cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Retrospective Analysis of the Effect of Isavuconazole on Immunosuppressant Serum Blood Levels and Intravenous to Oral Dose Adjustments

Introduction Triazole anti-fungal drugs have been important in preventing fungal infections in immunosuppressed pts who have received an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (allo-HSCT). These agents inhibit fungal cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, preventing ergosterol formation that is essential for fungal wall synthesis. However they also inhibit human CYP enzymes which are responsible for metabolism of certain drugs, notably immunosuppressants (IS) commonly used in allo-HSCT. This study is a retrospective analysis of the effect of the new triazole anti-fungal, isavuconazonium sulfate (ISV), on the serum blood levels of tacrolimus (Tac), cyclosporine (CsA), and Sirolimus (Siro) in pts who have received allo-HSCT. Patients and Methods This retrospective analysis included 78 pts who received a conventional, double-umbilical cord, or haplo-identical allogeneic stem cell transplant who received Tac, CsA, or Siro and were initiated on ISV for fungal prophylaxis. The pre-ISV serum blood level of IS was compared to the serum level 48 hrs after the start of the ISV loading dose. We also examined how IS were converted from IV to oral by comparing the IS level on the day of IV to PO conversion to the IS level 48 hrs after PO was initiated while pts received ISV. Results There were 85 instances of ISV initiation in 78 pts on IS. Of the 85 instances of ISV initiation 23 (27%) received CsA, 55 (65%) received Tac, and 7 (8%) received Siro. The median age was 56 (range 21-75) and 25 (32%) of the pts were female. Pts receiving IV CsA (n = 23) had a median percent dose change (%DC) of -10% on initiation of ISV and the median 48hr percent level change (%LC) was -5.7%, with a median net difference (%ND) of +6%. For the pts who were converted from IV CsA to PO CsA (n = 20) the empiric %DC from IV to PO was +25% with a %LC of +1.71% with a %ND of -18.51%. This corresponds to an IV:PO of 1:1.2. For pts receiving IV Tac (n = 55) the median %DC was -16.7% and the %LC was -3.4% with a %ND of +12.4 %. The pts who were converted from IV Tac to PO (n = 41) had a median empiric %DC of +200% with a corresponding %LC of -30.26, with a %ND of +228.49%. This corresponds to a IV:PO of 1:2.3. For the pts receiving Siro (n = 7) the median %DC was 0% and the median %LC of +17.8% with a %ND of +23.8%. Conclusion Initiation of ISV did result in serum level elevations in patients receiving CsA, Tac, and Siro. For CsA the increase in level was minimal, however for Tac and Siro the level increased 12.4% and 23.8% respectively which may be clinically important and dose reductions should be considered in select patients. This study also showed how ISV affects the IV to PO conversion of Tac and CsA with IV:PO ratios of 1:2.3 and 1:1.2 respectively. This demonstrates that ISV affects first-pass metabolism of Tac and CsA and this should be taken into consideration when making IV to PO conversions.
Synthesis, characterization, and X-ray crystal structure of di-(2,4-imidazolidinedione-5-ethyl)disulfide, C10H14N4O4S2

Di-(2,4-imidazolidinedione-5-ethyl)disulfide or homocystine hydantoin, C10H14N4O4S2 (I), crystallizes in the non-centrosymmetric space group P21 (No. 4) with two molecules in the unit cell with a = 7.132(1), b = 9.282(2), c = 10.770(2) A and β = 105.68(1)°. The two imidazolidinedione rings are planar with a dihedral angle of 46.9°. The rings are joined by a diethyl disulfide bridge at chiral centers on the rings. The C-S-S-C torsion angle is −80°(−sc). The absolute stereochemistry of the chiral centers was determined to be (5S, 5′S), η = + 0.92 (11). Important bond distances include: S-S = 2.022(4); S-C (mean) = 1.809(8); and C=O (mean) = 1.224(7) A. The compound is stabilized by a network of intermolecular carbonyl-to-amine hydrogen bonding and van der Waals cohesive forces.
Molecular epidemiology and resistance profiles among healthcare- and community-associated Staphylococcus aureus keratitis isolates

Purpose To characterize the molecular, epidemiological, and resistance profiles of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) keratitis isolates. Patients and methods We used a combination of standard microbiological techniques and DNA microarray analysis to characterize the molecular and antibiotic resistance profiles of 75 Staphylococcus aureus keratitis isolates collected over an 11-year period (2006-2016). Results Two major USA clonal complexes (CC), CC5 (n=30, 40%) and CC8 (n=28, 37.3%), accounted for 77.3% of the collected S. aureus isolates. USA100, traditionally healthcare associated (n=18/47, 38.3%), and USA300, traditionally community associated (n=12/47, 25.5%), were the dominant MRSA strains. Four (22.2%) of the USA100 MRSA isolates were recovered from patients with no prior healthcare exposure. Eleven (91.7%) of the USA300 isolates were recovered from patients with documented healthcare risk factors. MSSA isolates were polyclonal (n=13). Ninety-three percent of MSSA infections were of healthcare origin. Thirty-seven of 61 (60.6%) healthcare- and 11 of 14 (78.6%) community-associated strains were resistant to three or more antibiotic classes. Sixty-eight percent (n=51) of isolates harbored three of more resistance determinants (genes). The Panton-Valentine Leucocidin gene was detected in 11 (14.7%) of the study isolates. The majority (72.7%) of the strains were members of the USA300 MRSA clone. Conclusion Clonal complexes CC5 and CC8 were the most frequent clones detected among both the MSSA and the MRSA keratitis isolates. USA100 and USA300 clones were the dominant MRSA genotypes. The USA300 MRSA clone has become a leading cause of healthcare-associated keratitis in South Florida. The USA100 MRSA clone has emerged as an increasing cause of community-associated corneal infections in our outpatient population. This shifting epidemiology coupled with the increasing prevalence of multidrug resistance among both MSSA and MRSA keratitis is a cause of concern.
Quantifying hydrologic alteration in an area lacking current reference conditions—The Mississippi alluvial plain of the south‐central United States

