cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The control leprous peripheral neuropathy and chemotherapy

Clarithromycin(CAM), Roxithromycin(RXM), Minocycline(MINO) and Fosfomycin(FOM) has anti-inflammatory action and immunomodulatory activity, while the anti-mycobacterium leprae activity is shown. CAM and RXM suppress the rat carrageenin edema, and MINO suppresses the rat adjvant arthritis. There is the immunosuppression on adrenocorticosteroid while the inflammatory cytokine is suppressed. CAM, MINO, FOM suppresses the inflammatory cytokine, while it has the immunomodulatory activity. Fusidic acid(FA) suppresses the inflammatory cytokine with the action of being similar to cyclosporin A, and it has the immunomodulatory activity. New macrolides derivatives, CAM and RXM showed the inflammatory regulation, and MINO showed the anti-inflammatory activity with FA. The combination chemotherapy can be enforced, while peripheral neuropathy is prevented by the control of the leprosy reaction.
Listen to Your Body: Ugly Feelings and the Post-Political Japanese American Subject of Susan Choi's American Woman

About halfway through Susan Choi's novel American Woman (2003), the Japanese American protagonist, Jenny Shimada, undergoes a somewhat puzzling physiological experience that can be described as one...
Crack identification using sensing sheets

Reliable early-stage damage detection requires continuous monitoring over large areas of structure, with high spatial resolution of sensors. Technologies based on Large Area Electronics (LAE) can enable direct sensing and can be scaled to the level required for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), in which thin-film strain sensors and control circuits are integrated on the flexible electronics and deposited on a polyimide sheet that can cover large areas of structures. This paper presents the development stage of a prototype strain sensing sheet based on LAE for crack detection and localization. Two types of sensing-sheet interconnects with size 6x6 inch were designed and manufactured, and dense arrays of strain sensors were laminated onto the interconnects. The sensing sheets were bonded to steel plates, which had a notch on the boundary so that fatigue cracks could be generated under cyclic loading. The sensors within the sheet that were close to the notch tip successfully detected the initialization of fatigue crack and localized the damage on the plate. The sensors that were away from the crack successfully detected the propagation of fatigue crack based on the time history of measured strain. Thus, the results of the tests validated general principles of the sensing sheets for crack detection. doi: 10.12783/SHM2015/374
Volumes of Cones, Paraboloids, and Other “Vertex Solids”

(1991). Volumes of Cones, Paraboloids, and Other “Vertex Solids”. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 64, No. 2, pp. 122-123.
Optimal Control of Production Rate in a Manufacturing System Prone to Failure With General Distribution for Repair Time

The hedging-point policy is shown to be the optimal production rate control policy minimizing the expected total inventory cost over an infinite time horizon for a single-product production-inventory system prone to failure with exponentially distributed time to failure and generally distributed repair time. Then, using Laplace transform techniques, general expressions of the steady state probabilities and the optimal policy parameter, minimizing the expected inventory cost per unit of time, are developed for the general case of repair time. These general expressions are in turn used to deal with the special cases of exponentially, deterministically, and discretely distributed repair time.
Sparse-layer Inversion With Basis Pursuit Decomposition

Inversion of seismic reflection data for reflection coefficients can be formulated using predefined reflectivity patterns as basis functions. When basis pursuit decomposition with a wavelet dictionary of seismic layer responses is employed, the process is a sparse-layer, rather than a sparse-spike, inversion and consequently has improved resolution of thin layers. This is demonstrated on synthetic and real seismic data.
The association between protein S gene polymorphism and traumatic cerebral infarction of children

Objective To investigate the relationship between the occurrence and development of traumatic cerebral infarction in children and the gene polymorphism of S protein.Methods Sixty-one children with traumatic cerebral infarction who were treated in the hospital from January 2003 to October 2008 were recruited.The method of PCR-RFLP(restriction fragment length polymorphism)was used to analyze the A2148G polymorphism in S protein gene.Results The genotype frequencies at this locus were 57.38%,37.70% and 6.55% for the genotypes GG,GA and AA,repectively.The allele frequencies were 76.23% and 23.77% for 2148G and 2148A,respectively.The frequencies of GG genotype and G allele were significantly higher in the children with traumatic cerebral infarction than those in control group.Traumatic cerebral infarction occurred with relatively higher risk in the children with GG genotype at A2148G locus(OR = 3.14).Conclusions The GG genotype at protein S A2148G locus may be a susceptible genotype of traumatic cerebral infarction in children.The research on the relationship between pediatric traumatic cerebral infarction and protein S gene polymorphism is of important signifisance to explore the pathogenesis of this disease and find a good way to prevent and treat it early in children.
A Very Short-term Prediction Model for Photovoltaic Power Based on Ground-based Cloud Images

The real-time and daytime color sky images captured by ground-based cloud imager are object of study,the time series images are processed and analyzed by digital image processing technologies.The estimation of cloud future motion is realized by using cloud extraction algorithm and cloud tracking and learning algorithm.The obstruction state of sun in the future time is predicted combining the location of sun in the cloud images in a day,and then the change of irradiance and photovoltaic power are predicted.The results show that the very short-term prediction model based on the ground-based images is feasible and practical,which provides a significant way to forecast for the photovoltaic power output within 0-4hours.
Consistency in Brain Activation Predicts Success in Transfer.

