cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Management of Mesh Infection

Among the most feared complications associated with repair of abdominal wall hernias is prosthetic mesh infection. This can potentially result in a cycle of reoperations, repeated infections, and recurrent hernias. Repair without mesh reinforcement, however, results in unacceptably high rates of recurrence. There are more than 100 commercially available mesh products available for use in ventral hernia repair (VHR), and there are multiple options for operative approach, mesh positioning within the abdominal wall, securement of the mesh material, and component separation techniques (CST). Additionally, each material has unique physiomechanical and biocompatibility profiles that determine their clinical response to infection. This makes any true conclusions as to the optimal management of prosthetic mesh infection difficult, and leaves the surgeon with little more than personal experience and clinical judgment to guide the care of these challenging complications. This chapter aims to review the available literature and provide guidance in the operative and nonoperative management of mesh infection, and prevention of this potentially devastating complication.
Maritime Co-operation among South Atlantic Countries and Repercussions for the Regional Community of Security Practice

Abstract: This paper aims to examine the importance of co-operation for maritime security in the South Atlantic, focusing on the relationship between the national and sub-regional institutions that have leveraged this process, especially those from Brazil. For this purpose, the diagnosis addresses the debates around the contemporary roles of the navy and the importance of international co-operation for its mission accomplishment, highlighting the tasks judged as subsidiary, among them being that of maritime traffic control. The alignment of these co-operative activities with foreign policy and national defence projects can be seen through the navy’s participation in multilateral co-operation projects involving South America, particularly the Co-ordination for the South Atlantic Maritime Area (CAMAS). The research detects the existence of a particular model of a community of security practice in which national and sub-regional institutions have been generating an important maritime co-operative system, which is more stable than in other areas of co-operation in the same region.
Material Experience Research: Evidentiary Encounters with Creativity

Creativity is often associated with free expression, dynamic innovation, originality, and insightful, unconstrained genius. Nowhere is this more so than in the practice of design. The embodiment of this myth is the genius designer, from whom creative ideas spring forth naturally, effortlessly. A companion myth within the world of interface and interaction design is that design and user experience experimentation are not allies in creativity; rather, user experience research is in service of creativity, laying the foundations for design inspiration by identifying "gaps" and "needs", or providing summative evaluations of designs.To the first myth, constraints are part of the creative process; creativity is enacted and accomplished in design practice through the judicious application and relaxation of understood and discovered constraints. Constraints help you ask better questions, not simply drive for solutions. Good examples are design systems and frameworks that codify carefully thought-out, and frequently observed constraints; they operate to inform, to codify best practices and principles for design, and to offer useful boundaries that provoke design exploration. To the second, experimentation is a creative act in itself; systematic experimentation can and should be intimately woven into iterative design processes. Experimentation allows options to be tested and explored. Experimentation enables thoughtful exploration of permutation.In this talk I will share stories of collaboration between my team, Material Experience Research, and the designers and developers of Material Design. I will talk about tools for "creatives", and the ways in which such tools can enhance rather than constrain and restrict creative exploration. I will discuss research we have been conducting on how good design and user experience principles, codified within design frameworks and systems, spark creativity through provisional constraint.
Mixed methods approach to understanding farmer and agricultural advisor perceptions of climate change and adaptation in Vermont, United States

The relationships among farmers’ belief in climate change, perceptions of climate-related risk, and use of climate adaptation practices is a growing topic of interest in U.S. scholarship. The north...
Spatially Selective, High-Density Placement of Polyfluorene-Sorted Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes in Organic Solvents

High-performance logic based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) requires high-density arrays of selectively placed semiconducting CNTs. Although polymer-wrapping methods can allow CNTs to be sorted to a >99.9% semiconducting purity, patterning these polymer-wrapped CNTs is an outstanding problem. We report the directed self-assembly of polymer-coated semiconducting CNTs using self-assembled monolayers that bind CNTs into arrays of patterned trenches. We demonstrate that CNTs can be placed into 100 nm wide HfO2 trenches with an electrical connection yield as high as 90% and into 50 nm wide trenches with a yield as high as 70%. Our directed self-assembly method is an important step forward in pitch scaling.
VARIABILITY IN THYROID CANCER MANAGEMENT AND PROGNOSIS AMONG HISPANIC VERSUS NON-HISPANIC PATIENTS : 17 YEARS DATA FROM UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AND UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM AT SAN ANTONIO

