cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Community pharmacist participation in a practice-based research network: a report from the Medication Safety Research Network of Indiana (Rx-SafeNet)

Abstract Objective To describe the experiences and opinions of pharmacists serving as site coordinators for the Medication Safety Research Network of Indiana (Rx-SafeNet). Setting Retail chain, independent, and hospital/health system outpatient community pharmacies throughout Indiana, with a total of 127 pharmacy members represented by 26 site coordinators. Practice description Rx-SafeNet, a statewide practice-based research network (PBRN) formed in 2010 and administered by the Purdue University College of Pharmacy. Main outcome measures Barriers and facilitators to participation in available research studies, confidence participating in research, and satisfaction with overall network communication. Results 22 of 26 site coordinators participated, resulting in an 85% response rate. Most (72.2%) of the respondents had received a doctor of pharmacy degree, and 13.6% had postgraduate year (PGY)1 residency training. The highest reported benefits of PBRN membership were an enhanced relationship with the Purdue University College of Pharmacy (81% agreed or strongly agreed) and enhanced professional development (80% agreed or strongly agreed). Time constraints were identified as the greatest potential barrier to network participation, reported by 62% of respondents. In addition, the majority (59%) of survey respondents identified no prior research experience. Last, respondents' confidence in performing research appeared to increase substantially after becoming network members, with 43% reporting a lack of confidence in engaging in research before joining the network compared with 90% reporting confidence after joining the network. Conclusion In general, Rx-SafeNet site coordinators appeared to experience increased confidence in research engagement after joining the network. While respondents identified a number of benefits associated with network participation, concerns about potential time constraints remained a key barrier to participation. These findings will assist network leadership in identifying opportunities to positively increase member participation in the future.
Preparing Educational Researchers: The Role of Self-Doubt

Educational scholars concur that research preparation courses should engage doctoral students with methodological differences and epistemological controversies. Mary Metz and Nancy Lesko recently published articles describing how courses guided by this aim engender self-doubt for students. Neither scholar is entirely convinced that self-doubt is educationally productive. Drawing on Hans-Georg Gadamer's notion of Bildung, Deborah Kerdeman reframes the view of self-doubt that Metz and Lesko assume and shows why self-doubt can be transformative. Gadamer's argument regarding self-doubt challenges constructivist views of agency and also demonstrates that engaging with difference is necessary for new understanding to emerge through conversation. Kerdeman concludes by considering why engaging in Bildung helps doctoral students become good educational researchers and why cultivating Bildung should therefore be an aim of research preparation courses that engage students with methodological differences and epistemological controversies.
Cultivation and transmission of etiological agent of kidney disease in salmonid fishes.

SummaryMedia have been devised for the cultivation and isolation of the etiological agent of kidney disease in salmon and trout. It is noteworthy that growth occurs readily on addition of cysteine to complex blood media, which otherwise do not support growth. Koch's postulates have been fulfilled establishing that the organism isolated is the etiological agent of the disease.
Bimorph Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers

This paper presents the concept, basic theory, fabrication, and testing results of dual-electrode bimorph piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) for both air- and liquid-coupled applications. Both the theoretical analyses and experimental verifications under the proposed differential drive scheme display high drive sensitivity and an electromechanical coupling energy efficiency that is as high as $4\times $ of the state-of-the-art pMUT with a similar geometry and frequency. The prototype transducers are fabricated in a CMOS-compatible process with the radii of 100–230 $\mu \text{m}$ using aluminum nitride as the piezoelectric layers with the thicknesses varying from 715 to 950 nm and molybdenum (Mo) as the electrodes with a thickness of 130 nm. The tested operation frequencies of the prototype transducers are 200–970 kHz in air for possible ranging and motion detection applications, and from 250 kHz to 1 MHz in water for medical ultrasound applications such as fracture healing, tumor ablation, and transcranial sonothrombolysis. A $12\times 12$ array structure is measured to have the highest intensity per voltage squared, per number of pMUTs squared, and per piezoelectric constant squared ( $I_{n}= I/(VNd_{31})^{2})$ among all reported pMUT arrays. The generated acoustic intensity is in the range of 30–70 mW/cm2 up to 2.5 mm from the transducer surface in mineral oil with a driving voltage of 5 $\text{V}_{{\mathrm{ac}}}$ , which is suitable for battery-powered therapeutic ultrasound devices. [2015-0305]
Transitivity of choice behavior in preschool children

An experiment was conducted demonstrating that experimentally-induced response strengths are transitive. Ss were trained to choose stimulus A over stimulus B, stimulus B over stimulus C, and stimulus A over stimulus C. On test trials it was found that Ss more frequently chose A over C than either A over B, or B over C. These results are consistent with a large class of learning theories, and generalize the findings obtained in previous experiments to a wider class of subject and stimulus variables.
PACING-INDUCED DYSSYNCHRONY TO RESOLVE LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE INFLOW CANNULA OBSTRUCTION

Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) are an effective therapy for end-stage heart failure patients on optimal medical therapy as a bridge to cardiac transplantation and as destination therapy in those patients not eligible for transplant. Cardiac resynchronization therapy is a class I indication
Toxicology of podophyllin.

