cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Scaled Gabor representation: a refined time-frequency decomposition

A discrete scaled Gabor representation (SRG) is developed to meet the requirements of localized and refined time- frequency representation of signals. SGR generalizes the metaplectic structure by using windows' translation, modulation and dilation as synthesis waveforms. Fundamental features and importance of SGRs are discussed. We derive fast algorithms for the computation of related analysis sequences at different scales. An example of using SGRs for refined time-frequency representation is also demonstrated. A significant feature of SGRs also lies in the fact that they can be realized in a parallel FFT-based implementation structure.
Ligand Substitution Reactions of Transition Metal Organometallic Complexes and Homogeneous Catalysis

Transition metal organometallic homogeneous catalysts depend on the ease of ligand substitution in one or more of the catalytic steps. Thus, it follows that the more we learn about the factors which affect rates of ligand substitution, the better we will be able to design useful catalysts. Three different types of approaches to the enhancement of ligand substitution are discussed. These are (1) through the use of spectator ligands which permit an 18-electron system to react by an associative process, (2) the relative rates of substitution of a 17-electron and a corresponding 18-electron system, and (3) the reactivity order 1st row 3rd row transition metals for a given metal triad. Specific examples are given for each of these approaches to generate more substitution labile organometallic compounds.
A Versatile Photo-optical Syste for the Study of Ballistic Phenomena

A photo-optical system has been developed for determining the velocity of a projectile after ta?get penetration and the simultaneous observation of ballistic phenomena. This system pro vides a wide field of view and overcomes the difficulties introduced by light from the projectile-target impact and by the pretriggering of velocity-measuring transducers by particles broken from the target. This system enables the measurement of residual velocity with an error of only 1 to 2 percent and, at the same time, permits the observation of size, shape, distribution of other particles and distortion of the projectile.
Real Potential in Alpha-Nucleus Scattering

Measurements of $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-nucleus elastic differential-cross-section data at 27 MeV from $^{45}\mathrm{Sc}$, $^{65}\mathrm{Cu}$, $^{90}\mathrm{Zr}$, and $^{122}\mathrm{Sn}$, over the angular range 15 (\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2.5) to 175\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} are reported. The data are analyzed using both a standard six-parameter optical model and a folding model. The latter uses an effective nucleon-$\ensuremath{\alpha}$ interaction obtained from a global analysis of free nucleon-$\ensuremath{\alpha}$ scattering data below 12 MeV incident nucleon energy which is folded with a nuclear matter distribution to obtain the real part of the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-nucleus potential. The fits with the folding model are improved appreciably over those obtained using the standard optical model and are sensitive to the choice of matter parameters. The matter mean-square radii deduced are in good agreement with other estimates.
Effect of mersalyl on the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop.

Effect of mersalyl on the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop. The cortical portion of the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop was dissected from rabbit kidneys and perfused in vitro . There was active chloride transport resulting in net sodium chloride reabsorption from the tubule lumen, with the electrical potential difference (PD) oriented positive in the lumen. The addition of mersalyl (≧10 -5 M) to the lumen caused the PD and net Cl flux to decrease, indicating inhibition of the active Cl transport. The decrease in PD caused by the drug in the lumen was approximately 50% at concentrations equal to or greater than 10 -5 M, and the decrease in Cl transport (measured at 3 × 10 -5 M) was similar in magnitude. Addition of p-chloromercuribenzoate to the tubule lumen immediately reversed the effect of mersalyl administration. The diuresis caused by mercurials in vivo similarly is reversed by p-chloromercuribenzoate administration. Therefore, the effect of mersalyl on the isolated perfused thick ascending limbs of Henle's loop in vitro can be identified with its diuretic effect in vivo . Mersalyl in the bath was inactive except at a higher concentration (10 -4 M), and the effect was not reversible. We conclude that the diuretic effect of mercurials is due, at least in part, to inhibition by these drugs in the tubule lumen of active Cl transport in the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop.
Effects of clonidine and methylphenidate on motor activity in Fmr1 knockout mice.

Abstract Fragile X syndrome (FXS), a disorder caused by a mutation in the FMR1 gene, is often associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Common treatments for the hyperactivity often seen in ADHD involve the use of stimulants and α2-adrenergic agonists. The Fmr1 knockout (KO) mouse has been found to be a valid model for FXS both biologically and behaviorally. Of particular interest to our research, the Fmr1 KO mouse has been demonstrated to show increased locomotion in comparison to wild type (WT) littermates. In the present study, we assessed the effects of clonidine (0.05 mg/kg) and methylphenidate (5 mg/kg) on motor activity in Fmr1 KO mice and their WT littermates in the open field test. Results showed that methylphenidate increased motor activity in both genotypes. Clonidine decreased motor activity in both genotypes, but the effect was delayed in the Fmr1 KO mice.
Rents, military elites, and political democracy

