cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Attitudes of Implanting Physicians about Cardiac Rhythm Management Devices and Their Features

Modern cardiac rhythm management systems have become increasingly complex. The decision on which specific system to implant in a given patient often rests with the implanting physician. We conducted a multiple-choice survey to assess the opinions and preferences of cardiologists and electrophysiologists who implant and follow cardiac rhythm management systems. Reliability and battery longevity were viewed as the most important characteristics in device selection. Patient characteristics which most affected device choice were pacing indication and life expectancy. Remote technology was used in 47% of pacemaker patients, 64% of ICD patients, and 65% of CRT-D patients, with wireless (radiofrequency) remote patient monitoring associated with higher patient compliance rates (74% versus 64%, resp.). Wireless remote patient management with alerts for atrial tachyarrhythmias was felt to be important by 76% of respondents. When choosing an MR-conditional device, physicians deemed patients with prior orthopedic problems, a history of cancer, or neurological disorders to be more likely to require a future MRI. Device longevity and reliability remain the most important factors which influence device selection. Wireless remote patient monitoring with alerts is considered increasingly important when choosing a specific cardiac rhythm management system to implant.
A rule-based algorithm to predict the dynamic behavior of mechanical part orienting operations

Mechanical part orienting approaches, such as part feeders and manipulator pushing operations, reduce the need for sensors. However, their dynamic behavior is usually difficult to predict due to unpredictable kinematic constraint changes. The authors present a rule-based algorithm to predict the dynamic behavior of these systems automatically. Since the rules allow algorithm to make decisions, no data relating to the kinematic constraint changes or subsequent reformulation of the dynamic equations of motion are required a priori. The rules are developed on the premise that the boundary geometry of the interacting bodies is an integral component of the system dynamics. A part feeder, developed using this algorithm is presented. >
PERIOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND SPINAL CORD TRAUMA

Central nervous system (CNS) trauma is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Each year, 500,000 patients with head injuries are seen in emergency departments (EDs), and, of these, more than 50,000 die from their injuries. There are 12,000 cases of severe spinal cord injury each year, with a mortality rate approaching 50%. Many patients who survive suffer permanent disability. Clearly, prevention of CNS injuries is the ideal solution. Anesthesiologists are often involved in the care of patients who present to hospitals, whether it be resuscitation in the ED or management of anesthesia in the operating room. Head-injured patients commonly require surgery for acute decompression of subdural hematomas, epidural hematomas, or intracerebral hemorrhages. Trauma patients with spinal cord injuries present acutely for decompression in the setting of neurologic deterioration, or for reduction and stabilization procedures when conservative measures do not achieve these objectives. In addition, patients with CNS trauma often undergo surgery unrelated to their neurologic injuries. This article provides an overview of the perioperative management of patients with CNS trauma.
Identification of potential locations of electric vehicle supply equipment

Proper placement of electric vehicle supply equipment (charging stations) requires an understanding of vehicle usage patterns. Using data from the National Household Travel Survey on vehicle mileage and destination patterns, analyses were performed to determine electric vehicles' charging needs, as a function of battery size and state of charge. This paper compares electric vehicle charging needs with Department of Energy electric vehicle charging data from real-world charging infrastructure. By combining the electric vehicles charging needs with charging data from real-world applications, locations with high electric vehicle charging likelihood are identified.
Using Regression Models to Analyze Randomized Trials: Asymptotically Valid Hypothesis Tests Despite Incorrectly Specified Models

Regression models are often used to test for cause-effect relationships from data collected in randomized trials or experiments. This practice has deservedly come under heavy scrutiny, because commonly used models such as linear and logistic regression will often not capture the actual relationships between variables, and incorrectly specified models potentially lead to incorrect conclusions. In this article, we focus on hypothesis tests of whether the treatment given in a randomized trial has any effect on the mean of the primary outcome, within strata of baseline variables such as age, sex, and health status. Our primary concern is ensuring that such hypothesis tests have correct type I error for large samples. Our main result is that for a surprisingly large class of commonly used regression models, standard regression-based hypothesis tests (but using robust variance estimators) are guaranteed to have correct type I error for large samples, even when the models are incorrectly specified. To the best of our knowledge, this robustness of such model-based hypothesis tests to incorrectly specified models was previously unknown for Poisson regression models and for other commonly used models we consider. Our results have practical implications for understanding the reliability of commonly used, model-based tests for analyzing randomized trials.
Medication safety curriculum: enhancing skills and changing behaviors

