cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Image-guided endobronchial ultrasound

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is now recommended as a standard procedure for in vivo verification of extraluminal diagnostic sites during cancer-staging bronchoscopy. Yet, physicians vary considerably in their skills at using EBUS effectively. Regarding existing bronchoscopy guidance systems, studies have shown their effectiveness in the lung-cancer management process. With such a system, a patient's X-ray computed tomography (CT) scan is used to plan a procedure to regions of interest (ROIs). This plan is then used during follow-on guided bronchoscopy. Recent clinical guidelines for lung cancer, however, also dictate using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging for identifying suspicious ROIs and aiding in the cancer-staging process. While researchers have attempted to use guided bronchoscopy systems in tandem with PET imaging and EBUS, no true EBUS-centric guidance system exists. We now propose a full multimodal image-based methodology for guiding EBUS. The complete methodology involves two components: 1) a procedure planning protocol that gives bronchoscope movements appropriate for live EBUS positioning; and 2) a guidance strategy and associated system graphical user interface (GUI) designed for image-guided EBUS. We present results demonstrating the operation of the system.
Estimates for Diffusion Barriers and Atomic Potentials in Mgo: Cndo/2 Calculations for the Study of Microwave Effects in Sintering

As part of a program of investigation of microwave sintering, self-consistent CNDO/2 calculations are presented for diffusion barriers and potentials for the motion of interstitial atoms and vacancies in MgO. Clusters of 30 atoms are used in the calculations. Activation energies, diffusion barriers, shape of the potentials and electron densities are obtained.
Evaluation of Cholinesterases in Strains of Heliothis virescens with Widely Differing Responses to Insecticides

Topical LD-50 values for 8 insecticides were determined for 3 strains of tobacco budworms collected from Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina. The strains most different in response to organophosphate insecticides (North Carolina-susceptible and Texas-resistant) were examined for possible differences in esterase activity using both whole body and nerve cord homogenates. Activity of esterases to 6 substrates did not indicate differences great enough to account for a major mechanism of resistance. Neither could differences in cholinesterase inhibition (PI50 values using acetylthiocholine as substrate) account for resistance.
Research for a multi-modal mobility and manipulation propulsion core

There are many challenges for robotics, many of which may be placed in the context of robots acting as a teammate to Soldiers. In general one may see a robotic teammate as an unmanned system that complements a Soldier’s capability, may perform some of the duties of a Soldier, or may actually protect the Soldier. There is much research that needs to be performed before robots are physically capable of performing as teammates to Soldiers in dynamic environments where speed matters, and in complex 3-D environments where navigation for today’s robots is difficult. This research addresses a fundamental obstacle to addressing this issue, which is how to safely and cost effectively develop theory and controls for a new generation of robots that may operate at operations tempo (OPTEMPO) in dynamic complex 3-D environments. This paper documents design and fabrication of a research platform capable of demonstrating theory and control algorithms developed for highly dynamic robotics systems, which may need to navigate and perform a task in complex 3-D environments. The research platform has been designed to address challenging basic research in the areas of airborne manipulation, transition to and interaction with vertical surfaces, exploration of a constrained space such as urban environments (street level to rooftop), forests, and underground facilities. The platform will allow controls development and validation for a vehicle that’s weight is at least partially supported by a propulsion system to perform work on the environment and/or an object within the environment.
Directivity-Reconfigurable Wideband Two-Arm Spiral Antenna

This letter reports a novel directivity-reconfigurable wideband antenna in microwave regime. The antenna is formed by encasing liquid metal alloys into a highly stretchable elastomer. A two-arm Archimedean spiral antenna is adopted to implement the concept of optimizing directivity by inflating the elastomer to form a dome-shaped antenna. Microelectromechanical system-based microblowers are employed to pneumatically control the shape of the antenna. The antenna can operate in a wide frequency band from 6.9 to 13.8 GHz. The ability to change the shape of the antenna allows optimizing its radiation pattern by making it more directive in the inflation direction, while its passing band remains wide. The antenna also provides good circular polarization of an electromagnetic wave.
Post-purchase Drama: Do the Retailers Lose from Girls Gone Wild in Fast Fashion Environments?

Young, female consumers are driven to purchase apparel products from fast fashion retailers (e.g., Zara, HM Kahle 1980), which is likely to be impulsive (Bhardwaj and Fairhurst 2009; Verplanken and Sato 2011). However, feelings of regret following impulse buying behavior may lead to product returns (D’Innocenzio 2011). Based on this reasoning, the following hypotheses were developed: H1: Perceived perishability is positively related to attitude toward fast fashion retailers; H2: Perceived scarcity is positively related to attitude toward fast fashion retailers; H3: Perceived low price is positively related to attitude toward fast fashion retailers; H4: Attitude toward fast fashion retailers is positively related to impulse buying behavior in fast fashion retail environments; H5: Impulse buying behavior in fast fashion retail environments is positively related to negative post-purchase emotional response; and H6: Negative post-purchase emotional response is positively related to product returning behavior in fast fashion retail environments.
The structure and quantitation of catecholamines covalently bound to glass beads.

