cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Time-Indexed Effect Size for Educational Research and Evaluation: Reinterpreting Program Effects and Achievement Gaps in K-12 Reading and Math.

ABSTRACTThrough a synthesis of test publisher norms and national longitudinal data sets, this study provides new national norms of academic growth in K–12 reading and math to help reinterpret conventional effect sizes in time units. We propose d΄, a time-indexed–effect-size metric to estimate how long it would take for an “untreated” control group to reach the treatment group outcome in terms familiar to educators—years/months of schooling. It serves as a supplement to conventional effect-size metrics, such as Cohen's d, by taking into account different amounts of time needed for learning at different ages or grade levels. Through applications to Project STAR small class effects and NAEP racial achievement gaps, we demonstrate how to interpret and use d΄. It is expected to provide a more developmentally appropriate context for interpreting the size of an effect, a step toward bridging the gap between educational research and practice.
Combinatorial library of biodegradable polyesters enables delivery of plasmid DNA to polarized human RPE monolayers for retinal gene therapy

Efficient gene delivery into hard-to-transfect cells is still a challenge despite significant progress in the development of various gene delivery tools. Non-viral and synthetic polymeric nanoparticles offer an array of advantages for gene delivery over the viral vectors and high in demand as they are safe to use, easy to synthesize and highly cell-type specific. Here we demonstrate the use of a high-throughput screening (HTS) platform to screen for biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) that can transfect human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells with high efficiency and low toxicity. These NPs can deliver plasmid DNA (pDNA) to RPE monolayers more efficiently compared to the commercially available transfection reagents without interfering the global gene expression profile of RPE cells. In this work, we have established an HTS platform and identified synthetic polymers that can be used for high efficacy non-viral gene delivery to human RPE monolayers, enabling gene loss- and gain-of-function studies of cell signaling and developmental pathways. This platform can be used to identify the optimum polymer, weight-to-weight ratio of polymer to DNA, and the dose of NP for various retinal cell types.
Comparison of Ytterbium Chloride and Chromium Sesquioxide as Fecal Indicators

To assess the potential of ytterbium chloride (Yb) as an indicator of fecal output, we dosed 13 mature beef cows with Yb and chromic oxide (Cr2O3) either once (0800) or twice (0800 and 1600 hr) daily. Fecal output and digestible dry matter were estimated from fecal marker concentration determined in grab samples collected at 0800, 1600 or 0800 and 1600 hr, and compared with values obtained by total fecal collection. With single daily dosings, fecal outputs estimated from Yb at all collection times did not differ from values obtained by total collection, whereas Cr2O3 underestimated (P greater than .05) fecal production at 0800 hr and in the composited (0800 and 1600 hr) collections. With twice-daily dosing, fecal outputs estimated from Yb differed to a greater extent from the total collection values for the 1600 hr collection; however, the Cr2O3 values more closely approximated those estimated by total fecal collection at 0800 hours. Relative marker concentration in the feces collected from grab samples at 4.hr intervals indicated that twice-daily dosing appeared to reduce diurnal variation. Diurnal fecal excretion patterns of Yb and Cr2O3 differed (P greater than .05); however, the variation observed for both markers within dosing schedule appeared to be as great for Yb as it was for Cr2O3. Although fecal output was accurately estimated from Yb with one simultaneous collection and dosing period, the response appeared to be due to time of collection rather than to an actual reduction in diurnal variation.
The rising incidence of major salivary gland cancer in the United States.

We performed a population-based historical cohort study using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to determine trends in the incidence of major salivary gland cancer and to evaluate the effect of sex, tumor size, histology, primary site, and extent of disease. Participants were men and women with major salivary gland cancer, diagnosed 1973-2009. The incidence of major salivary gland cancer increased from 10.4 per 1,000,000 in 1973 to 16 per 1,000,000 in 2009 (annual percent change [APC] 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78 to 1.20; p 0.05) and tumors measuring > 4 cm (APC -0.52; 95% CI -1.72 to 0.69; p > 0.05). There was an increase in the incidence of regional (APC 0.77; 95% CI 0.32 to 1.23; p 0.05). We conclude that the incidence of major salivary gland cancer is increasing, especially small parotid tumors. The incidence of tumors with regional and distant metastasis is also increasing. These findings highlight the need for further research on the etiology of salivary gland cancer, which may reveal opportunities for further public health efforts aimed at prevention.
Practice Capacity to Address Patients' Social Needs and Physician Satisfaction and Perceived Quality of Care.