Abstracts: Objective : Given the increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer in the United States, and it's potential public health implications, patient studies assessing ethnic, disparity and health care access are important. In this study, we retrospectively examined the variability in stage of thyroid cancer at presentation and final outcome among Hispanic vs non-Hispanic patients. Method: After obtaining IRB approval, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 220 adult patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC) who were treated at UT Health Science Center San Antonio between1996 and 2013. At disease presentation, patients were staged and risk stratified according to the 2009 American Thyroid Association (ATA) and TNM staging system. Clinical data obtained during the first 6–18 months was used to identify the initial response to therapy and clinical data from the last follow up visit was used to identify the “final” outcome. We examined the effect of insurance and ethnicity on initial res...
Nystagmus in Infancy and Childhood: Clinical and Eye Movement Characteristics

The most common forms of nystagmus in infancy and childhood are Infantile Nystagmus Syndrome (INS), Fusion Maldevelopment Nystagmus Syndrome (FMNS), and Spasmus Nutans Syndrome (SNS). This review w...
Utilizing Saccharomyces in the classroom: a versatile organism for teaching and learning

In the world of higher education, one of the struggles instructors face in the classroom is engaging students in the material. A second discussion in higher education pedagogy is how to weigh conte...
A 9-Bit 10-MHz 28- $\mu$ W SAR ADC Using Tapered Bit Periods and a Partially Interdigitated DAC

A successive-approximation-register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) incorporates “tapered bit periods” to reduce power consumption by minimizing the digital-to-analog converter (DAC) timing overhead. Utilizing a variable delay line and the standard SAR logic, the proposed technique reduces power by downsizing the DAC drivers and digital logic without decreasing the sampling rate. A detailed analysis derives, for the first time, a closed-form solution of the capacitive DAC settling time accounting for parasitics, and determines the time savings of the proposed design. In addition, this brief proposes a “partially interdigitated” DAC layout to reduce the bottom-plate parasitic capacitance to minimize the DAC power. A 9-bit prototype fabricated in 180-nm technology achieves a signal-to-noise-distortion ratio (SNDR) of 55.5 dB at a 10-MHz sampling rate while consuming $28~\mu \text{W}$ , yielding a figure-of-merit of 5.7 fJ/conversion-step, the lowest among published ADCs at similar speeds and resolutions.
Physiotherapy Clinical Placements and Learning to Reason

Learning to reason should be experienced within a continuum of professional development, guided by curricula explicitly focused on the learning of and from clinical reasoning. We contend that this learning should be initiated during professional entry education, and intentionally built upon through post-entry-level continuing professional clinical education opportunities. While the focus and examples provided in this case are primarily from the authors’ entry-level education teaching and curriculum development experiences, we also extend our discussion to consideration of how learning to reason should and can be further facilitated within post-professional entry education contexts such as residency and fellowship programs.
Developmental Stages of Reading Processes in Children Who Are Blind and Sighted.

This article compares the development of print and braille reading in children who are blind and sighted in relation to Chall's stage model of reading development. Chall's model includes a prereading period, in which concepts are developed; middle stages, in which skills that are necessary for decoding text are developed; and later stages, which distinguish skilled readers on the basis of their highly developed schemata and cognitive skills that are necessary for effective comprehension and integration. The relevance of a developmental theory for directing training methods that facilitate braille literacy instruction is discussed. The process of reading may be said to begin when a sensory modality picks up encoded information from the world. Typically, reading is discussed in relation to the visual and cognitive processing that occurs with printed text. During visual reading, light from the printed page is reflected onto the retinas, where it is transferred to the brain for further processing. The brain applies higher cognitive functions that combine and transform arbitrary symbols into meaningful words and sentences that can represent most concrete and abstract thoughts. Thus, reading is an important cultural invention because it creates an effective medium for sharing information. When vision is not available to readers, information must be accessed using some other sensory modality.
Laparoscopy in the Elderly

The evolution and dissemination of laparoscopy has arrived at a good time. The population is aging and will put a tremendous stress on the healthcare system in the near future. For surgeons, elderly patients pose a significant challenge due to comorbidities and a higher likelihood of postoperative complications. Age, however, must not be a contraindication in and of itself when a geriatric patient presents with a potentially curative malignancy. Fortunately, minimal access surgery has allowed surgeons to operate on aged patients with less morbidity and mortality. Good outcomes are still best achieved with a thorough knowledge of the physiology of aging, pneumoperitoneum, and oncology. This chapter covers all changes induced by minimally invasive surgery pertinent to the elderly patient suffering from cancer.
Experiments on Seeded and Noise Initiated Modulational Instability in LiNbO3 Slab Waveguides

We report the experimental study of seeded and noise initiated modulational instability (MI) during second harmonic generation in a LiNbO3 slab waveguide. In the non-seeded case, two MI initiating mechanisms were identified, namely random noise on the input beam and waveguide imperfections. We also measured the MI gain coefficient as a function of periodicity and beam intensity employing a small, well-defined periodic perturbation (seeding). Excellent agreement with theory was obtained.
History of Tribology and Micro/Nanotribology

