cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Theorem proving: not an esoteric diversion, but the unifying framework for industrial verification

The effectiveness of hardware verification techniques has increased markedly in the past decade. As hardware verification techniques become increasingly powerful the idea of transitioning verification technology to industry can be taken seriously. Nevertheless, powerful decision procedures that can completely automate the verification of certain types of hardware, whether they are BDD based model-checkers or automatic microprocessor verification tools, cannot be adequate on their own for industrial hardware verification. However, a high-level, general-purpose theorem prover with specific capabilities can provide an overall framework in which these tools can be embedded and in which they can then be effectively used for industrial hardware verification.
Elastic Stress and Magnetic Field Concentration Near the Vertex of a Soft-Ferromagnetic 2D Compound Wedge

The problem of elastic stress and magnetic field concentration near the vertex of a compound wedge is modeled and investigated. The wedge is made of two isotropic dielectric soft-ferromagnetic materials and is immersed in a static magnetic field. The technique of eigenfunction series expansion is applied on the components of the elastic displacement field and the induced magnetic potentials near the vertex. It is shown that in this region, the magnetic susceptibility and the applied magnetic field have a strong influence on the elastic stress and magnetic field concentration. The results are instrumental toward actively controlling the stress concentration intensity via the applied magnetic field.
Treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus: Glyburide compared to subcutaneous insulin therapy and associated perinatal outcomes

Objective. To examine perinatal outcomes in women with gestational diabetes mellitus treated with glyburide compared to insulin injections.Study design. This is a retrospective cohort study of women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) who required pharmaceutical therapy and were enrolled in the Sweet Success California Diabetes and Pregnancy Program between 2001 and 2004, a California state-wide program. Women managed with glyburide were compared to women treated with insulin injections. Perinatal outcomes were compared using chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression models; statistical significance was indicated by p 4...
Characterization of Self-Assembled SnO2 Nanoparticles for Fabrication of a High Sensitivity and High Selectivity Micro-Gas Sensor

In order to refine further the material technology for tin-oxide based gas sensing we are exploring the use of precision nanoparticle deposition for the sensing layer. Layers of SnO2 nanoparticles were grown on Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) resonators using the layer-by-layer self-assembly technique. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Electron Diffraction Pattern (EDP) analyses were performed on the self-assembled layers of SnO2 nanoparticles. The results showed that SnO2 nanoparticle films are deposited uniformly across the substrate. The size of the nanoparticles is estimated to be about 3-5 nm. Electrical characterization was done using standard current-voltage measurement technique, which revealed that SnO2 nanoparticle films exhibit ohmic behavior. Calcination experiments have also been carried out by baking the substrate (with self-assembled nanoparticles) in air at 350°C. Results show that 50%-70% of the polymer layers (which are deposited as precursor layers and also alternately in-between SnO2 nanoparticle monolayers) are eliminated during the process.
A Reflector Antenna for Focusing Subnanosecond Pulses in the Near Field

A prolate-spheroidal reflector antenna focusing subnanosecond pulsed electromagnetic radiation in the near field is studied. This antenna reflector is fed by a pair of balanced, conical-plate transmission lines and the radiated pulse consists of a prepulse, an impulse, and a postpulse. Whereas the prepulse amplitude decreases inversely with distance, the impulse is maximum near the geometric focus, and its power density distribution has a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) width of 32 cm in the axial direction and 10 cm in the lateral direction.
Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI-based biomarkers of therapeutic response in triple-negative breast cancer.

Objective To predict the response of breast cancer patients to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) using features derived from dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI. Materials and methods 60 patients with triplenegative early-stage breast cancer receiving NAC were evaluated. Features assessed included clinical data, patterns of tumor response to treatment determined by DCE–MRI, MRI breast imaging-reporting and data system descriptors, and quantitative lesion kinetic texture derived from the gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM). All features except for patterns of response were derived before chemotherapy; GLCM features were determined before and after chemotherapy. Treatment response was defined by the presence of residual invasive tumor and/ or positive lymph nodes after chemotherapy. Statistical modeling was performed using Lasso logistic regression. Results Pre-chemotherapy imaging features predicted all measures of response except for residual tumor. Feature sets varied in effectiveness at predicting different definitions of treatment response, but in general, pre-chemotherapy imaging features were able to predict pathological complete response with area under the curve (AUC)=0.68, residual lymph node metastases with AUC=0.84 and residual tumor with lymph node metastases with AUC=0.83. Imaging features assessed after chemotherapy yielded significantly improved model performance over those assessed before chemotherapy for predicting residual tumor, but no other outcomes. Conclusions DCE–MRI features can be used to predict whether triple-negative breast cancer patients will respond to NAC. Models such as the ones presented could help to identify patients not likely to respond to treatment and to direct them towards alternative therapies.
Extraction of Lipids from Phospholipid Membranes by Steered Molecular Dynamics

Steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations were employed to investigate the extraction step of the lipid head group cleavage reaction by human synovial phospholipase A2 (PLA2) by pulling a lipid molecule from a monolayer of dilauroyl-phosphatidyl-ethanolamin lipids into the active site of PLA2 and into the aqueous phase. The results of the simulations were compared to draw inferences about the forces that stabilize the lipids in the membrane and to understand the mechanism of lipid extraction by PLA2.
Physical chemistry of nucleic acids

▪ Abstract The Watson-Crick double helix of DNA was first revealed in 1953. Since then a wide range of physical chemical methods have been applied to DNA and to its more versatile relative RNA to determine their structures and functions. My major goal is to predict the folded structure of any RNA from its sequence. We have used bulk and single-molecule measurements of thermodynamics and kinetics, plus various spectroscopic methods (UV absorption, optical rotation, circular dichroism, circular intensity differential scattering, fluorescence, NMR) to approach this goal.
An X-band small outline leaded plastic package for MMIC applications

A new small outline (SO) leaded plastic package has been developed that improves return loss, insertion loss, and isolation performance over that of a shrink small outline package (SSOP) in the same body size. A custom TRL calibration kit was developed, and prototype packages built and measured. The measured package showed an increase in the application bandwidth of SO-type packages from 5 GHz to over 8 GHz. Further investigations using full-wave electromagnetic simulations reveal a potential increase in return loss of better than 30 dB to 10 GHz, giving the package a usable bandwidth well into the X-band (8-12GHz). Applications for the new package are in microwave and RFIC applications.
Energy minimization using a greedy randomized heuristic for the voltage assignment problem in NoC

Scaling down the voltage levels of the processing elements (PEs) in a Network-on-Chip (NoC) can significantly reduce the computation energy consumption with an overhead of the level shifters between two adjacent PEs operating at two different voltage levels. The objective of the voltage assignment problem in the NoC domain is to assign a voltage level to each PE within its allowable voltage range such that the overall energy consumption, due to the processing of the PEs and the level shifters, is minimized subject to the task deadline constraints. In this paper, we formulate the voltage assignment problem as a Quadratic Programming (QP) and reduce it to an Integer Linear Program (ILP). A greedy randomized heuristic is then proposed for solving the voltage assignment problem. Experimental results based on the E3S benchmark suite show the quality of our proposed heuristic as for all the benchmark applications it finds solutions close to the optimal ones in negligible amount of time. The effectiveness of the approach of using multiple voltage levels for the PEs in energy minimization is also reflected from the experimental results.
Presence-Aware Optimum Resource Allocation for Virtual Collaboration Web 3.0 Environments

In this paper, we present a system that optimally and dynamically allocates the available computing resources to virtual machines that support virtual collaboration environments. Such environments are emerging fast via on-line social networks, virtual worlds, and the "Web 3.0" or "collaborative Web" paradigm. We use a utility-based framework to differentiate the applications hosted by the virtual machines based on both their relative profitability and their social distance information. We define social distance as the importance of social interaction between the participants of a virtual environment that utilize a particular application and this interaction is a function of their presence status. Presence is affected by the physical distance, the underlying network and the social or business relationship of the participants. We use graph theory tools to represent users' connectivity and extract the social distance information. Our optimization model involves a variation of the 2D Knapsack problem and a nonlinear programming one.
Effects of asymptomatic ischemia on long-term prognosis in chronic stable coronary disease.

BACKGROUNDIschemia on ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring has been shown to adversely affect short-term prognoses in patients with unstable angina, after myocardial infarction, and with chronic stable angina.METHODS AND RESULTSIn this long-term study, we followed 138 patients (mean age, 59 +/- 9 years) with chronic stable angina and positive exercise tests for cardiac events (e.g. death, myocardial infarction, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, or coronary artery bypass graft surgery). In 105 patients, ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring was performed after all antianginal medication was withheld for 48 hours. In 26 patients, the diagnostic tests were repeated while on their usual medication. In addition to the 105 patients, 33 patients had their monitoring performed only while on their usual medication. During 37 +/- 17 months of follow-up, there were nine deaths, nine myocardial infarctions, and 35 revascularization procedures. In patients monitored off medication, Cox surviva...
Estimating the Impact of the Discontinuation of Medical Interventions on Health Outcomes

