cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spoken word processing in Rett syndrome: Evidence from event-related potentials.

Abstract This study examined the feasibility of using auditory event-related potentials to evaluate spoken word processing during passive listening in girls with Rett syndrome (n = 11) and typical peers (n = 33), age 4–12 years. The typical group demonstrated the expected pattern of more negative amplitudes within 200–500 ms in response to words than nonwords at left temporal sites. In participants with Rett syndrome, word-nonword differentiation was observed at the right temporal sites. More negative left hemisphere amplitudes in response to words were associated (at trend level) with better receptive language skills and more adaptive behavior. The results indicate that girls with Rett syndrome differentiate known words from novel nonwords, but may do so using potentially atypical neural processes. Brain-behavior correlations support validity of the proposed neural markers of word processing, making passive listening paradigms a promising approach for assessing speech and language processing in participants with limited spoken language skills.
Practical considerations for high-speed X-ray pixel array detectors and X-ray sensing materials

Abstract Advances in synchrotron light sources are creating new opportunities for scientific discovery by producing intense, low-emittance pulses of X-ray illumination. Detectors play a critical link in the experimental process because they are the tools of observation, charged with providing quantitative records of events that are the product of experiments. The capabilities of X-ray imaging detectors often limit the experimental possibilities, and dedicated development is needed to meet source capabilities. Currently, challenging demands on imaging detectors include hard X-ray imaging (e.g., > 25 keV), high-speed imaging (e.g. matching X-ray pulse rates), and high dynamic range imaging. Pixel Array Detector (PAD) development efforts at Cornell aiming to meet these demands are described, including high atomic number (high-Z) sensor materials, single bunch imaging, high-speed continuous acquisition, and high dynamic range imaging. This paper discusses detector design considerations and development efforts at Cornell.
A Low-power Low-noise Reconfigurable Bandwidth BiCMOS Neural Amplifier

Significant advancements in miniaturized implantable electronics has given rise to a new dimension in the study of neuroscience. A low-noise neural amplifier is the first stage of an implantable electrophysiological signal recording system. This paper presents the design of a two-stage BiCMOS operational transconductance amplifier with reconfigurable bandwidth for the neural signal recording applications. The amplifier is designed using the standard 130 nm BiCMOS process. The designed amplifier achieves a closed-loop gain of 55.75 dB with a reconfigurable lower cut-off frequency of 0.13 Hz to 0.33 Hz and a higher cut-off frequency of 1.4 kHz. The reconfigurable bandwidth has been implemented by controlling the gate bias voltage of a pair of triple-well nMOS transistors working as the pseudoresistors in the feedback path. The simulated input-referred noise of the amplifier is 3.89, 3.59, 2.77 μV rms integrated over the 0.13, 0.17 and 0.33 Hz to 1 kHz frequency band respectively. The total power consumption of the amplifier is 1.5 μW with a dc-offset voltage of 12.3 mV. The designed amplifier has a CMRR (common-mode rejection ratio) and PSRR (power supply rejection ratio) of 104.8 dB and 97 dB respectively. The performance of the designed amplifier shows a good compatibility with the low-frequency neural signal recording systems.
Intensity and Duration of Anticoagulation in Non-Cirrhotic, Non-Malignant Portal Vein Thrombosis

Abstract Introduction: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) can result in significant morbidity and mortality. There are currently no clinical studies reviewing either the intensity or duration of anticoagulant therapy. There is a paucity of data to guide the overall management of this entity and current practice is extrapolated from studies on management of deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities and pulmonary embolism. Methods: All available electronic medical records with a diagnosis of PVT were reviewed from 2005-2016 at hospitals affiliated with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Patients with cirrhosis, active malignancy, or procedure within the preceding 3 months were excluded. Eighty-four patients met inclusion criteria. The charts were screened for patient demographics, etiology of PVT, type of anticoagulation therapy, and duration and response to therapy. Results: Demographic, treatment and outcome data is summarized in table 1. Patient ages ranged 18-84 years; 49 male. Etiology identified include Infectious (18%), Locally Inflammatory (34%), Systemic Hypercoagulable State (24%), or Idiopathic (24%). The majority of patients were treated with Vitamin K Antagonist (61%) followed by no treatment (17%). Average duration of therapy was categorized by months: 12 (49%). Outcome of treatment included resolved (28%), chronic (34%), or not reported (39%). When outcomes were stratified by etiology, intensity (in those patients treated with VKA for whom INR data was available), or duration there was no apparent difference in rate of clot resolution compared with progression to chronic cavernous transformation (tables 2-4). Conclusions: This first retrospective review studying the efficacy of treatment in PVT reveals that a similar number of patients develop cavernous transformation (indicating chronic PVT) regardless of the etiology, intensity, or duration of treatment. This data suggests that treatment with anticoagulation may not be impactful in this select group of patients. However, it is still recommended to pursue treatment in those patients presenting with a symptomatic acute thrombus given risk of mortality associated with clot progression. Furthermore, no single modality of anticoagulation has shown to be superior in the presented outcome data. Larger prospective studies are needed to further clarify if anticoagulation is effective in this clinical entity. Download : Download high-res image (569KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Facial Paralysis in Children