In this introductory chapter, we present the history of macrotribology and micro/nanotribology and their industrial significance. Next, we present examples of why micro/nanotribological studies are important in magnetic storage devices, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and other microcomponents.
Barricade and Throw Grenades: The Entrenchment of Tribalism and Fear Politics

The tribe, defending itself, creates “truths” that fit their emotional responses. If feeling attacked, the “others” must be attacking us, evil, un-Godly, and deceiving. If the “others” say we are racist, they perhaps are the ones who are the real racists. Humans not only are good at self-deception, it is an evolutionary necessity as the illogic of the culture and how we live our own lives must be rationalized, not rational. A major thrust of this self-deception is to make the group to which we belong appear superior and the “other” to appear inferior. Psychological studies have shown that merely placing one group in blue shirts and another in red shirts, or making one group of students mock-jailers and the other mock-prisoners, will result in quickly emerging prejudices, distrust, and denigration of the out-group and elevation of the in-group.
Discovery of PF‐184563, a Potent and Selective V1a Antagonist for the Treatment of Dysmenorrhoea. The Influence of Compound Flexibility on Microsomal Stability.

Varying a known but highly lipophilic and metabolically unstable lead, a series of derivatives with a reduced number of rotable bonds are synthesized in order to decrease cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism.
The Effect of Algorithmic Trading on Voluntary Disclosure

I investigate whether algorithmic trading (AT) affects voluntary disclosure. I predict that AT’s advantage over non-algorithmic investors decreases information acquisition. Because investors are less informed, managers increase disclosure to reduce information asymmetry. I find evidence consistent with these predictions; AT is positively associated with the likelihood and quantity of management guidance issued. Further, when AT is high, informed trading is more costly, information acquisition is lower, and investors are less informed prior to management disclosures. This question is important to academics, regulators, and the investing public due to the debate over the desirability of AT in capital markets.
Preface to the UPA (2017)

First promulgated in 1973, the Uniform Parentage Act (UPA) provides states with a uniform, comprehensive statutory scheme to determine a child's parentage. Today, approximately half the states have parentage laws that are based in whole or in part of some version of the UPA. In 2015, the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) determined that the Act was in need of another update. A core impetus for the update was to ensure that the Act applied equally to children of same-sex couples. The UPA (2017) was approved by the ULC in 2017 and is now available to enactment in the states. As of November 2018, three states — California, Vermont, and Washington — had adopted all or substantial portions of the UPA (2017). This Preface explains the important changes implemented in the UPA (2017). The revisions primarily address six issues: (A) ensuring the equal treatment of children of same-sex couples; (B) expanding recognition of non-biological parents; (C) providing guidance in cases involving competing claims of parentage; (D) addressing the parentage of children conceived through sexual assault; (E) updating the rules governing children born through a surrogacy agreement; and (F) establishing a procedure to enable children conceived through assisted reproduction to access information about any gamete providers. In addition, the Index includes the full text of the UPA (2017).
Parental influences on parent-reported motor skills in young children with developmental disabilities.

Abstract Background Young children with developmental disabilities (DDs) often experience motor skill deficits. Although parents play an important role in developing their children’s motor skills, the association between parents of young children with DDs and those children’s motor skills has not been widely studied. Objective The purpose of this study was to cross-sectionally examine the pathway by which parental physical activity (PA) support, explicit modeling, and child’s PA are associated with motor skills in young children with DDs. Method One hundred and thirty-five parents of young children (5–7 years) with DDs completed an online questionnaire which included questions about parental PA support, parental explicit PA modeling, children’s PA behavior and children’s motor skill variables. Results Pathway analysis was conducted to examine the pathways between parental tangible support and explicit modeling and motor skills in young children with DDs. The pathway analysis indicated that parental tangible support and explicit modeling are significantly associated with PA behaviors in young children with DDs, which in turn, are associated with their motor skills. Conclusions The results from this study suggest that young children with DDs may acquire motor skills by participating in PA. In addition, parents of young children with DDs can indirectly be associated with the motor skills of their children by supporting PA and becoming a PA role model. For parents of young children with DDs, increasing the PA behaviors of their children maybe away to improve their children’s motor skills.
Intelligent Mobility Cane - Lessons Learned from Evaluation of Obstacle Notification System using a Haptic Approach

