cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Testbed for Fun and Effective Features in Spatial Skill Training Games

Certain digital games hold promise as interventions for training spatial skills, a subset of cognitive skills essential for success in STEM fields. However, not much is known about what features of these games are relevant to training spatial skills. Without such knowledge, it is impossible to design spatial skill training games with confidence that they will be effective. In addition, existing games for spatial skill training are not designed to appeal to those who stand the most to benefit from them: students with low spatial skill. In this work, we present a new and improved version of Homeworld Bound, a game designed as a testbed for studying spatially relevant game features. Our updated version is grounded in spatial skill theory and designed to appeal to low spatial skill university students. We present our future plans for analyzing the training effectiveness and player experience of this new game, Homeworld Bound: Redux.
Experimental Study on the Detectability of Man-in-the-Middle Attacks for Cloud Applications

Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks can significantly compromise the security of the Internet and cloud computing applications, where an attacker intercepts the packets transmitted between the clients and servers over the network to steal confidential information and/or change the packets. It is essential and challenging to detect MITM attacks. In this paper, we build a virtual network testbed to emulate a real-world cloud environment and study the detection of MITM attacks. We consider an MITM detection approach that utilizes network packet analysis and machine learning techniques to measure the changes in the packet Round-Trip Time (RTT) between a client and a server. Specifically, we use the machine learning algorithms in TensorFlow to analyze the RTT data collected on the testbed to determine the detectability of MITM attacks. If the attacker's link speed is much higher than the client's link speed in an access network, e.g. an attacker connecting the network through a wired Ethernet and a normal client connecting the network through a wireless link, it would be difficult to discern the RTT difference with and without the MITM attacks. We are able to deduce a threshold below which the MITM attacks can be detected based on the RTT difference with a certain accuracy. Our experiments show the detectability accuracy becomes lower.
Potassium Bromide: The First Successful Treatment of Epilepsy (P4.9-043)

Objective: To examine the origin of potassium bromide as one of the first successful treatments of epilepsy. Background: Potassium bromide was a common treatment for epilepsy in the 19th century and still currently used in veterinary medicine to treat animals with epilepsy. Design/Methods: Literature review through historical archives, Pubmed, and the original publications of Charles Locock, Sir Samuel Wilks, Sir William Gowers, and Alden Turner. Results: The discovery of potassium bromide as an epileptic can be attributed to Sir Charles Locock, an obstetrician who believed that epilepsy can be caused by excess masturbation and was associated with menstrual periods. Sir Locock had taken potassium bromide himself, and after realizing that it had caused impotency, used it to successfully stop epileptic seizures on 14 out of 15 of his patients and published his findings in the Lancet. The use of potassium bromide was then popularized by Sir Samuel Wilkins and later by Sir William Gowers. Through observations and statistical analysis, Sir Gowers discovered that bromide does not cure epilepsy but only causes relapse of symptoms, needs titrating so dosages remain below a toxic level, and should never be abruptly discontinued. Later, his discoveries of qualities of bromide will serve as the foundation for future epilepsy therapies. Conclusions: Despite having limited anticonvulsant effects and many toxicities, bromide was one of the few efficacious treatments for epilepsy in the 19th century. The study of bromide by Sir Gowers served as the foundation for future epilepsy treatments. Disclosure: Dr. Peng has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sato has nothing to disclose.
Poof! Reduction of Immediate Use Steam Sterilization via Education and Transparency

Background Immediate use steam sterilization (IUSS) is used in Operating Room (OR) environments when an instrument is needed for surgery about to occur or currently occurring and there is not sufficient time to perform sterilization in Sterile Processing (SPD). The IUSS process is less effective than standard sterilization processes, which may increase the risk of surgical site infection (SSI). There is no benchmark frequency of IUSS, but trending use by procedure, instrument, and reason is useful. We sought to identify the current IUSS baseline and identify improvement strategies. Methods Baseline surveillance from 2016-2017 demonstrated an overall rate of 0.28% with a high of 0.9% in October 2017. Improvement strategies included the addition of IUSS rates at the Infection Prevention and Control Committee and the SSI Prevention Huddle, including run charts. The rationale for IUSS was defined for more targeted approaches to data collection. Based on data, targeted education of OR members included physicians and nurses to the appropriate use of IUSS instead of standard practices. SPD processes and expected turnaround time were discussed. The hospital policy on standard practices were reviewed with vendors. Inventory was assessed to insure proper par levels for surgical instruments. Finally, the surgeon must sign a document acknowledging the risks, that benefits outweigh those risks, and they wish to proceed when IUSS is required. Results IUSS rates dropped from 0.28% to 0.11% for 2018-October 2019 (p=0.0013). Between July 2018 and October 2019, IUSS was not used in 9 of 16 months, including four consecutive months in 2019. Additionally, there was a shift from “contaminated during procedure (30% to 19%),” towards “compromised packaging of unique item” and “vendor non-compliance,” which rose to 50% and 38%, respectively. Conclusions Minimization of IUSS can be indicative of a highly reliable OR. With focused infrastructure and transparency, instances of IUSS can be minimized, even zero.
Photoinduced Charge Transfer and Bimetallic Bond Dissociation of a Bi–W Complex in Solution

