cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new approach to the design of critically sampled M-channel uniform-band perfect-reconstruction linear-phase FIR filter banks

A new approach is presented for the design of uniform-band M-channel perfect-reconstruction (PR) FIR filter banks employing linear-phase analysis and synthesis filters. The technique designs on the impulse responses of the analysis filters directly. The design problem is formulated as an optimization program. The filter bank's PR feature can either be implicitly enforced through a set of mathematical relationships among the analysis filters' coefficients or through a set of constraints in the optimization program. The former approach results in a filter bank whose PR feature's dependency on hardware and software is eliminated or, at least, minimized. The synthesis filters are then obtained by a set of relationships that describe each synthesis filter as a function of the analysis filters. The criterion for optimality is "least-squares," where the square of the difference between the ideal and actual frequency responses is integrated over the appropriate frequency bands for all M analysis filters and minimized.
A protocol to achieve independence in constant rounds

Independence is a fundamental property needed to achieve security in fault-tolerant distributed computing. In practice, distributed communication networks are neither fully synchronous or fully asynchronous, but rather loosely synchronized. By this, we mean that in a communication protocol, messages at a given round may depend on messages from other players at the same round. These possible dependencies among messages create problems if we need n players to announce independently chosen values. This task is called simultaneous broadcast. In this paper, we present the first constant round protocol for simultaneous broadcast in a reasonable computation model (which includes a common shared random string among the players). The protocol is provably secure under general cryptographic assumptions. In the process, we develop a new and stronger formal definition for this problem. Previously known protocols for this task required either O(log n) or expected constant rounds to complete (depending on the computation model considered).
EVOLUTIONARY ADAPTATION TO TEMPERATURE. IX. PREADAPTATION TO NOVEL STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENTS OF ESCHERICHIA COLI ADAPTED TO HIGH TEMPERATURE

Stressful environments may be considered as those that reduce fitness, sometimes due in part to the increased metabolic expenditure required to sustain life. Direct adaptation to a stressor is expected to increase fitness and reduce maintenance metabolism, with the latter leading to increased biomass production. In this study, we test the general hypothesis that such adaptation to one stressor can preadapt organisms to novel stressful environments. Six lines of Escherichia coli propagated for 2000 generations at 41-428C (42 group), a stressful temperature, were compared to six control lines propagated for 2000 generations at 378C (37 group) and to the common ancestor of both groups. We assayed biovolume yield (a measure of growth efficiency) and competitive fitness in the 42 group's selective high temperature environment as well as five novel stressful environments—acid, alkali, ethanol, high osmolarity and peroxide. As previously reported, at high temperature the 42 group had both higher yield and fitness than the 37 group and ancestor. In the novel environments, the 42 group generally produced yields higher than the 37 group (and marginally higher than the ancestor), but we found no differences in competitive fitness among the 37 and 42 groups and the ancestor. We also found that the performance of lines within groups was not correlated across stressful environments for either yield or relative fitness. Because previous adaptation to one stressor did not improve our measure of Darwinian fitness in novel stressful environments, we conclude that the 42 group shows no useful pre- adaptation, or cross-tolerance, to these types of environments.
Electron Wind in Strong Wave Guide Fields

The x-ray activity observed near highly powered wave guide structures is usually caused by local electric discharges originating from discontinuities such as couplers, tuners or bends. In traveling waves electrons are shown to move in the direction of the power flow. Seed electrons can multipactor in a traveling wave, the moving charge pattern is different from the multipactor in a resonant structure and is self-extinguishing. Given sufficient primary sources, the charge density in the wave guide will modify impedance and propagation constant of the wave guide. An estimate is made of the radiation level inside the output wave guide of the SLAC, 50 MW, S-band, klystron. Possible contributions of radiation to window failure are discussed.
3-D description of normal moveout in anisotropic inhomogeneous media

We present a new equation for normal‐moveout (NMO) velocity that describes azimuthally dependent reflection traveltimes of pure modes from both horizontal and dipping reflectors in arbitrary anisotropic inhomogeneous media. With the exception of anomalous areas such as those where common‐midpoint (CMP) reflection time decreases with offset, the azimuthal variation of NMO velocity represents an ellipse in the horizontal plane, with the orientation of the axes determined by the properties of the medium and the direction of the reflector normal. In general, a minimum of three azimuthal measurements is necessary to reconstruct the best‐fit ellipse and obtain NMO velocity in all azimuthal directions. This result provides a simple way to correct for the azimuthal variation in stacking velocity often observed in 3-D surveys. Even more importantly, analytic expressions for the parameters of the NMO ellipse can be used in the inversion of moveout data for the anisotropic coefficients of the medium. For homogeneous...
The molecular basis of sperm–oocyte membrane interactions during mammalian fertilization

