cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiple Part-Type Production in Robotic Cells: Equivalence of Two Real-World Models

We address the scheduling of operations in a robotic cell that produces multiple part-types. The objective is to obtain a cyclic schedule---a sequence of robot moves and an ordering of the parts---that minimizes the long-run average time to produce a part or, equivalently, maximizes the throughput. We consider two different models that are currently used in practice. The first is a single-gripper cell with a unit-capacity output buffer at each machine. The second is a bufferless dual-gripper cell. We focus our analysis on a widely used class of cyclic solutions, referred to as CRM cycles. The main outcome of our analysis is the equivalence of the two models (i.e., the maximum throughput is the same for both models) under conditions that are common in practice. The equivalence is established in two steps: (i) identification of a subset of dominating cyclic solutions for each model, and (ii) provision of a one-to-one mapping between these dominating cycles such that corresponding cycles have the same throughput. We also analyze the computational complexity of the throughput maximization problem for the two models. The enhanced capabilities (i.e., output buffers and dual gripper) of both models were motivated by a need to improve the throughput. However, the costs of acquiring these capabilities differ significantly. Our discussions with operations managers at a Dallas-area robotic cell manufacturer revealed that the total cost of designing and programming the robot's control mechanism for a cell with output buffers is about 20% less than that for a dual-gripper cell. The equivalence of the two models is, therefore, somewhat surprising and has significant practical implications. For cells that operationalize CRM cycles, the use of output buffers instead of a dual gripper can result in considerable savings without compromising throughput.
Resisting Unlawful Arrest in Mississippi: Resisting the Modern Trend

The national trend, during the past forty years, has been to do away with the common law right to resist an unlawful arrest. The right has been abrogated by judicial decree as well as legislative enactment. Elimination of the right is based on several factors, including the development of modern criminal procedure, the ability of criminal defendants to seek redress via other means, and the improvement of jail conditions. In the rush to eliminate a right perceived as against contemporary public policy, the courts have paid little attention to the original justification for the rule - that an illegal arrest is an affront to the dignity and sense of justice of the arrestee - and instead have focused on the alternatives to forcible resistance that have been developed, such as civil suits and the writ of habeas corpus. Mississippi is one of a dozen states that still permit a person to resist an unlawful arrest. Almost all of these states are located in the South. The question this geographical anomaly raises is why has the right to resist arrest survived in the South, and Mississippi in particular? This article suggests that a possible explanation may be the influence of uniquely Southern conceptions of honor and the right to use deadly force in self-defense. Historians have long acknowledged that Southern culture strongly supports the importance of personal honor and condones a "subculture of violence." This article examines the development and history of the right to resist an unlawful arrest at common law and in the United States, scholarly criticism of the common law rule, and the current status of the rule in the United States, the Southern "subculture of violence" and how that relates to cases involving resisting arrest in Mississippi. All Mississippi cases involving claims of a right to resist unlawful arrest are examined. The language of the Mississippi cases provides support for the argument that the right to resist arrest has remained entrenched in Southern law, and helps to explain why Southern states generally and Mississippi in particular have chosen to retain a common law rule which has fallen into disrepute in other regions of the country.
Genetic evidence for Gln3p-independent, nitrogen catabolite repression-sensitive gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The expression of many nitrogen catabolic genes decreases to low levels when readily used nitrogen sources (e.g., asparagine and glutamine) are provided in the growth medium; this physiological response is termed nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR). Transcriptional activation of these genes is mediated by the cis-acting element UASNTR and the trans-acting factor Gln3p. A second protein encoded by URE2 possesses the genetic characteristics of a negative regulator of nitrogen catabolic gene expression. A third locus, DAL80, encodes a repressor that binds to sequences required for Gln3p-dependent transcription and may compete with Gln3p for binding to them. These observations are consistent with an NCR regulatory pathway with the structure environmental signal-->Ure2p-->(Gln3p/Dal80p)-->UASNTR operation-->NCR-sensitive gene expression. If NCR-sensitive gene expression occurs exclusively by this pathway, as has been thought to be the case, then the NCR sensitivity of a gene's expression should be abolished by a ure2 delta mutation. This expectation was not realized experimentally; the responses of highly NCR-sensitive genes to ure2 delta mutations varied widely. This suggested that NCR was not mediated exclusively through Ure2p and Gln3p. We tested this idea by assaying GAP1, CAN1, DAL5, PUT1, UGA1, and GLN1 expression in single, double, and triple mutants lacking Gln3p, Dal80p, and/or Ure2p. All of these genes were expressed in the triple mutant, and this expression was NCR sensitive for four of the six genes. These results indicate that the NCR regulatory network consists of multiple branches, with the Ure2p-Gln3p-UASNTR pathway representing only one of them.
A congestion control mechanism in wireless ATM access networks

Wireless ATM is a rapidly evolving technology in the telecommunications field. One of the many issues that needs to be addressed in this technology is congestion control in the wireless part of the ATM network. This paper deals with wireless ATM congestion control, taking into account the impairments of the wireless link. The wireless link bit error rate quality, the overheads of the wireless ATM MAC protocol, the retransmissions needed in several ATM connections are some of the issues considered by the congestion mechanism proposed in this paper.
Response to Comment on Shukla et al. Food Order Has a Significant Impact on Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Levels. Diabetes Care 2015;38:e98-e99.

We appreciate the opportunity to respond to Imai et al. (1) regarding our recently published article on the impact of food order on postprandial glucose and insulin levels (2). As we mentioned in our article, the data on this subject are quite limited and we were unable to elaborate on their referenced study due to limitations of word count (3). There are, however, substantial differences in the design and results of the two studies that merit further discussion. In their study (3), Imai et al. investigated the effect …
Palpitations and lightheadedness in a 42-year-old man.

(1995). Palpitations and Lightheadedness in a 42-year-old Man. Hospital Practice: Vol. 30, No. 11, pp. 24O-24S.
Ontogenesis of epidermal growth factor in liver of BALB mice

To characterize the ontogenesis of hepatic epidermal growth factor (EGF) metabolism in normal BALB mice, we measured serum and liver concentrations of EGF and liver concentrations of pre-pro EGF mRNA. Female and male animals were studied at 1, 2, 5, 7, and 10 wk of life. After death, body weight and length were measured, and serum and liver tissues were collected for EGF determinations. Immunoreactive serum EGF (means +/- SE) increased at 7 and 10 wk and was significantly higher (P less than 0.05) in males (465 +/- 58 and 683 +/- 120 pg/ml) than females (188 +/- 52 and 295 +/- 64 pg/ml). Liver EGF concentrations were low at 1, 2, and 5 wk, significantly increasing (P less than 0.01) at 10 wk to 179 +/- 36 vs. 268 +/- 49 pg/mg protein for females and males, respectively (female and male values were significantly different, P less than 0.01). Pre-pro EGF mRNA was examined at 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10 wk. EGF message increased in liver to highest values at 10 wk in both males and females. There was a high correlation between serum and liver EGF concentrations during the first 10 wk (r = 0.97 and 0.85 for males and females, respectively) and a twofold increase in liver EGF mRNA between 3 and 10 wk of postnatal life. These results suggest that liver may be an important source of circulating EGF in developing BALB mice.
5.3 Liminality: Interpreting Research on Learning in the Context of the History of Childhood

How childhood has been investigated and interpreted in the twentieth century is examined with regard to how “normal” learning takes place from infancy to adolescence. Social and behavioral scientists in the twentieth century at major universities in the United States and Canada following from European models pursued efforts to formalize normal stages of child growth and learning by age level. Funded by major philanthropies and government agencies, research agendas were developed that were guided by positivistic assumptions about psychological and biological reality based on medical models of research into human growth. Researchers assumed that their efforts would lead to universal truths about human learning. They neglected to take into account cultural and social factors that influence learning characteristics and official interpretations of what constitutes supposedly advanced versus delayed learning patterns. Major figures and social movements such as the mental hygiene movement that influenced research are included in the discussion. Basic concepts about human development were established in this period. It is concluded that it is vital that historians visit these ideas and their origins in a critical way.
Simple Clinical Measures

The purpose of this article is to present for physical therapists a broad array of subjective and objective options for simple clinical measures. These measures are relatively inexpensive, easy to apply, technologically simple, and useful in everyday patient assessment. Clinical considerations for applying the measures are given.
The occurrence and possible functional significance of spiral smooth muscle cells and connective tissue fibers.

There is a fairly extensive literature on this subject,1 which cannot be discussed here even though recent work on the contraction of smooth muscle and the production of tonus pays but scant attention to its possible significance. In this place only those findings will be reported, which, as far as I know, have not been described in smooth muscle and connective tissue.The material studied was the stomach of the frog, colon of the guinea pig, caecum of the rabbit, and duodenum and lower small intestine of the dog. The chief fixative was Orth's solution. The sections were cut from paraffin blocks.2 The most instructive slides were obtained when the plane of the section was tangential to the surface of the gut or parallel to the direction of the spiral fold in the rabbit's caecum.Results: Muscle nuclei with a spiral or rather helicoid twist may be observed in every section, particularly if the gut was well contracted. They are most numerous at or near Auerbach's plexus, both in the circular and longitudinal ...
Effect of Ethanol on Plasma Glucose and Insulin in the Fasted Dog.

Summary1. Plasma alcohol levels of 143 to 286 mg % were achieved by intravenous infusion of ethanol (0.5 to 1.0 g per kg) into 9 dogs which had been deprived of food for varying periods. Three patterns of blood sugar response were observed: Blood sugar rose in a single animal which had been fasted for 36 hours; hypoglycemia occurred in 6 of 8 animals which had been starved for 3 to 8 days; and blood sugar was unaltered in the remaining 2 animals. 2. Concurrent changes in circulating immunologically-reac-X Since the completion of the present studies, Lochner and Madison(16) have reported that ethanol invariably lowers blood sugar in dogs with chronic end-to-side portacaval shunts which have been fasted for 3 days. Their more uniform experience might reflect a more percarious balance of endogenous glucose production in the “shunted” animal, a suggestion which is reinforced by the recent demonstration that such dogs exhibit an altered response to exogenous insulin (17).
Emergence of resistance to carbapenem antibiotics in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Seven pairs of isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa obtained before treatment and after emergence of resistance were examined for changes in MIC of both imipenem and meropenem, and for changes in outer membrane protein profile
Yearling trait comparisons among inbred lines and selected noninbred and randomly bred control groups of Rambouillet, Targhee and Columbia ewes.

Inbreeding with concurrent selection was used to develop 26 Rambouillet, 20 Targhee and 10 Columbia inbred lines of sheep. Inbreeding coefficients averaged 30, 29 and 30% for the three breeds, respectively, at the conclusion of the study. A selected noninbred control group and a randomly bred unselected control group were maintained for each breed. Yearling traits were evaluated for 545 Rambouillet, 572 Targhee and 411 Columbia yearling ewes, each belonging to one of the inbred lines or control groups. In each breed, the selected controls were generally of greatest overall merit, the unselected controls intermediate and the inbred lines of least merit. Only a few yearling traits of only a few inbred lines were superior (P less than .05) to those of their appropriate selected control groups. Selection within inbred lines was generally ineffective in offsetting inbreeding depression. However, single trait selection for traits of high heritability, notably yearling weight, clean fleece weight and staple length, appeared to compensate for inbreeding effects on those traits. Deleterious consequences of inbreeding were particularly apparent in yearling weight, average daily gain, type and condition scores, grease and clean fleece weights and index of overall merit. Inbreeding also resulted in fewer neck folds among inbreds of all three breeds. Correlations between the rankings of inbred lines at weaning and yearling ages were high for traits of higher heritability. Superiority of the selected controls in most traits was of about the same magnitude at weaning and yearling ages. In no case did the final overall merit (index value) of an inbred line of any of the three breeds significantly exceed the overall merit of its respective selected control group.
Implanting Young Bulls with Zeranol from Birth to Four Slaughter Ages: I. Live Measurements, Behavior, Masculinity and Carcass Characteristics

Seventy-two Simmental bull calves were allotted randomly at birth to either a zeranol (Ralgro) implanted (I) treatment or a nonimplanted control (C) group. At birth, bulls assigned to the I treatment were implanted with 36 mg of zeranol and reimplanted at average intervals of 84 d until slaughter. Calves were weaned at 7.2 mo, preconditioned for 2 wk, and randomly assigned by treatment to slaughter ages of 12.0, 13.8, 15.7 and 17.4 mo and fed an 83% concentrate diet until slaughter. At 7.7 mo and all slaughter ages, live weights and hip heights were similar (P greater than .10), but I bulls had lower (P less than .05) masculinity scores than C bulls. Scrotal circumferences for I bulls were smaller (P less than .05) at 7.7, 12.0, 13.8 and 15.7 mo, but similar (P greater than .10) at 17.4 mo to C bulls. Behavioral observations of passive bunting, mounting attempts, facility rubbing and overall activity were less (P less than .05) for I bulls than C bulls from 12.0 to 13.8 mo but similar (P greater than .10) from 13.8 to 17.4 mo. Aggressive bunting was less (P less than .05) for I bulls during five of the seven observation times for the 12.0-to-13.8-mo period only. Slaughter and carcass weights and dressing percentages were similar (P greater than .10) for I and C bulls. Skeletal maturity and marbling scores, fat thicknesses, yield grades and 9-10-11th rib fat percentages were higher (P less than .05) and lean maturities, forehead hide weights, high dermis thicknesses, femur measurements and 9-10-11th rib bone weights and percentages were lower (P less than .05) for I than C bulls. Rib eye areas and carcass masculinity traits of jump muscle and crest of I bulls were less (P less than .05) at 13.8 mo but reached similar (P greater than .10) development to C bulls at 15.7 mo. Testicle weights of I bulls were lighter (P less than .05) at 12.0, 13.8 and 15.7 mo, but similar (P greater than .10) to C bulls at 17.4 mo. Growth traits (all weights plus hide and femur measurements) and maturation traits (skeletal and lean maturities, marbling scores, fat thicknesses and pizzle eye sizes) increased the most from 12.0 to 13.8 mo and 13.8 to 15.7 mo, respectively. We concluded that implanting young bulls with zeranol from birth to slaughter had minimal effects on live measurements, improved carcass desirability and delayed masculinity and behavioral development.
Umbilical hernias: the cost of waiting.

