cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A novel low-complexity method for parallel multiplierless implementation of digital FIR filters

We present a computation reduction method which can be used to obtain a low-complexity parallel multiplierless implementation of digital FIR filters, exploring the use of shift inclusive differential (SED) coefficients and common subexpression elimination (CSE). We introduce a new directed multigraph to represent the design space greatly expanded by the use of SED coefficients. A graph-theoretic algorithm is then employed to explore the greatly expanded design space efficiently. Further, we propose a novel CSE method applied to the design space represented by the graph, which recursively eliminates 2-bit subexpressions with a steepest descent approach for subexpression selection. Compared with a conventional multiplierless implementation, up to 75% reduction in terms of number of additions has been achieved. In comparison to a recently reported CSE method based on available data, our approach achieves an improvement of up to 19%.
Beamed-Momentum LightSails for Interstellar Missions: Mission Applications and Technology Requirements

This paper describes analyses of laser-driven sails (LightSails) for interstellar rendezvous missions out to 40 light-years with a cruise velocity of 0.5c. In this study, mission analyses are used to identify the technology requirements for each mission type (e.g., laser power, etc.). Also, a number of issues associated with the use of laser LightSails (e.g., relativistic effects, thermal limits to acceleration, laser optics and power, sail optics, and interstellar dust impacts) are discussed.
The Effects of Notches on the Deformation of Ductile Intermetallics

Amidst the recent progress in improving the ductility of intermetallic compounds, another problem is beginning to emerge; viz., the degradation of both ductility and strength by a notch. The problem is important because, from a practical point of view, notches in other than laboratory specimens are difficult to avoid. They may even be part of the design. Here, the notch-sensitivity of the ductile L1{sub 2} aluminides Ni-rich Ni{sub 3}Al doped with boron and Zr{sub 3}Al is attributed to the triaxial tensile state of stress induced by a notch.
Estimation of Roughness-Induced Power Absorption From Measured Surface Profile Data

We present a methodology for extracting the 2D power spectral density of a statistically isotropic random rough surface from height measurements by utilizing fast Fourier-Bessel transform. We compute the additional propagation loss due to surface roughness by integrating the extracted spectral density via the formula of absorption enhancement factor. Results for a microstrip demonstrate good correlation between measured and estimated loss up to 20 GHz. It is also possible to choose a random rough surface model for the measured surface and use it to predict the roughness effect on power loss.
Genes from a Dietzia sp. for synthesis of C40 and C50 β-cyclic carotenoids

Dietzia sp. CQ4 accumulated the C(40) beta-cyclic carotenoids (canthaxanthin and echinenone) and the C(50) beta-cyclic carotenoid (C.p.450 monoglucoside). A plant-type lycopene beta-cyclase gene crtL was identified for beta-cyclization of the C(40) carotenoids. A carotenoid synthesis gene cluster was identified away from the crtL gene, which contained the crtEBI genes for the synthesis of lycopene followed by the lbtABC genes for lycopene elongation and beta-cyclization of the C(50) carotenoids. This C(50) beta-cyclic carotenoid synthesis gene cluster from Dietzia sp. CQ4 showed high homology with the gene clusters for synthesizing the C(50) epsilon-cyclic carotenoids (decaprenoxanthin and glucosides) from Corynebacterium glutamicum and Agromyces mediolanus. One unique feature of the C(50) beta-cyclic carotenoid synthesis genes in Dietzia sp. CQ4 was that the gene encoding a C(50) carotenoid beta-cyclase subunit and the gene encoding the lycopene elongase appeared to be fused as a single gene (lbtBC). Expression of the gene (lbtA) encoding another subunit of the C(50) carotenoid beta-cyclase and the lbtBC gene in lycopene-accumulating Escherichia coli produced almost exclusively the C(50) beta-cyclic carotenoid C.p.450. One gene (crtX) with high homology to glycosyl transferases was transcribed in the opposite orientation downstream of the lbtBC gene. The crtX gene was likely involved in C.p.450 glucosylation in Dietzia sp. CQ4. The pathway analogous to the synthesis of the C(50) epsilon-cyclic carotenoids was proposed for the synthesis of the C(50) beta-cyclic carotenoids.
Mapping shrub abundance in desert grasslands using geometric-optical modeling and multi-angle remote sensing with CHRIS/Proba

This work examines the application of a geometric-optical canopy reflectance model to provide measures of woody shrub abundance in desert grasslands at the landscape scale. The approach is through inversion of the non-linear simple geometric model (SGM) against 631 nm multi-angle reflectance data from the Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (CHRIS) flown on the European Space Agency's Project for On-Board Autonomy (Proba) satellite. Separation of background and upper canopy contributions was effected by a linear scaling of the parameters of the Walthall bidirectional reflectance distribution function model with the weights of a kernel-driven model. The relationship was calibrated agains ta small number of sample locations with highly contrasting background/upper canopy configurations, before application over an area ofabout 25 km 2 . The results show that with some assumptions, the multi-angle remote sensing signal from CHRIS/Proba can be explained in terms of a combined soil–understory background response and woody shrub cover and exploited to map this important structural attribute of desert grasslands.
Connecting your radiology learning to your clinical practice: using personal learning environments, learning portfolios and communities of practice

