cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The MCNC Design Initiative Program

The Design Initiative Program is an infrastructure, operated on a competitive basis, that promotes the building of prototype VLSI chips and systems at MCN's (Microelectronics Center of North Carolina) participating institutions. Through this program, VLSI researchers gain access to a spectrum of resources, including industry-trained chip designers, process engineers, test engineers, VLSI CAD (computer-aided design) tools, MOS technologies, and automatic test equipment (ATE). At this point, 32 research projects have been supported by the Design Initiative Program. Among the major accomplishments have been the development of a massively parallel processor chip, a fuzzy logic interference chip, and a chip set for performing solid modeling. >
Indicators of Liability to Schizophrenia: Perspectives From Genetic Epidemiology

Research in genetic epidemiology has provided powerful evidence that genetic factors contribute to the familial transmission of schizophrenia. However, the precise mode of inheritance has not been elucidated, and no diseasesusceptibility locus has been identified. Genetically complex illnesses such as schizophrenia can be characterized by multiple intermediate correlated traits or risk factors that likely play important roles in the susceptibility of individuals to developing the illness. Such biobehavioral traits potentially associated with liability to schizophrenia have been carefully studied by experimental psychopathologists and are discussed in this issue. This article discusses how correlated trait data collected from probands and their relatives can complement diagnostic assessments and offer promise for greatly enhancing the informativeness of pedigrees for genetic analysis and for facilitating replication of linkage findings. The results of analyses of simulated and real data discussed here suggest that assessment of biobehavioral traits with the greatest validity and costeffectiveness should be required in the next generation of linkage and other genetic studies in schizophrenia.
Coincidence and Principles of Composition

1. On a widely favoured view of material objects,1 two objects could be made of the very same matter at the same time, and instances abound. Here's the familiar fable. A copper statue of Hermes is fashioned (say, all at once by nuclear fusion so that none of its matter or at any rate, none of its copper precedes it), and later entirely dissolved in acid. The statue and the piece of copper formed and destroyed in this process are, it is said, distinct objects, despite being wholly coincident. For the two differ in (e.g.) their dispositional or modal properties. The statue, unlike the piece of copper, could not survive a radical change in shape. So, the statue and the piece of copper are discernible and therefore distinct; and they share all their matter they coincide.2 The lesson of this fable: Distinct material objects, such as statues and statue-shaped pieces of matter, can coincide. Or so say the widely favoured view's advocates. But there are, of course, dissenters, and, up to a point, I side with them.3 I wish to discern two elements within the widely favoured view, only the second of which, it seems to me, is wrong. First, there is the doctrine that coincidence of distinct material objects is possible; call this 'the doctrine of coincidents'. Second, there is the claim that coinciding objects fall under sorts whose instances such as the statue and the piece of copper abound in ordinary experience. In this paper I raise a serious puzzle facing the doctrine of coincidents, and construct a novel solution to it. The style of that solution turns out to be quite uncongenial to the second element of the favoured view,
Small is beautiful: a brute-force approach to learning first-order formulas

We describe a method for learning formulas in first-order logic using a brute-force, smallest-first search. The method is exceedingly simple. It generates all irreducible well-formed formulas up to a fixed size and tests them against a set of examples. Although the method has some obvious limitations due to its computational complexity, it performs surprisingly well on some tasks. This paper describes experiments with two applications of the method in the MULTI-TAC system, a program synthesizer for constraint satisfaction problems. In the first application, axioms are learned, and in the second application, search control rules are learned. We describe these experiments, and consider why searching the space of small formulas makes sense in our applications.
When choice does not equal freedom: A sociocultural analysis of agency in working-class American contexts.

The psychological literature indicates that people prefer to choose for themselves, but this finding largely represents a middle-class American perspective. The three studies reported here test the hypothesis that, given the material and social demands of working-class contexts, a concern for others can be normative and take precedence over individual choice. Study 1 found that, compared to middle-class participants, working-class participants, who reported fewer choices at work, more often accepted a gift from an experimenter than asked to choose for themselves. In Study 2, working-class participants' descriptions of choice included fewer associations with freedom and more associations with negative affect and difficulty than middle-class participants. Finally, Study 3 found that, reflecting greater negative affect toward choice, working-class observers preferred a shirt that a confederate accepted from someone else, rather than chose for herself. Together, these studies reveal that focusing on and atten...
A Tale of Two Controversies: Darwinism in the Debate over “Essays and Reviews”