Recent brain imaging studies have provided new insight into how students are able to extend their previous problem solving skills to new but similar problems. It is still unclear, however, what the basis is of individual differences in their success at transfer. In this study, 75 subjects had been trained to solve a set of mathematical problems before they were put into the fMRI scanner, where they were challenged to solve modified versions of familiar problems. A hidden semi-Markov model identified the sequential structure of thought when solving the problems. Analyzing the patterns of brain activity over the sequence of states identified by the model, we observed that subjects who showed consistent brain patterns performed better. This consistency refers to both how consistently subjects respond to different problems (within-subject consistency), and how brain responses of a given subject deviate from the population average (between-subjects consistency). Early withinsubject consistency is particularly predictive of later performance in the experiment.
Methylphenidate (MP) and nursing telephone intervention (NTI) for cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in advanced cancer patients: A double-blind randomized phase II trial.

9023 Background: CRF is the most common and distressing symptom in advanced cancer patients. Preliminary studies support MP and NTI for CRF (Bruera et al. JCO 2006). The primary objective of our study was to determine the effect of MP as compared to placebo (P). A secondary objective was to investigate the role of NTI as compared to control telephone intervention (CTI). Methods: Advanced cancer patients with fatigue ≥4/10 on the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), normal cognition, no evidence of major depression and hemoglobin ≥8 were eligible. Patients were randomized to 4 groups in a 2x2 factorial design (MP+NTI, P+NTI, MP+CTI and P+CTI). Primary endpoint was Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness-Fatigue (FACIT-F) subscale scores between day 15 and baseline. The dose and duration of methylphenidate was 5 mg every two hours, as needed, up to 20 mg/day. We tested the median difference in FACIT-F subscale scores between the groups using the Kruskal Wallis test and Wilcoxon signed rank test. Longi...
Vertically-Aligned Carbon Nanotubes for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage

Vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes (VA-CNTs) have a large surface area, high electronic conductivity and electrochemical accessibility, and mechanical/chemical/electrochemical stability. These unique properties make VA-CNTs promising electrode materials for energy conversion and storage devices, including fuel cells, lithium batteries, and supercapacitors. This chapter provides an overview on recent development of VA-CNT electrodes with and without heteroatom-doping for efficient energy conversion and storage by summarizing our work on the discovery of nitrogen-doped VA-CNTs as a highly active cathode for ORR in fuel cells, vertically aligned nitrogen doped coral-like carbon fiber arrays (VA-NCCFs) as a high-performance air cathode in Li-air batteries, as well as VA-CNTs and their 3D derivatives as porous electrodes in high-performance Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors.
Transinguinal Laparoscopy for Nonpalpable Testis

Laparoscopy has changed the treatment approach in the patient with a nonpalpable testis. We report a novel method of laparoscopy to diagnose an atrophic, intra-abdominal testis through a contralateral inguinal peritoneotomy.
The mobility process: Why householders think they moved

This chapter represents an extension of our analysis of the causes and characteristics of the racial transition process in middle class communities. In previous chapters, we have examined the determinants of mobility among white residents in this type of community; that is, the relative importance of different demographic, housing and attitudinal characteristics (e.g., racial prejudice) in explaining variations in moving plans and actual mobility behavior. This chapter examines residential mobility from another perspective: the reasons for moving provided by the residents themselves. We focus on three stages of the mobility process: (1) the decision to move from the former residence; (2) the search for a new home; and (3) the actual choice of where to move.
Ketamine: NMDA receptors and beyond

Human studies examining the effects of the dissociative anesthetic ketamine as a model for psychosis and as a rapidly acting antidepressant have spurred great interest in understanding ketamine's actions at molecular, cellular, and network levels. Although ketamine has unequivocal uncompetitive inhibitory effects on N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and may preferentially alter the function of NMDARs on interneurons, recent work has questioned whether block of NMDARs is critical for its mood enhancing actions. In this viewpoint, we examine the evolving literature on ketamine supporting NMDARs as important triggers for certain psychiatric effects and the possibility that the antidepressant trigger is unrelated to NMDARs. The rapidly evolving story of ketamine offers great hope for untangling and treating the biology of both depressive and psychotic illnesses.
Constructing the global citizen: An ELF perspective

