cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The origin of Korotkoff sounds and the accuracy of auscultatory blood pressure measurements

This study explores the hypothesis that the sharper, high frequency Korotkoff sounds come from resonant motion of the arterial wall, which begins after the artery transitions from a buckled state to an expanding state. The motions of one mass, two nonlinear springs, and one damper, driven by transmural pressure under the cuff, are used to model and compute the Korotkoff sounds according to principles of classical Newtonian physics. The natural resonance of this spring-mass-damper system provides a concise, yet rigorous, explanation for the origin of Korotkoff sounds. Fundamentally, wall stretching in expansion requires more force than wall bending in buckling. At cuff pressures between systolic and diastolic arterial pressure, audible vibrations (> 40 Hz) occur during early expansion of the artery wall beyond its zero pressure radius after the outward moving mass of tissue experiences sudden deceleration, caused by the discontinuity in stiffness between bucked and expanded states. The idealized spring-mass-damper model faithfully reproduces the time-domain waveforms of actual Korotkoff sounds in humans. Appearance of arterial sounds occurs at or just above the level of systolic pressure. Disappearance of arterial sounds occurs at or just above the level of diastolic pressure. Muffling of the sounds is explained by increased resistance of the artery to collapse, caused by downstream venous engorgement. A simple analytical model can define the physical origin of Korotkoff sounds, suggesting improved mechanical or electronic filters for their selective detection and confirming the disappearance of the Korotkoff sounds as the optimal diastolic end point.
Role of Gastroesophageal Reflux in Older Children With Persistent Asthma

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) plays a role in inducing or exacerbating asthma. Methods: We evaluated asthma outcome before and after anti-GER treatment in older children (age range, 5 to 10.5 years) who had persistent moderate asthma and were being treated with short- and long-acting bronchodilators, inhaled corticosteroids, and leukotriene antagonists. Forty-six such consecutive children underwent extended esophageal pH monitoring. Of the 27 patients (59%) who had evidence of GER disease, 18 patients underwent medical treatment (lifestyle changes, proton pump inhibitors, and prokinetics) and 9 patients opted for surgical treatment (Nissen fundoplication) of GER. Of the 19 patients with normal pH study findings, 8 patients underwent empiric medical anti-GER treatment and the remaining 11 patients served as a control group. Data on all patients were collected from 6 months prior to performing the pH studies and for 12 months after initiation of anti-GER treatment. The frequency of oral and inhaled corticosteroids, short- and long-acting bronchodilators, and leukotriene antagonists was prospectively recorded. Results: There was a significant reduction in the use of short- and long-acting bronchodilators as well as inhaled corticosteroids after anti-GER treatment was instituted in patients with GER disease (p < 0.05). Two patients (25%) without evidence of GER disease showed significant reduction in need for asthma medication after anti-GER treatment, but none of the patients without GER disease and no GER treatment showed any significant reduction in the need for asthma medications. Conclusions: Anti-GER treatment in patients with GER disease and asthma results in a significant reduction in the requirement of asthma medications. (CHEST 2003; 123:1008 –1013)
Chronic Pancreatitis in Late Childhood and Adolescence

Acute pancreatitis is unusual in pediatric patients, and chronic pancreatitis is even less common. Between 1983 and 1988, we diagnosed 24 patients in late childhood and adolescence with chronic pancreatitis. Our review revealed that chronic pancreatitis presents as recurrent abdominal pain in late childhood and adolescence. Individual laboratory and radiological investigations may be normal during acute exacerbations of pain, but the determination of serum amylase and lipase concentrations--combined with ultrasonography--will accurately identify most patients. We found that endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is a valuable tool in the diagnosis of structural abnormalities. Surgical intervention may reduce symptoms in patients with structural abnormalities. There is a tendency toward decreased frequency and severity of pain as the patients increase in age.
Heterogeneous Teams of Modular Robots for Mapping and Exploration

In this article, we present the design of a team of heterogeneous, centimeter-scale robots that collaborate to map and explore unknown environments. The robots, called Millibots, are configured from modular components that include sonar and IR sensors, camera, communication, computation, and mobility modules. Robots with different configurations use their special capabilities collaboratively to accomplish a given task. For mapping and exploration with multiple robots, it is critical to know the relative positions of each robot with respect to the others. We have developed a novel localization system that uses sonar-based distance measurements to determine the positions of all the robots in the group. With their positions known, we use an occupancy grid Bayesian mapping algorithm to combine the sensor data from multiple robots with different sensing modalities. Finally, we present the results of several mapping experiments conducted by a user-guided team of five robots operating in a room containing multiple obstacles.
Neuropsychological Assessment Using Virtual Environments: Enhanced Assessment Technology for Improved Ecological Validity

