bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exploring the inner parsecs of active galactic nuclei using near-infrared high resolution polarimetric simulations with
MontAGN
Authors: Grosset L. , Rouan D. , Gratadour D. , Pelat D. , Orkisz J. , Marin F. , Goosmann R. 
Published: December 2017

Aims. In this paper we aim to constrain the properties of dust structures in the central first parsecs of active galactic nuclei (AGN). Our goal is to study the required optical depth and composition of different dusty and ionised structures.
Methods. We developed a radiative transfer code called Monte Carlo for Active Galactic Nuclei (MontAGN), which is optimised for polarimetric observations in the infrared. With both this code and STOKES, designed to be relevant from the hard X-ray band to near-infrared wavelengths, we investigate the polarisation emerging from a characteristic model of the AGN environment. For this purpose, we compare predictions of our models with previous infrared observations of NGC 1068, and try to reproduce several key polarisation patterns revealed by polarisation mapping.
Results. We constrain the required dust structures and their densities. More precisely, we find that the electron density inside the ionisation cone is about 2.0 × 109 m−3. With structures constituted of spherical grains of constant density, we also highlight that the torus should be thicker than 20 in term of K-band optical depth to block direct light from the centre. It should also have a stratification in density: a less dense outer rim with an optical depth at 2.2 μm typically between 0.8 and 4 for observing the double scattering effect previously proposed.
Conclusions. We bring constraints on the dust structures in the inner parsecs of an AGN model supposed to describe NGC 1068. When compared to observations, this leads to an optical depth of at least 20 in the Ks band for the torus of NGC 1068, corresponding to τV ≈ 170, which is within the range of current estimation based on observations. In the future, we will improve our study by including non-uniform dust structures and aligned elongated grains to constrain other possible interpretations of the observations.
Orbital Paraganglioma: A Systematic Review
Authors: Huang Natalie , Rayess Hani , Svider Peter , Rayess Nadim , Folbe Adam , Langer Paul , Eloy Jean-Anderson , Carron Michael 
Published: December 2017

Purpose The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of the literature on orbital paragangliomas, evaluating clinical presentation, diagnosis, management patterns, and prognosis.
Methods The systematic review was conducted based on the principles described in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. PubMed, Cochrane databases, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for articles related to orbital paragangliomas. Inclusion criteria included English language articles with original reports on human subjects. Data on clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis were collected.
Results Twenty-seven articles met inclusion criteria (28 total patients). The mean patient age was 37.1 years (range, 3–75 years); 13 (46.4%) patients were male. The most common presenting symptoms were proptosis (89.2%), visual acuity changes (67.9%), and extraocular muscle restriction (64.2%). Lesions were most commonly intraconal (92.9%). Single modality therapy was employed in 19 patients (67.9%), including excision in 12 patients (42.9%) and exenteration in 5 patients (17.9%). Ten patients (35.7%) developed recurrence, and there was a 92.9% survival rate (mean follow-up, 29 months).
Conclusion Orbital paragangliomas are rare tumors with an excellent prognosis. These lesions commonly present with proptosis, and are primarily managed surgically with simple excision, although exenteration and adjuvant radiation may be necessary for invasive tumors. This series is the largest and most comprehensive systematic review of orbital paragangliomas conducted to date.
Expression of an active Gαsmutant in skeletal stem cells is sufficient and necessary for fibrous dysplasia initiation and maintenance
Authors: Zhao Xuefeng , Deng Peng , Iglesias-Bartolome Ramiro , Amornphimoltham Panomwat , Steffen Dana J. , Jin Yunyun , Molinolo Alfredo A. , de Castro Luis Fernandez , Ovejero Diana , Yuan Quan , Chen Qianming , Han Xianglong , Bai Ding , Taylor Susan S. , Yang Yingzi , Collins Michael T. , Gutkind J. Silvio 
Published: December 2017

