cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Connotative Similarity of Remote Associates Test Items as a Function of Their Cultural Availability

The connotative similarity of Remote Associates Test (RAT) items as a function of their cultural availability was investigated. It was demonstrated that RAT items whose correct answers are readily available in the culture as associative responses to the stimulus terms comprising their respective RAT items are more connotatively dissimilar than RAT items whose correct responses are not so readily available. The implication that the RAT is a heterogeneous instrument requiring a variety of cognitive processes was briefly discussed.
Computer programs as theories in biology

Complex theories in biology may be developed, refined, and tested by the use of computer programmed simulations. The computer is recognized as a powerful tool for theory development; it is, in fact, the only means of thoroughly testing and examining a large and intricate theory. A program as a text is a statement of a theory and when run on the computer it is model of that theory. As the program's behavior is then the major argument for the credibility of a large and complex theory, the program itself is the only irrefutable statement of the theory. Bur programs written in the currently available programming languages tend to be incomprehensible. We argue that the program should be the definitive statement of the theory. In addition, the program plus a series of abstractions is a vehicle for effective communication of complex theories in biology. Several techniques of computer science are borrowed, for the purpose of developing a methodology for abstraction and a language for representing abstractions. The arguments are fully illustrated with a recently published biological theory.
Fear-related activity in the prefrontal cortex increases with age during adolescence: A preliminary fMRI study

An emerging theory of adolescent development suggests that brain maturation involves a progressive "frontalization" of function whereby the prefrontal cortex gradually assumes primary responsibility for many of the cognitive processes initially performed by more primitive subcortical and limbic structures. To test the hypothesis of developmental frontalization in emotional processing, we analyzed the correlation between age and prefrontal cortex activity in a sample of 16 healthy adolescents (nine boys; seven girls), ranging in age from 8 to 15 years, as they viewed images of fearful and happy faces while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). During fear perception, age was significantly positively correlated with greater functional activity within the prefrontal cortex, whereas no significant relationship was evident between age and activity in the amygdala. Consistent with previous gender-related findings, age was significantly correlated with bilateral prefrontal activity for the sample of females, but was only significantly related to right prefrontal activity for the males. In contrast, similar age-related correlations were not evident during the perception of happy faces. These results suggest that the maturation of threat-related emotional processing during adolescence is related to the progressive acquisition of greater functional activity within the prefrontal cortex. The hypothesis of age related decreases in amygdala activity was not supported, but may have been due to low signal-to-noise and inadequate power in the present sample to resolve subtle changes in this small structure.
Influence of FGF2 and PEG hydrogel matrix properties on hMSC viability and spreading.

In this study 3-D poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel arrays were used to screen for the effects of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2), combined with multiple hydrogel matrix parameters, on human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) viability and spreading. In particular, we examined the effects of FGF2 while co-varying hydrogel matrix degradability, cell adhesion ligand type, and cell adhesion ligand density. FGF2 significantly improved viability of hMSCs in a dose-dependent manner in both non-degrading and degrading PEG hydrogels in the absence of extracellular matrix (ECM)-derived cell adhesion ligands. The presence of a small molecule that inhibits autophosphorylation of the FGF2 receptor blocked the effects of FGF2 on hMSC viability in PEG hydrogels, both in the presence and absence of the RGDSP ligand. FGF2 effects on hMSC viability were less pronounced when FGF2 was presented in combination with the RGDSP cell adhesion ligand or the IKVAV cell adhesion ligand in non-degrading PEG hydrogels. Importantly, spread hMSC morphologies were observed and quantified in a select subset of hydrogel networks, which were degradable and included both FGF2 and RGDSP. These results indicate that the hydrogel arrays described here can be used to efficiently study the influence of soluble and insoluble hydrogel matrix parameters on stem cell behavior, and to identify synthetic, 3-D environments that promote specific hMSC behaviors.
Synthetic method in thermal boundary layer transition

Abstract The problem of a general incompressible viscous fluid flow past a flat plate with heat transfer due to forced convection is considered in this paper. The synthetic method developed by Seth is applied to the Navier-Stokes equations and the equation of energy governing the flow to obtain the dynamic and thermal boundary layer solutions as asymptotic limits of an extended field. As a result, new formulas are derived for both the dynamic and thermal boundary layer thicknesses. Also, algorithms for estimating all the parameters involved in the analysis are provided and boundary layer functions based on the new solutions are determined.
Choosing Mars time: analysis of the Mars Exploration Rover experience

This paper focuses on the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission's management decision to work on Mars time and the implications of that decision on the tactical surface operations process as personnel planned activities and created a new command load for work on each Martian sol. The paper also looks at tools that supported the complexities of Mars time operations, and makes some comparisons between Earth and Mars time scheduling
Biased power spectrum and bispectrum for an ensemble of three-dimensional scale-free numerical simulations

