cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mirror figure control primitives for the Keck Observatory ten meter primary mirror.

The Keck Observatory primary mirror is comprised of 36 segments from which 216 glass temperatures and 168 measures of relative displacement are continuously read. Mirror figure adjustments are under the active control of 108 adjustable-length actuators, three per segment. We describe our collection method for mirror segment displacement data and glass temperature data and the supplying of individual control signals to the actuator controllers and sensor electronics, both located near each mirror segment, and discuss the mirror's computerized control system. Much of the sense and control electronics is close to the rear surface of the primary mirror. From an historical perspective, we describe the impact of the need to minimize heat sources and cabling, on the communications method used and on its implementation. We conclude with a brief structural overview of the hardware in use to actively maintain primary mirror figure.
Transverse electromagnetic fields in a detuned X-band accelerating structure

Results are presented of a study of the dipole electromagnetic fields in a detuned accelerating section which are excited by a pointlike bunch. The field-matching technique is used for the field calculations. The transverse coupling impedance, the kick factors, and the point wake function are found. >
Effect of Pistachio Nuts on Serum Lipid Levels in Patients with Moderate Hypercholesterolemia

Background: Elevated serum cholesterol levels play an important role in the development of coronary artery disease. Previous studies have suggested that nut consumption benefits lipid profile. Pistachio nuts are widely available, inexpensive and frequently consumed by the general population.Objective: To determine whether substituting 20% of the daily caloric intake in the form of pistachio nuts will improve the lipid profiles of humans with primary, moderate hypercholesterolemia.Design: Controlled, randomized crossover design.Setting: Outpatient dietary modification, counseling and blood analysis.Patients: Ten patients with moderate hypercholesterolemia.Intervention: Three weeks of dietary modification with 20% caloric intake from pistachio nuts.Measurements: Body weight, blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides were monitored. Lipid profiles were analyzed prior to, during and after dietary modification.Results: After three weeks, there was a decrease in total cholesterol (p<0.04), ...
Compensation in individual growth rates and its influence on lake trout population dynamics in the Michigan waters of Lake Superior

The role of compensatory mechanisms in the population dynamics of lake trout in the Michigan waters of Lake Superior was explored during three time periods: the pre-sea lamprey period, prior to 1950 when lake trout were at a relatively high abundance and the fishery was the primary source of lake trout mortality; the sea lamprey dominant period, from 1951 to 1961 when lake trout were at a very low abundance due to sea lamprey predation and overexploitation; and currently, from 1985 to 1993 when wild lake trout abundance was at a moderate level. The role of compensatory changes in growth and fecundity rates of lake trout in the Michigan waters of Lake Superior was evaluated using a life table approach. Individual growth and fecundity rates were calculated and compared between time periods. These rates were used to determine age-specific fecundity which, along with age-specific survival, were incorporated into a Leslie projection matrix to calculate the finite rate of population increase (λ). Individual growth rates and age-specific fecundity rates changed in response to the different levels of lake trout abundance during each of the study periods. Lake trout during the sea lamprey dominant period, which experienced the lowest abundance and highest mortality levels, exhibited the fastest individual growth rates and the highest age-specific fecundity. These high rates contributed to the relatively large compensatory scope exhibited by lake trout during the sea lamprey dominant period as compared to lake trout during the pre-sea lamprey or the current periods which are associated with higher levels of abundance.
Complex Emergencies, Peacekeeping and the World Food Programme

The World Food Programme's largest mission has evolved in the last decade from development to disaster relief. In particular, the rise of emergency food aid delivered in response to civil disorders has presented new challenges. This has led to substantial organizational challenges. Coordination with UN and NGO humanitarian agencies has grown, logistical capacity has adapted to difficult requirements, and strategies for working in an insecure environment have been developed. The reliance on emergency relief makes WFP operations and funding more dependent on unpredictable political events. Owing to this evolution and the variability of emergency needs, WFP's future direction and role in the UN system remain important issues.
Development and Assessment of an Interactive Computer Program for Aerosol Education

An interactive web-based program consisting of three integrated modules has been developed to enhance the understanding of the multidisciplinary nature and the complex principles of aerosol science and technology at the introductory level. Formative evaluation resulted in many suggestions from potential users on the improvement of the format and message. Feedback from students showed that the majority thought this mode of learning was effective, and they liked the dynamic animation and interactive features. Many also indicated that they prefer the modules be used to enhance rather than to replace in-class instruction. Summative evaluation based upon pre- and post-tests demonstrated that the website was effective for teaching the content. The results of the t-tests showed a statistically significant difference in the pre- and post-test scores. In summary, the evaluation data clearly indicate both the usefulness of the modules as teaching tools and a high degree of acceptance by students and faculty.
Calcium and mechanotransduction of the myogenic response