SignificanceWe generated a novel conditional inducible mouse model of fibrous dysplasia (FD) by expressing mutantGNASin skeletal stem cells (SSCs) in a temporally controlled and tissue-specific fashion. Typical FD bone lesions developed rapidly in mutant embryos and postnatal mice.GNASpromoted PKA activation and proliferation of SSCs along the osteogenic lineage but impaired their differentiation to mature osteoblasts and triggered increased osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption. FD lesions reverted on cessation ofGNASexpression. Thus,GNASmutation is sufficient and necessary for FD initiation and maintenance. This model provides a valuable opportunity to identify the molecular mechanism underlying FD progression and accelerate the development of more effective treatment options.
Silk-based multilayered angle-ply annulus fibrosus construct to recapitulate form and function of the intervertebral disc
Authors: Bhunia Bibhas K. , Kaplan David L. , Mandal Biman B. 
Published: December 2017

Significance
In this study we have developed a fabrication procedure for a silk-based bioartificial disc adopting a directional freezing technique. The fabricated biodisc mimicked the internal intricacy of the native disc as evaluated by electron microscopy. The mechanical properties of these biodiscs were similar to those of the native ones. The fabricated biodiscs supported primary annulus fibrosus or human mesenchymal stem cell proliferation, differentiation, and deposition of a sufficient amount of specific ECM. A small unit of the construct was implanted subcutaneously to show its negligible immune response. The success here means that the silk-based bioartificial disc can be a promising strategy for future direction toward disc replacement therapy.
Right to a fair trial: could hard news reports influence jurors?
Authors: Lipovsky Caroline 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACT
The “trial by media” phenomenon that describes the media frenzy accompanying a high-profile court case, and that may be at odds with a defendant’s right to a fair trial by an impartial jury, has been widely researched. The aim of this project is consequently to investigate whether jurors could be influenced by their readings of the media in trials receiving less media attention. Using the systemic functional linguistics framework, this study uses a murder trial held in Sydney, Australia, and contrasts the crime story, as described in the court’s Decision, with an article published in the Daily Telegraph at the time of the offender’s arrest. The aim is to explore whether the jurors who were appointed to this trial could have been affected by their reading of the article. The findings highlight the ways in which the news report is made persuasive through a range of features, such as its ideational structure, rhetorical organisation, use of circumstantial details, transitivity and agency patterns, as well as the ways in which the journalists seek to involve their readership through their use of attitudinal meanings and engagement, as well as their differentiated use of the crime participants’ names.
ChronQC: a quality control monitoring system for clinical next generation sequencing
Authors: Tawari Nilesh R , Seow Justine Jia Wen , Perumal Dharuman , Ow Jack L , Ang Shimin , Devasia Arun George , Ng Pauline C 
Published: December 2017

AbstractSummaryChronQC is a quality control (QC) tracking system for clinical implementation of next-generation sequencing (NGS). ChronQC generates time series plots for various QC metrics to allow comparison of current runs to historical runs. ChronQC has multiple features for tracking QC data including Westgard rules for clinical validity, laboratory-defined thresholds and historical observations within a specified time period. Users can record their notes and corrective actions directly onto the plots for long-term recordkeeping. ChronQC facilitates regular monitoring of clinical NGS to enable adherence to high quality clinical standards.Availability and implementationChronQC is freely available on GitHub (https://github.com/nilesh-tawari/ChronQC), Docker (https://hub.docker.com/r/nileshtawari/chronqc/) and the Python Package Index. ChronQC is implemented in Python and runs on all common operating systems (Windows, Linux and Mac OS X).Supplementary informationSupplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
A Completely Bounded Noncommutative Choquet Boundary for Operator Spaces
Authors: Clouâtre Raphaël , Ramsey Christopher 
Published: December 2017