Facial paralysis can have devastating physical and psychosocial consequences. These are particularly severe in children in whom loss of emotional expressiveness can impair social development and integration. The etiologies of facial paralysis, prospects for spontaneous recovery, and functions requiring restoration differ in children as compared with adults. Here we review contemporary management of facial paralysis with a focus on special considerations for pediatric patients.
Achievements, challenges and perspectives on cathode catalysts in proton exchange membrane fuel cells for transportation

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells can use hydrogen and air to power clean electric vehicles. However, technical barriers including high cost, limited lifetime and insufficient power density limit their broad applications. Advanced cathode catalysts for the kinetically-sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acidic media are essential for overcoming these barriers. Here, we highlight breakthroughs, challenges and future directions for both platinum group metal (PGM) and PGM-free ORR cathode catalysts. Among PGM catalysts, highly-ordered PtM intermetallic nanostructures exhibit enhanced activity and stability relative to PtM random alloys. Carbon supports, with optimal balance between graphitization degree and porosity, play an important role in enhancing overall performance. Among PGM-free catalysts, transition metal and nitrogen co-doped carbons (M-N-C) perform best. However, degradation at practical voltages (>0.6 V) still prevents their practical application. For all catalysts, translating intrinsic activity and stability into device performance requires electrodes with robust three-phase interfaces for effective charge and mass transfer. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells can efficiently provide clean power for electric vehicles, although more efficient and economic cathode catalysts are still required. This Review highlights recent breakthroughs, challenges and future research directions for Pt group metal (PGM) and PGM-free oxygen reduction catalysts.
Body mass index in relation to cardiovascular recovery from psychological stress among trauma-exposed women

Delayed cardiovascular recovery has been associated with greater heart disease risks. However, relative to stress reactivity, cardiovascular recovery has been understudied. Further, few studies have examined associations of recovery with modifiable factors that might inform efforts to enhance recovery. The focus of the present study was whether body mass index (BMI) was associated with recovery following two stress tasks (speech and mental arithmetic). Based on the conceptualization that obesity may lead to impaired post-stress recovery, we also examined whether higher BMI accounted for previously reported associations between elevated PTSD symptoms and delayed recovery. The sample consisted of 50 trauma-exposed civilian women ages 19–49 (M±SD = 30 ± 8). The stress tasks were followed by 15-min post-task rest periods. Cardiovascular recovery was assessed as percentage return to baseline; the recovery measures consisted of heart rate (HR), cardiac output (CO), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). PTSD severity was based on structured interview. Higher BMI was associated with significantly less CO recovery from the speech task and less HR recovery from mental arithmetic. Higher BMI was associated with more SBP recovery from the math task, but was not associated with DBP recovery. The indirect effects of BMI in the PTSD/CO recovery relationship based on the Sobel test of mediation were significant. These results partially support the hypotheses that BMI is associated with cardiovascular recovery and that associations of PTSD with recovery may be mediated by BMI.
Sidelobe Suppression of Terahertz Emitters with Horn Antennas

The suppression of sidelobe emission will be a critical need for terahertz wireless data links in order to avoid interference. We demonstrate a strategy for suppression of horn antenna sidelobes using affordable millimeter wave absorbers.
A triad of cluster-like headaches with delayed development of a macroscopic prolactinoma: A case report:

Pituitary hormone testing is recommended in refractory cluster headache (CH), but supporting evidence is limited. We present a patient with cluster-like headaches and a negative brain magnetic reso...
A Specific Compression Algorithm Used for Data Acquisition of Focal Plane Arrays

Foca1 plane arrays (FPA) fabricated with the state-of-the-art technology are widely used in many fields such as target detection and three-dimensional imaging, but how to handle the big data acquired by FPAs is a challenging problem. Based on the statistical distribution of output values of FPA, a specific compression algorithm is presented in this paper. By setting the template, mapping original values to symbols and adopting the lossless Huffman coding, original data can be significantly compressed. Experiments were performed to verify the performance of the proposed algorithm, resulting in compression ratios ranging from 33.4% to 37.3% and mean squared errors ranging from $2.59\times 10^{-9}$ to $1.99\times 10^{-7}$. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the compression algorithm for big data acquired from FPAs.
The Florida State University Statistics Department

The Department of Statistics at The Florida State University was established in 1959. The first PhD degree program in Statistics at a public university in Florida was established at the university soon after. The PhD degree program in Biostatistics is now a more recently established option for graduate students in the department. MS degree programs are being offered with three possible concentrations, Applied Statistics, Mathematical Statistics, and Biostatistics. An undergraduate degree program with a SAS certificate is offered. The department currently has 14 faculty members, 73 PhD students, and 53 undergraduate students majoring in Statistics. Faculty members have been and continue to be leaders in their fields. The department features major emphases in the theory and application of statistical methods to biostatistics and computational methods and also to traditional areas such as time series and applied probability. Additional areas of specialized expertise among faculty include computer vision, shape analysis, bioinformatics, machine learning, Bayes, and semiparametric methods in survival analysis, protein shape analysis, biological data mining, and nonparametric methods on manifolds.
A case of cytokine hemofiltration and extracorporeal life support as treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) respiratory failure.