Continuing medical education, which is traditionally delivered in a format disconnected from clinical practice, has been found to be completely ineffective. The long-held dream of a few educational visionaries was to connect continuing medical education to clinical practice but this was technically difficult before the advent of the Internet. Today, this dream can become reality as the Internet can deliver the library of medical knowledge to the point-of-care. Furthermore, this dream has been endorsed by recent studies published by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, the Josiah Macy Foundation and the Carnegie Foundation, which have stated that continuing medical education must be connected to clinical practice in order to change physicians’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviors and to best improve patient care, outcomes and lives. Unfortunately, todaymost physicians do not know how to connect their learning to their practice. The purpose of this presentation is to show you how to connect your learning to your practice and to receive continuing medical education for it using personal learning environments, learning portfolios and communities of practice.
Tissue-specific gene expression of prolactin receptor in the acute-phase response induced by lipopolysaccharides

Acute inflammation can elicit a defense reaction known as the acute-phase response (APR) that is crucial for reestablishing homeostasis in the host. The role for prolactin (PRL) as an immunomodulatory factor maintaining homeostasis under conditions of stress has been proposed; however, its function during the APR remains unclear. Previously, it was shown that proinflammatory cytokines characteristic of the APR (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IFNγ) induced the expression of the PRL receptor (PRLR) by pulmonary fibroblasts in vitro. Here, we investigated the in vivo expression of PRLR during lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced APR in various tissues of the mouse. We show that PRLR mRNA and protein levels were downregulated in hepatic tissues after intraperitoneal LPS injection. Downregulation of PRLR in the liver was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. A suppressive effect on mRNA expression was also observed in prostate, seminal vesicle, kidney, heart, and lung tissues. However, PRLR mRNA levels were increased in the thymus, and no changes were observed in the spleen. The proportion of transcripts for the different receptor isoforms (long, S1, S2, and S3) in liver and thymus was not altered by LPS injection. These findings suggest a complex tissue-specific regulation of PRLR expression in the context of the APR.
Derivation of the initial stock of bags—a Monte Carlo approach

The objective of this paper is to calculate the number of bags needed to successfully supply a large package delivery operation. These bags are used to consolidate many small packages into an easier to transport large container -- thus decreasing the handling cost associated with them. Presently, disposable plastic bags are being used. The hypothesis is that permanent bags may make economical sense if the net present value of this modification is positive. The major determinant in the financial success of this proposition is the number of bags needed to feed the operation. Through monte carlo simulation techniques, we were able to accurately model the inherent dynamic uncertainty in this calculation. Thereby enabling the financial calculation to be performed.
The effects of aging and degree of association on the semantic priming of lexical decisions.

Abstract Adults completed a lexical decision task in which they saw two strings of letters on each trial and were asked to respond “yes” only if both strings were words. Later, participants were tested for incidental free recall and incidental forced-choice recognition of the words presented in the lexical decision task. These tasks were given to 20 young (mean age = 31.1 years) and 20 old (mean age = 69.5 years) non-student adults in Experiment 1, and to 20 young college students in Experiment 2. In both experiments, semantic priming occurred, i.e., lexical decisions were faster when the words within a pair were related than when they were not. For the college students in Experiment 2, but not for the non-students in Experiment 1, this effect was greater for high-dominance pairs (e.g., BIRD-ROBIN) than for low (e.g., BIRD-DUCK). Experiment 1 revealed no age differences in priming, but significant age differences favoring the young in both free recall and recognition. The results are interpreted in light ...
National Health Spending By Medical Condition, 1996–2005

This study responds to recent calls for information about how personal health expenditures from the National Health Expenditure Accounts are distributed across medical conditions. It provides annual estimates from 1996 through 2005 for thirty-two conditions mapped into thirteen all-inclusive diagnostic categories. Circulatory system spending was highest among the diagnostic categories, accounting for 17 percent of spending in 2005. The most costly conditions were mental disorders and heart conditions. Spending growth rates were lowest for lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, coronary heart disease, and stroke, perhaps reflecting benefits of preventive care.
Window-Based Susceptance Models for Large-Scale RLC Circuit Analyses

Due to the increasing operating frequencies and the manner in which the corresponding integrated circuits and systems must be designed, the extraction, modeling and simulation of the magnetic couplings for final design verification can be a daunting task. In general, when modeling inductance and the associated return paths, one must consider the on-chip conductors as well as the system packaging. This can result in an RLC circuit size that is impractical for traditional simulators. In this paper we demonstrate a localized, window-based extraction and simulation methodology that employs the recently proposed susceptance (the inverse of inductance matrix) concept. We provide a qualitative explanation for the efficacy of this approach, and demonstrate how it facilitates pre-manufacturing simulations that would otherwise be intractable. A critical aspect of this simulation efficiency is owed to a susceptance-based circuit formation that we prove to be symmetric positive definite. This property, along with the sparsity of the susceptance matrix, enables the use of some advanced sparse matrix solvers. lye demonstrate this extraction and simulation methodology on some industrial examples.
Diagnostic measures and underlying anxiety constructs: An analysis of correspondence