Although today’s neuropsychological assessment procedures are widely used, neuropsychologists have been slow to embrace technological advancements. Two essential limitations have resulted from this refusal of technological adaptation: First, current neuropsychological assessment procedures represent a technology that has barely changed since the first scales were developed in the early 1900s. Second, while the historical purpose of clinical neuropsychology was differential diagnosis of brain pathology, technological advances in other clinical neurosciences have changed the neuropsychologist’s role to that of making ecologically valid predictions about the impact of a given patient’s neurocognitive abilities and disabilities on everyday functioning. After a brief discussion of current applications of computer-based neuropsychological assessment, there is a discussion of an increasingly important topic in recent decades—the design of ecologically valid neuropsychological instruments to address real world outcomes. Finally, there is an exploration of virtual reality environments for ecologically valid neuropsychological assessments that make use of current technological advances. It is concluded that a future possible virtual reality-based neuropsychological assessment battery will combine the control and rigor of technologically advanced computerized laboratory measures, the psychometric rigor (i.e., veridicality) of traditional paper-and-pencil assessments, and verisimilitude approximating real life situations.
A New Completely Digital Recovery Circuit Design of High Speed Serial Interface System

In the design of high speed serial interface chip, the recovery circuit of high speed serial data is a difficulty. A recovery circuit of high speed serial data for the high speed serial interface of SATA 1.0 is proposed in this article, which is designed completely with digital circuit and implemented with standard cell, without adopting PLL or DLL analog design. Comparing with the serial data recovery circuit designed with analog circuit, this circuit is simpler and easier to implemented with less area and power consumption. It is applied in the bridge connection chip HPT183 of PATA/SATA and delivered with 0.18CMOS technology.
Public Transcripts Expressed in Theatres of Cruelty: the Royal Graves at Ur in Mesopotamia

The interpretation of the Royal Graves at Ur, Mesopotamia, by their excavator, Sir Leonard Woolley, has long been accepted. Woolley implies that the people sacrificed along with the dynasts went willingly to their deaths out of loyalty, devotion, and faith in the dead monarchs; but other interpretations are plausible. One is that these graves are the remains of dramas portraying a ‘public transcript’ played out in a public theatre of cruelty staged by rulers claiming divine status. State power united with supernatural authority can create extraordinarily powerful ‘sacred or divine kingdoms’; but ‘sacred’ or ‘divine’ kings need continuous contact with the supernatural and affirmation of their divinity. They are obliged to practise acts of public mystification, of which the Royal Graves appear to be examples. Ur's kings may indeed have been strong and their subjects loyal, but it is equally likely that they were weak and vulnerable and that they practised ritual sacrifice to terrorize a restive citizenry and convince themselves and others of their right to rule. Other examples of public transcripts made manifest in state-sponsored theatres of cruelty confirm that the Royal Graves at Ur are not unique but represent a phenomenon of wider historical generality.
Regional, Socioeconomic, and Dietary Risk Factors for Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Differ from Those for Folate Deficiency in Cameroonian Women and Children

BACKGROUND Representative data on folate and vitamin B-12 dietary intake and status in low-income countries are rare, despite the widespread adoption of folic acid fortification. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate folate and vitamin B-12 intake, status, and risk factors for deficiency before implementation of a national fortification program in Cameroon. METHODS A nationally representative cross-sectional cluster survey was conducted in 3 ecologic zones of Cameroon (South, North, and the 2 largest cities, Yaounde/Douala), and information on dietary intake was collected from 10 households in each of 30 randomly selected clusters per zone. In a subset of women and their 12- to 59-mo-old children (n = 396 pairs), plasma folate and vitamin B-12, as well as breast milk vitamin B-12, were analyzed. RESULTS Vitamin B-12 and folate dietary intake patterns and plasma concentrations were similar for women and children. In the subsample, 18% and 29% of women and 8% and 30% of children were vitamin B-12 (≤ 221 pmol/L) and folate (< 10 nmol/L) deficient, respectively. Mean dietary folate ranged from 351 μg dietary folate equivalents/d in the North to 246 μg dietary folate equivalents/d in Yaounde/Douala; plasma folate was negatively associated with socioeconomic status (P = 0.001). Plasma vitamin B-12 deficiency was similar in the South and North, 29% and 40%, respectively, but was only 11% in Yaounde/Douala, and was positively associated with socioeconomic status. Mean breast milk vitamin B-12 was statistically significantly lower in the North (101 pmol/L) than in the South (296 pmol/L) or Yaounde/Douala (349 pmol/L). CONCLUSIONS Folate intake and status are inadequate among women and young children in Yaounde/Douala, whereas low vitamin B-12 intake and status are more common in poor and rural areas, especially in the North. Different strategies may be needed to control deficiency of these nutrients in different regions of Cameroon.
Regulation with an Agenda