Recent studies have explored clinician impacts of health care–based interventions that respond to patients’ social and economic needs. These studies were limited by available clinician data. We used the Commonwealth International Health Policy Survey of 890 primary care physicians to examine associations between clinic capacity to respond to patients’ social needs and physician satisfaction, stress, and perceived medical care quality. Results suggest that perceived capacity to address social needs is strongly associated with both clinician satisfaction and perceived medical care quality. Our findings add to a growing literature on the potential return on investment of clinical interventions to address social needs.
Contested Identities: African Diaspora and Identity Making in a Hair Braiding Salon:

Most scholars of intersectionality argue that categories of inequality transform one another. In their empirical analysis, they routinely situate specific categories as master statuses, for example...
They Don’t Listen: A Qualitative Interpretive Meta-synthesis of Children’s Sexual Abuse

Although the literature is copious with studies using qualitative methodology to retrospectively explore issues related to child sexual abuse (CSA) from the adult’s perspective, there is a dearth of qualitative literature regarding the child’s perception of sexual abuse. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS) is to inform practice and research to understand how children make sense of sexual abuse, the factors that influence their disclosure experiences, and coping methods used after disclosure. The QIMS included studies from various disciplines, including psychology, sociology, social work and medicine, to understand the experiences of childhood victims of sexual abuse. Three themes and five subthemes emerged: (1) phases of CSA: (a) initial onset of symptoms, (b) maladaptive coping, and (c) paralyzing fear; (2) types of disclosure: (a) healthy disclosure and healing and (b) destructive disclosure, and; (3) traumatizing “helping” process for CSA victims. In an effort to reduce negative outcomes associated with CSA, it is imperative to explore one’s perception of sexual abuse while still a child to inform prevention and intervention efforts of their specific understanding of the experience.
Sylvatic plague management and prairie dogs – a meta‐analysis

Yersinia pestis, a bacterial pathogen that causes sylvatic plague, is present in the prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) of North America. Epizootics of sylvatic plague through transmission in vectors (fleas) commonly completely extirpate colonies of prairie dogs. Wildlife managers employ a wide variety of insecticidal treatments to suppress plague and conserve prairie dog colonies. I compiled and statistically compared the available literature describing methods of plague control and their relative effectiveness in managing plague outbreaks by using meta-analyses. Natural log response ratios were used to calculate insecticide-induced vector mortality and vaccine-conferred survival increases in prairie dogs in 37 publications. Further, subgroupings were used to explore the most effective of the available vector suppression insecticides and plague suppression vaccines. After accounting for the type of treatment used and the method by which it was applied, I observed plague reduction through use of both insecticides and vaccines. Insecticides resulted in a significant reduction of the abundance of vectors by 91.34% compared to non-treated hosts (p<0.0001). Vaccines improved survival of prairie dog hosts by 4.00% (p<0.0001) compared to control populations. The use of insecticides such as deltamethrin and carbaryl is recommended to stop actively spreading epizootics, and dual antigen oral vaccines to initially suppress outbreaks.
A Comparison Study of Primary Care Utilization and Mental Health Disorder Diagnoses Among Children In and Out of Foster Care on Medicaid.

The purpose of this study was to compare the utilization of primary care services and presence of mental health disorder diagnoses among children in foster care to children on Medicaid not in foste...
The Physical Legacy of Racism: How Redlining Cemented the Modern Built Environment

Recent research demonstrates that land use choices, which date back to a century ago still powerfully shape the current development patterns. With advances in digitization, scholars have started studying the long-term effects of historic federal placed-based policies. One such area that has drawn attention from the housing and real estate community is “redlining,” designated by the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation in 1930s. Scholarly evidence suggest that neighborhoods graded poorly decades ago still face challenges in access to mortgage credit, homeownership rate, and housing value. However, the literature is not clear about the mechanisms through which the placed based policy in the past affects the current neighborhood performance. In this paper, we unravel one of these mechanisms. We argue that redlining has shaped the geography of housing segregation, not just that of racial segregation, by delineating the predominant location of single family and multi-family stock. We then hypothesize that these built environment effects persist even while redlining-related racial segregation diminished over time. Specifically, we explore how and why poorly-graded multi-family neighborhoods became locked in a continued cycle of impoverishment, with continued under-resourced and underinvested housing stock. We test this idea for ten U.S. cities for which digitized maps and 1930-2010 census data are available. By instrumenting the geography of housing segregation through the redlining policy, we find the connection between redlining policy and contemporary neighborhood outcomes in local housing markets with a mechanism identified.
Notes on the fall-winter diet of Northern Saw-whet Owls in northern California

Forests of northern California provide important breeding and wintering habitat for the Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) (Zeiner et al. 1990). This study examined 77 pellets collected over 2 fall-winter seasons in order to better understand the dietary needs of this species.
Diagnosis and Classification

Classification and diagnosis serve several crucial purposes, including enhancing communication among mental health professionals, delineating the relation of mental disorders to other conditions, providing additional information, and facilitating our understanding of mental disorders. DSM-5 and ICD-10 are presently among the most widespread systems for psychiatric classification, although both systems have been the targets of multiple criticisms, including excessive comorbidity, imposition of largely arbitrary categories on dimensions, and overpathologizing of normality. Recent initiatives to supplement or supplant extant classification systems with a system organized around endophenotypes are promising but preliminary.
Some thoughts on the importance of volume in peripheral nerve blockade.

