cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A wavelet domain diversity method for transmission of images over wireless channels

We propose a wavelet domain diversity combining method to combat errors during image transmission on wireless channels. For images represented in the wavelet domain, diversity is used to obtain multiple data streams corresponding to the transmitted image at the receiver. These individual image data streams are combined to form a composite image with higher perceptual quality. Both uncompressed and compressed images are considered. The SPIHT algorithm is used for image compression. Diversity combining methods for both uncompressed and compressed images exploit the characteristics of the wavelet transform. For compressed images, unequal error protection is employed in conjunction with diversity combining. Simulation results demonstrate that the quality of the received image can be significantly improved.
Surface Diffusion of Cellulases on Cellulose Fibrils Studied through Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Cellulases are enzymes that can depolymerize cellulose, producing soluble sugars. Depending on their activity, cellulases can be classified into endocellulases, which randomly break intermediate glucosidic bonds, or exocellulases, which cleave bonds at the ends of cellulose chains. In addition, cellulases can be processive and cleave multiple bonds in succession. The current view of the mechanism for cellulase binding, diffusion along cellulose, and catalytic activity has been mostly derived from experiments performed in bulk. This has led to the generalized assumption that cellulases have multiple binding states: weak binding where the enzyme surveys the cellulose surface without catalysis, strong binding with or without catalysis, and processive displacement. Because the topography of lignocellulosic substrates is highly heterogeneous, the types of binding are further convolved by the availability of binding sites and reduced accessibility due to pore structure. Thus, experiments that elucidate surface diffusion behavior can significantly contribute to understanding how cellulases depolymerize cellulose and to improve the efficiency of saccharification processes by targeting limiting steps in binding, diffusion, and catalysis.To study the characteristic interactions between cellulases and cellulose, we have employed fluorescently-labeled cellulases in conjunction with labeled or unlabeled cellulose and various fluorescence microscopy methods. In particular we have studied long-range surface diffusion characteristics for Thermobifida fusca cellulases Cel5A, Cel6B, and Cel9A through confocal FRAP and short-range displacement through single molecule tracking. In order to simplify the interpretation of results, we have used bacterial microcrystalline cellulose fibrils immobilized on glass surfaces through “molecular combing” and incubated with the different cellulases. The experiments presented have been conducted at a range of temperatures that affect the binding and catalytic activities. Our findings challenge traditional assumptions about the role of long-range surface diffusion and offer a glimpse on the processivity of cellulases.
Anatomic and Functional Variability: The Effects of Filter Size in Group fMRI Data Analysis

In the analysis of group fMRI scans, an optimal spatial filter should be large enough to accurately blend functionally homologous anatomic regions, yet small enough not to blur the functionally distinct regions. Hanning filters varying from 0.0 to 18.0 mm were evaluated in a group analysis of six healthy controls performing a simple finger-tapping paradigm. Test-retest reliability and Talairach-based measurements of the sensorimotor region were used to explore the optimal filter size. Two distinct regions of functional activation were noted in the sensorimotor cortex in group images (n = 6) at both time 1 and time 2. These regions merge once the filter size exceeds approximately 6.0 mm. The original hypothesis that these represented a motor and sensory activation was rejected on the basis of structural and functional variability. A discussion of the inherent difficulties in choosing an appropriate filter size is presented.
Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Nutritionally Variant Streptococci

Seventeen strains of nutritionally variant streptococci were examined for susceptibility to 15 antimicrobial agents. All strains grew in blood culture medium containing blood and blood products or, in the absence of blood or blood products, in broth containing glucose and pyridoxal hydrochloride. Growth was enhanced by incubation in an atmosphere containing 5%-10% CO2 or, in some cases, was CO2-dependent. Rifampin, penicillin, clindamycin, and erythromycin were the most active antibiotics tested with minimal bactericidal concentrations of 2, 1, 2, and 2 microgram/ml, respectively, for 90% of the strains; the corresponding values for vancomycin and streptomycin were 32 and 16 microgram/ml, respectively.
Altered mechanical state in the embryonic heart results in time-dependent decreases in cardiac function

Proper blood flow patterns are critical for normal cardiac morphogenesis, a process that occurs rapidly in order to support further development of all tissue and organs. Previously, intracardiac fluid forces have been shown to play a critical role in cardiac morphogenesis. Altered blood flow in early development can result in an array of cardiac defects including ventricular septal defects, valve malformations, and impaired cardiac looping. However, given the dynamic and highly transient nature of cardiac morphogenesis, time dependency of the mechanical environment as an epigenetic factor in relation to intracardiac forces must be significant. Here, we show that abnormal cardiac loading adversely influences cardiac morphology only during certain time windows, thus confirming that mechanical factors are a time-dependent epigenetic factor. To illustrate this, groups of zebrafish embryos were spaced at 6-h increments from 24 to 48 h post-fertilization (hpf) in which embryos were centrifuged to generate a noninvasive alteration of cardiac preload in addition to an overall hypergravity environment. We found that earlier and later treatment groups responded with altered morphology and function, while the group with altered preload from 30 to 36 hpf had no effect. These results demonstrate the inherently time-dependent nature of epigenetic factors as pertaining to intracardiac forces and external mechanical factors. Further, it underscores the highly coupled nature of programmed biology and mechanical forces during cardiac morphogenesis. Future studies with respect to surgical correction during cardiac morphogenesis must consider timing to optimize therapeutic impact.
Sex Differences in Relationship Regret: The Role of Perceived Mate Characteristics