In autocratic regimes the military elite is in a position to extract rents, because without the support of the military the government is in general not able to sustain itself. In this paper, we empirically confirm the negative relation between transfers to the military and the degree of democracy for developing countries. We use an instrumental variable approach to account for the simultaneity that arises since the degree of democracy is itself a function of transfers to the military.
Composite-pulse magnetometry with a solid-state quantum sensor

The sensitivity of quantum magnetometer is challenged by control errors and, especially in the solid state, by their short coherence times. Refocusing techniques can overcome these limitations and improve the sensitivity to periodic fields, but they come at the cost of reduced bandwidth and cannot be applied to sense static or aperiodic fields. Here we experimentally demonstrate that continuous driving of the sensor spin by a composite pulse known as rotary-echo yields a flexible magnetometry scheme, mitigating both driving power imperfections and decoherence. A suitable choice of rotary-echo parameters compensates for different scenarios of noise strength and origin. The method can be applied to nanoscale sensing in variable environments or to realize noise spectroscopy. In a room-temperature implementation, based on a single electronic spin in diamond, composite-pulse magnetometry provides a tunable trade-off between sensitivities in the μTHz(-1/2) range, comparable with those obtained with Ramsey spectroscopy, and coherence times approaching T(1).
Scaling a frequency display

Figure 1 shows the type of CRT display that is obtained from an instrument which makes signal level measurements at discrete frequencies, such as a digital spectrum analyzer, or a selective level measuring set. The horizontal axis represents frequency, with the start frequency, STRTF, on the left and the stop frequency, STOPF, on the right. The vertical axis represents signal level. The points represent variations in signal level over a period of time at each of the measured frequencies. See Figure 2 for program labels. In such an instrument start and stop frequencies and upper and lower signal level limits are keyed in from a keyboard on its front panel by the operator, and stored in memory. The processor in the instrument is usually a microcomputer but the technique described could well be applied in a minicomputer system. The processor interfaces analogue measuring circuits and accepts measurements as digitized signal levels at a frequency previously specified by the processor. By making a number of measurements in this way, over a frequency range, a display showing measured signal level against frequency is obtained.
MRI cardiac tagging using a sinc-modulated RF pulse train

A method of spatial modulation of magnetization using the RF pulse train is described for improved cardiac tagging. The method is based on a sinc-modulated RF pulse train in the presence of constant gradient. Such an RF pulse train yields a rectangular profile of saturated magnetization, and the bandwidth of the sinc envelope controls the width of the saturation tag. Compared to DANTE and SPAMM tagging techniques, this method offers sharper-edged tags and the ability to change the ratio of tag width to tag separation. The approach was implemented on a 9.4 T vertical bore NMR system and demonstrated with both phantom and in vivo mouse heart studies.
Gemcitabine following radiotherapy with concurrent 5-fluorouracil for nonmetastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas

Gemcitabine has been shown to be an active agent in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. This study was conducted to prospectively examine the tolerance and early efficacy of adjuvant gemcitabine following radiotherapy with concurrent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for nonmetastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Twenty-three patients, median age 64 years, were treated with combined modality therapy. Nine patients underwent tumor resection before chemoradiation; 14 patients with locally unresectable tumors received definitive chemoradiation. Radiotherapy utilized four fields to the tumor and lymphatics to 45 Gy, plus a lateral boost to 50.4 Gy. Concurrent 5-FU 500 mg/m2/day was administered on days 1–3 and 29–31, followed by 4 months of gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2/week for 3 weeks (fourth week break). Adjuvant gemcitabine was well tolerated. Eighty-three percent of the patients completed three to four cycles. The primary dose-limiting toxicity was leukopenia, which was observed in 10 patients (43%). Nonhematologic toxicities were reported in five patients (22%). There were no cases of gemcitabine-induced radiation recall and there have been no deaths attributed to treatment toxicity. Median follow-up for the 23 patients was 12 months (range, 5–50); the actuarial median survival was 13 months. This report confirms that adjuvant gemcitabine following radiotherapy with concurrent 5-FU for nonmetastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma can be safely administered. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
High Levels of Calsequestrin in Some Snake Muscles. Why

Calsequestrin (CSQ) is the most abundant Ca2+ binding protein in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of skeletal and cardiac muscle. It is characterized by a high capacity and a moderate affinity for Ca2+ and thus it maintains luminal free Ca2+ in the junctional SR cisternae (jSR) at the physiological concentration of 1mM, while storing up to 20mM total calcium. Thin-section TEMs of superficial epaxial muscles from Nerodia sipedon and Boa constrictor show at least two structurally distinguishable types of fibers, probably twitch and tonic. Twitch fibers have unusually wide jSR cisternae completely filled with a finely granular matrix of CSQ polymers. The visible luminal content also extends far from the triads into the longitudinal SR. This is also the case in anterior intermandibular muscles from the same snakes. The percentage of fiber volume occupied by SR in twitch fibers from superficial epaxial muscles was calculated, from morphometry of thin sections, to be 9.5% in Nerodia, 10.6% in Boa and 7.5% in leg muscles from the lizard Anolis carolinensis, another lepidosaur. Comparable data from the literature for mouse indicate 5.5% in EDL and 2.5% in soleus. So, overall, the snake muscles have considerably higher Ca2+ storage capacity than lizard and mouse, two species that move frequently. We suggest that this may be related to prolonged periods of inactivity of these snakes, interrupted by the very infrequent use of muscles during prey capture and locomotion.Supported by NIH HL048093 (CFA)
ON THE SHRINKABLE U.S.C. DECOMPOSITION SPACES OF SPHERES

