cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The early clinical and angiographic outcome of sequential coronary artery bypass grafting with the off-pump technique.

Abstract Objective: The emergence of the off-pump coronary artery bypass technique has made surgeons consider combining it with other techniques developed and learned with conventional coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass. One of these techniques is the construction of a sequential graft to bypass more than one coronary vessel. The purpose of this study is to review the outcome of combining sequential coronary artery bypass grafting with off-pump techniques. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 45 consecutive patients who underwent isolated coronary bypass surgery with off-pump and sequential grafting techniques at Harefield Hospital (Harefield, UK) between July 1999 and December 2000. The registry database, medical notes and charts were studied for preoperative and postoperative data of the patients. Ten patients consented and underwent early postoperative angiography to check the quality of the grafts and anastomoses. Results: There were no deaths among the study patients. Morbidity consisted of atrial fibrillation in 6 patients (13.3%), leg wound infection in 2 patients (4.4%), and pleural effusion in 1 patient (2.2%). Early angiography of the 10 consenting patients revealed 10 patent sequential grafts (100%) with 20 satisfactory end-to-side and side-to-side anastomoses (100%). Conclusion: The combination of sequential grafting and off-pump techniques is feasible, is safe, and provides good early clinical and angiographic outcomes. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2002;123:525-30
Birth cohort increases in psychopathology among young Americans, 1938–2007: A cross-temporal meta-analysis of the MMPI.

Two cross-temporal meta-analyses find large generational increases in psychopathology among American college students (N=63,706) between 1938 and 2007 on the MMPI and MMPI-2 and high school students (N=13,870) between 1951 and 2002 on the MMPI-A. The current generation of young people scores about a standard deviation higher (average d=1.05) on the clinical scales, including Pd (Psychopathic Deviation), Pa (Paranoia), Ma (Hypomania), and D (Depression). Five times as many now score above common cutoffs for psychopathology, including up to 40% on Ma. The birth cohort effects are still large and significant after controlling for the L and K validity scales, suggesting that the changes are not caused by response bias. The results best fit a model citing cultural shifts toward extrinsic goals, such as materialism and status and away from intrinsic goals, such as community, meaning in life, and affiliation.
Towards fatigue and intensity measurement framework during continuous repetitive activities

With the recent advancement in the wearable sensor technology there has been many studies about recognizing user's activities, location or environment, but they did not recognize the effect of these activities on the physiological state of the person. The two major physiological aspects associated with any activity are intensity of activity and associated fatigue. Fatigue is an universal human experience that can negatively affect daily life activities. In this paper, we present a framework to measure the level of fatigue and intensity of activity during repetitive daily life activities. The proposed framework acquires and processes time series data from a surface Electromyogram (sEMG) sensor and employs state of art machine learning and data mining techniques to measure the physiological status. We tested this framework using the raw sEMG signals from the hand muscles of 10 subjects, including male and female, of age group around 25 to 45 years, collected during the continuous monitoring of repetitive palm movements at different repetition speeds. The framework graded the levels of fatigue and intensity of activity in a scale of 0 to 1 with an accuracy of 88% with AdaBoost, 94% with SVM, 96% with both HMM and KNN based machine learning techniques.
Avoiding NIMBY Gridlock: Community Stewardship and Social Learning

This essay examines the NIMBY phenomenon, its social roots, and the resulting gridlock that has imperiled hazardous waste remediation efforts. Through a discussion of current technocratic practices, we present the need for a more comprehensive "social learning" strategy that places afflicted host communities at the political nucleus of site remediation efforts. We stress the centrality of meaningful, educational dialogue between communities, public agencies entrusted with overseeing cleanups, and business vendors selected to accomplish site remediations, where technological means are deliberately subordinated to respecting community norms.
Code-constrained blind detection of CDMA signals in multipath channels

In this letter, a constant-modulus-algorithm-based multiuser detection scheme is proposed for a communication system under multipath propagation. To mitigate channel distortion and multiuser interference, we integrate multiple constraints into the optimization criterion. According to our analysis, the ability of the detector to remove all interference is ensured in the absence of noise when the constraints are properly preselected. However, in the presence of noise, the constraints highly affect the performance of the receiver. In order to optimally combine signals from different paths to achieve performance gains, those constraints can also be treated as variables and jointly optimized with the receiver, as verified by numerical examples.
Histologic Disease in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B, High HBV DNA, and Normal Alanine Aminotransferase Levels

Recent advances in the treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection have presented new options as well as challenges. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) continues to be one of the three principal parameters used by all existing treatment guidelines to identify candidates for antiviral therapy. Although there is little controversy that inactive carriers and young immune tolerant patients can be monitored without antiviral therapy, and that antiviral therapy should be initiated in immune active patients with elevated HBV DNA ant ALT levels, not all guidelines agree on the management of older individuals with elevated HBV DNA but normal ALT levels who may no longer be immune tolerant and who have significant histologic disease. These patients may benefit from antiviral therapy, but distinguishing them from the true immune tolerant patient is challenging. This article reviews the natural history of chronic hepatitis B, the evolving concept of a “normal”ALT level, and recent studies examining liver histology in patients with chronic HBV infection, high HBV DNA levels, and normal ALT levels.
Inter-Observer Agreement on Subjects' Race and Race- Informative Characteristics