Quantifying hydrologic alteration in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) of the south‐central United States is particularly difficult because of the lack of current reference, or even relatively undisturbed, streams and associated streamflow data. Impacts, such as water withdrawals for agriculture, weirs, dams, channelization, and other forms of regulation, within the MAP increased substantially beginning around 1960 suggesting that streamflow has since been altered. Using historical streamflow and climate data and explanatory variables, the U.S. Geological Survey developed random forest regression models to estimate expected reference monthly streamflows (pre‐1960) at 76 sites in the MAP and two adjacent Level III Ecoregions. To compensate for the lack of current reference stream sites in the study area, the pre‐1960 streamflow data were used as a surrogate to estimate current streamflow conditions without anthropogenic influence (inferring current reference conditions). Overall, nearly every site within the study area had less zero‐flow days than what historically has been observed and there were more low‐pulse spells. However, the frequency of floods remained relatively consistent.
Presenting time-based risks of stroke and death for Patients facing carotid stenosis treatment options: Patients prefer pie charts over icon arrays.

Abstract Objective To user-test graphical display formats (icon arrays, pie, bar, and line charts) to identify preferred formats and metrics (‘probability of death or stroke’ or ‘proportion of time lived without death or stroke’) in order to display time-dependent risks of stroke or death for three carotid stenosis treatments: endarterectomy (surgery), stenting, and medical therapy. Methods Iterative cycles of semi-structured interviews with patients recruited from a Vascular Clinic. Results A total of 27 patients (mean age = 68; range: 50–85) were interviewed over four cycles. Patients strongly preferred the pie chart over icon arrays, and over bar or line graphs. The preference was based on patient recognition of the time-based increase in risk for stroke or death for treatment options. Patients preferred data presented as probabilities instead of the proportion of time lived. We did not assess patients’ understanding. Conclusion Patients preferred the pie chart formats and reported better realization that risks increase with time for each option and that tradeoffs exist when surgery has a higher short-term risk than medical therapy. Practice implications There remains debate on how best to convey time-dependent risk information to patients, especially where low literacy and numeracy might exist.
Predictive value of left ventricular diastolic chamber stiffness in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing aortic valve replacement.

AIMS Despite improvements in cardiac haemodynamics and symptoms, long-term mortality remains increased in some patients after aortic valve replacement (AVR). Limited data exist on the prognostic role of left ventricular (LV) chamber stiffening in these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS We performed a retrospective analysis in 1893 patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) referred for AVR. LV end-diastolic pressure-volume relations (EDPVR, P = αV^β) were reconstructed from echocardiographic measurements of end-diastolic volumes and estimates of end-diastolic pressure (EDP). The impact of EDPVR-derived LV chamber stiffness (CS30, at 30 mmHg EDP) on all-cause mortality after AVR was evaluated. Mean age was 76 ± 10 years, 39% were females, and ejection fraction (EF) was 61 ± 12%. The mean LV chamber stiffness (CS30) was 2.2 ± 1.3 mmHg/mL. A total of 877 (46%) patients had high LV stiffness (CS30 >2 mmHg/mL). In these patients, the EDPVR curves were steeper and shifted leftwards, indicating higher stiffness at all pressure levels. These patients were slightly older, more often female, and had more prevalent comorbidities compared to patients with low stiffness. At follow-up [median 4.2 (interquartile range 2.8-6.3) years; 675 deaths], a higher CS30 was associated with lower survival (hazard ratio: 2.7 for severe vs. mild LV stiffening; P < 0.0001), both in patients with normal or reduced EF. At multivariate analysis, CS30 remained an independent predictor, even after adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, EF, LV remodelling, and diastolic dysfunction. CONCLUSION Higher preoperative LV chamber stiffening in patients with severe AS is associated with poorer outcome despite successful AVR.
Erdafitinib for the treatment of metastatic bladder cancer