Umbilical hernias are well described in the literature, but its impact on health care is less understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of non-operative management of umbilical hernias on cost, work absenteeism, and resource utilization. The Truven Health Database, consisting of 279 employers and over 3000 hospitals, was reviewed for all umbilical hernia patients, aged 18–64 who were enrolled in health plans for 12 months prior to surgery and 12 months after surgery. Patients were excluded if they had a recurrence or had been offered a “no surgery” approach within 1 year of the index date. The remaining patients were separated into surgery (open or laparoscopic repair) or no surgery (NS). Post-cost analysis at 90 and 365 days and estimated days off from work were reviewed for each group. The non-surgery cohort had a higher proportion of females and comorbidity index. Adjusted analysis showed significantly higher 90 and 365 costs for the surgery group (p < 0.0001), though the cost difference did decrease over time. NS group had significantly higher estimated days of health-care utilization at both the 90 (1.99 vs. 3.58 p < 0.0001) and 365 (8.69 vs. 11.04 p < 0.0001) day post-index mark. A subgroup analysis demonstrated laparoscopic repair had higher costs compared to open primarily due to higher index procedure costs (p < 0.05). Though the financial costs were found to be higher in the surgery group, the majority of these were due to the surgery itself. Significantly higher days of health-care utilization and estimated days off work were experienced in the NS group. It is our belief that early operative intervention will lead to decreased costs and resource utilization.
‘I like the way you move’: Theorizing fat, black and sexy:

Moving past conceptualizations of ‘mammy,’ this article discusses fat black female sexuality through experiences of black women in the plus size fashion world. I posit that these women, their cloth...
Improved Reporting of Randomized Controlled Trials in the Urologic Literature

Abstract Background Well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have the potential to provide high-quality evidence to inform questions of therapy and prevention, but this potential is contingent on the use of appropriate methods and transparent reporting. Objective To systematically assess the quality of urology RCT reporting and identify trends over time. Design, setting, and participants All RCTs published in four leading urology journals in 2013 were identified and compared to a prior analysis of studies from 1996 and 2004. Two reviewers abstracted data based on the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis A summary reporting score (range: 0–22) for each study was determined. Mean overall scores for 1996, 2004, and 2013 were compared using analysis of variance. We used χ 2 to compare the reporting frequency of individual criteria. Results and limitations Mean CONSORT scores for RCTs were 15.6±2.0 in 2013 ( n =82), 12.0±0.3 in 2004 ( n =87), and 10.2±0.3 in 1996 ( n =65); p Conclusions There has been a substantial improvement in reporting quality of RCTs in urology since CONSORT. Some methodological criteria remain underreported, and increased efforts are necessary to further this improvement. Patient summary Treatment decisions are often based on data from randomized controlled trials. We looked at whether these trials in urology are transparent in reporting their design and conduct using a framework known as the CONSORT criteria and found significant improvements over time. Some areas of deficiency remain, and our paper aimed to highlight these drawbacks to promote continued high-quality research.
Performance Analysis of Sliding Window Turbo Decoding Algorithms for 3GPP FDD Mode

In this paper we analyze the performance of a turbo decoder using two sliding window algorithms for the frequency division duplex (FDD) mode of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard. Focusing on the solution for the user equipment, we compare fixed-point realizations of the sliding window algorithms in terms of the computational complexity and memory requirements. We show that the bit and frame error rate performance of the sliding window scheme strongly depends on the guard window size. Furthermore, simulation results indicate that relatively small guard window sizes can significantly decrease the iteration gain for large frames. Finally, optimization of the windowing parameters achieves the desired trade-off between the performance degradation introduced by a windowing approach and the computational complexity and memory utilization.
INFLUENCE OF AGE AND ENDOCRINE FACTORS ON THE VOLUME OF BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA

AbstractTo determine whether endocrine factors influence the volume of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), 23 hormonal factors were measured in the serum of 64 men ages 42 to 71 years with low volume prostatic cancer and these levels were correlated with the volume of benign hyperplastic tissue in their radical prostatectomy specimens. With age there was a significant increase in the volume of BPH. Also with age there was a significant decrease in the serum levels of free testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandronsterone (DHA), dehydroepiandronsterone sulphate (DHA-S), Δ5-androstenediol, and 17-hydroxypregnenolone, and a significant increase in sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), LH, and FSH. When BPH volume and hormone levels were corrected for age, BPH volume correlated positively with free testosterone, estradiol, and estriol.These data indicate that with age patients with larger volumes of BPH have higher serum androgen and estrogen levels suggesting that serum androgen and estrogen levels may b...
Do brand characteristics contribute significantly to variability in toxicant exposure in smokers? Data from NHANES 2007-2012.

