cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Longitudinal Curriculum In Point-Of-Care Ultrasonography Improves Medical Knowledge And Psychomotor Skills Among Internal Medicine Residents

Purpose Despite its growing popularity and clinical utility among hospital-based physicians, there are no formal competency requirements nor training standards for United States based Internal Medicine Residencies for learning point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS). The purpose of this investigation was to study the impact and effectiveness of a novel POCUS curriculum for an Internal Medicine (IM) residency program. Patients and methods This was a Single-Group Educational Quasi-Experiment involving Categorical and Preliminary Internal Medicine Residents in Post-Graduate Years 1 through 3 at a single United States academic tertiary center. The study period was from January 1, 2017, through June 30, 2017, during which time the residents participated in monthly modules including didactics and hands-on ultrasound scanning skills with live models. Participants completed a comprehensive knowledge examination at the beginning and end of the six-month period. Participants were also tested regarding hands-on image acquisition and interpretation immediately before and after the hands-on skills labs. The primary outcome measure was performance improvement in a comprehensive medical knowledge assessment. Results In total, 42 residents consented for participation. The residents' monthly rotations were adjusted in order to accommodate the new educational process. Among 29 participants with complete data sets for analysis, the mean (SD) comprehensive knowledge examination score improved from 60.9% before curriculum to 70.2% after curriculum completion (P<0.001). Subgroup analysis determined that improvement in medical knowledge required attending at least 2 out of the 6 (33%) educational sessions. Attendance at hands-on skills labs correlated significantly with improvement; didactics alone did not. Conclusion A longitudinal POCUS curriculum consisting of both didactic sessions and hands-on skills labs improves knowledge, image acquisition, and interpretation skills of residents. Having this curriculum span at least 6 months provides learners the opportunity to attend multiple classes which strengthens learning through repetition while also providing learners flexibility in schedule.
Constitutive behavior and processing maps of a new wrought magnesium alloy ZE20 (Mg-2Zn-0.2Ce)

Abstract ZE20 (Mg-2Zn-0.2Ce) 2 is a new wrought magnesium alloy with improved extrudability and mechanical properties [1]. To understand the constitutive behavior and workability of this new alloy, Gleeble thermomechanical testing has been carried out in this study. The flow stress behavior of ZE20 was investigated between 250 °C–450 °C and 10–3 s–1–1.0 s–1 in isothermal compression. Constitutive descriptions of the flow stress are provided. A new general approach at application of the extended Ludwik equation is demonstrated and was found to be more accurate than the hyperbolic sine Arrhenius model while having a similar number of model constants. Processing maps were developed based on the experimental results and are verified with microstructural investigation. A region of safe processing with non-basal texture and high activity of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) was found between 375 °C and 450 °C, from 10–1 s–1 to 10–2.5 s–1. A region of potentially safe processing with annealing that is associated with shear band nucleation of non-basal grains was identified for temperatures as low as 300 °C and rates as high as 10–1 s–1.
Whole-Body Vibration Training Increases Stem/Progenitor Cell Circulation Levels and May Attenuate Inflammation.

INTRODUCTION Whole-body vibration training (WBVT) may benefit individuals with difficulty participating in physical exercise. The objective was to explore the effects of WBVT on circulating stem/progenitor cell (CPC) and cytokine levels. METHODS Healthy male subjects each performed three activities randomly on separate days: (1) standing platform vibration, (2) repetitive leg squat exercise; and (3) in combination. Pre- and post-activity blood samples were drawn. Cell populations were characterized using flow cytometry. Biomarkers were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS CPC levels increased significantly 21% with exercise alone (1465 ± 202-1770 ± 221 cells/mL; P = 0.017) and 33% with vibration alone in younger participants (1918 ± 341-2559 ± 496; P = 0.02). Angiogenic CPCs increased 39% during combined activity in younger (633 ± 128-882 ± 181; P = 0.05). Non-angiogenic CPCs increased 42% with vibration alone in younger (1181 ± 222-1677 ± 342; P = 0.04), but 32% with exercise alone in older participants (801 ± 251-1053 ± 325; P = 0.05). With vibration alone, anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 increased significantly (P < 0.03), although inflammatory interleukin-6 decreased (P = 0.056); tumor necrosis factor-alpha (P < 0.01) and vascular endothelial growth factor levels increased (P < 0.005), which are synergistically pro-angiogenic. CONCLUSIONS WBVT may have positive vascular and anti-inflammatory effects. WBVT could augment or serve as an exercise surrogate in warfighters and others who cannot fully participate in exercise programs, having important implications in military health.
Anomalies in Probability Estimates for Event Forecasting on Prediction Markets

