cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Combined medication-and-supply automated delivery system in an ambulatory setting

This article describes the implementation and analysis of an automated system for the distribution of medications and supplies in an ambulatory clinic setting. Distribution, charging, and control of medications and supplies provided to ambulatory clinics is an issue that presents numerous problems for hospital pharmacy departments.A combined automated unit to handle both supplies and medications was studied as an alternative to traditional manual systems. Problems with our manual system were identified.A comparative analysis of revenue, medication and supply cost before and after automation is presented. Increases in revenue, decreases in supply cost, and improved medication expense documentation were noted with the automated system.
Public access defibrillation programs: The role of the automated external defibrillator

Sudden cardiac death occurs with great frequency, and the treatment of out-of hospital cardiac arrest continues to evolve. Although early initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation remains essential, early defibrillation has been shown to be the most important determinant of survival. The development of the automated external defibrillator (AED), a portable, lightweight, accurate, and easy-to-use defibrillator, is revolutionizing the approach to prehospital care by extending the role of delivering defibrillation to layperson first-responders. The American Heart Association is promoting public access defibrillation programs in which laypersons, including police, firefighters, security guards, and flight attendants use AEDs in an effort to reduce time to defibrillation. The authors review current AED technology, examine the data on AED accuracy, review the clinical experience of AED public access defibrillation programs, and explore the future role of the AED in the effort to improve survival from sudden cardiac arrest.
The Nature of Early Environmental Action

In previous chapters we have reviewed available evidence on the nature of relationships between specific early experience parameters and subsequent cognitive and social development. For some early experience parameters, clear-cut relationships with development have been shown; for others, few relationships have occurred, and for the remainder unsystematic or weak relationships have been revealed. One question that emerges is what this body of data tells us about the nature of early environmental action per se, over and above the specific relationships reported.
Aberration correction with OFF: the overdetermined, fan-filtering algorithm

As medical ultrasound imaging moves to larger apertures and higher frequencies, tissue sound-speed variations continue to limit resolution. In geophysical imaging, a standard approach for estimating near-surface aberrating delays is to analyze the time shifts between common-midpoint signals. This requires the collection of complete data - echoes from every combination of an individual source and receiver. Unfocused, common-midpoint signals remain highly correlated in the presence of aberration; there is also tremendous redundancy in the data. In medical ultrasound, this technique has been severely impaired by the wide-angle, random scattering nature of tissue. Until now, it has been difficult to estimate azimuth dependent aberration profiles or to harness the full redundancy in the complete data. Prefiltering the data with two-dimensional fan filters largely solves these problems, permitting highly overdetermined, least-squares solutions for the aberration profiles at many steering angles. In experiments with a tissue-mimicking phantom target and silicone rubber aberrators at non-zero stand-off distances from a 1-D array transducer, this overdetermined, fan-filtering algorithm (OFF) significantly outperformed other published algorithms.
Identification and characterization of potential Shwachman- Diamond Syndrome therapeutics

A160 Shwachman- Diamond Syndrome (SDS) is an autosomal recessive disorder distinguished by skeletal malformations, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, bone marrow failure, and a pediatric predisposition to acute myeloid leukemia and myeloid dysplastic syndrome (MDS). SDS presents a disease model from which to gain insight into the molecular development and progression of leukemias and MDS. Produced by mutations in the Shwachman Bodian Diamond Syndrome (SBDS) gene, SDS affects approximately 1 in 75,000 children worldwide. Currently bone marrow transplant provides a therapeutic option for the hematological disorder. However, this procedure carries the risk of complications. To address the need for pharmacotherapeutics for SDS and related bone marrow syndromes, we have launched a drug discovery initiative that has yielded promising results. Using a Saccharomyces cerevisiae model system in which sdo1, the yeast ortholog of SBDS, was conditionally inactivated, we collaborated with the Institute for Chemistry and Cell Biology to perform a high throughput screen of 68,000 compounds. The screen uncovered 330 hits that reverse the slow growth phenotype associated with the mutation, including Trichostatin A (TSA), which possesses potent histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitory activity. Cell proliferation assays demonstrated that TSA effectively rescues the slow growth of sdo1- yeast strains, raising it 5.91 standard deviations above controls. Given that HDAC inhibitors have generated considerable interest as therapeutics for a wide variety of diseases, including cancer, we are looking forward to extending our studies by examining the efficacy of TSA in mammalian cell models of SDS.
The Heavy Heart: Metabolic Mechanisms and Myocardial Mechanics.

