cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perfusion Computed Tomography in Transient Ischemic Attack

Background Diffusion- and perfusion-weighted imaging after transient ischemic attack (TIA) has been well studied, while less data exist on perfusion computed tomographic (PCT) imaging. Objectives To examine the frequency of PCT abnormalities in patients with anterior circulation TIA and to identify factors associated with the presence of PCT abnormality. Design Retrospective study. Setting Academic hospital. Patients Sixty-five consecutive patients admitted to Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, between June 1, 2007, and November 30, 2009, for anterior circulation motor or aphasic TIA in whom PCT was performed. Main Outcome Measures Using an automated software algorithm, perfusion abnormality was defined as brain tissue associated with a mean transit time greater than 145% of that of the contralateral hemisphere and cerebral blood volume greater than 2.0 mL/100 g. Demographic, risk factor, clinical, radiographic, and in-hospital outcome data were reviewed. Results Of 65 patients with anterior circulation TIA who underwent PCT (median age, 62.4 years; 49.2% male), 22 (33.8%) had focal perfusion abnormalities. The presence of motor symptoms (95.5% vs 67.4%, P = .01), multiple (>1) episodes (18.2% vs 2.3%, P = .04), ipsilateral arterial stenosis greater than 50% or occlusion (77.3% vs 11.6%, P P P = .001) were more frequent in those with perfusion abnormality. Conclusions On acutely performed PCT, one-third of patients with hemispheric TIA have perfusion abnormalities. Perfusion abnormality may mark patients at greater risk for subsequent early deterioration. This requires further study.
Can Institutions Build Unity in Multiethnic States

We investigate whether political institutions can promote attachment to the state in multiethnic societies. Building on literatures on nationalism, democratization, and conflict resolution, we discuss the importance of attachment, understood as a psychological identification with, and pride in, the state. We construct a model of state attachment, specifying the individual-, group-, and state-level conditions that foster it. Then, using cross-national survey data from 51 multiethnic states, we show that, in general, ethnic minorities manifest less attachment to the states in which they reside than do majorities. Combining the survey data with minority group attributes and country-level attributes, we show that the attachment of minorities varies importantly across groups and countries. Our central finding is that federalism and proportional electoral systems—two highly touted solutions to ethnic divisions—have at best mixed effects. These results have implications for state-building and democratic consolidation in ethnically heterogeneous states.
A Hydrological Definition of Indian Monsoon Onset and Withdrawal

A diagnostic criterion that retrospectively assesses the onset and withdrawal dates of the Indian monsoon is derived from variability in the large-scale hydrologic cycle. The method is proposed as an improved means with which to understand interannual variability in the monsoon transitions as compared to criteria that rely heavily on rainfall variability over limited spatial domains (e.g., individual Indian districts). The hydrologic cycle is chosen as a key physical basis for monitoring the monsoon due to the essential roles played by zonal and meridional gradients in water vapor, clouds, and rainfall in driving the large-scale monsoon circulation. Moreover, as rainfall is greater than evaporation in wet monsoonal areas, lateral transports of water vapor are required for the existence of monsoonal rains. To diagnose onset and withdrawal, vertically integrated moisture transport (VIMT) is therefore used instead of rainfall, which over the large scale is often poorly measured and modeled. In contrast to rainfall, VIMT is generally well modeled and observed, and its variability, particularly over the Arabian Sea, is substantial during both monsoon onset and withdrawal. An index, named the hydrologic onset and withdrawal index (HOWI), is thus formed from those regions where VIMT variability is pronounced at the beginning and end of the monsoon season. The HOWI offers several advantages as the index is based on fields that are better modeled and measured than rainfall, and the index is indicative of the transition in the largescale monsoon circulation rather than being highly sensitive to synoptic variability and the spatial complexity of the monsoon transitions. The HOWI is shown to be both robust to bogus monsoon onsets and reflective of the timing, rather than the spatial character, of the transitions. Analysis of interannual variability in monsoon onset and withdrawal dates based on the HOWI reveals robust associations that are weak and insignificant when assessed using other onset criteria. For example, the associations between total June‐July‐August‐September (JJAS) rainfall and both monsoon onset and withdrawal are weak (correlations are weaker than 20.11) when onset dates from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) or other objective methods are considered. However, the HOWI criterion shows strong correlations between total JJAS rainfall and both onset (0.30) and withdrawal (20.49). Thus, the length of the monsoon season is shown to be strongly related to its overall strength. In addition, while the correlation between IMD onset date and
Receptors for Lysosomal Enzymes and Glycoproteins