Abstract Diagnostically based measures of anxiety have begun to emerge as a complement to measures of underlying symptoms. While psychometric analyses generally suggest good association between the diagnostic and symptom measures, the extent to which they tap common constructs that are distinct from other anxiety constructs is less clear. Diagnostic and symptom measures of panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were obtained from 453 undergraduate students. Structural models, wherein each pairing of diagnostic and symptom measures loaded together onto Panic, OCD, and GAD constructs, respectively, were developed and tested. Poor fit was observed for each model; therefore data were subjected to principal axis factoring. Results suggested that both panic measures loaded onto a single factor that was distinct from a generalized anxiety factor, upon which both generalized anxiety measures loaded. The diagnostic and symptom measures of OCD, however, loaded on...
Measurement of microwave dielectrics: experience, needs and ideas

The advantages and limitations of methods for the measurement of microwave dielectrics are discussed. Attention is given to the stripline resonator method, the microstrip method, a nondestructive method using a trimmed clad panel as the specimen, variations of the waveguide cavity perturbation method, and an adaption of the stripline resonator test. The attributes that an ideal test method for routine use in the industry would have are listed. >
Efficient mapping algorithms for a class of hierarchical systems

Proposes techniques for mapping application algorithms onto a class of hierarchically structured parallel computing systems. Multiprocessors of this type are capable of efficiently solving a variety of scientific problems because they can efficiently implement both local and global operations for data in a two-dimensional array format. Among the set of candidate application domains, low-level and intermediate-level image processing and computer vision (IPCV) are characterized by high-performance requirements. Emphasis is given to IPCV algorithms. The importance of the mapping techniques stems from the fact that the current technology cannot be used to build cost-effective and efficient systems composed of very large numbers of processors, so the performance of various systems of lower cost should be investigated. Both analytical and simulation results prove the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed mapping techniques. >
Altruism and Indirect Reciprocity: The Interaction of Person and Situation in Prosocial Behavior:

A persistent puzzle in the social and biological sciences is the existence of prosocial behavior, actions that benefit others, often at a cost to oneself. Recent theoretical models and empirical studies of indirect reciprocity show that actors behave prosocially in order to develop an altruistic reputation and receive future benefits from third parties. Accordingly, individuals should stop investing in reputations via prosocial behavior when a future benefit (via indirect reciprocity) is unlikely. The conclusion that the absence of reputational incentives necessarily leads to egoistic behavior contrasts sharply with models of heterogeneous social preferences. Such models demonstrate the theoretical plausibility of populations composed of egoists and altruists. Results of Study One show that actors classified a priori as egoists respond strategically to reputational incentives, whereas those classified a priori as altruists are less affected by these incentives. Egoists act prosocially when reputational in...
Dramatic Effect of Temperature on Metal-oxide Nanostructures: Oxidation of Cu Films by In situ UHV-TEM

We investigated the temperature effect on the Cu2O morphology by oxidizing Cu(100) thin films at the temperature ranging from 350°C to 1000°C. We demonstrated that dramatically different morphologies of oxide nanostructures can be achieved by modifying the oxidation temperature. Quasi-one-dimensional Cu2O structures with aspect ratios as large as 40:1 were formed at the oxidation temperature of 600°C. The in situ observation data on the elongation of Cu2O islands agree with the energetic calculations based on the balance between surface and interface energies and the elastic stress relaxation in the three dimensional islands.
Perceptions of Boundary Ambiguity in the Process of Leaving an Abusive Partner

The process of leaving an abusive partner has been theorized using the Stages of Change Model. Although useful, this model does not account for changes in relational boundaries unique to the process of leaving. Using family stress and feminist perspectives, this study sought to integrate boundary ambiguity into the Stages of Change Model. Boundary ambiguity is defined as a perception of uncertainty as to who is in or out of a family system (Boss & Greenberg, 1984). Twenty-five mothers who had temporarily or permanently left their abusers were interviewed. Data were analyzed using constructivist grounded theory methods. RESULTS identify types, indicators of, and mothers' responses to boundary ambiguity throughout the five stages of change. Most mothers and abusers fluctuated between physical and psychological presence and absence over multiple separations. The integration of boundary ambiguity into the Stages of Change Model highlights the process of leaving an abusive partner as systemic, fluid, and nonlinear. Language: en
Mapping luminance onto lightness in vision and art