Innovative forecasting methods using new data sources have been developed to address various problems in operations management, such as demand, sales, and event forecasts. One of the methods for forecasting events consists of prediction markets where participants can take financial positions that may generate returns depending on whether certain events occur or not. Results in experimental psychology and behavioral economics have shown that individuals, including experts, can be subject to judgment bias when making probability estimates for future events. We examine, in this study, whether prediction markets are immune to such bias in estimating event probability. We find that even when there are large numbers of transactions and high volumes of trades, probabilistic fallacies still occur. Moreover, when they occur, they tend to be persistent over a certain period of time, and they tend to happen in situations similar to the ones where individual probabilistic fallacies are reported to occur. Our results have implications for the design of prediction markets and at the same time call for caution when using forecasts generated this way.
1009 – HSPC EDITING IN THE RHESUS MACAQUE TO MODEL HUMAN BIOLOGY AND TO DEVELOP NEW THERAPIES

The rhesus macaque autologous transplantation model has been predictive and instructive in better understanding human hematopoiesis and translating novel gene and cell therapies. We have developed a robust CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing platform in this model for a variety of applications. Engraftment of multilineage hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells with up to 90% of edited knockout alleles has been achieved in macaques. We have created a macaque model of age-related clonal hematopoiesis(ARCH) following autologous transplantation of edited HSPC in macaques, demonstrating reproducible clonal expansion of TET2 mutant cells, and gained insights into hematopoietic and cardiovascular manifestations of ARCH, along with using the model to investigate potential therapeutic interventions able to inhibit clonal expansion. We have pursued knockout of CD33 as an approach to protect normal HSPC from CAR-T attack, providing a pathway to safe and effective utilization of CAR-T to target myeloid malignancies. Finally, we have compared approaches to predict off-target effects in normal primary engrafting HSPC, investigating whether in silico algorithm prediction or CircleSeq, a method for selective sequencing of DNA exposed to nucleases in vitro is better able to identify valid off-target sites found in vivo in macaques following autologous transplantation.
EiGLasso for Scalable Sparse Kronecker-Sum Inverse Covariance Estimation.

In many real-world problems, complex dependencies are present both among samples and among features. The Kronecker sum or the Cartesian product of two graphs, each modeling dependencies across features and across samples, has been used as an inverse covariance matrix for a matrix-variate Gaussian distribution, as an alternative to a Kronecker-product inverse covariance matrix, due to its more intuitive sparse structure. However, the existing methods for sparse Kronecker-sum inverse covariance estimation are limited in that they do not scale to more than a few hundred features and samples and that the unidentifiable parameters pose challenges in estimation. In this paper, we introduce EiGLasso, a highly scalable method for sparse Kronecker-sum inverse covariance estimation, based on Newton's method combined with eigendecomposition of the two graphs for exploiting the structure of Kronecker sum. EiGLasso further reduces computation time by approximating the Hessian based on the eigendecomposition of the sample and feature graphs. EiGLasso achieves quadratic convergence with the exact Hessian and linear convergence with the approximate Hessian. We describe a simple new approach to estimating the unidentifiable parameters that generalizes the existing methods. On simulated and real-world data, we demonstrate that EiGLasso achieves two to three orders-of-magnitude speed-up compared to the existing methods.
Real-world impact of vaccination on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidence in healthcare personnel at an academic medical center.

Author(s): Waldman, Sarah E; Adams, Jason Y; Albertson, Timothy E; Juarez, Maya M; Myers, Sharon L; Atreja, Ashish; Batra, Sumeet; Foster, Elena E; Huynh, Cy V; Liu, Anna Y; Lubarsky, David A; Ngo, Victoria T; Sandrock, Christian E; Taylor, Sandra L; Tompkins, Ann M; Cohen, Stuart H | Abstract: ObjectiveCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination effectiveness in healthcare personnel (HCP) has been established. However, questions remain regarding its performance in high-risk healthcare occupations and work locations. We describe the effect of a COVID-19 HCP vaccination campaign on SARS-CoV-2 infection by timing of vaccination, job type, and work location.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective review of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance, incidence of postvaccination COVID-19, hospitalization, and mortality among 16,156 faculty, students, and staff at a large academic medical center. Data were collected 8 weeks prior to the start of phase 1a vaccination of frontline employees and ended 11 weeks after campaign onset.ResultsThe COVID-19 incidence rate among HCP at our institution decreased from 3.2% during the 8 weeks prior to the start of vaccinations to 0.38% by 4 weeks after campaign initiation. COVID-19 risk was reduced among individuals who received a single vaccination (hazard ratio [HR], 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40-0.68; P l .0001) and was further reduced with 2 doses of vaccine (HR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.09-0.32; P l .0001). By 2 weeks after the second dose, the observed case positivity rate was 0.04%. Among phase 1a HCP, we observed a lower risk of COVID-19 among physicians and a trend toward higher risk for respiratory therapists independent of vaccination status. Rates of infection were similar in a subgroup of nurses when examined by work location.ConclusionsOur findings show the real-world effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in HCP. Despite these encouraging results, unvaccinated HCP remain at an elevated risk of infection, highlighting the need for targeted outreach to combat vaccine hesitancy.
Description of the Item Pool

In this chapter we will present a description of the items that were the subject of the investigation. The analytic approach to relations described in the previous chapter suggests that different relations may be represented and processed differently. It is of interest, therefore, to see whether different types of items differ systematically. We will find that there are differences and that these follow the division of semantic relations into intensional and pragmatic relationships. The items were drawn from a set of disclosed forms of the GRE test. The identification form and the date when it was first administered appears in Table 4.1. There are 18 analogy items given in each form. However, one item was omitted from most of the analyses because it was found to be far too easy for operational purposes and therefore its “official” difficulty was not known precisely. That item was generally excluded from the analyses making a total of 179 items in most of the analyses.1
Effect of variable concentration of serum on mouse embryo development.