The purpose of this study was to measure vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cytosolic calcium ([Ca2+]i) during the myogenic response. We examined the temporal and steady-state relationships between lumen diameter and VSM [Ca2+]i in isolated arterioles exposed to step changes in intravascular pressure. We also studied the relationship between step sizes in intravascular pressure and changes in [Ca2+]i. First-order arterioles from the hamster cheek pouch were isolated, cannulated, and pressurized. [Ca2+]i was quantified using the ratio of emitted fluorescence intensity (R340/380) during alternate excitation of fura 2-loaded vessels at 340 and 380 nm. Stepwise increases in transmural pressure elicited corresponding increases in steady-state [Ca2+]i and myogenic constriction. From a common baseline pressure, the initial rise in [Ca2+]i after a step change in pressure was directly related to the magnitude of the step size and of the distension caused by that pressure step. This supports the theory that there is a relationship between the initial distension of the vessel and the initial [Ca2+]i change. Also, increasing the size of the step change in pressure resulted in a greater myogenic response, yet no difference in the steady-state [Ca2+]i was detected, which suggests that Ca2+ is not the principal or only determinant of steady-state constriction. Finally, larger increases in [Ca2+]i do not necessarily augment the myogenic response, which suggests that some minimal rise in [Ca2+]i is required to elicit myogenic vasoconstriction. Collectively, these data suggest the presence of a separate, Ca(2+)-independent regulatory system.
Artificial Intelligence and Structural Design

A review of some of the literature concerned with questions of artificial intelligence is presented and particular attention is paid to work which may be applied to problems of structural design. The possibility of an adaptive structural design system is examined and a simple design problem is used to illustrate some aspects of learning behavior.
The advance care planning PREPARE study among older Veterans with serious and chronic illness: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Advance care planning (ACP) is a process whereby patients prepare for medical decision-making. The traditional objective of ACP has focused on the completion of advance directives. We have developed a new paradigm of ACP focused on preparing patients and their loved ones for communication and informed medical decision-making. To operationalize this new paradigm of ACP, we created an interactive, patient-centered website called PREPARE ( www.prepareforyourcare.org ) designed for diverse older adults. This randomized controlled trial with blinded outcome assessment is designed to determine the efficacy of PREPARE to engage older Veterans in the ACP process. Veterans who are ≥ 60 years of age, have ≥ two medical conditions, and have seen a primary care physician ≥ two times in the last year are being randomized to one of two study arms. The PREPARE study arm reviews the PREPARE website and an easy-to-read advance directive. The control arm only reviews the advance directive. The primary outcome is documentation of an advance directive and ACP discussions. Other clinically important outcomes using validated surveys include ACP behavior change process measures (knowledge, contemplation, self-efficacy, and readiness) and a full range of ACP action measures (identifying a surrogate, identifying values and goals, choosing leeway or flexibility for the surrogate, communicating with clinicians and surrogates, and documenting one’s wishes). We will also assess satisfaction with decision-making and Veteran activation within primary care visits by direct audio recording. To examine the outcomes at 1 week, 3 months, and 6 months between the two study arms, we will use mixed effects linear, Poisson, or negative binomial regression and mixed effects logistic regression. This study will determine whether PREPARE increases advance directive completion rates and engagement with the ACP process. If PREPARE is efficacious, it could prove to be an easy and effective intervention to help older adults engage in the ACP process within or outside of the medical environment. PREPARE may also help older adults communicate their medical wishes and goals to their loved ones and clinicians, improve medical decision-making, and ensure their wishes are honored over the life course. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01550731 . Registered on 8 December 2011.
Perceived Local Job Prospects and School Connectedness in a Struggling Rural Economy: A Life-Course Perspective

Late in first decade of the 2000s, the closing of pulp and paper mills in the rural northeastern United States contributed to economic decline in the region and to rising concerns about population decline due to out-migration among local emerging adults in search of occupational or educational opportunities. In this context, and drawing on a life-course framework, the present study used four waves of panel data from the population of 7th- and 11th-grade public school students in a rural northeastern U.S. county to explore whether the county unemployment rate was related to perceived local job prospects; school connectedness was related to subsequent perceived job prospects; and the effects of county unemployment and school connectedness on perceived local job prospects varied by age cohort. Initially, changes in respondents’ perceptions about local job prospects paralleled shifts in local unemployment similarly for both cohorts; yet after the older cohort respondents had completed high school, their perce...
586 GLYCOLYTIC ENZYME DEFICIENCY IN NEONATAL GRANULOCYTES

