cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Existence theorems for optimal problems with vector-valued cost function

Abstract : The paper considers the following optimal control problem. Consider a control system (0.1) y dot = f(t,y,u) where f maps J sub o X Y X E into Y, J sub o = (a sub o, b sub o) is an interval, and Y,E are Euclidean spaces. By a solution of (0.1) is meant a triple (J,y,u), where J included in J sub o is an interval, y: J approaches Y is absolutely continuous, u: J approaches E is Lebesgue measurable, and y dot(t) = f(t,y(t),u(t)), u(t) epsilon U(t,y(t)) almost everywhere (a.e.) in J. The control domain U is a map from J sub o X Y into subsets of E.
Activation of p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), but not c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase, induces phosphorylation and stabilization of MAPK phosphatase XCL100 in Xenopus oocytes.

Dual-specificity protein phosphatases are implicated in the direct down-regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity in vivo. Accumulating evidence suggests that these phosphatase...
Melt-Spun Polybutylene Fibers and Nonwovens:

Polybutylene (PB-1) fibers were spun at spinning speeds of 250-2500 m/min. A tensile tester was used to analyze the stress-strain behavior of these fibers. In addition, birefringence and the effect of aging were examined. A DMA (dynamic mechanical analyzer) was used to measure the storage modulus and loss modulus of the fibers. Nonwoven mats of the fibers were prepared and compression tests were run on these mats. The properties of the polybutylene fibers and mats were compared with the properties of common polypropylene fibers and mats.
On valuing biopharmaceutical product pipelines: an effectuation model and evidence

New creative approaches are needed to manage emerging biotechnology innovations, regulations, and payor environments to enhance product pipeline productivity, valuation, and risk management. Biopharmaceutical firms must make dynamic resource allocation decisions on their relative levels of internal R&D and external strategic alliances in furthering their pipelines. As the predominant method of using discounted cash flow (DCF) methodologies may lead to chronic underinvestment and performance, we evaluated the integration of traditional DCF with an effectuation model of analysis. Unlike traditional financial models that begin with the end goal of assumed known cash flows and recursively solve for portfolio optimization, the effectuation model—means, affordable loss, partnerships, and expect the unexpected—begins with resources that are readily available to the firm and then seeks to maintain strategic flexibility to take advantage of environmental contingencies as they arise. Using effectuation principles can provide insight into optimizing pipeline decisions by focusing on the logic of control rather than the logic of prediction. Using empirical data, we found that investors were able to effectively differentiate between the pipeline values of among companies. Overall, these results suggest that the integration of effectuation and DCF provides a lens from which to explore emerging varieties of small and large company innovation in the biopharmaceutical industry.
Coarctation of the aorta: Management from infancy to adulthood

Coarctation of the aorta is a relatively common form of congenital heart disease, with an estimated incidence of approximately 3 cases per 10000 births. Coarctation is a heterogeneous lesion which may present across all age ranges, with varying clinical symptoms, in isolation, or in association with other cardiac defects. The first surgical repair of aortic coarctation was described in 1944, and since that time, several other surgical techniques have been developed and modified. Additionally, transcatheter balloon angioplasty and endovascular stent placement offer less invasive approaches for the treatment of coarctation of the aorta for some patients. While overall morbidity and mortality rates are low for patients undergoing intervention for coarctation, both surgical and transcatheter interventions are not free from adverse outcomes. Therefore, patients must be followed closely over their lifetime for complications such as recoarctation, aortic aneurysm, persistent hypertension, and changes in any associated cardiac defects. Considerable effort has been expended investigating the utility and outcomes of various treatment approaches for aortic coarctation, which are heavily influenced by a patient's anatomy, size, age, and clinical course. Here we review indications for intervention, describe and compare surgical and transcatheter techniques for management of coarctation, and explore the associated outcomes in both children and adults.
Crystal field effects in rare-earth intermetallic compounds

I. Scope cf the Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 I
The Critical Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Transitional Justice: A Case Study of Guatemala

As a growing number of civil wars end in a negotiated peace, non-governmental organizations have an increasingly important role to play in peace making. This Comment traces the methodology and impact of the Catholic Church's efforts to record the truth about what occurred during Guatemala's civil war. By placing the Church's project and the United Nations sponsored truth commission in a framework of transitional justice, the relative strengths of each become apparent. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) often empower local people, aid individual healing, and provide permanence and stability. Meanwhile, the international community frequently has greater influence over the state and more resources. Guatemala illustrates how complimentary projects led by NGOs and the international community can reinforce each other, achieving results neither could accomplish alone.
The "Branding Effect" of Contracts