Health and socioeconomic disparities tend to be experienced along racial and ethnic lines, but investigators are not sure how individuals are assigned to groups, or how consistent this process is. To address these issues, 1,919 orthodontic patient records were examined by at least two observers who estimated each individual's race and the characteristics that influenced each estimate. Agreement regarding race is high for African and European Americans, but not as high for Asian, Hispanic, and Native Americans. The indicator observers most often agreed upon as important in estimating group membership is name, especially for Asian and Hispanic Americans. The observers, who were almost all European American, most often agreed that skin color is an important indicator of race only when they also agreed the subject was European American. This suggests that in a diverse community, light skin color is associated with a particular group, while a range of darker shades can be associated with members of any other group. This research supports comparable studies showing that race estimations in medical records are likely reliable for African and European Americans, but are less so for other groups. Further, these results show that skin color is not consistently the primary indicator of an individual's race, but that other characteristics such as facial features add significant information.
David Hume on Reason as a Passion

This brief research memo collects quotations from David Hume’s works about reason as a passion — specifically, a calm passion. The collection shows that after "A Treatise of Human Nature", which Hume disavowed, the dichotomy between reason and passion pretty much falls away, and, instead, reason is, in the main, presented to be a sort of passion. The collection shows that, in fact, even in the Treatise Hume gestured in that direction, though such gestures have been overshadowed by the passages that suggest a dichotomy between reason and passion. In this matter (and others), Hume’s disavowal of the Treatise should be minded and taken to heart. This note does not refer to any secondary literature on the matter.
Observations on Kalicephalus subulatus Molin, 1861 from Nicaragua and Mexico

Kalicephalus subulatus Molin, 1861, collected in Nicaragua and Chiapas, Mexico, from Constrictor constrictor imperator is reported and observations made on the morphology and reproduction in this nematode.
TriS: A Statistical Sentence Simplifier with Log-linear Models and Margin-based Discriminative Training

We propose a statistical sentence simplification system with log-linear models. In contrast to state-of-the-art methods that drive sentence simplification process by hand-written linguistic rules, our method used a margin-based discriminative learning algorithm operates on a feature set. The feature set is defined on statistics of surface form as well as syntactic and dependency structures of the sentences. A stack decoding algorithm is used which allows us to efficiently generate and search simplification hypotheses. Experimental results show that the simplified text produced by the proposed system reduces 1.7 Flesch-Kincaid grade level when compared with the original text. We will show that a comparison of a state-ofthe-art rule-based system (Heilman and Smith, 2010) to the proposed system demonstrates an improvement of 0.2, 0.6, and 4.5 points in ROUGE-2, ROUGE-4, andAveF 10 , respectively.
Comparison of Equivalence between Two Commercially Available S499-Phosphorylated FMRP Antibodies in Mice.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) develops from excessive trinucleotide CGG repeats in the 5’-untranslated region at Xq27.3 of the Fmr-1 gene, which functionally silences its expression and prevents transcription of its protein. This disorder is the most prominent form of heritable intellectual deficiency, affecting roughly 1 in 5,000 males and 1 in 10,000 females globally. Antibody specificity and selectivity are essential for investigating changes in intracellular protein signaling and phosphorylation status of the Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP). Currently, both PhosphoSolutions® and abcam® produce commercially available S499-phosphorylated FMRP specific antibodies. The antibody from PhosphoSolutions® has been validated in previous studies; however, the antibody from abcam® antibody has yet to receive similar validation. This study aims to determine whether these two antibodies are true equivalents through western blot analysis of both NS-Pten knockout (KO) and Fmr-1 KO mice strains. We prepared hippocampal synaptosomal preparations and probed the samples using total FMRP, abcam® phosphorylated FMRP, and PhosphoSolutions® phosphorylated FMRP antibodies. We found that there was a significant increase in phosphorylated FMRP levels using the abcam® and PhosphoSolutions® antibodies in the NS-Pten KO mice compared to wildtype mice. However, there was much more variability using the abcam® antibody. Furthermore, there was a band present in the Fmr-1 KO for the phosphorylated FMRP site using the abcam® antibody for western blotting but not for the PhosphoSolutions® antibody. Our findings strongly suggest that the antibody from abcam® is neither specific nor selective for its advertised targeted substrate, S499-phosphorylated FMRP.
Multiple Targeting Routes of MicroRNA-22 Inform Cancer Drug Discovery