Gamete membrane interactions begin with adhesion (binding) of the sperm to the oocyte plasma membrane and culminate with fusion of the membranes of the gametes, thus creating the zygote through the union of these two very different cells. This review summarizes the molecular and cell biology of the cell-cell interactions between mammalian gametes. Recent research studies have provided new insights into the complexity of these interactions and into the importance of multimeric molecular networks and optimal membrane order in both sperm and oocytes for successful fertilization. Molecules that will be highlighted include cysteine-rich secretory protein 1 (CRISP1) and ADAMs [fertilin alpha (ADAM1), fertilin beta (ADAM2) and cyritestin (ADAM3)] on sperm, and integrins, CD9, and other integrin-associated proteins on oocytes, as well as other molecules. The characteristics of these gamete molecules are summarized, followed by discussions of the experimental data that provide evidence for their participation in gamete membrane interactions, and also of the specific roles that these molecules might play. Insights from a variety of research areas, including gamete biology, cell adhesion, and membrane fusion, are put together for a tentative model of how sperm-oocyte adhesion and fusion occur. The clinical relevance of correct gamete membrane interactions is also noted.
Cost-Benefit Analysis for Foreign Trade

Soviet application or even discussion of the economic calculus in foreign trade decision making is of rather recent vintage. The long silence of Soviet economists on the subject is easily understood. First, Karl Marx had little to say about foreign trade; what he did say seemed to apply only to capitalist countries, and even that analysis was and is very difficult to follow. Second, analysis of foreign trade was considered to be the domain of high-level policymakers, not of academics. As Stalin put it, “To foist upon political science problems of policy is to kill it as a science.”1
Approaches to Treatment of Pre-Diabetes and Obesity and Promising New Approaches to Type 2 Diabetes

Perspectives on the News commentaries are part of a free monthly CME activity. The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, designates this activity for 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 credits. If you wish to participate, review this article and visit www.diabetes.procampus.net to complete a posttest and receive a certificate. The Mount Sinai School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians . This article is based on presentations at the Tulane University Diabetes Update on 8 December 2007 in New Orleans, Louisiana; at the Mount Sinai Medical Center Diabetes Grand Rounds in New York, New York, on 6 December 2007; and at the American Diabetes Association's 55th Annual Advanced Postgraduate Course held 1–3 February 2008 in San Francisco, California. These lectures, addressing differing views of various speakers on various aspects of diabetes prevention, obesity, and new treatments for type 2 diabetes, are available online at http://professional.diabetes.org. Richard Bergenstal (Minneapolis, MN) reviewed approaches to treatment of pre-diabetes at the American Diabetes Association Postgraduate Course. The number of individuals with diabetes worldwide is projected to increase to 333 million by 2025, and the annual cost of diabetes in the U.S. today has reached $174 billion (1). The burden of complications among diabetic individuals aged >65 years in the U.S. includes doubling of the rates of myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure (2). Bergenstal reviewed current guidelines for using elevated fasting and 2-h glucose, as well as the growing use of A1C, in the assessment of the pre-diabetic state. The presence of both impaired fasting glucose (IFG) (≥100 mg/dl) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) (blood glucose 2 h after 75-g oral glucose ≥140 mg/dl) doubles the risk of progression to diabetes. Insulin secretory defects are seen in …
The path set polytope of an acyclic, directed graph with an application to machine sequencing

On decrit des caracterisations lineaires du polytope de l'ensemble des chemins. On montre comment les methodes de plan secant peuvent exploiter la structure reseau sous-jacente de la caracterisation lineaire. Application aux problemes d'ordonnancement
Evolution of T-shaped gate lithography for compound semiconductors field-effect transistors

T-shaped gate formation is a major processing step in the fabrication of high-performance FET-based III-V devices. Traditional bilayer or trilayer E-beam lithography methods using PMMA/(PMMA&PMAA) copolymers are high-cost options which also lack the required critical dimension control for manufacturing. Lithography methods that use only a single layer of PMMA for the formation of T-shaped gate stem, and routine I-line resist lithography for the tee-top, i.e., hybrid T-shaped gates, have been developed and extensively used in manufacturing. This approach has also been extended to the fabrication of deep submicron T-shaped gates using all I-line optical lithography. Both chemical shrinks and chromeless phase-shift resolution enhancement techniques have been investigated.
Investigation of mercury accumulation in cattails growing in constructed wetland mesocosms