In his case study of the MasterCard IPO and its predecessor piece on the Google IPO, Victor Fleischer claims to find evidence of a branding effect of legal infrastructure. The branding effect is not aimed at reducing the potential for opportunism by a counterparty to a contract, but rather at increasing the attractiveness of a product to present and future users or improving the image of a company in the eyes of regulators, judges, and juries. In this essay commenting on Fleischer's work, I endorse the notion that deal structures have branding effects and position Fleischer's work within a larger stream of scholarship that focuses on the substantive terms of contracts rather than on contract doctrine or dispute resolution in various contractual settings. In addition, I offer a few refinements to Fleischer's notion of branding effect.
Simulating tail events with unspecified tail models

Reliable simulation estimation builds on accurately specified input models. In the context of simulating tail events, knowledge on the tail of the input model is especially important, yet is often hard to obtain due to a lack of data. In this paper, we consider tail event estimation without any knowledge on the input tail, but rather only making a general assumption that it is convex. We focus on the standard problem of estimating the probability for i.i.d. sum, and set out goal as to compute its worst-case bound among all summand distributions that have convex tails. Our main procedure relies on a stochastic, and in a sense infinite-dimensional, version of the Frank-Wolfe method in nonlinear programming. We demonstrate through a numerical example how the level of knowledge on the tail of the summands relates to the conservativeness in computing bounds for the aggregate tail quantity.
157 INCREASING PREVALENCE OF METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS AND RATE OF INDUCIBLE CLINDAMYCIN RESISTANCE IN ISOLATES FROM PEDIATRIC PATIENTS IN NORTH LOUISIANA

Background Community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) has become an important clinical problem in many areas of the United States. Clindamycin is often used to treat soft tissue and musculoskeletal infections due to CA-MRSA in infants and children. However, clindamycin susceptibility testing is complicated by the presence of inducible clindamycin resistance (clinda-R) in some erythromycin resistant (erythro-R) CA-MRSA isolates. Standard laboratory susceptibility test methods do not detect this phenomenon. The D test is a simple disk diffusion method which reliably identifies inducible clinda-R. Methods The Microbiology Laboratory computer logbook was utilized to ascertain the antibiotic sensitivity test results of all SA isolated from clinical specimens collected from children seen in the LSUHSCS-S Pediatric Outpatient Clinic from January 2002 to the end of September 2004. Of the erytho-R MRSA isolates, 218 were tested for inducible clinda-R by the D test, either during routine sensitivity testing (since May 2004) or from a frozen stock of saved isolates. The D test is performed as follows: erythromycin and clindamycin disks are placed adjacent to one another at a distance of 20 mm. Inducible clinda-R is identified by the formation of a blunted zone around the clindamycin disk in the area directly opposed to the erythromycin disk. Results MRSA isolates/total number of SA isolates (%) from pediatric outpatients were 47/109 (43%) in 2002; 134/207 (65%) in 2003; and 106/152 (70%) in the first 9 months of 2004. Of these MRSA isolates, 8 were both erythro-R/clinda-R (2.8 %) and 244 were erythro-R/clinda-S (85%). Of erythro-R/clinda-S MRSA isolates tested, the number and percent found to have inducible clinda-R (D test positive) were 4/29 (14%) in 2002; 7/99 (7%) in 2003; and 7/90 (8%) in 2004; total sample 18/218 (8%). Conclusions The prevalence of MRSA in our pediatric outpatients has increased to 70%; however, the rate of inducible clinda-R in erythro-R MRSA isolates is less than 10%. Therefore, clindamycin remains an acceptable initial therapy for suspected community-associated SA infections in our patients. We now perform the D test on the primary disk diffusion sensitivity plate for all Staphylococcus spp. isolated from pediatric patients. This enables the laboratory to report the clindamycin susceptibility result within 24 hours of the isolation of the organism.
Fragmentable Polycationic Materials Based on Anchimeric Assistance

A new family of modular, fragmentable oligo- and polycations has been developed based on the reactions of 9-thiabicyclo[3.3.1]dichloride and related compounds with substituted dipyridyl nucleophiles by an anchimeric assistance mechanism. Each bond-forming event in this condensation polymerization process generates a positive charge in the main chain. Product lengths were found to be dependent on the reactivity of the electrophile, which was tunable by changing the nature of the leaving group β to sulfur. The monomers were easily synthesized, and the resulting readily available polymers were found to be highly efficient binders of nucleic acid. They exhibited properties of cytotoxicity and DNA transfection expected of such polycationic materials, but with interesting structure–activity differences that remain to be explored. The polycations decomposed by hydrolysis at rates dependent on the leaving group ability of the pyridyl unit, which correlated roughly with the pKa of its conjugate acid. Polymer decom...
System-level challenges in pressure-operated soft robotics