Abstract Background Discovery of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (n-SARS-CoV-2) in late 2019 has brought with it a renewed interest in methods of inflammatory mitigation, particularly due to reports of a cytokine release syndrome playing a pathogenic role [1]. One method of decreasing inflammation is through hemofiltration in combination with a dialysis membrane that has a large cutoff for protein permeability (high-cutoff/HCO), thereby capturing inflammatory cytokines and attenuating their harmful side effects. The authors report a patient with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to COVID-19 infection, requiring Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Life Support (VV-ECLS) who was treated with cytokine hemofiltration and showed clinical improvement. Case Summary Our patient is a 53 year-old female who presented with coronavirus infection and respiratory failure culminating in hypoxemia refractory to conventional mechanical ventilation. She was cannulated onto veno-venous extra-corporeal life support and treated with cytokine hemofiltration using a high-cutoff filter. Following treatment, inflammatory markers improved along with compliance and oxygenation. She was decannulated from ECLS shortly thereafter. IRB approval was waived due to the single case report nature. Consent was obtained for use of images and case data. Discussion Inflammatory modulation has been theorized to be beneficial in the management of organ failure secondary to coronavirus infection. A cytokine release syndrome (CRS) has been implicated in this disease’s pathogenesis. Cytokine hemofiltration is one modality to mitigate harmful inflammation. Our patient demonstrated remarkable improvement with treatment and to our knowledge represents the first report of cytokine hemofiltration as management of COVID-19 respiratory failure in conjunction with VV-ECLS. This therapy warrants further evaluation as a treatment option.
Experimental investigation into acceptable design methods for cold-formed metal deck

Abstract Cold-formed metal deck is commonly used in the construction of modern buildings. It is readily available and cost effective in many applications. Conservative design tables provided by metal deck producers aid the engineer of record and encourage use of the product. The American Iron and Steel Institute has embraced advanced analysis techniques, particularly the Direct Strength Method and Effective Width Method, which can be used to analyze a variety of thin gage, cold-formed structural shapes, presumably including deck. These methods have become popular with designers, as they have shown to reflect accurate flexural capacities for many standard cold-formed shapes. Until recently, these methodologies have not been applied to the analysis of metal deck. The objective of this research initiative is to compare the results of both the Direct Strength Method and Effective Width Method to experimental results for several metal deck profiles and gages and evaluate the numerical methods' applicability to metal deck. The experimental program comprises 54 full-scale tests of several depths and gages of roof and floor deck. Experimental results are compared to results from numerical methods. It was found that both numerical approaches reasonably predicted the flexural capacity of shallow roof deck, but numerical predictions deviated from experimental results as deck became deeper. Thickness of the deck (gage) played a role, and as deck became thinner the numerical methods showed a larger discrepancy from experimental results.
Cell-Scale Biophysical Cues from Collagen Fiber Architecture Instruct Cell Behavior and the Propagation of Mechanosensory Signals

Abstract Mechanosensory cues from the extracellular matrix underpin numerous cellular behaviors including tumor cell migration yet are influenced by the local structure and organization of the matrix in unknown ways. To investigate mechanical cues with respect to local collagen organization, we used a combination of intravital imaging of the mammary tumor microenvironment and 3D collagen gel systems with both migratory MDA-MB-231 cells and acellular pNIPAAm beads. We identified that fiber organization directs a bias in cell response along the axis of alignment. Using innovative methodology, we determined that local collagen alignment resulted in a 30-fold difference in directional cell-scale stiffness and also dramatically altered the rate at which cell-induced fiber displacements decayed over distance. Our results reveal differential mechanical properties across orthogonal directions in aligned matrices that provide sizeable cues to the cell and have important implications for cellular mechanosensing and cell-cell communication within the tissue microenvironment.
Establishment of a Pediatric COVID-19 Biorepository: Unique Considerations and Opportunities for Studying the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children

