cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seniors' perceptions of health care not closely associated with physician supply.

We conducted a national random survey of Medicare beneficiaries to better understand the association between the supply of physicians and patients’ perceptions of their health care. We found that patients living in areas with more physicians per capita had perceptions of their health care that were similar to those of patients in regions with fewer physicians. In addition, there were no significant differences between the groups of patients in terms of numbers of visits to their personal physician in the previous year; amount of time spent with a physician; or access to tests or specialists. Our results suggest that simply training more physicians is unlikely to lead to improved access to care. Instead, focusing health policy on improving the quality and organization of care may be more beneficial.
Structural Biology of Programmed Cell Death

Structural and biochemical characterization on death receptors, Bcl-2 family proteins, caspases, IAPs, Smac/DIABLO, and other regulatory proteins has revealed significant insights into the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis. This chapter summarizes these advances and presents our current understanding of apoptosis from a structural and mechanistic perspective.
Research Directions in Compiling For Massive Parallelism

summaraze and amplzfy the dascussaon of research darectzons an compalzng for massave parallelasm that took place at'hew Frontiers: A Workshop on Future Directions in Massively Parallel Processind whzch preceded the Frontzer's '92 Conference. In addatzon to those problems specafic to compalataon for masszvely parallel machanes, problems dzscussed zncluded assues an language desagMthe success of current vectorzzang compalers and the amplacataons for compalang for massavely parallel machansand - the necesszty of nptamazzng for unzprocessor performance. 2
Abnormal Left Ventricular Filling in Patients with Concentric Hypertrophy on Chronic Hemodialysis

Echocardiographic characteristics of the left ventricle have been defined primarily for systole with little attention being directed toward diastolic events. It is generally assumed, however, that left ventricular filling (LVF) is abnormal in certain pathologic conditions, in particular left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). In order to quantify LVF and detect any abnormality of LVF in LVH, we performed a computerized analysis of echocardiograms in 8 normal subjects (N) and 12 patients on chronic hemodialysis (CH).
Cracking the Mysteries of Diastolic Function in Atrial Fibrillation: New Technology for an Old Problem

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common clinically significant cardiac arrhythmia with an estimated number of 2.3 million U.S. citizens affected ([1][1]). Additionally, this number will only continue to increase because of an aging U.S. population—it is estimated that the number of affected
Diagnosing RCVS Without the CV: The Evolution of Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome

This is a case of a 52-year-old man with a past medical history of 2 episodes of coital thunderclap headaches as well as recent cocaine, marijuana, and pseudoephedrine use, who presented with sudden, sharp, posterior headache associated with photophobia and phonophobia. His initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the head, and magnetic resonance venography (MRV) of the head were all normal as well as a normal lumbar puncture. Given the multiple risk factors for reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), the patient was treated for suspected RCVS, despite the normal imaging. Repeat MRI brain 3 days after hospital admission demonstrated confluent white matter T2 hyperintensities most prominent in the occipital lobes, typical of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). Repeat MRA of the head 1 day after discharge and 4 days after the abnormal MRI brain showed multisegment narrowing of multiple arteries. This case demonstrates that RCVS may present with PRES on MRI brain and also exemplifies the need to treat suspected RCVS even if imaging is normal, as abnormalities in both the MRI and the MRA may be delayed.
Concentration in the Israeli Economy and Bank Investment in Nonfinancial Companies

In Israel, as in a number of other economies, a few large banks have historically played a major role in the nonfinancial sector. At the end of 1995, the Israeli government appointed the Brodet Committee to examine bank investments in nonfinancial corporations. The Israeli Knesset subsequently adopted the committee's recommendations and imposed major limitations on the role of banks in the nonfinancial sector. These limitations required the two biggest Israeli banks to start selling much of their nonfinancial investments. This paper is based on the research report that we prepared for the Brodet Committee at the request of the Israeli Finance Ministry and Antitrust Authority. We explain why we recommended to the Committee that substantial limitations be imposed on bank investment in nonfinancial companies. We provide a detailed analysis of the effects that bank- conglomerate combinations have in a small economy -- such as Israel's -- that is characterized by a great deal of concentration in both the financial and nonfinancial sectors. In particular, we analyze the effects that bank-conglomerate combinations have on the safety and soundness of banks, on the decisions of the investment funds managed by banks, and on the level of competition in the economy in both the short run and the long run.
New Roles for an Old Pore.