Existing smart cane prototypes provide audio and/or haptic feedback to inform people who are blind or visually impaired about upcoming obstacles. However, limited user research is conducted to evaluate the usefulness of the haptic feedback provided by these devices. To better understand the users' perceptions of haptic feedback, we developed a smart cane prototype called Intelligent Mobility Cane (IMC) that consists of 2 haptic vibrators on the handle. They are used to inform different parts of the user's hand that an obstacle is detected. 8 people who are blind and 3 people who have low vision explored the IMC's handset by navigating an indoor obstacle path. The participants provided their feedback on the IMC's haptic notification system with regards to the intensity of the vibration and location of the vibrators and discussed various scenarios where the feedback will or will not be useful to them. In this case study, IMC handle design recommendations based on the participant's feedback and suggestions are presented.
Minimum Wages and Racial Inequality

The earnings difference between white and black workers fell dramatically in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This article shows that the expansion of the minimum wage played a critical role in this decline. The 1966 Fair Labor Standards Act extended federal minimum wage coverage to agriculture, restaurants, nursing homes, and other services that were previously uncovered and where nearly a third of black workers were employed. We digitize over 1,000 hourly wage distributions from Bureau of Labor Statistics industry wage reports and use CPS microdata to investigate the effects of this reform on wages, employment, and racial inequality. Using a cross-industry difference-in-differences design, we show that earnings rose sharply for workers in the newly covered industries. The impact was nearly twice as large for black workers as for white workers. Within treated industries, the racial gap adjusted for observables fell from 25 log points prereform to 0 afterward. We can rule out significant disemployment effects for black workers. Using a bunching design, we find no aggregate effect of the reform on employment. The 1967 extension of the minimum wage can explain more than 20% of the reduction in the racial earnings and income gap during the civil rights era. Our findings shed new light on the dynamics of labor market inequality in the United States and suggest that minimum wage policy can play a critical role in reducing racial economic disparities.
The School of Tillers

In the spring of 2015, the author founded the School of Tillers in Bishan, in a bid to build it into a community culture center. It included a coffee shop, an exhibition gallery, a screening hall, a small library, a study center and a zakka. Every evening, the School of Tillers showed movies and TV plays of the villagers’ choice on its big screen. It also hosted a series of events, such as a 3D photo exhibition “Timekeepers,” featuring the portraits and family spaces of residents of Yi County villages, which were taken by Slovenia photographer Matjaž Tancic; artist Liu Chuanhong’s narrative painting exhibition “Memoir in Southern Anhui,” a visual fiction based on Huizhou villages; lectures and workshops on community art, plants and dyeing & weaving, soil enhancement with micro-organism; “Talk & Buy” flea market where villagers presented their secondhand goods in front of the big screen. The School of Tillers helped farmers sell their farm produce at its zakka with free packaging and publicity. Villagers’ idle houses were collected and listed on Airbnb as part of the SOT Researchers in Residence Program. This chapter includes a collection of various announcements before and after the opening of the School of Tillers as literature materials, and also includes the curatorial essays written by the author for Tancic and Liu’s exhibitions, as well as his review and summary on all the work of Bishan Project from the beginning to the opening of the School of Tillers.
Losing trust in body sensations: Interoceptive awareness and depression symptom severity among primary care patients.

Background Interoceptive dysfunction is emerging as an important biomarker for mental illnesses, such as depression which is a leading cause of disability and death worldwide. Little empirical research explains the relationship between interoception and depression. Methods Using multivariable linear regression models and cross-sectional baseline data from a randomized control trial of primary care patients (N = 281), we analyzed the relationship between depression severity (none/slight, mild, and moderate/severe via the PROMIS depression scale) and the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) subscales (noticing, not distracting, not worrying, attention regulation, emotional awareness, selfregulation, body listening and trusting). Results Adjusted results suggest moderate/severe depression was inversely associated with body trusting (p Limitations Our findings may not be generalizable to other populations or healthcare settings. Additionally, findings cannot be interpreted as causal due to our inability to establish temporality. Conclusions Lack of body trust appears important for understanding how individuals with depression interpret or respond to interoceptive stimuli and may represent the leading edge of interoceptive dysregulation seen in depressive disorders. Our findings support a hypothesis about mechanisms of action underlying hypoactivation in depression. Further, these results support clinical identification of subtypes of depression, such as those with high levels of co-occurring anxiety.
Primate Spatial Memory Cells Become Tuned Early and Lose Tuning at Cell-Specific Times.

Working memory, the ability to maintain and transform information, is critical for cognition. Spatial working memory is particularly well studied. The premier model for spatial memory is the continuous attractor network, which posits that cells maintain constant activity over memory periods. Alternative models propose complex dynamics that result in a variety of cell activity time courses. We recorded from neurons in the frontal eye fields and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of 2 macaques during long (5-15 s) memory periods. We found that memory cells turn on early after stimulus presentation, sustain activity for distinct and fixed lengths of time, then turn off and stay off for the remainder of the memory period. These dynamics are more complex than the dynamics of a canonical bump attractor network model (either decaying or nondecaying) but more constrained than the dynamics of fully heterogeneous memory models. We speculate that memory may be supported by multiple attractor networks working in parallel, with each network having its own characteristic mean turn-off time such that mnemonic resources are gradually freed up over time.
Evaluation of leukopenia during sepsis as a marker of sepsis-defining organ dysfunction.

