cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Calculation of the radial electric field from a modified Ohm's law

A modified Ohm's Law, derived from the conservation of deuterium and carbon ions and electron momentum and the requirement for charge neutrality, yields an expression for the radial electric field, Er, in the edge pedestal region in terms of the motional electric field due to the carbon and deuterium ion rotation velocities as well as pressure gradients and the radial plasma current. This analytical Ohm's Law model for Er is first shown to be consistent with the conventional “experimental” electric field calculated from the carbon radial momentum balance using experimental carbon rotation and pressure gradient measurements when experimental profiles are used to evaluate the Ohm's Law in three DIII-D [Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42, 614 (2002)] representative discharges (for L-mode, H-mode, and Resonant Magnetic Perturbation operating regimes). In order to test the practical predictive ability of the modified Ohm's Law, the calculations were repeated using rotation velocities calculated with neoclassical rotation ...
T010 Generating evidence: On the validity of metaanalyses of transcranial stimulation trials

Recent years have witnessed and explosive expansion in the number of investigations in clinical and translational neuroscience that employ transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). In healthy individuals tDCS offers a tool for testing causal relationships between brain regions and their underlying cognitive functions, while in clinical populations tDCS is being investigated for a wide variety of potential indications, ranging from psychiatric conditions to deficits caused by stroke and other neurological disorders. Hundreds of researchers use the technique, and there have been over a thousand publications involving tDCS in the last decade. However, the data currently being gathered across many studies in this field have important limitations, including generally small sample sizes and a high degree of heterogeneity with respect to stimulation parameters (e.g. polarity, intensity, electrode location, etc.). Meta-analysis is an important approach that enables investigators to partially overcome these limitations in order to make broader inferences about the effects of tDCS on cortical physiology and cognition. In this talk, several recent tDCS meta-analyses will be surveyed, in order to highlight the ways in which meta-analysis can contribute novel knowledge to tDCS research. However, research involving meta-analysis is also susceptible to common pitfalls, which will also be discussed. First, concerns related to the selection of studies and to the selection of data from individual studies will be addressed. Subsequently, issues related to the appropriate aggregation of data across studies will be discussed.
Robust packet scheduling in wireless cellular networks

This paper addresses the scheduling problem in wireless packet switched networks. Given that only coarse-grained channel state information is available, how do we design a robust scheduler that ensures worst-case optimal performance? To solve this problem, we take a zero-sum game theoretic approach, in which the scheduler and the channel error act as non-cooperative adversaries in the scheduling process. The scheduler tries to maximize the system revenue from serving flows while the channel errors try to minimize it. We give the optimal scheduling strategy in the heavy channel error case and the mild channel error case separately. Such an optimal scheduling strategy is probabilistic, in the sense that the scheduler makes decision based on a probabilistic distribution. Our results show that this probabilistic scheduling may lead to higher worst-case performance compared to traditional deterministic policies, especially when the channel errors are dynamic and difficult to predict.
How shrub encroachment under climate change could threaten pollination services for alpine wildflowers: A case study using the alpine skypilot, Polemonium viscosum.

Under climate change, shrubs encroaching into high altitude plant communities disrupt ecosystem processes. Yet effects of encroachment on pollination mutualisms are poorly understood. Here, we probe potential fitness impacts of interference from encroaching Salix (willows) on pollination quality of the alpine skypilot, Polemonium viscosum. Overlap in flowering time of Salix and Polemonium is a precondition for interference and was surveyed in four extant and 25 historic contact zones. Pollinator sharing was ascertained from observations of willow pollen on bumble bees visiting Polemonium flowers and on Polemonium pistils. We probed fitness effects of pollinator sharing by measuring the correlation between Salix pollen contamination and seed set in naturally pollinated Polemonium. To ascertain whether Salix interference occurred during or after pollination, we compared seed set under natural pollination, conspecific pollen addition, and Salix pollen addition. In current and past contact zones Polemonium and Salix overlapped in flowering time. After accounting for variance in flowering date due to latitude, Salix and Polemonium showed similar advances in flowering under warmer summers. This trend supports the idea that sensitivity to temperature promotes reproductive synchrony in both species. Salix pollen is carried by bumble bees when visiting Polemonium flowers and accounts for up to 25% of the grains on Polemonium pistils. Salix contamination correlates with reduced seed set in nature and when applied experimentally. Postpollination processes likely mediate these deleterious effects as seed set in nature was not limited by pollen delivery. Synthesis: As willows move higher with climate change, we predict that they will drive postpollination interference, reducing the fitness benefits of pollinator visitation for Polemonium and selecting for traits that reduce pollinator sharing.
An algorithm for computing state feedback in multi-input linear systems

A new algorithm is proposed in this paper to compute the state feedback for arbitrary pole placement in multi-input linear systems. The algorithm has good numerical behavior. It also allows the user to adjust the eigenstructure of the resulting feedback system and therefore improve the condition of the problem and computation.
Refining Prediction of Atrial Fibrillation Risk in the General Population With Analysis of P-Wave Axis (from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study)

