replication and packaging signal, was inserted into a nonessential region of TnphoA. This modified transposon should be useful for the analysis of genes cloned in plasmids that lack a filamentous phage IG. Transposition of TnphoA-lG into a plasmid carries the IG with it; subsequently, after infection with a filamentous helper phage, ss plasmid DNA suitable for sequence analysis and useful for oligodeoxyribonucleotide-mediated mutagenesis of TnphoA-generated fusions can be isolated. The utility of TnphoA-IG was confirmed by analysis of ‘blue hops’ into the bla (encoding β-lactamase) and pspE (encoding phage shock protein) genes whose products are secreted into the Escherichia coli periplasm.
Large-scale DNA sequencing

Abstract The problems of large-scale sequencing are discussed, together with existing and future strategies, and the technology capable of achieving the goal of a productive, efficient process is reviewed.
PCR-based detection of mtDNA haplotypes of native and invading mussels on the northeastern Pacific coast: latitudinal pattern of invasion

Frequencies of mitochondrial haplotypes characteristic of native Mytilus trossulus and introduced M. galloprovincialis were determined in populations along the west coast of North America from San Diego, California, to the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. We also identified the haplotypes of mussels cultured from larvae arriving in Coos Bay, Oregon, during 1988–1990 from sites in Japan in the seawater ballast of ocean-going ships. All mussels from ballast-water samples were M. galloprovincialis. We found that sampled populations north of San Francisco Bay, including Coos Bay, were entirely composed of mussels with the M. trossulus haplotype, while haplotypes of both species were present in all sites in and south of San Francisco Bay. The presence of M. trossulus in southern sites is contrary to evidence from allozyme studies, and we suggest that mtDNA introgression from M. trossulus to M. galloprovincialis may explain this discordance. This study demonstrates that, despite continued transport and release, M. galloprovincialis has not become established in northern sites. Failure to invade the north coast of North America may reflect environmental unsuitability for M. galloprovincialis. However, invasion success may be probabilistic, and the continuing release of M. galloprovincialis larvae may foreshadow a future successful invasion.
Spontaneous retroperitoneal hemorrhage in a dialysis patient.

Abstract Background Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) often present to the Emergency Department with a multitude of complaints. Abnormal vital signs and a chief complaint of pain can produce a diagnosis ranging from a cardiac etiology to an infectious source. Objectives Our goal is to discuss a case in which an ESRD dialysis patient presented with a rare, life-threatening emergency. Case Report A 55-year-old man with ESRD presented with acute abdominal pain and hypotension caused by a spontaneous retroperitoneal hemorrhage. Conclusion This case report demonstrates the necessity of having broad differential diagnoses when evaluating patients with ESRD.
Treatment of molluscum contagiosum with imiquimod 5% cream

Molluscum contagiosum is a benign cutaneous viral disease. This article describes 5 immunocompetent patients with molluscum contagiosum who were successfully treated with imiquimod 5% cream.
Third heart sound: possible role of pericardium in its production.

The disappearance of a third heart sound in a case of calcific pericarditis after surgery together with a quantitative study of the time and frequency relations of the third heart sound in 70 cases suggests that the tensing of the pericardium is a factor in its production. The frequency characteristics of the third heart sound are such that it may be identified in the presence of a diastolic murmur.
Pregnancy, prolactin and white matter regeneration

New myelinating oligodendrocytes are continuously generated in the white matter of the uninjured adult CNS by oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) and neural stem cells (NSCs). Currently, little is known about the function of these new cells or the physiological processes that regulate their generation and differentiation. Importantly, new oligodendrocytes are able to contribute to the endogenous repair of white matter damage. Thus, a major biological and biomedical interest in the regulatory mechanisms governing their generation in the adult brain has arisen. Here I discuss work that demonstrates that hormonal changes during pregnancy promote increased OPC proliferation and oligodendrocyte production in the maternal CNS. We found that the maternal increase in oligodendrocyte production is associated with a significantly enhanced ability to regenerate white matter damage. Prolactin (PRL) signaling is both necessary and sufficient for the pregnancy-induced increase in OPC proliferation, and most strikingly, PRL treatments mimic the regenerative effects of pregnancy and promote white matter repair and remyelination in virgin females. I consider the implications of this work for our understanding of maternal adaptations to pregnancy and for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis.