cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Discretizing Space to Make a Dictionary Matrix for Bistatic Compressive Sensing Detection

Recent research has focussed on the use of compressive sensing for detection in both monostatic and bistatic radar systems. However, such work has not considered many of the practical aspects of implementing a detection algorithm. This letter looks at how the geometry of pulse chasing in a bistatic radar system can be used to reduce the dimensionality of the estimation problem for compressive sensing by only considering the region illuminated by the transmitter that is visible to the receiver. Specifically, a method of determining the extent of the transmit beam in the receiver's local $u-v$ coordinate system is presented. Given this extent, the compressive sensing dictionary matrix can be formed over the discretized region.
Deletion of the min Operon Results in Increased Thermosensitivity of an ftsZ84 Mutant and Abnormal FtsZ Ring Assembly, Placement, and Disassembly

To investigate the interaction between FtsZ and the Min system during cell division of Escherichia coli, we examined the effects of combining a well-known thermosensitive mutation of ftsZ, ftsZ84, with DeltaminCDE, a deletion of the entire min locus. Because the Min system is thought to down-regulate Z-ring assembly, the prediction was that removing minCDE might at least partially suppress the thermosensitivity of ftsZ84, which can form colonies below 42 degrees C but not at or above 42 degrees C. Contrary to expectations, the double mutant was significantly more thermosensitive than the ftsZ84 single mutant. When shifted to the new lower nonpermissive temperature, the double mutant formed long filaments mostly devoid of Z rings, suggesting a likely cause of the increased thermosensitivity. Interestingly, even at 22 degrees C, many Z rings were missing in the double mutant, and the rings that were present were predominantly at the cell poles. Of these, a large number were present only at one pole. These cells exhibited a higher than expected incidence of polar divisions, with a bias toward the newest pole. Moreover, some cells exhibited dramatically elongated septa that stained for FtsZ, suggesting that the double mutant is defective in Z-ring disassembly, and providing a possible mechanism for the polar bias. Thermoresistant suppressors of the double mutant arose that had modestly increased levels of FtsZ84. These cells also exhibited elongated septa and, in addition, produced a high frequency of branched cells. A thermoresistant suppressor of the ftsZ84 single mutant also synthesized more FtsZ84 and produced branched cells. The evidence from this study indicates that removing the Min system exposes and exacerbates the inherent defects of the FtsZ84 protein, resulting in clear septation phenotypes even at low growth temperatures. Increasing levels of FtsZ84 can suppress some, but not all, of these phenotypes.
Inverse optimal stabilization of a rigid spacecraft

The authors present an approach for constructing optimal feedback control laws for regulation of a rotating rigid spacecraft. They employ the inverse optimal control approach which circumvents the task of solving a Hamilton-Jacobi equation and results in a controller optimal with respect to a meaningful cost functional. The inverse optimality approach requires the knowledge of a control Lyapunov function and a stabilizing control law of a particular form. For the spacecraft problem, they are both constructed using the method of integrator backstepping. The authors give a characterization of (nonlinear) stability margins achieved with the inverse optimal control law.
Coital frequency among married and cohabiting couples in the United States

Coital frequency is studied among couples as a function of marital or cohabiting status, relationship duration, number of children, religious affiliation, income, education, fertility intentions, age, race, self-assessed health, time spent in work, and perceived relationship quality. Data are from the 1987-88 National Survey of Families and Households. Predictors of coital frequency that were stable across several analyses were male's and female's ages, the duration of the relationship, and the male partner's self-assessed health. When the discrepancy in partners'reports was adjusted, cohabitation status, number of children, future fertility intentions, religious affiliation, and relationship quality as assessed by the female partner were significant. The results suggest a substantial idiosyncratic component to the determination of coital frequency in relationships
Medullary GABAergic mechanisms contribute to electroacupuncture modulation of cardiovascular depressor responses during gastric distention in rats

Electroacupuncture (EA) at P5–P6 acupoints overlying the median nerves typically reduces sympathoexcitatory blood pressure (BP) reflex responses in eucapnic rats. Gastric distention in hypercapnic acidotic rats, by activating both vagal and sympathetic afferents, decreases heart rate (HR) and BP through actions in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (rVLM) and nucleus ambiguus (NAmb), leading to sympathetic withdrawal and parasympathetic activation, respectively. A GABAA mechanism in the rVLM mediates the decreased sympathetic outflow. The present study investigated the hypothesis that EA modulates gastric distention-induced hemodynamic depressor and bradycardia responses through nuclei that process parasympathetic and sympathetic outflow. Anesthetized hypercapnic acidotic rats manifested repeatable decreases in BP and HR with gastric distention every 10 min. Bilateral EA at P5–P6 for 30 min reversed the hypotensive response from −26 ± 3 to −6 ± 1 mmHg and the bradycardia from −35 ± 11 to −10 ± 3 beats/min for a period that lasted more than 70 min. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization to detect c-Fos protein and GAD 67 mRNA expression showed that GABAergic caudal ventral lateral medulla (cVLM) neurons were activated by EA. Glutamatergic antagonism of cVLM neurons with kynurenic acid reversed the actions of EA. Gabazine used to block GABAA receptors microinjected into the rVLM or cVLM reversed EA's action on both the reflex depressor and bradycardia responses. EA modulation of the decreased HR was inhibited by microinjection of gabazine into the NAmb. Thus, EA through GABAA receptor mechanisms in the rVLM, cVLM, and NAmb modulates gastric distention-induced reflex sympathoinhibition and vagal excitation.
The histone variant macroH2A1 marks repressed autosomal chromatin, but protects a subset of its target genes from silencing