Most natural images span a large range of luminance values, often a thousand-to-one and sometimes a million-to-one (Heckaman and Fairchild, 2009). This luminance range must be mapped by the visual system onto a scale of perceived gray shades (called lightness) with a range of roughly thirty-to-one (90% to 3% reflectance). For the painter who wants to represent this scene on a canvas, the challenge is a bit different. The high-range scene must be represented using pigments with a range of only thirty-to-one. Let’s begin with vision. Even without a high range in the scene, understanding the mapping of luminance onto lightness has proven elusive. But we can think of the problem as having two parts: Anchoring and scaling.
3-DOF untethered microrobot powered by a single laser beam based on differential thermal dynamics

The paper proposes a method of using laser as both a source of energy and means of control for untethered microrobots. Instead of using multiple laser spots to thermally control the motion of multiple robot actuators, the paper proposes to shape the power, frequency, and duty cycle of a single laser beam focused onto the whole body of the robot. It is shown through simulations that an appropriate selection of laser parameters along with a corresponding mechanical design can generate appropriate “stick and slip” motions resulting in 3-DOF (planar) operation for the microrobot with nonholonomic constraints. Based on the simulation results, we anticipate that the microrobot with a thickness of a few micrometers and a width of several hundred micrometers can achieve speeds in excess of a few mm/second, comparable with more conventional electrostatically and electromagnetically actuated microrobots. Initial experiments on chevron actuators confirm that pulsed laser can effectively drive stick-slip microrobots.
Fossiliferous Lana'i deposits formed by multiple events rather than a single giant tsunami

Giant tsunamis, generated by submarine landslides in the Hawaiian Islands, have been thought to be responsible for the deposition of chaotic gravels high on the southern coastal slopes of the islands of Lana'i and Moloka'i, Hawaii. Here we investigate this hypothesis, using uranium–thorium dating of the Hulopoe gravel (on Lana'i) and a study of stratigraphic relationships, such as facies changes and hiatuses, within the deposit. The Hulopoe gravel contains corals of two age groups, representing marine isotope stages 5e and 7 (∼135,000 and 240,000 years ago, respectively), with significant geographical and stratigraphic ordering. We show that the Hulopoe gravel was formed by multiple depositional events, separated by considerable periods of time, thus invalidating the main premise of the ‘giant wave’ hypothesis. Instead, the gravels were probably deposited during interglacial periods (when sea level was relatively high) by typical Hawaiian shoreline processes such as seasonal wave patterns, storm events and possibly ‘normal’ tsunamis, and reached their present height by uplift of Lana'i.
Chemistry and biological behavior of samarium-153 and rhenium-186-labeled hydroxyapatite particles: Potential radiopharmaceuticals for radiation synovectomy

Hydroxyapatite (HA), a natural constituent of bone, was studied as a particulate carrier for beta-emitting radionuclides in radiation synovectomy. Particles were radiolabeled with 153Sm or 186Re and their in vivo safety was investigated following intra-articular injection into knees of normal rabbits and rabbits with antigen-induced arthritis (AIA). Radiolabeling efficiency was greater than 95%; in vitro studies showed minimal (< or = 1%) loss of activity from particles over a 6-day period with 153Sm-labeled HA and about 5% loss of activity over a 5-day period with 186Re-labeled HA. The total cumulative extra-articular leakage of 153Sm over 6 days was 0.28% in normal rabbits and 0.09% in AIA rabbits. Leakage of 186Re from the joint was 3.05% over a 4-day period with 80% of extra-articular activity found in the urine. Histopathological evaluation of treated knees showed that HA particles are distributed throughout the synovium, embedded in the synovial fat pad. The ease and efficiency with which this HA carrier is labeled, coupled with observed extremely low leakage rates from the joint, make radiolabeled HA particles an attractive candidate as a radiation synovectomy agent for evaluation in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Catalytic Generation of Lubricants from Carbonaceous Gases on Surfaces Undergoing Friction at High Temperatures

All organic materials become very unstable at high temperatures. They will crack, coke, polymerize, especially on hot solid surfaces and on some more so than on others. They can also react with the surfaces. Some of these pyrolysis or reaction products can be good solid lubricants. They don't last long, but then again under friction and wear new active surfaces and more lubricants can be formed. This is a concept of solid lubricant regeneration. Our work has proved experimentally that this concept has merit, perhaps as a result of partial graphitization, under selected conditions. In particular, in an environmental chamber, on heated nickel or nickel alloy and palladium surfaces in inert atmospheres, friction and wear coefficients were found to drop by an order of magnitude or more when as little as 1% of ethylene gas was introduced
Genetic Contributions to Individual Differences in Vulnerability to Addiction and Abilities to Quit

Individuals differ in their vulnerabilities to becoming dependent on one or more abused substances. Not all of the individuals who have opportunities to use addictive substances do in fact use them, not all users become regular users or abusers and not all regular users or abusers become dependent or addicted. Abundant evidence from family, adoption, and twin studies point to large genetic contributions to individual differences in vulnerability to develop dependence on addictive substances. Twin data suggests that much of this genetic vulnerability is shared by individuals who are dependent on a variety of addictive substances, though some is likely to be substance specific.
Globalization and diversification strategy: A managerial perspective