Summary1. The median lethal doses of podophyllin, podophyllotoxin, picropodophyllin, podophyllicacid, quercetin from podophyllin, quercetin from quercetron, podophyllotoxinized resin and colchicine were determined in adult mice. In this species podophyllin and podophyllotoxin respectively are approximately 1/15and 16 as toxic as colchicine. 2. A comparison of the median lethal doses of podophyllin and podophyllotoxinin young and adult rats demonstrated a greater degree of toxicity for young rats. 3. Cumulative toxic effects were produced in rats by administering podophyllin and podophyllotoxin multiple times a day in individual doses that were in the range of 1/6 and 1/5 of the LD50. 4. Observations on the symptomatology and/or pathologic alterations of rats poisoned with podophyllin, podophyllotoxin, podophyllic acid, picropodophyllin, quercetin and de-podophyllotoxinized resin and colchicine are presented. 5. In animals that succumbed to subcutaneous injections of colchicine there was an accumulation of...
Enforcing the Contract at all (Social) Costs: The Boundary Between Private Contract Law and the Public Interest

Over the years, the enforcement of commercial contracts has taken on increased importance. Today, contract law is a viable and innovative tool to protect commercial rights, eagerly inventing novel approaches to issues with an economic or commercial component. For example, contracts of adhesion are often enforced, despite the lack of true assent, in recognition of the realities of modern commerce, in which most buyers and sellers never meet and most signatories do not read the agreements they sign. But its use for the protection of third parties and the public is not always equally pursued, resulting in less attention to non-economic issues and losses. Through a variety of examples, this Article explores the limitations on the ability of contract law to deal with the protection of third parties and the public. This limitation is manifested in two distinct ways: (1) Commercial contracts are typically enforced without regard to the negative impact they may have on the public; and (2) although some courts appear willing to stretch the bounds of the law to ensure contracts are enforced in commercial contexts, there has been substantially less motivation to enforce contracts for the public good. Accordingly, the Article discusses the innovative and flexible nature of the common law of contracts as it applies to protecting commercial interests and players and the inadequacy of contract law as a means of protecting public and non-economic interests.
Correlative Analysis between Phytate Content and Distribution Value of Inorganic Phosphorus Content of Flours and Noodles

Phytate content and distribution value of Inorganic phosphorus content in 42 kinds of flour and 11 kinds of noodle were determined,and the correlation between Phytate content and distribution value of Inorganic phosphorus content was studied,the results were expressed as follow.Phytate content of many kinds of flour and noodle was low 1 mg/g flour or noodle,while distribution value of Inorganic phosphorus content of many kinds of flour and noodle was over 2(it is 1.08 μg/40 mg flour or noodle namely).There was significant correlation between Phytate content and distribution value of inorganic phosphorus content in flour(-0.8312**)and noodle(-0.7934**),it means that,as distribution value of Inorganic phosphorus content is higher,on the contrary phytate content is lower.Therefore,the results indicated that distribution value of Inorganic phosphorus content may be used as criterion of phytate content in flour and noodle.
The New Three-dimensional Model of Circular Economy System

Based on the financial crisis,many companies are in cut-off,semi cut-off state,from the state to start the macro-control efforts to increase investment opportunities arising from proceeding to China's resource shortage and environmental pollution problems,categorize,should Eco-ethics and sustainable development objectives and requirements on the system of production and living,as well as ecological considerations,through the traditional vision of developing circular economy,normative analysis and empirical analysis using a combination of methods to innovative design of the three-dimensional circulation economic model,and demonstrates how to achieve cleaner production and the ecological environment of modern life,and Thus the formation of pollution-free environment-friendly combination of eco-ethical model of a harmonious society.
Noncolocated adaptive attitude control of a planar two-body linkage with nonminimum-phase dynamics

Adaptive control of a two-dimensional model of a flexible spacecraft with noncolocated sensors and actuators is achieved by output feedback using knowledge of only the system's impulse response. The model is composed of two planar rigid bodies linked by a torsional spring that emulates a multibody spacecraft with base body actuation and appendage pointing. Retrospective cost adaptive control is applied to a command-following problem. The controller uses a finite impulse response filter built from the Markov parameters of the nonminimum-phase (NMP) linearized model. Accordingly, this filter is constructed to contain an estimate of the location of the NMP zero; the filter's order is chosen to correspond to the number of time steps after which the plant's step response becomes positive.
Production control policies to maintain service levels in different seasons