MacroH2A1 is a histone variant that is enriched on the inactive X chromosome (Xi) in mammals and is postulated to play an important, but unknown, role in the repression of gene expression. Here we show that, although macroH2A1 marks repressed autosomal chromatin, it positively regulates transcription when located in the transcribed regions of a subset of its target genes. We used chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) coupled with tiling microarrays (ChIP–chip) to determine the genomic localization of macroH2A1 in IMR90 human primary lung fibroblasts and MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The patterns of macroH2A1 deposition are largely similar across the autosomes of both cell lines. Our studies revealed a genomic localization pattern unique among histone variants; namely, the occupation by macroH2A1 of large chromatin domains (>500 kb in some cases) that contain repressive chromatin marks (e.g., histone H3 Lys 27 trimethylation). The boundaries of macroH2A1-containing domains tend to occur in promoter-proximal regions. Not all promoters, however, serve as macroH2A1 boundaries; many macroH2A1-containing chromatin domains invade the transcribed regions of genes whose products play key roles in development and cell–cell signaling. Surprisingly, the expression of a subset of these genes is positively regulated by macroH2A1. MacroH2A1 also plays a role in augmenting signal-regulated transcription, specifically for genes responsive to serum starvation. Collectively, our results document an unexpected role for macroH2A1 in the escape from heterochromatin-associated silencing and the enhancement of autosomal gene transcription.
Students? Perspectives of Bullying in Schools.

Bullying has proven to be a major problem in our society, one that can no longer be ignored. Unfortunately, every day children of various ages leave schools feeling scared, sad, anxious, and embarrassed, which greatly interferes with their ability to learn and to enjoy their childhood. This paper will review literature on bullying as well as the typical characteristics of the bully, the bullied, and the bystander. This paper will also describe a 2011 bullying survey and program that was presented to 500 middle school students by the author. In the Anti-Bullying Presentation, students were given short messages that could easily be remembered in the future when confronted with bullying situations. For example the scars that bullying leaves are like tattoos, everyone comes to school with a bag of chips; some bags are full and some only have crumbs left, everyone can make a decision on what kind of person they want to be in life, or what shirt they want to wear in life, etc. The term pro-respect was also emphasized with the students. If bullying is ever going to be a thing of the past, parents, students, and teachers must collaborate to overcome this epidemic of a lack of empathy for others feelings amongst todays youth.
CONSUMER SEARCH WITH UNINFORMED BUYERS AND IMPERFECT RECALL

AbstractThis paper analyzes two aspects of the standard sequential consumer search model: (1) therole of the consumer’s ex ante information structure on market outcomes and search behavior;and (2) the effect of imperfect recall on market outcomes and search behavior. Simulated equi-libria are generated using a Genetic Algorithm (“GA”). This analysis shows that both searchintensity and price dispersion increase (and average prices decrease) with consumers’ ex ante knowledge of ﬁrm prices and with consumers’ ability to recall previously visited ﬁrms. De-spite heterogeneous search costs and costs of production, the analysis shows that ﬁrms resortto homogeneous pricing (well above maximum marginal costs) if consumers’ ability to recallprevious price quotes is sufﬁciently low. JEL Classiﬁcation: C63; D21; D43; D73; D83; M37 Keywords: Search; Imperfect Information; Genetic Algorithms; Evolutionary Games 1. Introduction A natural result for homogeneous good markets is that competition drives all ﬁrms to charge thesame price. But despite the intuitive appeal, substantial empirical evidence rejects such a condi-tion. Pioneered by Stigler’s
Sugar Beet Yield and Quality Prediction at Multiple Harvest Dates Using Active-Optical Sensors

273 Sugar beet is an important source of sugar for human consumption, with 55% of U.S. sugar production coming from sugar beet, and 45% from sugarcane (Saccharum offi cinarum L.) (Bangsund et al., 2012; USDA, 2014). Yield prediction of crops early in the growing season, including sugar beet, is increasingly important for logistical and marketing eff orts of farmers, sugar processors and commodity brokers, as well as for use in precision agriculture (Parke, 2014). Yield prediction is used as a precision agriculture tool because it can be used to identify N defi ciency in crops if an N non-limiting area is present in the fi eld to serve as an active-optical sensor reference (Tubana et al., 2008; Lukina et al., 2001; Raun et al., 2008).
A Formulation and Implementation of Adjoint-Based Supersonic Jet Noise Reduction

