cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enron and Derivatives

This paper was written in response to a request by the United States Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs for testimony on Enron's involvement in financial derivatives. The paper argues that Enron essentially was a derivatives trading firm, not an energy firm. It explains the transactions Enron used to generate false profits and to hide losses, and the failure of Enron's internal controls with respect to derivatives trading. It also addresses the question of why key gatekeepers - including banks, accounting firms, law firms, and credit rating agencies - failed to uncover information about these transactions and control failures. The paper is based on interviews of current and former Enron employees, and on a review of key Enron documents.
Lipid-Modified Azurin of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Is Not Surface Exposed and Does Not Interact With the Nitrite Reductase AniA.

Lipid-modified cupredoxin azurin (Laz) is involved in electron transport in Neisseria and proposed to act as an electron donor to the surface-displayed nitrite reductase AniA. We identified Laz in N. gonorrhoeae cell envelopes and naturally elaborated membrane vesicles in proteomic investigations focused on discovering new vaccine and therapeutic targets for this increasingly difficult to treat pathogen. Its surface exposure in N. meningitidis suggested Laz could be a vaccine candidate for N. gonorrhoeae. Here we characterized the localization, expression, and role of Laz within the gonococcal cell envelope and challenged the hypothesis that Laz and AniA interact. While we demonstrate that Laz indeed shows some good features of a vaccine antigen, such as stable expression, high conservation, and ability to elicit antibodies that cross-react with a diverse panel of Neisseria, it is not a surface-displayed lipoprotein in the gonococcus. This discovery eliminates Laz as a gonorrhea vaccine candidate, further highlighting the necessity of examining homologous protein localization between closely related species. Absence of Laz slightly altered cell envelope integrity but was not associated with growth defects in vitro, including during anoxia, implicating the presence of other electron pathways to AniA. To further dissect the implied AniA-Laz interaction, we utilized biolayer interferometry and optimized and executed chemical cross-linking coupled with immunoblotting to covalently link interacting protein partners in living gonococci. This method, applied for the first time in N. gonorrhoeae research to interrogate protein complexes, was validated by the appearance of the trimer form of AniA, as well as by increased formation of the -barrel assembly machinery complex, in the presence of cross-linker. We conclude that Laz is not an electron donor to AniA based on their distinct subcellular localization, discordant expression during infection of the female mouse lower genital tract, and lack of interaction in vivo and in vitro.
Quality of Patient Education Materials on Safe Opioid Management in the Acute Perioperative Period: What Do Patients Find Online?

OBJECTIVE Guidelines on postoperative pain management recommend inclusion of patient and caregiver education on opioid safety. Patient education materials (PEMs) should be written at or below a sixth grade reading level. We designed this study to compare the readability of online PEMs related to postoperative opioid management produced by institutions with and without a regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine (RAAPM) fellowship. METHODS With institutional review board exemption, we constructed our cohort of PEMs by searching RAAPM fellowship websites from North American academic medical centers and identified additional websites using structured Internet searches. Readability metrics were calculated from PEMs using the TextStat 0.4.1 textual analysis package for Python 2.7. The primary outcome was the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), a score based on words per sentence and syllables per word. We also compared fellowship-based and nonfellowship PEMs on the presence or absence of specific content-related items. RESULTS PEMs from 15 fellowship and 23 nonfellowship institutions were included. The mean (SD) FKGL for PEMs was grade 7.84 (1.98) compared with the recommended sixth grade level (P < 0.001) and was not different between groups. Less than half of online PEMs contained explicit discussion of opioid tapering or cessation. Disposal and overdose risk were addressed more often by nonfellowship PEMs. CONCLUSIONS Available online PEMs related to opioid management are beyond the recommended reading level, but readability metrics for online PEMs do not differ between fellowship and nonfellowship groups. More than two-thirds of RAAPM fellowship programs in North America are lacking readable online PEMs on safe postoperative opioid management.
Distributed Quickest Detection of Significant Events in Networks

The problem of quickest detection of significant events in networks is studied. A distributed setting is investigated, where there is no fusion center, and each node only communicates with its neighbors. After an event occurs in the network, a number of nodes are affected, which changes the statistics of their observations. The nodes may possibly perceive the event at different times. The goal is to design a distributed sequential detection rule that can detect when the event is "significant", i.e., the event has affected no less than η nodes, as quickly as possible, subject to false alarm constraints. A distributed algorithm is proposed, which is based on a novel combination of the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) and average consensus approaches. Numerical results are provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed algorithm.
Advanced paternal age and the risk of spontaneous abortion: an analysis of the combined 2011–2013 and 2013–2015 National Survey of Family Growth