This study was undertaken to determine the optimal concentration of serum necessary for maximal embryo development. Mouse embryos were cultured in vitro with 0% to 30% concentrations of serum of 96hours. After 72 and 96hours of culture, embryo growth was improved with 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30% serum supplement when compared with Ham's F-10 medium alone. Embryos were then cultured with the same concentrations of serum for 29hours, following which blastomere number, sister chromatid exchange (SCE), number of micronuclei, and chromosomal aberrations were observed. There was no difference in blastomere number with any concentration of serum supplement studied. All concentrations of serum decreased the number of SCE when compared with Ham's F-10 medium alone. The rate of SCE in embryos cultured with 10%, 20%, or 30% serum was also smaller than that of the embryos cultured with 5% serum. The results of these studies indicate that serum should be employed for culturing embryos, and at least 10% serum concentration is necessary to obtain optimal conditions for embryo development.
Altered Deoxyribonucleic Acid Polymerase Activity in a Methyl Methanesulfonate-Sensitive Mutant of Bacillus subtilis

Of six deoxyribonucleic acid repair mutants of Bacillus subtilis assayed for deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase, only the methyl methanesulfonate-sensitive and ultraviolet light-sensitive mutant JB1-49(59) has impaired polymerase activity. Extracts prepared by sonic treatment or gentle lysis had about 10% of the wild-type activity with poly d(A-T), an alternating copolymer of deoxyadenylate and deoxythymidylate, used as template. The sensitivity to methyl methanesulfonate and ultraviolet light and the low level of polymerase activity transformed and reverted together, indicating that the two characteristics are a pleiotropic manifestation of a single mutation. Mixed extract and kinetic experiments mitigated against an altered nuclease activity as the enzymatic consequence of the mutation. Also, the mutant and wild type activities were stimulated equally by Escherichia coli exonuclease III. The residual activity in the mutant showed several differences from the wild-type activity: it purified differently, was more sensitive to sulfhydryl reagents, and displayed a different template specificity. We tentatively conclude that either the mutation in JB1-49(59) has introduced a qualitative as well as a quantitative change in the polymerase or the wild type contains two distinct polymerases, one of which is missing in the mutant.
Macroendocytosis and endosome processing in snake motor boutons.

We have examined the processing of endosomes formed by macroendocytosis (ME), or bulk membrane retrieval, in active motor terminal boutons at the snake nerve–muscle synapse. Endocytic probes were imaged at light (FM1–43) and electron (horseradish peroxidase (HRP)) levels over stimulus frequencies representing low, intermediate and high levels of use. Endosomes formed rapidly (1–2 s) at all frequencies, concomitant with clathrin-mediated vesicular endocytosis (CME). Endosomes dissipated rapidly into vesicles (∼10 s). The dissipation rate was not influenced by activity. Many endosomes split into clusters of 2–20 smaller endosomes of varying size. Vesicles budded from these smaller endosomes, from large endosomes that had not undergone fission into smaller ones, and from precursor membrane infoldings that had not yet internalized. In snake, exocytosed vesicular membrane is not competent for reuse until after a delay (> 3 min). We found that time required for endosome processing is not responsible for this delay. Endosome processing might, however, limit availability of some vesicles for release at very high levels of use. Generally, endosome processing paralleled that of vesicles internalized directly from the plasma membrane via CME, regardless of stimulus frequency. There was no evidence for differential recruitment of ME versus CME depending upon level of use.
The Relevance of Philosophy of Education

(1997). The Relevance of Philosophy of Education. Curriculum Inquiry: Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 81-94.
Applications of new technology for production of high power millimeter waves to magnetic fusion research

Although research on magnetically confined fusion plasmas has been carried out for a half century, for most of this time control of the temperature, density and current density profiles has been limited and transient. Now, high power long pulse gyrotron systems with excellent reliability are coming on line, which can provide non-inductively driven currents and electron heating leading to higher plasma performance and continuous operation in reactor relevant regimes. The precision of the location at which heating and current drive are applied has also made it possible to suppress certain classes of plasma instabilities. Basic physics of electron cyclotron current drive and heating are understood and these new technological capabilities are being exploited in magnetic confinement devices worldwide.
Synthesis and aggregation-induced emission properties of pyridine and pyridinium analogues of tetraphenylethylene

