cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Battle of the Bulge: Aortic Aneurysm Management From Early Modernity to the Present.

For centuries, physicians have recognized aortic aneurysms as an acute threat to life. Therapeutic approaches to the disease began in the 18th century when leading physicians, such as Rene Laennec and Antonio Valsalva, applied research on circulation and blood coagulation to devise whole-body fasting and bleeding regimens to prevent rupture. After John Hunter's success in ligating arteries to treat peripheral aneurysms, surgeons attempted analogous operations on the aorta, but even the renowned Sir Astley Cooper and William Halsted met with disastrous results. Other clinicians tried various methods of creating intraluminal clots, including the application of such new technologies as electricity and plastic. Vessel repair techniques, pioneered by Alexis Carrel and others in the 20th century, eventually provided a reliably effective treatment. In the past few decades, minimally invasive methods that approach aneurysms endovascularly through small groin incisions have been adopted. A successful 2005 congressional campaign to fund screening for aortic aneurysms brought the disease to national attention and symbolizes current confidence in curing it. Drawing on various published and unpublished sources, this paper elucidates the development of specific treatments for aortic aneurysms over time and more broadly addresses how medicine and surgery apply the knowledge and technology available in particular eras to treat a specific, identifiable, and lethal disease. Examining the evolution of these therapeutic efforts unveils broader trends in the history of medicine. This allows aortic aneurysms to serve as a case study for exploring shifting philosophies in medical history.
Prolonged Separation and Reunification among Chinese Immigrant Children and Families: An Exploratory Study

The present study explored the lived experiences of Chinese immigrant parents in New York City who went through prolonged separation and faced challenges after reunification in the United States. The study assessed their attitudes, perceptions, and reactions to the separation and reunification process to gain better understanding of the ways prolonged separation and reunification impact on child development and family wellbeing. A phenomenological research approach was used to study qualitatively the narrative data from in-depth interviews. The analytical process was based on data immersion, coding, sorting codes into themes, and comparing the themes across interviews. The sample included 18 Chinese immigrant families who had sent their American-born children to China for rearing and reunited with their children within the past 5 years. Data analyses revealed specific themes that included reasons for separation, parenting methods, child’s initial adjustment, behavior, and family relationship, child’s social, emotional, and academic challenges, parental stress and challenges, and recommendations for services. This study contributed to our knowledge of prolonged separation, a common practice among a vulnerable, hard-to-reach immigrant population. It shed light on specific needs of Chinese immigrant families by examining closely the unique circumstances pertaining to prolonged separation, parenting practice, and related family challenges. An understanding of the approaches these families adopt to cope with life challenges may help inform practitioners in formulating service strategies for these families. Specific assessments in child-care, education, and health care settings are essential to prompt immediate follow-up and intervention when needed.
Two Unusual Situations of Excess Iodine Ingestion: A Faulty Iodinator and the US Space Program

American Peace Corps volunteers in Niger, West Africa must drink iodine-treated water to avoid microbial contamination commonly found in many areas of rural Africa. It was noted that between 1995 and 1998, many of these volunteers developed goiters. It was subsequently found that the two-stage iodine-resin ceramic filters used to iodize the water was faulty and was delivering approximately 10 mg iodine/l of water. Since Niger is arid and hot, these volunteers were drinking 5–9 L of water daily, resulting in the consumption of 50–90 mg iodine daily, far above the US RDA of approximately 150 g iodine daily. The median urine iodine excretion was an astonishing 5048 μg/l. Following the discovery of the faulty iodinator, the volunteers were re-evaluated at a mean of 30 weeks later. Although iodine has been used in the US Space Program as an antimicrobial to disinfect the potable drinking water system during space flight, it was not considered to have an adverse effect on thyroid function until the late 1990s. Iodine concentrations in the drinking water reached concentrations as high as 36 mg/l; in the Shuttle Program (1981–present), iodine was added by an iodinated anion-exchange resin resulting in a concentration of approximately 4 mg/l in the drinking water. American astronauts are no longer exposed to excess iodine ingestion from iodized water since the iodine is removed by activated charcoal and an ion-exchange resin just prior to drinking.
Plant leaf segmentation for estimating phenotypic traits

In this paper we propose a method to segment individual leaves of crop plants from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) imagery for the purposes of deriving phenotypic properties of the plant. The crop plant used in our study is sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Phenotyping is a set of methodologies for analyzing and obtaining characteristic traits of a plant. In a phenotypic study, leaves are often used to estimate traits such as individual leaf area and Leaf Area Index (LAI). Our approach is to segment the leaves in polar coordinates using the plant center as the origin. The shape of each leaf is estimated by a shape model. Experimental results indicate that this approach can provide good estimates of leaf phenotypic properties.
Current Status of Colorectal Cancer Therapy

