This study sought to determine brain nicotine kinetics from the use of increasingly popular electronic cigarettes (E-cigs). Methods: Brain uptake of nicotine following inhalation from E-cigs was directly assessed in 17 E-cig users (8 females), using ¹¹C-nicotine and positron emission tomography. The brain nicotine kinetics parameters from E-cigs were compared with those from smoking combustible cigarettes (C-cigs). Results: After inhalation of a single puff of E-cig vapor, brain nicotine concentration rose quickly (mean T1/2 27 sec) with a peak amplitude 25% higher in females than males, resembling previous observations with C-cigs. Nonetheless, brain nicotine accumulation from E-cigs was smaller than that from C-cigs in both males and females (24% and 32%, respectively). Conclusion: E-cigs can deliver nicotine rapidly to the brain. Therefore, to the extent that rapid brain uptake promotes smoking reward, e-cigarettes might maintain a degree of nicotine dependence and also serve as non-combustible substitutes for cigarettes.

Evidence shows using electronic health records can increase efficiency, and reduce preventable medical errors - but only if they are used properly. However, in the US, the president of the American Medical Association calls them almost unusable. In this debate, Richard Hurley is joined by George Gellert, Regional Medical Informatics Officer at...

Dentists who have had a dental plan payment check lost in the mail could consider a way to receive safe and secure payment through electronic funds transfer payments.

Despite the ADA Council on Dental Benefits’ efforts, the practice of using automated electronic means for verifying eligibility and benefits, checking claim status or receiving and reconciling payment remains underutilized by many dental providers according to an index, said Dr. Randall Markarian, council chair.

OBJECTIVE

We analyzed data from inpatients with diabetes admitted to a large university hospital to predict the risk of hypoglycemia through the use of machine learning algorithms.

Yanjun Qian, Jianhua Z. Huang, Chiwoo Park, Yu Ding.

Source: The Annals of Applied Statistics, Volume 13, Number 3, 1537--1563.

Abstract:
In situ transmission electron microscope (TEM) adds a promising instrument to the exploration of the nanoscale world, allowing motion pictures to be taken while nano objects are initiating, crystalizing and morphing into different sizes and shapes. To enable in-process control of nanocrystal production, this technology innovation hinges upon a solution addressing a statistical problem, which is the capability of online tracking a dynamic, time-varying probability distribution reflecting the nanocrystal growth. Because no known parametric density functions can adequately describe the evolving distribution, a nonparametric approach is inevitable. Towards this objective, we propose to incorporate the dynamic evolution of the normalized particle size distribution into a state space model, in which the density function is represented by a linear combination of B-splines and the spline coefficients are treated as states. The closed-form algorithm runs online updates faster than the frame rate of the in situ TEM video, making it suitable for in-process control purpose. Imposing the constraints of curve smoothness and temporal continuity improves the accuracy and robustness while tracking the probability distribution. We test our method on three published TEM videos. For all of them, the proposed method is able to outperform several alternative approaches.

KM Harris
Aug 1, 1989; 9:2982-2997
Articles

Adolescent use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has increased dramatically, with younger and nicotine-naive adolescents starting to use these devices and use them more frequently than combustible cigarettes. In emerging evidence, it is shown that e-cigarettes are not effective in helping adult smokers quit and that youth using e-cigarettes are at risk for becoming nicotine dependent and continuing to use as adults. Important gaps in our knowledge remain regarding the long-term health impact of e-cigarettes, effective strategies to prevent and reduce adolescent e-cigarette use, and the impact of provider screening and counseling to address this new method of nicotine use.

Electronic cigarettes are battery-powered devices that simulate tobacco cigarettes by vaporizing nicotine and other chemicals into an inhalable mist. They have gained popularity around the world, but little is known about their safety and addictive properties.

Among Polish youth, electronic cigarettes are the fourth most common source of nicotine after cigarettes, waterpipes, and snuff. For those aged between 15 and 24 years, ever use of an electronic cigarette was 20.9%, and 30-day use was 6.9%. (Read the full article)

Electronic health record (EHR) uptake by US hospitals has been slow, including among children’s hospitals. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health program, which began in 2011, offers incentives for adoption and meaningful use of EHRs.

