cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Direct and indirect costs among employees with diabetic retinopathy in the United States.

Objective: To examine, from the employer perspective, the direct (healthcare) and indirect (workloss) costs of employees with diabetic retinopathy (DR) compared to control non-DR employees with dia...
Memory Scalability Evaluation of the Next-Generation Intel Bensley Platform with InfiniBand

As multi-core systems gain popularity for their increased computing power at low-cost, the rest of the architecture must be kept in balance, such as the memory subsystem. Many existing memory subsystems can suffer from scalability issues and show memory performance degradation with more than one process running. To address these scalability issues, Fully-Buffered DIMMs have recently been introduced. In this paper we present an initial performance evaluation of the next-generation multi-core Intel platform by evaluating the FB-DIMM-based memory subsystem and the associated InfiniBand performance. To the best of our knowledge this is the first such study of Intel multi-core platforms with multi-rail InfiniBand DDR configurations. We provide an evaluation of the current-generation Intel Lindenhurst platform as a reference point. We find that the Intel Bensley platform can provide memory scalability to support memory accesses by multiple processes on the same machine as well as drastically improved inter-node throughput over InfiniBand. On the Bensley platform we observe a 1.85 times increase in aggregate write bandwidth over the Lindenhurst platform. For inter-node MPI-level benchmarks we show bi-directional bandwidth of over 4.55 GB/sec for the Bensley platform using 2 DDR InfiniBand Host Channel Adapters (HCAs), an improvement of 77% over the current generation Lindenhurst platform. The Bensley system is also able to achieve a throughput of 3.12 million MPI messages/sec in the above configuration.
Situativity theory: A perspective on how participants and the environment can interact: AMEE Guide no. 52

Situativity theory refers to theoretical frameworks which argue that knowledge, thinking, and learning are situated (or located) in experience. The importance of context to these theories is paramount, including the unique contribution of the environment to knowledge, thinking, and learning; indeed, they argue that knowledge, thinking, and learning cannot be separated from (they are dependent upon) context. Situativity theory includes situated cognition, situated learning, ecological psychology, and distributed cognition. In this Guide, we first outline key tenets of situativity theory and then compare situativity theory to information processing theory; we suspect that the reader may be quite familiar with the latter, which has prevailed in medical education research. Contrasting situativity theory with information processing theory also serves to highlight some unique potential contributions of situativity theory to work in medical education. Further, we discuss each of these situativity theories and th...
STOCHASTIC CONTROL FOR SELF-ASSEMBLY OF XBOTS

We propose a stochastic, decentralized algorithm for the self-assembly of a group of modular robots into a geometric shape. The method is inspired by chemical kinetics simulations, particularly, the Gillespie algorithm [1,2] that is widely used in biochemistry, and is specifically designed for modules with dynamic constraints, such as the XBot [3]. The most important feature of our algorithm is that all modules are identical and all decision making is local. Individual modules decide how to move based only on information available to them and their neighbors and the geometric, kinematic and dynamic constraints. Each module knows the details of the goal configuration, keeps track of its own location, and communicates position information locally with adjacent modules only when modules in their vicinity have reconfigured. We show that this stochastic method leads to trajectories with convergence comparable to those obtained from a brute-force exploration of the state space. However, the computational power (speed and memory) requirements are independent of the number of modules, while the brute-force approach scales quadratically with the number of modules. We present the schematic of the modules, preliminary experimental results to illustrate the basic moves, and simulation results to demonstrate the efficacy of the algorithm.
Practical temporal projection

Temporal projection--predicting future states of a changing world--has been studied mainly as a formal problem. Researchers have been concerned with getting the concepts of causality and change right, and have ignored the practical issues surrounding projection. In planning, for example, when the effects of a plan's actions depend on the prevailing state of the world and that state of the world is not known with certainty, projecting the plan may generate an exponential number of possible outcomes. This problem has traditionally been eliminated by (1) restricting the domain so the world state is always known, and (2) by restricting the action representation so that either the action's intended effect is realized or the action cannot be projected at all. We argue against these restrictions and instead present a system that (1) represents and reasons about an uncertain world, (2) supports a representation that allows context-sensitive action effects, and (3) generates projections that reflect only the significant or relevant outcomes of the plans, where relevance is determined by the planner's queries about the resulting world state.
Extensive, Recent Intron Gains in Daphnia Populations

Rates and mechanisms of intron gain and loss have traditionally been inferred from alignments of highly conserved genes sampled from phylogenetically distant taxa. We report a population-genomic approach that detected 24 discordant intron/exon boundaries between the whole-genome sequences of two Daphnia pulex isolates. Sequencing of presence/absence loci across a collection of D. pulex isolates and outgroup Daphnia species shows that most polymorphisms are a consequence of recent gains, with parallel gains often occurring at the same locations in independent allelic lineages. More than half of the recent gains are associated with short sequence repeats, suggesting an origin via repair of staggered double-strand breaks. By comparing the allele-frequency spectrum of intron-gain alleles with that for derived single-base substitutions, we also provide evidence that newly arisen introns are intrinsically deleterious and tend to accumulate in population-genetic settings where random genetic drift is a relatively strong force.
Peer Accountability as a Primary Control Mechanism in Police Agencies