The current set of studies examined regret involving action and inaction in the realm of romantic relationships by testing whether such regret is associated with the characteristics of one's mate. In study 1, 394 participants reported on a previous casual sexual encounter, and in study 2, 358 participants reported on a previous romantic relationship. In both, instances of actual engagement and instances of passing up opportunities were studied. Study 3 was experimental and elicited reactions to hypothetical scenarios from 201 participants. Regret reported by men in both study 1 and study 2 varied as a function of the perceived attractiveness of the participants' actual and potential mate. Regret reported by women in study 2 varied as a function of the perceived stinginess of the participant's mate and perceived wealth of the participants' potential mate. Study 3 found that sex differences in type of regret (with men regretting inaction more than women) occurred only when the mate presented in the scenario...
Outsourcing Basic Physical Education Instruction to Enhance Student Enrichment

The number of outsource-service providers is growing among college and universities because of declining budgets and cutbacks in private support. Typically, these efforts have involved non-instruct...
Enzymology of Lysyl Oxidase

The pH dependency of steady-state kinetic parameters and the results of chemical modification of lysyl oxidase by diethylpyrocarbonate has identified an enzyme residue with a pKa of 7.0 ± 0.1 and an enthalpy of ionization of 6.1 kcal mole-1, consistent with an active site histidine residue. This residue could function as a general base in the abstraction of a proton from the substrate during lysyl oxidase catalysis. Evidence for complex formation between the amine substrate and PQQ in lysyl oxidase was derived from the similar perturbations induced by n-butylamine in the spectra of the enzyme and of PQQ under anaerobic conditions. A new avenue for the development of inhibitors of lysyl oxidase is suggested by the finding that the eis isomer but not the trans isomer of 1,2-diaminocyclo-hexane is a potent inhibitor of this enzyme, apparently by virtue of its interaction with PQQ at the active site.
Moral Hazard and Asymmetric Information in Clientelistic Linkages

Party candidates have information about voters’ political preferences and their likelihoodof turning out to vote, and are able to target clientelistic inducements and monitor voterparticipation in exchange for voters’ electoral support. However, candidates may alsouse the clientelistic inducements they receive from mayors to pursue their personalenrichment, at the cost of lost votes for their party. Drawing on an original dataset thattraces the political careers of 137 municipal candidates in Argentina, I show how mayorscombine information from voter turnout at rallies and elections. By comparing acandidate’s ability to mobilize voters, mayors are able to make inferences about reliablecandidates who will distribute party goods to voters, and unreliable candidates who willuse party goods to pad their own pockets.
Contractile activity increases plasma membrane glucose transporters in absence of insulin.

To study the interactions between insulin and contraction on the skeletal muscle glucose transport system, the hindquarters of male rats were perfused in the absence of insulin, in the presence of insulin (30 mU/ml), during contractions induced by sciatic nerve stimulation, or during contractions plus insulin. Compared with control preparations, rates of glucose uptake in the perfused hindquarter were increased by 2.5- and 2.6-fold in the insulin and insulin plus contraction groups, respectively, but not significantly increased in the contraction only preparations. After perfusion, soleus and red and white gastrocnemius muscles from the hindquarter were pooled and used for the preparation of plasma membranes. Skeletal muscle plasma membrane vesicle glucose transport rates were 2.2 +/- 0.5, 7.9 +/- 1.7, 9.0 +/- 2.2, and 10.8 +/- 2.0 nmol.mg protein-1.s-1 (40 mM glucose), and plasma membrane glucose transporter numbers were 4.7 +/- 0.5, 8.1 +/- 0.9, 9.1 +/- 1.0, and 8.6 +/- 0.6 pmol/mg protein in the control, contraction, insulin, and insulin plus contraction groups, respectively. The transport-transporter ratio, an indication of plasma membrane glucose transporter intrinsic activity, was increased by contraction, insulin, and insulin plus contraction. These results demonstrate that contractile activity in the absence of insulin increases muscle plasma membrane glucose transport by increasing transporter number and intrinsic activity. In addition, under these experimental conditions, the effects of insulin and contraction to increase muscle glucose transport are not additive.
Preliminary results with a low-cost fiber-optic gyrocompass system