Newborn infants are known to be particularly susceptible to infections. Various contributing factors have been implicated including defective chemotaxis and phagocytosis of their neutrophils. The energy required for these two neutrophil functions is derived from A.T.P. produced from glycolysis. Decreased granulocyte glycolytic enzyme activity may impair chemotaxis and phagocytosis due to decreased energy supply. Eight granulocyte glycolytic enzymes were studied in 15 adults and 15 full-term newborns. Placental cord blood was drawn immediately after the delivery of placentae, and granulocytes were isolated within 20 minutes of delivery by Ficoll Hypaque centrifugation. Venous blood from adult volunteers was processed at the same time. The activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, enolase, and phosphofructokinase was significantly lower in cord-blood granulocytes compared to that of the adult volunteers (P < 0.01). Phosphoglycerate kinase activity was also lower in cord blood (0.01 < P < 0.05). The activity of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, pyruvate kinase, hexokinase, and glucose phosphate isomerase were lower in cord blood but not to a significant level. Whether the decreased activity of these glycolytic enzymes contributes to the previously reported impaired phagocytosis and chemotaxis and hence the increased susceptibility to infections is open to question.
Abstract 2884: Standardized mangosteen fruit extract promotes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of PC3 cells and inhibits tumor formation in athymic nude mice

The purple mangosteen fruit (Garcinia mangostana) is native to southeast Asia and has been reported to contain a variety of health promoting properties that include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anit-microbial and anti-diabetic properties. The principle constituents isolated from the mangosteen fruit are the xanthones with well over 50 unique entities isolated to date. Here we report on the properties of a mangosteen fruit extract for cancer chemoprevention and/or chemotherapy using prostate cancer (PCa) as a model disease. Using a mangosteen fruit extract (MFE) a significant decrease in cell viability was observed against four different prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP, CWR22, PC3, DU145). Several analytical standards were used to identify dietary xanthones by HPLC with alpha-mangostin found to be the most abundant xanthone of MFE representing approximately 59% of the extract. Next, we investigated the ability of MFE to promote cell cycle arrest by flow cytometry and observed a significant increase in cells in G1 phase when treated with 7.5 μg/mL of MFE after 24 hours. Further confirmatory studies were performed by western blot analysis of PC3 cells treated with MFE. To understand the possible interaction between xanthones and cyclins/cdks in a cell free system a biochemical based assay was performed and found to inhibit cyclinD1/CDK4 as well as other kinases. To determine the potential of MFE in an in vivo model we investigated the ability of MFE to inhibit colony formation of CWR22 and PC3 cells. MFE was found to completely inhibit colony formation of CWR22 cells at a concentration of 5 µg/mL. Next, using an athymic nude mouse model implanted with CWR22 cells mice were randomized to receive intraperitoneally the standardized mangosteen fruit extract (MFE) or placebo two times weekly with tumors measured twice weekly until tumors reached a volume of 1200 mm3. At the conclusion of the study the treatment group had a significantly smaller tumor with an average tumor volume of (143 mm3) compared to the placebo group (1135 mm3) representing an 87.5% smaller tumor in the treatment group. Based on these promising results we have evidence suggesting that MFE may be a promising agent for the prevention and/or treatment of prostate cancer. Further studies are needed to determine the potential of purified dietary xanthones from the mangosteen fruit for cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2884.
There's Far More Than Tenure on the Butcher Block: A Larger Context for the Recent Crisis at the University of Minnesota:

Threats to tenure are not isolated challenges, but result from broad systematic change that have extensive implications for academe. Social system factors such as changed public attitudes, increased competition for public funds and increased competition for students are generating budget reductions which in turn affect views about how universities should be managed. Increasingly, higher education is seen as a business, and academic programs are evaluated in ‘bottom-line’ budgetary terms. These trends, in turn, may have many important consequences for the academic world, from grade inflation to reduced academic freedom. Examining such forces and trends should help place the tenure debate in a larger context so as to better understand why it is occurring and what might be needed to protect tenure.
EVALUATION OF FOLIAR INSECTICIDES FOR CONTROL OF FRUIT WORM IN TOMATO, 2001

Tomatoes were transplanted on 23 Jul at the Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Painter, VA. Each plot consisted of a single 20 ft-row with 6 ft spacing between rows. Plots were flanked on either side by an untreated guard row. The experiment had 17 treatments plus an untreated control arranged in a RCB design replicated six times. Treatments were applied using a propane-pressurized sprayer that delivered 30 gal of spray/acre at 40 psi through a boom with one hollow-cone nozzle oriented over the center of the row and two hollow-cone drop nozzles oriented to the sides of the row. The first application was made on 5 Sep when small fruit were present, and subsequent applications were made on 11, 18, and 26 Sep.
A review of the economics of adult congenital heart disease

Adults living with congenital heart disease (CHD) now outnumber children with the disease. Thanks to medical advances over the past 75 years, many of these fatal childhood heart problems have changed to chronic medical conditions. As the population of adults with CHD increases, they will require increasingly complex medical, surgical and catheter-based therapies. In addition, social burdens including education, employment and insurability, which increase the societal costs of adult CHD, are now being recognized for adults living with CHD. This review summarizes the available literature on the economics of adult CHD.
Lipopolysaccharide induces monocyte chemoattractant protein production by rat mesangial cells