Last decade witnessed the revival of fluidic soft actuation. As pressure-operated soft robotics becomes more popular with promising recent results, system integration remains an outstanding challenge. Inspired greatly by biology, we envision future robotic systems to embrace mechanical compliance with bodies composed of soft and hard components as well as electronic and sensing sub-systems, such that robot maintenance starts to resemble surgery. In this vision, portable energy sources and driving infrastructure plays a key role to offer autonomous many-DoF soft actuation. On the other hand, while offering many advantages in safety and adaptability to interact with unstructured environments, objects, and human bodies, mechanical compliance also violates many inherent assumptions in traditional rigid-body robotics. Thus, a complete soft robotic system requires new approaches to utilize proprioception that provides rich sensory information while remaining flexible, and motion control under significant time delay. This paper discusses our proposed solutions for each of these system-level challenges in soft robotics research.
Anesthesia in Obstetrics: 2. Regional

Although obstetric anesthesia should be tailored to the patient, regional anesthesia is usually safer for mother and child than general anesthesia. Each of the methods available—spinal, epidural, caudal, paracervical and pudendal—has its advantages and disadvantages. Epidural anesthesia is closest to the perfect method for obstetrics. It gives pain-free labor and delivery, with minimal fetal complications.
Energy and Entropy

In his Sixth Memoir on The Mechanical Theory of Heat, Clausius explained how the internal energy of a body (\(U\)), consists of both thermal content (\(H\)) and ergonal content (\(Z\)). These represent the energy associated with the motion and the configuration of the body’s particles, respectively. According to the first fundamental theorem of the mechanical theory of heat—now known as the first law of thermodynamics—the internal energy of a body may be changed by either adding heat (\(Q\)) to the body, or doing external work (\(w\)) on the body. But the first law of thermodynamics alone is not sufficient to explain the types of processes which tend to occur in nature. Rather, only those processes, or transformations, occur which are characterized by positive (or at best, zero) equivalence-values; any process which has a negative equivalence value must be compensated by another process having an equal or greater positive equivalence value. This is Clausius’ second fundamental theorem of the mechanical theory of heat. Today, it is known as the second law of thermodynamics. In the reading selection below, taken from his Ninth Memoir, Clausius clarifies these ideas by writing them in a succinct mathematical form. Perhaps most notably, he introduces the concept of entropy, denoted by the letter \(S\). What is meant by this term? From where was it derived? And what is the connection between entropy and the second law of thermodynamics?
Development of a PBPK model of thiocyanate in rats with an extrapolation to humans: A computational study to quantify the mechanism of action of thiocyanate kinetics in thyroid.

Abstract Thyroid homeostasis can be disturbed due to thiocyanate exposure from the diet or tobacco smoke. Thiocyanate inhibits both thyroidal uptake of iodide, via the sodium-iodide symporter (NIS), and thyroid hormone (TH) synthesis in the thyroid, via thyroid peroxidase (TPO), but the mode of action of thiocyanate is poorly quantified in the literature. The characterization of the link between intra-thyroidal thiocyanate concentrations and dose of exposure is crucial for assessing the risk of thyroid perturbations due to thiocyanate exposure. We developed a PBPK model for thiocyanate that describes its kinetics in the whole-body up to daily doses of 0.15 mmol/kg, with a mechanistic description of the thyroidal kinetics including NIS, passive diffusion, and TPO. The model was calibrated in a Bayesian framework using published studies in rats. Goodness-of-fit was satisfactory, especially for intra-thyroidal thiocyanate concentrations. Thiocyanate kinetic processes were quantified in vivo, including the metabolic clearance by TPO. The passive diffusion rate was found to be greater than NIS-mediated uptake rate. The model captured the dose-dependent kinetics of thiocyanate after acute and chronic exposures. Model behavior was evaluated using a Morris screening test. The distribution of thiocyanate into the thyroid was found to be determined primarily by the partition coefficient, followed by NIS and passive diffusion; the impact of the latter two mechanisms appears to increase at very low doses. Extrapolation to humans resulted in good predictions of thiocyanate kinetics during chronic exposure. The developed PBPK model can be used in risk assessment to quantify dose-response effects of thiocyanate on TH.
A Glacier Runoff Extension to the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System

A module to simulate glacier runoff, PRMSglacier, was added to PRMS (Precipitation Runoff Modeling System), a distributed-parameter, physical-process hydrological simulation code. The extension does not require extensive on-glacier measurements or computational expense but still relies on physical principles over empirical relations as much as is feasible while maintaining model usability. PRMSglacier is validated on two basins in Alaska, Wolverine, and Gulkana Glacier basin, which have been studied since 1966 and have a substantial amount of data with which to test model performance over a long period of time covering a wide range of climatic and hydrologic conditions. When error in field measurements is considered, the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiencies of streamflow are 0.87 and 0.86, the absolute bias fractions of the winter mass balance simulations are 0.10 and 0.08, and the absolute bias fractions of the summer mass balances are 0.01 and 0.03, all computed over 42 years for the Wolverine and Gulkana Glacier basins, respectively. Without taking into account measurement error, the values are still within the range achieved by the more computationally expensive codes tested over shorter time periods.
Mena INV dysregulates cortactin phosphorylation to promote invadopodium maturation