In 2004, the American Cancer Society estimated that approx 150,000 new cases of colorectal cancer would occur in the United States and that more than 57,000 Americans would die of the disease, making it the second most common cause of cancer-related death (1). Despite improvements in screening techniques, 30–40% of patients with colorectal cancer present with locoregionally advanced or metastatic disease and are not candidates for potentially curative therapy. Overall, progress in the surgical and neoadjuvant/adjuvant management of locally confined colorectal cancer has been rapid and very encouraging over the past several years. In addition, median survival in advanced disease has improved almost fourfold, as several new and active salvage systemic agents have emerged and been rapidly integrated into first-line regimens.
Frailty, hospital volume, and failure to rescue after head and neck cancer surgery

Objectives/hypothesis We previously reported that high-volume hospital head and neck cancer (HNCA) surgical care is associated with decreased mortality, largely explained by reduced rates of failure to rescue. Frailty is an independent predictor of mortality, but is significantly less likely in patients receiving high-volume care. We investigate whether differences in frailty rates explain the relationship between volume and outcomes in HNCA patients and whether frailty confounds the relationship between failure to rescue and mortality. Study design Cross-sectional analysis. Methods Discharge data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample for 159,301 patients who underwent ablative surgery for a malignant oral cavity, laryngeal, hypopharyngeal, or oropharyngeal neoplasm in 2001 to 2010 were analyzed using cross-tabulations and multivariate regression. Failure to rescue was defined as death after a major complication. Frailty was defined using frailty-defining diagnosis clusters from the Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Groups frailty-defining diagnosis indicator. Results High-volume hospital care was associated with a lower odds of frailty (odds ratio [OR]: 0.7 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.5-1.0]). Frail patients had higher odds of postoperative complications (OR: 4.1 [95% CI: 3.4-4.9]) and mortality (OR: 2.0 [95% CI: 1.3-3.2]), but no difference in failure to rescue rates (OR: 1.0 [95% CI: 0.6-1.6]). High-volume care was not associated with differences in odds of complications (OR: 1.0 [95% CI: 0.8-1.2]), but was associated with significantly decreased odds of mortality (OR: 0.6 [95% CI: 0.5-0.9]) and failure to rescue (OR: 0. 6 [95% CI: 0.3-1.0]), which was not attenuated by adjusting for frailty. Conclusions High-volume HNCA surgical care is associated with a significantly lower odds of mortality, which appears to be associated with differences in the response to and management of complications rather than differences in frailty or complication rates. Level of evidence 2c. Laryngoscope, 128:1365-1370, 2018.
NEW TEST WHICH CAN PREDICT WHICH PATIENT WILL BE READMITTED AFTER HOSPITALIZATION FOR HEART FAILURE

Many patients with heart failure (HF) were readmitted after being recently discharged. Were these patients discharged prematurely? What test could determine accurately whether the patient still had significant fluid overload prior to discharge? At the medical floor all HF patients were enrolled
DNA vaccine with pembrolizumab to elicit antitumor responses in patients with metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

168Background: We have previously investigated a DNA vaccine encoding prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP, pTVG-HP) in patients with PSA-recurrent prostate cancer, and have demonstrated that this can b...
Studies of Structure-Property Relations

In the study of nonlinear optics in organic media structure-property relationships are of fundamental importance. In molecules, the relationships between perturbing fields and total dipolar polarization are often expressed as $${\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle-}$}}{p}} = \mu + \alpha \bullet {\underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle-}$}}{E}} + \beta \bullet \bullet \underline {EE} + \gamma \bullet \bullet \bullet \underline {EEE + \ldots .}$$ (1.1) Limiting attention to the electronic portion, in the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, there is probably nothing involved that couldn’t be calculated with a powerful enough computer. The Hamiltonians are known as are methods to approach the many body solutions. However, the reliability of such calculations is not unquestionable and it is unrealistic to suggest they might now be used to scout trends without experimental checks. This must be true particularly with semiempirical methods for which the specific parameterizations which work well in some cases perhaps partly due to compensations of the methods’ approximations may not be so good for other classes of molecules or other calculated quantities. On the other hand, good experimentation is fraught with difficulties (1, 2). Certainly techniques have not evolved to the point of ease and reliability that “measurements” of β and γ are common. There is undeniably a need for a better empirical database against which to test our knowldege of nonlinear mechanisms. However, there are fundamental limitations to information that can be extracted from solution measurements, which are most often used to investigate larger molecules. No matter how well the solution susceptibilities are determined, there is uncertainty in the application of models of the liquid dielectric behavior. Even if the trivial models were correct, only a minimal part of the tensors’ properties can be determined. Thus theoretical anaylsis is essential to complete the picture of molecular polarization mechanisms and to predict the distribution of magnitudes within polarizability tensors.
Scalable Optimal Flexibility Control of Distributed Loads in the Power Grid

The rapid penetration of uncertain and unpredictable renewable energy resources into the power grid has made generation planning and real-time power balancing a challenge, thus rendering demand side advanced control a necessity. In this work, we introduce a distributed optimization framework for load flexibility control in the grid. The proposed scheme is based on Newton iteration to provide fast convergence, and is scalable to large numbers of loads at the aggregation level. The developed optimization framework is based on interior point methods and concepts of model predictive control. It uses load-aggregator communications to solve a large-scale optimization problem in a computationally distributed manner without geometric structural assumptions.
Prevalence of large vessel occlusion in patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke: a 10-year systematic review of the literature