INTRODUCTION This study sought to quantify the difference in serum cotinine and other biomarkers indicative of cigarette smoking in current US cigarette smokers attributable to brand level versus individual level factors. METHODS A total of 2,558 daily exclusive smokers, 20 years and older in the United States participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2007-2012 and provided biospecimens and cigarette brand information. Biomakers of interest were serum cotinine, and urinary NNAL, PAHs, and heavy metals. Adjustments were made for person-level factors (e.g., sex, age, race, education), smoking behavior (cigarettes per day), brand, tar group (≤ 6mg, >6-15mg, >15mg), and menthol status. RESULTS The most commonly reported brands of US cigarettes were Marlboro, Newport, Camel, and Pall Mall. Cotinine levels differed by age (p=0.0065), race (p<0.0001), and cigarettes smoked per day (p<0.0001) but not brand, tar or menthol. Brand family was significantly associated with urinary levels of NNAL, 1HP, HFs, and HPHs. For NNAL. Person-level factors accounted for some of these differences. No consistent differences in metal exposure by brand were noted. Overall, brand information accounted for 2-8% of variance depending on the marker. Together, age, sex, race, education, and cigarettes smoked per day accounted for 20% in variance in cotinine levels, and adding the brand information (brand family, tar group, menthol) to the model accounted for an additional 0.5% (p<0.0948). In the full multivariate model, no significant difference in cotinine was seen by brand (p=0.2205), tar (p=0.2987) or menthol (p=0.1583). CONCLUSIONS Brand to brand differences seen in serum cotinine levels and other biomarkers indicative of cigarette smoking between the top US cigarette brands from 2007-2012 are primarily driven by individual differences among smokers, and to a lesser extent by differences among products.
Mechanistic quantification of microcracks from dynamic distributed sensing of strains

AbstractMonitoring of distributed strains provides important information about the behavior of structural systems. However, detection and quantification of cracks while still at micro size levels w...
On Linear Fractional Representations of Systems with Parametric Uncertainty

Abstract This paper introduces a new procedure to obtain low order linear Pactional representations of systems with parametric uncertainty. It is based on recursive sum and product decompositions of multidimensional polynomial matrices that reduce the problem to trivial representations of affine polynomial matrices. This approach is illustrated with a simple example.
Frequency of 6-week follow-up appointment scheduling after intrauterine device insertion.

Introduction Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is widely recommended to reduce unintended pregnancy in the USA. As intrauterine device (IUD) use increases, evaluating the role of post-insertion follow-up is important. Methods A retrospective patient record review was conducted to assess the follow-up experience of women who had an IUD placed at the University of Kansas Medical Center from 1 January to 30 June 2015. Data were collected on patient demographics, IUD placement, follow-up visit attendance, and outcomes in the 12 months following placement. The primary outcome of interest was the proportion of patients who attended a 6-week follow-up visit. Secondary outcomes included adverse events detected at the 6-week visit and IUD removal within a year of placement. Results Among 380 women who had an IUD inserted, physician documentation of a recommended 6-week follow-up visit was present in 91.3% of patient medical records. Two-thirds (66.6%) of patients receiving a recommendation returned for a follow-up visit. Of the 380 women who had an IUD placed, 66 (17.4%) had their IUD removed within 1 year of placement. Of those, 50 women attended the 6-week follow-up visit and 16 did not (19.8% vs 12.6%, p=0.08). Of the IUD removals, 14 occurred at the 6-week visit. After excluding IUD removals which occurred at the 6-week visit, attending a 6-week follow-up visit was not associated with IUD removal or retention (p=0.52). Conclusion Despite recommendations to forgo the 6-week follow-up visit, visits were still common, with no demonstrated value added.
Constructing insignificance: critical race perspectives on institutional failure in environmental justice communities

Environmental justice (EJ) literature rarely offers an explicit theory of race to explain processes of disparate environmental exposure and recourse in non-white and low-income communities. Failing...
Cognitive domain ontologies in a memristor crossbar architecture

