cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ST segment depression after Norwood/systemic-pulmonary artery shunt

A three-month-old girl with double inlet left ventricle (S;D;D), hypoplastic outlet ventricle, restrictive bulboventricular foramen, d-transposition of great arteries and interrupted aortic arch underwent Norwood stage 1 operation, systemic to pulmonary artery (PA) shunt and atrial septectomy, and developed ectopic atrial tachycardia that responded to digoxin therapy. She developed fussiness lasting two hours, not associated with cyanosis, and not relieved by feeding. Her pulse oximetry was 88% while breathing room air, and she had no differential blood pressure gradient. Apart from single second heart sound and a grade IV/VI ejection systolic murmur, the examination was normal. Her electrocardiogram and echocardiogram were unchanged. A Holter monitor revealed ST segment depression and T wave inversion upon increasing the heart rate beyond 140 beats/minute (Figs. 1 and 2). A cardiac catheterization showed patent systemic to PA shunt, patent native aorta, and no evidence of coarctation of aorta. After undergoing the second stage operation, her diastolic runoff and symptoms of fussiness disappeared and a surveillance Holter monitor showed better-looking ST segments and T waves even at higher heart rates (Figs. 3 and 4). Three months later, the patient is doing well and is awaiting Fontan completion. Figure 1 Absence of ST segment depression with a heart rate <140 beats/minute in a patient with Norwood/systemic to pulmonary artery shunt with diastolic runoff flow. Figure 2 ST segment depression and T wave inversion with a heart rate >140 beats/minute in a patient with Norwood/systemic to pulmonary artery shunt with diastolic runoff flow. Figure 3 Absence of ST depression with a heart rate <140 beats/minute after stage II palliation with no diastolic runoff flow. Figure 4 Absence of ST depression with a heart rate >140 beats/minute after stage II palliation with no diastolic runoff flow. Despite many advances in the field of pediatric cardiology, the interstage mortality rate remains high [1]. The use of the systemic to PA shunt in the Norwood operation has been complicated by wide pulse pressure, diastolic runoff flow [2,3], uneven distribution of pulmonary blood flow [4], and increased early mortality [5]. Providers need to keep a high index of suspicion for the adverse effects of the diastolic runoff that accompanies the presence of systemic to PA shunts.
An Atomistic-to-Continuum Framework for Nonlinear Crystal Mechanics Based on Asymptotic Homogenization

Abstract Presented is a multiscale methodology enabling description of the fundamental mechanical behavior of crystalline materials at the length scale of a macroscopic continuum (i.e., millimeter resolution) given a characterization of discrete atomic interactions at the nanoscale (i.e., angstrom resolution). Asymptotic homogenization methods permit the calculation of effective mechanical properties (e.g. strain energy, stress, and stiffness) of a representative crystalline volume element containing statistically periodic defect structures. From a numerical standpoint, the theoretical–computational method postulated and implemented here in the context of lattice statics enables prediction of minimum energy configurations of imperfect atomic-scale crystals deformed to finite strain levels. Numerical simulations demonstrate the utility of our framework for the particular case of body-centered-cubic tungsten. Elastic stiffness and energetic properties of periodic unit cells containing vacancies, screw dislocations, and low-angle twist boundaries are computed. Nonlinear aspects of elastic behavior in the context of plastic flow are then modeled from the perspective of atomistic-to-continuum homogenization, following the introduction of a minimal set of kinetic assumptions required to account for the propagation of dislocations across the unit cell at finite deformations.
Structural basis for endothelial nitric oxide synthase binding to calmodulin

The enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is exquisitely regulated in vivo by the Ca2+ sensor protein calmodulin (CaM) to control production of NO, a key signaling molecule and cytotoxin. The differential activation of NOS isozymes by CaM has remained enigmatic, despite extensive research. Here, the crystal lographic structure of Ca2+-loaded CaM bound to a 20 residue peptide comprising the endothelial NOS (eNOS) CaM-binding region establishes their individual conformations and intermolecular interactions, and suggests the basis for isozyme-specific differences. The α-helical eNOS peptide binds in an antiparallel orientation to CaM through extensive hydrophobic interactions. Unique NOS interactions occur with: (i) the CaM flexible central linker, explaining its importance in NOS activation; and (ii) the CaM C-terminus, explaining the NOS-specific requirement for a bulky, hydrophobic residue at position 144. This binding mode expands mechanisms for CaM-mediated activation, explains eNOS deactivation by Thr495 phosphorylation, and implicates specific hydrophobic residues in the Ca2+ independence of inducible NOS.
A two-step approach for clustering proteins based on protein interaction profile