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) is emerging as an important design element in a variety of new fluorescent-based chemical sensors and bio-imaging agents. In particular, derivatives of tetraphenylethylene (TPE) have been widely utilized in this regard as the TPE framework is a reliable AIE-luminogen. To expand the library of AIE active tetraarylethylenes, we have explored the effects of replacing one or two of the phenyl rings in TPE with pyridine. Efficient synthetic routes that deliver mono- and bis-pyridyl tetraarylethylenes have been developed and the luminescent properties of these heterocyclic TPE analogues, along with their corresponding N-methylated pyridinium salts, have been examined.
Activation of Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3β Promotes the Intermolecular Association of Tau THE USE OF FLUORESCENCE RESONANCE ENERGY TRANSFER MICROSCOPY

Tau is hyperphosphorylated and undergoes proteolysis in Alzheimer disease brain. Caspase-cleaved tau efficiently forms fibrillary structures in vitro and in situ. Glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) phosphorylates tau and induces the aggregation of caspase-cleaved tau in situ. Given the hypothesis that increased association of tau precedes the formation of fibrillar structures, we generated a cell model to quantitate the extent of tau association in situ using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) microscopy. The cyan and yellow fluorescent proteins were attached to full-length (T4) and caspase-cleaved (T4C3) tau at either the N or C termini, and a pair of cyan and yellow fluorescent protein-tagged tau were co-transfected into human embryonic kidney cells. The FRET efficiency was examined in the presence of a constitutively active or a kinase-dead GSK3β. Active GSK3β significantly increased FRET efficiency with both T4 and T4C3, indicating that GSK3β activation resulted in an increase in the self-association of both T4 and T4C3, but interestingly only T4 is efficiently phosphorylated by GSK3β. There was no significant difference in FRET efficiency between T4 and T4C3, although only T4C3 in the presence of active GSK3β leads to the formation of Sarkosyl-insoluble inclusions. These FRET studies demonstrate that GSK3β facilitates the association of T4 and T4C3, and the presence of caspase-cleaved tau is necessary for the evolution of tau oligomers into Sarkosyl-insoluble inclusions even though it is not extensively phosphorylated. These data imply that increased association of tau should not be regarded as a direct indicator of the formation of insoluble tau aggregates.
A Prospective, Pilot Study of Early Corticosteroid Cessation in High-Immunologic-Risk Patients: The Cincinnati Experience

Background. The first prospective trial of steroid withdrawal dedicated to high-immunologic-risk patients is reported herein. Methods. Twenty-five patients were enrolled prospectively in an IRB-approved HIPAA-compliant protocol. Immunosuppression included corticosteroid withdrawal (CSWD) at 7 days, tacrolimus (target trough level 4 to 8 ng/mL), sirolimus (target trough level 8 to 12 ng/mL), and Mycophenolate Mofetil (2 g/d). Induction with daclizumab (2 mg/kg) on posttransplant days (PTD) 0 and 14 was administered to the first 10 patients. The protocol for the next 15 patients was modified because of high acute rejection rates to include received T-cell-depleting antibody induction therapy with thymoglobulin (1.5 mg/kg) on PTDs 0 and 2 followed by daclizumab on Postoperative day (POD) 14. Recipient inclusion criteria included: (1) repeat transplant recipients; or (2) patients with a peak PRA ≥25%. All rejection episodes were diagnosed by biopsy and graded using Banff '97 criteria. Results. Twenty-five patients were enrolled and median follow-up was 402 days. Forty percent of recipients were black, 68% of patients were repeat transplant recipients, 68% received deceased donor kidneys, and 36% had a peak flow PRA >25%. Overall acute rejection, graft survival, and patient survival rates of 40%, 88%, and 96%, respectively, were observed for the duration of the study. Acute rejection occurred in 6 of 10 patients (60%) with daclizumab induction; however, acute rejection rates fell to 27% when thymoglobulin was introduced (P =.1). Conclusions. This study supports our previous observations in a multivariate analysis of early CSWD patients, wherein polyclonal antibody induction therapy reduced acute rejection. High-immunologic-risk patients may be able to undergo early CSWD with acceptable rates of acute rejection.
Human performance regression testing

As software systems evolve, new interface features such as keyboard shortcuts and toolbars are introduced. While it is common to regression test the new features for functional correctness, there has been less focus on systematic regression testing for usability, due to the effort and time involved in human studies. Cognitive modeling tools such as CogTool provide some help by computing predictions of user performance, but they still require manual effort to describe the user interface and tasks, limiting regression testing efforts. In recent work, we developed CogTool Helper to reduce the effort required to generate human performance models of existing systems. We build on this work by providing task specific test case generation and present our vision for human performance regression testing (HPRT) that generates large numbers of test cases and evaluates a range of human performance predictions for the same task. We examine the feasibility of HPRT on four tasks in LibreOffice, find several regressions, and then discuss how a project team could use this information. We also illustrate that we can increase efficiency with sampling by leveraging an inference algorithm. Samples that take approximately 50% of the runtime lose at most 10% of the performance predictions.
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity in human liver

The activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (EC 4.1.1.32) (PEPCK), a rate-limiting gluconeogenic enzyme, was found decreased by others in genetically determined disorders and in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). To understand these findings, we made a systematic study of normal human hepatic PEPCK activities in specimens obtained under various conditions from patients not suspected of having SIDS. PEPCK was assayed by the method of Ballard and Hanson [J. Biol. Chem., 244 (1969) 5625] and activity reported as units (1 mumol/min) per gram protein. Intra-assay precision was 4.1% (n = 1094); inter-assay precision using the same homogenate was 10.4% (n = 51); and inter-assay precision using different homogenates of the same tissue specimen was 16.3% (n = 17). The assay was linear with time and enzyme concentration for at least 60 min up to 1.3 mU/assay and for at least 5 min up to 20 mU/assay. Biopsy specimens had significantly (P = 0.015) higher PEPCK activity, 12.60 +/- 3.01 U/g (range 3.5-10.4, n = 9) compared to specimens obtained at autopsy, 3.20 +/- 0.45 U/g (range 0-8.6, n = 33). Specific activity was not significantly correlated with the patient's age, fresh vs. frozen tissue, postmortem intervals up to 68 h, or length of storage at -70 degrees C up to 21 years. One patient had activity at autopsy (tissue obtained less than 2 h postmortem) 26% less than was observed in his biopsy specimen. Autopsy samples separated by differential centrifugation into mitochondrial and cytosolic fractions and checked with marker enzymes ornithine transcarbamylase (mitochondrial) and arginase (cytosolic) had considerable cross-contamination between the two fractions in fresh and frozen specimens.
Geothermal zones get close scrutiny

A recent study of the interaction of groundwaters and brines with magma-heated zones in the crust could result in a number of far-reaching geophysical implications if the conclusions reported by J.C. Dunn and H.C. Hardee are correct (J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 11, 189–201, 1981). Fluid convection in near-critical aqueous groundwater solutions is strongly enhanced, resulting in significantly enhanced heat flow. Single- and two-phase flow may lead to processes that cause shallow pooling of magma in the crust. The solutions are chemically active and could initiate formation of extensive hydrothermal ore deposits. Geophysical data and experimental values make it possible to predict depths to superconnecting zones in the crust. Improved heat transfer in these zones could be responsible for the development of geothermal fields in the southwestern United States and other areas in the world that overlie shallow magma zones.
The role of biomarkers and genetics in peripheral arterial disease

Men and women with lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) have higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers than those without PAD. Observational studies link higher levels of several inflammatory biomarkers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and soluble adhesion molecules, to 1 or more of the following outcomes in people with PAD: more severe PAD, greater lower extremity functional impairment, more adverse calf skeletal muscle characteristics, greater declines in the ankle brachial index, greater declines in lower extremity performance, and higher rates of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers are also associated with poorer outcomes after lower extremity revascularization, including graft restenosis and mortality. Increasing levels of CRP are associated with increased mortality and faster functional decline among people with PAD. Statin therapies reduce cardiovascular event rates and may improve walking performance in men and women with PAD, perhaps in part because statins can reduce inflammation. However, no clinical trials have been performed to establish whether therapies that specifically block or lower inflammatory biomarkers improve outcomes in patients with PAD. Family studies show that heritability of PAD ranges from approximately 20% to 45% after adjusting for atherosclerotic risk factors. A genetic marker for PAD has the potential to identify individuals at increased risk for PAD and may also uncover proteins that can help determine mechanisms of development of lower extremity atherosclerosis. However, a genetic marker for PAD has not been identified.
Ethanol self-administration in ALKO rats: II. Effects of selection and fixed-ratio size.

Abstract The ethanol-reinforced behaivor of ALKO Alcohol Accepting (AA) rats was studied as a function of fixed-ratio (FR) size (1, 2, 4, 8 and 16) across several ethanol concentrations (8, 16 and 32% w/v). A comparison was also made with ethanol-reinforced behavior of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Ethanol, previously shown to serve as a reinforcer in AA and SD rats, maintained responding in these animals under conditions of intermittent reinforcement. SD rats exhibited higher response rates than AA rats to obtain 8% ethanol concentrations as fixed-ratio size was varied in these experiments. These results confirm that, for AA rats, the selection for preference in a two-bottle choice situation did not include the selection for those biological factors which maximize ethanol-reinforced behavior under conditions of intermittent reinforcement. These experiments suggest the existence of distinct, biologically influenced components of ethanol drinking behavior, and have demonstrated several similarities as well as differences between two-bottle choice preference tests and operant studies of ethanol-reinforced behavior.
Spectral and Temporal Manipulation of Single Photons from a Quantum Dot by Pulsed Frequency Upconversion

Telecommunications-band single photons from a quantum dot are upconverted using <1~ns, 1550~nm pulses to create Gaussian shaped single photon pulses at 710~nm. Such a technique will be useful for integrating quantum systems via photons.
Death and Civil Society

By comparing death and burial rituals in neighboring communities in western Mexico, much can be learned about civil society. Four communities are examined, two traditional and two in the process of change as they struggle with the influx of a sizable number of U.S. retirees as well as the growing number of Protestant church denominations that are appearing in the area.
Track geometry defect rectification based on track deterioration modelling and derailment risk assessment

Analysing track geometry defects is critical for safe and effective railway transportation. Rectifying the appropriate number, types and combinations of geo-defects can effectively reduce the proba...
Some notes on the epidemiology of nonspecific ulcerative colitis. An apparent increase in incidence in Jews.