Abstract Let G be a u.s.c decomposition of S n , H G denote the set of nondegenerate elements and π be the projection of S n onto S n / G . Suppose that each point in the decomposition space has arbitrarily small neighborhoods with ( n − 1 )-sphere frontiers which miss π ( H G ) , and such frontiers satisfy the Mismatch Property. Then this paper shows that this condition implies S n / G is homeomorphic to S n ( n ≥ 4 ). This answers a weakened form of a conjecture asked by Daverman [3, p. 61] . In the case n = 3 , the strong form of the conjecture has an affirmative answer from Woodruff [12] .
Mirovna geografija. Zasnova - projekti - perspektive

Friedensgeographie is not the pacifistic but ethical turn of geography. FG is a normative approach of integrating freedom, human rights and Maintenance of environmental standings. Geographic Peace Studies (GPS) will initial a new research program in Ethics of Geography. Geeographic peace studies are contradicting "death of man" both in modern anthropology and reflexive discourse of applied social geography. Integrative geographic peace studies are countering "death of space" and "lack of application" within the theory of structuration and everyday regionalization in geography.
Edges and overlaps in northwest atlantic phylogeography

As marine environments change, the greatest ecological shifts—including resource usage and species interactions—are likely to take place in or near regions of biogeographic and phylogeographic transition. However, our understanding of where these transitional regions exist depends on the defining criteria. Here we evaluate phylogeographic transitions using a bootstrapping procedure that allows us to focus on either the strongest genetic transitions between a pair of contiguous populations, versus evaluation of transitions inclusive of the entire overlap between two intraspecific genetic lineages. We compiled data for the Atlantic coast of the United States, and evaluate taxa with short- and long-dispersing larval phases separately. Our results are largely concordant with previous biogeographic and phylogeographic analyses, indicating strong biotic change associated with the regions near Cape Cod, the Delmarva Peninsula, and eastern Florida. However, inclusive analysis of the entire range of sympatry for intraspecific lineages suggests that broad regions—the Mid-Atlantic Bight and eastern Florida-already harbor divergent intraspecific lineages, suggesting the potential for ecological evaluation of resource use between these lineages. This study establishes baseline information for tracking how such patterns change as predicted environmental changes take place.
Latch-Up in CMOS Integrated Circuits

The parasitic transistors and pnpn paths present on junction-isolated CMOS circuits have been identified and studied quantitatively. Active SCR structures exist which can be triggered electrically or by a radiation pulse. Detailed studies of SCR paths have been performed on two circuits, the CD4007A and the CD4041A, to relate geometrical and materials parameters to latch-up sensitivity. Both normal bias conditions and bias optimum for obtaining SCR action are employed. Several techniques are proposed to eliminate radiation-induced latchup in future CMOS designs.
Design, synthesis, and characterization of new organic dendrimers with greatly enhanced two-photon absorption

Dendrimers have unique highly branched repeating structures that display intriguing processing and photonic properties. We have recently synthesized several generations of a new dendrimer series based on bis-(diphenylamino)-E-stilbene repeat units which have proven to be highly processible in common organic solvents, and which can be designed and synthesized in either three-arm or four-arm structural motifs. We have measured the dependence of the two-photon absorption (TPA) on excitation wavelength for the G-0, G-1 and G-2 generations of these monodisperse macromolecules, and have shown that the maximum value for the intrinsic TPA cross-section for femtosecond pulses inceases in proportion to the total number of stilbene chromophores, and yields a record high cross-sectrion for the G-2 dendrimer (11,000 GM units). We have now been able to incorporate a variety of electron donor and acceptor substituents in the three-arm dendrimer G-0 system to establish structure-property relatiuonships for the further enhancement of the intrinsic two-photon cross-sections. We have found a dramatic enhancement of the two-photon cross-sections for these dendrimers compared to the parent bis-(diphenylamino)-E-stilbene (BDPAS). In the 3-arm G-0 series, the intrinsic TPA cross-section, measured at the TPA maximum, varies from 1,400 to 1,900 GM units compared to 130 GM units for BDPAS, a more than 10-fold enhancement, while the number of BDPAS repeat units in the G-0 dendrimer is only 3 times the parent BDPAS structure.
Algorithm for the nonlinear propagation of acoustic beams from phased arrays and nonplanar sources

A multistage algorithm is presented to allow for the convenient and accurate computation of the finite amplitude-distorted acoustic fields produced by phased arrays and nonplanar sources. The algorithm also allows for non-normal (angled) beam computations
Regulation of cell fate in Caenorhabditis elegans by a novel cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein.