High-throughput methods for detecting protein-protein interactions (PPI) have given researchers an initial global picture of protein interactions on a genomic scale. The huge data sets generated by such experiments pose new challenges in data analysis. Though clustering methods have been successfully applied in many areas in bioinformatics many clustering algorithms cannot be readily applied on protein interaction data sets. One main problem is that the similarity between two proteins cannot be easily defined. This paper proposes a probabilistic model to define the similarity based on conditional probabilities. We then propose a two-step method for estimating the similarity between two proteins based on protein interaction profile. In the first step, the model is trained with proteins with known annotation. Based on this model, similarities are calculated in the second step. Experiments show that our method improves performance.
Synthetic studies of neoclerodane diterpenes from Salvia divinorum: role of the furan in affinity for opioid receptors

Further synthetic modification of the furan ring of salvinorin A (1), the major active component of Salvia divinorum, has resulted in novel neoclerodane diterpenes with opioid receptor affinity and activity. A computational study has predicted 1 to be a reproductive toxicant in mammals and is suggestive that use of 1 may be associated with adverse effects. We report in this study that piperidine 21 and thiomorpholine 23 have been identified as selective partial agonists at kappa opioid receptors. This indicates that additional structural modifications of 1 may provide ligands with good selectivity for opioid receptors but with reduced potential for toxicity.
Stimulated optomechanical excitation of surface acoustic waves in a microdevice.

Brillouin interactions between sound and light can excite mechanical resonances in photonic microsystems, with potential for sensing and frequency reference applications. The authors demonstrate experimental excitation of mechanical resonances ranging from 49 to 1,400 MHz using forward Brillouin scattering.
Growth Patterns in Child Abuse

This study reports clinical details and statistical analysis of linear and body mass growth retardation in a cohort of 260 abused children. Seventy-one children (26%) showed impairment of growth for weight or height; 21 out of 92 children who spent time in foster homes showed catch-up growth whereas only 5 out of 168 never separated from their parents demonstrated improvement in height or weight centiles. Out of 11 children placed in fostercare who were more than 2 SD below the mean for height, 10 demonstrated significant catch-up whereas only 4 out of 28 children who remained in their natural homes did so. Catch-up growth among children who remained at home was generally less than that which occurred in foster homes. In 17 cases diagnosis of growth impairment preceded nonaccidental injury. Growth of growth-retarded children in natural homes was poor. Because of the relationship between poor growth and other parameters of development, children who show catch-up growth in foster homes should probably not be‘rehabilitated’with their natural parents. Key words: Growth impairment, abuse, non-accidental injury.
Maximum likelihood parameter estimation under impulsive conditions, a sub-Gaussian signal approach

In this paper we present an alternative to the Gaussian and Cauchy distributions for modeling stochastic signals. The proposed model has the same impulsiveness as the Cauchy density, but it is derived as a sub-Gaussian process, i.e., a variance mixture of Gaussian random variables.We proceed to use the derived model in the problem of signal parameter estimation through the use of multisensor data. Both the data and noise are assumed to be stochastic. The main problem of interest is the estimation of the DOA and statistics of the signal. A maximum likelihood algorithm is presented for the solution of this problem, and a pseudomaximum-likelihood separable solution approach is derived. Finally, simulations are presented to demonstrate the robustness of the proposed algorithm.
Models for subthreshold and above-threshold currents in 0.1-/spl mu/m pocket n-MOSFETs for low-voltage applications

We present a model for subthreshold current in deep-submicrometer pocket n-MOSFETs based on the diffusion current transport equation, the quasi-two-dimensional (2-D) Poisson equation and a doping-density-dependent mobility model, and a model for above-threshold current in deep-submicrometer pocket n-MOSFETs based on the drift-diffusion current transport equation for nonuniformly doped MOSFETs, the charge-sheet approximation, a solution of the one-dimensional (1-D) Poisson equation, a quasi-2-D model for the velocity saturation region, longitudinal- and transverse-field-dependent mobility models. The analytic models for subthreshold and above-threshold currents are used to efficiently construct viable design spaces locating well-designed 0.1-/spl mu/m pocket n-MOSFETs that meet all the device design specifications of off-state (leakage) current, on-state (drive) current, and power-supply voltage. The model for subthreshold current correctly predicts an increase in off-state current in sub-100 nm pocket n-MOSFETs. The model for above-threshold current generates I/sub D/-V/sub DS/ characteristics of a variety of deep-submicrometer pocket n-MOSFETs.
Parent and Peer Attachment in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence.