The same study designs are used to document the magnitude of the influence of currently used and of previously used treatments on health outcomes. However, because randomized trials rarely are utilized to study cessation of treatment, most of what we know about the experience of former users of a given treatment comes from cohort and case-control studies. These studies generally compare former users with never users or current users, but occasionally different groups of former users are compared according to how long ago the treatment was stopped. The experience of whole populations following relatively rapid and widespread discontinuation of a previously common treatment sometimes can serve as a secondary source of data on the consequences of discontinuation of therapy.
Determinants of Expectation of Treatment Efficacy among Incarcerated Substance Abusers

This investigation examines the relative influence of social support and other empirically relevant inmate characteristics on incarcerated substance abusers' perceptions of their post release adjustment. Survey data were collected from 101 male and female substance-abusing offenders participating in prison-and jail-based treatment programs in south Florida. Regression equations were developed using different measures of respondents' efficacy expectations. Among predictors, only social support proved significant (p < .05) in relation to respondents' expectations of their postrelease success. This investigation demonstrates the complexity of incarcerated substance abusers' efficacy expectations and identifies social support as a potential rehabilitative resource for counselors who work with substance-abusing inmates.
None Dare Call It Torture: Indexing and the Limits of Press Independence in the Abu Ghraib Scandal

This paper considers the extent to which leading news organizations use independent documentation to build interpretations of events that challenge official framing. The data presented in this study show that despite available evidence and sources to support a counterframing of the Abu Ghraib prison story in terms of a policy of torture, the leading national news organizations did not produce a frame that strongly challenged the Bush administration's claim that Abu Ghraib was an isolated case of appalling abuse perpetrated by low-level soldiers. The press struggled briefly, and in limited fashion with the question of whether events at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere reflected an administration policy of torture, but "abuse" was by far the predominant news frame. The case of Abu Ghraib offers a critical test of agreement and differences among theories of event-driven news, cascading activation, and indexing. Although all the 3 models were implicated in this case, the data, drawn from a content analysis of the Washington Post, CBS Evening News, and a sample of national newspapers, fit most closely with the predictions of the indexing model.
Experimental study of segregation in plane front solidification and its relevance to iron meteorite solidification

A directional solidification technique was developed and applied to the problem of fractional crystallization of an iron meteorite parent body. Samples of Fe-Ni alloys close to meteorite compositions and containing S, P, and C were made. The solidified structures contain secondary phases such as sulphides within the proeutectic single crystal austenite (taenite). As a result of these experiments, we propose that the secondary phases observed in iron meteorites were formed during primary solidification of austenite (taenite). The measured composition profiles of Ni, P and C in the alloys were used to explain the elemental distribution within a chemical group of iron meteorites. An analytical procedure was applied to determine the equilibrium distribution coefficients as a function of fraction solidified for Ni and P from the composition profiles. The distribution coefficients of Ni and P agree with previous values. These distribution coefficients are of particular interest in the determination of the elemental distributions in iron meteorites.
Performance of an adaptive feature-based processor for a wideband ground penetrating radar system

A two-stage algorithm for landmine detection with a ground penetrating radar (GPR) system is described. First, 3-D data sets are processed using a computationally inexpensive pre-screening algorithm which flags potential locations of interest. These flagged locations are then passed to a feature-based processor which further discriminates target-like anomalies from naturally occurring clutter. Current field trial (over 6500 square meters) and blind test results (over 39000 square meters) are presented and these show at least an order of magnitude improvement over other radar system-based detection algorithms on the same test lanes.
Impact of Cu microstructure on electromigration reliability

The effect of Cu microstructure on electromigration (EM) has been investigated. A variation in the Cu grain size distributions between wafers was achieved by adjusting the wafer annealing process step after Cu electroplating and before Cu chemical mechanical polishing. Void growth morphology was observed by in-situ and ex-situ scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. The Cu lifetime and mass flow in samples with bamboo, near bamboo, bamboo-polycrystalline mixture, and polycrystalline grain structures were measured. The introduction of polycrystalline Cu line grain structure in fine lines for the 65 nm node technology and beyond markedly reduced the Cu EM reliability. The smaller Cu grain size distribution resulted in a shorter EM lifetime and a faster mass flow. The EM activation energies for Cu along Cu/amorphous a-SiCxNyHz interface and grain boundary were found to be 0.95 and 0.79 eV, respectively.
Nicotinamide Riboside Promotes Sir2 Silencing and Extends Lifespan via Nrk and Urh1/Pnp1/Meu1 Pathways to NAD+