Publisher Summary Lysosomes are found in all eukaryotic cells, where they function principally in the disposal of macromolecules derived from uptake or from the turnover of cellular structures. Lysosomal enzymes catalyze hydrolytic reactions and operate invariably at acid pH. They are glycosylated enzymes. The glycosylation play a dual role: it serves as a protective role (glycosylated macromolecules are more resistant to denaturation), and second, it provides recognition signals required for the transport of both newly synthesized and preexisting lysosomal enzymes within and between cells. Studies on storage-disease cells and I-cell disease have provided support for the concept of receptor- mediated transfer of newly synthesized lysosomal hydrolases to lysosomes via recognition signals attached to the enzymes. These recognition signals are carbohydrate in nature. There are at least two recognition signals (and, correspondingly, two cellular receptors) found on lysosomal enzymes which mediate transfer to lysosomes: (1) mannose 6-phosphate-terminated oligosaccharides and (2) mannose-terminated oligosaccharides. Very little is known about the intracellular movement, but intracellular mannose 6-phosphate-specific receptors are found. Most of the receptors are found within cells, with only a small fraction on the cell surface. Most plasma glycoproteins have complex oligosaccharides terminated in sialic acid. The presence of sialic acid as the terminal sugar on the oligosaccharide chain protects plasma glycoproteins from being recognized in vivo .
Same Referent, Different Words: Unsupervised Mining of Opaque Coreferent Mentions

Coreference resolution systems rely heavily on string overlap (e.g., Google Inc. and Google), performing badly on mentions with very different words (opaque mentions) like Google and the search giant. Yet prior attempts to resolve opaque pairs using ontologies or distributional semantics hurt precision more than improved recall. We present a new unsupervised method for mining opaque pairs. Our intuition is to restrict distributional semantics to articles about the same event, thus promoting referential match. Using an English comparable corpus of tech news, we built a dictionary of opaque coreferent mentions (only 3% are in WordNet). Our dictionary can be integrated into any coreference system (it increases the performance of a state-of-the-art system by 1% F1 on all measures) and is easily extendable by using news aggregators.
Vision-aided inertial navigation for pin-point landing using observations of mapped landmarks: Research Articles

In this paper we describe an extended Kalman filter algorithm for estimating the pose and velocity of a spacecraft during entry, descent, and landing. The proposed estimator combines measurements of rotational velocity and acceleration from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) with observations of a priori mapped landmarks, such as craters or other visual features, that exist on the surface of a planet. The tight coupling of inertial sensory information with visual cues results in accurate, robust state estimates available at a high bandwidth. The dimensions of the landing uncertainty ellipses achieved by the proposed algorithm are three orders of magnitude smaller than those possible when relying exclusively on IMU integration. Extensive experimental and simulation results are presented, which demonstrate the applicability of the algorithm on real-world data and analyze the dependence of its accuracy on several system design parameters. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Hepatitis: General Principles

After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Describe the procedure and interpretation of the laboratory evaluation of hepatitis. 2. Recognize the signs and symptoms of acute and chronic hepatitis.3. Describe the immediate and long-term complications of hepatitis. 4. List the multiple causes of hepatitis in an older child.
Controllable Perovskite Crystallization at a Gas‒Solid Interface for Hole Conductor-Free Solar Cells with Steady Power Conversion Efficiency over 10%

Depositing a pinhole-free perovskite film is of paramount importance to achieve high performance perovskite solar cells, especially in a heterojunction device format that is free of hole transport material (HTM). Here, we report that high-quality pinhole-free CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite film can be controllably deposited via a facile low-temperature (<150 °C) gas–solid crystallization process. The crystallite formation process was compared with respect to the conventional solution approach, in which the needle-shaped solvation intermediates (CH3NH3PbI3·DMF and CH3NH3PbI3·H2O) have been recognized as the main cause for the incomplete coverage of the resultant film. By avoiding these intermediates, the films crystallized at the gas–solid interface offer several beneficial features for device performance including high surface coverage, small surface roughness, as well as controllable grain size. Highly efficient HTM-free perovskite solar cells were constructed with these pinhole-free CH3NH3PbI3 films, exhibiting ...
An Estuarine Species of Phlyctochytrium (Chytridiales) Having a Transient Requirement for Sodium

Microorganisms found exclusively in marine environments appear to exist there because that environment can provide them with the necessary chemical, physical, or biological conditions (10, 12, 22). In studies with some marine bacteria MacLeod (12) found that sodium is required at concentrations approaching that of seawater. Vishniac (22) reported that many lower fungi found in the marine environment also require sodium. Fungi such as Pythilm ml arinnllnl Sparrow (10), Phlyctochytriitt. niangrovii Ulken (21), Dendryphiella salina (Sunderl.) Nico & Pugh (2, 3), and Litzcorthia sp. (5) require either sodium or somle other factor characteristic of the marine environment
Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Theory of Interfaces of Oligomers

These proceedings summarize recent work in our group studying the structure of interfaces involving molecular fluids. Two types of systems are discussed. First, we summarize simulations of the structure and surface tension of liquid-vapor interfaces of the alkanes eicosane and decane. Then, we describe the results of simulations of the confined films studied in surface force apparatus and atomic force microscopy experiments. Our simulations show that in both films of normal and branched alkanes, the formation of a layered structure is observed. The branching inhibits this layering, especially in the narrowest pores. In addition an examination of the molecular motions indicates that a transition to a solid or glassy state is not a prerequisite for layering or oscillating solvation forces.
Printing of stretchable silk membranes for strain measurements