This study investigated child and early adolescent relationships with parents and peers within the theoretical framework of attachment. A cross-sectional sample of 279 fourth, sixth, and eighth graders completed two self-report measures assessing attachment to parents and friends. Fourth graders described more trusting and communicative relationships with parents than sixth or eighth graders. Older early adolescents turned to peers to fulfill attachment functions of proximity seeking and safe haven more often than children, although all participants reported that parents primarily served secure base functions. Females reported more trust, communication, and overall attachment to peers than males. Grade, sex, and views of attachment relationships to parents and peers predicted the introduction of friends into the attachment hierarchy. Participants who viewed relationships with parents as less secure were more likely to select peers to fulfill attachment functions. The important and complementary roles of parents and peers and their implications are discussed.
Customizable FPGA IP Core Implementation of a General-Purpose Genetic Algorithm Engine

Hardware implementation of genetic algorithms (GAs) is gaining importance because of their proven effectiveness as optimization engines for real-time applications (e.g., evolvable hardware). Earlier hardware implementations suffer from major drawbacks such as absence of GA parameter programmability, rigid predefined system architecture, and lack of support for multiple fitness functions. In this paper, we report the design of an IP core that implements a general-purpose GA engine that addresses these problems. Specifically, the proposed GA IP core can be customized in terms of the population size, number of generations, crossover and mutation rates, random number generator seed, and the fitness function. It has been successfully synthesized and verified on a Xilinx Virtex II Pro Field programmable gate arrays device (xc2vp30-7ff896) with only 13% logic slice utilization, 1% block memory utilization for GA memory, and a clock speed of 50 MHz. The GA core has been used as a search engine for real-time adaptive healing but can be tailored to any given application by interfacing with the appropriate application-specific fitness evaluation module as well as the required storage memory and by programming the values of the desired GA parameters. The core is soft in nature i.e., a gate-level netlist is provided which can be readily integrated with the user's system. The performance of the GA core was tested using standard optimization test functions. In the hardware experiments, the proposed core either found the globally optimum solution or found a solution that was within 3.7% of the value of the globally optimal solution. The experimental test setup including the GA core achieved a speedup of around 5.16× over an analogous software implementation.
Timing of nuclear progression and protein synthesis necessary for meiotic maturation of bovine oocytes.

In cows, protein synthesis is required for germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD). This study examines more closely the need for protein synthesis and the nuclear changes in the bovine oocyte during 24 h of culture. Bovine oocytes with compact and complete cumulus were washed and incubated in groups of 10 for up to 24 h in SO-pd drops of TCM-199 supplemented with follicle-stimulating hormone (NIAMADD, 0.5 �.Lg/ml), luteinizing hormone (LH) NJAMADD, 5 �.tg/ml), estradiol-17fi (1 �.tg/ml), pyruvate (20 pM), and 10% heattreated fetal calf serum. Medium was overlaid with paraffin oil. Oocytes (n = 891) were fixed at the end of each 3-h interval from 0 to 24 h of culture, or at 24 h after addition of cycloheximide (10 pg/ml at 10 different times during maturation (0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 h; n = 175). At each time point, the chromosomal status of oocytes was evaluated, frequencies were computed, and the time spent on each step was determined. The germinal vesicle (GV) was present from 0 to 6.6 h, GVBD at 6.6 to 8.0 h, chromatin condensation at 8.0 to 10.3 h, metaphase I at 10.3 to 15.4 h, anaphase I at 15.4 to 16.6, telophase I at 16.6 to 18.0 h, and metaphase II at 18.0 to 24 h. Cycloheximide blocked oocyte maturation at GVBD, if added from 0 to 3 h; at chromatin condensation, 4fpresent from 6 to 24 h; and at metaphase 1, when present from 9 to 12 h. When cycloheximide was present from 12 to 24 h an increasing number of oocytes reached metaphase II (19% for 12 h, 36% for 15 h, 51% for 18 h, 90% for 21 h, 94% for 24 h), but many abnormalities were noted:
Learning-enhanced adaptive DSS: a Design Science perspective

The process of acquiring, maintaining, updating, and using appropriate domain-specific knowledge has played an integral role in knowledge-based decision support systems. Although each of these stages is necessary and important, knowledge-based systems that operate in dynamic environments can become quickly stale when core knowledge embedded in these systems are not continually updated to reflect changes in the system over time. Clearly, stale knowledge could be faulty and cannot be relied upon for making decisions and a knowledge-based decision support system with stale knowledge may even be detrimental in the long run. We consider a generic adaptive DSS framework with learning capabilities that continually monitors itself for possible deficit in the knowledge-base, expired or stale knowledge already present in the knowledge-base, and availability of new knowledge from the environment. The knowledge-base is updated through incremental learning. We illustrate the generic knowledge-based adaptive DSS framework using examples from three different application areas. The framework is flexible in being able to be modified or extended to accommodate the idiosyncrasies of the application of interest. The framework considered is an example artifact that naturally satisfies the Design Science perspective.
Uncertainty Modeling of Chloride Contamination and Corrosion of Concrete Bridges