Organometallic complexes including metal carbonyls have been widely utilized in academic and industrial settings for purposes ranging from teaching basic catalytic reactions to developing state-of-the-art electronic circuits. Characterization of these materials can be obtained via steady-state measurements; however, the intermediate photochemical events remain unclear, hindering effective and rational molecular engineering methods for new materials. We employed femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA) and ground-state femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS) on triphenylbismuth-tungsten pentacarbonyl complex, a solution precursor for bimetallic oxide thin films. Upon 280 nm excitation into a charge-transfer band, an ultrafast bimetallic bond dissociation occurs within ∼140 fs. The subpicosecond nondiffusive solvation events are followed by ∼10 ps (15 ps) methanol (ethanol) complexation of the nascent tungsten pentacarbonyl intermediate, which mainly undergoes vibrational relaxation after crossing into a hot ground state. The trans ligand to axial CO is revealed to play a key role in the electronic and vibrational structure and dynamics of the complex. These findings could power rational design of bimetallic and functional solution precursors for the light-driven nanopatterning of thin films.
Walking after incomplete spinal cord injury with an implanted neuromuscular electrical stimulation system and a hinged knee replacement: a single-subject study

Study design Single-subject repeated measures study. Objectives Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) can enhance walking for people with partial paralysis from incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI). This single-subject study documents an individual's experience who both received an experimental implanted NMES system and underwent clinical bilateral hinged total knee arthroplasty (TKA). She walked in the community with knee pain prior to either intervention. Walking performance improved with an implanted NMES system. Knee pain and instability continued to worsen over time and eventually required TKA. This study evaluates the effects of these interventions. Setting Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland OH, USA. Methods The differential and combined effects of NMES and hinged knee replacement were assessed in terms of walking speed, toe clearance, knee angle, and participant perceptions with and without stimulation assistance both before and after TKA. Results The combined approach both reduced pain and restored walking ability to levels achieved prior to developing significant knee pain that prevented walking without NMES. There was an interaction effect between NMES and TKA on walking speed. Toe clearance consistently improved with stimulation assistance and TKA prevented significant knee hyperextension. The greatest impact was on endurance. Knee replacement re-enabled long distance walking with the addition of stimulation again more than doubling her maximum walking distance from 214 to 513 m. Conclusions These data support further research of combined implantable interventions that may benefit people with iSCI. Furthermore, joint laxity and pain may not necessarily be contraindications to NMES if addressed with conventional clinical treatments.
Technical note: Generation of a Cerenkov scatter function convolution kernel for a primary proton beam.

PURPOSE To generate a Cerenkov scatter function (CSF) for a primary proton beam and to study the dependence of the CSF on the irradiated medium. MATERIALS AND METHODS The MCNP 6.2 code was used to generate the CSF. The CSF was calculated for light-pigmented, medium-pigmented, and dark-pigmented stratified skin, as well as for a homogeneous optical phantom, which mimics the optical properties of human tissue. CSFs were generated by binning all of the Cerenkov photons which escape the back end (end opposite beam incidence) of a 20 × 20 × 20 cm phantom. A 4 × 4 cm, 500 × 500 bin grid was used to create a histogram of the Cerenkov photon flux on the simulated medium's back surface (surface opposite beam incidence). A triple Gaussian was then used to fit the data. RESULTS From the triple Gaussian fit, the coefficients of the CSF for the four phantom materials was generated. The individual CSF fit coefficient errors, with respect to the Gaussian representation, were found to be between 0.92% and 4.11%. The R2 value for the fit was calculated to be 0.99. The phantom material was found to have a significant effect (63% difference between materials) on the CSF amplitude and full width at half maximum (195% difference between materials). The difference in these parameters for the three skin pigments was found to be small. CONCLUSIONS The CSF was obtained for a proton beam using the MCNP 6.2 code for a phantom constructed of light, medium, and dark stratified human skin, as well as for an optical phantom. The CSFs were then fit with a triple-Gaussian function. The coefficients can be used to generate a radially symmetric CSF, which can then be used to deconvolve a measured Cerenkov image to obtain the dose distribution.
Detection Performance of Embedded QPSK onto LFM waveform Guard Bands for RF Convergence

In this work, we investigate the use of the guard bands of a linear frequency modulated (LFM) radar waveform for communications. For illustration, quaternary phase-shift keying (QPSK) is used. The effect of the LFM waveform on the symbol error rate (SER) is investigated. Conversely, the effect of injecting the QPSK RF carriers on the radar’s probability of detection (P D ) is also investigated. To reduce the interference on each other, a spectral distance metric is introduced and its effect on SER and P D is evaluated. To mitigate the obvious effect or large radar power compared to communications, radar mainlobe notch filtering, parameter estimation and subtraction are used in the communications receiver. In terms of the radar’s P D , the effect of low-power communications due to the use of the guard bands turns out to be minimal.
How Much Do They Make? A Systematic Review of Income Generated From Begging:

Panhandling income has not been well reviewed, though doing so would be beneficial for several reasons. Understanding beggar income may aid in addressing misconceptions about the activity, clarify ...
An Online Gamified Learning Platform for Teaching Cybersecurity and More

We present an online gamified learning platform for computer science and cybersecurity education. Exercises within the platform revolve around a custom game wherein students can demonstrate learned skills regarding password security, web security, traffic analysis, reverse engineering, cryptanalysis, and much more. We describe some key features that together make our platform novel, including its distributed infrastructure, game engine, integrated development environment, automated feedback system, and support for individualization. We demonstrate how these features assist in the learning process --- both in theory and in practice --- and report on the use of the platform in a cybersecurity course.
The false discovery rate: a variable selection perspective

In many scientific and medical settings, large-scale experiments are generating large quantities of data that lead to inferential problems involving multiple hypotheses. This has led to recent tremendous interest in statistical methods regarding the false discovery rate (FDR). Several authors have studied the properties involving FDR in a univariate mixture model setting. In this article, we turn the problem on its side; in this manuscript, we show that FDR is a by-product of Bayesian analysis of variable selection problem for a hierarchical linear regression model. This equivalence gives many Bayesian insights as to why FDR is a natural quantity to consider. In addition, we relate the risk properties of FDR-controlling procedures to those from variable selection procedures from a decision theoretic framework different from that considered by other authors.
Bridging the gap between microscopic and macroscopic theories of noise in bipolar junction transistors

The major noise sources in a bipolar transistor are the base resistance thermal noise, or Johnson noise, the base current shot noise and the collector current shot noise. The shot noise is described by a spectral density of 2qI, I being the DC base, I/sub B/, or collector, I/sub C/, current. We present a detailed microscopic treatment of the transistor collector current shot noise, which is typically given as a macroscopic result of electrons passing through the EB junction barrier. The analysis can be applied to heterojunction bipolar transistors as well as to non-uniform doping cases. The critical assumptions behind the magic 2qI/sub C/ expression are identified. One of them is that the noise due to majority carrier velocity fluctuations is not included, which dominates at high injection. Velocity saturation and velocity overshoot can also cause deviation from 2qI/sub C/. We show detailed modeling of the noise source within an incremental section, its propagation towards the transistor terminal, and the integration over all of the incremental sections for evaluation of the total terminal noise. The concept of scalar and vector Green's functions as well as their equivalence to Schockley's impedance field concept are illustrated with an emphasis on intuitive understanding. These concepts are essential to performing effective numerical noise simulation, which has recently become available in commercial TCAD tools.
Power-aware resource allocation for CPU-and memory-intense internet services

Internet service providers face the daunting task of maintaining guaranteed latency requirements while reducing power requirements. In this work, we focus on a class of services with very high cpu and memory demands, best represented by internet search. These services provide strict latency guarantees defined in Service-Level Agreements, yet the clusters need to be flexible to different optimizations, i.e. to minimize power consumption or to maximize resource usage. Unfortunately, standard cluster algorithms, such as resource allocation, are oblivious of the SLA allocations, while power management is typically only driven by cpu demand. We propose a power-aware resource allocation algorithm for the cpu and the memory which is driven by SLA and allows for various dynamic cluster configurations, from energy-optimal to resource-usage-optimal. Using trace-based simulation of two service models, we show that up to 24% energy can be preserved compared to the state-of-art scheme, or maximum memory utility can be achieved with 20% savings.
The Influence of Audio-Video Instruction on Consumers' Selection of Nutritious Food Products

The present research investigates procedures for educating people on the use of nutritional labeling. The methods incorporate instructional audio-video media in conjunction with active decision making and immediate feedback. Three groups of participants (audio-video only, audio-video plus active decision making/feedback, and no-instruction control) were asked to chose the more nutritious products from pairs of similar products based on the information on the labels. The results showed that audio-video media improved the accuracy of the product-pair selections and nutrition knowledge. No additional benefit of active decision making and feedback was found. A follow-up product choice test given approximately one week later showed that performance for the two audio-video conditions was maintained, but there were no differences between conditions primarily because of a nonsignificant increase by the control group. However, the follow-up testing showed that the two audio-video groups had greater nutrition knowl...
A Short STory on Action Refinement

This note presents a meaningful example — concerning a communication protocol — how congruence results for action refinement should be applied.
Post-Conviction DNA Testing and the Emergence of a Fundamental Constitutional Right