Methods are described which enable accurate determination of the amounts of catecholamines covalently bound to glass beads. For isoproterenol and epinephrine these amounts are 1.68 and 1.63 µmoles, respectively, per gram of arylamine glass beads. Distillation experiments indicate that more than 80% of the tritium label released from [3H]catecholamine bound to glass is due to tritium exchange. Catecholamines labeled with tritium at position 7 should not be used to quantitate the extent of release of catecholamines coupled to glass beads, since this proton undergoes slow exchange when the [3H]catecholamine is diazotized to glass beads. Using [14C]catecholamines, the true stability of the glass bead-catecholamine complex was examined. Only 0.008% of the catecholamines are released per hour at 37°, and less than 7 x 10-5%/hr at 4°. Under the experimental conditions for testing the biological activity of the immobilized catecholamines, less than 8 attomoles of soluble catecholamine are calculated to be released per minute into the bathing medium of the physiological preparations. Methods are also described for synthesis of amino-substituted catecholamines by reduction of the azo linkage of the catecholamine covalently coupled to solid supports. The exact structure and point of catecholamine substitution were determined by proton magnetic resonance; the results are consistent with substitution at position 6 on the catechol ring. Biological data are presented which show the amino-substituted and soluble azo-substituted catecholamines to be active when tested on isolated cat papillary muscles.
Sema6D acts downstream of bone morphogenetic protein signalling to promote atrioventricular cushion development in mice.

Aims Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling plays a key role in regulating the development of the atrioventricular (AV) septum and valves; however, the molecules that mediate the complex activities of BMP signalling are not fully understood. The major goal of this study is to identify the critical downstream regulatory targets of BMP signalling in AV cushions, which are precursors of the AV septum and valves. Methods and results We established a conditional immortal AV cushion mesenchymal cell line, tsA58-AVM. Using this line, we observed that the expression of Sema6D is upregulated by BMP stimulation through microarray analysis. Sema6D is required for BMP-upregulated migration of tsA58-AVM cells. To reveal the in vivo role of Sema6D , we established the Sema6Dloxp/loxp mouse line and specifically inactivated Sema6D in endocardial cells (by Nfatc1Cre ) when cushion mesenchymal cells started to form. We observed a hypocellular AV cushion defect in mutant hearts at early stages (E9.25, E9.5). The defect was resolved at a later stage, most likely due to compensation by increased Sema6C in mutant AV cushions. Furthermore, our ex vivo culturing and in vivo transgenic studies collectively suggest that SEMA6D activates Rho through PLXNA1-FARP1 to promote cushion mesenchymal cell formation. Conclusions We demonstrate for the first time that Sema6D is a target of BMP signalling and that Semaphorin signalling is essential for the initiation of cushion mesenchymal cell formation in the AV canal. Our study reveals a novel BMP- Sema6D -Rho axis regulating AV cushion development.
In-flight utilization of the Mariner 10 spacecraft computer

Mariner 10 in its mission to Venus and Mercury used an onboard control computer with a 512-word memory. An outline is presented of the general philosophy adopted with respect to the utilization of the available memory and a description is given of the actual in-flight operation of the machine. The onboard computer system provided automatic stored-program sequence control of all spacecraft scientific, engineering, and propulsive maneuver operations. The system consisted of the special purpose digital computer and a fixed hard-wired sequencer. Attention is given to the programming architecture, aspects of mission design, and computer performance.
Efficient control variates for uncertainty quantification of radiation transport

Abstract Numerical simulations of problems involving radiation transport are challenging because of the associated computational cost; moreover, it is typically difficult to describe the optical properties of the system very precisely, and therefore uncertainties abound. We aim to represent the uncertainties explicitly and to characterize their impact on the output of interest. While stochastic collocation and polynomial chaos methods have been applied previously, these methods can suffer from the curse of dimensionality and fail in cases where the system response is discontinuous or highly non-linear. Monte Carlo methods are more robust, but they converge slowly. To that end, we apply the control variate method to uncertainty propagation via Monte Carlo. We leverage the modeling hierarchy of radiation transport to use low fidelity models such as the diffusion approximation and coarse angular discretizations to reduce the confidence interval on the quantity of interest. The efficiency of the control variate method is demonstrated in several problems involving stochastic media, thermal emission, and radiation properties with different quantities of interest. The control variates are able to provide significant variance reduction and efficiency increase in all problems considered. We conclude our study with a discussion of choosing optimal control variates and other extensions of Monte Carlo methods.
Learning techniques for feedback particle filter design