The dominant economic perspective on industrial (e.g., telecommunications) regulation is that it is governed by lobbying interests, such that all regulatory windfalls are shared among competing groups based on relative political power. This paper examines how the distributive outcomes of regulation differ if instead the regulator acts based on an "agenda" (i.e., a social welfare function that is a constant-weighted sum of constituent consumers' utilities). Theoretical analysis is undertaken in a regulated monopoly framework modified to account for regulator preferences across consumer groups. It is observed that when (1) there is some group that would not be served at all but for subsidized rates, and (2) the regulator subsidizes rates sufficiently to induce consumption by the group, any increase in the regulator's discretionary funds is captured entirely by that group, rather than being shared. Consequently, windfalls tend to exacerbate cross-subsidies, whereas reducing regulators' discretionary funds reduces subsidies and promotes efficiency.
Erbium-doped zinc-oxide waveguide amplifiers for hybrid photonic integrated circuits

CMOS logic circuits have entered the sub-100nm regime, and research is on-going to investigate the quantum effects that are apparent at this dimension. To avoid some of the constraints imposed by fabrication, entropy, energy, and interference considerations for nano-scale devices, many have begun designing hybrid and/or photonic integrated circuits. These circuits consist of transistors, light emitters, photodetectors, and electrical and optical waveguides. As attenuation is a limiting factor in any communications system, it is advantageous to integrate a signal amplifier. There are numerous examples of electrical amplifiers, but in order to take advantage of the benefits provided by optically integrated systems, optical amplifiers are necessary. The erbium doped fiber amplifier is an example of an optical amplifier which is commercially available now, but the distance between the amplifier and the device benefitting from amplification can be decreased and provide greater functionality by providing local, on-chip amplification. Zinc oxide is an attractive material due to its electrical and optical properties. Its wide bandgap (≈3.4 eV) and high refractive index (≈2) make it an excellent choice for integrated optics systems. Moreover, erbium doped zinc oxide (Er:ZnO) is a suitable candidate for optical waveguide amplifiers because of its compatibility with semiconductor processing technology, 1.54 μm luminescence, transparency, low resistivity, and amplification characteristics. This research presents the characterization of radio frequency magnetron sputtered Er:ZnO, the design and fabrication of integrated waveguide amplifiers, and device analysis.
Transthoracic Fine-needle Aspiration Cytology: Analysis of 82 Patients with Detailed Verification Criteria and Evaluation of False-negative Cases

The authors herein report a series of transthoracic fine-needle aspiration cytology studies performed over a ten-year period at a medical center. The verification criteria they utilized for "positive" and " nonpositive " results are unique to the TFNA literature, as is the authors' detailed analysis of false-negative cases. The authors' statistical findings included specificity, 100%; sensitivity, 79.0%; and overall accuracy, 83.0%. Eleven of 13 false-negative studies (84.6%) were consequent to sampling error; the remaining two cases (both "suspects") were the result of cytopathologist judgment error. In those patients with tissue corroboration of their lung disease, the authors obtained a 93.8% concordance rate between cytology and histology results. They conclude that uniform verification criteria, as well as careful analysis of "suspects" and false negatives, can lead to better patient care through improved quality control.
Inhibition of β2-adrenergic receptor reduces triple-negative breast cancer brain metastases: The potential benefit of perioperative β-blockade

In response to recent studies, we investigated an association between perioperative β-blockade and breast cancer metastases. First, a retrospective study examining perioperative β-blocker use and cancer recurrence and metastases was conducted on 1,029 patients who underwent breast cancer surgery at the City of Hope Cancer Center between 2000 and 2010. We followed the clinical study and examined proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro of primary and brain-metastatic breast cancer cells in response to β2-activation and inhibition. We also investigated in vivo the metastatic potential of propranolol-treated metastatic cells. For stage II breast cancer patients, perioperative β-blockade was associated with decreased cancer recurrence using Cox regression analysis (hazard's ratio =0.51; 95% CI: 0.23-0.97; p=0.041). Triple-negative (TN) brain-metastatic cells were found to have increased β2-adrenergic receptor mRNA and protein expression relative to TN primary cells. In response to β2-adrenergic receptor activation, TN brain-metastatic cells also exhibited increased cell proliferation and migration relative to the control. These effects were abrogated by propranolol. Propranolol decreased β2-adrenergic receptor-activated invasion. In vivo, propranolol treatment of TN brain-metastatic cells decreased establishment of brain metastases. Our results suggest that stress and corresponding β2-activation may promote the establishment of brain metastases of TN breast cancer cells. In addition, our data suggest a benefit to perioperative β-blockade during surgery-induced stress with respect to breast cancer recurrence and metastases.
Abstract 4869: p27kip1 is a metastasis-associated antigen that promotes cell migration in osteosarcoma