To the Editor Madsen et al provide interesting insights into the dynamic interplay of dose, volume and concentration of local anesthetic (LA) to affect the duration of peripheral nerve blockade.[1][1] Specifically, they found that there exists a positive correlation between longitudinal spread of
Maintaining Safety with SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines.

Allergic Reactions to Covid-19 Vaccine The vast majority of people who have received the Covid-19 vaccine to date have had self-limited local or low-grade systemic reactions that resolve within 2 o...
Validation Methods to Promote Real-world Applicability of Machine Learning in Medicine

The impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on health care has been dramatic; however, there is a considerable degree of skepticism among clinicians about the real-world applicability of advanced predictive models; for this reason, it is particularly important to emphasize the need for proper model validation in machine learning. Often model skepticism is well-placed as modelers may overclaim the real-world replicability for their models, understate the known limitations, or simply not be aware of the hidden limits of the modeling approach. Educational approaches limited to rigorous and thorough justification of all model design decisions may not be practical given model complexity. This also becomes more challenging as state-of-the-art models with the highest benchmark accuracy are becoming less interpretable, e.g. ensemble methods or deep learning. However, in the same way that test-driven development has been a successful paradigm to navigate the complex coding landscape through a focus on testable results, we have observed a similar improvement in modeling strategy when the focus of a predictive model is driven by validation targets rather than more abstract, theoretical concerns. In this study, we provide an overview of the common limitations of model validation methods in medicine. We then present solutions to address such limitations, with a focus on strengthening the validity of predictive models.
Regulation of neuronal excitability by reactive oxygen species and calcium signaling: Insights into brain aging

Abstract: Altered cognition and inefficient learning and memory are hallmarks of brain aging resulting from many small changes in the structure and function of neurons. One such change is a decrease in excitatory synaptic transmission mediated by glutamate and its binding to the AMPA and NMDA subtypes of glutamate receptors. Why there is decreased glutamatergic transmission in aging is not well understood. Interestingly, in aged excitatory neurons, abnormal calcium homeostasis and energy production are reliably observed. These processes have also been shown to modulate the transport and delivery of glutamate receptors to synapses. Most of these channels are translated in the cell body and must be transported to synapses by molecular motors and then transferred to the synaptic surface for proper function. Despite there being little to no research on how aging impacts these transport processes, a detailed understanding of the mechanisms regulating long-distance and local transport of these channels is coming together. Here, we review recent research on how synaptic content, specifically of glutamate receptors and voltage-gated calcium channels, is normally regulated by calcium and energy production. In addition, we discuss how that regulation may change in the aged nervous system. These advances begin to detail a mechanistic explanation in which an interplay between calcium signaling and metabolism are impacted by and, in-turn, regulate the strength of excitatory synapses.
Nanomagnonics based on artificial spin ice

The term “artificial spin ice” (ASI) refers to a class of magnetic metamaterials where magnetic domains can be mapped onto a spin-lattice model. Here, we present broadband ferromagnetic resonance and Brillouin light scattering measurements of ASI and correlate the experimental findings with micromagnetic simulations. We focus on the angular-dependent spin dynamics of different types of ASI made of one single material and bicomponent ASIs composed of two sub-lattices made of dissimilar materials. Our results show that the interaction and the resonant dynamics in ASI can be tuned, not only by the field, geometry and orientation of the lattice, but also by the proper choice of the materials.
Expanding the pool of public controls for GWAS via a method for combining genotypes from arrays and sequencing

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have made impactful discoveries for complex diseases, often by amassing very large sample sizes. Yet, GWAS of many diseases remain underpowered, especially for non-European ancestries. One cost-effective approach to increase sample size is to combine existing case-only cohorts with public controls, but this approach is limited by the need for a large overlap in variants across genotyping arrays and the scarcity of non-European controls. We developed and validated a protocol, Genotyping Array-WGS Merge (GAWMerge), for combining genotypes from arrays and whole genome sequencing, ensuring complete variant overlap, and allowing for diverse samples like Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine to be used. Our protocol involves phasing, imputation, and filtering. We illustrated its ability to control type I error and recover known disease-associated signals across technologies, independent datasets, and ancestries in smoking-related cohorts. GAWMerge enables genetic studies to leverage existing cohorts to validly increase sample size and enhance discovery.
Progress Towards a Transportable and High-Accuracy Sr + Ion Clock at NRC

We are developing a transportable 88Sr+ ion clock for frequency comparisons with optical clocks in remote laboratories. Accuracy limitations found in the current NRC laboratory system, most notably the uncertainties related to the blackbody radiation shift and the collisional frequency shifts, should be significantly reduced in the new system. The expected total systematic fractional frequency uncertainty of the device approaches the 10−18 level.
Groupware Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities

The accessibility issues of Groupware applications prevent visually impaired and other persons with disabilities access to these highly graphical interfaces. To address the accessibility issues persons with disabilities have with Groupware, a recent literature review on Groupware accessibility was performed. This paper reviews recent research to identify the accessibility issues; the input devices and output forms utilized to improve accessibility; and, the proposed solutions for Groupware accessibility. The conclusion is that encapsulating or overlaying the Groupware interface with an accessible auditory interface was a common solution to accessibility. Future research is needed in the following areas: guidelines for accessibility; identifying accessibility issues that users with disabilities may face; promoting awareness of the accessibility issues; evaluating groupware accessibility; design of accessible auditory interfaces; system/software support for persons with disabilities working in isolation; support for alternative input and output devices for persons with disabilities.
Effect of Illumination Angle on the Performance of Dusted Thermal Control Surfaces in a Simulated Lunar Environment

JSC-1A lunar simulant has been applied to AZ93 and AgFEP thermal control surfaces on aluminum substrates in a simulated lunar environment. The temperature of these surfaces was monitored as they were heated with a solar simulator using varying angles of incidence and cooled in a 30 K coldbox. Thermal modeling was used to determine the solar absorptivity (a) and infrared emissivity (e) of the thermal control surfaces in both their clean and dusted states. It was found that even a sub-monolayer of dust can significantly raise the a of either type of surface. A full monolayer can increase the a/e ratio by a factor of 3 to 4 over a clean surface. Little angular dependence of the a of pristine thermal control surfaces for both AZ93 and AgFEP was observed, at least until 30 from the surface. The dusted surfaces showed the most angular dependence of a when the incidence angle was in the range of 25 to 35 . Samples with a full monolayer, like those with no dust, showed little angular dependence in a. The e of the dusted thermal control surfaces was within the spread of clean surfaces, with the exception of high dust coverage, where a small increase was observed at shallow angles.
AN ANALYTICAL MODEL OF CHILDREN IN A PANIC BRAKING ENVIRONMENT WITH EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION

This paper describes a linear acceleration sled device developed to study child responses to panic braking environments. A sled with a vehicle seat and soft simulated dash is accelerated by a drop weight in a similar fashion to actual vehicle decelerations when panic braking. A simple, two degree of freedom analytical model of the experimental device was developed to predict the dynamic performance of the sled and examine the sensitivity of various parameters in producing acceleration time histories of actual braking vehicles. This includes the study of drop weight size, drop weight distance, cable size, initial cable pretensioning and sled braking levels. A simple, two degree of freedom analytical model was also examined to simulate a child dummy sitting on the sled seat and verified by using actual sled acceleration-time pulses. The model was based on previously conducted vehicle braking tests with dummies and child dummy tests conducted on the linear acceleration sled device. Some of the parameters examined for dummy motion sensitivity were sled acceleration levels, sled acceleration duration, initial child position, seat surface friction, seat angle and child model joint stiffness.
Inside-Out Enforcement

This chapter for a volume on "Prosecutors in the Boardroom" explores the collaboration between public criminal enforcers and private corporate actors, and some costs and benefits of those partnerships. When the government outsources investigative functions in corporate fraud cases -- such as employee interviews, forensic accounting, and compliance monitoring -- the boundaries between public and private roles can blur. There are advantages to that strategy given resource constraints and the complexity of corporate criminal investigations, but it also tends to exacerbate the piecemeal nature of enforcement. Furthermore, reliance on the private sector imports one of the most problematic features of regulatory relationships into criminal adjudication: the potential for self-dealing.
Aggregate Production Functions: A Pervasive, but Unpersuasive, Fairytale

This article reviews the case against aggregate production functions and then consider its implications. There are two types of aggregation problems involved in the existence of an aggregate production function for the economy as a whole or even for some sector thereof. The first of these consists of aggregation over different factors to form aggregate labor or aggregate capital and of aggregation over different products to form aggregate output. The second problem consists of aggregation over firms. The consequences of the non-existence of aggregate production functions have been too long overlooked. Attempts to explain the impossibility of using aggregate production functions in practice are often met with great hostility, even outright anger. To that, the moral is : Do not interfere with fairytales if you want to live happily ever after.
The Opposite of the Double Standard: Gender, Marriage, and Adultery Prosecution in Late Medieval France