Adverse atrial remodeling is associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) and can be detected by a shift in P-wave axis. We aimed to determine whether an analysis of P-wave axis can be used to improve risk prediction of AF. We included 15,102 Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study participants who were free of AF at baseline. Abnormal P-wave axis (aPWA) was defined as any value outside 0 to 75 degrees on study visit 12-lead electrocardiograms. AF was determined using study visit electrocardiograms, death certificates, and hospital discharge records. Multivariable Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of aPWA with AF. The Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology-AF (CHARGE-AF) risk prediction model variables served as our benchmark. Improvement in 10-year AF prediction was assessed by C-statistic, category-based net reclassification improvement, and relative integrated discrimination improvement. During a mean follow-up of 20.2 years, there were 2,618 incident AF cases. aPWA was independently associated with a 2.34-fold (95% CI 2.12 to 2.58) increased risk of AF after adjusting for CHARGE-AF risk score variables. The use of aPWA improved the C-statistic from 0.719 (95% CI 0.702 to 0.736) to 0.722 (95% CI 0.705 to 0.739), which corresponded with a net reclassification improvement of 0.021 (95% CI 0.001, 0.040) and relative integrated discrimination improvement of 0.043 (95% CI 0.018, 0.069). In conclusion, aPWA is independently associated with AF in the general population. The use of this maker modestly improves AF prediction.
The impact of postdischarge surveillance on surgical site infection diagnosis.

Objective To evaluate the impact of postdischarge surveillance on surgical site infection (SSI) diagnosis. Study design Prospective enrollment with retrospective case review Sample Population Dogs and cats (n = 1271) undergoing surgery April 2012-November 2013. Methods The medical record of each animal was reviewed and a 30-day follow-up questionnaire was sent to each pet owner. A standardized definition of SSI was used to identify all animals with SSI. The method of SSI detection was recorded as: re-presentation to the hospital, scheduled recheck, questionnaire, communication with the referring veterinarian, or a combination of the above. Results SSI was identified in 36 (2.83%) of the 1271 animals included. All SSIs were diagnosed after discharge from the hospital. Seven of the 36 animals with SSI were diagnosed at re-presentation to the hospital, 5/36 at scheduled recheck, 10/36 on questionnaire, 10/36 at re-presentation to the hospital AND on questionnaire, and 4/36 on communication with referring veterinarian. Of the diagnosed SSIs, 72.2% were documented in the medical record. Therefore, without active postdischarge surveillance, 10/36 SSIs (27.8%) would have gone unknown to surgeons at our institution. Conclusion Understanding the incidence of SSI with feedback to surgeons is an important aspect of an infection control program and has been shown to reduce SSI risks. Without active postoperative surveillance, 27.8% of SSIs would have gone unknown to surgeons. Implementing active surveillance will allow accurate reporting of incidence of SSIs in veterinary hospitals.
Suicidality in Black American Youth Living in Impoverished Neighborhoods: Is School Connectedness a Protective Factor?

Suicidality is a significant public health issue for adolescents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Leading causes of death reports, national and regional, 1999–2015, 2015). Cultural factors such as gender, race, and poverty may place some adolescents at an increased risk for suicidality. The school context has been offered as a setting that may serve as an effective prevention and intervention point for buffering suicidality. Given that adolescents spend a significant amount of time at school, school connectedness, or the sense of belonging to a school community, may be a significant and positive protective factor against social isolation. Undergirded by Joiner’s (Why people die by suicide, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 2005; The interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behavior: current empirical status, 2009) interpersonal theory of suicide, the current investigation explores the relation between suicidality (i.e., suicide ideations and attempts) and school connectedness. Using a large longitudinal data set (N = 2335), results of two logistic growth models found that school connectedness serves as a strong protective factor for suicidality among Black American adolescents living in impoverished neighborhoods. Results showed that school connectedness reduced the probability of suicide ideations and attempts over time and for both females and males. Implications for theory, practice, and research are discussed.
Risk of malignancy associated with paediatric use of tumour necrosis factor inhibitors

Objective To determine whether tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) use is associated with an increased rate of incident malignancy compared with no TNFi use in the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), paediatric inflammatory bowel disease (pIBD) and paediatric plaque psoriasis (pPsO). Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of administrative claims data from the USA from 2000 to 2014. Exposure to TNFi was considered permanent from the first observed exposure onward. The malignancy outcome was defined by diagnosis codes with evidence of cancer treatment. We calculated standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) comparing the observed number of malignancies to the expected numbers according to cancer surveillance data. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to estimate adjusted HRs (aHRs) for incident malignancy. Results We identified 15 598 children with TNFi use and 73 839 children with no TNFi use (30 703 and 121 801 person-years of follow-up, respectively). We identified 15 malignancies among children with TNFi use (SIR 2.9 (1.6 to 4.9)) and 42 malignancies among children without TNFi use (SIR 2.1 (1.5 to 2.9)). The aHR was 1.58 (0.88 to 2.85) for TNFi use versus no TNFi use. In pIBD, TNFi use with thiopurine use was associated with a higher SIR (6.0 (1.2 to 17.5)) compared with TNFi use without thiopurine use (2.5 (0.7 to 6.4)). Conclusion Children diagnosed with JIA, pIBD and pPsO had an increased rate of malignancy compared with the general population, but treatment with TNFi did not appear to significantly further increase the risk compared with no TNFi use. More data are needed about the long-term risks of TNFi use.
Carbon Nanohorn‐modified Carbon Fiber Microelectrodes for Dopamine Detection