The feedback particle filter (FPF) is an approach to estimating the posterior distribution of the states in a process-observation model. As in other versions of the particle filter, Monte Carlo methods are used to generate and propagate a set of particles, based on the underlying model. The system is designed so that the empirical distribution of the particles approximates the posterior distribution. In contrast to other approaches, particles are propagated as a controlled system using a gain function that is similar in nature to the Kalman gain for linear Gaussian systems. The FPF gain is obtained as a solution to a version of Poisson's equation. Approximation techniques are required, since the FPF gain has no closed-form solution.
Operating Characteristics of Electroencephalographic (EEG) Trends in Identifying Ictal Patterns on Pre-Recorded Emergency Department Electroencephalograms (P4.199)

Objective: To assess the operating characteristics of EEG trends generated by Persyst seizure detection software. Background: Seizure detection algorithms could be used for early detection of patients with suspected non-convulsive seizures in the emergency department (ED). Technological advances allow the software to produce electroencephalographic (EEG) trends (rhythmicity, asymmetry, and spikes) that facilitate screening the record for presence or absence of seizures. Methods: EEGs recorded from a previous prospective study involving subjects with altered mental status suspected of having non-convulsive seizures were analyzed by Persyst 12 seizure detection algorithm. All EEGs were recorded in the ED using the standard 10-20 system for 30 minute duration. All EEGs were reviewed by the study epileptologist to determine the presence or absence of seizure (Gold standard). EEGs were also reviewed by a second blinded epileptologist to assess the inter-observer reliability. Outcome: Operating characteristics of EEG trends (rhythmicity, asymmetry, or spikes) alone or in combination are presented as sensitivity, specificity and positive & negative likelihood ratios. Test characteristics are reported with 95[percnt] confidence intervals. Cohen’s Kappa was used to measure the inter-observer agreement between the two interpreters in determining only seizure or no seizure diagnosis. Results: A total of 43 EEGs were used for this analysis. Fifteen EEGs revealed electrographic seizures, while 28 EEGs had other findings (normal, slowing etc.). Thirty nine EEGs were interpreted by a second blinded reviewer. The inter-observer agreement analysis revealed a kappa of 0.9 (95[percnt]CI, 0.8-1.0). The operating characteristics of the trend patterns alone and in combination are presented in the table. Conclusion: Presence of rhythmicity on Persyst EEG trends appears to have the highest sensitivity in detecting seizures. Overall, the specificity of all three EEG patterns was low. Combining rhythmicity with either spikes or asymmetry improves the specificity but reduces the sensitivity. Disclosure: Dr. Chari has nothing to disclose. Dr. Zehtabchi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Omurtag has nothing to disclose.
Paraganglioma of the Urinary Bladder: A Rare Cause of Hypertension and Urinary Tract Infections

Pheochromocytoma is a neoplasm, which develops from cells of the chromaffin tissues that are derived from the ectodermic neural system and mostly situated within the adrenal medulla. Approximately 15% of pheochromocytoma cases arise from extra-adrenal chromaffin tissue. Pheochromocytoma of the bladder is rare and accounts for less than 0.06% of all bladder neoplasms and less than 1% of all pheochromocytomas. We report a case of a young woman who presented with uncontrolled hypertension, recurrent urinary tract infections and micturition attacks and was found to have a metastatic bladder paraganglioma. In addition, we provide a summary table of the clinical manifestations of paragangliomas based on anatomic locations.
Nitric oxide enhanced the growth of an obligated intracellular bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi in murine macrophages

Orientia tsutsugamushi is the causative agent of scrub typhus. It is an obligate intracellular bacterium that grows only in eukaryotic cells. Macrophages play an important role in innate immunity by surveilling the human body for pathogens. In present study, it was demonstrated that O. tsutsugamushi propagated well in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages, but not in non-activated macrophages. In LPS-activated macrophages, the expression of Nos2, which encodes the inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS), was highly upregulated compared to those in non-activated macrophages. Parallel to this upregulation, high NO production was observed in LPS-activated macrophages. Transmissible electron microscopy showed that O. tsutsugamushi replicated in the cytosol of macrophages. Thus, O. tsutsugamushi was thought to escape the phagosomes at an early stage of phagosome maturation to avoid the bactericidal effect of NO. Furthermore, O. tsutsugamushi growth was enhanced in NO donor-supplied RAW 264.7 macrophages, as well as in LPS-activated, but not in non-activated macrophages. Consequently, these results suggested that NO was rather essential for enhancing the replication of O. tsutsugamushi in RAW 264.7 macrophages, despite the typically detrimental effects of NO against intracellular pathogens. In the present study, NO was suggested to activate specific pathways to enhance the growth of O. tsutsugamushi.
Promotion of Spatial Skills in Chemistry and Biochemistry Education at the College Level