We examine the effect of a threshold bias on the power spectrum and the bispectrum in an ensemble of numerical simulations (Gaussian initial perturbations with power law spectra P(k) \sim k^n, n=+1, 0, -1, -2) and compare our results with theoretical predictions. Our simulations are evolved sufficiently that on the scale where we apply the threshold the rms fluctuation has developed significantly into the nonlinear regime. Thus, predictions based on perturbation theory do not necessarily apply. Nevertheless, we find our results for the power spectrum, biased power simply amplified by a numerical factor, follow predicted trends, far beyond the regime where perturbation theory is expected to be valid. We find that the biased bispectrum continues to follow the so-called hierarchical form, with reduced three-point amplitude Q \approx 1 in the strongly nonlinear regime, independent of initial spectrum. In the quasi-linear perturbative regime the three-point amplitude depends on configuration shape, a behavior that is found to give useful information about the amount of bias without information about the unbiased matter distribution.
Functional optimization for fair surface design

This paper presents a simple-to-use mechanism for the creation of complex smoothly shaped surfaces of any genus or topology. The work described here is the result of research into the fairness of curves and surfaces specified through geometric interpolarity constraints. Constraints consist of positions and, optionally, surface normals and surface curvatures. The outcome of our investigation is a recommendation for the use of nonlinear optimization techniques that minimize a fairness functional based on the variation of curvature. The approach produces very high quality surfaces with predictable, intuitive behavior, while generating, where possible, simple shapes, such as cylinders, spheres, or tori which are commonly used in geometric modeling. From a designer''s point of view, this approach allows the specification of a desired surface in the most natural way. Though computationally intense, the techniques described have now become practical because of the wide availability of very fast work stations. As the processing power available on each desk-top further increases, the techniques described here will become real-time and interactive.
Mobilities III Moving on

While the previous report made a strong case for a focus on historical geographies of mobility, this report is focused on looming future issues for geographies of mobility (and mobilities studies m...
Neutron and Non-Neutron Nuclear Data for Radiation Dosimetry

NEUTRON NUCLEAR DATA THAT IS USED IN REACTOR DOSIMETRY INCLUDE THERMAL NEUTRON CROSS SECTIONS AND NEUTRON RESONANCE INTEGRALS, FISSION SPECTRUM AVERAGED CROSS SECTIONS FOR REACTIONS ON A TARGET NUCLEUS. NON-NEUTRON NUCLEAR DATA USED IN REACTOR DOSIMETRY INCLUDE ISOTOPIC COMPOSITIONS OF TARGET NUCLIDES AND RADIOACTIVE HALF-LIVES, GAMMA-RAY ENERGIES AND INTENSITIES OF REACTION PRODUCT NUCLIDES. ALL OF THESE DATA ARE PERIODICALLY EVALUATED AND RECOMMENDED VALUES ARE PROVIDED IN THE HANDBOOK OF CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS. THE LATEST RECOMMENDED VALUES ARE DISCUSSED AND THEY ARE CONTRASTED WITH SOME EARLIER NUCLEAR DATA, WHICH WAS PROVIDED WITH NEUTRON DETECTOR FOILS.
Lyman Alpha Cooling Radiation from High-Redshift Halos

The baryons inside high-redshift halos with virial temperatures above T=10^4 K cool radiatively as they condense inside dark matter potential wells. We show that the release of the gravitational binding energy, over the halo assembly time-scale, results in a significant and detectable Ly alpha flux. At the limiting line flux of approximately 10^-19 erg/s/cm^2/asec^2 of the Next Generation Space Telescope, several sufficiently massive halos, with velocity dispersions above sigma=120 km/s, would be visible per 4'x4' field. The halos would have characteristic angular sizes of approximately 10 asec, would be detectable in a broad-band survey out to redshifts z=6-8, and would provide a direct probe of galaxies in the process of forming. They may be accompanied by HeII Ly alpha emission at the 10 percent level, but remain undetectable at other wavelengths. Our predictions are in good agreement with the recent finding of two Ly alpha ``blobs'' at z=3.1 by Steidel et al. (1999).
Altering the Cognitive-Affective Dysfunctions of Psychopathic and Externalizing Offender Subtypes With Cognitive Remediation

Cognitive remediation is a treatment approach with the potential to translate basic science into more specific, mechanism-based interventions by targeting particular cognitive skills. The present study translated understanding of two well-defined cognitive-affective dysfunctions into novel deficit-matched interventions and evaluated whether cognitive remediation would demonstrate specific and generalizable change. Two antisocial subtypes, individuals with psychopathy and externalizing traits, are characterized by cognitive-affective problems that predispose them to engage in significant substance abuse and criminal behavior, culminating in incarceration. Whereas individuals with psychopathy fail to consider important contextual information, individuals with externalizing traits lack the capacity to regulate affective reactions. Training designed to remedy these subtype-specific deficits led to improvement on both trained and nontrained tasks. Such findings offer promise for changing neural and behavioral patterns, even for what many consider to be the most recalcitrant treatment population, and presage a new era of translating cognitiveaffective science into increasingly specific and effective interventions.
Real interest rate convergence under the euro