Background : COVID-19, the disease caused by the highly infectious and transmissible coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has quickly become a morbid global pandemic. Although the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children is less clinically apparent, collecting high-quality biospecimens from infants, children and adolescents in a standardized manner during the COVID-19 pandemic is essential to establish a biologic understanding of the disease in the pediatric population. This biorepository enables pediatric centers world-wide to collect samples in a standardized manner to drive forward our understanding of COVID-19 by addressing specific pediatric and neonatal COVID-19-related questions. Methods : A broad study was implemented with strategic enrollment guidelines to include patients seen in urgent care clinics and hospital settings, neonates born to SARS-CoV-2 infected mothers, and asymptomatic children. The methodology described here, details the importance of establishing collaborations between the clinical and research teams to harmonize protocols for patient recruitment and sample collection, processing and storage. Results : Considerations and challenges facing enrollment of neonatal and pediatric cohorts are described. A roadmap is laid out for successful collection, processing, storage and database management of multiple pediatric samples such as blood, nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs, sputum, saliva, tracheal aspirates, stool, and urine. Using this methodology, we enrolled 327 participants, who provided a total of 972 biospecimens. Conclusions : Pediatric biospecimens will be key in answering questions relating to viral transmission by children, differences between pediatric and adult viral susceptibility, and, immune responses, the impact of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection on fetal development, and factors driving the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. The specimens in this biorepository will allow necessary comparative studies between children and adults, help determine the accuracy of current pediatric viral testing techniques, in addition to, understanding neonatal exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease abnormalities. The successful establishment of a pediatric biorepository is critical to provide insight into disease pathogenesis, and subsequently, develop future treatment and vaccination strategies.
The Water Resisting Properties of the Top Portion of the Ordovician Limestone Aquifer in the North China Coalfield

Coal mining in North China is widely threatened by underlying Ordovician karstic limestone groundwater. This study focused on the top portion of the Ordovician limestone and its water resisting properties at a mine in North China, where the total thickness of the Ordovician limestone ranges between 300 and 1600 m. A packer pump test showed the average permeability coefficient for the top portion of the limestone to be 0.57 × 10–3 m/day; laboratory tests showed that the strength of this segment was 175 Mpa. Meanwhile, the water pressure was 0 Mpa for the top 40 m of the aquifer, and only 6.7 × 10–3 Mpa for the top 41–46 m; it increased considerably between 46 and 55 m, to an average value of 0.47 Mpa, and remained stable after 55 m, with a water pressure of 0.71 Mpa. The top of the Ordovician limestone was therefore divided into weathered, transition, and karst fracture zones. Each zone has different hydrogeological characteristics (water pressure, permeability, and drilling fluid leakage). The thickness of the weathered zone was determined to be ≈ 20–70 m in most of the study area. Overall, the water resistance of the top portion of the Ordovician strata allows it to be treated as an aquifuge, preventing Ordovician groundwater from flowing into the mining face.
Mother Like Mothers and Work Like Fathers: U.S. Heterosexual College Students' Assumptions About Who Should Meet Childcare and Housework Demands.

Many U.S. women report balancing competing demands for labor within the family and the workplace. Prior research has found that young adult heterosexual U.S. women are still anticipating doing the majority of their future family’s childcare and housework, though they hold more progressive gender role attitudes than in the past. The aim of the present study was to investigate the assumptions of 176 heterosexual college students in the U.S. (M age = 20.57, 88.64% European American, 51.70% ciswomen, 48.30% cismen) about how childcare and housework should be balanced in the context of work responsibilities. Participants were asked to rate their level of agreement with two items about working mothers and childcare and working fathers and household care, and provided open-ended responses to explain their justifications for their rating. Open-ended responses were thematically coded. Results revealed that most participants wanted mothers to have the choice to work but considered childcare a limiting problem that (primarily) mothers should solve. Similarly, participants believed that working full-time did not excuse a husband from helping with chores, however they did not express concerns with the term “helping” which implies that the husband would not hold any primary responsibility. Overall, the findings suggest the importance for educational and policymaking interventions and future research to highlight practices that support and encourage the role of men in addressing childcare and household needs.
Development of High Fluence X-Ray Sources Using Laser Heated Novel Nano-Wire Metal Foams

High fluence K-shell and L-shell x-ray sources are desired for various high energy density physics experiments. One efficient method for creating such a source is the laser heating of materials that are underdense to laser light. Nano-wire foams are an ideal choice for an underdense material and have average densities of 6-15 mg/cm 3 . The manufacture of robust Cu, Ag and Au nano-wire foams into millimeter scale targets is possible through a technique of freeze casting an aqueous suspension of nano-wires. Cylindrical targets with sizes between 2 to 4 mm have been shot on both the NIF and the Omega laser facilities. For example, x-ray conversion efficiencies (XRCE) from silver nano-wire foams have been measured to be ~1.0% when heated with ~400 TW of 3w laser light in a 2.5 ns square pulse from the NIF laser system. The XRCE from foam targets have been found to be ~2 times that observed in metal lined cylindrical cavity targets and ~5 times that observed in prepulsed metal foils. Experimental results and comparisons with simulations will be presented.
Evolution of Gasdynamics of Explosions