Background Maternal and paternal age at first birth are increasing across the global population. Spontaneous abortion, one of the most common abnormal pregnancy outcomes, is known to occur more frequently with increasing maternal age. However, the relationship of advanced paternal age and spontaneous abortion is poorly understood, and previous results have yielded conflicting results. Objective To examine the influence of paternal age on the risk of spontaneous abortion among singleton pregnancies conceived without assisted reproductive technologies. Materials and Methods This was a retrospective, case-control study using combined pregnancy data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2011–2013 and 2013–2015 National Survey of Family Growth. Spontaneous, singleton pregnancy data from women aged 15–45 years were analyzed. Ongoing pregnancies, induced abortions, ectopic pregnancies, preterm births, and intrauterine fetal deaths were excluded. Bivariate associations of pregnancy outcome (spontaneous abortion at Results A total of 12,710 pregnancies from 6979 women were analyzed, consisting of 2300 (18.2%) spontaneous abortions and 10,410 (81.8%) term live births. Median maternal and paternal ages were 25 and 28 years, respectively. After adjusting for maternal age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, marital status, and pregnancy intention, pregnancies resulting in spontaneous abortions had 2.05 (95% confidence interval, 1.06–2.20) times the odds of being from a father aged 50 years or older, vs. 25–29 years of age. These relationships remained significant when defining SABs at ≤12 weeks (adjusted odds ratio, 2.30; 95% confidence interval, 1.17–4.52). Conclusion Paternal age may increase the odds of spontaneous abortion, independent of selected factors, including demographics, pregnancy intention, and maternal age. This association was robust across several gestational age–based definitions of spontaneous abortion, even after adjustment.
A Multimodal Approach for Evolutionary Multi-objective Optimization (MEMO): Proof-of-Principle Results

Most evolutionary multi-objective optimization (EMO) methods use domination and niche-preserving principles in their selection operation to find a set of Pareto-optimal solutions in a single simulation run. However, classical generative multi-criterion optimization methods repeatedly solve a parameterized single-objective problem to achieve the same. Due to lack of parallelism in the classical generative methods, they have been reported to be slow compared to efficient EMO methods. In this paper, we use a specific scalarization method, but instead of repetitive independent applications, we formulate a multimodal scalarization of multiple objectives and develop a niche-based evolutionary algorithm to find multiple Pareto-optimal solutions in a single simulation run. Proof-of-principle results on two to 10-objective problems from our proposed multimodal approach are compared with standard evolutionary multi/many-objective optimization methods.
Real-time decoding of question-and-answer speech dialogue using human cortical activity.

Natural communication often occurs in dialogue, differentially engaging auditory and sensorimotor brain regions during listening and speaking. However, previous attempts to decode speech directly from the human brain typically consider listening or speaking tasks in isolation. Here, human participants listened to questions and responded aloud with answers while we used high-density electrocorticography (ECoG) recordings to detect when they heard or said an utterance and to then decode the utterance’s identity. Because certain answers were only plausible responses to certain questions, we could dynamically update the prior probabilities of each answer using the decoded question likelihoods as context. We decode produced and perceived utterances with accuracy rates as high as 61% and 76%, respectively (chance is 7% and 20%). Contextual integration of decoded question likelihoods significantly improves answer decoding. These results demonstrate real-time decoding of speech in an interactive, conversational setting, which has important implications for patients who are unable to communicate.
Practice Changing Potential of TAILORx: A Retrospective Review of the National Cancer Data Base from 2010 to 2015.

Uncertainty regarding chemotherapy benefit among breast cancer patients with intermediate Oncotype Dx® recurrence scores (RS; 11–25) led to the TAILORx study. We evaluated chemotherapy use in patients with intermediate RS to determine practice change potential based on the TAILORx results. National Cancer Data Base patients with hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, N0 breast cancer were identified and were divided into three groups: Group A, ≤ 50 years of age (RS 11–15); Group B, ≤ 50 years of age (RS 16–25); and Group C, > 50 years of age (RS 11–25). Demographic and clinical factors were compared using Chi square tests and Poisson regression models to determine predictors of chemotherapy receipt. Overall, 37,087 patients met the inclusion criteria, with 6.3% in Group A and 11.7% in Group C having received chemotherapy that may have been avoided based on TAILORx. The majority of Group B (64.7%) did not receive chemotherapy, whereas TAILORx showed potential benefit from treatment. Chemotherapy use decreased over time for all intermediate RS patients. T2 tumors, high grade, and treatment before 2012 increased the likelihood of chemotherapy receipt among both groups. Younger patients with the lower intermediate RS (Group A) were more likely to receive chemotherapy if they had treatment at community or comprehensive centers, whereas moderate grade was also a significant factor to receive chemotherapy in Group B. Significant factors in older patients (Group C) were Black race, estrogen receptor-positive/progesterone receptor-negative, and moderate/high grade. The most potential impact of TAILORx findings on practice change is for patients ≤ 50 years of age with RS of 16–25 who did not receive chemotherapy but may benefit. These findings may serve as a baseline for future analysis of practice patterns related to TAILORx.
Metastases to the Pancreas