Lipopolysaccharide, a potent pro-inflammatory constituent of bacterial cell walls, is capable of promoting glomerular inflammation, by both activating circulating inflammatory cells and local interactions with renal parenchymal cells. We sought to determine whether lipopolysaccharide was capable of promoting glomerular inflammation by directly stimulating mesangial cell production of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, a recently described cytokine capable of eliciting recruitment of mononuclear phagocytes into inflammatory foci. Northern hybridization analysis revealed dose and time-dependent induction of mRNA coding for monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 in quiescent rat mesangial cells treated with lipopolysaccharide. Lipopolysaccharide-elicited induction of monocyte chemoattractant protein mRNA was detectable after 1 hour and persisted for at least 30 hours. Media isolated from rat mesangial cell cultures stimulated by lipopolysaccharide possessed monocyte chemotactic activity that was detectable at 8 hours and peaked at 24 hours; an antimonocyte chemoattractant protein antibody blocked 87% of this chemotactic activity. We suggest that lipopolysaccharide, released from bacterial cell walls, promotes glomerular inflammation by stimulating mesangial cell production of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1.
Molecular characteristics and antibiotic resistances of Vibrio cholerae O1 isolates in Hangzhou in 2009

Objective To study the molecular characteristics and antibiotic resistances of Vihrio cholerae( V. cholerae) O1 isolates in Hangzhou in 2009. Methods The virulence genes ctxA and tcpA of the thirty V. cholerae O1 isolates from 7 counties and districts of Hangzhou were detected by PCR. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed for molecular typing and similarity analysis. Antibiotic resistances of these isolates were measured by the Kirby-Bauer method. Results Virulence gene analysis showed that 80. 00％ (24/30) of the genotype in V/. cholerae isolates was ctx, A - and tcpA +, 13. 33％ (4/30) was ctxA - and tcpA - ,and 6. 67％ (2/30) was ctxA + and tcpA +. Twenty-seven isolates tested were typed into 11 PFGE patterns ( P1 - P11 ). Twenty-three isolates with genotype ctxA - and tcpA + were clustered into 7 PFGE patterns( P1 - P7 ,termed P1-like cluster) with the similarity to be equal or greater than 91.4％ ,and 56. 52％ (13/23) of them belong to P1. 7 isolates with very high similarity (97.6％), belonging to P1 (6 isolates),and P2 (1 isolate), respectively, were collected from one foodborne disease outbreak. The resistant rates of the 24 isolates with genotype ctxA - and tcpA + to ampicillin, tobramicin and amikacin were 20. 83 ％ ( 5/24 ), 4. 17 ％ ( 1/24 ) and 4. 17 ％ ( 1/24 ), respectively. Conclusion The genotype of the epidemic strains of V. cholerae O1 isolates in Hangzhou in 2009 with high similarity was ctxA - and tcpA + ;The level of drug resistances of this kind of V. cholerae O1 isolates were not high. Key words: Vibrio cholerae; Electrophoresis, gel, pulsed-field; Virulence; Genes; Drugresistance
Linear Inductive Transduction Mechanisms

Given that magnetism was discovered earlier than electricity, it should come as no surprise that the first magnetic (inductive) transducers predate the earliest electric (capacitive) transducers. Linear magnetomechanical coupling is among the most common transduction mechanisms, particularly for actuators, because magnetic devices have energy advantages on large scales.
Distributed Stormwater Controls for Flood Mitigation within Urbanized Watersheds: Case Study of Rocky Branch Watershed in Columbia, South Carolina

AbstractFor highly urbanized watersheds where space is limited, distributed low impact development (LID) stormwater controls could offer an effective retrofit to address flooding problems. The goal of this study is to determine the feasibility of using distributed LID controls within an urbanized watershed for flood mitigation. The Rocky Branch Watershed in Columbia, South Carolina, is an excellent case study because it experiences flash floods almost annually and has limited space for traditional, centralized stormwater controls to mitigate these floods. The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) was used to model flooding with rain gardens as the LID approach for flood mitigation owing to their storage potential. The results of the study suggest that rain gardens with 30-cm berm heights and a total area equal to 20% of the impervious surfaces within the watershed should provide sufficient storage to mitigate flooding for rain events up to and including a 10-year storm event. Once sufficient storage is avai...
Yield estimation using regional mb(Pn)