Quantifying the deformation of biological tissues under mechanical loading is crucial to understand its biomechanical response in physiological conditions and important for designing materials and treatments for biomedical applications. However, strain measurements for biological tissues subjected to large deformations and humid environments are challenging for conventional methods due to several limitations such as strain range, boundary conditions, surface bonding and biocompatibility. Here we propose the use of silk solutions and printing to synthesize prototype strain gauges for large strain measurements in biological tissues. The study shows that silk-based strain gauges can be stretched up to 1300% without failure, which is more than two orders of magnitude larger than conventional strain gauges, and the mechanics can be tuned by adjusting ion content. We demonstrate that the printing approach can accurately provide well bonded fluorescent features on the silk membranes using designs which can accurately measure strain in the membrane. The results show that these new strain gauges measure large deformations in the materials by eliminating the effects of sliding from the boundaries, making the measurements more accurate than direct outputs from tensile machines.
Aberrant H3.3 dynamics in NAc promote vulnerability to depressive-like behavior

Human major depressive disorder (MDD), along with related mood disorders, is among the world's greatest public health concerns; however, its pathophysiology remains poorly understood. Persistent changes in gene expression are known to promote physiological aberrations implicated in MDD. More recently, histone mechanisms affecting cell type- and regional-specific chromatin structures have also been shown to contribute to transcriptional programs related to depressive behaviors, as well as responses to antidepressants. Although much emphasis has been placed in recent years on roles for histone posttranslational modifications and chromatin-remodeling events in the etiology of MDD, it has become increasingly clear that replication-independent histone variants (e.g., H3.3), which differ in primary amino acid sequence from their canonical counterparts, similarly play critical roles in the regulation of activity-dependent neuronal transcription, synaptic connectivity, and behavioral plasticity. Here, we demonstrate a role for increased H3.3 dynamics in the nucleus accumbens (NAc)-a key limbic brain reward region-in the regulation of aberrant social stress-mediated gene expression and the precipitation of depressive-like behaviors in mice. We find that molecular blockade of these dynamics promotes resilience to chronic social stress and results in a partial renormalization of stress-associated transcriptional patterns in the NAc. In sum, our findings establish H3.3 dynamics as a critical, and previously undocumented, regulator of mood and suggest that future therapies aimed at modulating striatal histone dynamics may potentiate beneficial behavioral adaptations to negative emotional stimuli.
I am, I am becoming: how community engagement changed our learning, teaching, and leadership

AbstractWe explore the development of community-engaged scholars and practitioners through two distinct lenses: faculty who facilitate engaged learning processes and student-practitioners who are enacting these processes in their work. We use an auto-ethnographic technique, our own stories, to describe the will (motivation) and capacity (knowledge) gained through community engagement. More importantly, we provide vivid accounts of marked differences in our teaching, learning, and leadership. As a result, we have become activists in our craft as practitioners and scholars.
Host-Pathogen interactions: Nucleotide circles of life and death

A phosphodiesterase, CdnP, from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb.) helps the pathogen evade immune detection by degrading the second messenger cyclic di-AMP that alerts the host to its presence. Genetic knockout of CdnP dampens the virulence of the pathogen, suggesting that CdnP inhibitors are potential anti–M. tb. therapeutics.
Coordinated policy action and flexible coalitional psychology

The observation that politics makes strange bedfellows may be hackneyed, but it is also often true: Politicians and other actors in the policy process routinely align themselves on specific issues with actors with whom they otherwise have broad disagreements. This fits with social psychological research showing that humans have a coalitional psychology that is remarkably flexible, allowing us to feel strong bonds toward the coalitions to which we belong but to also break those bonds and move on to new coalitions when circumstances change. How is this flexibility possible? Here we examine the possible ways in which evolutionary forces helped shape our species trademark flexible coalitional psychology, focusing in particular on gene-culture coevolution and cultural group selection. We conclude with some examples of coordinated policy action among erstwhile foes in contemporary politics.
Investigating the application of a nitroreductase-expressing transgenic zebrafish line for high-throughput toxicity testing.