Building on research on identity (e.g., Norton, 2013), intercultural communicative competence (e.g., Byram, 2008) and English as a lingua franca (e.g., Dewey, 2012), this article examines how the notion of a global citizen was constructed in a school-based ethnographic study involving students from Asia who were recipients of a Singapore government scholarship. Identity construction in this English-medium school was traced across four levels — national, school, classroom, and group interactions — in order to analyze the ways in which global citizenship was realized. Findings from the multiple data sets revealed that while a skewed interpretation of the global citizen was conceived at the school and classroom level, group interactions among students yielded promising indicators of how intercultural communication as mediated through English as a lingua franca could help produce students who are open minded and work actively to build relationships with others. The article closes with a discussion of possibilities for designing pedagogy to develop global citizenship education.
Benders Decomposition for stochastic programming-based PV/Battery/HVAC planning

In this article, a general Benders Decomposition is applied to solve a stochastic mixed integer programming formulation (SMIP) to obtain the optimal sizing of a photovoltaic system (PV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) to power a Residential Heating Ventilation and Air- Conditioning System (HVAC). The uncertainty of PV-output is stochastically modeled using different scenarios with the probability of their occurring. The total cost of the HVAC energy consumption and installing PVs and BESS is to be minimized cosidering the system is grid-connected and electricity price is varying. A simplified model of a space cooling is used while considering the thermal energy constraints. The optimization problem extends to find the optimal HVAC on/off states, and BESS charging- discharging states for a multi-horizon period.
Tissue Engineered Prevascularized Bone and Soft Tissue Flaps

The complex shapes of skeletal components of the craniofacial region combined with the prominence of the face and paucity of overlying soft tissue create significant challenges for the reconstructive surgeon. The in vivo bioreactor strategy is a promising alternative to microvascular surgical techniques that combines tissue engineering principles with microvascular reconstructive techniques to create patient-specific, prevascularized bone flaps for reconstruction of complex maxillofacial defects. This article discusses the use of traditional vascularized bone flaps; preclinical studies using the in vivo bioreactor approach; case reports that have attempted this novel technique; and future challenges and considerations in the development of patient-specific, prevascularized bone flaps for maxillofacial reconstruction.
Development of a Predictive Model for Drug-Related Problems in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

Study objective Drug-related problems (DRPs) are associated with increased rates of infection, rejection, and graft loss in kidney transplant recipients. This study aimed to develop a model to predict which patients are at highest risk of DRPs to streamline pharmacists' workflow in a chronic kidney transplant clinic. Design Prospective observational study. Setting Chronic kidney transplant clinic at a large, tertiary care, academic hospital. Patients Two hundred thirty-seven adults seen in the kidney transplant clinic between September 16, 2015, and November 30, 2015, who were at least 90 days posttransplantation at the time of their clinic visit. Measurements and main results Prospective data detailing DRPs and a survey assessing baseline characteristics and patient-related outcomes were used to generate a predictive model to identify patients at risk of having six or more DRPs; the cutoff of six DRPs provided a threshold for identifying a subset of high-risk patients on whom the transplant pharmacists could focus their efforts. DRPs were categorized as nonadherence, overdosing or underdosing, duplication of therapy, preventable adverse drug reaction, missing medication, erroneous medication, conflicting provider information, undermonitoring or lack of monitoring, and wrong medication received. In total, 865 unique DRPs were identified, and the most common were erroneous medication, missing medication, and nonadherence, accounting for 38%, 21%, and 16% of the DRPs, respectively. A nine-variable model with a sensitivity of 62.5% and specificity of 66.7% (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.720) was developed to identify patients at risk of having six or more DRPs. The model included the following variables: age, Medicaid for prescription insurance, current employment status, medication affordability, difficulty or lack of difficulty obtaining medications from the pharmacy, negative impact of medications on quality of life, medication nonadherence, poor rating of current health status, and moderate or poor medication understanding. Conclusion These results demonstrated that a straightforward, 5-minute survey completed by renal transplant recipients prior to their clinic visit may be capable of effectively determining those at risk of having six or more DRPs, potentially allowing use as a screening tool for transplant pharmacists' workflow prioritization. External validation is needed before this tool can be used in the outpatient setting.
Designing polar codes to minimize the BER of CRC-aided list decoding

This paper is concerned with polar codes for FEC. One major advantage of polar codes is that it is easy to construct polar codes for a specified BMS channel. The standard polar code constructions are designed to minimize the FER of an SC decoder. However, there are polar decoders more powerful than SC, and for some applications BER is more important than FER. We ask, can the code construction be tweaked to minimize the BER of a CRC-aided list decoder? This paper reports an initial investigation of this question. Simulation results show that when communicating through a binary AWGN channel, it sometimes helps to use a code constructed for a noisier binary AWGN channel.
Testing the arousal hypothesis of neonatal imitation in infant rhesus macaques