Biological organisms depend on a variety of mechanisms to remove defective components. Such was originally thought to be the function of the mitochondrial permeability transition, in which high-conductance permeability transition pores (PTP) form in the inner mitochondrial membrane, causing immediate matrix depolarization, Ca release, reversal of ATP synthase, matrix swelling, and eventually rupture of the outer mitochondrial membrane, releasing proapoptotic signaling molecules, such as cytochrome c (Figure).1 PTP formation is triggered primarily by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and matrix Ca overload. Originally interpreted as a suicide switch to remove defective mitochondria spewing excess ROS, PTP were later discovered to open transiently in a lower conductance mode hypothesized to serve a useful physiological role—namely as a mechanism to allow Ca-overloaded mitochondria to flush Ca from the matrix.2 Figure. Protective and injurious roles of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP). OMM indicates outer mitochondrial membrane; RISK, reperfusion injury survival kinase; and ROS, reactive oxygen species. Article, see p 834 Physiologically, matrix-free [Ca] is similar to that in the cytoplasm, ≈100 nmol/L. With a matrix membrane potential around −180 mV, the equilibrium [Ca] in the matrix would be around 6 orders of magnitude higher, that is, 0.1 mol/L. Thus, the inner mitochondrial membrane normally has a low permeability to Ca, with influx primarily regulated by the mitochondrial Ca uniporter and efflux by Na–Ca exchange. When an imbalance occurs such that matrix-free [Ca] becomes elevated, the energetic cost of removing Ca against such an unfavorable electrochemical gradient is huge. Transient PTP openings allow the matrix to depolarize briefly, canceling out the electrochemical gradient …
Development and Growth of Peromyscus Maniculatus Oreas

The present report is a result of a study of the development and growth of Peromyscus maniculatus oreas Bangs, the third race of this species investigated in this connection. Data on the growth of the subspecies artemisiae and bairdii already have been presented (Svihla, 1934, 1935). The deer-mice belonging to the subspecies oreas are distinguishable from other races of maniculatus by their dark, rich coloration and the great length of the tail. The latter, according to Osgood (1909), is longer than in any other subspecies of this species. These mice inhabit the moist mountain and coastal regions of western Washington, and southern British Columbia around Puget Sound. Osgood (1909) stated that they intergrade with artemisiae in central British Columbia, but in the region around Mount Baker, where was secured the original stock for this study, no intergradation occurs. The mice were collected alive in "Burt" traps set near the Nooksack Power Plant some 10 miles east of the town of Glacier in the Mount Baker National Forest. The forest here is typical of the western coastal region, consisting of such valuable trees as western red cedar, Douglas fir, western hemlock, and silver fir. The undergrowth consists chiefly of tangles of salmonberry, salal and huckleberry. The methods used in breeding these mice and the conditions under which they were raised, were the same as those in the studies previously reported. They were fed the same diet, consisting of ground whole wheat, powdered milk and iodized salt, with the addition of green food twice a week. About 5 grams of raw beef liver also was given each mouse once a week. In a previous paper (Svihla, 1933), I stated that when these mice were brought from the coastal region to Pullman, they failed to reproduce, although they bred normally while in western Washington. The present stock of oreas likewise failed to breed when transferred to Pullman until liver (5 grams once a week) was added to the diet, since which time they have reproduced normally. This confirms the observations of Smith and Seegers (1934), who reported similar beneficial effects from the addition of raw liver to the diet of experimental rats and mice. Newly born young of oreas did not differ in general appearance from those of other subspecies of deer-mice of the maniculatus group. They likewise were pink in color, hairless, with eyes closed and the pinnae of the ears folded down over the aural opening. The vibrissae were well developed. Within 24 hours the backs of the young mice became deeply pigmented from the presence of coloring matter in the developing hairs. On the fourth day the pinnae of the ears were erect, although the ear openings still were closed. The time required for the eyes to open varied from 14 to 18 days but usually took 132
Influencing factors of uncertainty in fluoride content determination in drinking water by ion chromatography

[Objective]To establish a method for uncertainty assessment of fluoride content in drinking water by ion chromatography,and identify the main influencing factors.[Methods]According "Standard Examination Methods for Drinking Water-Nonmetal Parameters"(GB/T 5750.5-2006),a mathematical model was set up,and the various components of uncertainty were determined by duplicate measurement of water samples,the calibration of standard curve,the dilution of standard solution and the preparation of standard series.[Results] The average concentration of fluoride in drinking water was 0.934 mg/L with 12 times of duplicate survey,its expanded uncertainty was 0.042 mg/L(k=2).[Conclusion]The most primary influencing factors to expanded uncertainty is the preparation of standard series in the measurement of uncertainty.
Aluminum, Alzheimer's Disease, and the Olfactory Systema