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of ~23-nt endogenous noncoding RNA transcripts that mediate the posttranscriptional repression of target protein-coding genes . Although the first evidence for the role of miRNAs in cancer development was presented in 2002 , the clinical trials of miRNA-based cancer drugs is just burgeoning recently ]. Certain miRNA has been shown to be capable of targeting multiple mRNAs and affecting extensive protein output . Particularly, miRNA-22 (miR-22) is one of the most studied multitasking miRNAs in tumor initiation and progression to date and attracts special attention from basic and clinical research scientists.
Synthesis of Fully Aliphatic Aziridines with a Macrocyclic Tetracarbene Iron Catalyst

A second-generation aziridination catalyst supported by a borate-based dianionic macrocyclic tetracarbene ligand has been synthesized. The new macrocyclic tetracarbene iron(II) complex catalyzed the aziridination of alkyl azides and aliphatic alkenes showcasing the first fully aliphatic version of this C2 + N1 reaction. High isolated yields were obtained when no functional groups were present on the organic azides and alkenes, while modest yields were achieved when nonprotic functional groups were included. Even multiple functional groups can be added to the azide and alkene fragments to produce the most complex aziridines yet synthesized by this C2 + N1 catalytic reaction. The catalyst generated higher yields for aziridination with aryl azides and alkenes than the previously reported catalyst, [(Me,EtTCPh)Fe(NCCH3)2](PF6)2. The contrast is particularly apparent with functionalized aryl azides where the second-generation catalyst now provides practical yields for synthetic chemistry. Finally, catalytic in...
Towards Implementing a Real-time Deformable Human Muscle Model in Digital Human Environments☆

Abstract The current state of the art digital human models are a visual proxy for humans in part due to the advances in computer graphics. They perform with biomechanical accuracy that mimics real human motion. Models such as Santos® have a biomechanically accurate skeleton driving the motion, which in turn controls the deformation of a flexible skin for added realism, all in real time. However, these models lack realistic musculoskeletal systems that respond in real time to biomechanical motion. They require varying levels of pre-processing before motion can be applied to them, thus preventing the real time effect; muscle models need to be flexible and deformable, which in computer simulations generally translates to higher computation requirements. By combining advances in computer graphics, especially the fast rendering game graphics capability, with known literature on musculoskeletal modeling, a preliminary full body musculoskeletal system that deforms in real time is presented along with the skeleton and skin. Given the biomechanical studies focus of digital humans, the model implemented centers on the mathematical articulation, and not the graphical volumetric representation, of actual musculoskeletal systems. As such, each muscle is defined as a line that starts at an origin position, determined from anatomy, and ends at the corresponding insertion position, while wrapping as needed around cylindrical obstacles that emulate the minimum bulges required for that line to be at the centroid of the actual equivalent muscle. For each muscle, the origin position, insertion position and obstacle parameters (position, rotation, and scale) have to be obtained relative to key joints for accurate articulation. This was done manually on a per-muscle basis for 126 muscles, and can be extended to any anthropometric avatar. With this initial real-time model, there is potential for a quicker assessment of the effect of muscles on human task performance, leading to a complete model that deforms in real time.
Signal processing of piezoelectric weight-in-motion systems

Conventional weigh stations in highways require a full stop or a very slow driving speed to enforce the weight regulations. This is one of the causes of inefficient freight movements. Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) systems measure Gross Vehicle Weights (GVW) and axle spaces of vehicles on highways at a free-flow traffic speed, and thus reduce traffic delays. This paper presents a recent development of WIM systems based on piezoelectric sensors. A new signal processing algorithm based on a resampling technique and treatments of signal anomalies are presented.
Abstract A84: Reduced LINE-1 methylation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is associated with risk of melanoma in families segregating CDKN2A germline mutations

Background: CDKN2A is a major susceptibility gene for familial melanoma, but its incomplete penetrance suggests that other factors may modify the effect of this gene in melanoma-prone families. Epigenetic changes involving reduced levels of global DNA methylation in blood have been associated with genomic instability and cancer risk. In addition, genetic background has the potential to influence epigenetic processes through cis- or trans-regulatory variation. Therefore, we hypothesize that the CDKN2A carrier mutation state may be an important factor influencing global DNA methylation in predisposed individuals and that aberrant methylation may be an indicator of modified risk in individuals from melanoma-prone families segregating CDKN2A germline mutations. Methods: We measured the overall level of genomic DNA methylation using bisulfite pyrosequencing at four CpG sites (CpG1, CpG2, CpG3 and CpG4) of the Long Interspersed Nucleotide Element-1 (LINE-1) sequences in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 42 CDKN2A mutation positive cases (20 males and 22 females) and 73 controls (29 CDKN2A carrier controls [9 males and 20 females] and 44 non-carrier controls [19 males and 25 females]) in 26 families with CDKN2A mutations. LINE-1 methylation was reported as the average (of all 4 CpGs) and as site-specific percentage methylation. Odds9 ratios (OR) and P-values were obtained by comparing melanoma cases to controls using unconditional logistic regression with adjustment for family correlation (using the generalized estimating equations [GEE] approach), age, sex, number of moles and with melanoma status as the outcome variable. Percentage LINE-1 methylation was categorized using tertiles with the highest tertile as the reference. Results: Male gender was significantly associated with higher average LINE-1 methylation (P= Conclusions: Melanoma cases from families segregating CDKN2A germline mutations have significantly lower LINE-1 global methylation in their PBMCs compared to controls. Changes in LINE-1 methylation in PBMCs from CDKN2A mutation positive cases may reflect a potential genetic background influence on global DNA methylation in these individuals. Further studies are needed to clarify these preliminary observations. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2011;4(10 Suppl):A84.
The Leaf Oil Composition of Myrcia splendens from Monteverde, Costa Rica