Neonatal imitation is the matching of (often facial) gestures by newborn infants. Some studies suggest that performance of facial gestures is due to general arousal, which may produce false positives on neonatal imitation assessments. Here we examine whether arousal is linked to facial gesturing in newborn infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). We tested 163 infants in a neonatal imitation paradigm in their first postnatal week and analyzed their lipsmacking gestures (a rapid opening and closing of the mouth), tongue protrusion gestures, and yawn responses (a measure of arousal). Arousal increased during dynamic stimulus presentation compared to the static baseline across all conditions, and arousal was higher in the facial gestures conditions than the nonsocial control condition. However, even after controlling for arousal, we found a condition-specific increase in facial gestures in infants who matched lipsmacking and tongue protrusion gestures. Thus, we found no support for the arousal hypothesis. Consistent with reports in human newborns, imitators’ propensity to match facial gestures is based on abilities that go beyond mere arousal. We discuss optimal testing conditions to minimize potentially confounding effects of arousal on measurements of neonatal imitation.
Indecomposability and Devaney’s chaoticity of semiflows with an arbitrary acting abelian topological semigroup

We prove that a semiflow with an arbitrary acting abelian topological semigroup is Devaney chaotic if and only if it is nonminimal, indecomposable and has a dense set of periodic points. This generalizes a result of X. Wang and Y. Huang.
Unconventional Conjugated Polymers Derived from a Common Set of trans-Enediyne Monomers

This account describes our recent efforts in the design and synthesis of several series of unconventional conjugated polymers derived from a common set of trans-enediyne (tEDY) monomers. The journey started with a failed attempt, through acyclic diene metathesis of triene monomers, to prepare soluble polyacetylenes (PAs) having cross-conjugated side-groups on alternate double bonds along the main chain. At this seemingly dead end of the project, we found that the tEDY intermediates leading to triene monomers could undergo alkyne metathesis to generate soluble polydiacetylenes (PDAs). Such acyclic enediyne metathesis represents the first example of a solution synthesis of PDAs, in contrast to the conventional topochemical methods. By applying Glaser–Hay-type reaction conditions with selected tEDY monomers, polytriacetylenes were smoothly obtained; these possessed aromatic units directly attached to the polymer main chains, which significantly affected the electronic properties of the polymers. Furthermore, through hydroboration of the tEDY monomers, ‘boron-doped’ polyacetylenes (BDPAs) were prepared that can be considered as PAs with every fourth double bond replaced with a boron atom. These BDPAs represent the first boron main-chain conjugated polymers lacking aromatic units along the backbone, potentially enhancing electronic delocalization along the main chain.
Viewpoint: Challenges in Colloidal Photocatalysis and Some Strategies for Addressing Them

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, or “quantum dots” (QDs), have several optical and chemical properties that give them the potential to enable nonincremental increases in the efficiencies of many types of photocatalytic reactions relevant for energy conversion and organic synthesis. Colloidal photocatalysts have many desirable characteristics of both heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts but come with their own particular set of challenges. This viewpoint outlines some of the obstacles one first encounters when driving reactions with these colloids and offers some strategies for overcoming these obstacles, including ways to extend their excited state lifetimes, prevent corrosion by photogenerated holes, and choose a surface chemistry and buffering system for maximum colloidal stability over a range of environmental conditions.
A preliminary effort toward investigating the impacts of ADS-B message injection attack

One of the disadvantages of the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) communications protocol is its vulnerability to a number of security attacks since it broadcasts information of the flying aircraft carrying the device over unencrypted datalink. As the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has mandated the use of ADS-B by 2020, solid, reliable security solutions are needed to secure ADS-B data exchange. The first step in this regard is investigating ADS-B attacks and their impacts on air traffic. Therefore, in this paper, we describe a preliminary work performed to study some effects of an ADS-B attack category, message injection, using Hardware in the Loop testing platform. Using a set of flight plans developed to generate aircraft encounters, results show that this attack can distract pilots and ground controllers, cause air traffic disturbance, and increase the risk of aircraft collisions.
Fluctuations and correlations in chemical reaction kinetics and population dynamics