In Alzheimer's disease, it has been recognized that there is a dramatic tendency for the development of neurofibrillary tangles among neurons of cortical regions associated with the olfactory system. We have demonstrated that neurofibrillary tangle-bearing neurons contain dramatically elevated levels of aluminum. The olfactory system, the only portion of the central nervous system with exposure to the external environment, is uniquely capable of uptake and transneuronal spread of exogenous substances. We argue that inasmuch as aluminum is not employed in any physiologic process, these deposits must arise from exogenous sources. Using parkinsonism-dementia complex of Guam as a model, we present data which suggest that the olfactory system is particularly vulnerable to damage and is affected very early in the disease. This supports the concept that etiologic agents of importance to this epidemic may be airborne in nature and may enter the central nervous system via the olfactory pathways.
Home Finance and Housing Quality in Ageing Neighbourhoods

This paper is directed to the problem of mortgage financing for old, inexpensive, one- and two-family homes that are not competitive with new construction, but are at or above minimum code standards; and to the relationship of this problem to the level of expenditures for the maintenance and improvement of these homes. In American cities, it appears that such structures constitute as much as 15 percent of the total occupied inventory.2. Moreover, numerous additional. dwellings, now in serious violation of local codes, were at some prior time no doubt in this category. The matter of adequate financing for ageing sectors of the stock is, therefore, a large component of the total residential finance problem. It is also a subject which American housing policy, in its emphasis on new construction and on rehabilitation programmes that operate largely outside normal market mechanisms, has almost completely ignored.
Bandpass filtering power divider with sharp roll-off skirt and enhanced in-band isolation

This paper presents a compact device with functions of frequency selecting and power dividing simultaneously. Open-stub loaded dual-mode resonators are selected as the basic building blocks. By cascading two dual-mode resonators, a novel fourth-order inter-cross-coupled coupling scheme containing mixed coupling is realized and employed to replace the λ/4-line sections of conventional Wilkinson power divider (PD) to improve out-of-band rejection performance. Two surface mounted resistors of different values are placed between channels to obtain high in-band isolation between output ports. Furthermore, a filtering PD operating at 4.45 GHz is designed, fabricated and tested to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed design. Four finite transmission zeros positioned at 3.85 GHz, 4.25 GHz, 4.75 GHz and 5.4 GHz respectively are achieved which will result in good frequency selectivity. Very good agreement is observed between the simulated and experimental results with approximately 1.3 dB insertion loss and over 18 dB isolation over the entire passband.
Being Untaught: How NGO Field Workers Empower Parents of Children with Disabilities in Dadaab.

Roughly 350,000 refugees, over 90% of them Somali, lived in five sprawling camps in Dadaab, Kenya in 2015. In the Dadaab refugee camps, families had unique experiences of disability, education, womenΓCOs roles, and involvement with International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) programming. INGOs provided a variety of basic services including education such as the program analyzed here for parents of children with disabilities. Many children with disabilities in the refugee camps faced social stigma and lacked access to education. This research draws on practices and literature in family literacy and parental involvement programming to explore how one NGO training sought to empower women learners to send their children with disabilities to school in Kambioos, the smallest and newest refugee camp in Dadaab. Using ethnographic methods, one training program involving parents and children was video-taped. The video was used as a cue to interview field workers about how the training empowered parents, particularly mothers. The study found that empowerment of women through training for parents of children with disabilities centered on parentsΓCO interaction with formal schools and engagement in their communities.
Spray cooling with ammonium hydroxide

Abstract An experimental study was conducted to investigate the performance characteristics of spray cooling with ammonium hydroxide (NH 4 OH) binary mixture for high heat flux removal. Two mixtures, having ammonia mass fractions of 0.3 and 0.5, were selected to represent practical operation conditions near atmospheric pressure and room temperature. Experimental setup involved a closed loop system with a vapor atomized spray nozzle and a 1-cm 2 heater sample that simulated a high heat flux source. Tests were performed with gradually increasing heat fluxes of up to 800 W/cm 2 and maintaining surface temperatures below ∼75 °C at varying liquid and vapor flow rates. Results indicated that the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) values from NH 4 OH mixtures can be lower than those from pure water and pure ammonia. The data suggested that boiling depression, due to mass diffusion resistance at liquid vapor interface, could greatly affect the overall spray cooling performance, especially when the binary mixtures comprise components with widely different boiling points. The study therefore provides performance characteristics, as well as some fundamental insights, for a potential spray cooling scheme suitable for low temperature, low pressure operations in various applications including thermal management of aerospace electronics and electro-optics.
Timeliness of Treatment Initiation and Associated Survival Following Diagnosis of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer in South Carolina.

