cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors influencing DRG 210 (hip fracture) reimbursement.

The effect of prospective payment system (PPS) on reducing cost and quality of care is still unknown. Fifty-two patients (mean +/- SD, 82.0 +/- 6.5 years) with hip fracture classified as DRG 210 (hip and femur procedures except major joint, age greater than 69 years and/or complication and/or comorbidity), treated by compression nail were separated into four groups: Group I--no comorbidity, no complications; Group II--no comorbidity but had complications; Group III--with comorbidity but no complications; and Group IV--with both comorbidity and complications. Compared to length of stay (LOS) in Groups I, II and III (mean 26 days), Group IV had significantly increased LOS (mean, 61.5 days) and 81% of the 16 who were day outliers (L.O.S. greater than 40 days). Patients without comorbidity (I & II) even if they did develop complications were not financial losers. Those with comorbidity appear to be high-cost patients as they invariably end up with complications (78%), and reimbursement for Group IV was significantly less, resulting in net loss of this DRG. Our finding demonstrates the importance of preventing complications in patients with comorbidity. Present DRG reimbursement guidelines do not provide sufficient attention to LOS implications of both comorbidity and complications. Ideally, they should be considered as separate factors within the DRG category.
Long-term efficacy of anchored barbed sutures in the face and neck.

BACKGROUND The thread lift is a minimally invasive procedure that uses barbed sutures, inserted subcutaneously, to produce lifting of ptotic tissue of the face and neck. There are currently very limited data on longevity and patient satisfaction following barbed suture lifting procedures. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess long-term efficacy following the use of barbed sutures. MATERIALS AND METHODS A satisfaction survey was mailed to 20 patients who were a minimum of 6 months (range, 6 to 16 months) postprocedure. Physician assessment of pre- and postprocedure photographs was also performed. RESULTS At an average of 11.5 months postprocedure, patients felt that the barbed suture lift met their expectations, rating their satisfaction a 6.9 on a scale of 1 to 10. Independent physicians rated the overall improvement an average of 4.6 of 10. Higher scores were noted in Zone 1 (tear trough/malar fat pad and nasolabial folds) compared to Zone 2 (marionette lines, jowls, and jawline definition) and Zone 3 (platysmal bands and neck contour). CONCLUSION The barbed suture lift procedure provides moderate long-term and sustained improvement for facial laxity, with most improvement seen in the tear trough/malar fat pads and nasolabial folds. In this study, clinical efficacy was seen up to 16 months postprocedure.
Diagnostic Technique for Quantitative Resolution of Three-Dimensional Liquid-Gas Phase Boundaries in Microchannel Flows

The morphology of liquid-gas interfaces in adiabatic two-phase microchannel flow through a transparent acrylic microchannel of 500 μm × 500 μm square cross section is investigated. Water seeded with 0.5 μm-diameter fluorescent polystyrene particles is pumped through the channel, and the desired adiabatic two-phase flow regime is achieved through controlled air injection. The diagnostic technique relies on obtaining particle position data through epifluorescent imaging of the flow at excitation and emission wavelengths of 532 and 620 nm, respectively. The particle positions are then used to resolve interface locations to within ±2 μm in the viewing plane. This technique was previously demonstrated by the authors for a static meniscus in a capillary tube. The complete interface geometry between liquid and gas phases is obtained for operation in the annular flow regime by mapping the interface within individual focal planes at various depths within the channel. The diagnostic technique is shown to successfully locate and measure interfaces between transparent, immiscible fluids in a dynamic microchannel flow environment.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
MFIR filters: Properties and applications

The class of multiplicative FIR (MFIR) filters is considered and some properties and applications of MFIR filters are investigated. MFIR filter approximation of a given IIR filter is shown to reduce the number of multiplications and additions logarithmically, in comparison to the corresponding FIR filter in direct form. The pure multiplicity property is introduced and is shown to apply to a class of MFIR filters. This property results in a criterion for optimal ordering and expressions for roundoff noise when no scaling is used and also results in the invariance of roundoff noise output under l 2 -scaling. Linear phase MFIR filter realization of a desired low-pass frequency response magnitude |H_{d}| with centered transition band is shown to require 0(n \log_{2} N) each multipliers and adders. N is the order of the min-max FIR filter design of |H_{d}| and n is the order of the elliptic IIR filter design of |H_{d}|^{1/2} . Several design examples of linear phase low-pass filters are used to compare MFIR filter designs versus those of min-max FIR filters in direct form. Comb filters of order N are shown to have an exact MFIR realization that requires fewer than 2 \log_{2} N additions. Suggestions for further research and applications conclude the paper.
Tandem peptide ligation for synthetic and natural biologicals.