Nitroreductase enzymes are responsible for the reduction of nitro functional groups to amino functional groups, and are found in a range of animal models, zebrafish (Danio rerio) excluded. Transgenic zebrafish models have been developed for tissue-specific cell ablation, which use nitroreductase to ablate specific tissues or cell types following exposure to the non-toxic pro-drug metronidazole (MTZ). When metabolized by nitroreductase, MTZ produces a potent cytotoxin, which specifically ablates the tissue in which metabolism occurs. Uses, beyond tissue-specific cell ablation, are possible for the hepatocyte-specific Tg(l-fabp:CFP-NTR)s891 zebrafish line, including investigations of the role of nitroreductase in the toxicity of nitrated compounds. The hepatic ablation characteristics of this transgenic line were explored, in order to expand its potential uses. Embryos were exposed at 48, 72, or 96 hours post fertilization (hpf) to a range of MTZ concentrations, and the ablation profiles were compared. Ablation occurred at a 10-fold lower concentration than previously reported. Embryos were exposed to a selection of other compounds, with and without MTZ, in order to investigate alternative uses for this transgenic line. Test compounds were selected based on: their ability to undergo nitroreduction, known importance of hepatic metabolism to toxicity, and known pharmaceutical hepatotoxins. Selected compounds included nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs), the PAHs retene and benzo[a]pyrene, and the pharmaceuticals acetaminophen and flutamide. The results suggest a range of potential roles of the liver in the toxicity of these compounds, and highlight the additional uses of this transgenic model in toxicity testing.
An ECC/DCT-Based Robust Video Steganography Algorithm for Secure Data Communication

Nowadays, the science of information hiding has gained tremendous significance due to advances in information and communication technology. The performance of any steganographic algorithm relies on the embedding efficiency, embedding payload, and robustness against attackers. Low hidden ratio, less security, and low quality of stego videos are the major issues of many existing steganographic methods. In this paper, we propose a novel video steganography method in discrete cosine transform (DCT) domain based on error correcting codes (ECC). To improve the security of the proposed algorithm, a secret message is first encrypted and encoded by using Hamming and BCH codes. Then, it is embedded into the DCT coefficients of video frames. The hidden message is embedded into DCT coefficients of each Y, U, and V planes excluding DC coefficients. The proposed algorithm is tested under two types of videos that contain slow and fast moving objects. The experiential results of the proposed algorithm are compared with three existing methods. The comparison results show that our proposed algorithm outperformed other algorithms. The hidden ratio of the proposed algorithm is approximately 27.53%, which is considered as a high hiding capacity with a minimal tradeoff of the visual quality. The robustness of the proposed algorithm was tested under different attacks.
An invisible disease: severe asthma is more than just "bad asthma".

Severe asthma inflicts a tremendous burden on patients with this disease, which is often invisible to others http://ow.ly/RpGk30cTjIF
“Rubbery Stiffening” and Rupture Behavior of Freely Standing Nanometric Thin PIB Films

Prior bubble inflation studies have shown strong evidence of rubbery-like stiffening behaviors for several organic and inorganic thin films. The possible origin is still unclear, but recently Ngai et al. [J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013, 51 (3), 214−224] and Li and McKenna [Macromolecules 2015, 48 (17), 6329−6336] proposed that the separation of molecular motions and dynamic fragility are closely related to the observed rubber-like stiffening behavior. In the present work, we report observations from bubble inflation measurements on nanometric thin polyisobutylene (PIB) films that test the correlations suggested by the Ngai coupling model (stiffening is related to the shape parameter describing the α-relaxation) and Li and McKenna (the rubbery stiffening correlates with the dynamic fragility). Mechanical properties and surface tension of nanometric thin PIB films were investigated through strain–stress measurements for film thicknesses ranging from 13 to 126 nm. The tests were performed at room ...
Self-Disclosure and the Nonwhite Ethnic Minority Patient

In this chapter I will concentrate selectively on certain issues involved in self-disclosure in psychodynamic therapy with nonwhite ethnic minority people. It will be my basic position here that psychotherapy with ethnic minorities can draw on principles and concepts that are applicable to people generally. However, adaptations in conceptualization and technique must be made for the important variations in class and culture that exist in this country. Ordinarily the term “minority” in the United States is applied to people of African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic American, and Native American or Indian descent. It is of course not possible to do justice here to the range of issues that are pertinent to these groups on so fundamental a concept as self-disclosure in therapy.
Critical Thinking: A Model

The emphasis on critical thinking in nursing has increased in response to the rapidly changing health care environment. This emphasis is underscored in nursing education by the National League for Nursing (NLN) accreditation process with the inclusion of a required outcome criterion related to the critical thinking abilities of baccalaureate nursing graduates. This article proposes a model and an accompanying process that can provide direction for nurse educators in the development and evaluation of nursing students' critical thinking abilities.
Questions of Stability for a Parabolic-hyperbolic System

We consider a model describing a situation in which a population follows the density gradient of a nutrient that is produced at a spatially inhomogeneous rate of production and subject to diffusion. We show the stability of the equilibrium solution.
Food addiction and its associations to trauma, severity of illness, and comorbidity

Abstract The concept and phenomenon of food addiction (FA) has generated an upsurge of scientific interest and suggests major developmental, etiological, prevention, treatment, and social policy implications. In this chapter, the significant associations between FA (as defined by the Yale Food Addiction Scale), trauma, and psychiatric and medical comorbidities will be reviewed and discussed. Furthermore, it is argued that FA may be used as an indication for greater eating disorder (ED) and obesity severity, more severe trauma histories, greater symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and greater psychiatric and medical comorbidities. The recognition and acceptance of the concept of FA, when assimilated into an overall trauma-focused assessment and treatment approach, can be useful in comprehensive therapeutic planning. FA has the potential to bridge the conceptual gaps between EDs, obesity, addictions, PTSD, and other related psychiatric and medical comorbidities.
Correlation of ion acoustic turbulence with self-organization in a low-temperature plasma