Objectives Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient survival depends on a number of factors, including early diagnosis and initiation of treatment. Standard treatment options for patients with NSCLC include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact that the initiation of timely treatment has on patient survival among a cohort of privately insured patients with NSCLC in South Carolina. Methods Data for the study were retrospectively obtained from the South Carolina Central Cancer Registry and the state health plan Blue Cross and Blue Shield claims. Patients were diagnosed as having NSCLC between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2010, were aged 18 years or older, and were covered under the state health plan for at least 1 year before diagnosis. The final study sample included 746 patients. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazard modeling were conducted to examine factors associated with survival, stratified by stage at diagnosis. Results The majority in the study cohort (80%) received timely (≤6 weeks) rather than untimely (>6 weeks) care (20%). The mean survival time for patients receiving timely treatment by stage was 36.9, 27.1, and 12.4 months for localized, regional, and distant metastasis, respectively. The mean survival time for patients receiving untimely care by stage was 39.4, 33.8, and 25.2 months for localized, regional, and distant metastasis, respectively. Among patients with NSCLC in the distant metastasis stage, those receiving timely treatment experienced significantly decreased survival (hazard ratio 2.2) in comparison to those receiving untimely care. Conclusions Initiation of treatment within 6 weeks is not associated with greater survival time across all stages of cancer (localized, regional, and distant metastasis). Additional research is needed to examine the impact of other treatment quality metrics on the survival of patients with NSCLC, different time thresholds for treatment initiation that may be more meaningful to survival among patients with NSCLC, and timely care among patients with NSCLC in other geographic areas and populations.
Media Management in the Digital Age: Toward a Practical Wisdom-Based Approach

In this article we consider how the virtue of practical wisdom (prudence) rooted in the Aristotelian philosophy helps to develop a value-based media management in today’s age of digitalization. We argue that the integrative and the normative dimension of practical wisdom contribute to a wisdom-based, multi-dimensional perspective of media management which might counteract the information-based, one-dimensional perspective of a digital rationality. We proceed, first, by identifying the main challenges for value-based media management in the age of digitalization. Second, we introduce the concept of practical wisdom recently rediscovered and adapted in economics and explore its transformative potential for management practice. Finally, we conclude by suggesting the scope of possible applications.
Trigger warnings and the unformulated experience

This paper reflects upon the debates over the use of trigger warnings in educational spaces from a feminist psychoanalytic perspective. The writer posits that underlying the debate is a dissociative mechanism that results in psychological splitting. Dissociation is used to defend against formulating and acknowledging students’ traumatic experiences, especially minority students, e.g., women and people of color. This dissociation is coupled with a patriarchal order that often frames educational pedagogy, and deems different human qualities as gendered and hierarchal. Rationality is equated with masculinity and valued, while emotionality is equated with femininity and devalued. Hence, educational spaces often privilege rational knowledge and diminish the role of emotion and intuition. This can lead to discussion of the latter becoming unwelcome and inappropriate. The writer argues that, in order to create educational spaces that foster critical thinking, and not mere reproduction of knowledge, the integration of the dissociated and devalued aspects of the experience is imperative.
Imaging Capability, Absorption, Anxiety, Positive and Negative Affect: A Guided Imagery Intervention

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Absorption, the factors of imaging capability, i.e., Vividness of Visual Imagery and Visual Imagery Control, Trait anxiety and the differences in State Anxiety, State Positive Affect and State Negative Affect after the provision of a Guided Imagery intervention. The study was conducted on 30 female final year undergraduates, and an intervention based research model was implemented. The Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (Marks in Br J Psychol 64:17–24, 1973), Test of Visual Imagery Control (Gordon in Br J Psychol Gen Sect 39(3):156–167, 1949) and Tellegen Absorption Scale (Tellegen and Atkinson in J Abnorm Psychol 83(3):268, 1974) were administered to the participants to assess their imaging capability and their tendency towards absorption. A guided imagery track from the Academy of Guided Imagery was utilised for the intervention. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger and Gorsuch in State-trait anxiety inventory for adults: manual, instrument, and scoring guide. Mind Garden, Incorporated, 1983) and The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson et al., in J Abnorm Psychol 97(3):346, 1988) were also employed.
What You Don’t Know Is Going to Hurt Like Hell: Knowledge, Power, and the Faustian Bargain

This chapter analyzes two small academic communities represented in Penny Penniston’s Now Then Again (a few physicists at Fermilab) and in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia (literary, cultural, and mathematical scholars at Sidley House in England). I find in these plays the argument that responsibility especially obtains in the face of the possibility of total knowledge, that although partial ignorance is a constituent element of the decision this is not a mandate to preserve ignorance at all costs, and thus that frame of reference (as a limit on what knowledge one can access) makes possible the sort of limited-knowledge human action that can sometimes be described as just.
The evolutionary origin of proinsulin: Amino acid sequence homology with the trypsin-related serine proteases detected and evaluated by new statistical methods