Carbon nanohorns (CNHs), closed cone-shaped cages of sp 2-hybridized carbons, are a promising nanomaterial to improve carbon-fiber microelectrode (CFME) dues to their high specific surface area and edge planes, but few studies have tested their electrochemical properties. Here, we tested the dopamine detection at electrodeposited CNHs on CFME (CNH/CFME). The optimized concentration of CNHs in the deposition solution is 0.5 mg/mL, and the optimized electrodeposition waveform is 10 cycles of triangular waveform scanned from -1.0 V and +1.0 V at 50 mV/s. Using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, the optimized CNH/CFME enhances dopamine peak current to 2.3 ± 0.2 times that of the CFME. To further increase the current, CNH/CFMEs were oxidized in NaOH (ox-CNH/CFME), which creates more defects and surface oxide groups to adsorb dopamine. The oxidative etching further increases the peak current to 3.5 ± 0.2 times of the CFME, and ox-CNH/CFME had a limit of detection of 6 ± 2 nM. The dopamine anodic current at ox-CNH/CFME was stable for 8 h of continuous scanning. The ox-CNH/CFME enhanced the anodic peak current for other cationic neurotransmitters including epinephrine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, but less enhancement was found for ascorbic acid, showing higher selectivity for cationic molecules. CNHs also decreased tissue biofouling at CFME. Thus, electrodeposited CNHs are a promising new method for increasing the surface area and current of CFMEs for dopamine detection.
Epinephrine, auto-injectors, and anaphylaxis: Challenges of dose, depth, and device.

Abstract Objective This review was undertaken to review epinephrine dosing, site and route of administration, focusing on special populations (patients weighing less than 15 kg, and obese patients); and to discuss storage and delivery of epinephrine in prehospital and hospital settings. Data Sources Review of published literature. Study Selection Relevance. Results The recommended 0.01-mg/kg (maximum 0.3–0.5 mg) epinephrine dose in anaphylaxis is based on limited pharmacokinetic data in healthy volunteers. No pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamics studies involving patients in anaphylaxis have been published. When epinephrine auto-injectors (EAIs) are used in infants, the dose increasingly exceeds the recommended dose as weight decreases, although the clinical significance of this is unclear. Limited data indicate that the intramuscular route and lateral thigh site are superior. Ultrasound studies suggest that 0.15 EAI needles may be too long for many patients weighing less than 15 kg, and 0.3 mg EAI needles may be too short for obese patients weighing more than 30 kg. A newly available 0.1 mg EAI has a lower dose and shorter needle better suited to patients weighing 7.5 to 15 kg. In some medical settings, vials and syringes may provide a safe, efficient alternative with substantial cost savings over EAIs. Conclusion EAIs should be available in the community with doses and needle depths that meet the needs of all patients. More research on epinephrine pharmacodynamics are needed in children and adults in anaphylaxis, to better delineate what optimal doses should be. Optimizing epinephrine dose and delivery has the potential to improve anaphylaxis outcomes and prevent adverse events.
Abstract 1084: Activation Exits the Pulmonary Vein Area via Preferential Conduction Pathways

Background: The region of the pulmonary veins (PV) is believed to play a critical role in the genesis and the maintenance of atrial fibrillation. The pattern of conduction from the PV area to activate the atria is not well understood. We tested the hypothesis that exit of activation during rapid pacing from the PV area would occur via preferential pathways. Methods: In 13 canines with sterile pericarditis, rapid atrial pacing at cycle lengths of 400, 300, 200, and/or 150 ms was performed from plunge electrodes placed at sites between either the 2 right PVs (2 dogs), 2 inferior PVs (7 dogs), or 2 left PVs (6 dogs). Simultaneously recorded epicardial high density maps of both atria (510 electrodes) and PV area (20 electrode catheter) were analyzed. Results: There was no evidence of activation spreading radially from any pacing site. Pacing from between the 2 right or 2 inferior PVs resulted in a wave front entering the left atrial free wall (LAFW) at a site distant from the pacing site, namely between the inferior vena cava and the right inferior PV (8/9 episodes) or between the right inferior and the left inferior PVs (1/9 episodes). Pacing from between the 2 left PVs resulted in a wave front entering the LAFW between the 2 left PVs (3/6 episodes), between the right and left inferior PVs (2/6 episodes), or between the inferior vena cava and the right inferior PV (1/7 episodes). Bachmann’s bundle was activated via an endocardial breakthrough at the septal junction between the superior vena cava and the right superior PV, with activation then traveling to both the left and right appendages in 13/15 episodes irrespective of the pacing site. This activation pattern resulted in collision of the LAFW wave front and the Bachmann’s bundle wave front in the area lateral to the PVs. In the remaining 2 episodes, Bachmann’s bundle was activated from between the 2 superior PVs when paced from between the 2 left PVs. Conclusions: Pacing studies indicate that activation exits the PV area via preferential conduction pathways. This has important implications for understanding the genesis of atrial fibrillation and the efficacy of lesions used for ablation to cure it.
A confetti trail of tumour evolution.