We consider interest rate convergence under the euro. In particular, we employ cointegration tests to evaluate the behaviour of real and nominal interest rates from EU states. We find that real interest rates are not cointegrated but nominal rates are. The failure to find evidence in support of real interest parity is somewhat surprising given that financial markets in Europe are open and we consider interest rates from countries that adopted the euro, and therefore have a common monetary policy. Admittedly a potential problem is the low power of the bilateral cointegration tests given the limited time span of euro era data. However, we also fail to find evidence of cointegration with the more powerful panel tests.
Scheduling techniques for real-time applications consisting of periodic task sets

Scheduling algorithms for applications consisting of hard deadlines are described. A preemptive scheduling algorithm that avoids unnecessary preemptions is presented. Also, a predictive nonpreemptive scheduling algorithm is given that looks at future arrival times of tasks, and schedules them nonpreemptively. >
Serotonin indices and impulsivity in normal volunteers

Hormonal responses to oral paroxetine were examined in a group of healthy subjects. The calcium response to serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT), mediated by platelet 5HT2A, was also measured. Paroxetine elicited a cortisol response that was directly correlated with the magnitude of platelet calcium response. The cortisol response was also correlated with the trait of impulsivity. These results suggest that paroxetine may be a useful probe in studies of serotonergic systems.
Sources and Distribution of Late Pleistocene Sand, Northern Gulf of Mexico Shelf: ABSTRACT

A completed 3-yr study of the sources and consequent distribution of late Pleistocene sand on the northern Gulf shelf clarifies paleogeography and alluvial identification. Techniques used to determine the sources of sand are: the Fourier technique (which differentiated sands from different source terranes on the basis of the shapes of quartz sand grains), mineralogic analysis (which identified the composition of the source terranes that contributed each quartz-shape type), and an evaluation of the source terranes drained by each of the southern United States rivers (thereby linking each shape type to a particular river). These data and the mapped distribution of sand deposited on the shelf by each of these rivers during the late Pleistocene lowstand indicate distribution atterns have not been modified by modern shelf currents to any great extent, and thus record the late Pleistocene paleogeography of the shelf. These distributions show, among other things, the locations of the late Pleistocene alluvial valleys of each of the southern United States rivers, and identify the sources of shelf-edge deltas off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana that were detected by shallow seismic analysis. End_of_Article - Last_Page 284------------
MULTIPLE HELIX-COIL TRANSITIONS

Conditions for the occurrence of one, two, and even three helix–coil transitions are summarized and further delineated in terms of thermodynamic parameters in simple modifications of a 2 × 2 matrix of statistical weights for amino acid residues in the coiled and helical conformations. Solvent interaction with segments in both the exposed, coiled and compact, helical conformations is worked into the model. Theoretical expressions for the temperature dependence of helical fractions, maximum attained degrees of helicity, and the compositional dependence of transition temperatures are compared with experimental data for two synthetic polypeptides that exhibit multiple helix–coil transitions.
Computer aided design for disassembly: a destructive approach

Re-using manufactured goods by recycling material and parts is becoming increasingly important, especially in industrialized societies where natural resources needed to manufacture goods are becoming scarcer. As a result, significant efforts are made to design goods for easy recycling after their intended lives. This broad design paradigm, often called design-for-environment (DFE), has been approached in a variety of ways; design-for-recycling (DFR), life-cycle analysis, and design-for-disassembly (DFD) are a few examples. The current research concerns the DFD approach as applied to DFE. This paper presents an overview of a detailed DFD method. An algorithm that can be readily tied into a CAD system. Some implementation issues and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the DFD method currently employed are explained. Even though this research is still in its early stages, the paper presents a general framework of DFD methodology which may be utilized as an effective tool for DFE.
Family business performance: The effects of gender and management☆

Abstract This study investigates whether the gender of family business owners moderates the relationship between various business management practices and gross revenue. Data are from the National Family Business Panel, a national, representative household family business sample. Introducing new production methods has a large positive effect on gross revenue for both genders. Personnel management has a much larger effect (nine times greater) on gross revenue for female than male owners. Gender moderates responses to disruptions (sleeping less, hiring temporary help during busy times, family members donating time to business, and using family income for the business), and those effects are so large that the effects of responses to disruptions on gross revenue are the opposite for females and males. The gender main effect remains significant after responses to disruptions are controlled and after interactions with innovations, management practices and responses to disruptions are included in the analyses.
Towards Enabling Visual Design Exploration Involving Multiple Abstractions of Design Descriptions

