cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intensive case management of high-risk patients in a family medicine residency setting.

Background: As the health care system evolves, health care delivery systems have begun to share risk for the care of patient populations. The prototype for such a system has long been the uncompensated care population in a hospital's service area. This article describes a successful case management pilot program in a family medicine residency setting. Methods: Nineteen high-risk patients were cared for by a case management team for a period of 3 to 4 months. The case management team consisted of a medical director, 2 resident assistant medical directors, 1 registered nurse case manager, and 1 social worker. Results: Case management resulted in an annualized decrease of 51 percent of inpatient days and 46 percent of charges. This resulted in an annualized savings of $166,083 in charges to the health care system. Conclusion: Intensive case management of the sickest of the sick results in a substantial reduction in morbidity and cost. Family medicine residency programs are ideally situated to oversee case management of this population and potentially other populations in a shared-risk environment. (J Am Board Fam Pract 1999;12:264-9.)
A Case of Mistaken Identity: The Irish in Postwar Britain

According to the 1948 British Nationality Act, there were three types of people in the world: British subjects, aliens, and Irish citizens?a strange piece of legislation indeed. So strange that one contemporary lawyer re ferred to the Irish provisions of the act as "unique in statute law . . . [and] without precedent in legislation dealing with nationality."1 Unique was the provision that any citizen of Eire, although an alien, then or in the future living in the United Kingdom, would be given all the privileges and many of the responsibilities of a British subject without having to become a British subject. Privileges included the right to enter the country freely, take up any employment available, and vote and stand for Parliament; obligations included paying taxes and, after two years continuous resi dence, performing National Service. Thus Britain became perhaps the only country in the world to make no distinction between its own citizens and one group of aliens. In spite of the quirky nature of these provisions, however, they continued to govern relations between the United Kingdom and Ireland even after Ireland left the Commonwealth and became a re public in 1949, and even after the United Kingdom imposed immigration control upon certain classes of "real" British subjects in 1962, 1968, 1971, and 1981.2 This legislation raises two principal questions: Why did British policy makers create a new class of people for the purposes of nationality law, and why did that class remain constant through so many other changes? Three answers suggest themselves: first, the economic crisis and labor shortage which Britain suffered after World War Two; second, UK policymakers' de termination that members of the British Empire, though rapidly forming a Commonwealth of Nations, should remain united and centered upon Brit ain; third, UK policymakers' racialized understanding of the world's popu lation, which deemed "race" rather than skin color to be an unmodifiable and genetic characteristic, and which hierarchized European cultures over all others. Together, these questions and answers suggest that postwar Britain's governing elite successfully manipulated notions of identity and definitions of citizenship in order to preserve a useful labor supply and a united empire/Commonwealth. This success itself raises further questions about the fluidity of national identity and the value of migrant labor. Elected in July 1945, Clement Attlee's Labour government promised a new age of social citizenship to be brought about by infrastructural nation alization and the institution of a welfare state; less explicitly, it promised
Image denoising: a nonlinear robust statistical approach

Nonlinear filtering techniques based on the theory of robust estimation are introduced. Some deterministic and asymptotic properties are derived. The proposed denoising methods are optimal over the Huber /spl epsi/-contaminated normal neighborhood and are highly resistant to outliers. Experimental results showing a much improved performance of the proposed filters in the presence of Gaussian and heavy-tailed noise are analyzed and illustrated.
From Moral Supporters to Struggling Advocates: Reconceptualizing Parent Roles in Education Through the Experience of Working-Class Families of Color

How do marginalized parents construct their role in promoting their children's access to educational opportunity? What lessons might their experience have for our understanding of parent involvement beyond the parameters of traditional models? This qualitative case study examined the beliefs, goals, and practices of 16 working-class African American and Latino parents whose children were in a college access program at a diverse metropolitan high school. It offers an alternative typology of parent roles, which reflects parents' contrasting social and cultural locations, biographies, and perceptions of—as well as relations with—their children and the school. With its highlighting of marginalized parents' voices at a critical juncture in student careers, this article contributes to a more inclusive discourse on families, schooling, and equity.
The Effect of Bank Account Ownership on Credit, Consumption, and Savings: Evidence from the United Kingdom

I use an electronic transfer mandate in the UK Child Benefit program, a transfer received by virtually all families with children, to estimate the effect of bank account ownership on the financial behavior of less educated families with children. With the mandate increasing account ownership by as much as 29 percent for less educated families with children, it provides an exogenous increase in account ownership to examine the causal effect of bank account ownership on access to credit, purchase of household durable goods, vehicle ownership, vehicle purchase, and accumulation of financial assets. When a less educated family becomes an owner of a bank account, I find a 71 percentage point increase in the probability of owning a credit card, an increase of 1.4 household durable goods, and no change in vehicle ownership or purchase. Although I find that bank account ownership does not affect the mean level of financial assets, I do find evidence suggestive of an increase in the top half of the financial asset distribution which indicates that there may be heterogeneity in the savings response to owning a bank account. Overall, my findings suggest that the most important benefit of owning a bank account is access to credit and requiring lower income families to own a bank account will not reverse their low average savings levels in the short run.
The bad news is that the digital access divide is here to stay

In contrary to the common argument that the digital access divide is quickly closing and that the focus should shift to skills and usage, this article shows that access to digital communication is a moving target unlikely to ever be solved. While the number of subscriptions reaches population saturation levels, the bandwidth divide continuous to be dynamic. The article measures the nationally installed bandwidth potential of 172 countries from 1986 to 2014. The overarching finding is that the divide in terms of bandwidth does not show any clear monotonic pattern. It fluctuates up and down over the decades as the result of an intricate interplay between incessant technological progress and diffusion of technology. The bandwidth divide between high- and low income countries has first increased and only decreased below historic levels very recently during 2012-2014. In general it shows that the bandwidth divide is linked to the income divide, which is notoriously persistent. The bandwidth distribution among all countries is undergoing a new process of global concentration, during which North America and Europe is being replaced by Asia as the new global leader. In 2014 only 3 countries host 50% of the globally installed bandwidth potential (10 countries almost 75%). The U.S. lost its global leadership in 2011, being replaced by China, which contributes more than twice as much national bandwidth potential in 2014 (29% versus 13%). Despite this bad news about the continuous persistence of the digital access divide among countries, exploratory analysis from a global perspective brings the good news that many more individual people seem to enjoy more equal access to global bandwidth. All of this showcases the urgency to systematically develop indicators to track the digital divide in terms of bandwidth. Display Omitted The digital divide measured in terms of bandwidth it not closing.Inequality fluctuates up- and down with technological progress and diffusion.Asia increased its global share in installed bandwidth from 23% to 51% in 30 years.Bandwidth inequality is closely linked to income, which is notoriously unequal.It is urgent to start measuring bandwidth, not merely counting subscriptions.
Assessing Differences between Early and Later Adopters of Accountable Care Organizations Using Taxonomic Analysis

Objective To compare early and later adopters of the accountable care organization (ACO) model, using the taxonomy of larger, integrated system; smaller, physician-led; and hybrid ACOs. Data sources The National Survey of ACOs, Waves 1 and 2. Study design Cluster analysis using the two-step clustering approach, validated using discriminant analysis. Wave 2 data analyzed separately to assess differences from Wave 1 and then data pooled across waves. Findings Compared to early ACOs, later adopter ACOs included a greater breadth of provider group types and a greater proportion self-reported as integrated delivery systems. When data from the two time periods were combined, a three-cluster solution similar to the original cluster solution emerged. Of the 251 ACOs, 31.1 percent were larger, integrated system ACOs; 45.0 percent were smaller physician-led ACOs; and 23.9 percent were hybrid ACOs—compared to 40.1 percent, 34.0 percent, and 25.9 percent from Wave 1 clusters, respectively. Conclusions While there are some differences between ACOs formed prior to August 2012 and those formed in the following year, the three-cluster taxonomy appears to best describe the types of ACOs in existence as of July 2013. The updated taxonomy can be used by researchers, policy makers, and health care organizations to support evaluation and continued development of ACOs.
New Tools for Aspect-Oriented Programming in Music and Media Programming Environments

Media/arts programming is often experimental and exploratory in nature and requires a flexible development environment to enable continually changing requirements and to facilitate iterative design in which the development of software impacts the design of a work of art which in turn produces new requirements for the software. We discuss agile development as it relates to media/arts programming and present aspect-oriented programming and its implementation in Max/MSP using Open Sound Control and the odot library as tool for mobilizing the benefits of agile development.
Pediatric adenotonsillectomy and postoperative hemorrhage: Demographic and geographic variation in the US

Abstract Objective To examine demographic and regional variations in pediatric tonsillectomy, with or without adenoidectomy, and post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage on a national level. Methods The MarketScan® database was analyzed for claims made between 2008–2012 for the 30 days following tonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy in privately insured children 1–17 years of age. Results We analyzed 305,860 patients with 98.6% of these tonsillectomies occurring in an ambulatory setting. Children between 3–6 years old comprised our largest group of tonsillectomies (45.1%). More tonsillectomies were done in the South (42.1%) than any other region in our sample. Patients between 11 and17 years old had the highest percentage of bleeding (4.8%). Patients between 1 and 3 years old had the lowest values. Of the 8,518 children who presented with post-operative hemorrhage, 71.7% had only one hemorrhagic event, 28.3% had at least a second one, 6.0% had at least 3 events, and 1.3% had at least 4 events. Post-operative dehydration had a similar pattern. The South had the lowest percentage of post-tonsillectomy bleeds (2.5%) and overall ER visits (7.1%), both of which were most common in the Midwest. Gender had no significant association with incidence of tonsillectomy procedures or post-op complications. Conclusion There are geographic and demographic variations in adenotonsillectomy and in post-operative complications for children nationally.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Apropos of 450 cases