W h e n c o n s i d e r i n g t h e c o n s e q u e n c e s of adultery in medieval Europe, popular imagination often paints a picture of considerable gender disparity. One imagines adulterous wives such as Arthur’s Queen Guinevere burned at the stake while their husbands freely indulged in extramarital liaisons. Scholars too generally assume that wives in medieval Europe could be subject to severe judicial and extrajudicial punishment for any adulterous affair but that their husbands’ dalliances were usually tolerated. Premodern societies are widely known to have had such a double standard, and medieval Europe is often put forward as an example of such a time and place. According to Jacques rossiaud, in medieval Europe female adultery, and only female adultery, “was always very rigorously punished.” This double standard happened regardless of christian teachings that prohibited male adultery. As ruth Karras wrote in 2005: “Adultery by women was far more serious than that by men. The church did preach equality in this area, that it was just as bad for a married man to violate his marriage vow as for a woman to do so. In practice, however, adultery was treated more seriously in cases where the woman was married.” As Karras explained, female, not male, adultery cast doubt on paternity and was also “part of a more generalized fear and distrust of feminine independence.” I made a similar argument in 2010:
Process Improvement in the Classroom

Software Quality Assurance and Process Improvement are subjects that are difficult to teach in a software engineering course. Students rarely gain an in-depth understanding of the concepts and ideas inherent in process assessment, let alone practical experience with improving software processes. This paper describes a process assessment and improvement experiment performed by the Real World Lab, an undergraduate Software Engineering Practicum course series at Georgia Tech. We used (he SEI's Capability Maturity Model (CMM) as an assessment vehicle for the RWL processes, in order to evaluate not only the software process used in the RWL, but also the educational strengths of our simulated “real world” industry environment.
Single Polymer Dynamics in an Elongational Flow

The stretching of individual polymers in a spatially homogeneous velocity gradient was observed through use of fluorescently labeled DNA molecules. The probability distribution of molecular extension was determined as a function of time and strain rate. Although some molecules reached steady state, the average extension did not, even after a ∼300-fold distortion of the underlying fluid element. At the highest strain rates, distinct conformational shapes with differing dynamics were observed. There was considerable variation in the onset of stretching, and chains with a dumbbell shape stretched more rapidly than folded ones. As the strain rate was increased, chains did not deform with the fluid element. The steady-state extension can be described by a model consisting of two beads connected by a spring representing the entropic elasticity of a worm-like chain, but the average dynamics cannot.
Embolization of a subclavian artery aneurysm with steel coils and thrombin.

Subclavian artery aneurysms are rare lesions usually treated by surgical excision or ligation. Steel coils were used successfully to treat a rapidly enlarging subclavian aneurysm in a patient deemed unsuitable for surgery. Because of a profound, uncorrectable coagulopath, thrombin was required to obtain effective thrombosis.
Correlation Energy of the 3 P Ground State of Neutral Carbon

Many-body perturbation theory is used to calculate a value of -0.156 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.005 a.u. for the correlation energy of the $^{3}P$ ground state of the carbon atom. This value was obtained with a basis set of bound and continuum orbitals of angular momentum $s$, $p$, $d$, and $f$, and the contribution from excitations into states of higher angular momentum is estimated to be less than 2% of this result. A detailed study of three-body correlations is presented; their contribution to the correlation energy is 0.0041 a.u. Special attention is also given to diagrams which produce coupling between the correlation energies of different electron pairs.
A Multijet Aerosol Nebulizer System for Controlled Clinical Studies in Environmental Chambers

Controlled clinical studies directed at health-related effects of air pollutants are based largely on the use of environmental chambers. Typically, such chambers are single-pass systems requiring the production of large amounts of pollutant each minute and continuing for several hours. In order to produce a stable aerosol concentration and particle size distribution for up to 8 hours without operator adjustments, we have developed a special aerosol nebulizer system. Basically, the system evolved from the single-jet Dautrebande (D30) nebulizer. We designed a unit to accommodate up to eight such jets. An 8-L reservoir was provided for the aqueous solution (or suspension). Delivery of the solution to be aerosolized to the jets is accomplished by the Bernoulli effect of each air jet, thereby “lifting” the solution from the reservoir to the jet where aerosol droplet production occurs. Because the number of air jets can be varied, a factor of eight in aerosol mass output is simply achieved at the same solute co...
Effect of lanthanide promotion on catalytic performance of sol–gel Ni/Al2O3 catalysts in steam reforming of propane

Abstract The effect of lanthanide elements (La, Ce, and Yb) on the catalytic behavior of sol–gel Ni/Al 2 O 3 catalysts in propane steam reforming was investigated. Steady-state reaction experiments show that the addition of small amounts (2 wt.%) of lanthanide elements improves the catalytic activity and stability significantly. The changes in reaction performance are related to catalyst reducibility, nickel surface area and resistance to deactivation. Temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization results reveal that the presence of lanthanide elements enhances the catalyst reducibility; the positive effect is most evident with 20% Ni–2% Ce/Al 2 O 3 catalysts. H 2 chemisorption data indicate that 20% Ni–2% Ce/Al 2 O 3 catalysts exhibit larger nickel surface area compared to 20% Ni/Al 2 O 3 catalysts. Nickel surface area of sol–gel catalysts is also found to be strongly dependent on calcination and reduction temperatures. In situ DRIFTS experiments coupled with TPD and TPReaction suggest that formate and carbonate species are formed upon the reaction of adsorbed propane and water on reduced catalysts.
The probability of a cancer cluster due to chance alone.