Metastasis to the pancreas is rare and not a common occurrence. The primary sites of origin for these metastatic lesions to the pancreas include the kidney, lung, colon, breast, and ovary. In addition, the pancreas can also be involved in metastatic melanomas, malignant lymphomas, and neuroendocrine tumor arising from different primary sources. Even with this diverse group of tumors, renal cell carcinoma and tumors arising from the lung remain the largest groups of tumors which metastasize to the pancreas. Metastatic disease to the pancreas is usually part of widespread and disseminated disease rather than being a solitary presentation. However, it can present as a solitary tumor many years after the primary malignancy was initially diagnosed. Radiographic studies, which primarily include endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA), are currently the mainstay to evaluate and diagnose these tumors. EUS-FNA ensures a high degree of safety, is cost-effective, and leads to minimal morbidity in patients. It ensures accuracy in diagnosing metastatic disease to the pancreas, which is extremely important for clinical staging as well as appropriate management.
1554 OB/GYN Resident Interest And Exposure To Non-Clinical Healthcare Industry Careers: A Survey-Based Study Of Large Academic Institutions

Study Objective Much of healthcare innovation and advancement of patient care stems from non-clinical settings within the healthcare industry. This study aimed to evaluate OB/GYN resident exposure, knowledge, and attitude towards the relationship between the healthcare industry and medicine. Design An electronic, survey-based, cross-sectional study. Setting N/A Patients or Participants A Qualtrics survey was emailed to program directors and coordinators of ACGME-accredited OB/GYN residency programs with a request to forward the survey to their resident body. Only the responses of residents self-identifying as being from “large academic hospitals” were included in this study. Interventions OB/GYN residents were requested to complete an anonymous 22-question survey. The survey collected demographic information and assessed exposure to and interest in non-clinical healthcare careers (examples include medical device development, healthcare consulting, and hospital administration). Questions were adapted from validated sources or designed through an iterative peer-review process. Statistics were performed using STATA. Measurements and Main Results The survey was started 105 times and completed 94 times (89%). Twenty-two percent (n=21) of respondents held a dual degree; 21% (n=20) previously held non-clinical jobs in healthcare industry. Roughly a third (37%, n=35) reported interacting with degreed industry professionals only once per year. Only 8% (n=8) felt they had sufficient knowledge of industry careers, while 84% (n=79) were interested in learning more about how the healthcare system interacts with business and research. Nearly half (48%, n=46) were interested in a healthcare industry elective during residency. About one fourth (26%, n=25) expressed interest in pursuing non-clinical careers. Conclusion OB/GYN residents from large academic institutions have interest in non-clinical healthcare industry careers and desire exposure to such careers during residency. These findings indicate a need for a more thoughtful and collaborative approach between clinical medicine and the healthcare industry, while maintaining unbiased education.
Transnational Narratives of Conflict and Empire, the Literary Art of Survivance in the Fiction of Gerald Vizenor

Among Native American writers and scholars, none have been more internationally engaged than Gerald Vizenor. From his his earliest works of haiku poetry, Two Wings the Butterfly (1962), Seventeen Chirps (1964), and Empty Swings (1967), to the publication of novels such as Griever: An American Monkey King in China (1990), The Heirs of Columbus (1991), Hiroshima Bugi (2010), and Blue Ravens (2016), Vizenor has sought give his characters a prominent transnational presence. In Blue Ravens, the first of a trilogy of novels addressing the experiences of Anishinaabe soldiers, including some of Vizenor’s actual relatives, he gives narrative substance to Jodi Bryd’s notion of the “transit” of colonial violence through what his narrator terms the European wars of the “empire demon more sinister than the ice monster” (109). In Vizenor’s body of work, this is not not just an intervention into a burgeoning area of critical concern, but perhaps, the culmination of a broader socio-historical critique that runs throughout much of his work. This article addresses Vizenor's attention to historical moments through his fiction that overturn colonial knowledge and posit a new understanding of transnationalism. These include the arrival of Christopher Columbus and the extreme violence of Spanish colonialism as documented by figures such as Las Casas and Bernal Diaz alike, through the abduction of Pocahontas and her death and burial in England that threaten to make her into a perpetual captive, to life “in the remains of the first nuclear war” at Hiroshima, Japan as engaged through the experiences of the crossblood character, Ronin Ainoko Browne (1), and finally to the experiences of two Anishinaabe brothers from the White Earth Reservation, Basile and Aloyisius Beaulieu, in World War I, and after as expatriates living in Paris to escape their position as “political prisoners by the federal government in a civil war” (217). Taken together, these narratives and the characters that populate them, provide a sustained engagement with the multivalent sources, impacts, and legacy of colonization and empire-building through the tease of Vizenor’s biting humor, irony, and practice of trickster hermeneutics.
Debian Package usage profiler for Debian based Systems.