The intellectual crisis of Victorian faith was a tale of two books. Charles Darwin's Origin of Species was published on 28 November, 1859; a composite volume of biblical criticism, Essays and Reviews, six of whose seven authors were clergymen, appeared on 21 March 1860. Both volumes provoked controversies. The Darwinian controversy is remembered and the biblicalcontroversy is largely forgotten, and perhaps in the longue durŕe of history this ought to be so. But there was no doubt at the time that the biblical controversy was more important, dealing with matters that Victorians regarded as both fundamental and familiar. Richard Church, later dean of St. Paul's, wrote to his American scientist friend Asa Gray in 1861 that Darwin's “book I have no doubt would be the subject still of a great row, if there were not a much greater row going on about Essays and Reviews.” Leslie Stephen, who experienced both controversies as a young man, later regretted that “the controversy raised by Essays and Reviews even distracted men for a time from the far more important issues raised by the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species.” A modern student of press reactions to Darwin found that Essays and Reviews received quantitatively more attention and concluded: “Darwin's book received decidedly less immediate attention in the press than the theological Essays and Reviews … [T]here is little doubt that science was no match for religion in the competition for public interest in Mid-Victorian Britain.” Had Essays and Reviews been published when first advertised in February 1859, or even when rescheduled in October, it, rather than the Origin of Species, would have been the major book of that critical year.
Competitive Embeddedness and the Emergence of Interfirm Cooperation

How does a history of competition between two economic actors affect their willingness and ability to work together for mutual benefit? Existing theory and research offer mixed predictions and answers. The competitive embeddedness hypothesis suggested here postulates that the likelihood of cooperation between two firms is positively related to the intensity of competition between these firms in the preceding period. The likely mechanisms leading to this are familiarity and knowledge-based trust, both of which are greater between competitors than between non-competitors or two randomly selected actors. Analysis of investment syndicates in venture capital industry supports the competitive embeddedness hypothesis. The hypothesis holds independently of business culture and of the industry's development stage.
Efficient architectures through application clustering and architectural heterogeneity

Customizing architectures for particular applications is a promising approach to yield highly energy-efficient designs for embedded systems. This work explores the benefits of architectural customization for a class of embedded architectures typically used in energy-constrained application domains such as sensor node and multimedia processing. We implement a process flow that analyzes runtime profiles of applications and combines this information with a model for our architectural design space providing a robust customization engine built upon a fully automated method for determining an efficient architecture (together with appropriate application transformations). By profiling embedded benchmarks from a variety of sensor and multimedia applications, the paper shows the relative energy savings resulting from various architectural optimizations and identifies the number of architectures that achieves near-optimal savings for a group of applications. This paper proposes the use of heterogeneous chip-multiprocessors as a cost-effective approach to capitalize on the potential energy savings provided by application customization while executing a range of applications efficiently.
Postural control during upper body locomotor-like movements: similar synergies based on dissimilar muscle modes

We studied the organization of leg and trunk muscles into groups (M-modes) and co-variation of M-mode involvement (M-mode synergies) during whole-body tasks associated with large variations of the moment of force about the vertical body axis. Our major questions were: (1) can muscle activation patterns during such tasks be described with a few M-modes common across tasks and subjects? (2) do these modes form the basis for synergies stabilizing M z time pattern? (3) will this organization differ between an explicit body-rotation task and a task associated with locomotor-like alternating arm movements? Healthy subjects stood barefoot on the force platform and performed two motor tasks while paced by the metronome at 0.7, 1.0, and 1.4 Hz: cyclic rotation of the upper body about the vertical body axis (body-rotation task), and alternating rhythmic arm movements imitating those during running or quick walking (arm-movement task). Principal component analysis was used to identify three M-modes within the space of integrated indices of muscle activity. The M-mode vectors showed clustering neither across subjects nor across frequencies. Variance in the M-mode space across sway cycles was partitioned into two components, one that did not affect the average value of M z shift (“good variance”) and the other that did. An index was computed reflecting the relative amount of the “good variance”; positive values of this index have been interpreted as reflecting a multi-M-mode synergy stabilizing the M z trajectory. On average, the index was positive for both tasks and across all frequencies studied. However, the magnitude of the index was smaller for the intermediate frequency (1 Hz). The results show that the organization of muscles into groups during relatively complex whole-body tasks can differ significantly across both task variations and subjects. Nevertheless, the central nervous system seems to be able to build M z stabilizing synergies based on different sets of M-modes, within the approach accepted in this study. The drop in the synergy index at the frequency of 1 Hz, which was close to the preferred movement frequency, may be interpreted as corroborating the neural origin of the M-mode co-variation.
Modeling Prepayment Behavior In Financial Transactions Backed By Automobile Loans

Securitization is a powerful financing tool that has gained prominence in recent time. In this study, securitization refers to the process whereby securities are issued to investors using a dedicated pool of automobile loans as collateral. A total of 206 outstanding auto loan-backed securities are used to analyze their prepayment risk. A thorough analysis of voluntary prepayment behavior identifies the key variables that influence prepayment behavior. These variables explain about 69% of its variation.
IllumiRoom: immersive experiences beyond the TV screen