Background Accurate assessment of the prevalence of large vessel occlusion (LVO) in patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is critical for optimal resource allocation in neurovascular intervention. Objective To perform a systematic review of the literature in order to identify the proportion of patients with AIS presenting with LVO on image analysis. Methods A systematic review was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines in order to identify studies reporting LVO rates for patients presenting with AIS. Studies that included patients younger than 18 years, were non-clinical, or did not report LVO rates in the context of a consecutive AIS series were excluded. Characteristics regarding presentation, diagnosis, and LVO classification were recorded for each paper. Results Sixteen studies, spanning a total of 11 763 patients assessed for stroke, were included in the qualitative synthesis. The majority (10/16) of articles reported LVO rates exceeding 30% in patients presenting with AIS. There was substantial variability in the LVO definitions used, with nine unique classification schemes among the 16 studies. The mean prevalence of LVO was 31.1% across all studies, and 29.3% when weighted by the number of patients included in each study. Conclusions Despite the wide variability in LVO classification, the majority of studies in the last 10 years report a high prevalence of LVO in patients presenting with AIS. These rates of LVO may have implications for the volume of patients with AIS who may benefit from endovascular therapy.
Prevalence of Pigment Dispersion Syndrome in Patients Seeking Refractive Surgery.

Purpose To determine the prevalence of pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS) in patients presenting for vision correcting refractive surgery. Setting Discover Vision Centers, Kansas City, MO. Design This is a prospective case series. Materials and methods A total of 637 eyes of 319 serial patients who presented seeking refractive surgery were included in this prospective, observational study. Patients underwent routine ophthalmologic examination before refractive surgery. PDS was diagnosed by the presence of a deep anterior chamber, posterior bowing of the irides, Krukenberg spindles, and/or presence of mid-peripheral iris transillumination defects by the same experienced ophthalmologist. The prevalence of PDS and its associated ophthalmic and demographic characteristics were evaluated in those diagnosed. Results Of the 637 eyes, 165 (25.9%) eyes were diagnosed with PDS. Krukenberg spindles were present in 53 (8.3%) of the total eyes and in 47 (28.5%) eyes that were diagnosed with PDS. Transillumination defects were present in 153 (95%) eyes diagnosed with PDS and 161 (25.2%) total eyes. There was equal distribution between sex in those diagnosed with PDS (male vs. female: 26 vs. 25.8%; P=0.942). Blue colored eyes were most likely to have PDS (35.8% of patients). Conclusions The prevalence of PDS within the population of patients seeking refractive surgery is likely greater than the general population as a whole. This is most likely the result of self-selection and high association between myopia and PDS. Given that not infrequent sequela can occur from untreated PDS, it is prudent that refractive surgeons be aware of this increased prevalence and perform thorough examinations to properly identify the condition.
Diffusion of Ions in a Surface Chemically-Modified Polyimide

The polyimide, PMDA-ODA, can be surface (sub-surface) modified by base hydrolysis followed by protonation to leave a thin film of polyamic acid over a fully cured polyimide. The hydrolysis/acidification scheme leaves the modified polyimide with a layer rich in carboxylic acid (and amide) groups. The carboxylic acid groups are effective in complexing ions from aqueous solution. In particular, the complexation of sodium and palladium ions has been examined. When in contact with an aqueous electrolyte solution, the palladium-complexed modified polyimide is subject to ion exchange. The kinetics of ion exchange between palladium and a sodium ion-containing electrolyte solution have been investigated. The exchange process is slow and appears to be diffusion-controlled.
HR Flexibility in Family Firms: Integrating Family Functioning and Family Business Leadership

We developed a conceptual model that links central constructs of family functioning to HR flexibility and subsequent HR outcomes in family businesses. We proposed that family functioning was associ...
The Dynamic American Dream

The American Dream is central to the national ethos, reflecting people's optimism that all who are willing to work hard can achieve a better life than their parents. Separate from the support for the idea of the American Dream itself is whether the public believes it is attainable. We consider the origins and dynamics of the public's belief in the achievability of the American Dream. Is the American Dream a symbolic vision, rooted in political socialization rather than contemporary politics? Or does optimism about the American Dream follow from the viability of the dream, rising with economic prosperity and falling with declining opportunity? We develop a new macrolevel measure of belief in the American Dream from 1973 to 2018. We show that it moves over time, responsive to changes in social mobility, income inequality, and economic perceptions. As inequality increases, belief in the attainability of the American Dream declines.
Etude comparative de l'effet de la thymosine et d'un extrait de cultures cellulaires épithéliales thymiques sur la production d'anticorps

A thymic extract (TE) was preparated from supernatant of mice thymic epithelial cultures according to the purification of thymosin. TE and thymosin stimulated, in vitro, the immune response of mouse against sheep red blood cells.
Sound Decisions: How Synthetic Motor Sounds Improve Autonomous Vehicle-Pedestrian Interactions

Electric vehicles’ (EVs) nearly silent operation has proved to be dangerous for bicyclists and pedestrians, who often use an internal combustion engine’s sound as one of many signals to locate nearby vehicles and predict their behavior. Inspired by regulations currently being implemented that will require EVs and hybrid vehicles (HVs) to play synthetic sound, we used a Wizard-of-Oz AV setup to explore how adding synthetic engine sound to a hybrid autonomous vehicle (AV) will influence how pedestrians interact with the AV in a naturalistic field study. Pedestrians reported increased interaction quality and clarity of intent of the vehicle to yield compared to a baseline condition without any added sound. These findings suggest that synthetic engine sound will not only be effective at helping pedestrians to hear EVs, but also may help AV developers implicitly signal to pedestrians when the vehicle will yield.
Renal-function change after transjugular intra-hepatic portosystemic shunt placement and its relationship with survival: a single-center experience.