Introduction: Since the approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), there has been continuing and significant progress in urothelial cancer (UC) treatment. However, only about one fifth of UC patients respond to ICI. Recently, erdafitinib was developed for treating locally advanced or metastatic UC (mUC) with FGFR3 or FGFR2 alterations, accounting for 15-20% of patients. Erdafitinib is the first targeted therapy ever approved for mUC.Areas covered: This review summarizes the preclinical and clinical data on erdafitinib for UC. PubMed search and relevant articles presented at international conferences were used for the literature search.Expert opinion: The FDA approval of erdafitinib provided a new treatment option for FGFR-altered UC progressing on platinum-based chemotherapy. It is not clear whether FGFR inhibitor is a preferred second-line treatment choice to ICI. Compared to ICI, erdafitinib has a better response rate in patients with visceral metastases. However, a shorter duration of response and toxicity profile of erdafitinib, particularly ocular toxicity, is an important consideration. Regular eye exams are recommended by the FDA. Tumor profiling during upfront therapy may help identify those who benefit at the time of progression. In summary, a high unmet need remains for new drugs in chemotherapy- and ICI-refractory UC.
Mutation in KCNJ2 Gene in a Boy with Atypical Features of Andersen–Tawil Syndrome, ADHD, and ASD: An Expanding Phenotype

Andersen–Tawil syndrome, a potassium ion channelopathy, is caused by mutations in the KCNJ2 gene, and accounts for approximately 10% of channelopathies. Phenotype is variable. An 11-year-old boy presented with periodic paralysis without localizing neurological signs, associated in only two of three occasions with hypokalemia, on a background of a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. There was a history of syncope and palpitations. This was a matter of diagnostic uncertainty due to the difficulty in interpreting his neurological signs, and inconsistency of abnormal potassium levels. In children/young people with recurrent episodes of weakness without localizing signs on physical examination, and syncope, the possibility of a channelopathy should be considered, even in the absence of serum electrolyte abnormalities. There is a possible link between KCNJ2 mutations and difficulties in attention and a specific neurocognitive profile.
An atlas of cell types in the mouse epididymis and vas deferens

Following testicular spermatogenesis, mammalian sperm continue to mature in a long epithelial tube known as the epididymis, which plays key roles in remodeling sperm protein, lipid, and RNA composition. To understand the roles for the epididymis in reproductive biology, we generated a single-cell atlas of the murine epididymis and vas deferens. We recovered key epithelial cell types including principal cells, clear cells, and basal cells, along with associated support cells that include fibroblasts, smooth muscle, macrophages and other immune cells. Moreover, our data illuminate extensive regional specialization of principal cell populations across the length of the epididymis. In addition to region-specific specialization of principal cells, we find evidence for functionally specialized subpopulations of stromal cells, and, most notably, two distinct populations of clear cells. Our dataset extends on existing knowledge of epididymal biology, and provides a wealth of information on potential regulatory and signaling factors that bear future investigation.
Couples and Trauma History: A Descriptive Overview of Interpersonal Trauma and Clinical Outcomes

While it is likely that Couple and Family Therapists will treat clients with interpersonal trauma history, not much is known about how interpersonal trauma history associates with the therapy process in couple and family therapy settings. The aims of this study were twofold: (1) describe the types of interpersonal trauma that couples, seeking treatment for relationship issues, have experienced, and (2) investigate how this history of interpersonal trauma was associated with the process of treatment, including therapeutic alliance, number of sessions attended, and termination status. Data were collected through a survey distributed upon consent at an on-campus couple and family therapy clinic. Participants included 73 couples who were assessed for physical abuse, sexual abuse, and experiences of abandonment using Carlson et al.’s (Psychol Assessment 23(2):463, Carlson et al., Psychological assessment 23:463, 2011) Trauma History Screen. Using content analysis, responses were categorized into three groups: both partners, only one partner, and no partners reported having experienced an interpersonal trauma. Results revealed that just under 50% of individuals had experienced some type of interpersonal trauma, affecting 71.2% of couples. Quantitative analyses were conducted to assess for significant differences, and effect sizes, among trauma categories in terms of number of sessions attended, termination status, and therapeutic alliance. Results suggested that couples who had previously experienced interpersonal trauma, particularly when both partners reported interpersonal trauma, may be more likely to terminate without agreement or no-show. Future researchers should continue to investigate how the presence of interpersonal trauma in dyads associates with the therapeutic process and clinical outcomes to better inform couples’ therapy treatment.
Towards a Distributed Estimator in Smart Home Environment

Performance monitoring and state estimation are promising techniques to ensure high reliability in Internet of Things (IoT). A major data-driven approach that addresses the decentralized and heterogeneous nature of IoT is distributed computing. Values from physical measurements and temporal dimension in transmitted sensor data can be analyzed in a distributed manner for state estimation. In this paper, we discuss a smart home energy utilization problem and the effects of climatic conditions. We focus on determining patterns, correlations and predicting weather attributes in a distributed and scalable manner using Message Passing Interface (MPI). Our results show that our distributed approach is scalable up to 24 nodes or processes, which can further scale up to 1000 nodes or processes depending on the number of indivisible subtasks that need to be computed. We also compare the execution time for the distributed tasks and notice a performance gain due to parallelization. Furthermore, we develop a model based on Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) to estimate the expected energy to be utilized in a smart home environment. We evaluate our work using an IoT dataset to show the effectiveness of our approach.
Ibrexafungerp Demonstrates In Vitro Activity against Fluconazole-Resistant Candida auris and In Vivo Efficacy with Delayed Initiation of Therapy in an Experimental Model of Invasive Candidiasis.