This paper reports results of preliminary numerical simulation studies and preliminary static experimental evaluation of a true-North gyrocompass system employing a commercially available low-cost inertial measurement unit (IMU) comprising a 3-axis fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) with microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometers. North-seeking gyrocompass systems typically employ a microprocessor system to sample the IMUs low-level raw sensor values for angular-rate and linear-acceleration at a high sampling rate, compensate for sensor bias and alignment, and compute a high-level estimate for true-North heading, pitch, and roll. We report the results of a numerical simulation study to evaluate the potential accuracy of the proposed system, and a numerical sensitivity study to evaluate how this accuracy will change with variation in the sensor measurement noise of the gyroscopes and accelerometers. We report preliminary experimental results for a static benchtop configuration of this system which utilizes 3-axis angular-rate data and 3-axis linear acceleration sensor data to estimate the instrument's 3-degrees of freedom (DOF) attitude (heading, pitch, and roll) without using magnetometry of the Earth's magnetic field. These preliminary results for a static benchtop IMU configuration are promising, and directly applicable to static instrument deployments, but further development, testing, and evaluation is needed for the case of dynamic IMU configuration typically found on moving marine vehicles.
Statistical Network Models

As suggested in the previous chapter, for most of the history of network science analysts were limited to network visualization and network description. Only in the past couple of decades has network statistical theory and computational power developed enough to allow for valid and feasible statistical modeling of networks. The primary barrier to statistical network modeling was the fundamental assumption of independence of observations that underlies much of traditional statistical theory. Networks by definition are non-independent. If you know that one actor is tied to another actor, you have information about the second actor that is dependent on the first.
Treating Tobacco Dependence at the Intersection of Diversity, Poverty, and Mental Illness: A Randomized Feasibility and Replication Trial

Introduction: In an ethnically-diverse, uninsured psychiatric sample with co-occurring drug/alcohol addiction, we evaluated the feasibility and reproducibility of a tobacco treatment intervention. The intervention previously demonstrated efficacy in insured psychiatric and nonpsychiatric samples with 20.0%–25.0% abstinence at 18 months.
Model Based Prediction and Control of Machining Deflection Error in Turning Slender Bars

Model based control of machining processes is aimed at improving the performance of CNC systems by using the knowledge of machining process to reduce cost, improving machining accuracy and improving overall productivity. In this paper, real time control of the machining process to maintain dimensional quality when turning a slender bar is addressed. The goal is to actively control the machining feed rate to maintain constant and predicable deflection through a combined force-stiffness model integrated to the process controller. A brief review is presented on manufacturing process models, process monitoring, and model based control strategies such as Model Predictive Control (MPC). The main objective of this paper is to outline a method for deploying such models to process control. To demonstrate this, model of the deflection of the workpiece under tool cutting forces is developed. Unknown process parameters have been calculated using series of FEA simulations and verified with basic experimental data. A simple but effective control strategy has been formulated and simulated. In the initial results, the diameter of bar is maintained within 1.04% error with controller as opposed to up to 4% error without controller. Ultimately, the goal is to deploy such control strategies in the industrial control system. With the continual development in physical understanding of machining processes and affordable computing technology (both software and hardware) coupled with Open Architecture Control (OAC) applied to CNC machine tools, such approaches are now computationally feasible. This will be an enabling factor to deploy model based control in an industrial environment. The last section discusses the proposed hardware architecture to achieve this. The paper concludes with a brief plan for the future work and a summary.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
THE UTILITY OF NOVEL THREE-DIMENSIONAL SPECKLE TRACKING ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY PARAMETERS FOR GLOBAL LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION ASSESSMENT: THE CORONARY ARTERY RISK DEVELOPMENT IN YOUNG ADULTS (CARDIA) STUDY

3D speckle-tracking echocardiography (3D-STE) allows evaluation of different components of strain simultaneously in three dimensions. We aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of 3D strain parameters for global left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in comparison with 2D STE. Included were 250 CARDIA
The effect of static high magnetic field on bacillus subtilis

Objective:To study the effect of static high magnetic field(SHMF)on the microorganism.Methods:Based on the SHMF produced by superconducting magnets,bacillus subtilis being regarded as model organism,the characters of the microorganism were studied in the SHMF by determining the growth curves,growth rate of spores,expression and activity of proteases and so on. Results:Static high magnetic field could affect the forming rate of spores and reduce the death rate of vegetative mass.Through detecting the proteases content,alkaline and neutral proteases in the growth process of germs,it was discovered that there was no significant change in the content of proteases before/alter magnetic treatment;the enzyme activity of alkaline proteinase in the treatment group was obviously higher than that in the control group,but the enzyme activity of neutral proteinase lower than that in the control group. Conclusions:The static high magnetic field can prolong the generation cycle of bacilli subtilis and reduce the death rate of germs,which varies with the species of enzymes.
Additive- and Metal-Free, Predictably 1,2- and 1,3-Regioselective, Photoinduced Dual C–H/C–X Borylation of Haloarenes