The embedded devices of today due to their CPU, RAM capabilities can run various Linux distributions but in most cases they are different from general purpose distributions as they are usually lighter and specific to the needs of that particular system. In this project, we share the problems associated in adopting a fully heavy-weight Debian based system like Ubuntu in embedded/automotive platforms and provide solutions to optimize them to identify unused/redundant content in the system. This helps developer to reduce the hefty general purpose distribution to an application specific distribution. The solution involves collecting usage data in the system in a non-invasive manner (to avoid any drop in performance) to suggest users the redundant, unused parts of the system that can be safely removed without impacting the system functionality.
Tuning the performance of CAR T cell immunotherapies.

Simultaneous advances in gene editing, T cell engineering and biotechnology currently provide an opportunity for rapid progress in medicine. The approval of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Commission have generated substantial momentum for these first-in-class therapies to be used in patients with B cell malignancies. Considerable efforts focus on improved outcomes and reduced side effects of the newly approved therapies. Using innovative strategies, researchers aim to extend CAR T cell use to tackle difficulties inherent in solid tumors. Efforts are underway to broaden the applications of CAR T cells, and the strategy has been successful in chronic viral infections and preclinical models of autoimmunity. Research is in progress to generate “off-the-shelf” CAR T cells, an advance, which would greatly increase patient availability and reduce treatment cost. In this thematic review, we highlight advances that may help develop genetically engineered cells into a new category of medical therapies.
Voces de la “arqueología de protesta”: Arqueología Social Latinoamericana

Boletin de Antropologia Americana, published between 1980 and 2012 by the Instituto Panamericano de Geografia e Historia in Mexico, was the key media to discuss about the Latin American Social Archeology (ASL, in Spanish) movement. The scope of this theoretical model is analyzed through basic bibliometric analysis that allows to estimate the preponderance and persistence of the model over time, its main exponents, production at a theoretical level and its empirical level applications. The data show that the largest number of ASL articles was centered between 1980 and 1994, with an emphasis on Mexican authors and cases, with a more theoretical than methodological development and with a lower representation of case studies.
The Integration of Schools in Lee County, Florida

Fort Myers, Florida, is one of the fastest growing parts of the United States yet historians have paid little attention to the area. This is especially true of the historiography surrounding Dunbar-Heights, the historically Black sections of the city. Despite having one of the largest Black communities between Tampa and Miami, there is scant information on how de jure segregation operated and ended in Southwest Florida. The research provided here fills this historiographical gap using oral histories that give us a glimpse into Florida’s not so distant past. This methodology enables the Dunbar Community to tell a new Black history of Fort Myers. Collectively the speakers presented in this piece help explain how Jim Crow influenced the integration of schools into the 1970s. This history of Fort Myers reminds Floridians of how connected SWFL was with the rest of the state and how deeply intertwined Florida was with the American South.
A retrospective cohort study of the diagnostic value of different subtypes of atypical pigment network on dermoscopy.

Background Atypical network encompasses several patterns. Few studies assess the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of network subtypes. Objective We assessed the diagnostic value of atypical network subtypes and their histopathologic correlates in cutaneous melanocytic lesions. Methods A retrospective search (2014-2018) from a high-risk melanoma clinic for cases scored for atypical network with accompanying dermoscopic photographs yielded 120 lesions (15 melanoma; 30 severely, 38 moderately, and 32 mildly atypical nevi; 4 compound nevi; and 1 junctional nevus). A dermatopathologist blinded to diagnosis assessed dermoscopic and histologic features. Network abnormality correlates with histopathology and clinical diagnoses were assessed with sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and odds ratios. Results A multivariable model with shiny white streaks (odds ratio 3.02) and inverse network (OR 4.46) was most predictive of melanoma or severe atypia. Positive predictive value for melanoma or severe atypia in decreasing order was inverse network (73.9%), shiny white streaks (71.4%), loss of network (46%), branched streaks (29.4%), and thick brown lines (28.4%). Limitations Cases were retrospectively found from a pigmented lesion clinic and evaluated by a single dermatopathologist. Conclusion Shiny white streaks and inverse network are most predictive of melanoma or severe atypia and warrant biopsy if found on dermoscopy.
Synthesis of Radioluminescent CaF2:Ln Core, Mesoporous Silica Shell Nanoparticles for Use in X-ray Based Theranostics