Invadopodia, actin-based protrusions of invasive carcinoma cells that focally activate extracellular matrix-degrading proteases, are essential for the migration and intravasation of tumor cells during dissemination from the primary tumor. We have previously shown that cortactin phosphorylation at tyrosine residues, in particular tyrosine 421, promotes actin polymerization at newly-forming invadopodia, promoting their maturation to matrix-degrading structures. However, the mechanism by which cells regulate the cortactin tyrosine phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle at invadopodia is unknown. Mena, an actin barbed-end capping protein antagonist, is expressed as various splice-isoforms. The MenaINV isoform is upregulated in migratory and invasive sub-populations of breast carcinoma cells, and is involved in tumor cell intravasation. Here we show that forced MenaINV expression increases invadopodium maturation to a far greater extent than equivalent expression of other Mena isoforms. MenaINV is recruited to invadopodium precursors just after their initial assembly at the plasma membrane, and promotes the phosphorylation of cortactin tyrosine 421 at invadopodia. In addition, we show that cortactin phosphorylation at tyrosine 421 is suppressed by the phosphatase PTP1B, and that PTP1B localization to the invadopodium is reduced by MenaINV expression. We conclude that MenaINV promotes invadopodium maturation by inhibiting normal dephosphorylation of cortactin at tyrosine 421 by the phosphatase PTP1B.
Overcoming Barriers To Technology Transfer

(1990). Overcoming Barriers To Technology Transfer. Research-Technology Management: Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 38-43.
The End-of-Life Experience of Pediatric Heart Transplant Recipients.

Abstract Context Despite advances in therapies, many pediatric heart transplant (Htx) recipients will die prematurely. We characterized the circumstances surrounding death in this cohort, including location of death and interventions performed in the final 24 hours. Methods We reviewed all patients who underwent Htx at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford, survived hospital discharge, and subsequently died between July 19, 2007 and September 13, 2015. The primary outcome studied was location of death, characterized as inpatient, outpatient, or emergency department. Circumstances of death (withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, death during resuscitation, or death without resuscitation with/without do not resuscitate) and interventions performed in the last 24 hours of life were also analyzed. Results Twenty-three patients met the entry criteria. The median age at death was 12 (range 2–20) years, and the median time between transplant and death was 2.8 (range 0.8–11) years. Four (17%) died at home, and three (13%) died in the emergency department. Sixteen (70%) patients died in the hospital, 14 of 16 (88%) of whom died in an intensive care unit. Five of 23 (22%) patients experienced attempted resuscitation. Interventions performed in the last 24 hours of life included intubation (74%), mechanical support (30%), and dialysis (22%). Most patients had a recent outpatient clinical encounter with normal graft function within 60 days of dying. Conclusions/Lessons Learned Death in children after Htx often occurs in the inpatient setting, particularly the intensive care unit. Medical interventions, including attempted resuscitation, are common at the end of life. Given the difficulty in anticipating life-threatening events, earlier discussions with patients regarding end-of-life wishes are appropriate, even in those with normal graft function.
A Psychometric Evaluation of the Pleasant Events Schedule–Alzheimer’s Disease (Short Version): Among a Veteran Population:

Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are often associated with a gradual loss of the ability to participate in rewarding activities. Caregivers may struggle with spending quality time with the person with dementia (PWD) when the demands of caregiving dominate. However, the importance of activity participation among PWDs is internationally recognized. The Pleasant Events Schedule-Alzheimer's Disease (PES-AD) Short Form measures frequency of engagement in pleasant events. It has been used to assess overall frequency of engagement in 20 activities. The current study involves a psychometric evaluation of the PES-AD Short Form and reveals two separate activity domains: active and social events, each with preliminary evidence of reliability and construct validity. Furthermore, the frequency with which the PWD enjoys social and active events are not uniformly related to PWD and caregiver characteristics and well-being, which has measure- and practice-focused implications that should be considered when engaging PWDs.
Premorbid body mass and mortality in patients with hepatocellular cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

477Background: Excess body weight is associated with increased risk of developing hepatocellular cancer (HCC), but its effect on HCC mortality remains unclear. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the association between premorbid body mass index (BMI) and HCC mortality. Methods: Through a systematic search of major databases and conference proceedings, up to March 2016, we identified observational studies reporting the association between premorbid BMI, and HCC-related mortality. We estimated summary adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), comparing obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2) and overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2) categories with reference category using random effects model; heterogeneity was measured using the inconsistency index (I2). Results: 9 studies were included in which 6,052 HCC deaths occurred in 1,599,453 cancer-free individuals at cohort inception. 5 studies reported data as obese vs. overweight vs. normal BMI, and 4 reported data as obese + overweight...
A fast FPGA-based deep convolutional neural network using pseudo parallel memories