The fog-1 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans specifies that germ cells differentiate as sperm rather than as oocytes. We cloned fog-1 through a combination of transformation rescue experiments, RNA-mediated inactivation, and mutant analyses. Our results show that fog-1 produces two transcripts, both of which are found in germ cells but not in the soma. Furthermore, two deletion mutants alter these transcripts and are likely to eliminate fog-1 activity. The larger transcript is expressed under the control of sex-determination genes, is necessary for fog-1 activity, and is sufficient to rescue a fog-1 mutant. This transcript encodes a novel member of the CPEB family of RNA-binding proteins. Because CPEB proteins in Xenopus and Drosophila regulate gene expression at the level of translation, we propose that FOG-1 controls germ cell fates by regulating the translation of specific messenger RNAs.
Long-Term Results of Angioplasty Vs Stenting in Cardiac Transplant Recipients With Allograft Vasculopathy

Background Allograft vasculopathy remains a major limiting factor in long-term graft survival. The absence of symptoms and diffuse nature of the disease make clinical detection and therapy more difficult. Limited data exist on the long-term outcome of percutaneous interventions in this group of patients. Methods Medical records and cardiac catheterizations from the Cardiac Cath Lab database were retrospectively reviewed for all cardiac transplant recipients who had undergone a percutaneous intervention. Procedural results, complications, use of stents and angiographic follow-up were recorded. Re-stenosis was defined as a lesion >50% in the target vessel at follow-up angiography. Results Thirty-three patients underwent 97 percutaneous interventions with a mean of 2.9 interventions per patient. Mean age at the time of first intervention was 52 ± 13 (mean ± standard deviation) years. Mean time from transplant to first intervention was 5 ± 3.0 years. The primary procedural success rate was 99%. Thirty-four procedures involved placement of a stent, 63 were angioplasty alone. There were no procedure-related complications. Seventy percent of lesions were de novo and 30% were re-stenotic lesions. Six-month, 12-month and 5-year target vessel re-stenosis rates in the stent group were 31%, 46% and 69%, and in the percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) group were 41%, 53% and 68%, respectively. Thirteen patients (39.3%) died or were re-transplanted, at 1.9 ± 2.29 (mean ± SD) years after their first intervention. Twenty patients were alive at 4.5 ± 2.99 years after the first intervention. Conclusions Percutaneous intervention can be performed safely in cardiac transplant recipients. Stent placement reduces early and mid-term re-stenosis, but late re-stenosis occurs in 70% of lesions. Late re-stenosis, development of new coronary lesions, and need for repeat intervention are common, regardless of the method used for percutaneous intervention, emphasizing the diffuse and progressive nature of transplant coronary disease.
RAGE on the Toll Road

Mammalian Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are cellular pattern-recognizing receptors (PRRs) that recognize the molecular patterns of pathogens. After engaging the pathogenic patterned ligands, the cytosolic portion of the TLRs in monocytes and macrophages, recruits adaptor proteins, via a receptor-driven signaling cascade, activates the transcription factor NF-kappaB, leading to the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, which trigger inflammation. Such rapid, innate cellular responses serve as the first line of host defense against infection by pathogens, and also stimulate the adaptive immune system to clear the invading microbes. Increasing evidence suggests that TLRs also recognize host-derived ligands, linking this group of PRRs to diseases that may not have an etiology that is associated directly with infections. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are nonenzymatically glycated or oxidated proteins, lipids and nucleic acids that are formed in the environment of oxidant stress and hyperglycemia. Binding of AGEs to their receptor RAGE initiates cellular signals that activate NF-kappaB, which results in transcription of proinflammatory factors. RAGE can also interact with other endogenous ligands generated by cell death and tissue injuries. RAGE has been implicated in chronic diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, neurodisorders, cancers, as well as aging. This review discusses the possible role of RAGE as a PRR that may use signaling mechanisms parallel to TLRs', to solicit inflammatory reactions. Thus, in this scenario, RAGE may play a prominent role in the regulation of cellular homeostasis in the context of complex disease progression.
A 12b 50MS/s 3.5mW SAR assisted 2-stage pipeline ADC

A 12b 50MS/s ADC is presented that pipelines a first stage 6b MDAC with a second stage 7b SAR ADC. The first stage uses a low-power SAR architecture for the sub-ADC, to achieve the large 6b stage resolution. A “half-gain” MDAC reduces the output swing and increases the closed-loop bandwidth of the op-amp in the first stage. This ADC consumes 3.5mW from a 1.3V supply, achieves an ENOB of 10.4b at Nyquist, and an FOM of 52fJ/conversion-step.
Motility in the chick embryo in the absence of sensory input