Abstract Proinsulins and pancreatic serine proteases were analyzed for possible amino acid sequence similarity, using an adapted version of the nucleotide sequence alignment technique of Sankoff (1972). The technique allowed us to determine simultaneously the statistical significance of both the sequence alignment and the number of gaps necessary to achieve that alignment. In the course of this work, it was realized that a rigorous analysis required non-parametric statistics. For the B-chain (amino-terminal) of insulin a highly significant gap-free sequence alignment with the serine proteases was found. For the A-chain (carboxy-terminal) of insulin a sequence alignment of modest statistical significance with two gaps could be obtained, while the search for a corresponding alignment for the C-peptide remained unsuccessful. Presumably the rapid evolution of the C-peptide has obscured its origin. Reconstruction of ancestral sequences was of no help. In contrast to the amino acid sequences, three-dimensional structures of the two protein families are quite different. Considering current histophysiological understanding of ontogeny and phylogeny of exocrine and endocrine pancreas, the observed sequence similarity of proinsulins and serine proteases was interpreted to mean that the two protein families have diverged from a common genetic ancestor. Moreoever, from the organismic distribution of these proteins it was concluded that at least one serine protease existed first, and that proinsulin was generated after duplication of a serine protease gene and subsequent drastic modification, such as a large deletion. Thus proinsulin, basically an anabolic hormone, is derived from a serine protease, an enzyme involved in digestion. This constitutes a refinement of a similar proposal by Steiner et al . (1973). The emergence of proinsulin seems to have occurred after coelenterates diverged, and possibly before most other major animal phyla diverged from the line leading to vertebrates, i.e. 520 to 700 million years ago. The evolution of proinsulin seems to have paralleled the evolution of endocrine cells. Homology of the secreted products of endocrine and exocrine cells was most readily reconciled with a common embryological and phylogenetic origin of the two cell types, as considered by Pictet & Rutter (1972).
Multimodal object detection using an autonomous mobile robot

This paper presents a novel multimodal approach for indoor environment monitoring by a mobile robot. The proposed system consists of a vision-based and a laser-based module that match independently the current scene with a stored one, looking for new or removed objects. The matching process, in both modules, uses clustering on local data to detect point clouds. A fuzzy logic inference system is then implemented to evaluate environment changes and decide whether a significant variation of the scene has occurred. Results from experimental tests demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method in robot surveillance applications.
THE USE OF MATRIX FACTORIZATIONS IN DERIVATIVE-FREE NONLINEAR LEAST SQUARES ALGORITHMS

Algorithms based on Powell's Hybrid Method and/or the Marquardt-Levenberg scheme for minimizing the sum of squares of nonlinear functions and requiring neither analytic nor numeric derivatives are considered. These algorithms employ a pseudo-Jacobian matrix J which is updated by an unsymmetric rank-one formula at each cycle. Two factorizations, the QR factorization of J and the RTR factorization of JTJ, are studied, and implementational details concerned with the careful and efficient updating of these factorizations are presented. It is indicated how degeneracies may be monitored via the factorizations, and some observations are presented based upon test-code results.
12(S)-HETE in cancer metastasis.

Metastasis is a complex process composed of sequential events involving host celltumor cell interactions, which enable tumor cells to disseminate from the primary site to distant locations (1). To successfully establish a secondary metastatic colony, tumor cells must be able to overcome all of the steps in the metastatic cascade, including detachment, intravasation, arrest, extravasation and proliferation. Ample cell-host interactions, such as tumor cell-platelet, tumor cell-endothelial cell and tumor cell-matrix protein interaction, are influenced by positive and negative regulatory factors. Eicosanoids and other bioactive lipids have been shown to be involved in various aspects of neoplasia including cell transformation, proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis. Platelets and endothelial cells with which tumor cells interaction during hematogenous metastasis are capable of producing a vast array of lipid mediators by either direct or transcellular metabolism of precursors. Platelets and some tumor cells are capable of converting arachidonic acid (AA) through the 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) pathway into 12(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12(S)-HETE). A large collection of experimental data suggest that 12(S)-HETE plays a pivotal role in multiple steps of the metastatic cascade encompassing tumor cell-vasculature interaction, tumor cell motility, proteolysis, invasion, and angiogenesis. In this review we summarize the effects of 12(S)-HETE in modulating tumor metastasis.
Fourier processing in the graphics pipeline

The latest generation of graphics hardware has new capabilities that give commodity cards the ability to carry out algorithms that formerly were only possible on standard CPUs or on special purpose parallel hardware. The ability to carry out floating point operations with large arrays on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) makes them attractive as image processors. In this article, we discuss the implementation of the Fast Fourier Transform on a GPU and demonstrate some applications.
On Defining a De Minimis Risk Level for Carcinogens