This chapter provides a pedagogical introduction and overview of spatial and temporal correlation and fluctuation effects resulting from the fundamentally stochastic kinetics underlying chemical reactions and the dynamics of populations or epidemics. After reviewing the assumptions and mean-field type approximations involved in the construction of chemical rate equations for uniform reactant densities, we first discuss spatial clustering in birth-death systems, where non-linearities are introduced through either density-limiting pair reactions, or equivalently via local imposition of finite carrying capacities. The competition of offspring production, death, and non-linear inhibition induces a population extinction threshold, which represents a non-equilibrium phase transition that separates active from absorbing states. This continuous transition is characterized by the universal scaling exponents of critical directed percolation clusters. Next we focus on the emergence of depletion zones in single-species annihilation processes and spatial population segregation with the associated reaction fronts in two-species pair annihilation. These strong (anti-)correlation effects are dynamically generated by the underlying stochastic kinetics. Finally, we address noise-induced and fluctuation-stabilized spatio-temporal patterns in basic predator-prey systems, exemplified by spreading activity fronts in the two-species Lotka-Volterra model as well as spiral structures in the May-Leonard variant of cyclically competing three-species systems akin to rock-paper-scissors games.
New England Barriers

The coast of New England is vastly different from the barrier island-coastal plain setting of the Eastern Seaboard south of Long Island, and from the Gulf of Mexico shoreline. Several episodes of glaciation have left New England with a rocky, irregular shoreline that reflects the bedrock fabric of the region and the results of differential weathering. Glaciation is also responsible for the highly varied and often isolated sediment sources (Cape Cod being a major exception) that occur along the New England coast. Finally, the thickness and extent of the Laurentide ice sheet, and the timing of deglaciation have produced the widely varied sea-level histories that have influenced different parts of New England.
The Eating Experience: Adaptive and Maladaptive Strategies of Older Adults with Tooth Loss.

Objective:To explore the eating experience and eating-related quality of life (ERQOL) of community-dwelling older adults with tooth loss.Method:Nineteen older adults from the clinics of a northeast...
Structure-function analysis reveals a DNA polymerization-independent role for mitochondrial DNA polymerase IC in African trypanosomes

The mitochondrial DNA of Trypanosoma brucei and related parasites is a catenated network containing thousands of minicircles and tens of maxicircles called kinetoplast DNA (kDNA). Replication of the single nucleoid requires at least three DNA polymerases (POLIB, POLIC, and POLID) each having discrete localization near the kDNA during S phase. POLIB and POLID have roles in minicircle replication while the specific role of POLIC in kDNA maintenance is less clear. Here, we use an RNAi-complementation system to dissect the functions of the distinct POLIC domains: the conserved family A DNA polymerase domain (POLA) and the uncharacterized N-terminal region (UCR). While RNAi complementation with wild-type POLIC restored kDNA content and cell cycle localization, active site point mutations in the POLA domain impaired minicircle replication similarly to POLIB and POLID depletions. Complementation with the POLA domain alone abolished POLIC foci formation and partially rescued the RNAi phenotype. Furthermore, we provide evidence of a crucial role for the UCR in cell cycle localization and segregation of kDNA daughter networks. This is the first report of a DNA polymerase that impacts DNA segregation.
The Impact of Resort Fees on Perceived Fairness and Destination Brand Image: An Exploratory Study

Resort fees have recently come under scrutiny in the United States with lawsuits filed by the state of Nebraska and the District of Columbia against Hilton and Marriott. Researchers have not yet explored what impacts the perception of resort fee fairness or the impact of resort fee fairness on destination brand image. This study surveyed guests who had stayed in a hotel charging resort fees in the last 5 years. Familiarity with resort fees and familiarity with the destination impacted the perception of resort fee fairness. This in turn impacted destination brand image. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
IQ and Sensory Symptom Severity Best Predict Motor Ability in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder

Motor challenges are commonly reported in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Yet, there is substantial heterogeneity in motor ability within ASD, and it is unknown what behavioral characteristics best explain individual differences in motor ability in ASD and related conditions. This observational study examined motor ability as a function of sensory features, attention deficit/hyperactivity symptoms, ASD symptoms, and IQ in 110 children with ASD, typical development, or an intermediate behavioral profile. While motor challenges were more prevalent in the ASD group compared to other groups, sensory symptom severity and IQ across all individuals best predicted motor performance above-and-beyond group status. Therefore, motor challenges may be best characterized by individual variation in sensory features and cognitive abilities rather than diagnostic group.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Rapid Implementation of Adolescent and Young Adult Telemedicine: Challenges and Opportunities for Innovation.

Abstract Purpose This study describes the rapid implementation of telemedicine within an adolescent and young adult (AYA) medicine clinic in response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. While there are no practice guidelines specific to AYA telemedicine, observations made during this implementation can highlight challenges encountered and suggest solutions to some of these challenges. Methods Over the course of several weeks in March, 2020, the Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine Clinic at the University of California San Francisco rapidly replaced most in-person visits with telemedicine visits. This required logistical problem-solving, collaboration of all clinic staff members, and continuous reassessment of clinical practices. This article describes observations made during these processes. Results Telemedicine visits increased from zero to 97% of patient encounters in one month. The number of visits per month was comparable with that one year prior. While there were limitations to the clinic’s ability to carry out health supervision visits, many general health, mental health, reproductive health, eating disorders, and addiction treatment services were implemented via telemedicine. Providers identified creative solutions for challenges that arose to managing general confidentiality issues as well as specific challenges related to mental health, reproductive health, eating disorders, and addiction care. Opportunities to implement and expand high-quality AYA telemedicine were also identified. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic is leading to widespread telemedicine implementation. While telemedicine seems to be feasible and acceptable for our clinic patients, unanswered questions remain regarding confidentiality, quality of care, and health disparities. Clinical guidelines are also needed to guide best practices for telemedicine in this patient population.
Women and trade in the Nupe–Borgu region during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