Adverse drug reactions are a leading cause of death in the United States. Safe and effective management of complex medication regimens is a skill for which recent medical school graduates may be unprepared when they transition to residency. We wished to assess the impact of a medication safety curriculum on student competency when evaluating medication therapeutic appropriateness as well as evaluate students’ ability to transfer curricular material to management of patients in clinical settings. To prepare 3rd and 4th year medical students to critically evaluate medication safety and appropriateness, we developed a medication reconciliation/optimization curriculum and embedded it within a Patient-Centered Medical Home longitudinal elective. This curriculum is comprised of a medication reconciliation workshop, in-class and individual case-based assignments, and authentic patient encounters in which medication management skills are practiced and refined. Pre- and post-course competency and skills with medication reconciliation/optimization are evaluated by assessing student ability to identify and resolve medication-related problems (MRPs) in case-based assignments using paired difference tests. A group of students who had wished to enroll in the elective but whose schedule did not permit it, served as a comparison group. Students completing the curriculum (n = 45) identified 75 % more MRPs in case assignments compared to baseline. No changes from baseline were apparent in the comparison group. Enrolled students were able to transfer their skills to the care of authentic patients; these students identified an average of 2.5 MRPs per patient from a panel of individuals that had recently transitioned from hospital to home. Moreover, patient questionnaires (before and several months following the medication encounters with assigned students) indicated that patients felt more knowledgeable about several medication parameters as a result of the student-led medication encounter. Patients also indicated that students helped them overcome barriers to medication adherence (e.g. cost, transportation, side effects). Novice learners may have difficulty transitioning from knowledge of basic pharmacology facts to application of that information in clinical practice. Our curriculum appears to bridge that gap in ways that may positively impact patient care.
The Effects of Boundary-Layer Modification on the Initiation of Convection During Ave-Sesame, 1979

As the planetary boundary layer (PBL) heats during a sunny day, it tends to become well mixed in heat and moisture. The turbulent mixing in the PBL also drives entrainment at the top of the boundary layer, which is often characterized by an inversion. As long as the entrainment is driven, the top of the PBL rises at a rate which depends mainly upon the heating at the surface and the strength of the inversion.
Critique of the National Academy of Sciences study of the isolation system for geologic disposal of radioactive waste

The 1983 report of the Waste Isolation Systems Panel of the National Academy of Sciences (referred to as NAS-83) introduces a solubility limited dissolution (SLD) theory to estimate release rates from high-level radioactive waste packages. It is pointed out that this theory, as presented, should apply equally well to each grain of average rock, but that when applied to that problem, it overpredicts the observed dissolution rate of SiO/sub 2/ by seven orders of magnitude. The SLD theory also predicts that cesium and other trace elements are leached out of rock grains orders of magnitude more rapidly than the SiO/sub 2/; it is shown that this is clearly contrary to the experimentally observed situation. Other shortcomings of the NAS-83 treatment are pointed out. Modifications to the theory that avoid these large discrepancies are suggested; when applied to the waste problem, they pose some very important questions that should be answered before proceeding with waste management problems. For example, they suggest that reprocessing may reduce the hazards from waste by a factor of 10 million, and that synroc may be millions of times more secure against leaching than waste glass.
Clinical Impact of mTOR Inhibitors on the Management of Subependymal Giant Cell Astrocytomas in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder with an estimated prevalence of one in 6000, affecting approximately 1–2 million people worldwide irrespective of age, gender, and race [1]. The earliest modern description of the disorder was made by von Recklinghausen in 1862 [2]. In 1881, Bourneville provided a more detailed description and characterization of the peculiar hardened, discrete nodules in the brain and kidneys of a patient with vascular papular lesions of the face, mental retardation, and severe epilepsy, and was the first to name it “tuberous sclerosis” [3]. The constellation of facial lesions, cognitive impairment, and epilepsy comprised the first clinical diagnostic criteria for TSC established in 1908 by Vogt [4]. We now know, largely through the early work of Gomez in the latter part of the 20th century, that the majority of patients with TSC do not manifest all three components of Vogt’s triad, and that the disorder affects much more than just the brain and kidneys [5]. Indeed, individuals can experience hamartomatous lesions in every organ system of the body, including the heart (cardiac rhabdomyomas), lungs (pulmonary lymphangioleimyomatosis), and kidneys (renal angiomyolipomas). Although these lesions are typically benign with little malignant or metastatic potential, they can still be the source of significant morbidity and mortality in patients with TSC. The greatest morbidity and mortality are attributable to those lesions affecting the brain.Cerebral manifestations include subependymal nodules (SENs), cortical and subcortical tubers, and subependymal giant cell astrocytomas (SEGAs). SEGAs are problematic in that they can lead to progressive obstructive hydrocephalus and death [6]. Surgical resection of SEGAs has been the mainstay of treatment, but emerging evidence supports medical management with mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors as a viable alternative. mTOR is a key intracellular protein present in all cells, and is part of two different regulatory complexes, referred to as mTORC1 and mTORC2 [7]. In patients with TSC, one of two TSC genes, TSC1 (hamartin) or TSC2 (tuberin), is deficient or defective [8]. As a result, mTOR is overly active and protein synthesis unchecked
When Biologists and Engineers Collide: Habitat Conservation Planning in the Middle of Urbanized Development