We report herein a simple, additive- and metal-free, photoinduced, dual C–H/C–X borylation of chloro-, bromo-, and iodoarenes. The reaction produces 1,2- and 1,3-diborylarenes on gram scales under batch and continuous flow conditions. The regioselectivity of the dual C–H/C–X borylation is determined by the solvent and the substituents in the parent haloarenes.
Delay-Macromodelling Of Cmos Transmission-Gate-Based-Circuits

Transmission gates are used extensively in CMOS VLSI circuits. However, very few delay models have been developed for transmission gates or transmission-gate-based circuits. Accurate delay models are presented in this paper and compared with delays obtained from SPICE simulations. These delay models are based on analytical expressions for the output voltage of the transmission-gate-based circuits in various regions of operation obtained from the mode of operation of MOS transistors that make up the circuit. The model-based output propagation delays and transition times are within 10% of SPICE-simulation-based delays for various capacitive loads and input transition times.
Microcystin-LR induced liver injury in mice and in primary human hepatocytes is caused by oncotic necrosis.

Microcystins are a group of toxins produced by freshwater cyanobacteria. Uptake of microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR) by organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B2 in hepatocytes results in inhibition of protein phosphatase 1A and 2A, and subsequent cell death. Studies performed in primary rat hepatocytes demonstrate prototypical apoptosis after MC-LR exposure; however, no study has directly tested whether apoptosis is critically involved in vivo in the mouse, or in human hepatocytes. MC-LR (120 μg/kg) was administered to C57BL/6J mice and cell death was evaluated by alanine aminotransferase (ALT) release, caspase-3 activity in the liver, and histology. Mice exposed to MC-LR had increases in plasma ALT values, and hemorrhage in the liver, but no increase in capase-3 activity in the liver. Pre-treatment with the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk failed to protect against cell death measured by ALT, glutathione depletion, or hemorrhage. Administration of MC-LR to primary human hepatocytes resulted in significant toxicity at concentrations between 5 nM and 1 μM. There were no elevated caspase-3 activities and pretreatment with z-VAD-fmk failed to protect against cell death in human hepatocytes. MC-LR treated human hepatocytes stained positive for propidium iodide, indicating membrane instability, a marker of necrosis. Of note, both increases in PI positive cells, and increases in lactate dehydrogenase release, occurred before the onset of complete actin filament collapse. In conclusion, apoptosis does not contribute to MC-LR-induced cell death in the in vivo mouse model or in primary human hepatocytes in vitro. Thus, targeting necrotic cell death mechanisms will be critical for preventing microcystin-induced liver injury.
The international political economy of the hack: A closer look at markets for cybersecurity software

ABSTRACTThis article examines the development of hacking and cybersecurity software packages as commodities, based on an international political economy of vendors and clients operating in the interstices of international law. Offensive hacking and defensive cybersecurity tools offer new means for surveillance of critics, journalists, and human rights workers, especially in corrupt or authoritarian political systems. The article provides a case study of the Hacking Team, an international “cybersecurity” firm offering spyware and surveillance systems to government security agencies, which was itself hacked and “doxed” in 2015. The leak of documents contributes new knowledge of an international political economy for software products, which exploits the digital rights of targets and which could further undermine general Internet security.
ADAR1 controls apoptosis of stressed cells by inhibiting Staufen1-mediated mRNA decay

Both p150 and p110 isoforms of ADAR1 convert adenosine to inosine in double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). ADAR1p150 suppresses the dsRNA-sensing mechanism that activates MDA5-MAVS-IFN signaling in the cytoplasm. In contrast, the biological function of the ADAR1p110 isoform, which is usually located in the nucleus, is largely unknown. Here, we show that stress-activated phosphorylation of ADAR1p110 by MKK6-p38-MSK MAP kinases promotes its binding to Exportin-5 and its export from the nucleus. After translocating to the cytoplasm, ADAR1p110 suppresses apoptosis in stressed cells by protecting many antiapoptotic gene transcripts that contain 3'-untranslated-region dsRNA structures primarily comprising inverted Alu repeats. ADAR1p110 competitively inhibits binding of Staufen1 to the 3'-untranslated-region dsRNAs and antagonizes Staufen1-mediated mRNA decay. Our study reveals a new stress-response mechanism in which human ADAR1p110 and Staufen1 regulate surveillance of a set of mRNAs required for survival of stressed cells.
The Prevalence of Chronic Conditions and Poor Health Among People With and Without Vision Impairment, Aged ≥65 Years, 2010–2014