450 successive celioscopic cholecystectomies (May, 1990-April, 1992) are reported for 312 cases of uncomplicated gallstone (69%) operated electively and 138 cases operated in emergency, including 120 cases of acute cholecystitis, 17 cases of biliary pancreatitis and 1 case of angiocholitis. Immediate conversion into laparotomy was required in 10 cases (2.2%) either for technical reasons (1.1%) or because of lithiasis of the common bile duct (1.1%). The stay in hospital lasted an average of 2.2% days for elective admission and 3.3 days for emergent admission. The average operating time was 65 minutes (75 minutes until May, 1991, and 55 minutes between May, 1991 and April, 1992). Preoperative retrograde cholangiography was performed in 67 cases and intraoperative cholangiography in 16 cases. Second surgery was required for suture in one case because of cholerrhagia in a secondary duct of the gallbladder bed. This cholerrhagia would not have been amenable to simple aspiration. One patient (0.2%) died of myocardial infarction at D + 10. Complications include 4 cases of pulmonary embolism, 3 cases of cystic biliary fistula without second surgery and 4 cases of umbilical hernia. A more peculiar case is that of a patient admitted 5 months after surgery for gangrenous acute cholecystitis. This patient was admitted for fever and epigrastric pain. He had a very low-flow duodenocutaneous fistula of uncertain origin. This patient was not operated again. This may not be a complication connected to celioscopic surgery. Celioscopic cholecystectomy is superseding conventional cholecystectomy. Surgeons' efforts should strive at eliminating operative errors, reducing postoperative morbidity, improving techniques and instruments, teaching celioscopic surgery and extending its indications to other intraabdominal operations.
Neuroteratogenic Viruses and Lessons for Zika Virus Models.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that Zika virus (ZIKV) causes congenital microcephaly. ZIKV now joins five other neuroteratogenic (NT) viruses in humans and ZIKV research is in its infancy. In addition, there is only one other NT human arbovirus (Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus), which is also poorly understood. But further insight into ZIKV can be found by evaluating arboviruses in domestic animals, of which there are at least seven NT viruses, three of which have been well studied. Here we review two key anatomical structures involved in modeling transplacental NT virus transmission: the placenta and the fetal blood–brain barrier. We then survey major research findings regarding transmission of NT viruses for guidance in establishing a mouse model of Zika disease that is crucial for a better understanding of ZIKV transmission and pathogenesis.
Exploring swollen atoms

Near the end of the 19th century the Swede Johannes Rydberg gave science the physical constant now identified by his name. Searching for patterns among wavelength-dispersed atomic spectra, early spectroscopists found empirical formulae that gave the inverse wavelength of some spectral lines. For the simplest atom, hydrogen, the formula involves differences of the inverse square of integers and an empirical constant of proportionality, R, now known as the Rydberg constant.
Data-driven sampling method for building 3D anatomical models from serial histology

In this work, we investigate the effect of slice sampling on 3D models of tissue architecture using serial histopathology. We present a method for using a single fully-sectioned tissue block as pilot data, whereby we build a fully-realized 3D model and then determine the optimal set of slices needed to reconstruct the salient features of the model objects under biological investigation. In our work, we are interested in the 3D reconstruction of microvessel architecture in the trigone region between the vagina and the bladder. This region serves as a potential avenue for drug delivery to treat bladder infection. We collect and co-register 23 serial sections of CD31-stained tissue images (6 μm thick sections), from which four microvessels are selected for analysis. To build each model, we perform semi-automatic segmentation of the microvessels. Subsampled meshes are then created by removing slices from the stack, interpolating the missing data, and re-constructing the mesh. We calculate the Hausdorff distance between the full and subsampled meshes to determine the optimal sampling rate for the modeled structures. In our application, we found that a sampling rate of 50% (corresponding to just 12 slices) was sufficient to recreate the structure of the microvessels without significant deviation from the fullyrendered mesh. This pipeline effectively minimizes the number of histopathology slides required for 3D model reconstruction, and can be utilized to either (1) reduce the overall costs of a project, or (2) enable additional analysis on the intermediate slides.
Re-imagining environmental science and policy graduate education for the twenty-first century using an integrative frame