Candida auris is an emerging pathogen that has rapidly spread to many countries on multiple continents. Invasive infections caused by this species are associated with significant mortality, and treatment options are limited due to antifungal resistance. Ibrexafungerp is the first-in-class member of the triterpenoids, which inhibit the production of (1, 3)-β-D-glucan and can be administered orally. We evaluated the in vitro activity and in vivo efficacy of ibrexafungerp against C. auris Antifungal susceptibility was tested by broth microdilution against 54 C. auris isolates. Neutropenic mice were intravenously infected with a clinical isolate, and a 7-day treatment course began 24 hours post-inoculation with vehicle control, ibrexafungerp (20, 30, and 40 mg/kg orally twice daily), fluconazole (20 mg/kg orally once daily), or caspofungin (10 mg/kg intraperitoneally once daily). Fungal burden was assessed by colony counts in the kidneys on day 8, and on day 21 or as mice became moribund in the survival arm. Ibrexafungerp demonstrated consistent activity with MICs ranging between 0.25 to 2 μg/mL against all isolates. Marked improvements in survival were observed in mice treated with the higher doses of ibrexafungerp and caspofungin. Similarly, reductions in kidney fungal burden were also observed in these groups. No improvements in survival or reductions in fungal burden were observed with fluconazole, consistent with the in vitro resistance of the isolate used to establish infection to this azole. These results demonstrate that ibrexafungerp is effective in vivo against C. auris even when the start of therapy is delayed.
Characterization of mitochondrial DNA quantity and quality in the human aged and Alzheimer's disease brain

Summary Mitochondrial dysfunction is a feature of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Using whole-genome sequencing, we assessed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) heteroplasmy levels and mtDNA copy number (mtDNAcn) in 1,361 human brain samples of five brain regions from three studies. Multivariable analysis of ten common brain pathologies identified tau pathology in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and TDP-43 pathology in the posterior cingulate cortex as primary drivers of reduced mtDNAcn in the aged human brain. Amyloid-β pathology, age, and sex were not associated with mtDNAcn. Further, there is evidence for a direct effect of mitochondrial health on cognition. In contrast, while mtDNA heteroplasmy levels increase by about 1.5% per year of life in the cortical regions, we found little evidence for an association with brain pathologies or cognitive functioning. Thus, our data indicates that mtDNA heteroplasmy burden is unlikely to be involved in the pathogenesis of late-onset neurodegenerative diseases.
Physician Education and Training in Palliative Care: A New Challenge in Modern Cardiac Intensive Care

Over time, as medicine and technology have advanced, the patient population in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) has become increasingly more complex and seriously ill. Now, more than ever, palliative care is imperative in providing patient-centered care, in the form of symptom management and end-of-life care, for this patient population. That being said, there is a paucity of guidance on how and what to teach future CICU intensivists in regard to palliative care. We propose that, in addition to understanding the clinical indications of therapies unique to the CICU, providers should master primary palliative care skills such as communication, decision-making, and symptom management. In this chapter we detail how these skills can be taught at the bedside, as well as through case reviews and didactics. Strengthening the palliative care skills of CICU providers will ensure that patient suffering is minimized and decisions are made in alignment with patient values and preferences.
Erodibility of Channels with Cohesive Boundary

Results of laboratory investigations on the erodibility of cohesive soils by water were critically reviewed, summarized and compared with similar field results and with older empirical information. There is strong experimental evidence, substantiated by physical reasoning, that the bed shear stress strongly controls both the erosion and the deposition of cohesive sediments. The net attractive physicochemical interparticle forces in the soil provide the main resistance to erosion. For low values the soil shear strength itself does not have any measurable effect on soil erodibility, while for medium to high strength clays, the resistance to erosion seems in general to increase with the macroscopic strength. Under certain conditions erosion may stop completely after some scouring. The depth of this scouring and the final bed roughness increase with increasing shear stress and decreasing shear strength of the bed. A mechanistic model about the interaction between the surface of the bed and the flow is described which explains the observed phenomena. A set of tentative rules is suggested for design of stable channels with cohesive boundaries.
What is special about expertise? Visual expertise reveals the interactive nature of real-world object recognition.

Ever since Diamond and Carey (1986. J. Exp. Psychol.: Gen., vol. 115, pp. 107–117) seminal work, the main model for studying expertise in visual object recognition (“visual expertise”) has been face perception. The underlying assumption was that since faces may be considered the ultimate domain of visual expertise, any face-processing signature might actually be a general characteristic of visual expertise. However, while humans are clearly experts in face recognition, visual expertise is not restricted to faces and can be observed in a variety of domains. This raises the question of whether face recognition is in fact the right model to study visual expertise, and if not, what are the common cognitive and neural characteristics of visual expertise. The current perspective article addresses this question by revisiting past and recent neuroimaging and behavioural works on visual expertise. The view of visual expertise that emerges from these works is that expertise is a unique phenomenon, with distinctive neural and cognitive characteristics. Specifically, visual expertise is a controlled, interactive process that develops from the reciprocal interactions between the visual system and multiple top-down factors, including semantic knowledge, top-down attentional control, and task relevance. These interactions enable the ability to flexibly access domain-specific information at multiple scales and levels guided by multiple recognition goals. Extensive visual experience with a given object category culminates in the recruitment of these multiple systems, and is reflected in widespread neural activity, extending well beyond visual cortex, to include higher-level cortical areas.
Non-histone chromosomal proteins of chemically transformed neoplastic cells in tissue culture.

