cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fixed wireless access

Mankind has been communicating via radio signals for a very long time, between neighbouring buildings, across oceans and even from one planet to another Theoretically such technology can be used for the last mile of a telecommunications network to connect its customers. In practice, however, it is not well suited to such use and it is only over the last decade or two that tailored solutions have emerged, allowing large scale wireless access to become economically viable. Wireless access splits into two classes fixed and mobile. Fixed systems are known by many names including fixed wireless access (FWA), wireless local loop (WLL), multimedia wireless systems (MWS), broadband wireless access (BWA) and local multipoint distribution systems (LMDS). While mobile systems allow users to roam around the network, in fixed systems the radio units are permanently mounted in the same way as copper and optical fibre. Using radio in the access network presents a unique set of engineering challenges, especially if service quality is to rival wired delivery. Securing suitable spectrum is a prerequisite to establishing a network. The transmission medium presents many challenges which are outside the direct control of the network operator, and those that are of particular importance for fixed applications have to be considered when selecting radio equipment. Careful planning of the network is required to ensure it meets initial and longer term market requirements and the initial technology and architecture choices are key to achieving success. When all these aspects have been considered, a network operator can assess the likely costs and revenue of a wireless system and can answer a more fundamental question is wireless the best choice of access technology for this application? This chapter will explore each of these issues in more depth.
Chloride: effect on morphology of heart, kidney, and testis in potassium-deficient rats.

SummaryEffects of dietary chloride, with and without sodium, in potassium-deficient rats were studied in two experiments with similar results. The rats were sacrificed after five weeks on the experimental diets. Exclusion of chloride from potassium-deficient diets modified some of the histological findings in the potassium-deficient rats. Renal lesions were much less pronounced, but hearts were abnormally heavy when chloride was omitted. Testes were normal in the presence of chloride but markedly atrophic in its absence. Potassium obliterated these effects of chloride deficiency.
Weighing the Consequences of a Deviant Career: Factors Leading to an Exit from Prostitution

Research on how individuals leave sex work examines this transition by focusing on either structural/economic conditions that keep them in the trade or internal changes that prompt exiting. Leaving...
An Analysis on Epidemic Situation of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in Honghuagang District in Zunyi City and Adjustment of Its Prevention and Cure Strategies

Objective: To investigate the epidemic status of acquired immune deficiency syndrome(AIDS) in Honghuagang district,analyze the affecting factors,and so as to adjust prevention and cure strategies effectively.Methods: AIDS monitoring was carried out in high risk crowds such as drug users,sex workers,gay men,pregnant women and prisoners.Ethology data were analyzed.Prevention and cure effects were evaluated.Results: Since 2003 that the demonstration area of integrated AIDS prevention and control began to work,effectiveness of AIDS prevention and control has become remarkable in this region,showing as establishment of an effective working system,and gradual strengthening of intervention to behavior of high-risk groups.Conclusions: AIDS integrated prevention and control measures in Honghuagang district are suitable.The effects are significant.Reinforcing AIDS prevention and cure work among sex workers and gay men should be emphasized in adjusting of prevention and control strategies.
Crystal structure of di­aqua­bis­(7-di­ethyl­amino-3-formyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-olato-κ2O3,O4)zinc(II) dimethyl sulfoxide disolvate