Several attempts have been made to use the variation in the levels of natural background radiation to define an acceptable level risk for man-made radiation. The philosophical basis for such proposals is that since no correlations have been detected between variations in natural background radiation and adverse health effects, small additions to natural exposure should be acceptable. The difficulty lies in defining “small.” In 1978, Adler and Weinberg proposed using the standard deviation of background radiation levels as a method for establishing radiation exposure limits (Adler and Weinberg 1978). The Adler and Weinberg proposal results in the suggestion that a lifetime cancer risk of about 10−4 is de minimis.* The Adler and Weinberg de minimis risk level was based on the standard deviation of human exposure to background terrestrial and cosmic radiation. We propose to determine the risk levels associated with the standard deviation of human exposure to other radioactive and chemical carcinogens.
Using compiler directives for accelerating CFD applications on GPUs

As the current trend of parallel systems is towards a cluster of multi-core nodes enhanced with accelerators, software development for such systems has become a major challenge. Both low-level and high-level programming models have been developed to address complex hierarchical structures at different hardware levels and to ease the programming effort. However, achieving the desired performance goal is still not a simple task. In this study, we describe our experience with using the accelerator directives developed by the Portland Group to port a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) application benchmark to a general-purpose GPU platform. Our work focuses on the usability of this approach and examines the programming effort and achieved performance on two Nvidia GPU-based systems. The study shows very promising results in terms of programmability as well as performance when compared to other approaches such as the CUDA programming model.
Ultrasound sensing-based intuitive proportional control: An evaluation study with upper-extremity amputees

Introduction/Background Recent studies have shown that unintuitive control is a key factor leading to upper-extremity, myoelectric prostheses abandonment. We have developed a non-invasive modality to extract proportional control signals in the residuum using ultrasound imaging. In this study, we investigate the performance of this technology in upper-extremity amputees. Material and method We recruited 4 amputee subjects ( Table 1 ) who currently use myoelectric prostheses. Subjects were instrumented with a portable ultrasound system connected to a low-profile transducer on the volar aspect of their residuum. Ultrasound images were processed in real-time to extract graded muscle activity signal in response to volitional user-intended motions (UIMs). Subjects were trained by iterating each UIM while being provided with visual feedback of ultrasound images and muscle-activity signal. Participants were then given control of an on-screen cursor that responded proportionally to the level of muscle-activity for a particular UIM and asked to reach and hold the cursor at predefined set-points. Control steadiness (standard deviation) and control error (difference between cursor and target) were computed. Results All subjects were able to complete the training phase within 15 minutes (25 iterations or less) for at least 4 degrees-of-freedom (DoF), while achieving motion prediction accuracies greater than 88% ( Table 1 ). 3 subjects participated in the motion control task. The congenital amputee subject performed 2 motions and the rest performed at least 4 motions with control errors between 2.1% and 9.36% ( Table 2 ). Our approach provides direct positional control based on muscle deformation, resulting in improved proprioceptive feedback, unlike myoelectric control. We believe that ultrasound images coupled with the muscle activity signals serve as an intuitive visual feedback mechanism, resulting in reduced training time and improved performance. Conclusion We demonstrated intuitive proportional control using ultrasound-based muscle activity sensing paradigm for multiple DoFs with traumatic and congenital amputees.
Segmentectomy Is Equivalent to Lobectomy in Hypermetabolic Clinical Stage IA Lung Adenocarcinomas

Background Recent studies have suggested that lobectomy and segmentectomy hold equivalent oncologic outcomes, particularly for small, peripheral, subsolid nodules. However, for hypermetabolic nodules that are frequently associated with high rates of nodal disease, recurrence, or mortality, the optimum oncologic procedure was not assessed. We hypothesize that for hypermetabolic, cT1 N0 adenocarcinoma, lobectomy and segmentectomy are associated with comparable outcomes. Methods A prospectively collected database was queried for patients with clinical stage IA lung adenocarcinoma who underwent lobectomy or segmentectomy (2000 to 2016) for hypermetabolic tumors (maximum standard uptake value [SUVmax] ≥ 3g/dL). To obtain balanced groups of patients, a propensity matching analysis was done. Results A total of 414 patients had hypermetabolic tumors and underwent lobectomy or segmentectomy. Patients were propensity matched (4:1) (lobectomy: n = 156, segmentectomy: n = 46). Patients in the lobectomy group had a higher rate of pathologic nodal upstaging (17% versus 7%, p = 0.085) and a higher pathologic upstaging rate (38% versus 26%, p = 0.143) than the segmentectomy group. In addition, the lobectomy group had a higher number of resected lymph nodes than the segmentectomy group (median lymph nodes resected: 14 versus 7, p Conclusions Our data show that lobectomy and segmentectomy are comparable oncologic procedures for patients with carefully staged cT1 N0 lung adenocarcinoma with hypermetabolic tumors (SUVmax ≥ 3g/dL). Although lobectomy was associated with a more thorough lymph node dissection, this did not translate into a higher rate of RFS or CSS compared with segmentectomy.
The rising use of total hip arthroplasty for femoral neck fractures in the United States.