The American criminal justice system is designed to ensure that innocent men and women are not wrongfully convicted for crimes that they did not commit. Despite numerous safeguards, defense lawyers and civil liberties advocates have been arguing for years that the legal system is fundamentally unfair and unjust. Because of power and resource imbalances, the argument goes, federal and state prosecutors routinely win convictions against individuals who did not commit the crimes for which they were on trial. As a result, thousands of actually innocent people are languishing in prisons and death rows around the country. In the past, such claims were difficult to prove, primarily because of the degradation of evidence, both physical and eyewitness, and the fundamental belief in the correctness of legal decision-making. However, forensic DNA analysis is increasingly being used in post-conviction litigation to prove that innocent people have been wrongfully incarcerated. Yet the decisions of our criminal courts are considered to be final unless a defendant's constitutional rights were violated at trial. That belief is so strong that, in the landmark 1993 case of Herrera v. Collins, the Supreme Court ruled that even the "actual innocence" of prisoner was not sufficient to necessitate the reversal of a conviction. Rather, it could only serve as the "gateway though which a habeas petitioner must pass to have his otherwise barred constitutional claim considered on the merits." This requirement has raised significant legal challenges for defense lawyers hoping to use DNA test results to vacate the convictions of their clients. Consequently, many defense lawyers have called for the creation of a fundamental constitutional right to post-conviction testing, thus over-riding the balancing and utility tests that prosecutors and courts use to deny access to biological evidence. This demand is based on the claim that DNA evidence has the power to provide "cast iron scientific proof" that our system convicts and sentences innocent people on a regular basis. These legal arguments have raised fundamental questions about the constitutional implications of technological change. If a constitutional right to post-conviction DNA testing is eventually recognized, then legal procedure will lose some of its status as the legitimator of legal finality to the authority of science and technology. Indeed, it is precisely for this reason that the issue has been so contested within the judicial community. While some judges have been eager to modify existing legal procedure based on the authority of DNA evidence, others have sought to defend the sanctity of procedure in law from incursions by alternative sources of finality. At stake is the means by which our legal system guarantees justice and social order.
Efficient multicasting and broadcasting in interconnection networks

Efficiency in broadcasting and multicasting in networks is a major issue. The traditional multicasting and broadcasting techniques do not extend well to wormhole networks and especially to a shared memory multiprocessor environment where the messages are short and need a very low communication overhead. We propose an efficient hardware algorithm for multicasting and broadcasting in a hypercube based shared memory multiprocessor. The method uses logically embedded hierarchical rings for multicasting. Simulation as well as analytical results are shown. The proposed technique can be extended to any network in which rings can be embedded. We reduce both the delays and storage overheads.
Toward Autonomic Cloud: Automatic Anomaly Detection and Resolution

In this paper we describe an approach to implement an autonomic cloud. Our approach is based on our belief that if a computing system can automatically detect and correct anomalies - including response time anomalies, load anomalies, resource usage anomalies, and outages - then it can go a long way in reducing human involvement in keeping the system up, and that can lead to an autonomic system. We focus on a class of anomalies that are defined by normal values expected of key metrics. We describe a hierarchical rule-based anomaly detection and resolution framework for such a class of metrics.
Predictive capability of left atrial size measured by CT, TEE, and TTE for recurrence of atrial fibrillation following radiofrequency catheter ablation.

Background: Recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) has been well established and is in part related to left atrial (LA) size. The purpose of this study was to assess the predictive capability of LA diameter (LAD) and LA volume (LAV) by echocardiography and computed tomography (CT) to determine success in patients undergoing RFCA of AF. Methods: Eighty-eight patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF who had undergone RFCA and had a prior transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE), transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE), and CT were enrolled in the study. TTE LADs and LV ejection fraction as well as TEE LADs and LAVs in three views were recorded. CT LAVs were also recorded. Clinical parameters prior to ablation as well as at 1-year follow-up were assessed. Results: A total of 40 (45%) patients with paroxysmal AF and 48 (55%) patients with persistent AF were analyzed. Paroxysmal AF patients had a RFCA success rate of 88% at 1 year with persistent AF patients having a 52% success rate (P < 0.001). A CT-derived LAV ≥ 117 cc was associated with an odds ratio (OR) for recurrence of 4.8 (95% confidence interval [CI]=[1.4–16.4], P = 0.01) while a LAV ≥130 cc was associated with an OR for recurrence of 22.0 (95% CI =[2.5–191.0], P = 0.005) after adjustment for persistent AF. Conclusions: LA dimensions and AF type are highly predictive of AF recurrence following RFCA. LAV by CT has significant predictive benefit over standard LADs in severely enlarged atria even after adjustment for AF type. (PACE 2010; 532–540)
Shear zone development during magmatic arc construction: The Bench Canyon shear zone, central Sierra Nevada, California