The structure of the title coordination complex, [Zn(C14H14NO4)2(H2O)2]·2C2H6OS, shows that the ZnII cation adopts an octa­hedral geometry and lies on an inversion center. Two organic ligands occupy the equatorial positions of the coordination sphere, forming a chelate ring motif via the O atom on the formyl group and another O atom of the carbonyl group (a pseudo-β-diketone motif). Two water mol­ecules occupy the remaining coordination sites of the ZnII cation in the axial positions. The water mol­ecules are each hydrogen bonded to a single dimethyl sulfoxide mol­ecule that has been entrapped in the crystal lattice.
A Phase II Randomized Study of Lenalidomide or Lenalidomide and Rituximab As Maintenance Therapy Following R-CHOP Chemotherapy for Patients with High Risk Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Abstract Abstract 3668 Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients with an intermediate/high to high risk international prognostic index (IPI) score are at an increased risk of disease relapse in the first year after completion of standard therapy with R-CHOP. Lenalidomide (LEN), an immunomodulatory drug, enhances the natural-killer cell mediated antibody-dependant cellular cytotoxicity of rituximab in lymphoma cell lines, inhibits angiogenesis, alters cytokine production, and has been shown to have clinical activity against B-cell lymphoma including relapsed DLBCL. Methods: DLBCL patients with high risk features (IPI scores of 3 or greater) who achieved CR after R-CHOP were randomized to LEN (arm A) alone or LEN and rituximab maintenance therapy (arm B) within 12 weeks of last dose of R-CHOP. The primary endpoint of the study was to assess the one year relapse-free survival. We expected that a 25% difference of relapse compared with current standard therapy will have clinical significance. Patients in arm A received LEN at a dose of 25 mg daily for 21 days of 28 days. Patients in arm B received LEN at a dose of 20mg daily for 21 days of 28 days along with rituximab (375mg/m2) on day 8 of even cycles. Treatment on both arms was continued for one year. Treatment was discontinued for disease progression. LEN dose adjustments were incorporated in the protocol. Results: Thirty five patients, 19 arm A/16 arm B, 20 female/15 male, with a median age of 59 yrs were enrolled. The median IPI was 3 for all patients. For patients over the age of 60 the median IPI score was 4 and the median aa-IPI was 3. Two patients received XRT to areas of bulky disease at the completion of R-CHOP prior to start of maintenance. At a median follow up of 22 months, the 2 yr PFS and DFS was 86% and 96% respectively. For patients in arm A and arm B the 2 yr PFS was 92% vs.77% and the 2 yr DFS was 100% vs. 92% respectively (p=0.52). Two patients discontinued treatment due to adverse events. Grade 3–4 toxicities include neutropenia (25%), fatigue (17%), diarrhea (8%), DVT (3%), rash (3%), febrile neutropenia (3%). Related grade 1–2 toxicities include hypothyroidism (11%) and rash (47%). There were no treatment related deaths. Conclusions: Lenalidomide as maintenance therapy demonstrates encouraging clinical activity following standard chemotherapy and results in superior survival outcomes in DLBCL patients with high risk prognostic features. The 2-yr OS was 90% in our study as compared with historical controls of 70%. Our study suggests that maintenance strategy with lenalidomide based therapy may increase cure rate and needs to be prospectively evaluated in a phase III study. Disclosures: Reddy: Celgene: Research Funding. Off Label Use: Lenalidomide in Lymphoma. Park: Seattle Genetics, Inc.: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Teva: Research Funding.
The effectiveness of US energy efficiency building labels

Information programs are promising strategies to encourage investments in energy efficiency in commercial buildings. However, the realized effectiveness of these programs has not yet been estimated on a large scale. Here we take advantage of a large sample of monthly electricity consumption data for 178,777 commercial buildings in Los Angeles to analyse energy savings and emissions reductions from three major programs designed to encourage efficiency: the US Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program and the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Using matching techniques, we find energy savings that range from 18% to 30%, depending on the program. These savings represent a reduction of 210 million kilowatt-hours or 145 kilotons of CO2 equivalent emissions per year. However, we also find that these programs do not substantially reduce emissions in small and medium sized buildings, which represent about two-thirds of commercial sector building emissions. To tackle the high energy consumption of buildings, information programs to promote investment in energy efficiency measures have been introduced. This study compares the effectiveness of three US programs and finds that despite large energy savings, progress is lacking for small and medium sized buildings.
k-Coverage Probability in a Finite Wireless Network

We present a general mathematical framework to characterize the performance of an arbitrarily-located reference receiver in a finite wireless network. Modeling the locations of nodes as a uniform binomial point process (BPP), we derive the general k-coverage probability, which is the distribution of the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) at the reference receiver when it connects to its k-th closest transmitting node. This k-coverage result for an arbitrarily- located reference receiver significantly generalizes existing works on finite networks, which usually assume that the reference receiver connects to a pre-selected transmitter located at a fixed distance that may not be a part of the BPP (ad hoc network setup). A particular special case of interest is that of k=1, which can be interpreted as the downlink coverage probability in a finite cellular network modeled as a BPP. To the best of our understanding, the exact characterization of this result for finite cellular networks is not known. The mathematical analysis of k-coverage probability is enabled by the derivation of joint distance distributions from interfering and serving nodes to the reference receiver. As expected, our results demonstrate that the k-coverage probability strongly depends upon the location of the reference receiver. This observation highlights the importance of location information of the reference receiver for the accurate analysis of finite wireless networks.
Closed-Form Solutions of Stochastic and Deterministic Nonlinear Control Problems

Abstract We review our recent results on stabilization and optimal disturbance attenuation for nonlinear systems with uncertainties. The systems are affine in the control and the disturbance but otherwise general. We treat both deterministic and stochastic disturbances. In both cases the disturbance attenuation problem is posed as a differential game (in the stochastic case the player opposed to control is not the noise itself but its covariance). The results are based on control Lyapunov function techniques. The full account of the results is given in our new monograph( Stabilization of Nonlinear Uncertain Systems , Springer, 1998).
The Consumer Spending Response to Mortgage Resets: Microdata on Monetary Policy