A formulation and implementation of adjoint-based supersonic jet noise reduction is presented, which allows for efficiently computing the gradient of a noise cost function with respect to a given control or design. The cost function is chosen to penalize nearfield pressure fluctuations, the sensitivity of which is then traced back to upstream flow features. This approach, which has been implemented in the Jet Engine Noise Reduction (JENRE) code, is employed to perform unsteady, adjoint, large-eddy simulations involving three-dimensional, high-resolution, unstructured grids.
QUALITY MANAGEMENT OF INDOOR AIR OF THE CLEAN OPERATING ROOM IN PRIMARY HOSPITAL

Objective To know the air quality of the operating room in primary hospital so as to improve the hospital disinfection and control measures.Methods The natural depositing method was conducted to collect air samples from the clean operating room in part of hospitals in Tianmen.The data were collected on the monitoring network of national nosocomial infection and disinfection.Results Of the 990 air samples detected from clean operating room from March 2009 to March 2011,the average qualified rate was 44.7% in the clean operating areas and 71.8% in surrounding areas.The average qualified rate of air hygienic quality of the operating room in this area was 95.2% in 2009 and 100% in 2010.Conclusion The qualified rate of air samples was low in the clean operating room.Detection,supervision and monitor should be strengthened in this area.
EMC Design of Electronic Warfare UAV

The characteristics of UAV and electronic warfare equipment determine that the EMC design is very important.Basing on that whether electronic warfare UAV can complete warfare task all right.The electromagnetic environment of electronic warfare UAV is discussed,and the method of how to resolve the problem of system's EMC is provided.
Efficacy and safety of nateglinide combined with NPH insulin compared with mexed type insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of nateglinide+NPH insulin with mixed type insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods:A total of 108 patients whose blood glucose poorly controlled by mixed type insulin were treated by either nateglinide+NPH insulin or mixed type insulin.During 3 and 6 months of treatment,the changes in fasting blood glucose(FBG),2-h postprandial blood glucose(PBG),glycosylated hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c) as well as body weight and hypoglycemia were recorded.Results:At 3 and 6 months after treatment,nateglinide+NPH insulin showed better efficacy than mixed type insulin,the reduction was(6.82±1.52) vs(8.21±2.35)(3 month) and(6.42±2.03) vs(7.85±3.78)(6 month) in FBG;(9.86±4.35) vs(11.01±4.67)(3 month) and(12.32±4.83) vs(9.03±4.56)(6 month) in 2-h PBG;(7.75±0.71) vs(8.64±0.83)(3 month) and(6.54±0.69) vs(7.85±0.76)(6 month) in HbA1C level.The body weight was decreased more,and the occurrence of hypoglycemia was lower in nateglinide+NPH insulin group.Conclusion:Combination of nateglinide with NPH insulin can control blood glucose and HbA1C better,and induce less hypoglycemia than mixed type insulin.Its efficacy and safety are improved for treatment of T2DM.
Reliability Science: Reducing the Error Rate in Your Practice

These seven principles can help ensure that your patients receive the right care at the right time every time.
Epistemic Access, Confirmation, and Idealization

Now that we have come to have some understanding of the analysis of the concept of idealization and its main logical features we can proceed to considering the conditions under which a given idealizing counterfactual should be rationally accepted, or confirmed. This is, of course, a matter of great importance in the philosophy of science. Certainly not all such counterfactuals are equally well supported by the empirical evidence of which we are aware at some time, and it surely is not the case that all of the members of a set of competing counterfactuals are equally acceptable on the basis of our empirical evidence at some given time. But there are several rather perplexing issues concerning the acceptance and confirmation of counterfactuals that arise in the context of idealizing counterfactuals in addition to more mundane worries about confirming counterfactuals in general. Most obviously, such counterfactual conditionals are contingent truths that purport to tell us something about the behavior of idealized systems in idealized worlds to which we seem to have no empirical access. Apparently, then, the acceptance of such conditionals must either rather mysteriously depend on evidence that we can gather in the actual world, or alternatively must not depend on evidence at all.1 Insofar as the latter option is to be avoided, we must then come to understand how empirical evidence can be relevant to theoretical claims that depend on idealizing assumptions, for where else could such evidence be gathered?
Contribution of Lipopolysaccharide to Prolylcarboxypeptidase Activation in Endothelial Cells.