Recent advances in the knowledge of blast wave phenomena, stemming from the pioneering work of Taylor (1)*, von Neumann (2)and Sedov (3), and exposed in a number of monographs (3–7), provided us with a new facility for the study of the mutual effects between shock waves and exothermic processes, such as those occurring in explosions or in supersonic flow fields supported by chemical or nuclear reactions. Classically, this branch of. science was associated with the studies of detonation waves that, significantly enough, have been initiated by the originator of the shock tube technique, Paul Vielle who, together with Berthelot(8), was credited by Mallard and Le Chatelier (9) with their “discovery”.
Anticomplementary, Anticoagulatory, and Serum-Protein Precipitating Activity of Sodium Polyanetholsulfonate

Sodium polyanetholsulfonate (SPS) at 7.8 mug/ml completely abolished complement-mediated hemolysis of 1:10 diluted fresh guinea pig and human serum; at least twice as much SPS was required to reduce complement activity in 1:2 diluted human serum. The coagulation of 90 and 20% human blood was inhibited by 250 and 125 mug of SPS per ml, respectively. When added to fresh human serum, SPS precipitated beta 1C-globulin (C3), C4, beta lipoproteins, immunoglobulin IgG, IgM, and IgA, though incompletely.
The Federal Marriage Amendment and the False Promise of Originalism

This Article approaches the originalism debate from a new angle - through the lens of the recently defeated Federal Marriage Amendment. There was profound and very public disagreement about the meaning of the FMA - in particular about the effect that it would have had on civil unions. The inescapable conclusion is that there was no original public meaning of the FMA with respect to the civil unions question. This suggests that often the problem with originalism is not just that the original public meaning of centuries-old provisions of the Constitution is hard to find (especially by judges untrained in history). The problem is frequently much more fundamental, and much more fatal; it is that there was no original public meaning to begin with. It is a natural consequence of the constitution-making process that a constitutional provision addressing a deeply controversial subject can only be enacted when it is drafted with highly ambiguous language so that, rather than possessing a single original meaning, it appeals to disparate factions with divergent understandings of its terms. As such, the central premise of originalism - that, in Justice Scalia's words, the Constitution was enacted with a fixed meaning ascertainable through the usual devices familiar to those learned in the law - is often inaccurate. And for that reason, the central promise of originalism - that, by relying on an objective, discoverable, fixed constitutional meaning, originalism can prevent judges from subverting democracy and the rule of law by reading their personal values into the Constitution - is a false one.
Generalization: Conceptions in the Social Sciences

A major goal in the behavioral and social sciences is to offer conclusions that are valid for observed particulars extensive to abstract entities. Four different approaches to generalization are considered in this article. The first describes random sampling with its advantages and limitations. The second considers purposive selection in contrast to randomization. The third covers the possibility of generalizing causal statements and its connection to meta-analysis. And the last refers to extrapolation from a sample to nonsampled entities. This article concludes by arguing that random sampling, though limited, is the best formal method for generalization.
Reactivity of avian RNA tumor viruses with lectins.

Abstract The infectivity of avian RNA tumor viruses was inactivated to varying degrees by treatment with either concanavalin A (Con A) or phytohemagglutinin but not by treatment with wheat germ agglutinin. In general, leukosis viruses reacted preferentially with Con A, whereas sarcoma viruses showed more affinity for phytohemagglutinin. In a more extensive study with subgroup A of Prague Rous sarcoma virus (PR-A), the effect of inactivation by Con A could be specifically prevented by the addition of α-methyl-d-mannoside, α-methyl-d-glucoside, and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine. These sugars were also capable of eluting [3H]glucosamine-labeled material from disrupted PR-A virus, which was bound to a Con A-sepharose affinity column. A major viral glycoprotein recovered from the column had the same mobility as gp85 in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and could be immunoprecipitated with anti-gp85 antiserum. These results suggest that the material reacting with Con A is present on the gp85 component of the viral glycoprotein. The diversity in the reactivity of the glycoproteins of transforming and nontransforming viruses with plant lectins is discussed.
Geo-Located Tweets. Enhancing Mobility Maps and Capturing Cross-Border Movement

Capturing human movement patterns across political borders is difficult and this difficulty highlights the need to investigate alternative data streams. With the advent of smart phones and the ability to attach accurate coordinates to Twitter messages, users leave a geographic digital footprint of their movement when posting tweets. In this study we analyzed 10 months of geo-located tweets for Kenya and were able to capture movement of people at different temporal (daily to periodic) and spatial (local, national to international) scales. We were also able to capture both long and short distances travelled, highlighting regional connections and cross-border movement between Kenya and the surrounding countries. The findings from this study has broad implications for studying movement patterns and mapping inter/intra-region movement dynamics.
Improved MinMax cut graph clustering with nonnegative relaxation