Designers use several visual tools for exploring and understanding design problems and solutions. House of Quality (HoQ), function-structure, Morphological matrices, concept selection tables, 2D drawings are some of the visual tools and representations used in mechanical design. In this article we attempt to connect these visual tools and their underlying models to support exploration in early design using a representation called the working knowledge model (WKM). We identify two key aspects in design that are important for establishing such connections: different abstractions are used to describe the same design element, and several alternatives are considered during exploration. The constituent elements of the visual tools such as engineering characteristics (ECs) in a HoQ are described using classes of the information model. A simple wiki-based implementation is described that allows the user to tag the wiki text with WKM classes, which is then extracted to populate a database. This information is used by visual tools that can be embedded within a wiki page; the decisions taken by the user using these visual tools are then incorporated back into the WKM database and the wiki is updated if needed. A case study of the design of an automotive flow control valve is described to demonstrate the prototype.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Accuracy of CT cerebral perfusion in predicting infarct in the emergency department: lesion characterization on CT perfusion based on commercially available software

This study aims to assess the diagnostic accuracy of a single vendor commercially available CT perfusion (CTP) software in predicting stroke. A retrospective analysis on patients presenting with stroke-like symptoms within 6 h with CTP and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was performed. Lesion maps, which overlays areas of computer-detected abnormally elevated mean transit time (MTT) and decreased cerebral blood volume (CBV), were assessed from a commercially available software package and compared to qualitative interpretation of color maps. Using DWI as the gold standard, parameters of diagnostic accuracy were calculated. Point biserial correlation was performed to assess for relationship of lesion size to a true positive result. Sixty-five patients (41 females and 24 males, age range 22-92 years, mean 57) were included in the study. Twenty-two (34 %) had infarcts on DWI. Sensitivity (83 vs. 70 %), specificity (21 vs. 69 %), negative predictive value (77 vs. 84 %), and positive predictive value (29 vs. 50 %) for lesion maps were contrasted to qualitative interpretation of perfusion color maps, respectively. By using the lesion maps to exclude lesions detected qualitatively on color maps, specificity improved (80 %). Point biserial correlation for computer-generated lesions (R pb = 0.46, p < 0.0001) and lesions detected qualitatively (R pb = 0.32, p = 0.0016) demonstrated positive correlation between size and infarction. Seventy-three percent (p = 0.018) of lesions which demonstrated an increasing size from CBV, cerebral blood flow, to MTT/time to peak were true positive. Used in isolation, computer-generated lesion maps in CTP provide limited diagnostic utility in predicting infarct, due to their inherently low specificity. However, when used in conjunction with qualitative perfusion color map assessment, the lesion maps can help improve specificity.
Compact hash tables for decision-trees

We provide a conversion technique from decision-trees to compact hash tables.We evaluate the performance on FPGA and multi-core platforms, respectively.We achieve high speedups using our techniques on various platforms. Decision-trees have been widely used in scientific computing. It is challenging to sustain high performance for large decision-trees. In this paper, we present a conversion technique translating a generic decision-tree into multiple compact hash tables; the conversion technique does not depend on the depth or shape of the decision-tree. All the compact hash tables are searched individually; the outcomes from all the tables are merged into the final result. To evaluate the performance, we prototype our design on state-of-the-art FPGA and multi-core General Purpose Processors (GPPs). Experimental results show that, for a typical 92-leaf decision-tree, we achieve 533?Million Classifications Per Second (MCPS) throughput and 26?ns latency on FPGA, and 134?MCPS throughput and 239?ns latency on multi-core GPP. We sustain 6 × and 2.7 × speedups, respectively.
PIV in NASA Ames Unitary Wind Tunnels

Particle Image Velocimetry has been broadly applied in large scale wind tunnels around the world in the past decade. At NASA Ames Research Center, PIV systems have been used in the many of the large wind tunnels. This article will discuss the authors’ experiences with the PIV installations in the Unitary Plan tunnels with the idea that our issues and challenges are representative of efforts throughout the PIV community. PIV was performed in the 12foot Pressure Tunnel, the 11-foot Transonic Tunnel and the 9x7 Supersonic Tunnel. Each tunnel presented different issues that hampered successful imaging, many of which were discovered only after the testing began. This article will describe each installation and the paths to successful data.
The determination of cadmium in soil

In order to more accurate and rapid determination of cadmium in soil samples,batch set up automatic thermostatic digestion- graphite furnace atomic absorption determination method.Test results show that the concentration of cadmium in 0~ 8.0mu g/L range linear correlation,regression equation A=0.0282C,the correlation coefficient is 0.9991,the detection limit of 0.09mu g/L,and the recovery was between 95%~105%.Sensitivity,good accuracy and precision,this method can rapid determination of large quantities of cadmium in soil samples.
Predicting Targeted Cancer Therapeutics