In this report, we examine how a sample of US homeowners changed their credit card spending in response to a predictable drop in their mortgage payment driven by the Federal Reserve’s low interest rate policy that followed the Great Recession. Using a de-identified sample of Chase customers who had a hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages (ARM) and a Chase credit card, we analyze changes in credit card spending and revolving balance leading up to and after mortgage reset. We organize our results into four findings. First, forty-four percent of the homeowners in our sample experienced a large drop in their hybrid ARM payment at reset, which on average represented over 5 percent of their monthly income. Second, homeowners increased their spending by 9 percent in advance of the anticipated drop in their mortgage payments and by 15 percent after reset, despite a considerable drop in housing wealth. Third, homeowners used credit card borrowing to finance 21 percent of their pre-reset anticipatory spending increase, and post–reset they further increased their revolving balances. Over the full two year period, their total spending increase exceeded their mortgage-related savings by 4 percent. Fourth, Homeowners used the savings from lower hybrid ARM payments to make more purchases across all spending categories, notably home improvements and healthcare. Overall, we find that in a declining interest rate environment, the income channel that transmits interest rate policy to homeowners with ARMs is automatic, the consumer response is considerable, and that there are both anticipatory and contemporaneous increases in consumption. Additional research is needed to understand if the income channel also has the intended and expected contractionary effects on consumer spending as policy rates move higher. Armed with a full understanding, housing policy makers could evaluate the policies that influence which type of mortgage (fixed-rate or variable-rate) borrowers choose and should consider the effects these policies will have on the ability of monetary policy to impact personal consumption through the business cycle.
Challenges Faced by Veterans Residing in Rural Communities

Veterans and military personnel represent a growing segment of US residents. Increasingly, these individuals are overrepresented among persons with disabilities. Of those living in rural areas, multiple barriers exist across various domains, including transportation, access to healthcare, education and training, employment, and community reintegration. The structural, political, and social factors that contribute to inequality experienced by veterans and military personnel in rural areas are explored. In addition, the mental health and psychosocial adjustment concerns for this population are discussed. Given the diversity of age groups that comprise this population, a life span perspective is essential to this chapter.
LivSim: An Open-Source Simulation Software Platform for Community Research and Development for Liver Allocation Policies.

This study developed LivSim, an open-source software alternative to the Liver Simulated Allocation Model (LSAM v Aug 2014) created by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.
Erratum: Excitons in nanoscale systems (Nature Materials (2006) 5 (683-696))

Nature Materials 5, 683–696 (2006) doi: 10.1038/nmat1710 In this Review Article, the spelling of the first author's name in ref. 74, and in the citation of this reference within the text on page 691, was incorrect. It should have read Zhao.
Methodological Considerations in Couples’ Fertility Intentions: Missing Men and the Viability of Women’s Proxy Reports

Introduction Recent efforts show potential to advance research on unintended childbearing by taking a couple-level approach. However, this work has neither adequately addressed methodological concerns stemming from the challenges associated with male fertility data nor considered the viability of women's proxy reports of fathers intentions. Methods Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) were used to assess the implications of low response rates among men on couples' unintended childbearing. Then, the accuracy of women's proxy reports of fathers intentions was assessed. Weighted logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine how women's characteristics were associated with men's survey participation whereas weighted multinomial logistic regression analyses were applied to determine how women's characteristics were linked with the accuracy of her proxy report. Results Almost half (46%) of women cannot be matched with data from the child's father, and this discrepancy is most problematic for women who are black, foreign-born, less educated, and unmarried at birth. Women's proxy reports appear viable as 75% of women's reports are consistent with men's responses. Yet, proxy reports underestimate disagreement in couples' intentions as mothers who intended the birth are at an increased risk of "inaccurately" reporting that fathers share their intentions. Discussion Direct approaches to couples' intentions yield privileged samples and systematically omit women at the greatest risk of an unintended birth. However, proxies underestimate disagreement in couples' intentions-a key contribution to the couple approach. Accordingly each approach has its own merits which must be considered in light of specified research questions.
Introduction to Expectations Equilibrium

In markets for commodities, such as financial assets, whose future worth or utility is unknown, market clearing prices reflect information and beliefs about returns to commodity ownership. Should the distribution of information be differential—should traders come to market with different information—we can expect traders to make further inferences about the worth of the commodity by trying to infer other traders’ information from the equilibrium price. This additional statistical role for prices poses significant problems for the study of market equilibrium that are not present when the distribution of information is uniform or when there is no uncertainty. Rational expectations equilibria (REE’s) in market models are equilibria that take account of this additional function for market prices.
Development of Hydroxy Thiourea Catalysts