We propose to use a very simple model to test whether a cancer cluster is due to chance alone. We focus on the acute childhood leukaemia cluster in Columbus, Ohio. In 1975, 12 leukaemia cases were observed in Columbus while the expected number is 6 cases per year. According to our simple model, the probability of such an occurrence, due to chance alone, is less than 1 per cent. However, if we divide the child population of the U.S.A. into 200 regions (each region having 200 000 children) then the probability that at least one region will see, in a given year, 12 or more cases is higher than 80 per cent. So in this sense the Columbus cluster could be attributed to chance alone. However, the probability that any of the 200 regions see 18 cases or more in a given year is almost 0. Thus, a cluster of 18 or more cases in a region of 200 000 children should be regarded as highly suspicious and should be investigated. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The rhetoric of cynicism

To speak of rhetoric and cynicism in the same breath is to bear a double burden of pejorative jeopardy. The pejorative freight of either term, "rhetoric" or "cynic," weighs heavily against anyone who tries to use these terms in non-pejorative ways. Such people are quite simply trying to swim against a torrent of pejorative everyday usage. Yet some of the positive historical legacy of the traditions of classical rhetoric and of the ancient cynics is still around and does carry over into contemporary contexts, especially when we speak of rhetoric and cynicism away from the marketplace and in academia, where rhetoric still is the art of persuasion and cynicism graces literary texts with clever displays of verbal play and repartee. Wayne Booth at a recent conference, in discussing the problem of the public image of rhetoric, quoted a colleague as referring to some fellow as "an asshole," but at the same time explaining that the term was not intended in its pejorative sense. The twist of irony in the remark stimulates our imagination to come up with a context in which someone could be an asshole in a nonpejorative sense. Quite possibly there is a virtue in acting like an asshole towards others who act the same. Let us leave aside any question of a non-pejorative sense of rhetoric. What possible approbation can there be for the cynic, or for the use of the role of the cynic in our rhetoric? What is the rhetorical payoff of a cynical ethos? What function do cynical remarks serve in rhetorical strategies? To pursue these questions I caution against question begging assumptions when we examine the phenomenon of cynicism, for cynicism is a loaded term. But first off, cynical remarks do not a cynic make. Yet certainly they are used as evidence for attributing cynical attitudes, beliefs and cynicism to the one who makes them. Note in your own experience the degree to which the attributions of cynic and cynical are simply allegations that a sin has been committed. A second note of caution. The phenomenon of cynicism is, I believe, recalcitrant to any essentialist description, and we ought to avoid the pitfalls of pursuing a phantom of cynicism, that is, seeking to describe or to define the essential nature of cynicism. If you are not willing to take my advice on this matter, I commit you to chasing your tail endlessly in verbal circles, a game called "whose paradigm is on first?"
A STUDY OF TIMING AND WITHDRAWALS OF STUDENT ADMISSIONS APPLICATIONS

This study explores two important characteristics of admissions applications to an M.B.A. and M.P.A. program: the timing of applications throughout the year preceding entrance, and the withdrawal rate by students whose applications have been accepted. Specifically, for the years 1961 through 1967, the aggregate patterns of timing and withdrawals (across all applications) are compared to the corresponding data for four groups of applications, ranging from low quality to high quality. (Quality is measured in terms of a first-year predicted grade point average, and is estimated by a linear regression equation using the applicant's total ATGSB score and his undergraduate grade point average.) The results are in the expected directions: “better” students tend to apply earlier, and also have a higher tendency to withdraw after their applications have been accepted. Potential usefulness of the results in forecasting total applications and estimating withdrawal rates is explored.
Interactions of plant stress and herbivory: intraspecific variation in the susceptibility of a palatable versus an unpalatable seaweed to sea urchin grazing

Interactions among environmental stresses, plant defensive characteristics, and plant nutrient status may significantly affect an alga's susceptibility to herbivores. Following desiccation, the palatable seaweed Gracilaria tikvahiae was less susceptible to grazing by the sea urchin Arbacia punctulata while the unpalatable alga Padina gymnospora became more susceptible. Increased grazing on desiccated Padina appeared to result from a loss of chemical defenses following desiccation. Palatable plants treated with organic extracts from desiccated Padina plants were consumed at more than twice the rate of plants treated with extracts from undesiccated plants. Increased susceptibility of Padina did not correlate with changes in protein content of the alga; reduced grazing on desiccated Gracilaria was associated with a decrease in protein content. When Padina was grazed by Arbacia or mechanically damaged to mimic urchin grazing, its susceptibility to Arbacia decreased within 1 to 5 days. These results demonstrate that history of physical or biological stress may affect a plant's susceptibility to herbivory. We hypothesize that urchins cue primarily on attractiveness features (e.g. nutrient content) of highpreference algae and deterrent features (e.g. chemical defenses) of low-preference algae. Stresses may therefore increase, decrease, or not affect a plant's susceptibility to herbivory depending upon the primary feeding cues used by the herbivore, the defensive mechanisms used by the plant, and the way these are altered by various environmental stresses.
Pain-related Catastrophizing: A Daily Process Study