Abstract Bradykinin (BK) participates in the etiology of vascular inflammation and the regulation of local blood flow and blood pressure by causing a vascular hyperemia. The bradykinin generating pathway of human plasma consists of prolylcarboxypeptidase (PRCP), heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), coagulation factor XII (FXII, Hageman factor), and the heteromer complex of prekallikrein (PK) and high molecular weight kininogen (HK). In the presence of HK, PRCP activates PK to generate kallikrein on endothelial cells. Formed kallikrein then cleaves HK to liberate BK. PRCP-induced PK activation is independent of the activated FXII. The activity of PRCP leads to vasodilation. In inflamed tissues, tissue injury or hypotensive bacteremia, BK has been shown to accumulate in the blood or plasma of these patients. In this investigation, we have assessed the possible contribution of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to PRCP activation in primary cultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) using multiple approaches. The role of LPS in HK binding to HUVECs was assessed. The effect of LPS on the endothelial permeability injury was evaluated by histological changes and analyzed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). The release of von Willebrand factor (VWF), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) induced by LPS in HUVEC was determined. PK activation on LPS-pretreated endothelial cells was higher than untreated cell. PRCP inhibitor, z-pro-prolinal, inhibited the production of kallikrein from PK compared to the control. These results suggest that LPS contributes to PRCP overactivation which results in the acceleration of the inflammatory process, exerting its effects via PK activation. Inhibiting the activity of PRCP may exert some beneficial therapeutic action in systemic inflammation, at least in part by inhibiting the production of BK and thus preventing vascular dysfunction.
Variability in medication taking is associated with cognitive performance in nondemented older adults.

Interventions to slow cognitive decline typically can do little to reverse decline. Thus, early detection methods are critical. However, tools like cognitive testing are time consuming and require costly expertise. Changes in activities of daily living such as medication adherence may herald the onset of cognitive decline before clinical standards. Here, we determine the relationship between medication adherence and cognitive function in preclinical older adults. We objectively assessed medication adherence in 38 older adults (mean age 86.7 ± 6.9 years). Our results demonstrate that individuals with lower cognitive function have more spread in the timing of taking their medications (P = .014) and increase the spread in the timing of taking their medications over time (P = .012). These results demonstrate that continuous monitoring of medication adherence may provide the opportunity to identify patients experiencing slow cognitive decline in the earliest stages when pharmacologic or behavioral interventions may be most effective.
Visual Snow: a Potential Cortical Hyperexcitability Syndrome.

The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of visual snow (VS) and provide information regarding current treatment options for VS. Visual snow (VS) is a rare disorder manifesting with a persistent visual phenomenon of seeing numerous tiny snow-like dots throughout the visual field, and it can cause debilitating visual and psychological consequences. It is emerging as a disorder separate from, but associated with, migraine visual aura, and neuronal cortical hyperexcitability is being considered as a theoretical mechanism for the persistent-positive visual symptoms. There are few studies that have investigated the treatment of VS, but as our understanding of this entity begins to change, we expect that new treatment approaches and treatment trials will emerge in the next decade. Currently, our approach is to consider pharmacologic treatment for all patients with VS who report decreased quality of life as a result of VS. Resolution of the disorder is difficult to accomplish with treatment, but in our experience, even when symptom intensity is simply reduced, many patients find that there is an improvement in their quality of life that is beneficial. Our preferred treatment options include: (1) oral lamotrigine with a slow increase from 25 mg daily to a maintenance dose of 200–300 mg daily in divided doses as tolerated, and this is typically achieved by advancing the dose in increments of 25–50 mg weekly following the first 2 weeks of therapy; (2) oral acetazolamide with an initial dose of 250 mg daily followed by a slow increase over 1–2 weeks to a total of 1000 mg daily in divided doses, and higher doses can be tolerated by some without increasing the risk-benefit ratio; or (3) oral verapamil long-acting at 120–240 mg daily, and if side effects limit the dose the can be initiated, then lower doses with short-acting verapamil two or three times daily can be substituted until higher doses with the long-acting formula can be tolerated. By initiating drug treatments with low doses and slowly increasing over 1 to 4 weeks, tolerability and compliance improves and allows patients to realize the full benefits of treatment. The proposed mechanisms of microstructural cortical abnormalities and hyperexcitability as a cause of VS may lead to new treatment approaches in the future. Until such a time, medications reported to relieve persistent visual phenomena of migraine and visual aura of migraine are treatment options worth considering and these are reviewed for that purpose. Although clinical trials for the treatment of visual snow are lacking due to the rarity of the disorder, medications reviewed here should be considered for use in patients with VS who experience an impact on their quality of life. Theoretical mechanisms that lead to cortical hyperexcitability are being investigated and could lead to new treatment options. In the meantime, medications may provide benefits in this disabling condition.
Lessons in Care: Insights Into Recent Changes in the American Diabetes Association’s Clinical Practice Recommendations