Abstract We analyze a manufacturing system that produces a single type of product to serve multiple classes of customers with seasonal demands. The manufacturer has the flexibility to vary production rates to adapt to seasonal demands. We model the seasonal demand using a Markov modulated Poisson process, and analyze the underlying Markov decision problem to derive optimal production and inventory control policies for the manufacturer. We show that the optimal policy is characterized by a season dependent inventory threshold vector for adjusting production rates and rationing inventory. Further, we impose service level constraints according to the customer classes in each season, and analyze the impact of the service level constraints on the optimal policy and cost under different seasonal demand conditions.
Modeling Salmonella Inactivation in Low Moisture Foods: Using Parameter Estimation to Improve Model Performance☆

Validating Salmonella inactivation processes for low moisture foods is a critically important food safety requirement, due to Salmonella persistence in these systems. Application of microbial inactivation models for this purpose is complicated by critical interactions between product water content and activity, temperature, and process humidity. Several models have been proposed; however, very few can handle or have been tested under dynamic conditions. One previously published model accounted for product surface temperature and process dew point, to predict Salmonella inactivation on almonds, but did not incorporate dynamic water activity. The goal of this study was to apply improved parameter estimation techniques to reduce correlation and relative standard errors of the parameters (RSEP), and to propose a more robust model for this application. Model fitting was performed using nonlinear regression, and the root mean squared error (RMSE), RSEP, variance-covariance matrix (VCM), and scaled sensitivity coefficients (SSC) were used to evaluate model performance in terms of parameter quality and robustness. Results indicated a reasonable performance of the model (RMSE = 1.6 log), with RSEP below 7.5%. However, VCM and SSC indicated correlation among the parameters. Therefore, multivariate optimization was applied to minimize the correlation, with the sum of the RSEP used as the objective function. Two of the elements on the VCM were reduced from around -0.5 to < 0.1, and the RSEP of the associated parameter also reduced from ∼7.5% to < 3.5%. The remaining matrix elements did not change, which indicates an inherently larger correlation among those parameters (0.91). Post-fitting analysis of estimated parameters and optimization of reference values for inactivation models are useful to improve model performance and reliability. An attempt to reparametrize the correlated parameters, accounting for the effect of product water activity, is underway. This modification accounts for process conditions, product characteristics, and interactions with product surface temperature.
Central zone lesions on magnetic resonance imaging: Should we be concerned?

Abstract Introduction and objective The Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) score was developed to evaluate lesions in the peripheral and transition zone on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) of the prostate. We aim to determine if the PI-RADS scoring system can be used to evaluate central zone lesions on mpMRI. Materials and methods A retrospective review of 73 patients who underwent mpMRI/ultrasound (US) fusion-guided biopsy of 143 suspicious lesions between February 2014 and October 2015 was performed. All patients underwent a 3 T mpMRI. Indications for mpMRI included an abnormal digital rectal examination, PSA velocity >0.75 ng/dl/y, and patients on active surveillance. The mpMRI sequence involved T2-weighted imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, and dynamic contrast enhancement. Using 3-dimensional model software (Invivo Corporation, Gainesville, FL, USA), a minimum of 3 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/US fusion-guided biopsy samples were taken from each prostate lesion seen on mpMRI irrespective of PI-RADS score, using local anesthesia in an outpatient clinic setting. Results A total of 73 patients underwent MRI/US fusion-guided biopsy of 85 peripheral zone lesions, 31 transitional zone lesions, and 27 central zone lesions. Only 2 (7%) of central zone lesions were positive for prostate cancer. Both patients had lesions which were graded as PI-RADS 3. Both the patients had multifocal lesions that encompassed≥50% of the central and transition zones on the sagittal view MRI images. Both patients previously had transrectal US-guided biopsy of the prostate which was negative for cancer. Both patients underwent a robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy, each revealing high-grade cancer. Conclusions Lesions involving only the central gland/zone seen on MRI are less concerning for malignancy and should not be given equal weight as peripheral zone lesions. In this series, no lesions involving solely the central gland/zone, regardless of PI-RADS score, was positive for malignancy on MRI/US fusion-guided biopsy. Consideration of a modified PI-RADS scoring system should be given to help identify central zone lesions with malignant potential.
Visualization of Small-Diameter Vessels by Reduction of Incoherent Reverberation With Coherent Flow Power Doppler