Deep learning is gaining popularity in the recent years due to its impressive performance in different application areas. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is the state-of-the-art deep learning architecture that is being used widely in the areas of image recognition, speech recognition and many other applications. CNN is computationally intensive and resource hungry architecture. Hence, its efficient hardware implementation is one of the challenges faced by researchers. FPGAs are the dominating platform choice when it comes to implementation of such architectures. This paper presents an efficient implementation of convolutional layer of CNN, that can substantially reduce the long computational time by utilizing the parallel usage of memories. The technique proposed distributes the input image to be classified into P memories; where P is obtained as an optimum trade-off between number of clock cycles and memory resources. Reading concurrently from all P memories reduces the required number of clock cycles proportionally, at the expense of complex control unit. The proposed architecture is implemented using Xilinx Vivado, targeting Zynq XC7Z020-1CLG484C device. The architecture is tested using MNIST dataset and successfully compared with Caffe's convolutional layer output.
12.13 – Enhancing the Resilience of Coastal Communities: Dealing with Immediate and Long-Term Impacts of Natural Hazards

The vitality of local, regional, environmental, social, and economic capital is key in ensuring the sustainability of local civil communities. Coastal areas are expected to see increases in natural hazards including sea-level rise. The need to understand the nature of coastal natural, social, and economic environments and their interaction is critical in ensuring a sustainable future. This chapter examines the changing nature of coastal communities and the hazards they face. It explores the nature of community vulnerability and the role of resilience in creating and sustaining a sustainable community including its social, economic, ecological, and built capital. Finally, strategies for community adaptation are explored to ensure that we create and sustain our social, economic, and ecological capital. The resilience of coastal communities is based upon our understanding and management of natural, economic, and social systems. The resilience of a community is based on its inherent vulnerability to hazards and how local communities utilize local resources in adapting to risks associated with natural hazards. Critical to planning for adaptation is community engagement and allowing local leaders the opportunity to more deeply appreciate the assets and challenges that they face and the need to plan for long-term sustainability. Building community adaptation and long-term sustainability is thus founded on community engagement, a deep appreciation of both the nature and interdependence of local natural, economic, social, and built systems.
Exploring a Relational Cultural Group Trainee Model for Master’s Level Counseling Students

We explored students’ experiences of a graduate level group course infused with components of the Relational Cultural Theory (RCT). During the didactic and experiential aspects of 2 semester-long group courses, the faculty instructors and students focused on creating an environment of safety, connection, and empowerment. The instructor and students engaged each other as group leaders and group members. We utilized phenomenology to gather and analyze data gathered from students interviewed about their experience. From this process, we identified 5 themes, each addressing how students summarized their interactions and sense of relational practice.
A Worldwide Checklist of Parasites of Staphylinidae

This chapter attempts to document all the parasites of Staphylinidae worldwide. It is based on a 1982 work of the author and considers all changes in Staphylinidae taxonomy; in higher classifications of Laboulbeniales (Ascomycetes) , the most species-rich order of parasites (Laboulbeniales); and in the family Proctotrupidae (Hymenoptera). The host(s) and geographical distribution of the parasites (sensu latissimo) are documented by genus/species in descending species richness .
Histone modifications and the DNA double-strand break response

The timely and precise repair of DNA damage, or more specifically DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) - the most deleterious DNA lesions, is crucial for maintaining genome integrity and cellular homeostasis. An appropriate cellular response to DNA DSBs requires the integration of various factors, including the post-translational modifications (PTMs) of chromatin and chromatin-associated proteins. Notably, the PTMs of histones have been shown to play a fundamental role in initiating and regulating cellular responses to DNA DSBs. Here we review the role of the major histone PTMs, including phosphorylation, ubiquitination, methylation and acetylation, and their interactions during DNA DSB-induced responses.
Parametric modeling of reflectance spectra for dyes and their mixtures in fabrics using reference spectra

This study describes a parametric model of diffuse reflectance that simulates the spectral response of light-absorbing dyes and their mixtures in fabrics for tailoring reflectance spectra of dyed f...
Fit and Congruency: How Women and Men Self-Select Into Gender-Congruent Jobs

Abstract. Applicant job pursuit intentions impact the composition of an organization’s applicant pool, thereby influencing selection outcomes. An example is the self-selection of women and men into...
The Logical Path to Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems.