X-ray radiotherapy is a common method of treating cancerous tumors or other malignant lesions. The side effects of this treatment, however, can be deleterious to patient quality of life if critical tissues are affected. To potentially lower the effective doses of radiation and negative side-effects, new classes of nanoparticles are being developed to enhance reactive oxygen species production during irradiation. This report presents the synthesis and radiotherapeutic efficacy evaluation of a new nanoparticle formulation designed for this purpose, composed of a CaF2 core, mesoporous silica shell, and polyethylene glycol coating. The construct was additionally doped with Tb and Eu during the CaF2 core synthesis to prepare nanoparticles (NPs) with X-ray luminescent properties for potential application in fluorescence imaging. The mesoporous silica shell was added to provide the opportunity for small molecule loading, and the polyethylene glycol coating was added to impart aqueous solubility and biocompatibility. The potential of these nanomaterials to act as radiosensitizers for enhancing X-ray radiotherapy was supported by reactive oxygen species generation assays. Further, in vitro experiments indicate biocompatibility and enhanced cellular damage during X-ray radiotherapy.
Unscheduled Care Access in the United States-A Tale of Two Emergency Departments

Abstract Background Rural communities face challenges in accessing healthcare services due to physician shortages and limited unscheduled care capabilities in office settings. As a result, rural hospital-based Emergency Departments (ED) may disproportionately provide acute, unscheduled care needs. We sought to examine differences in ED utilization and the relative role of the ED in providing access to unscheduled care between rural and urban communities. Methods Using a 20% sample of the 2012 Medicare Chronic Condition Warehouse, we studied the overall ED visit rate and the unscheduled care rate by geography using the Dartmouth Atlas' hospital referral regions (HRR). We calculated HRR urbanicity as the proportion of beneficiaries residing in an urban zip code within each HRR. We report descriptive statistics and utilize K-means clustering based on the ED visit rates and unscheduled care rates. Results We found rural ED use is more common and disproportionately the site of unscheduled care delivery when compared to urban communities. The ED visit and. unscheduled care proportions were negatively correlated with increased urbanicity (r =. −0.48, p Conclusion The use and role of EDs by Medicare beneficiaries appears to be substantially different between urban and rural areas. This suggests that the ED may play a distinct role within the healthcare delivery system of rural communities that face disproportionate barriers to care access.
A 14.7 GHz Lithium Niobate Acoustic Filter with Fractional Bandwidth of 2.93

This work presents the first demonstration of a wideband hybrid monolithic acoustic filter in the K u -band that overcomes the electromechanical coupling (k t 2) limit on the fractional bandwidth (FBW) of conventional ladder topology acoustic filters. This work employs the bandwidth-widening technique of combining a shunt inductor to a resonator to compensate for low k t 2. The filter combines electromagnetic and acoustic structures to take the advantages of both: wideband, high Q, and compact sizes. The fabricated filter based on the fifth-order antisymmetric Lamb wave mode (A5) with 1.1% k t 2has a 3-dB FBW of 2.93% at 14.7 GHz, stopband insertion loss of 19.5 dB, with a small footprint of 2.25 mm2.
Characterization of ice shelf fracture features using ICESat-2 – A case study over the Amery Ice Shelf

Abstract Fractures are important structural features that affect the stress condition and stability of ice shelves. Previous studies have mainly focused on the measurement of fractures in the horizontal dimension. However, the vertical morphology of fractures could also be potentially important in determining their evolution and role in ice shelf stability. In this regard, the dense and high-resolution surface elevation measurements collected by the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) provide an excellent opportunity for studying fractures in the vertical dimension over a regional scale. Here we developed an object-oriented algorithm to automatically detect and characterize fracture features (including rifts, surface fractures, and the surface expressions of basal fractures) from ICESat-2 data. We successfully applied the algorithm to ICESat-2 L3A Land Ice Height (ATL06) data over the Amery Ice Shelf in East Antarctica, and retrieved the vertical structural information of two major fracture fields. The detected fracture features match well with the visible fracture lines in Landsat-8 satellite imagery, and the edges of fracture features are well-captured from the ATL06 data. We analyzed the fracture patterns in terms of surface depth, width, vertical shape, length, and orientation. We found that the fracture feature depth is a key factor determining the formation of new fractures and the spatial pattern of depth is closely related to rift formation. We anticipate that further application of the object-oriented method over other ice shelves will produce important insights regarding fracture formation and ice shelf vulnerability by combining ICESat-2-derived vertical information with the horizontal structure retrieved from satellite imagery.
Organizing at the Extreme: Hardline Strategy and Institutional Design

In recent years, the most bruising intraparty battles have pitted House leaders against their respective parties’ ideological extremes. While we know much about the resources and procedural powers ...
Brief Interventions Influence the Quantity and Quality of Caregiver-Child Conversations in an Everyday Context