Background The effect of transjugular intra-hepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement on renal function and the correlation of post-TIPS Cr with mortality remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the effect of TIPS placement on renal function and to examine the relationship between post-TIPS Cr and mortality risk. Methods A total of 593 patients who underwent de novo TIPS placement between 2004 and 2017 at a single institution were included in the study. The pre-TIPS Cr level (T0; within 7 days before TIPS placement) and post-TIPS Cr levels, at 1-2 days (T1), 5-12 days (T2), and 15-40 days (T3), were collected. Predictors of Cr change after TIPS placement and the 1-year mortality rate were analysed using multivariable linear-regression and Cox proportional-hazards models, respectively. Results Overall, 21.4% of patients (n = 127) had elevated baseline Cr (≥1.5 mg/dL; mean, 2.51 ± 1.49 mg/dL) and 78.6% (n = 466) had normal baseline Cr (<1.5 mg/dL; mean, 0.92 ± 0.26 mg/dL). Patients with elevated pre-TIPS Cr demonstrated a decrease in post-TIPS Cr (difference, -0.60 mg/dL), whereas patients with normal baseline Cr exhibited no change (difference, <0.01 mg/dL). The 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year mortality rates were 13%, 20%, and 32%, respectively. Variceal bleeding as a TIPS-placement indication (hazard ratio = 1.731; P = 0.036), higher T0 Cr (hazard ratio = 1.834; P = 0.012), and higher T3 Cr (hazard ratio = 3.524; P < 0.001) were associated with higher 1-year mortality risk. Conclusion TIPS placement improved renal function in patients with baseline renal dysfunction and the post-TIPS Cr level was a strong predictor of 1-year mortality risk.
Reimagining Settlement with Multi-Party Computation

The recent revelation of individuals using NDAs to conceal rampant sexual harassment and assault demonstrates the ongoing debate about the impact of private settlement on the broader public good. Current unsatisfactory solutions are limited to a trade-off between whether to prioritize an individual's interest in privacy over the public's need for information. Advancing technology in multi-party computation (MPC) presents an option to reimagine how society settles disputes, transforming it from a debate mired in the choice between public or private to a system of pluralistic options, each of which offers parties the choice to settle with varying degrees of both private and public elements.
Rad52 mediates class-switch DNA recombination to IgD

While the biology of IgD begins to be better understood, the mechanism of expression of this phylogenetically old and highly conserved Ig class remains unknown. In B cells, IgD is expressed together with IgM as transmembrane receptor for antigen through alternative splicing of long primary VHDJH-C-s-m-C{delta}-s-m RNA, which also underpins the secreted form of IgD. IgD is also expressed through class switch DNA recombination (CSR), as initiated by AID-mediated double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) in S and {sigma}{delta}, and resolution of such DSBs by a yet unknown alternative endjoining (A-EJ) mechanism. This synapses S with {sigma}{delta} region DSB resected ends leading to insertion of extensive S-S junction microhomologies, unlike the Ku70/Ku86-dependent NHEJ which resolves DSB blunt ends in CSR to IgG, IgA and IgE with little or no microhomologies. We previously demonstrated a novel role of DNA annealing homologous recombination Rad52 protein in "short-range" microhomology-mediated synapsis of intra-S region DSBs. This led us to hypothesize that Rad52 is also involved in the short-range microhomology-mediated A-EJ recombination of S with {sigma}{delta}. We found that induction of IgD CSR by T-dependent or T-independent stimuli downregulated Zfp318 (the suppressor of C-s-m transcription termination), promoted Rad52 phosphorylation, recruitment of Rad52 to S and {sigma}{delta}, leading to S-{sigma}{delta} recombination with extensive microhomologies, VHDJH-C{delta}s transcription and sustained IgD secretion. Rad52 ablation in mouse Rad52-/- B cells aborted IgD CSR in vitro and in vivo and dampened the specific IgD antibody response to OVA. Further, Rad52 knockdown in human B cells virtually abrogated IgD CSR. Finally, Rad52 phosphorylation was associated with high levels IgD CSR and anti-nuclear IgD autoantibodies in lupus-prone mice and lupus patients. Thus, Rad52 mediates CSR to IgD by synapsing S-{sigma}{delta} resected DSB ends through microhomology-mediated A-EJ and in concert with Zfp318 modulation. This is a previously unrecognized, critical and dedicated role of Rad52 in mammalian DNA repair.
GPU acceleration of rank-reduced coupled-cluster singles and doubles.