Summary Although NAD + biosynthesis is required for Sir2 functions and replicative lifespan in yeast, alterations in NAD + precursors have been reported to accelerate aging but not to extend lifespan. In eukaryotes, nicotinamide riboside is a newly discovered NAD + precursor that is converted to nicotinamide mononucleotide by specific nicotinamide riboside kinases, Nrk1 and Nrk2. In this study, we discovered that exogenous nicotinamide riboside promotes Sir2-dependent repression of recombination, improves gene silencing, and extends lifespan without calorie restriction. The mechanism of action of nicotinamide riboside is totally dependent on increased net NAD + synthesis through two pathways, the Nrk1 pathway and the Urh1/Pnp1/Meu1 pathway, which is Nrk1 independent. Additionally, the two nicotinamide riboside salvage pathways contribute to NAD + metabolism in the absence of nicotinamide-riboside supplementation. Thus, like calorie restriction in the mouse, nicotinamide riboside elevates NAD + and increases Sir2 function.
Combined Analysis by Substructures and Recursion

Structures which can be partitioned into a continuous series of sections in which each section is coupled to two adjacent sections have a tridiagonal band matrix as the stiffness matrix. The displacements and internal stresses of such a structure can be obtained by a recursion procedure. The largest matrix that must be inverted is equal to the largest number of coordinates at the region connecting two sections. The recursion procedure is useful when the analysis is conducted for a few loading conditions and when the number of coordinates at the regions connecting adjacent sections is small. When a structure has the form of a closed ring, it is not possible to number the coordinates so as to yield a tridiagonal band matrix in which all the connections between sections of the structure will contain a small number of coordinates. In such a case it is advantageous to combine the analysis by substructures and by recursion. Substructures are selected so that they are most readily analyzed by recursion.
Chemical changes in tumor-bearing mice.

Summary1. The nucleic acids, purines, pyrimidines, and methionine, arginine, histidine, threonine, glycine, and cystine have been determined in various tissues of mice of the Swiss strain bearing transplanted sarcoma 180 (Crocker). 2. The changes in the nucleic acid content of the tissues are paralleled by the values for the individual purines and pyrimidines. In the liver and lung of mice bearing sarcoma, there is an increase in both RNA and DNA, and this increase is further confirmed by the corresponding increases in uracil and thymine. The fact that only the DNA content of the kidney increases is further supported by an increase in the thymine values alone, while the uracil content of this organ remains unchanged. 3. The values for thymine when expressed as per cent of DNA, suggest that the composition of DNA in the liver, lung, and kidney is the same. 4. The study of the amino acids present in a sarcoma and in the tissues of normal and sarcoma-bearing mice reveals that there are significant changes in...
Estimation of High Pressure Liquid Chromatographic Retention Indices of Narcotic Analgetics and Related Drugs

A method for the prediction of the retention index of drugs on C18 reversed-phase columns was developed and then applied to a series of drugs that were structurally related to morphine and to a series related to fentanyl. The HPLC retention index (/) of the test compounds was estimated using the equation: / = 200 pi + /ref. where pi was the sum of the Hansch substituent constants for the compound, and /ref. was the index experimentally observed for the reference compound of the series. It was also found that the observed index could be used to assign the stereochemistry of the fentanyl analogues.
Ecological and Behavioral Correlates of Variation in Seasonal Home Ranges of Wild Turkeys

We examined the effects of habitat distribution, age, sex, and body mass on variation in seasonal home ranges of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris). During 1992-94 we obtained and analyzed 11,354 locations of 156 wild turkeys in the Arkansas Ozarks. In particular, we tested the prediction that home range size and seasonal range juxtaposition covary with social status and physiological condition of an individual. Participation in breeding, age, and body mass strongly influenced spring and summer range sizes and range use in both sexes. As predicted, adult wild turkeys had smaller home ranges during the breeding season and greater overlap among seasonal ranges than yearlings. Successful females had a higher probability of using their breeding area during fall and winter than unsuccessful females. Habitat availability and distribution and acorn harvest were significant correlates of winter range size and use for females. Spring and prenesting ranges of females in our study area were the largest reported for eastern wild turkeys. We attributed this pattern to high nest predation which might cause extensive nest site selection movements.
Field-Scale Reduction of PCB Bioavailability with Activated Carbon Amendment to River Sediments

Remediation of contaminated sediments remains a technological challenge because traditional approaches do not always achieve risk reduction goals for human health and ecosystem protection and can even be destructive for natural resources. Recent work has shown that uptake of persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the food web is strongly influenced by the nature of contaminant binding, especially to black carbon surfaces in sediments. We demonstrate for the first time in a contaminated river that application of activated carbon to sediments in the field reduces biouptake of PCBs in benthic organisms. After treatment with activated carbon applied at a dose similar to the native organic carbon of sediment, bioaccumulation in freshwater oligochaete worms was reduced compared to preamendment conditions by 69 to 99%, and concentrations of PCBs in water at equilibrium with the sediment were reduced by greater than 93% at all treatment sites for up to three years of monitoring....
Indentation of a nonlinear viscoelastic membrane