Reading and arithmetic are difficult cognitive feats for children to master and youth from low-income communities are often less "school ready" in terms of letter and number recognition skills (Lee and Burkam, 2002). One way to prepare children for school is by encouraging caregivers to engage children in conversations about academically-relevant concepts by using numbers, recognizing shapes, and naming colors (Levine et al., 2010; Fisher et al., 2013). Previous research shows that caregiver-child conversations about these topics rarely take place in everyday contexts (Hassinger-Das et al., 2018), but interventions designed to encourage such conversations, like displaying signs in a grocery store, have resulted in significant increases in caregiver-child conversations (Ridge et al., 2015; Hanner et al., 2019). We investigated whether a similar brief intervention could change caregiver-child conversations in an everyday context. We observed 212 families in a volunteer-run facility where people who are food-insecure can select food from available donations. Volunteers greet all the clients as they pass through the aisles, offer food, and restock the shelves as needed. About 25% of the clients have children with them and our data consist of observations of the caregiver-child conversations with 2- to 10-year-old children. Half of the observation days consisted of a baseline condition in which the quantity and quality of caregiver-child conversation was observed as the client went through aisles where no signs were displayed, and volunteers merely greeted the clients. The other half of the observation days consisted of a brief intervention where signs were displayed (signs-up condition), where, volunteers greeted the clients and pointed out that there were signs displayed to entertain the children if they were interested. In addition, there was a within-subject manipulation for the intervention condition where each family interacted with two different categories of signs. Half of the signs had academically-relevant content and the other half had non-academically-relevant content. The results demonstrate that the brief intervention used in the signs-up condition increases the quantity of conversation between a caregiver and child. In addition, signs with academically-relevant content increases the quality of the conversation. These findings provide further evidence that brief interventions in an everyday context can change the caregiver-child conversation. Specifically, signs with academically-relevant content may promote school readiness.
Binding of cytochrome P450 27C1, a retinoid desaturase, to its accessory protein adrenodoxin

Abstract Of the 57 human cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes, seven are mitochondrial: 11A1, 11B1, 11B2, 24A1, 27A1, 27B1, and 27C1. Mitochondrial P450s utilize an electron transport system with adrenodoxin (Adx) and NADPH-adrenodoxin reductase (AdR). AdR reduces Adx, which then transfers electrons to the P450. The interactions between proteins in the mitochondrial P450 system are largely driven by electrostatic interactions, though the specifics vary depending on the P450. Unlike other mitochondrial P450s, the interaction between P450 27C1, a retinoid 3,4-desaturase expressed in the skin, and Adx remains largely uncharacterized. In this work, we utilized an Alexa Fluor 488 C5 maleimide-labeled Adx to measure binding affinities between Adx and P450 27C1 or AdR. Both proteins bound Adx tightly, with Kd values
Residual efficacy of pyrethrin+methoprene for control of Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confusum in a commercial flour mill.

Abstract Concrete arenas with and without flour were placed in open, obstructed, and hidden positions inside a commercial flour mill and exposed to a combination treatment of pyrethrin + methoprene. Bioassays were conducted 1, 3, 5, and 7 weeks after the arenas were treated by adding flour to those arenas that were exposed without flour, and then placing late-stage larvae of either Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), the red flour beetle, or Tribolium confusum Jacqueline DuVal, the confused flour beetle, on an individual arena. There were no differences in adult emergence of either species on any of the exposed arenas in any position for the residual bioassays, indicating no loss of effectiveness of the insecticide. There was less adult emergence of both species on arenas that had contained flour when they were exposed to the aerosol compared to those exposed without flour and then flour added for the bioassay process. Adult emergence of both species was also lower in arenas with flour in the open position compared to those in the hidden and obstructed positions but regardless of exposure position or whether or not the arenas contained flour when they were exposed to the aerosol, adult emergence was greater in T. confusum than in T. castaneum . Results show how species variability and the presence of structural barriers within a facility can affect susceptibility to aerosol insecticides.
Place semantics into context: service community discovery from the WSDL corpus

We propose a novel framework to automatically discover service communities that group together related services in a diverse and large scale service space. Community discovery is a key enabler to address a set of fundamental issues in service computing, which include service discovery, service composition, and quality-based service selection. The standard Web service description language, WSDL, primarily describes a service from the syntactic perspective and rarely provides rich service descriptions. This hinders the direct application of traditional document clustering approaches. In order to attack this central challenge, the proposed framework applies Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) to the WSDL corpus for service community discovery. NMF has demonstrated its effectiveness in clustering high-dimensional sparse data while offering intuitive interpretability of the clustering result. NMF-based community discovery is further augmented via semantic extensions of the WSDL descriptions. The extended semantics are first computed based on the information sources outside the WSDL corpus. They are then seamlessly integrated with NMF, which makes the semantic extensions fit in the context of the original services. The experiments on real world Web services are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed framework.
‘Tuning’ the Variable Stiffness Head Gasket an Interactive Computational Approach