The following experiment was designed to test the role of sensory input in the motility of the chick embryo: Complete deafferentation of the leg level was accomplished in 2-day embryos by extirpation of the dorsal half of the lumbar spinal cord including the precursor cells of spinal ganglia; and simultaneous extirpation of the entire spinal cord in the thoracic level to exclude sensory input from more rostral levels. In control embryos, only the thoracic gap was made. The embryos were reared to eight and one-half, 11, 13, 15 and 17 days, respectively, and manual recordings were made of the leg motility before the embryos were sacrificed. It had been reported by us that the motility of normal chick embryos is periodic, activity phases alternating with inactivity phases. Both the overall activity, i.e., percent of activity during a standard 15-minute observation period, and the durations of activity and inactivity phases were found to be the same in experimental embryos and in control embryos with thoracic gaps, at least up to and including 15-day embryos. Histological checks showed the complete absence of lumbar spinal ganglia in the majority of embryos and, the presence of a few small thoracic ganglia in some cases. All embryos with lumbar ganglia were discarded. The motor roots formed a normal plexus, and the pure motor nerves emerging from it showed a normal peripheral distribution and muscle innervation. It is concluded that the leg motility results from autonomous discharges of the lateral motor or internuncial neurons, and that sensory input is not necessary for the triggering, the maintenance or the periodicity of the leg motility. A sharp decline of motility was observed in 17-day embryos. A study of the histological condition of the residual spinal cord showed a numerical depletion and partial degeneration of the lateral motor column. This deterioration is considered to be responsible for the functional impairments. The implication of these results for the widespread notion that “self-stimulation” and similar “experiences” during embryonic development play an important role in the molding of behavior is discussed.
Target localization and tracking in a random access sensor network

We consider tracking of multiple objects using a wireless sensor network where distributed nodes transmit to a fusion center using random access. During an initialization phase, targets are identified on a discrete set of locations using a sparse identification method. Tracking then proceeds to update the target locations and amplitudes explicitly, using a gradient algorithm to solve the underlying non-linear optimization problem. Updating continues at the pace dictated by the average sensing/transmission rate, which can be adjusted to suit an expected target velocity. By focusing explicitly on the target locations, as opposed to continuing with sparse identification over a quantized space whose size may be much greater than the number of targets, the goal is to reduce the computational complexity, improve the performance, and eliminate the spatial quantization effects.
How often do physicians address other medical problems while providing prenatal care

PURPOSE It is unknown to what extent physicians address multiple problems while providing prenatal care. The objective of this study was to determine the percentage of prenatal encounters with 1 or more secondary and tertiary nonobstetric diagnoses and compare rates between family physicians and obstetricians. METHODS Using the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 1995–2004, I analyzed prenatal visits to family physicians’ and obstetricians’ offices. The outcome measure was the percentage of prenatal encounters with 1 or more secondary and tertiary nonobstetric diagnoses seen by family physicians and obstetricians. RESULTS There were 6,203 visit records that met study criteria, representing 223 million visits to obstetricians and 21 million visits to family physicians. Of the prenatal encounters with a family physician, 17.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 12.9%–22.4%) included 1 or more secondary and tertiary nonobstetric diagnoses compared with 7.8% (95% CI, 6.1%–9.6%) of prenatal encounters with an obstetrician (P CONCLUSIONS Family physicians diagnose nonobstetric problems frequently and considerably more often than obstetricians while providing prenatal care. This practice style enhances access to comprehensive primary care for women.
Dietary Threonine Needs for Growth and Immunity of Broilers Raised Under Different Litter Conditions

Abstract Two studies were conducted simultaneously and evaluated the Thr needs of male Ross × Ross 708 broilers. Broilers in the 2 studies were reared under 2 litter conditions: new (NL) vs. used built-up soft wood shavings (BL). Separated by a center aisle, all floor pens from 1 side of the close-sided house contained NL, whereas the opposite side contained BL. Broilers received common diets up to 21 d and then were fed 1 of 6 total dietary Thr levels that ranged from 0.51 to 0.86% total Thr until d 42. At 42 d, birds were processed. A subsample of birds from each experimental unit corresponding to either the 0.51 or 0.72% Thr treatments was taken, immune function was quantified, and lymphoid organs were weighed. Results for live performance and carcass traits are in close agreement with previously reported values in the literature. Quadratic responses were observed for BW gain, feed conversion, and carcass and breast meat absolute and relative weights. Depending on the variable, these responses were maximized from 0.71 to 0.74% Thr when broilers were raised on NL and from 0.73 to 0.78% Thr when broilers were raised on BL. Low Thr (0.51%) was without effect on most immune parameters. However, low Thr decreased relative thymus weight and increased monocyte NO production in built-up and new litter environments, respectively.
A theoretical and numerical analysis of the measured equation of invariance