Purpose To examine the prevalence of 13 chronic conditions and fair/poor health among people aged ≥65 years in the United States with and without vision impairment. Design Cross-sectional study from the 2010–2014 National Health Interview Survey. Methods We examined hypertension, heart disease, high cholesterol, stroke, arthritis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, weak/failing kidneys, diabetes, hepatitis, depression, and hearing impairment. We used logistic regression to show the association between vision impairment and chronic conditions and the association between vision impairment and poor health for those with chronic conditions. Results People aged ≥65 years with vision impairment reported greater prevalence of chronic conditions compared to people without vision impairment. After controlling for covariates (age, sex, education, race, smoking, physical activity, and obesity), people with vision impairment were more likely than those without to report chronic conditions (hypertension: OR [odds ratio] 1.43; heart disease: OR 1.68; high cholesterol: OR 1.26; stroke: OR 1.99; arthritis; OR 1.71; asthma: OR 1.56; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: OR 1.65; cancer: OR 1.23; weak/failing kidneys: OR 2.29; diabetes: OR 1.56; hepatitis: OR 1.30; depression: OR 1.47; hearing impairment: OR 1.91) (all P P Conclusion Higher prevalence of chronic conditions is strongly associated with vision impairment among the older people and poor health is strongly associated with vision impairment and chronic conditions.
Pinning, rotation, and metastability of BiFeO 3 cycloidal domains in a magnetic field

Earlier models for the room-temperature multiferroic ${\mathrm{BiFeO}}_{3}$ implicitly assumed that a very strong anisotropy restricts the domain wave vectors $\mathbf{q}$ to the threefold-symmetric axis normal to the static polarization $\mathbf{P}$. However, recent measurements demonstrate that the domain wave vectors $\mathbf{q}$ rotate within the hexagonal plane normal to $\mathbf{P}$ away from the magnetic field orientation $\mathbf{m}$. We show that the previously neglected threefold anisotropy ${K}_{3}$ restricts the wave vectors to lie along the threefold axis in zero field. Taking $\mathbf{m}$ to lie along a threefold axis, the domain with $\mathbf{q}$ parallel to $\mathbf{m}$ remains metastable below ${B}_{c1}\ensuremath{\approx}7$ T. Due to the pinning of domains by nonmagnetic impurities, the wave vectors of the other two domains start to rotate away from $\mathbf{m}$ above 5.6 T, when the component of the torque $\mathbf{\ensuremath{\tau}}=\mathbf{M}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathbf{B}$ along $\mathbf{P}$ exceeds a threshold value ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{\mathrm{pin}}$. Since $\mathbf{\ensuremath{\tau}}=0$ when $\mathbf{m}\ensuremath{\perp}\mathbf{q}$, the wave vectors of those domains never become completely perpendicular to the magnetic field. Our results explain recent measurements of the critical field as a function of field orientation, small-angle neutron scattering measurements of the wave vectors, as well as spectroscopic measurements with $\mathbf{m}$ along a threefold axis. The model developed in this paper also explains how the three multiferroic domains of ${\mathrm{BiFeO}}_{3}$ for a fixed $\mathbf{P}$ can be manipulated by a magnetic field.
Letter from the Editor (March 2018)

This issue marks 50 years of Information Technology and Libraries . The scope and ever-accelerating pace of technological change over the five decades since Journal of Library Automation was launched in 1968 mirrors what the world at large has experienced. From “automating” existing services and functions a half century ago, libraries are now using technology to rethink, recreate, and reinvent services — often in areas that simply were in the realm of science fiction.
Fiftieth anniversary of the first heart transplant: The progress of American medical research, the ethical dilemmas, and Christiaan Barnard.

(2017). Fiftieth Anniversary of the First Heart Transplant: The Progress of American Medical Research, the Ethical Dilemmas, and Christiaan Barnard. Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings: Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 475-477.
TRENDS IN MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION WITHOUT OBSTRUCTIVE ATHEROSCLEROTIC CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE: SINGLE CENTER ANALYSIS FROM NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND

Registry data suggests that up to 20% of patient presenting with myocardial infarction (MI) have no evidence of obstructive atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (aCAD). Whether this diagnosis is increasing in prevalence in contemporary practice remains unknown. We evaluated 16960 patients
Early Point-of-Care Testing at Triage Reduces Care Time in Stable Adult Emergency Department Patients.