The City of Austin, Texas, is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States. It is also in one of the most biologically diverse terrestrial ecosystems in the world: the Balcones Canyonlands. Five cave invertebrates and two species of birds that inhabit the area are listed as threatened or endangered, two species of plants are candidates for listing, several others are considered rare and of concern, and a species of the salamander has also been proposed for listing. A habitat conservation plan, of “national significance⋯” according to Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbit (Haurwitz 1996), has been under development for the last several years to conserve those endangered species through a 2400-ha system of preserves and to allow development to continue in more than 162,000 ha of surrounding area. The preserve system, comprising several units ranging in size from less than a hundred to several thousand hectares, would be bordered in many instances by developed areas. Development and maintenance of the infrastructure necessary for new and existing development, both commercial and residential, could have negated the biological value of the preserves (e.g., power-line corridors, water-treatment pipelines and facilities). The challenge of bringing this plan to fruition illustrates the complex biological, technical, and sociological context within which habitat conservation planning may occur. Resolving resource use conflicts of this nature have several commonalities that overarch these contexts. If recognized and addressed, one may move easily and foster positive results. These commonalities can be expressed as principles such as: relying on scientists to recognize, but not solve problems; acting before a scientific consensus is achieved; including human motivation and responses as part of the system to be studied and managed; and confronting uncertainty.
New learning by geriatric subjects.

The research examined the acquisition level of a new verbal response class by geriatric subjects. Four nursing home residents and five members of a Senior Citizens club served as subjects. The experimenter used " very good " as a contingent reinforcement when the subjects emitted the criterion response—alliteration of the letter " s ". The non-institutionalized subjects manifested a significant increase in the frequency of the response whereas institutionalized subjects did not exhibit a significant increase in the frequency of the response.
Autophagy complexes cell death by necroptosis

Macroautophagy (autophagy) is a conserved cell survival pathway that catabolizes damaged proteins and organelles to maintain homeostasis and serves as a potential source of nutrients. Under basal cell conditions, cytosolic contents are sequestered by the autophagosome and ultimately delivered to the lysosome for degradation. The degradative process can in turn be upregulated in response to multiple stressors (e.g. starvation, therapeutics, oxidative stress) [1]. In addition to bulk non-specific turnover, several adaptor proteins, such as p62/SQSTM1, are known to recruit specific cargos to the autophagosome. The plasticity of autophagy in response to these differing stimuli and its ability to recruit and degrade selective cargo differentially modulates cell viability, enhancing both survival and death. An example of this is the autophagic degradation of FAP-1 (Fas Associated Phosphatase-1), a negative regulator of FAS, which enables FAS ligand induced apoptosis [2]. Although many studies have shown direct links between autophagy and apoptosis, very little is known connecting autophagy and other forms of programmed cell death, such as necroptosis [1]. Necroptosis, programmed necrosis, requires a cytosolic complex known as the necrosome. The necrosome is formed by the serine/threonine RIPK1 (receptor interacting protein kinase 1) in complex with RIPK3, FADD, and caspase-8 upon stimulation with TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor α). Upon transand autophosphorylation of RIPK1/RIPK3, MLKL (mixed kinase domain-like protein) is recruited, phosphorylated, and ultimately mediates plasma membrane permeablization inducing necroptosis [3]. Although a great deal has been reported about how autophagy and apoptosis modulate one another [4], the exact role of autophagy in cell death is still poorly understood. Moreover, autophagy’s roles in cell death have primarily been studied in terms of its degradative properties (Figure 1). Our recent study highlighted a broader role for the autophagy machinery that is Editorial
Utilization of long-term care after decompressive hemicraniectomy for severe stroke among older patients.