We have developed a graphical processing unit (GPU) accelerated implementation of our recently introduced rank-reduced coupled-cluster singles and doubles (RR-CCSD) method. RR-CCSD introduces a low-rank approximation of the doubles amplitudes. This is combined with a low-rank approximation of the electron repulsion integrals via Cholesky decomposition. The result of these two low-rank approximations is the replacement of the usual fourth-order CCSD tensors with products of second- and third-order tensors. In our implementation, only a single fourth-order tensor must be constructed as an intermediate during the solution of the amplitude equations. Owing in large part to the compression of the doubles amplitudes, the GPU-accelerated implementation shows excellent parallel efficiency (95% on eight GPUs). Our implementation can solve the RR-CCSD equations for up to 400 electrons and 1550 basis functions—roughly 50% larger than the largest canonical CCSD computations that have been performed on any hardware. In addition to increased scalability, the RR-CCSD computations are faster than the corresponding CCSD computations for all but the smallest molecules. We test the accuracy of RR-CCSD for a variety of chemical systems including up to 1000 basis functions and determine that accuracy to better than 0.1% error in the correlation energy can be achieved with roughly 95% compression of the ov space for the largest systems considered. We also demonstrate that conformational energies can be predicted to be within 0.1 kcal mol−1 with efficient compression applied to the wavefunction. Finally, we find that low-rank approximations of the CCSD doubles amplitudes used in the similarity transformation of the Hamiltonian prior to a conventional equation-of-motion CCSD computation will not introduce significant errors (on the order of a few hundredths of an electronvolt) into the resulting excitation energies.
Permissiveness of firearm laws, pro-gun culture, and suicides by firearm in the U.S., 2000–2016

Abstract Objectives Stricter firearm policies correlate with lower suicides by firearm in the US. However, much work examines policies in isolation and does not investigate firearm policies as they relate to US pro-gun culture. We examine the relation between permissiveness of state firearm laws, as they relate to gun culture, and suicides by firearm. Study design Panel longitudinal study. Methods The count of suicides by firearm for 50 US states from 2000 to 2016 served as the outcome. Permissiveness of multiple state firearm laws, based on ratings from the Traveler's Guide to the Firearm Laws of the Fifty States, served as the exposure. These ratings, measured at the state-year, capture not only the overall policy environment but also the extent to which the state exhibits a pro-gun culture. We applied a fixed effects negative binomial count model, which controls for the population-at-risk, to examine suicides overall and by race/ethnicity and gender. Results A 10-unit increase in permissiveness of state firearm laws corresponds with 2% greater suicides by firearm overall (Incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01–1.03) and among non-Hispanic white males ([IRR] = 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01–1.02). Conclusions Findings, if replicated, indicate that states enacting more restrictive firearm policies, and lessening a pro-gun culture, may lead to reductions in suicide by firearm.
Semantic embedding for regions of interest

The available spatial data are rapidly growing and also diversifying. One may obtain in large quantities information such as annotated point/place of interest (POIs), check-in comments on those POIs, geo-tagged microblog comments, and demarked regions of interest (ROI). All sources interplay with each other, and together build a more complete picture of the spatial and social dynamics at play in a region. However, building a single fused representation of these data entries has been mainly rudimentary, such as allowing spatial joins. In this paper, we extend the concept of semantic embedding for POIs (points of interests) and devise the first semantic embedding of ROIs, and in particular ones that captures both its spatial and its semantic components. To accomplish this, we develop a multipart network model capturing the relationships between the diverse components, and through random-walk-based approaches, use this to embed the ROIs. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this embedding at simultaneously capturing both the spatial and semantic relationships between ROIs through extensive experiments. Applications like popularity region prediction demonstrate the benefit of using ROI embedding as features in comparison with baselines.
Some Effects of Vasoactive Hormones on the Mammalian Red Blood Cell

Krogh first observed the marked deformation which red cells undergo in their passage through the capillaries (Krogh, 1922). This deformation is imposed upon red cells since non-distensible capillaries have diameters ranging from 3–12 microns whereas that of the red cell averages 8 microns. In order to traverse the smaller capillaries the red cell is deformed into a sausage shape with a cylindrical diameter approximating that of the capillary, but with a length well in excess of its original diameter. This remarkable change in shape occurs without any significant change in surface area (LaCelle, 1970). Red cell membranes are resistant to stretch but quite readily change shape in response to a deforming pressure (Rand and Burton, 1964a, 1964b). In addition to the shape change which takes place in the capillaries, the red cells normally undergo a change in shape in the small arterioles. This deformation occurs in response to the pattern of forces exerted by laminar flow in the arteriolar circulation (Goldsmith, 1970).
Cellular Automata as Cellular Spaces

The topology of an abstract cellular complex is developed from the idea of a locally finite space consisting of countably many elements, and can provide a coordinatefree definition of both the geometric structure and discrete dynamics of cellular automata.
Chapter 9 Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy: Biological Applications