Little is known about the extent to which individuals vary versus remain stable in their pain-related catastrophizing, or to which catastrophizing is associated with pain and related problems on a daily basis. We used daily electronic interviews to examine the: (1) reliability and validity of a brief daily catastrophizing measure; (2) stability of catastrophizing; (3) patient characteristics associated with catastrophizing; (4) associations between catastrophizing and concurrent and subsequent outcomes (pain, activity interference, jaw use limitations, and negative mood), between and within patients; and (5) associations between pain and subsequent catastrophizing. One hundred patients with chronic temporomandibular disorder pain completed electronic interviews three times a day for 2 weeks [mean (SD) number of interviews=46 (15)]. The catastrophizing scale had high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.95) and validity (r = 0.65 with the Coping Strategy Questionnaire Catastrophizing scale), and catastrophizing was stable (ICC=0.72) over time. Younger age and greater baseline depression, pain, and disability predicted greater daily catastrophizing. Daily catastrophizing was associated significantly with concurrent outcomes, between- and within-subjects (P < 0.001); however, associations with same-day subsequent outcomes were greatly attenuated after adjusting for prior outcome levels. Similarly, daily pain was associated significantly with subsequent catastrophizing, but this association was no longer statistically significant after adjusting for prior catastrophizing. The data indicate that catastrophizing is stable over short periods of time in the absence of substantial change in pain, and that within patients, times of greater catastrophizing are associated with worse pain, disability, and mood.
Understanding the variability in soybean nitrogen fixation across agroecosystems

Legume-based cropping systems have the potential to internally regulate N cycling due to the suppressive effect of soil N availability on biological nitrogen fixation. We used a gradient of endogenous soil N levels resulting from different management legacies and soil textures to investigate the effects of soil organic matter dynamics and N availability on soybean (Glycine max) N2 fixation. Soybean N2 fixation was estimated on 13 grain farm fields in central New York State by the 15N natural abundance method using a non-nodulating soybean reference. A range of soil N fractions were measured to span the continuum from labile to more recalcitrant N pools. Soybean reliance on N2 fixation ranged from 36% to 82% and total N2 fixed in aboveground biomass ranged from 40 to 224 kg N ha−1. Soil N pools were consistently inversely correlated with % N from fixation and the correlation was statistically significant for inorganic N and occluded particulate organic matter N. However, we also found that soil N uptake by N2-fixing soybeans relative to the non-nodulating isoline increased as soil N decreased, suggesting that N2 fixation increased soil N scavenging in low fertility fields. We found weak evidence for internal regulation of N2 fixation, because the inhibitory effects of soil N availability were secondary to the environmental and site characteristics, such as soil texture and corresponding soil characteristics that vary with texture, which affected soybean biomass, total N2 fixation, and net N balance.
Privacy integrated data stream queries

Research on differential privacy is generally concerned with examining data sets that are static. Because the data sets do not change, every computation on them produces "one-shot" query results; the results do not change aside from randomness introduced for privacy. There are many circumstances, however, where this model does not apply, or is simply infeasible. Data streams are examples of non-static data sets where results may change as more data is streamed. Theoretical support for differential privacy with data streams has been researched in the form of differentially private streaming algorithms. In this paper, we present a practical framework for which a non-expert can perform differentially private operations on data streams. The system is built as an extension to PINQ (Privacy Integrated Queries), a differentially private programming framework for static data sets. The streaming extension provides a programmatic interface for the different types of streaming differential privacy from the literature so that the privacy trade-offs of each type of algorithm can be understood by a non-expert programmer.
Morphologies and kinetics of a dewetting ultrathin solid film

The surface evolution model based on a geometric partial differential equation is used to numerically study the kinetics of dewetting and the dynamic morphologies for the localized pinhole defect in the surface of an ultrathin solid film with the strongly anisotropic surface energy. Depending on the parameters such as the initial depth and width of the pinhole, the strength of the attractive substrate potential and the strength of the surface-energy anisotropy, the pinhole may either extend to the substrate and thus rupture the film, or evolve to the quasiequilibrium shape while the rest of the film surface undergoes a phase separation into a hill-and-valley structure followed by coarsening. Emergence of the quasiequilibrium shape and the termination of a dewetting are associated with the faceting of the pinhole tip. Overhanging (nongraph) morphologies are possible for deep, narrow (slitlike) pinholes.
Concentration-dependent control of pyruvate kinase M mutually exclusive splicing by hnRNP proteins