Background Although both leukocytosis and leukopenia have been considered Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome criteria, leukopenia is not generally considered a normal response to infection. We sought to evaluate the prognostic validity of leukopenia as a sign of sepsis-defining hematological organ dysfunction within the Sepsis-3 framework. We hypothesized that leukopenia is associated with higher risk of mortality than leukocytosis among patients with suspected infection. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study using the Medical Information Mart v1.4 in Intensive Care-III database. Multivariable regression models were used to evaluate the association between leukopenia and mortality in patients with suspected infection defined by Sepsis-3. Results We identified 5,909 ICU patients with suspected infection; 250 (4.2%) had leukopenia. Leukopenia was associated with increased in-hospital mortality compared with leukocytosis (OR, 1.5; 95% CI 1.1-1.9). After adjusting for demographics and comorbidities in the Sepsis-3 consensus model, leukopenia remained associated with increased risk of mortality compared with leukocytosis (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.2). Further adjustment for the platelet component of the SOFA attenuated the association between leukopenia and mortality (OR decreased from 1.5 to 1.1). However, 83 (1.4%) of patients had leukopenia without thrombocytopenia and 14 had leukopenia prior to thrombocytopenia. Conclusions Among ICU patients with suspected infection, leukopenia was associated with increased risk of death compared with leukocytosis. Due to correlation with thrombocytopenia, leukopenia did not independently improve the prognostic validity of SOFA; however, leukopenia may present as a sign of sepsis prior to thrombocytopenia in a small subset of patients.
Posttraumatic growth among health care workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant mental health consequences for frontline health care workers (FHCWs). However, no known study has examined the prevalence, determinants, or correlates of posttraumatic growth (PTG) in this population. Methods Data were analyzed from a prospective cohort of FHCWs at an urban tertiary care hospital in New York City (NYC). Assessments were conducted during the spring 2020 pandemic peak (Wave 1) and seven months later (Wave 2). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify Wave 1 sociodemographic, occupational, and psychosocial factors associated with PTG at Wave 2, and the association between aspects of PTG with burnout and pandemic-related PTSD symptoms at Wave 2. Results A total 76.8% of FHCWs endorsed moderate or greater PTG; the most prevalent domains were increased appreciation of life (67.0%), improved relationships (48.7%), and greater personal strength (44.1%). Non-White race/ethnicity, greater levels of positive emotions, pandemic-related PTSD symptoms, dispositional gratitude, and feelings of inspiration were independently associated with PTG. At Wave 2, endorsement of spiritual growth during the pandemic was associated with 52% and 44% lower odds of screening positive for pandemic-related PTSD symptoms and burnout, respectively; greater improvement in relationships was associated with 36% lower odds of screening positive for burnout. Limitations Single institution study and use of self-report instruments. Conclusions Nearly 4-of-5 FHCWs report pandemic-related PTG, driven largely by salutogenic factors assessed during the pandemic surge. Interventions to bolster these factors may help promote PTG and mitigate risk for burnout and pandemic-related PTSD symptoms in this population.
The Use of Bone Morphogenetic Protein in Pediatric Cervical Spine Fusion Surgery: Case Reports and Review of the Literature

Study Design Case report. Objective There is a paucity of literature describing the use of bone graft substitutes to achieve fusion in the pediatric cervical spine. The outcomes and complications involving the off-label use of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 in the pediatric cervical spine are not clearly defined. The purpose of this article is to report successful fusion without complications in two pediatric patients who had instrumented occipitocervical fusion using low-dose BMP-2. Methods A retrospective review of the medical records was performed, and the patients were followed for 5 years. Two patients under 10 years of age with upper cervical instability were treated with occipitocervical instrumented fusion using rigid occipitocervical fixation techniques along with conventionally available low-dose BMP-2. A Medline and PubMed literature search was conducted using the terms “bone morphogenetic protein,” “BMP,” “rh-BMP2,” “bone graft substitutes,” and “pediatric cervical spine.” Results Solid occipitocervical fusion was achieved in both pediatric patients. There were no reported perioperative or follow-up complications. At 5-year follow-up, radiographs in both patients showed successful occipital cervical fusion without evidence of instrumentation failure or changes in the occipitocervical alignment. To date, there are few published reports on this topic. Complications and the appropriate dosage application in the pediatric posterior cervical spine remain unknown. Conclusions We describe two pediatric patients with upper cervical instability who achieved successful occipital cervical fusion without complication using off-label BMP-2. This report underscores the potential for BMP-2 to achieve successful arthrodesis of the posterior occipitocervical junction in pediatric patients. Use should be judicious as complications and long-term outcomes of pediatric BMP-2 use remain undefined in the existing literature.
Aging-Induced Changes in the Autoregulation of Acetylcholine Release in the Rat Brain