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Metastasis is the leading cause of death in osteosarcoma (OS). Despite the advent of cancer therapy, patients with metastasis still have a dismal outcome. Hence, identification and characterization of new cellular targets that are critical to the metastatic process are urgently needed in order to improve both the treatment and detection of metastatic patients. Previous evidence has indicated that cancer patients produce autoantibodies. Many of these tumor-associated autoantibodies target cellular proteins that are essential for tumor formation. In this study, we used a high-density Human Protein Array (HPA) that contains over 8,000 purified proteins, to identify tumor-associated antigens that are associated with metastatic OS at the time of diagnosis. Plasma samples from patients with metastatic (n=10) or localized (n=16) OS, as well as hospitalized children with non-cancerous diseases (n=21) were pooled separately and analyzed using HPA. Totally, 16 autoantibodies were found to be reactive in metastatic OS. Of those, 6 of them showed higher prevalence in the metastatic cases relative to the localized cases and the control cases (p<0.01). One of these autoantibodies targets a cell cycle inhibitor protein, p27kip1, which is involved in tumor suppression and invasion. The higher prevalence of p27kip1 autoantibody in metastatic OS was subsequently validated using a novel HaloLink assay and individual plasma samples. To test if p27kip1 plays a role in metastatic OS, immunohistochemistry was performed on three pairs of metastatic OS cell lines and their parental, non-metastatic cell lines. We found that the p27kip1 protein, which is normally localized in the nucleus, was mislocalized in the cytoplasm in all three metastatic OS cell lines. Functional studies demonstrated that the wild type or CDK- mutant of p27kip1 harboring a nuclear export signal significantly induced OS cell migration in vitro. In summary, our results indicate that mislocalization of p27kip1 can promote metastatic potential of OS. Further characterization of p27kip1 and its related pathways may lead to the development of a novel therapeutic strategy for treating metastatic OS and other sarcomas. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4869. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4869
Crystallization and Phase Transformation of ZrO2-SiO2 Gels

Pure SiO 2 , ZrO 2 and SiO 2 −ZrO 2 gels have been prepared by hydrolysis and gelation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and zirconium acetate solution. The crystallization and phase transformation of SiO 2 and ZrO 2 in these gels have been followed up to 1450°C using differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The crystallization and phase transformation behavior of SiO 2 or ZrO 2 is quite different in different gel systems. It was found that in pure SiO 2 gel, the cristobalite phase was precipitated out at about 1000°C. In the pure ZrO 2 system, tetragonal (t−) phase zirconia was crystallized at about 430°C, t-ZrO 2 crystals grew three dimensionally and the activation energy for growth was calculated as about 365 kJmol −1 . But in the SiO 2 -ZrO 2 system, the presence of ZrO 2 suppressed the crystallization of SiO 2 , and SiO 2 increased the initial crystallization temperature and the stability of t-ZrO 2 .
Bacterial cell wall composition and the influence of antibiotics by cell-wall and whole-cell NMR.

The ability to characterize bacterial cell-wall composition and structure is crucial to understanding the function of the bacterial cell wall, determining drug modes of action and developing new-generation therapeutics. Solid-state NMR has emerged as a powerful tool to quantify chemical composition and to map cell-wall architecture in bacteria and plants, even in the context of unperturbed intact whole cells. In this review, we discuss solid-state NMR approaches to define peptidoglycan composition and to characterize the modes of action of old and new antibiotics, focusing on examples in Staphylococcus aureus . We provide perspectives regarding the selected NMR strategies as we describe the exciting and still-developing cell-wall and whole-cell NMR toolkit. We also discuss specific discoveries regarding the modes of action of vancomycin analogues, including oritavancin, and briefly address the reconsideration of the killing action of β-lactam antibiotics. In such chemical genetics approaches, there is still much to be learned from perturbations enacted by cell-wall assembly inhibitors, and solid-state NMR approaches are poised to address questions of cell-wall composition and assembly in S. aureus and other organisms.
Indonesia's Rupiah and Capital Market Correlation Risk Study for Macroprudential Policy to Prevent Systemic Risk

On the last 3 months, there have been some concerns over the weakening of Indonesian Rupiah currency that mostly driven by bearish trend in Indonesia’s equity market. Though the explanation of this correlation is known mostly due to foreign capital flow in the equity market (hot money), it appears that correlation risk between currency rates, with mostly impacted USD/IDR rate, and capital market is not well-studied and modeled in Indonesian market. The difficulty of the investigation would be to build model that would fit to the observed dynamics of both time-series and computational difficulties. This study will show how the cross-asset correlation between Indonesia’s Rupiah strength and capital market behaves along time. In this paper, auto-correlation was filtered out from USD/IDR rate and JCI (Jakarta Composite Index) daily returns from 2003-2013 data using ARMA-GARCH type modeling and the filtered “white noise” of the fitted data will be used to check indication of the correlated “innovation” existence that will be used in the proposed model. In addition, an empirical study will evidence an indication of global crisis spillover effect to Indonesian Rupiah currency due to JCI correlations with major world market indices, to express indirect effect of the cross-asset correlation risk. The cross-asset correlation is proposed to be modeled using a multi-factor Dupire model with correlated two Brownian Motions of the equity (JCI) and currency (USD/IDR) components for derivative pricing activity. Lastly, several important points are proposed to note regarding macroprudential measures to be taken in accordance to the shown correlation risk.
Understanding Shrinkage Estimators: From Zero to Oracle to James-Stein