Autonomous cyber-physical systems are systems that combine the physics of motion with advanced cyber algorithms to act on their own without close human supervision. The present consensus is that reasonable levels of autonomy, such as for self-driving cars or autonomous drones, can only be reached with the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms that cope with the uncertainties of the real world. That makes safety assurance even more challenging than it already is in cyber-physical systems (CPSs) with classically programmed control, precisely because AI techniques are lauded for their flexibility in handling unpredictable situations, but are themselves harder to predict. This paper identifies the logical path toward autonomous cyber-physical systems in multiple steps. First, differential dynamic logic ( Open image in new window ) provides a logical foundation for developing cyber-physical system models with the mathematical rigor that their safety-critical nature demands. Then, its ModelPlex technique provides a logically correct way to tame the subtle relationship of CPS models to CPS implementations. Finally, the resulting logical monitor conditions can then be exploited to safeguard the decisions of learning agents, guide the optimization of learning processes, and resolve the nondeterminism frequently found in verification models. Overall, logic leads the way in combining the best of both worlds: the strong predictions that formal verification techniques provide alongside the strong flexibility that the use of AI provides.
Protected areas and noise abatement: A spatial approach

Abstract Protected areas have the capacity to provide an array of benefits to humans—ecosystem services. Concerning the acoustic environment, these ecosystem services are provisioned as natural soundscapes and quietness. A substantial body of literature has examined protected areas’ performance in preserving soundscapes and management strategies to ensure the continued preservation of natural sounds in park settings. However, protected areas’ abilities to abate noise are not understood to such a robust degree, especially concerning how noise abatement occurs at a landscape scale. Few studies have considered green space noise abatement beyond a city-scale. This study utilizes two national datasets previously employed in a study of soundscape preservation to examine what characteristics of protected areas aid in the abatement of noise at the county level. Using spatial regression models, this study represents the first assessment of conservation status, ownership, and level of access as potential determinates of abatement performance. Findings indicate that conservation status has a significant impact on noise abatement. Potential explanations for this finding are discussed, including wilderness amenity migration, habitat fragmentation, and the geographic distribution of protected areas.
Molecular profiling of key driver genes improves staging accuracy in multifocal non-small cell lung cancer.

Abstract Objective Multifocal non–small cell lung cancer has historically been separated into synchronous primary lung cancers or intrapulmonary metastases with the use of histopathology. We hypothesize that using targeted next-generation sequencing of key driver mutations in multifocal non–small cell lung cancer will improve our ability to differentiate intrapulmonary metastases from synchronous primary lung cancers. Methods We identified patients who underwent surgery for non–small cell lung cancer between 2013 and 2018 with multifocal tumors. Archived specimens were reviewed with a 4-gene next-generation sequencing panel identifying mutations of EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, and NRAS. Synchronous primary lung cancers were classified as lesions with different histopathologic subtypes or driver mutations. Tests of hypotheses were performed with the Fisher exact test. Calculations were performed in Stata (v13.0; StataCorp LLC, College Station, Tex). Results A total of 18 patients had non–small cell lung cancer tumor specimens (n = 41) available from 2 or more sites. The pathologic diagnosis was predominantly adenocarcinoma (39/41 specimens). We detected a driver mutation in 68.3% (28/41) of all tumors. The most common mutations observed were in KRAS (n = 17/41) and EGFR (n = 7/41). Eleven patients had synchronous primary lung cancers, and 4 patients had intrapulmonary metastases based on combined histopathologic and molecular profiling results. Three lacked driver mutations in either lesion. Eight synchronous primary lung cancers (8/18, 44%) were downstaged when compared with their original diagnosis (P = .08). Of these, 4 patients received adjuvant chemotherapy unnecessarily in hindsight. Conclusions Molecular non–small cell lung cancer profiling using a 4-gene next-generation sequencing panel allows for better distinction between synchronous primary lung cancers and intrapulmonary metastases than histopathology alone. Routine use of next-generation sequencing for multifocal lesions prevents unnecessary adjuvant treatment for patients with histologically similar synchronous primary lung cancers.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound for the Detection of Hip Effusion and Septic Arthritis in Adult Patients With Hip Pain and Negative Initial Imaging