Power Doppler (PD) imaging is a widely used technique for flow detection. Despite the wide use of Doppler ultrasound, limitations exist in the ability of Doppler ultrasound to assess slow flow in the small-diameter vasculature, such as the maternal spiral arteries and fetal villous arteries of the placenta and focal liver lesions. The sensitivity of PD in small vessel detection is limited by the low signal produced by slow flow and the noise associated with small vessels. The noise sources include electronic noise, stationary or slowly moving tissue clutter, reverberation clutter, and off-axis scattering from tissue, among others. In order to provide more sensitive detection of slow flow in small diameter vessels, a coherent flow imaging technique, termed coherent flow PD (CFPD), is characterized and evaluated with simulation, flow phantom experiment studies, and an in vivo animal small vessel detection study. CFPD imaging was introduced as a technique to detect slow blood flow. It has been demonstrated to detect slow flow below the detection threshold of conventional PD imaging using identical pulse sequences and filter parameters. In this paper, we compare CFPD with PD in the detection of blood flow in small-diameter vessels. The results from the study suggest that CFPD is able to provide a 7.5–12.5-dB increase in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) over PD images for the same physiological conditions and is less susceptible to reverberation clutter and thermal noise. Due to the increase in SNR, CFPD is able to detect small vessels in high channel noise cases, for which PD was unable to generate enough contrast to observe the vessel.
Effect of Gastrogastric Fistula Closure in Type 2 Diabetes.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) has been shown to significantly improve glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The formation of a gastrogastric fistula (GGF) allows nutrients to pass through the native route, rather than bypassing the duodenum in typical RYGB configuration. We sought to evaluate the effect of revisional bariatric surgery for known GGF on control of diabetes. A retrospective chart review of a single academic institution was performed to identify patients who had T2DM at the time of corrective surgery for a GGF. Baseline characteristics, and postoperative outcomes including changes in body mass index (BMI), glycated hemoglobin, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and diabetes medications were assessed. Ten patients were identified with GGF who had T2DM at the time of corrective surgery. Patients had a male-to-female ratio of 2:3, a mean age of 59.2 ± 10 years, a mean baseline BMI of 38.1 ± 17.6 kg/m2, and a median duration of 9 years (interquartile range 6–14) from initial RYGB to revision. At a mean follow-up of 14.9 ± 8.5 months, a mean reduction in BMI of 4.9 ± 6 kg/m2 was associated with a significant mean reduction in FBG (167.1 ± 88.2 vs. 106.1 ± 20.4 mg/dL, p = 0.04) and number of diabetes medications (1.4 ± 0.8 vs. 0.7 ± 0.7, p = 0.04). In patients with diabetes and GGF, a corrective surgery for closure of fistula and restoration of bypass anatomy results in improvement of glucose control and status of diabetes medications. This finding can highlight the potential metabolic significance of duodenal exclusion.
Implications of Market Spillovers

In recent years, several firms have decided to withdraw from profitable markets, believing the move will be beneficial for their overall business. For instance, CVS dropped tobacco products from it...
Red Readings: Decolonization through Native-centric Responses to Non-native Literature and Film

An introduction to a special topics issue of Transmotion dedicated to "red readings." These responses explore what happens when a non-native text is read from a native perspective. What disruptions in a text are made possible by reading it with native assumptions? What latent meanings can become apparent? What new meanings can be produced?
Visuospatial Organization and Recall in Cerebellar Ataxia.

Poor visuospatial skills can disrupt activities of daily living. The cerebellum has been implicated in visuospatial processing, and patients with cerebellar injury often exhibit poor visuospatial skills, as measured by impaired memory for the figure within the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure task (ROCF). Visuospatial skills are an inherent aspect of the ROCF; however, figure organization (i.e., the order in which the figure is reconstructed by the participant) can influence recall ability. The objective of this study was to examine and compare visuospatial and organization skills in people with cerebellar ataxia. We administered the ROCF to patients diagnosed with cerebellar ataxia and healthy controls. The cerebellar ataxia group included patients that carried a diagnosis of spinocerebellar ataxia (any subtype), autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia, or cerebellar ataxia with unknown etiology. Primary outcome measures were organization and recall performance on the ROCF, with supplemental information derived from cognitive tests of visuospatial perception, working memory, processing speed, and motor function. Cerebellar ataxia patients revealed impaired figure organization relative to that of controls. Figure copy was impaired in the patients, but their subsequent recall performance was normal, suggesting compensation from initial organization and copying strategies. In controls, figure organization predicted recall performance, but this relationship was not observed in the patients. Instead, processing speed predicted patients’ recall accuracy. Supplemental tasks indicated that visual perception was intact in the cerebellar ataxia group and that performance deficits were more closely tied to organization strategies than with visuospatial skills.
Control of Body Temperature: Relationships with Metabolic Control

The mechanisms for control of body temperature are extremely efficient, but derangements in sensitivity of the central “thermostat” or alterations in the “setpoint” are frequently associated with disease. Elevation of body temperature is such a sensitive and reliable indication of the presence of a disease that thermometry is one of the most common and frequent measurements taken in hospitalized patients.
Positive effects of acupressure bands combined with relaxation music/instructions on patients most at risk for chemotherapy-induced nausea