Problems of bore distortion, combustion blowby and gasket fatigue in lightweight engine blocks are ultimately related to the gasket sealing pressure distribution. For both conventional embossed steel gaskets and composite ones this distribution can be modified by suitable local changes in gasket stiffness. Current methods of gasket optimization concentrate on large scale iterative finite element analysis of the head/gasket/block system, with major computational costs. This paper presents a more economical alternative in which condensed compliance matrices are obtained either from elementary NASTRAN runs or by experimental means. The algorithm enables the gasket engineer to 'tune' the gasket to the desired sealing pressure profile with acceptable stiffness variations.
Chapter 16 Nonvolatile Random Access Memories in Wide Bandgap Semiconductors

Publisher Summary This chapter describes nonvolatile random access memories in wide bandgap semiconductors. The ideal semiconductor memory can be read or written in zero time, retains data forever (even with no power applied), dissipates zero power, and occupies zero area. The ideal memory is also very inexpensive to produce, costing zero cents per bit. Existing semiconductor memories can be classified into three general categories: (1) random access memory (RAM), (2) read-only memory (ROM), and (3) electrically alterable read-only memory (EAROM). The EAROM family includes such variants as the flash memory. RAM, can be further divided into static RAM (SRAM) and dynamic RAM (DRAM). The memory cells in SRAM are small circuits consisting of up to six transistors each, configured to form a static latch. A major consideration in the design of memory cells is the type of access transistor to be used for coupling the potential from the bit line to the storage capacitor (writing) or from the storage capacitor to the bit line (reading).
Biochemical and cytological analysis of the complex periplasmic flagella from Spirochaeta aurantia.

The periplasmic flagella of Spirochaeta aurantia were isolated and were found to be ultrastructurally and biochemically complex. Generally, flagellar filaments were 18 to 20 nm in diameter and appeared to consist of an 11 to 13-nm-wide inner region and an outer layer. The hook-basal body region consisted of two closely apposed disks connected to a hook by a rod. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of purified flagella together with a Western blot analysis of a motility mutant that produces hooks and basal bodies but not flagellar filaments revealed that the filaments were composed of three major polypeptides of 37,500, 34,000, and 31,500 apparent molecular weight (37.5K, 34K, and 31.5K polypeptides) and three minor polypeptides of 36,000, 33,000, and 32,000 apparent molecular weight (36K, 33K, and 32K polypeptides). Purified hook-basal body preparations were greatly enriched in three polypeptides in the range of 62,000 to 66,000 apparent molecular weight. Immunogold labeling experiments with a monoclonal antibody specific for the 37.5K flagellin and one that reacts with an epitope common to the 36K, 34K, 33K, 32K, and 31.5K flagellins revealed that the 37.5K major polypeptide was a component of the outer layer, whereas one or more of the other polypeptides constituted the core. Images
Internet as Clinical Information System: Application Development Using the World Wide Web

Clinical computing application development at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center has been limited by the lack of a flexible programming environment that supports multiple client user platforms. The World Wide Web offers a potential solution, with its multifunction servers, multiplatform clients, and use of standard protocols for displaying information. The authors are now using the Web, coupled with their own local clinical data server and vocabulary server, to carry out rapid prototype development of clinical information systems. They have developed one such prototype system that can be run on most popular computing platforms from anywhere on the Internet. The Web paradigm allows easy integration of clinical information with other local and Internet-based information sources. The Web also simplifies many aspects of application design; for example, it includes facilities for the use of encryption to meet the authors' security and confidentiality requirements. The prototype currently runs on only the Web server in the Department of Medical Informatics at Columbia University, but it could be run on other Web servers that access the authors' clinical data and vocabulary servers. It could also be adapted to access clinical information from other systems with similar server capabilities. This approach may be adaptable for use in developing institution-independent standards for data and application sharing.
Louisiana's Approach to Criminal Background Checks of Nursing Students

In recent years, growing concern for patient safety has led to additional requirements for health-care personnel. Prominent among these requirements is a criminal background check on all persons who provide patient care, including students. In many cases, contractual agreements between nursing education programs and health-care institutions compel faculty and students who need hands-on clinical experience to meet these requirements. But who is responsible for conducting background checks—nursing education programs, health-care institutions, or the state board of nursing? With the current focus on student privacy rights, increased Joint Commission requirements, and complex jurisdiction over nursing student regulation, this is an appropriate time to examine regulation of students on their enrollment in nursing programs and throughout the progression of their clinical course sequence. Louisiana is the only U.S. state or territory with the authority to regulate nursing students. This article discusses the issues surrounding criminal background checks of nursing students, using Louisiana as a model.
An epidemiological study of trichotillomania in Israeli adolescents.