Decades of research have demonstrated the correlation of spatial abilities to chemistry achievement and career selection. Nonetheless, reviews have highlighted the need and scarcity of explicit spatial instruction to promote spatial skills. Therefore, the goal of this literature review is to summarize what has been done during the past decade in chemistry and biochemistry education to promote spatial skills at the college level. In this review, we compare and contrast how these fields of study have used external representations and visualization tools in their instructional practices as well as the kinds of interventions and assessment efforts directed to promote and evaluate spatial skills. Our findings show that explicit instruction to promote spatial skills has been on the rise but not at the level of other cognitive skills. Therefore, implications for teaching and potential areas for investigation are suggested.
The Telescope Before Galileo

L'A. analyse l'histoire du telescope de Galilee, de son invention jusqu'a son utilisation a travers l'Europe
The induction of oxalate metabolism in vivo is more effective with functional microbial communities than with functional microbial species

For mammals, oxalate enters the body through the diet or is endogenously produced by the liver; it is removed by microbial oxalate metabolism in the gut and/or excretion in feces or urine. Deficiencies in any one of the these pathways can lead to complications, such as calcium oxalate urinary stones. While considerable research has been conducted on individual oxalate-degrading bacterial isolates, interactions between oxalate and the gut microbiota as a whole are unknown. We examined the reduction in oxalate excretion in a rat model following oral administration of fecal microbes from a mammalian herbivore adapted to a high oxalate diet or to fecal transplants consisting of two different formulations of mixed oxalate-degrading isolates. While all transplants elicited a significant reduction in oxalate excretion initially, the greatest effect was seen with fecal microbial transplants, which persisted even in the absence of dietary oxalate. The reduction in oxalate excretion in animals given fecal transplants corresponded with the establishment of diverse bacteria, including known oxalate-degrading bacteria and a cohesive network of bacteria centered on oxalate-degrading specialists from the Oxalobacteraceae family. Results suggested that the administration of a complete community of bacteria facilitates a cohesive balance in terms of microbial interactions. Our work offers important insights into the development of targeted bacteriotherapies intended to reduce urinary oxalate excretion in patients at risk for recurrent calcium oxalate stones as well as bacteriotherapies targeting other toxins for elimination. IMPORTANCE Oxalate is a central component in 80% of kidney stones. While mammals do not possess the enzymes to degrade oxalate, many gastrointestinal bacteria are efficient oxalate degraders. We examined the role of cohesive microbial networks for oxalate metabolism, using Sprague-Dawley rats as a model host. While the transplantation of oxalate-degrading bacteria alone to the Sprague-Dawley hosts did increase oxalate metabolism, fecal transplants from a wild mammalian herbivore, Neotoma albigula, had a significantly greater effect. Furthermore, the boost for oxalate metabolism persisted only in animals that received fecal transplants. Animals receiving fecal transplants had a more diverse and cohesive network of bacteria associated with the Oxalobacteraceae, a family known to consist of specialist oxalate-degrading bacteria, than did animals that received oxalate-degrading bacteria alone. Our results indicate that fecal transplants are more effective at transferring specific functions than are microbial specialists alone, which has broad implications for the development of bacteriotherapies.
Model form uncertainty quantification in turbulent combustion simulations: Peer models

Abstract Turbulent combustion simulations invoke a number of component models for chemical kinetics, turbulence, flame structure, etc., each of which has an error associated with its structural form and contributes to overall uncertainties in simulation results. These model form errors arise from the necessity of making assumptions in deriving a model. Conventional approaches to estimating model form errors rely on an ad hoc additive error that is then calibrated against experimental or computational data. These approaches inherently neglect any a priori knowledge of physics in developing the model error estimate. Instead, in this work, an inherently physics-based approach to estimating model form error is developed based on the notion of “peer” models. In the generic approach, the error in a candidate model is determined by taking the difference between it and an equally plausible alternative “peer” model with a different set of assumptions. The generic approach is applied in this work to the modeling of the subfilter mixture fraction dissipation rate, which is typically modeled as the ratio of the subfilter mixture fraction variance and a time scale. The typical time scale approximation invokes a turbulent time scale, and a “peer” model is proposed in which a chemical time scale is invoked to estimate the model form error. Using stochastic collocation, the subfilter mixture fraction dissipation rate model form error as well as the uncertainty in a model parameter are propagated through LES calculations of the Sandia D Flame utilizing the steady flamelet model. The results indicate that the mixture fraction, temperature, and carbon monoxide uncertainties increase with downstream distance due to an increase in the relative subfilter mixture fraction variance and increased sensitivity to the time scale approximations, which diverge in magnitude with downstream distance. Uncertainties in these quantities arising from the model form error are shown to be more significant than uncertainties arising from the model constant uncertainty. For the temperature, uncertainties due to chemical kinetic rate uncertainty are shown to be slightly smaller than uncertainties due to the subfilter mixture fraction dissipation rate model error; for the carbon monoxide mass fraction, uncertainties due to chemical kinetic rate uncertainty are twice as large as uncertainties due to the subfilter mixture fraction dissipation rate error since carbon monoxide is more kinetically-controlled than the temperature.
Ontogenetic prey size selection in snakes: predator size and functional limitations to handling minimum prey sizes.

