cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Islam in America: Adventures in Neo-Orientalism

In July of 2006, I published an article in the journal Eighteenth Century Studies that I trust none of you ever read. Why should you? Eighteenth-Century Studies is not a venerable site for the study of the Middle East or Islam. However, it was the journal where I first considered a question in early American history that has since gained some currency in contemporary American political discourse. The question: “Could a Muslim be president?”
Two-Year Experience Implementing a Curriculum to Improve Residents’ Patient-Centered Communication Skills

Objectives Surgery milestones from The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education have encouraged a focus on training and assessment of residents’ nontechnical skills, including communication. We describe our 2-year experience implementing a simulation-based curriculum, results of annual communication performance assessments, and resident evaluations. Design Eight quarterly modules were conducted on various communication topics. Former patient volunteers served as simulation participants (SP) who completed annual assessments using the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT). During these 2 modules, communication skills were assessed in the following standardized scenarios: (1) delivering bad news to a caregiver of a patient with postoperative intracerebral hemorrhage and (2) primary care gallstone referral with contraindications for cholecystectomy. SP-CAT ratings were evaluated for correlations by individual and associations with trainee and SP characteristics. Surgical patient experience surveys are evaluated during the curriculum. Setting Independent academic medical center surgical simulation center. Participants Twenty-five surgery residents per year in 2015 to 2017. Results Residents have practiced skills in a variety of scenarios including bad news delivery, medical error disclosure, empathic communication, and end-of-life conversations. Residents report positive learning experiences from the curriculum (90% graded all modules A/A+). Confidence ratings rose following each module (p Conclusions The simulation-based SP-CAT has shown initial evidence of usability, content validity, relationships to observed communication behaviors and residents’ skills confidence. Evaluations of different scenarios may not be correlated for individuals over time. The communication curriculum paralleled improvements in patient experience concerning surgeons’ clear explanations. An ongoing surgery resident communication curriculum has numerous educational, assessment, and institutional benefits.
The Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor for the Next Fifty Years of Nuclear Power

The Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor (GT-MHR) is the result of coupling the evolution of a low power density passively safe modular reactor with key technology developments in the U.S. during the last decade: large industrial gas turbines; large active magnetic bearings; and compact, highly effective plate-fin heat exchangers. This is accomplished through the unique use of the Brayton cycle to produce electricity with the helium as primary coolant from the reactor directly driving the gas turbine electrical generator. This cycle can achieve a high net efficiency in the range of 45% to 48%.
Examining the Efficacy of Calcium Hydroxylapatite Filler With Integral Lidocaine in Correcting Volume Loss of the Jawline-A Pilot Study.

Background Patients seek 3-dimensional volume restoration of the jawline to obtain a "defined" line. Injection of filler into the jawline is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration; however, dermatologists have injected this area with positive results, minimal adverse events, and high patient satisfaction. Objective This study explores the efficacy of premixed calcium hydroxylapatite filler with integral lidocaine [CaHA(+)] to correct volume defects of the jawline. It examines the longevity, safety, and patient satisfaction (up to 12 months) of CaHA(+) for jawline volume loss correction. Materials and methods This is a single-investigator, nonblinded study. Twenty subjects received CaHA(+) filler injection in the jawline, with follow-up evaluations conducted at 14 days, 6 weeks, and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Results CaHA(+) injection in the jawline results in statistically significant restoration in volume and improvement in appearance lasting up to 12 months. Overall, subjects report "moderate" improvement on the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale. Conclusion It is important for cosmetic surgeons and dermatologists to have access to data on the efficacy and safety of injectables. The data obtained in this study show that CaHA(+) is an effective and safe option to correct jawline volume loss and is associated with high patient satisfaction.
Synaptic homeostasis: quality vs. quantity

Synaptic connections adapt homeostatically to changes in experience to maintain optimal circuit function. A study demonstrates that different forms of synaptic homeostasis respond to distinct aspects of circuit activity, suggesting that neurons can gauge and adapt to the both the quality and quantity of circuit activity.
What’s New in the Treatment of Obesity?