Reform efforts of the 1960s have lead, in the 1970s, to proposals to modify the organizational structure of police agencies, to increase police responsiveness to the community' and to enhance the job satisfaction of the increasinglv well-educated police officers. This paper discusses four such organizational models and critiques a notion (peer accountability' as a primary control mechanism) central to these proposals in the light of recent research.
Tame Topology and O-minimal Structures

Following their introduction in the early 1980s o-minimal structures were found to provide an elegant and surprisingly efficient generalization of semialgebraic and subanalytic geometry. These notes give a self-contained treatment of the theory of o-minimal structures from a geometric and topological viewpoint, assuming only rudimentary algebra and analysis. The book starts with an introduction and overview of the subject. Later chapters cover the monotonicity theorem, cell decomposition, and the Euler characteristic in the o-minimal setting and show how these notions are easier to handle than in ordinary topology. The remarkable combinatorial property of o-minimal structures, the Vapnik-Chervonenkis property, is also covered. This book should be of interest to model theorists, analytic geometers and topologists.
Gas exchange during storage and incubation of Avian eggs: effects on embryogenesis, hatchability, chick quality and post-hatch growth

Embryonic development is a dynamic process that requires a fine balance between several factors in order to achieve an optimum hatchability and chick quality. These factors include the background o...
An update on mouse brain tumor models in cancer drug discovery

Gliomas and medulloblastomas are the most common primary brain tumors in adults and children, respectively. Although the standard of care for gliomas may have evolved slightly over the last 50 years, the clinical outcome of this disease remains unchanged. Therefore, further research to improve the treatment modalities is urgently needed. An important step forward is the use of genetically and histologically accurate mouse glioma models that mimic the human tumors in their native microenvironment in order to fully understand the biology and mechanistic causes of this disease. Such strategy will help us to identify novel targets for therapies and use these models for preclinical testing.
Direct and noninvasive assessment of parafoveal capillary leukocyte velocity.

Purpose Alterations in leukocyte velocity have been implicated in many retinal disease processes. However, direct and objective assessment of leukocyte velocity in retinal capillaries has been limited by a reliance on invasive contrast dyes that allow leukocyte visualization only for a short time span. The recent application of adaptive optics in a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) has made long-term imaging of parafoveal leukocyte movement possible without contrast dyes. In this study, using the AOSLO, we demonstrate a new method to investigate retinal parafoveal capillary leukocyte velocity. Design Experimental study. Participants Six normal healthy subjects ranging from 25 to 35 years of age with clear ocular media. Methods The parafoveal zone of the retina was imaged in all subjects using an AOSLO. Main Outcome Measures Leukocyte velocity was determined in the parafoveal capillaries including the foveal avascular zone border. Leukocyte velocity was measured directly from movie segments in which the leukocytes were clearly visible. Results The mean parafoveal leukocyte velocity for 6 subjects was 1.37 mm/second, ranging from 0.77 to 2.10 mm/second. Leukocytes were not visible in all parafoveal capillaries. Conclusions Parafoveal capillary leukocyte velocity can be directly and noninvasively measured without the use of contrast dyes using an AOSLO.
Travel Expenses In Connection With Tax-Deductible Education Expenses

Trade or business expenses are deductible if they are ordinary and necessary with respect to the trade or business in which they were incurred. Treasury Regulations bring education expenses into this purview but only if they maintain or improve skills already acquired or allow a taxpayer to maintain his current position. Related travel expenses in connection with educational activities may come into play in (i) travel to an out of town location to attend an educational function, (ii) travel while engaging in educational activities or (iii) travel which is itself a form of education. Current regulations may limit the allowable deduction for these education-related travel expenses.
Ice Nucleation Mechanisms of Submicron Monodispersed Silver Iodide, 1,5-Dihydroxynaphthalene and Phloroglucinol Aerosol Particles

Abstract The ice-nucleating abilities of monodispersed airborne particles between 0.01 and 0.12 μm in diameter were determined at different temperatures for silver iodide, silver iodide/sodium chloride, 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene and phloroglucinol, using the NCAR ice nucleus counter. The aerosol particles were studied as condensation and ice-forming nuclei concurrently to explain the mode of ice nucleation in clouds. Ice nucleation by contact only was operating in the cloud chamber of the NCAR counter for particles of silver iodide and 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene. Particles of phloroglucinol and silver iodide/sodium chloride mixed particles formed ice by contact and/or by condensation freezing.
Motion Parameter Selection for Flight Simulators