To meet society’s need to better understand and respond to ever-more complex, interwoven problems of environment, development, and society—including environmental health risks, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development—we applied an integrative frame to re-imagine, re-design, and deploy a professionally oriented, academically rigorous 2-year/12-unit Master of Science program. Our scholar–practitioner faculty uses the framework to tackle complex, real-world problems, emerging from a strong interdisciplinary ethos. It thus acts as a pragmatic system to guide pedagogy, curriculum, research and practice, and student experience. The frame weaves together six domains (6-D): (1) project framing, concept, and design; (2) development topics and sectors; (3) stakeholder interests, assets, and relationships; (4) knowledge types, disciplines, models, and methods; (5) variable temporal and spatial scales and networks; and (6) socio-technical capacities. At our institution, the need to replace 2.0 of 3.5 tenure/tenure-track program faculty posed both a challenge and an opportunity to re-think one of the oldest environmental science and policy programs in the USA which began in 1971. We pose and answer: What kinds of integrative educational experience, curriculum, and research practicum can best prepare environmental MS students in the twenty-first century? Two examples—one domestic, one international—illustrate the practicum.
Anomaly detection in complex systems

Abstract This paper presents a novel concept of anomaly detection in complex systems using tools of Symbolic Dynamics and Pattern Discovery. Anomaly is defined as a deviation from the nominal behaviour and can be associated with parametric changes that may gradually evolve. The proposed methodology is based on two-time-scale analysis of observed asymptotic behaviour of the dynamical system. This concept of small change detection in dynamical systems is elucidated through an example of the forced Duffing equation with a slowly varying dissipation parameter.
Simulated space radiation-induced mutants in the mouse kidney display widespread genomic change

Exposure to a small number of high-energy heavy charged particles (HZE ions), as found in the deep space environment, could significantly affect astronaut health following prolonged periods of space travel if these ions induce mutations and related cancers. In this study, we used an in vivo mutagenesis assay to define the mutagenic effects of accelerated 56Fe ions (1 GeV/amu, 151 keV/μm) in the mouse kidney epithelium exposed to doses ranging from 0.25 to 2.0 Gy. These doses represent fluences ranging from 1 to 8 particle traversals per cell nucleus. The Aprt locus, located on chromosome 8, was used to select induced and spontaneous mutants. To fully define the mutagenic effects, we used multiple endpoints including mutant frequencies, mutation spectrum for chromosome 8, translocations involving chromosome 8, and mutations affecting non-selected chromosomes. The results demonstrate mutagenic effects that often affect multiple chromosomes for all Fe ion doses tested. For comparison with the most abundant sparsely ionizing particle found in space, we also examined the mutagenic effects of high-energy protons (1 GeV, 0.24 keV/μm) at 0.5 and 1.0 Gy. Similar doses of protons were not as mutagenic as Fe ions for many assays, though genomic effects were detected in Aprt mutants at these doses. Considered as a whole, the data demonstrate that Fe ions are highly mutagenic at the low doses and fluences of relevance to human spaceflight, and that cells with considerable genomic mutations are readily induced by these exposures and persist in the kidney epithelium. The level of genomic change produced by low fluence exposure to heavy ions is reminiscent of the extensive rearrangements seen in tumor genomes suggesting a potential initiation step in radiation carcinogenesis.
Creatine Fuels the Thermic Effect of Feeding.

The current obesity epidemic has focused a great deal of attention on cellular pathways of energy expenditure. While a crucial part of this process is diet-induced thermogenesis, the underlying mechanisms have remained unexplained. In this issue of Cell Metabolism, Kazak et al. (2017) describe a new thermogenic pathway in adipocytes that responds to diet overload, involving creatine cycling. These data suggest that this pathway might limit weight gain during overnutrition.
Estimation of Drug Particle Size in Intact Tablets by 2-Dimensional X-Ray Diffractometry

Abstract The average grain size of a crystalline material can be determined from the γ-profile of Debye rings in 2-dimensional X-ray diffraction frames. Our objectives were to: (1) validate the method for organic powders and use it to determine the grain size in intact tablets, and (2) demonstrate the pharmaceutical application of this technique by determining the grain size of the active pharmaceutical ingredient in marketed formulations. Six sieve fractions of sucrose were prepared and the particle size distribution was confirmed by laser diffraction. Their average grain size was determined from the 2-dimensional X-ray diffraction frames by the γ-profile method. For particles 250 μm, compression resulted in a mixture of large grains and fine powder. The grain size of acetaminophen in 11 marketed tablet formulations was determined to be either ∼35 μm or ∼80 μm. This nondestructive technique can therefore be potentially useful to estimate the grain size of crystalline formulation components in intact tablets.
Multiobjective Design of Supplemental Seismic Protective Devices Utilizing Lifecycle Performance Criteria

AbstractThe cost-effective design of seismic protective devices considering multiple criteria related to their lifecycle performance is examined, focusing on applications to fluid viscous dampers. ...
Cell type specificity of local cortical connections.