Two novel bifunctional thioureas bearing hydroxy groups were developed. Initially, asymmetric Michael reactions of γ-hydroxyenones and organoboronic acids were examined using these catalysts. These reactions gave low yields due to the competitive, undesired oxy-Michael reaction when thiourea catalysts bearing a basic amino group were employed. In contrast, with the use of newly designed iminophenol-type catalysts, desired asymmetric Michael reactions proceed smoothly and provide vinyl addition products in high yields and ee’s. It was found that both the hydroxy groups in the substrates and the catalyst were necessary for effective catalysis in these reactions. Subsequently, the first highly catalytic, enantioselective Petasis-type reaction of N-aryl-α-iminoamides was developed using novel hydroxyether-type thioureas as catalysts. This reaction provides rapid access to unnatural vinyl glycine derivatives in high optical purity.
Analytical performance prediction of data-parallel programs

A combination of static and dynamic performance prediction techniques can be used effectively to address the problems of performance debugging, architectural improvement, machine selection and compiler optimization for data-parallel programs on multicomputers. This research develops two analytical models which account for the effects of CPU execution time, cache behavior and message passing overhead for multicomputers. These factors have been shown to be significant in determining performance on distributed memory systems. The first model performs static analysis on Dataparallel C source code in order to determine critical algorithmic parameters which can be used to predict performance when the problem size is fixed. The second model uses information obtained at compile time along with a single instrumentation run to generate a symbolic equation for execution time. This model can be used to predict performance even when the problem size varies. By leveraging technology from the Maple symbolic manipulation system (15) and the S-PLUS (89) statistical package we implement a system which presents users with critical performance information necessary for performance debugging, architectural enhancement, and procurement of parallel systems. The usability of these results is improved by specifying confidence intervals as well as predicted execution times for parallel applications. Cost optimal analysis techniques are also developed using the symbolic equations for execution time.
Teaching with Catastrophe: Topographic Map Interpretation and the Physical Geography of the 1949 Mann Gulch, Montana Wildfire

Topographic map interpretation is typically taught by “imaginary landscape” or “classic terrain” approaches. This paper details how a “catastrophic approach” involving the August 1949 Mann Gulch, M...
Survey of Rationality Properties

This chapter summarizes, with examples but without proof, many of the known properties of algebraic groups relative to fields of definition. As before, K denotes an algebraically closed field. If k is an arbitrary subfield of K, we are interested in the closed subgroups of GL(n, K) which are defined by polynomials with coefficients in k. Some general theory is developed in §34, to be followed by a discussion of special fields (finite, real, p-adic) in §35.
Blackened bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in crack smokers : a preliminary study

A retrospective study was performed on heavily pigmented pulmonary cytologic specimens from 14 hospital patients to determine the clinical features distinguishing these cases. The lavage fluid or sputum in each case was turbid and gray or black, exceeding the blackness usually seen in heavy tobacco smokers dwelling in the same urban environment. Excessive carbonaceous material was observed in the cytoplasm of pulmonary alveolar macrophages or the extracellular compartment of the smears. The latter feature is not seen in cigarette smokers. Many other pigmentary sources were ruled out, including melanin, hemosiderin, medicinal charcoal, India ink, and hematoxylin crystals. The common feature of the patients was that they recently or currently smoked the crack form of cocaine heavily; five patients also had positive toxicologic results for cocaine at admission. The authors suggest that blackened bronchoalveolar lavage fluid indicates the possibility of crack cocaine smoking and the associated sequelae, particularly when the carbonaceous material is present in the extracellular compartment.
Knowledge acquisition for constructive systems

Over the past ten years, significant progress has been made in understanding how the knowledge acquisition process for classification systems can be automated. But during this period little attention has been paid to the problem of how to automate the knowledge acquisition process for systems that solve problems by constructing solutions. This paper describes SALT, a tool designed to assist with knowledge acquisition for configuration tasks. SALT assumes a problem-solving strategy involving stages of generate, test, backup, modify, and regenerate. It exploits this problem-solving strategy to guide its interrogation of domain experts and to represent the knowledge they provide in a way that insures it will be brought to bear whenever relevant.
Physiologic Changes in the Aging Lung

Aerobic cellular metabolism, a fundamental requisite for homeostasis, is dependent on oxygen delivery (O2D) and acid–base status. These, in turn, require a ventilatory response that couples gas exchange at the lung with metabolism at the cellular level. Senescence-based mechanisms adversely affect the ventilatory response, however, through reductions in respiratory physiology, termed normal aging, and through increases in the prevalence of cardiopulmonary disease, termed usual aging. Both forms of aging can lead to impairments in central respiratory drive, respiratory muscle strength, respiratory mechanics, and lung perfusion, yielding various forms of alveolar hypoventilation and the mismatch of ventilation with (lung) perfusion. Clinically, these impairments increase the risk of exercise intolerance and respiratory failure, including disturbances in O2D and acid–base status. Those at highest risk are older persons with cardiopulmonary disease, particularly if they are also obese, report the use of respiratory suppressants, or are in the midst of an episode of acute lung injury such as pneumonia. This chapter reviews the adverse effects of normal aging on respiratory physiology, at rest and with exercise. It also includes an illustrative case presentation and a discussion regarding the clinical implications of age-related reductions in respiratory physiology, relative to cardiopulmonary disease, obesity, respiratory suppressants, and acute lung injury.
Effects of Caffeine on Physical Performance