There has been mounting pressure to translate research findings into useful information for the medical community in its quest for the prevention and treatment of disease. Research in disorders such as obesity, which are of clear relevance to public health, must be translated periodically into brief reviews that bear directly on therapy. Recently, laboratories of endocrinology and metabolism, as well as of sociology, psychology, and physiology, have studied a variety of approaches to the treatment of obesity. It is with these considerations in mind that this chapter on obesity for The Year in Metabolism 1976–1977 is concerned exclusively with the question “what’s new in the treatment of obesity?” The most concise answer to this question is: Nothing of low risk and proven lasting benefit.
Global Orders of Trade: Pacific Partnerships and International Agreements

International Agreements such as the WTO AOA, and the CPTPP are attempting to significantly alter the way in which countries control trade and address local control over key resources such as food and water. This chapter examines these trends in the context of sovereignty and the attempt to preserve agriculture as a cultural performance in Japan. The focus of the CPTPP was the agreement between Japan and the United States but Japan moved forward with the other member countries and is also strengthening its economic relationship with Europe and other Asian allies. The story of meeting up with international agreements and using free trade agreements (FTAs) in counterpoint to global agreements such as the WTO also demonstrates Japan’s domestic politics and the tension between different domestic constituencies. This chapter discusses the way in which Japan’s agricultural policymakers have gone to great lengths to protect their rice growing infrastructure against both domestic and international pressure to liberalize and reform.
Assessment of high-school engineering education outreach program employing project-based learning in astronomy and bio-optics within a college setting

A college outreach engineering education program designed for high school students was implemented in a community college using the three principles of K-12 engineering education, namely, product design, science knowledge, and mindset development. The means of transforming a science question into a design driven one was illustrated using examples and projects from the fields of astronomy and bio-optics. The relevant scientific principles were presented by introducing various iterated designs in an interactive learning environment. A high school level research component using astronomy and bio-optics-related public data was also implemented to enrich the students’ exposure to numerical processing techniques accessible in Microsoft Excel. Examples including solar events driven by magnetic field topology, cosmological images generated by IllustrisTNG Project, muon flux data, Killer T-cell motion, and wound assay cell migration are used in the teaching of iterated designs. A Path Diagram assessment model based on a LISREL computation scheme with learning intent and engineering mindset as latent variables was used to gauge the effectiveness of an implementation, the results of which would be used in the subsequent semester’s implementation of the research component. The materials developed in a College Now course, where high school students take a research course at a community college, would be readily adaptable to other four-year college programs. The possible future incorporation of an introductory engineering course for high school student education, using the MIT low-cost $100 muon detector and Fermi Lab QuarkNet muon scintillation detector, is discussed.
A Simple Baseline for Travel Time Estimation using Large-scale Trip Data

The increased availability of large-scale trajectory data provides rich information for the study of urban dynamics. For example, New York City Taxi 8 Limousine Commission regularly releases source/destination information of taxi trips, where 173 million taxi trips released for Year 2013 [29]. Such a big dataset provides us potential new perspectives to address the traditional traffic problems. In this article, we study the travel time estimation problem. Instead of following the traditional route-based travel time estimation, we propose to simply use a large amount of taxi trips without using the intermediate trajectory points to estimate the travel time between source and destination. Our experiments show very promising results. The proposed big-data-driven approach significantly outperforms both state-of-the-art route-based method and online map services. Our study indicates that novel simple approaches could be empowered by big data and these approaches could serve as new baselines for some traditional computational problems.
Multi-Omics Analyses Detail Metabolic Reprogramming in Lipids, Carnitines, and Use of Glycolytic Intermediates between Prostate Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma and Prostate Adenocarcinoma

As the most common cancer in men, prostate cancer is molecularly heterogeneous. Contributing to this heterogeneity are the poorly understood metabolic adaptations of the two main types of prostate cancer, i.e., adenocarcinoma and small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNC), the latter being more aggressive and lethal. Using transcriptomics, untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics profiling on LASCPC-01 (prostate SCNC) and LNCAP (prostate adenocarcinoma) cell lines, we found significant differences in the cellular phenotypes of the two cell lines. Gene set enrichment analysis on the transcriptomics data showed 62 gene sets were upregulated in LASCPC-01, while 112 gene sets were upregulated in LNCAP. ChemRICH analysis on metabolomics and lipidomics data revealed a total of 25 metabolite clusters were significantly different. LASCPC-01 exhibited a higher glycolytic activity and lower levels of triglycerides, while the LNCAP cell line showed increases in one-carbon metabolism as an exit route of glycolytic intermediates and a decrease in carnitine, a mitochondrial lipid transporter. Our findings pinpoint differences in prostate neuroendocrine carcinoma versus prostate adenocarcinoma that could lead to new therapeutic targets in each type.
Measuring change in anhedonia using the “Happy Faces” task pre- to post-repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment to left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): relation to empathic happiness

We investigated whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) would reduce anhedonia in a sample of 19 depressed adults (Mage = 45.21, SD = 11.21, 63% women) randomized to either active or sham rTMS. To track anhedonia, patients completed the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS)1 and a novel behavioral task called “Happy Faces,” which required patients to interpret neutral versus various intensities of positively valenced human facial expressions. Patients had to indicate dichotomously whether any degree of positive emotion was expressed. We expected that more anhedonic patients would struggle most with low intensity happy faces; often incorrectly calling them neutral. Patients also completed a self-report measure of “empathic happiness”—i.e., vicarious joy. Measures were completed pre- to post-treatment. Results indicate rTMS to DLPFC related to improvement in interpretation of subtle forms of happiness in active rTMS patients relative to sham. Furthermore, empathic happiness and anhedonia score were significantly antagonistic across all patients.
Suicide in Older Adults With and Without Known Mental Illness: Results From the National Violent Death Reporting System, 2003-2016.