The Bench Canyon shear zone is a 20-km-long, moderately to steeply dipping zone of ductile to brittle strain that cuts Cretaceous plutonic and volcanogenic rocks located in the central Sierra Nevada, California. This zone is one of several Cretaceous-age ductile shear zones that record fluctuating strain fields associated with the tectonic/magmatic evolution of the central Sierra Nevadan magmatic arc. As determined by field relations, fabric analysis, and U-Pb and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronology, the Bench Canyon shear zone underwent an episodic deformation history involving both contractional and extensional strain over a period of ∼17 m.y. or longer. Deformation is divided into early (ca. 101?–95 Ma), main (ca. 95–90 Ma), and late (ca. 90–78 Ma) phases. Temperature during main-phase deformation followed a retrograde T - t path of ∼600–300 °C after emplacement of multiple plutons. Main-phase deformation involved ductile thrust movement in both the 95 ± 1 Ma Red Devil Lake pluton and Lower to mid-Cretaceous volcanic rocks, where thrusting was facilitated by heat and fluids associated with plutonism. Fingerlike sills associated with the Red Devil Lake pluton were emplaced syntectonically with respect to main-phase deformation, but cooled rapidly, undergoing heterogeneous strain more typical of “pre-tectonic” emplacement. The ca. 90 Ma Mount Givens pluton cuts the shear zone fabric in the wall rock, limiting the bulk of deformation to have occurred prior to that time. Domainal and diachronous late-phase reactivation(s) along the zone involved weak, fluid-enhanced ductile (∼500 > T > 300 °C) deformation, and generation of abundant cataclasite and pseudotachylyte. The long-lived, episodic and diachronous deformation history of the Bench Canyon shear zone illustrates the complexities to be expected within shear zones during continental magmatic arc evolution.
Zeolite Parageneses in the North Atlantic Igneous Province: Implications for Geotectonics and Groundwater Quality of Basaltic Crust

Zeolites are among the most common products of chemical interaction between groundwaters and the Earth's crust during diagenesis and low-grade metamorphism. The unique crystal structures of zeolites result in large molar volumes, high cation-exchange capacities, and reversible dehydration. These properties influence both the stability and chemistry of zeolites in geologic systems, leading to complex parageneses and compositional relationships that provide sensitive indicators of physicochemical conditions in the crust. Observations of zeolite occurrence in Tertiary basaltic lavas in the North Atlantic region indicate that individual zeolite minerals are distributed in distinct, depth-controlled zones that parallel the paleosurface of the plateau basalts and transgress the lava stratigraphy. The zeolite zones are interpreted to have formed at the end of burial metamorphism of the lavas. Relative timing relations between various mineral parageneses and crustal-scale deformal features indicate that the miner...
Inhibition of RNA polymerase III transcription by a ribosome-associated kinase activity

Ribosomes prepared from somatic tissue of Xenopus laevis inhibit transcription by RNA polymerase III. This observation parallels an earlier report that a high speed fraction from activated egg extract, which is enriched in ribosomes, inhibits RNA polymerase III activity and destabilizes putative transcription complexes assembled on oocyte 5S rRNA genes. Transcription of somatic- and oocyte-type 5S rRNA genes and a tRNA gene are all repressed in the present experiments. We find that 5S rRNA genes incubated in S150 extract prepared from immature oocytes exhibit an extensive DNase I protection pattern that is nearly identical to that of the ternary complex of TFIIIA and TFIIIC bound to a somatic 5S rRNA gene. The complexes formed in this extract are stable at concentrations of ribosomes that completely repress transcription, indicating that formation of the TFIII(A+C) complex is not the target of inhibition. Ribosomes taken through a high salt treatment no longer repress transcription of class III genes, establishing that the inhibition is due to an associated factor and not the particle itself. The inhibitory activity released from ribosomes is inactivated by treatment with proteinase K, but not micrococcal nuclease. Preincubation of ribosomes with a general protein kinase inhibitor, 6-dimethylaminopurine, eliminates repression of transcription. Western blot analysis demonstrates that p34 cdc2 , which is known to mediate repression of transcription by RNA polymerase III, is present in these preparations of ribosomes and can be released from the particles upon extraction with high salt. These results establish that a kinase activity, possibly p34 cdc2 , is the actual agent responsible for the observed inhibition of transcription
Prepubertal and young adolescent bipolarity versus ADHD: assessment and validity using the WASH-U-KSADS, CBCL and TRF

Background: This addendum to `Prepubertal and early adolescent bipolarity differentiate from ADHD by mania criteria; grandiose delusions; ultra-rapid or ultradian cycling' (in this volume) provides (1) a description of Washington University at St. Louis Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (WASH-U-KSADS) with sample sections (hypersexuality, rapid cycling); (2) a comparison of WASH-U-KSADS to KSADS-P/L and KSADS-1986 and (3) a comparison of WASH-U-KSADS to Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Teachers Report Form (TRF) data. Methods: Data were from the first 60 bipolar (BP) and first 60 ADHD subjects of 270 consecutively ascertained cases (90 BP, 90 ADHD and 90 community controls) in the NIMH funded `Phenomenology and Course of Pediatric Bipolarity' study. Comprehensive assessments included the WASH-U-KSADS (administered blindly to mothers and separately to children), CBCL and TRF. Results: As reported elsewhere in this volume, WASH-U-KSADS data significantly differentiated BP and ADHD groups. Significant differences were also found with the parent-rated CBCL and the teacher-rated TRF, thereby providing cross-modality and cross-informant validation of the WASH-U-KSADS. Because of the close agreement with published CBCL data from another investigator, cross-site validation also occurred. Limitations: Venues for consecutive ascertainment from the lowest socioeconomic status classes were unavailable due to current health care policies. Clinical relevance: CBCL and TRF data separated BP from ADHD groups, largely by non-specific externalizing dimensions (e.g., hyperactivity, aggressivity). Clinically relevant differentiation by categorical mania-specific criteria (e.g., elated mood, grandiosity, racing thoughts) occurred with WASH-U-KSADS data. Both types of data are crucial for genetic and neurobiological studies.
Methodological advances in the use of faunal gradient analysis for regional high-resolution correlation in the type Cincinnatian Series (Upper Ordovician)