Senile dementia of Alzheimer type (SDAT) is a disease of mid- or late life, and about 3 to 4% of the population above 65 years of age is estimated to be afflicted by this progressive dementia.’ One of the main characteristics of this disease is a decline in such cognitive abilities as memory and learning.’ The decline in recent memory seems to be a common characteristic of aging in mammals including humans, non-human primates, and rodents. In humans, this impairment is exacerbated by SDAT. Although the reasons for this cognitive loss in aged or demented subjects are not fully understood, there is evidence that deficits in central cholinergic transmission play an important role.1,3 Postmortem samples from cortical regions of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) patients have shown decreases of greater than 50% in the activity of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the enzyme that catalyzes the final step in the synthesis of acetylcholine (ACh). Scopolamine, an anticholinergic agent, causes memory defects in young adult volunteers. Physostigmine causes memory and thinking disturbances in human volunteers by preventing the hydrolysis of ACh, which accumulates to reach inhibitory concentrations at muscarinic receptors.
MO‐E‐213‐02: Medical Physicist Involvement in Implementing Patient Protection Standards

The focus of work of medical physicists in 1980’s was on quality control and quality assurance. Radiation safety was important but was dominated by occupational radiation protection. A series of over exposures of patients in radiotherapy, nuclear medicine and observation of skin injuries among patients undergoing interventional procedures in 1990’s started creating the need for focus on patient protection. It gave medical physicists new directions to develop expertise in patient dosimetry and dose management. Publications creating awareness on cancer risks from CT in early part of the current century and over exposures in CT in 2008 brought radiation risks in public domain and created challenging situations for medical physicists. Increasing multiple exposures of individual patient and patient doses of few tens of mSv or exceeding 100 mSv are increasing the role of medical physicists. Expansion of usage of fluoroscopy in the hands of clinical professionals with hardly any training in radiation protection shall require further role for medical physicists. The increasing publications in journals, recent changes in Safety Standards, California law, all increase responsibilities of medical physicists in patient protection. Newer technological developments in dose efficiency and protective devices increase percentage of time devoted by medical physicists on radiation protection activities. Without radiation protection, the roles, responsibilities and day-to-day involvement of medical physicists in diagnostic radiology becomes questionable. In coming years either medical radiation protection may emerge as a specialty or medical physicists will have to keep major part of day-to-day work on radiation protection. Learning Objectives: 1. To understand how radiation protection has been increasing its role in day-to-day activities of medical physicist 2. To be aware about international safety Standards, national and State regulations that require higher attention to radiation protection than in past 3. To be aware about possible emergence of medical radiation protection as a specialty and challenges for medical physicists.
Computed body tomography

This text on body computed tomography shows the kinds of anatomical detail demonstrable by the technique and relates them to the diagnostic potential of the method. This book includes discussions of normal anatomy and the main pathologic entities of the major body systems and regions, as demonstrated by computed tomography.
User-centered design of an attitude-aware controller for ground reconnaissance robots

Warfighter safety can be significantly increased by offloading critical reconnaissance and surveillance missions to robotic assets. The subtleties of these tasks require significant operator involvement--usually carried out locally to the robot's deployment. Human soldiers use gestures to communicate movements and commands when engaged in this type of task. While considerable work has been done with robots visually observing humans to interpret their gestures, we propose a simpler, more field-appropriate system that allows robot operators to use their natural movements and gestures (via inertial measurement units [IMUs]) to teleoperate a robot while reducing the physical, as well as the cognitive, load on the soldier.This paper describes an operator control interface implemented on a smartphone, in contrast to the proprietary robot controllers typically used. The controller utilizes the device's IMUs, or attitude sensors, to bypass the touchscreen while accepting user input via gestures; this addresses a primary concern for gloved users in dirty environments where touchscreens lack reliability. We also propose that it provides a less visually-intense alternative for control, freeing up the soldier's cognitive load toward other functions.We present details of the attitude-based control software, as well as the design heuristics resulting from its iterative build-test-rebuild development. Additionally, results from a set of user studies are presented, showing that as a controller, this technique performs as well, or better than, other screen-based control systems, even when ignoring its advantages to gloved users. Twenty-five users were recruited to assess usability of these attitude-aware controls, testing their suitability for both driving and camera manipulation tasks. Participants drove a small tracked robot on an indoor course using the attitude-aware controller and a virtual [touchscreen] joystick, while metrics regarding performance, mental workload, and user satisfaction were collected. Results indicate that the tilt controller is preferred by 64% of users and performs equally as well, if not better to the alternative, on most performance metrics. These results support the development of a smartphone-based control option for military robotics, with a focus on more physical, attitude-based input methods that overcome deficiencies of current touch-based systems, namely lack of physical feedback, high attention demands, and unreliability in field environments.
Revisit on maximum ratio combining reception practically attained across correlated Nakagami-m branches