Abstract
We develop a completely bounded counterpart to the noncommutative Choquet boundary of an operator space. We show how the class of completely bounded linear maps is too large to accommodate our purposes. To overcome this obstacle, we isolate the subset of completely bounded linear maps admitting a dilation of the same norm that is multiplicative on the associated C*-algebra. We view such maps as analogs of the familiar unital completely contractive maps, and we exhibit many of their structural properties. Of particular interest to us are those maps that are extremal with respect to a natural dilation order. We establish the existence of extremals and show that they have a certain unique extension property. In particular, they give rise to *-homomorphisms that we use to associate to any representation of an operator space an entire scale of C*-envelopes. We conjecture that these C*-envelopes are all *-isomorphic and verify this in some important cases.
Disfiguring facial lesions and loss of sensation
Authors: Hundemer Marleen , Wan Claire Ramsay 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACT
Hansen disease (leprosy) continues to be prevalent in some regions of Africa, Asia, and South America, and each year 100 to 300 cases are reported in the United States, especially in immigrants and patients exposed to armadillos. Treatment depends on patient presentation. Hansen disease remains highly stigmatized, though it is now clear that it is not readily transmitted through casual physical contact.
Cystic placentomegaly on a second-trimester ultrasound
Authors: Adams Heather P. , Malloy Jennifer 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACT
Placental mesenchymal dysplasia (PMD) is a rare disorder of the placenta characterized by placentomegaly, cystic vesicles, and dilated chorionic blood vessels. Clinically and pathologically, it closely resembles partial molar pregnancy and complete hydatidiform mole with a coexistent healthy fetus, both of which are associated with malignant trophoblastic disease. PMD, however, has no risk of malignant trophoblastic disease and can result in the birth of a normal fetus, highlighting the need for clinician awareness of PMD in order to avoid unnecessary termination of a viable and potentially healthy fetus.
Are hormonal contraceptives less effective in overweight and obese women?
Authors: Patel Shriya , Carey Lawrence 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACT
Loss of efficacy of hormonal contraceptives is of particular concern for women who are overweight or obese. Only recently have clinical trials started to include overweight and obese women in their study populations, limiting the data available on which to make the best prescribing decisions for hormonal contraceptives for these patients. Other methods, such as the copper or levonorgestrel-containing intrauterine device, the etonogestrel implant, and depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, are preferred over combined oral contraceptives, the transdermal patch, and the vaginal ring.
Procalcitonin-guided treatment of lower respiratory tract infections
Authors: Watkins Elyse J. , Guerrini James 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACT
The FDA recently approved a procalcitonin assay for use in hospitals and EDs to help prescribers determine if an antibiotic should be prescribed and for what duration. This article reviews the use of procalcitonin testing and evidence-based medical decision-making for patients with sepsis or lower respiratory tract infections.
Medical Graduates, Truthful and Useful Analytics With Big Data, and the Art of Persuasion
Authors: Gorman Des , Kashner T. Michael 
Published: December 2017

The authors propose that the provision of state-of-the-art, effective, safe, and affordable health care requires medical school graduates not only to be competent practitioners and scientists but also to be policy makers and professional leaders. To meet this challenge in the era of big data and cloud computing, these graduates must be able to understand and critically interpret analyses of large, observational datasets from electronic health records, third-party claims files, surveys, and epidemiologic health datasets.
The authors contend that medical students need to be exposed to three components. First, students should be familiar with outcome metrics that not only are scientifically valid but also are robust, useful for the medical community, understandable to patients and relevant to their preferences and health goals, and persuasive to health administrators and policy decision makers. Next, students must interact with an inclusive set of analysts including biostatisticians, mathematical and computational statisticians, econometrists, psychometricians, epidemiologists, informaticians, and qualitative researchers. Last, students should learn in environments in which data analyses are not static with a “one-size-fits-all” solution but, rather, where mathematical and computer scientists provide new, innovative, and effective ways of solving predictable and commonplace data limitations such as missing data; make causal inferences from nonrandomized studies and/or those with selection biases; and estimate effect size when patient outcomes are heterogeneous and surveys have low response rates.
Using Relational Reasoning Strategies to Help Improve Clinical Reasoning Practice
Authors: Dumas Denis , Torre Dario M. , Durning Steven J. 
Published: December 2017