Abstract Historically, strata of the type Cincinnatian Series have not been correlated with precision because of an assumption that individual beds are not regionally persistent. In an effort to establish a regional chronostratigraphic framework for the Cincinnatian, a technique has been developed recently that uses gradient analysis of fossil abundance data to compare vertical trends in biotic composition among five localities that span a distance of 65 km. Using faunal data to establish correlations below the meter-scale has been problematic, because variability in the lateral expression of many beds has made it difficult to sample equivalent fossiliferous strata at all localities. Here, this correlation technique is modified in an attempt to draw meter-scale correlations of the Kope and lower Fairview Formations. This modification involves grouping fossil census samples into stratigraphic intervals, such that the stratigraphic spacing of samples is identical at all localities. Samples are binned using two protocols: one that groups samples into 0.5 m thick intervals, and another that groups samples by lithologically delineated meter-scale cycles. Gradient analysis of binned samples using both protocols produces curves in which patterns in faunal composition below the meter-scale can be correlated with success only for limited intervals at select localities. The inability to consistently correlate at high resolution might indicate that correcting for regional variations in the expression of strata is not enough. Alternatively, the ability to correlate some intervals below the meter scale suggests that other problems, such as fine-scale lateral variations in biotic composition, might be impeding correlation. In addition, gradient analysis techniques are employed at a new locality to extend the lateral breadth of the existing, broader-scale chronostratigraphic framework by approximately 40 km. Although interpreted to be in an up-ramp direction from previously measured localities, this new locality does not have an overall shallower water faunal assemblage until just below the Kope/Fairview contact.
Asymmetric Distribution of Materials sloughed by Hamster Intestinal Sacs

EVERTED sacs of the small intestine have been used widely for the investigation of transport and metabolism by the small intestine1. When such sacs are incubated with a buffer, they slough materials which can interfere with the assay of compounds being investigated and suitable corrections become necessary2. Despite this, there have not been any reports as to the nature and distribution of the liberated substances. The present communication gives preliminary data concerning the composition of some of these materials and emphasizes that their distribution is quite asymmetric.
Gaze Response to Dyadic Bids at 2 Years Related to Outcomes at 3 Years in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Subtyping Analysis

Variability in attention towards direct gaze and child-directed speech may contribute to heterogeneity of clinical presentation in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). To evaluate this hypothesis, we clustered sixty-five 20-month-old toddlers with ASD based on their visual responses to dyadic cues for engagement, identifying three subgroups. Subsequently, we compared social, language, and adaptive functioning of these subgroups at 3 years of age. The cluster displaying limited attention to social scenes in general exhibited poor outcome at 3 years; the cluster displaying good attention to the scene and to the speaker’s mouth was verbal and high functioning at 3 years. Analysis of visual responses to dyadic cues may provide a clinically meaningful approach to identifying early predictors of outcome.
Assessment of the immune responsiveness of mice irradiated with continuous wave or pulse‐modulated 425‐MHz radio frequency radiation

Groups of female BALB/C mice were irradiated with 425-MHz radio frequency (RF) radiation either continuous wave (CW) or pulse modulated (PM, 1-ms pulse width, 250 pulses/s). Mice were irradiated in a rectangular strip-transmission line at average forward powers of 78, 17.7, or 5 W for CW and 17.7, 5, or 1.25 W for PM. The mean specific absorption rate, as measured using twin-well calorimetry was 7.7 W/kg for a forward power of 70 W. No differences in the mitogen-stimulated response of lymphocytes or in the primary antibody response to sheep erythrocytes or polyvinylpyrrolidone were observed between irradiated and sham-irradiated mice, nor between mice exposed to either CW or PM 425-MHz RF radiation.
Use of Scene Vital Signs Improves TRISS Predicted Survival in Intubated Trauma Patients