Multiple clones of cancer cells co-exist within a tumour, and yet it is not clear when these subclones arise and how they contribute to tumour progression. A multicolour clonal tracing study now shows that benign skin tumours are mostly monoclonal while the more advanced lesions are composed of multiple intermixed subclones.
The relationships between multiaxial loading history and tibial strains during load carriage.

Abstract Objectives To determine if a history of exercise involving multiaxial loading, through soccer participation, influences tibial stains during incremented load carriage. Design Cross-sectional study. Methods 20 female soccer players (20 ± 1 yr) and 20 mass- and height-matched healthy women (21 ± 1 yr) participated in walking tasks with 0 kg, 10 kg, 20 kg, and 30 kg loads on a force instrumented treadmill at 1.67 m/s. Subject-specific tibial CT models were combined with subject-specific musculoskeletal models for forward-dynamic simulations and finite element analyses. Strains from the middle third of the tibial shaft were analyzed. A mixed model repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and one-way ANOVAs were run with a Bonferroni correction setting significance at 0.0009. Results Significant differences in tibial characteristics were found among loading conditions and between groups (all p Conclusions A history of activity involving multiaxial loading was associated with generally lower estimated tibial strains during load carriage. Lower strain levels during repetitive physical activity may be protective from stress fracture. These findings suggest that physical training, such as participating in soccer, may be effective for preconditioning prior to entering military or endurance training.
Physical Principles of Electric, Magnetic, and Near-Field Acoustic Orientation

To elucidate the weakly electric and earth’s magnetic sensory capabilities of sharks and rays and to introduce the concept of inertial hearing in the acoustic near field, this chapter discusses the physical features of the underwater world, the particular receptivities of the sense organs, and the spatial information the animals seek to orient at sea and to arrive at their prey. The objective is to establish the logical connections between the directional cues in the natural environment and the orientational responses they elicit from the animals. The features of the underwater world are presented in their most simple form, just as they are detected, processed, and perceived by the animals. In this chapter, we observe early fishes proficiently practice the laws of physics, purely from eons of experience. The remarkable similarity in the electric and lowfrequency acoustic fields of underwater objects is emphasized to reveal the close relationship between the two sensory modalities.
The Library is on Fire, Now What? Assessing the Damage and How to Approach It: A Case Study from the Chesapeake Bay

ABSTRACTThe Longwood Institute of Archaeology conducted the Vulnerability, Potential and Condition (VPC) assessment of shoreline archaeological sites along 1990 km (1237 miles) of the Chesapeake Ba...
Cast harmony and performance through uncertainty: learning to achieve dance at a distance

ABSTRACTNarrating the process of directing a performance almost entirely at a distance of 1600 miles, “Dance at a Distance” describes my ongoing interactions with the performers throughout the process. Specifically, I focus on how the development of harmony among the cast helped to mitigate the uncertainty and the significant communicative challenges of our circumstance. I use this experience to uncover a more intimate understanding of the larger process of creating and teaching ensemble performance, with implications beyond the scope of this particular production.
Transfer Student Resources: Keeping Students Once They Enroll:

This descriptive study explored campus resources used by transfer students to understand ways institutions can better help them persist to graduation. Completed surveys from 257 transfer students i...
Getting started in primary care research: choosing among six practical research approaches.

While many primary care practitioners want to conduct research, many also struggle with getting started. This article’s purpose is to assist emerging researchers in identifying a topic of interest, to try the ‘fit’ of feasible research approaches and commit to a research approach. The article addresses six objectives: (1) identify how important primary care research comes from clinical stories; (2) recognise how clinical stories become the source of research topics; (3) discern how the research process resembles the care of patients; (4) distinguish the essential features of six research approaches feasible for primary care researchers; (5) evaluate the fit of the six research approaches featured in this special issue; and (6) develop a list of steps that need to be taken to implement primary care research projects. Using ‘HPV (human papilloma) vaccination’ as a hypothetical topic, the article illustrates how an emerging researcher can complete the worksheets. Using the HPV topic, a worksheet illustration shows how to complete the worksheets, and examples from the literature illustrate how actual studies have used six feasible research approaches for primary care: (1) survey research, (2) semistructured qualitative interviews, (3) curriculum development, (4) continuous quality improvement, (5) clinical policy analysis and (6) case study research. The worksheet exercises support choosing a feasible research approach for emerging researchers. Emerging researchers using these exercises can identify a topic, choose a research strategy aligned with the researcher’s interest, create a study title, develop a list of the next steps, and be well positioned to implement an original research project
Saving a Million Species

Are a million species at risk of extinction from climate change? This book has explored the analyses required to answer that question. From estimates of the number of species on Earth, to their imperilment by climate change, we have looked across taxa, across methods, and across geographies to estimate risk.
Cost Analysis of Single-Level Lumbar Fusions.