Introduction Suicide risk increases with age, and evidence exists for the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of suicide risk in older adults. Recent data suggest that many U.S. adults who die from suicide do not have a known mental health condition. This study compares the characteristics and precipitating circumstances of geriatric suicide decedents with and without known mental illnesses. Methods This study was a retrospective analysis of suicide deaths for adults aged ≥65 years from the National Violent Death Reporting System, 2003–2016 (n=26,884). ORs compared sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, cause of death, and precipitating circumstances based on coroner/medical examiner and law enforcement reports. Data were collected and analyzed in 2019. Results Most older male (69.1%) and female (50.2%) suicide decedents did not have a known mental illness. A physical health problem was the most prevalent precipitating circumstance but was more common among older adults without known mental illness. Past suicide attempt, disclosure of suicidal intent, depressed mood, and substance use were more common among those with a known mental illness. More than three fourths of suicide decedents did not disclose their suicidal intent. Most suicide deaths involved firearms, which were disproportionately used by decedents without known mental illness (81.6% of male and 44.6% of female decedents) compared with those with known mental illness (70.5% of male and 30.0% of female decedents). Conclusions Most older adults who die from suicide do not have a known mental health condition. The rapidly growing U.S. geriatric population calls for more effective methods to identify and treat at-risk older adults, particularly those who are male.
Rituximab therapy for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and minimal change disease in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Use of rituximab (RTX) for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and minimal change disease (MCD) is widely described in children. Clinical evidence in adults is limited. The objective of this study was to determine the treatment outcomes of RTX in adults with FSGS and MCD. Ovid MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched up to September 2019. Out of 699 studies, we included 16 studies describing the treatment outcomes of rituximab in adult patients with FSGS or MCD. Results were reported in remission rate and relapse rate. Serious adverse events were also reported. A total of 16 studies were included in our review and analysis. All studies were observational studies and included a total of 221 patients (23.1% FSGS, 76.9% MCD). Mean follow-up duration was 26.3 ± 12.8 months. From the analysis of five studies with FSGS patients (n = 51), the overall remission rate and relapse rate of RTX therapy was 53.6% (95% CI, 15.8–87.6%) and 47.3% (95% CI, 25.4–70.2%), respectively. Complete remission occurred in 42.9%. In contrast, from the analysis of 11 studies with MCD patients (n = 170), the overall remission rate and relapse rate of RTX therapy was 80.3% (95% CI, 68.5–88.5%) and 35.9% (95% CI, 25.1–48.4), respectively. Complete remission occurred in 74.7%. Subgroup analyses showed that overall remission and relapse were not different after adjusted for study year and RTX dose for both FSGS and MCD. Incidence of serious adverse events was 0.092 events/year. Rituximab may be considered as an additional treatment to the standard therapy for adult patients with FSGS and MCD. Remissions and relapses are similar between FSGS and MCD. Serious adverse effects of rituximab were uncommon. We encourage further randomized controlled trials to confirm the efficacy of rituximab therapy in these patients.
Recent Constraints on MIS 3 Sea Level Support Role of Continental Shelf Exposure as a Control on Indo-Pacific Hydroclimate

The mechanisms controlling changes in atmospheric circulation and rainfall over the Indo‐Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP) on glacial‐interglacial timescales remain a subject of considerable debate. Continental shelf exposure, through sea‐level drawdown during glacial periods, has been proposed as an important and possibly dominant control on rainfall intensity over the IPWP and Indian Ocean. However, longer records of hydroclimate change undermine this shelf exposure hypothesis. In particular, trends in some proxy records of rainfall do not track the extent of continental shelf exposure inferred from global benthic oxygen isotope records during Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3). We revisit the hypothesis that continental shelf exposure controls IPWP precipitation using the latest constraints on ice‐age sea level. Recent studies on the timing and magnitude of global mean sea level during mid‐MIS 3 (~45) suggest significantly higher peak sea level relative to previous work. Our gravitationally self‐consistent glacial isostatic adjustment sea‐level reconstructions, which adopt recent constraints on MIS 3 sea level, predict a transition from widely inundated to exposed shelves in the Indo‐Pacific region from mid‐MIS 3 to the beginning of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, ~19–26 ka). Over this same time period, proxy records of vegetation and hydrology from central Indonesia suggest a transition from wetter conditions during mid‐MIS 3 to drier conditions during the LGM. Our new calculations thus negate prior criticisms related to the timing and extent of shelf exposure, indicating that shelf exposure may remain an important driver for hydroclimate variability in the IPWP region on glacial‐interglacial timescales.
The Perfect Balance? Managing Heavy Menstrual Bleeding and Dysmenorrhea in a Patient with Hereditary Hemochromatosis and von Willebrand Disease.