Obesity is an independent risk factor for the development of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and heart failure (HF) and, in particular, HF with preserved ejection fraction.1,2 The pathways from excess adiposity to abnormal myocardial structure and function, and then onwards to clinically overt HF, remain incompletely defined. Obesity is associated with a range of hemodynamic adaptations, including increased stroke volume, heart rate, sympathetic activity, and cardiac output, and an increase in left ventricular mass to accommodate the increased wall stress. Consequently, most obese individuals have normal or hyperdynamic left ventricular systolic function.3 Diastolic dysfunction may be detectable in as many as 57% of obese individuals (body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m2) aged >50 years4; the proportion of obese individuals with systolic dysfunction is less clear, and the proposition of an obesity cardiomyopathy has been controversial. In this issue of Circulation: Heart Failure , Ho et al5 sought to examine the link between obesity-related metabolic traits and subclinical alterations in systolic myocardial mechanics detected by strain echocardiography. See Article by Ho et al Whether it is the obesity per se, the associated metabolic syndrome, or dysfunctional adipokine signaling that lead to myocardial dysfunction and HF has been a source of much investigation. It seems that abnormalities of myocardial structure and function start early in life. Obese children without additional cardiovascular risk factors show an association between excess adiposity and LVH, diastolic dysfunction, and abnormal circumferential strain, which may be independent of hypertension and insulin resistance.6,7 Among adults, obese individuals with greater insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction show the greatest risk of HF development—for example, there is a greater risk of HF in normal-weight individuals with metabolic syndrome …
SGLT2-I in the Hospital Setting: Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Other Benefits and Concerns

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are the newest class of antihyperglycemic agents. They are increasingly being prescribed in the outpatient diabetic population. In this review, we examine the risks and benefits of continuation and initiation of SGLT2 inhibitors in the inpatient setting. There are currently no published data regarding safety and efficacy of SGLT2 inhibitor use in the hospital. Outpatient data suggests that SGLT2 inhibitors have low hypoglycemic risk. They also decrease systolic blood pressure and can prevent cardiovascular death. The EMPA-REG study also showed a decrease in admissions for acute decompensated heart failure. There have been increasing cases of diabetic ketoacidosis, and specifically the euglycemic manifestation, associated with SGLT2 inhibitors use. We present two cases of inpatient SGLT2 inhibitor use, one of continuation of outpatient therapy and one of new initiation of therapy. We then discuss potential risks and methods to mitigate these as well as benefits of these medications in the inpatient setting. We cautiously suggest the use of SGLT2 inhibitors in the hospital. However, these must be used judiciously and the practitioner must be aware of euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis and its risk factors in this population.
Mediating Science in Early Modern England and France

This chapter places Newton and Du Châtelet, his French translator, deeply in their sociocultural contexts, exploring how the myth of Newton as a lone genius bringing enlightenment was carefully constructed against accounts of the politics of early modern European science and religion that told another story. Whereas Newton had vigorously asserted his priority in the discovery of calculus against Leibnitz and intentionally made Principia abstruse to avoid criticism, Du Châtelet championed a collaborative model of science. Her translation of Principia was accompanied by a commentary that placed Newton’s discoveries in the context of other discoverers, both before and after. As the chapter argues, Du Châtelet approached Principia not as a monument to Newton, but as a text to be worked on by herself and others across national boundaries.
Net.Speech: desktop audio comes to the net

In the 1940s, the first research computers worked on numeric data. A few years later, the UNIVAC, was designed for both numeric and alphanumeric data. Over time, technology advances have made other data types economically feasible—text, images, sound, and video.
Applications of 2D NMR spectroscopy to carbohydrates.

Two-dimensional high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (2D NMR) is a powerful tool for determining the structure and conformation of carbohydrates in solution. Applications to carbohydrate problems have followed closely on the heels of development of sophisticated two dimensional — and now three dimensional — pulse sequences (Hoffman and Davies, 1988; Fesik et al., 1989; Vuister et al., 1989).
Connections between collinear and transverse-momentum-dependent polarized observables within the Collins–Soper–Sterman formalism

Abstract We extend the improved Collins–Soper–Sterman (iCSS) W + Y construction recently presented in [1] to the case of polarized observables, where we focus in particular on the Sivers effect in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering. We further show how one recovers the expected leading-order collinear twist-3 result from a (weighted) q T -integral of the differential cross section. We are also able to demonstrate the validity of the well-known relation between the (TMD) Sivers function and the (collinear twist-3) Qiu–Sterman function within the iCSS framework. This relation allows for their interpretation as functions yielding the average transverse momentum of unpolarized quarks in a transversely polarized spin- 1 2 target. We further outline how this study can be generalized to other polarized quantities.
Structural Changes Following Velopharyngeal Resistance Training (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy): A Preliminary Report.

Objective:To evaluate the feasibility/effectiveness of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to document velopharyngeal (VP) structural changes induced by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP...
Acne and rosacea. New and emerging therapies.