Abstract Scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEMs) can both measure the mass of single-protein complexes and take amazingly clear images of such complexes, offering a wide range of applications in structural biology. The scanning electron beam focused to a diameter of a few Angstroms irradiates a roughly cylindrical volume of a thin sample. All atoms of this cylinder scatter electrons elastically and inelastically according to their scattering cross sections. Because no postspecimen optical system is required, essentially all scattered electrons can be captured and used for quantitative measurements. This chapter describes the image formation in the STEM, the principle of mass measurements, and presents a few studies achieved with the Vacuum Generators HB-5 STEM in Basel. The chapter concludes with the proposal to use STEM for single-cell proteomics.
Global unfolding of a substrate protein by the Hsp100 chaperone ClpA

The bacterial protein CIpA, a member of the Hsp100 chaperone family, forms hexameric rings that bind to the free ends of the double-ring serine protease ClpP. ClpA directs the ATP-dependent degradation of substrate proteins bearing specific sequences, much as the 19S ATPase 'cap' of eukaryotic proteasomes functions in the degradation of ubiquitinated proteins. In isolation, ClpA and its relative ClpX can mediate the disassembly of oligomeric proteins; another similar eukaryotic protein, Hsp104, can dissociate low-order aggregates. ClpA has been proposed to destabilize protein structure, allowing passage of proteolysis substrates through a central channel into the ClpP proteolytic cylinder. Here we test the action of ClpA on a stable monomeric protein, the green fluorescent protein GFP, onto which has been added an 11-amino-acid carboxy-terminal recognition peptide, which is responsible for recruiting truncated proteins to ClpAP for degradation. Fluorescence studies both with and without a 'trap' version of the chaperonin GroEL, which binds non-native forms of GFP, and hydrogen-exchange experiments directly demonstrate that ClpA can unfold stable, native proteins in the presence of ATP.
The Spanish Craze in the United States: Cultural Entitlement and the Appropriation of Spain’s Cultural Patrimony, ca. 1890-ca. 1930

At the time of war of 1898, the image of Spain in the United States has been traditionally seen as one much influenced by the Black Legend. Notwithstanding the importance of this negative image of Spain, this article suggests that even in that critical historical period there existed another line of thinking that viewed Spain and its culture in a much more positive light. Focusing primarily on topics relating to architecture and art, it further underscores the extent to which Americans of that era sought to incorporate elements of that culture into their own.
Implications of non-stationarity on predictive modeling using EHRs

Display Omitted We study the effect of non-stationarity on predictive models of wound healing.Different types of non-stationarity are simulated by different splits of the dataset.Estimates of model performance change under different types of non-stationarity.Researchers should account for non-stationarity during model development. The rapidly increasing volume of clinical information captured in Electronic Health Records (EHRs) has led to the application of increasingly sophisticated models for purposes such as disease subtype discovery and predictive modeling. However, increasing adoption of EHRs implies that in the near future, much of the data available for such purposes will be from a time period during which both the practice of medicine and the clinical use of EHRs are in flux due to historic changes in both technology and incentives. In this work, we explore the implications of this phenomenon, called non-stationarity, on predictive modeling. We focus on the problem of predicting delayed wound healing using data available in the EHR during the first week of care in outpatient wound care centers, using a large dataset covering over 150,000 individual wounds and 59,958 patients seen over a period of four years. We manipulate the degree of non-stationarity seen by the model development process by changing the way data is split into training and test sets. We demonstrate that non-stationarity can lead to quite different conclusions regarding the relative merits of different models with respect to predictive power and calibration of their posterior probabilities. Under the non-stationarity exhibited in this dataset, the performance advantage of complex methods such as stacking relative to the best simple classifier disappears. Ignoring non-stationarity can thus lead to sub-optimal model selection in this task.
Influx theory and size of potassium and rubidium pools in the midgut of Hyalophora cecropia.

1.The midgut contains a ‘pool’ which must mix with tracer added to the blood-side, before the transported potassium reaches a steady specific activity. The size and mixing time of the pool can be deduced from the timecourse of rate of appearance of tracer on the lumen-side, the tracer influx. The theory has been extended to cover cases where the pool-size and the transport rate vary with time. 2.By using 42 K and 86 Rb together, it is shown that the midgut treats potassium and rubidium differently, rubidium being transported ninetenths as fast as potassium, when both are present in equal concentration. The influx pool for potassium is one-third larger than that for rubidium, but mixes four-fifths as fast with blood-side tracer. 3.The size of the potassium pool decreases with time, but that for rubidium does not, and the ratios of mixing times and transport rates are constant. 4.The implications of the results are discussed, both in terms of the accuracy of previous investigations and with respect to the probable intracellular location of part of the influx pool.
Early predictors of severity in acute lower intestinal tract bleeding.