Summary This study presents survey evidence about managerial views on how the processes of globalization affect managers’ strategic decisions regarding a firm's international and product market scope. Our purpose is to assess whether managerial behaviors are consistent with theoretical predictions and whether managerial decisions about firm scope are consistent with the findings of recent empirical research. Our findings generally support those of academic research on the impacts of globalization on managerial decisions concerning firms’ strategic scope, but raise questions about findings to date on the nature of a relationship between product and international diversification and their impacts on firm performance. Our findings serve as a check on the results of extant research and offer guidance for future research.
Reptation Analysis of Interdiffusing Chromophore-Labeled Polymers

Understanding the dynamics of the microscopic mixing of polymer across an interface is crucial in determining the dependence of the fracture yield stress on healing time, and on the dynamics of polymer blending. Previous theoretical analyses of healing by Prager, Tirrell and Adolf [1,2,3] and Kim and Wool [4] have been helpful in interpreting the results of crack healing experiments. These models have asserted strict reptation dynamics and then postulated simple relationships between microstructure and fracture stress. The underlying microstructure can be probed directly by fluorescence measurements on interdiffusing chromophore-labeled polymers.
Characterization of CMOS Devices in 0.5-μm Silicon-On-Sapphire Films Modified by Solid Phase Epitaxy and Regrowth (Spear)

Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) devices and circuits with minimum feature sizes of about 1 µm were fabricated in 0.5-µm-thick epitaxial Silicon-On-Sapphire (SOS) films. The films were modified by ion implantation and subsequent solid phase recrystallization processes which reduced the total microtwin concentrations in the Si layers by more than a hundredfold, while increasing electron and hole channel mobilities between 40 to 50%. Leakage currents were reduced by over 2 orders of magnitude, while drive currents and subthreshold slopes showed significant improvements over as–grown SOS films. Propagation delays of less than 80 psec were obtained for CMOS/SOS inverters with Leff = 0.6 µm.
The Foundations of Deliberative Democracy: Empirical Research and Normative Implications

The Foundations of Deliberative Democracy: Empirical Researchand Normative Implications. Jurg Steiner. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012, 277 pp.
064: INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAKS IN THE AGE OF THE INTERNET: USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND PUBLIC DATA TO TRACK, MAP AND RESEARCH INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAKS USING ONLINE PLATFORM 'HEALTHMAP', CASE OF OUTBREAK OF NOVEL MERS-CORONA VIRUS

Background HealthMap.org is an online platform that collects, filters and maps reports of infectious diseases globally through scanning the web, in particular social media, for infectious disease reports in multiple languages (currently English, Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese and French).Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona virus (MERS-Cov) is a novel virus that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in mid-2012. Since then there have been over 1,000 cases (as of April 2015) in 22 countries (including the Philippines, Malaysia, UAE, UK and France). 974 of these cases have been in Saudi Arabia. However very little s understood about the epidemiologic profile of this virus. Objectives To understand the epidemiologic spread and charecteristics of the outbreak including, rproductive number, charescteristics of primary and secondary infection cases.To demonstrate the use of publicly available data in identifying, tracking and studying emerging infectious diseases. Methods Data curation, mining and verifying reports and outcome data for individual case reports of MERS infection in Saudi Arabia, from Saudi Ministry of Health, WHO and within the Arabic language social media. Data was curated for variable information including, report date, date of diagnosis, location, age, gender, contact with livestock (specifically camels), co morbidities and case outcomes. Currently using the data to conduct R0 analysis, univariate and survival analysis. Result Data has yielded several exploratory results, particularly concerning demographics; currently MERS infection in Saudi Arabia yields a 43.8% case fatality, 28.3% of cases have been nosocomial infections and 65.1% of cases have been male. We have also observed a slight rise in the number of sporadic cases after an outbreak in the spring of 2014, as compared to before the outbreak. However more detailed analysis has yet to be published. Conclusion The use of online platforms presents a great oppertunity for the accumalation of high resolution, publicly avalable data for the tracking and study of novel infectious diseases, ultimately to inform natinal and international efforts to contan and combat outbreaks.
Contrastive Study on the Adult and Children's Fashion Styles

The paper compares adult and children's fashions from ancient times to the present.The results show that straight line style,intersect style and exchange style are three types of the relation between adult and children's fashions.In addition,the paper analyzes the four social influences on the abundant and variable relationship.There are the children's styles that are mirrored in adult's conception and the change of social custom,culture influence and the social pressure led to the phenomenon of "adult children" and "childish adult".Those can help us know the rule of changing about the fashion and predict the future trend.
Implementation of a patient-focused specialty pharmacy program in an academic healthcare system