The standard estimator of the population mean is the sample mean, which is unbiased. Constructing an estimator by shrinking the sample mean results in a biased estimator, with an expected value less than the population mean. On the other hand, shrinkage always reduces the estimator's variance and can reduce its mean squared error. This paper tries to explain how that works. I start with estimating a single mean using the zero estimator and the oracle estimator, and continue with the grand-mean estimator. Thus prepared, it is easier to understand the James-Stein estimator, in its simple form with known homogeneous variance and in extensions. The James-Stein estimator combines the oracle estimate's coefficient shrinking with the grand mean estimator's cancelling out of overestimates and underestimates.
GIS Development of The Emergency Command System for Electric Power

The Emergency Command System for Electric Power is a visualization platform based on B /S structure to achieve Power Grid emergency management from experience to analysis type.The system uses GIS technology to achieve visualization capabilities,and provides the data display of determined areas,and accurate decision support.This paper makes a description of the popular development technology.With the project of Emergency Command System for Southern Power Grid,it gives the one kind of improvement of WebGIS and algorithms in this application.Using pre-generated map tiles technology to enhance browsing,query,geographical analysis,the efficiency of the plan to solve the bottleneck of traditional WebGIS speed and efficiency.
Positives and negatives of online dating according to women 50

To understand the positives and negatives of online dating according to the lived experience of older women, telephone interviews were conducted with 45 women ages 50+ who date online. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically team coded. The opportunity to expand one's social network for both friendships and romantic partners, the ability to control dating risks and pace of relationship formation, and knowing more about one's partner were significant reported benefits of online dating. Dating online also includes unique risks, such as pervasive lying, attempted financial exploitation in the form of scammers, and unwanted electronic sexual aggression.
Relationships between follicle and corpus luteum diameter, blood flow, and progesterone production in beef cows and heifers: preliminary results

The aim of the present study in beef cattle was to investigate potential differences in follicle size and follicle wall-blood flow between cows and heifers and to compare follicle wall-blood flow between smaller and larger follicles. Cows and heifers were treated with a synchronization protocol and follicles and CLs were measured and evaluated for blood flow. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed on day 50 of the protocol. Cows had larger (P 0.05) in CL diameter, CL blood flow, and plasma progesterone concentrations. Moderate correlations between follicle diameter and follicle blood flow were observed for cows (r = 0.51; P 0.05) among all follicle diameter categories. In conclusion, synchronized beef cows and pregnant cows had larger follicles and greater blood flow than heifers and non-pregnant cows, and follicle wall blood flow was closely associated with increasing follicle diameter
Has the U.S. Economy Really Recovered? A Curmudgeonly Answer

This essay stems from an invitation from the editor of The Global ANALYST (Hyderabad) to prepare a 2500 word response to the question: “Has the U.S. Economy Really Recovered?” The curmudgeonly character of my response speaks to different orientations toward the economic theory of public policy. Most economists identify economics as enabling them to act as policy mechanics, similar to J. M. Keynes’s musing about dentistry. In contrast, I explore the question from the orientation of complex systems theory, explaining in the process that policy action doesn’t so much overcome social problems as it creates them. Such events as the so-called crisis of 2008 are intelligible outcomes of an institutional framework where public ordering has come to occupy the foreground of social action, with private ordering becoming relegated to the background.
The Role of the Family in the IT Career Goals of Middle School Latinas.

Little is known about the role of family in middle school Latinas’ pathway to an IT-related career. This paper will present findings on how rural, Latina girls are thinking about the role of family in their career interests. The 77 participants range in age from 12-13, and most have parents who were born in Mexico and work in service-related jobs. Students described their career goals, influences on their goal(s), how their parents would feel if they chose to be a computer scientist, and whether their goal would be different if they were a boy. Few described an IT-related goal, and parent support was not a factor. Most students reported that parents were the primary influence on their goals, and most said that their parents would be supportive IF they chose to be a computer scientist. One third said that their career choice would change if they were a boy.
Crackles and Comets: Lung Ultrasound to Detect Pulmonary Congestion in Patients on Dialysis is Coming of Age

The 2012 edition of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine states that “ultrasound imaging is not useful for the evaluation of the pulmonary parenchyma” ([1][1]). However, as these words were being written, evidence was accumulating that such imaging was indeed valuable in differentiating
Evaluating Patient Usability of an Image-Based Mobile Health Platform for Postoperative Wound Monitoring.