This paper presented a reliability-based approach for the modeling of the deterioration and service life of concrete structures taking into account the uncertainties in the physical modeling, and variability of the material and structural parameters governing the chloride penetration into concrete and corrosion of the reinforcing steel. It illustrated the application of a probabilistic approach for the uncertainty modeling and prediction of chloride contamination of concrete and reinforcement corrosion in bridge structures that are subjected to the application of deicing salts during winter. The proposed probabilistic model provided very good predictions of the level of chloride contamination at different depths as well as the extent of corrosion of the reinforcing steel in the top mat of a deteriorated reinforced concrete bridge deck. The application of such an approach is required in the assessment of safety and serviceability of deteriorating concrete structures in order to ensure that the probability of failure is kept at an acceptable level. A reliability-based prediction of the service life of deteriorating concrete structures provides a rational decision support tool at both the initial design stage and during the operation and maintenance stage. The implementation of such an approach allows adequate control of the safety and serviceability of the structure throughout its service life and yields low life cycle cost.
Management of elderly patients with skin cancer.

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in the United States with over 4million cases in 2012 . The lifetime risk of developing skin cancer is estimated at 1 in 5 . A recent study conducted by the CDC estimates an astounding cost of $8.1 billion per year for skin cancer management . Recent reports have also focused on the rising “financial toxicity” of individual patients burdened with steeply increasing out-of-pocket costs . In the context of the increasing incidence of skin cancer and rising costs, the study conducted by Bouhassira, et al. highlights the need for more effective prevention and management strategies for skin cancer in the elderly. In their retrospective study of 241 geriatric patients over the age of 75 undergoing surgery for skin cancer, 20% of patients had one or more significant surgical complications including dehiscence, infection, and hematoma. Multivariate analysis did not reveal any significant risk factors, however, with the exception of male sex. Histologic type and positive margins on initial resectionwere associatedwithhigher complication rates. In critically evaluating this manuscript, it is important to note the patient population that is comprised of a higher risk cohort of patients may not be generalizable to all elderly patients with skin cancer. Specifically, all cases in this study were taken from a multidisciplinary consultation clinic at a tertiary care University setting in France specialized for skin tumors. In addition, all surgeries were performed in the operating room by a plastic surgery team, which may be associated with a higher complication rate than typical skin cancer procedures performed in
Constructing the public will: How political actors in New York State construct, assess, and use public opinion in penal policy making

Prior research has failed to attend adequately to the ways in which state-level political actors in the USA think about and relate to public opinion. While some research has considered how politica...
Research Advances in Augmented Truck Vision for Safe Surface Mining Operations

Copyright: © 2013 Frimpong S. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The creation and maintenance of a healthy working environment in surface mining operations require sustained efforts in pursuing advanced research initiatives toward the development and deployment of powered haulage technologies. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) indicates that, out of the 250 fatalities reported from 1998 to 2002 for surface mining operations, 40% was attributed to powered haulage. Within the same period, MSHA reports that 14% of total days lost and 9% of lost time injuries were attributed to powered haulage [1]. Ruff [2] states that about 675 accidents and 21 fatalities, involving powered haulage equipment, occur each year in surface mining operations. A significant 20 percent of these accidents involve off-highway dump trucks. Many practical solutions and fundamental research have been carried out to improve truck-haul road engagement and reduce dump truck collisions [3]. However, truck tirehaul road engagement, and collision problems persist in surface mining operations. Any meaningful and practical solutions must be focused on the entire truck operating paradigm from loading through loaded and empty haulage to dumping operations. Attention must focus on truck dynamics, collision avoidance and overall situational awareness of operator’s environments. Dump truck dynamics are essential for ensuring stability, and effective tire-ground engagement for efficient operations in challenging terrains. Collision and enhanced situational awareness in difficult environments are also major challenges associated with the operation of these dump trucks as a result of the increasing “blind” areas around the trucks and the operating environment. The sources of these likely collision hazards and lack of perceptual awareness include machine design, which provides limited operator’s field of view, terrain geometry problems, random intrusions by humans and animals, low clearance between passing trucks on horizontal curves, and problems at service stations (Figure 1).
The Environment as a Factor for Locating Nuclear Electrical Facilities in the United States

(1980). The Environment as a Factor for Locating Nuclear Electrical Facilities in the United States. Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography: Vol. 62, No. 1, pp. 39-46.
SOLAR WIND COLLISIONAL AGE FROM A GLOBAL MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS SIMULATION

Simple estimates of the number of Coulomb collisions experienced by the interplanetary plasma to the point of observation, i.e., the "collisional age", can be usefully employed in the study of non-thermal features of the solar wind. Usually these estimates are based on local plasma properties at the point of observation. Here we improve the method of estimation of the collisional age by employing solutions obtained from global three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics simulations. This enables evaluation of the complete analytical expression for the collisional age without using approximations. The improved estimation of the collisional timescale is compared with turbulence and expansion timescales to assess the relative importance of collisions. The collisional age computed using the approximate formula employed in previous work is compared with the improved simulation-based calculations to examine the validity of the simplified formula. We also develop an analytical expression for the evaluation of the collisional age and we find good agreement between the numerical and analytical results. Finally, we briefly discuss the implications for an improved estimation of collisionality along spacecraft trajectories, including Solar Probe Plus.
SPADES: Software for Synthesizing Spatial 4C Mechanisms