Using an annual survey, we evaluated how children’s hospitals have progressed in EHR adoption from 2008 through the start of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health program and assessed their ability to meaningfully use EHRs. (Read the full article)

Stable health insurance coverage facilitates access to health care. Despite expanded coverage options for children, parents report barriers to accessing insurance programs for their children, including uncertainty about a child’s coverage status and eligibility.

Electronic health records can be used as an emerging data source for conducting health insurance surveillance to track trends in patients’ insurance coverage status, and to identify patients who may benefit from outreach and support to obtain and maintain coverage. (Read the full article)

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders have a higher comorbidity burden than the general pediatric population, including higher rates of seizures, psychiatric illness, and gastrointestinal disorders.

Comorbidities do not occur evenly. Our clustering analysis reveals subgroups characterized by seizure, psychiatric disorders, and complex multisystem disorders including auditory and gastrointestinal disorders. Correlations between seizure, psychiatric disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders are validated on a sample from a second hospital. (Read the full article)

Electronic cigarettes have unknown health risks and youth and young adults increasingly use them. E-cigarette companies are marketing e-cigarettes using television ads. The content of these ads may appeal to young people because they emphasize themes of independence and maturity.

E-cigarette companies advertise to a broad television audience that includes 24 million youth. The reach and frequency of these ads increased dramatically between 2011 and 2013. If current trends continue, youth awareness and use of e-cigarettes are likely to increase. (Read the full article)

Concerns as well as hopes regarding electronic games have led researchers to study the influence of games on children, yet studies to date have largely examined potential positive and negative effects in isolation and using samples of convenience.

Results from this nationally representative study of children 10 to 15 years indicated low levels of regular daily play related to better psychosocial adjustment, compared with no play, whereas the opposite was true for those engaging in high daily play. (Read the full article)

Frequency of influenza vaccination is low, partially because of missed opportunities to vaccinate. Barriers to implementing successful influenza vaccination reminders in the electronic health record include alert fatigue and incomplete vaccination information due to scattered records.

A noninterruptive, immunization information system–linked influenza vaccination reminder can increase vaccination late in the winter when fewer vaccine doses are usually administered. Tailoring the reminder to clinicians’ needs can increase its use. (Read the full article)

In 2009, only 58% of pediatricians were using electronic health records (EHRs), most of which were lacking pediatric functionality. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 accelerated the implementation of EHRs in pediatric offices.

The effects of ARRA have remained largely unmeasured in pediatrics. This study provides information on the prevalence and functionalities of EHRs, as well as physicians’ perceptions. (Read the full article)

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use in adolescence is increasing. E-cigarette use has been associated with cigarette use, but there has been little study of other psychosocial risk factors for e-cigarette use and their relationship with cigarette use.

Approval and use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes among friends and family were strongly associated with cigarette and e-cigarette use in a cohort of adolescents in southern California. (Read the full article)

Electronic cigarette use among youth is rising exponentially. Among other concerns, modified electronic cigarettes can be used to vaporize cannabis. However, no scientific data have been published on the rates of using electronic cigarettes to vaporize cannabis among youth.

This study presents rates of vaporizing cannabis among a sample of high school students (N = 3847). Rates of vaporizing cannabis were high among lifetime e-cigarette users (18.0%), lifetime cannabis users (18.4%), and lifetime dual cannabis and e-cigarette users (26.5%). (Read the full article)

NEW CASTLE (June 26, 2019) – Governor John Carney has signed into law House Bill 81, which mandates that employers with 50 or more employees remit child support payments to the Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) by electronic funds transfer (EFT) or electronic data interchange (EDI). The law […]

Industry executives say the slump in electronics could only deepen in the first quarter of this fiscal, mainly due to the lockdown, and further accelerate a slide in the overall merchandise exports.

WILMINGTON, Del. –  Governor John Carney on Friday authorized all meetings of public bodies to be conducted electronically until further notice. Governor Carney on Thursday issued a State of Emergency declaration to prepare for the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). The emergency declaration allows the State of Delaware executive branch agencies to conduct public meetings electronically to […]

Social distancing recommended in response to state of emergency.