A motion flight simulator attempts to produce pilot-station accelerations that are similar to those experienced in the actual vehicle whose flight is being simulated. Due to travel limits of simulator hardware, the motion drive commands are based on a reduced form of the desired accelerations. A methodology is presented to select the best motion parameters (washout frequencies and attenuation gains) for flight simulation. This is accomplished by formulating a constrained optimization problem that provides the best possible matching of accelerations, coordinated across all motion axes, while satisfying motion state constraints arising from simulator hardware limits. The methodology is exercised using a Space Shuttle approach and landing trajectory. Results show that the surge and pitch accelerations produced by the optimized motion parameters provided a substantially (~45%) better match with the desired accelerations, compared to a standard set of motion gains that were manually developed over many years using heuristics and a trial-and-error process. In the other motion axes, the optimization parameters provided accelerations that were better than, or as good as, those provided by the standard parameters.
Toxic Effects of Soybean Saponin and Its Calcium Salt on the Rice Weevil

Soybean saponin and its calcium salt showed high toxicity to Sitophilus oryzae (L.). Saponin, an active component of soybeans, gave a high degree of protection to wheat that was dusted at 300 ppm. Dosages of 600 to 5000 ppm showed increases in effectiveness. A dosage of 600 ppm produced 100% mortality within 1 week. A dosage of 150 ppm was less effective hut still toxic to the insects. The calcium salt was slightly less toxic to the insects than was the saponin. Soybean meal and defatted soybeans also gave protection to wheat when dusted at the higher dosage levels tested.
Comparative evaluation of macrophage inactivation of endotoxin.

SummaryThe comparative evaluation of the endotoxin-detoxifying capacity of diverse populations of rat macrophages was undertaken in order to define the relative role of macrophages in endotoxemia. Actinomycin D-treated mice were employed in the bioassay of submicrogram amounts of endotoxin. Sonicate preparations of rat pulmonary alveolar, peritoneal, hepatic, and splenic macrophages were found to possess significant endotoxin-detoxifying activity. Kupffer cells manifested the greatest activity. In contrast, liver parenchymal cell sonicates did not detoxify endotoxin. The demonstrated endotoxin-detoxifying capacity of macrophages further accept the protective role of macrophages in host defense against endotoxins.
Ecology of Mosquitoes and St. Louis Encephalitis Virus in the Los Angeles Basin of California, 1987–1990

St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) virus has become established in the Los Angeles Basin of California, where it most likely is maintained by horizontal transmission among Culex tarsalis Coquillet and passerine birds in park-riparian habitat. Viral transmission also was detected at low levels in residential habitat by the infrequent seroconversion of sentinel chickens. SLE virus activity was documented in all months except March and April. Cx. tarsalis was incriminated as the primary vector, based on elevated field infection rates (0.17 infected females per 1,000 tested), population abundance concomitant in time and space with increased SLE virus activity, vector competence, and vectorial capacity. Culex stigmatosoma Dyar also may be important in the horizontal maintenance of SLE virus because this species was an efficient laboratory vector, fed frequently on passeriform birds, and had field infection rates (0.15 females per 1,000) comparable with Cx. tarsalis. However, difficulty in trapping adult females precluded the assessment of Cx. stigmatosoma because abundance may have been underestimated and comparatively few females were tested for virus. Although Cx. quinquefasciatus Say was the most abundant species in residential habitats (greater than 85% of total catch at CO2 traps) where it occasionally fed on humans (0.6% of total tested), this species was considered to be of secondary importance because field infection rates were low (0.03 females per 1,000) and few females became infected and transmitted SLE virus in laboratory vector competence experiments. Although Culex erythrothorax Dyar fed on humans in marsh habitat (5% of total tested), this species infrequently fed on birds (12%) and was refractory to SLE virus infection in vector competence experiments; therefore, it was not considered a vector of SLE virus. Future SLE virus surveillance and mosquito control programs should be directed toward Cx. tarsalis populations.
Thrust -Reversing UAV Concept: Attitude and Thrust Control

A unique, small-scale UAV capable of Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) is described. Although this vehicle is capable of efficient forward flight, this paper focuses on aerodynamic modeling, flight dynamics modeling, and attitude control design for the vertical take-off and hover mode of flight. In particular, low Reynolds number aerodynamic models are developed and validated for the intermeshing twin rotors, providing models for the design of rotor speed control and vehicle attitude control. Feedback control using miniature rate gyros is evaluated in simulation and on a test stand with a full scale prototype of the vehicle propulsion and control subsystems.
Evidence for anhedonia in early recovery from prescription opiate addiction: Affect modulated startle response suggests blunted hedonic responses to natural reward cues