Measurements related to the indentation of a circular membrane can be used to characterize the material response of a wide variety of materials, including biological tissue. In this paper, the axisymmetric deformation of an initially planar, homogeneous and uniformly thin membrane that is supported along a circular boundary and indented by a spherical indenter is considered.
Status of Direct Network Reporting in Institutions of Occupational Health Technical Service in Chengdu

Objective To explore the status of network reporting in institutions of occupational health technical services in Chengdu.Methods Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed for analysis.Seven profit institutions and 9non-profit institutions were enrolled by stratified random sampling.All the reporting records of occupational hazards factors from July 1st,2012 to June 30th,2013 were collected.In-depth interview was conducted to the staff of each institution choose with purposive sampling method.Results A proportion of 33.33% of the institutions had no reporting systems.All the interviewees were of part-time.A total of 814 reports were viewed and 133 network reporting cards were checked.The false negative rate was 63.02%,timeliness rate was 45.11% and the accurate rate was51.12%.The differences of these three indexes were all statistically significant between the profit and non-profit institutions( χ2= 362.01,P0.05; χ2= 5.39,P 0.05; χ2= 8.13,P 0.05) 。Conclusion The network reporting quality of occupational health technical service institutions in Chengdu is unsatisfactory.The indifference of the leadership,frequently staff floating,and the lack of professional knowledge and weak supervisory system are the major influencing factors.
Effects of hypoxia in porcine pulmonary arterial myocytes: roles of KV channel and endothelin-1

Effects of acute hypoxia on intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and cell length were recorded simultaneously in proximal and distal pulmonary (PASMCs) and femoral (FASMCs) arterial smooth mu...
AFFINE AND PROJECTIVE PLANES

This chapter describes the relationship between affine and projective planes. The deletion of a line and the points on it, in a fanian plane, led to an affine plane. It is found that such a deletion in any projective plane yields an affine plane. It is natural to inquire whether any affine plane can be obtained from some projective plane as the result of such a deletion. It is investigated whether there is a sense in which any affine plane can be so realized and moreover, the associated projective plane will be seen to be unique. This suggests that, in some sense, the affine planes differ only in the names given the points and lines. In fact, the superposition suggests how these names might be interchanged for the two bases without changing the incidence. These ideas are formulated precisely. This is done in the more general setting of incidence bases so that these new notions can be applied to affine planes, projective planes, or any geometry with an incidence basis in its foundation. It is found that when incidence bases are affine or projective planes, the conditions of isomorphism can be stated more weakly.
Phytonadione education program in a community hospital

Purpose: Pharmacists and physicians were educated regarding updated guidelines on phytonadione indications, dosing, and routes of administration. Study objectives were to evaluate the use of phytonadione in a community hospital, educate pharmacists and physicians about phytonadione use, and assess the value of education in terms of patient outcomes. Methods: Baseline and follow-up data on phytonadione indications, dosages, and routes of administration were collected. Pretests and posttests were administered before and after an education session. A Pharmacy and Therapeutics newsletter article highlighting the appropriate use of phytonadione was published. Results: The baseline and follow-up medication use evaluations (MUEs) revealed that 53% and 62% of patients had an appropriate indication for phytonadione, respectively (P = 0.181). Among patients with an appropriate indication, 44% were administered an appropriate dose in the baseline group and 46% in the follow-up (P = 0.876). The baseline MUE revealed that 20% of phytonadione routes of administration were appropriate; 18% were considered appropriate in the follow-up (P = 0.842). Pharmacists' knowledge showed improvement after education efforts, with the mean score improving from 57% to 93.4% from pretest to posttest (P < 0.05) and the median score changing from 50% to 100%. Conclusion: Improving pharmacists' knowledge is beneficial and necessary; however, it was not enough to change practice in this study. Additional steps must be taken to encourage routine application of the knowledge.
Toward a Siggs Characterization of Epistemic Properties of Educational Design

The purpose of this paper is to develop a general system theoretic characterization of epistemic properties of educational design. “General system theory” is taken to refer to sets of principles descriptive of organized complexities, that is, the principles descriptive of interactions of components of systems. “Epistemic properties” are taken to refer to sets of formal knowledge and knowing conditions obtaining of a person or persons. The aim of this paper is not to set forth a general system theoretic characterization of epistemic properties obtaining of a person or persons anytime or anywhere, but to set forth such a characterization of those epistemic properties obtaining of a person or persons in the context of teaching-studenting systems, education. Such a characterization will differ from a more general one in that the inquiry is directed to those epistemic properties obtaining of persons who have assumed the educative roles of either a teacher or a student, where “student” refers to an educational learner. The concept “role” is defined as the behavior of persons who occupy a position where the position is recognized by members of a group only if the position contributes to the purposes of the group.
When Hydromorphone Is Not Working, Try Loratadine: An Emergency Department Case of Loratadine as Abortive Therapy for Severe Pegfilgrastim-Induced Bone Pain.