Background: Surgical patients are increasingly using mobile health (mHealth) platforms to monitor recovery and communicate with their providers in the postdischarge period. Despite widespread enthusiasm for mHealth, few studies evaluate the usability or user experience of these platforms. Objective: Our objectives were to (1) develop a novel image-based smartphone app for postdischarge surgical wound monitoring, and (2) rigorously user test it with a representative population of vascular and general surgery patients. Methods: A total of 9 vascular and general surgery inpatients undertook usability testing of an internally developed smartphone app that allows patients to take digital images of their wound and answer a survey about their recovery. We followed the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9241-11 guidelines, focusing on effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction. An accompanying training module was developed by applying tenets of adult learning. Sessions were audio-recorded, and the smartphone screen was mirrored onto a study computer. Digital image quality was evaluated by a physician panel to determine usefulness for clinical decision making. Results: The mean length of time spent was 4.7 (2.1-12.8) minutes on the training session and 5.0 (1.4-16.6) minutes on app completion. 55.5% (5/9) of patients were able to complete the app independently with the most difficulty experienced in taking digital images of surgical wounds. Novice patients who were older, obese, or had groin wounds had the most difficulty. 81.8% of images were sufficient for diagnostic purposes. User satisfaction was high, with an average usability score of 83.3 out of 100. Conclusion: Surgical patients can learn to use a smartphone app for postoperative wound monitoring with high user satisfaction. We identified design features and training approaches that can facilitate ease of use. This protocol illustrates an important, often overlooked, aspect of mHealth development to improve surgical care. [JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2016;4(3):e113]
Preliminary Experience With The Photon History Generator Module Of A Public-domain Simulation System For Emission Tomography

We are developing a software simulation system for emission tomography (SimSET). All the software is being designed and documented using modern software engineering techniques. As modules in the system are completed they will be placed in the public domain. The first module of SimSET to be released, the photon history generator (PHG), tracks photons through the tomograph field-of-view. The PHG incorporates importance sampling [I] and allows source activity and attenuation to be modeled as voxelized objects in three dimensions. The input format for the source object has been chosen to match the digitized anthropomorphic phantom of Zubal et a1 [2], allowing physiologically realistic phantoms to be easily simulated.
From Categories to Context: Identity Meaning and Political Engagement*

Objectives The objective of this article is to set forth and test the identity meaning theory. Borne out of extant theories in sociology and social psychology, this theory posits that all individuals have a salient identity that is hierarchically superior, that individuals attach a subjective meaning to their salient identity that varies in an interpersonal-intergroup matrix, and that the subjective meaning of the salient identity ultimately guides behavior, in this context specifically political engagement. Methods I operationalize the identity meaning concepts in a public opinion survey and test the reliability and validity of these new measures on a matched representative sample of 400 Americans. I then test whether these concepts predict individual political engagement. Results I find strong support for the identity meaning theory as a predictive measure of political engagement. The meaning individuals attach to their salient identity has a significant impact on affective and behavioral political engagement. Conclusions While a shared categorical identity (e.g., race or gender) impacts political behavior, this research shows that a shared meaning of a salient identity—regardless of what the salient identity is—can also have an impact on political behavior, even if the categorical identities are different. Thus, there is room for a new understanding and conceptualization of identity in political science.
Health education intervention promoting infant safe sleep in paediatric primary care: randomised controlled trial.

Background Few randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have been conducted to improve infant sleep practices. There is limited research on how best to integrate safe sleep information into routine paediatric anticipatory guidance delivered at well child visits (WCVs). This protocol paper describes the design of the Safe Start Study, which aims to evaluate the impact of safe sleep interventions on parents’ knowledge, beliefs and behaviours related to creating and maintaining a safe sleep environment for their infants. Methods Safe Start is a three-group RCT comparing a safe sleep health education intervention delivered as part of the 2-week WCV, an attention-matched control group that receives a scald burn prevention intervention, and a standard of care group. A baseline survey is completed at the 2-week WCV; follow-up surveys and observations are completed in the home at 2–4 weeks and 2–3 months. Participants include mother–baby dyads attending a large urban paediatric primary care practice and their paediatricians. Primary outcomes are self-reported behaviours (baby sleeps alone, on back, in crib and in a smoke-free environment), observations of the sleep environment, paediatricians’ anticipatory guidance counselling about safe sleep and participants’ reported exposure to an existing city-wide safe sleep campaign. Discussion Providing a theory-driven and evidenced-based safe sleep intervention is both a research and a clinical practice priority. This study will advance the application of educational and environmental interventions in the primary care setting to improve the safety of infant sleep environments in high-risk families. Trial registration number NCT03070639; Pre-results.
Pedagogical strategy to improve qualification alignment of students to the demands of potential employers

Bridging the gap between skills potential employers are seeking and skills graduates possess is relevant to Marketing Educators as they constantly search for strategies to improve the professional ...
Single-event latchup measurements on COTS electronic devices for use in ISS payloads