In graph clustering methods, MinMax Cut tends to provide more balanced clusters as compared to Ratio Cut and Normalized Cut. The traditional approach used spectral relaxation to solve the graph cut problem. The main disadvantage of this approach is that the obtained spectral solution has mixed signs, which could severely deviate from the true solution and have to resort to other clustering methods, such as K-means, to obtain final clusters. In this paper, we propose to apply additional nonnegative constraint into MinMax Cut graph clustering and introduce novel algorithms to optimize the new objective. With the explicit nonnegative constraint, our solutions are very close to the ideal class indicator matrix and can directly assign clusters to data points. We present efficient algorithms to solve the new problem with the non-negative constraint rigorously. Experimental results show that our new algorithm always converges and significantly outperforms the traditional spectral relaxation approach on ratio cut and normalized cut.
One-pot synthesis of alpha-carbolines via sequential palladium-catalyzed aryl amination and intramolecular arylation.

A one-pot synthesis of α-carbolines via a palladium-catalyzed aryl amination followed by intramolecular arylation is described. 2,3-Dichloro- and 2,3-dibromopyridines have been shown to react with readily available anilines to obtain various substituted α-carbolines in moderate to excellent yields.
A scalable and flexible communication protocol in a heterogeneous network

Traditional communication protocols focus on how to integrate a single wireless network with the Internet. Thus data from all wireless devices in that network can be gathered, sank, and provided to users via a friendly interface using web pages. These protocols offer limited automation. Much training is required for users to analyse data from different wireless networks. To resolve this issue, recently many researchers are contributing to design and implement an appropriate protocol for the communication between a heterogeneous wireless network and the Internet [1–3]. In this paper, we present a scalable and flexible communication protocol which is designed to work as an interface between the Internet and various wireless networks in a heterogeneous network, to store information and to provide web services to end users. Using web services, users can interact with wireless devices remotely and easily. The current implementation is based on a Linux server. This server uses different communication interfaces to talk to various wireless networks. From these communication interfaces, data is acquired, processed, and stored in the server. Algorithms are developed to analyse data in data processing stage to maximize automation. Meanwhile this server works as a web server and provides web services to remote users. Current studied wireless protocols include ZigBee, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. And our communication protocol can be scaled to work with more wireless protocols and developed into a distributed system.
Ionospheric climatology and variability from long-term and multiple incoherent scatter radar observations: Climatology in eastern American sector

[1] Ionospheric climatology and variability studies are conducted using long-term incoherent scatter radar (ISR) observations from seven sites around the world. These studies result in an empirical model system, the ISR Ionospheric Model (ISRIM), which represents local and regional ionospheric climatology and variability of the ionosphere. This paper addresses some new climatological features revealed by the model for latitudes spanning 18–70°N over the eastern American sector. The latitudinal change of the F2-layer electron density exhibits a clear depletion near Millstone Hill latitudes when solar activity is median or low, accompanied by a Te enhancement, and electron density peaks at ∼10° both to the north and south of Millstone Hill. Possible explanations are discussed. We also characterize several types of variation in plasma temperatures in this region, including ion temperature elevation for quiet conditions in the auroral zone and electron temperature increases toward higher latitudes.
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in peripartum cardiomyopathy.

Abstract Background Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare life-threatening condition of unclear etiology. Data on the use of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging to characterize PPCM are limited. This study was done to assess the role of CMR imaging for the diagnosis and prognostication of patients with PPCM. Methods Medical records of a tertiary medical center were screened for PPCM patients with CMR imaging done within the past 5 years (2006-2011). Images were reviewed by 2 expert radiologists (blinded to clinical data) using cine sequences for chamber function and size, T2-weighted images for the determination of edema (T2-ratio), and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) sequences for myocardial tissue characterization. Results Ten PPCM patients (aged 28 ± 6 years, 90% African American) had a total of 15 CMR examinations: 4 in the acute phase (within 7 days of diagnosis) and 11 during follow-up (median, 12 months; range, 1-72 months). Left ventricular ejection fraction was decreased in all 4 initial scans. Elevated T2 ratio (> 2) seen in 1 patient decreased on follow-up imaging. LGE was seen in 1 of the 4 acute-phase scans and in 4 of the 11 follow-up phase scans. These 4 patients had multiple readmissions because of heart failure exacerbations and persistently low left ventricular ejection fraction on subsequent echo- cardiograms. Conclusions LGE seems to be associated with a poor prognosis in the setting of PPCM. CMR imaging seems to have promising practical implications in the diagnosis and prognostication of PPCM patients.
tcf21+ epicardial cells adopt non-myocardial fates during zebrafish heart development and regeneration

Recent lineage-tracing studies have produced conflicting results about whether the epicardium is a source of cardiac muscle cells during heart development. Here, we examined the developmental potential of epicardial tissue in zebrafish during both embryonic development and injury-induced heart regeneration. We found that upstream sequences of the transcription factor gene tcf21 activated robust, epicardium-specific expression throughout development and regeneration. Cre recombinase-based, genetic fate-mapping of larval or adult tcf21+ cells revealed contributions to perivascular cells, but not cardiomyocytes, during each form of cardiogenesis. Our findings indicate that natural epicardial fates are limited to non-myocardial cell types in zebrafish.
Effect of statolon on aerogenic immunization of mice with mengovirus-37A.