ABSTRACT Only a few studies have investigated foliar air-surface exchange associated with wetland plants and none have investigated this exchange in an experimental setting as a function of different soil and water mercury (Hg) exposure concentrations or monitored foliar Hg concentrations. In this study, foliar total Hg (THg) and methyl Hg (MeHg) concentrations and foliar Hg flux were investigated using Typha latifolia growing within controlled mesocosms. Exposure scenarios included combinations of two soil exposure Hg concentrations (0.03–0.1 and 0.38–0.44 µg g−1), and two water exposure Hg concentrations (4–8 and 40–140 ng L−1). Soil and water Hg concentrations were not correlated with foliar total Hg concentrations or foliar Hg flux. Foliar Hg fluxes measured with a gas exchange chamber were low, and atmospheric deposition to foliage was the dominant flux for all exposures, except for those plants growing in the low Hg in water and soil scenario. Based on data developed, it is suggested that Hg concent...
Technical Aspects of CCTA

Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Western World, and thus there is a great need to optimize safe, efficacious, accurate, and cost-effective coronary imaging. The historical reference standard for the exclusion or presence of CAD is invasive, catheter angiography. CT angiography (CTA) has emerged as one method that can, in some cases, be used as an initial imaging study. The examination uses contrast to enhance the coronary lumen; to date CTA interpretation has largely focused on using the contrast in the CT to determine the presence of a stenosis from narrowing of the lumen, and then an assessment (visual or semi-automated) of the percentage stenosis. This approach to interpretation combined with benchmark accuracy data cast coronary CTA into its current role as a high negative predictive value (NPV) study to confidently exclude CAD in patients with low to intermediate risk. However, coronary CTA contains extensive diagnostic data that has been largely ignored: a 3D geometry that can be input into computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analyses, and patterns of contrast opacification that encode blood flow. This review details the current and future applications of coronary CTA from the perspective the technology that enables stenosis assessment (current standards) and extended applications on the verge of clinical translation.
A Colorful New Species of Albericus (Anura: Microhylidae) from Southeastern Papua New Guinea

We describe a new species of Albericus from the northern slope of Mt. Simpson, in the Owen Stanley Range of southeastern Papua New Guinea. The new species differs from all other known species of the genus in having pale blue or pale green dorsal coloration with red punctations (light metallic green and burnt orange in preservative). It is further distinguished from its congeners in its combination of oblique lores, granular skin with a few tubercles, broad head, large distance separating the external nares from the eyes, and in features of its call. We also provide comparative morphological measurements for most other species of Albericus to supplement the paucity of such data in original descriptions and to assist with future diagnoses of other new species.
Disruption of intestinal barrier function associated with experimental colitis: possible role of mast cells

The objective was to characterize changes in barrier and transport function in an experimental model of colitis, and to determine whether mast cells contribute to these changes. Colitis was induced in rats with intracolonic 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS, 30 mg) in 50% ethanol. Controls received 0.9% saline or the ethanol vehicle alone. In vivo loop perfusion was used to assess colonic water flux (in microliter.cm-1.h-1) and lumen-to-blood 51Cr-labeled EDTA clearance (% administered dose) after TNBS. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) was used as an index of granulocyte influx. TNBS or its vehicle caused a marked decrease in water absorption and an increase in permeability at 4 h after administration compared with saline. Neither dexamethasone (anti-inflammatory control) nor doxantrazole (mast cell stabilizer) was able to attenuate these early changes likely caused by the vehicle. In contrast, at later times, TNBS (but not its vehicle) also increased 51Cr-EDTA permeability and decreased water absorption; both effects were significantly attenuated by dexamethasone or doxantrazole. These drugs also significantly reduced TNBS-induced MPO accumulation and release of rat mast cell protease II. We conclude that experimental colitis is associated with severe defects in intestinal transport and barrier functions and that mast cells may contribute to the pathogenesis of these changes.
Medical Records Coding and Analysis with IBM’s Patient Care System

The patient chart, or medical record, is the permanent documentation of the care and treatment given to a patient during one or more visits to the hospital. Beyond its use as a place to record and reference on-going activity while a patient is in the hospital, the medical record is an important source of data in other areas: medical, legal, financial and educational. It is important that the data in the medical record be accurate, complete, timely and readable. It is also important that, as much as possible, information be presented in a structured and uniform manner to facilitate extraction and comparison of data.
Immunization with the Haemophilus ducreyi trimeric autotransporter adhesin DsrA with alum, CpG or imiquimod generates a persistent humoral immune response that recognizes the bacterial surface