Seismic yield estimation at regional distances will become increasingly important in monitoring a Low-Yield Threshold Test Ban (LYTTB). In order to investigate seismic yield estimation using regional data, we have examined regional mb ( Pn ) values for a large population of Nevada Test Site (NTS) underground nuclear explosions that occurred in widely varying geologic media with a range of yields from less than 1 kt to 300 kt. Magnitude-yield relationships were developed using data from a set of pre-1985 events (calibration set). To obtain an independent estimate of the uncertainty in estimating yields of events at NTS using mb ( Pn ) alone, the calibrated relationships were applied to a set of post-1984 events (prediction set). We found that the average uncertainty in the yield estimate, based on a weighted combination of the yield estimates from the four Livermore NTS Network (LNN) seismic stations, is about 1.8 (at the 2σ level). If data are available from all four LNN stations, the uncertainty is about 1.7 (at the 2σ level). By including a term for the gas-filled porosity of the rock near the working point in the magnitude-yield relationship, we were able to develop a single relationship valid for events both above and below the water table, as well as those in alluvium and tuff. We have found, however, systematic differences in the relationships for events in Yucca Flat, Pahute Mesa, and Rainier Mesa.
Security analysis for cyber-physical systems against stealthy cyber attacks

Security of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) against cyber attacks is an important yet challenging problem. Since most cyber attacks happen in erratic ways, it is difficult to describe them systematically. In this paper, instead of identifying a specific cyber attack model, we are focused on analyzing the system's response during cyber attacks. Deception attacks (or false data injection attacks), which are performed by tampering with system components or data, are not of particular concern if they can be easily detected by the system's monitoring system. However, intelligent cyber attackers can avoid being detected by the monitoring system by carefully design cyber attacks. Our main objective is to investigate the performance of such stealthy deception attacks from the system's perspective. We investigate three kinds of stealthy deception attacks according to the attacker's ability to compromise the system. Based on the information about the dynamics of the system and existing hypothesis testing algorithms, we derive the necessary and sufficient conditions under which the attacker could perform each kind of attack without being detected. In the end, we illustrate the threat of these cyber attacks using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) navigation example.
Case 46: Your Paper Is Rejected. What to Do

Your manuscript is rejected. You are devastated, as this is, as far as you can ascertain, the largest English language randomized study done on this topic. The journal, to which you submitted your work, has published previous work on this topic. You feel that your manuscript adds new information to the literature. Although the study shows no difference between the groups, the results are economically important, as one group’s treatment is cheaper than the other and equally as effective.
Genetic Factors in Febrile Seizures

Population based twin panels containing 14,352 twin pairs established in Norway and Virginia were used to study the occurrence of febrile seizures and epilepsy at the Departments of Human Genetics and Neurology, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA; and the Institute of Medical Genetics, Oslo, Norway.
Retrospective Evaluation of Daptomycin, a Lipopeptide Antibiotic, in Bone Marrow Transplant and Hematology/Oncology Patients.

Background: Daptomycin is a lipopeptide antibiotic with potent activity against many Gram-positive organisms. Efficacy in immunocompromised patients is unknown because these patients have been excluded from daptomycin premarketing studies. Methods: Patients with documented infections treated at the University of Michigan Health System in either the bone marrow transplant or hematology/oncology service were identified in the Cubicin® Outcomes Registry and Experience (CORE sm 2004 and 2005). Demographic, disease state, clinical, and microbiologic data were collected. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the following definitions: Cure - clinical signs and symptoms are resolved and/or no additional antibiotic therapy is necessary or infection cleared with a negative culture reported at the end of daptomycin therapy; Improved - partial resolution of clinical signs and symptoms and/or additional antibiotic therapy is necessary at the end of daptomycin therapy; Failure - inadequate response to therapy or resistant, worsening or new/recurrent signs and symptoms, or the need for a change in antibiotic therapy or a positive culture reported at the end of daptomycin therapy; Nonevaluable - unable to determine response at the end of daptomycin therapy. Success was defined as cure or improved. Results: Fourteen patients are included in this analysis. Nine (64%) patients were female; 6 (43%) were ≥ 51 years of age. Two patients had an initial CrCl Enterococcus faecium (VRE) as a pathogen; 8 were bacteremic (3 with concurrent coagulase-negative staphylococci; CoNS). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was isolated in 3 (21%) patients; 2 were bacteremic (1 with concurrent CoNS). One additional patient had CoNS bacteremia. The patient with necrotizing fasciitis was culture negative. The initial daptomycin dose was 4 mg/kg in 8 (57%) patients and 6 mg/kg in 6 (43%) patients. All patients receiving 6 mg/kg were bacteremic. The dosing frequency was adjusted for renal function in all patients. The median duration of therapy was 14.5 days (range, 2 – 62). Nine (64%) patients received an antibiotic prior to daptomycin and 43% of patients received an antibiotic concomitantly. Seven catheters were removed; 5 from patients with catheter-related bacteremia. The median time to clinical response was 2 days (n=10, range 1 – 13). All patients with an outcome reported (n=11) were successfully treated, 3 (21%) patients were nonevaluable. Of the 11 bacteremic patients, 5 received 4 mg/kg and 6 received 6 mg/kg; 2 were nonevaluable (both 6 mg/kg) and 9 of 11 (82%) were successes. Conclusion: These data demonstrate that daptomycin therapy is associated with clinical success in hem/onc patients including those who have undergone allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation where bacteremia and VRE are prevalent.
A BiCMOS active pull-down ECL output driver for low power applications