While clinical trial data support decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) as improving survival among patients with severe ischemic stroke, quality of life outcomes among older persons remain controversial. To aid decision-making and understand practice variation, we measured long-term outcomes and patterns of regional variation for a nationwide cohort of ischemic stroke patients after DHC. Medicare fee-for-service ischemic stroke cases over age 65 during the year 2008 were used to create a cohort followed for 2 years (2009–2010) after stroke and DHC procedure. Rates of mortality, acute hospital readmission, and long-term care (LTC) utilization were calculated. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify individual predictors of institutional LTC. Regional variation in DHC was calculated through aggregation and merging with the state-level data. Among 397,503 acute ischemic stroke patients, 130 (0.03 %) underwent DHC. Mean age was 72 years, and 75 % were between the ages of 65 and 74. Mortality was highest (38 %) within the first 30 days. At 2 years, 59 % of the original cohort had died. The 30-day rate of acute hospital readmission was 25 %. Among survivors, 75 % returned home 1 year after index stroke admission. States with higher per capita health expenditures were associated with wider variation in utilization of DHC. There is a high rate of mortality among older stroke patients undergoing DHC. Although most survivors of DHC are not permanently institutionalized, there is wide variation in utilization of DHC across the USA.
Horizontal Gene Transfer

Processes leading to the acquisition of one or more genes from a different species are reviewed for bacteria and metazoans. Evolutionary benefits related to different categories of transferred genes through acquisition and insertion mechanisms are discussed. Gene expression, prevalence and frequency of gene transfer are reviewed, together with the dimensions of insertions and their evolutionary consequences.
Longitudinal validity of the FNPA screening tool to predict changes in weight status in children

The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity and the accompanying comorbidities among children and adolescents in recent decades is cause for public health concern. Many factors influence weight status and obesity risk, but little research has examined the influence of the home environment on weight status across different age groups, particularly in longitudinal designs. The Family Nutrition and Physical Activity (FNPA) screening tool is a validated measure of the home environment, but further testing of the tool is needed. The purposes of this dissertation were to 1) compare various versions of the FNPA to evaluate user perceptions and test reliability, 2) to determine the efficacy of the FNPA and influence of socio-demographic variables on weight status in children and adolescents and, 3) to examine the influences of home environment and economic factors on long-term growth trajectories among youth. The first study provided support for the continued use of the subjective (Almost Never/Sometimes/Often/Almost Always) response scale based on superior test-retest reliability and inter-item reliability when compared to a proposed objective (days per week) response scale. Parent users provided feedback as to re-wording of many FNPA items. The second study evaluated the utility of this revised FNPA in 1 grade students and 10 grade students and showed that 1 grade children with FNPA scores in the lowest tertile were significantly more likely to be overweight/obese than 1 grade children with FNPA scores in the highest tertile. This relationship was not present in 10 grade students, although school-level socioeconomic status (SES) did influence weight in older youth. The third study demonstrated that parent weight status, race, family income, and school SES influence growth trajectories from 1 to 10 grade. A unique finding of
Strategic planning characteristics applied to project management

Abstract This paper examines the application of strategic planning characteristics from prior strategic planning research to project management. Drawing from prior research in strategic planning, strategic information systems planning and strategic manufacturing planning, this research combines strategic planning characteristics derived from a rational approach with a second set of adaptive characteristics to create a comprehensive model. The resulting “rational adaptive” approach is then assessed empirically to evaluate its relevance to PM and whether it is associated with increased project success. In addition, the “rational adaptive” approach is mapped to established PM tools/techniques. Findings indicate that PM is captured by varying degrees of a rational adaptive approach, which is positively correlated with PM success and use of PM tools/techniques. These results suggest that strategic planning characteristics can be effectively incorporated into a generalized PM framework, yielding potentially useful insights regarding the relationship of PM behaviors to eventual project success.
Defining Entrepreneurial Traits: A Metaphor-Based Approach

Entrepreneurial characteristics have long been studied with various level of success. We take a “metaphor” based approach to the classification of entrepreneurial traits and review popular analogies and artifacts created around the character of the “entrepreneur.” We discuss whether these characterizations have truly reflected the key traits of such individual or they have exaggerated virtues and vices.
Carotenoid glycosides from cyanobacteria are teratogenic in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo model.

Toxigenicity of cyanobacteria is widely associated with production of several well-described toxins that pose recognized threats to human and ecosystem health as part of both freshwater eutrophication, and episodic blooms in freshwater and coastal habitats. However, a preponderance of evidence indicates contribution of additional bioactive, and potentially toxic, metabolites. In the present study, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo was used as a model of vertebrate development to identify, and subsequently isolate and characterize, teratogenic metabolites from two representative strains of C. raciborskii. Using this approach, three chemically related carotenoids - and specifically the xanthophyll glycosides, myxol 2′-glycoside (1), 4-ketomyxol 2′-glycoside (2) and 4-hydroxymyxol 2′-glycoside (3) - which are, otherwise, well known pigment molecules from cyanobacteria were isolated as potently teratogenic compounds. Carotenoids are recognized “pro-retinoids” with retinoic acid, as a metabolic product of the oxidative cleavage of carotenoids, established as both key mediator of embryo development and, consequently, a potent teratogen. Accordingly, a comparative toxicological study of chemically diverse carotenoids, as well as apocarotenoids and retinoids, was undertaken. Based on this, a working model of the developmental toxicity of carotenoids as pro-retinoids is proposed, and the teratogenicity of these widespread metabolites is discussed in relation to possible impacts on aquatic vertebrate populations.
High-throughput screening technologies for enzyme engineering