Abstract Background Intractable bone pain is a notorious adverse effect of granulocyte-colony stimulating factors (G-CSFs), such as pegfilgrastim and filgrastim, which are given to help prevent neutropenia in patients who are undergoing chemotherapy. G-CSF–induced bone pain is surprisingly common and often refractory to treatment with conventional analgesics. Case Report This article describes an emergency department case of opiate and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug–resistant pegfilgrastim-induced bone pain that was successfully alleviated with 10 mg of oral loratadine, allowing for discharge home. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? This case suggests that loratadine may be an easy to implement, safe, and effective therapy in the emergency department management of intractable bone pain caused by G-CSF use. Emergency physicians should be aware that loratadine may successfully relieve otherwise intractable G-CSF–induced bone pain and allow for discharge home.
Teaching Quality Improvement

As issues of patient safety and quality assurance have come to the forefront of national discussions regarding medical care in the past two decades, there has been a simultaneous recognition that these topics must be addressed in medical education. The importance of developing expertise in teaching quality improvement (QI) is twofold: trainees are (1) the “front-line” providers in many healthcare institutions where their awareness and positive involvement in QI is crucial to the success of robust quality initiatives, and (2) the future practitioners who will shape the next generation of quality work and face issues of quality and safety in daily practice.
Determining Sanitary Status of Farm Milk Pipelines Using the Rinse-Filter Procedure

Two farm milk pipelines with weigh jars and milk releasers were rinsed with water sterilized by membrane filtration. Samples of rinse water were collected and analyzed for viable bacteria and coliforms by the membrane filter method. Total aerobic counts averaged 7000/ft2 of milk contact surface in a new milking system during the first month of operation. After 1 year of operation, when certain deficiencies of cleaning occurred, total counts averaged more than 500,000/ft2. Upon correction of deficiencies, average counts dropped to 2000/ft2. Counts of coliforms in clean systems averaged less than 1/ft2. Gram negative bacteria constituted only 5% of the microflora in rinses from a system that had been in operation for 4 years; whereas, 67% of the colonies were micrococci and 22% were streptococci. Use of the filtration system for preparation of sterile water is discussed.
Intussusception in Childhood Acute T Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia: An Unusual Complication - Report of 2 Cases.

Abstract Clinically significant gastrointestinal complications in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have been reported. However, intussusception is a very rare complication. In one study of 286 children with ALL gastrointestinal complications occurred in 5.6% of patients with intussusception seen in only 0.3% of patients. We describe two cases of intussusception during chemotherapy for T-cell leukemia. Patient #1 was an 8 year old girl on chemotherapy for T-cell ALL. Around week 9 following POG 9404 protocol of consolidation chemotherapy, patient presented with severe abdominal pain and vomiting, and had marked, diffuse tenderness of the abdomen with guarding and hypo-active bowel sounds. Abdominal radiograph showed thickening of the descending colon; abdominal sonogram was normal; abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan however, revealed a soft tissue and fluid-filled mass extending from the cecum to the descending colon. These findings were consistent with a large bowel intussusception, which was successfully reduced with a barium enema. Patient #2 was a 15 year old male receiving chemotherapy for T-cell ALL following POG 9404 protocol. At week 14 of consolidation chemotherapy, patient presented with a 2 day history of nausea and colicky peri-umbilical and right lower quadrant abdominal pain. An abdominal CT scan revealed an ileocolic intussusception without bowel obstruction and mild wall thickening of the cecum. Barium enema resulted in successful reduction of the intussusception. Interestingly, both our patients were treated with high dose methotrexate 5gm/m2 during this time period and both experienced delayed excretion of methotrexate. To our knowledge, there is no known reported association between high dose methotrexate and intussusception. We speculate that the two could be related. The increased use of high dose methotrexate therapy in T-cell ALL may result in a higher incidence of intussusception in this population. Although, intussusception in ALL is a very rare complication, awareness of this entity and early recognition with radiological intervention may prevent unnecessary surgery and the associated morbidity and mortality in these patients.
An Adjuvanted A(H5N1) Subvirion Vaccine Elicits Virus-Specific Antibody Response and Improves Protection Against Lethal Influenza Viral Challenge in Mouse Model of Protein Energy Malnutrition.