Introduction The Trauma Related Injury Severity Score (TRISS) has been previously validated to predict outcomes in nonintubated, nonparalyzed trauma patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of scene vital signs on predicting survival in intubated trauma patients. Methods Our Trauma Registry of the American College of Surgeons was reviewed for all trauma patients admitted between 10/01/04 and 09/30/06, arriving by aeromedical transport. TRISS was evaluated for each patient based on their (1) scene vital signs and (2) arrival vital signs. Additionally, the “TRISS-like” score was calculated for each patient. Expected mortality for each score was measured against observed mortality. Results Four thousand four hundred ninety-nine Trauma Registry of the American College of Surgeons patients were admitted during the study period; 695 (15%) were transported by air; 163 patients (23%) arrived intubated; 480 arrived nonintubated. Observed survival in the intubated group was 76%. Observed survival in the nonintubated group was 100%. TRISS using scene vital signs more closely predicted mortality among intubated patients than the other scoring systems (69% versus 39% using TRISS-arrival versus 80% using TRISS-like). Scene vital signs with TRISS also resulted in fewer “unexpected” outcomes (survivors and deaths). Conclusions Traditionally, patients arriving at trauma centers intubated are either excluded from the trauma registry or have their physiological score “modified” to account for pharmacologically altered respiratory rate and Glasgow Coma Scale. In intubated patients, TRISS using scene vital signs more reliably predicts survival and does so with far fewer “unexpected” outcomes than with other available scoring systems.
Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes, 2d ed.

Christopher P. Cannon, MD, ed. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press; 2003. Available in hard cover (800 pp; $135.00; ISBN 1-58829-130-8), paperback (792 pp; $99.50; ISBN 1-58829-309-2), and eBook (7432 kb; $120.00; ISBN 1-59259-351-8). The old adage “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a while and it will change” could be equally well applied to the rapid changes in the treatment of patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Today, it is virtually impossible to open any issue of any general cardiology journal without finding at least one article directed at some aspect of the ACS. Because of the enormous volume of mechanistic and clinical trials focusing on this population, it has become difficult for the practicing physician just to remain current and virtually impossible to fully understand all of the subtle nuances of the available data. This is why an up-to-date, comprehensive, and expert …
A sequence of events in the uterus prior to implantation in the mouse

I reviewed a series of events in the mouse uterus before implantation on Day 4 of pregnancy (the sperm positive day is counted as Day 1). Major events are spacing of embryos along the uterine horns, shedding of the zona pellucida, and closure of the uterine lumen. How subtle they may be, there appear to exist interactions between intrauterine blastocysts and the uterus which is regulated by ovarian steroids. Spacing of embryos along the uterine horn is not random, but they are rather evenly distributed along the entire horn. The mechanism of even distribution of embryos needs clarification, although studies indicate that adrenergic nerve activity, prostaglandins, and other molecules appear to be involved. Shedding of the zona pellucida involves trypsin-like proteinase lysis of the zona. Through the opening created by zona lysis, blastocyst gets out of the zona by repeating expansion-collapse movements. Closure of rat uterine lumen is reported to be the result of absorption of uterine fluid through uterine glands. This needs to be confirmed in other species of rodents. Since these events influence blastocyst implantation, we need more detailed information on their regulatory mechanisms in order to improve the rate of healthy implantation of transferred embryo.
Ion microprobe analyses of δ18O in early quartz cements from 1.9Ga granular iron formations (GIFs): A pilot study

Abstract The low δ 18 O values of Precambrian cherts have been widely used to infer that temperatures were higher and/or seawater δ 18 O was lower compared to today's oceans. However, the Precambrian cherts presented as evidence for these temperatures are neomorphosed from amorphous precursors that originally precipitated from ocean water, suggesting diagenetic alteration is an important cause of the widespread low-δ 18 O values. Many pores between sand-size clasts in granular iron formations (GIFs) are filled with coarsely crystalline quartz cements that are texturally primary. In unmetamorphosed GIF samples from the 1.9 Ga Gunflint and Sokoman iron formations, synsedimentary clasts of GIF and high minus-cement porosities (the volume of pore space occupied by recognizable cement, inversely proportional to the degree of compaction) indicate such cements precipitated directly from pore water near the depositional interface. Growth bands identified in quartz cement crystals using cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging further confirm their void-filling and unrecrystallized nature. In order to test the effect of neomorphism on the δ 18 O of silica in these rocks, unrecrystallized primary quartz cements and neomorphic quartz in adjacent clasts were both analyzed by ion microprobe. Values of δ 18 O range from 23.5 to 26.4‰ VSMOW in cements and 21.3–26.8‰ in clasts in samples from the Gunflint Iron Formation. Samples from the Sokomon Iron Formation record deeper, more evolved pore waters and in some cases contain lower δ 18 O cements. In individual pores of Gunflint samples, cement values vary only slightly more than analytical uncertainty from edge to center and no consistent increasing or decreasing trends were observed. Overall, the δ 18 O of the cements are similar to the most elevated δ 18 O reported from cherts of similar age, but span a substantially smaller range. This suggests most of the lower values reported previously reflect late-diagenetic conditions at greater burial depths. The shallow, possibly restricted seas above the Gunflint and Sokoman GIFs appear to have been warmer and may have been lower in δ 18 O than present-day seawater, but they may not have been representative of global seawater.
Influence of intimate association with humic polymers on biodegradation of [14C]labeled organic substrates in soil