Emerging technologies are enabling ultra-high-throughput screening of combinatorial enzyme libraries to identify variants with improved properties such as increased activity, altered substrate specificity, and increased stability. Each of these enzyme engineering platforms relies on compartmentalization of reaction components, similar to microtiter plate-based assays which have been commonly used for testing the activity of enzyme variants. The technologies can be broadly divided into three categories according to their spatial segregation strategy: (1) cells as reaction compartments, (2) in vitro compartmentalization via synthetic droplets, and (3) microchambers. Here, we discuss these emerging platforms, which in some cases enable the screening of greater than 10 million enzyme variants, and highlight benefits and limitations of each technology.
Gemcitabine enhances the transport of nanovector-albumin-bound paclitaxel in gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Abstract The mechanism for improved therapeutic efficacy of the combination therapy with nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nAb-PTX) and gemcitabine (gem) for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has been ascribed to enhanced gem transport by nAb-PTX. Here, we used an orthotopic mouse model of gem-resistant human PDAC in which increasing gem transport would not improve the efficacy, thus revealing the importance of nAb-PTX transport. We aimed to evaluate therapeutic outcomes and transport of nAb-PTX to PDAC as a result of (1) encapsulating nAb-PTX in multistage nanovectors (MSV); (2) effect of gem on caveolin-1 expression. Treatment with MSV/nAb-PTX + gem was highly efficient in prolonging animal survival in comparison to other therapeutic regimens. MSV/nAb-PTX + gem also caused a substantial increase in tumor PTX accumulation, significantly reduced tumor growth and tumor cell proliferation, and increased apoptosis. Moreover, gem enhanced caveolin-1 expression in vitro and in vivo, thereby improving transport of nAb-PTX to PDAC. This data was confirmed by analysis of PDACs from patients who received gem-based neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. In conclusion, we found that nAb-PTX treatment of gem-resistant PDAC can be enhanced by (1) gem through up-regulation of caveolin-1 and (2) MSV through increasing accumulation of nAb-PTX in the tumor.
Transition among different production systems in a Sardinian dairy sheep farm: Environmental implications

Abstract Sardinia (Italy) plays a relevant role on EU sheep milk production. In Sardinia, as well as in other Mediterranean regions, there is a range of different dairy sheep farming systems and an effective renovation process is needed to tackle the deep structural crisis of the sector. The eco-innovation of production processes and the valorisation of pasture-based livestock systems can be a key strategy to improve the farms competitiveness and to promote the environmental sustainability of the typical Mediterranean dairy sheep products. For these reasons, research studies based on holistic and site-specific approaches are needed to assess the environmental implications of Mediterranean sheep systems. The main objective of this study was to compare the environmental performances of two contrasting sheep milk production systems through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. The LCA was carried out on a farm where changes in land use (from arable and irrigated crops to native and artificial pastures) occurred over a 10-year period, in conjunction with a reduction of total supply of mineral fertilizers. The analysis was performed using IPCC and ReCiPe methodologies, and a functional unit of 1 kg of Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM). The LCA analysis showed that the change from semi-intensive to semi-extensive production system had only a slight effect on the overall environmental performances of 1 kg FPCM, due to the dominant impact of enteric fermentation in both systems. The Carbon Footprint was on average 3.12 kg CO2-eq per kg FPCM and the average score of the ReCiPe Endpoint was 461 mPt per kg FPCM. Methane enteric emissions and the use of imported soybean meal were identified as the main environmental hotspots.
Certain towers of ramified minimal ring extensions of commutative rings

Let p be a prime number. Let B be the idealization ℤ(+)ℤ∕pℤ and N: = pℤ(+)ℤ∕pℤ. Let B⊂R be a ramified (integral minimal) ring extension, with crucial maximal ideal &#x1d4a9; and (necessarily) an element y ...
Multiagent System Approach for Dynamic Lot-Sizing in Supply Chains