Background Protein energy malnutrition (PEM) increases susceptibility to infectious diseases, including influenza infection, but no studies have addressed the potential influences of PEM on the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of avian influenza A(H5N1) vaccine. Methods We investigated the role of PEM on vaccine-mediated protection after a lethal challenge with recombinant A(H5N1) virus using isocaloric diets providing either adequate protein (AP; 18% protein) or very low protein (VLP; 2% protein) in an established murine model of influenza vaccination. Results We demonstrated that mice maintained on a VLP diet succumb to lethal challenge at greater rates than mice maintained on an AP diet, despite comparable immunization regimens. Importantly, there was no virus-induced mortality in both VLP and AP groups of mice when either group was immunized with adjuvanted low-dose A(H5N1) subvirion vaccine. Conclusions Our results suggest that adjuvanted vaccination in populations where PEM is endemic may be one strategy to boost vaccination-promoted immunity and improve outcomes associated with highly pathogenic A(H5N1).
Concentric helical coils for efficient and resilient wireless link in biomedical implants

Wireless transceivers for biomedical implants suffer from low coupling coefficients and variations due to misalignment. This paper introduces concentric helical coils for wireless power transmission in implantable devices. The transmitter coil can be implemented in any continuous circle form, such as a bracelet, an arm cuff, or a collar. It is shown that this structure produces a high coupling coefficient that is less sensitive than conventional methods to coil misalignment. Furthermore, this approach reduces expose of living tissue to electromagnetic power density, enabling a higher level of power to be safely transferred. A high coupling coefficient between transmitter and receiver coils (k=0.44) is achieved, and this decreases no more than 19.9% with the worst case of misalignment. This high coupling along with high coil quality factors (Q=470, 195) enable a high power transfer efficiency of η=93.6%. This power transfer efficiency is also very resilient to misalignment of coils, with a worst case decrease of only 9%.
Short- and Long-Term Effects of Within-Session Client Speech on Drinking Outcomes in the COMBINE Study

Objective:There is evidence of a causal chain in motivational interviewing (MI) involving counselor MI-consistent skills, client change language, and outcomes. MI was a key component of the combine...
In-memory computing using paths-based logic and heterogeneous components

The memory-processor bottleneck and scaling difficulties of the CMOS transistor have given rise to a plethora of research initiatives to overcome these challenges. Popular among these is in-memory crossbar computing. In this paper, we propose a framework for synthesizing logic-in-memory circuits based on the behavior of paths of electric current throughout the memory. Limitations of using only bidirectional components with this approach are also established. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by generating η-bit addition circuits that can compute using a constant number of read and write cycles.
Legal Aspects of Artificial Insemination by Donor and Paternity Testing

My presentation involves two interesting biomedical technologies with a great deal of significance to everyone concerned about reproductive decision-making, the concept of parenthood, and the rights and responsibilities which originate in and about the family as a social institution. Though these topics have tended to attract the attention of physicians, lawyers, genetic counselors, ethicists, philosophers and theologians, they are undisputedly of great importance to society as a whole as we try to develop coherent, intelligent and humane social policies in these areas.
Ultrastructure of the gametes of Coelomomyces dodgei Couch ( Blastocladiales, Chytridiomycetes )

As part of an investigation on the developmental biology ofCoelomomyces dodgei Couch (Blastocladiales, Chytridiomycetes), the ultrastructure of the male and female gametes was studied. The nucleus is central and conical in shape except for a basal spur that curves back towards the large plate-like mitochondrion. A nuclear cap of ribosomes sits on the flat anterior end of the nucleus. Approximately seven lipid globules are partially embedded in the mitochondrion and are interconnected by membrane cisternae. The lipid globules are covered by a single fenestrated microbody and a backing membrane lies between the microbody and the gamete plasma membrane. The kinetosome is at the base of the nucleus and is connected to a single, posterior, whiplash flagellum. A nonkinetosomal centriole is absent. In the peripheral cytoplasm of both mating types there is a paracrystalline body of unknown composition and function. No significant ultrastructural differences were found between the male and female gametes.
Too Sure Too Soon: When Choosing Should Wait.

Before students ever set foot on a college campus, most are repeatedly asked what degree they'll be seeking. On the plus side, the question leads to early goal commitment. The downside, as this for...
Intrinsic Cardiovascular Wave and Strain Imaging

Cardiovascular diseases remain America’s primary killer by a large margin, claiming the lives of more Americans than the next two main causes of death combined (cancer and pulmonary complications). In particular, coronary artery disease (CAD) is by far the most lethal, causing 17% of all (cardiac-related or not) deaths every year. One of the main reasons for this high death toll is the severe lack of effective and accessible imaging tools upon anomaly detected on the electrocardiogram (ECG), especially at the early stages when CAD can be stabilized with appropriate pharmacological regimen. Arrhythmias refer to the disruption of the natural heart rhythm. Cardiac arrhythmias lead to a significant number of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This irregular heart rhythm causes the heart to suddenly stop pumping blood. Atrial pathologies are the most common arrhythmias with atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter being the most prevalent. In this chapter, we introduce ultrasound-based methodologies that are based on inferring to the mechanical and electrical properties of the myocardium in order to better image the onset and progression of the aforementioned diseases.
Effect of Crowd Composition on the Wisdom of Artificial Crowds Metaheuristic