Abstract Background Hereditary hemochromatosis typically presents in adulthood with organ damage secondary to iron overload. In women, menstrual periods are a protective mechanism allowing for monthly loss of iron stores. Case We report the case of a female adolescent whose family history, clinical presentation, and laboratory investigation revealed a diagnosis of hereditary hemochromatosis and von Willebrand disease. For control of heavy menstrual bleeding, menstrual suppression was started with a subsequent increase of her ferritin levels. Summary and Conclusion No significant data exist regarding the management of women with hereditary hemochromatosis who require menstrual suppression. This case highlights the difficulty in balancing the need for hormonal menstrual suppression with its effect on treatment choices, monitoring, and managing iron levels.
A Parallel Integrated Computational-Statistical Platform for Turbulent Transport Phenomena

In this paper, we present an open-source, automated, and multi-faceted computational-statistical platform to obtain synthetic homogeneous isotropic turbulent flow and passive scalar transport. A parallel implementation of the well-known pseudo-spectral method in addition to the comprehensive record of the statistical and small-scale quantities of the turbulent transport are offered for executing on distributed memory CPU-based supercomputers. The user-friendly workflow and easy-to-run design of the developed package is disclosed through an extensive and step-by-step example. The resulting low- and high-order statistical records vividly verify well-established and fully-developed turbulent state as well as the seamless statistical balance of conservation laws. Post-processing tools provided in this platform would let the user to readily construct multiple important transport quantities from the primitive turbulent fields.
Phytoremediation and the issue of fracking in South Africa

Abstract Phytoremediation is the use of living plants to clean water, air, and soil that have been contaminated, and it has become an ecologically safe way to recover contaminated soils around oil wells often caused by fracking. A case study from Venezuela indicates the effectiveness of phytoremediation, as well as explains the process. The production of large quantities of petroleum caused ecological issues to the Venezuelan turf and thus instantiated the use of phytoremediation, especially using native plants. The species were evaluated by different scientists and eventually deployed to four different oil sites. Other countries have, similarly to Venezuela, been intrigued by shale gas development. With the eighth largest shale gas reserve in the world and one of the strongest economies in Africa, South Africa is a prime candidate for fracking. Some of the driving forces behind South Africa’s economy are the agricultural farming sector and nature reserves. It has thus been torn between the benefits of aggressive energy development and risks on the environment. Water is already limited, the wealth distribution is complicated, and contamination is prominent. Is it worth risking environmental protection for a boost in the economy due to fracking? However, because of current laws, fracking might not even be a viable option. The National Development Plan of 2012 addresses energy diversity and consumption but fails to account for the demand increase that comes with lower prices. Additionally, according to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, the mineral rights belong to the government. A strategic environmental assessment has thus been conducted to provide policymakers and outside investors with relevant and accurate information. For fracking to be viable, a life cycle analysis should be conducted to ensure stringent and thorough safety practices and laws.
50 Years Post Controlled Substances Act: The War on Drugs Rages on with Opioids at the Forefront

The words “Opioid Epidemic” are not hyperbole or a misguided use of words in describing the scope of this tragedy in the United States and resultant impact on society. Nearly 200 people die each day from a drug overdose, with nearly 70% of those dying from an opioid-related overdose. Roughly two million Americans have a substance use disorder (SUD) related to prescription opioid pain medication. An estimated eight million children live with at least one parent with a substance use disorder. Thirty-five percent of children who entered the foster care system in 2016 were removed from their parents due to parental substance abuse. Between 1999 and 2016, nearly 9,000 children died as a result of opioid poisoning; 88% of those were classified as “unintentional deaths,” five percent were the result of suicide, and two percent due to homicide. When broken down further by age group, nearly one quarter of all children under the age of five who died of opioid poisoning, died as a result of homicide. Undoubtedly, there is a crisis and undoubtedly there is no quick fix. When a person dies from an overdose, practitioners do not use universal classifications or definitions to determine and record the cause of death; however, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), nearly 40% of all opioid overdose deaths in the United States in 2017 involved a prescription opioid, and roughly one third were due to heroin overdose. Over 47,000 of the roughly 70,000 overdose deaths in 2017 were related to opioids. As a point of reference, opioid related deaths exceeded the number of individuals killed in car accidents for the first time in 2017. Opioids have been touted as a gateway drug and by way of illustration, among those who initially started using heroin between 2000 and 2013, nearly 75% reported having misused prescription opioids prior to starting heroin, compared to the 1960’s where 80% of heroin users in treatment reported starting heroin prior to using any prescription opioids. As a result of the staggering statistics linking prescription opioids directly to overdose deaths and heroin addiction, this article focuses on how prescription opioids created the quagmire our nation is mired in today. Today, in the United States, opioids include both prescription medications designed to treat pain, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, and fentanyl, medications designed to treat opioid addiction, such as methadone and Suboxone as well as heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl. The opioid epidemic as it is known today, is complex and there is no simple “quick fix” solution.
Motion and shape control of soft robots and materials