The function of the cerebral cortex is dependent on the precise organization of the circuits formed by its component neurons. The connections between neurons are not random, but are specific at multiple levels of organization. For example, each cortical area connects to only a selected subset of other areas and within any given area the axonal and dendritic arbors of individual neurons arborize in precise, layer-specific patterns (for review see Felleman & Van Essen, 1991; Callaway, 1998) . In each layer there are dendrites from multiple cell types including cells with somata both within and outside that layer. Anatomical studies have shown that axons arborizing in a particular cortical layer can connect selectively onto dendrites of some cell types in the layer, while avoiding the dendrites of other cell types (e.g. Freund & Gulyas, 1991; Hornung & Celio, 1992; Staiger et al., 1996). These cell type specific connections are, however, difficult to elucidate with anatomical methods, so the frequency of such specificity has remained elusive. Recent experimental methods combining intracellular recording of single neurons with focal neuronal stimulation by uncaging glutamate with light (“photostimulation”) have made the analysis of cell type specific cortical connections more tractable. These studies show that cell type specificity of connections is prevalent in cortex. Here I review photostimulation-based studies investigating the laminar sources of cortical input to distinct cell types in the visual and somatosensory cortices of rats and the primary visual cortex of monkeys.
Physical Concepts for Chemistry

The latest authors, like the most ancient, strove to subordinate the phenomena of nature to the laws of mathematics.
Organ Failure and Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) involves the formation of fibrin from fibrinogen. This results in two important effects: (a) The onset of a clotting defect due primarily to the using up of clotting factors faster than they can be manufactured. (b) The precipitation of fibrin fibers primarily on the most available surface, that of red cells (Fig. 1). This results in the formation of red cell conglomerates, which occlude the microcirculation. It is this second effect which is our present concern.
Association Between Perceived Social Support and Depressive Symptoms Among Community-Dwelling Older Chinese Americans.

Purpose: This study examined the association between social support and depressive symptoms among U.S. Chinese older adults. Methods: Data were from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chica...
A Profile of Becky Sharp

The story of Becky Sharp is at the heart of the literary case study presented in this book. Becky’s exploits are no mere fictional examples illustrating Smith’s theory; rather, the complex and rich narrative of VF deepens our understanding of some parts of TMS while helping us question others. The profile of Becky offered here contains a first sketch of her character and anchors the conversation about the many vices, virtues, and moral sentiments in the chapters to follow. It also introduces the societal system within which Becky operates and her relationship to this system. Becky is well aware of the existence of social inequalities and she resents people for what she perceives as their unfair superiority over her. But she is not outraged by the existence of inequality as such; on the contrary, she welcomes it – just as long as she sees opportunities to be upwardly mobile. Her concerns and interests are egocentric through and through: Becky cares for herself and all her calculations are geared toward her own success. She does not empathize or feel solidarity with those who share her plight, be they fellow governesses, fellow wives, or fellow mothers. People are means, not ends in themselves (Nuyen does not discuss Becky Sharp but focuses on Jos Sedley as a “paradigm” of vanity and a snob. He refers to Kant’s notion of snobbery to explain that the vain person values everything (including other people) as means to an end. Even when the vain person desires something that is inherently valuable (like a virtuous character trait), he or she values it not for its inherent worth but its instrumental nature (Nuyen, Vanity, The Southern Journal of Philosophy 37: 613–627, 1999)). Becky is undaunted in the face of uncertainty and takes risks when she expects high rewards; she has an eye for opportunity and reinvents herself whenever circumstances call for an innovative approach. She is, as the narrator of VF suggests, is a skilled and effective manager, using all tools at her disposal to realize her goals. Implicit in Becky’s story is a sharp critique of the gender ideology that marks Thackeray’s time (For a thorough analysis of Thackeray and early Victorian feminism, see Micael M. Clarke, Thackeray and Women Dekalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 1995). Elements of this ideology are introduced here and explored in later chapters.
A Pinch of Salt Improves n-Butanol Selectivity in the Guerbet Condensation of Ethanol over Cu-Doped Mg/Al Oxides

Improvement of processes that utilize renewable feedstocks to produce chemicals ordinarily derived from fossil carbon feedstocks is paramount to creating environmentally sustainable chemical and fu...
Harmonizing the ACA with State Tort and Licensure Systems and Hospital Peer Review

The Supreme Court’s decision affirming the constitutionality of most of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (“ACA”) is likely to have a profound impact on health care quality, cost and access. This decision allows the country to move forward with ACA programs that encourage the movement from a customary-care model of medical practice to an evidence-based model. However, it appears that the three main state systems for health care quality improvement — the tort, licensure and hospital peer review systems — may stand in the way.
Efficacy of HTK Solution in the Preservation of Donor Hearts