In this paper we present SPADES, an interactive graphics based software package for SPA tial mechanism DES ign. The program provides a platform for the synthesis of a mechanism that guides a body through either three or four prescribed positions in space. The purpose of this work is to assemble the current spatial 4C synthesis theory into a software package that is useful for spatial mechanism design and research.
A 5GHz all-passive negative feedback network for RF front-end self-steering beam-forming with zero DC power consumption

This paper presents an all-passive negative feedback network to perform autonomous RF front-end beam-forming towards the direction of the incident RF beam. The beam-forming front-end block consists of a passive network for RF signal processing, voltage rectifiers, and voltage-controlled phase shifters, all of which are passive components and consume zero DC power. A proof-of-concept 4-element self-steering beam-forming block at 5GHz is implemented in a standard 130nm CMOS process and occupies an area of 4.1mm2. The measurements demonstrate that a high-quality 4-element array factor is successfully synthesized for the input progressive phase shift from −120° to +120°. At an input power Pin of −17dBm/element, the normalized array factor is −4.3dB/−3.2dB at +90°/−90° input progressive phase shift in the closed-loop operation, out-performing reported active self-steering beam-formers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of an all-passive network for front-end self-steering beam-forming with zero DC power.
ProatherogenIc Inflamatory mRNAs Have structural Features for Being Regulated by MicroRNAs

Abstract Abstract 5316 The current literature focusing on miRNAs has failed to adequately address two important questions - how miRNAs modulate atherogenic inflammatory genes from a panoramic viewpoint and whether the augmented expression of the atherogenic inflammatory genes is the result of miRNAs suppression. To resolve these knowledge gaps, we have employed a novel database mining technique in conjunction with statistical analysis criteria established from experimentally verified miRNAs. Utilizing this strategy we were able to conclude that the expression of 33 inflammatory genes is upregulated in atherosclerotic lesions and that these genes contain structural features in the 3'UTR of their mRNA for potential miRNAs regulation. Additionally, the binding features governing the interactions between the miRNAs and the inflammatory genes were statistically identical to the features of experimentally verified miRNAs. It was also determined that 21 (64%) of the 33 inflammatory genes were targeted by highly expressed miRNAs while the remaining 12 genes (36%) were targeted by normally expressed miRNAs. In addition, 10 of the 21 highly expressed miRNA-targeted inflammatory genes (48%) were targeted by a single miRNA, suggesting miRNA regulation specificity. Furthermore, 12 (48%) out of the 25 miRNAs found to meet our criteria targeted individual inflammatory genes while the other 13 miRNAs targeted multiple inflammatory genes. These results indicate a critical role of miRNAs in regulating proatherogenic inflammatory gene expression. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Evaluating Novel Memory System Alternatives for Speculative Multithreaded Computer Systems

This work models and evaluates a new cache structure for scalable multithreaded computer systems. Multithreaded architectures that support the speculative execution of multiple concurrent threads of execution require a special speculative memory buffer to detect and potentially correct dependences at run time. The main question being addressed in this study is whether this speculative memory buffer should be merged with a nonspeculative cache, or kept separate. As a related question, we also evaluate whether the traditional cache structure should be private to each processing element, or whether the cache should be shared among all processing elements. Our results and cost-for-performance analysis show that, on average, the novel hybrid level-1 data cache (which merges a distributed level-1 data cache with the speculative memory buffer) has a 13% slowdown as compared to an ideal shared level-1 cache with separate speculative memory buffers. The distributed level-1 cache with separate speculative memory buffer showed, on average, a 4% speedup compared to an ideal shared level-1 cache with separate speculative memory buffers.
Tethered Cord as a Complication of Chronic Cerebral Spinal Fluid Diversion.

Introduction The etiology and treatment of tethered cord syndrome remains controversial, especially in adults. We present an unusual case of tethered cord syndrome with an associated epidural lipomatosis likely due to chronic over shunting of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Methods A 25-year-old woman had a history of Chiari malformation, hydrocephalus, and a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. She demonstrated progressively worsening gait, which led to a diagnosis of myelopathy and a posterior cervical decompression and fusion was performed. Imaging revealed engorgement of the epidural veins ventral to the spinal cord which was causing cord compression. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the lumbar spine demonstrated a low-lying conus at the level of L2-L3 with an absence of CSF in the lumbar cistern. This was associated with this was a widening of the epidural space with secondary epidural lipomatosis. She underwent a laminectomy of L5 as well as decompression of the inferior aspect of the L4 and superior aspect of the S1 lamina. No free flow of CSF could ever be appreciated as was suggested by postoperative MR imaging. Postoperatively, the patient did well and was discharged in stable condition. Conclusion Tethering of the spinal cord, associated with epidural lipomatosis, may be secondary to over-drainage of CSF. Symptoms of back pain and tethered cord phenomenon may warrant surgical intervention.
Strata: A Cross Media File System