The post Division offices open but electronic interaction urged appeared first on Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs - State of Delaware.

EDA investor and former executive Jim Hogan is optimistic about automotive electronics, but he has some concerns as well. At the recent Design Automation Conference (DAC 2015), he delivered a speech titled “The Looming Quality, Reliability, and Safety Crisis in Automotive Electronics...Why is it and what can we do to avoid it?"

Hogan gave the keynote speech for IP Talks!, a series of over 30 half-hour presentations located at the ChipEstimate.com booth. Presenters included ARM, Cadence, eSilicon, Kilopass, Sidense, SilabTech, Sonics, Synopsys, True Circuits, and TSMC. Held in an informal setting, the talks addressed the challenges faced by SoC design teams and showed how the latest developments in semiconductor IP can contribute to design success.

Jim Hogan delivers keynote speech at DAC 2015 IP Talks!

Hogan talked about several phases of automotive electronics. These include assisted driving to avoid collisions, controlled automation of isolated tasks such as parallel parking, and, finally, fully autonomous vehicles, which Hogan expects to see in 15 to 20 years. The top immediate priorities for automotive electronics designers, he said, will be government regulation, fuel economy, advanced safety, and infotainment.

More Code than a Boeing 777

According to Hogan, today’s automobiles use 50-100 microcontrollers per car, resulting in a worldwide automotive semiconductor market of around $40 billion. The global market for advanced automotive electronics is expected to reach $240 billion by 2020. Software is growing faster in the automotive market than it is in smartphones. Hogan quoted a Ford vice president who observed that there are more lines of code in a Ford Fusion car than a Boeing 777 airplane.

One unique challenge for automotive electronics designers is long-term reliability. This is because a typical U.S. car stays on the road for 15 years, Hogan said. Americans are holding onto new vehicles for a record 71.4 months.

Another challenge is regulatory compliance. Aeronautics is highly regulated from manufacturing to air traffic control, and the same will probably be true of automated cars. Hogan speculated that the Department of Transportation will be the regulatory authority for autonomous cars. Today, automotive electronics providers must comply with the ISO26262 automotive functional safety specification.

So where do we go from here? “We’ve got to change our mindset,” Hogan said. “We’ve got to focus on safety and reliability and demand a different kind of engineering discipline.” You can watch Hogan’s entire presentation by clicking on the video icon below, or clicking here. You can also watch other IP Talks! videos from DAC 2015 here.

https://youtu.be/qL4kAEu-PNw

Richard Goering

Related Blog Posts

DAC 2015: See the Latest in Semiconductor IP at “IP Talks!”

Automotive Functional Safety Drives New Chapter in IC Verification

ST Microelectronics reported their success with IEEE 1801 / UPF low-power simulation using Incisive Enterprise Simulator at CDNLive India in November 2013. We were able to meet with Mohit Jain just after his presentation and recorded this video that explains the key points in his paper.

With eight years of experience and pioneering technology in native low-power simulation, Mohit was able to apply Incisive Enterprise Simulator to a low-power demonstrator in preparation for use with a production set-top box chip.  Mohit was impressed with the ease in which he was able to reuse his existing IEEE 1801 / UPF code successfully, including the power format files and the macro models coded in his Liberty files. Mohit also discusses how he used the power-aware Cadence SimVision debugger.

The Cadence low-power verification solution for IEEE 1801 / UPF also incorporates the patent-pending Power Supply Network visualization in the SimVision debugger.  You can learn more about that in the Incisive low-power verification Rapid Adoption Kit for IEEE 1801 / UPF here in Cadence Online Support.

Just another happy Cadence low-power verification user!

Regards,

 Adam "The Jouler" Sherer 

Digital Whisper Electronic Magazine issue 87. Written in Hebrew.

Digital Whisper Electronic Magazine issue 88. Written in Hebrew.

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Digital Whisper Electronic Magazine issue 99. Written in Hebrew.

Digital Whisper Electronic Magazine issue 100. Written in Hebrew.