This article highlights recent developments in the treatment of acne and rosacea. It presents an update on the use of isotretinoin, minocycline, topical retinoids, and hormones in the treatment of acne and highlights research findings that may lead to future acne therapies. Among these are studies demonstrating the efficacy of 1% topical metronidazole in the treatment of rosacea, reports on the successful maintenance of remissions of rosacea with 0.75% metronidazole gel, and data regarding the controversial association of rosacea with Helicobacter pylori infection.
Fundamentals of Solution Growth

In order for growth to occur the solute species must move from the bulk solution to the crystal surface, be adsorbed on the crystal surface, move to a step, and finally move to a kink on the step. If ionic species are involved then dehydration and chemical reaction may also be required. The latent heat of crystallization must also move back into the solution, since in solution growth the crystal is generally surrounded by the solution and there is no heat sink within the crystal. The net effect is that the surface of the crystal must be at a slightly different temperature from the bulk of the solution. In the following discussion we ignore the thermal effect, which is generally small albeit not zero.
A comparison of the behavior of 111In and 59Fe-labeled transferrin on incubation with human and rat reticulocytes.

The uptake by human and rat reticulocytes of 111In and 59Fe bound to transferrin has been studied. The results indicate a significant difference between the behavior of the two isotopes in both human and rat incubation mixtures. Reticulocyte uptake of 111In from human and rat serum was 30% and 12% that of the 59Fe after a 30-min incubation. The process was temperature dependent, inhibited by sodium arsenite, and related to the reticulocyte percentage of the cells in the reaction mixture. Washed reticulocytes, previously incubated for 30 min with either 59Fe or 111In bound to serum were reincubated in unlabeled serum. Up to 85% of the 111In label and less than 10% of the 59Fe on the reticulocytes were released on reincubation, indicating that, in contrast to 59Fe, the majority of the 111In label remained membrane bound. Specific binding of unlabeled In transferrin was demonstrated by its inhibitory effect on 59Fe-transferrin uptake by rat reticulocytes. Both In- and Fe-transferrin were found to have similar binding affinities for the receptor sites. The 111In remaining in lysates obtained from washed reticulocytes after incubation with 111In-labeled serum and reincubation in unlabeled serum did not appear to be associated with either the hemoglobin or heme molecules.
Exploiting MCL1 Dependency with Combination MEK + MCL1 Inhibitors Leads to Induction of Apoptosis and Tumor Regression in KRAS-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

BH3 mimetic drugs, which inhibit pro-survival BCL-2 family proteins, have limited single-agent activity in solid tumor models. The potential of BH3 mimetics for these cancers may depend on their ability to potentiate the apoptotic response to chemotherapy and targeted therapies. Using a novel class of potent and selective MCL-1 inhibitors, we demonstrate that concurrent MEK + MCL-1 inhibition induces apoptosis and tumor regression in KRAS mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) models, which respond poorly to MEK inhibition alone. Susceptibility to BH3 mimetics that target either MCL-1 or BCL-XL was determined by the differential binding of pro-apoptotic BCL-2 proteins to MCL-1 or BCL-XL, respectively. The efficacy of dual MEK + MCL-1 blockade was augmented by prior transient exposure to BCL-XL inhibitors, which promotes the binding of pro-apoptotic BCL-2 proteins to MCL-1. This suggests a novel strategy for integrating BH3 mimetics that target different BCL-2 family proteins for KRAS mutant NSCLC.
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM): a comparative histological analysis of gliomas in mice, rats, dogs and humans

2733 Although rodent glioma models have been used in preclinical glioma research for >30 years, their use remains controversial and they have been criticized for not recapitulating main pathological features of human GBMs. To address this issue, we compared experimental gliomas in mice and rats, with spontaneous GBMs in dogs, and human patients. The syngeneic mouse GL26 glioma model (20,000 GL26 cells implanted intracranially in C57Bl/6 mice) had a median survival of 25-35 days. The syngeneic rat model (5,000 CNS-1 cells implanted intracranially in to Lewis rats) had a median survival of 15-21 days. Spontaneous dog glioma samples were obtained from the Veterinary Clinic at the University of Minnesota, and human glioma samples were obtained from the Pathology Department at CMSC. General pathological appearance was studied on 5-10μm thick paraffin sections. Immunocytochemistry was used to demonstrate expression of astrocyte markers, GFAP and vimentin; blood vessel endothelial cells, Von Willebrand factor (VWF); macrophages and T cells were detected using species-specific CD3 antibodies. Gliomas in all species confirmed areas of necrosis, hemorrhage, neovascularization, cellular pleomorphism and nuclear atypia, vimentin immunoreactivity, and infiltration of T cells and macrophages. Species-specific differences were noted in the formation of pseudopalisades and tumor invasion. Human gliomas diffusely infiltrated surrounding normal brain tissue. A similar pattern was observed in dog glioma, in which the tumor border was diffuse. In the rat and mouse gliomas tumor borders were distinct, although clusters and individual tumoral cells were observed beyond the tumor margins, amongst normal brain tissue. Dog and human gliomas demonstrated typical pseudopalisades. Although the rat and mouse gliomas did not exhibit typical pseudopalisading, extensive necrotic patches were surrounded by a crown of glial cells. Our data thus indicate that CNS-1 and GL26 experimental murine gliomas share most characteristic histological features with human gliomas, even distinctive structures resembling pseudopalisades, and images suggestive of tumor infiltration of surrounding normal brain tissue. In conclusion, murine models reproduce human gliomas to a greater degree than hitherto recognized, and thus, constitute acceptable experimental models for the initial testing of novel therapies. On the other hand, spontaneous gliomas in dogs will, in addition to reproducing all typical human GBM characteristics, also allow us to model the fate of novel experimental therapies within the context of a natural disease, and a large brain. Supported by; The NIH/NINDS 1R01 NS44556.01; NIDDK 1 RO3 TW006273-01 to M.G.C.; NIH/NINDS 1 RO1 NS 42893.01, U54 NS045309-01, and 1R21 NS047298-01 to P.R.L.; NCI K08 CA89530; NCI R03 CA101030; The Linda Tallen & David Paul Kane Fellowship and the Board of Governors at CSMC.
A clinical 3D/4D CBCT-based treatment dose monitoring system.