Current hardware and application storage trends put immense pressure on the operating system's storage subsystem. On the hardware side, the market for storage devices has diversified to a multi-layer storage topology spanning multiple orders of magnitude in cost and performance. Above the file system, applications increasingly need to process small, random IO on vast data sets with low latency, high throughput, and simple crash consistency. File systems designed for a single storage layer cannot support all of these demands together. We present Strata, a cross-media file system that leverages the strengths of one storage media to compensate for weaknesses of another. In doing so, Strata provides performance, capacity, and a simple, synchronous IO model all at once, while having a simpler design than that of file systems constrained by a single storage device. At its heart, Strata uses a log-structured approach with a novel split of responsibilities among user mode, kernel, and storage layers that separates the concerns of scalable, high-performance persistence from storage layer management. We quantify the performance benefits of Strata using a 3-layer storage hierarchy of emulated NVM, a flash-based SSD, and a high-density HDD. Strata has 20-30% better latency and throughput, across several unmodified applications, compared to file systems purpose-built for each layer, while providing synchronous and unified access to the entire storage hierarchy. Finally, Strata achieves up to 2.8x better throughput than a block-based 2-layer cache provided by Linux's logical volume manager.
Repigmentation of Tenacious Vitiligo on Apremilast.

Vitiligo is a common pigment disorder characterized by acquired loss of function or absence of melanocytes, leading to distinct areas of depigmentation. Physical exam reveals sharply demarcated, depigmented macules or patches on otherwise normal skin. Vitiligo can present at any age, in any skin color. There is no specific serologic marker for diagnosis, but patients often have other autoimmune problems. Treatment options are limited and are difficult given the fact that the pathogenesis of the disease is not well elucidated. We present the case of a 52-year-old woman with vitiligo for over 2 decades. The patient’s medical history reveals a lack of response to many different approaches. This case highlights the ability of apremilast, an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, to achieve repigmentation in a case a vitiligo that has been extremely recalcitrant.
Typeface size and weight and word location influence on relative size judgments in tag clouds

Abstract This paper focuses on viewers’ perception of the relative size of words presented in tag clouds. Tag clouds are a type of visualization that displays the contents of a document as a cluster (cloud) of key words (tags) with frequency (importance) indicated by tag word features such as size or color, with variation of size within a tag cloud being the most common indicator of tag importance. Prior studies have shown that word size is the most influential factor of tag importance and tag memory. Systematic biases in relative size perception in tag clouds are therefore likely to have important implications for viewer understanding of tag cloud visualizations. Significant under- and over-perception of the relative size of tag words were observed, depending on the relative size ratio of the target tag words compared. The qualitative change in the direction of the estimation bias was predicted by a simple power-law model for size perception. This bias in relative size perception was modulated somewhat by a change to a bold typeface, but the typeface effect varied in a complex manner with the size and location of the tags. The results provide a first report of systematic biases in relative size judgment in tag clouds, suggest that, to a first approximation, simple power-law scaling models developed for simple displays containing 1–2 objects on a blank background, may be applicable to relative size judgments in complex tag clouds. The results may provide useful design guidance for tag cloud designers.
A Biomechanical Comparison of Fifth Metatarsal Jones Fracture Fixation Methods

Background:Fifth metatarsal base fractures of the metaphyseal-diaphyseal watershed junction (Jones fracture) are commonly treated with surgical fixation in athletes. Intramedullary screw fixation remains the most utilized construct, although plantar-lateral plating is an alternative.Purpose/Hypothesis:The purpose was to compare the mechanical strength of fracture fixation between an intramedullary screw and plantar-lateral plating. The hypothesis was that plantar-lateral plate fixation would allow for more cycles and higher peak loads before failure, as well as less fracture gapping, than would an intramedullary screw in cadaveric foot specimens with simulated Jones fractures exposed to cantilever bending.Study Design:Controlled laboratory study.Methods:Twelve pairs of male cadaver feet were separated into 2 groups (plate or screw) to conduct contralateral comparative testing of 2 devices with equally numbered right and left feet. For each fifth metatarsal, an osteotomy with a microsagittal saw was create...
Neuro Critical Care