A continuum-based approach for simultaneously controlling the motion and shape of soft robots and materials (SRM) is proposed. This approach allows for systematically computing the actuation forces for arbitrary desired SRM motion and geometry. In order to control both motion and shape, the position and position gradients of the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) are used to formulate rheonomic specified trajectory and shape constraint equations, used in an inverse dynamics procedure to define the actuation control forces. Unlike control of rigid-body systems which requires a number of independent actuation forces equal to the number of the joint coordinates, the SRM motion/shape control leads to generalized control forces which need to be interpreted differently in order to properly define the actuation forces. While the definition of these motion/shape control forces is demonstrated using air pressure actuation commonly used in the SRM control, the proposed procedure can be applied to other SRM actuation types. The approaches for determining the actuation pressure in the two cases of space-dependent and constant pressures are outlined. Effect of the change in the surface geometry on the actuation pressure is accounted for using Nanson’s formula. The obtained numerical results demonstrate that the motion and shape can be simultaneously controlled using the new actuation force definitions.
Preoperative Leukocytosis Among Female Patients Predicts Poor Postoperative Outcomes Following EVAR For Intact Infrarenal AAA.

OBJECTIVES Elevated white blood cell count (WBC) can be predictive of adverse outcomes following vascular interventions, but the association has not established using multi-institutional data. We evaluated the predictive value of preoperative WBC after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for nonruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in a nationally representative surgical database. METHODS Patients with nonruptured AAA undergoing EVAR were identified in the vascular-targeted National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. Baseline characteristics were compared between patients with WBC 1 week, 30-day readmission, lower extremity (LE) ischemia, ischemic colitis, myocardial infarction, and others were assessed based on WBC and patient sex. RESULTS A total of 10,955 patients were included, with a mean WBC 7.7 ± 2.7 K/μL. Patients with WBC ≥10 K/μL were younger (71.8 ± 9.5 years vs 74.1 ± 8.7 years; P 1 week (13.5% vs 6.7%), 30-day readmissions (9.8% vs 7.3%), LE ischemia (2.3% vs 1.4%), ischemic colitis (1.2% vs 0.5%), and myocardial infarction (2.0% vs 1.1%) (all P ≤ .008). Female patients with WBC ≥10 K/μL, compared with male patients with WBC ≥10 K/μL, had more adverse events, including mortality, LOS >1 week, 30-day readmission, and LE ischemia (all P ≤ .025). With each incremental increase in WBC by 1 K/μL, the adjusted odds ratio of adverse outcomes for all patient was higher (mortality: 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.10; readmission: 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00-1.06; LOS >1 week: 1.08; 95% CI, 1.05-1.10; and ischemic colitis: 1.11; 95% CI, 1.05-1.16; all P < .05). The effect was more pronounced in female patients and was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS WBC is a predictor of adverse outcomes in patients undergoing EVAR for nonruptured AAA. After adjusting for associated risk factors, the effect of increasing WBC was more prominent for female patients. Preoperative WBC should be used as a prognostic factor to predict adverse outcomes among patients undergoing EVAR.
Ordering appropriate tests to contribute to radiation safety in nuclear medicine

2723 Objectives Lower radiation exposure by ensuring physicians are ordering appropriate exams. Methods Educating physicians with appropriate exams for certain patient diagnosis. Results The patients will always have a great diagnostic exam to help with the patients care plan. Conclusions Radiation exposure is a sensitive topic in society and is always up for argument. The main argument is to determine the benefit compared to possible risk. Nuclear medicine imaging procedures have led to improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of numerous medical conditions. A balanced public health approach seeks to support the benefits of these medical imaging exams while minimizing the risks. With the scare of radiation exposure, it puts a damper on the growth of the field and trying to maintain during productivity with ensuring patient safety. Managing the risks of nuclear medicine imaging procedures depends on two principles of radiation protection: appropriate justification for ordering and performing each procedure, and careful optimization of the radiation dose used during each procedure. These types of imaging exams should be conducted only when medically justified. However, if proper precautions are not taken, patients may be exposed to radiation without clinical need or benefit. Concerns have also been raised that physicians may lack important information that could inform their decisions in ordering medical imaging exams that use radiation. Ordering physicians may not have access to patients’ medical imaging or radiation dose history. Due to insufficient information, physicians may unnecessarily order imaging procedures that have already been conducted. Radiation exposure has always had a negative perspective against it but it can be very useful tool in the medical field. Nuclear medicine is a great asset to the medical field and to patient’s diagnosis and treatment plans. As long proper radiation safety is implemented with patient and physician education than this field can be used to its full potential and dramatically increase productivity.
WE-D-207-01: Background and Clinical Implementation of a Screening Program