Abstract Background Core laboratory testing may increase length of stay and delay care. Objectives We compared length of emergency department (ED) care in patients receiving point-of-care testing (POCT) at triage vs. traditional core laboratory testing. Methods We conducted a prospective, case-controlled trial of adult patients with prespecified conditions requiring laboratory testing and had POCT performed by a nurse after triage for: a basic metabolic panel, troponin I, lactate, INR (i-STAT System), urinalysis (Beckman Coulter Icon), or urine pregnancy test. Study patients were matched with controls based on clinical condition, gender, age, and time to be seen. Groups were compared with Wilcoxon rank–sum or Fisher's exact tests. Results We matched 52 POCT study patients with 52 controls. Groups were similar in age, gender, clinical condition, time to be seen by a physician (3.3 h, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.2–4.4, vs. 3.1 h, 95% CI 2.2–4.5 h, in POCT and control patients, respectively; p = 0.84), use of imaging, and disposition. Of 52 study patients, 3 (5.8%, 95% CI 2.0–15.9) were immediately transferred to the critical care area to be urgently seen by an emergency physician. POCT patients had a significantly shorter median (interquartile range [IQR]) ED care time than matched controls (7.6, 95% CI 5.1–9.5 vs. 8.5, 6.2–11.3 h, respectively; p = 0.015). Median [IQR] ED length of stay was similar in study patients and controls (9.6, 95% CI 7.9–14.5 vs. 12.5, 8.2–21.2 h, respectively; p = 0.15). Conclusions Among stable adult patients presenting to the ED with one of the prespecified conditions, early POCT at triage, compared with traditional core laboratory testing after evaluation by an ED provider, reduced ED care time by approximately 1 h.
System-Wide Energy Optimization with DVS and DCR

In Chaps. 3 and 5, we described approaches and algorithms for employing DCR and DVS in real-time systems separately. However, as shown in Fig. 1.5, both processor and cache subsystem as well as other components contribute to the system’s overall power dissipation. Therefore, it is promising to employ DVS and DCR simultaneously to perform system-wide energy optimization.
Homology and Homoplasy

Homology refers to the study of sameness and is used most often in the phylogenetic, or historical, sense of the ‘same’ phenotypic structure, across two or more taxa, that has been inherited from a common ancestor. Recent advances in understanding the genetic/developmental bases for phenotypic expression have led to advances in and revisions of this concept. Two of the three categories of homoplasy (the opposite of homology), parallelism and reversal, now are recognized to involve, like most cases of phylogenetic homology, the inheritance of the generative systems, while, in contrast, only the third category, convergence, constitutes truly independent evolution.
Persuasive resources of a flourishing humanity: The art of convincing: how to effectively convey your message [L'arte di convincere. Come trasmettere efficacemente il tuo messaggio] (Alberto Gil)

Alberto Gil is a professor of Romance Language Translation Studies at the Saarland University in Germany, where he is also a professor of rhetoric for the doctoral studies program. In addition to T...
Erratum: Assari, S.; Mistry, R. Educational Attainment and Smoking Status in a National Sample of American Adults; Evidence for the Blacks’ Diminished Return. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 763

Due to an error during production, a citation of the published paper [1] was incorrect [...].
Dissemination of cancer of the colon and rectum

Dissemination of cancer of the colon and rectum occurs through (1) local invasion, (2) lymphatic extension, (3) vascular extension, and (4) implantation or seeding. Following combined abdominoperineal resection for carcinoma of the rectum in 103 patients, perineal recurrences were observed in seven. In only two, however, were the recurrences due to implantation. Both of these had multiple recurrences. The first patient permitted removal of the initial recurrence but refused surgical removal of the second. The other patient had all three perineal recurrences removed and is clinically free of malignant disease three and one half years after the initial operation.
Bruce’s ‘Other’ Supreme Court Case

Bruce Jacob, former Dean of the Stetson University College of Law and long-time faculty member of various institutions, is famous for having argued Gideon v. Wainwright before the Supreme Court. What many do not know, however, is that Bruce argued a perhaps equally important case to the Warren Court five years later. And this time he won. The case, Kaufman v. United States, established that inmates, whether federal or state, may use federal habeas corpus to challenge Fourth Amendment violations. Unfortunately, this result was short-lived. Within ten years it had been replaced by another Supreme Court decision, Stone v. Powell, put in place by a new and more conservative Burger Court. This short piece describes Bruce's efforts in the Kaufman case, the Court's holding, its legacy, and the career of the story's deuteragonist (before and after prison), Harold Kaufman.
When Patients Say They Know About Palliative Care, How Much Do They Really Understand?

Abstract Context Lack of knowledge or misconceptions about palliative care (PC) can serve as barriers to accessing PC for seriously ill patients. Although self-reported rates of PC knowledge have been increasing, little is known about how self-reports relate to actual PC knowledge. Objective To determine the prevalence of PC knowledge and the portion of those reporting they are knowledgeable have actual PC knowledge of basic PC principals. Methods We used the Health Information National Trends Survey 5, Cycle 2, a nationally representative data set to describe the prevalence of self-reported PC knowledge. We conducted chi-squared test to compare self-rated PC knowledge level with actual knowledge. Finally, we ran a logistic regression to examine if self-reported knowledge level, age, and cancer history were associated with actual PC knowledge. Results About 34% of participants self-reported having at least some knowledge of PC, and 41% of those reporting familiarities with PC were able to answer all three basic PC questions correctly. Rates of correct responses for cancer patients were similar (42%) to the general sample and older adults were lower (35%). Compared with those with less than a high school education, people with a bachelor's degree and post-baccalaureate degree had higher odds ratio (21.07 and 23.07, respectively) of actual understanding of PC. Conclusions We found that self-reported PC knowledge may not reflect actual PC knowledge. Physicians should carefully explain PC when introducing it to patients. In addition, this PC information should be provided at a low literacy level to ensure widespread understanding of the service.
Traces of Learning in Thalamocortical Circuits.