Study Design:Cost analysis of a retrospectively identified cohort of patients who had undergone primary single-level lumbar fusion at a single institution’s orthopedic or neurosurgery department.Ob...
Stability Analysis for a Class of Resource-Aware, Co-Regulated Systems *

In this paper we develop four methods for proving stability for a subclass of co-regulated systems – finite-state, co-regulated systems with restrictions on possible sampling rates. "Co-regulation" is a control strategy we previously developed wherein cyber and physical effectors are dynamically adjusted in response to holistic system performance. The cyber effector, sampling rate, is adjusted in response to off-nominal conditions in the controlled system, and the physical effector adjusts control outputs corresponding to the current (changing) sampling rate. The resulting computer-control system is a discrete-time-varying system with changing zero-order holds and sampling periods, and unknown delays over discrete intervals. This makes performance guarantees such as stability difficult to obtain.We address this difficulty by drawing from specialized results in the control community to develop four methods for proving asymptotic stability of finite-state, co-regulated systems. Each successive method relaxes the assumptions needed to guarantee stability. This lays the groundwork for a more all-encompassing analytical framework for co-regulated systems. We use the results to demonstrate stability for a co-regulated multicopter unmanned aircraft system.
What comprises a good talking-head video generation?: A Survey and Benchmark.

Over the years, performance evaluation has become essential in computer vision, enabling tangible progress in many sub-fields. While talking-head video generation has become an emerging research topic, existing evaluations on this topic present many limitations. For example, most approaches use human subjects (e.g., via Amazon MTurk) to evaluate their research claims directly. This subjective evaluation is cumbersome, unreproducible, and may impend the evolution of new research. In this work, we present a carefully-designed benchmark for evaluating talking-head video generation with standardized dataset pre-processing strategies. As for evaluation, we either propose new metrics or select the most appropriate ones to evaluate results in what we consider as desired properties for a good talking-head video, namely, identity preserving, lip synchronization, high video quality, and natural-spontaneous motion. By conducting a thoughtful analysis across several state-of-the-art talking-head generation approaches, we aim to uncover the merits and drawbacks of current methods and point out promising directions for future work. All the evaluation code is available at: this https URL.
Single-component multilayered self-assembling nanoparticles presenting rationally designed glycoprotein trimers as Ebola virus vaccines

The Ebola virus (EBOV) glycoprotein (GP) can be recognized by neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) and is the main target for vaccine design. We first investigated the contribution of the stalk and the heptad repeat 1-C (HR1C) region to GP metastability. Specific stalk and HR1C modifications in a mucin-deleted form (GPΔmuc) increased trimer yield, while alteration of HR1C exerted a more complex effect on thermostability. Crystal structures were determined to validate these rationally designed GPΔmuc trimers in their unliganded state. We then displayed a modified GPΔmuc trimer on engineered nanoparticles with encapsulated locking domains (LD) and a cluster of helper T-cell epitopes. In mice and rabbits, GP trimers and nanoparticles elicited cross-ebolavirus NAbs as well as non-NAbs that enhance in-vitro infection. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed B-cell profiles that are specific to vaccine platforms. This study provides insight into GP metastability and paves the way for development of an effective, pan-ebolavirus nanoparticle vaccine.
The Relationship Between Polysubstance Injection Drug Use, HIV Risk Behaviors, and Interest in Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Among People Who Inject Drugs in Rural West Virginia.

Objective:The opioid crisis has increased risks for injection drug use (IDU)–associated HIV outbreaks throughout the United States. Polysubstance use and syringe sharing are common among rural peop...
Modeling and analyzing evaluation cost of CUDA kernels

General-purpose programming on GPUs (GPGPU) is becoming increasingly in vogue as applications such as machine learning and scientific computing demand high throughput in vector-parallel applications. NVIDIA's CUDA toolkit seeks to make GPGPU programming accessible by allowing programmers to write GPU functions, called kernels, in a small extension of C/C++. However, due to CUDA's complex execution model, the performance characteristics of CUDA kernels are difficult to predict, especially for novice programmers. This paper introduces a novel quantitative program logic for CUDA kernels, which allows programmers to reason about both functional correctness and resource usage of CUDA kernels, paying particular attention to a set of common but CUDA-specific performance bottlenecks. The logic is proved sound with respect to a novel operational cost semantics for CUDA kernels. The semantics, logic and soundness proofs are formalized in Coq. An inference algorithm based on LP solving automatically synthesizes symbolic resource bounds by generating derivations in the logic. This algorithm is the basis of RaCuda, an end-to-end resource-analysis tool for kernels, which has been implemented using an existing resource-analysis tool for imperative programs. An experimental evaluation on a suite of CUDA benchmarks shows that the analysis is effective in aiding the detection of performance bugs in CUDA kernels.
Symbiotic Negotium Model-New Foreign Entry Mode: How to Compete in International Markets against Industry Giants 'strength in Unity'