Aims: Alcohol advertisement has been indicated as an important factor shaping youngster’s decision to drink. This study aims to investigate the association between alcohol ads with drinking intention and behaviors among adolescents in Taiwan. Methods: The data were derived from the Alcohol-Related Experiences among Children II. The baseline sample comprised 1926 7th to 8th graders from 11 public middle schools in Taipei by multi-stage sampling; follow-up was conducted in 9th grade (follow-up rate =97%). Data concerning sociodemographic and family characteristics, exposure to alcohol ads on eight marketing channels, and drinking experiences were collected by web-based self-administratedquestionnnaires. Complex survey analyseswere used to evaluate the predictors for drinking behaviors in 9th grade, with stratification by prior drinking experiences in childhood. Results: Approximately 45% students had tried alcoholic beverages at least once in 7th grade. Annual incidence of alcohol initiation was estimated 18%. 90% of adolescents were exposed to alcohol ads on television in 7th grade, and the estimates for pamphlets andwebsite was 27% and 68%, respectively. After statistical adjustment for potential confounders at baseline, exposure to alcohol ads on pamphlets, television, website, and stores was significantly linkedwith subsequent alcohol initiation (aOR=1.3–3.4); continued drinking was only linked with pamphlet ads (aOR=1.2). Website alcohol ads exposure may increase future drinking intention in noncurrent drinkers by 46–50%. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that alcohol advertisement on marketing channels may have differential effects on youngsters’ involvement of drinking behaviors and intention through early adolescence. Preventive strategies targeting underage drinking should consider restrain marketing channels from certain advertising content (e.g., website). Financial support: This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology to Chen, C.
Toward human-robot collaboration in surgery: Performance assessment of human and robotic agents in an inclusion segmentation task

Increasing the level of autonomy in robot-assisted surgery has the potential to improve the safety, speed, and applicability of robot-assisted surgical systems. To facilitate the development and incorporation of robot autonomy in clinical settings, human-robot collaboration models have been suggested in which human and robotic agents work together to accomplish a task. In this work, we measure performance of several human-robot collaboration models in two experiments based on the task of segmenting a stiff inclusion in soft tissue, which simulates a tumor. In the inclusion segmentation experiment, twelve participants explored an artificial tissue and identified the inclusion boundary under the collaboration models of (1) teleoperation, (2) supervised control, (3) traded control, and (4) full autonomy. In the boundary identification experiment, we isolate the performance of human and robotic agents in the boundary identification sub-task; participants and a robotic agent independently identified the boundary of four virtually palpated tissues. Results from the inclusion segmentation experiment indicate that human agents complete the task faster; teleoperation had the fastest task times. Results of both experiments indicate that the robotic agent identifies boundaries with higher sensitivity and less variance than human agents. This indicates that task accuracy increases when a robotic agent segments the boundary, while including a human agent can decrease the overall task time.
From Physics to Phenotype: New Insights into Allosteric Transport Mechanisms in LeuT

Proteins carrying out the many biological processes essential to cellular function act as biomolecular machines utilizing mechanisms that are most often allosteric in nature, i.e. the structural components involved in the mechanism, which are sometimes separated by large distances at the molecular scale, are coupled energetically. Although it is a ubiquitous mechanism, allostery is still poorly understood as an experimentally validated molecular mechanism underlying particular instances, and lacks a general theoretical approach to describe it quantitatively. We will present our efforts to address both of these inadequacies using the secondary active transporter LeuT as an example. First, we will introduce a model for secondary active transport (LeVine, Cuendet, Khelashvili, and Weinstein. In review) that implicitly includes the allosteric coupling between two separate processes: i) sodium and substrate binding, and ii) substrate binding and intracellular opening of the transporter to allow release. Next, a general theoretical approach for allostery will be addressed with a statistical mechanical model based on the Ising Model (LeVine and Weinstein, Entropy, 2015). This will be shown to provide analytical insight into how long-distance allosteric couplings, such as that occurring between substrate binding and intracellular opening in LeuT, can arise in a complex system of interacting structural components. Finally, we will address the lack of experimentally validated molecular mechanisms underlying allostery. We will discuss a proposed model for substrate binding/intracellular opening coupling in LeuT, discovered using a novel information theory-based analysis framework, N-body Information Theory (NbIT) (LeVine and Weinstein, PLoS Comp Biol, 2014), and will present a recent experimental validation of this model. This presentation of combined theoretical, computational, and experimental work will demonstrate how deeper mechanistic understanding of biomolecular machines can be achieved through improved models of allosteric behavior.
Wafer-scale graphene technology and GHz nanoelectronics (invited)

Graphene nanoelectronics have made significant progress over the past five years particularly in material synthesis, device physics, and circuit applications. The high achievable mobilities at room temperature coupled with its high linearity (or invariant-transconductance) [1], and transit frequencies that exceed conventional solid-state transistors (see Fig. 1) make it ideally suited for GHz and THz analog electronics [2]. However, there are several challenges that need to be addressed for graphene to be a next-generation technology. In this light, we report significant experimental and theoretical progress to address these challenges in three essential areas namely wafer-scale graphene synthesis, compact device modeling, and GHz analog circuits.
The Cost of War on Public Health: An Exploratory Method for Understanding the Impact of Conflict on Public Health in Sri Lanka.