Purpose The development and implementation of a systemwide specialty pharmacy program in an academic healthcare system are described. Summary Although the system’s pharmacy department had developed specialty pharmacy services for patients with certain conditions, it was necessary to expand and standardize those services to meet the needs of all specialty clinics because (1) many of the clinics had experienced an increased volume of prior-authorization requests due to the introduction of new specialty drugs, (2) the dispensing pharmacies were operating at maximum capacity due to the previous decentralization of specialty pharmacy operations, and (3) payers had sent notice that they would require accreditation of the specialty pharmacy program as a condition of participation in their specialty pharmacy networks. To ensure standardization of services and successful preparation for increasing numbers of specialty prescriptions, all specialty pharmacy services were centralized to the healthcare system’s Pharmacy Ambulatory Clinical Care Center (PAC3). PAC3 centralized the prior-authorization process to selected specialty clinics. A call center was developed at PAC3 to provide centralized specialty pharmacy services, including 24-7 patient support, a medication adherence program, home delivery service, and patient education. The program resulted in a 137% increase in specialty pharmacy revenues over a two-year period. PAC3 processed 1860 prior-authorization cases and enrolled approximately 700 new patients in the specialty pharmacy program within nine months. Conclusion A specialty pharmacy program was established along with operational and infrastructure improvements, resulting in increased revenue, systemwide services, and a fully accredited specialty pharmacy.
Does Audit Transparency Improve Audit Quality and Investment E¢ ciency?

We examine eects of disclosing precisions of audit opinions (i.e., enhancing audit transparency) on auditor quality and investment e¢ ciency in a setting where the useful- ness of an audited …nancial report is jointly determined by the quality of the underlying …nancial reporting (i.e., a mapping from a …rm's fundamentals into an unobservable true accounting signal), misreporting of the true signal by the …rm's manager, and audit quality (i.e., the precision with which audit evidence collected by the auditor correctly captures the underlying true accounting signal and hence uncovers manager- ial misreporting). In our model, the auditor exerts an unobservable eort to in‡uence audit quality and is motivated by liability in the event of an audit failure. We show that while higher transparency enhances the information decision usefulness of audited …nancial reports for investors, it can also adversely aect the auditor's incentives and consequently lower the expected audit quality and investment e¢ ciency. We show that the underlying quality of …nancial reporting is an important determinant for this
Lumbar Sympathectomy: Role in the Treatment of Occlusive Arterial Disease in the Lower Extremities

The most striking effects of sympathectomy in relieving ischemic rest pain and ulcers of the feet are noticeable in the immediate postoperative period, and amputation may be postponed in most patients without gangrene and who show a rich collateral circulation. However progressive arteriosclerosis and trauma to ischemic limbs compromise long-term results.
Why bioethics today

Only recently medicine has emphasized the importance of major ethical principles (autonomy, beneficence, justice and non-malificence) and only recently they have come to play an important role in medical and public policy discussions. Until the 70's, medical dilemmas and disagreements were rarely discussed in terms of rights and duties. However, at this point in history, crucial new ideas were introduced, including the notion of Medical Bioethics. What seems important at this stage is to show if Bioethics has made a significant difference in the field of medicine. This article intends to give a picture of how ethical, historical and medical factors have influenced the beginning of Bioethics, in an attempt to determine how much it has been able to fulfill a genuine need.
In-Toeing Is Often a Primary Care Orthopedic Condition.

Objective To evaluate in-toeing consults to a pediatric orthopedic clinic to determine the proportion that could be managed by a primary care physician. Study design A prospective registry was created for 143 consecutive children referred to a pediatric orthopedic clinic for "in-toeing." Each patient underwent a careful history and physical examination, which included a rotational profile. We recorded the final diagnosis, treatment offered, follow-up visit results, and the source of the referral. Results After pediatric orthopedic evaluation, 85% of patients had a confirmed diagnosis of in-toeing, and 15% had a different final diagnosis. Seventy-four percent of patients had 1 consultation visit, 18% had 2, and 8% had >2 visits. None of the referred patients was a candidate for treatment by casting or surgery. Conclusion In most cases, in-toeing is a normal variation of development that can be managed by counseling and observation by the primary care physician alone. Rare cases of severe in-toeing >2 standard deviations from the mean should likely still prompt referral to a pediatric orthopedic surgeon for potential intervention.
Demultiplexing spectrum-sharing field sources with distributed field probes

A complete characterization of multiple-device wireless interactions must include data relatable to the electromagnetic field radiated by each device under test (DUT). If these field sources are separable in time or frequency, they can be demultiplexed with a single probe antenna and time gating or bandpass filtering. Spectrum-sharing coexistence testing, however, may deal with simultaneous co-channel radiation. Communication channels may realize orthogonality in signal modulation or coding, for example, instead of time or frequency. These signals need an alternative to time or frequency as a basis to discriminate between signals in tests. We explore here distributed multi-probe detection as a means to address this problem. Simultaneous coherent detection of quadrature baseband at multiple probes provides degrees of freedom necessary to decompose modulated signals with different origins in space. The approximately deterministic simple propagation behavior in an anechoic chamber allows us to estimate channel delay, phase shift, and attenuation parameters between each combination of probes and DUTs. These parameters are sufficient to extrapolate a transfer matrix across frequency that we invert to compute a weighting matrix that deembeds the received superposition of DUT waveforms. We demonstrate experiments that demultiplex three DUTs: a 802.11n Wi-Fi link pair and a source of LTE traffic, all in overlapping channels near 2.4 GHz. The demultiplexed channels show clearly the channel occupancy of each DUT without time-gating or frequency filtering.
ROLE AND REGULATION OF MYC IN GLIOBLASTOMA MULTIFORME CELL DIFFERENTIATION: IMPLICATION IN TUMOR FORMATION