The correlation between ion acoustic turbulence (IAT) and self-organization is investigated in a low-temperature, current-carrying xenon plasma. Translating probes are used to measure the dispersion and power spectra of relative fluctuations in the ion saturation current in the plume of a hollow cathode discharge. Both ion acoustic waves and a low-frequency, propagating coherent oscillation are detected. Time-resolved measurements reveal that the amplitude of the IAT modes is modulated in time and is highly correlated in space and time with the coherent fluctuations in the ion saturation current and light emission. The phase relationship between the IAT amplitude and these oscillations further suggests that fluctuations in turbulence are causally connected to the periodic, self-organized structure. These results are interpreted in the context of a zero-dimensional model for the electron energy that balances Ohmic heating from the IAT against inelastic losses from ionization. A comparison of the model with the experimental measurements supports the conclusion that this form of self-organization is hydrodynamic in nature but is possibly driven unstable by the presence of kinetic electrostatic turbulence.
Abstract C126: A new therapeutic strategy for cancers with transcription elongation defects

Increasing evidence suggest that the tumorigenic process is driven by various forms of transcriptional and epigenetic defects beyond somatic mutations. We recently described a novel non-genomic phenomenon associated with tumorigenesis that we call Transcription Elongation Defects (TEdeff), which is characterized by high levels of truncated transcripts, intron retention, and loss of gene body exon expression. The TEdeff phenotype exists in more than 20% of all human tumors and is linked to immunotherapy resistance (Modur et al, 2018). The aim of this study was to find a new therapeutic strategy for these types of tumors by targeting cellular pathways that are essential for TEdeff tumor survival. Computational analyses of RNA-sequencing data indicate that TEdeff tumors have extensive overexpression of the cytoplasmic protein homeostasis machinery, including several components of autophagy and proteasome degradation pathways. This strongly suggests that these cells may have increased dependency on cellular protein quality control due to elevated proteotoxic stress. Furthermore, we experimentally show that TEdeff cancer cell lines have a profound accumulation of protein aggregates (aggresomes) that appear to be associated with autophagy for clearance. Importantly, TEdeff cells, but not control cells with proficient transcription elongation (TEprof), are highly sensitive to autophagy inhibitors like chloroquine (CQ), but not proteasome inhibitors, which indicates their increased dependency on autophagy for survival. We also show evidence that the proteasomal degradation system may be defective in TEdeff cells, further supporting the hypothesis that these cells are dependent on alternative protein quality control mechanisms. Mechanistically, we propose that blocking the autophagy pathway maximizes proteotoxic stress, due to the accumulation of toxic aggresomes and proteins generated from defective transcripts, leading to a strong synthetic lethality in TEdeff cells. Therefore, autophagy inhibition may be a potent treatment strategy for TEdeff tumors, which are inherently resistant to current immunotherapies. Citation Format: Belal Muhammad. A new therapeutic strategy for cancers with transcription elongation defects [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2019 Oct 26-30; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2019;18(12 Suppl):Abstract nr C126. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.TARG-19-C126
Coronavirus Occurrence and Transmission Over 8 Years in the HIVE Cohort of Households in Michigan.

BACKGROUND: As part of the Household Influenza Vaccine Evaluation (HIVE) study, acute respiratory infections (ARI) have been identified in children and adults from 2010 to 2018. METHODS: Annually, 890 to 1441 individuals were followed and contacted weekly to report ARIs. Specimens collected during illness were tested for human coronaviruses (HCoV) types OC43, 229E, HKU1, and NL63. RESULTS: In total, 993 HCoV infections were identified during the 8 years, with OC43 most commonly seen and 229E the least. HCoVs were detected in a limited time period, between December and April/May and peaked in January/February. Highest infection frequency was in children <5 years (18 per 100 person-years), with little variation in older age groups (range, 7 to 11 per 100 person-years). Overall, 9% of adult cases and 20% of cases in children were associated with medical consultation. Of the 993 infections, 260 were acquired from an infected household contact. The serial interval between index and household-acquired cases ranged from 3.2 to 3.6 days and the secondary infection risk ranged from 7.2% to 12.6% by type. CONCLUSIONS: Coronaviruses are sharply seasonal. They appear, based on serial interval and secondary infection risk, to have similar transmission potential to influenza A(H3N2) in the same population.
Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) spawning and nursery areas in a sentinel estuary: spatial and temporal patterns