Clinical reasoning—the steps up to and including establishing a diagnosis and/or therapy—is a fundamentally important mental process for physicians. Unfortunately, mounting evidence suggests that errors in clinical reasoning lead to substantial problems for medical professionals and patients alike, including suboptimal care, malpractice claims, and rising health care costs. For this reason, cognitive strategies by which clinical reasoning may be improved—and that many expert clinicians are already using—are highly relevant for all medical professionals, educators, and learners.
In this Perspective, the authors introduce one group of cognitive strategies—termed relational reasoning strategies—that have been empirically shown, through limited educational and psychological research, to improve the accuracy of learners’ reasoning both within and outside of the medical disciplines. The authors contend that relational reasoning strategies may help clinicians to be metacognitive about their own clinical reasoning; such strategies may also be particularly well suited for explicitly organizing clinical reasoning instruction for learners. Because the particular curricular efforts that may improve the relational reasoning of medical students are not known at this point, the authors describe the nature of previous research on relational reasoning strategies to encourage the future design, implementation, and evaluation of instructional interventions for relational reasoning within the medical education literature. The authors also call for continued research on using relational reasoning strategies and their role in clinical practice and medical education, with the long-term goal of improving diagnostic accuracy.
The Nicotine Content of a Sample of E-cigarette Liquid Manufactured in the United States
Authors: Raymond Barrett H. , Collette-Merrill Katreena , Harrison Roger G. , Jarvis Sabrina , Rasmussen Ryan Jay 
Published: December 2017

Objectives:
Use of electronic cigarettes has dramatically increased in the United States since 2010, with a forecasted growth of 37% between 2014 and 2019. There is little research on e-liquid nicotine concentration from domestic manufacturers. However, limited research outside of the United States found wide inconsistencies between the labeled concentration of nicotine in e-liquids and the actual nicotine concentration.

Methods:
The 7 most popular online manufacturers or distributors were identified. E-liquid samples of the 5 most popular flavors from each manufacturer were purchased in nicotine concentrations of 0 and 18 mg/mL. Of the samples purchased (n = 70), all were labeled as produced in the United States of America. The researchers anonymized the samples before sending them to an independent university laboratory for testing.

Results:
The 35 e-liquid samples labeled 18 mg/mL nicotine measured between 11.6 and 27.4 mg/mL (M = 18.7, SD = 3.3) nicotine. The labeled 18 mg/mL samples measured as little as 35% less nicotine and as much as 52% greater nicotine. In the 35 samples labeled 0 mg/mL, nicotine was detected (>0.01 mg/mL) in 91.4% of the samples (range 0–23.9 mg/mL; M = 2.9, SD = 7.2). Six samples from 2 manufacturers labeled as 0 mg/mL were found to contain nicotine in amounts ranging from 5.7 to 23.9 mg/mL.

Conclusion:
This study demonstrates the nicotine labeling inaccuracies present in current e-liquid solutions produced in the United States. Incorrect labeling poses a significant risk to consumers and supports the recent regulation changes enacted by the US Food and Drug Administration. Additional routine testing of nicotine concentrations should be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the regulations on future e-liquid production.
Causes and Timing of Unplanned 90-day Readmissions Following Spine Surgery
Authors: Hills Jeffrey , Sivaganesan Ahilan , Khan Inamullah , Chotai Silky , Weisenthal Benjamin , Freeman Thomas , Butler Marjorie , Wick Joseph , Daryoush Joshua , Asher Anthony , Devin Clinton J. 
Published: December 2017

Study Design.
Retrospective cohort study.

Objective.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the causes, timing, and factors associated with unplanned 90-day readmissions following elective spine surgery.

Summary of Background Data.
Unplanned readmissions after spine surgery are costly and an important determinant of the value of care. Several studies using database information have reported on rates and causes of readmission. However, these often lack the clinical detail and actionable data necessary to guide early postdischarge interventions.

Methods.
Patients undergoing elective spine surgery for degenerative disease at a major medical center were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal registry. Patient and surgery-specific characteristics, baseline, and 3-month patient-reported outcomes were prospectively recorded. Readmissions were reviewed retrospectively to establish the reason and time to readmission. A multivariable Cox proportional hazard model was created to analyze the independent effects of several factors on readmission.