PURPOSE:The direct impact of protracted conflict on population health and development is well understood. However, the extent of a war's impact on long-term health, and the opportunity costs, are less well understood. This research sought to overcome this gap by asking whether or not health outcomes in Sri Lanka would have been better in the absence of a 26-year war than they were in the presence of war. METHODS:A counterfactual model of national and district-level health outcomes was created for Sri Lanka for the period 1982 to 2002. At the national level, the model examined life expectancy, infant mortality rate (IMR), and maternal mortality ratios (MMR). At the district level, it looked at IMR and MMR. The model compared outcomes generated by the counterfactual model to actual obtained health outcomes. It looked at the rate of change and absolute values. RESULTS:The analysis demonstrated that war altered both rate of change and absolute health outcomes for the worse. The impact was most clearly evident at the district level. IMR was poorer than predicted in 10 districts; of these 8 were outside of the conflict zone. The MMR was worse than expected in 11 districts of which 9 were not in the conflict zone. Additionally, the rate of improvement in IMR slowed as a result of war in 16 districts whereas the rate of improvement in MMR slowed in 9. CONCLUSION:This project showed that protracted conflict degraded the trajectory of public health in Sri Lanka and hurt population health outside of the conflict zone. It further provided a novel methodology with which to better understand the indirect impact of conflict on population health by comparing what is to what could have been achieved in the absence of war. In so doing, this research responded to two public health challenges by providing a tool through which to better understand the human and opportunity costs of war and by answering a call for new methodologies.
Parent–Child Relationships in Diverse Contexts

Families often serve as the most important social contexts for child development, with their most significant quality being complex relationships in which socialization influence flows in more than one direction. Children are not just passive social beings who are shaped by their surrounding environment. Instead, they are active agents who help reshape their environment over time as they exert countervailing influence on others in their social context. As children interact with parents, siblings, and other family members, significant symbols are exchanged, meanings and patterned behaviors are co-created, and roles are reciprocally determined and constantly renegotiated as children experience development in context. Patterned behavior within the parent–child relationship is a product of shared genetic characteristics, parents’ shared values and resources, common elements of the family environment, and patterned ways that parents respond to the young.
0140 Breast cancer incidence and metalworking fluid exposure in a cohort of female autoworkers

Breast cancer is the leading cancer diagnosed among women and environmental studies have produced few leads on modifiable risk factors. Following an Institute of Medicine recommendation for occupational studies of highly exposed women, we took advantage of an existing cohort of 4503 female hourly autoworkers exposed to metalworking fluid (MWF), complex mixtures of oils and chemicals widely used in metal manufacturing worldwide. Cox proportional hazards models were fit to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for incident breast cancer and cumulative exposure (20 year lag) to straight mineral oils (a known human carcinogen), and water-based soluble and synthetic MWF. Because the state cancer registry began in 1985, decades after the cohort was defined, we restricted analyses to sub-cohorts hired closer to the start of cancer follow-up. Among those hired after 1969, the HR associated with an increase of one interquartile range in straight MWF exposure was 1.13 (95% confidence interval: 1.03, 1.23). In separate analyses of premenopausal breast cancer, as defined by age at diagnosis, the HR was elevated for exposure to synthetic MWF, chemical lubricants with no oil content, suggesting a different mechanism for the younger cases. This study adds to the limited literature regarding quantitative chemical exposures and breast cancer risk.
Analysis of a diffusion dryer for the respiratory delivery of poorly water soluble drugs.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to analyze a diffusion dryer as a means to remove organic solvents from aerosol particles of poorly water soluble drugs.
The Utility of Repeat Midtrimester Anatomy Ultrasound for Anomaly Detection.

Introduction Although guidelines recommend repeat ultrasound in the setting of an incomplete fetal anatomic survey, the clinical utility of this practice has not been established. As such, we aimed to assess the yield of repeat ultrasound for anomaly detection following an incomplete survey. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of all singletons who underwent a midtrimester anatomic ultrasound at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) from 2006 to 2014. Patients with an incomplete ultrasound underwent repeat examinations until completion. The population was divided into cohorts FIRST, SECOND, and THIRD, corresponding to the ultrasound at which the exam was deemed complete. Each detected anomaly was tallied. The number of ultrasounds needed to detect an anomaly was then assessed per group. Results Of 15,768 ultrasounds performed on 13,740 patients, 11,828 exams were completed on first attempt; 1,796 patients required a second, while 116 patients required a third scan or more. We detected 324 anomalies; 93.8% in FIRST, 5.9% in SECOND, and 0.3% in THIRD. The number of scans needed to detect an anomaly was 39, 189, and 348 for FIRST, SECOND, and THIRD, respectively. Conclusion Over 90% of anomalies are detected on the initial fetal anatomic survey. The incremental diagnostic yield then decreases, requiring appreciably more repeat scans to detect one anomaly.
Lessons we still need to learn on creating more inclusive and responsive classrooms: recommendations from one student–faculty partnership programme