In January, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) published the Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2017 (1), its comprehensive evidence-based clinical practice recommendations for the care of people with or at risk for diabetes. The Standards are updated annually by the ADA’s Professional Practice Committee (available at http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/40/Supplement_1) based on the latest clinical research and are funded from the ADA’s general fund without industry support. In addition, the ADA publishes occasional position statements on a range of diabetes-related topics, most recently neuropathy (2), hypoglycemia (3), and physical activity (4). Following are some highlights from the ADA’s 2017 Standards and from recent position statements, tailor-made for busy point-of-care providers. ### Tap Into Community Resources The latest Standards include new recommendations aimed at reducing health disparities stemming from discrimination, racism, socioeconomic status, lack of health care access, and language barriers, among other factors, by encouraging providers to refer patients to community resources. Furthermore, ADA makes the assertion, based on high-quality evidence for benefit, that patients should be provided self-management support from lay health coaches, navigators, or community health workers. ### More Candidates for Metabolic Surgery Obesity management is a treatment for type 2 diabetes, and the specific approach—lifestyle, pharmacologic, or metabolic surgery—should be individualized according to a patient’s characteristics and preferences. A big change for 2017 was the expansion of the pool of patients for which metabolic surgery is an appropriate treatment. Based on the findings of an international workgroup report, ADA now suggests metabolic surgery for:
Optimizing placement of commodity depth cameras for known 3D dynamic scene capture

Commodity depth cameras, such as the Microsoft Kinect®, have been widely used for the capture and reconstruction of the 3D structure of room-sized dynamic scenes. Camera placement and coverage during capture significantly impact the quality of the resulting reconstruction. In particular, dynamic occlusions and sensor interference have been shown to result in poor resolution and holes in the reconstruction results. This paper presents a novel algorithmic framework and a method for off-line optimization of depth cameras placements for a given 3D dynamic scene, simulated using virtual 3D models. We derive a fitness metric for a particular configuration of sensors by combining factors such as visibility and resolution of the entire dynamic scene with probabilities of interference between sensors. We employ this fitness metric both in a greedy algorithm that determines the number of depth cameras needed to cover the scene, and in a simulated annealing algorithm that optimizes the placements of those sensors. We compare our algorithm's optimized placements with manual sensor placements for a real dynamic scene. We present quantitative assessments using our fitness metric, as well as qualitative assessments to demonstrate that our algorithm not only enhances the resolution and total coverage of the reconstruction, but also fills in voids by avoiding occlusions and sensor interference when compared with the reconstruction of the same scene using mual sensor placement.
Spin glass engineering and the protein folding problem

The way in which the three-dimensional structure of a protein is determined by the one dimensional sequence information is a major unsolved problem in modem molecular biology. In my lecture, I will show how some qualitative aspects of protein folding can be understood using ideas from the theory of spin glasses, and I will discuss some approaches to the practical solution of the protein structure prediction problem using associative memory Hamiltonians like those used in neural network theory.
Intraspinal TLR4 activation promotes iron storage but does not protect neurons or oligodendrocytes from progressive iron-mediated damage

Iron is essential for basic cellular functions but in excess is highly toxic. For this reason, free iron and iron storage are controlled in the periphery by elaborate regulatory mechanisms. In contrast, iron regulation in the central nervous system (CNS) is not well defined. Given that excess iron is present after trauma, hemorrhagic stroke and neurodegeneration, understanding normal iron regulation and promoting iron uptake in CNS pathology is crucial. Peripherally, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation promotes iron sequestration by macrophages. Notably, iron-rich sites of CNS pathology typically contain TLR4 agonists, which may promote iron uptake. Indeed, our recent work showed impaired iron storage after acute spinal cord injury in mice with TLR4 deficiency. Here we used a reductionist model to ask if TLR4 activation in the CNS stimulates iron uptake and promotes neuroprotection from iron-induced toxicity. For this, we measured the ability of microglia/macrophages to sequester exogenous iron and prevent pathology with and without concomitant intraspinal TLR4 activation. Results show that, similar to the periphery, activating intraspinal TLR4 via focal LPS injection increased mRNA encoding iron uptake and storage proteins and promoted iron sequestration into ferritin-expressing macrophages. However, this did not prevent oligodendrocyte and neuron loss. Moreover, replacement of oligodendrocytes by progenitor cells - a normally robust response to in vivo macrophage TLR4 activation - was significantly reduced if iron was present concomitant with TLR4 activation. Thus, while TLR4 signaling promotes CNS iron uptake, future work needs to determine ways to enhance iron removal without blocking the reparative effects of innate immune receptor signaling.
Knowledge, attitude and perception of physicians towards adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting: a pharmacovigilance study

Background: Contribution of physicians, in adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting and monitoring, to develop a global database is enormously significant to ensure safety of medicine. But, in reality, due to lack of awareness among the healthcare providers, under-reporting of suspected ADRs is a major problem, especially in countries like India. Present study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of the physicians regarding self-reporting of ADR in a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, observational and questionnaire-based study involving physicians of different clinical departments. This questionnaire-based study was conducted to obtain the demography as well as information on knowledge, attitude and perception of physicians towards ADR reporting. Ethical clearance was obtained prior to start the study. Results: 50 doctors were included in the study after their verbal consent. It was revealed that average time taken to complete the answering of questionnaire by the physicians was 15 minutes. Among the study population (n=50), 54% of the participants were Postgraduate doctors and the rest 46% were graduates. 92% believed that it is necessary and would be beneficial for the patient to report ADRs. 74% also believed that ADR reporting is a professional obligation for doctors. Conclusions: Present study evaluated that majority of the healthcare professionals had good knowledge and attitude about pharmacovigilance and understand the need for reporting, but the rate of reporting was very low. More interactive training programme is needed to increase the awareness of reporting ADRs by healthcare professionals.
Fast-GPU-PCC: A GPU-Based Technique to Compute Pairwise Pearson’s Correlation Coefficients for Time Series Data—fMRI Study

