Efficient Circuit-Level Implementation of Knuth-Based Balanced and Nearly-Balanced Codes

Coding schemes are often used in high-speed processor-processor or processor-memory busses in digital systems. In particular, we have introduced (in a 2012 DesignCon paper) a zero sum (ZS) signaling method which uses balanced or nearly-balanced coding to reduce simultaneous switching noise (SSN) in a single-ended bus to a level comparable to that of differential signaling. While several balanced coding schemes are known, few papers exist that describe the necessary digital hardware implementations of (known) balanced coding schemes, and no algorithms had previously been developed for nearly-balanced coding. In this work, we extend a known balanced coding scheme to accommodate nearly-balanced coding and demonstrate a range of coding and decoding circuits through synthesis in 65 nm CMOS. These hardware implementations have minimal impact on the energy efficiency and area when compared to current serializer/deserializers (SerDes) at clock rates which would support SerDes integration.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figures, DesignCon 201

Efficacy of Fidaxomicin Versus Vancomycin as Therapy for Clostridium difficile Infection in Individuals Taking Concomitant Antibiotics for Other Concurrent Infections

Concomitant antibiotic (CA) use compromised initial response to Clostridium difficile infection therapy and durability of that response. Fidaxomicin was significantly more effective than vancomycin in achieving clinical cure in the presence of CAs and preventing recurrence regardless of CA use

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.Comment: 5th version as accepted to PASP; 31 pages, 18 figures; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/acb29

Perceptions of Inpatient Rehabilitation Changes After the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service 2010 Regulatory Updates Contrasted With Actual Performance

Objectives: To compare and contrast subjective perceptions with objective compliance of the impact of the 2010 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service updates of the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual. Design or Setting: Cross-sectional survey. Participants and Methods: An electronic survey was sent by the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation to all enrolled inpatient rehabilitation facility subscribers (n = 817). The survey was sent April 15, 2011, and responses were tabulated if they were received by May 15, 2011. Main Outcome Measurements: Comparing and contrasting of the subjective perception to objective evaluation and/or compliance with the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual on case mix index, length of stay, admissions by diagnostic category as well as perception of preadmission screening, postadmission evaluation, plan of care, and interdisciplinary conferencing. Results: Twenty-five percent of the 817 facilities responded, for a total of 209 responses. Complete data were present in 148 of the respondents. For most diagnostic categories, perception of change did not mirror reality of change; neither did the perception between change in case mix index and length of stay. Perception did match reality in stroke and multiple trauma cases; respondents perceived an increase in admissions for the 2 impairments, and there was an overall increase in reality. Conclusion: Comparison with actual data identified that gaps exist between diagnostic category perceptions and actual diagnostic category admission performance. Regulations such as the 75%-60% rule and audit focus on non-neurologic conditions as well as actual inpatient rehabilitation facility program payment reports may have influenced respondents perceptions to change associated with the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual modifications. This disparity between perception and actual data may have implications for programmatic planning, forecasting, and resource allocation. © 2014 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Risk Factors for Discharge to an Acute Care Hospital From Inpatient Rehabilitation Among Stroke Patients

Objective: To identify medical and functional health risk factors for being discharged directly to an acute-care hospital from an inpatient rehabilitation facility among patients who have had a stroke. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Academic medical center. Participants: A total of 783 patients with a primary diagnosis of stroke seen from 2008 to 2012; 60 were discharged directly to an acute-care hospital and 723 were discharged to other settings, including community and other institutional settings. Methods or Interventions: Logistic regression analysis. Main Outcome Measurements: Direct discharge to an acute care hospital compared with other discharge settings from the inpatient rehabilitation unit. Results: No significant differences in demographic characteristics were found between the 2 groups. The adjusted logistic regression model revealed 2 significant risk factors for being discharged to an acute care hospital: admission motor Functional Independence Measure total score (odds ratio 0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.95-0.99) and enteral feeding at admission (odds ratio 2.87, 95% confidence interval 1.34-6.13). The presence of a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid-tiered comorbidity trended toward significance. Conclusion: Based on this research, we identified specific medical and functional health risk factors in the stroke population that affect the rate of discharge to an acute-care hospital. With active medical and functional management, early identification of these critical components may lead to the prevention of stroke patients from being discharged to an acute-care hospital from the inpatient rehabilitation setting. © 2014 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Interactions of Cu(I) with Selenium-Containing Amino Acids Determined by NMR, XAS, and DFT Studies

Cu(I) coordination by organoselenium compounds was recently reported as a mechanism for their prevention of copper-mediated DNA damage. To establish whether direct Se–Cu coordination may be involved in selenium antioxidant activity, Cu(I) coordination of the selenoamino acids methyl-<i>Se</i>-cysteine (MeSeCys) and selenomethionine (SeMet) was investigated. NMR results in D₂O indicate that Cu(I) binds to the Se atom of both MeSeCys and SeMet as well as the carboxylic acid oxygen atom(s) or amine nitrogen atoms. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and density functional theory (DFT) results confirm Se–Cu coordination, with the identification of a 2.4 Å Se–Cu vector in both the Se- and Cu-EXAFS data. XAS studies also show Cu(I) in an unusual three-coordinate environment with the additional two ligands arising from O/N (2.0 Å). DFT models of 1:1 Cu-selenoamino acid complexes suggest that both selenoamino acids coordinate Cu(I) through the selenium and amino groups, with the third ligand assumed to be water. These compounds represent the first structurally characterized copper(I) complexes with sulfur- or selenium-containing amino acids