Chromatin proteins from control and dimethylnitrosamine-transformed baby hamster kidney cells were compared by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Our results indicate that non-histone chromosomal proteins from transformed cells contained protein components of low and intermediate electrophoretic mobility, which were deficient in normal cells. Comparison of the relative amount of incorporation of labeled amino acids into non-histone chromosomal proteins showed that protein components with a molecular weight of about 60,000 M.W. had a markedly increased labeling activity in the chemically transformed cells. These results suggest that changes in non-histone chromosomal proteins are associated with neoplastic transformation by chemical carcinogens.
Dependency Structure Matrix Analysis: Offline Utility of the Dependency Structure Matrix Genetic Algorithm

This paper investigates the off-line use of the dependency structure matrix genetic algorithm (DSMGA). In particular, a problem-specific crossover operator is design by performing dependency structure matrix (DSM) analysis. The advantages and disadvantages of such an off-line use are discussed. Two schemes that helps the off-line usage are proposed. Finally, those off-line schemes are demonstrated by DSMGA on MaxTrap functions.
Solar granulation and statistical crystallography: a modeling approach using size-shape relations

The irregular polygonal pattern of solar granulation is analyzed for size-shape relations using statistical crystallography. In contrast to previous work which has assumed perfectly hexagonal patterns for granulation, more realistic accounting of cell (granule) shapes reveals a broader basis for quantitative analysis. Several features emerge as noteworthy: (1) a linear correlation between number of cell-sides and neighboring shapes (called Aboav-Weaire's law); (2) a linear correlation between both average cell area and perimeter and the number of cell-sides (called Lewis's law and a perimeter law, respectively) and (3) a linear correlation between cell area and squared perimeter (called convolution index). This statistical picture of granulation is consistent with a finding of no correlation in cell shapes beyond nearest neighbors. A comparative calculation between existing model predictions taken from luminosity data and the present analysis shows substantial agreements for cell-size distributions. A model for understanding grain lifetimes is proposed which links convective times to cell shape using crystallographic results.
How Do Managers React to What Happens to Peers? The Influence of Workforce Change Announcements on Budgetary Reporting

In this paper, we investigate the impact of workforce change announcements affecting their own department and the department of a peer manager on managers’ budgetary reporting choices. We apply reciprocity theory to explain managers’ budgetary reporting response to announcements about his/her own department. Managers report larger budgets when they receive a workforce reduction announcement than when they receive an expansion announcement. We apply self-categorization theory to explain how managers’ budgetary reporting choices are also affected by knowledge that a peer manager faces similar or dissimilar changes in workforce. Managers who receive announcements of workforce change similar to the change announced to a peer manager report higher budgets than those who receive announcements of dissimilar workforce change. Lastly, we find that managers’ reciprocation and self-categorization have independent effects on individual decision-making in a budgetary reporting setting. This study contributes to the participative budgeting literature by demonstrating that a peer manager’s situation influences managers’ budgetary reporting. Further, these findings shed light on the impact of owners’ communication of workforce changes on opportunistic budgetary reporting.
A dialyzer-based flow system for validating dynamic contrast enhanced MR image acquisition

Purpose Dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has proven to be quite sensitive for the characterization of masses and early response to therapy. However, it is fraught with a number of procedural challenges as well as a lack of standardization. In this article, we describe the use of a simple dialyzer-based flow system to evaluate reproducibility of dynamic contrast enhanced MRI under active flow conditions. Methods The MR signal during a bolus injection of Gd-DTPA was analyzed to test the precision and variability of contrast agent kinetics during a typical dynamic contrast enhanced MRI sequence. A simple model allows an estimation of the washout rate constant of Gd-DTPA through the polysulfone tubules of the dialyzer. Results The simple flow phantom described here provided reproducible measurements of the washout rate constants. The washout rate increased from 0.20 ± 0.005 min−1 to 0.25 ± 0.008 min−1 over 32 weeks. Measurements were also made at week 24 using dynamic computed tomography and found to be 0.27 ± 0.006 min−1. Overall, the computed tomography derived rate constants results were found be ∼12% higher than the corresponding MRI values. Conclusion In this study, we show that a simple dialyzer-based flow phantom can be used for testing dynamic contrast enhanced MRI pulse sequences and also allows for short-term reproducibility testing of rate constants. Magn Reson Med 72:41–48, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Citation Patterns of Engineering, Statistics, and Computer Science Researchers: An Internal and External Citation Analysis across Multiple Engineering Subfields