The epidemiology of chronic nonspecific ulcerative colitis is discussed. The literature contains much scattered and little organized material. An analysis of this material permits a few conclusions. The disease is world-wide in distribution and is probably increasing. Racial factors may be significant—the disease seems rare in the Negro, and more common among Jews—but it is not clear how much of this is social and environmental, rather than genetic.
Forestry Taxation in Africa: The Cases of Liberia and Gabon

SUMMARY The paper focuses on mobilizing resources through forestry activity in Liberia and Gabon. It advocates the management of forests in a sustainable manner while obtaining a fair share of rents arising from their exploitation. The paper describes the performance of a generalized area tax through a bidding process for allocating concessions in Liberia and presents the status of forestry taxation in Gabon. Both countries through reform have greatly simplified the fiscal terms for the industry, and further improvements are feasible. A deepening of the reform should consider phasing out export taxation and the consolidation of an area tax and auctions for allocating concessions.
Power comparisons for the multivariate batch-means method

It is suggested that the multivariate batch-means (MBM) method of analyzing simulation output has the potential to be a widely-used tool by practitioners. The author presents a power comparison of selected statistics that can be used for choosing the batches, which is one of the key elements in the successful use of the MBM method. Explicit procedures are given for five batch-selection criteria, and some guidelines for the proper use of the MBM method are stated. >
Exercise-induced increase in diastolic pressure: indicator of severe coronary artery disease.

The diastolic blood pressure response to treadmill exercise testing was analyzed in 281 patients. Diastolic blood pressure was measured at rest, during each stage of exercise, immediately on recovery, and 1, 3 and 5 minutes into the recovery period. No change or a decrease in diastolic blood pressure was considered a normal response. An increase in diastolic blood pressure of more than 15 mm Hg on at least two determinations, comparing values at rest with those on exercise, was considered an abnormal response. Only patients showing a normal increase in systolic blood pressure during exercise were included. Two hundred and nine patients had a normal and 72 patients an abnormal diastolic blood pressure response. In a subgroup of 41 patients who underwent coronary arteriography, 50 percent of patients with a normal diastolic pressure response had normal coronary arteries, compared with 17 percent of those with an abnormal response (P < 0.03). Only 11 percent of patients with a normal diastolic pressure response had triple vessel or left main coronary artery disease, compared with 44 percent of patients with an abnormal response (P < 0.03). Blood pressure at rest (13284mm Hg) and peak heart rate (mean 155 beats/min) were similar in each group. There was no significant difference between exercise-induced ischemic S-T segment changes in the two groups (13 percent for patients with a normal diastolic pressure response versus 15 percent for those with an abnormal diastolic pressure response). In conclusion, an abnormal diastolic pressure response to treadmill testing may be a good indicator of coronary artery disease even in the absence of S-T segment changes.
Inspiratory tidal volume sparing effects of tracheal gas insufflation in dogs with oleic acid-induced lung injury.

Abstract Purpose: Tracheal gas insufflation (TGI) improves the efficiency of conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) by reducing the series dead space of the airways. Consequently, application of TO as an adjunct to CMV may permit reducing tidal volume (V t ) while limiting CO2 retention. We tested the extent to which panexpiratory TGI allows reduction of V t while maintaining Paco2 constant in an oleic acid-induced lung injury model. Methods: We studied six anesthetized, paralyzed, and mechanically ventilated dogs. Oleic acid injury was induced by injecting 0.09 mL/kg of oleic acid into the right atrium. After stabilization of lung injury the V t -sparing effect of TO was tested by progressively increasing catheter flow rate (Vc) from 2 to 5, 10, and 15 L/min while decreasing V t by an amount that maintained Paco2 constant (≈47 mm Hg) with respect to baseline (Vc = 0 L/ min). Results: Tidal volume was decreased from a baseline value of 0.360 ± 0.030 L to 0.238 ± 0.054 L at Vc of 15 L/min. The reduction in V t was associated with a decrement in peak and end-inspiratory plateau airway opening pressure from 32 ± 3 to 28 ± 6 cm H2O and from 25 ± 2 to 21 ± 3 cm H2O, respectively. Total physiological dead space fraction decreased from a baseline value of 0.60 ± 0.08 to 0.31 ± 0.20 during TGI at 15 L /min. TGI did not affect cardiac output, Pao2, or pulmonary venous admixture. Conclusion: We conclude that TO can be a useful adjunct to CMV during acute lung injury to limit V t while avoiding CO2 retention.
Cardiac enzymes in patients undergoing caesarean section