Purpose Various preservation solutions for donor hearts are used nationally. We examined transplant outcomes where we used Histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) solution exclusively since 2004. Methods Retrospective review of UNOS registry comparing our heart transplant outcomes with national outcomes since 2004. Propensity matching (1:3) was performed for donor and recipient age, gender, size, ischemic time , ejection fraction , prior cardiac surgery, heart failure etiology, concomitant kidney/liver transplantation, preop creatinine and preop mechanical support. Survival and postoperative outcomes were examined. We excluded pre-transplant extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), cardiac re-transplantation , heart-lung transplantation , and age less than 18. Results Our heart transplant population had a higher portion of patients with preoperative left ventricular assist device (56.9% vs 32.7%, P 0.05). There was no difference in survival between our institution and the national cohort (figure, P=0.649). Survival at 1, 5 and 10 years at our institution was 92.2%, 81.3%, and 70.8%, and for the UNOS population was 91.5%, 80.2%, and 62.0%. Our institution had a lower incidence of postoperative stroke (1.1% vs 3.1%, P=0.043) and new postoperative dialysis (5.6% vs 9.3%, P=0.028). The Michigan primary graft dysfunction (PGD) rate requiring mechanical support was 4.2%. Postoperative mechanical support utilized for PGD included ECMO (60.0%), right ventricular assist device (33.3%), intra-aortic balloon pump (20.0%), LVAD (13.3%), and biventricular support (13.3%). Conclusion Our exclusive use of HTK solution for donor heart preservation was associated with a low rate of PGD requiring mechanical support. Survival was non-inferior to the national outcomes. HTK is efficacious in preserving donor heart function.
The theoretical links between sequential Gaussian simulation, Gaussian truncated simulation, and probability field simulation

Sequential Gaussian simulation (sgsim), Gaussian truncated simulation (gtsim), and probability field simulation (pfsim) are three algorithms frequently used for conditional stochastic simulation. They were developed independently and are seen as different algorithms in applications. This paper establishes that gtsim and pfsim can be bridged by a simple quantile transform between Gaussian and uniform distributions. As for the sgsim algorithm, the normal score back-transform can be seen as a series of truncations of the simulated Gaussian field. All three algorithms are shown to be applicable to both continuous and categorical variables. In practice, gtsim can be most often replaced by the more CPU-efficient pfsim algorithm.
Reshaping the State: The Unitary Executive Presidency of Rafael Correa

Rafael Correa radically transformed the Ecuadorian state. He boosted public sector employment and government bureaus, increased the government budget, and reinserted the state back into political and economic life in pursuit of his Citizen’s Revolution. I argue that the state’s profound makeover is a consequence of three different factors: a constitutionally powerful presidency, a president who possessed uniquely strong informal powers, and an individual with the willingness to liberally interpret constitutional limits to the power of the presidency. Through an analysis of these three dimensions, I show that what made Correa unique among Ecuadorian chief executives was not his formal power or even his ambition to exercise authority but his informal powers in the forms of partisan support and public approval. The findings suggest that future Ecuadorian presidents should be equally unconstrained in their ability to state-building projects if they enjoy sufficient informal powers and the disposition to maximize them.
Playing Slavery in First Grade: When "Developmental Appropriateness" Goes Awry in the Progressive Classroom.

This article unfurls in the aftermath of an event where three first grade children at a reputable progressive elementary school were found playing slavery during school recess. As word caught on, p...
Distillery spent wash: An emerging chemical pool for next generation sustainable distilleries

Abstract The ethanol distillery generates a huge quantum of undesirable dark brown coloured wastewater called “Distillery Spent Wash” (DSW) or “Vinasse” which has high COD and BOD. Presently, the disposal of DSW sustainably and efficiently is a major scientific, engineering, economic and environmental challenge in front of the distillery industry. In the present manuscript, a comprehensive approach has been made to elucidate the physicochemical properties of DSW and explored its potential for the production of commodity chemicals. The characterization of DSW samples collected from different distilleries throughout India was done by various analytical techniques such as HPLC, elemental analysis, TDS, TSS and ash content etc. Typically, the COD of DSW samples was found in the range of 1, 10,000 to 2, 05,000 ppm (parts per million) due to the variable composition of dissolved organic compounds. Of the total COD, (a) 1-2% is contributed by sugars like xylose, glucose and sucrose, (b) 30-36% by carboxylic acids like formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid, (c) 5-6 % by alcohol like ethanol and (d) 50-57% by melanoidins and caramels. The estimated statistics based on the present study depicted that DSW can be a potential chemical pool for the production of commodity chemicals. Assessment of DSW for the production of commodity chemicals could appreciably contribute to both the economic and environmental aspects of distillery wastewater management. However, future distillery can be directed as a multiproduct industry for the production of commodity chemicals from distillery wastewater.
Falling off a limit cycle using phase-agnostic stimuli: Applications to clinical oscillopathies