Even though Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have a crucial role in national and international economies, they face significant barriers to be competitive, especially in international markets. The current foreign entry modes, exporting, licensing or franchising, partnering or strategic alliance, acquisitions, and foreign direct investments, have advantages and disadvantages against each other. Therefore, there is not a single foreign entry mode that has the solution to the barriers that SMEs faces. Current foreign entry modes also do not focus on the consumer's needs, and they solely focus on the enterprise's needs. In this study, we are introducing a new foreign entry mode (Symbiotic Negotium Model) (SNM) that addresses the issues of SMEs while satisfying the needs of the consumers. For SBM to function effectively, we also created a new enterprise type International Manufacturers Enterprise (IME). We tested the effectiveness of SNM and IME with a simulation model. We concluded that SMEs use the Symbiotic Negotium Model as an entry mode that could be more sustainable and competitive in international markets then SMEs use any other entry modes. In this study, we will be discussing the current entry modes, barriers that SMEs face, primary consumer needs(expectations), the structure and phases of the Symbiotic Negotium Model, and International Manufacturers Enterprise. Finally, we will be examining the simulation model and analyze how the Symbiotic Negotium Model increases the sustainability and competitiveness of the SMEs in international markets.
Symposium 4: Neuromuscular junction and related disorders SY4.1. Myasthenia gravis and related disorders

Autoimmune myasthenia gravis (MG) results from autoantibodies that bind to the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Incidence and prevalence vary worldwide; the estimated US prevalence is 20/100,000, or ∼60,000 patients. Women develop MG more often before age 40, men after 50. Drooping eyelids or double vision is the first symptom in 60%; weakness remains limited to periocular muscles in 10–15% – ocular myasthenia. The voice may be nasal or hoarse, especially after prolonged talking, and swallowed liquids may escape through the nose. Weakness typically worsens throughout the day. Spontaneous improvement may occur early on but is rarely permanent. The diagnosis depends on recognizing distinctive patterns of weakness and confirmation by serologic and electrodiagnostic tests. 80–85% of patients have circulating anti-AChR antibodies; repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS) demonstrates abnormal neuromuscular transmission (NMT) in up to 90% of generalized MG and 60% of ocular myasthenia. Increased jitter is found in almost all patients if appropriate muscles are examined. Approximately 10% of patients have antibodies to muscle specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK). Clinical findings resemble non-MuSK MG in some patients; many have predominant weakness in cranio-bulbar muscles with marked atrophy. Others have predominant neck, shoulder and respiratory weakness. With selected treatment most non-MuSK and MuSK-MG patients have only minimal long-term morbidity. Congenital myasthenic syndromes result from genetic defects of muscle endplate molecules involved in NMT; most have autosomal recessive inheritance. The diagnosis is suggested by clinical features and response to cholinesterase inhibitors, or electrodiagnostic findings. Identification of specific genetic or physiologic defects requires genetic studies or specialized morphological and electrophysiological studies. Lambert-Eaton myasthenia results from antibodies to voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC) on presynaptic nerve terminals, which produces the classic triad of weakness, reduced muscle stretch reflexes and autonomic dysfunction. Approximately 50% have an underlying malignancy, usually small cell lung cancer. The diagnosis is confirmed by a decrementing pattern during low frequency RNS and low muscle responses that increase at least 60% after muscle activation. Antibodies to the VGCC are found in most cases. Treatment is initially directed against any underlying malignancy. Amifampridine produces symptomatic improvement in most patients; immunomodulatory therapy may provide modest benefit in some.
Increasing vitamin b12 screening among patients with type 2 diabetes on long-term metformin therapy

Quality Improvement Success Stories are published by the American Diabetes Association in collaboration with the American College of Physicians and the National Diabetes Education Program. This series is intended to highlight best practices and strategies from programs and clinics that have successfully improved the quality of care for people with diabetes or related conditions. Each article in the series is reviewed and follows a standard format developed by the editors of Clinical Diabetes. The following article describes an initiative designed to increase vitamin B12 screening in patients with type 2 diabetes on long-term metformin therapy at a free clinic in the southeastern United States.
Convex optimization algorithms in medical image reconstruction - in the age of AI.