This paper investigates the impact that task difficulty and crowd composition have on the success of the Wisdom of Artificial Crowds metaheuristic. The metaheuristic, which is inspired by the wisdom of crowds phenomenon, combines the intelligence from a group of optimization searches to form a new solution. Unfortunately, the aggregate formed by the metaheuristic is not always better than the best individual solution within the crowd, and little is known about the variables which maximize the metaheuristic’s success. Our study offers new insights into the influential factors of artificial crowds and the collective intelligence of multiple optimization searches performed on the same problem. The results show that favoring the opinions of experts (i.e., the better searches) improves the chances of the metaheuristic succeeding by more than 15% when compared to the traditional means of equal weighting. Furthermore, weighting expertise was found to require smaller crowd sizes for the metaheuristic to reach its peak chances of success. Finally, crowd size was discovered to be a critical factor, especially as problem complexity grows or average crowd expertise declines. However, crowd size matters only up to a point, after which the probability of success plateaus.
Effect of Anions on the Solubility of Rare Earth Element-Bearing Minerals in Acids

The effect of anions such as sulfate, chloride, and nitrate on the solubility of rare earth element-bearing phosphates and fluoro-carbonates has been examined using relevant thermodynamic data. The study has found that these anions have significant influences on the overall dissolution of rare earth elements (REEs) from various sources in the aqueous media. The thermodynamic calculations in this study have indicated that the speciation of REEs with the anions tends to increase the overall solubility of the REE-bearing minerals. However, in some cases, strong precipitation of REEs with some of these anions causes an adverse effect on the solubility of these elements. It has been found that sulfate ion has the most pronounced effect on the solubility compared to nitrate and chloride, in which the latter two acids exhibited almost identical results. The calculated results have indicated that REE-oxide (hydrated) is the easiest compound to dissolve, followed by carbonate, phosphate, fluoride, sulfate, fluoro-carbonate, and oxalate in that order.
Comparative Performance of the Reverse Algorithm Using Architect Syphilis TP Versus the Traditional Algorithm Using Rapid Plasma Reagin in Florida's Public Health Testing Population

In Florida, where syphilis is a reportable disease, the number of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis cases has increased from 3,266 in 2008-2010 to 5,340 in 2013-2015, a 63% increase. The objective of this study was to compare the performance and sensitivity of the syphilis reverse algorithm with the traditional algorithm for detecting P&S (infectious) syphilis cases. Clinical specimens from individuals who self-referred for syphilis testing at public health clinics were processed using the traditional algorithm (non-treponemal rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test followed by a confirmatory treponemal (EIA) test) and then further tested with the Architect Syphilis TP (ASTP) immunoassay (Abbott Diagnostics, Chicago, IL, USA) or by RPR confirmation, if needed (reverse algorithm). Of 1,079 specimens, 59 were positive for syphilis. The sensitivity of the reverse algorithm was 98.3% (58/59) and of the traditional algorithm was 72.9% (43/59). Based on clinical evidence, of the 16 traditional algorithm-negative but reverse algorithm-positive cases, 68.8% (11/16) were classified as missed P&S infections (treatment naive) and 31.2% (5/16) were classified as missed past syphilis (latent or infections with documented linkage to care). The reverse algorithm enables the detection of additional P&S syphilis cases missed by our current traditional algorithm.
Task-Based Functional Connectomes Predict Cognitive Phenotypes Across Psychiatric Disease

Abstract Importance We show that three common approaches to clinical deficits (cognitive phenotype, disease group, disease severity) each offer useful and perhaps complimentary explanations for the brain’s underlying functional architecture as affected by psychiatric disease. Objective To understand how different clinical frameworks are represented in the brain’s functional connectome. Design We use an openly available dataset to create predictive models based on multiple connectomes built from task-based functional MRI data. We use these models to predict individual traits corresponding to multiple cognitive constructs across disease category. We also show that these same connectomes statistically differ depending on disease category and symptom burden. Setting This was a population-based study with data collected in UCLA. Participants Healthy adults were recruited by community advertisements from the Los Angeles area. Participants with adult ADHD, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia were recruited using a patient-oriented strategy involving outreach to local clinics and online portals (separate from the methods used to recruit healthy volunteers)
Gendered patterns in the construction of physics identity from motivational factors

Receiving positive recognition by the course instructor and teaching assistant as someone who is good at physics is particularly important for women and supports their sense of belonging and self-efficacy.