The measured equation of invariance (MEI) has been previously introduced to efficiently and accurately handle the boundary truncation for finite methods. The present authors give a theoretical analysis that provides several important insights into the capabilities of the MEI. From the numerical study, they can explain why the MEI works better than one would expect. Both the theoretical and the numerical analyses demonstrate that the accuracy of the solution is dependent on the electrical size of the geometry as well as the distance between the mesh boundary and the geometry. From the analysis, the authors propose a new set of metrons that is less sensitive to the excitation than the previously proposed sinusoidal metrons. >
Expansion of clinical pharmacy through increased use of outpatient pharmacists for anticoagulation services

Purpose The expansion of clinical pharmacy services through increased use of outpatient pharmacists for anticoagulation services is described. Summary Due to the high demand for clinical pharmacist services by patients and medical staff at Harris Health System in Houston, Texas, and the strict budgetary restrictions to improve the quality of care through cost-neutral services, a new telephone anticoagulation monitoring service, provided by clinical pharmacists, was established at four of the busiest anticoagulation ambulatory care centers within the system. One clinical staff pharmacist was trained in each of the four clinics by a clinical pharmacy specialist. Each pharmacist received roughly two weeks of training to provide this service. Implementation of the new anticoagulation monitoring service occurred on April 1, 2013. Data collected between October 2011 and April 2014 revealed significantly more visits per month for the clinical pharmacy service after the implementation of the telephone anticoagulation monitoring service ( p = 0.011). Redistribution of workflow resulted in a 16% increase in clinical pharmacy patient volume at the ambulatory care clinics ( p = 0.011). The percentage of International Normalized Ratio values in the therapeutic range, the proportion of hospitalizations due to thromboembolic or bleeding events, work hours per prescription volume, project completion rates, and the number of students precepted did not significantly differ between groups. Conclusion The implementation of a clinical pharmacy telephone service for patients receiving anticoagulation at an outpatient center resulted in increased patient clinic visits without adversely affecting patient outcomes or increasing personnel or costs.
Algorithms for multicriterion optimization

In this paper we report new methods for obtaining a noninferior solution to a multicriterion optimization problem. Unlike existing methods, which convert vector-valued optimization problems into scalar-valued ones, our methods treat the multiple objectives as they are, without employing an artificial single objective. Each of the new methods is readily implementable and convergent to a local noninferior solution under suitable assumptions. We also propose interactive methods for locating a noninferior solution that will be satisfactory to the decision maker.
Variable Sub-Carrier OFDM Using OOK-7PSK Modulation in AWGN Channel

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a technique that provides high data rate communications, but it is sensitive to the carrier frequency offset (CFO) caused by the misalignment in carrier frequencies between transmitter and receiver, but also sensitive to the receiver In-phase and Quadrature (IQ) imbalance due to manufacturing inaccuracies. Both CFO and IQ imbalance will cause Inter-Carrier Interference (ICI) among the sub-carriers and degrade the Carrier-to-Interference Ratio (CIR). In this paper, we propose an OFDM system using On-Off-Keying 7-Phase-Shift-Keying (OOK-7PSK) modulation, which consists of a 7-PSK constellation plus a point at the origin, to reduce the ICI. Its performance is evaluated by both theoretic analysis and simulations under both CFO and IQ imbalance impairments. The numerical and simulation results show that the OFDM system using OOK-7PSK is more robust against both CFO and IQ imbalance compared to the OFDM system using conventional 8-PSK. This proposed OOK-7PSK modulation can not only reduce Inter-Carrier Interference, but also improve the power efficiency.
Design of an analog I/O ASIC for baseband conversion in digital mobile radio applications

The design is discussed. The part is a complete input/output device with a single 5 V supply. As it is necessary for mobile systems to use the lowest possible power, the device has independent power down modes for both the transmit and receive sections of the chip. The part is housed in a space efficient 44 pin PQFP. >
Teaching electromagnetic compatibility at the graduate level

Graduate-level education is probably one of the best places to fit an advanced electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) course. To bring interest into a graduate level electromagnetic compatibility course, the material presented should incorporate novel approaches beyond the traditionally taught subjects. In this discussion, the computer age is brought into the teaching of this subject. This is accomplished by examining some of the most successful codes developed for EMC to study their different modeling techniques. Students are introduced to the physics and functionality of several electromagnetic analysis codes which can be useful in EMC analyses. A basic course in EMC would serve as a prerequisite. >
Early adjuvant use of nonopioids associated with reduced odds of serious postoperative opioid adverse events and need for rescue in children