Abstract The leaf essential oil of Myrcia splendens Standl. (Myrtaceae), from Costa Rica, was isolated by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-MS. A total of 26 compounds were identified in the leaf oil accounting for 96.9% of the total composition. The most abundant components of the leaf oil of M. splendens were germacrene D (35.9%), valerianol (16.3%) trans-2-hexenal (9.5%), epi-α-cadinol (6.8%), and δ-cadinene (5.8%).
A respiration calorimeter of the Atwater-Rosa-Benedict type designed for use with dogs and children; with demonstration:

The apparatus demonstrated is in many respects a miniature of the calorimeters of this type which have been constructed at the Nutrition Laboratory in Boston. The writer wishes to acknowledge his great indebtedness to Dr. Francis G. Benedict, director of that laboratory, for his invaluable assistance in working out the problem of a small calorimeter.In order to measure with a satisfactory degree of precision the gaseous and energy metabolism of infants and small animals, it has been necessary to introduce some special modifications. As a detailed description of these modifications with a report of the control tests of the apparatus will be communicated within a short time, particular mention need not be made at present.
Thin Diamond Films for Tribological Applications

Diamond films have been deposited on Si, Mo and many other substrates by microwave and radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Although the adhesion between the diamond film and most of the metal substrates is poor due to residual thermal stress from the mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients, we have developed processes to promote the growth of uniform and continuous diamond films with enhanced adhesion to metal substratesfor tribological applications. The tribological properties of these films are measured using a ring-on-block tribotester. The coefficients of friction of diamond films sliding against a 52100 steel ring under the same experimental conditions are found to be significantly different depending on the morphology, grain size and roughness of the diamond films. However, under all cases tested, it is found that for uniform and continuous diamond films with small grain size of 1-3 micrometers, the coefficient of friction of thediamond film sliding against a steel ring under lubrication of a jet of mineral oil is about 0.04.
Reactive Ion Etching of AlN, AlGaN, and GaN Using BCl3

The III-V nitrides are promising materials for use in UV-blue-green optoelectronics, high-temperature electronics, and negative-electron-affinity (NEA) electron emitter applications. In order to realize this potential, it is important to develop an etching technology for device fabrication. The stability of the III-V nitrides to harsh chemical environments makes most wet etching extremely difficult, so that dry etching alternatives are desirable. Recent experiments have shown that BCI3-based chemistries are effective for reactive ion etching of GaN and that KOH-based solutions may preferentially etch AIN from GaN. This paper reports on the use of BCI3 for etching AIN and AlGaN in addition to GaN and the creation of structures such as mesas and lines. It also examines the potential use of potassium Hydroxide (KOH) as a wet etchant of the nitrides. AIN, AlGaN, and GaN films grown by either metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) or molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) were patterned with Ni in 250 μm × 250 μm squares and 5 μm wide lines to create mesas and lines for typical light emitting diode (LED) or laser diode applications. Reactive ion etching was performed in a commercial reactor using BCI3 pressures ranging from 5 to 30 mTorr. Gas flow rates of 5 to 50 seem and RF powers of 50 to 150 W were employed. High nitride etch rates of up to 730 A/min. were observed but lower etch rates were needed to avoid etching of the Ni mask. Smooth mesa surfaces and sidewalls were observed in scanning electron micrographs of the etched nitride structures. Mesas as small as 5 μm × 5 μm were patterned and made in this way. Lines were also made in a similar manner as narrow as 5 μm on GaN/AIN epilayers. Subsequent wet etching of these lines showed that KOH-based solutions such as AZ400K developer attack not only AIN but also GaN depending upon the quality of the film. Possibilities for using this wet etch as a defect etchant or selective etch of nitrides on SiC are discussed.
T-cell Primary Effusion Lymphoma in an Elderly HIV-Negative Patient Coinfected With Human Kaposi Sarcoma Virus and Epstein-Barr Virus

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), one of a few neoplasms associated with human Kaposi sarcoma virus (HKSV), also known as human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), is typically a B-cell lymphoma occurring in HIV-positive patients. Herein we report an unusual PEL of T-cell origin in an 80-year-old immunocompetent HIV-negative man in which the lymphoma cells were positive for both HHV8 and Epstein-Barr virus …
Term by Term Dyadic Differentiation of Walsh Series