Motivation: Cancer is a complex and evolving disease, making it difficult to discover effective treatments. Traditional drug discovery relies on high-throughput screening on reductionist models in order to enable the testing of 105 or 106 compounds. These assays lack the complexity of the human disease. Functional assays overcome this limitation by testing drugs on human tumors, however they can only test few drugs, and remain restricted to diagnostic use. An algorithm that identifies hits with fewer experiments could enable the use of functional assays for de novo drug discovery. Results: We developed a novel approach that we termed 'algorithmic ideation' (AI) to select experiments, and demonstrated that this approach discovers hits 104 times more effectively than brute-force screening. The algorithm trains on known drug-target-disease associations assembled as a tensor, built from the (public) TCGA and STITCH databases and predicts novel associations. We evaluated our tensor completion approach using a temporal cutoff with data prior to 2012 used as training data, and data from 2012 to 2015 used as testing data. Our approach achieved 104-fold more efficient hit discovery than the traditional brute-force high-throughput screening. We further tested the method in a sparse, low data regime by removing up to 90% of the training data, and demonstrated the robustness of the approach. Finally we test predictive performance on drugs with no previously known interactions, and the algorithm demonstrates 103-fold improvement in this challenging problem. Thus algorithmic ideation can potentially enable targeted antineoplastic discovery on functional assays. Availability: Freely accessible at https://bitbucket.org/aiinc/drugx. Contact: {quejebo, mcancobanoglu} @ gmail.com
EFFECT OF THYMECTOMY ON THE GOLDEN HAMSTER (MESOCRICETUS AURATUS). II. STUDIES OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE IN THYMECTOMIZED AND SPLENECTOMIZED NON-WASTED ANIMALS.

Thymectomy in our hamster colony produced two major changes: (1) wasting disease, and (2) impaired immune response. Wasting occurred in 36 per cent of all males of all ages and was noted even when thymectomy was performed at 4 weeks of age. Lymphoid atrophy was profound and lymphocytopenia sustained. In the non-wasted hamster, the lymphoid atrophy was less striking and there was only transient lymphocytopenia. Experiments in this study were limited to the non-wasted animals. An impaired immune response was demonstrated in both humoral antibody production and in delayed hypersensitivity (heterograft rejection). Male and female hamsters thymectomized at 2 weeks showed an impaired ability to make antibodies against HGG and exhibited prolonged survival of mouse (AJAX) skin. In animals thymectomized at 4 to 8 weeks of age, impaired humoral antibody production could not be demonstrated. Antigen administered on the day of thymectomy was not associated with impaired humoral antibody production. Splenectomy appeared to be more effective than thymectomy in the adult (8-week) hamster in inhibiting humoral antibody production. From these studies, it is evident that the thymectomized, non-wasted male and female hamster has an impaired immune mechanism for both humoral antibody production and heterologous skin rejection.
Abstract 320: Inhibition of adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) by CPI-444 enhances CD8+ T cell killing of a HER-2/neu expressing murine tumor

Immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibitors that block immune suppressive mechanisms are transforming the way some cancers are treated. The identification of additional mechanisms that suppress immune cell function is stimulating the search for other immune modulating agents that are additive or synergistic with current immune checkpoint inhibitors or are capable of overcoming mechanisms of resistance and tolerance. Extracellular adenosine and its signaling through A2AR increases the activity of regulatory T cells (Tregs), and attenuates tumor-specific CD4 +/ CD8 + T cells. In this study we evaluated the role of a small-molecule inhibitor of A2AR in enhancing antitumor immunity against murine Her-2/neu (neu)-expressing breast cancer. We examined whether an A2AR inhibitor would enhance the activity of cancer specific CD8 + T cells when given with a T cell inducing vaccine. To test this, neu-expressing mammary tumor bearing HER-2/neu transgenic (Neu-N) mice were treated with low dose cyclophosphamide (Cy) to deplete Tregs followed one day later with a granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and neu-expressing whole cell vaccine (GVAX). Mice were treated with the A2AR inhibitor, CPI-444, by oral gavage daily for twelve days. Mice also received adoptively transferred high-avidity naive neu-specific CD8 + T cells intravenously one day after vaccination. Mice were monitored for tumor progression, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) were harvested from additional mice at multiple time points and analyzed for T cell activation by flow cytometry. Inflammatory changes in the tumor microenvironment were assessed by immunohistochemistry. We found that T cells adoptively transferred to mice together with Cy, a neu-targeted vaccine and CPI-444 are more effective at reducing established tumors and delaying tumor progression when compared with mice treated with Cy, vaccine, adoptively transferred T cells and vehicle control. Of particular note, mice receiving the same treatment but with CPI-444 in lieu of vehicle had a significant mean difference in tumor area of 6.446mm 2 (P 2 (P Citation Format: Blake A. Scott, Todd Armstrong, Elizabeth M. Jaffee. Inhibition of adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) by CPI-444 enhances CD8+ T cell killing of a HER-2/neu expressing murine tumor. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 320.
Investigating the joys and challenges of rural medicine: a student perspective.