Women played a pivotal role in the economies of the Nupe–Borgu region (today, Nigeria and the Republic of Benin), a major slave supply area and transit hub for caravans and traders connecting to bo...
Severe maternal morbidity among U.S.- and foreign-born Asian and Pacific Islander women in California.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of the study was to examine the risk of severe maternal morbidity (SMM)—a composite of serious, potentially life-threatening conditions related to childbirth—among subgroups of nulliparous women with Asian and Pacific Islander race/ethnicity. Methods This study used linked hospital discharge and vital record data California to identify nulliparous Asian and Pacific Islander women from 1997 to 2012 (n = 453,525). We examined the risk of SMM for 15 Asian and Pacific Islander subgroups and compared the risk between U.S.- and foreign-born women. Results The risk of SMM was higher among Pacific Islander women than that among Asian women (148 and 127 cases per 10,000 births, respectively). Among Asian women, the risk of SMM ranged from 94 (Korean) to 165 (Filipina) cases per 10,000 births, and among Pacific Islander women, the risk ranged from 125 (Hawaiian) to 162 (Other). With the exception of Korean and Filipina women, relative risks of SMM for U.S.- versus foreign-born Asian and Pacific Islander women were similar. Conclusions Differences in the risk of SMM exist between subgroups of the Asian and Pacific Islander community. These differences should be considered when conducting research on racial and ethnic differences of SMM and when counseling Asian and Pacific Islander women regarding their risk of SMM.
4.5kV SiC Charge-Balanced MOSFETs with Ultra-Low On-Resistance

We report successful design and fabrication of 4.5kV SiC charge-balanced MOSFET with R on,sp of 10 mΩ.cm2 at 25 °C (20% below SiC unipolar limit). This device implements a novel scalable drift layer architecture for a high voltage switch as an alternative solution to super-junction devices. We have characterized the CB MOSFETs from room temperature up to 175 °C and show successful double pulse switching at 2.8kV and J F =50 A/cm2. Total switching loss is 110mJ/cm2 at 25 °C and drops to 95mJ/cm2 at 125 °C.
A Comparison of Patient-Reported Outcomes Related to Telephone Follow-Up Visits and Conventional Office Visits in Medical Specialty Practices.

Background/Introduction: Scheduled telephone follow-up visits (TFVs) are one strategy for improving access to specialty care practices, primarily because TFVs can be completed in less time with low...
The interaction between high-level electronic medical record adoption and hospitalist staffing levels: A focus on value-based purchasing.

ObjectiveThis study sought to understand the relationship of hospital performance with high-level electronic medical record (EMR) adoption, hospitalists staffing levels, and their potential interac...
Thermal Infrared Detector Sparse Array for NASA Planetary Applications

In this work, we present an uncooled infrared (IR) thermal imager featuring a sparse array of resonant pixels that can be monolithically integrated with the readout electronics for long-term operation in high-temperature environments. Each of the detector pixels is made of an IR-sensitive GaN microresonator developed to be operated at up to 500°C. The pixels are employed in sparse array configuration to allow for routing the signal carrying traces and to ease the routing from pixel to circuit, as well as to reduce the power consumption. A 128×128 sparse resonator array with the array density of 37.5% is designed and used in conjunction with the Compressed Sensing method to reconstruct complex test images from highly incomplete data. Capabilities and performance metrics of the recovery technique are explored.
The First George Richardson Lecture, Delivered by Professor Grigor McClelland at the University of Sunderland, October 22, 1996: What Is Quaker Studies?

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Human immunoglobulin kappa light-chain genes are deleted or rearranged in lambda-producing B cells.