Spatial and temporal distribution of anadromous alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus Wilson) spawning and nursery habitats were determined by sampling in the Mullica River – Great Bay watershed (New Jersey, USA) in a combination of long- and short-term observational and quantitative studies. Reproduction was confirmed by examination of developing gonads, visual observations of spawning, and egg collections. Spawning typically lasted 2–4 days in discrete waves in freshwater tributaries from late March to late April. Nursery habitats for larvae and young-of-the-year alewife included low-salinity tributaries near the freshwater-saltwater interface and high salinity waters through early fall before departure to the ocean in late fall. Predation on eggs by fish predators, especially American eel (Anguilla rostrata Lesueur), occurred below a dam. This predation was also observed in the laboratory on eggs and larvae. These findings point out that this dam provided for enhanced predation on alewife early life history stages, and may cause an ecological hotspot for predation-prey interactions for this anadromous species and its catadromous predator.
Paclitaxel exposure and long-term mortality of patients treated with the Zilver PTX drug-eluting stent.

ObjectivesPaclitaxel-eluting stents have demonstrated improved patency over balloon angioplasty and bare metal stenting for endovascular interventions in the femoral-popliteal segment. Recently, co...
Thyroid storm associated with type 2 amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis due to long-term administration: a case report.

Background There are two types of amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT). Type 1 AIT is increased synthesis of thyroid hormone, whereas type 2 AIT is excess release of thyroid hormone due to a destructive thyroiditis. However, cases leading to amiodarone-induced thyroid storm are rare. Case presentation A 75-year-old man with a history of chronic heart failure, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, and atrial fibrillation was treated with amiodarone from age 72. He was presented to the emergency department with edema of the legs and dyspnea on exertion for 3 weeks. He was diagnosed with thyroid storm associated with type 2 AIT on the basis of no pre-existing thyroid disease and long-term amiodarone administration without appropriate medical attention and thyroid function tests. Conclusion This case report suggests that amiodarone can cause not only AIT but also thyroid storm. Regular medical appointment and thyroid function tests can avoid this critical illness.
Demographic responses to climate change in a threatened Arctic species

The Arctic is undergoing rapid and accelerating change in response to global warming, altering biodiversity patterns, and ecosystem function across the region. For Arctic endemic species, our understanding of the consequences of such change remains limited. Spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri), a large Arctic sea duck, use remote regions in the Bering Sea, Arctic Russia, and Alaska throughout the annual cycle making it difficult to conduct comprehensive surveys or demographic studies. Listed as Threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, understanding the species response to climate change is critical for effective conservation policy and planning. Here, we developed an integrated population model to describe spectacled eider population dynamics using capture-mark-recapture, breeding population survey, nest survey, and environmental data collected between 1992 and 2014. Our intent was to estimate abundance, population growth, and demographic rates, and quantify how changes in the environment influenced population dynamics. Abundance of spectacled eiders breeding in western Alaska has increased since listing in 1993 and responded more strongly to annual variation in first-year survival than adult survival or productivity. We found both adult survival and nest success were highest in years following intermediate sea ice conditions during the wintering period, and both demographic rates declined when sea ice conditions were above or below average. In recent years, sea ice extent has reached new record lows and has remained below average throughout the winter for multiple years in a row. Sea ice persistence is expected to further decline in the Bering Sea. Our results indicate spectacled eiders may be vulnerable to climate change and the increasingly variable sea ice conditions throughout their wintering range with potentially deleterious effects on population dynamics. Importantly, we identified that different demographic rates responded similarly to changes in sea ice conditions, emphasizing the need for integrated analyses to understand population dynamics.
Satellite-based estimation of the impacts of summertime wildfires on PM 2.5 concentration in the United States

Abstract. Frequent and widespread wildfires in the northwestern United States and Canada have become the “new normal” during the Northern Hemisphere summer months, which significantly degrades particulate matter air quality in the United States. Using the mid-visible Multi Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) with meteorological information from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and other ancillary data, we quantify the impact of these fires on fine particulate matter concentration (PM 2.5 ) air quality in the United States. We use a geographically weighted regression (GWR) method to estimate surface PM 2.5 in the United States between low (2011) and high (2018) fire activity years. Our results indicate an overall leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) R2 value of 0.797 with root mean square error (RMSE) between 3 and 5 µ g m −3 . Our results indicate that smoke aerosols caused significant pollution changes over half of the United States. We estimate that nearly 29 states have increased PM 2.5 during the fire-active year and that 15 of these states have PM 2.5 concentrations more than 2 times that of the inactive year. Furthermore, these fires increased the daily mean surface PM 2.5 concentrations in Washington and Oregon by 38 to 259 µ g m −3 , posing significant health risks especially to vulnerable populations. Our results also show that the GWR model can be successfully applied to PM 2.5 estimations from wildfires, thereby providing useful information for various applications such as public health assessment.
Ovarian Cancer: Therapeutic Strategies to Overcome Immune Suppression

Ovarian cancer generally escapes diagnosis until the advanced stages. High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most frequently occurring form of this malaise and is a disease which has the highest mortality rate of gynecologic cancers. Over recent years it has been revealed that the course of such cancers can be significantly influenced by the nature of immune cells in tumors at the time of diagnosis and by immune cells induced by therapy. Numerous investigators have since focused on disease biology to identify biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Yet, while over the past decade there have been significant improvements in state-of-the-art surgery for ovarian cancer as frontline therapy, there have been limited advancements in the development of novel curative or management drugs for this disease. This chapter discusses the major elements of immune suppression in HGSOC from a biological viewpoint, mechanisms of overcoming resistance to therapies, and recent therapy aimed at improving patient care and survival.
Gelation Based on Host-Guest Interactions Induced by Multi-Functionalized Nanosheets.