IllumiRoom is a proof-of-concept system that surrounds a television with projected light, bringing video games, and film experiences out of the TV screen and into the real world. IllumiRoom uses 3D scanning and projected light to change the appearance of the room, induce apparent motion, extend the field of view, and enable entirely new gaming experiences. Our system is entirely self-calibrating and is designed to work in any room. We present a detailed exploration of the design space of possible projected visualizations and we demonstrate ways to trigger and drive these visualizations from gaming content. We also contribute specific feedback from two groups of target users (10 gamers and 15 game designers); providing insights for enhancing game and film experiences beyond the TV.
Reliability Improvement of Medium Speed Diesels in Nuclear Standby Applications

Amelioration de la fiabilite des moteurs diesel semi-rapides utilises pour les generateurs de reserve dans les centrales nucleaires
Simple method for balancing direct contact membrane distillation

Abstract A simple theoretical method for maximizing efficiency via real-time balancing of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) systems is presented. The method is applicable under variable operating conditions. Balancing involves measuring only the flow rates of feed stream out of the module and the cold water flow into the module, as well as the salinity of the feed. A valve or variable frequency drive is used to set the condensate water flow into the module so that the heat capacity rates of the hot and cold streams are equal. This method is much simpler and more general than what is proposed in the literature, which generally requires more measurements and a complicated expression. Balancing leads to 20–50% improvement in efficiency (GOR) compared to equal inflow of both feed and pure water streams, which is the common practice. Real-time balancing is particularly useful for variations in feed salinity, whereas the improvement by real-time balancing is low for changes in system top or bottom temperatures.
Secure Identities

Security is a major focus of attention for operators and users of the Internet and its many applications. Among the thorny problems still inadequately addressed is identity authentication for purposes of associating a particular user with particular services and authorizations. What we seek is a way to identify users such that forging credentials is difficult for adversaries, while providing strong authentication of their chosen identifiers remains easy and convenient for users.
Bradykinin interaction with 5-hydroxytryptamine, norepinephrine, and potassium chloride in rabbit aorta.

SummaryBradykinin was shown to potentiate the contraction of rabbit aortic strips to 5-HT, NE, and KCl. Forty-two percent of the strips tested responded to bradykinin alone. Butylated hydroxyanisole antagonized the direct contractile effect of bradykinin, but did not attenuate bradykinin-potentiated responses of strips to 5-HT, NE, or KCl. SKF-525A did not affect bradykinin contraction, but did significantly decrease the potentiated response resulting from the interaction of bradykinin with 5-HT, NE, or KCl. It was concluded that bradykinin potentiation of arterial smooth muscle contraction was not mediated through an interaction with adrenergic or serotonergic receptors, but rather through a nonspecific effect at the cell membrane of smooth muscle. It was proposed that bradykinin-induced contraction was mediated through specific bradykinin receptors not present in all the rabbit aortae.
A Rescheduling Method for Conflict-free Continuous Descent Approach

This paper presents a rescheduling method for solving the conflicts between arriving aircraft which fly their preferred descent paths using the continuous descent approach. The proposed approach is a centralized control solution and based on the 4-D trajectory concept. Each aircraft calculates its 4-D trajectory and the Estimated Time of Arrival before initiating descent procedure, and reports the 4-D trajectory to the terminal area controllers at the destination airport. The reported 4-D trajectories are used for arrival sequencing. The objective is to minimize the total delay while keeping the inbound traffic conflict-free. The rescheduling problem is formulated as a Mixed Integer Linear Program and solved with CPLEX. The solution is the delay assignments which aircraft use to adjust the arrival time for conflict avoidance. A minimum in-trail separation is imposed between successive arrivals to meet the arrival rate of the airport. The proposed approach leads to a conflict-free inbound traffic. Most importantly, it benefits the continuous descent approach in a sense that the conflicts are solved without changing the user-preferred trajectories, and the CDA trajectories are keep intact. Simulation results reveal that the re-scheduling algorithm is able to de-conflict all the arriving aircraft with different prescribed horizontal separation settings in a full day terminal airspace operation at Newark Liberty International Airport. The runtime of the algorithm is within a reasonable time horizon. Benefits analysis indicates that 80 tonnes fuel and 638 minutes flight time are saved as a consequence of employing the conflict-free CDA.
Impacts of Imazapyr and Triclopyr Soil Residues on the Growth of Several Restoration Species

ABSTRACT Herbicides are frequently used in natural systems to control invasive plants, but nontarget impacts from persistent soil residues can result in unintended ecosystem effects. Imazapyr and triclopyr are herbicides that are widely used in noncrop areas such as rangelands to manage perennial weeds, especially woody species such as tamarisk (saltcedar). Due to widespread environmental and anthropogenic changes in the American southwest, tamarisk, which is commonly thought to co-occur only with riparian plants, is increasingly being found in communities of upland rangeland species. Using an in vitro study combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses, imazapyr and triclopyr degradation rates were determined in six Colorado soils. In addition, the relative sensitivity of desirable species to the two herbicides was determined in a field dose response study. Exponential decay models estimated that triclopyr degradation (half-lives of 5 – 16 days) was 20 times more rapid than imazapy...
Analysis of growth changes in height of the urban students in Yantai primary and secondary school in 1985-2010