Let N = {0,1,2,…} denote the nonnegative integers. Each n ∈ N can be represented uniquely in binary notation using its binary coefficients n k ∈ {0, 1}.
Ground reaction force estimation in prosthetic legs with an extended Kalman filter

A method to estimate ground reaction forces (GRFs) in a robot/prosthesis system is presented. The system includes a robot that emulates human hip and thigh motion, along with a powered (active) prosthetic leg for transfemoral amputees, and includes four degrees of freedom (DOF): vertical hip displacement, thigh angle, knee angle, and ankle angle. We design a continuous-time extended Kalman filter (EKF) to estimate not only the states of the robot/prosthesis system, but also the GRFs that act on the prosthetic foot. The simulation results show that the average RMS estimation errors of the thigh, knee, and ankle angles are 0.007, 0.015, and 0.465 rad with the use of four, two, and one measurements respectively. The average GRF estimation errors are 2.914, 7.595, and 20.359 N with the use of four, two, and one measurements respectively. It is shown via simulation that the state estimates remain bounded if the initial estimation errors and the disturbances are sufficiently small.
A NEW APPROACH TO PROTEIN FOLDING CALCULATIONS

Previously we demonstrated the feasibility of generating large number of protein conformations within the shape outlined by the known structure and subsequently evaluating them to demonstrate that the residue-residue potential functions can be usefully applied to assess them(Covell and Jernigan, 1990). In this paper we are going to outline some ways to improve the efficiencies of such generations and evaluations.
Reassessing “Whose Story Wins:” The Trajectory of Identity Resilience in Narrative Contests

Controlling and winning the narrative has become a prominent refrain in public diplomacy as political actors seek to dominate the information battlefield. However, while actors may readily engage in narrative battles, they struggle to win them decisively, especially when using social media. This article argues that narrative contests are inherently identity battles in that narratives contain intertwined elements of identity and image. Although intertwined, identity and image appear to have distinctive features, inhabit different information realms, and, when challenged, assume divergent narrative spheres and trajectories. Whereas images are largely contestable and follow a linear trajectory of narrative coherence, challenges to identity spark a trajectory of identity resilience that ensures the survival of the entity but results in a cascade of narrative paradoxes. Underexplored distinctions between identity and image raise the need to reassess strategic options in narrative contests, especially when using social media. The Israeli–Hamas narrative battle on Twitter during the Gaza 2014 conflict is used to probe examples of identity self-expression and self-preservation in the narrative trajectory of identity resilience.
Where Emergency Management and Disaster Behavioral Health Meet: Through a Disaster Behavioral Health Lens

Abstract From a disaster behavioral health (DBH) perspective, this comprehensive review of the intersection between emergency management (EM) and DBH uses a historical perspective, as well as first hand field experiences from both professions, to identify challenges, successes, and opportunities for future growth within disaster response coordination. The words “Hope for the best and plan for the worst” or some variation, are on the walls of many emergency managers. When not involved in response or recovery activities they are planning, exercising plans and revising plans based on exercise and real-life results. But, where does DBH fit into all those plans? The authors provide actionable steps to foster the integration.
The role of Ca2+ signaling in Parkinson's disease.

ABSTRACT Across all kingdoms in the tree of life, calcium (Ca 2+ ) is an essential element used by cells to respond and adapt to constantly changing environments. In multicellular organisms, it plays fundamental roles during fertilization, development and adulthood. The inability of cells to regulate Ca 2+ can lead to pathological conditions that ultimately culminate in cell death. One such pathological condition is manifested in Parkinson9s disease, the second most common neurological disorder in humans, which is characterized by the aggregation of the protein, α-synuclein. This Review discusses current evidence that implicates Ca 2+ in the pathogenesis of Parkinson9s disease. Understanding the mechanisms by which Ca 2+ signaling contributes to the progression of this disease will be crucial for the development of effective therapies to combat this devastating neurological condition.
Marking the Jews in Renaissance Italy: Politics, Religion, and the Power of Symbols

It is a little known fact that as early as the thirteenth century, Europe's political and religious powers tried to physically mark and distinguish the Jews from the rest of society. During the Renaissance, Italian Jews first had to wear a yellow round badge on their chest, and then later, a yellow beret. The discriminatory marks were a widespread phenomenon with serious consequences for Jewish communities and their relations with Christians. Beginning with a sartorial study - how the Jews were marked on their clothing and what these marks meant - the book offers an in-depth analysis of anti-Jewish discrimination across three Italian city-states: Milan, Genoa, and Piedmont. Moving beyond Italy, it also examines the place of Jews and Jewry law in the increasingly interconnected world of Early Modern European politics.
A 3.43TOPS/W 48.9pJ/pixel 50.1nJ/classification 512 analog neuron sparse coding neural network with on-chip learning and classification in 40nm CMOS