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain cancer in adults. Current treatments prove ineffective in prolonging patient survival beyond 15 months. Molecular characterization of GBM tumors suggest that a minor fraction, called brain tumor stem cells (BTSC), initiate and maintain the tumor; while the majority of cells that resembles differentiated astrocytes are unable to do so. Thus, differentiating the BTSCs may be used as supplementary therapy for GBM. In this regard, a recent study showed that cMyc (hereafter referred to as Myc, in accordance with new nomenclature) expression in differentiated murine astrocytes renders them tumorigenic. Conversely, activated Stat3 is involved in differentiation of murine neural stem cells into astrocytes. However, the mechanisms underlying human GBM cell differentiation are unknown. So we hypothesized that Myc is associated with GBM tumorigenesis, and its interplay with activated Stat3, modulates GBM cell differentiation thereby affecting tumor formation. To test this hypothesis we pursued three specific aims. First, the level of Myc protein was monitored in human GBM cells to determine any correlation between Myc and tumorigenicity of the cells. Secondly, the relationship between Myc and activated Stat3 was explored to determine if a regulatory mechanism exists between these twotranscription factors. Finally, the mechanism of Myc-mediated suppression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a differentiation marker, was investigated. Our results demonstrated that the tumorigenic GBM cell line U87, had higher steady state level of Myc than that in a less tumorigenic GBM cell line, U251. Importantly, activated Stat3 suppressed the steady state level of Myc and thus affected Myc-regulated targets and function in GBM cells. GFAP expression was associated with differentiated astrocytes, and Myc suppresses GFAP expression by an unknown mechanism. Here, we show that Myc inhibited the GFAP promoter activation in human GBM cells. Collectively, these results support our hypothesis that Myc is positively associated with GBM tumorigenicity, and activated Stat3 suppresses Myc protein that inhibits GFAP promoter activation.
Robert Wuthnow: Inventing American Religion

Robert Wuthnow: Inventing American Religion Claude S. Fischer Review of Religious Research The Official Journal of the Religious Research Association ISSN 0034-673X Volume 59 Number 1 Rev Relig Res (2017) 59:99-100 DOI 10.1007/s13644-016-0272-3
Automated Quantitative Assessment of Bone Marrow in Normal Samples: Correlation with the Reference Method.

Abstract Bone marrow (BM) analysis is conventionally performed by microscope examination on films of about 0.3ml of aspirated bone marrow fluid, stained with Romanowsky dyes. Until 1996 the simple automated screening of marrow composition was made very difficult by a number of factors, mainly the lack of the erythroblasts quantitation and the fat interference. From 1996 last generation automated hematology analyzers provide accurate and precise erythroblasts counts; moreover same systems have improved their software reducing the problem of fat interference. We have analyzed data from 100 normal BM samples from patients submitted for diagnostic and/or follow up purposes in our Hematology Day Hospital. BM fluid was harvested from the superior posterior iliac crest. The first 0,3–0.5 ml were used for smears, while the next 1–2 ml of BM, collected into K3-EDTA, were analysed with Coulter LH 750, a fully automated hematology analyzer which provides Complete Blood Count, White Blood Count Differential included Nucleated Red Blood Cells (NRBC) and Reticulocytes count. We used the microscope examination conventionally performed on films stained with Romanowsky dyes as reference method. Quantitative detection BM cellularity was obtained by semi quantitative evaluation based on the evaluation of hematopoietic cells in several marrow particles: physiological differences age related were also taken in account. If hematopoietic cells occupy less than 25% or more than 85% the sample is defined respectively hypocellular or hypercellular (none of our sample was as). Differential cell count was usually performed on two different slides counting 500 cells (1000 when hypercellular, but none of our sample was as). We found a strict correlation between microscope semi-quantitative cellularity evaluation and the instrumental cell count as sum of WBC plus NRBC, the Total Nucleted Cell Count (TNCC). The mean value of the TNCC in normal PM samples was 29,48 x109/L with a range 25,9–54,9 x109/L. These results are in good agreement with normal BM cell count reported in the literature using a cytofluorimetric method, which is 34,5 x109/L (SD28.0). The instrumental mean percentage of BM granulocytes corrected for TNNC was 62% (range: 23,5–93,7) versus a mean microscope percentage of 58,42% (range: 40–72). The automated NRBC BM count corrected for TNCC was 11,38% (range: 2,7 – 39,17) versus a microscopic mean value of 28% (range: 9–45). These results, including the slight NRBC underestimation probably due to partial mature cell lysis, are in line with the data of the literature. This study confirms the feasibility of routine automated cell count using a hematology in normal BM fluid samples. Automated methods will support morphologists quickly providing accurate and precise quantitative information such as TNCC and myeloid/erythroid ratio.
A comparison of subspace feature-domain methods for language recognition.