This paper reports recent single-event latchup results for a variety of microelectronic devices that include an ADC, OpAmp, EEPROM, CPLD, PWM, transceiver, voltage regulator, digital signal processor, step-down converter, buck controller and supervisory circuits. The data were collected to evaluate these devices for possible use in NASA ISS payloads.
Origin Gaps and the Eternal Sunshine of the Second-Order Pendulum

The rich experiences of an intentional, goal-oriented life emerge, in an unpredictable fashion, from the basic laws of physics. Here I argue that this unpredictability is no mirage: there are true gaps between life and non-life, mind and mindlessness, and even between functional societies and groups of Hobbesian individuals. These gaps, I suggest, emerge from the mathematics of self-reference, and the logical barriers to prediction that self-referring systems present. Still, a mathematical truth does not imply a physical one: the universe need not have made self-reference possible. It did, and the question then is how. In the second half of this essay, I show how a basic move in physics, known as renormalization, transforms the “forgetful” second-order equations of fundamental physics into a rich, self-referential world that makes possible the major transitions we care so much about. While the universe runs in assembly code, the coarse-grained version runs in LISP, and it is from that the world of aim and intention grows.
Analysis of Revision Surgery of Microsurgical Lumbar Discectomy.

Study Design A retrospective study. Purpose Our objectives were to determine the association between the pathological changes of disc herniation and the interval between primary and revision surgeries and to investigate the frequency and site of the dural laceration in the primary and revision surgeries. Overview of Literature Among 382 patients who underwent microsurgical lumbar discectomy, we investigated 29 who underwent revision surgery to analyze recurrent herniation pathologies and complications to determine the manner in which lumbar disc herniation can be more efficiently managed. Methods Of 29 patients, 22 had recurrent disc herniation at the same level and site. The pathological changes associated with compression factors were classified into the following two types depending on intraoperative findings: (1) true recurrence and (2) minor recurrence with peridural fibrosis (>4 mm thickness). The sites of dural laceration were examined using video footage and operative records. Results The pathological findings and days between the primary and revision surgeries showed no statistical difference (p=0.14). Analysis of multiple factors, revealed no significant difference between the primary and revision surgery groups with regard to hospital days (p=0.23), blood loss (p=0.99), and operative time (p=0.67). Dural lacerations obviously increased in the revision surgery group (1.3% vs. 16.7%, p<0.01) and were mainly located near the herniated disc in the primary surgery group and near the root shoulder in the revision surgery group, where severe fibrosis and adhesion were confirmed. To avoid dural laceration during revision surgery, meticulous decompressive manipulation must be performed around the root sleeve. Conclusions We recommend that meticulous epidural dissection around the scar formation must be performed during revision surgery to avoid complications.
Smart Portland cement curing and piezoresistive behavior with montmorillonite clay soil contamination

Abstract In this study, the effects of up to 5% montmorillonite clay soil contamination on the curing and piezoresistive behavior of the Smart Portland cement was investigated. Smart Portland cement was made by mixing the cement (Type I) with 0.1% conductive filler to enhance the sensing properties. Based on the type of construction, cement might get contaminated with varying amounts of clay soils. Hence, a series of experiments were performed to evaluate the cement behavior with and without up to 5% of montmorillonite clay contamination to determine the effects on the curing, piezoresistivity and strength up to 28 days under two different curing conditions. The test results showed that the montmorillonite clay contamination increased the initial electrical resistivity of the smart Portland cement slurries and also affected the electrical resistivity with curing and the piezoresistive properties of the hardened cement. Vipulanandan p-q models predicted the curing and piezoresistive responses very well.
Lymphocyte-Specific Protein-1 Controls Sorafenib Sensitivity and Hepatocellular Proliferation through Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase 1/2 Activation.

The gene leukocyte-specific protein-1 (LSP1), encodes an F-actin binding protein that directly interacts with the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. LSP1 has copy number variations in 52% of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). LSP1 suppresses proliferation and migration in hepatocytes. LSP1 binds to the rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma (RAF)/mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/ERK signaling cassette, the target for sorafenib, a crucial chemotherapeutic agent for HCC. This study addresses the role of LSP1 in liver regeneration and sensitivity to sorafenib in normal and neoplastic hepatocytes. Two mouse models, an Lsp1 global knockout (LSP1KO) and a hepatocyte-specific Lsp1 transgenic (LSP1TG) mouse, were used. After two-thirds hepatectomy (PHx), LSP1KO mice displayed increased proliferation and ERK activation, whereas LSP1TG mice displayed suppressed proliferation and decreased ERK activation. LSP1KO hepatocytes cultured without growth factors exhibited increased proliferation, whereas LSP1TG hepatocytes showed decreased proliferation. Rat and human hepatoma cells expressing Lsp1 shRNA displayed increased sensitivity to sorafenib, as evidenced by decreased cell numbers and phosphorylated ERK expression compared with control. LSP1 KO mice treated with sorafenib before PHx displayed decreased hepatocyte proliferation. Our data show that loss of LSP1 function, observed in HCC, leads to increased sensitivity to sorafenib treatment and enhanced hepatocellular proliferation after PHx in vivo and in cultured cells.
Instrumentation for the Generation and Detection of Transient Species