The Ducreyi serum resistance A (DsrA) protein of Haemophilus ducreyi belongs to a large family of multifunctional outer membrane proteins termed trimeric autotransporter adhesins responsible for resistance to the bactericidal activity of human complement (serum resistance), agglutination and adhesion. The ability of DsrA to confer serum resistance and bind extracellular matrix proteins lies in its N-terminal passenger domain. We have previously reported that immunization with a recombinant form of the passenger domain of DsrA, rNT-DsrA, in complete/incomplete Freund's adjuvant, protects against a homologous challenge in swine. We present herein the results of an immunogenicity study in mice aimed at investigating the persistence, type of immune response, and the effect of immunization route and adjuvants on surrogates of protection. Our results indicate that a 20 μg dose of rNT-DsrA administered with alum elicited antisera with comparable bacterial surface reactivity to that obtained with complete/incomplete Freund's adjuvant. At that dose, high titers and bacterial surface reactivity persisted for 211 days after the first immunization. Administration of rNT-DsrA with CpG or imiquimod as adjuvants elicited a humoral response with similar quantity and quality of antibodies (Abs) as seen with Freund's adjuvant. Furthermore, intramuscular administration of rNT-DsrA elicited high-titer Abs with significantly higher reactivity to the bacterial surface than those obtained with subcutaneous immunization. All rNT-DsrA/adjuvant combinations tested, save CpG, elicited a Th2-type response. Taken together, these findings show that a 20 μg dose of rNT-DsrA administered with the adjuvants alum, CpG or imiquimod elicits high-quality Abs with reactivity to the bacterial surface that could protect against an H. ducreyi infection.
Interface pressures and shear stresses at thirteen socket sites on two persons with transtibial amputation

Residual limb/prosthetic socket interface pressures and shear stresses were measured at 13 sites on two subjects with unilateral transtibial amputation (TTA) using total-contact patellar-tendon-bearing prostheses. Maximal interface stresses during stance phase for each of 13 transducer sites were determined, then means for all steps calculated. Maximal pressure and resultant shear stress during stance phase were shown at anterior distal or mid-limb sites and the maxima occurred during the first 50% of stance phase. Anterior medial and lateral proximal sites showed their greatest pressure during the second 50%. At lateral mid-limb and popliteal fossa sites, resultant shear stress directions suggest that soft tissue was displaced toward the socket brim during weight-bearing. Results also suggest that skin across the distal tibial crest was in tension at the times of the first and second peaks in the shank axial force-time curve in all sessions. Significant difference (p 3 weeks apart were apparent for both subjects.
Amelioration of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for clinically significant obesity.

Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are frequent in patients with clinically significant obesity and are reported to improve after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). The purpose of this study is to determine timing and duration of improvement of GERD symptoms in patients undergoing RYGB. Prospectively collected data from patients who underwent RYGB from January 1998 to August 2004 were analyzed. Patients answered a standardized questionnaire pre- and postoperatively inquiring about frequency of GERD symptoms (none, one episode/ week, one episode/day, more than one episode/day) and medication use. Of 606 patients undergoing RYGB, 239 patients (39%) reported GERD symptoms preoperatively (mean age 43 ± 1 years; body mass index 51 ± 1 kg/m 2 ). Of these, 89 per cent of patients reported improved at 3 months post-op and 94 per cent of patients 9 months post-op (P < 0.001). Medication usage decreased from 30 per cent to 3 per cent by 3 months and 5 per cent beyond 9 months (P < 0.001). Percentage of excess weight loss was 18 ± 1 per cent and 75 ± 2 per cent at 3 and 9 months, respectively. Symptoms of GERD significantly improve and use of antireflux medications is reduced after RYGB independent of weight loss. RYGB may be the treatment of choice for GERD in obese patients.
Review of paratesticular pathology: findings on ultrasound and MRI

The paratesticular scrotal contents consist of the spermatic cord, epididymis, and fascia, which originate from the embryologic descent of the testis through the abdominal wall. Historically, the primary diagnostic modality has been high-resolution ultrasound. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an alternative imaging option. Both contrast MRI and diffusion weighted imaging can assist in differentiating between benign and malignant lesions. Unlike the testis which most disease processes are malignant, a wide spectrum of benign disease processes affects the paratesticular region either in isolation or as part of a contiguous disease process from adjacent organs. The familiarity with the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and imaging features can aid the radiologic diagnoses and guide appropriate clinical management. In this article, we review the ultrasound and MR characteristics of various paratesticular pathologies.
Wanting to Be Different Predicts Nonmotivated Change: Actual-Desired Self-Discrepancies and Susceptibility to Subtle Change Inductions.

Actual–desired discrepancies in people’s self-concepts represent structural incongruities in their self-representations that can lead people to experience subjective conflict. Theory and research suggest that structural incongruities predict susceptibility to subtle influences like priming and conditioning. Although typically examined for their motivational properties, we hypothesized that because self-discrepancies represent structural incongruities in people’s self-concepts, they should also predict susceptibility to subtle influences on people’s active self-views. Across three studies, we found that subtle change inductions (self-evaluative conditioning and priming) exerted greater impact on active self-perceptions and behavior as actual–desired self-discrepancies increased in magnitude. Exploratory analyses suggested that these changes occurred regardless of the compatibility of the change induction with individuals’ desired self-views.
Multi-dimensional publication of analysis results for future generations