Hawai‘i has had a difficult time staffing rural areas with physicians. At present, the neighbor islands have a doctor shortage of at least 15–20%.1 This problem is not unique to Hawai‘i. In the United States as a whole, 20% of the population lives in rural environments, but only 9% of physicians practice in rural areas.2 Internationally, rural communities tend to be underserved by physicians. Currently in rural Canada, an influx of more than a thousand physicians would be needed just to match the physician-per-capita ratio that exists in major centers.3 The reasons for rural physician shortages are diverse. Some factors that inhibit physicians from practicing in rural areas include: professional, social, and cultural isolation; the need for a broader skill set and knowledge base in rural contexts; and the increased workloads that rural practices often entail.4,5 Rural health-care shortages are also compounded by the fact that rural people tend to have lower incomes and poorer health statuses than urban individuals, creating a greater relative need for physicians in rural areas.6 Despite these challenges, thousands of rural physicians serve in communities across North America. These doctors have chosen to work in contexts far removed from the specialized personnel and infrastructure enjoyed by practices in urban centers. An attempt is made in this paper to delve deeper into the mindset of rural physicians, ie, to explore why they chose rural medicine, to learn how they negotiate its challenges, and to understand how they would suggest solving the current general shortage of rural physicians. This article will address the lessons learned while shadowing and interviewing a group of rural physicians.
High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T (hs-cTnT) as a Predictor of Incident Diabetes in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

OBJECTIVE Many individuals with prediabetes have evidence of subclinical myocardial damage and are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). If subclinical myocardial damage is independently associated with incident diabetes, this may contribute to the understanding of the association between diabetes and CVD. This study was conducted to determine whether high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) is associated with incident diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox models, we prospectively analyzed 8,153 participants without known diabetes or CVD. We used the Harrell C statistic to investigate whether hs-cTnT added incremental prognostic information for diabetes prediction. RESULTS During a median of 13 years of follow-up, there were 1,830 incident cases of diagnosed diabetes. After adjustment for demographics and traditional risk factors, participants with a baseline hs-cTnT of 9–13 ng/L or ≥14 ng/L had a significantly increased risk for diabetes compared to those with an hs-cTnT of ≤5 ng/L, with hazard ratios of 1.14 (95% CI 0.99–1.33) and 1.25 ( 95% CI 1.03–1.53), respectively (P = 0.018 for trend). Linear spline modeling that included adjustment for baseline fasting glucose suggested an increased risk of incident diabetes for participants with hs-cTnT levels >8 ng/L. Furthermore, the addition of hs-cTnT to fully adjusted models that included glucose significantly improved the prediction of incident diabetes from 0.7636 to 0.7644 (P = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS Participants with elevated hs-cTnT levels at baseline had an increased risk of incident diabetes, suggesting that the measurement of hs-cTnT may incorporate an underlying pathophysiologic overlap between diabetes and CVD not captured by other traditional risk factors. Measurement of hs-cTnT may be useful to identify individuals at an increased risk for incident diabetes and CVD in order to provide early and more intensive risk factor modification.
Características posmodernas en Boquitas pintadas, de Manuel Puig

La mayoria de su obra literaria, novelistica, dramatica y sus guiones cinematograficos se caracterizan por incluir textos literarios y no literarios. Muchos de estos discursos son manifestaciones culturales, como las canciones, la fotonovela, la telenovela y las peliculas. Manuel Puig y su obra ocupan un sitio muy importante en las letras latinoamericanas. Boquitas pintadas (1969) es una novela que trata la vida de los habitantes de un pueblo, Coronel Vallejos, quienes asumen una realidad totalmente diferente a la anhelada. Las acciones que ellos ejecutan sirven para cumplir con un imaginario social preestablecido. Las letras de las canciones, que en su mayoria pertenecen a tangos, prefiguran el acontecer de cada historia. Boquitas pintadas revitaliza la forma de folletin, es decir, las historias amorosas, pero esta vez, en lugar de tener un final feliz, nos deja cuestionando la vida en si. Este cuestionamiento surge por parte de la actitud del narrador, quien utiliza un lenguaje con una gran carga ironica. Las caracteristicas posmodernas en esta novela tienen un efecto bastante interesante, ya que, a traves de ellas, se puede llevar a la pantalla grande del setimo arte. La heterogeneidad de discursos facilitan las actuaciones para hacerla una pelicula.
Once Upon a Time, There Was No Time or Space

What is the most mysterious thing in the world? From the time immemorial, the nature of time has baffled scientists, philosophers and the common man alike and is the most mysterious concept we can imagine. Is time cyclic or linear? Is there a beginning of time, or, for that same reason, an end of time? One can ask a plethora of questions about the nature of time. Do we have a definite answer? No. Yet, time continues to intrigue us. Time is considered as a fundamental quantity in physics along with distance and mass. Some researchers even claim that there are reasons to kill the concept of time. Nonetheless, time is not ready for an easy retreat and is fighting back. Many great minds of our civilization chased time, but they all ran out of time. Exploring the nature of time is a journey worth the trouble.
From Porto Alegre to New York City: Participatory Budgeting and Democracy