We have examined 10 human λ light-chain-producing B lymphocytes and found that genes for the κ constant region have been deleted in each. Only one of the 20 possible κ alleles in these cells has been retained and even this exception is rearranged. In contrast, λ constant region genes remain in the germ-line configuration in each of the eight κ light-chain-producing human B lymphocytes examined. Such observations suggest a hierarchy of light-chain-gene rearrangement beginning with κ and proceeding to λ.
Sensitivity of progesterone receptors to aurintricarboxylic acid: Inhibition of nuclear uptake, ATP and DNA binding

When hen oviduct cytosol samples containing progesterone receptor complexed to [3H]progesterone were incubated with isolated nuclei in presence of 0.2 mM aurintricarboxylic acid, more than 50% inhibition occurred in the uptake of progesterone receptor by the nuclei. The activated form of progesterone receptor appeared to be more sensitive to the presence of aurintricarboxylic acid since pretreatment of non-activated progesterone receptor with the inhibitor and the subsequent removal of the latter prior to activation did not result in the inhibition of receptor uptake by the nuclei. Also, the binding of progesterone receptor to columns of DNA-cellulose of ATP-Sepharose was abolished under similar conditions. When nuclei, ATP-Sepharose or DNA-cellulose were preincubated with the inhibitor prior to the addition of receptor preparations, no such inhibition resulted indicating that the inhibitor may be interacting with the receptor protein and not complexing to ATP, DNA or sites in the nuclei. The steroid binding properties of progesterone receptor, however, remained intact under these conditions. Both A and B forms of progesterone receptor are equally sensitive to aurintricarboxylic acid presence when tested for their nuclear uptake. Aurintricarboxylic acid was also found to be very effective at low concentrations (0.25 mM) in eluting the receptor complexes off ATP-Sepharose columns without disrupting the steroid binding properties of progesterone receptor. Our results suggest that aurintricarboxylic acid is an effective inhibitor of progesterone receptor and that it may be acting by interfering with a site(s) on progesterone receptor which may be exposed upon activation and are involved in such processes as ATP binding, nuclear uptake and DNA binding. These observations suggest that use of aurintricarboxylic acid as a chemical probe for the analysis of progesterone receptor.
Unified design algorithm for complex FIR and IIR filters

A general filter design norm is proposed with the intent of producing a unified design algorithm for all types of filters - FIR, IIR and 2D FIR with complex specifications. The Chebyshev, least squares, and constrained least squares problems become special cases because this norm uses a convex combination of the 2-norm and the Chebyshev norm. The primary benefit of this new problem formulation is that a single efficient multiple exchange algorithm (similar to Remez) has been developed to cover all the different filter types for magnitude and phase approximation. In the new algorithm, a small subproblem is formed at each step and is solved with an iterative reweighted least squares technique which can handle the design of complex filters easily. Finally, the norm definition allows easy trade-offs between the relative importance of error energy and worst-case error.
User-oriented operations research software

Abstract Significant advances in computer hardware and software have prompted the accelerated development of operations research (OR) software. Recently, a widespread interest has emerged in the design of user-oriented model-user interfaces that make existing OR methodologies readily available to practitioners. The feasibility of these systems has created new dimensions in the development of model generators that facilitate the use of OR techniques. This paper describes several programs that take advantage of some of the features of the microcomputer to assist the user in data input and editing, error detection in data entry, as well as model generation. The software illustrates different levels of ease of learning and use, modeling flexibility, and assistance to the user in the modeling effort, as well as in interactive decision making. It also illustrates different levels of user-program interaction.
Unsupported alkoxide-derived silica membranes

Abstract Symmetric silica membranes can be prepared as thin unsupported sheets. The process involves partial hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate which is then poured into polystyrene dishes. The thickness of the layer in the dish is less than 1 mm and completion of the hydrolysis and gelling take place through incorporation of atmospheric moisture. The layer detaches from the bottom of the dish at an early stage such that the microstructure is symmetric with pores about 10 nm in size. The porosity is continuous through the thickness of the gel. The gels dry to rigid foils which fit into a commercial membrane holder in line with a gas stream. The symmetric membranes show gas permeabilities which are inversely proportional to the square root of the gas species molecular weight.
In vitro controlled release of theophylline from tablets containing a silicone elastomer latex

Abstract Two batches of controlled-release theophylline tablets were prepared using a silicone elastomer latex, one batch by the wet granulation process, the other by direct compression. In the wet granulation process, a dispersion consisting of silicone elastomer latex and fumed silica was used as the granulation fluid, whereas in the direct compression process, a dry, silica-filled silicone elastomer powder prepared from the latex was employed. The release profile of theophylline from the tablets prepared by wet granulation suggests that a matrix-diffusion controlled drug-release mechanism was at work. On the other hand, the directly compressed tablets displayed a drug-release profile that is explained by a matrix-eorosion mechanism. Tablets prepared by direct compression resulted in a faster drug-release rate when compared with the rate of those tablets prepared by wet granulation, even though both batches of tablets had the same formulation. In both the wet granulation and direct compression processes, tablets with a higher percent of silicone elastomer exhibited a slower drug-release rate. Directly compressed tablets formulated with a silicone elastomer powder containing a higher percentage of silica showed a faster drug-release rate. With all other factors unchanged, when a smaller particle size of silicone elastomer powder was used in the direct compression process, tablets with a slower drug-release rate were formed. The effect of the pH of the dissolution medium on the drug-release rate was found to be insignificant.
Marrow edema variability in acute spine fractures