Cognitive agents are typically utilized in autonomous systems for automated decision making. These systems interact at real time with their environment and are generally heavily power constrained. Thus, there is a strong need for a real time agent running on a low power platform. This paper examines how some of the components of a cognitive agent can be executed in memristor crossbar circuits capable of highly parallel instruction execution. The agent examined is the Cognitively Enhanced Complex Event Processing (CECEP) architecture. This is an autonomous decision support tool that reasons like humans and enables enhanced agent-based decision-making. It has applications in a large variety of domains including autonomous systems, operations research, intelligence analysis, and data mining. One of the most time consuming and key components of CECEP is the mining of knowledge from a repository described as a Cognitive Domain Ontology (CDO). We show that CDOs can be implemented using memristor crossbars using two different approaches. The first is a lookup table approach that is stored in a high density memristor matching circuit. The second in a multilayer perceptron implementation that uses an ex-situ memristor based neuromorphic system. In each case, the example CDOs are implemented successfully.
Patient Acceptance of Remote Scribing Powered by Google Glass in Outpatient Dermatology: Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The ubiquitous use of electronic health records (EHRs) during medical office visits using a computer monitor and keyboard can be distracting and can disrupt patient-health care provider (HCP) nonverbal eye contact cues, which are integral to effective communication. Provider use of a remote medical scribe with face-mounted technology (FMT), such as Google Glass, may preserve patient-HCP communication dynamics in health care settings by allowing providers to maintain direct eye contact with their patients while still having access to the patient’s relevant EHR information. The medical scribe is able to chart patient encounters in real-time working in an offsite location, document the visit directly into EHR, and free HCP to focus only on the patient. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine patient perceptions of their interactions with an HCP who used FMT with a remote medical scribe during office visits. This includes an examination of any association between patient privacy and trust in their HCP when FMT is used in the medical office setting. Methods: For this descriptive, cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of patients was recruited from an outpatient dermatology clinic in Northern California. Participants provided demographic data and completed a 12-item questionnaire to assess their familiarity, comfort, privacy, and perceptions following routine office visits with an HCP where FMT was used to document the clinical encounter. Data were analyzed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Over half of the 170 study participants were female (102/170, 59.4%), 60.0% were Caucasian (102/170), 24.1% were Asian (41/170), and 88.8% were college-educated (151/170). Age ranged between 18 and 90 years (mean 50.5, SD 17.4). The majority of participants (118/170, 69.4%) were familiar with FMT, not concerned with privacy issues (132/170, 77.6%), and stated that the use of FMT did not affect their trust in their HCP (139/170, 81.8%). Moreover, participants comfortable with the use of FMT were less likely to be concerned about privacy (P<.001) and participants who trusted their HCP were less likely to be concerned about their HCP using Google Glass (P<.009). Almost one-third of them self-identified as early technology adopters (49/170, 28.8%) and 87% (148/170) preferred their HCP using FMT if it delivered better care. Conclusions: Our study findings support the patient acceptance of Google Glass use for outpatient dermatology visits. Future research should explore the use of FMT in other areas of health care and strive to include a socioeconomically diverse patient population in study samples.
Cohort-sequential longitudinal studies of personality and intelligence

In designing what was to become the Bonn Longitudinal Study on Aging (BOLSA), Hans Thomae and his associates early on recognized the fact that human development was not a static phenomenon fixed immutably across time, but was highly sensitive to the need to imbed such studies into shifting societal context (31). He thus astutely chose the life experiences of two successive population cohorts exhibiting very different life experiences.
Quality and Operational Metrics in Heart Failure

Quality is a comparative construct that, through the lens of presumed best practice, seeks to identify “optimal” heart failure care and minimize variance from it. While an understanding of the causal relationship between quality and outcomes is evolving, benchmarking of care to defined performance measures is commonplace. Consequently, knowledge of relevant metrics in heart failure and respective guidelines in which they are outlined is critical for both providers and administrators. Dissemination of such information and achievement of a culture of quality can be facilitated by accreditation—an unbiased approach to assessment of institutional performance which serves to recognize those centers which conform to a predefined (higher) standard of care. Ultimately, the goal of this and other quality initiatives is a systematic improvement in the way heart failure care is delivered across the stakeholder spectrum.
Reactive alterations in non-neuronal elements of the degenerating ventrobasal complex of immature and mature rats. An electron microscopic study.

Sprague-Dawley albino rats ranging in age from neonate to 60 days postnatal (dpn) were subjected to cortical extirpations encompassing the SmI somato-sensory projection fields of neurons in the ventrobasal (VB) complex. Electron microscopy of this region reveals degenerative changes in VB neurons, the rate and severity of which is inversely proportional to the age of the animal (Matthews et al., 1977). Numerous, distinctive non-neuronal elements, similar to those infiltrating the perivascular space of some vessels in the area, rapidly accumulate within the zone of degeneration in animals lesioned between 0 and 9 dpn. These display dense, heterochromatin nuclei, concentrations of free ribosomes and rosettes, and pleomorphic dense bodies which become more evident as further reactive transformations accompany the phagocytic incorporation of degenerating neuronal remnants. Other non-neuronal elements exhibit a euchromatin nucleus, bundles of microtubules, and fewer free ribosomes. Such cells are also capable of phagocytosis and production of dense bodies. Both variants are comparable in appearance to the “M” cells of previous reports (Matthews and Kruger, 1973 b). Cortical lesions of older animals result in the appearance of “M” cells in VB; however, the population densities observed in the immature VB are not achieved. Conversely, astrocytic hypertrophy, associated with the increased incidence of degenerating boutons in the more mature animal, represents a prominent response to injury which does not occur to a significant extent in younger animals. Morphological criteria for determining the nature of some “M” cells are given for a discussion of their presumptive derivation from various mesodermal progenitors and a brief consideration of other hypothesized origins.
Autoimmunity to bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein in bronchiectasis exhibits a requirement for Pseudomonas aeruginosa IgG response.