A variety of [14C]labeled organic compounds and microbial products were incubated in soil alone or intimately associated with humic acid-type polymers achieved by freeze-drying mixed solutions of the polymers and [14C]labeled compounds at pH 6. The association of Chlorella protein with the polymers reduced mineralization over 12 weeks by 41%. Similarly decomposition of cysteine and Anabaena flos-aqua cytoplasm was reduced by 26% and glycine 16%. Tyrosine, lysine, aspartic acid, serine, cytosine, glucose, ferulic acid. also polysaccharides of Leuconostoc dextranicus, Azotobacter indicus, Hansenula holstii and Anabaena flos-aqua, as well as cells and cell walls of A. flos-aqua decomposed just or almost as readily when intimately associated with humic polymers as when added alone to the soils. The association with humic polymers did not influence the distribution of residual activity in humic acid, fulvic acid and extracted soil following incubation.
A Forum for Evaluating Forecasts of the North American Monsoon

The North American Monsoon (NAM) system is an annual weather pattern that brings summer rains to the dry regions of the United States southwest and northwestern Mexico. Broader effects are that NAM exerts substantial control on the warm-season climate over North America and is responsible for the occurrence of many high-impact weather and climate events such as floods and droughts. The North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME) [Higgins et al., 2005] was developed and implemented in an effort to improve the low prediction skill of intraseasonal and seasonal forecasts of NAM behavior.
Electronic transitions of polysilanes and their photochemistry

Abstract Application of Woodward—Hoffmann selection rules to the photolysis of polysilanes requires that the electron transition be assigned to σ»π★ rather than previously suggested σ»π(ed or 4p).
The oxidation of hydrazine derivatives with 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione

Abstract The oxidation of benzophenone hydrazone with 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione (PTD) yields benzophenone azine which is also formed from the reaction of the hydrazone with the ylid obtained from diphenyldiazomethane and PTD; the ylid forms a stable addition product with ethanol. With PTD, carbohydrazides are converted to 1,2-diacylhydrazines and small amounts of the corresponding azides; in contrast, p-toluenesulfonylhydrazine yields p-toluenesulfinic acid, isolated as its adduct with PTD, 1-(p-toluenesulfonyl)-4-phenylurazole. Possible mechanisms to rationalize the formation of these products are discussed.
Positron-annihilation investigation of high-temperature neutron-irradiated molybdenum☆

Abstract Molybdenum samples have been irradiated in EBR II at temperatures ranging from 600 to 1500°C. Both lifetime and Doppler-broadening measurements of the positron annihilation characteristics have been performed and the effects of voids on these measurements determined. Good correlation of both measurements with the suspected swelling behavior has been obtained consistent with a peak in the swelling between 0.3 and 0.4 Tm, where Tm is the melting-point temperature. These positron techniques appear to be a much more sensitive probe of void swelling than other investigative methods. At temperatures greater than 600°C, a change in the positron lifetime is attributed to the possible arrival of impurities at the void surface. A third, as yet unresolved lifetime component, appears to be present that causes the values of τ1, the shorter lifetime associated with the free-lattice annihilations, to be too large relative to an annealed sample. A possible explanation is the presence of radiation-induced dislocation loops that can act as additional positron trapping sites.
Ascending myeloencephalopathy due to intrathecal vincristine sulfate. A fatal chemotherapeutic error

A case of fatal myeloencephalopathy secondary to accidental intrathecal administration of vincristine is reported in a 16-year-old boy. He underwent a progressive ascending chemical meningoencephalitis leading to coma, and died 36 days after the injection. Multiple samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum were assayed for vincristine sulfate. CSF levels of vincristine were consistently much higher than serum levels. At autopsy, all regions of the brain that had been in direct contact with the CSF were necrotic. The spinal cord was likewise necrotic throughout its length. Microscopically there was total neuronal loss with tissue destruction in the affected regions. The presence of numerous gemistocytic astrocytes, some in arrested mitosis, was a conspicuous feature in these areas. Three previous reports of intrathecal vincristine instillation are reviewed. No treatment for this devastating iatrogenic error exists, underscoring the importance of preventive measures in chemotherapy administration.
Single-step Stability Studies

By the use of a reciprocal heating machine, kinetic studies under nonisothermal conditions have been made. These single-step concentration-time-temperature studies permit a complete investigation of those parameters important for stability prediction to be made on one sample, in one run, regardless of whether previous screening studies have been made. The hydrolysis of two esters (ethyl acetate and p -nitrophenol acetate) has been followed to demonstrate the suitability of the theory and the method for determining both the energy of activation and the rate constant at any temperature. The potential of a single-step study method such as the one proposed, for investigations where large numbers of temperature sensitivity studies must be made, as for formula stability predictions, will be apparent, but other advantages over classical kinetic methods, such as number of samples and the volume of controlled temperature space required, increase its potential still further.