Summary Objectives: Examine factors associated with opioid adverse drug events (ADE) in children. Specific Aims: Examine whether adjuvant nonopioid use is associated with a decreased probability of opioid-ADEs and need for rescue. Background: Opioid-ADEs contribute to serious preventable harm for hospitalized children. Adjuvant nonopioid use may mitigate opioid risk postoperatively, yet few studies support this notion. Method: This nested case–control study included children who required intervention or rescue from opioid-ADEs and procedure-matched controls. Data were recorded from medical records and primary outcomes included serious opioid-ADEs (over-sedation and respiratory depression) and need for rescue (e.g., naloxone, rapid response team). Hierarchical logistic regression (HLR) models examined relationships between factors and opioid-ADEs. Early clinical signs and symptoms of deterioration were examined. Results: Twenty five children with opioid-ADEs and 98 children without events were included. ASA-PS remained an independent risk factor (odds ratio, 2.56 [1.09, 6.03]; P = 0.031), while adjuvant nonopioids a risk reduction factor for opioid-ADEs (OR, 0.16 [0.05, 0.47]; P = 0.001) and need for rescue (0.14 [0.04, 0.47]; P = 0.001). Supplemental oxygen use at PACU discharge was associated with an increased odds of opioid-ADEs (OR, 3.72 [1.35, 10.23]; P = 0.007) and need for rescue (5.5 [1.7, 17.82]; P = 0.002). Conclusions: Findings from this study suggest that strategies such as early use of adjuvant nonopioids may reduce risk of opioid-ADEs postoperatively. Furthermore, children who require supplemental oxygen early postoperatively may be at heightened risk of later events.
Relaxation of the cardia in achalasia

Bougienage characteristically reveals a delay in relaxation of the cardiac sphincter in achalasia. The relaxation time of the cardiac sphincter usually shortens with repeated bougienage. This suggests that the mechanism of relaxation of the sphincter is not irrevocably impaired but is susceptible to improvement in achalasia.
A critical review of pharmacotherapy for major depressive disorder

Newer generation antidepressant drugs, with improvements in safety and tolerability, have replaced tricyclic antidepressants as first-line treatment of depressive illness. However, no single antidepressant drug from any class has distinguished itself as the obvious first-line treatment of major depression. The choice of therapy is driven primarily by patient choice, with informed consent for the risks of adverse effects. Cost has become an additional factor in this decision as several of the newer antidepressant drugs are now available in generic form. Several augmentation and drug-switching strategies have demonstrated benefit in refractory illness. While no single strategy distinguished itself as superior to the others, some have been more rigorously tested. Ongoing efforts at improving effectiveness, time to response, and tolerability have led to novel drug therapies. Efforts at characterizing predictors of treatment outcomes now include pharmacogenetic studies.
A Century of Mormon Theory and Practice in Church-State Relations: Constancy Amidst Change

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) has the dubious distinction of having passed through the most prolonged and intense confrontation between church and state in American history. The earliest history of the Mormons was marked by hostile and violent confrontations with their neighbors as they were driven from state to state. After forming their own commonwealth in the remoteness of the American Great Basin, they faced further confrontation, this time with a federal government bent of eradicating the Mormon practice of plural marriage and the unique economic and political institutions and practices that the Mormons had created. In 1890, the church publicly abandoned plural marriage and the legal pressure abated. During the course of the twentieth-century the legal challenges faced by the church largely centered on its aggressive international expansion, which brought the Mormons into contact with legal regimes all over the world. This paper argues that despite the dramatic changes in Mormon church-state practices there is nevertheless a consistent and coherent approach focusing on the theological imperative to maintain the independence and continuity of the church's institutional structure.
State of Integration Between PACS and Other IT Systems: A National Survey of Academic Radiology Departments.

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the state of integration between PACS and other IT systems relevant to radiologists' routine work across US academic radiology departments (ARDs). The results were intended to assess readiness for the ongoing transition to value-based health care by providing insights into currently challenging areas of integration but also areas associated with high levels of anticipated workflow efficiency improvements. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted using an online survey approved by the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments and sent to its members. Collected responses were analyzed with descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact tests. Results The response rate was 26% (34 of 132 members), and the respondents covered a large spectrum of ARDs considering location, size aspects, year of PACS introduction, and filmless production. Most notable findings included widespread high-level integration of PACS with dictation systems (>90%), low penetration of integration between PACS and critical notification systems (15%), and an overall better integration of PACS and radiology information systems (82%) than of PACS and electronic medical records (47%). Conclusions Integration supporting radiologists' personal productivity is well spread among US ARDs, but as we transition into a value-based health care delivery model, there is a need to focus further integration efforts on systems with the greatest potential to document value in a patient-centric setting. Examples of such focus areas include integration of PACS and electronic medical records, adoption of vendor-neutral archives, and the use of workflow management systems.
Liver Transplantation for Hepatic Graft-Versus-Host-Disease: A United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Database Study