First- and second-order statistics that can be attained at a practical receiver via maximum-ratio combining (MRC) reception across correlated Nakagami-m branches are studied in this paper. A lump sum of the branch weight squares is employed in the conventional analysis of the MRC reception. The conventional MRC reception whose first- and second-order statistics were only derived on a noise-free condition can never be achieved in practice because the branches, which are smeared by crosscorrelation and are corrupted by noise, can only be statistically specified and they must be considered of as stochastic processes at the receiver, instead of deterministic time functions. The proposed method, in fact, considers the branch weights as stochastic processes and effectively restores diversity by the assistance from a linear transformation. Significant component selection combining (SCSC) can hence be applied not only to simplify the inner receiver but also to reduce the estimation error and the thermal noise. The MRC reception is then conducted with assistance from estimates of the decorrelated branches that are selected by the SCSC methods. The performance merit figures, i.e., first- and second-order statistics, must be redefined in the post-inner-receiving sense to provide sufficient and accurate information required for the design or the derivations of the outer receiving techniques or algorithms. The first- and second-order statistics of the MRC reception over the significant decorrelated diversity branches were verified by computer simulations.
All-trans retinoic acid and interferon-α-2a in patients with metastatic or recurrent carcinoma of the uterine cervix: Clinical and pharmacokinetic studies

BACKGROUND Recent clinical trials with a combination of interferon (IFN alpha) and 13 cis-retinoic acid resulted in high response rates among women with locally advanced and metastatic carcinoma of the uterine cervix. The authors sought to amplify these observations by employing the isomer of 13 cis-retinoic acid, all-trans retinoic acid (tRA), in combination with IFN alpha. METHODS Sequential clinical trials were initiated by the New York Gynecologic Oncology Group to test the combination of tRA and IFN alpha in women with metastatic or recurrent carcinoma of the cervix who had failed primary therapy. IFN alpha was administered at 6 MU subcutaneously 3 times per week. In the first trial, tRA was administered at 50 mg/m2 orally 3 times per day on a daily schedule (daily regimen), whereas in the second trial, tRA was administered at the same dose 3 times per day, but only on Days 1-3 each week (intermittent schedule). Clinical outcomes included response to therapy and survival. Plasma pharmacokinetic studies of tRA were performed in both trials to assess the effects of different schedules on plasma levels of the drug. RESULTS Fourteen women with metastatic or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix were enrolled in the daily trial and 12 women in the intermittent trial. There was no clinical activity for either regimen, and both studies were terminated according to an early stopping rule. Because tRA has been reported to induce its own metabolism, plasma levels of tRA were measured on Days 1, 8, and 28. The change in the area under the time versus tRA concentration curve (AUC) was significantly different between the two groups. The average AUC on Day 8 was 14% of that observed on Day 1 for the daily treatment group; in contrast, it was 107% on Day 1 in the intermittent treatment group. In 6 of 8 patients studied in the daily trial, the AUC decreased at least 60% by either Week 2 or Week 4. In contrast, in the intermittent trial, only 3 of 9 patients experienced >60% decrease in plasma levels of the drug at either Day 8 or Day 28. CONCLUSIONS The combination of tRA + IFN alpha was inactive in patients with advanced carcinoma of the cervix when employed at these doses on either the daily or intermittent schedule. The failure of activity of this regimen did not result from induction of metabolism of tRA, suggesting that intrinsic mechanisms of resistance to tRA at the cellular level may be of greater importance.
Noradrenergic modulation of behavioral odor detection and discrimination thresholds in the olfactory bulb