Research by our group has shown that acupressure bands are efficacious in reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea (CIN) for breast cancer patients who expect nausea, and that their effectiveness in controlling CIN can largely be accounted for by patients’ expectations of efficacy, i.e., a placebo effect. The present research examined if the effectiveness of acupressure bands could be enhanced by boosting patients’ expectation of the bands’ efficacy. Two hundred forty-two chemotherapy-naive patients with breast cancer who expected nausea were randomized. Arms 1 and 2 received acupressure bands, plus a relaxation MP3 and written handout that were either expectancy-enhancing (arm 1) or expectancy-neutral (arm 2). Arm 3 was the control without bands or MP3 and received standard care. All participants received guideline-specified antiemetics. Peak CIN for arms 1, 2, and 3 on a 1–7 scale was 3.52, 3.55, and 3.87, respectively (p = 0.46). Because no differences were observed between arms 1 and 2 (primary analysis), we combined these two arms (intervention) and compared them to controls for the following analyses. A significant interaction was found between intervention/control and receiving doxorubicin-based chemotherapy (yes/no) and pre-treatment anxiety (high/low). Intervention patients receiving doxorubicin had lower peak CIN than controls (3.62 vs. 4.38; p = 0.02). Similarly, intervention patients with high pre-treatment anxiety had a lower peak CIN than controls (3.62 vs. 4.62; p = 0.01). In breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and having high CIN expectation, acupressure bands combined with a relaxation recording were effective in reducing CIN for patients who received doxorubicin or had high anxiety.
Feeding the World Inside Us: Our Gut Microbiomes, Diet, and Health

The most recent research shows that our health and wellness depend strongly on the multitudes of microbes living inside our bodies. The numbers and types of microbes living in our guts, known as our gut microbiota, varies greatly from person to person leading to different health outcomes. This chapter describes what our gut microbiomes look like, how we can change them through diet, and how they impact our health and wellbeing. It also presents the powerful new forensic tools developed to characterize the microbes in our guts, which have made the microbiome revolution possible. The history of our microbiomes as we move from infancy to old age is discussed, as well as the implications of these changes on our health. The impact of our microbiomes on our immune systems, as well as on our tendency to develop obesity, diabetes, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease and cancer, are discussed. The potential for establishing a healthier microbiome by consuming probiotics and prebiotics is covered, as well as some of the challenges to creating commercial products using this knowledge.
Racial and Educational Disparities in Dementia and Dementia-Free Life Expectancy.

Objectives We estimate life expectancy with and without dementia for Americans 65 years and older by education and race to examine how these stratification systems combine to shape disparities in later-life cognitive health. Method Based on the Health and Retirement Study (2000-2014), we use a multivariate, incidence-based life table approach to estimate life expectancy by cognitive health status for race-education groups. The models also simulate group differences in the prevalence of dementia implied by these rates. Results The life table results document notable race-education differences in dementia and dementia-free life expectancy, as well as stark differences in implied dementia prevalence. At each education level, blacks can expect to live more years with dementia and they have significantly higher rates of dementia prevalence. This distribution of disparities in the older population is anchored by 2 groups-blacks without a high school diploma and whites with some college or more. Discussion Dementia experience and dementia burden differ dramatically along race-education lines. Race and education combine to exaggerate disparities and they both have enduring effects. Future research should explicitly consider how race and education combine to influence dementia in the older American population.
A remote position sensing method based on passive high magnetic permeability thin films

Abstract This article develops a fundamental new sensing principle for measuring the position of a moving object. The moving object is equipped with a thin film of high magnetic permeability. A stationary electromagnet and a magnetic sensor are located nearby. As the moving object’s position changes, the coupling between the electromagnet and the magnetic sensor changes, allowing highly accurate measurement of position of the moving object. This new sensing principle will allow remote non-contacting position measurement of moving objects without requiring any electronics or battery on the object. The feasibility of the new measurement system is verified using an experimental piston-cylinder system in which the position of the piston is accurately estimated with an accuracy of approximately 1% of the range of motion. The thin film is inexpensive and lightweight and could enable a new generation of position sensors superior to currently available position measurement technologies.
Synthesis and Structure of [K+-(2,2)diaza-[18]-crown-6][K3Ge9]·2Ethylenediamine: Stabilization of the Two-Dimensional Layer 2∞[K3Ge91-]

Large bright-red, transparent crystalline plates of [K-(2,2)diaza-[18]-crown-6]K3Ge9·2en are obtained, in high-yield, from a reaction of (2,2)diaza-[18]-crown-6 in toluene with a solution of K4Ge9/potassium metal (K) in ethylenediamine (en). The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/m (a = 10.740(1) A, b = 15.812(1) A, c = 12.326(1) A, β = 114.74°; Z = 2). The crystal structure of [K-(2,2)diaza-[18]-crown-6]K3Ge9·2en features two-dimensional [K3Ge9] layers formed by uncomplexed K+ cations and Ge94- anions. The “not-so-bare” cluster compound features a unique Ge94- cluster that exhibits a slightly distorted C2v geometry that is closer to D3h than the expected C4v. Use of noncryptand sequestering agents in the isolation of Ge cluster anions from en solutions opens new avenues in understanding important cation−anion interactions in the stability and reactivity of Zintl ions, as well as a viable route to isolating Zintl anions with higher charges per atom.
Achievable Rate Analysis for NOMA-Aided Massive MIMO Uplink