Background Identification of high-risk patients with lower intestinal tract bleeding (LIB) is challenging, and prognostic factors have not been clearly defined. The aim of this study was to determine risk factors for severe acute LIB. Methods A total of 252 consecutive patients admitted with acute LIB were identified. Data were collected on 24 clinical factors available in the first 4 hours of evaluation. The outcome was severe bleeding, which was defined as continued bleeding within the first 24 hours of hospitalization (transfusion of ≥2 units of blood and/or hematocrit decrease of ≥20%) and/or recurrent bleeding after 24 hours of stability (additional transfusions, further hematocrit decrease of ≥20%, or readmission for LIB within 1 week of discharge). Results Severe LIB occurred in 123 patients (49%). Independent correlates of severe bleeding were as follows: heart rate, ≥100/min (odds ratio [OR], 3.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.78-7.57); systolic blood pressure, ≤115 mm Hg (OR, 3.45; 95% CI, 1.54-7.72); syncope (OR, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.06-7.46); nontender abdominal examination (OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.22-4.85); bleeding per rectum during the first 4 hours of evaluation (OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.28-4.20); aspirin use (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.12-3.82); and more than 2 active comorbid conditions (OR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.08-3.44). Conclusion Clinical data available on initial evaluation can be used to identify patients at risk for severe LIB, who may benefit most from urgent intervention.
Environmental lifetime of fibrous polymer composites

Influence d'un milieu chimique corrosif sur le comportement mecanique de polymeres renforces de fibres
Studies with triamterene, a substituted pteridine. Unusual brain to plasma ratio in mammals.

In continuing studies of the transport of triamterene from the fetus to the mother, a low (0.1) brain/free plasma concentration ratio was found for adult guinea pigs and baboons. Measurement of pKa, lipid solubility, bincling to plasma and brain based on passive diffusion, predicted brain/free plasma concentration ratio > 1.0. Our experiments were carried out with specific, sensitive spectrophotofluorometric methods for triamterene, which also allowed the simultaneous assay of antipyrine 14C. Antipyrine was used as a measure of transfer of water. Pregnant animals were also investigated. Near-term guinea pig fetuses had brain/free plasma concentration ratio of 0.1. Near-term baboon and immature guinea pig fetuses (40 days pregnancy) exhibited brain/free plasma concentration ratio of 0.3. Preliminary studies with ocular fluid also indicated low ocular fluid/free plasma concentration ratios. These experiments raise the possibility that triamterene enters the brain, but like other bases such as N-methyl nicotinamide, is actively transported out.
Equations of motion for rotating finite bodies in the extended PPN formalism

The equations of motion for rotating finite bodies are computed in the perfect fluid metric in the extended parametric post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism of Will and Nordtvedt (1972) and are used to build a model of the solar system consisting of N oblate, homogeneous, stationary, self-gravitating masses of rotating perfect fluid. These equations contain relativistic acceleration terms which are currently observable or may be observable in the future with improved radio and laser ranging techniques.
Analysis of the Volume-Constrained Peridynamic Navier Equation of Linear Elasticity

Well-posedness results for the state-based peridynamic nonlocal continuum model of solid mechanics are established with the help of a nonlocal vector calculus. The peridynamic strain energy density for an elastic constitutively linear anisotropic heterogeneous solid is expressed in terms of the field operators of that calculus, after which a variational principle for the equilibrium state is defined. The peridynamic Navier equilibrium equation is then derived as the first-order necessary conditions and are shown to reduce, for the case of homogeneous materials, to the classical Navier equation as the extent of nonlocal interactions vanishes. Then, for certain peridynamic constitutive relations, the peridynamic energy space is shown to be equivalent to the space of square-integrable functions; this result leads to well-posedness results for volume-constrained problems of both the Dirichlet and Neumann types. Using standard results, well-posedness is also established for the time-dependent peridynamic equation of motion.
Relationships among Wechsler intelligence and memory scale quotients in adult closed head injured patients.

Correlations and discrepancy scores (Full Scale IQ minus Memory Quotient) among Wechsler intelligence and memory quotients were assessed in a sample of 126 closed head injured (CHI) adults. Results indicated a slight, generalized decrease in CHI patients' mean level of performance. A significant correlation of .76 was obtained between patients' IQ and MQ scores. Discrepancy scores were relatively smaller than those found in prior research and were influenced partially by the patient's age and by time of testing postinjury. The relative magnitude of discrepancy scores found in CHI is discussed in relationship to other groups of brain-injured patients.
Is the Assumed Structure for SU ( 3 ) ⊗ SU ( 3 ) Breaking Too Simple?

We discuss the general features of a model in which the proposed $\mathrm{SU}(3)\ensuremath{\bigotimes}\mathrm{SU}(3)$ symmetry of the strong interactions is broken by a Hamiltonian belonging to the $(3,\overline{3})\ensuremath{\bigoplus}(\overline{3},3)\ensuremath{\bigoplus}(8,8)$ representation of $\mathrm{SU}(3)\ensuremath{\bigotimes}\mathrm{SU}(3)$. It is shown that the model is capable of reproducing a large range of values for the $\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\pi}$ scattering length and the $\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{-}N \ensuremath{\sigma}$ term, while still preserving the idea of small $\mathrm{SU}(3)\ensuremath{\bigotimes}\mathrm{SU}(3)$ violation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that, in a natural way, one can require $\mathrm{SU}(2)\ensuremath{\bigotimes}\mathrm{SU}(2)$ to be a better symmetry than $\mathrm{SU}(3)\ensuremath{\bigotimes}\mathrm{SU}(3)$.
Magnetic resonance neurography in children with birth-related brachial plexus injury