Supply chains are distributed systems and hence multiagent based systems are considered the best approach to manage supply chains. In multiagent systems for supply chain management, each agent is assigned to model a facility and the interaction protocol to connect the agents is defined. The intelligent agents interact with each other to dynamically access, transfer, and evaluate the information of the supply chain. We introduce a specific multiagent system for dynamic lot-sizing in supply chains. The dynamic lotsizing problem over a planning horizon makes a plan that minimizes cost while satisfying forecasted external demands. The common drawbacks of the majority of dynamic lot-sizing algorithms are that they offer centralized solutions with a monolithic view of the problem. On the other hand, supply chains are struggling with expensive inefficiencies due to the lack of information sharing. Therefore, there is a need to design coordination mechanisms that are capable of motivating information sharing. Supply chain entities will be willing to share information when they are guaranteed to get the right benefits in return for information sharing. Such trustworthy mechanisms may not produce the global optimum of monolithic models, but they would be more reasonable, considering the reality of supply chains.
Nonlinear Electron Dynamics Within the Stretched Hydrogen Atom in Intense Microwaves

The classical nonlinear dynamics of a charged particle in a Coulomb electric field and in an intense time-oscillating electric field exhibits interesting nonperturbative features, including a period- doubling bifurcation sequence for periodic trajectories [1] and a transition to largely stochastic trajectories at high values of classical action [2]. Because quantum numbers can be large, a highly excited hydrogen atom in an intense microwave field can be expected to exhibit quasiclassical behavior, with the time-development of an appropriate ensemble of classical electron trajectories perhaps not being dominated by the quantal modifications of electron wave effects and quantum tunneling. Although semiclassical methods for connecting quantum and classical physics are not yet extended to the case of classically stochastic systems, yet we can make comparisons of nonperturbative quantum calculations with predictions of classical calculations and with experiments. This approach to the search for quantum chaos [3] has been feasible only for the nearly one- dimensional case where the atom is electrically polarized (“stretched”) along the direction of an applied static electric field; otherwise, accurate numerical quantum calculations of the electron’s time-development have not been possible.
What Are We Hoping For? Defining Purpose in Deterrence-Based Correctional Programs

One of the most popular program models in criminal justice today is that popularized by Hawaii Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE). HOPE and other programs like it grow out of research suggesting that the most effective way to prevent violations of conditions of supervision is to more accurately detect them, respond to them immediately, and impose consistent and predictable sanctions for every detected violation. Proponents of these programs assert that they not only change behavior for the better, but that they increase the legitimacy of probation by addressing violations as they occur. Even if program compliance rates are as high as supporters claim, serious questions remain about whether these programs, while advancing compliance, may undermine the larger goal of promoting desistance from crime. Anecdotal evidence suggests that both the conditions and sanctions imposed on program participants are often significantly more severe than the model itself requires, and are sometimes at odds with encouraging behavior that is known to foster desistance. This Essay argues that system actors have an obligation to consider the purpose of correctional intervention when evaluating program "success."
Pilot Contamination Attack Detection for NOMA in Mm-Wave and Massive MIMO 5G Communication

Power non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has been considered as a key technology in5G communication. In this paper, we introduce the problem of pilot contamination attack (PCA) on NOMA in millimeter-wave (mmWave) and massive MIMO 5G communication. Due to the new characteristics of NO-MA such as superposed signals with multi-users, PCA detection face new challenges. By harnessing the sparseness and statistics of mmWave and massive MIMO virtual channel, we propose two simple but effective PCA detection schemes for NOMA tackling static and dynamic environments, respectively. For the static environment, the problem of PCA detection is formulated as a binary hypothesis test of virtual channel sparseness. For the dynamic environment, the statistic of the peak in virtual channel is leveraged to distinguish the contamination state from the normal state. A peak estimation algorithm and a machine learning based detection scheme are proposed to achieve high detection performance. Simulation results evaluate and confirm the effectiveness of the proposed detection schemes. The detection rate can approach 100% with 10–3 false alarm rate in static environment and above 95% in dynamic environment under various system parameters.
A Kinematic Analysis of Coarticulation Effects on Schwa.

Purpose This study investigated coarticulatory effects on schwa. The purpose was to establish a viable phonetic environment and analysis for future studies of coarticulation, particularly in motor speech disorders. Method Seven female adults read 2 phrases containing 4 target words in a CVC structure embedded in the carrier phrases, "Put a CVC here" and "Get CVC a puppy." A 3D electromagnetic articulography system was used to track lingual movements during schwa production. Two indices of coarticulation were employed: (a) tongue position difference between the temporal midpoint (grand mean of each speaker) and the onset/offset of schwa immediately following or preceding a transconsonantal vowel and (b) tongue position differences between the grand mean of each speaker and each utterance repetition, both measured at the temporal midpoint of the schwa. Results Both measures indicated that schwa is significantly influenced by transconsonantal corner vowels. The magnitude of coarticulation effects on schwa varied among the 4 corner vowels in the order of /i/>/ɑ/ = /ae/>/u/. Conclusion Findings support the use of schwa in future studies when examining coarticulatory effects in people with and without motor speech disorders. Some methodological issues such as selection of measurement points and speech stimuli are also discussed.
Ballistocardiography for Ambulatory Detection and Prediction of Heart Failure Decompensation