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a non-invasive brain imaging technique, which has been regularly used for studying brain’s functional activities in the past few years. A very well-used measure for capturing functional associations in brain is Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Pearson’s correlation is widely used for constructing functional network and studying dynamic functional connectivity of the brain. These are useful measures for understanding the effects of brain disorders on connectivities among brain regions. The fMRI scanners produce huge number of voxels and using traditional central processing unit (CPU)-based techniques for computing pairwise correlations is very time consuming especially when large number of subjects are being studied. In this paper, we propose a graphics processing unit (GPU)-based algorithm called Fast-GPU-PCC for computing pairwise Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Based on the symmetric property of Pearson’s correlation, this approach returns N ( N − 1 ) / 2 correlation coefficients located at strictly upper triangle part of the correlation matrix. Storing correlations in a one-dimensional array with the order as proposed in this paper is useful for further usage. Our experiments on real and synthetic fMRI data for different number of voxels and varying length of time series show that the proposed approach outperformed state of the art GPU-based techniques as well as the sequential CPU-based versions. We show that Fast-GPU-PCC runs 62 times faster than CPU-based version and about 2 to 3 times faster than two other state of the art GPU-based methods.
Safety and tolerability of adjuvant enzalutamide for the treatment of early stage androgen receptor positive (AR+) triple negative breast cancer.

531Background: A subset of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by androgen receptor (AR) expression and dependence on AR signaling (Doane Oncogene 2006; Gucalp CCR 2013). Enzaluta...
The Estrogen-Induced/Dependent Renal Adenocarcinoma of the Syrian Hamster

The events that occur in a tissue prior to a detectable malignant transformation are complex, and may be unique for each type of tumor. Alternatively, a wide variety of neoplasias may have many preneoplastic events in common. The several hormone-dependent tumors make up one class of neoplasms which may have similar molecular events resulting in their induction and growth. Following long-term estrogen treatment the Syrian hamster develops renal adenocarcinomas which are both estrogen-induced and estrogen-dependent (Kirkman, 1959). We have been using this model to find answers for several questions concerning the induction and growth of hormone-dependent tumors with emphasis on the role of estrogen at the molecular level.
Validating models for disease detection using twitter

Data mining social media has become a valuable resource for infectious disease surveillance. However, there are considerable risks associated with incorrectly predicting an epidemic. The large amount of social media data combined with the small amount of ground truth data and the general dynamics of infectious diseases present unique challenges when evaluating model performance. In this paper, we look at several methods that have been used to assess influenza prevalence using Twitter. We then validate them with tests that are designed to avoid and illustrate issues with the standard k-fold cross validation method. We also find that small modifications to the way that data are partitioned can have major effects on a model's reported performance.
Pure-Silica-Zeolite Low-Dielectric Constant Materials

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the latest developments in the synthesis and characterization of pure-silica-zeolites as low-k materials. To reduce the resistance component of the RC (resistance–capacitance) delay, the semiconductor industry has developed a Damascene process to switch from aluminum to copper. The capacitance comes into play in the dielectric material, which has traditionally been dense silica with a dielectric constant (k) of about 4. A number of new low-k materials with a variety of chemical compositions have been evaluated. Two important factors in their exploration are the polarizability and number density of the materials' molecules; ideally, both quantities should be low. Three major classes of materials have been studied: organic polymers, carbon-doped oxides and silica-based materials. Zeolites are microporous crystalline oxides that have traditionally been used as catalysts in the oil refining industry, and they contain a number of desirable attributes that make them a suitable replacement low-k material. Recently, new and novel applications for zeolite thin films have been developed. Zeolite films can be prepared through several methods including in situ, seeded growth and spin-on techniques. The films are characterized for k value, pore structure, hydrophobicity, and mechanical properties. PSZ thin films have been shown to be promising candidates for new low-k materials. Their spin-on deposition process and silica chemical composition allow PSZs to be easily integrated into the semiconductor manufacturing process, revealing a k value of 1.5. This meets the necessary requirements for a low-k material. Before they can be completely accepted as a suitable low-k alternative, other properties of PSZs must be fully characterized and optimized. These include, but are not limited to, thermal properties, electrical properties, and chemical compatibility.
Fruit and Vegetable Intake of US Hispanics by Food Store Type: Findings from NHANES