We describe the concept and methods of peptide ligation and tandem peptide ligation for preparing synthetic and natural biologicals. Peptide ligation is a segment coupling method for free peptides or proteins through an amide bond without the use of a coupling reagent or a protecting group scheme. Because unprotected peptides or proteins prepared from either a chemical or biochemical source are being used as building blocks, the ligation removes the size limitation for peptide and protein synthesis. A key feature of the peptide ligation is that the coupling reaction is orthogonal, i.e. it is specific to a particular α-amino terminus (NT). This NT-amino acid-specific feature permits the development of a tandem peptide ligation method employing three unprotected peptide segments containing different NT-amino acids to form consecutively two amide bonds, an Xaa-SPro (thiaproline) and then an Xaa-Cys. This strategy was tested in peptides ranging from 28 to 70 amino acid residues, including analogues of somatostatins and two CC-chemokines MIP-1α and MIP-1β. The thiaproline replacements in these peptides and proteins did not result in altered biological activity. By eliminating the protecting group scheme and coupling reagents, tandem ligation of multiple free peptide segments in aqueous solutions enhances the scope of protein synthesis and may provide a useful approach for preparing protein biologicals and synthetic vaccines.
POST-DISPERSAL SEED PREDATION VARIES BY HABITAT NOT ACORN SIZE FOR QUERCUS CHRYSOLEPIS (FAGACEAE) AND LITHOCARPUS DENSIFLORA (FAGACEAE) IN CENTRAL COASTAL CALIFORNIA

ABSTRACT In this study, I investigated the effects of seed size and habitat on post-dispersal predation of Quercus chrysolepis and Lithocarpus densiflora acorns in central coastal California. Tagged acorns were located at five distances across two forest-grassland ecotone sites. Although Q. chrysolepis acorns were nearly twice as large as those of L. densiflora, there was no significant difference in predation between the species or sites. There was, however, a significant difference in acorn predation between habitats, with both species having much higher rates of predation in the forest than in the grassland. While predation occurred across the forest-grassland ecotone, acorn burial only occurred in the forest. These results suggest that habitat had a stronger effect on post-dispersal predation than seed size.
Neural stem cell niches and homing: recruitment and integration into functional tissues

Considerable attention has focused on the study of neural stem cells (NSCs) as therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. The mammalian brain harbors NSCs throughout life mainly in the subventricular zone (SVZ) as well as the subgranular zone. NSCs in the SVZ are a specialized subpopulation of astrocytes that maintain contact with the ventricle and vascular structures. Components of the SVZ microenvironment, or niche, include intercellular interactions, extracellular matrix proteins, and soluble factors, all of which aid in NSC proliferation, self-renewal, and multipotentiality. Multiple studies demonstrate that endogenous neurogenesis responds to insults such as ischemic stroke, multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases, and even brain tumors, supporting the existence of remarkable plasticity and significant regenerative potential in the mammalian brain. Further, in response to recruitment cues from damaged brain tissue NSCs not only "home" to sites of disease but also integrate into functional tissues and appear to acquire the morphological and physiological properties of neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. In this review we focus on neurogenesis in the SVZ and on recruitment cues that promote homing and integration of NSCs to sites of disease in the brain. We also discuss animal models of important human neurodegenerative diseases in which transplantation of neural stem cells has been tested.
40-GHz pulse train generation using soliton compression of a Mach-Zehnder modulator output

We demonstrate 40-GHz soliton pulse train generation using nonlinear compression of the output of a Mach-Zehnder modulator. This source generates transform-limited pulses at twice the RF drive frequency, requires less than V/sub /spl pi// drive level, is tunable in wavelength (over the entire EDFA bandwidth), and is tunable in repetition rate. >
A high-frequency variable delay line

A short highly variable VHF delay line is described, in which variability is achieved by changing the primary volume of electric field energy storage. It is fabricated using well-established planar integrated-circuit techniques.
Feeding critically ill patients: current concepts

Provision of nutritional support to critically ill patients can be challenging. Critical care nurses must be aware of which patients require specific nutritional support, when to initiate nutritional support, and by which route to provide nutritional support. Consultation with a dietitian or nutritional support service can help facilitate this process. The key points in addressing these questions are (1) the nutritional status of the patient or the length of time he or she has been without significant nutrient intake, (2) whether the patient has a hypermetabolic condition that warrants the early use of nutritional support, and (3) the function of the patient's gastrointestinal tract. What to feed depends on the physiological state of the patient. Adjusting the nutrient composition of the feeding solution may prevent metabolic complications and may improve the overall outcome for the patient.
Effort, Revenue, and Cost Sharing Mechanisms for Collaborative New Product Development