For over a century, physiological studies have shown that precisely timed pulses can switch off a biological oscillator. This empiric finding has shaped our mechanistic understanding of how perturbations start, stop, and reset biological oscillators and has led to treatments that suppress pathological oscillations using electrical pulses given within specified therapeutic phase windows. Here, we present evidence, using numerical simulations of models of epileptic seizures and reentrant tachycardia, that the phase window can be opened to the entire cycle using novel complex stimulus waveforms. Our results reveal that the trajectories are displaced by such phase-agnostic stimuli off the oscillator's limit cycle and corralled into a region where oscillation is suppressed, irrespective of the phase at which the stimulus was applied. Our findings suggest the need for broadening theoretical understanding of how complex perturbing waveforms interact with biological oscillators to access their arrhythmic states. In clinical practice, oscillopathies may be treated more effectively with non-traditional stimulus waveforms that obviate the need for phase specificity.
“I Said Something Wrong”: Transworld Obligation in Yesterday

Danny Boyle's film Yesterday (2019) is a contemporary morality play in which the main character, Jack Malik, a failing singer-songwriter, is magically sent to a different possible world in which th...
Criminological Theory and State Crime: How Far Can it Go? (Teoría criminológica y crímenes de Estado: ¿cuán lejos se puede llegar?)

Understanding and analyzing state crimes, in all their various forms (e.g., state-corporate crime, crimes of globalization, international crimes, supranational crimes, and political crimes), present challenges for criminologists, jurists, and socio-legal scholars. This is especially the case when trying to apply criminological theory. One should, however, first consider the purpose of theory. For example whether a theory for crimes of the state can or should be parsimonious, falsifiable, or quantifiable are factors that impact the development and acceptance of a theory for crimes of the state. This article discusses these issues and their impact on theoretical development for the field and suggests that any efforts to develop a theory for crimes of the state must recognize the interdependent nature of reality and their complexities. Given this, an overview of criminological theories that have been applied to certain components of state crime is offered followed by an integrated theoretical framework that can be applied to the various forms of state crime.
Assisting Polyculture Farming in Africa

AlphaGarden is a polyculture garden tended by a robot using a learned control policy tuned with simulation, sensor and camera data. AlphaGarden aims to optimize yield and diversity while minimizing water use. This extended abstract considers how its seed planting algorithm could be used by African farmers.
HCV Treatments and Their Integration Into Rheumatology

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been associated with distinct rheumatic syndromes including arthritis, sialadenitis, and cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CV). The therapy of these HCV-associated syndromes includes antiviral therapy with or without the addition of immunosuppressives while clinical response is mainly seen in patients who clear the virus after antiviral therapy. Despite significant therapeutic advances, existing antiviral therapies with interferon-a (IFNa)-based schemes achieve viral eradication only in approximately half the patients. Recently, oral antivirals that target specific HCV proteins referred as direct acting antivirals (DAAs) have been developed and approved. Short-term (12–24 weeks) combination schemes with or without IFN (“IFN-free” regimens) including these inhibitors clear the virus in more than 90 % of treated patients. Here, we review current therapeutic options in HCV-associated rheumatic syndromes and the potential role of the newly available antivirals in an integrated therapeutic approach.
Novel Mineral and Organic Materials from Agro-Industrial Residues as Fillers for Natural Rubber

Bio-based materials are being developed, increasingly, because of the need for sustainable, environmentally friendly, processes and products. We have made natural rubber composites containing low cost fillers derived from agro-industrial wastes, namely, eggshells, carbon fly ash, processing tomato peels and guayule bagasse. Composites manufactured with 35 phr (parts per hundred rubber) of carbon black (particle size 108 ± 31 nm) were used as a reference filled material. The amount of carbon black was gradually replaced by a specific waste-derived macro (<300 µm diameter) or micro (<38 µm diameter) filler. Despite differences in particle size distribution and surface chemistry, the tensile properties of micro sized tomato peels composite were similar to those of the carbon black reference composite. Composites manufactured using micro sized particles at low loadings (5 and 10 phr) of carbon fly ash and eggshells, as co-fillers with carbon black, also demonstrated comparable tensile results to those of composites manufactured solely with carbon black. Hierarchical cluster analysis partitioned the data into five groups of composites having statistically similar mechanical properties. Composites containing micro sized particles at low loadings (5 and 10 phr) were grouped in clusters 1, 2 and 5. These clusters gathered composites with the highest tensile strength and 300 % modulus. As the amount of non-carbon black filler increased above 10 phr and up to 35 phr (maximum filler loading used), the composites became weaker than the carbon black filled composites and modulus decreased.
Merkel cell carcinoma: histologic features and prognosis.