This study examined fruit and vegetable intake by food store type shopped among US Hispanics. Using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2012 data, T test and chi-square tests examined differences between Hispanic consumers by food store type. Negative binomial regression analyses estimated associations between fruit and vegetable intake and food store type. Hispanics who only purchased fruits and vegetables from convenience stores were younger and more likely US born. They reported lower intakes of fruit and vegetables than individuals who purchased these foods from supermarket/grocery stores. Those who primarily purchased fruits and vegetables from supermarkets/grocery stores consumed 0.92 (p < .001) greater fruit cup equivalents and 0.26 (p = .001) greater vegetable cup equivalents than those who only purchased from convenience stores. Research on the influence of shopping in multiple food store types is needed to develop targeted in-store intervention strategies to encourage healthier food purchases. Results provide support for policy-level research such as minimum stocking requirements for healthy foods in convenience stores.
Primary school leadership in Post-Conflict Rwanda: a narrative arc

Since the end of 1994 genocide, Rwanda’s leaders have set an ambitious development project for the country, one aimed at social and economic transformation. The government’s aims were premised on d...
Ex Vivo Evaluation of Secretion-Clearing Device in Reducing Airway Resistance within Endotracheal Tubes.

Background. Secretions accumulate in endotracheal tubes’ (ETT) lumens upon their placement in patients. The secretions impact airway resistance and pressure. Secretions potentiate prolonged mechanical ventilation and ventilator-associated pneumonia. Our primary objective in this study was to evaluate an ETT-clearing device (ETT-CD) in its ability to remove secretions from ex vivo ETT lumens. Methods. Forty ETTs, obtained from intensive care patients at extubation, were individually placed into a ventilator field performance testing simulator at 37°C. The pressure drop through the ETTs was measured at a flow rate of 60 L/min before and after cleaning with the ETT-CD and compared with unused, similarly sized controls tubes. The ETT-CD was inserted into an ETT until the tip reached Murphy’s eye (hole in the side) of the ETT. The wiper, set back from the tip, was expanded by ETT-CD handle activation. As the ETT-CD was removed, the distal wiper extracted secretions from the ETT lumen. Results. Forty ETTs were tested with nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Before being cleared with the ETT-CD, the median pressure drop in the extubated 7.5 mm ETTs was 17.8 cm H2O; after ETT-CD use, it was 12.3. The cleared ETTs were significantly improved over the ETTs before being cleared ( ); however, there remained a significant difference between the cleared ETTs and the control tubes ( ), indicating the clearing was not to the level of an unused ETT. Similar results were determined for the 8.0 mm ETTs. Conclusions. For the 7.5 mm and the 8.0 mm EETs, the ETT-CD improved effective patency of the ETTs over the uncleared ETTs, independent of occlusion location, tube size, or length of tube. However, there remained a significant difference between the cleared tubes and controls.
Are They in Roses? Teachers and Staff Development.

Staff development programs need to account for the low image of teachers and to plan ways in which teachers can develop personal and professional meaning from their work. Current disaffection with pubhc schools inevitably focuses on teachers. This has always been so, teachers historically having had low status and low image within the profession and with the pubhc. While staff development deals mainly with methods and techniques , unless these are hnked to larger educational ends , teachers are left trapped in their roles as technicians while their existential being is screened out of their work. Staff development should involve teachers in setting goals , improving conditions of teaching and learning , and gleaning personal and professional meanings from their work as teachers.
Abstract TP173: Feasibility and Utility of Home-Based Gait Analysis Using Body-Worn Sensors

Background: Gait impairment is one of the most common post-stroke deficits and an important rehabilitation target for patients. Standardized gait assessments typically capture a brief snapshot of a...
COMPRESS: A Self-Sufficient Scheme for Measuring Queueing Delay on the Internet Routers

Knowledge of queueing delay is important for determining the qualitative state of the Internet, which is essential for various delay-sensitive applications. However, the measurement of queueing delay on routers continues to be a complex and open problem because existing schemes require infrastructural support and administrative access to the Internet. In this paper, we pro-pose an active scheme, called COMpound Probe compRESSion (COMPRESS) that is capable of measuring queueing delay on the Internet routers over an end-to-end path. The proposed scheme performs the measurement in a hop-by-hop manner using User Datagram Protocol (UDP) based probing packets. It is simple and self-sufficient in comparison to the existing schemes. We have implemented the proposed scheme in a simulation environment to present a preliminary evaluation under different levels of queueing delays on the intermediate routers along an end-to-end path. Our simulation results show that the scheme consistently measures queueing delay with a high accuracy and is sensitive to a light queueing delay as well.
The synthesis of novel polycyclic heterocyclic ring systems via photocyclization. 14. 14‐methylbenzo[h]naphtho‐[1′2′:4,5]thieno[2,3‐c][1,6]naphthyridine