The growing sophistication of component technologies and the rising costs and uncertainties of developing and launching new products require firms to collaborate in the development of new products. However, the management of new product development that occurs jointly between firms presents a new set of challenges in sharing the costs and benefits of innovation. Although collaboration enables each firm to focus on what it does best, it also introduces new issues associated with the alignment of decisions and incentives that have to be managed alongside conventional performance and timing uncertainties of new product development. In this paper, we conceptualize and formulate the joint development of products involving two firms with differing development capabilities and examine the implications of arrangements that go beyond sharing of revenues to include sharing of development cost and work. We term these approaches that involve sharing of the development cost and sharing of the development work investment sharing and innovation sharing, respectively. These cost and effort sharing mechanisms have subtle interactions with the degree to which revenues are shared between firms and the type of development project under consideration. Our analysis shows that investment and innovation sharing are particularly relevant for products with no preexisting revenues, and their benefits also depend on the degree to which revenues are shared between the firms. Whereas investment sharing is more attractive for new-to-the-world product projects with significant timing uncertainty, innovation sharing plays an important role in environments where projects experience product quality uncertainty, firms are similar in their capabilities, and the costs of integration of work across firms can be controlled. Our key contribution involves the modeling of joint work and decision making between collaborating firms and unearthing the complementary role of revenue, cost, and innovative effort sharing mechanisms for new product development. We translate our analytical findings into a managerial framework and illustrate the results with examples from the life-sciences and electronics industries.
The Economic Impacts of the North Carolina Motorsports Industry

The southeastern part of the United States has traditionally been viewed as the cradle of stock car racing. During the past decade, NASCAR has expanded out of its traditional geographic region and has grown to be the second most popular sport watched on television in the United States. This study is based on data collected for the motorsports industry in North Carolina for 2005. In this study, the state was divided into seven regions. The Input/Output matrix for each region provides multipliers based on the new North American Industrial Classification System definitions of industries. The total economic impacts for 2005 were estimated at more than $5.9 billion in increased total output, 27,252 in increased employment, almost $1.7 billion in increased total employee compensation, and almost $2.8 billion in increased total value added.
Proteomic profiling of L-cysteine induced selenite resistance in Enterobacter sp. YSU

Enterobacter sp. YSU is resistant to several different heavy metal salts, including selenite. A previous study using M-9 minimal medium showed that when the selenite concentration was 100,000 times higher than the sulfate concentration, selenite entered Escherichia coli cells using two pathways: a specific and a non-specific pathway. In the specific pathway, selenite entered the cells through a yet to be characterized channel dedicated for selenite. In the non-specific pathway, selenite entered the cells through a sulfate permease channel. Addition of L-cystine, an L-cysteine dimer, appeared to indirectly decrease selenite import into the cell through the non-specific pathway. However, it did not affect the level of selenite transport into the cell through the specific pathway. Growth curves using M-9 minimal medium containing 40 mM selenite and 1 mM sulfate showed that Enterobacter sp. YSU grew when L-cysteine was present but died when it was absent. Differential protein expression analysis by two dimensional gel electrophoresis showed that CysK was present in cultures containing selenite and lacking L-cysteine but absent in cultures containing both selenite and L-cysteine. Additional RT-PCR studies demonstrated that transcripts for the sulfate permease genes, cysA, cysT and cysW, were down-regulated in the presence of L-cysteine. L-cysteine appeared to confer selenite resistance upon Enterobacter sp. YSU by decreasing the level of selenite transport into the cell through the non-specific pathway.
Trends in demographic and clinical characteristics in women diagnosed with corpus cancer and their potential impact on the increasing number of deaths.

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine factors responsible for the increasing number of deaths from corpus cancer over three time periods. Study Design Data were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database from 1988-2001. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed. Results Of 48,510 women with corpus cancer, there was an increase in the proportion of patients dying from advanced cancers (52.1% to 56.0% to 68.8%; P P P P Conclusion Our data suggest that the increase in mortality in women with corpus cancer over the last 14 years may be related to an increased rate of advanced-stage cancers and high-risk histologies.
The Cost of Screening and Brief Intervention in Employee Assistance Programs

Few studies examine the costs of conducting screening and brief intervention (SBI) in settings outside health care. This study addresses this gap in knowledge by examining the employer-incurred costs of SBI in an employee assistance program (EAP) when delivered by counselors. Screening was self-administered as part of the intake paperwork, and the brief intervention (BI) was delivered during a regular counseling session. Training costs were $83 per counselor. The cost of a screen to the employer was $0.64; most of this cost comprised the cost of the time the client spent completing the screen. The cost of a BI was $2.52. The cost of SBI is lower than cost estimates of SBI conducted in a health care setting. The low costs for the current study suggest that only modest gains in outcomes would likely be needed to justify delivering SBI in an EAP setting.
Magnetic-field estimation using measurements from a floating buoy