Some of the changes reported in the ECG of parturients undergoing Caesarean section are suggestive of myocardial ischaemia. This study determined serum CK total and the isoenzyme CK-MB levels in 21 patients during and after Caesarean section under epidural anaesthesia. Twenty patients complained of chest pain, discomfort and pressure, while 12 had ST segmental depression. Although the total CK activity in ten patients was elevated, CK-MB activity in all patients was negative. The electrocardiographic changes were rate-related and occurred at the time pressure was placed upon the upper abdomen and lower thoracic cage by the surgeon to facilitate Caesarean delivery. The data from this study demonstrate that no myocardial injury as measured by CK-MB activity occurs in parturients undergoing Caesarean delivery despite the complaint of chest pain, discomfort and pressure, and ST changes in the ECG.
A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Evaluation of Terbutaline for External Cephalic Version

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of subcutaneous terbutaline therapy on the success rate of external cephalic version in term gestation. Methods Women with singleton noncephalic gestations were assigned randomly to receive either terbutaline (0.25 mg) or placebo. Physicians were blinded to the assignment. Fifteen to 30 minutes after the study drug was administered, external cephalic version was attempted. It was discontinued after three attempts, for patient discomfort, for fetal heart rate decelerations, or when successful. Patients were discharged home after the procedure and allowed to enter spontaneous labor. Primary outcomes evaluated included initial success of version, presentation in labor, and route of delivery. Results One hundred three women were enrolled in the study between January 1994 and June 1995, of whom 52 were assigned to terbutaline and 51 to placebo. External cephalic version was successful in 27 of 52 (52%) women receiving terbutaline compared with 14 of 51 (27%) of those receiving placebo ( P = .019). This comparison yielded a relative risk (RR) of 1.9 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3, 6.5). Four of the 27 (15%) successful versions in the terbutaline group and three of the 14 (21%) successful versions in the placebo group spontaneously reverted to breech presentation. Ultimately, in labor there were 24 (46%) cephalic presentations in the terbutaline group and 13 (25%) in the placebo group ( P = .048, RR 1.84, 95% CI 1.1, 5.8). Cesarean delivery rates were 11 of 41 (27%) for women with successful versions and 58 of 62 (94%) among those with failed versions ( P Conclusion Terbutaline (0.25 mg) administered subcutaneously before an attempted version in women at term with noncephalic presentations significantly increased the initial success rate of version and the rate of cephalic presentations in labor while decreasing the rate of cesarean delivery.
A low complexity scheme for accurate 3D velocity estimation in ultrasound systems

Vector flow imaging is a critical component in the clinical diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases; however, most current methods are too computationally expensive to scale well to 3D. Less complex techniques, such as Doppler-based imaging (which cannot provide lateral flow measurements) and basic speckle tracking algorithms (which have poor lateral accuracy), are incapable of producing high quality 3D measurements. In this paper, we first extend a technique designed to improve lateral flow accuracy for 2D velocity vector estimation, the synthetic lateral phase method, to 3D (SLP-3D). We then show that a straightforward implementation of this algorithm is too computationally complex for modern systems. Instead, we propose a two-tiered method that uses low complexity sum-of-absolute differences (SAD) for coarse-grained search and an optimized version of SLP-3D to fine tune the search for sub-pixel accuracy. We show that the proposed method (SAD+SLP-3Dopt) achieves a 9× reduction in computational complexity compared to the naive SLP-3D. Field II simulations for plug and parabolic flow using our method show a fairly high degree of accuracy in both the axial and the lateral components. Finally, we show our technique can support accurate flow imaging with up to 130 velocity estimations/sec within the power constraints of a handheld device.
Integration of an SCR in an active clamp.

Abstract This paper presents the integration of an SCR into a HV power clamp. For low currents the structure operates in “active clamp” mode and clamps the voltage to a value above the maximum operating voltage. After snapback the structure clamps the voltage to a low value as an SCR.
Constrained Gaussian Process Regression for Gene-Disease Association

We introduce a class of methods for Gaussian process regression with functional expectation constraints. We show that the solution can be found without the need for approximations when the constraint set satisfies a representation theorem. Further, the solution is unique when the constraint set is convex. Constrained Gaussian process regression is motivated by the modeling of transposable (matrix) data with missing entries. For such data, our approach augments the Gaussian process with a nuclear norm constraint to incorporate low rank structure. The constrained Gaussian process approach is applied to the prediction of hidden associations between genes and diseases using a small set of observed associations as well as prior covariances induced by gene-gene interaction networks and disease ontologies. We present experimental results showing the performance improvements that result from the use of additional constraints.
Characterizing large text corpora using a maximum variation sampling genetic algorithm

There exists an enormous amount of information available via the Internet. Much of this data is in the form of text-based documents. These documents cover a variety of topics that are vitally important to the scientific, business, and defense/security communities. Currently, there are a many techniques for processing and analyzing such data. However, the ability to quickly characterize a large set of documents still proves challenging. Previous work has successfully demonstrated the use of a genetic algorithm for providing a representative subset for text documents via adaptive sampling. In this work, we further expand and explore this approach on much larger data sets using a parallel Genetic Algorithm (GA) with adaptive parameter control. Experimental results are presented and discussed.
Health services quality improvement in Guaymate, Dominican Republic, as the framework for US global health education: a case study