In the United States, Lung Cancer is responsible for more cancer deaths than the next four cancers combined. In addition, the 5 year survival rate for lung cancer patients has not improved over the past 40 to 50 years. To combat this deadly disease, in 2002 the National Cancer Institute launched a very large Randomized Control Trial called the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST). This trial would randomize subjects who had substantial risk of lung cancer (due to age and smoking history) into either a Chest X-ray arm or a low dose CT arm. In November 2010, the National Cancer Institute announced that the NLST had demonstrated 20% fewer lung cancer deaths among those who were screened with low-dose CT than with chest X-ray. In December 2013, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended the use of Lung Cancer Screening using low dose CT and a little over a year later (Feb. 2015), CMS announced that Medicare would also cover Lung Cancer Screening using low dose CT. Thus private and public insurers are required to provide Lung Cancer Screening programs using CT to the appropriate population(s). The purpose of this Symposium is to inform medical physicists and prepare them to support the implementation of Lung Screening programs. This Symposium will focus on the clinical aspects of lung cancer screening, requirements of a screening registry for systematically capturing and tracking screening patients and results (such as required Medicare data elements) as well as the role of the medical physicist in screening programs, including the development of low dose CT screening protocols. Learning Objectives: 1. To understand the clinical basis and clinical components of a lung cancer screening program, including eligibility criteria and other requirements. 2. To understand the data collection requirements, workflow, and informatics infrastructure needed to support the tracking and reporting components of a screening program. 3. To understand the role of the medical physicist in implementing Lung Cancer Screening protocols for CT, including utilizing resources such as the AAPM Protocols and the ACR Designated Lung Screening Center program. UCLA Department of Radiology has an Institutional research agreement with Siemens Healthcare; Dr. McNitt-Gray has been a recipient of Research Support from Siemens Healthcare in the past. Dr. Aberle has been a Member of Advisory Boards for the LUNGevity Foundation (2011-present) and Siemens Medical Solutions. (2013).
Efficient post-layout power-delay curve generation

We have developed a complete design flow from Verilog/VHDL to layout that generates what is effectively a post-layout power versus delay curve for a digital IC block. Post-layout timing convergence is rapid over the entire delay range spanned by a power versus delay tradeoff curve. The points on the gate-sizing generated power-delay curve, when actually laid out, are extremely close in transistor-level simulated power and delay, using full 3D extracted parasitics. The user can therefore confidently obtain any feasible post-layout power-delay tradeoff from the power-delay curve for a logic block. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of such a post-layout capability.
The code of silence and disciplinary fairness: A comparison of Czech police supervisor and line officer views

Purpose – This paper aims to explore how police officer rank affects the relation between the extent of the code of silence and views of discipline fairness.Design/methodology/approach – In 2005, 150 police supervisors and 450 line officers from East Bohemia, the Czech Republic were surveyed, regarding crucial components of police integrity.Findings – Supervisor and line officer codes of silence are similar; whenever the codes differ, the supervisor code seems to be narrower. The majority of line officers and supervisors provided similar assessments of the expected discipline; they disagreed only regarding a small number of scenarios. The results clearly show a direct relation between how strongly police officers adhere to the code of silence and the way they view disciplinary fairness, regardless of their supervisory status.Research limitations/implications – The survey included only police officers from East Bohemia in the Czech Republic.Practical implications – The methodology can be utilized by police...
Verbally annotated tactile maps - challenges and approaches

Survey knowledge of spatial environments can be successfully conveyed by visual maps. For visually impaired people, tactile maps have been proposed as a substitute. The latter are hard to read and to understand. This paper proposes how the cognitive disadvantages can be compensated for by Verbally Annotated Tactile (VAT) maps. VAT maps combine two representational components: a verbal annotation system as a propositional component and a tactile map as a spatial component. It is argued that users will benefit from the cross-modal interaction of both. In a pilot study it is shown that using tactile You-Are-Here maps that only implement the spatial component is not optimal. I argue that some of the problems observed can be compensated for by incorporating verbal annotations. Research questions on cross-modal interaction in VAT maps are formulated that address the challenges that have to be overcome in order to benefit from propositional and spatial representations induced by VAT maps.
Rate-Dependent Large Strain Behavior of a Structural Adhesive