Magnetic-field fluctuations caused by solar storms can overload and destroy transformers, power grids and sensitive instrumentation on satellites, planes, and ships. To monitor these magnetic-field fluctuations, it is proposed to install magnetometers on floating buoys in the oceans. To obtain meaningful measurements from these magnetometers, it is important to know the orientation of the axes of the magnetometers with respect to the Earth. In this paper, we estimate the orientation of a floating buoy with respect to Earth using gyro measurements of angular velocity of the buoy. Since the angular position states are unobservable from the angular velocity measurements, we construct an additional fictitious measurement based on physical insights. In addition, to accommodate the additional fictitious measurement, we use an alternative nonlinear model for the buoy dynamics and use nonlinear filtering techniques to estimate the orientation of the buoy.
Fostering deep learning: An on-line clinical postconference pilot study

Abstract Complex and acute health alterations are evident in clinical patient care and often challenge nursing students. The researcher developed an on-line clinical postconference pilot study. The study evaluated the ability of clinical scenarios and guided discussion to foster deep learning among associate degree nursing students. Students offered positive feedback about the postconferences, and they were an effective teaching/learning strategy. This article describes the problem of fostering complex thinking, the implementation of the postconference, and results of a group survey and offers implications for practice to utilize this new approach to facilitate learning beyond the clinical day.
Medical radiograph classification by pattern recognition

Labrador retrievers can be affected by a syndrome that is characterized by ocular and skeletal dysplasia. The skeletal dysplasia takes the form of bone lesions that are confined to the appendicular skeleton. These lesions are characterized by shortened and abnormally shaped bones, and abnormal joint morphology. Elimination of the abnormal gene from the breed would require the identification of carrier animals by test mating with an affected animal. A method for reliably identifying affected puppies in resulting litters is to use the consistently expressed skeletal changes to make the diagnosis. The paper reports the research aimed at automating this diagnostic task. The procedures presented use hand digitized bone outline data obtained from a radiograph and compare this outline to known but 'fuzzy' shape characteristics of normal and abnormal bones. Experiments using this automated diagnostic method on thirty-one puppy bone radiographs yielded very good classification accuracies. >
Option pricing: A simplified approach☆

This paper presents a simple discrete-time model for valuing options. The fundamental economic principles of option pricing by arbitrage methods are particularly clear in this setting. Its development requires only elementary mathematics, yet it contains as a special limiting case the celebrated Black-Scholes model, which has previously been derived only by much more difficult methods. The basic model readily lends itself to generalization in many ways. Moreover, by its very construction, it gives rise to a simple and efficient numerical procedure for valuing options for which premature exercise may be optimal.
Chaining: a generalized batching technique for video-on-demand systems

Although the bandwidth of the storage I/O typically dictates the performance of a conventional DBMS, network-I/O bandwidth limitation is the main operating constraint of most multimedia database systems. In spite of the fact that the throughput of a public network (e.g. ATM) can be huge, the network-I/O bottleneck limits the number of client stations a media server can support simultaneously. A possible solution to this problem is to batch requests for the same video and multicast the data to these requesters to save the network I/O bandwidth. A disadvantage of this scheme is that it unfairly forces requests arriving early in a batch to wait for the latecomers. As a result, the reneging rate can be high in a system which employs this technique. To reduce the long access latency, we examine in this paper a new batching mechanism called chaining. This approach allows the server to serve a "chain" of client stations using a single data stream. The idea is to pipeline the data stream through the chain of stations. Requests arriving early in a chain (virtual batch), therefore, do not have to experience long delays as in conventional batching. Our simulation results based on an ATM networking environment indicate that very significant performance improvement over batching can be obtained.
LTE power amplifier module design: Challenges and trends

Long Term Evolution (LTE) provides a high data rate, high quality and low cost solution for the cellular industry facing an overwhelming increase in mobile data traffic. Beginning with an overview of LTE UE transmitter requirements, we examine the key challenges for the power amplifier module (PAM) from the perspective of designers, and review current development activities. Then, trends are predicted in architecture design as well as device and technology development.
Module placement for fault-tolerant microfluidics-based biochips

Microfluidics-based biochips are soon expected to revolutionize clinical diagnosis, DNA sequencing, and other laboratory procedures involving molecular biology. Most microfluidic biochips today are based on the principle of continuous fluid flow and they rely on permanently etched microchannels, micropumps, and microvalves. We focus here on the automated design of “digital” droplet-based microfluidic biochips. In contrast to conventional continuous-flow systems, digital microfluidics offers dynamic reconfigurability; groups of cells in a microfluidics array can be reconfigured to change their functionality during the concurrent execution of a set of bioassays. We present a simulated annealing-based technique for module placement in such biochips. The placement procedure not only addresses chip area, but also considers fault tolerance, which allows a microfluidic module to be relocated elsewhere in the system when a single cell is detected to be faulty. Simulation results are presented for case studies involving the polymerase chain reaction and multiplexed in vitro clinical diagnostics.
Female zebra finches prefer unfamiliar males but not when watching noninteractive video