Abstract Background Acute or recurrent hip pain in adults can be a challenging presentation in the emergency department. While ultrasound is routinely used in the evaluation of pediatric patients with hip pain and a new limp, it is not commonly used for this purpose in adult emergency medicine. This case series demonstrates the clinical utility of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in adult patients with acute or recurrent hip pain because performance of POCUS was the critical action that led to the identification of pathologic hip effusions in this series of adults. Case Series This case series includes 5 patients in whom clinical suspicion existed for the presence of a hip effusion and possible septic arthritis, despite nondiagnostic radiographic findings. Ultrasound was used to detect the effusion and guide subsequent arthrocentesis, imaging, or surgical intervention. In all patients, computed tomography scans or magnetic resonance imaging scans were later used to confirm the presence of effusion. In all 5 patients (2 women and 3 men, with a mean age of 47.4 years), POCUS accurately detected the presence of hip effusion. Two of 5 synovial collections were caused by septic arthritis as confirmed by synovial fluid microbiologic examination. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? This case series emphasizes the clinical utility of POCUS in adult patients with acute and recurrent hip pain to detect a hip effusion, particularly in patients with significant risk factors for septic arthritis. POCUS can also be used to guide further imaging, arthrocentesis, surgical consultation, and intervention.
Optimal Tracking Control of Power Converters Integrated with Variable Distortion

In this paper, an optimal controller based on state-dependent coefficient factorization (SDCF) is proposed to monitor and enhance the performance of power converters under injected random noise. Power converters are becoming an essential element in many power system applications such as voltage conversion, energy storage, micro-grids, and renewable energy converters. Although several methods have been proposed for power converter control that provide a fast response and higher accuracy, few have focused on the impact of random distortion injected to the converter circuit. The proposed approach relies on remodeling the nonlinear converter dynamics as series of linear models and controlling it using an optimal tracker. The approach is implemented on a single-phase boost converter to design a state feedback controller. The results obtained show better performance, lower power losses, faster response and enhanced state observation when compared to optimal trackers that ignore random distortions.
Insights into pain assessment and management in rabbits.

Rabbits are a popular companion animal species in many countries around the world, and rabbit owners increasingly demand the same level of veterinary care for their animals that is provided to dogs and cats. This includes the use of appropriate pain management protocols. In a study summarised on p 603 of this issue of Vet Record , Benato and colleagues provide new information regarding how veterinary surgeons, practicing primarily in the UK, currently assess and ameliorate pain in their rabbit patients.1 Rabbits are a prey species and tend to mask signs of pain. As such, it is generally accepted that it is more challenging for veterinary surgeons to assess pain in rabbits than in dogs and cats.2 However, most participants in Benato and colleagues’ study felt confident in recognising pain in rabbits, with changes in appetite, abnormal body posture or teeth grinding being reported as the most common signs used to identify pain in this species.1 While these changes in behavioural or physiological parameters are undoubtedly useful for assessing pain in many situations, they should be used with caution in rabbits following recovery from anaesthesia or after administration of opioid analgesics. These drugs can cause reduced activity, mentation changes and reduced food intake. Therefore, it may be challenging to differentiate if the changes observed are due to pain or are a side effect of the anaesthetic or analgesic drug(s) administered during the perioperative and postoperative periods. A composite pain scale is, therefore, a more reliable method to recognise pain in rabbits, and a multidimensional composite pain scale has recently been validated in various rabbits breeds.3 This scale combines the grimace scale (previously validated in New Zealand white rabbits)4 with physiological parameters (eg, respiratory rate) and behavioural responses …
Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma: A rare case in an unusual location

Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma, also known as Evans tumor, is a low-grade sarcoma that most commonly arises in the deep soft tissue of the proximal extremities or trunk in young adults. It is very rare in the viscera as a primary site, with only a few cases reported in the literature. Here, we present a case of Evans tumor occurring in an unusual and rarely reported location; an intrathoracic mass arising from the diaphragmatic pleura.
Innovation in the Stock Market and Alternative Trading Systems

Is something wrong with the structure of the U.S. stock market? Both industry participants and scholars have recently faulted the equity market for its lack of innovation. In particular, they have emphasized that stock exchanges may not have the right incentives to provide innovative solutions to market problems. I argue that understanding the quality of innovation in the equity market requires bringing other types of stock trading venues—particularly “alternative trading systems” (“ATSs”)—into the picture. My central claim is that ATSs have markedly superior incentives to innovate than exchanges for reasons rooted in their governing law and business models. First, ATSs face far lighter regulatory hurdles to beginning operations and changing structure than an exchange, and some important regulations that limit exchange experimentation do not apply to ATSs at all. Second, ATSs are subject to fewer disclosure obligations than exchanges, and as a result they can, in practice, retain their innovations as “trade secrets,” while this is exceptionally difficult for exchanges. Third, ATSs and exchanges have different revenue sources. This is important because ATSs benefit less from the status quo market design than exchanges and thus lack reasons to preserve that structure against desirable innovations, especially those reducing opportunities for latency arbitrage. The result is that ATSs produce the very innovations that some scholars have sought, but failed to find in exchanges, such as frequent batched auctions. I use newly available data on ATSs to inform and illustrate these arguments. I conclude by noting that the consequences of ATS innovations for the equity market as a whole are profoundly ambiguous, because it is unclear how much trading volume an ATS can ultimately attract.
Design of a Broadband Variable Transmission Sphere