To monitor delivered dose and trigger plan adaptation when deviation becomes unacceptable, a clinical treatment dose (Tx-Dose) reconstruction system based on three-dimensional (3D)/four-dimensional (4D)-cone beam computed tomograpy (CBCT) images was developed and evaluated on various treatment sites, particularly for lung cancer patient treated by stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). This system integrates with our treatment planning system (TPS), Linacs recording and verification system (R&V), and CBCT imaging system, consisting of three modules: Treatment Schedule Monitoring module (TSM), pseudo-CT Generating module (PCG), and Treatment Dose Reconstruction/evaluation module (TDR). TSM watches the treatment progress in the R&V system and triggers the PCG module when new CBCT is available. PCG retrieves the CBCTs and performs planning CT to CBCT deformable registration (DIR) to generate pseudo-CT. The 4D-CBCT images are taken for target localization and correction in lung cancer patient before treatment. To take full advantage of the valuable information carried by 4D-CBCT, a novel phase-matching DIR scheme was developed to generate 4D pseudo-CT images for 4D dose reconstruction. Finally, TDR module creates TPS scripts to automate Tx-Dose calculation on the pseudo-CT images. Both initial quantitative commissioning and patient-specific qualitative quality assurance of the DIR tool were utilized to ensure the DIR quality. The treatment doses of ten patients (six SBRT-lung, two head and neck (HN), one breast and one prostate cancer patients) were retrospectively constructed and evaluated. The target registration error (mean ± STD: 1.05 ± 1.13 mm) of the DIR tool is comparable to the interobserver uncertainty (0.88 ± 1.31 mm) evaluated by a publically available lung-landmarks dataset. For lung SBRT patients, the D99 of the final cumulative Tx-Dose of GTV is 93.8 ± 5.5% (83.7-100.1%) of the originally planned D99 . CTV D99 decreases by 3% and mean ipsilateral parotid dose increases by 11.5% for one of the two HN patients. In conclusion, we have demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of a treatment dose verification system in our clinical setting.
Characterization of a dextran-budesonide prodrug for inhalation therapy

Abstract Reducing the dosing frequency of corticosteroids may increase compliance and increase pulmonary targeting. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether a high molecular weight dextran-budesonide conjugate might be suitable for pulmonary slow release of the otherwise fast absorbed budesonide. An array of dextran-spacer-budesonide conjugates was prepared that differed in the molecular weight of dextran (20 kDa or 40 kDa) and the length of the dicarboxylic spacer (succinic, glutaric, and adipic anhydride). The conjugates were characterized for identity by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the degree of dextran-hydroxyl conjugation, purity, and physiological activation (release of budesonide). The 40 kDa dextran-succinate-budesonide conjugate was formulated as a dry powder for pulmonary delivery and characterized for particle size distribution, particle morphology, and aerodynamic particle size. The degree of substitution (grams of budesonide in 100 g of conjugate) ranged from 4 to 10% for all six dextran-spacer-budesonide conjugates. Incubation at 37 °C and pH 7.4 in phosphate buffered saline resulted in release of 25–75% of the conjugated budesonide over an 8-hour period with the rate of release increasing with molecular weight of dextran and the length of the spacer. Modeling of the concentration time profiles of the released budesonide and budesonide-21-hemisucinate in phosphate buffered saline, suggested that budesonide is generated either directly or via the budesonide-21-hemisucinate pre-cursor. Data also suggested that the rate of budesonide generation likely depends on the position of budesonide on the dextran molecule. Spray-drying the 40 kDa dextran-succinate-budesonide produced respirable particles of the conjugate with a mass median aerodynamic particle size (MMAD) of 4 μm. The slow generation of budesonide from the chemical delivery system might further improve the pharmacological profile of budesonide.
Core self-evaluations over time: Predicting within-person variability.