An active pull-down ECL output driver that utilizes negative feedback to dynamically adjust the current in the output stage is introduced. Experimental results, as well as simulations, show a 7/spl times/ improvement in pull-down delay and reduced sensitivity to load capacitance relative to conventional ECL output drivers.
Current Issues in Clinical and Translational Research in the Hearing Sciences, Audiology, and Otolaryngology

Translational research is often described as “bench to bedside” because it builds on basic science findings to “translate” discoveries into potential interventions or therapeutics that can be tested in clinical trials and adopted into healthcare practice. This introductory chapter offers working definitions of the various phases of research spanning from basic research to clinical testing and ultimately to the implementation of these endeavors into evidence-based patient care. There are multiple challenges in moving from basic science to clinical trials and from clinical research into routine application in healthcare delivery. There are also clearly diverging interests of academics (creation of knowledge, education of the future workforce) and industry (meeting market needs and protecting exclusivity to generate revenue and increase shareholder value). However, academia and industry share the common goal of finding cures for patients in need. Whether patient care is advanced through industry-funded research within an academic laboratory or industry licensing of an academic patent is not important from the patient’s perspective. What will benefit patients the most in the long run is the translation of novel therapies into clinical testing with subsequent translation of the most effective therapies into patient care, with the long-term goal of improving public health outcomes.
Basics of microwave radar & SAR polarimetry and its applications

The development of radar polarimetry and radar interferometry is advancing rapidly, and these novel radar technologies are revamping "synthetic aperture radar imaging" decisively. In this exposition the successive advancements are sketched; beginning with the fundamental formulations and high-lighting the salient points of these diverse remote sensing techniques. Whereas with radar polarimetry the textural fine-structure, target-orientation and shape, symmetries and material constituents can be recovered with considerable improvements above that of standard 'amplitude-only polarization radar'; with radar interferometry the spatial (in depth) structure can be explored. In 'polarimetric-interferometric synthetic aperture radar (POL-IN-SAR) imaging' it is possible to recover such co-registered textural plus spatial properties simultaneously. This includes the extraction of 'digital elevation maps (DEM)'' from either 'fully polarimetric (scattering matrix)' or interferometric (dual antenna) SAR image data takes' with the additional benefit of obtaining co-registered threedimensional 'POL-IN-DEM' information. Extra-wide-band POL-IN-SAR imaging - when applied to 'repeat-pass image overlay interferometry' - provides differential background validation and measurement, stress assessment, and environmental stress-change monitoring capabilities with hitherto unattained accuracy, which are essential tools for improved global biomass estimation. More recently, by applying multiple parallel repeat-pass EWB-POL-D(RP)- IN-SAR imaging along stacked (altitudinal) or displaced (horizontal) flight-lines will result in 'tomographic (multi-interferometric) polarimetric SAR stereo- imaging', including foliage and ground penetrating capabilities. It is shown that the accelerated advancement of these modern 'EWB-POL-D(RP)-IN- SAR' imaging techniques is of direct relevance and of paramount priority to wide-area dynamic homeland security surveillance and local-to-global environmental groundtruth measurement and validation, stress assessment, and stress-change monitoring of the terrestrial and planetary covers.
Postoperative mortality following multi-modality therapy for pancreatic cancer: Analysis of the SEER-Medicare data.

Background and Objectives The objective of this study was to examine post-operative mortality for elderly pancreatic cancer patients treated with multi-modality therapy. Methods Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Medicare linked data were used to examine differences in mortality between patients who underwent pancreatectomy alone and those who had early (within 12 weeks) and late (after 12 weeks) adjuvant therapy (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy). Results Among 4,105 patients who underwent pancreatectomy between 1991 and 2008, 1-year mortality (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.71; P-value = 0.000; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.60–0.85) and 6-month mortality (OR = 0.44; P-value = 0.000; 95%CI: 0.35–0.53) following pancreatectomy were significantly lower in the group that underwent pancreatectomy with early adjuvant therapy. Late adjuvant therapy group also had lower 1 year (OR = 0.51; P-value = 0.000; 95%CI: 0.43–0.61) and 6 months (OR = 0.14; P-value = 0.000; 95%CI: 0.10–0.17) mortality, compared to surgery alone. Conclusions Post-operative outcomes were better for patients treated with surgery with adjuvant therapy, with the late adjuvant therapy group having the best outcomes (lowest odds of 6 month and 1-year mortality following surgery). J. Surg. Oncol. 2017;115:158–163. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Head CT for Minor Head Injury Presenting to the Emergency Department in the Era of Choosing Wisely.