Expression of the mammalian pyruvate kinase M (PKM) gene provides an important example of mutually exclusive splicing. We showed previously that the hnRNP proteins A1, A2 and PTB have a crucial role in this process. Here we provide evidence that concentration-dependent interactions involving a network of these proteins are sufficient to determine the outcome of PKM splicing. At high concentrations, such as those found in most cancer cells, hnRNPA1 binding to two sites in the upstream regulated exon (exon 9) orchestrates cooperative interactions leading to exon 9 exclusion. At lower concentrations, binding shifts to downstream intronic sites, such that exon 9 is included and exon 10 mainly excluded, with any mRNA including both exons degraded by nonsense-mediated decay. Together, our results provide a mechanism by which a few general factors control alternative splicing of a widely expressed transcript.
Disorders of Conduct in Young Children: Developmental Considerations, Diagnoses, and Other Characteristics.

Abstract Disorders of conduct are the most common reason for preschoolers to be referred for psychological services. If these problems are severe enough, these young children will be diagnosed with a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis or a diagnosis from another diagnostic systems, such as the DSM-PC or DC: 0-3. Whether or not these young children receive a diagnosis for the constellation of conduct problems that they exhibit, it is well documented that young children who exhibit such problems at such an early age are likely to continue exhibiting similar behaviors and to have several related difficulties throughout their lifetime. In an effort to alleviate such problems for young children, several treatment options have been developed and validated. Treatment outcomes suggest that young children with disorders of conduct can be treated and experience more positive outcomes. In an effort to inform mental health and other professionals working with young children with conduct problems, this manuscript outlines the potential diagnoses that these young children may receive and discusses related issues that may be of importance for such diagnoses.
Cyclobut-A and cyclobut-G, carbocyclic oxetanocin analogs that inhibit the replication of human immunodeficiency virus in T cells and monocytes and macrophages in vitro.

Abstract Two newly synthesized carbocyclic oxetanocin analogs, (+/-)-9-[(1 beta,2 alpha,3 beta)-2,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)-1-cyclobutyl]adenine (cyclobut-A) and (+/-)-9-[(1 beta,2 alpha,3 beta)-2,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)-1-cyclobutyl]guanine (cyclobut-G) were tested for activity against the infectivity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in vitro. A number of other carbocyclic oxetanocin analogs failed to exert good antiretroviral effects. Both cyclobut-A and cyclobut-G protected CD4+ ATH8 cells against the infectivity and cytopathic effect of HIV type 1 (HIV-1) and suppressed proviral DNA synthesis in ATH8 cells exposed to HIV-1 in vitro at concentrations of 50 to 100 microM. These compounds also inhibited the in vitro infectivity of another human pathogenic retrovirus, HIV-2. Furthermore, both compounds completely suppressed the replication of a monocytotropic strain of HIV-1 in monocytes and macrophages at concentrations as low as 0.5 microM, as assessed by inhibition of HIV-1 p24 gag protein production. We also found that 2'-deoxyguanosine readily reversed the antiretroviral activity of cyclobut-G in our system, whereas the activity of cyclobut-A was hardly reversed by 2'-deoxyadenosine or 2'-deoxycytidine. We noted, however, that these compounds inhibited the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells at concentrations of greater than or equal to 100 microM in vitro. Although both cyclobut-A and cyclobut-G appear to have a certain level of in vitro toxicity, our observations may have theoretical and clinical implications in understanding the structure-activity relationships of antiretroviral agents active against HIV.
The HERMES dual radiator RICH—Performance and impact

Abstract The HERMES RICH is a novel dual radiator detector which provides clean particle identification of pions, kaons, and protons over the traditionally difficult momentum region of 2– 15 GeV / c . Extensive operating experience acquired since installation at HERA confirms stable operation at design levels. Particle identification with this instrument has proven to be essential for almost all recent HERMES physics studies. Typical physics results obtained are discussed together with options for improving the RICH performance.
Rethinking the objectives and content of elementary accounting

Abstract Any proposal to meaningfully improve accounting education in the United States must begin with a fundamental reassessment of the elementary accounting sequence. At present, we contend these courses are intellectually sterile, textbook bound, and bookkeeping oriented. While comprising approximately 50% of an accounting program's student credit hours, they are typically taught by part-timers, short-timers, and graduate students. Given this environment, it is not surprising to find that the best and brightest students in the business school often foresake accounting as a major. The authors explore the causes of this situation and suggest that the elementary accounting courses should be reconceptualized. New objectives are identified for the courses, and new topical content and pedagogy is suggested.