Benzo[h]naphtho[1',2':4,5]thieno[2,3-c][1,6]naphthyridine, a novel poly- cyclic heterocyclic ring system, has been synthesized as the 14-methyl derivative (8) in four steps from known intermediates. The structure of (8) is supported by assignment of the proton and the protonated carbon atoms by 2D-nmr techniques (COSY and a carbon-hydrogen one-bond coupling experiment)
Deep learning-based low dose CT imaging

We developed a machine-learning-based method generate good quality low dose CT using a residual block concept and a self-attention strategy with a cycle-consistent adversarial network framework. A fully convolution neural network with residual blocks and attention gates is used in the generator to enable end-to-end transformation. We have collected CT images from 30 patients treated with frameless brain stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for this study. These full dose images were used to generate projection data, which were then added with noise to simulate the low mAs scanning scenario. Low dose CT images were reconstructed from this noise-contaminated projection data, and were fed into our network along with the original full dose CT images for training. The performance of our network was evaluated by quantitatively comparing the high quality CT images generated by our method with the original full dose images. When mAs is reduced to 0.5% of the original CT scan, the mean square error of the CT images obtained by our method is ~1.6%, with respective to the original full dose images. The proposed method successfully improved the noise, CNR and non-uniformity level to be close to those of full dose CT images, and outperforms a state-of-art iterative reconstruction method. Dosimetric studies shows that the average differences of DVH metrics are less than 0.1 Gy (p>0.05). These quantitative results strongly indicate that the denoised low dose CT images using our method maintains image accuracy and quality, and are accurate enough for dose calculation in current CT simulation of brain SRS treatment. This study also demonstrates the great potential for low dose CT in the process of simulation and treatment planning.
164 Fun ride or risky transport: golf cart-related injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments from 2007 through 2017

Purpose Golf cart-related injuries are a source of morbitiy for people of all ages, especially children, and their use has increased in recent years. However, design modifications or legislation to reduce the overall burden of these injuries have been nonexistent. This study sought to characterize the epidemiology of golf cart-related injuries treated in United States (U.S.) hospital emergency departments (EDs). Methods/Approach We performed a retrospective analysis by using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System data for patients of all ages treated in EDs (2007–2017) for a golf cart-related injury. Bivariate comparisons were conducted by using design-adjusted chi-square tests, and the strength of association was assessed by relative risks (RR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Injury rates over time were analyzed by using linear regression. We generated national estimates from 3567 cases. Results From 2007–2017, an estimated 156 040 (95% CI=102 402–209 679) patients were treated in U.S. EDs for golf cart-related injuries. The average rate of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in children (1.62 per 100 000 children) was more than three times that of TBIs in adults (0.52 per 100 000 adults; rate ratio=3.12; 95% CI=3.05–3.20) 1.46 times that of TBIs in seniors (1.11 per 100 000 seniors; 95% CI=1.42–1.51). The injury rate in seniors increased significantly by 67.6% from 4.81 per 100 000 seniors in 2007 to 8.06 per 100 000 seniors in 2017 (slope=0.096; p=0.041). Conclusions Golf cart use remains an important source of injury for people of all ages, especially children. As use continues to increase, it is unlikely that golf cart-related injuries will decrease without substantial changes to product design, regulation, and/or legislation. Significance and Contribution to the Field Understanding the patterns of golf cart-related injuries, especially to children and seniors, is critical as their use and injuries are increasing.
An unconventional therapeutic approach for a severe case of septic pylephlebitis involving the portal system using pharmacomechanical thrombolysis and thrombectomy.

Abstract Pylephlebitis has a high risk of mortality. Even with optimal medical management, the thrombus may propagate and require intervention. We present one such case in which extension of the thrombus from the superior mesenteric vein to the intrahepatic portal veins led to a life-threatening systemic response. Current endovascular techniques tailored with targeted pharmacomechanical thrombolytic therapy were combined with an exploratory laparotomy for septic control and resulted in an accelerated recovery.
Unlocking the Predictive Power of Heterogeneous Data to Build an Operational Dengue Forecasting System

Predicting an infectious disease can help reduce its impact by advising public health interventions and personal preventive measures. While availability of heterogeneous data streams and sensors such as satellite imagery and the Internet have increased the opportunity to indirectly measure, understand, and predict global dynamics, the data may be prohibitively large and/or require intensive data management while also requiring subject matter experts to properly exploit the data sources (e.g., deriving features from fundamentally different data sets). Few efforts have quantitatively assessed the predictive benefit of novel data streams in comparison to more traditional data sources, especially at fine spatio-temporal resolutions. We have combined multiple traditional and non-traditional data streams (satellite imagery, Internet, weather, census, and clinical surveillance data) and assessed their combined ability to predict dengue in Brazil9s 27 states on a weekly and yearly basis over seven years. For each state, we nowcast dengue based on several time series models, which vary in complexity and inclusion of exogenous data. We also predict yearly cumulative risk by municipality and state. The top-performing model and utility of predictive data varies by state, implying that forecasting and nowcasting efforts in the future may be made more robust by and benefit from the use of multiple data streams and models.