The past decade has seen the flourish of model based image reconstruction (MBIR) algorithms, which are often applications or adaptations of convex optimization algorithms from the optimization community. We review some state-of-the-art algorithms that have enjoyed wide popularity in medical image reconstruction, emphasize known connections between different algorithms, and discuss practical issues such as computation and memory cost. More recently, deep learning (DL) has forayed into medical imaging, where the latest development tries to exploit the synergy between DL and MBIR to elevate the MBIR's performance. We present existing approaches and emerging trends in DL-enhanced MBIR methods, with particular attention to the underlying role of convexity and convex algorithms on network architecture. We also discuss how convexity can be employed to improve the generalizability and representation power of DL networks in general.
Fragmentierungen durch supernucleophile—I : Der 2-Chloräthoxy-carbonyl-rest als N-terminale, mit supernucleophilen selektiv abspaltbare schutzgruppe von aminosäuren☆

Zusammenfassung Der 2-Chlorathoxy-carbonyl-Rest (CEC-Rest) wird als saurefeste, N-terminale Schutzgruppe von Aminosaure-Derivaten unter reduzierenden, schwach alkalischen Bedingungen mit supernucleophilem Cobaloxim(I) 1 selektiv abgespalten. Die intermediar auftretenden Alkylierungs-Produkte lassen sich isolieren und charakterisieren.
Delayed posthypoxic leukoencephalopathy: a case series and review of the literature.

Delayed posthypoxic leukoencephalopathy (DPHL) is a rare and underrecognized entity where patients manifest a neurological relapse after initial recovery from an acute hypoxic episode. We sought to describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in a group of patients with DPHL and review the available literature.Retrospective case series including patients who presented with neurological and/or psychiatric symptoms after recovery from an acute hypoxic episode. The history and clinical presentation were reviewed from the electronic medical records. MRI scans were evaluated from the picture archiving and communication system. We performed a comprehensive review of the English medical literature for prior published cases of DPHL and describe the key imaging findings that have been reported related to this condition.A total of five patients were identified, including four patients with respiratory failure due to drug overdoses from benzodiazepines, opioids, and/or barbiturates, and one patient who presented after cardiopulmonary arrest due to pulmonary embolism. All patients showed diffuse, extensive, and confluent white matter signal abnormalities including prominent restricted diffusion, extending to the subcortical white matter and respecting the U-fibers. There was no gyral edema or contrast enhancement. In one case histopathology was available, which highlighted patchy subcortical myelin loss with sparing of U-fibers and demonstrated prominent macrophage/microglial inflammation with extensive axonal damage. Of the other four patients, two were at their neurological baselines and two had persistent neurological deficits at the time of discharge.The described constellation of MRI findings is highly suggestive of DPHL in the appropriate clinical setting.
Comparative analyses of transgene delivery and expression in tumors inoculated with a replication-conditional or -defective viral vector.

Viral vectors for cancer can be classified into those that do not replicate (replication-defective vectors) and those that selectively replicate in neoplastic cells (replication-conditional or oncolytic vectors). Both of these can deliver anticancer cDNAs for therapeutic purposes. Opposite hypotheses can be made regarding the advantages of each vector type with regard to anatomic transgene expression. For the former vector, because cDNA delivery occurs in neoplastic cells that have the ability to migrate into the tumor mass, relatively extensive anatomic and temporal expression of anticancer functions may occur. For the latter vector, active viral replication may permit anatomically and temporally extensive delivery of the foreign cDNA into the tumor mass. Herein, we performed a simple comparative analysis to test which of these hypotheses is valid. Direct inoculation of s.c. tumors with a replication-conditional or a replication-defective viral vector, each of which expressed lacZ cDNA, was performed. Tumors were excised and analyzed for anatomic delivery of β-galactosidase and for neoplastic viral titers. We find that lacZ cDNA expression is observed in approximately 40% of the tumor area 3, 7, and 14 days after injection with the replication-conditional vector, whereas approximately 10% of the tumor area expresses the transgene 3 days after injection with the replication-defective vector, with a rapid decline in expression thereafter. Titers of the replication-conditional virus remain stable within injected tumors for the 14 days of the assay (approximately 1:1,000 of the initial injection dose), whereas titers of the replication-defective vector decrease rapidly after injection (to a value of 1:100,000 of the initial injection dose). Taken in conjunction, these studies show that transgene delivery and expression in tumors last longer and are found throughout an anatomically more extensive area after injection with replication-conditional gene therapy vectors than after injection with replication-defective gene therapy vectors.
A recursive hybrid system approach to noise identification

A hybrid approach that is valid for noise with rapidly or slowly varying statistics as well as constant statistics is presented. This approach is based on estimation using hybrid system models. As one of the most cost-effective estimation schemes for hybrid systems, the interacting multiple model (IMM) algorithm is used. Both simulation results and theoretical evaluation of the proposed approach are given. The approach can also be used for failure detection when failures are characterized by jumps in noise statistics. >
Differential Response Patterns Affect Food-Security Prevalence Estimates for Households with and without Children