In non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (BE), idiopathic, genetic, and environmental factors alter the airway landscape and immune responses, rendering the patients susceptible to infection, with the gram-negative bacterium (GNB) Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a major contributor to mortality [1, 2]. The high prevalence of P. aeruginosa in BE patients cannot be explained by a single genetic or environmental influence, and immunologic permissiveness of BE airways to this colonisation remains unexplained [2]. A similar predisposition to this pathogen is characteristic of CF patients, in whom a single genetic mutation ( Cftr ) shapes the abnormal lung environment. Footnotes This manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in the European Respiratory Journal . It is published here in its accepted form prior to copyediting and typesetting by our production team. After these production processes are complete and the authors have approved the resulting proofs, the article will move to the latest issue of the ERJ online. Please open or download the PDF to view this article. Conflict of interest: Dr. Theprungsirikul has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Meagher has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Beliveau has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Bradley has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Avery has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Henkle has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Siegel has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Gifford has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Winthrop has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Rigby has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: Dr. Skopelja-Gardner has nothing to disclose.
Factors associated with medication-related problems in an ambulatory medicare population and the case for medication therapy management.

Abstract Background Medication-related problems (MRPs) are a major healthcare burden. The rate of MRPs in those ≥65 years old is ∼50 events per 1000 person-years, and contributes to a four-fold higher hospitalization rate when compared to younger patients. Medication therapy management (MTM) can identify MRPs in high-risk patients. However, in 2015, only 12.9% of Medicare patients qualified for MTM services through their Part D plan. Objective To examine the type and frequency of MRPs in community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries and which patient factors are associated with having ≥1 MRP. Methods Fourteen health clinics targeting Medicare beneficiaries were held in 10 Northern/Central California cities during Fall 2017. Trained student pharmacists, supervised by licensed pharmacists, conducted comprehensive medication reviews. Sociodemographic, chronic condition, medication, and MRP data were collected via standardized surveys. Results MTM services were provided to 910 patients, of which 633 (69.6%) had at least 1 MRP. The most common MRPs were severe drug-drug interaction [n = 297(33.4%)] and untreated condition [n = 134 (14.7%). Individuals with MRPs took significantly more prescription and over-the-counter medications. Additionally, those with MRPs were more likely to be subsidy recipients and in a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plan. A total of 120 (13%) individuals were found to have had an MRP severe enough to warrant prescriber follow-up. Conclusions Although only a fraction of Medicare beneficiaries qualify for MTM services through their Part D plan, many can benefit from such services. Understanding the type, frequency, and factors contributing to MRPs is imperative to identify and avoid negative sequelae. Reduction of MRPs can potentially improve patient clinical outcomes, increase quality-of-life, and decrease overall cost of care.
Making “The Garden City of the South”: Beautification, Preservation, and Downtown Planning in Augusta, Georgia:

This article illuminates how a smaller southern city engaged broader planning approaches. Civic leaders, especially women, pushed and partnered with municipal administrations to beautify Augusta, G...
RNN-Based Room Scale Hand Motion Tracking

Smart speakers allow users to interact with home appliances using voice commands and are becoming increasingly popular. While voice-based interface is intuitive, it is insufficient in many scenarios, such as in noisy or quiet environments, for users with language barriers, or in applications that require continuous motion tracking. Motion-based control is attractive and complementary to existing voice-based control. However, accurate and reliable room-scale motion tracking poses a significant challenge due to low SNR, interference, and varying mobility. To this end, we develop a novel recurrent neural network (RNN) based system that uses speakers and microphones to realize accurate room-scale tracking. Our system jointly estimates the propagation distance and angle-of-arrival (AoA) of signals reflected by the hand, based on AoA-distance profiles generated by 2D MUSIC. We design a series of techniques to significantly enhance the profile quality under low SNR. We feed the profiles in a recent history to our RNN to estimate the distance and AoA. In this way, we can exploit the temporal structure among consecutive profiles to remove the impact of noise, interference and mobility. Using extensive evaluation, we show our system achieves 1.2--3.7~cm error within 4.5~m range, supports tracking multiple users, and is robust against ambient sound. To our knowledge, this is the first acoustic device-free room-scale tracking system.
Histone deacetylase inhibitors and IL21 cooperate to reprogram human effector CD8+ T cells to memory T cells

Clinical response rates after adoptive cell therapy (ACT) are highly correlated with in vivo persistence of the infused T cells. However, antigen-specific T cells found in tumor sites are often well-differentiated effector cells with limited persistence. Central memory CD8+ T cells, capable of self-renewal, represent desirable ACT products. We report here that exposure to a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) and IL21 could reprogram differentiated human CD8+ T cells into central memory-like T cells. Dedifferentiation of CD8+ T cells was initiated by increased H3 acetylation and chromatin accessibility at the CD28 promoter region. This led to IL21-mediated pSTAT3 binding to the CD28 region, and subsequent upregulation of surface CD28 and CD62L (markers of central memory T cells). The reprogrammed cells exhibited enhanced proliferation in response to both IL2 and IL15, and a stable memory-associated transcriptional signature (increased Lef1 and Tcf7). Our findings support the application of IL21 and HDACi for the in vitro generation of highly persistent T-cell populations that can augment the efficacy of adoptively transferred T cells.
Chapter 17 – Report Writing