The NASA Constellation Program is working toward the goals of returning a human presence to the moon and extending that presence to Mars. This endeavor will span decades and many of the people supporting the effort will have left before the first lunar mission leaves Earth. A significant challenge will be to record and preserve their vision, plan and goals for use by newer generations after the older generations have long gone.Simulation is playing an increasingly powerful role in achieving Constellation's mission. It is prevalent in every phase from design and development to operations, analysis and planning. Some of the tools, especially those that are graphically rich, provide a way to perform the necessary analysis as well as to present the results. Others do not. This translates into a long-term problem of maintaining useful simulation results and doing so well beyond the life cycle of the tools used.To address these issues, the Constellation Program's Data Presentation and Visualization (DPV) element is tasked with combining rich visual environments with long data life. The Distributed Observer Network (DON) holds a significant role in accomplishing this task. Its features and abilities are attractive to a large segment of the simulation community, and the tool has been architected to enable simple procedures for archival and the reintroduction of old data into the virtual environment.Creation of a single solution for the multitude of authoritative sources in use has required the removal of many barriers to collaboration and data sharing between tools and developers. These barriers include data formats, model formats, nomenclature and processes. This paper will focus on how DPV is overcoming these barriers to enable publication of multi-dimensional analysis results not only for the engineers of today, but also for those to come.
Environmental biomonitoring of essential and toxic elements in human scalp hair using accelerated microwave-assisted sample digestion and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy.

Human scalp hair samples were collected and used to assess exposure to toxic elements and essential elements in the state of North Carolina, USA using accelerated microwave assisted acid digestion and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The figures-of-merit of the ICP-OES were appropriate for elemental analysis in scalp hair with detection limits as low as 0.0001 mg/L for Cd, good linearity (R2 > 0.9978), and percent recoveries that ranged from 96 to 106% for laboratory-fortified-blanks and 88-112% for sample spike recovery study. The concentrations of essential elements in scalp hair were larger than those of toxic elements, with Ca having the highest average concentration (3080 μg/g, s = 14,500, n = 194). Some of the maximum concentrations observed for As (65 μg/g), Ni (331 μg/g), Cd (2.96 μg/g), and Cr (84.6 μg/g) in individual samples were concerning, however. Samples were statistically analyzed to determine the influence of race, gender, smoking habits, or age on the elemental concentrations in scalp hair. Higher concentrations of essential elements were observed in the scalp hair of Caucasians, females, and non-smokers, and the differences were often significant at a 90% confidence level. Several pairs of essential elements, for example Ca-K, Ca-Mg, and Ca-Zn, were strongly correlated in Caucasian hair but uncorrelated in African-American hair. Similarly, essential elements were strongly correlated in female hair but weakly correlated in male hair. Toxic element pairs (As-Cd, As-Se, Pb-As, and Se-Cd) were strongly correlated in the hair of smokers but uncorrelated in that of non-smokers, suggesting that cigarette smoke is a common source of toxic elements in humans.
Social Network Analysis With Data Fusion

This paper reports on the utility of social network analysis methods in the data fusion domain. Given fused data that combine multiple intelligence reports from the same environment, social network extraction and high value individual (HVI) identification are of interest. The research on the feasibility of such activities may help not only in methodological developments in network science but also in testing and evaluation of fusion quality. This paper offers a parallel computing-based methodology to extract a social network of individuals from fused data, captured as a cumulative associated data graph (CDG). To obtain the desired social network, two approaches including a hop count weighted and a path salience approach are developed and compared. A supervised learning framework is implemented for parameterizing the extraction algorithms. Parameters utilized in the extraction algorithm consider paths between individuals within the social network, weighing relationships between these individuals based on the count weighted and the path salience calculation methodologies. An overall link strength value is then calculated by aggregating path hop count weights and saliences between unique individual pairs for the hop count weighted and path salience approaches, respectively. Ordered centrality-based HVI lists are obtained from the CDGs constructed from the Sunni criminal thread and Bath’est resurgence threads of the SYNCOIN data set, under various fusion system settings. The reported results shed light on the sensitivity of betweenness, closeness, and degree centrality metrics to fused graph inputs and the role of HVI identification as a test and evaluation tool for fusion process optimization. The computational results demonstrate superiority of path salience approach in identifying HVIs. The insights generated by these approaches and directions for future research are discussed.
Neutrons from 9 Be(α,n) Reaction for E α between 6 and 10 MeV

Absolute differential cross sections have been measured as a function of angle and $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ bombarding energy for the reaction $^{9}\mathrm{Be}(\ensuremath{\alpha},n)^{12}\mathrm{C}$ leaving $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ in its ground, first excited, and second excited states. The angular distribution for the ground-state (0+ state) transition changed from a fore-aft peaking at ${E}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}=6.8$ MeV to a three-peaked angular distribution at ${E}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}=9.9$ MeV. Similar behavior was observed for the second-excited-state transition (0+). The angular distribution for the first-excited-state transition (2+) displayed fore-aft peaking and was not sensitive to bombarding energy. A strong, low-energy component, present at forward angles at all bombarding energies, can be accounted for by three- and four-body breakup reactions.
A Review of “The Rural–Urban Fringe in Canada: Conflict and Controversy”