ABSTRACTThis article presents recommendations regarding how to create welcoming and productively challenging classrooms for a diversity of students. These recommendations emerged during the pilot phase of a student–faculty pedagogical partnership programme in 2007 and remain relevant in 2017. To situate the recommendations, we evoke definitions of Whiteness, racism, and culture and briefly review key ideas from literature centred on inclusive and responsive classroom practices. We describe the genesis of the partnership programme at a college in the Mid-Atlantic United States and the methods used to document conversations with students from underrepresented groups on campus and with the faculty and students who piloted the programme, all of whom participated in a research project approved by the College’s ethics board. The majority of the article focuses on the set of eight interrelated recommendations for developing inclusive and responsive classrooms generated by the faculty and student participants in ...
Grid Resolution Effects on VSFMDF/LES

The grid dependence of LES/VSFMDF is studied on a series of grids with progressively increased resolution reaching over 10 million grids for simulation of a turbulent piloted nonpremixed methane jet flame (Sandia D). In VSFMDF, the effects of the subgrid scale chemical reaction and convection appear in closed forms. The modeled transport equation for the VSFMDF is solved by a hybrid finite-difference/Monte Carlo scheme. A flamelet model is employed to relate the instantaneous composition to the mixture fraction. The simulated results are assessed via comparison with laboratory data. In addition, the dependence of predicted statistics on the grid size of the simulation is studied. The first order moments converge for the finest grid, but the higher order statistics including the PDFs are more sensitive to the grid resolution.
Strategies for Environmental and Traditional Quality Efforts During New Product Development: Balancing Complementarity and Conflict

This paper investigates the optimal rate and timing of efforts for environmental and traditional quality to be pursued by a manager for a new product during a development project. It assumes that t...
Noonan’s Syndrome Associated with Polycystic Renal Disease

Abstract: Noonan’s syndrome is an eponymic designation that has been used during the last 8 years to describe a variable constellation of somatic and visceral congenital anomalies, which includes groups of patients previously referred to as male Turner’s, female pseudo-Turner’s and Bonnevie-Ullrich syndromes. It is now recognized that both sexes may show the stigmas of this condition and, unlike Turner’s syndrome, there is no karyotype abnormality although there is often a familial pattern. The most commonly observed anomalies include webbing of the neck, hypertelorism, a shield-shaped chest and short stature. Congenital heart disease, principally pulmonary stenosis, and sexual infantilism often with cryptorchidism in the male subject are additional associated anomalies in this syndrome.Renal anomalies have been described rarely and usually consist of rotational errors, duplications and hydronephrosis. We report the first case of an infant who displayed many of the stigmas of Noonan’s syndrome and also sh...
Carbon Fiber Tow Inspection Technique Using Software Defined Radios

Inline inspection of carbon fiber tow is desired to enable rapid feedback to key fabrication process parameters. The tow is delicate in that it necessitates wireless techniques to remotely probe the tow properties to avoid damage during production. In this article, we investigate the use of software defined radios (SDRs) to measure microwave signal attenuation through the tow. Carbon fiber samples that have undergone different process conditions are measured with the system, and measurements exhibit over 10 dB in variation based on the process conditions. These measurements are correlated against results from conventional physical analysis. The developed system and measurement technique show promise as a method to wirelessly inspect carbon fiber tow using SDR.
Factors associated with cultures of assessment at US schools and colleges of pharmacy

Abstract Introduction Pharmacy education has standards for assessment that must be met, prompting many programs to develop cultures of assessment. This study assesses the extent to which assessment personnel perceive that a culture of assessment has been established within their schools/colleges of pharmacy (S/COPs) and determines whether a relationship exists between assessment structure and the perceived strength of the culture of assessment. Methods An electronic survey was administered to assessment personnel at 134 S/COPs. Respondents were asked about changes within the past five years pertaining to assessment personnel/committees and factors prompting these changes. They were also asked to rate items related to support for institutional assessment (SIA scale) and faculty engagement with assessment (FEA scale). The reliability of each scale was estimated using Cronbach alpha and bivariate correlations were conducted to estimate the relationships among the two scales and other survey items. Results The S/COP response rate was 84% (113/134). Most (58%) noted the formation or re-structuring of the assessment office, with 26% creating one or more new assessment positions. The most common source of change was new accreditation standards (55%) followed by a new leadership position created in assessment (40%). Cronbach alpha for the SIA scale was 0.79 and 0.84 for the FEA scale. Program size was strongly negatively correlated with school age (rs = −0.58) and the FEA scale (r = −0.21). Conclusions There was a strong relationship between SIA and FEA. Future studies are warranted to determine the interdependency of support for assessment and faculty engagement with assessment.
The effects of government spending shocks: Evidence from U.S. states