(1980). Effects of Caffeine on Physical Performance. Journal of Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 56-57.
The Accuracy of Prostate Magnetic Resonance Imaging Interpretation: Impact of the Individual Radiologist and Clinical Factors

Abstract Objective To compare test performance of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) for detection of prostate cancer between individual radiologists using the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) and to identify clinical factors that may predict test performance. Materials and Methods We examined our database of consecutive men who received prostate mpMRI prior to biopsy between September 2014 and December 2016 (n = 459). Test performance (eg, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value [PPV] and negative predictive value) were defined with PI-RADS classification 4 or 5 considered test positive and Gleason score ≥7 on biopsy from any targeted core considered outcome positive. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify clinical variables that affect test performance. Results No significant differences in test performance were found among individual radiologists. Prior biopsy (odds ratio [OR] 0.10, P = .01), radiologist experience >500 prostate mpMRI (OR 0.18, P = .04), transition zone location (OR 0.10, P = .04), and posterior location (OR 0.04, P = .03) were predictors of diminished sensitivity. Location of the mpMRI lesion in the TZ was a predictor of improved specificity (OR 2.53, P = .04). Increasing age (OR 1.07, P Conclusion Although variation exists in test performance among individual radiologists using PI-RADS, significant differences were not observed. Additional prostate mpMRI experience was not beneficial in improving accuracy of interpretation. Nonmodifiable patient variables—including prostate lesion location, prior biopsy history, prostate-specific antigen, and age—are predictive of prostate mpMRI test performance.
78 Factors associated with successful mentor matching in an intervention study of youth violence

Statement of purpose One challenge of conducting intervention studies is ensuring that study participants complete the intervention. For instance, in our randomized controlled trial of Take Charge!, an emergency department-based, mentor-implemented and research-informed violence prevention program that partners with one-on-one community-based mentoring agencies, only 50% of intervention youth were successfully matched with a mentor. Understanding differences between those who complete the intervention and those who do not can further inform the implementation of future studies. Methods/approach Between June 2014-June 2016, we recruited 188 assault-injured youth aged 10–15 years from two urban pediatric emergency departments (Baltimore, MD; Philadelphia, PA). Participants were randomized to receive an intervention that included referral to Big Brothers Big Sisters for pairing with a mentor (n=98) or a comparison group that received usual care (n=90). Of the intervention group, 49 (50.0%) youth were successfully matched with a mentor. Using descriptive statistics, t-tests and chi-square analysis, we compared matched and unmatched youth with regard to demographics, time from injury to study enrollment, perceived seriousness of injury, willingness to change, risk behaviors, and a measure of household chaos. Results Youth who were successfully matched with a mentor were more likely to perceive the injury as very serious or somewhat serious compared with unmatched youth (95.9% vs. 79.6%, p=0.028). All other factors were not significantly associated with successful mentor matching. Conclusions Youth perception of seriousness of injury was associated with successful mentor matching in our study population. This may be related to the youth’s motivating factors for prevention of future injury. Significance and contributions to injury and violence prevention science Ensuring that study participants complete an intervention can be challenging. Future violence prevention interventions should consider youth perceptions of injury severity or life threat as part of the motivation to complete desired interventions.
HIV and hepatitis virus infection

As the life expectancy of patients with HIV infection increases, greater attention will need to be focused on concurrent illnesses, such as viral hepatitis, that may increase mid- to long-range morbidity and mortality. The incidence of viral hepatitis is increased in patients with HIV disease, reflecting the epidemiologic risks that these two conditions share. Coinfection with HIV seems to adversely affect the natural history of hepatitis C but may actually reduce the hepatic damage associated with hepatitis B. Immunosuppression due to HIV does not seem to significantly affect hepatitis A, E, or G. Clinicians have been reluctant to treat viral hepatitis in the HIV-infected population, but this therapeutic nihilism is unwarranted. Most studies have concluded that the treatment of hepatitis C in HIVinfected patients results in an initial efficacy and a long-term response similar to those seen in the HIV-seronegative population. Although the efficacy of interferon is reduced against hepatitis B, some nucleoside analogues are effective.
Freedom, History of