There is great interest in investigating whether video can be used as an effective stimulus in avian behavioural research. Although there are clear predictions as to the efficacy and limitations of video, there are few empirical tests of whether video stimuli can elicit naturalistic behaviours in birds. Here we assess whether noninteractive digital video presented on flat thin-film transistor (TFT) monitors can be used in zebra finch mate choice studies. Specifically, we tested whether female finches prefer their pair-bonded male over an unfamiliar male when these males are presented as live birds or as noninteractive video images. Our data indicate that, when auditory cues are masked by white noise, female zebra finches strongly prefer to court unfamiliar live males. We hypothesize that the preference for unfamiliar males results from the masking of auditory cues that are crucial to pair-bond maintenance. In video stimulus trials, although females actively courted the video images of males more than they did live males in the live male trials, females did not prefer the unfamiliar males over their pair-bonded males. Therefore, noninteractive digital video presented on TFT screens solicits courtship behaviour from females but also fundamentally changes their mate preferences. We discuss these patterns in light of the possible visual and behavioural differences between the video and live male stimuli and conclude that video displayed on TFT monitors must be used with caution in mate preference studies.
Electron beam ionization mass fragmentographic analysis of tricyclic antidepressants in human plasma

A method for the measurement, in human plasma, of all tertiary and secondary tricyclic antidepressants prescribed in the United States is described. The method uses electron beam ionization GLC-mass spectrometry, employing a computer-controlled multiple-ion detector. This method, mass fragmentography, is used with internal standards for each drug. Plasma levels to as low as 10 ng/ml of the following drugs can be measured: amitriptyline, nortriptyline, doxepin, desmethyldoxepin, imipramine, desipramine, and protriptyline. Deuterium-labeled amitriptyline and imipramine are used as internal standards for those two drugs; for the other drugs, deuterated amitriptyline, nortriptyline, desmethyldoxepin, or desipramine is used. The method can measure up to 15 samples/hr, making it practical for large-scale studies of these drugs in patients. Spectra of each drug and examples of their analysis are given.
Kinetics of silicon nitride crystallization in N + -implanted silicon

Implantation of nitrogen at 150 KeV and a dose of 1 ⊠ 1018/cm2 into (110) silicon results in the formation of an amorphized layer at the mean ion range, and a deeper tail of nitrogen ions. Annealing studies show that the amorphized layer recrystallizes into a continuous polycrystalline Si3N4 layer after annealing for 1 h at 1200 °C. In contrast, the deeper nitrogen fraction forms discrete precipitates (located 1μm below the wafer surface) in less than 1 min at this temperature. The arcal density of these precipitates is 5 ⊠ 107/cm2 compared with a nuclei density of 1.6 ⊠ 105/cm2 in the amorphized layer at comparable annealing times. These data suggest that the nucleation step limits the recrystallization rate of amorphous silicon nitride to form continuous buried nitride layers. The nitrogen located within the damaged crystalline silicon lattice precipitates very rapidly, yielding semicoherent crystallites of β–Si3N4.
Sildenafil- and tadalafil-associated optic neuropathy: implications for men after prostate cancer treatment.

The phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5)-selective inhibitors sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra) are frequently prescribed for treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). 1 These medications have implications for men with prostate cancer who undergo treatment with radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy (brachytherapy or external beam radiation), as these treatments are associated with an increased risk for ED. Instances of nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) and permanent vision loss following ingestion of PDE5-selective inhibitors have been reported.2 – 4 Investigators affiliated with the Research on Adverse Drug Events and Reports (RADAR), an established pharmacovigilance program, reviewed the literature as well as US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports to determine the frequency and clinical characteristics of PDE5selective inhibitor-associated NAION and permanent vision loss in men with ED. Reports and associated toxicities We reviewed case descriptions of PDE5-selective inhibitor-associated optic neuropathy events reported to the FDA between 1998 and 2004 or in the peer-reviewed literature between 1998 and 2005. Thirty-nine cases of optic neuropathy in sildenafil- or tadalafil-treated patients were identified as case reports (n = 18) or in FDA databases (n = 21). Affected men were similar in age (median, 62 years), and 90% of the cases were reported among men who had ingested PDE5-selective inhibitors and suffered permanent vision loss. Importantly, the quality of the case reports in the FDA database is suboptimal given that they often lack important information on duration of PDE5-selective inhibitor use, time since ingestion of the most recent dose, identification of affected eye, fundoscopic examination findings, and response to de-challenge. A plausible explanation as to cause-and-effect relative to PDE5-selective inhibitor therapy and NAION does not exist.
Measuring Multi-Ethnic Desegregation