A digital-analog hybrid neural network exploits efficient analog computation and digital intra-network communication for feature extraction and classification. Taking advantage of the inherently low SNR requirements of the Locally Competitive Algorithm (LCA), the internally-analog neuron is 3x smaller and 7.5x more energy efficient than an equivalent digital design. This work demonstrates large-scale integration of 512 analog neurons using a traditional scalable digital workflow to achieve a best-of-class power efficiency of 3.43TOPS/W for object classification. At 48.9pJ/pixel and 50.1nJ/classification, the prototype 512-neuron IC achieves 2x efficiency over the digital design while maintaining reliable classification results over PVT.
Television antiheroines: women behaving badly in crime and prison drama

The debut of The Sopranos on HBO in 1999 ushered in a new Golden Age of American television, one that has continued to present day, enabled by the increased prominence of cable and streaming networ...
Analytical solutions for fixed-free beam dynamics in thin rib machining

Abstract Two different analytical approaches for predicting thin rib, fixed-free beam dynamics with varying geometries are presented. The first approach uses the Rayleigh method to determine the effective mass for the fundamental bending mode of the stepped thickness beams and Castigliano’s theorem to calculate the stiffness both at the beam’s free end and at the change in thickness. The second method uses receptance coupling substructure analysis (RCSA) to predict the beam receptances (or frequency response functions) at the same two locations by rigidly connecting receptances that describe the individual stepped beam sections, where the receptances are derived from the Timoshenko beam model. Comparisons with finite element calculations are completed to verify the two techniques. It is observed that the RCSA predictions agree more closely with finite element results. Experiments are also performed, where the stepped beam thickness is changed by multiple machining passes, and receptance measurements are carried out between passes. The RCSA predictions are compared to experimental results for natural frequency and stiffness. Agreement in natural frequency to within a few percent is reported.
Specific optical rotation is a versatile tool for the identification of critical micelle concentration and micellar growth of tartaric acid-based diastereomeric amphiphiles.

Four novel tartaric acid-based diastereomeric chiral amphiphiles, two being enantiomers of the other two, have been synthesized and investigated using chiroptical spectroscopic methods, along with tensiometry and dynamic light scattering experiments. We found that an inflection point in specific optical rotation (SOR) values at ~0.32 mM corresponds to the critical micelle concentration (CMC). The increase in magnitude of SOR values beyond CMC corresponds to the growth of aggregates. For enantiomers, oppositely signed SOR values were observed, ruling out the possibility for the presence of aggregation size mediated artefacts. SOR values did not exhibit concentration dependence for a chiral tartaric acid based non-aggregating analogue further establishing the absence of artefacts or anomalous interaction of tartaric acid based head group with solvent. Electronic circular dichroism spectra showed no significant changes in band positions or intensities with concentration. Due to the requirement for higher concentrations (~200 mM) needed to obtain vibrational circular dichroism spectra, these measurements are not found to be useful for studying concentration dependent properties of chiral amphiphiles.
The effect of frailty on HAI response to influenza vaccine among community-dwelling adults ≥ 50 years of age.

The immune response to vaccine antigens is less robust in older adults because of changes in the aging immune system. Frailty, the multi-dimensional syndrome marked by losses in function and physio...
Direct Air Versus Ground Transport Predictors for Rural Pediatric Trauma.

Abstract Objective Traumatic injury is the leading cause of mortality in children and the most common cause of emergency medical services transport in pediatric populations. We aimed to identify what factors are currently associated with selection for helicopter transport (HEMS) over ground ambulance (GEMS) in a primarily rural state. Methods We performed a retrospective case-control study of trauma patients younger than 18 years old reported to the Oklahoma State Trauma Registry between 2005 and 2014 who received direct transport from the scene of injury to a tertiary trauma center within the state. Factors associated with HEMS transport over GEMS were identified by multivariate regression analysis. Results Of the 1,700 patients in the study group, 50.8% were transported by HEMS. Increased distance (odds ratio [OR] = 6.1-18.6), lower Glasgow Coma Scale (OR = 2.5), multisystem injury (OR = 1.5), intubation (OR = 2.7), motor vehicle collision–related injuries (OR = 2.1), and elevated heart rate (OR = 1.8) were all associated with increased odds of HEMS transport, with distance being the strongest factor. Conclusion This study found that the principal determinants of triage to HEMS transport in the case of pediatric trauma in a rural state were primarily distance to a major trauma center and clinical factors relating to the type and severity of injury.
Reconstructive Flap Coverage