This paper describes the development of a nonlinear viscoelastic model that can account for rate dependence at large strains. The model was based on tensile and shear experiments on a urethane structural adhesive. The most striking observation was that the stress-strain behavior at large strains was rate dependent. As a result, a rate-dependent rubbery shear modulus was added to Popelar's shear modified free volume model. This was very effective in predicting ramp shear behavior over a range of strain rates and temperatures. The correspondence of model results and tensile data was reasonable below 20% strain. At higher strains, the model over predicted the stress levels for a given strain. This may have been due to the accumulation of damage, which has yet to be included in the model. The model was unable to capture the effect of salt water on the tensile behavior of the urethane.
Layered FGS video over active network with selective drop and adaptive rate control

Quality of service has been a great concern to video dissemination over the Internet, especially due to the heterogeneous networking environment. In contrast to the traditional passive networking, active networking by means of active routers/agents in a wide area network shows promise of better video service by offering packet control at finer resolution. This paper proposes an effective architecture based on active router and selective drop queue management as a solution to video unicast and multicast in a variable network environment.
Implementing for impact: rearranging the American health landscape

An accurate understanding of public health issues is a prerequisite to any policy or intervention aimed at addressing it. Yet it is challenging to measure and compare health outcomes nationally. Several survey and surveillance systems collect data annually to make such comparisons. This study uses Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. Researchers often make the assumption that within each state, health outcomes are similar. The reality is far from this notion. Each state behaves as its own ecosystem with a diversity of outcomes at smaller geographic boundaries like counties, cities and towns. Imagine a jigsaw puzzle made up of 3,200 counties, rearranged not based on their geography but based on how sick or how healthy they are. The results will be anything but the map of America.
Seismic methods for imaging physical properties of the Earth

We present an integrated study in which we develop a range of techniques for deriving images of rock properties, such as porosity and shaliness, from cross-well seismic tomograms. One of the keys is to incorporate rock physics knowledge of the relations between velocity, porosity, and clay content which were developed in the laboratory and calibrated in the field. Geostatistical techniques, such as kriging and cokriging, are used as a means to combine the heterogeneous data set, consisting of well logs, the tomogram, and laboratory results.
Preserving Stability Under Communication Delays in Multi Agent Systems

The effect of time delays on the stability of a recently proposed continuum approach for controlling a multi agent system (MAS) evolving in n-D under a special local inter-agent communication protocol is considered. There a homogenous map determined by n+1 leaders is learned by the follower agents each communicating with n+1 adjacent agents. In this work both position and velocity information of adjacent agents are used for local control of follower agents whereas in previous work [1, 2] only position information of adjacent agents was used. Stability of the proposed method under a time delay h is studied using the cluster treatment of characteristic roots (CTCR) [3]. It is shown that the stability of MAS evolution can be preserved when (i) the velocity of any follower agent is updated using both position and velocity of its adjacent agents at time (t-h); and (ii) the communication matrix has real eigenvalues. In addition, it is shown that when there is no communication delay, deviations from a selected homogenous map during transients may be minimized by updating only the position of a follower using both position and velocity of its adjacent agents.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Gabapentin alleviates facet-mediated pain in the rat through reduced neuronal hyperexcitability and astrocytic activation in the spinal cord.

Abstract Although joint pain is common, its mechanisms remain undefined, with little known about the spinal neuronal responses that contribute to this type of pain. Afferent activity and sustained spinal neuronal hyperexcitability correlate to facet joint loading and the extent of behavioral sensitivity induced after painful facet injury, suggesting that spinal neuronal plasticity is induced in association with facet-mediated pain. This study used a rat model of painful C6-C7 facet joint stretch, together with intrathecal administration of gabapentin, to investigate the effects of one aspect of spinal neuronal function on joint pain. Gabapentin or saline vehicle was given via lumbar puncture prior to and at 1 day after painful joint distraction. Mechanical hyperalgesia was measured in the forepaw for 7 days. Extracellular recordings of neuronal activity and astrocytic and microglial activation in the cervical spinal cord were evaluated at day 7. Gabapentin significantly ( P = .0001) attenuated mechanical hyperalgesia, and the frequency of evoked neuronal firing also significantly decreased ( P P Perspective Intrathecal gabapentin treatment was used to investigate behavioral, neuronal, and glial response in a rat model of painful C6-C7 facet joint stretch. Gabapentin attenuated mechanical hyperalgesia, reduced evoked neuronal firing, and decreased spinal astrocytic activation. This study supports that facet joint pain is sustained through spinal neuronal and astrocytic activation.
Household formation and the failure of intergenerational resource allocation

Abstract The present paper introduces a (biological) reproduction process of households into Barro's simple overlapping generations model with bequests. This leads to a model in which capital will typically be underaccumulated relative to the socially optimal level because of the coordination problem regarding bequests.
Effects of malnutrition and chronic reserpine treatment on pancreatic exocrine function.