This article proposes a new method for measuring school desegregation in multiracial districts, and uses the new method to measure the desegregation effects of magnet schools in Los Angeles. Rather than measuring desegregation between only two groups at a time, I compute the index of interracial exposure for Blacks, Whites, Latinos, and Asians. Each of these figures is then combined to form a composite desegregation score. I find that magnet schools in Los Angeles are less segregated than nonmagnet schools, but that Whites and Asians are the most segregated groups and have become more segregated over time.
Introduction and terminology

This chapter gives an introduction and explains the terminologies of signals. Historically, a signal meant any set of signs, symbols, or physical gesticulations that transmitted information or messages. The first electronic transmission of information was in the form of Morse code. In the most general sense a signal can be embodied in two forms: (1) some measured or observed behavior or physical property of a phenomenon that contains information about that phenomenon, or (2) a signal that can be generated by a manufactured system and have the information encoded. Signals can vary over time or space. Signal processing has been implemented for a wide variety of applications. The various terminologies used in relation to signals such as domain types, amplitude types, basic signal forms, and the frequency domain are explored in this chapter. Also, the general amplitude properties are provided. The chapter also outlines the basic properties of signal waveforms. The input procedure of analog to digital conversion is described here. And the last section provides a few simple measures of signal properties. There are many measures of signal properties that are used to extract information from or to study the characteristics of signals.
Netflixing human capital development: personalized learning technology and the corporatization of K-12 education

AbstractAdvanced by powerful venture philanthropies, educational technology companies, and the US Department of Education, a growing movement to apply ‘big data’ through ‘learning analytics’ to create ‘personalized learning’ is currently underway in K-12 education in the United States. While scholars have offered various critiques of the corporate school reform agenda, the role of personalized learning technology in the corporatization of public education has not been extensively examined. Through a content analysis of US Department of Education reports, personalized learning advocacy white papers, and published research monographs, this paper details how big data and adaptive learning systems are functioning to redefine educational policy, teaching, and learning in ways that transfer educational decisions from public school classrooms and teachers to private corporate spaces and authorities. The analysis shows that all three types of documents position education within a reductive set of economic rationa...
Segmental calculation of left ventricular wall stresses.

A procedure for calculating left ventricular wall stresses segmentally was devised. Rectangular coordinates of the wall surfaces as seen in longitudinal section were plotted with the long axis as t...
Red blood cells stored 35 days or more are associated with adverse outcomes in high-risk patients.

BACKGROUND Clinical trials have shown that longer red blood cell (RBC) storage duration does not worsen outcomes; however, these studies included few RBCs near the end of the 42-day storage limit. We tested the hypothesis that these “oldest” RBCs are associated with adverse outcomes. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS In a retrospective study, 28,247 transfused patients given 129,483 RBC units were assessed. Morbidity, mortality, and length of stay (LOS) were compared in patients transfused exclusively with RBCs stored not more than 21 days versus patients transfused exclusively with RBCs stored 28 days or more and patients transfused exclusively with RBCs stored 35 days or more. RESULTS After risk adjustment, ≥35-day RBCs were associated with increased morbidity (adjusted odds ratio [adjOR], 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.32; p = 0.002), but ≥28-day RBCs were not (adjOR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.97-1.15; p = 0.2). Neither ≥35-day nor ≥28-day RBCs were associated with increased mortality. In critically ill patients, ≥35-day RBCs were associated with increased morbidity (adjOR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.08-1.44; p = 0.002) and mortality (adjOR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.08-1.74; p = 0.009), but ≥28-day RBCs were associated with neither. In older patients, ≥35-day RBCs were associated with increased morbidity (adjOR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.04-1.42; p = 0.01), but not mortality (adjOR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.96-1.71; p = 0.1), and ≥28-day RBCs were associated with neither. LOS was increased for both ≥28- and ≥35-day RBCs for all patients and the critically ill and older subgroups. CONCLUSIONS RBCs transfused in the last 7 days of their 42-day storage limit may be associated with adverse clinical outcomes in high-risk patients.
Radionuclide evaluation of coronary artery disease in the 1990s. Choosing the best stress, best tracer, best technique.

In recent years, many changes and new developments have occurred in nuclear cardiology. New radiopharmaceuticals and new stress modalities have been developed. Imaging techniques and instrumentation have developed as well. These developments have resulted in a plethora of imaging modalities to choose from. This article attempts to provide a logical framework that may be helpful when choosing the appropriate radionuclide test for cardiac patients and bring order into a seemingly confusing multitude of possibilities.
Evolution of a Protein Interaction Domain Family by Tuning Conformational Flexibility

Conformational flexibility allows proteins to adopt multiple functionally important conformations but can also lead to nonfunctional structures. We analyzed the dynamic behavior of the enzyme guanylate kinase as it evolved into the GK protein interaction domain (GKPID) to investigate the role of flexibility in the evolution of new protein functions. We found that the ancestral enzyme is very flexible, allowing it to adopt open conformations that can bind nucleotide and closed ones that enable catalysis of phosphotransfer from ATP to GMP. Historical mutations that converted the GK from an enzyme to a protein interaction domain dramatically reduce flexibility, predominantly by inhibiting rotations of the protein backbone that are coupled to the global closing motion. Removing flexibility prevents adoption of conformations that cannot fit the protein partner in the binding site. Our results highlight the importance of mutations that optimize protein conformational flexibility with function during evolution.
Community Colleges And Stem: Examining Underrepresented Racial And Ethnic Minorities by R. T. Palmer & J. L. Wood (Eds.)