This article discusses the history of the ideal of political freedom from ancient times to the present day. Prior to the seventeenth century, political freedom was widely understood to mean not having a master, but the value and feasibility of this good was contested. Hobbes introduced the ‘negative’ conception of freedom as noninterference in the seventeenth century, and Rousseau introduced the ‘positive’ conception of freedom as effective self-mastery in the eighteenth century. The debate between these two conceptions has dominated discussions ever since, obscuring the older and once widely shared view.
Assessment of deep beams with inadequate web reinforcement using strut-and-tie models

Abstract The objective of the study summarized in this paper was to evaluate the strut-and-tie design provisions of the 2017 AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications as a capacity assessment tool for structures with non-code-compliant crack control reinforcement detailing, that is, members which do not contain the minimum volume of reinforcement and/or violate the maximum allowable spacing. A database of 905 deep beam tests was filtered down to 253 tests to complete this evaluation. Six different methods for selecting concrete efficiency factors were investigated using the database. Furthermore, a case study of an approximately 60-year-old bent cap was completed. Ultimately, it was found that, with few adjustments, the current provisions could be used to estimate the capacity of structures with out-of-date reinforcement detailing practices safely and effectively.
A Two-Stage Model Identification Method for Simulation of Electrical Wave Propagation in Heart Tissue

Computer modeling and simulation is fast-moving towards clinical applications to advance cardiac diagnosis and aid treatment planning. As cardiac models become more popular and useful, the need to tailor these models for individual subjects has grown. Therefore, model identification becomes an important step of cardiac modeling. Cardiac model identification is a challenging task, particularly for simulation in high organizational scales such as tissue and organ scales, as the models are nonlinear and involve hidden ion channel gating variables. In this study, we proposed a two-stage model calibration algorithm to estimate the parameters of cardiac tissue model using membrane potential data. Specifically, an ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) is used in the first stage to track the membrane potentials and the hidden ion channel gating variables; the outputs from the EnKF are used as the initial values to calculate forward prediction in the second stage. The optimization algorithm minimizes the sum of squared errors in both stages through a coarse and a fine optimization. The proposed method is validated through multiple simulation designs, which shows good accuracy and efficiency.
Discerning a Theological Orientation for Pastoral Psychologies of Care: Theologies of Subjugation and Theologies of Vulnerability

This article addresses the psychologies of care associated with theologies of subjugation/subordination and theologies of vulnerability. It is argued that a pastoral psychology of care necessarily emerges in relation to and is dependent on theologies of vulnerability. These theologies, in other words, provide the reasons, beliefs, motivations, and values associated with caring dispositions and actions. I contend further that one finds support for these theologies in the life, ministry, and death of Jesus. By contrast, theologies of subjugation, evident and pervasive in Judeo-Christian scriptures, foster psychologies that undermine care for Others.
Effect of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Factors on Readmissions and Mortality After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

Background Social determinants of health, including neighborhood socioeconomic status (NSES), are increasingly being associated with disparate outcomes in those undergoing cardiac procedures. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of NSES on outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods Adults undergoing isolated CABG between July 2011 and December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Neighborhood median household income (NMI) and neighborhood high school graduation rate (NHS) were obtained by individual patient ZIP code from the American FactFinder Database. Primary outcome was 5-year all-cause mortality stratified by NMI quartile. Secondary end points included mortality risk by NHS, freedom and frequency of readmission, and mortality and readmission predictors. Results During the study period, 5243 patients underwent CABG. Increasing NMI quartile was associated with increasing age, male sex, white race, decreased diabetes prevalence, decreased active smoker status, and decreased lung disease (all P Conclusions NSES affects longer-term outcomes after CABG. Patient-focused NSES interventions and incorporation of NSES variables into prediction models may improve prediction and outcomes after CABG.
Stroke in Children

Abstract Stroke is relatively rare in children, but can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. It is important to be aware of the fact that children with strokes present differently than adults, and that the clinical symptoms can vary, depending on the child's age. Children also have stroke risk factors that are less common in adults, and thus stroke etiology differs considerably with age. Management strategies in childhood stroke are primarily extrapolated from adult studies.
Syn-STELLAR: An EM/Power SCA-Resilient AES-256 With Synthesis-Friendly Signature Attenuation