Abstract Using panel structural VAR analyses and a recently released dataset on quarterly gross domestic product by state, this paper finds that an increase in state spending raises output, employment, and the real wage. Our baseline estimates imply that the multiplier effect of a spending increase on output is 1.3 contemporaneously and 1.2 over three years. The effects, however, vary considerably depending on the economic environment and institutional context. Specifically, we find that (i) the spending multiplier is larger during recessions than expansions (ii) the spending multiplier is relatively larger during periods of low debt than in episodes of high debt; (iii) spending shocks have relatively larger effects on states with “medium” balanced-budget requirements than those with either weak or strong balanced-budget requirements; and (iv) the spending multiplier is relatively smaller for states with either lax or strict debt restriction provisions compared to those with moderate provisions. These differences in the magnitude of the spending multiplier across states with different balanced budget rules and debt restriction provisions are rather small and not always statistically significant.
Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Should We Do It?

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is prevalent and underdiagnosed. It is associated with significant comorbidities and early detection and treatment might lead to improvement in important clinical outcomes. This paper will review current evidence on screening for OSA in the primary care setting and in certain high-risk groups. The 2017 United States Preventative Services Taskforce evidence review on OSA screening noted a lack of high-quality evidence linking OSA screening with important clinical outcomes and on the accuracy of proposed screening tools. OSA symptoms are usually not discussed in the primary care setting. A screening tool such as a questionnaire is a simple approach that could be easily implemented in this setting. Further study into the long-term cardiovascular and mortality benefits of the treatment of OSA, randomized controlled trials linking the implementation of screening and improvement in important clinical outcomes, and the accuracy of available screening tools as well as their generalizability to the primary care population is needed to improve the strength of their recommendation and their adoption.
Food component influence on water activity of low-moisture powders at elevated temperatures in connection with pathogen control

Abstract Recent research has shown exponentially increased thermal resistance of pathogenic bacteria at a reduced water activity (aw) in thermal treatments. However, information on aw change as affected by food components at high temperatures is limited. The objective of this project was to quantify the influence of major food components on aw changes in low-moisture foods at elevated temperatures. Corn starch, soy protein, coconut, and cheddar cheese powders were selected as high-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat, and intermediate products. Vacuum dried powders were equilibrated in the jars containing saturated salt solutions to different aw from 0.11 to 0.84 at 25 °C. The aw of food powders were measured from 25 to 80 °C in hermetically sealed test cells using hight-temperature humidity sensors. For a given initial aw, high-carbohydrate product had more considerable aw increase than high-protein, intermediate, and high-fat foods with increasing temperature. The net isosteric heat of sorption increased from high-fat, intermediate, high-protein, to high-carbohydrate food at same moisture content. These relationships support findings in the literature that bacterial cells are more easily inactivated in high-carbohydrate and high-protein products than in high-fat foods. Understanding the correlation between food components and aw change at elevated temperatures helps predict the thermal resistance of bacteria in low-moisture foods.
A Review of Economic Evaluations of Erectile Dysfunction Therapies

Abstract Introduction Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common and costly urologic condition with increasing prevalence as men age. Cost-effectiveness of ED therapies and whether cost-effectiveness varies for different populations of men remains underexplored. Aim To review and summarize available published data on the economic evaluation of ED therapies and to identify gaps in the literature that still need to be addressed. Methods All relevant peer-reviewed publications and conference abstracts were reviewed and incorporated. Results There are a number of medical and surgical treatment options available for ED. The economic evaluation of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors, particularly sildenafil, has been well described. However, minimal research has been conducted to assess the cost-effectiveness of intracavernosal injections, intraurethral suppositories, penile prosthesis surgery, vacuum erection devices, and other emerging therapies in men with different causes of ED. Conclusion Available economic evaluations of ED therapies are dated, do not reflect present-day physician, pharmaceutical, and device costs, fail to account for patient comorbidities, and may not be generalizable to today’s ED patients. Substantial research is needed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of ED treatments across different patient populations, countries, and reimbursement systems. Rezaee ME, Ward CE, Brandes ER, et al. A Review of Economic Evaluations of Erectile Dysfunction Therapies. Sex Med Rev 2019;8:497–503.
Zero-dimensional Spaces

A topological space X is connected if there is no partition X = U ⋃ V, U ⋂V= O where U, V are open nonempty sets. Or equivalently, if the only clopen (i.e., open and closed) sets are O and X. For example, ℝ n , ℂ n are connected, but C, N are not.
Echocardiographic predictors of severe right ventricular diastolic dysfunction in tetralogy of Fallot: Relations to patient outcomes.