Objective To analyze growth changes in height among the students aged 7~18years in Yantai from 1985 to 2010,in order to give scientific basis of the strategy and measures developed by the department which is to promote the children's and adolescents' healthy growth. Methods Using the data of the Students' Constitution and Health survey from the year of 1985,2000and 2010.Excel 2003was used for established database and SPSS 17.0was used for statistical analysis. Results In 1985-2010,7~11years old boys' and girls' height increased by 7.6cm and 5.8cm;12~15years old boys 'and girls' height increased by 8.6cm and 4.5cm;16~18years old boys' and girls' height increased by 6.2cm and 4.0cm; 7~18years old boys' and girls' height increased by 7.4cm and 5.4cm;18years old boys' and girls' height increased by 6.3 cm and 2.9cm,respectively.The increment of boys was significantly higher than that of girls.Besides,the boys' and girls' adolescence cross age for the height moved forward 1.0and 1.5years from 1985to 2010,respectively.In 18-year old,the boys 'height was 13.1cm higher than girls'. Conclusions The heights of students aged 7~11years old,12~15years old,16~ 18years old,7~18years old and adults in Yantai have the sustained growth trend from 1985to 2010.The growth rate of boys is higher than the girls'.The adolescent growth age in height moved forward.The height difference between boys and girls aged 18years increased every year,which inferred the students' heights of this region still have growth potential.
Determination of pyrethroid pesticide residues in celery cabbage by acetic ether-QuEChERS-gas chromatography

Objective:To establish a rapid GC method for determination of pyrethroid pesticide residues in celery cabbage.Methods:Sample preparation with acetic ether-QuEChERS,and then five kinds of pesticide residues in celery cabbage were determined by gas chromatography with electron detector.Results:Five pyrethoid pesticides were separated from each other within 40 minutes,and the liner range of standard curve was bread and the liner relationship of standard curve was good(r0.999),the minimal detection concentration was 0.0037~0.012 mg/kg especially,the recovery rate was 1.70%～14.31%.Conclusion:The method has better accuracy and recovery and is suitable for determining pyrethoid pesticides in celery cabbage.
History of abuse and risky sex among substance users: The role of rejection sensitivity and the need to belong

This study investigates abuse and rejection sensitivity as important correlates of risky sexual behavior in the context of substance use. Victims of abuse may experience heightened sensitivity to acute social rejection and consequently engage in risky sexual behavior in an attempt to restore belonging. Data were collected from 258 patients at a substance use treatment facility in Washington, D.C. Participants' history of abuse and risky sexual behavior were assessed via self-report. To test the mediating role of rejection sensitivity, participants completed a social rejection task (Cyberball) and responded to a questionnaire assessing their reaction to the rejection experience. General risk-taking propensity was assessed using a computerized lab measure. Abuse was associated with increased rejection sensitivity (B=0.124, SE=0.040, p=0.002), which was in turn associated with increased risky sex (B=0.06, SE=0.028, p=0.03) (indirect effect=0.0075, SE=0.0043; 95% CI [0.0006, 0.0178]), but not with other indices of risk-taking. These findings suggest that rejection sensitivity may be an important mechanism underlying the relationship between abuse and risky sexual behavior among substance users. These effects do not extend to other risk behaviors, supporting the notion that risky sex associated with abuse represents a means to interpersonal connection rather than a general tendency toward self-defeating behavior.
Not what to do but what to stop doing.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Balint seminars began in London in 1950 on a voluntary basis for general practitioners wishing to explore psychological problems in their practice. By 1964, there was a 36% early dropout rate among the 223 physicians who participated. This study sought to determine if those who leave Balint training during their residency, versus those who continue, have different psychological characteristics. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 206 Medical University of South Carolina family practice residents from 1982 to 1999 was completed. All residents participated in 6 months of required Balint training and then could leave the Balint group or continue for the remaining 2 years. We examined gender and personality attributes, comparing residents who completed 2 years of weekly Balint training and residents who left after 6 months. Personality attributes were measured with the Myers-Briggs Inventory, the Work Environmental Preference Schedule, the Internal-External Locus of Control, the Fundamental Interpersonal Relationship Orientation Behavior test, and the Personal Orientation Inventory. RESULTS: A total of 132 residents completed 2 years of weekly Balint training, and 74 discontinued training after 6 months. Two-year attendees were significantly more intuitive on the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory (MBTI). There were no significant differences on other MBTI items, nor were there significant differences in gender or in scores on the other psychological tests. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the rate of discontinuation of Balint training in our sample, Balint work does not appear to be suited to all physicians. With the exception of one MBTI characteristic, no significant differences could be demonstrated between those who did and did not continue participating. Further study is necessary to define other attributes characterizing Balint group attendees and nonattendees.
Clinical Use of Botulinum Neurotoxin: Urogenital Disorders Including Overactive Bladder

Botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT-A) has emerged as an alternative treatment for many disorders of the lower urologic tract. This toxin inhibits acetylcholine (ACh) release at the presynaptic cholinergic neuromuscular junction and induces a flaccid paralysis. This impact on the bladder has made BoNT-A an attractive therapeutic option for detrusor overactivity (DO) due to neurogenic and idiopathic reasons that are refractory to traditional treatment with muscarinic receptor antagonists. Likewise, the injection of BoNT-A into the prostate and the external urethral sphincter has been used for the treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and detrusor external sphincter dyssynergia, respectively. The injection of BoNT-A may also have an antinociceptive effect as therapeutic benefit has also been shown in painful bladder conditions such as interstitial cystitis (IC). Outcomes in the pediatric population are encouraging, and serious adverse events after BoNT-A injection are infrequent.
Care of geriatric patients

Abstract Burn injury is a serious hazard to the geriatric population. Despite general advances in burn care, morbidity and mortality remain high among geriatric patients. Overall, the general burn treatment approaches remain the same as in younger patient populations, but special attention needs to be paid to various age-specific risk factors and comorbidities. Early excision of burn wounds, prompt grafting, perioperative optimization, and strong rehabilitation efforts starting as soon as possible after injury are the backbone of interdisciplinary therapy. The hypermetabolic, hypercatabolic, and proinflammatory state that elderly patients experience after burn, although the same in principle, differs from the reaction seen in younger patients and poses additional challenges in perioperative management. This systemic reaction of increased energy expenditure, loss of muscle mass, increased lipolysis, inefficient cardiac work, reduced immune function, and pyrexia can be mitigated with various therapeutic agents. Nonetheless, the specific care for the growing number of aging burn patients is the subject of ongoing research.
Performance evaluation and post-irradiation examination of a novel LWR fuel composed of U 0.17 ZrH 1.6 fuel pellets bonded to Zircaloy-2 cladding by lead bismuth eutectic

Abstract A novel light water reactor fuel has been designed and fabricated at the University of California, Berkeley; irradiated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor; and examined within the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. This fuel consists of U0.17ZrH1.6 fuel pellets core-drilled from TRIGA reactor fuel elements that are clad in Zircaloy-2 and bonded with lead-bismuth eutectic. The performance evaluation and post irradiation examination of this fuel are presented here.
Applications of Robust Regression to “Big” Data Problems

Robust regression methods have many potential applications in big data problems. In this paper, we consider two such applications using publicly available data. The first application looks at modeling taxi fares based on the trip distance of n = 49, 800 taxi rides in New York City on Tuesday January 15, 2013. The second application focuses on modeling the airfare from the miles flown of n = 78, 905 round trip itineraries for single passengers which consisted of 2 direct one-way flights within the contiguous domestic US market on Southwest Airlines in the fourth quarter of 2014. The robust estimates were obtained for both applications using PROC ROBUSTREG in SAS 9.4. In both cases, we find that the confidence intervals around the robust estimates of the parameters in the regression models are very narrow, typically $0.01 or lower. With these confidence intervals being so narrow, one is left with the impression that these robust estimates differ in some meaningful way across at least some of the robust methods. Finally, utilizing findings in Cox (Biometrika, 102:712–716, 2015) we argue that in such applications it is not surprising that the confidence intervals around the robust estimates are very narrow, thus producing the illusion of apparently very high precision.
Realizing the full potential of psychometric meta-analysis for a cumulative science and practice of human resource management

Abstract This might be the most opportune time for Human Resource Management (HRM) to benefit from psychometric meta-analysis. Explosion of empirical research, often with conflicting results, hide important takeaways that can guide evidence-based applications of HRM. The science of HRM can turn to meta-analyses and meta-analytic thinking as the antidote to the so-called replication crisis afflicting social sciences in general. In this paper, we focus on issues and potential problems that may threaten the veracity and usefulness of contemporary meta-analyses in HRM. We contend that these problems must be correctly tackled for meta-analyses to realize their full potential in advancing HRM science and practice. We address the problems of identification and inclusion of all relevant effect sizes, as well as appropriate corrections for unreliability and range restriction. We offer concrete proposals to enable inclusion of unpublished, practitioner research and data in HRM meta-analyses.
Children’s Sense of Control as a Determinant of Adult Health: Causation, Mediation, and Spuriousness:

Previous research suggests higher levels of education instill a greater sense of internal control that promotes health in adulthood. We propose that the sense of control has its origins in early childhood and that prior research has possibly misattributed a mediational role to sense of control in adulthood. Using a conceptual framework that includes these early influences, we employ data from the 1970 British Cohort Study ( N = 9,855), examining the extent to which the association between education and adult health is spurious due to these early childhood factors. We find that the internal sense of control as assessed in childhood and adolescence has profound influences on both education and health in early adulthood and that a substantial portion of the latter association is spurious. We conclude that the sense of control is an important health-related factor originating early in life, influencing both health and education later in adulthood.
Volume holographic imaging endoscopic design and construction techniques

A reflectance volume holographic imaging (VHI) endoscope has been designed for simultaneous in vivo imaging of surface and subsurface tissue structures. Prior utilization of VHI systems has been limited to ex vivo tissue imaging. The VHI system presented in this work is designed for laparoscopic use. It consists of a probe section that relays light from the tissue sample to a handheld unit that contains the VHI microscope. The probe section is constructed from gradient index (GRIN) lenses that form a 1:1 relay for image collection. The probe has an outer diameter of 3.8 mm and is capable of achieving 228.1 ?? lp / mm resolution with 660-nm Kohler illumination. The handheld optical section operates with a magnification of 13.9 and a field of view of 390 ?? ? m × 244 ?? ? m . System performance is assessed through imaging of 1951 USAF resolution targets and soft tissue samples. The system has also passed sterilization procedures required for surgical use and has been used in two laparoscopic surgical procedures.
Implementation of a formulary management process.

Purpose The application of lean methodology in an initiative to redesign the formulary maintenance process at an academic medical center is described. Summary Maintaining a hospital formulary requires clear communication and coordination among multiple members of the pharmacy department. Using principles of lean methodology, pharmacy department personnel within a multihospital health system launched a multifaceted initiative to optimize formulary management systemwide. The ongoing initiative began with creation of a formulary maintenance redesign committee consisting of pharmacy department personnel with expertise in informatics, automation, purchasing, drug information, and clinical pharmacy services. The committee met regularly and used lean methodology to design a standardized process for management of formulary additions and deletions and changes to medications’ formulary status. Through value stream analysis, opportunities for process and performance improvement were identified; staff suggestions on process streamlining were gathered during a series of departmental kaizen events. A standardized template for development and dissemination of monographs associated with formulary additions and status changes was created. In addition, a shared Web-based checklist was developed to facilitate information sharing and timely initiation and completion of tasks involved in formulary status changes, and a permanent formulary maintenance committee was established to monitor and refine the formulary management process. Conclusion A clearly defined, standardized process within the pharmacy department was developed for tracking necessary steps in enacting formulary changes to encourage safe and efficient workflow.
Impact of Left-Ventricular Assist Device-Related Complications on Posttransplant Graft Survival.

Background This study describes the impact of continuous-flow left-ventricular–assist device (CF-LVAD)-related complications on postoperative outcomes. Methods The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) heart transplant follow-up data from 2005 to 2015 were obtained. CF-LVAD patients who were bridged to transplant were studied. Device-related complications (DRCs) at patient's last follow-up before transplantation were reported in 5 categories: device thrombosis (B1), infection (B2), device malfunction (B3), life-threatening arrhythmias (B4), and others (B5). Multivariable Cox regression models were used to evaluate the association of each category of complications and number of complications with postoperative graft survival. Results Of 3,877 patients analyzed, incidence of DRCs was as following: 374 (9.65%) for thrombosis (B1), 869 (22.41%) for device-related infection (B2), 400 (10.32%) for device malfunction (B3), 135 (3.48%) for life-threatening arrhythmias (B4), and 510 (13.15%) for others (B5). A total of 2,018 (52.05%) patients did not have any DRC at last follow-up; 1,482 (38.23%) patients had 1 DRC and 377 (9.72%) patients had 2 or more DRCs. Mean time from last preoperative follow-up to transplant in patients with 0, 1, and 2 or more DRCs was 93, 18, and 11 days, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that none of the complications (from B1 to B5) were independent risk factors for poor graft survival after cardiac transplantation. Independent predictors of postoperative graft failure were increasing donor age, inpatient status, increasing body mass index, poor functional status, ventilator dependence, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation at the time of transplant. Conclusions DRCs are common among advanced heart failure patients bridged to transplant with CF-LVADs. Contrary to popular belief, DRCs are not associated with poor postoperative graft survival.
Low-Cost Air Quality Monitoring Tools: From Research to Practice (A Workshop Summary)