Mathematically secure cryptographic algorithms leak meaningful side-channel information in the form of correlated power and electromagnetic (EM) signals, leading to physical side-channel analysis (SCA) attacks. Circuit-level countermeasures against power/EM SCA include a current equalizer, IVR, non-linear LDOs, enhancing protection up to 10M traces, and current-domain signature attenuation (CDSA), and randomized NL-LDO cascaded with arithmetic countermeasures achieved protection up to >1B. This work embraces the concept of analog CDSA but makes it easily scalable over technology nodes with digital-friendly current sources, digital control loop, and digital bleed path to increase the MTD from 10M to 250M (25x improvement, using a single digital countermeasure). Ring oscillator (RO) used as the bleed path to bypass encryption-dependent leakage acts as local negative feedback (LNFB). Besides, based on RO oscillation frequency, AES node voltage can be tuned at startup, PVT, or frequency variation. Thus, RO acts as integrated LNFB and global feedback for the digital signature attenuation circuit (DSAC). Another circuit technique, namely, the time-varying transfer function (TVTF), removes the requirement of dc bias in the current-domain equalizer (best switch capacitor-based countermeasure till date) to make it digital and utilizes switch cap-based circuit for time-domain obfuscation to achieve enhanced security. This work, namely, Syn-STELLAR: SYNthesis-friendly Signature aTtenuation Embedded crypto with Low-Level metAl Routing, combines both DSAC and TVTF techniques to achieve an MTD>1.25B for both EM and power SCA, which is 25% higher than the existing state of the art. The 65-nm CMOS test chip contains unprotected and both the protected (DSAC and DSAC-TVTF) parallel AES-256 implementation. This implementation is the first synthesis-friendly countermeasure, which converges two analog-type strong protections (signature attenuation and switched cap current equalizer) in a digital-friendly solution and achieves >1.25B MTD with power and area overheads comparable to previous circuit-level countermeasures.
Progress in SP-100 Tribological Coatings

The SP-100 Tribology Development program to investigate candidate coating materials for the SP-100 reactor is discussed. The SP-100 will operate at temperatures up to 1500 K in high vacuum. Background information, specific bearing requirements, the basis for coating material selection, testing methods, and initial results of the program are addressed.
An efficient LLL gram using buffered transformations

In this paper we introduce an improved variant of the LLL algorithm. Using the Gram matrix to avoid expensive correction steps necessary in the Schnorr-Euchner algorithm and introducing the use of buffered transformations allows us to obtain a major improvement in reduction time. Unlike previous work, we are able to achieve the improvement while obtaining a strong reduction result and maintaining the stability of the reduction algorithm.
Public library staff’s perceived value and satisfaction of an open source library system

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine public library staff attitudes towards an open-source library automation system in the state of Indiana. The researchers were interested in understanding the library staff’s perceptions of the value of the system in performing their job duties and improving library services. Design/methodology/approach – The researchers travelled to nine public libraries every three months to survey library staff from January to December 2010. The participants completed the surveys at the libraries and were given the option to remain anonymous. The survey consisted of six questions regarding the use of the Evergreen system for work processes and basic demographic information of the staff. There were a total of 323 survey respondents. Of the 323 respondents, 57 (17.65 per cent) used the Evergreen system in their daily work routines at the library. Findings – The primary benefits reported were: ability to check the availability of library materials at other Evergreen librari...
Growth Properties of Rhodospirillum rubrum Mutants and Fermentation of Pyruvate in Anaerobic, Dark Conditions

Mutant C and G1 were obtained earlier from Rhodospirillum rubrum S(1) during growth in the dark under strict anaerobic conditions in medium containing sodium pyruvate. Mutant C and mutant G1 grew in the dark with generation times of 5.8 h and 4.6 h, respectively. Mutant C cells grew equally well when switched between anaerobic (dark or light) or aerobic, dark conditions. Mutant G1 cells grew only in the dark (anaerobic or aerobic conditions), but a fraction of cells in anaerobic, dark cultures grew when placed in light. This number increased about 3,000-fold when G1 cells were incubated aerobically in the dark. During anaerobic, dark growth, C and G1 organisms incorporated similar amounts of [2-(14)C]sodium pyruvate. About 34% of the incorporated radioactivity was found in lipid fractions from C cells that developed chromatophores during dark growth. Similar results were obtained using G1 cells, which formed only trace amounts of photosynthetic structures. Both mutants fermented sodium pyruvate and produced acetate, formate, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen gas. Molar growth yield coefficients indicated that the cells obtained about 1 mol of adenosine triphosphate per mol of sodium pyruvate fermented. Results suggested that pyruvate fermentation during dark growth occurred via a pyruvate formate-lyase or the pyruvate ferredoxin-oxidoreductase pathway, or both.
Out of the Box: Approaches to Good initial Interface Designs