Introduction The Choosing Wisely campaign currently recommends avoiding computed tomography (CT) scans of the head in low-risk emergency department (ED) patients with minor head injury based on validated decision rules. However, the degree of adherence to this guideline in clinical practice is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate adherence to the Choosing Wisely campaign’s recommendations regarding head CT imaging of patients with minor head trauma in the ED. Methods A retrospective cohort study of adult ED patients at a level I trauma center was conducted. Patients age ≥ 18 years who presented to the ED with minor head injury were identified via ICD-9-CM codes. Medical record abstraction was conducted to determine the presence of clinical symptoms; NEXUS II criteria, medical resource use, and head CT findings. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the study sample and proportions were used to quantify guidelines adherence. Results A total of 489 subjects met inclusion criteria. ED providers appropriately applied the Choosing Wisely criteria for 75.5% of patients, obtaining head CTs when indicated by the NEXUS II rule (41.5%), and not obtaining head CTs when the NEXUS II criteria were not met (34.0%). However, ED providers obtained non-indicated CTs in 23.1% of patients. Less than 2% of the sample did not receive a head CT when imaging was indicated by NEXUS II. Conclusion ED providers in our sample have variable adherence to the Choosing Wisely head CT recommendation, especially for patients who do not meet the NEXUS II criteria.
Delayed intestinal perforation secondary to blunt force abdominal trauma in a cat

Case summaryA 7-month-old intact male domestic shorthair cat was presented 4 h after being hit by a car. It had bilateral inguinal hernias and a mesenteric rent that were repaired surgically and a ...
Ten ways to improve the treatment of depression and anxiety in adults

Complaints of depression and anxiety are very common among adult patients seeking treatment in primary care settings, and primary care providers prescribe the majority of medications for these conditions. Psychiatrists are often asked to evaluate and manage patients with major depression or anxiety disorders who have not improved after treatment in primary care. We highlight ten frequently overlooked aspects of the care of patients who present with depression and anxiety in primary care. Chief among these aspects is the consideration of a thorough differential diagnosis, particularly bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, dementia and substance abuse, each of which requires specific treatment approaches. Additional considerations include avoidance of medications or doses that may aggravate anxiety symptoms and regular follow-ups to assess symptomatic and functional improvement. Finally, it is important to actively manage the treatment through dose escalation, switching medications or employing additional treatment components until remission is achieved. Judicious use of benzodiazepine clonazepam and appropriate referrals to psychotherapy can contribute to optimal treatment outcomes.
Ferroelectric-HTSC Microwave Structures: Fundamental Limitations

Frequency-tunable microwave devices utilizing ferroelectric/HTSC multilayer structures, in which the dielectric constant of the nonlinear dielectric is varied by application of an electric field, have been demonstrated. Significant problems related to losses in the dielectrics have been shown to lead to not insignificant insertion losses in many cases, and fundamental limitations related to these losses are discussed in this paper. Intrinsic and extrinsic losses are described in detail, and some suggestions for reducing these losses are given.
A fast path planner for a car-like indoor mobile robot

A car-like indoor mobile robot is a kinematically constrained robot that can be modelled as a 2D object translating and rotating in the horizontal plane among well-defined obstacles. The kinematic constraints impose that the linear velocity of the robot point along its main axis (no sidewise motion is possible) and restrict the range of admissible values for the steering angle. In this paperl we describe a fast path planner for such a robot. This planner is one to two orders of magnitude faster than previously implemented planners for the same type of robot. In addition, it has an anytime flavor that allows it to return a path in a short amount of time, and to improve that path through iterative optimization according to the amount of time that is devoted to path planning. The planner is essentially a combination of preexisting ideas. Its efficiency derives from the good match between these ideas and from various technical improvements brought to them.
A molecular model of the surface-assisted protein aggregation process

The importance of cell surfaces in the self-assembly of proteins is widely accepted. One biologically significant event is the assembly of amyloidogenic proteins into aggregates, which leads to neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer9s and Parkinson9s. The interaction of amyloidogenic proteins with cellular membranes appears to dramatically facilitate the aggregation process. Recent findings indicate that, in the presence of surfaces, aggregation occurs at physiologically low concentrations, suggesting interaction with surfaces plays a critical role in the disease-prone aggregation process. However, the molecular mechanisms behind on-surface aggregation remain unclear. Here we provide a theoretical model that offers a molecular explanation. According to this model, monomers transiently immobilized to surfaces increase the local monomer protein concentration and thus work as nuclei to dramatically accelerate the entire aggregation process. This theory was verified by experimental studies, using mica surfaces, to examine the aggregation kinetics of amyloidogenic-synuclein protein (α-Syn) and non-amyloidogenic cytosine deaminase APOBEC3G (A3G).
Abstract B079: Evaluation of tools for predicting mutated tumor antigens from exome and RNA sequencing