The global leadership of the United States on technology and science is slipping due to the insufficient preparation of students in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (S...
Lack of change in glucose metabolism in eszopiclone-treated primary insomnia patients.

Study objectives Primary insomnia (PI) may increase diabetes risk. We tested the hypothesis that the effects of PI on glucose metabolism could be improved by 2 months of pharmacological treatment. Methods Adult men and women meeting clinical criteria for PI were studied (n=20, body mass index 25.1±2.7 kg/m2, age 39.7±7.9) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The study consisted of two 1-day inpatient admissions to a General Clinical Research Center separated by 2 months of at-home treatment with 3 mg eszopiclone or placebo. During inpatient admissions, each subject underwent two intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTTs) pre- and post-treatment. Diet was controlled for micro- and macro-nutrient content and calories on the day prior to pre- and post-treatment IVGTTs. Subjects were randomized following completion of the initial IVGTT to take either placebo or eszopiclone 30 min prior to bedtime at home for 2 months. Results Two-month eszopiclone treatment did not change insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, or any of the sleep measures significantly, compared with placebo. Changes in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c, clinical measure of glycemic control) were correlated with changes in diary-reported total sleep time in the eszopiclone group (r=0.66, p=0.0360), and in the combined groups' data (r=0.55, p=0.0125). Changes in polysomnography-measured wake after sleep onset, a hallmark of PI, were positively related to changes in IVGTT-derived glucose effectiveness, or non-insulin-mediated glucose uptake. Conclusion Treatment with 3 mg eszopiclone for 2 months, compared with placebo, did not significantly influence either sleep or measures of diabetes risk in this preliminary study.
Microscale modeling of creep deformation and rupture in Nickel-based superalloy IN 617 at high temperature

Abstract This manuscript presents the computational modeling and analysis of creep deformation and failure of Nickel-based superalloy, Inconel 617 (IN 617), operating at high temperature. Crystal plasticity finite element (CPFE) approach, considering isothermal and large deformation conditions at the microstructural scale has been extended for creep deformation and rupture modeling of IN 617 at 950 °C. In order to accurately capture the creep strains that accumulate particularly at relatively low stress levels, a dislocation climb model has been incorporated into the CPFE framework. In addition, a cohesive zone (CZ) model is adopted to capture intergranular creep damage, and incorporated into the CPFE framework. The CPFE and the CZ models work in tandem to describe the viscoplastic deformation as well as progressive failure in the material microstructure. The calibration of dislocation climb and CZ parameters is performed based on experimental data. The microstructure model is validated using independent creep experiments performed at various stress levels. Microstructural analysis of the stress and damage distributions as well as their time-dependent evolution is carried out to provide insight into the dominant microscale deformation and failure mechanisms. Creep life predictions are performed to describe rupture life as a function of load amplitude at high temperature.
The Ancient History of Advertising: Insights and Implications for Practitioners: What Today's Advertisers and Marketers Can Learn from Their Predecessors

Many historians date the dawn of modern advertising and branding to the beginning of the 20th century, and they tend to fixate on the philosophies and practices of the period's American pioneers, such as Albert Lasker, Claude Hopkins, George Rowell, Francis Wayland Ayer, Harley Procter, James L.
State-controlling Sets for Conjunctive Boolean Networks

Abstract A Boolean network is a discrete-time finite state dynamical system, whose variables take values from the binary set {0,1}, and the value update rules are Boolean functions. A conjunctive Boolean network is a special type of Boolean network, whose value update rule for each variable is comprised only of “AND” operations. Recently there have been extensive investigations on conjunctive Boolean networks. Questions about asymptotic behaviors, stabilities of periodic orbits, and reachability and observability have all been addressed to some extent. We focus in this paper on controllability of a conjunctive Boolean network. Specifically, assuming that there is a selected subset of variables whose values are determined by external control inputs, we pose and answer the question of whether (and how) one can steer the system from any initial state to any final state. We establish a necessary and sufficient condition, via a graphical approach, for a conjunctive Boolean network to be controllable. An explicit control law is also presented along the analysis.
Throwing our voices: ventriloquism as new media activism:

Tipped off ahead of time about the Chevron company’s pending ad campaign designed to respond to consumer worries about the conduct of oil companies, the activist group The Yes Men produced its own copycat ads and fake press releases on Chevron’s behalf which spoke much more bluntly about the company’s misdeeds. Designed to be mistaken for the real, the dummy campaign was indeed picked up by the press, generating a series of reportage, retractions, and discussion. The Yes Men succeeded in temporarily ‘throwing their voice’ into the body of the Chevron corporation, using a savvy form of ventriloquism as a means of directing the public conversation. While it is reductive and inaccurate to speak of new media as inherently democratizing, it is essential to examine instances in which it is used strategically as such a force. In this case, Chevron, like most advertisers, was the first ventriloquist, seeking to speak through the bodies of seemingly satisfied consumers. However, the Yes Men successfully turned the...
EL INGRESO BÁSICO UNIVERSAL COMO NUEVO DERECHO SOCIAL

The paper develops the proposal of the Universal Basic Income that seduces today in the United States and Europe as possible relief to the problems of the labor market, the demands of feminism and the environment concerns. The Universal Basic Income is a proposal that’s morally founded on equality and freedom principles and seeks to guarantee a basic income that allows people to achieve their aspirations and plan of life, without having to endure abusive human relationships.
Capacity of the US Food System to Accommodate Improved Diet Quality: A Biophysical Model Projecting to 2030.

Background Increasing Americans' diet quality will require changes to the food supply. Due to the complex nature of the food system, this is not as straightforward as simply increasing the production of healthy foods and decreasing the production of unhealthy foods. Little is known about whether the US food system can produce enough food, given finite agricultural resources, to support shifts toward healthier eating patterns. Objective The aim of this study was to model the capacity of the US food system to accommodate a shift toward a healthier diet by 2030. Methods A biophysical simulation model estimated the proportion of the US population that could be fed a given diet based on food system constraints, currently and projected to 2030. The model accepted data inputs on food intake, crop yields, and population size. Linear and nonlinear regression models were used to estimate projected food intake and crop yields based on recent historical data (1980-2014). Diet quality was estimated using the Healthy Eating Index-2015. Results The US agricultural system can produce enough food to feed 146% of the population by 2030. A greater proportion of the population can be fed a high-quality diet than a low-quality diet (178% compared to 119%). To accommodate increased diet quality, substantial increases in cropland acreage would be needed for fruits (P < 0.001), vegetables (P = 0.002), legumes (P = 0.002), and nuts (P = 0.007); and decreased cropland acreage would be needed for grains (P = 0.002) and sweeteners (P < 0.001). Conclusions The US can produce more than enough food to accommodate a shift toward a healthier diet pattern, but even moderate shifts in diet quality would require major transitions in cropland use. The success of this transition is dependent on several factors, like individuals' ease of entry into the agricultural sector, producers' ability to shift production to other crops, and modifications to the food supply chain.
A nonlinear model to assess DC/AC performance reliability of submicron SiC MESFETs

A modified nonlinear model to predict direct-current (DC) and alternating-current (AC) characteristics of submicron SiC metal–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs) is presented. Such devices are normally operated under high-bias conditions, resulting in intense channel conditions and deviation from the usual device response. It has been demonstrated that, under relatively high drain bias, the Schottky barrier depletion is modified, causing the drain current to increase rapidly and thereby making the control of the Schottky barrier gate less effective. It has been observed that, when the ratio of the transconductance to the output conductance ( $$g_\mathrm{m}/g_\mathrm{d}$$ ) becomes less than unity, the device operational capabilities are drastically affected. Additionally, the small-signal intrinsic parameters of SiC MESFETs were assessed by evaluating the device Miller capacitances at various bias levels, revealing a significant increase in their magnitude at relatively high drain bias ( $$V_{\mathrm{ds}}\ge 40$$ V), which leads to deterioration of the high-frequency capabilities of the device, including the unity-gain frequency, $$f_\mathrm{T}$$ . Compared with the best reported model, the developed technique exhibited $$\sim 48\,\%$$ improved accuracy in predicting the I–V characteristics of submicron SiC MESFETs and $$\sim 63.5\,\%$$ improvement in evaluating the output conductance of the device. Thus, this technique can be employed to determine device reliability under intense operating conditions.
Becoming Famous and Then Richer: How Status Can Bias Perfect Competition

We test the effect of status in a laboratory experimental market using the standard Double Oral Auction. We consider a box design with a unique Walrasian outcome. In half of the experiments status is awarded to a group of people according to the scores of a trivia quiz. The status group is in the long side of the market, hence they do not have any market power. In the other half of the experiments status is not awarded. We find that prices never reach the Walrasian price in the status sessions while it is attained in non status experiments. Therefore status bias the theoretical perfect competition outcome.