A recent study (Audette et al., 2019) demonstrates that thalamic input from the posterior medial (POm) nucleus to somatosensory cortex plays an unexpected role in plasticity resulting from associative sensory learning. POm-mediated plasticity may be critical for coordinating learning-related sensorimotor circuitry.
Chaotic Homes, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Serious Delinquency: Differential Effects by Race and Ethnicity

Disparate research has shown that exposure to chaotic homes and adverse childhood experiences are associated with antisocial behavior, but these lines of research have not converged. The current st...
The influence of chemical modifications on the fragmentation behavior of fentanyl and fentanyl‐related compounds in electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has been approved by the FDA as a general anesthetic because of its rapid onset and high potency. However, since 2013 an opioid epidemic involving fentanyl or fentanyl-related compounds (FRCs) has swept the United States and caused numerous deaths in every state. The identification of novel FRCs is complicated by the rapid turnover of modifications to the core fentanyl structure. In this study, a series of 16 FRCs were analyzed using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) to gain a deeper understanding of the conserved and unique fragmentation behaviors associated with substitution to the core fentanyl structure. This work provides an approach, based on the product ions from ESI-MS/MS, to identify the modification site(s) on the core fentanyl structure for FRCs. Five common locations of substitution to the core fentanyl structure were used to assess the effect of substitution on the fragmentation behavior of FRCs. The proposed fragmentation pathways are supported through the combination of isotopic labeling, multi-stage mass spectrometry (MSn ), and accurate mass measurements with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The identification of primary product ions specific to regions of substitution provides an additional tool for the identification of the location of substitution to the core fentanyl structure, which ultimately will assist toxicologists and seized drug analysts in the identification of emerging FRCs.
2.19 – Saliency

The term saliency refers to the property of an object or event of being easily noticed or standing out from its surround. Saliency has both a sensory component, determined by the physical contrast between a feature of the object and the surrounding environment, and a behavioral component, determined by the relevance of an object to immediate behavioral goals. This chapter focuses on the neural representations of salient objects or features throughout the visual system with an emphasis on the integration of stimulus-driven and behavioral influences and the rule of this integrated saliency signal in the dynamic control of both perception and action.
Scottish Internationalisms at the 1938 Empire Exhibition: Between Britain, Europe, and Empire

The 1938 British Empire Exhibition held in Glasgow was the last of its kind, a spectacular event that celebrated the British Empire and sought to bring global attention to Scotland. The exhibition was a celebration of empire at a time when anti-imperial movements were growing in strength across the globe, and a hopeful expression of peaceful world unity at a time when war seemed increasingly inevitable. This essay considers the ambivalences at the heart of this exhibition through readings of various literary responses to it in contemporary journals, the popular press, and ephemera. It argues for the particular significance of the location for the exhibition, positing the 1938 British Empire Exhibition as a cultural event that suggests Scotland’s complex negotiation of various international networks and identities as well as its ambivalent place in Britain, Europe. Glasgow, 1938 becomes a significant place and time to view the emergence of modern Britain.Publisher’s Note: This article was originally published with an incorrect peer review statement, which said that this article was an internally reviewed editorial. This has now been amended to reflect the fact that this is a piece of research that underwent double blind peer review by two external reviewers.
The devil’s armpit and other tales from the rural rustbelt: Interrogating the practice and process of Un/masking in a postcritical ethnography about place

Resistance to simple narratives in education research comes from the stance that they render findings useless for the political work of understanding contexts of education as they exist today. This...
Retrospective Implementation of Algorithm for Route of Hysterectomy in Resident Clinic May Increase Rates of Vaginal Hysterectomy

Study Objective A resident-driven quality improvement project designed to evaluate whether retrospective application of a decision-making algorithm to guide selection of route for benign hysterectomy may have resulted in increased rates of total vaginal hysterectomy (TVH) in resident gynecology clinic. Design Retrospective chart review of all hysterectomies booked through resident pre-operative gynecology clinic over a five-year period. Setting Resident-run gynecology clinic in a large, urban academic medical center. Patients or Participants 162 patients underwent hysterectomy for benign indications in the five-year period under review (1/2015-12/2019). Interventions We created an algorithm to guide selection of route of hysterectomy for benign disease based on existing guidelines and review of literature. Electronic medical records (EMR) were reviewed for preoperative documentation of benign disease, uterine size and presence of adequate cervix, need for adnexal assessment (i.e. concern for large ovarian mass, endometriosis), concern for pelvic adhesions based on exam, or other rationale for route selection. The algorithm was retrospectively applied to identify which cases may have been preoperative candidates for TVH. Measurements and Main Results Retrospective application of our algorithm indicated that 61 of the 162 cases may have been candidates for TVH, and an additional 57 may have been candidates for an exam under anesthesia/diagnostic laparoscopy followed by possible TVH. Only 25 cases were booked as TVH; 5 were booked as EUA or diagnostic laparoscopy before TVH. Identified areas of improvement include assessment for adequate pelvis and proper counseling, particularly in “intermediate category” candidates. Conclusion By retrospectively implementing an algorithm to identify candidates for TVH, based on available documentation, it appears that a large percentage of cases booked from resident clinic could have been attempted vaginally. This shows opportunity for prospective implementation of the algorithm to increase rates of vaginal hysterectomy from the current rate of 15% to as high as 38%.
Lubrication of Joints and Transport in Bone