Although most of my interest in rural places and rural geography has been linked to places that could be characterized as ranging from moderately small towns through “hamlets,” cropland, rangeland,...
Mechanisms of resistance (MoR) to DNA damaging therapy (tx) in BRCA1/2-deficient (d) metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

542Background: BRCA-d cancers are deficient in homologous recombination and susceptible to tx that cause DNA damage (platinum chemotx and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi)). MoR to DN...
Design and simulation of quadrature mirror filters-based channelization architecture for subband coding applications using FPGA

Subband coding is a method in which the incoming digital signal is decomposed into its constituent low-pass and high-pass signal components. The decomposed components further down-sampled and encoded using lossy compression methods. The key application of subband coding is in speech compression, image compression etc. The subband coding method uses a set of filters called Quadrature Mirror Filters (QMF) which consists of a low-pass filter and its quadrature shift high-pass filter. Resource efficient design and reconfigurability are the key requirements of digital channelization architectures. This paper presents an architecture for realizing the 2-channel Quadrature Mirror Filter Analysis Bank on FPGA using three different multiplier structures namely Booth Multiplier, Baugh-Wooley Multiplier and Signed Vedic Multiplier. This paper also gives a brief comparison between different proposed structures in-terms of speed and area consumption. Simulations and synthesis are carried out using Xilinx ISE with Virtex-5 XC5VLX330T-2FF1738 FPGA device environment.
On Scarcity and the Value of Clinical Trials.

Allocation of scarce goods and resources is a common concern in the health care context, from intensive care unit (ICU) beds, to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines, to vaccines, to...
Finding Out About Dogs: Children’s Use of Popular Media

Children of the 21st century, often referred to as digital natives, have been immersed in media throughout their lives (Prensky, On the Horizon, 9(5), 1–9, 2001). One popular subject in the media that is often embraced by children includes animals, most specifically dogs. With approximately 50% of the world’s population now online (Miniwatts Marketing Group, Internet world stats: Usage and population statistics, 2017) and the projected estimate of 1.68 billion households with television by 2021 (Statista, Number of TV households worldwide 2010–2021, 2017), children are afforded daily opportunities to use a variety of media sources about dogs (e.g., television, social networks, websites, e-books, applications, and search engines) for educational and entertainment purposes. In addition, dogs are a frequent topic in children’s books, both fiction and nonfiction. This chapter will begin by defining media use and young children. Next, children’s media focusing on dogs will be discussed. Quality children’s literature, print and e-books, about dogs will be highlighted. Then, children’s television shows and movies with a focus on dogs will be examined. The chapter concludes with a review of social networks, websites, and applications (apps) regarding dogs, as well as, implications for children’s use of the media.
Dry Deposition of Particles and Vapors

This chapter reviews current knowledge of dry deposition of contaminants from the atmosphere. The first section introduces the topic and justifies its importance. In the second section, the dry deposition process is described in physical and mathematical terms. The physical process involves three steps: aerodynamic transport from the free atmosphere into relatively quiescent air near the surface, boundary layer transport across the quiescent region, and interactions with the surface. Mathematical relations for each step are expressed in terms of resistances to transport. The third section describes two methods by which predictions for dry deposition in the field have been developed. These include wind tunnel studies leading to development of empirical models and more detailed mathematical models based on theoretical formulations as well as field and laboratory data. In the fourth section, currently available methods for measuring dry deposition are discussed. The techniques include surface analysis methods, which involve measurement of the accumulation of contaminant on surfaces of interest, and atmospheric flux methods, which involve measurement of airborne contaminant concentrations used to infer the flux. Finally, dry deposition data from field and chamber experiments are summarized. Data are present for sulfur, nitrogen, and chloride species, as well as ozone, trace elements, and atmospheric particles. The data are compared with predicted dry deposition velocities using models presented earlier. The chapter concludes by acknowledging limitations in our understanding of dry deposition.
Mobile Health Information Technology and Patient Care: A Literature Review and Analysis

The ubiquitousness and pervasiveness of mobile devices are likely to change the provision and consumption of healthcare services. In this study we argue that due to the consumerization of Information Technology (IT), Mobile Health IT (MHIT) has a potential for being a critical catalyst for delivering patient centered care. However, relatively little attention has been paid to understand its role in patience centered care. Therefore, in this study we provide the current research landscape of this nascent field, which we hope would inspire further work in this area.
Establishment of a Peer Teaching Assistant Program for Preclinical Human Gross Anatomy Curricula