Background:We examined the trends in the treatment of femoral neck fractures with arthroplasty in the United States from 2004–2013.Methods:We used the National Inpatient Sample database in conjunct...
Discrete spectra of convolutions of compactly supported functions on SE(2) using Sturm–Liouville theory

This paper introduces a systematic study for analytic aspects of discrete spectra methods for functions supported on some compact domains of SE(2), according to Sturm–Liouville theory. We then appl...
Measurement error in occupation and the impact on intergenerational mobility

Abstract We examine the potential effect of measurement error in occupation on intergenerational mobility tables. If the classification schemes used to measure intergenerational mobility are subject to measurement error, our understanding of the ability for individuals to overcome disadvantageous backgrounds may not be accurate. A review of the literature suggests that three-digit occupations are mis-reported between 42 and 58 percent of the time. We show that this error in occupation translates to errors in class, using two common classification systems. We also find that relying on proxy reports of occupation adds to the measurement error, though the error proxy reporting introduces is relatively small given the magnitude of occupation errors. To minimize the impact of occupation measurement error, we recommend two paths forward. First, use fewer classes. More of the error in occupation is washed away when fewer classes are used in the mobility tables. Second, mobility tables are more accurate when parents report their own occupation and children report their own occupation as well. Proxy reports like those used in the General Social Survey increase the error in occupation.
Systems-focused simulation to prepare for COVID-19 intraoperative emergencies.

Although intraoperative emergencies are uncommon,1 we need to develop evidence‐informed and contextualized guidance for intraoperative emergencies involving patients with COVID‐19. At our academic pediatric hospital, we assembled a multi‐disciplinary team to examine and adapt intraoperative emergency workflows to ensure safety for patients with suspected COVID‐19 infection, and limit exposure for healthcare providers, with a focus on system improvement (rather than individual performance).
Don Quixote or Darth Vader? President Trump's Views on International Humanitarian Law

This Article explores President Trump’s views on international humanitarian law (IHL) – the body of rules that regulates the conduct of parties involved in an armed conflict. His beliefs are unlike those of any modern President. He has repeatedly called for actions that everyone, including his own administration, agree are both illegal and constitute war crimes. For example, he has called for the U.S. to torture its enemies, has threatened to kill the family members of enemy combatants, has praised the execution of prisoners by U.S. soldiers, has threatened to attack cultural heritage sites in Iran, and has said he wants to pillage Syria’s natural resources. These are all acts that have been recognized as crimes for at least 100 years. In effect, President Trump wants to do away with IHL almost entirely and revert to a legal regime of “might makes right” during armed conflicts. Luckily for almost everyone, in both the United States and elsewhere, he has failed dismally. There are numerous reasons for this failure, including President Trump’s ignorance about international law, his disdain for expertise, and his lack of planning and follow-through. But the most important reason he has failed to remake IHL is that he has fundamentally under-estimated IHL’s resilience. It is deeply embedded in law and culture in the United States, particularly within the U.S. military. It is also deeply embedded within international law. As a result, the President has made some incendiary statements but has failed to make any meaningful changes to IHL.
A field experiment on the impact of beneficiary contact on federal employee perceptions of prosocial impact and social worth

Prior research examining the impact of beneficiary contact has demonstrated that brief interactions with beneficiaries can have large impacts on persistence and performance. However, that research ...
Algorithmic Fairness in Predicting Opioid Use Disorder using Machine Learning

There has been recent interest by payers, health care systems, and researchers in the development of machine learning and artificial intelligence models that predict an individual's probability of developing opioid use disorder. The scores generated by these algorithms can be used by physicians to tailor the prescribing of opioids for the treatment of pain, reducing or foregoing prescribing to individuals deemed to be at high risk, or increasing prescribing for patients deemed to be at low risk. This paper constructs a machine learning algorithm to predict opioid use disorder risk using commercially available claims data similar to those utilized in the development of proprietary opioid use disorder prediction algorithms. We study risk scores generated by the machine learning model in a setting with quasi-experimental variation in the likelihood that doctors prescribe opioids, generated by changes in the legal structure for monitoring physician prescribing. We find that machine-predicted risk scores do not appear to correlate at all with the individual-specific heterogeneous treatment effect of receiving opioids. The paper identifies a new source of algorithmic unfairness in machine learning applications for health care and precision medicine, arising from the researcher's choice of objective function. While precision medicine should guide physician treatment decisions based on the heterogeneous causal impact of a course of treatment for an individual, allocating treatments to individuals receiving the most benefit and recommending caution for those most likely to experience harmful side effects, ML models in health care are often trained on proxies like individual baseline risk, and are not necessarily informative in deciding who would most benefit, or be harmed, by a course of treatment.
Empiric proton pump inhibitor therapy after esophageal food impaction may mask eosinophilic esophagitis diagnosis at follow-up.