This study takes a multidimensional approach to citation analysis, examining citations in multiple subfields of engineering, from both scholarly journals and doctoral dissertations. The three major goals of the study are to determine whether there are differences between citations drawn from dissertations and those drawn from journal articles; to test a methodology incorporating both internal and external citation sources; and to explore the citation habits of researchers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subfields. The results reveal variations in how STEM subfields conduct research in career and academic settings and are more nuanced than internal or external citation data alone can provide. The results have practical collection development implications.
PERSISTENT CARDIOGENIC SHOCK AFTER LATE PRESENTATION OF MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

Mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction (MI) have become less common with widespread availability of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Yet, the mortality associated with these conditions remains high. A 74-year-old car salesman with unknown medical history presented to the
Structure and Mechanical Response of Self-Assembled Poly(butadiene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) Colloids Probed by Atomic Force Microscopy

In this study, the aqueous structure and mechanical response of self-assembled poly(butadiene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PB−PEO) colloids were probed using atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was observed that the structure of these colloids ranged from spherical micelles, wormlike micelles, to polymersomes depending on the diblock composition and method of preparation. At 1 mg/mL of PB−PEO, ordered micelles exhibiting hexagonal packing was observed on glass surfaces. Isotropic wormlike micelles with network and spaghetti-like patterns were also observed. AFM force imaging of closely packed micelles on glass surfaces showed a sharp downward deflection, which implied the existence of a “transition escape” most probably due to a conformational change in the PEO hydrophilic brush upon AFM tip compression. Force curve measurements on micelles and polymersomes indicated that the hydrophobic core has a springlike linear response, while the hydrophilic PEO corona has an exponential response to the applied AFM tip co...
Magnetic circular dichroism of the U center in KCl

Abstract The magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) and absorption spectrum of the U center in KCl have been measured at liquid helium temperature. The results are consistent with the usual 1 S (l s 2 ) → 1 P (l s 2 p ) assignment with the temperature independent MCD yielding an excited state magnetic moment only about 40 per cent that calculated for a hydride ion in an octahedral crystal field.
Exposed faces of dual cones and peak-set criteria for function spaces

Abstract This paper gives conditions for a closed subcone of a weak ∗ closed cone in a Banach dual space to be exposed by a weak ∗ continuous linear functional. This set-up is applied to the study of complex-valued and vector-valued continuous function spaces on a compact Hausdorff space to deduce peak-set criteria. In the case of complex-valued function spaces peak-set conditions are given in terms of gages on certain cones of complex measures. These conditions are shown to imply various known peak-set criteria involving annihilating measures.
Corrections Has Not Been Tried

A growing number of Corrections "experts" are calling for curtailment of the "rehabilitation model." They argue that it has been tried and it simply does not work. This article argues that it really has not been tried, that it has been found difficult and thus simply has not been given a fair trial. The author divides Corrections into four sub-units detention, probation, institutions, and parole and other community services. He cites reasons why each has failed why each has been "organized for failure." Then he gives his views of a method of reforming the system and organizing it to succeed. Finally, he develops a model Corrections "system" for the year 1986, with emphasis on "rehabilitation" rather than "security" and warehousing of offenders.
Is proximity to land-based sources of coral stressors an appropriate measure of risk to coral reefs? An example from the Florida Reef Tract

Localized declines in coral condition are commonly linked to land-based sources of stressors that influence gradients of water quality, and the distance to sources of stressors is commonly used as a proxy for predicting the vulnerability and future status of reef resources. In this study, we evaluated explicitly whether proximity to shore and connections to coastal bays, two measures of potential land-based sources of disturbance, influence coral community and population structure, and the abundance, distribution, and condition of corals within patch reefs of the Florida Reef Tract. In the Florida Keys, long-term monitoring has documented significant differences in water quality along a cross-shelf gradient. Inshore habitats exhibit higher levels of nutrients (DIN and TP), TOC, turbidity, and light attenuation, and these levels decrease with increasing distance from shore and connections to tidal bays. In clear contrast to these patterns of water quality, corals on inshore patch reefs exhibited significantly higher coral cover, higher growth rates, and lower partial mortality rates than those documented in similar offshore habitats. Coral recruitment rates did not differ between inshore and offshore habitats. Corals on patch reefs closest to shore had well-spread population structures numerically dominated by intermediate to large colonies, while offshore populations showed narrower size-distributions that become increasingly positively skewed. Differences in size-structure of coral populations were attributed to faster growth and lower rates of partial mortality at inshore habitats. While the underlying causes for the favorable condition of inshore coral communities are not yet known, we hypothesize that the ability of corals to shift their trophic mode under adverse environmental conditions may be partly responsible for the observed patterns, as shown in other reef systems. This study, based on data collected from a uniform reef habitat type and coral species with diverse life-history and stress-response patterns from a heavily exploited reef system, showed that proximity to potential sources of stressors may not always prove an adequate proxy for assigning potential risks to reef health, and that hypothesized patterns of coral cover, population size-structure, growth, and mortality are not always directly related to water quality gradients.
An Unresponsive Biochemistry Professor in the Bathtub