Abstract Background Previous studies have described echocardiographic indices of right ventricular (RV) diastolic function in patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) but these indices have not been validated against invasive hemodynamic data. The purpose of this study was to determine echocardiographic predictors of severe RV diastolic dysfunction, and the impact of severe RV diastolic dysfunction on transplant-free survival. Methods Cohort study of TOF patients that underwent non-simultaneous cardiac catheterization and echocardiogram at Mayo Clinic. Based on prior studies we selected these indices for assessment: tricuspid E/A, E/e’, deceleration time, pulmonary artery forward flow, dilated inferior vena cava (IVC), and hepatic vein diastolic flow reversal (HVDFR). RV diastolic function classes (normal, mild/moderate and severe dysfunction) were created using arbitrary cut-off points of the median values of right ventricular end-diastolic pressure (RVEDP) and right atrial pressure (RAP) for the cohort. Results Among 173 patients (age 40 ± 13 years), 68 patients were classified as normal (RVEDP≤14 and RAP≤10), 37 as mild/moderate dysfunction (either RVEDP>14 or RAP>10), and 69 as severe dysfunction (RVEDP>14 and RAP>10). Of the indices assessed, dilated IVC had the best sensitivity of 95% (area under the curve [AUC] 0.689) while HVDFR had the best specificity of 69% (AUC 0.648) for detecting severe RV diastolic dysfunction. Severe RV diastolic dysfunction was an independent risk factor for death/transplant (hazard ratio 2.83, p = 0.009). Conclusion Severe RV diastolic dysfunction, as defined by invasive hemodynamic indices, was associated with poor prognosis. Echocardiographic indices can identify these high risk patients, and hence improve risk stratification in clinical practice.
Chapter 5 – Bent Boolean Functions

Linear functions are a source of weakness in a cryptographic algorithm because such functions are easy to invert and have very predictable outputs; hence the essential cryptographic property of randomness is made more difficult to achieve if any part of the algorithm is linear, or close to linear. Thus it is desirable for the functions used in the algorithm to have high nonlinearity. Bent Boolean functions, which are only defined for an even number n of variables, are functions which have the maximum Hamming distance from the set of all linear functions, and so have the maximum possible nonlinearity. This chapter gives a full discussion of all aspects of the theory of bent functions, including equivalent definitions of bent, ways to construct bent functions, properties of bent functions and counts of bent functions as n varies. The chapter concludes with discussions of the related partially bent functions and semi-bent functions.
Student discourse networks and instructor facilitation in process oriented guided inquiry physical chemistry classes

A novel methodology has been developed to capture student interactions and engagement modes by mapping their discourse in Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) physical chemistry courses using graph theory and a modified ICAP (Interactive, Constructive, Active, Passive) framework. This work provides a deeply contextualized description of student teamwork in a POGIL setting with triangulation of data from talk-turn tracking and coding of student engagement. Graphs of student discussions in teams were constructed for 17 students in five teams in two courses taught by different instructors. Combined with the modified ICAP framework, our data illustrate the amount, extent, and quality of discussion along with students’ cognitive engagement. Specific facilitation strategies used by instructors appear to correlate with improved student discussion and interactivity. Such strategies include providing responsive versus prepared lectures and requiring students to publicly share their thinking.
Strategies to Overcome High-Risk Multiple Myeloma.

ABSTRACT Multiple myeloma (MM) patients with high-risk cytogenetics continue to have inferior outcomes despite recent advances in the treatment of MM. As defined by the International Myeloma Working Group, the presence of t(4;14), t(14;16), del(17p), t(14;20) and amplification of 1q are considered to be high-risk chromosomal abnormalities associated with poor survival. Despite the use of immunomodulatory agents, proteasome inhibitors, autologous stem cell transplantation, and anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies, clinical trials of current therapies have not shown strong statistical evidence of being able to overcome the poor prognosis of high-risk disease. Novel treatment approaches are urgently needed to improve survival in this subset of MM patients.
A Qualitative Exploration of Challenges Experienced by Online MSN Nurse Educator Students.

ABSTRACT Institutions of higher learning offer flexible online master of science in nursing education (MSN NE) programs to increase the number of available nursing faculty. Such programs are a viable option to degree completion; however, online programs create challenges that impact student success. This qualitative pilot study describes challenges experienced by seven enrolled or recently graduated MSN NE students. Technology, scheduling, group behaviors, faculty, curricula, and personal barriers emerged as themes. The results underscore the need to create an effective community of inquiry that fosters an environment online to promote student success.