Abstract As body size increases, some predators eliminate small prey from their diet exhibiting an ontogenetic shift toward larger prey. In contrast, some predators show a telescoping pattern of prey size in which both large and small prey are consumed with increasing predator size. To explore a functional explanation for the two feeding patterns, I examined feeding effort as both handling time and number of upper jaw movements during ingestion of fish of consistent size. I used a range of body sizes from two snake species that exhibit ontogenetic shifts in prey size (Nerodia fasciata and N. rhombifer) and a species that exhibits telescoping prey size with increased body size (Thamnophis proximus). For the two Nerodia species, individuals with small or large heads exhibited greater difficulty in feeding effort compared to snakes of intermediate size. However, for T. proximus measures of feeding effort were negatively correlated with head length and snout–vent length (SVL). These data indicate that ontogenetic shifters of prey size develop trophic morphology large enough that feeding effort increases for disproportionately small prey. I also compared changes in body size among the two diet strategies for active foraging snake species using data gleaned from the literature to determine if increased change in body size and thereby feeding morphology is observable in snakes regardless of prey type or foraging habitat. Of the 30 species sampled from literature, snakes that exhibit ontogenetic shifts in prey size have a greater magnitude of change in SVL than species that have telescoping prey size patterns. Based upon the results of the two data sets above, I conclude that ontogenetic shifts away from small prey occur in snakes due, in part, to growth of body size and feeding structures beyond what is efficient for handling small prey.
Dimensions of and Responses to Perceived Discrimination and Subclinical Disease Among African-Americans in the Jackson Heart Study.

Although discrimination among African Americans (AAs) has been linked to various health outcomes, few studies have examined associations of multiple measures of discrimination with prevalent subclinical disease in a large sample of AAs. To examine the associations of measures of discrimination and coping responses to discrimination with prevalent subclinical disease among AAs in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS); and whether this association is modified by sex. We examined the associations of everyday, lifetime, and burden of lifetime discrimination with carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) among 3029 AAs in the JHS. Prevalence ratios (PR 95% confidence interval—CI) and odds ratios (OR 95% CI) were estimated for above-median cIMT and LVH, respectfully, adjusting for demographic, behavioral, and clinical risk factors. No significant associations were found between everyday and lifetime discrimination and median cIMT and LVH. Participants who reported high (vs. no) burden of lifetime discrimination had a 48% reduced odds of LVH (OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.29, 0.94) after full adjustment. There was evidence of effect modification by sex in the association of coping with everyday discrimination and LVH after full adjustment (p value for interaction < 0.01). Women who actively (vs. passively) coped with everyday discrimination had a greater odds of prevalent LVH (OR, 2.49; 95% CI, 1.39, 4.46). This study suggests that the manner by which AA women cope with discriminatory events is associated with subclinical disease.
Size, spines and crochets: defences of luna moth caterpillars against predation by brown anoles

Field-testing predator-prey interactions between invasive exotic brown anole lizards and sentinel larvae of the luna moth, Actias luna, suggests that late instars of this saturniid, and perhaps man...
The Parallel Complexity of Eden Growth, Solid-on-Solid Groth and Ballistic Deposition (Extended Abstract)

In this interdisciplinary research we apply the tools of algorithmic complexity theory to three important non-equilibrium growth models that are used in statistical physics. Much of the insight into these models has been derived by numerical simulation; it is important to develop good parallel algorithms for them. Eden growth, solidon-solid growth and ballistic deposition are all seemingly highly sequential processes. However, we are able to provide algorithms for the models that run in time O(log2N) using a polynomial number of processors on a randomized CREW P-RAM, where N is the system size. In addition to their potential practical value, our algorithms serve to classify these growth models as less complex than other growth models, such as diffusion-limited aggregation, for which fast parallel algorithms probably do not exist.
Global Leadership in an Era of Growing Nationalism, Protectionism, and Anti-Globalization

The rise of nationalistic political leaders has spanned the globe—from Donald Trump and Marine Le Pen in the West, to Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Middle East, to Narendra Modi and Rodrigo Duterte in the East. To varying degrees, each of these leaders espouse an “our country first” mentality, skepticism or outright hostility toward multilateral institutions and global trade, and leadership styles that emphasize ethnic or group identification, distrust of immigrants, and increased assertiveness sometimes bordering on bluster and aggression. How do we measure this phenomenon called globalization? What are some underlying causes of the backlash against globalization? Is national progress incompatible with global progress? Has globalization stopped or slowed in recent years? Is nationalism—or a “my country first” approach—compatible with economic growth? What leadership qualities are needed for a 21st-century civilization? Are leadership styles that emphasize strength of personality, ethnic or group identification, and increased assertiveness compatible with human progress and civilization? In the most general sense, does human evolution suggest a dominant role for competition—or cooperation?
Shock Tube Measurement of the CH3 + C2H6 → CH4 + C2H5 Rate Constant