(CHEST 2002; 122:1073–1076) A n 83-year-old retired biochemistry professor was found by his wife unresponsive in his bathtub approximately 60 min after their last conversation. She found him lying upright in the empty bathtub, wearing pajamas with his arms folded across his chest. When emergency medical services arrived, he was hypopneic, with a barely palpable pulse and no measurable BP. En route to the hospital, pulseless electrical activity developed for which he received chest compressions, IV epinephrine (1 mg) and atropine (1 mg), with return of spontaneous circulation after 10 min of resuscitation. The patient’s medical history was notable for ischemic cardiomyopathy and a recent stroke that diminished his functional capacity, although he remained able to perform most activities of daily life. Physical Examination Initial physical examination in the emergency department (ED) revealed an elderly man with a weak, irregular pulse but no measurable BP. There were no spontaneous respirations. He was hypothermic (32.8°C) and had mydriasis with no response to light. His oropharynx held no foreign body, and his mucosa was pink. There were no signs of head trauma.
Strong H-Bonds Form Bilayers: Ochromonas Danica is an Extreme Example

Anionic lipid bilayers provide the basic structure for nearly all living membranes. Anion-anion binding in head groups? I suggest a potent H-bond, a quantized H-bond (QHb). Biomembranes use glycerol-phospholipids with vicinal anionic phosphates. Maleate, 2-cis-succinate, is archetypical for a QHb. Its 2 carboxyls trap a proton between pH 2.1 to pH 6.2, contributing quantized bond energy to the molecule. Contrasting that with 2-trans-succinate (No H-bond) it contains an extra ∼15kcal. The carboxyls are forced by the structure to share resonance with each other via the, “perhaps vibrating,” proton. Albeit in a narrow pH range, oleic acid and other unsaturated fatty acids do likewise. Here I report the structure of another anionic natural membrane, the chlorosulfolipid bilayer of Ochromonas danica. Its headgroups are QHb sulfates forced together by the hydrophobic chains of the bilayer. O. danica is an acidophilic (pH 4.3), fresh water alga in acid bogs. Its plasma membrane has two sets of single chain polar lipids: 2, 2, 11, 13, 15, 16, hexachloro-docosane-1,14-disulfate (>80%) and 2, 2, 12, 14, 16, 17-hexachloro-docosane-1, 15-disulfate, (<20%). Its C1-sulfates and C14/C15-sulfates are each arranged in sheets of sulfates within each monolayer. The latter sulfate sheet is made of sulfates separated by QHbs enclosed in a hydronium ion cage in the low dielectric. The chlorogroups bind hydronium ions so strongly that the CL-H3O+ bond has 0.9 the strength of a covalent bond. They are arranged along the hydrocarbon chains to lead hydroniums toward the poly-sulfate cage. They enter the bilayer by chloro pair at C2, and are then passed down to the water cages. Both primary and secondary sulfate sheets are held together by QHbs, the strength of which prevent osmotic bursting. With phospholipid bilayers such H-bonds would be moving on a nanosecond timescale.
Infrared Tympanic Thermometry in the Evaluation of Pediatric Acute Otitis Media

OBJECTIVE The reliability of infrared tympanic thermometry (ITT) in children and the effect of acute otitis media (AOM) on ITT are unsettled. This study assessed the effect of AOM on ITT and the utility of ITT in the diagnosis of AOM. METHODS 520 consecutive children, aged 6 months to 6 years, presenting to the ED of an urban teaching hospital were eligible for this prospective observational study. Nurses recorded oral or rectal reference temperatures (RefTs) and bilateral ITT temperatures upon presentation. Emergency physicians were blinded to the ITT temperatures. AOM was diagnosed according to published clinical criteria. RESULTS Among 520 patients, 108 had unilateral AOM and 78 had bilateral AOM. In patients with unilateral AOM, the infected ears were warmer (I = 100.4 +/- 1.8 degrees F) than the uninfected ears (U = 100.3 +/- 1.8 degrees F, p = 0.035). However, the disparity in TM temperatures in infected and uninfected ears with unilateral AOM (I - U = 0.2 +/- 0.9 degrees F) was similar to the difference between right and left ears in those without AOM (R - L = 0.1 +/- 0.8 degrees F, p = 0.60). Compared with patients without AOM, patients with AOM demonstrated no significant elevation of ITT temperatures over RefTs (I - RefT = -0.8 +/- 1.2 degrees F in AOM; ITT - RefT = -0.8 +/- 1.2 degrees F in non-AOM; p = 0.94). This study had >99% power to detect a 1.0 degrees F difference for all groups compared. CONCLUSIONS Infrared tympanic temperature are not helpful in diagnosing AOM in children. AOM has little direct effect on ITT temperatures.
Hexamethylenetetramine as a reagent for microscopic tests for gold and the platinum metals.