rabbit anti-human CD83 antibodies prevented GVHD in mouse and human preclinical alloHCT models. A second generation human mAb 3C12C has been evaluated as a novel therapeutic (Seldon et al, in prep) and its ability to deplete activated DC and preserve protective T cell responses was investigated. Methods: Control human IgG1 (trastazumab) and 3C12C mAb were tested in human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures and in allogeneic mixed lymphocyte cultures (alloMLC) for their ability to deplete DC. The antibody was tested in a human xenogeneic TBI and anti-NK conditioned SCID mouse model of GVHD. Survival, clinical scoring and histology were used to document the effect of 3C12C compared to the control mAb. Flow cytometry and immunohistology were used to investigate CD83 induction and the effect of 3C12C on human DC and T cell biology. Results: 3C12C but not the control mAb reduced the number of CD83+ DC in PBMC cultures. The 3C12C mAb reduced T cell proliferation in the alloMLC but did not affect Cytomegalovirus specific CD8+ T cell numbers. Human cells were identified in the liver, lung, spleen and gut of the control mAb treated PBMC transplanted mice, which developed histological GVHD d+8-13. Human DC were activated by d+2 and expressed the CMRF-44 activation marker plus CD83, CD80 and CD86. Treatment with 3C12CmAb eliminated CD83+ CMRF44+ DC early post-transplant and reduced T cell activation in terms of CD25, CD69 and CD137 and cytokine expression but maintained Treg cells. Conclusion: A potential therapeutic human anti-CD83 mAb appears to induce significant immunosuppression, associated with the depletion of CMRF-44+ activated DC, whilst preserving T cell numbers.
Flawed forensics: Statistical failings of microscopic hair analysis

For 20 years, FBI forensic experts gave flawed testimony regarding microscopic hair analysis. Jim Norton, William Anderson and George Divine unpick their mistakes
How valid are isotopic measurements of fatty acid oxidation

These studies were performed 1) to compare two isotopic methods (3H2O and 14CO2 production) of measuring free fatty acid (FFA) oxidation; 2) to determine whether isotopic estimates of fatty acid ox...
The Influences of School Principals' Social Skills and Self-Efficacy on Their Work Performance

The questionnaires were used to test the the influences of school principals' social skills and self-efficacy on their work performance. Through the line-level regression analysis, intermediate effect test and advantage analysis of the survey to 275 school principals from 41 counties in Chongqing,the results show that the school principals' social skills and self-efficacy are their job performances' positive variables;their self-efficacies are the part of significant mediators in the relation between their social skills and job performances;the influences of the self-efficacy on school principals' work performances are more significant.
IGF-I regulation of elastogenesis: comparison of aortic and lung cells.

Rat neonatal aortic smooth muscle and pulmonary fibroblast cell cultures were exposed to different amounts of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I, 1-100 ng/ml of medium) for 24 h. Aortic smooth muscle cells exhibited an increase in both steady-state levels of tropoelastin mRNA and soluble elastin with increasing amounts of IGF-I, suggesting that the growth factor is acting by increasing transcription or transcript stability. In contrast, pulmonary fibroblast cultures did not exhibit an elastogenic response to IGF-I because neither the steady-state levels of tropoelastin mRNA nor soluble elastin were affected. Transient transfection of the two cell cultures with a chimeric construct containing 500 bp of the elastin gene 59-flanking region fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene showed that reporter activity was increased threefold in smooth muscle cells treated with IGF-I, whereas activity remains essentially the same in control and growth factor-treated pulmonary fibroblast cells. Receptor binding analyses revealed that both cell types possess the type I IGF-I receptor. Therefore, the lack of an elastogenic response in the lung cells cannot be attributed to lack of the appropriate receptor. These data, obtained in vitro with cell types that are principal producers of lung and aortic elastin, agree with results obtained in vivo. This agreement suggests that the regulation of elastin gene expression varies among cells derived from different tissues and furthermore provides model systems to investigate differential regulation of the elastin gene.
Fetal MR Imaging: Protocols and Anatomy

Fetal magnetic resonance imaging has seen dramatic evolution over the last 30 years with the development of ultrafast T2-weighted sequences and MRI technical factors that provide high-resolution images. Knowledge of these sequences and techniques is essential to optimize images and to provide accurate interpretation. In this chapter, we will discuss the approach to fetal MRI protocolling, including typical and troubleshooting sequences. Additionally, we will provide a stepwise approach to the anatomical assessment, highlighting the appearance of normal fetal anatomy for gestational age and comparing normal with a variety of pathologies where appropriate.
Greedy Routing by Network Distance Embedding

Greedy routing has been applied to both wireline and wireless networks due to its scalability of routing state and resiliency to network dynamics. In this work, we solve a fundamental problem in applying greedy routing to networks with arbitrary topologies, i.e., how to construct node coordinates such that greedy routing can find near-optimal routing paths for various routing metrics. We propose Greedy Distance Vector (GDV), the first greedy routing protocol designed to optimize end-to-end path costs using any additive routing metric, such as: hop count, latency, ETX, ETT, etc. GDV requires no physical location information. Instead, it relies on a novel virtual positioning protocol, VPoD, which provides network distance embedding. Using VPoD, each node assigns itself a position in a virtual space such that the Euclidean distance between any two nodes in the virtual space is a good estimate of the routing cost between them. Experimental results using both real and synthetic network topologies show that the routing performance of GDV is better than prior geographic routing protocols when hop count is used as metric and much better when ETX is used as metric. As a greedy routing protocol, the routing state of GDV per node remains small as network size increases. We also show that GDV and VPoD are highly resilient to dynamic topology changes.