SummaryA single injection of statolon administered prior to aerogenic immunization with mengovirus-37A resulted in reduced amounts of virus in lungs, spleen, and blood of treated mice and a decrease in resistance to lethal aerosol doses of the antigenically similar Columbia-SK virus. There was a delay as well as diminution in antibody response which, along with decreased virus titers, could be associated with serum interferon levels. Mice treated with statolon prior to aerogenic immunization and later subjected to lethal aerosol challenge exhibited resistance which was not consistent with humoral antibody levels.
Personality Assessment Use by Clinical Neuropsychologists

The present study is an exploration of the personality assessment practices of clinical neuropsychologists. Professional members of the National Academy of Neuropsychology and the International Neuropsychological Society (N = 404) were surveyed to examine use of several forms of personality, behavior, and emotional function measures. Results suggest that like prior surveys personality assessment is relatively uncommon in neuropsychological practice. Of the tests included, the Beck Scales were most common, followed by behavior ratings and the MMPI-2. Differences in clinician nationality, primary patient age, and reason for referral were examined and different patterns of test use emerged. Generally, it appears that neuropsychologists who assess younger patients are more likely to use personality assessment and that personality assessment is most likely to be included in assessment for learning disabilities, forensic issues, and psychiatric issues. Implications of these findings will be discussed.
Hyperaccurate and Error-Prone Ribosomes Exploit Distinct Mechanisms during tRNA Selection

Escherichia coli strains displaying hyperaccurate (restrictive) and ribosomal ambiguity (ram) phenotypes have long been associated with alterations in rpsL and rpsD/rpsE, respectively. Crystallographic evidence shows the ribosomal proteins S12 and S4/S5 (corresponding to these genes) to be located in separate regions of the small ribosomal subunit that are important for domain closure thought to take place during tRNA selection. Mechanistically, the process of tRNA selection is separated into two distinct phases, initial selection and proofreading. Here, we explore the effects of mutations in rpsL and rpsD on these steps. Surprisingly, both restrictive and ram ribosomes primarily affect tRNA selection through alteration of the off rates of the near-cognate tRNA species but during distinct phases of the overall process (proofreading and initial selection, respectively). These observations suggest that closure interfaces (S12/h27/h44 versus S4/S5) in two distinct regions of the small ribosomal subunit function independently to promote high-fidelity tRNA selection.
Rapid eye movement (REM) activity in normal and autistic children during REM sleep.

Thirty normal children (aged 3–68 months) and 16 autistic children (aged 36–62 months) were recorded during nonmedicated sleep and data pertaining to rapid eye movements (REM) were measured during the first three REM periods of the night. When time of night from which data were gathered was held constant, normal children showed a significant relationship between age and the organization of eye movements into discrete bursts. When autistic children were compared to age-matched normal controls, they showed an immaturity in this phenomena, their results being similar to those found in children less than 18 months of age. Such an immaturity could result from dysfunction at a number of diverse levels and sites in the central nervous system.
Fast Auroral Snapshot observations of the dependence of dayside auroral field-aligned currents on solar wind parameters and solar illumination

[1] The solar illumination dependence of solar wind-magnetosphere coupling has been studied by examining the dependence of auroral zone field-aligned currents on solar wind parameters. A database of Region I currents from ∼900 crossings of the auroral zone by Fast Auroral Snapshot (FAST) was parameterized by magnetic local time, invariant latitude, and whether the foot point was illuminated. The magnitudes of dayside currents (∼200 events) were correlated with solar wind parameters using the technique of rank correlation. Very significant, strong correlation between dayside sunlit currents and solar wind parameters such as Btsin(θ/2)v2 and Btsin(θ/2)Pd1/2 was observed, consistent with a reconnection source. There was no correlation with upstream parameters for dayside Region I currents when the ionospheric foot point was in darkness. This is the first experimental evidence showing that the correlation of dayside Region I currents to upstream parameters depends on ionospheric illumination. Both the strong dependence of the correlation on solar illumination (ionospheric conductivity) and the weakness of observed correlations, compared to those obtained in previous studies of the cross polar cap potential, may be interpreted to imply that the reconnection process is a voltage, rather than a current, source. However, several theoretical studies have suggested that reconnection does not act as either a pure voltage source or a current source. In addition, because the mapping of the field-aligned currents was not examined, the observed difference between the sunlit and dark events could be explained by current preferentially flowing in the hemisphere with the higher conductivity if the source were on closed field lines.
Critical behavior and scaling in vacuum axisymmetric gravitational collapse.