Background Ambulatory home monitoring of heart failure (HF) patients (pts) to assess clinical status remotely and adjust therapies accordingly could potentially decrease the costs associated with hospitalizations and improve pts quality of life. Our group has been investigating the use of non-invasive ballistocardiogram (BCG) measurements (the measurement of body vibrations due to cardiac ejection of blood) using a modified weighing scale for monitoring hemodynamics and cardiac timing intervals from HF pts. BCG waveforms from HF pts in a decompensated state will show, on average, a higher variability in signal structure than corresponding waveforms from pts in a compensated state. Methods For each of the 36 HF pts included in the study, we recorded simultaneously daily 30-second measurements of electrocardiogram (ECG) and BCG signals using a modified weighing scale ( Fig. 1 a). Recordings were processed for data quality and some of the waveforms were discarded if data quality was insufficient (e.g. missing R-peaks in ECG signals). We developed a metric from the BCG signal that quantifies the variability of the BCG heartbeat waveforms ( Fig. 1 b). Results Of the 36 pts (83% men, 58 ± 13 years, left ventricular ejection fraction 0.31 ± 0.12, New York Heart Association functional class I/ II 36% and III 64%), 18 pts were recorded only when hospitalized for a HF exacerbation, 11 were recorded in the outpatient setting, and 7 were recorded both during a hospitalization for HF exacerbation and in the outpatient setting. Pts were considered decompensated (day of hospital admission) or compensated (day of hospital discharge or outpatient visit) based on the clinician assessment. We found that the BCG variability was significantly different between the groups based on pts state: compensated (n=648 recordings) 0.46 ± 0.013 and decompensated (n=223 recordings) 0.54 ± 0.026, p=0.002 ( Fig. 1 c). Conclusion BCG variability, a metric of consistency defined quantitatively based on the shape of BCG signals, can be captured using a modified weighing scale. BCG variability is significantly different between decompensated and compensated HF pts. This metric may be used in future studies for detection of HF worsening in ambulatory pts at home.
Developing identities of STEM teachers at emerging STEM schools

With the expansion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) schools all over the United States and the world, new roles for teachers are being created, and with these roles, identities are evolving. However, these roles and identities remain an ill-defined area in STEM. The purpose of this paper was to explore the developing STEM teachers’ identities in emerging STEM schools, answering two research questions: (1) How do teachers define their roles as STEM teachers within a STEM school? (2) What do teachers identify as being important characteristics of STEM teachers? A multiple case study design was used to explore the research questions within a bounded context of two emerging STEM schools. Data for this study were drawn from semi-structured interviews conducted with eight teachers from two developing STEM schools within a large urban district in the Midwestern United States. Teams of teachers at each of the schools worked throughout the year to develop and implement their vision for STEM. Using an inductive data analysis process, three major themes that characterized a STEM teacher identity emerged. These were the unique nature of STEM teachers’ identity; professional characteristics of STEM; and personal characteristics of STEM teachers. Collaboration, flexibility, awareness of students’ needs, and advocates of equity and inclusion were identified as pivotal characteristics of STEM teachers. This study concluded that STEM teachers’ identity can be viewed as a dynamic, evolving process that results from the interaction of personal and professional traits within new educational experiences exemplified by the STEM endeavor in their schools. An alignment between teachers' personal philosophy and STEM understanding is essential for the success in teaching in STEM schools.
Recruiting and Incorporating Mid-Level Providers

Although relatively new to the field of healthcare, mid-level providers have become effective and reliable resources to expand clinical productivity – especially in the field of orthopedic surgery. Despite common misconceptions, the hiring of such individuals into a healthcare organization does not create a financial burden. In fact, there are many ways to incorporate these individuals into the healthcare team, with each supporting the notion that having a mid-level provider significantly increases revenue, clinic throughput, and patient access to care. Interviewing and hiring a mid-level provider to become a part of the clinical team is a process that can be customized and adapted based on the physician’s needs, thereby mitigating the burden of the hiring process. Furthermore, just as the interview and hiring processes allow for flexibility, so too does the manner in which the physician chooses how to use mid-level providers. Possible options include having mid-level providers see additional patients in clinic while the supervising physician performs surgical cases, having mid-level providers assist with administrative work and patient contact, and having mid-level providers serve as a first assist during surgical procedures. The manner in which the physician assistant or nurse practitioner is used greatly depends on the goals and desires of the physician, again allowing for a system that can best meet the needs of individual clinics or organizations. In summary, the incorporation into and use of mid-level providers in the orthopedic clinic is a practice whose benefits far outweigh the burdens needed to successfully recruit these providers. Here, we report effective strategies regarding how to incorporate mid-level providers into the orthopedic clinic, as well as the myriad of benefits provided by having these individuals as part of the healthcare team.
Milk and the "Grandmother Effect"- a new contribution to the legacy of Ray Owen.