BACKGROUND. Currently, little is known regarding the potential prognostic value of histologic features in primary cutaneous neuroendocrine (Merkel cell) carcinomas (MCC). METHODS. In a retrospective review of the tumor histology and clinical outcome data (median follow-up, 51 months; range, 3-224 months) of 156 patients with a diagnosis of MCC, the following histologic features were evaluated: tumor thickness, tumor size (greatest dimension of the tumor), microanatomic compartment involved by tumor (dermis and/or subcutis and/or deeper), tumor growth pattern (nodular circumscribed vs infiltrative), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, tumor necrosis, ulceration, and solar elastosis. RESULTS. The overall 5-year survival rate was 67.5%. On univariate analysis, parameters that were associated significantly with survival were tumor thickness (P = .001), tumor size (P = .0002), deepest anatomic compartment involved by tumor (P = .0003), tumor growth pattern (P = .003), LVI (P < .00001), tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (P = .05), and solar elastosis (P = .04). On multivariate analysis, the presence of a nodular growth pattern, low tumor depth, and absence of LVI were associated with longer survival. CONCLUSIONS. In addition to the known prognostic value of tumor stage, 3 histologic features were identified to have prognostic significance: tumor thickness (depth of tumor invasion), the presence of LVI, and tumor growth pattern. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
A conceptual theory of question answering

A theory of Q/A has been proposed from the perspective of natural language processing that relieson ideas in conceptual information processing and theories of human memory organization. This theory of Q/A has been implemented in a computer program, QUALM. QUALM is currently used by two story understanding systems (SAM and PAM) to complete a natural language processing system that reads stories and answers questions about what was read.
Growth, globalization, and gains from the Uruguay Round

Emphasizing the importance of evaluating the Uruguay Round in the context of a changing world economy, the authors base their projections on a model that incorporates certain economic shifts: 1) that the center of economic gravity will shift toward the South and toward Asia (a shift that is already under way and shows no signs of abating), and 2) that the pattern of comparative advantage will continue to change, with the East Asian economies gaining comparative advantage in the production of physical and human-capital-intensive products. The authors argue that these changes in the global economy significantly affect their analysis of the Uruguay round reforms, for two reasons. First, with the global distribution of trade and production shifting toward Asia, the deeper Uruguay Round cuts in that region become more important, giving rise to a 17 percent increase in the proportionate welfare gain after implementation of tariff cuts. Second, without the Round, almost all of the bilateral quotas associated with the Multifibre Arrangement (MFA) would have become more binding and the resulting distortion would have been significantly greater. In this analysis, the global gain from MFA reform is 60 percent greater than it would have been without taking into account the effects of growth. Of course, procedures for implementation of the MFA reforms are more complex than they have conveyed for purposes of analysis. In practice, one must also consider the impact of accel quota growth under the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing. But even when the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing is implemented over the period for which projections were made, quota rents rise for many bilateral flows. This is a consequence both of shifts in comparative advantage toward the supplying countries and of simultaneous cuts in tariffs on textiles and clothing. The projections approach used here may be viewed as a logical extension of the growing econometric literature seeking to explain the determinants of economic growth through regression analysis. By offering a bridge between econometric evidence and computable general equilibrium modeling, the authors hope to combine the two approaches to help shed light on the interaction between trade reform and economic growth.
High sample rate architectures for block adaptive filters

In this paper we propose a variety of architectures for implementing block adaptive filters in the time-domain. These filters are based on a block implementation of the least mean squares (BLMS) algorithm. First, we present an architecture which directly maps the BLMS algorithm into an array of processors. Next, we describe an architecture where the weight vector is updated without explicitly computing the filter error. Third, we describe an architecture which exploits the redundant computations of overlapping windows. All the architectures have a significantly smaller sample period compared to frequency domain implementations. Moreover, the sample periods can be reduced even further by applying relaxed look-ahead techniques. >
Consumers Can Make Decisions in as Little as a Third of a Second

We make hundreds of decisions every day, many of them extremely quickly and without much explicit deliberation. This motivates two important open questions: What is the minimum time required to make choices with above chance accuracy? What is the impact of additional decision making time on choice accuracy? We investigated these questions in four experiments in which subjects made binary food choices using saccadic or manual responses, under either “speed” or “accuracy” instructions. Subjects were able to make above chance decisions in as little as 313 ms, and choose their preferred food item in over 70% of trials at average speeds of 404 ms. Further, slowing down their responses by either asking them explicitly to be confident about their choices, or to respond with hand movements, generated about a 10% increase in accuracy. Together, these results suggest that consumers can make accurate every-day choices, akin to those made in a grocery store, at significantly faster speeds than previously reported.
On: On neuropsychoanalytic metaphysics (2011)

Dear Editors,I was surprised to read in the IJPA that the theoretical base of neuropsychoanalysis, dual‐aspect monism, is incoherent (Talvitie and Ihanus, 2011, p. 1597) or that “discussions on the...