We report a second example of critical behavior in gravitational collapse. Collapse of axisymmetric gravitational wave packets is computed numerically for a one-parameter family of initial data. A black hole first appears along the sequence at a critical parameter value ${\mathit{p}}^{\mathrm{*}}$. As with spherical scalar-field collapse, a power law is found to relate black-hole mass (the order parameter) and critical separation: ${\mathit{M}}_{\mathrm{BH}}$\ensuremath{\propto}\ensuremath{\Vert}p-${\mathit{p}}^{\mathrm{*}}$${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Vert}}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\beta}}}$. The critical exponent is \ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\simeq}0.37, remarkably close to that observed by Choptuik. Near-critical evolutions produce echoes from the strong-field region which appear to exhibit scaling.
Random processes underlying stretched times and divergent time scales near the glass transition (Invited Paper)

RANDOM PROCESSES UNDERLYING STRETCHED TIMES AND DIVERGENT TIME SCALES NEAR THE GLASS TRANSITION John. T. Bendler*, John. J. Fontanella*, Michael. F. Shlesinger ** *Physics Department, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD 21402-5026 ** Physical Sciences Division, Office of Naval Research, 800 N. Quincy St., Arlington, VA 22217 Abstract A model of relaxation in glassy materials, involving anomalous slow diffusion of defects, is reviewed. The movement of the defects causes a stretched exponential relaxation. If there is an attractive force between defects then as the temperature is lowered, or the pressure increased, the number of mobile defects will decrease. This loss of mobile defects produces a Vogel type law for the singular behavior of the relaxation time scale at a critical temperature. INTRODUCTION It seems obvious and correct that the way to investigate a glass will involve a detailed study of the glassy material. For example, is the glass a tertiary compound, a polymer, or a metallic glass. We note that several important properties of glasses seem to be universal, independent of the specific material composition. We follow an approach of focusing on what type of defects exist, in the glass, and how do they behave. The actual material composition and structure would determine the defect properties. We relate all relaxation phenomena in the glass to the properties of the defects. These properties can depend explicitly on the temperature and pressure. We explore a model where the defect mobility and number determine universal laws. Specifically the stretched exponential relaxation law arises from the defect mobility, and Vogel a type for the singular divergence of a time scale arises from the decrease of the mobile defect population. In this paper we review the mathematical analysis of the defects and do not go into a detailed analysis of experimental data. We will focus on general properties found for many glasses. STRETCHED EXPONENTIAL RELAXATION Experimentally, it has been found that for many glassy materials that relaxation phenomena, including dielectric relaxation, volumetric relaxation, stress relaxation, and magnetization relaxation, all follow a stretched exponential relaxation,
Are your cash transactions protected

Cash is the most commonly targeted asset by white-collar crime fraudsters. How well are your company's cash transactions protected? What are the main types of cash fraud schemes that you must guard against? And what steps should you be taking right now? © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Clear Instance of Rheopectic Flow

WE have found an instance of rheopectic flow induced by shear in a rotational viscometer. The material exhibiting this rare type of non-Newtonian flow behaviour was a viscous suspension prepared by mixing kaolin clay, precipitated calcium carbonate, oxidized starch, a styrene–butadiene latex, sodium pyrophosphate and water. The total solids of the suspension amounted to 65 per cent.
Effects of dopant and impurity incorporation on metastable light-induced defect formation

Abstract In this paper we summarize recent measurements of the effects of impurities and dopants on metastability in hydrogenated amorphous silicon. Using a new method of electron spin resonance transient spectroscopy, the distribution of defect annealing energies of samples containing significant concentrations of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon are compared with ultrahigh vacuum intrinsic material. Although the impurities cause significant alterations in the annealing energy distribution, deuteration does not change the creation rate or the annealing distribution. The addition of phosphorus dopant atoms causes significant changes in the number of the metastable defects, and hyperfine measurements indicate that light induces metastable changes in the phosphorus donor concentration. Possible models for this effect are discussed.
Interaction of diabetes with hypertension and lipids—patients at high risk: An overview

P erhaps for no single patient population does the shift toward comprehensive management of coronary heart disease risk have more relevance than for the more than 2.5 million Americans who have both hypertension and diabetes. Data from the Framingham study [l] show that diabetes alone doubles the risk of total cardiovascular disease in men and almost triples it in women (Figure 1). Hypertension is twice as common among diabetic as nondlabetic patients, and a patient with both diabetes and hypertension is approximately twice as likely to develop coronary heart disease as a patient with hypertension alone 121. But hypertension is only one of many cardiovascular risk factors that is found in the already high-risk cliabetic population [1,3]. Both insulin-dependent, or type I, and non-insuliii-dependent, or type II, diabetes are associated with a high prevalence of hyperlipoproteinemia. In aclclition, a significant number of non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients are obese at the time of diagnosis [3].