Overall, the paper by Schonewille et al.1 is an important contribution to the literature on the NIMA effect. It is fitting that one of the co-authors of this paper is Jon van Rood, who passed away in 2017. Jon would have been very happy to see this paper published. He was an early champion of the NIMA hypothesis, who shared in the discovery of HLA as a key element in human transplantation, even though the Nobel prize for this was awarded to Jean Dausset. Whether or not the paper promotes a recommendation from Ob/Gyn specialists for two or more months of breast-feeding, it certainly supports such a strategy for female babies, in order to insure long-term protection of babies in the next generation from HDFN.
ESD Ideas: Why are glacial inceptions slower than terminations?

Abstract. The Earth’s climate during the Quaternary is dominated by short warm interglacials and longer cold glaciations paced by external forcings such as changes in insolation. Although not observed in the solar radiation changes, the time series of the cycles display asymmetry since transitions to full glacial conditions are slower than termination of glaciations. Here an idea is proposed for the slower transition by identifying and describing two negative sea ice feedbacks, dominant during the glaciation process that could serve as a control of the intermediate stage and decrease the pace of the process.
African-American Students' Responses to Race as a Source Cue in Persuasive Sport Communications

Sport managers and marketers strategically include individuals with specific characteristics as spokespersons in their persuasive communications (i.e., advertisements, promotional messages, development campaigns, and announcements) to appeal to and influence the attitudes and behaviors of their intended audience. This study was designed to examine African-American students’ responses to race (when moderated by the students' ethnic identification) as a salient characteristic of the person featured in a persuasive sport communication. It sought to examine the role of race in the communication process as: (a) a heuristic/peripheral cue for inducing message responses and evaluation, and (b) a variable that influenced the students' tendency to engage in biased or objective strategies to process the information presented. The results offer an illustration of how sociological variables such as race and ethnicity influence the communication process in general and the means of communicating sport related issues to...
Using Mathematical Structures to Generate Artistic Designs.

THERE is a close relationship between mathematics and art. The mathematician, with all the vigor of the artist, uses creative means to define and explore new mathematical structures. The artist searches for dynamic structures on which to base new images. Both explore the many facets of an idea in order to discover unique or unusual patterns and relation ships. Therefore, it is not unreasonable for the artist to use mathematical struc tures, which in themselves display in trinsic beauty, as a basis for generating interesting designs. Throughout history various cultures have exhibited examples of this unique marriage between mathematics and visual arts. The Greeks used the "golden mean" as a structure of perfection in their archi tectural designs and sculpture. The Moors generated intricate symmetrical patterns in their mosques, and during the Renais sance, artists such as Da Vinci, Michel angelo, and Titian used mathematical structures as a source of order for their great works of art. In the following pages, mathematical structures are used to generate patterns. The traditional symbols used in mathe matics such as 0, 8, x, y, or A2 are changed to symbols the artist uses; namely, color, line, texture, shape, and composition. By changing traditional mathematical sym bols to those the artist uses, a technique is developed that can become a stimulat ing classroom activity. This technique can challenge the student's ability to use mathematical structures competently and can foster his creative abilities. The following describes and illustrates how one can construct designs in the mathematics classroom. These designs may be constructed on plain or grid paper with magic markers, crayons, construc tion paper, or paint.
Combined Scanning Tunneling Microscope and Quartz Microbalance Study of Molecularly Thin Water Layers

A combined quartz crystal microbalance and scanning tunneling microscope has been used to monitor frictional drag forces on the microbalance, which are due to the presence of the microscope’s scan tip. The experiments have been carried out with varying thicknesses of water adsorbed on the surface of the microbalance. Increased friction between the tip and the substrate is observed at moderate film thicknesses.
Wireless Emergency Alert messages: Influences on protective action behaviour

The Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system delivers text‐based alert and warning messages to notify citizens of imminent, local disaster threats and recommended actions. Although this is a promising new practice in emergency communication, research about how people respond immediately after receiving these messages in real time is sparse. Using a mixed‐methods approach, this study addresses this gap by assessing people's reactivity to WEA messages using experimental simulations of an active shooter and an explosion on a college campus. Only about one in five message recipients took immediate protective action. Quantitative analyses and qualitative interviews suggest individual, message, and situational factors influenced protective action behaviour. These findings inform recommendations to create effective WEA and other text‐based alert and warning messages.