Abstract. Core self-evaluations (CSEs) represent a prominent construct with links to a number of important organizational behaviors and outcomes. Previous research on this variable appears to have ...
[PI266] Worker Protection Standard: Notification and Hazard Communication

The Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is a Federal regulation designed to protect agricultural workers (people involved in the production of agricultural plants) and pesticide handlers (people mixing, loading, or applying pesticides or doing other tasks involving direct contact with pesticides). It has been in full implementation since 1995. This document provides general guidance to help you comply with the requirements of the Federal Worker Protection Standard (WPS) for agricultural pesticides, 40 CFR part 170, as amended in 2015. This document addresses notifying workers of pesticide applications on agricultural establishments.
Affinity propagation clustering of full-field, high-spatial-dimensional measurements for robust output-only modal identification: A proof-of-concept study

Abstract Determination of the model order is a challenging problem in system identification, especially in output-only or operational modal identification where some modes are weakly excited. Although existing methods such as the stabilization diagram method (spectral information) are effective, they do not scale to high-dimensional data, which is usually needed for high-fidelity characterization of structural dynamics and has been made available in the emerging full-field measurement techniques using optical methods such as photogrammetry and laser vibrometers. In this proof-of-concept study we present a new non-parametric, data-driven approach for robust output-only identification of high-spatial-dimensional modal parameters of basic structures by efficiently processing and interactively exploiting the full-field measurement (i.e., very dense spatial measurement points). Specifically, we first over-estimate the system model once, producing a pool of candidate modes associated with their modal frequencies and full-field, high-spatial-dimensional mode shapes. This is accomplished by a data-driven method termed affinity propagation clustering (APC), where the active clusters, which are the active modes in our formulations, emerge from the “message-passing” procedure and does not require a pre-determination of the cluster number (mode or model order). Next, rather than using the spectral information to distinguish the physical and spurious modes in the stabilization diagram method, we exploit and visualize the spatial, full-field mode shape associated with each candidate mode to do so. We conduct extensive experiments on basic structural models with comparisons to a few existing methods. The results indicate that the new method is computationally efficient for identifying high-spatial-dimensional modal parameters, and robust to identify weak modes by exploiting the full-field measurement. We also discuss its applicability and limitations for structures with complex geometry (shapes).
Out Of The Tower And Into The Fray: Examples Of Integrating Trauma Advocacy Into Research And Practice

The majority of individuals worldwide have experienced some form of trauma, violence, or abuse across their lifespan (Benjet et al., 2016). A substantial proportion who experience these harms will ...
The costs outweigh the benefits: seeing side-effects online may decrease adherence to statins.

The prevalence of medical misinformation on the Internet has received much attention among researchers concerned that exposure to such information may inhibit patient adherence to prescriptions. Yet, little is known about information people see when they search for medical information and the extent to which exposure is directly related to their decisions to follow physician recommendations. These issues were examined using statin prescriptions as a case study. We developed and used a tool to rank the quality of statin-related web pages based on the presence of information about side effects, clinical benefits, management of side effects, and misinformation. We then conducted an experiment in which students were presented with a hypothetical scenario in which an older relative was prescribed a statin but was unsure whether to take the medication. Participants were asked to search the web for information about statins and make a recommendation to this relative. Their search activity was logged using a web-browser add-on. Websites each participant visited were scored for quality using our tool, quality scores were aggregated for each participant and were subsequently used to predict their recommendation. Exposure to statin-related benefits and management of side effects during the search was significantly associated with a higher probability of recommending that an older relative adhere to their physician’s recommendation. Exposure to misinformation and side effects were not associated, nor were any other participant characteristics. Bigram analyses of the top reasons participants gave for their recommendation mirrored the statistical findings, except that among participants who did not recommend following the prescription order, myriad side effects were mentioned. Our findings suggest that units of information people see on health-related websites are not treated equally. Our methods offer new understanding at a granular level about the impact of Internet searches on health decisions regarding evidence-based recommended medications. Our findings may be useful to physicians considering ways to address non-adherence. Preventive care should include actively engaging patients in discussions about health information they may find on the web. The effectiveness of this strategy should be examined in future studies.
Mechanical Behavior Evolution of SAC+Bi Lead Free Solder Exposed to Thermal Cycling