Results.
Of 2761 patients with complete 3-month follow-up, 156 had unplanned 90-day readmissions (5.6%). The most common reason was surgery-related (52%), followed by medical complications (38%) and pain (10%). Pain readmissions presented with a median time of 6 days. Medical readmissions presented at 12 days. Surgical complications presented at various times with wound complications at 6 days, cerebrospinal fluid leaks at 12 days, surgical site infections at 23 days, and surgical failure at 38 days. A history of myocardial infarction, osteoporosis, higher baseline leg and arm pain scores, longer operative duration, and lumbar surgery were associated with readmission.

Conclusion.
Nearly half of all unplanned 90-day readmissions were because of pain and medical complications and occurred with a median time of 6 and 12 days, respectively. The remaining 52% of readmissions were directly related to surgery and occurred at various times depending on the specific reason. This timeline for pain and medical readmissions represents an opportunity for targeted postdischarge interventions to prevent unplanned readmissions following spine surgery.

Level of Evidence: 3
Interactions of Propofol With Human Voltage-gated Kv1.5 Channel Determined by Docking Simulation and Mutagenesis Analyses
Authors: Kojima Akiko , Fukushima Yutaka , Ito Yuki , Ding Wei-Guang , Ueda Rika , Seto Tomoyoshi , Kitagawa Hirotoshi , Matsuura Hiroshi 
Published: December 2017

Abstract:
Propofol blocks the voltage-gated human Kv1.5 (hKv1.5) channel by preferentially affecting in its open state. A previous mutational study suggested that several amino acids within the pore region of the hKv1.5 channel are involved in mediating the blocking action of propofol. The present investigation was undertaken to elucidate the predicted binding modes of propofol within the pore cavity of the open-state hKv1.5 channel, using computational docking and mutagenesis approaches. The docking simulation using a homology model of the hKv1.5 channel, constructed based on the crystal structure of the Kv1.2 channel, predicted that propofol was positioned at the base of the pore cavity of hKv1.5 channel, adjacent to 4 amino acids Thr479, Thr480, Val505, and Ile508, and formed arene-H interactions with Val505. The patch-clamp experiments on wild-type and mutant hKv1.5 channels constructed by site-directed mutagenesis revealed that the blocking potency of propofol was significantly reduced in T480A, V505A, and I508A but not in T479A mutants compared with wild-type hKv1.5 channel. These computational docking and experimental mutational analyses suggest that propofol is positioned at the base of the pore cavity and forms functional contact with Thr480, Val505, and Ile508 to directly block the hKv1.5 channel.
EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF INTRAVITREAL AFLIBERCEPT AND RANIBIZUMAB IN ASIAN PATIENTS WITH NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION
Authors: Wong Tien Yin , Cheung Chui Ming Gemmy , Lai Timothy Y. Y. , Chen Shih-Jen , Lee Won Ki , Yoon Young Hee , Iida Tomohiro , Tueckmantel Claudia , Sowade Olaf , Ogura Yuichiro 
Published: December 2017

Purpose:
To assess the treatment effect of intravitreal aflibercept and ranibizumab in Asian patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Methods:
We evaluated data from VIEW 1 and VIEW 2, comparing functional and morphologic outcomes at Week 96 between intravitreal aflibercept 2 mg monthly (2q4) or 2 mg bimonthly after 3 initial monthly doses (2q8) versus ranibizumab 0.5 mg monthly among Asian patients (n = 269) and between Asian and white patients (n = 2044).

Results:
In Asian patients, there were no significant differences between intravitreal aflibercept 2q4 and 2q8 compared with ranibizumab in mean gain in best-corrected visual acuity (10.23 and 8.35 vs. 8.51 letters). Reduction in central retinal thickness was greater for intravitreal aflibercept 2q4 (150.43 μm, P = 0.0075) and 2q8 (148.15 μm, P = 0.0126) than ranibizumab (119.46 μm). The proportion of dry retinas was greater for intravitreal aflibercept 2q4 (65.7%, P < 0.01) than ranibizumab (41.7%). There were no differences in outcomes between Asian and white patients. Serious treatment-emergent ocular adverse events occurred in <8% of treated eyes, evenly distributed across subgroups.

Conclusion:
In Asian patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, functional and morphologic outcomes were largely similar between intravitreal aflibercept and ranibizumab groups, and to results seen in white patients.