Conventional interferometric transmission spheres are limited by f-number and design source wavelength. We discuss a broadband variable transmission sphere system based on relative lateral translation of freeform surface pairs.
Building on What Works: An Analysis of U.S. Broadband Policy

Issued ten years ago, the FCC’s National Broadband Plan was in many respects a case study in regulatory humility. It recognized that broadband progress was “[f]ueled primarily by private sector investment and innovation”; that “government cannot predict the future”; that “the role of government is and should remain limited”; and that policymakers should thus focus not on imposing price controls or behavioral restrictions, but on “encourag[ing] more private innovation and investment.” This advice, which the FCC has generally followed, has fared well under the test of time. Ten years and hundreds of billions of investment dollars later, the broadband marketplace now offers consumers more choices and exponentially faster speeds than it did then. Against that backdrop, this paper analyzes the asserted need for, and likely consequences of, four types of broadband regulation proposals in recent circulation: (1) facilities-sharing obligations; (2) retail price controls; (3) internet interconnection obligations; and (4) amorphous and open-ended ISP conduct rules like those the FCC imposed in 2015. For the most part, we see little merit to any of these proposals under current market conditions. None of them is needed to address any identifiable market failure, and each would impose significant costs, including the investment-chilling prospect of regulatory creep. That said, government retains a critical role to play in the broadband marketplace. Market forces are unmatched in their power to bring the greatest benefit to the greatest number. But market forces by themselves will not help America close two stubborn and unacceptable digital divides: between rich and poor, and between urban and rural. These are real, universally acknowledged problems that call for real solutions. In particular, they call for expanded subsidy mechanisms—one directed to low-income subscribers and the other to broadband providers that commit to new infrastructure deployment in rural and other high-cost areas. But the challenge of closing these digital divides does not even logically support a call for more intrusive regulation of the broadband industry. To the contrary, such regulation would, if anything, make the underlying problems worse by placing a thumb on the scale against additional broadband investment.
Channel-hopping during surface electrical neurostimulation elicits selective, comfortable, distally referred sensations

Objective.Lack of sensation from a hand or prosthesis can result in substantial functional deficits. Surface electrical stimulation of the peripheral nerves is a promising non-invasive approach to restore lost sensory function. However, the utility of standard surface stimulation methods has been hampered by localized discomfort caused by unintended activation of afferents near the electrodes and limited ability to specifically target underlying neural tissue. The objectives of this work were to develop and evaluate a novel channel-hopping interleaved pulse scheduling (CHIPS) strategy for surface stimulation that is designed to activate deep nerves while reducing activation of fibers near the electrodes.Approach.The median nerve of able-bodied subjects was activated by up to two surface stimulating electrode pairs placed around their right wrist. Subjects received biphasic current pulses either from one electrode pair at a time (single-channel), or interleaved between two electrode pairs (multi-channel). Percept thresholds were characterized for five pulse durations under each approach, and psychophysical questionnaires were used to interrogate the perceived modality, quality and location of evoked sensations.Main results.Stimulation with CHIPS elicited enhanced tactile percepts that were distally referred, while avoiding the distracting sensations and discomfort associated with localized charge densities. These effects were reduced after introduction of large delays between interleaved pulses.Significance.These findings demonstrate that our pulse scheduling strategy can selectively elicit referred sensations that are comfortable, thus overcoming the primary limitations of standard surface stimulation methods. Implementation of this strategy with an array of spatially distributed electrodes may allow for rapid and effective stimulation fitting. The ability to elicit comfortable and referred tactile percepts may enable the use of this neurostimulation strategy to provide meaningful and intuitive feedback from a prosthesis, enhance tactile feedback after sensory loss secondary to nerve damage, and deliver non-invasive stimulation therapies to treat various pain conditions.
Medical Students and Patients Benefit from Virtual Non-Medical Interactions Due to COVID-19

Background:Patient care restrictions created by the COVID-19 pandemic constrained medical students’ ability to interact directly with patients. Additionally, organ transplant recipients faced incre...
Cohort migration

Most migration analyses focus on net migration and are concerned with areal redistributions of population. Migration may also be studied as an event in the life-cycle of an individual, and migration rates may be defined as properties of cohorts. A number of efforts to examine migration as a cohort process has been hampered by the character of available data [or the United States. Rather than await the development of a registration system—either directly or via social security and tax records—the collection of residence histories is suggested as the most feasible approach to obtaining suitable data. A schematic representation of residence histories clarifies their relation to other types of migration data and illustrates the need to design such surveys with specific research purposes in mind. Exploratory work with the 1958 Residence History Supplement to the Current Population Survey (by Beale, Shryock, myself, and various colleagues) demonstrates the utility of this approach.