Lead free electronic assemblies are often subjected to thermal cycling during qualification testing or during actual use. During the dwells at the constant high temperature extreme, the lead free solders joints will experience thermal aging phenomena, resulting in microstructural evolution and material property degradation. Additional aging effects can also occur in the ramp periods from low to high temperature.In this study, we have investigated the evolution of the mechanical behavior of SAC+Bi (SAC_Q) lead free solder material under different thermal cycling loadings. The nominal chemical composition of the SAC+Bi solder in this work is 92.5% Sn, 4.0% Ag, 0.5% Cu, and 3.0% Bi. A controlled reflow profile was used to prepare rectangular solder samples for uniaxial tensile testing. Then, all the samples were preconditioned by thermal cycling from -40 C to +125 °C inside an environmental chamber under no load condition (stress-free). Several thermal cycling profiles were examined including: (1) 150 minute cycles with 45 minutes ramps and 30 minutes dwells (slow thermal cycling), (2) airto-air thermal shock exposures with 30 minutes dwells and near instantaneous ramps (thermal shock), (3) 90 minute cycles with 45 minutes ramps and 0 minutes dwells (thermal ramping), and (4) no cycling with simple aging at high temperature extreme (aging).For each profile, sets of samples were cycled for various durations (e.g. 48, 96, and 240 cycles), which resulted in various aging times at the high temperature extreme of T = 125 °C. The cycled samples were then subjected to stress-strain or creep testing to measure the mechanical properties including effective elastic modulus, Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS), yield stress, and the creep strain rate. This paper will report on the observed changes in the stress-strain curves, effective modulus, and UTS. The evolutions of the stress-strain curves and associated mechanical properties for each cycling profile were characterized as a function of the cycling duration, as well as the total dwell time at high temperature extreme. For the various thermal cycling profiles, only small changes in the mechanical properties were observed for the SAC+Bi solder. Also, the results for the mechanical property evolutions of SAC+Bi (SAC_Q) were compared to those for SAC305 measured in our previous studies [1]-[2]. Significantly higher changes were observed in the SAC305 solder relative to the SAC+Bi alloy.
Lab, Gig or Enterprise? How scientist-inventors form nascent startup teams

Abstract The entrepreneurial teams that form around university-based technologies influence whether and how those technologies are commercialized. Past research has emphasized the roles of external actors, such as technology transfer officers or investors, in managing the evolution of academic startup teams. But less is known about how individual scientist-inventors form their initial teams. To explore that process, we conducted longitudinal interviews with nine scientist-inventors leading nascent startups at major U.S. universities. Our analyses revealed that these scientists were working with a more extensive set of commercially-relevant knowledge and network connections than past research has accounted for. In fact, the scientists had their own “lay theories” of academic entrepreneurship that encompassed team-specific ideas as well as broader ideas about how their technologies ought to be commercialized. We identified four “design principles” capturing key variations in what the scientists hoped to achieve through their teams: control, scope, entitativity, and dynamism. We further found these principles clustered into three distinct commercialization models, which we called Lab, Gig, and Enterprise. Finally, we elaborated the models' implications for the scientists' team formation strategies, the sources through which they identified new members, and their approaches to dealing with administrators and investors. Our findings change what we know about nascent academic startups by showing how scientists play a critical internal role alongside, prior to, and sometimes instead of the external drivers of team formation whose roles have been more extensively documented.
Application of high-resolution metabolomics to identify biological pathways perturbed by traffic-related air pollution

Abstract Background Substantial research has investigated the adverse effects of traffic-related air pollutants (TRAP) on human health. Convincing associations between TRAP and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are known, but the underlying biological mechanisms are not well established. High-resolution metabolomics (HRM) is a promising platform for untargeted characterization of molecular mechanisms between TRAP and health indexes. Objectives We examined metabolic perturbations associated with short-term exposures to TRAP, including carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC) among 180 participants of the Center for Health Discovery and Well-Being (CHDWB), a cohort of Emory University-affiliated employees. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on baseline visits of 180 CHDWB participants enrolled during 2008–2012, in whom HRM profiling was determined in plasma samples using liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry with positive and negative electrospray ionization (ESI) modes. Ambient pollution concentrations were measured at an ambient monitor near downtown Atlanta. Metabolic perturbations associated with TRAP exposures were assessed following an untargeted metabolome-wide association study (MWAS) framework using feature-specific Tobit regression models, followed by enriched pathway analysis and chemical annotation. Results Subjects were predominantly white (76.1%) and non-smokers (95.6%), and all had at least a high school education. In total, 7821 and 4123 metabolic features were extracted from the plasma samples by the negative and positive ESI runs, respectively. There are 3421 features significantly associated with at least one air pollutant by negative ion mode, and 1691 features by positive ion mode. Biological pathways enriched by features associated with the pollutants are primarily involved in nucleic acids damage/repair (e.g., pyrimidine metabolism), nutrient metabolism (e.g., fatty acid metabolism), and acute inflammation (e.g., histidine metabolism and tyrosine metabolism). NO2 and EC were associated most consistently with these pathways. We confirmed the chemical identity of 8 metabolic features in negative ESI and 2 features in positive ESI, including metabolites closely linked to oxidative stress and inflammation, such as histamine, tyrosine, tryptophan, and proline. Conclusions We identified a range of ambient pollutants, including components of TRAP, associated with differences in the metabolic phenotype among the cohort of 180 subjects. We found Tobit models to be a robust approach to handle missing data among the metabolic features. The results were encouraging of further use of HRM and MWAS approaches for characterizing molecular mechanisms underlying exposure to TRAP.
Control of key performance indicators of manufacturing production systems through pair-copula modeling and stochastic optimization