Host–guest interaction, being reversible and stimuli-responsive, is ideal to be applied to the design of hydrogels. We created a gelation system based on the host–guest interactions between the adamantyl groups and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) polymer. N,N,N-trimethyl-1-adamantylammonium hydroxide (TriMAA) cations were attached to the pre-exfoliated α-zirconium phosphate (α-ZrP) nanosheets by ionic bonding through a displacement reaction with the exfoliating agents. The exfoliated α-ZrP nanosheets with adamantyl groups directly or indirectly attached to the surface act as reversible high-functionality crosslinkers within the β-CD polymer. The gelation occurred at a host-to-guest ratio of 1:10 or 1:5 at room temperature within minutes. The agents used to exfoliate α-ZrP can tailor the surface of the resultant α-ZrP nanosheets and the ionic strength of the system, which directly affects the further gelation results. Plus, the exfoliating agent cations may generate a host-and-guest interaction with the β-CD polymer as well. This gelation process without covalent bonding formation should help fellow researchers to better understand the gelation system and host–guest interactions.
Ultrasound assessment of the inferior vena cava in children: A comparison of sub-xiphoid and right lateral coronal views

OBJECTIVES The inferior vena cava collapsibility index (IVCCI) has been used to assess the respiratory variation of the inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter and hence intravascular volume. The sub-xiphoid view (SXV) is the standard view to evaluate the IVC. The right lateral transabdominal view (RLV) has been shown in adults to be an alternative view to evaluate the IVC when the SXV is not feasible. The aim of the study was to compare IVC dimensions from these two views and thus determine whether the RLV view can be used instead of the SXV in pediatric patients. METHODS We conducted a single-center prospective observational crossover study. Study subjects were ASA physical status 1-2 children, 1-12 years of age scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia. Anesthesia was maintained by mask with spontaneous ventilation with end-tidal sevoflurane at 2%-5% after the induction of anesthesia. IVCCI was measured using M-mode in both the SXV and RLV. RESULTS The study cohort included 50 children with a mean age of 5.1 years. The median value for the IVCCI-sx was 0.45 (IQR: 0.28-0.70) while the IVCCI-rl was 0.30 (0.19-0.5). The mean difference between the two groups was 0.12 (95% CI: 0.177-0.066, p < .001, two-tailed paired t-test). Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was 0.66. The univariate linear regression model was IVCCIsx = 0.21 + 0.77 × IVCCIrl. CONCLUSIONS IVCCIrl was lower than IVCCIsx. IVCCI measured from the right lateral view tended to overestimate the patient's fluid-responsiveness and therefore these two values are not interchangeable.
Dart: A Geographic Information System on Hadoop

In the field of big data research, analytics on spatio-temporal data from social media is one of the fastest growing areas and poses a major challenge on research and application. An efficient and flexible computing and storage platform is needed for users to analyze spatio-temporal patterns in huge amount of social media data. This paper introduces a scalable and distributed geographic information system, called Dart, based on Hadoop and HBase. Dart provides a hybrid table schema to store spatial data in HBase so that the Reduce process can be omitted for operations like calculating the mean center and the median center. It employs reasonable pre-splitting and hash techniques to avoid data imbalance and hot region problems. It also supports massive spatial data analysis like K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) and Geometric Median Distribution. In our experiments, we evaluate the performance of Dart by processing 160 GB Twitter data on an Amazon EC2 cluster. The experimental results show that Dart is very scalable and efficient.
Tutorial: teaching user interface design

To the computer user the interface is the program. If software has a confusing or visually unappealing interface it does not matter that it does wonderful things with efficient algorithms; the user will have a low opinion of it.
Keratocyte density in keratoconus. A confocal microscopy study