In May 2017, a two-day workshop was held in Los Angeles (California, U.S.A.) to gather practitioners who work with low-cost sensors used to make air quality measurements. The community of practice included individuals from academia, industry, non-profit groups, community-based organizations, and regulatory agencies. The group gathered to share knowledge developed from a variety of pilot projects in hopes of advancing the collective knowledge about how best to use low-cost air quality sensors. Panel discussion topics included: (1) best practices for deployment and calibration of low-cost sensor systems, (2) data standardization efforts and database design, (3) advances in sensor calibration, data management, and data analysis and visualization, and (4) lessons learned from research/community partnerships to encourage purposeful use of sensors and create change/action. Panel discussions summarized knowledge advances and project successes while also highlighting the questions, unresolved issues, and technological limitations that still remain within the low-cost air quality sensor arena.
Abstract 12679: Circulating High-Density Lipoprotein Particle Profiles Are Independently Associated With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction and Predict Adverse Clinical Outcomes

Introduction: High-density lipoprotein particle concentration (HDL-P) and size (HDL-Sz) impact atherogenesis and inflammation, both of which are implicated in the pathobiology of heart failure with...
Designing Pediatric Formularies for Childhood Immunization Using Integer Programming Models

Several challenges have arisen in childhood immunization programs as vaccine manufacturers have become more successful in developing new vaccines for childhood diseases. Their success has created a combinatorial explosion of choices for health-care providers and other purchasers of pediatric vaccines, which in turn has created a new set of economic problems and issues related to determining which vaccines should be combined into single injections and how to design lowest overall cost formularies for pediatric immunization. This chapter provides a review of how operations research modeling and analysis tools can be used to address a variety of economic issues surrounding pediatric vaccine formulary design and pricing. A summary is presented of the pediatric immunization problems that have been studied using integer programming models, as well as the assumptions used to model such problems. A description of the methodologies used is provided. A summary of the results obtained with these models for a particular pentavalent combination vaccine that recently gained Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for pediatric immunization is presented. Concluding comments and directions for future research are also discussed.
A Root Locus Methodology for Parabolic Distributed Parameter Feedback Systems

In finite dimensional linear systems theory, stability and Transient performance of a closed-loop control system are directly related to the location of the closed-loop roots of the characteristic equation in the complex plane. Frequently, it is necessary to adjust one or more system parameters in order to obtain desirable root locations. Therefore, it is important to know how the roots of the characteristic equation migrate as the parameters vary. To this end, the “root locus method” was introduced by Evans in 1948 and has been developed and utilized extensively in control engineering practice.
Pediatric Paragangliomas: Role of Germline Mutation in Succinate Dehydrogenase

Paragangliomas are parasympathetic or sympathetic extra adrenal tumors of neural crest origin and constitute a fascinating group of genetically driven tumors. Sporadic paragangliomas occur, but paragangliomas often arise as part of paraganglioma syndromes (PGL), with linkage to mutation in subunits of the succinate dehydrogenase complex (SDH). The SDH enzyme complex is part of the Kreb cycle and is Complex II of the mitochondria electron transport chain. Subunits A and B are catalytic, while C and D subunits anchor the complex to the inner mitochondrial membrane. Mutations in the iron sulfur protein subunit SDHB are associated with PGL4, which consists of sympathetic tumors with variable malignant potential. SDHC mutations are responsible for the head and neck tumors in PGL3. SDHD mutations cause parasympathetic head and neck tumors in PGL1 and demonstrate genomic imprinting. Tumors bearing SDH gene mutations tend to be more aggressive and are associated with decreased survival compared to tumors without SDH mutations. SDH gene mutations highlight how a mitochondrial enzyme functions as a tumor suppressor. The mechanism of tumorigenesis is stabilization of the master regulator of hypoxia HIF1α and activation of the hypoxic response. The clinical presentations usually are manifestations of catechol hypersecretion. Urine and/or plasma fractionated catecholamines constitute biochemical diagnosis. Standard radiographic workup includes CT, MRI, and radioactive meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintography if available, as well as emerging techniques capitalizing on the catechol precursor uptake property of these tumors. Surgical removal is the mainstay of therapy for PGLs and requires pre-op adrenergic blockade together with experienced surgical and anesthesia teams. Early detection can lead to timely tumor removal and prevention of metastasis, underscoring the importance of genetic testing in patients presenting with paragangliomas and their family members.
Pig Model to Study Dynamics of Steroids During Ovarian Follicular Growth and Maturation