The performance of non-orthogonal multiple-access (NOMA)-aided massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) uplink is investigated. Spatially-distributed user nodes are grouped into multiple clusters based on spatial-directional information, and a set of orthogonal pilots are assigned to these clusters. To strike a balance between the pilot training overhead and the number of users that can be served simultaneously in the same time-frequency resource block, the NOMA-enabled users within a given cluster share the same pilot sequence. The uplink channels are estimated at the massive MIMO base-station (BS) by using the pilots transmitted by the user nodes in all clusters. A computationally-efficient maximal ratio combiner is constructed at the BS via the estimated uplink channels. The achievable rates of this system set-up are derived for both finite and infinite BS antenna regimes. Thereby, the effects of imperfectly estimated channel state information, intra-cluster pilot contamination, and imperfect successive interference cancellation are analytically quantified. In order to guarantee user-fairness and thereby to mitigate near-far effects in uplink NOMA transmissions, a max-min transmit power control is invoked. Thereby, max-min fairness optimal transmit power control coefficients are derived. These power control coefficients depends only on statistical knowledge of downlink channels. Thus, the proposed transmit power control can readily be implemented at NOMA user nodes, which primarily rely on channel hardening with no downlink pilots are being transmitted by the BS in an attempt to minimize the training overhead. Our analysis and numerical results reveal that the proposed system can be exploited to enable massive access by optimizing the fundamental tradeoff among the number of simultaneously served NOMA users, uplink achievable rates and implementation complexity.
Further investigation of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior without extinction for escape-maintained destructive behavior

Previous research indicates that manipulating dimensions of reinforcement during differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) for situations in which extinction cannot be implemented is a potential approach for treating destructive behavior. Therefore, we replicated and extended previous research by determining (a) the conditions under which DRA without extinction decreased and maintained low levels of destructive behavior and (b) whether intervention effects maintained during reinforcement schedule thinning for the alternative response (i.e., compliance). Results showed that effective treatments were developed in the absence of extinction by manipulating the quality of reinforcement for compliance for 2 participants and by combining manipulations of the magnitude and quality of reinforcement for compliance for the other 2 participants. However, maintaining treatment effects during reinforcement schedule thinning required combining the magnitude and quality of reinforcement for 3 of the 4 participants. We discuss the clinical utility of this approach, review limitations of the study, and suggest directions for future research.
Fully Integrated 20 Gbit/s Silicon Optical Computing Chip for 4-Bit Full Adders

We demonstrate a 4-bit optical full adder in silicon photonics using microdisk modulators operating over 20 Gbit/s, which owns advantages of high speed and low power consumption when compared with electronic counterparts. It paves the way to future high-speed digital optical computing.
Transcending disciplinary divide/s: a comparative framework on the international relations of the Middle East

The call for papers for this conference alludes explicitly or tacitly to two different divides. The first one is that between Comparative Politics on the one hand, and International Relations/International Political Economy on the other, in the field of Middle East studies. The second, more implicit divide, suggests that the study of international relations of the Middle East has been detached from the study of International Relations more generally. This memo responds to the organizers’ invitation to reflect on some of my own efforts to transcend those two divides. Indeed, the conceptual framework I revisit here has also sought to extricate the study of international relations/international political economy of the Middle East from yet a third divide, one that implicitly or explicitly separates the Middle East from other regions, as if things were so completely different (“exceptional”) in the former that they almost preclude cross-regional inferences. This is certainly not the case. All these divides may have more to do with sociological aspects of the profession than with intrinsic analytical barriers.
Scheme and Operation Characteristic Analysis of Large Sending Terminal DC Grid Based on Flexible DC in West China

Renewable energy will play an important role in the future energy development of West China. Voltage source converter based on high voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) has a strong regulation capability of voltage and power, and can be interconnected with weak AC grid or even passive grid. A ± 1000kV large west sending terminal DC power grid based on VSC-HVDC is constructed, by which with rich distributed resources in West China can be centrally dispatched to East China, avoiding the uncertainty impact of renewable energy power generation on power system stability. Steady and transient characteristics of the sending terminal DC grid are simulated and analyzed.
A Geometric Approach for Multi-Robot Exploration in Orthogonal Polygons