To produce national prevalence estimates for "food insecurity" and "food insecurity with hunger," the USDA uses a battery of 18 survey items about symptoms of food-related hardship. Ten items refer to adults in the household, while 8 items refer to children in the household and hence are not asked of households without children. To equate food-security status in households with and without children, the USDA uses a statistical model from item response theory, known as the Rasch model. This model requires an assumption that adult-referenced items have the same severity calibrations for all households, including households with and without children. However, empirical estimates from the 2000 Current Population Survey showed significantly different severity calibrations for households with and without children. These differences have implications for observable response patterns. Holding constant the number of affirmative responses to adult-referenced items, households with children were more likely to respond that they "worried food would run out," and households without children were more likely to be unable to afford "balanced meals." In light of such differences, the Rasch model cannot be used to equate the food-security status of households with and without children. One potential solution would be to estimate household food security by using the same battery of adult-referenced survey items for all households.
Air pollution and risk of stroke: underestimation of effect due to misclassification of time of event onset.

Epidemiologic studies suggest an association between short-term fluctuations in ambient air pollution levels and risk of hospitalization for acute cardiovascular events, including ischemic stroke,1 myocardial infarction,2,3 and acute decompensated heart failure.4 Time-series studies using generalized additive models or generalized linear models represent a widely used approach to evaluating the acute health effects of ambient air pollution.5 More recently, case-crossover methods have been applied to time-series data yielding theoretically equivalent results under certain assumptions.6 Regardless of the analytic approach, the majority of previous time-series studies have utilized data from administrative databases in which the date of hospitalization is the only information available on the timing of the event. Accordingly, pollution exposure just prior to the index event is necessarily defined as the average exposure over a fixed period prior to the calendar day of admission. For example, to evaluate the association between ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and risk of same-day hospitalization for acute ischemic stroke, each case is commonly assigned the mean daily (eg, midnight-midnight) PM2.5 level on the date of hospital admission. Such studies are limited by the fact that hospital admission may occur at any time of day and that the true onset of the event may occur hours or days prior to hospital admission (Fig. 1). Figure 1 An illustration of how measurement error in the onset time of an acute cardiovascular event may give rise to exposure misclassification. Most time-series studies of ambient air pollution and acute cardiovascular events have used fixed time periods (eg, ... The impact of misclassification of the time of event onset on the estimated association between ambient air pollution and the risk of acute cardiovascular events has not been evaluated. Accordingly, the aims of this study were to 1) investigate whether significant exposure misclassification may result from using the hospitalization date to estimate air pollution exposure at the true onset time of an acute cardiovascular event, and 2) evaluate the impact of the resulting exposure misclassification on the estimated association between ambient air pollution and the risk of acute cardiovascular events. We used data collected in the Boston metropolitan region as part of an ongoing study of ambient air pollution and the risk of acute ischemic stroke to accomplish the first aim and performed computer simulations to accomplish the second aim.
The electronic structure of Si3 and Ge3 in the local density functional approximation

Abstract The electronic structures of the lowest-lying singlet and triplet states of Si3 and Ge3 and the lowest-lying states of their respective cations have been determined within the local density functional approximation. The geometries were optimized and vibrational frequencies were calculated. The lowest-lying 1 A 1 ( C 2 v , θ=82.5°) and 3 A ′ 2 ( D 3 h ) states for Si3 are predicted to be nearly degenerate in energy in agreement with other workers. On the basis of the calculations, the dominant vibrational frequency separations, ≈360–370cm−1, attributed to the lowest-lying states observed in negative ion photoelectron and laser-induced plasma spectroscopy, are associated with the degenerate e′ vibrations of the D3h3A′2 state or with a symmetric stretch-bending mode difference frequency combination band of the lowest 1A1 state. The 1A1 (θ=85.0°) and 3A′2 states are separated by a larger energy in Ge3. The 1A1 state lies lowest and the calculated vibrational frequencies for the 1A1 state compare more favorably with the lower state level separations characterizing the observed laser-induced plasma emission spectrum. A 2B2 ground state is predicted for the Si3+ and Ge3+ ions with bond angles of 72.1° and 75.2°, respectively. The 2A2 state found by previous workers is not a minimum on the potential energy surface.
PAC study of diffusion in single crystals: the case of silver vacancy diffusion in indium-doped silver chloride

Abstract A previously unreported dependence of the Abragam-Pound damping constant on the orientation of detectors relative to the crystal axes for dynamic PAC spectra has been observed in AgCl single crystals doped with the PAC probe 111 In. The Winkler and Gerdau analysis of PAC spectra in the case of stochastic, rapidly fluctuating fields is adapted to the case of single crystals. The new analysis predicts the orientation dependence of the damping constant and thus allows the extraction of additional information on the mechanism of diffusion from the PAC data. The AgCl:In data, analyzed in terms of this calculation, provide strong evidence that vacancies are hopping among next-nearest silver sites around the indium atoms. This method of analysis may have general application to the microscopic study of atomic diffusion mechanisms.