The pig is a polyovular farm animal and its prolificacy differs in different breeds. The female pig has an estrous cycle of 20–21 days with a short follicular phase of only 3 days and a long luteal phase. The luteal phase starts at day 1 after ovulation to day 15 of the estrous cycle and it overlaps the early follicular phase on day 16–17. The follicular phase lasts only 3–4 days. The early follicular growth is initiated while a high concentration of progesterone (P) is secreted by active corpora lutea, circulating it in the peripheral blood. In this study, P, androstenedione (A), testosterone (T), estrone (E1), and estradiol-17β (E2) were measured in peripheral blood, ovarian venous blood, follicular fluid, and perifollicular blood at various stages of the pig estrous cycle. Concentrations of P in peripheral blood, ovarian venous blood, follicular fluid, and perifollicular blood (blood from the vasculature surrounding the follicle) during the active luteal phase of gilts were 19.0 ±2.4, 59.2 ±12.7, and 3937 ±710ng/ml, respectively. Interestingly, the high concentration of P in perifollicular blood did not equilibrate with the follicular fluid and it appears that there is a blood barrier between the two. This level of P was significantly lower in the late luteal, follicular, and estrous stages. The follicular fluid in the follicular phase contained the highest concentrations of A (163 ±37.9ng/ml) of all the stages of follicular growth. During this stage the perifollicular blood also contained a concentration of A higher than that observed at any other stage of the estrous cycle. On the day of estrus the amounts of both A and T in the follicular fluid as well as in ovarian venous blood were at their lowest. Concentrations of T in perifollicular blood were higher in the luteal phase than in the follicular phase. The high levels of E 1 (22.94 ±2.95 ng/ml) and E2 (18.96 ±1.80 ng/ml) in the follicular fluid during the follicular phase may be due to aromatization of A and T, which are also present in high concentrations in follicular fluid and are in contact with granulosa cells. On the day of estrus E1 and E2 in the follicular fluid were 7.42 ±1.45 and 6.93 ng/ml, respectively, which may precede the onset of the preovulatory surge. The lower levels of E1 and E2 in perifollicular blood than in follicular fluid suggest that the main site of aromatization could be the granulosa cells in the follicles.
Extracting new insights from bulk transcriptomics.

The surge in single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-sequencing has raised the question of the value of bulk tissue transcriptomics. Kelley et al. describe an analysis framework by which existing bulk transcriptomic data can be reanalyzed using cell-type-specific data to yield insights into cell-type variation across brain regions and diseases.
Wireless Energy Harvesting System Through Metal for Aerospace Sensor

We present the development of a contactless energy harvesting system to transfer power through metal that could be potentially used for aerospace applications. By co-designing a switching power amplifier, high performance inductive coils and rectifier with load, the inductive power transfer system is proposed. Practical issues such as coil winding to maximize power transfer efficiency, effective implementation of ferrite, and the optimal design of impedance transformation network are considered. Power measurement results demonstrate that the harvester system achieves a measured power efficiency of ~ 3.4 %. The measured maximum output power is more than 500 mW and Iinearly increases with input current. The proposed inductive coupling type of harvesting system overcomes major limitations of conventional vibration-type of energy conversion such as lower power, short life cycle, unreliable problems in extremely harsh aeronautics environment.
The processes of Jeremy Safran

There are many ways to characterize Jeremy’s career and legacy. One way is: Jeremy was a great innovator for over 30 years, beginning with his foundational work on emotion in psychotherapy (with Le...
Kidney Transplantation in Lupus Nephritis: Can We Do Even Better?

Jorge and colleagues examined data from 1995 to 2014 to assess outcomes of patients with lupus nephritis who initiated dialysis and were placed on the waitlist for a kidney transplant. The editoria...
14.4 All-Digital Time-Domain CNN Engine Using Bidirectional Memory Delay Lines for Energy-Efficient Edge Computing

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) provide superior classification accuracy in a variety of machine learning applications, such as image/speech/sensor data processing. However, CNNs require intensive compute and memory resources making it challenging to employ in energy-constrained edge-computing devices. Specifically, Multiply-and-Accumulate (MAC) operations consume a significant portion of the total CNN energy [1].
Trends in the treatment of alcohol problems: 1980 to 2000

Summary The editorial board of Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly(ATQEB) was polled about their perceptions of significant trends in the treatment of alcohol problems, from 1980-2000. They identified the major influences, positive and negative, together with the effects on treatment initiatives in response to managed behavioral health care, the decline of inpatient services, increased emphasis on drugs other than alcohol, and the changing character of treatment providers.
An Adaptive Synthetic Cell Based on Mechanosensing, Biosensing, and Inducible Gene Circuits.

The bottom-up assembly of synthetic cell systems capable of recapitulating biological functions has become a means to understand living matter by construction. The integration of biomolecular compo...
Electrofocusing in Wide pH Range Immobiline Gels Containing Carrier Ampholytes

Summary Polyacrylamide gels covalently bonded with Immobiline (LKB) of a wide pH range (4-10) exhibit problems due to low conductance regions within the pH gradient such as slow migration rates across the pH extremes leading to substantial lateral zone diffusion and difficulties in pH measurement. An attempt was made to overcome these problems by the addition of carrier ampholytes to the gel. Parallel electrofocusing experiments with and without such additions were carried out to evaluate performance with regard to migration rates, zone sharpness, pH measurement and the emergence of a cathodic drift. Addition of carrier ampholytes resulted in a relative equalization of the conductance profile across the pH gradient, allowing for a more rapid protein entry, a diminished lateral band spreading and the feasibility of direct pH measurement.