We present an algorithm to explore an orthogonal polygon using a team of p robots. Our algorithm is based on a single-robot polygon exploration algorithm and a tree exploration algorithm. We show that the exploration time of our algorithm is competitive (as a function of p) with respect to the offine optimal exploration algorithm. In addition to theoretical analysis, we discuss how this strategy can be adapted to real-world settings. We investigate the performance of our algorithm through simulations for multiple robots and experiments with a single robot. We conclude with a discussion of our ongoing work.
Enhancement of Optical Valley Coherence in Monolayer WS 2 using Strain

We demonstrate significant enhancement (> 40%) in valley coherence of localized excitons in monolayer WS 2 via strain engineering. The observed enhancement is attributed to the suppression of inter valley scattering due to strain induced potential.
A novel pitch cycle detection algorithm for tele monitoring applications

Recent advancements in the field of artificial intelligence has resulted in development of natural language processing using speech signals recorded over communication channels. Typically these speech recordings are segmented over a fixed frame length, usually 25ms, and used for training and testing mathematical models. For applications like speaker recognition and verification, this traditional methodology results in inclusion of lot of unvoiced and silence segments. To eliminate these redundancies, in this paper we propose a novel pitch synchronous segmentation algorithm robust to noise content and variations in speech recording parameters like sampling frequency. With two datasets coming from a handheld device and noise proof studio quality recordings, performance of this algorithm has been tested. With a maximum accuracy of 96.5%, this algorithm provides encouraging results.
Metric learning enables synthesis of heterogeneous single-cell modalities

Abstract A complete understanding of biological processes requires synthesizing information across heterogeneous modalities, such as age, disease status, or gene/protein expression. Until recently, single-cell profiling experiments could measure only a single modality, leading to analysis focused on integrating information across separate experiments. However, researchers can now measure multiple modalities simultaneously in a single experiment, providing a new data paradigm that enables biological discovery but also requires new conceptual and analytic models. We therefore present Schema, an algorithm that leverages a principled metric learning strategy to synthesize multimodal information from the same experiment. To demonstrate the flexibility and power of our approach, we use Schema to infer cell types by integrating gene expression and chromatin accessibility data, perform differential gene expression analysis while accounting for batch effects and developmental age, estimate evolutionary pressure on peptide sequences, and synthesize spliced and unspliced mRNA data to infer cell differentiation. Schema can synthesize arbitrarily many modalities and capture sophisticated relationships between them, is computationally efficient, and provides a valuable conceptual model for exploring and understanding complex biology.
Mesotelioma peritoneal maligno: o impacto de uma doença rara na prática clínica do médico de família – um relato de caso

Introducao: O mesotelioma peritoneal maligno e exemplo de um tumor raro e com clinica inespecifica, sendo um desafio diagnostico e terapeutico. O medico de familia deve estar alerta para a possibilidade de uma doenca rara, orientando atempadamente e dando suporte ao doente e a familia vulneravel. Descricao do caso: Homem de 78 anos, casado, reformado, com antecedentes de hipertensao arterial, excesso de peso, dislipidemia, hiperplasia benigna da prostata e diverticulose (colonoscopia 2016). Em maio 2018 iniciou queixas persistentes de dor abdominal, nauseas, anorexia e astenia. O estudo inicial revelou anemia e elevacao dos parâmetros inflamatorios. Sumaria da urina, radiografia torax e endoscopia digestiva alta sem alteracoes. Pelas queixas foi enviado ao servico de urgencia e internado na cirurgia geral em julho. Realizou TC abdominopelvica com densificacao mesenterica, envolvendo o colon e ileo e cumpriu ciclo de antibioterapia. Pelo agravamento clinico progressivo, com perda ponderal superior a 10%, o utente e a esposa procuraram o medico de familia em varias ocasioes, para esclarecimento de duvidas e possivel alivio sintomatico. O medico de familia foi complementando o estudo com pedido de ecografia abdominal e, mais tarde, RMN em ambulatorio, apos discussao do custo-beneficio com o doente, esposa e neta, que revelou derrame pericardico. E discutido o caso telefonicamente com equipa de cirurgia, e posteriormente de medicina interna, para exclusao de doenca autoimune ou infeciosa. Objetivou-se anemia mantida, PCR 91,2mg/dL, serologias, marcadores tumorais, teste de Mantoux , estudo cardiaco e prostatico sem alteracoes. Em dezembro iniciou queixas de sudorese noturna e febre, sendo enviado a urgencia, ficando novamente internado para estudo. Diagnosticado com mesotelioma peritoneal maligno disseminado, para abordagem paliativa. Faleceu em maio 2019. Comentario: Este caso demonstra a dificuldade e as barreiras diagnosticas de uma doenca rara, a necessidade de apoiar o doente e a familia durante o processo de deterioracao clinica, bem como a importância do medico de familia como elo de ligacao com os cuidados de saude secundarios e no acompanhamento biopsicossocial ao doente e familia.
Multispectral SWIR images of the pulp-chamber of posterior teeth in vitro