An increasing number of medical institutions across the USA are now utilizing a prosection-based approach to teach human anatomy. This practice enables students to make use of specimens on a more flexible schedule, which has sparked demand for additional practice identifying structures and relating concepts. In order to accommodate this demand, we have developed an anatomy teaching assistant (TA) program in which second-year medical students (MS2s) act as tutors for their first-year peers (MS1s). MS2s are selected as TAs on the basis of prior anatomy examination performance, teaching experience, and other criteria. At least once per week, for 2 h, they provide focused review of human anatomy to MS1 peers. Anatomy faculty and staff provide core instruction and support throughout. The program has received overwhelmingly positive evaluations and comments from students. MS1 students, using a modified Likert scale, reported that multiple specific techniques used by TAs were helpful. MS1s also reported overall improvement in their confidence as a result of the sessions. Correlation analyses demonstrated positive associations between utility reported by a given student and the number of sessions that student attended. MS2s also reported improved test and clinical performance as a result of the program. Peer tutoring programs enhance learning across multiple domains in medical education, including gross anatomy. Strategies for implementation of such a program are presented here. It is our belief that other institutions could benefit from establishment of analogous programs.
Effects of psychoeducation on attitudes towards individuals with pedophilic sexual intrusive thoughts

Abstract The present study was an examination of the impact of education on understanding of and attitudes towards individuals with pedophilic intrusive thoughts. Participants (N = 94) were randomly assigned to read a vignette about a target with intrusive pedophilic sexual thoughts they were told was diagnosed by a doctor as having 1) Pedophilia, 2) OCD, or 3) no diagnostic label. Participants were asked to provide their own diagnosis of the target and provide their attitudes towards the target as well. They were then given education about OCD and Pedophilia and asked to re-read the vignette, provide a diagnosis again, and provide their evaluations of the target again. Results indicated pre-education, participants rejected the OCD diagnosis and accepted the Pedophilia diagnosis, but after education the majority of participants shifted their perspective to endorsing the target had OCD. Those who switched to OCD demonstrated significantly improved attitudes towards the target as well. The present study demonstrates the misunderstanding of pedophilic sexual intrusive thoughts, but also the potential impact of even a brief education to correct misunderstandings and improve attitudes towards those with the thoughts.
12.032 Tbit/s coherent transmission using an ultra-narrow linewidth qantum dot 34.46-GHz C-Band coherent comb laser

We have developed an external cavity self-injection feedback locking (SIFL) system to simultaneously reduce optical linewidth of each individual channel of an InAs/InP qantum dot (QD) 34.46-GHz coherent comb laser (CCL). Optical linewidths are reduced from a few MHz down to less than 300 kHz over 47 filtered individual channels, varying from 5.3% to 9.1% of the original linewidth, between 1531.60 nm to 1544.20 nm. By using this ultra-narrow linewidth QD CCL we have demonstrated 12.032 Tbit/s (16QAM 47x32 GBaud PDM) back to back coherent data bandwidth transmission capacity.
WEAK GEODESIC RAYS IN THE SPACE OF KÄHLER POTENTIALS AND THE CLASS

Suppose that is a compact Kahler manifold. In the present work we propose a construction for weak geodesic rays in the space of Kahler potentials that is tied together with properties of the class . As an application of our construction, we prove a characterization of in terms of envelopes.
BMAL1 controls glucose uptake through paired-homeodomain transcription factor 4 in differentiated Caco-2 cells

The transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like protein-1 (BMAL1) is an essential regulator of the circadian clock, which controls the 24-h cycle of physiological proce...
Robotic proctectomy for rectal cancer in the US: a skewed population

Socioeconomic and racial differences have been associated with disparities in cancer care within the US, including disparate access to minimally invasive surgery for rectal cancer. We hypothesized that robotic approach to rectal cancer may be associated with similar disparities. The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was used to identify patients over 18 years old with clinical stage I–III rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent a proctectomy between 2010 and 2014. Demographic and hospital factors were analyzed for association with robotic approach. Factors identified on bivariate analyses informed multivariate analysis. We identified 33,503 patients who met inclusion criteria; 3702 (11.1%) underwent robotic surgery with 7.8% conversion rate. Patients who received robotic surgery were more likely to be male, white, privately insured and with stage III cancer. They were also more likely to live in a metropolitan area, more than 25 miles away from the hospital and with a higher high school graduation rate. The treating hospital was more likely to be academic and high volume. Robotic surgery is performed rarely and access to it is limited for patients who are female, black, older, non-privately insured and unable to travel to high-volume teaching institutions. The advantages of robotic surgery may not be available to all patients given disparate access to the robot. This inherent bias in access to robot may skew study populations, preventing generalizability of robotic surgery research.
Coronary Heart Disease Diagnosis by FFRCT: Engineering Triumphs and Value Chain Analysis

“Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death throughout the developed world, yet the symptoms that patients experience as a result of coronary disease are often not specific. Determining who are the minority of patients with myocardial ischemia necessitating revascularization is a major activity of many medical centers. This task has traditionally fallen to coronary angiography, which is an expensive and invasive approach to identifying coronary artery lesions necessitating treatment through revascularization with stents or bypass grafts. Recently, computational fluid dynamic methods have been developed for cardiac CT that have been shown to effectively exclude patients from an invasive test when they do not have significant coronary artery disease. This manuscript reviews the technique of CTFFR and discusses some of the challenges of widespread clinical implementation through value chain analysis.” As the leading cause of death amongst men and women throughout the developed world, coronary heart disease is an important and expensive health problem. The fundamental pathophysiological mechanism of this disease is insufficient oxygen delivery to the heart muscle resulting in myocardial ischemia or infarction. Coronary artery disease (CAD) secondary to atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries is the principal limiter of oxygen delivery to the heart. When pre-existing atherosclerotic plaque ruptures and incites local thrombus formation, coronary arterial occlusion may ensue and cause fatal or debilitating myocardial injury. Restoration of myocardial oxygenation requires coronary revascularization through the placement of a coronary artery stent or bypass grafting.
Parents' Consumer Preferences for Early Childhood Behavioral Intervention in Primary Care

OBJECTIVE Early childhood parenting interventions are increasingly delivered in primary care, but parental engagement with those interventions is often suboptimal. We sought to better understand parents' preferences for the content and delivery method of behavioral health guidance in pediatric primary care and to determine the relationship of those preferences with demographic characteristics, child behavior problems, and parenting style. METHODS Participants were 396 parents of young children recruited from primary care offices. We collected measures of parental preferences (including behavioral topics, intervention strategies, and methods of delivery) for behavioral intervention in primary care, child behavior symptoms, parenting style, and demographic characteristics. Descriptive statistics were used to identify parents' most preferred behavioral topics and intervention delivery methods. We used a hierarchical regression approach to determine whether parenting style predicted parents' preferences beyond demographic and child-level factors. RESULTS Nearly all parents (96%) endorsed a behavioral topic (e.g., aggression) as important. Most preferred to receive intervention during routine medical appointments. Child behavior problems correlated with parents' overall interest in behavioral guidance, but clinically significant symptoms did not differentiate interest in any single topic. Socioeconomic factors and negative parenting practices predicted some parental preferences. Notably, lax parenting generally predicted higher interest in behavioral intervention, whereas hostile and physically controlling parenting predicted lower interest. CONCLUSION Most parents are interested in behavioral guidance as part of primary care, but their preferences for the content and delivery of that guidance vary by known socioeconomic, child, and parenting risk factors. Tailoring intervention to parents' preferences may increase engagement with available interventions.
Triptan and ergotamine overdoses in the United States: Analysis of the National Poison Data System.

Objective To examine the clinical outcomes of intentional overdoses involving triptans and ergotamines with a retrospective review of the National Poison Data System (NPDS). Methods This was a 5-year retrospective cross-sectional study (2014–2018) using the NPDS. Demographics, exposure characteristics, and outcomes were described. Univariate logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for major effect or death. A multivariable logistic regression model with inclusion criteria of p Results In this population (n = 1,489), multiple exposure was most common (n = 1,145). The mean age was 31.2 years and 1,197 (80.4%) participants were female. Major effects from a single exposure were seen in Conclusion The risk of major effect or death was low and predicted by age, multiple product exposure, and concomitant benzodiazepine or tricyclic antidepressant. The triptan toxidrome consists of hypertension, tachycardia, and drowsiness. The toxic effects of ergotamine are acute gastrointestinal syndrome with vertigo and numbness. No cases of serotonin syndrome were seen.
Query Operators for Comparing Uncertain Graphs

Extending graph models to incorporate uncertainty is important for many applications, including citation networks, disease transmission networks, social networks, and observational networks. These networks may have existence probabilities associated with nodes or edges, as well as probabilities associated with attribute values of nodes or edges. Comparison of graphs and subgraphs is challenging without probabilities. When considering uncertainty of different graph elements and attributes, traditional graph operators and semantics are insufficient. In this paper, we present a prototype SQL-like graph query language that focuses on operators for querying and comparing uncertain graphs and subgraphs. Two interesting operators include ego neighborhood similarity and semantic path similarity. Similarity operators are particularly useful for comparison queries, the focus of this paper. After motivating and describing our operators, we present an implementation of a query engine that uses this query language. This implementation combines a layered and service-oriented architecture and is designed to be extensible, so that simple operators can be used as building blocks for more complex ones. We demonstrate the utility of our query language and operators for analyzing uncertain graphs based on two real world networks, a dolphin observation network and a citation network. Finally, we conduct a performance evaluation of some of the more complex operators, illustrating the viability of these operators for analysis of larger graphs.