A study of the compounds formed in acid solutions by the chlorocomplexes of gold and the platinum metals with hexamethylenetetramine (urotropine), or its salts, shows that characteristic crystals are formed which can be observed under the microscope and used for confirmatory tests.
Dental Radiology: Present Limitations and Future Prospects

Abstract The diagnostic process is likely to be limited by one or more of the following factors: (a) ambiguous signal definition, (b) inappropriate data sampling strategy, (c) inadequate signal strength, and (d) misinterpretation of data. Controlled tests suggest that the first two factors largely control performances of common dental diagnostic tasks.
Pan-spectral observing system simulation experiments of shortwave reflectance and long-wave radiance for climate model evaluation

Abstract. Top-of-atmosphere (TOA) spectrally resolved shortwave reflectances and long-wave radiances describe the response of the Earth's surface and atmosphere to feedback processes and human-induced forcings. In order to evaluate proposed long-duration spectral measurements, we have projected 21st Century changes from the Community Climate System Model (CCSM3.0) conducted for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) A2 Emissions Scenario onto shortwave reflectance spectra from 300 to 2500 nm and long-wave radiance spectra from 2000 to 200 cm−1 at 8 nm and 1 cm−1 resolution, respectively. The radiative transfer calculations have been rigorously validated against published standards and produce complementary signals describing the climate system forcings and feedbacks. Additional demonstration experiments were performed with the Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate (MIROC5) and Hadley Centre Global Environment Model version 2 Earth System (HadGEM2-ES) models for the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) scenario. The calculations contain readily distinguishable signatures of low clouds, snow/ice, aerosols, temperature gradients, and water vapour distributions. The goal of this effort is to understand both how climate change alters reflected solar and emitted infrared spectra of the Earth and determine whether spectral measurements enhance our detection and attribution of climate change. This effort also presents a path forward to understand the characteristics of hyperspectral observational records needed to confront models and inline instrument simulation. Such simulation will enable a diverse set of comparisons between model results from coupled model intercomparisons and existing and proposed satellite instrument measurement systems.
Actin deficiency induces cofilin phosphorylation: Proteome analysis of HeLa cells after β-actin gene silencing

Actin-binding proteins regulate the dynamic structure and function of actin filaments in the cell. Much is known about how manipulation of the actin-binding proteins affects the structure and function of actin filaments; however, little is known about how manipulation of actin in the cell affects actin-binding proteins. We addressed this question by utilizing two technologies: RNA interference and 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis. We knocked down β-actin expression in HeLa cells using short interfering RNA and applied 2-DGE to examine alterations in the HeLa cell proteome. We revealed a 2–5 fold increases of four protein spots on 2-D gels and identified these proteins by mass spectrometry. Three of the four proteins were actin-binding proteins, including cofilin, which promotes both disassembly and assembly of actin filaments but becomes inactivated when phosphorylated. Further examination revealed that the cofilin total protein level barely increased, but the phosphorylated cofilin level increased dramatically in HeLa cells after β-actin siRNA treatment. These results suggest that in response to siRNA-induced β-actin deficiency HeLa cells inactivate cofilin by phosphorylation rather than down-regulate its protein expression level. This study also demonstrates that the combination of RNA interference and 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis technologies provides a valuable method to study protein interactions in a specific cellular pathway. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Fabrication and analysis of vertical p-type InAs-Si nanowire Tunnel FETs

We report InAs-Si nanowire (NW) Tunnel FETs fabricated inside nanotube templates. High device yield and performances are obtained by optimizing the growth conditions and the fabrication flow using inorganic material as dielectric spacer, atomic-layer-deposition for the metal gate and by scaling the equivalent oxide thickness (EOT). We extract the exponential parameter B of Kane's tunneling model for direct bandgap (E g ) materials and compare it with experimental results. Moreover, studying the activation energy (E A ) for TFETs with different EOTs allows us to distinguish the different conduction mechanisms.
Photoactivable fluorophores. 2. Synthesis and photoactivation of functionalized 3-aroyl-2-(2-furyl)-chromones.

Abstract The synthesis and photochemistry of functionalized 3-aroyl-2-(2-furyl)-chromones 1 which are photoactivable fluorophores are described. Irradiation converts the non-fluorescent furyl chromones to highly fluorescent 1-arylfuro[3,4b]chromones 3 . Functionality has been incorporated to permit covalent attachment, impart aqueous solubility and to maximize the fluorescence of the ultimate 1-arylfuro[3,4b]chromone fluorophore. An efficient synthetic pathway to the furyl chromones via an intramolecular Dieckman cyclization also is described.
ON GENERALIZED FRACTIONAL PROCESSES

. A class of stationary long-memory processes is proposed which is an extension of the fractional autoregressive moving-average (FARMA) model. The FARMA model is limited by the fact that it does not allow data with persistent cyclic (or seasonal) behavior to be considered. Our extension, which includes the FARMA model as a special case, makes use of the properties of the generating function of the Gegenbauer polynomials, and we refer to these models as Gegenbauer autoregressive moving-average (GARMA) models. While the FARMA model has a peak in the spectrum at f= 0, the GARMA process can model long-term periodic behavior for any frequency 0 f0.5. Properties of the GARMA process are examined and techniques for generation of realizations, model identification and parameter estimation are proposed. The use of the GARMA model is illustrated through simulated examples as well as with classical sunspot data.