ABSTRACT. The chronically reserpine-treated rat, an experimental model for cystic fibrosis, exhibits generalized exocrinopathy, impaired pancreatic secretion, and decreased pancreatic amylase. Although chronic reserpine treatment induces malnutrition by decreasing food consumption and growth, the effects of this malnutrition per se on the exocrine pancreas have not been considered. In this study, the effects of chronic reserpine treatment and malnutrition on the exocrine pancreas were determined using pair-fed controls. Male, Sprague-Dawley rats were treated daily subcutaneously for 5 to 7 days with: 1) no injection (control), 2) 1.0 ml/kg vehicle or sham (controlsham, pair fed-sham), or 3) 0.5 mg/kg reserpine (chronically reserpine-treated). Both chronic reserpine-treatment and pair-feeding significantly decreased food consumption (40%), body weight (51 and 59%), total pancreatic amylase (49 and 56%) and specific amylase activity (62 and 61%), pancreatic protein (65 and 75%), and pancreatic weights (62 and 65%) compared to controls. These decreases, however, were comparable between the chronically reserpine- treated and pair fed-sham rats. In contrast, the secretory response to the biologically active cholecystokinin analog cholecystokinin octapeptide was significantly attenuated in isolated pancreatic acini prepared from reserpinetreated rats compared to that from either control or pairfed sham rats. Malnutrition decreased pancreatic amylase activity and protein comparably to reserpine treatment, but only partially attenuated the secretory response to cholecystokinin octapeptide. Based on the results of this study, pair-fed controls should be used to distinguish between the effects of reserpine alone and the induced malnutrition on pancreatic exocrine function in studies of this experimental model of cystic fibrosis.
Statistical theory of thermal convection at large Prandtl number.

Three statistical theories of turbulence are applied to thermal convection between infinite slippery plates in the limit of infinite Prandtl number. The range of Rayleigh number R investigated is 657 ≤ R ≤ 1.25 × 104. The theories, which are compared in a series of numerical calculations, are the direct interaction approximation, the quasilinear approximation, and the quasinormal approximation. The direct interaction approximation gives results for the evolution Nusselt number in good agreement with some simple exact solutions to the problem. The flow predicted by this method is very persistent. Turbulence first appears just at critical R and its intensity gradually increases with increasing R. The quasinormal approximation gives satisfactory results for R ≲ 2000, but some of the initial value problems lead to an unphysical negative temperature autocorrelation spectrum for larger R. In none of the initial value problems for R > 2 × 103 did the quasinormal procedure yield a sensible stationary state. The q...
Prediction of Roll Moments on Finned Bodies in Supersonic Flow

A method is presented for predicting roll moments produced by fins on missile bodies at high angle of attack in supersonic flow. The missile configurations are assumed to have pointed noses and circular cylindrical bodies. The effect of the body induced flow on the roll moments produced by fins is studied. Particular attention is given to the body vortices and separated flow on the lee side of the missile. A cruciform fin configuration with fins having rectangular planform is analyzed. A previously developed flow model is used to calculate the flowfield produced by the body. The body flowfield experienced by the fins is used with a quasi-linear lifting theory to predict the roll moments. Results are presented for the fin cant, induced roll, and roll damping moments. The roll moment predictions are compared with experimental data and generally good agreement is obtained. The physical causes of the observed nonlinear roll phenomena are discussed.
Dysmenorrhoea: Clinical Evidence with Piroxicam-??-Cyclodextrin

Primary dysmenorrhoea can be readily relieved with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These drugs inhibit prostaglandin synthetase, reducing the level of prostanoids in the uterus and the uterine contractions that cause the painful cramps. Piroxicam-β-cyclodextrin is rapidly absorbed and quickly reaches peak blood concentrations. Four published clinical studies have evaluated piroxicam-β-cyclodextrin for relief of primary dysmenorrhoea. Piroxicam-β-cyclodextrin 20mg once daily was significantly more effective than placebo in relief of dysmenorrhoea, was better than ketoprofen in relieving the abdominal pain of dysmenorrhoea, and had a quicker onset and longer duration of relief than naproxen. Both investigators and patients rated a greater preference for piroxicam-β-cyclodextrin over the comparator medications. The tolerability of piroxicam-β-cyclodextrin in the treatment of dysmenorrhoea was good, with a very low incidence of adverse effects.