Abstract PURPOSE: To estimate keratocyte density in human corneas with keratoconus by confocal microscopy. DESIGN: Prospective, observational cohort study. METHODS: Twenty-nine unscarred corneas of 19 patients with keratoconus and 29 corneas of 19 controls matched for age (±3 years) and contact lens wear were examined by using confocal microscopy. Images were recorded from the full-thickness central cornea. A masked observer manually counted bright objects (keratocyte nuclei) in images without motion blur. Cell densities in anteroposterior stromal layers of keratoconus corneas were compared with densities in corresponding layers of control corneas. RESULTS: In keratoconus patients, age 40 ± 15 years (mean ± standard deviation), keratocyte density was 19% lower in those who wore contact lenses (16,894 ± 4032 cell/mm 3 , n=12) than in those who did not wear contact lenses (20,827 ± 4934 cell/mm 3 , n=17, P = .03). In control patients, age 39 ± 16 years, there was no difference in keratocyte density between those who wore contact lenses (n = 12) and those who did not wear contact lenses (n = 17, P = .80). Among contact lens wearers, keratocyte density was 25% lower in keratoconus corneas (16,894 ± 4, 032 cell/mm 3 , n=12 [9 = rigid gas-permeable lenses, 3=soft lenses]) than in control corneas (22,579 ± 2, 387 cell/mm 3 , n=12 [3 = rigid gas-permeable lenses, 9=soft lenses], P = .002), the result of cell density being lower in the most anterior keratocyte layer ( P = .001) and the layers between 0% to 10% ( P P P P = .41). CONCLUSION: Keratocyte density is decreased in the anterior and posterior stroma of keratoconus patients who wear contact lenses.
Immunosuppression is an independent prognostic factor associated with aggressive tumor behavior in cutaneous melanoma

Background A number of factors other than those identified by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) may have prognostic significance in the evaluation of melanoma. Objective We sought to evaluate commonly recorded clinical features potentially associated with aggressive melanoma. Methods We conducted a retrospective case-control study. We included patients given a diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma with at least 5 years of follow-up or documented metastases. Patients were divided into nonaggressive and aggressive groups. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the association of multiple clinical and histologic parameters and metastases. Results We included 141 patients. Significant prognostic factors in univariate analysis associated with nonaggressive disease included history of dysplastic nevus syndrome and ABCDE criteria. Significant factors in univariate analysis associated with aggressive disease included age and immunosuppression. Only age and immunosuppression remained significant in multivariate analysis when controlled across statistically significant histologic variables from AJCC. Limitations The study is retrospective and has a small sample size. Conclusion Older patients and those with a history of immunosuppression may be at higher risk for aggressive disease and should be closely monitored after an initial diagnosis of melanoma.
Identification by digital immunohistochemistry of intratumoral changes of immune infiltrates after vaccine in the absence of modifications of PBMC immune cell subsets

Preclinical studies have demonstrated that the combination of systemic subcutaneous (s.c.) vaccination with intratumoral (i.t.) vaccination was superior in the induction of antitumor activity vs. vaccination with either route alone. A subsequent phase I study employing i.t.-s.c. vaccination was carried out in men with locally recurrent or progressive prostate cancer. rF-PSA-TRICOM (PROSTVAC) vaccine was administered intraprostatically and rV-PSA-TRICOM followed by rF-PSA-TRICOM vaccine was administered systemically. In that study no dose limiting toxicities were observed, 19/21 patients had stable or improved prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) increased in post- vs. pre-treatment tumor biopsies, analyzed employing conventional immunohistochemistry (IHC). In the studies reported here, 31 phenotypes of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were analyzed prevaccination and postvaccination as well as the functions of PBMC regulatory T cells (Tregs) and natural killer cells. A trend was observed in decreases in serum PSA with the reduction of circulating Tregs postvaccination. Digital IHC was employed prevaccination and postvaccination to measure CD4 and CD8 TILs, as well as Treg TILs by conventional IHC. Few correlations were observed with CD4, CD8 or Treg in TILs vs. PBMCs. However, patients with lower levels of CD4 TILs prevaccination showed the greatest increases in CD4 TILs postvaccine, while Treg TILs decreased postvaccine. There was also a strong correlation between decreases in serum PSA and increases in CD8 TILs postvaccine. These studies provide additional rationale for the use of i.t.-s.c. vaccinations and demonstrate a noncoordinate expression of specific immune subsets in PBMCs vs. tumor.
Effect of Nonionic Surfactants on the Stability of Hydrophobic Colloids.

Previous investigations have shown that the nature of aggregative stability of hydrophobic sols changes drastically in the presence of nonionic surface active agents (NSAA); the ionically stabilized sols are converted into hydrophilic ones. This transition manifested by an extremely sharp rise in the resistance of the sol towards the coagulating effect of electrolytes, takes place at relatively low NSAA concentrations.
Ultrafast optical switching in amorphous silicon microring resonators

We demonstrate Kerr-effect-based optical switching of amorphous Si microring resonators with full-width-at-half-maximum switching times of 14.8 ps at 1550 nm; low two-photon absorption reduces the creation of free carriers which would inhibit fast switching.
A Critical Examination of the Assessment Analysis Capabilities of OCLC ACAS

Abstract Over 500 libraries have employed OCLC's iCAS and its successor Automated Collection Assessment and Analysis Services (ACAS) as bibliometric tools to evaluate monograph collections. This examination of ACAS reveals both its methodological limitations and its feasibility as an indicator of collecting patterns. The results can be used to maximize the assessment capabilities of ACAS.