The rate constant for the CH3 + C2H6 → CH4 + C2H5 reaction was studied behind reflected shock waves at temperatures between 1369 and 1626 K and pressures from 8.6 to 47.4 atm in mixtures of methane, ethane, and argon. Ethylene time histories were measured using laser absorption of radiation from a carbon dioxide gas laser near 10.532 μm. The resulting rate constant data can be represented by the Arrhenius equation k (T) = 3.90 × 1013 exp(-16670 cal/mol/RT) cm3 mol-1 s-1. We believe this is the first study to extend experimental data for this rate constant to temperatures above 1400 K. The overall 2σ uncertainty of the current data is +18%/-21% resulting primarily from uncertainties associated with the influence of secondary reactions and the fitting of rapidly changing species time histories at the higher temperatures.
Medical equipment replacement planning

Abstract The best way to maximize the value of healthcare technology is the implementation of a system of comprehensive, “cradle-to-grave” healthcare technology life-cycle planning and management. Medical equipment replacement planning is a key element in the planning process. Replacement should be accomplished through a systematic, evidence-based methodology to replace equipment in a prioritized fashion. Key factors for replacement, evaluating and scoring these parameters, and related development of a concise report is presented in this chapter along with the use of resources such as the computerized maintenance management system, standards, reference documents, and other sources. Prior work in this area, an example plan, and future trends are also offered. Clinical engineers have the tools, knowledge, and information to take on a leadership role in this area and be an invaluable resource for health care.
Association between recipient blood type and heart transplantation outcomes in the United States.

BACKGROUND In heart transplantation (HT), although blood type O organs can go to any blood type, non-O organs may not be allocated to adult O recipients. Therefore, O candidates wait longer than non-O candidates and frequently require bridging with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). The effects of this discrepancy are rarely investigated in a large registry. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between candidates’ blood type and their outcomes after HT listing. METHODS This is a retrospective cohort study using the United Network for Organ Sharing Registry, including 34,352 candidates listed for a single-organ, primary HT from January 2000 through December 2015. Main outcome measures were waitlist mortality and post-HT mortality, using blood type A as reference. We conducted inverse-probability weighting to adjust for baseline profiles. RESULTS Among 34,352 candidates (median age 55, interquartile range 46–62; female 24.8%; blood type A: 13,258, AB: 1,572, B: 4,599, O:14,923), 22,714 candidates (A: 71.5%, AB: 82.1%, B: 73.0%, O: 57.5%; p CONCLUSIONS There is a survival discrepancy among blood types. Our findings should facilitate more prospective studies to revisit current policies regarding equity in allocation, where possible.
Alterations in heart rate variability are associated with abnormal myocardial perfusion.

Abstract Background Abnormalities in the autonomic nervous system may occur in ischemic heart disease, but the mechanisms by which they are linked are not fully defined. The risk of cardiac events is increased during morning hours. Studying the contributions of autonomic mechanisms may yield insights into risk stratification and treatment. We hypothesize that autonomic dysfunction, measured by decreased heart rate variability (HRV), associates with abnormal stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). Methods We performed a cross-sectional study of the association between abnormal myocardial stress perfusion with HRV using 276 middle-aged veteran twins without known ischemic heart disease. The primary independent variable was cardiac autonomic regulation measured with 24-hour electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring, using linear and non-linear (multipole density, or Dyx) HRV metrics. The primary outcome was abnormal perfusion (>5% affected myocardium) during adenosine stress on [13N]-ammonia myocardial perfusion imaging with positron emission tomography. Results The mean (SD) age was 53 (3) years and 55 (20%) had abnormal perfusion. HRV (by Dyx) was reduced during morning hours in subjects with abnormal perfusion. At 7 AM, each standard deviation (SD) decrease in Dyx was associated a 4.8 (95% CI, 1.5 — 15.8) odds ratio (OR) for abnormal MPI. With Dyx Conclusions Autonomic dysfunction, measured by non-linear HRV in the morning hours, was associated with an increased OR of abnormal MPI. These results suggest a potentially important role of ECG-based biomarkers in risk stratification for individuals with suspected ischemic heart disease.
The Ambiguity of Nearness in Heidegger’s Ort and Merleau-Ponty’s Espace Vécu

Phenomenological approaches to space have consistently made a distinction between a plurality of inhabited spaces and the single homogenous extendedness of Euclidean space. Martin Heidegger and Mau...
From Chimera's Womb: The Manchukuo Bureaucracy and Its Legacy in East Asia