Abstract Key performance indicators (KPIs) modeling and control is important for efficient design and operation of complex manufacturing production systems. This paper proposes to implement the KPI control based on KPI modeling and stochastic optimization. The KPI relationship is first approximated using ordered block model and pair-copula construction (OBM-PCC) model, which is a non-parametric model that facilitates a flexible surrogate of the KPI relationship. Then, the KPI control is framed into a stochastic optimization problem, where the randomness in the cost function depends on the decision variables. To solve this stochastic optimization problem, the standard uniform distribution is employed to link the OBM-PCC model and the cost function to transform the problem into an ordinary stochastic optimization problem. The proposed method is efficient in KPI control and the performance is robust to the cost function. Extensive numerical studies and comparisons, together with a case study, are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed KPI control framework.
Long-term Success With Diminished Opioid Prescribing After Implementation of Standardized Postoperative Opioid Prescribing Guidelines: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis.

Abstract Objective To assess longitudinal prescribing patterns for patients undergoing urologic surgery in the nearly 2-year time frame before and after implementation of an evidence-based opioid prescribing guideline to accurately characterize the impact on postoperative departmental practices. Patients and Methods Historical prescribing data for adults who underwent 21 urologic procedures at 3 academic institutions were used to derive a 4-tiered guideline for postoperative opioid prescribing. The guideline was implemented on January 16, 2018, and prescribing patterns including quantity of opioids prescribed (in oral morphine equivalents [OMEs]) and refill rates were compared for opioid-naive patients undergoing urologic surgery before (January 1, 2016, through January 15, 2018; N=10,649) and after (January 16, 2018, through September 30, 2019; N=9422) guideline implementation. Univariate analysis was performed using Wilcoxon rank sum and χ2 tests. Cochran-Armitage trend tests and interrupted time series analysis were used to test for significance in the change in OMEs prescribed before vs after guideline implementation. Results The median quantity of opioids decreased from 150 OMEs (interquartile range, 0-225) before guideline implementation to 0 OMEs (interquartile range, 0-90) after guideline implementation (P Conclusion In a multi-institutional follow-up prospective study of adult urologic surgery–specific evidence-based guidelines for postoperative prescribing, we demonstrate sustained reduction in OMEs prescribed secondary to guideline implementation and adherence by our providers.
Applying the Uses and Gratifications Model to Examine Consequences of Social Media Addiction

The purpose of this research is to test the uses and gratifications model (U&G) with respect to addictive outcomes for young adult social media users. Two cross-sectional survey studies were comple...
Financial Reporting Quality and Auditor Locality Contagion

Research in information economics seeks to understand how the actions of one individual affect the decisions of related individuals. We examine this issue in the context of information contagion between audit offices in the same locality. Specifically, we investigate whether contagion among Big N audit offices in the same metropolitan statistical area (MSA) causes their client firms’ financial reporting quality to correlate. We document a relation between overstatement of earnings for one firm (as evidenced by a subsequent restatement) and higher abnormal accruals for another firm in that same year, where both firms’ auditors are located in the same MSA. The correlation in reporting quality is consistent with contagion in practices between auditors. We also find evidence that auditor competition is one channel through which information contagion occurs. The between-audit office contagion we document is incremental to within-audit office contagion documented by prior research. Our evidence is important in understanding additional factors related to the quality of auditing and financial reporting and thus should be relevant to audit committees, regulators attempting to improve audit quality, and stakeholders in general.
Protocol to maintain ECT in COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction Electroconvulsive therapy is a highly effective treatment for severe psychopharmacological resistant patients but it is also a procedure that involves open airway management and has been considered as an aerosol generating procedure. The COVID-19 pandemic, has resulted in reduction in ECT services internationally. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically and rapidly transformed hospitals in heavily affected areas, decreasing mental health services. The need to locate critical patients in spaces intended for anesthesia, where we usually administered ECT, has forced us to decrease the number of procedures and be highly selective. In the same way, continuation and maintenance ECT (m-ECT) have also been dramatically reduced. The risk of contagion urged us to develop a protocol involving other areas of the hospital Objectives To create a safe circuit from admission to the hospital to the ECT including emergency room and psychiatric Ward Methods Review of the tliterature and published protocols Workshops with Preventive Medicine, Anaesthesia and Emergency Service to elaborate a protocol Submission of the protocol to Management of the Hospital Results The protocol (Figure 1) began with the screening for COVID-19 in every patient. If the PCR was (+) the patient was not excluded. We moved treatment from the PACU into the OR and if a patient tested positive It was determined that the ECT was administered in the OR That was provided with negative pressure. Circuits were established within the Psychiatric Ward and in the areas of the hospital involved to reduce risks and patients remained isolated until negative test was confirmed The number of persons present in the treatment room was kept to the absolute minimum required and appropriate personal protective equipment was used, as prescribed by the WHO Conclusions We must keep in mind treating the most vulnerable of our patients. ECT should be seen as an essential medical procedure and made available Disclosure No significant relationships.
Additive Manufacturing of NiTi Shape Memory Alloy for Biomedical Applications: Review of the LPBF Process Ecosystem