Compensation of cepstral features for mismatch due to dissimilar train and test conditions has been critical for good performance in many speech applications. Mismatch is typically due to variability from changes in speaker, channel, gender, and environment. Common methods for compensation include RASTA, mean and variance normalization, VTLN, and feature warping. Recently, a new class of subspace methods for model compensation have become popular in language and speaker recognition—nuisance attribute projection (NAP) and factor analysis. A feature space version of latent factor analysis has been proposed. In this work, a feature space version of NAP is presented. This new approach, fNAP, is contrasted with feature domain latent factor analysis (fLFA). Both of these methods are applied to a NIST language recognition task. Results show the viability of the new fNAP method. Also, results indicate when the different methods perform best.
Consistency Requirements for Integral Representations of Green’s Functions—Part II: An Erroneous Representation

The two requirements set forth in Part I of this paper are used to demonstrate the inadequacy of a recently proposed Green’s function for a material half-space. It is shown that the construction carried out with respect to the wavenumber normal to the interface results not only in an incomplete representation but also in nonphysical fields in the conducting medium. By comparing with the Sommerfeld integral representation, which was shown to be complete and exact in Part I, it is demonstrated that the so-constructed Green’s function with respect to the vertical wavenumber: 1) has an error in the main contribution (arising from the primary branch cut) and 2) lacks the key ingredients of a surface wave and an additional branch cut contribution in the representation.
Corrosion behavior of magnesium alloys and protection techniques

Abstract: Magnesium alloys have low corrosion resistance and exhibit unusual corrosion behavior in aqueous environments. This chapter briefly summarizes the corrosion characteristics of Mg alloys, such as hydrogen evolution, surface alkalization, macro-galvanic damage and micro-galvanic effect, etc. It also discusses the influences of chemical composition of matrix, secondary phase, and impurities, etc. on the corrosion performance of Mg alloys. Following that, a potential strategy is presented to mitigate their corrosion.
Resection of Malignant Mediastinal Germ Cell Tumors

Nonseminomatous germ cell tumors originating in the anterior mediastinum represent a challenging group of neoplasms. Survival depends on postchemotherapy surgery to completely remove residual disease. Postchemotherapy mediastinal surgery, however, is technically demanding. Choosing the surgical approach that will provide optimal exposure of residual disease and surrounding structures is initially critical. An aggressive but balanced surgical approach can remove extremely large residual masses with tumor-free margins. This chapter outlines the surgical approaches and techniques used for postchemotherapy mediastinal dissection.
Adverse Events During Hospitalization: Results of a Patient Survey

Article-at-a-Glance Background A two-stage probability sample of patients recently discharged from 16 general acute care hospitals in Massachusetts were interviewed to determine the rates at which patients experience what they considered to be adverse events, to describe the kinds of events they reported, and to identify the correlates of those reports. Methods Eligible respondents were adults, 18 years of age or older, who were medical or surgical patients overnight or longer between April 1 and October 1, 2003, and who were discharged to their homes in Massachusetts. Questions covered perceptions of adverse events during hospitalizations and possible correlates of those events. Telephone interviews were carried out an average of nine months after discharge with 2,582 patients (response rate, 53%–60%). Results Twenty-nine percent of respondents reported at least one unexpected "negative" event during their hospitalization. After physician review, the revised estimate was that 25% perceived that they had experienced at least one event that met our definition for an adverse event. The most common reported events were reactions to newly prescribed drugs (40%) and the effects of surgery (34%). Physician reviewers coded 57% of the adverse events as "significant" and 18% as "serious" or "life-threatening." The physician reviewers also rated 31% of the reported adverse events as likely to be preventable. Discussion The estimate that one in four hospital patients experienced an adverse event is considerably higher than the published rates based on hospital record review, indicating the potential value of surveys for studies of patient safety. Because of nonresponse among older patients, that estimate is probably an underestimate. Designs that would reduce lags between discharge and interviews and decrease hospital nonresponses would reduce two key threats to confidence in the survey results.
Myoglobin-catalyzed epoxidation of styrene in organic solvents accelerated by bioimprinting

Myoglobin imprinted in aqueous solution with ligands binding to its heme iron, followed by lyophilization, catalyzed the epoxidation of styrene with H2O2or tert-butyl hydroperoxide in organic solvents much faster than the non-imprinted protein under otherwise the same conditions.
Sustainability of aquifers supporting irrigated agriculture: a case study of the High Plains aquifer in Kansas

The only means of moderating alarming depletion rates in many of the world’s major aquifers is to reduce pumping. We apply a new water-balance approach to assess the impact of pumping reductions in...