Background Magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) enables visualization of peripheral nerves. Clinical examination and electrodiagnostic studies have been used in the evaluation of birth-related brachial plexus injury. These are limited in their demonstration of anatomic detail and severity of injury.
Successful radiofrequency ablation of permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia in an 18-month-old child

Permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia (PJRT) is a rare and characteristically incessant arrhythmia that is often resistant to antiarrhythmic drugs.l Although it rarely causes acute deterioration, chronic heart failure may occur.2 We report on an lm the tachycardia proved resistant to maternal therapy with digoxin but responded to flecainide. At birth, she had sinus rhythm with no preexcitation on electrocardiogram (ECG) and digoxin was commenced.
Efficacy of combined renal and mesenteric revascularization

Objective Small numbers of patients have advanced renal and mesenteric vascular disease requiring treatment. Open surgical treatment has been considered high risk, and the advent of endovascular intervention has affected management. This study evaluated the safety and long-term efficacy of concomitant mesenteric and renal revascularization with open techniques. Methods Data from 90 consecutive patients who underwent mesenteric and renal revascularization during a 30-year period were analyzed. Early and late outcomes were evaluated over two intervals: 48 in period A (1978 to 1995), concomitant open renal and mesenteric revascularization (COR; n=46) and sequential open renal and mesenteric revascularization (SOR; n=2); 42 in period B (1996 to 2009), 22 COR, 4 SOR, 13 sequential hybrid open/endovascular repairs (SOER), and 3 sequential endovascular repairs (SER). Results There were 26 men and 64 women (median age, 67 years). Renal insufficiency was present in 24% and coronary artery disease (CAD) in 53%. Open surgical reconstruction was performed in 126 renal and 149 mesenteric arteries, with angioplasty/stenting in 15 and 8, respectively; 58 patients had concomitant aortic reconstruction (AR), and 9 had prior AR (8 in period A, 1 in period B). Hospital mortality was 8.8% overall; seven (14.5%) in period A and one (2.3%) in period B. Causes of early death were hemorrhage in three and multisystem organ failure in five. During a median follow-up of 4.5 years (range, 6 days-26.5 years), 11 patients progressed to hemodialysis (7 COR, 4 SOER), and 6 had recurrent mesenteric ischemia (4 COR, 1 SOER, 1 SER). Eight patients in period A and seven in period B required further procedures (9 renal, 9 mesenteric; 11 COR, 2 SOER, 1 SOR, 1 SER). Univariate analysis of COR patients showed CAD ( P = .017) and prior AR ( P = .035), but not concomitant AR ( P = .366), predicted early death. Five-year survival for COR patients was 65% overall, but 74% in patients who survived the operation, with no difference between time periods ( P = .55). Conclusions Concomitant open mesenteric and renal revascularization is associated with low early mortality and good long-term durability in appropriately selected patients. It remains a viable procedure, especially in patients requiring concomitant aortic reconstruction. High-risk patients with CAD or prior aortic surgery should be considered for endovascular treatment, when anatomically feasible.
The Le Fort III osteotomy: to distract or not to distract?

Treatment of the craniofacial dysostoses (e.g., Crouzon, Apert, Pfeiffer, Saethre-Chotzen syndromes) is critically dependent on the successful advancement of the midface with a Le Fort III procedure. The purpose of this retrospective clinical outcome study was to evaluate a new technique for distracting the Le Fort III procedure and to compare its results in growing children with those of the standard Le Fort III osteotomy. The records of 22 children were reviewed; 10 patients (mean age, 6.5 years) underwent a standard Le Fort III procedure, and 12 patients (mean age, 7.5 years) underwent a Le Fort III distraction procedure. The distraction group included two separate techniques, bilateral buried distraction (n = 2) and halo distraction (n = 10). Preoperative and 2- to 3-month postoperative cephalograms were analyzed. The average horizontal advancement achieved in the standard Le Fort III group was 6 mm, compared with 19 mm of advancement in the distraction group (p </= 0.005). Complications were evenly distributed between the two groups (one infection and one tracheostomy in each group), and the lengths of hospitalization were similar. No documented improvement in sleep apnea was identified in the standard Le Fort III group. However, in the distraction group two patients experienced normalization of sleep studies postoperatively as measured by respiratory disturbance index, and two patients underwent successful decannulation of tracheotomies. For aesthetic reasons, halo distraction was preferred over bilateral buried distraction. With halo distraction the vector of traction is focused in the facial midline, which helps to reposition the concave midface and to provide a more convex facial profile. In growing children, the ideal vector for distraction is determined by the malar position and not by dental occlusion. The amount of overcorrection can be calculated from tables of normal anthropologic data. On this preliminary review, it was concluded that the use of halo distraction, in combination with a modified Le Fort III osteotomy, provided a significantly further forward-positioned midface and seemed to offer a better correction of sleep apnea than did the standard Le Fort III osteotomy.