Within the Japanese Empire, the Manchukuo bureaucracy was unique for its high level of centralization and standardization. This study argues that Manchukuo's bureaucratic recruitment and training processes molded civil officials into a paramilitary force, dedicated to developmentalism and a radical belief in the transformative power of the state. It approaches the institutional and cultural development of the Manchukuo bureaucracy as an evolutionary process. As pan-Asian radicals, military officials, and reform bureaucrats competed for control of Japan's imperial project, their ideas and agendas merged into a hybrid system of bureaucratic management that served as a model for the wartime empire. Looking past the temporal juncture of August 1945, this study also foregrounds the legacy of the Manchukuo bureaucracy on postwar East Asia. Manchukuo's government institutions recruited and indoctrinated not just Japanese but Korean, Taiwanese, and other imperial subjects in the name of ethnic harmony. Back in their homelands, these men adapted to their experience and training into the foundations of developmental nationalism and authoritarian state structures during the Cold War.
CHAPTER 2 – Machine Organization

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the way in which computing machines are organized to perform their functions. The number of digits that constitute the content of a register defines the length of that register. In the CDC 1604, all storage registers are 48 bits in length. The word in a storage register, when interpreted as an arithmetic operand, is usually considered to be either a fraction or an integer, in which case the base point is thought of as fixed or it is thought of as a combination of the two. The accumulator is utilized in almost all of the arithmetic instructions of the computer. If a sequence of digits is to be interpreted as an instruction, it must contain minimally a means of specifying the particular operation to be performed. If operands are involved, they must also be specified. The CDC 1604 instruction word is made up of 24 bits. Because instructions and operands occupy the same set of storage registers, they are indistinguishable. The amount of peripheral input–output equipment used by a CDC 1604 varies in different installations.
Hardening Permissioned Blockchains with Verifiable Randomness

Permissioned blockchains are networks with identifiable participants. A prominent example is Hyperledger Fabric, that introduces the execute-order-validate architecture. The execution phase enables defining application level trust assumption by setting an endorsement policy, namely a set of rules that define the peers (affiliated with organizations) who provide attestation of transaction correctness. Since the organizations hosting those peers might collude or be compromised, the number of organizations required by the endorsement policy is often increased to reduce susceptibility to attacks. However, doing so impairs the performance of the system and is impractical in networks comprising of a large number of organizations. In this paper we propose an alternative endorsement protocol that hardens the system’s security without hindering performance. We provide a quantitative analysis of the suggested technique, and show that by incorporating verified randomness in endorsement policies, attacks that are based on collusion or malicious peers are effectively mitigated with overwhelming probability.
Frameworks for Parkinson’s Disease Rehabilitation Addressing When, What, and How

This review summarizes the evidence on rehabilitation for people with Parkinson’s disease, including when to refer, what rehabilitation professionals should address, and how to deliver rehabilitation care. Clinical practice guidelines support physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology for Parkinson’s disease. However, integrating guidelines into practice may be difficult. Implementation studies take into account patient and clinician perspectives. Synthesizing guidelines with implementation research can improve local delivery. There is moderate to strong evidence supporting physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology soon after diagnosis and in response to functional deficits. We propose a framework of three pathways for rehabilitation care: (1) consultative proactive rehabilitation soon after diagnosis for assessment, treatment of early deficits, and promotion meaningful activities; (2) restorative rehabilitation to promote functional improvements; and (3) skilled maintenance rehabilitation for long-term monitoring of exercise, meaningful activities, safety, contractures, skin integrity, positioning, swallowing, and communication.
Seven Recent Books on Health Care in the Americas

This essay reviews the following works: Health Equity in Brazil: Intersections of Gender, Race, and Policy. By Kia Lilly Caldwell. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2017. Pp. xii + 226. $28.00 paperback. ISBN: 9780252082474. State of Health: Pleasure and Politics in Venezuelan Health Care under Chavez. By Amy Cooper. Oakland: University of California Press, 2019. Pp. 216. $29.95 paperback. ISBN: 9780520299290. Social Policies and Decentralization in Cuba: Change in the Context of 21st Century Latin America. Edited by Jorge I. Dominguez, Maria del Carmen Zabala Arguelles, Mayra Espina Prieto, and Lorena G. Barberia. Cambridge, MA: David Rockefeller Center Series of Latin American Studies, Harvard University, 2017. Pp. 282. $24.99 paperback. ISBN: 9780674975309. Movement-Driven Development: The Politics of Health and Democracy in Brazil. By Christopher L. Gibson. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2019. Pp. 328. $30.00 paperback. ISBN: 9781503607804. A Right to Health: Medicine, Marginality, and Health Care Reform in Northeastern Brazil. By Jessica Scott Jerome. Austin: University Press of Texas, 2015. Pp. 192. $21.95 paperback. ISBN: 9781477311318. Uneven Social Policies: The Politics of Subnational Variation in Latin America. By Sara Niedzwiecki. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. Pp. xvii + 256. 256 pp. $34.99 paperback. ISBN: 9781108454896. Banking on Health: The World Bank and the Health Sector Reform in Latin America. By Shiri Noy. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017. Pp. 241. ISBN: 9783319617657.
H+ Gradient Changes: Their Measurement and Their Significance in Cell Stimulation