Publisher Summary If the worksheet is used over a long period of time, then documentation is essential. This chapter examines a variety of tools that can be used for this purpose. The chapter examines how to go from worksheet to picture, how to show the formulas in F9 and C14, how to construct the equation, using a screen capture application, and using the Excel add-in called MathLook. Microsoft provides an applet (a small application that is run from within another application) called Equation Editor, which may be used in programs such as Word or Excel to create an equation. With a little practice and experimentation, it is possible to create complex equations. The chapter also concerns the Microsoft Visio application, which is a useful tool for making simple drawings. It is not a CAD application but has some very powerful features.
Using Geomorphology to Better Define Habitat Associations of a Large-Bodied Fish, Common Snook Centropomus undecimalis, in Coastal Rivers of Florida

To adequately protect habitat for economically important fishes, the habitats used must first be identified and described. Coastal geomorphology is often overlooked as an influential parameter of fish habitat use in favor of readily available data taken at the time of sampling. We hypothesized that river dynamics (e.g., length, watershed, floodplain connectivity) and mesohabitat categories based on geomorphology (e.g., backwater, river bend) were at least as important as fine-scale microhabitat (e.g., depth, shore type) for describing the distribution and habitat affinities of Common Snook Centropomus undecimalis (hereafter referred to as snook) in coastal rivers of the Atlantic coast and Tampa Bay, Florida. Contrary to previously studied rivers where adult snook abundance increased during a seasonal prey pulse, adult snook abundance in the study rivers differed little between seasons and the rivers were used as nurseries by juveniles. Mesohabitat categories were important for describing snook distribution. For example, the smallest snook (≤ 250 mm total length, TL) strongly selected for backwater habitats while the largest (≥ 851 mm TL) selected river bends. Detailed microhabitat data collected at individual capture locations were helpful in describing the habitat associations of the smallest size group of snook (shallow depths and aquatic macrophytes with various shore types) and for characterizing river bends (high flow, deep water, and lower salinities) but were not strongly associated with other snook sizes or mesohabitat categories. Thus, broader scale habitat features were found to be equally as important as detailed microhabitat and should be considered when informing conservation efforts.
Design and Analysis of Logic-HBM2E Power Delivery System on CoWoS ® Platform with Deep Trench Capacitor

A logic-HBM2E power delivery system on a chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (CoWoS) platform with a deep trench capacitor (DTC) has been designed and analyzed for high performance computing (HPC) applications. The DTC integrated in the silicon interposer of the CoWoS provides the capacitance density of 300 nF/mm2 and low leakage current of <1 fA/μm2. The impact of the DTC on power integrity of the logic-HBM2E system is investigated. In the logic core area, the system power delivery network (PDN) impedance and the 1st voltage droop for the CoWoS with the DTC are 93% and 72% lower than those without the DTC. For the HBM2E PHY area, the PDN impedance and simultaneously switching noise (SSN) of VDDQ for the CoWoS with the DTC are 76% and 62% lower than those without the DTC. Moreover, 11.2% and 16.6% unit interval (UI) eye margin are obtained at the data rate of 2.8 and 3.2 Gbps, respectively. These demonstrate the new CoWoS platform with the DTC provides superior power integrity (PI) performance and greatly enhances the system performance for the next generation artificial intelligence (AI) and HPC applications.
Patterns of substance use before and after hospitalization among patients seen by an inpatient addiction consult service: A latent transition analysis.

Abstract Background and aims Polysubstance use is common and contributes to morbidity and mortality of hospitalized patients, and yet little is known about patterns of substance use among hospitalized patients, or how an addiction consult service (ACS) might impact polysubstance use after discharge. The objective of this study was to identify patterns of substance use at admission and after discharge among hospitalized patients with substance use disorders who saw an ACS. Design Prospective cohort study. We used latent transition analysis of substance use scores at the time of hospital admission and 30 to 90 days posthospitalization. Setting Single, academic health center with an ACS in Portland, Oregon, from 2015 to 2018. Participants/cases Patients were eligible if they received a consult to the inpatient ACS. Measurements We used Addiction Severity Index-Lite scores to capture self-reported substance use at baseline and follow-up for heroin, other opioid, alcohol, amphetamine, and cocaine. Findings From 2015 to 2018, 486 individuals consented to participate. More than half of patients used more than one substance at baseline. Of those reporting any baseline opioid use, nearly three-quarters (n=187, 69.5%) had polysubstance use in the previous 30 days, including alcohol (n=80, 29.7%), cocaine (n=25, 9.3%), or amphetamine use (n=142, 52.8%). We identified three patterns of substance use at baseline: 1) alcohol use dominant, 2) polysubstance use dominant, and 3) heroin and other opioid use dominant. Patients transitioned along five trajectories to three different follow-up profiles that showed lower endorsement of all substances used. Slightly more than 40% (40.1%) of patients newly endorsed abstinence of at least one substance at follow-up. Conclusions Polysubstance use is common in hospitalized patients with substance use disorders and identifying patterns of polysubstance use can guide clinical management. Hospital providers should prepare to manage polysubstance use during hospitalization and hospitals should broaden care beyond interventions for opioid use disorder.