Publisher Summary It seems likely that devotion to any single approach to initial user interface (UI) design would not produce as good designs as the use of multiple approaches. The discussion in this chapter indicates that training in creativity, analogical reasoning, rational thinking, and/or the principles of perception and cognition can increase skill in these areas. Accordingly, companies might invest in training to improve the design of initial interfaces. Alternatively, companies could hire people who already had acquired the appropriate skills for initial design. To identify those people, companies would still have to invest in some means of identifying people with the skills. Current interview techniques at many companies may not be effective in identifying the best designers. Developing valid instruments for selecting employees who have skills in creative design, analogical design, rational design, and/or the application of cognitive and perceptual principles will also require a substantial investment. The difference in cost between the training approach and the selection approach may be that developing and implementing an effective training system will have both a high initial cost and a relatively high continuing cost, whereas the bulk of the cost for selection would be upfront for the development of selection instruments. A third approach is to continue with the current system in which most training is done at universities before a designer is hired, and selection is based on factors that may or may not correlate with design skill. Of the three approaches, this approach has a low cost but also has the lowest chance of producing good initial designs.
Binary-black-hole encounters, gravitational bursts, and maximum final spin.

The spin of the final black hole in the coalescence of nonspinning black holes is determined by the ``residual'' orbital angular momentum of the binary. This residual momentum consists of the orbital angular momentum that the binary is not able to shed in the process of merging. We study the angular momentum radiated, the spin of the final black hole, and the gravitational bursts in a sequence of equal mass encounters. The initial orbital configurations range from those producing an almost direct infall to others leading to numerous orbits before infall, with multiple bursts of radiation. Our sequence consists of orbits with fixed impact parameter. What varies is the initial linear momentum of the black holes. For this sequence, the final black hole of mass ${M}_{h}$ gets a maximum spin parameter $a/{M}_{h}\ensuremath{\approx}0.823$, with this maximum occurring for initial orbital angular momentum $L/{M}_{h}^{2}\ensuremath{\approx}1.176$.
A novel TCTG(G/C) direct repeat and an A/T-rich HMG2-binding site control the expression of the rat cardiac troponin T gene

Abstract Q. Wang, J. L.-C. Lin, and J. J.-C. Lin. A Novel TCTG(G/C) Direct Repeat and an A/T-Rich HMG2-Binding Site Control the Expression of the Rat Cardiac Troponin T Gene. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (2002) 34 , 1667–1679. We previously showed that the rat cardiac troponin T proximal promoter (−497 bp from the transcriptional start site) was sufficient to confer cardiac-specific expression of a reporter gene in both cultured cardiomyocytes and transgenic mice. This promoter consists of two cis-regulatory modules with high sequence similarity. Nucleotides from −319 to −289 (termed D2) and nucleotides from −249 to −209 (termed F41) contain a TCTG(G/C) direct repeat and an A/T-rich sequence. Competition gel mobility shift assays revealed that the same protein factors were bound to both D2 and F41. Deletion and religation studies of the promoter suggested that D2 acted as an enhancer but could not totally substitute for the F41 function. Mutational analyses demonstrated that the direct repeat was required for the DNA-binding and promoter activity. Moreover, cardiac-specific 42 kDa proteins and a ubiquitous high mobility group 2 (HMG2) protein were identified to be responsible for the binding to the TCTG(G/C) direct repeat and the A/T-rich sequence, respectively. Overexpression of HMG2 had differential effects on the promoter in cardiomyocytes versus fibroblasts. Our results provided the first evidence to support that HMG2 together with tissue-specific factors could direct a stimulatory or inhibitory effect on the cardiac troponin T gene expression in heart or non-heart tissue, respectively.
pH sensing comparison of vapor and solution APTES coated Si nanograting FETs

We tested and compared the pH sensing with lithographically defined Si NGFETs modified in APTES-ethanol solution and APTES vapor. Both sensors show a good linear response over the pH range of ~ 4 - 9. The vapor APTES coated sensor exhibits higher sensitivity than the solution APTES coated sensor, although the hysteresis is slightly larger.
Source Water Protection in Traditional Haudenosaunee Nations: Report on SFAA/EPA Environmental Anthropology Fellowship

This article describes a source water protection project carried out under a fellowship funded through the SfAA/EPA Cooperative Agreement in Environmental Anthropology. The fellowship, entitled "Community Dynamics of Source Water Protection," was sponsored by the EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW), and was designed to provide technical assistance to American Indian Nations engaged in drinking water protection efforts. Through a collaboration with the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force, a regional organization with delegates from Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Nations in New York and Canada, I worked with the Tuscarora Nation in western New York to help them develop a source water protection education booklet for their community. I also prepared a guide to source water protection resources on the internet for use by HETF members and Nation environmental staff. Both documents are designed specifically to meet the needs of traditional Haudenosaunee Nations, based on my understanding of the...
Anti-viral properties of interferon beta treatment in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Viral infections are potentially associated with the etiology and pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). It has been speculated that the treatment efficacy of interferon beta (IFN beta) in MS may...