Because of its popularity, there is now a large literature examining how participatory budgeting (PB) deepens participation by the poor and redistributes resources. Closer examinations of recent ca...
Printed large-area flat optical component: Metasurfaces for cylindrical vector beam generation

We develop a cost-effective and highly reproducible method for manufacturing large-area dielectric metasurfaces. A high-performance silicon metasurface for generating cylindrical polarized vector beam is demonstrated as an example.
Primary care providers’ experience, management, and referral patterns regarding pelvic floor disorders: A national survey

Primary care physicians can impact womens’ access to care. We assessed primary care providers’ experience and management regarding pelvic floor disorders. This Institutional Review Board approved study invited internal and family Medicine Program Directors to complete and distribute to faculty an online survey designed to query demographics, perceptions, management, and referral patterns regarding urinary incontinence (UI), overactive bladder (OAB), and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in females. A total of 872 residency Program Directors were invited: 74 emails were incorrect; 391 physicians responded. Respondents were evenly distributed with respect to age, gender, and region. The majority practiced family Medicine, identified their practice as community/academic, and practiced >10 years. Forty-one percent perceived UI and 54% believed OAB prevalence to be 11–30%. Most initiated treatment for UI (97%) and OAB (96%), referring to urology when consultation was necessary. Half believed POP prevalence to be <10% of women, and often referred POP to Gynecology. Only 25% reported being ‘very familiar’ with urogynecology, and 46% were unaware of such providers in their area. Female providers were more likely to screen for OAB (p = .018) and POP (p = .004) and be familiar with urogynecology (p = 0.038). Providers practicing in the Midwest were most likely, while those in the West were least likely, to be aware of urogynecologists for referral, (p = < .001). Primary care providers nationally are familiar with UI and OAB, but less familiar with POP. Nearly half were uncertain of urogynecologists to whom they could refer. Outreach to these providers may improve patient access to care.
Clinical predictors of early death from sepsis.

Purpose Patients with severe sepsis who experience rapid, early deterioration and death are of particular concern. Our objective was to identify predictors of early death in Emergency Department (ED) patients with severe sepsis.
Energy-Related Applications of Nanostructured Carbons

A wide range of nanostructured π-bonded carbon-based materials,with unique physical properties is presented, including carbon fibers,carbon nanoparticles, porous carbons, fullerenes and carbon nanotubes.Particular emphasis is given to future research directions in thesenanostructured carbon-based materials and to energy-related applicationsthat may result.
Improving Transplant Medication Safety Through a Pharmacist-Empowered, Patient-Centered, mHealth-Based Intervention: TRANSAFE Rx Study Protocol.

Background: Medication errors, adverse drug events, and nonadherence are the predominant causes of graft loss in kidney transplant recipients and lead to increased healthcare utilization. Research has demonstrated that clinical pharmacists have the unique education and training to identify these events early and develop strategies to mitigate or prevent downstream sequelae. In addition, studies utilizing mHealth interventions have demonstrated success in improving the control of chronic conditions that lead to kidney transplant deterioration. Objective: The goal of the prospective, randomized TRANSAFE Rx study is to measure the clinical and economic effectiveness of a pharmacist-led, mHealth-based intervention, as compared to usual care, in kidney transplant recipients. Methods: TRANSAFE Rx is a 12-month, parallel, two-arm, 1:1 randomized controlled clinical trial involving 136 participants (68 in each arm) and measuring the clinical and economic effectiveness of a pharmacist-led intervention which utilizes an innovative mobile health application to improve medication safety and health outcomes, as compared to usual posttransplant care. Results: The primary outcome measure of this study will be the incidence and severity of MEs and ADRs, which will be identified, categorized, and compared between the intervention and control cohorts. The exploratory outcome measures of this study are to compare the incidence and severity of acute rejections, infections, graft function, graft loss, and death between research cohorts and measure the association between medication safety issues and these events. Additional data that will be gathered includes sociodemographics, health literacy, depression, and support. Conclusions: With this report we describe the study design, methods, and outcome measures that will be utilized in the ongoing TRANSAFE Rx clinical trial. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03247322: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03247322 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6xcSUnuzW) [JMIR Res Protoc 2018;7(3):e59]
METHODS AND APPLICATIONS OF EQUAL-MEAN DISCRIMINATION

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an account of the various ways of looking at the problem of equal-mean discrimination by focusing on the case where the equal means are the zero vector. It also presents a formal setup of the problem, without specific assumptions about the distributions. It discusses the problem with reference to normal distributions with a common mean vector and differing covariance matrices from the classical viewpoint. The first of a second set of alternatives is based on a Bayesian estimation technique as a replacement for classical estimation procedures. The chapter also discusses the discrimination for covariance matrices of the multivariate normal populations from the classical viewpoint.
(159) An Exploratory Ethnographic Study on Pain Descriptor Usage among African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites in the Nashville Area