ABSTRACT Objective To determine the prevalence of trichotillomania and comorbid psychopathology in nonreferred adolescents. Method Using a questionnaire and interview, 794 Israeli 17-year-olds were screened for current and past hair-pulling and comorbid psychopathology. Results Eight current or past hair-pullers (5 male, 3 female) were identified, yielding a lifetime prevalence of hair-pulling of 1%. Four subjects reported current hair-pulling (point prevalence of 0.5%). None of these reported alopecia, distress, or tension before pulling; only two reported relief after pulling. Thus, none met the full DSM-III-R criteria for trichotillomania. Four subjects reported past but not current hair-pulling, with bald spots in two cases. Three of the four current hair-pullers had significant obsessive-compulsive symptoms, a significantly elevated rate compared to the entire screened population. Two subjects with obsessive-compulsive disorder also had generalized anxiety disorder and, in one case, chronic simple vocal tics. Hair-pullers did not differ significantly from non-hair-pullers in IQ, physical fitness, and overall competency, or prevalence of other comorbid disorders. Conclusions In a community adolescent sample, only 25% of hair-pullers reported resulting bare spots and none endorsed both rising tension and subsequent relief. The prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms was significantly elevated in these nonreferred hair-pullers.
Brief Report: Longitudinal Improvements in the Quality of Joint Attention in Preschool Children with Autism

Children with autism exhibit deficits in their quantity and quality of joint attention. Early autism intervention studies rarely document improvement in joint attention quality. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a change in joint attention quality for preschoolers with autism who were randomized to a joint attention intervention, symbolic play intervention, or a control group. Quality was defined as shared positive affect during joint attention as well as shared positive affect and utterances during joint attention. Interactions of group and time were found for both types of joint attention quality. During the follow up visits, the joint attention and symbolic play intervention groups produced more of these two types of joint attention quality than the control group.
SU-GG-J-111: Initial Dosimetric Validation of An Atlas-Based Method for Automatic Intracranial Segmentation

Purpose: We have developed a novel method for automatic segmentation of critical structures in the brain. The purpose of this study is to test the feasibility of this method as an alternative to manually‐derived physician contours. We test feasibility by evaluating the dosimetric consequences of auto‐segmentation versus physician‐drawn contours. Method and Materials: Brainstem, eyes,optic nerves and chiasm were segmented through non‐rigid registration of CT and MR‐based atlases to two patients. Patient A presents a challenging case in which a base of skull chondrosarcoma distorts normal brainstem anatomy. Patient B suffers from parotid disease and presents normal critical structureanatomy. Intensity‐modulated radiosurgery treatment plans were derived from physician contours and applied to the automatic contours. Results: For patient B (tumor far from critical structures) calculated doses for manual and automatic contours were within 2% of tumor dose for a given volume. Dose to the eyes,optic nerves, and chiasm of patient A were similar in agreement to those of patient B. The maximum dose to the brainstem of patient A, however, was 13% higher for the automatic contour. These dose differences were clinically negligible for all structures except the brainstem of patient A, in which case the difference was significant but acceptable. Conclusion: Clinical incorporation of our automated method is shown to be feasible dosimetrically. For the tumor lying far from the critical structures, the dose differences between automatically and manually‐derived contours were insignificant. The differences increased for the case in which a critical structure lay directly adjacent to a large tumor. These cases illustrate the system is accurate for critical structures far from the lesion but sensitive to local disturbance and inherently steeper dose gradients when the critical structures lie near the lesion.
Low temperature response of some scintillators

Abstract The relative light output temperature dependence of several scintillators was measured for gamma-ray irradiation. Also, the pulse shape discrimination capability of stilbene was checked for a temperature dependence.
AGU signs memorandum of agreement with Soil Science Society of America

[1] I am pleased to announce that AGU has taken another step in our effort to build strategic alliances with partner groups by signing a memorandum of agreement with the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). This agreement is based on the common interests of our members and will allow us to strengthen our respective organizations by Exchanging information on key programs and initiatives. Expanding membership of both our organizations through possible joint programs.> Exchanging information and possible joint activities concerning educational opportunities, student programs, and professional services. Exchanging information and possible co-organization of scientific conferences.
Differential Toxicity of Parenteral Antibiotic Drugs in Renal Cells (LLC-PK1) Grown on Permeable Membrane Filters

Growth of renal epithelial cells on permeable membrane niters promotes the expression of polarized function and facilitates the study of directional aspects of exposure of kidney cells to nephrotoxins (apical versus basolateral). Monolayer cultures of LLC-PK1 cells were grown on membrane filter inserts coated with a collagen-laminin matrix and incubated with three parenteral antibiotic drugs (vancomycin, 2.5–15 mg/ml; tobramycin, 0.5–10 mg/ml; and cephaloridine, 0.05–0.5 mg/ml) at 37d`C for 48 h. Growth medium containing the experimental antibiotic drugs was placed in the upper or lower chamber for apical or basolateral exposure, respectively. After incubation, cellular viability was determined by nigrosin dye exclusion and by the in situ uptake of the fluorescent dye, propidium iodide, which is increased in dead cells. Cytotoxicity was seen with increasing concentrations of each antibiotic drug after basolateral or apical exposure. Profound basolateral and apical differences, expressed as a percent of co...