Esophageal food impaction (EFI) is often the first presentation for patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE); however, there is significant heterogeneity in the management of EFI. We aimed to study the impact of EFI management, particularly post-EFI medication prescriptions on EoE diagnosis, follow-up, and recurrence in patients with endoscopic features of EoE. In our retrospective study, adults presenting between 2007 and 2017 with EFI requiring endoscopic dis-impaction with endoscopic features of EoE (furrows, rings, and/or exudates) were included. We examined the impact of demographics and EFI management on EoE diagnosis, follow-up (esophagogastroduodenoscopy [EGD] or clinic visit within 6 months), and recurrence. We identified 164 cases of EFI due to suspected EoE. Biopsy was performed in 68 patients (41.5%), and 144 patients (87.8%) were placed on proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and/or swallow corticosteroids after EFI, including 88.5% of those not biopsied. PPI use at time of biopsy was negatively associated with EoE diagnosis (odds ratio: 0.39, confidence interval: 0.17-0.85). Sixty-one (37.4%) patients were lost to follow-up at 6 months. Recurrent EFI at 1 year occurred in 3.7% of patients. Medications, most commonly PPI, are frequently prescribed after EFI when the endoscopic features of EoE are present, which may mask the diagnosis of EoE on follow-up EGD. We estimated that for every five patients biopsied on PPI, one case of EoE is masked. As recurrent EFI within 1 year is uncommon, empiric therapy should be avoided until diagnostic biopsies are obtained. Further efforts to reduce loss to follow-up after EFI are also needed.
Family Therapy: An Intimate History

Because Lynn Hoffman has been in the field for almost forty years and has worked with so many of its influential thinkers, the book is also a history of family therapy's evolution. Her knowledge of family therapy is intimate and deep; her perspective is clear-eyed and often wryly humorous. Readers will be reminded that, however big and impressive the theories, family therapy is very much a human endeavor. Hoffman revisits the experiences, ideas, and relationships that have informed her journey and presents them both as she perceived them at the time and as she perceives them now looking back. Through this process of reflective conversation, she creates not only a legacy out of the people and situations that acted on her most powerfully but also a countertradition to the strategic approach that influenced her so strongly early in her career. But this is not just history. Throughout her career Hoffman has been in the forefront of family therapy. She has interacted with and sometimes worked closely with many of family therapy's influential thinkers and actors, including Jay Haley, Virginia Satir, Dick Auerswald, Harry Aponte, Peggy Papp, Olga Silverstein, the Milan team, Peggy Penn, Harry Goolishian, Harlene Anderson, Tom Andersen, and Michael White. The evolution of her thinking has paralleled the major developments in the field. As she braids together continuity and innovation, she finds her own voice-a 'different voice'-and her own style-more open, more inclusive, and less controlling. In the second half of the book Hoffman demonstrates the many possibilities inherent in 'not knowing,' in working with a reflecting team, in looking for the 'presenting edge,' and in grabbing the 'emotional main chance.'
Firm Age and Fluctuations in Idiosyncratic Risk

This paper presents empirical evidence that fluctuations in idiosyncratic risk are largely driven by the age characteristics of the firms composing the market. Consistent with previous studies, we find that the age of the typical firm at its IPO date has fallen dramatically from nearly 40 years old in the early 1960s to less than 5 years old by the late 1990s. Since younger firms tend to be riskier, this systematic decline in the average age of the typical public firm, combined with the increasing number of firms going public over the last 30 years, has caused the increase in idiosyncratic risk over the last four decades. We show that after controlling for the proportion of young firms in the market, this time period exhibits no trend in the time series of idiosyncratic risk. Moreover, we find some evidence of a negative trend in idiosyncratic risk after controlling for other measures of firm maturity.
Injection of mandibular nerve and gasserian ganglion; an anatomic study.

Abstract Two principal methods have been described for injecting the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve or the gasserian (semilunar) ganglion; one is the horizontal transzygomatic route and the other is the ascending route started in the skin near the angle of the mouth. In about 8 to 10 per cent of individuals an anatomic anomaly, pterygo-alar foramen (porus crotaphitico-buccinatorius of Hyrtl) is present. The presence of such an anomaly makes the horizontal transzygomatic method of injection physically impossible. The presence or absence of another anomaly in the same region, namely, the foramen pterygospinosum of Civinini offers no barrier by either route to a needle directed toward the foramen ovale, for the axis of the foramen of Civinini is vertical and at about right angles to the horizontal axis of the pterygo-alar foramen. The pterygo-alar foramen is found in a higher percentage of negroes than in whites. For best clinical results in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia by injection through the foramen ovale, it is suggested that the ascending approach be used, preferably under the fluoroscope when practicable.