As the sequence of events accompanying cell stimulation and oocyte fertilization becomes better known it has become clear that changes in the membrane potential as well as those in intracellular pH and pCa++ play an important role (1–21)Table I. Some of the possible ion gradient changes in the response of any cell possessing a receptor R for a given specific stimulus S can be depicted pictorially as in Figure 1. Although recognition and binding of the stimulus to its receptor are clearly the initiating steps, the subsequent sequence is not yet clear. Depolarization can be and in some cells has been (19–21) demonstrated to involve an influx of Na+ ions. While there is some evidence that an accompanying H+ outflow may be attributable to the stimulus induced opening of an Na+-H+ antiport as depicted in Figure 1 (13,19), the temporal resolution has not been sufficiently great to allow one to conclude that the Na+ and H+ flux changes are simultaneous rather than sequential. A Na+ influx undoubtedly stimulates a Na+-K+ ATPase in many types of cells (22), as well as a release of Ca++ from the membrane into the cytoplasm (23). Whether these changes in intracellular cation concentrations trigger membrane-bound enzymes (e.g. the lipases initiating the prostaglandin synthesis pathway in platelets (24)), enhance metabolic activity (25), act as signals for the fusion of organelles with the membrane or have other effects as “secondary” messengers remains the object of a number of studies.
THE PHYSICS OF PULSED NEUTRONS

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the physics of pulsed neutrons. In a typical pulsed neutron experiment, a short burst of fast neutrons is introduced into the medium whose diffusion properties are sought. Upon colliding with the nuclei of the medium, these neutrons will slow down to energies in the thermal region. Neutrons diffusing in a large, theoretically infinite, medium whose absorption cross section is negligible have a Maxwellian velocity distribution in equilibrium with the moderator. In a finite moderator, neutrons are removed from the system by leakage. Faster neutrons have a larger probability for leakage than do slower neutrons. Because of this preferential escape of faster neutrons from a finite assembly, the peak of the distribution will be shifted to lower energies. This effect is known as the “diffusion cooling effect.” The diffusion cooling effect becomes more pronounced as the size of the moderating assembly is decreased and the thermalization properties become poorer.
The Subject in Phenomenology and Analytic (Jungian) Psychology

The Analytic Psychology of Carl Jung has received little serious attention from philosophers in general and phenomenologists in particular. This has been most unfortunate, especially when it comes to philosophical appraisals of the epistemological, ontological, and for that matter, phenomenological and hermeneutical status of the “unconscious.” The almost exclusive focus of philosophers on Freud’s notion of the unconscious has, in my view, eclipsed from philosophical discussion a formulation of the problematic of the unconscious that, apart from its many purely psychological advantages over Freud’s formulation, is also far less epistemologically naive.
Design and Implementation of the Physical Layer in WebBases: The XRover Experience

Webbases are database systems that enable creation of Web applications that allow end users to shop around for products and services at various Web sites without having to manually browse and fill out forms at each of these sites. In this paper we describe XRover which is an implementation of the physical layer of the webbase architecture. This layer is primarily responsible for automatically locating and extracting dynamic data from Web sites, i.e data that can only be obtained by form fill-outs. We discuss our experience in building XRover using FLORA, a deductive object-oriented system.
Consequences of Production Feedback and Standards in a Human-Machine Task1

The experimental research results showed that in a repetitive human-machine industrial production task, only the combination of production feedback on quantity and quality in the presence of a high-task production standard had significant positive effect or impact on worker productivity, satisfaction and job attitudes, all at the same time. The percentage increase in production quantity and quality output were 13% and 15% respectively, compared to the control group. The assigned high-task production standard and the operators increased workpace did not cause an adverse effect on worker physiological cost. The incorporation of an assigned normal or high-task production standard had no impact on worker productivity. However, the provision of production quantity and quality feedback had a favorable effect on worker satisfaction and job attitudes. The monetary incentive had no beneficial effect on worker productivity, satisfaction and job attitudes.
Performance Metrics of Virtual Machine Live Migration

Live virtual machine migration allows resources from one physical server to be moved to another with little or no interruption in the processes of the guest operating system. The process involved in performing a live migration includes copying the guest virtual machine memory state and cpu register state from a hyper visor on one server to another. In this paper, virtual machine migration is evaluated in terms of performance of the virtual machine while being migrated, performance of the cloud architecture while migrating the virtual machine, and the power costs of performing a live virtual machine migration. The experiments on virtual machine live migration will give insight on how the cloud architecture responds and handles live migrations, and how virtual machines perform while they are in a migration phase.