Innovations in oncology, perioperative patient management, and spinal stabilization, which typically include the use of spinal instrumentation, have widened the spectrum of patients deemed suitable candidates for spinal surgery. Spinal defects are frequently encountered after resection of primary tumors or metastases within the vertebral bone. A variety of local flaps, pedicled flaps, and free tissue transfers have been described in the literature as options for soft tissue reconstruction of the posterior trunk. These methods encompass numerous fasciocutaneous as well as myocutaneous flaps. This chapter aims to review recent reports and provide systematic guidance for reconstructive surgeons taking care of patients who require either simultaneous prophylactic coverage or delayed soft tissue reconstruction of such defects. The recommended operative techniques can be stratified in two different manners: either by anatomical region on the back (C1–T7, T7–L1, or L1–S5) or by complexity and efficacy (primary, secondary, tertiary). Larger defects may necessitate combinations of flaps for successful reconstructions, while infected wounds require additional antibiotic treatment. Typically, the instrumentation inserted by the orthopedic surgeon can be salvaged with these approaches while subsequently reducing the risk of neurological injury to the patient. An array of different scenarios and techniques are presented and discussed.
Failure to detect amphetamine-induced dopamine release in the cortex with [11 C]FLB 457 positron emission tomography (PET): Methodological considerations.

Studies in nonhuman primates and humans have demonstrated that amphetamine-induced dopamine release in the cortex can be measured with [11 C]FLB 457 and PET imaging. This technique has been successfully used in recent clinical studies to show decreased dopamine transmission in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia and alcohol dependence. Here, we present data from a cohort of twelve healthy controls in whom an oral amphetamine challenge (0.5 mg kg-1 ) did not lead to a significant reduction in [11 C]FLB 457 BPND (i.e., binding potential relative to non-displaceable uptake). Two factors that likely contributed to the inability to displace [11 C]FLB 457 BPND in this cohort relative to successful cohorts are: (a) the acquisition of the baseline and post-amphetamine scans on different days as opposed to the same day and (b) the initiation of the post-amphetamine [11 C]FLB 457 scan at ∼5 hours as opposed to ∼3 hours following oral amphetamine. Furthermore, we show [11 C]FLB 457 reproducibility data from a legacy dataset to support greater variability in cortical BPND when the test and retest scans are acquired on different days as compared to the same day. These results highlight the methodological challenges that continue to plague the field with respect to imaging dopamine release in the cortex.
Economic Outcome of Cardiac CT-Based Evaluation and Standard of Care for Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome In the Emergency Department: A Decision Analytic Model

Rationale and Objectives Cardiac computed tomography (CCT) in the emergency department may be cost saving for suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS), but economic outcome data are limited. The objective of this study was to compare the cost of CCT-based evaluation versus standard of care (SOC) using the results of a clinical trial. Materials and Methods We developed a decision analytic cost-minimization model to compare CCT-based and SOC evaluation costs to obtain a correct diagnosis. Model inputs, including Medicare-adjusted patient costs, were primarily obtained from a cohort study of 102 patients at low to intermediate risk for ACS who underwent an emergency department SOC clinical evaluation and a 64-channel CCT. SOC costs included stress testing in 77% of patients. Data from published literature completed the model inputs and expanded data ranges for sensitivity analyses. Results Modeled mean patient costs for CCT-based evaluation were $750 (24%) lower than the SOC ($2384 and $3134, respectively). Sensitivity analyses indicated that CCT was less expensive over a wide range of estimates and was only more expensive with a CCT specificity below 67% or if more than 44% of very low risk patients had CCT. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis suggested that CCT-based evaluation had a 98.9% probability of being less expensive compared to SOC. Conclusion Using a decision analytic model, CCT-based evaluation resulted in overall lower cost than the SOC for possible ACS patients over a wide range of cost and outcome assumptions, including computed tomography–related complications and downstream costs.
Socioeconomic Status, Race, and Death From Coronary Heart Disease

Introduction Data to assess factors associated with differences in coronary heart disease mortality between Caucasians and African Americans are limited. We assessed risks for sudden, nonsudden, and other coronary death between Caucasians and African Americans in relation to known risk factors for coronary disease and socioeconomic status. Methods We analyzed data from the 1986 National Mortality Followback Survey, the 1985 National Health Interview Survey, and the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Logistic regression methods were used to create multivariate models to assess the relationship of socioeconomic status and other known modifiable risk factors to death from each of the three coronary diseases for Caucasians and African Americans separately. Results In an age- and gender-adjusted analysis of data on men 25-44 years old and women 25-54 years old, African Americans had about twice the risk for sudden, nonsudden, or other coronary death as did Caucasians. Adjusted risks for coronary death for Caucasians associated with modifiable risk factors (cigarette smoking, body weight, diabetes, and hypertension) either resembled or were slightly greater than those for African Americans. Half or more of all excess risks for African Americans in multivariate models could be explained by socioeconomic status. About 18% of excess sudden coronary death risk could be further explained by known modifiable coronary heart disease risk factors. Conclusions Broad public health efforts are needed to address these causes of excess mortality.
Partial Differential Equations

This chapter focuses on partial differential equations. Finite difference methods are the most successful and widely used for the numerical solution of partial differential equations; however, the mathematical theory of these methods is not nearly as complete as it is for ordinary differential equations. Constructing good difference schemes is a nontrivial task, which frequently requires an intimate knowledge of the physical process being described by the differential equation. The chapter discusses approximate solutions of the heat equation and Laplace's equation, using a maximum or monotonicity principle. The energy method provides a powerful tool for analyzing the heat equation in more than one space variable.
Robot-Assisted Pedestrian Regulation Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning

Pedestrian regulation can prevent crowd accidents and improve crowd safety in densely populated areas. Recent studies use mobile robots to regulate pedestrian flows for desired collective motion through the effect of passive human–robot interaction (HRI). This paper formulates a robot motion planning problem for the optimization of two merging pedestrian flows moving through a bottleneck exit. To address the challenge of feature representation of complex human motion dynamics under the effect of HRI, we propose using a deep neural network to model the mapping from the image input of pedestrian environments to the output of robot motion decisions. The robot motion planner is trained end-to-end using a deep reinforcement learning algorithm, which avoids hand-crafted feature detection and extraction, thus improving the learning capability for complex dynamic problems. Our proposed approach is validated in simulated experiments, and its performance is evaluated. The results demonstrate that the robot is able to find optimal motion decisions that maximize the pedestrian outflow in different flow conditions, and the pedestrian-accumulated outflow increases significantly compared to cases without robot regulation and with random robot motion.
Synchronized electrospinning and electrospraying technique for manufacturing of all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries

Abstract The complexity and expense of manufacturing all-solid-state batteries have long hindered the development of large-scale all-solid-state batteries for transportation and grid storage applications. Key issues include electrolyte-electrode interfacial resistance, air and moisture stability, and mass production capabilities. In this work, we propose a new battery manufacturing method which overcomes the challenges in interfacial resistance and scalability by using synchronized electrospinning and electrospraying. This method enables layer-by-layer depositing of cathode, solid-state electrolyte, and anode layers directly on top of one another. Herein, a LiFePO4 cathode and a Tin (Sn) anode have been selected to create for the first time a proof of concept all-solid-state lithium-ion battery in a full-cell configuration by using the synchronized electrospinning and electrospraying technique. This electrospinning and electrospraying synchronized technique created a poly(ethylene oxide)-based electrolyte, which demonstrates a conductivity of ∼1⋅10−5 at room temperature and ∼1⋅10−3 S cm−1 at 60 °C. Using the air-stable electrolyte and electrode materials, the synchronized electrospinning and electrospraying technique enables manufacturing of all-solid-state batteries in an ambient environment with reversible electrodes outlined in this work. Furthermore, the approach could ensure a straightforward transition to a roll-to-roll process and incorporate a wide range of materials for future large-scale manufacturing.
Additional analysis of pediatric pulmonary embolism using the Pediatric Health Information System database.

TO THE EDITOR: We read the article by Carpenter et al[1][1] with interest because it provides crucial information on the trends in pediatric pulmonary embolism (PPE) in the United States. Similarly, we conducted an analysis of the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database (initiated prior
Bariatric Surgery in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes.

We seek to characterize the impact of bariatric surgery on diabetes mellitus by recalling its history, examining the clinical data, exploring the putative mechanisms of action, and anticipating its future. Results of clinical trials reveal that bariatric surgery induces remission of diabetes in 33–90% of individuals at 1-year post-treatment versus 0–39% of medically managed. Remission rates decrease over time but remain higher in surgically treated individuals. Investigations have revealed numerous actions of surgery including effects on intestinal physiology, neuronal signaling, incretin hormone secretion, bile acid metabolism, and microbiome changes. Bariatric surgery improves control of diabetes through both weight-dependent and weight-independent actions. These various mechanisms help explain the difference between individuals treated surgically vs. medically. They also explain differing effects of various bariatric surgery procedure types. Understanding how surgery affects diabetes will help optimize utilization of the therapy for both disease prevention and treatment.
Emerging investigator series: capacitive deionization for selective removal of nitrate and perchlorate: impacts of ion selectivity and operating constraints on treatment costs

Treating toxic monovalent anions such as NO3− or ClO4− in drinking water remains challenging due to the high capital and environmental costs associated with common technologies such as reverse osmosis or ion exchange. Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a promising technology for selective ion removal due to high reported ion selectivity for these two contaminants. However, the impacts of ion selectivity and influent water characteristics on CDI life cycle cost have not been considered. In this study we investigate the impact of ion selectivity on CDI system cost with a parameterized process model and technoeconomic analysis framework. Simulations indicate millimolar concentration contaminants such as nitrate can be removed at costs in the range of $0.01–0.30 per m3 at reported selectivity coefficient ranges (S = 6–10). Since perchlorate removal involves micromolar scale concentration changes, higher selectivity values than reported in literature (S > 10 vs. S = 4–6.5) are required for comparable treatment costs. To contextualize simulated results for CDI treatment of NO3−, CDI unit operations were sized and costed for three case studies based on existing treatment facilities in Israel, Spain, and the United States, showing that achieving a nitrate selectivity of 10 could reduce life cycle treatment costs below $0.2 per m3.