The geriatric patient population is expanding at a rate that exceeds the rate of development of geriatric-centered treatment algorithms and multidisciplinary treatment teams. Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injury in this patient population, and comorbidities such as atherosclerotic disease and hypertension lead to ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Multiple studies have shown that age is an independent risk factor for worsened neurologic outcomes in the setting of both trauma and stroke. With “baby boomers” living longer due to medical advancement, there has been a dramatic shift in the patient population encountered in the intensive care (ICU) across the country. In addition, the aging brain and its physiologic changes present a formidable challenge to the current evidence-based neurocritical care algorithms practiced in the ICU. In this chapter we discuss neurocritical care management guideline of traumatic brain injury and stroke, based on the Brain Trauma Foundation and American Herat Association/American Stroke Association’s recent recommendations, and evaluate recent literature as it relates to the geriatric population.
Ultra low-power transceiver SoC designs for IoT, NB-IoT applications

Boot up sequence (load code Flash) • Prefer — Ramp PMU (BG, LDO, charge large capacitors) — XTAL (milliseconds) — Synthesizers (10's to 100's of usec) — Calibration (Frequency, AGC, etc.) — PA (ramp up power to minimize spurious emissions).
Feasibility study of a combined lifestyle behaviors and asthma self-management intervention for school-aged children.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to test the feasibility of delivering an intervention that combines healthy lifestyle behaviors related to weight management with asthma self-management, the Living Healthy with Asthma intervention, to children who have asthma. METHODS AND DESIGN Using a mixed design, the feasibility study of the 12-week Living Healthy with Asthma intervention was conducted with a single group of children diagnosed with asthma. Pretest and posttest data were collected on asthma-related (self-management, metered dose inhaler [MDI] skill, asthma severity, quality of life [QOL]), and healthy lifestyle variables (body mass index [BMI], dietary quality). A matched comparison sample was drawn from a separate study that tested the same asthma self-management component (single intervention) used in the feasibility study to determine if the Living Healthy with Asthma intervention worked as well as the single intervention for improving children's asthma self-management. RESULTS Thirteen school-aged children were enrolled in the feasibility study. There were significant reductions in BMI z-scores (P = 0.007), and improvements in vegetable servings (P = 0.03), MDI skill (P = 0.005), children's QOL (P < 0.001), and parents' QOL (P = 0.03). When comparing the feasibility group with the matched comparison group (n = 13), there were no significant differences in asthma self-management, MDI skill, or asthma severity after the interventions. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Findings supported the feasibility of implementing the combined intervention, and it was not inferior to the single intervention-which supports nurses' efforts to help families manage multiple health problems.
Managing the Stress of Aging: The Role of Control and Coping

From many different quarters today, there is the demand for more personal control: Students complain that they have no control over the political process, persons in poverty complain that they have no control over economic resources, and old people complain that they have little control over anything (Averill: 1973). Of all these groups, the plight of the aged is probably the most serious. According to a recent Harris poll conducted in the United States (1975) the majority of the American public views older people as passive, sedentary types who have lost the open-mindedness, mental alertness, and efficiency of the young, and who spend a good deal of their time off by themselves and dwelling on the past.Quite clearly, the transition from adulthood to old age often does represent a loss of control, both physiologically and psychologically (Birren: 1958; Gould: 1972). However, it is as yet unclear just how much of this change is biologically determined and how much is a function of the environment. The ability to sustain a sense of personal control in old age may be greatly influenced by societal factors, and this in turn may affect one’s physical well-being.
Simulation of Magnetic Impurities in Metals

I discuss a Monte Carlo method to study properties of a few magnetic impurities in an electron gas. Results for the magnetic susceptibility of a single impurity show the expected universal Kondo behavior at low temperatures. Other properties of a single impurity as well as properties of two magnetic impurities are discussed.
Assessment of Cardiovascular Health among Community-Dwelling Men with Incarceration History.

Returning to the community after incarceration is a particularly vulnerable time with significantly increased risk of death in the first 2 weeks. The elevated risk of death persists as long as 2 years, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) among the leading causes. African-Americans, especially African-American men, have higher rates of incarceration and community supervision (e.g., probation and parole) and an earlier onset of hypertension compared to Whites. Few studies have objectively assessed the cardiovascular health profile of criminal justice involved individuals. This study is designed to determine the cardiovascular health profile among men in community corrections and/or transitional housing, identify the prevalence of key CVD risk factors, and assess if risk varies by race/ethnicity. We recruited 100 adult men (mean age = 42.7, SD = 11.35, 60% White, 40% non-Hispanic White) with a history of incarceration in jail or prison of ≥ 6 months during their most recent incarceration and enrolled in a community corrections program. Using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7™ (LS-7), measures of each of the LS-7 components (body mass index, blood pressure, lipids, blood glucose, smoking, diet, and physical activity) were obtained, and LS-7 scores were generated for each measure using AHA-defined categories of poor (1 point), intermediate (2 points), and ideal (3 points) and summed to yield a total score ranging from poor for all (7 points) to ideal for all (21 points). Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to assess differences in LS-7 scores (poor, intermediate, ideal) by race/ethnicity. Additionally, an independent samples t test was conducted for race/ethnicity and LS-7 total score. Mann-Whitney U tests for LS-7 categories and race/ethnicity indicated a greater number of non-Whites had poor blood pressure (p < .01) and diet (p < .05) as compared to Whites. The independent samples t test demonstrated significantly lower LS-7 scores for non-Whites compared to Whites. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate cardiovascular health among individuals with a history of incarceration using the LS-7 metric, which included objective measures for four of the seven LS-7 metrics. Non-Whites, which included African-Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians, were more likely than Whites to fall into the poor category for both diet and blood pressure and had significantly lower total LS-7 scores than Whites, indicating they have worse scores across all seven of the LS-7 measures. Similar to what is found among non-incarcerated samples, non-Whites with incarceration histories are at elevated risk for cardiovascular events relative to their White peers.
A Lightweight Communication Runtime for Distributed Graph Analytics