Intraoral imaging of teeth with SWIR light provides increased contrast of dental caries and restorative materials compared to visible inspection and digital radiography. The objective of this study was to investigate the SWIR optical properties of the dental pulp-chamber floor, walls and canal orifices. We imaged in vitro extracted human posterior teeth at 1300-nm and 1500-1700-nm in reflectance and transillumination and compared the tissues properties with visible light images and quantitative light fluorescence. Transillumination of posterior teeth at both 1300-nm and 1500-1700-nm yielded significantly higher contrast between the pulp-chamber floor and walls than all other methods tested.
An asymptotic solution for the contact of two biphasic cartilage layers

Abstract This study addresses the hypothesis that interstitial fluid plays a major role in the load support mechanism of articular cartilage. An asymptotic solution is presented for two contacting biphasic cartilage layers under compression. This solution is valid for identical thin (i.e. e= h′ a′ 0 ⪡ 1 ), frictionless cartilage layers, and for the ‘early’ time response (i.e. t′⪡ (h′) 2 H A k ) after the application of a step load. An equilibrium asymptotic solution is also presented (i.e. t′→∞). Here h′ is the thickness, a′0 is a characteristic contact radius, HA is the aggregate modulus and k is the permeability of the cartilage layer. A main conclusion from this analysis is that the fluid phase of cartilage plays a major role in providing load support during the first 100–200 s after contact loading. Further, the largest component of stress in cartilage is the hydrostatic pressure developed in the interstitial fluid. For tissue fluid volume fraction (porosity) in the range 0.6≤Φf≤0.8, k = O(10−15 m4/Ns) and HA=O(1 MPa), the peak magnitude of the principal effective (or elastic) stress may be as low as 14% of the peak hydrostatic pressure within the tissue, or the contact stress at the surface. In effect, the interstitial fluid shields the solid matrix from high normal stresses and strains. The asymptotic solution also shows that pressure-sensitive film measurements of intra-articular contact stress do not measure the elastic stress at the surface, but they rather provide a measure of the interstitial fluid pressure. Finally, this analysis provides strong support for the hypothesis that, if sudden loading causes shear failure within the cartilage-bone layer structure, this failure would take place at the cartilage-bone interface, and the plane of failure would be either parallel or perpendicular to this interface.
An experimental investigation into the wildland fire burning characteristics of loblolly pine needles

Abstract Wildland fires present a threat to both the environment and to homes and businesses in the wildland urban interface. Understanding the behavior of wildland fires is crucial for developing informed risk management techniques, such as prescribed burning, to prevent uncontrolled fires, which devastate communities globally. In this work, an optically accessible facility was developed combining traditional and optical diagnostic techniques to study the combustion of wildland fuels. This facility was then used to study the burning characteristics of loblolly pine needles (Pinus taeda). Mass loss rate, flame temperature, propagation rate, flame geometry, and OH* chemiluminescent flame intensity were measured for fuel loadings of 0.98, 1.31, and 1.63 kg/m2. Mass loss rate increased linearly with fuel loading. The flame propagation rate increased slightly with fuel loading while approaching an asymptotic value. The flame height and surface area increased more significantly with fuel loading, but also approached asymptotic values. Flame depth increased slightly with fuel loading, and throughout the duration of the test. The flame intensity and flame temperature did not change significantly with fuel loading.
The Inquiry’s the Thing: Teaching Quantitative Research Without Teaching Statistical Software

Social scientific research is an engaging and important endeavor and one that many of us want to share with our students. Yet many students shy away from quantitative research, thinking it is beyond them. I argue that the key to teaching research design and methods is to give students the opportunity to complete research themselves. However, statistical software can make research seem more distant and unapproachable. In this chapter, I discuss how my strategy for teaching undergraduate research evolved from emphasis on methodology to an emphasis on the research process. I then discuss how I have used online analysis tools to allow students to develop and complete their own research projects and what I have learned in the process.
Towards Automatic Narrative Coherence Prediction

Research in Psychology has shown that stories people tell about themselves, and how they recall their experiences, reveal a lot about their individual characteristics and mental well-being. The Narrative Coherence Coding Scheme (NaCCS) is a set of guidelines established in psychology research for annotating the “coherence” of a narrative along three dimensions: context, chronology and theme. A significant correlation was found between a narrative’s coherence score and independently collected mental health markers of the narrator. Currently, all coherence annotations are done manually; a time consuming task which drains vital resources. In this paper, we propose an Artificial Intelligence based approach involving Natural Language Processing (NLP) to predict a narrative’s coherence score (4-class classification problem). We explore a number of techniques, ranging from traditional machine learning models such as Support Vector Machines (SVM) to pre-trained language models such as BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers). BERT produced the best results for all dimensions in terms of accuracy: 53.7% (context), 71.8% (chronology), and 69.6% (theme). The location of information in the narratives (beginning, end, throughout) was helpful in improving predictions.