NiTi shape memory alloys (SMAs) are used in a broad range of biomedical applications because of their unique properties including biocompatibility and high corrosion and wear resistance as well as functional properties such as superelasticity and the shape memory effect. The combination of SMAs and additive manufacturing can lead to revolutionary changes to the uses of SMAs in the biomedical industry. This article discusses the potential biomedical applications of NiTi that benefit from the AM process. We share the lessons learned in processing NiTi alloys with a focus on the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technique. The manufacturability, build quality, stable phases and transformation temperatures, microstructure, thermomechanical properties, microstructure tailoring, and functional properties of NiTi alloys produced via AM processing are reviewed. Current challenges such as expanding the process window, controlling the chemistry, and the performance and property responses are discussed, and potential opportunities including alloy design are discussed.
Enforcement by Hearing: An Integrated Model of Evidence Production

[This paper was published in two parts as: 1) Relying on the Information of Interested - and Potentially Dishonest-Parties, 3 Am. L. & Econ. Rev. 320 (2001), and 2) Games, Information and Evidence Production: With Application to English Legal History, 2 Am. L. & Econ. Rev. 342 (2000). It also appeared as a working paper under the title: "Enforcement by Hearing: How the Civil Law Sets Incentives."]The paper is a theoretical analysis of incentive setting via civil litigation, with a focus on incentives for care in activities that may be harmful to others (torts). It makes two main contributions: one directly policy-relevant, one conceptual.In most existing law and economics research, litigation is modeled in reduced form, as a sort of costly audit, without explicit specification of the fact-finding process. In such models it is always more costly to implement higher levels of care, implying that the second best level of care is lower than the first. Here we explicitly consider the court's information problem (in a single agent model; Sanchirico (1997) considers multiple parties). We find that implementation costs tend to decline in care level and the second best tends to exceed the first. This result in hand, we suggest that the familiar claim that current tort systems overdeter may in fact be no indictment.A second contribution of the paper is its integrated conception of evidence production, endogenous cost evidence. Evidence production in court is modeled as costly signaling, where signal costs are endogenous to unobserved choices made outside the court room. Care is inspired to the extent that it reduces signaling costs and so increases payoffs at the subsequent proceeding. These signaling/evidence costs are in turn costs of incentive setting via evidence production. In contrast to existing models and conventional wisdom, this view has the ironic implication that perfect (non-falsifiable) evidence may not be good enough: less perfect evidence which is sufficiently-but not infinitely-more costly for disobedient actions is likely to be cheaper all around and thus a more efficient means of setting incentives.While the paper's focus is on tort law, the model it introduces may be useful in analyzing general situations in which a principal attempts to influence the hidden behavior of an agent based on information that the agent herself supplies.
Rethinking Pension Fund Investment Strategies

This paper addresses the need for companies to reexamine their pension fund investment strategies because of certain changes that occurred during the 1980s that enhanced the attractiveness of fixed-income securities. Of primary importance was the issuance of a new pension accounting standard that substantially changed the determination of annual pension expense, pension plan asset and liability recognition, and pension footnote disclosures. Both the concepts and the information resulting from the pension standard have promoted a more integrative perspective of the relationship between pension funds and their corporate sponsors. This broadened perception of companies and their pension funds comprising a single economic entity has important financial consequences for corporate managements and capital providers. One such consequence pertains to pension portfolios. Fixed-income securities become a more desirable pension fund investment for two principal reasons: they reduce financial reporting risk without in...
Workshop fuels interest in metamorphism and tectonics

Recent studies of metasedimentary gneisses from the Western Alps, southwest Norway, northern Kazakhstan, and east-central China reveal the presence of ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) mineral relics encased in strong refractory host garnet, zircon, and pyroxene grains. Petrologists are accustomed to the rare exposure of deeply buried mantle materials such as kimberlites. But the occurrence of coesite and diamond, which are very high-pressure forms of silica and elemental carbon, respectively, in metasedimentary rocks that originated at the Earth's surface is an eyebrow raiser. Since all reported UHP occurrences involve crustal rocks marking continental collisional suture zones, it appears that slabs of old, continental, crust-capped lithosphere must have been subducted to depths of 90–125 km or more. Then, after decoupling, the buoyant sialic material returned toward the surface propelled by body forces.