The mammalian main olfactory bulb (MOB) receives a significant noradrenergic input from the locus coeruleus. Norepinephrine (NE) is involved in the acquisition of conditioned odor preferences in neonatal animals and in some species-specific odor-dependent behaviors. Thus far, the role of NE in odor processing in adult rats remains less studied. We investigated the role of noradrenergic modulation in the MOB on odor detection and discrimination thresholds using behavioral and computational modeling approaches. Adult rats received bilateral MOB injections of vehicle, NE (0.1-1000 microM), noradrenergic receptor antagonists and NE + receptor antagonists combined. NE infusion improved odor detection and discrimination as a function of NE and odor concentration. The effect of NE on detection and discrimination magnitude at any given odor concentration varied in a non-linear function with respect to NE concentration. Receptor antagonist infusion demonstrated that alpha1 receptor activation is necessary for the modulatory effect of NE. Computational modeling showed that increases in the strength of alpha1 receptor activation leads to improved odor signal-to-noise ratio and spike synchronization in mitral cells that may underlie the behaviorally observed decrease of detection and discrimination thresholds. Our results are the first to show that direct infusion of NE or noradrenergic receptor antagonists into a primary sensory network modulates sensory detection and discrimination thresholds at very low stimulus concentrations.
I'm Not Going to Disneyland: Illusory Affirmative Defenses Under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

This article analyzes the two affirmative defenses provided by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and argues that the defenses are virtually useless in practice. Recent restrictive judicial interpretation, developing international business customs and the statutory language itself have rendered the defenses – the local law defense and the promotional expenses defense – meaningless for FCPA defendants at trial. This article describes the problems with the defenses and suggests that Congress modify existing law to allow for greater fairness in FCPA prosecutions.
Unified eigenfilter approach: with applications to spectral/spatial filtering

The eigenfilter approach is extended to solve general least-squares approximation problems with linear constraints. Such extension unifies previous work in eigenfilters and many other filter design problems, including spectral/spatial filtering, one-dimensional or multidimensional filters, data independent or statistically optimal filtering, etc. With this approach, various filter design problems are transformed into problems of finding an eigenvector of a positive definite matrix that is determined by filter design specifications. This approach has the advantage that many filter design constraints can be incorporated easily. A number of design examples are presented to show the usefulness and flexibility of the proposed approach. >
Genetic polymorphisms in double-strand break DNA repair genes associated with risk of oral premalignant lesions.

Abstract Oral premalignant lesions (OPLs) are early genetic events en route to oral cancer. To identify individuals susceptible to OPL is critical to the prevention of oral cancer. In a case–control study consisting of 147 patients with histologically confirmed OPL and 147 matched controls, we evaluated the associations of 10 genetic variants in nine genes of the double-strand break (DSB) DNA repair pathway with OPL risk. The most notable finding was an intronic polymorphism (A17893G) of the XRCC3 gene. Compared with the homozygous wild-type AA genotype, the odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for the heterozygous AG and homozygous variant GG genotype was 0.85 (0.49–1.48) and 0.18 (0.07–0.47), respectively ( P for trend = 0.002). In addition, compared with the most common A–C haplotypes of XRCC3 (in the order of A17893G-T241M), the G–C haplotypes were associated with a significantly decreased risk of OPL (OR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.23–0.68). Moreover, compared with individuals without the G–C haplotype, the OR was 1.04 (0.56–1.95) and 0.20 (0.08–0.51) for subjects with one copy and two copies of the G–C haplotypes, respectively ( P for trend = 0.005). Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis further revealed potential high-order gene–gene and gene–environmental interactions and categorised subjects into different risk groups according to their specific polymorphic signatures. Overall, our study provides the first epidemiological evidence supporting a connection between DSB gene variants and OPL development. Our data also suggest that the effects of high-order interactions should be taken into consideration when evaluating OPL predisposition.
Psychologism and Instructional Technology.

Little of the work in critical and hermeneutical psychology has been linked to instructional technology (IT). This article provides a discussion in order to fill the gap in this direction. The article presents a brief genealogy of American IT in relation to the influence of psychology. It also provides a critical and hermeneutical framework for psychology. It then discusses some problems of psychologism focusing on positivism, metaphysics, cultural ecology, and power. The narrow psychologism in IT produces a kind of systematic blindness regarding cultural, political, and other issues. IT professionals are encouraged to engage reflectively with the power‐relations and ethical issues in which they are involved. The article points out a need for looking at psychology more comprehensively (e.g. critical and hermeneutical psychology).
RapidSmith 2: A Framework for BEL-level CAD Exploration on Xilinx FPGAs

RapidSmith is an open-source framework that allows for the exploration of novel approaches to the FPGA CAD flow for Xilinx devices. However, RapidSmith has poor support for manipulating designs below the slice level. In this paper, we highlight many of the projects RapidSmith enables and present extensions incorporated into "RapidSmith 2" that expose LUTs and flip-flops for direct manipulation in custom-built CAD tools. To demonstrate the utility of RapidSmith 2 we present the results of work to identify BELs in a design which must be clustered together and a tool that does pre-packing clustering accordingly.