Neoantigen vaccination is an emerging modality of cancer immunotherapy with many ongoing trials. One central question of neoantigen vaccination is the method for selecting which mutated tumor-specific antigens to include in a patient’s vaccine. Many in-silico pipelines for neoantigen selection have been published in the past few years, but no comprehensive evaluation has compared them directly on the same tumor/normal sequencing data. We evaluate several publicly available commonly used neoantigen pipelines (pVACtools [1], MuPeXI [2], TIminer [3], OpenVax [4]) on both murine and human cancer samples. Our evaluation highlights the salient differences between these pipelines and shows the divergent results they achieve. References: 1. Kiwala S, Hundal J, …, Griffith M. pVACtools: Computational selection and visualization of neoantigens for personalized cancer vaccine design. Cancer Genetics 2018. 2. Bjerregaard A-M, Nielsen M, ..., Eklund AC. MuPeXI: Prediction of neo-epitopes from tumor sequencing data. Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy 2018. 3. Tappeiner E, Finotello F, ..., Trajanoski Z. TIminer: NGS data mining pipeline for cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Bioinformatics 2017. 4. Rubinsteyn A, Kodysh J, …, Hammerbacher J. Computational pipeline for the PGV-001 Neoantigen Vaccine Trial. Frontiers in Immunology 2018. Citation Format: Julia Kodysh, John P. Finnigan, Alex Rubinsteyn. Evaluation of tools for predicting mutated tumor antigens from exome and RNA sequencing [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fourth CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; Sept 30-Oct 3, 2018; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2019;7(2 Suppl):Abstract nr B079.
Ultrasonic Procedures for Inspecting Composite Tubes

Ultrasonic spectroscopy is introduced as a test procedure for nondestructively evaluating composite materials. Tests reported in this study show that it is possible to locate flaw areas in a composite tube with both ultrasonic C-scan and ultrasonic spectroscopy procedures. In particular, the purpose of this paper is not to present quantitative comparisons of theoretical and experimental results of ultrasonic wave propagation in composite tubes but to indicate that frequency signatures obtained from ultrasonic spectroscopy can be useful in nondestructively evaluating composite materials. A theoretical sample problem is presented that demonstrates the sensitivity of the spectroscopy method in detecting pulse spreading. Experiments on two composite tubes are also presented to show the difference in frequency signatures that occurs when comparing flaw and no flaw areas in a structure. The major advantage of this method compared to conventional ultrasonic methods lies in its ability to detect precisely pulse dispersion and pulse location in the time domain. The frequency signature approach represents an alternative approach to standard ultrasonic pulse echo and through transmission signal analysis that often proves useful when standard methods of analysis fail because of poor resolution and lack of basic understanding and interpretation.
Work Schedule Patching in Health Care: Exploring Implementation Approaches.

The authors propose a typology of “work schedule patching,” the ongoing adjustments made to plug scheduling holes after employers post schedules. Patching occurs due to changes in employer work dem...
Robust Sequential Trajectory Planning Under Disturbances and Adversarial Intruder

Provably safe and scalable multivehicle trajectory planning is an important and urgent problem. Although this problem has been studied in the past, there has not been a method that guarantees both goal satisfaction and safety for vehicles with general nonlinear dynamics, while taking into account disturbances and potential adversarial agents, to the best of our knowledge. Hamilton–Jacobi (HJ) reachability is the ideal tool for guaranteeing goal satisfaction and safety under such scenarios, which has been successfully applied to many small-scale problems; however, its direct application in most cases becomes intractable when there are more than two vehicles due to the exponentially scaling computational complexity with respect to system dimension. In this paper, we take advantage of the guarantees provided by HJ reachability and eliminate the computation burden by assigning a strict priority ordering to vehicles under consideration. Under this sequential trajectory planning (STP) scheme, vehicles reserve “space–time” portions in the airspace. The space–time portions guarantee dynamic feasibility, collision avoidance, and optimality of trajectories given the priority ordering. With a computation complexity that scales quadratically when accounting for both disturbances and an intruder, and linearly when accounting for only disturbances, the STP can tractably solve the multivehicle trajectory planning problem for vehicles with general nonlinear dynamics in a practical setting. We demonstrate our theory in representative simulations.
2403. Clostridium difficile ribotypes and human microbiota differ in Taiwan and the United States with respect to diarrheal patients

Background Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has high incidence in the United States, but less so in East Asian countries such as Taiwan. The reason for this is not understood, but microbial studies could reveal important epidemiologic insights. We hypothesized that the circulating strains of C. difficile and the gut microbiota differ between the United States and Taiwan.