The decade that opened in 1950 witnessed dramatic changes in the experimental study of the kinetics of chemical reactions. It started with the description of an apparatus for directly following light-induced processes on millisecond time scales (1) and closed with the announcement of the development of the use of pulses of high energy electrons of a few microseconds duration for studying radiation chemical changes (2–4). In between, the use of rapid jumps of temperature (5) and pressure (6) was applied to the study of the kinetics of chemical equilibrium. All these methods, and related ones developed since that time, rely on the imparting of a momentary burst of energy to a chemical system, in consequence of which the system leaves its initial equilibrium state. The return of the system to equilibrium is subsequently monitored by a technique that is amenable to a high degree of time resolution. The use of pulses of photons and electrons to disturb a system differs fundamentally from the use of temperature and pressure jumps: In the latter case the system moves only a small way from equilibrium, the change in equilibrium position depends upon the temperature and pressure dependence of the thermodynamic properties of the equilibrium state, and no new species are involved.
Uniform Turnpike Theorems for Finite Markov Decision Processes

A turnpike integer is the smallest finite horizon for which an optimal infinite horizon decision is the optimal initial decision. An important practical question considered in the literature is how...
Graphene oxide membranes for enhancing water purification in terrestrial and space-born applications: State of the art

Abstract We present a compendious review of the literature and state-of-art of the research into graphene oxide (GO) membranes for both terrestrial and space-born water purification applications. The performance of GO membrane is compared to polyamide composite properties broadly used in today's desalination plants as well as to other membranes composed of various polymeric materials. An in-depth comparison is also conducted between GO membranes and the water reclamation system onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Based on empirical data from the literature, GO membranes have the potential to reduce the specific energy consumption in both RO facilities and the ISS by operating at reduced pressures while keeping high ion rejection. Mass reductions can also be achieved by replacing components in the ISS's current water reclamation system with a GO membrane. Additionally, GO membranes can increase the water availability for the crew onboard the ISS, raising the count from its current 6 members to upwards of 60 members while retaining energy and mass savings.
A Phase Variable Approach to Volitional Control of Powered Knee-Ankle Prostheses

Although there has been recent progress in control of multi-joint prosthetic legs for periodic tasks such as walking, volitional control of these systems for non-periodic maneuvers is still an open problem. In this paper, we develop a new controller that is capable of both periodic walking and common volitional leg motions based on a piecewise holonomic phase variable through a finite state machine. The phase variable is constructed by measuring the thigh angle, and the transitions in the finite state machine are formulated through sensing foot contact together with attributes of a nominal reference gait trajectory. The controller was implemented on a powered knee-ankle prosthesis and tested with a transfemoral amputee subject, who successfully performed a wide range of periodic and non-periodic tasks, including low- and high-speed walking, quick start and stop, backward walking, walking over obstacles, and kicking a soccer ball. The proposed approach is expected to provide better understanding of volitional motions and lead to more reliable control of multi-joint prostheses for a wider range of tasks.
Resting State Functional Connectivity of the Supplementary Motor Area to Motor and Language Networks in Patients with Brain Tumors.

Background and purpose We examined the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of the supplementary motor area (SMA) in brain tumor patients. We compared the SMA subdivisions (pre-SMA, SMA proper, central SMA) in terms of RSFC projected from each region to the motor gyrus and language areas. Methods We retrospectively identified 14 brain tumor patients who underwent task-based and resting-state fMRI, and who completed motor and language paradigms that activated the SMA proper and pre-SMA, respectively. Regions of interest (ROIs) obtained from task-based fMRI were generated in both areas and the central SMA to produce RSFC maps. Degree of RSFC was measured from each subdivision to the motor gyrus and Broca's area (BA). Results All patients showed RSFC between the pre-SMA and language centers and between the SMA proper and motor gyrus. Thirteen of 14 patients showed RSFC from the central SMA to both motor and language areas. There was no significant difference between subdivisions in degree of RSFC to BA (pre-SMA, r = .801; central SMA, r = .803; SMA proper; r = .760). The pre-SMA showed significantly less RSFC to the motor gyrus (r = .732) compared to the central SMA (r = .842) and SMA proper (r = .883) (P = .016, P = .001, respectively). Conclusions The region between the pre-SMA and SMA proper produces reliable RSFC to the motor gyrus and language areas in brain tumor patients. This study is the first to examine RSFC of the central SMA in this population. Consequently, our results provide further validation to previous studies, supporting the existence of a central SMA with connectivity to both motor and language networks.