Abstract Background context The presence or absence of marrow edema is used in the assessment of fracture acuity in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We have observed variability in the degree of marrow edema in acute trauma. Our aim was to characterize the utility of marrow edema in fracture detection and fracture acuity on MRI. We hypothesized that only vertebral body compression injuries reliably generate marrow edema and that distraction injuries or fractures without compression do not reliably generate marrow edema and may give a false negative MRI examination. Purpose To characterize the utility of marrow edema in fracture detection and fracture acuity on MRI. Study design Two-year single-center retrospective review of marrow edema in patients evaluated by both computed tomography (CT) and MRI in acute trauma setting. Patient sample The final study cohort consisted of 163 patients (mean age, 54.5 years; standard deviation, 23.5 years; range, 8–94 years; 85 men and 78 women). Outcome measures A physiologic measure of marrow edema as assessed by T2-signal hyperintensity on short tau inversion recovery sequence MRI examination. Methods After institutional review board approval, we conducted a retrospective review of 1,215 patients who were evaluated at our hospital for suspected spine trauma with a combination of CT and MRI. Patients were assessed for fracture presence, location, type, and absence or degree of marrow edema. Results The investigation identified 189/1,215 patients who had acute fractures on CT, subsequently imaged within 48 hours by MRI. A total of 94/288 acute fractures did not generate marrow edema. There were 63 patients (83 acute fractures) whose mechanism of injury resulted exclusively in acute fractures with no marrow edema. A statistically significant difference in marrow edema was observed with acute vertebral body compression fractures compared with acute fractures with distraction or fractures without compression. Moreover, certain fracture types were identified that often generate little or no marrow edema in acute trauma setting. Conclusions There is variability in the presence or degree of marrow edema on MRI evaluation after traumatic injury. Only fractures derived from vertebral body compression reliably generate marrow edema. Fractures without compression and/or fractures with distraction do not reliably generate marrow edema and can lead to a false negative MRI. An awareness of fracture types that produce more or less marrow edema can be beneficial when evaluating fractures by MRI.
Analyzing the data from X-ray polarimeters with Stokes parameters

Abstract X-ray polarimetry promises to deliver unique information about the geometry of the inner accretion flow of astrophysical black holes and the nature of matter and electromagnetism in and around neutron stars. In this paper, we discuss the possibility to use Stokes parameters – a commonly used tool in radio, infrared, and optical polarimetry – to analyze the data from X-ray polarimeters such as scattering polarimeters and photoelectric effect polarimeters, which measure the linear polarization of the detected X-rays. Based on the azimuthal scattering angle (in the case of a scattering polarimeter) or the azimuthal component of the angle of the electron ejection (in the case of a photoelectric effect polarimeter), the Stokes parameters can be calculated for each event recorded in the detector. Owing to the additive nature of Stokes parameters, the analysis reduces to adding the Stokes parameters of the individual events and subtracting the Stokes parameters characterizing the background (if present). The main strength of this kind of analysis is that the errors on the Stokes parameters can be computed easily and are well behaved – in stark contrast of the errors on the polarization fraction and polarization direction. We demonstrate the power of the Stokes analysis by deriving several useful formulae, e.g. the expected error on the polarization fraction and polarization direction for a detection of NS signal and NBG background events, the optimal observation times of the signal and background regions in the presence of non-negligible background contamination of the signal, and the minimum detectable polarization (MDP) that can be achieved when following this prescription.
IPEDX: An exact algorithm for pedigree reconstruction using genotype data

The problem of inference of family trees, or pedigree reconstruction, for a group of individuals has attracted lots of attentions recently. Various methods have been proposed to automate the process of pedigree reconstruction given the genotypes or haplotypes of a set of individuals. The state-of-the-art method IPED is able to reconstruct large pedigrees with reasonable accuracy. However, the algorithm is shown to be an approximate algorithm. In this work, we proposed an exact method IPEDX, where two dynamic programming algorithms are developed to compute inheritance paths between ancestors and descendants as well as exact paths between extant individuals, respectively. Then IPEDX reconstructs the pedigrees utilizing the outputs of the two algorithms. Experiments show that as an exact algorithm, IPEDX generally achieves better results than IPED does. It does require longer computation time but is still very efficient for pedigrees which have a large number of generations.
Day Care for Persons with Dementia: The Impact of the Physical Environment on Staff Stress and Quality of Care

This study considers the impact of the physical environment on work-related stress and quality of care in a day care center that integrates demented people and other frail elderly persons. The researcher examined positive and negative differences before and after the program moved to a new, improved facility. Implications for facility design and other program characteristics are discussed.