In this chapter, the lubrication of joints, through the biofluid-termed synovial fluid, is described. To begin, the anatomy and physiology of bone is described, paying attention to the molecular structure of bone. The differences between compact bone and trabecular bone are described. The four different bone cells, which regulate the composition, mechanical strength, and size/geometry of bone, are discussed. The function of cartilage and how it acts during joint movement is discussed. The function and formation of synovial fluid is described and modeled. The flow of synovial fluid is also described. Formulations for the restricted diffusion coefficients and the flux of species across a membrane are described. Mechanics relationships are discussed and they are related to the formation of synovial fluid.
Bone tissue engineering and regenerative medicine: Targeting pathological fractures

Patients with bone diseases have the highest risk of sustaining fractures and of suffering from nonunion bone healing due to tissue degeneration. Current fracture management strategies are limited in design and functionality and do not effectively promote bone healing within a diseased bone environment. Fracture management approaches include pharmaceutical therapy, surgical intervention, and tissue regeneration for fracture prevention, fracture stabilization, and fracture site regeneration, respectively. However, these strategies fail to accommodate the pathological nature of fragility fractures, leading to unwanted side effects, implant failures, and nonunions. To target fragility fractures, fracture management strategies should include bioactive bone substitutes designed for the pathological environment. However, the clinical outcome of these materials must be predictable within various disease environments. Initial development of a targeted treatment strategy should focus on simulating the physiological in vitro bone environment to predict clinical effectiveness of the engineered bone. An in vitro test system can facilitate reduction of implant failures and non-unions in fragility fractures.
Radiotherapy-Induced Malfunction in Contemporary Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices: Clinical Incidence and Predictors.

Importance Risk stratification and management paradigms for patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) requiring radiotherapy (RT) vary widely and are based on limited clinical data. Objective To identify the incidence and predictors of CIED malfunction and describe associated clinical consequences in a large cohort of patients treated with photon- and electron-based RT. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective analysis of all patients with a functioning CIED who underwent RT between August 2005 and January 2014 with CIED interrogation data following RT at an academic cancer center. We identified 249 courses of photon- and electron-based RT in 215 patients (123 pacemakers [57%]; 92 implantable cardioverter-defibrillators [43%]). Substantial neutron production was generated in 71 courses (29%). Exposure Implantation of CIED with subsequent therapeutic radiation treatment (neutron producing with 15- or 18-MV photons and non–neutron producing with electrons, GammaKnife, or 6-MV photons). Main Outcomes and Measures Malfunction of CIED, characterized as single-event upset (data loss, parameter resets, unrecoverable resets), and delayed effects including signal interference, pacing threshold changes, and premature battery depletion. Results Malfunction of CIED attributable to RT occurred during 18 courses (7%), with 15 CIEDs experiencing single-event upsets, and 3, transient signal interference. All single-event upsets occurred during neutron-producing RT, at a rate of 21%, 10%, and 34% per neutron-producing course for CIEDs, pacemakers, and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, respectively. No single-event upsets were found among 178 courses of non–neutron-producing RT. Incident CIED dose did not correlate with device malfunction. Patients treated to the abdomen and pelvis region were more likely to undergo a single-event upset (hazard ratio, 5.2 [95% CI, 1.2-22.6]; P = .03). Six patients with a CIED parameter reset developed clinical symptoms: 3 experienced hypotension and/or bradycardia, 2 experienced abnormal chest ticking consistent with pacemaker syndrome, and 1 developed congestive heart failure. The 3 episodes of signal interference did not result in clinical effects. No delayed malfunctions were directly attributed to RT. Conclusions and Relevance In a cohort of contemporary CIEDs, all cases of single-event upset malfunction occurred in the setting of notable neutron production, at a rate of 21% for neutron-producing RT and 0% for non–neutron-producing RT. Where clinically feasible, the use of non–neutron-producing RT is recommended. Given the lack of correlation between CIED malfunction and incident dose observed up to 5.4 Gy, invasive CIED relocation procedures in these settings can be minimized.