Distributed-memory multi-core clusters enable in-memory processing of very large graphs with billions of nodes and edges. Recent distributed graph analytics systems have been built on top of MPI. However, communication in graph applications is very irregular, and each host exchanges different amounts of non-contiguous data with other hosts. MPI does not support such a communication pattern well, and it has limited ability to integrate communication with serialization, deserialization, and graph computation tasks. In this paper, we describe a lightweight communication runtime called LCI that supports a large number of threads on each host and avoids the semantic mismatches between the requirements of graph computations and the communication library in MPI. The implementation of LCI is informed by lessons learnt from two baseline MPI-based implementations. We have successfully integrated LCI with two state-of-the-art graph analytics systems - Gemini and Abelian. LCI improves the latency up to 3.5x for microbenchmarks compared to MPI solutions and improves the end-to-end performance of distributed graph algorithms by up to 2x.
Rodríguez, E.(2016). DissertationesAenerianae: Disertaciones de Enerio Sobre Temas Diversos,Editora Funglode, 2016,616. ISBN: 978-9945-590-57-9

Esta revision trata con un resumen de los temas principales en el libro del Profesor Enerio Rodriguez, el primer profesional que obtuvo el grado de "Licenciado en Psicologia" en la Republica Dominicana. En ese libro, el Profesor Enerio reporta sus aportaciones en diferentes areas de la psicologia, en la filosofia de la ciencia con enfasis en temas psicologicos, y en los prolemas metodologicos y experimentales contemporaneos en la psicologia.
Programmed Necrosis-mediated Cell Death and Disease: Recent Advances

Cell death classification has been based on morphological characteristics for decades. Modern advances in molecular technology enabled us to explore cell death pathways on a level of unprecedented detail. While necrosis has been considered a negative unpreventable form of cell death, recent findings demonstrate that a subtype of necrosis, namely necroptosis, is a regulated programmed process. Hence, therapeutic intervention to inhibit necroptosis-mediated loss of cells in a disease process is possible. This review highlights recent advances in programmed necrosis (necroptosis) and its potential relationship to human disease.
Capsulectomy, Implant Exchange, and Placement of Acellular Dermal Matrix Is Effective in Treating Capsular Contracture in Breast Augmentation Patients

BACKGROUND Capsular contracture is a common complication of breast augmentation surgery and many techniques to prevent and treat it have been suggested with inconsistent or variably effective results. OBJECTIVES The aim of this paper was to describe a protocol for treating established capsular contracture after breast augmentation with a low recurrence rate. METHODS From January 2009 to December 2012, 79 previous bilateral breast augmentation patients presented for treatment of established capsular contracture. There were 135 breasts with capsular contracture: 56 were bilateral and 23 were unilateral. Ten patients opted for no treatment; 2 patients opted for implant removal. Twenty-four were treated with the ICES (implant exchange, capsulectomy, and possible exchange of site) protocol and 43 were treated with the SPICES (Strattice placement in the reconstructive position, implant exchange, capsulectomy, and possible exchange of site) protocol. RESULTS The 24 patients treated with the ICES protocol had a recurrent capsular contracture rate of 15%. The 43 patients treated with the SPICES protocol had a 2.7% recurrent capsular contracture incidence and an 2.7% complication rate. CONCLUSIONS Capsular contracture after breast augmentation, whether primary or recurrent, can be successfully treated with the SPICES protocol. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4
Multidrug Resistance Bacterial Infection

The treatment of infectious diseases has relied on antibiotics – medications that target the pathogens that are causing harm and neutralize them. Unfortunately, with the increasing use of antibiotics, sometimes unnecessarily and inappropriately, the pathogens have adapted to become resistant against them. The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria has been a rising threat in the medical system causing more morbidity and mortality on top of increased cost. This chapter aims to briefly discuss the most common multidrug-resistant bacterial infections and how to manage them, from the enterococci (Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium) to Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-intermediate/vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). The chapter also discusses the gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae, from the extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae to the carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.