This poster will present findings from an exploratory, ethnographic study examining descriptors of pain used by African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites in the Nashville area. Pain is a universal phenomenon. But despite its pervasiveness as an experience, the ability to adequately communicate how pain feels frequently eludes people. The inability to articulate the characteristics of pain can have clinical implications, from misdiagnoses to distrust on behalf of the health care provider, and a sense of frustration on part of the patient seeking treatment. Further, potential linguistic differences may amplify this inability to communicate the experience of pain across socio-economic and ethnic lines. The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) is currently the most widely used and respected subjective scale for rating pain. The instrument asks respondents to rate their pain along two dimensions: a sensory dimension, related to what the patient “feels” (i.e. stabbing, burning, aching, etc.), and an affective dimension, which explores the mood and cognitive experience of pain (i.e. punishing, exhausting, worrying, etc.). The aim of this study is to examine if there are ethnic differences between how Non-Hispanic Whites and African Americans in the Nashville area think of, and ultimately speak about their experiences with pain. Rather than assuming that people conceptualize and describe pain using terms and domains included in the MPQ scale, this project will seek to elicit the terms and dimensions individuals use to describe pain experiences in their own words. Clinical implications for the assessment and diagnosis of pain related conditions are discussed. (Melzak and Katz, 2013).
Parasitic Inductance Modeling and Reduction for a Wire Bonded Half Bridge SiC MOSFET Multichip Power Module

The parasitic inductance in the current commutation loop (CCL) could cause current and voltage oscillations during switching transient, increase switching loss, EMI and voltage stress on power semiconductor devices. These undesirable features intensify with the use of Wide Bandgap (WBG) devices due to increased switching speed and lower on-resistance. In this paper, the parasitic inductance of the current commutation loop is modeled with Partial Element Equivalent Circuit (PEEC) method for SiC multichip module. Different from other studies, the mutual inductance between paralleled branches are thoroughly analyzed and included in the model. As shown in Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulation and experiment measurement, the mutual inductance has significant influence on the accuracy of the model. A wire bonded package layout is then proposed for SiC multichip half bridge modules that could reduce parasitic inductance without increasing fabrication difficulty. The effectiveness of the developed structure is verified with 3D FEA simulation and experiment.
Investigation of the pharmacogenetic influences of carbonyl reductase on doxorubicin and doxorubicinol in breast cancer patients.

2594 Background: The anthracycline doxorubicin (DOX) is widely used to treat breast cancer. Doxorubicin is associated with pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variability and despite its use for se...
The Check and Report Ebola (CARE+) Program to Monitor Travelers for Ebola After Arrival to the United States, 2014-2016:

The 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa influenced how public health officials considered migration and emerging infectious diseases. Responding to the public's concerns, the US government introduced enhanced entry screening and post-arrival monitoring by public health authorities to reduce the risk of importation and domestic transmission of Ebola while continuing to allow travel from West Africa. This case study describes a new initiative, the Check and Report Ebola (CARE+) program that engaged travelers arriving to the United States from countries with Ebola outbreaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employed CARE ambassadors, who quickly communicated with incoming travelers and gave them practical resources to boost their participation in monitoring for Ebola. The program aimed to increase travelers' knowledge of Ebola symptoms and how to seek medical care safely, increase travelers' awareness of monitoring requirements, reduce barriers to monitoring, and increase trust in the US public health system. This program could be adapted for use in future outbreaks that involve the potential importation of disease and require the education and active engagement of travelers to participate in post-arrival monitoring.
Severe Asthma: Clinical Studies and Clinical Trials in Children

Pediatric severe asthma is a heterogeneous disorder that is challenging to manage and treat. Children with severe asthma have increased risk for short- and potentially long-term adverse outcomes. In an effort to improve prognostic and therapeutic decision-making, complex statistical modeling has been used to identify specific or common characteristics (phenotypes) that separate patients with severe asthma into distinct groups (subtypes) with the goal of identifying clearly defined pathophysiological mechanisms (endotypes) and their associated biomarkers that can direct targeted therapies.
Medial Epicondyle Fracture With Concomitant Flexor-Pronator Mass Avulsion From the Fracture Fragment: A Case Report.

Case We present a case of a pediatric patient who sustained a medial humeral epicondyle fracture with avulsion of the ulnar collateral ligament and flexor-pronator mass from the ossific nucleus fracture fragment. Treatment included excision of the medial epicondyle ossific nucleus and repair of the soft tissues. At 1-year, the patient had no pain, no elbow instability, and full and symmetric elbow range of motion. Conclusion Excellent short-term pain and function outcomes can be observed in the pediatric patient after medial epicondyle fragment excision when there is concomitant avulsion of the ulnar collateral and flexor-pronator origins from the fracture fragment.