Abstract Background We explored the feasibility of a partnership approach between the community, the US Peace Corps, and the University of Illinois to improve the quality of local primary health-care services in Guaymate, Dominican Republic. The aim was to do community-based participatory research (CBPR) as a framework for responsible global health education for US trainees. Methods We used mixed methods to characterise the partnership, assess the health service effect of a quality improvement process, and qualitatively examine the value of the global health education experience. Outcome variables include partner contributions and benefits to assess the partnership; client perceptions of access, safety, and continuity to assess service quality; and US trainee perceptions of personal and community effect to assess global health education. We used CBPR to identify local priorities for health service quality improvement. Findings Within the partnership, the local health institution leadership guides the project in consideration of local priorities; the Peace Corps provides coordination support, community expertise, and local trust; and the academic institution offers technical, public health, and research support. The local community benefits through improved access to quality primary health care services. US trainees learn principles of primary health care, community participation, social determinants of health, and health services strengthening. Local priorities identified for health service quality improvement were at the local municipal hospital and community health education. Interpretation This partnership approach has been successfully implemented in Guaymate, Dominican Republic, and has shown promise as a generalisable model. The anticipated partnership outcome is local primary health-care quality improvement that sustainably addresses locally prioritised public health issues within a responsible approach to global health education. Funding Northwestern University School of Law.
Leap scratchpads: automatic memory and cache management for reconfigurable logic

Developers accelerating applications on FPGAs or other reconfigurable logic have nothing but raw memory devices in their standard toolkits. Each project typically includes tedious development of single-use memory management. Software developers expect a programming environment to include automatic memory management. Virtual memory provides the illusion of very large arrays and processor caches reduce access latency without explicit programmer instructions.LEAP scratchpads for reconfigurable logic dynamically allocate and manage multiple, independent, memory arrays in a large backing store. Scratchpad accesses are cached automatically in multiple levels, ranging from shared on-board, RAM-based, set-associative caches to private caches stored in FPGA RAM blocks. In the LEAP framework, scratchpads share the same interface as on-die RAM blocks and are plug-in replacements. Additional libraries support heap management within a storage set. Like software developers, accelerator authors using scratchpads may focus more on core algorithms and less on memory management.
Type II collagen modulates the composition of extracellular matrix synthesized by articular chondrocytes

The articular cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) interfaces with chondrocytes and influences many biological processes important to cartilage homeostasis and repair. The alginate bead culture system can be viewed as a model of cartilage repair in which the chondrocyte attempts to recreate the pericellular matrix while maintaining a differentiated phenotype. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the alteration in epitopes of proteoglycan and tenascin synthesized by chondrocytes in the presence of exogenous extracellular type II collagen. We evaluated the effects on four biomarkers associated with the creation of the denovo matrix using ELISA and immunohistochemistry: keratan sulfate epitope (5D4), 3B3(-) neoepitope of chondroitin-6- sulfate, 3B3(+) chondroitinase-generated epitope of chondroitin-6-sulfate, and tenascin-C expression. TGF-beta1 stimulated the production of 3B3(+), 5D4, and tenascin-C in a dose-dependent manner and decreased 3B3(-) levels. Following the addition of exogenous type II collagen, 3B3(-) increased and tenascin-C decreased but did not change the direction of TGF-beta1 effects. In contrast, 5D4 expression decreased in the presence of collagen II as TGF-beta1 increased to 10 ng/ml. Interestingly, the amount of 3B3(+) epitope was not affected by the incorporation of type II collagen. Immunohistochemistry found there was no significant difference in distribution of these biomarkers in the presence and absence of extracellular type II collagen incorporation. These results elucidate the subtle biochemical differences in ECM synthesized by chondrocytes in the presence of type II collagen and further characterize the role played by ECM in the TGF-beta1 regulation of the articular cartilage physiology.
Weighted Rank Statistics for Simple Linear Regression

Abstract This article is concerned with statistical inferences for the slope parameter β in the simple linear regression model. Rank procedures are proposed which extend the procedures of Theil and Sen by using weights for the pairwise slopes. Estimation, confidence interval, and hypothesis testing problems are considered.
Design for sieving

ZEOLITES and zeolite-like molecular sieves are fascinating materials from both an intellectual and a practical standpoint. Their elegant crystal structures have voids with precise and uniform sizes, in the range of about 0.4-1.5 nn, which can be used for molecular sieving (that is, to discriminate between molecules of similar size). Zeolites are used as shape-selective catalysis they can encourage reactions that favour one particular product over another even when the difference in size between the two species is as little as 0.03 nm, as is the case for p-xylene and o-xylene. Further, zeolites are environmentally benign solids. So their use as catalysts continues to burgeon.